Disclosed herein is a polycarbonate copolymer comprising repeating units respectively made of a bisphenol A and a tetrahalogenobisphenol A and having a trihalogenophenoxy group as an end group at the terminal, particularly both terminals thereof and a method for efficiently producing said polycarbonate copolymer. This polycarbonate copolymer is superior in impact resistance, flame retardance, molding thermostability and the like, is good in hydrolytic resistance, is much less liable to cause a mold rust and has high quality. Therefore, this polycarbonate copolymer will be extensively used in various industrial materials, for example as the flame retardant parts for household electric appliances, office automation apparatuses and the like.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a polycarbonate copolymer and a method for producing the same. More particularly it relates to a polycarbonate copolymer which is superior in impact resistance, flame retardance, molding thermostability and the like, is good in hydrolytic resistance, is much less liable to cause a mold rust and further has high quality and a method for efficiently producing the same.
2. Description of Related Arts
As the halogen-containing copolymerized polycarbonate having high flame retardance, for example 1 a copolymer derived from tetrabromobisphenol A (TBA) and bisphenol A (BPA) (Japanese Patent Publication No. 24660/1972), 2 a copolymer derived from tetrabromobisphenolsulfone (TBS) and BPA (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 123294/1976), 3 a copolymer derived from tetrabromothiodiphenol (TBTDP) and BPA (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 99226/1981) and 4 a blend of the copolymer derived from a statistical mixture of halogenated bisphenol and BPA (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 136796/1976) or the copolymer derived from thiodiphenol (TDP) and BPA and the copolymer as set forth in 1 above (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 50065/1979) are known.
These copolymers contain a halogen in an amount necessary to have sufficiently high flame retardance through the copolymerization with halogenated bisphenols which are obtained by introducing halogen into the benzene nucleus of the bisphenols.
However, all of these polycarbonate copolymers have to have a comparatively high content of the halogenated bisphenols preventing a sufficiently satisfactory mechanical strength (particularly, impact resistance).
Other known examples of the halogen-containing polycarbonate copolymer are those in which a halogenated phenol is used as an end terminator (Japanese Patent Publication No. 40715/1971), but they are not sufficiently high in both flame retardance and mechanical strength.
Still other examples are the polycarbonates copolymerizing BPA, TBA and TDP to overcome the above shortcomings (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 140597/1977). Those polycarbonates are sufficiently high in the two of flame retardance and mechanical strength but not necessarily satisfactory with respect to moldability.
The study group of the present inventors have proposed a novel polycarbonate superior in flame retardance, mechanical strength and the like, in which a pentahalogenophenol is used as the end terminator and further BPA and TBA are copolymerized (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 79227/1989 and 79228/1989). This polycarbonate has been found to be excellent in flame retardance, mechanical strength and the like, but somewhat unsatisfactory in thermostability when the polycarbonate is molded.
In order to overcome the above problem, the study group of the present inventors have proposed a polycarbonate using a trihalogenophenol as the end terminator and copolymerizing BPA and TBA (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 200833/1991). It has been found, however, that something is missing in polycarbonates prepared by conventional polymerization techniques in connection with hydrolytic resistance and mold rust.
In view of the above problems of the related arts, the present inventors have made extensive studies with a view to developing a method for production of a polycarbonate which is superior in impact resistance, molding thermostability, color tone and the like, is of high hydrolytic resistance, is much less liable to cause mold rust and further has high quality. As the result, it has been found that the desired polycarbonate copolymer can be obtained according to a method which comprises steps of reacting bisphenol A with phosgene in the presence of an alkaline compound to react all of the phosgene in the reaction system into a polycarbonate oligomer; reacting the resultant polycarbonate oligomer with a tetrahalogenobisphenol A and a trihalogenophenol to prepare a polycarbonate copolymer oligomer; thereafter, separating the organic layer containing the resultant polycarbonate copolymer oligomer; and reacting the polycarbonate copolymer oligomer contained in the separated organic layer with bisphenol A and, if necessary, an end terminator in the presence of an alkaline compound. The resulting polycarbonate copolymer is superior in impact resistance, molding thermostability, color tone and the like, is good in hydrolytic resistance, is much less liable to cause mold rust and has high quality. The present invention has been completed on the basis of this finding.

Polycarbonate copolymer and method for production thereof


Ribs formed on two sides of a case are press-fitted into grooves formed in the holding faces of a holding member. Two case bodies constituting the case have rib divisions formed by dividing ribs in their longitudinal directions. Accordingly, the two case bodies are brought into contact with each other in a wide range on the divided surfaces of the rib divisions, the divided surfaces extending in the longitudinal directions. When the ribs are press-fitted into the grooves, the divided surfaces in contact with each other are brought into pressure-contact with each other in a wide range.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a case-equipped mechanism device in which part of mechanism parts is accommodated in the case. For example, the present disclosure relates to a vehicle-use lever device that uses a holder attached to a steering column or the like to hold a case in which a lever support body that swingably supports an operating lever is accommodated.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many passenger cars come with a lever device disposed in the vicinity of a steering wheel, the lever device being used as a mechanism device that operates the direction indicators, the headlights, the windshield wiper, and the like. A general lever device can swing the operating lever in two directions. For example, the vertical motion of the operating lever is detected as an operation for operating the direction indicators, and the fore-aft motion is detected as an operation for, for example, operating the headlight beams or the windshield wiper. As the swinging mechanism of this type of operating lever, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-192392 describes a lever operating device that includes a movable support member that swingably supports the base of an operating lever and also includes a housing that swingably supports the movable support member. The operating lever is swingable with respect to the movable support member in a first operation plane and is also swingable with respect to the housing in a second operation plane perpendicular to the first operation plane.
In the lever operating device described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-192392 above, the housing is divided into two bodies, an upper case and a lower case. To attach the spindle of the movable support member to an axis retaining cutout in the housing, the housing needs to be structured so that it can be disassembled in this way. The housing is secured to a holder, in a prescribed shape, of the steering column. When the lever is operated, therefore, a strong force is applied to the axis retaining cutout, which supports the movable support member. This requires the housing to be highly rigid. With the lever operating device described above, the upper case and lower case are combined by causing the fasteners of the lower case to snap into engaging holes in the upper case. If higher strength is required than in snap engagement in which elasticity is used, additional measures such as, for example, securing the two cases together with screws are generally taken. However, the way in which additional measures such as screwing are taken is problematic in that the number of parts is increased and person-hours in assembling are increased.


Properties of articles made from either glass reinforced polypropylene or glass reinforced carboxylated polypropylene are improved by use of at least one amino-functional silane and at least one polyurethane film former in the sizing of the glass or added to the composition separately from the glass.

In recent years various solid polymers of polypropylene have gained increasing popularity as thermoplastic molding materials for making a great variety of molded objects. Because of their unique combination of low density, high abrasion resistance, good chemical resistance, relatively high softening point and low cost, propylene polymers, particularly the crystalline propylene polymers, are good candidates for use as fiber reinforced thermoplastic compositions. Glass fiber reinforced polyolefin resins have better stiffness, impact resistance and heat resistance than unreinforced polyolefin resins. These glass fiber reinforced polyolefin resins have been broadly used for various industry parts such as automobile parts and electrical parts.
However, use of fiber reinforced polypropylene has been to some extent limited by difficulty of securely bonding the polymer matrix to the inorganic fiber. Even when polyolefins such as crystalline polypropylene are glass fiber reinforced, particularly when they are melt-kneaded together, the resulting material properties are not optimum because of poor adhesion of the matrix resin to the glass fibers. In the case of polypropylene, this is particularly a problem because of the non-polarity of polypropylene. When larger amounts of glass fibers are added to polyolefin resins, especially polypropylene, the fluidity of the polymer is lowered, making it difficult to use the fiber reinforced resins for molding applications.
It has been found that chemically modifying the crystalline polypropylene with an ethylenically unsaturated organic acid or organic acid anhydride will result in modified polypropylene from which articles having improved properties can be molded.
Silanes having both a substituent reactive with the surface of an inorganic fiber and an acid reactive with an organic matrix have been used with chemically modified polypropylene, particularly crystalline polypropylene, to enhance bonding of the matrix material to the inorganic fiber reinforcement, with resulting increases in strength of articles made from such molding compositions.
However, there is still a continuing need for glass reinforced resins from which can be molded articles having a good balance of various physical properties, mechanical properties, electrical properties and thermal properties.

Reinforced polypropylene compounds with improved properties


A system (and a method) are disclosed for adaptively selecting quantization parameter for each region of input video signal to be encoded within a video processing system. The system includes a frame partition module, an edge feature detector, a macroblock adaptive quantization energy (AQEnergy) evaluator and a macroblock adaptive quantization parameter selector. The frame partition module partitions a frame of an input video signal into smaller blocks of pixel data. The edge feature detector generates an edge direction histogram for each block to be encoded. The macroblock AQEnergy evaluator receives the edge direction histogram of the block, calculates the AQEnergy of the block and generates the adaptive quantization score (AQScore) of the macroblock. The macroblock adaptive quantization parameter selector selects an appropriate macroblock quantization parameter corresponding to the macroblock AQScore by a combination of programmable scaling and threshold logic.

1. Field of Art
The disclosure generally relates to video processing, and more particularly, to adaptively selecting quantization parameters within a video processing system to more efficiently compress video images.
2. Description of the Related Art
Video compression is critical for many multimedia applications available today. For applications such as DVD, digital television broadcasting, satellite television, Internet video streaming, video conferencing, video security, and digital camcorders, limited transmission bandwidth or storage capacity stresses the demand for higher compression ratios. A key component in high-compression video coding system is an operational control of an encoder through predictions, transformations and quantization. To efficiently compress video signals, each transform coefficient of video signal from the transformation process, such as Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT), is further quantized by a quantization parameter that is commonly defined by a quantizer step size. The quantization parameter (QP) regulates how much spatial detail is saved. When QP is very small, almost all that detail is retained.
As QP is increased, some of that detail is aggregated, which drops the bit rate required. However, this process increases distortion and causes some loss of quality. As a goal of video compression system to achieve the best fidelity (or the lowest distortion) given the capacity of transmission channel, subject to the coding rate constraint, an appropriately selected quantization parameter can have an enormous impact on achieving the maximum perceptual quality of the reconstructed video picture for a predetermined target bit rate.
The task of designing a video coding system that produces undetectable errors in the reconstructed video images with minimum transmitted bits is difficult. Selection of QP in conventional video coding systems is statistically based, and often further optimized to find the best quantization step size for each image region to be coded in a rate-distortion sense. However, such a statistical model and optimization is often at an expense of a large amount of memory access and computational complexity.
Another problem of the conventional QP selection is that widely varying content and motion of video signals are often not taken into consideration during QP selection. The perceived distortion in visual content is a very difficult quantity to measure, as the characteristics of human visual system are complex and not well understood. This problem is aggravated in video coding, because addition of the temporal domain relative to still images coding complicates the issue. For example, human viewers are more sensitive to reconstruction errors related to low spatial frequencies, such as slow linear changes in intensity or color, than those related to high frequencies. Furthermore, the visibility of distortion depends to a great extent on video image content. In particular, distortions are often much more disturbing in relatively smooth area of an image than in texture regions with a lot of activities.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method that adaptively selects quantization parameter for each image region to be coded so that the perceptual quality of the reconstructed video images is efficiently improved.

Perceptually adaptive quantization parameter selection


There is disclosed a composition which is particularly suited for lubricating the contact area between the guide pin and elastomeric bushing of a disc brake caliper assembly, said composition consisting essentially of:. (A) 55 to 90 weight percent of a polydimethylsiloxane having a viscosity of at least 1,000 cS at 25.degree. C.; PA1 (B) 5 to 45 weight percent of a polytetrafluoroethylene powder; PA1 (C) 5 to 45 weight percent of melamine cyanurate; PA1 (D) 0.1 to 5 weight percent of an antioxidant; and PA1 (E) 0.1 to 5 weight percent of magnesium oxide.

Sliding caliper disc brake assemblies have been in use in automotive applications for many years. For example, in a passenger vehicle at least one brake pad is supported by a metal caliper guide pin which typically slides within an elastomeric bushing, the latter being supported by a member which is stationary with respect to the body of the vehicle. When actuated, the guide pin urges the brake pad against a disc which is generally mounted on the vehicle's wheel and the resulting frictional forces reduce the speed of the moving vehicle or bring it to a complete stop. In order for the brake assembly to operate efficiently, the guide pin must slide freely within its surrounding bushing and therefore the contact area between guide pin and bushing must remain well lubricated. In this regard, the bushing serves at least three functions: (1) it contains any lubricant employed, (2) it eliminates metal-to-metal contact and the wear and noise associated therewith and (3) it excludes dirt, water and other corrosive elements which detract from smooth operation.
However, even with the best current disc brake designs which employ specially formulated lubricants, there is still a certain hysteresis associated with the sliding motion of the guide pin. This phenomenon is called "stiction," which is defined for the purposes of the present invention as the force required to overcome the static friction between the guide pin and the bushing at any given position within the pin's range of travel. Stiction typically increases with time as the brake assembly sits at rest for prolonged periods and this inactivity further reduces brake performance. Moreover, the brake assembly is often exposed to harsh environments during normal use (e.g., water, road salt, dirt, oil) and such exposure can greatly accelerate deterioration of the lubricant and promote corrosion of the guide pin. This, in turn, can result in increased stiction, reduced brake reliability and, eventually, brake failure. further, the lubricant must be compatible with the elastomeric bushing and should not excessively swell or otherwise adversely affect the bushing.
Various compositions which can be used as a grease or lubricant in the above described application are available commercially, but all of these systems are found lacking in one or more of the aforementioned desired characteristics. Thus, for example, petroleum-based greases tend to swell the elastomeric bushing and cause premature system failure. Greases based on poly alkylene glycol (PAG) or silica-filled silicone generally exhibit high stiction in this application. Greases based on perfluoropolyether (PFPE) are often too expensive for automotive application. There is therefore a need for improved compositions which can be used to lubricate the guide pin/bushing combination of the above described disc brake assemblies.

Lubricant composition for disc brake caliper pin and a disc brake asembly containing the lubricant


A female member of a Hook-and-Loop fastener made of double knit goods, in which a pile is provided at least in a portion on one side A of the double knit goods. The pile contains a crimped yarn, the percentage crimp (K.sub.1) of which is not more than 15%, the single fiber fineness of filaments composing the yarn is not less than 3 denier; and the yarn is knitted together with the yarn composing the other side B of the double knit goods only on one side A.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a female member of a Hook-and-Loop fastener made of double knit goods suitable for an outer side material of a seat designed to meet the requirement of superior decoration, and both fastening function and cushion function are integrally provided in this female member of the Hook-and-Loop fastener. More particularly, the present invention relates to a female member of a Hook-and-Loop fastener made of double knit goods suitable for recycling resources by making the female member of the Hook-and-Loop fastener made of a single material.
2. Background Art
It is well known that a cloth of a seat used for a vehicle or an aircraft, a cloth to cover a chair used in an office, or a pillow cover used for a chair in a vehicle is fastened to a male fastener fixed to a ground material. Conventionally, the fastening function is provided when nonwoven fabric or tricot fabric with loop, which functions as a female Hook-and-Loop fastener, is laminated or sewn onto the reverse side of a main body of the outer side material. Concerning the efficiency in the case of attaching the outer side material onto the main material of a seat used for a vehicle or an aircraft or a chair used in an office, the aforementioned conventional outer side material is satisfactorily used. Moreover, the aforementioned conventional outer side material appropriately fits to the seat, the surface of which is curved, and also the seat to which the aforementioned conventional outer side material has been attached can be comfortably used. However, in the above case, it is necessary for the outer side material to be integrated with a material having the fastening function by means of laminating and the like. Therefore, the cost of the outer side material is increased. In order to give a cushion property to the outer side material, or in order to maintain the stability of the shape of the outer side material, in some cases, foamed urethane rubber is laminated on the reverse side of the outer side material before nonwoven fabric or the like is laminated. In the above case, the manufacturing process becomes complicated and the cost is raised.
The conventional outer side material having the laminating structure described above is composed of different types of materials. It is necessary to separate and divide those materials during disassembly. Therefore, it is not easy to recycle the resources. As a result, after the outer side material has been used, it is subjected to a shredder and disposed for reclamation at present.
It is an object to solve the above problems of the conventional outer side material. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a female member of a Hook-and-Loop fastener including: an outer side material which is not necessarily subjected to complicated processing such as laminating; and double knit goods, the surface of which is appropriately designed, and the reverse side of which is formed into a surface having a high fastening function by which the surface is tightly fastened to hook-shaped fastening elements. Another object of the present invention is to provide a female member of a Hook-and-Loop fastener including: an outer side material that is seldom displaced even if it is repeatedly attached to and detached from the hook-shaped fastening elements or even if it is used over a long period of time; and double knit goods by which the design of the surface of the outer side material is not affected.
In order to accomplish the above objects, the inventors have found the following facts.
(1) It is important to structurally form the yarn having pile or loops on one side.
(2) It is important for the stitches of the yarn of pile or the yarn having loops to be formed only on one side.

Female member of a hook-and-loop fastener


The present invention describes novel phosphonate reagent compositions of the formula: ##STR1## wherein R and R'=C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl groups, or R, R'=(CH.sub.2).sub.n (n=2 or 3) or [CH.sub.2 C(CH.sub.3).sub.2 CH.sub.2 ].. The invention also describes allylic C-15 phosphonate compounds of the formula: ##STR2## wherein R and R'=C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl groups. The invention also describes methods of preparing phosphonate reagent compositions (4), allylic phosphonate compounds (5), and lycopene.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention describes novel phosphonate reagent compositions of the formula: ##STR3## wherein R and R'=C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl groups, or R, R'=(CH.sub.2).sub.n (n=2 or 3) or [CH.sub.2 C(CH.sub.3).sub.2 CH.sub.2 ].
Also described are novel methods for forming allenic C-15 phosphonate reagent compositions (4) from ethynyl-pseudoionone (3) (systematically named as 3,7,11-trimethyl-4,6,10-dodecatrien-1-yn-3-ol).
Allenic reagent compositions (4) can be partially hydrogenated to form allylic C-15 phosphonate compounds of the formula: ##STR4## wherein R and R'=C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl groups.
Phosphonate compounds (5) can be employed as precursors to a variety of biologically-active materials, including lycopene (7). Accordingly, the invention also describes a four-step route for the conversion of pseudoionone (2) to lycopene (7).
2. Description of Related Art
(a) Prior Art Processes for Preparation of Lycopene and Utility of Lycopene
There are approximately 600 naturally occurring carotenoids, but only six of these have so far been produced industrially. Insofar as applicants are aware, the only companies that manufacture synthetic "nature-identical" carotenoids at the present time are Roche (since 1954) and BASF (since 1960). Sales of such compounds are growing rapidly and in 1995 surpassed 500 million U.S. dollars. [Reference: "Carotenoids; Volume 2: Synthesis," edited by G. Britton, et al. (Birkhauser Verlag, Basel, 1996), page 259]. This reference indicates that the symmetrical acyclic C.sub.40 -carotenoid lycopene (7), which is the red coloring matter of tomatoes, has potential commercial value. Indeed, chemists at Roche have recently developed an industrially feasible synthesis of lycopene, although it requires the use of a very costly raw material (triphenylphosphine). See: K. Meyer, et al., Helv. Chim. Acta 1992, 75, 1848.
Compared to .beta.-carotene, lycopene exhibits higher radical scavenging properties, which makes it an interesting candidate for antioxidant activity studies in humans [H. Gerster, J. Am. Coll. Nutr. 1997, 16, 109]. Levy and coworkers [Nutr. Cancer 1995, 24, 257] showed the inhibitory effect of lycopene on the growth of human endometrial, mammary, and lung cancer cells; and it has been verified that a lycopene-rich diet decreases the risk of prostate cancer [E. Giovannucci, et al., J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 1995, 87, 1767]. Indeed, it is now thought that lycopene is important in giving protection against a variety of serious disorders including cancer, heart disease, and degenerative eye diseases. For example, lycopene is known to be an antitumor agent against brain tumors [Chem. Abstracts 1990, 112 91375w]. Also interesting is the report in a recent Japanese patent [Chem. Abstracts 1991, 115, 214528v] that a topical solution of lycopene controls acne and also markedly promotes hair growth in mice.
The first synthesis of lycopene (7) was reported in 1950 [P. Karrer, et al., Helv. Chim. Acta 1950, 33, 1349], but suffered from a low overall yield (0.1%) starting with pseudoionone (2). Subsequent syntheses of lycopene starting with pseudoionone proceeded in overall yields as high as 20% [e.g., B. C. L. Weedon, et al., J. Chem. Soc. 1965, 2019]. However, all such syntheses required too many steps and/or the use of costly raw materials (e.g., triphenylphosphine). Other syntheses of lycopene can be found in: O. Isler, et al., Helv. Chim. Acta 1956, 39, 463; K. Bernhard and H. Mayer, Pure & Appl. Chem. 1991, 63, 35; and Chem. Abstracts 1991, 114, 82198e.
(b) Prior Art Processes for Forming Pseudoionone
A preliminary step in a preferred method for preparing the compounds of the present invention involves the preparation of pseudoionone (2) [IUPAC name: 6,10-dimethyl-undeca-3,5,9-trien-2-one]. This specialty chemical can be prepared by a crossed-aldol condensation of citral (1) [IUPAC name: 3,7-dimethylocta-2,6-dienal] with acetone: ##STR5##
Alternatively, pseudoionone (2) can be prepared by the following four-step route starting with isoprene (as disclosed in Babler et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/161,983, filed on Sep. 19, 1998, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference): ##STR6## (c) Prior Art Processes for Forming 3.degree. Propargylic Alcohols.
The first step in a preferred method for preparing the compounds of the present invention involves the addition of acetylide to pseudoionone (2) to form a 3.degree. propargylic alcohol (3) in high yield: ##STR7## See O. Isler, et al., Helv. Chim. Acta 1961, 44, 985. (d) Prior Art Processes for Converting 3.degree. Propargylic and Allylic Alcohols to Allenic and Allylic Phosphonates
The second step in the preparation of phosphonate reagent compositions (4) is a novel process wherein ethynyl-pseudoionone (3) (systematically named as 3,7,11-trimethyl-4,6,10-dodecatrien-1-yn-3-ol) is reacted with a dialkyl chlorophosphite. Processes wherein structurally-simple 3.degree. propargylic alcohols have been converted to allenic phosphonates have been described: ##STR8## For examples of the above reaction, see: H. J. Altenbach and R. Korff, Tetrahedron Lett., 1981, 22, 5175 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,197,497.
In a similar process, 3.degree. allylic alcohols have been converted into allylic phosphonates: ##STR9##
However, ethynyl-pseudoionone (3) could have undergone dehydration (yielding 3,7,11-trimethyl-3,5,7,10-dodecatetraen-1-yne) when treated with ClP(OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.3).sub.2 in the presence of a tertiary amine, instead of being converted into the novel C-15 allenic phosphonate (4). Indeed, the closely-related ethynyl-.beta.-ionol has been reported to undergo dehydration when treated (0.degree. C. to room temperature) with phosphorous oxychloride and a non-nucleophilic base (e.g., a tertiary amine such as pyridine or triethylamine): ##STR10## See M. J. Szwedo, Jr., STUDIES DIRECTED TOWARDS THE TOTAL SYNTHESIS OF RETINOIDS, Ph.D. Dissertation, Loyola University of Chicago, 1983, pages 24 & 57-59.

C-15 phosphonate reagent compositions for the manufacture of compounds such as lycopene and methods of synthesizing the same


Provided is an alkyldiphenylmethane protective agent, which can prevent solidification or insolubilization of a compound by protecting a functional group of the compound to achieve easy separation and purification after a reaction.

In synthesis of peptides or various compounds, protection of functional groups such as a carboxy group, a hydroxy group, an amino group, an amide group, and a mercapto group may be required for carrying out the reaction. Desirable protecting groups include those which can protect functional groups by an easy process and can be eliminated under moderate conditions. For example, benzyl esters (Bn) and tert-butyl ester are known as examples of a protecting group for a carboxy group. Recently, it is reported that benzyl alcohol-based compounds and diphenylmethane-based compounds are useful as protecting groups (Patent Literatures 1 to 3).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Abstract: An alkyldiphenylmethane compound represented by general formula (1):

Abstract: wherein Y represents —OR19 (wherein R19 represents a hydrogen atom or an active ester-type protecting group), —NHR20 (wherein R20 represents a hydrogen atom, a C1-6 linear or branched alkyl group, or an aralkyl group), isocyanate group, an azide group, or a halogen atom, Z represents a C1-4 linear or branched alkyl group, an alkenyl group, or a cycloalkyl group, at least one of R1 to R10 represents a group represented by formula (2):—O—R11—X-A  (2)        and the others each independently represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a C1-4 alkyl group, or a C1-4 alkoxy group; R11 represents a C1-16 linear or branched alkylene group; X represents O or CONR21 (wherein R21 represents a hydrogen atom or a C1-4 alkyl group); and A represents, for example, a group represented by formula (3):

Abstract: wherein R12, R13, and R14 may be the same or different and each independently represent a C1-6 linear or branched alkyl group or an optionally substituted aryl group; R15 represents a single bond or a C1-3 linear or branched alkylene group; and R16, R17, and R18 each independently represent a C1-3 linear or branched alkylene group.


A bow string release with a head carrying a pivotable sear movable between a closed string retaining position and an open string releasing position, and a latch for selectively engaging and locking the sear in the string retaining position. The sear includes a roller mounted on one end and the latch includes a tapered pin for engaging the roller when the pin is extended to lock the sear in the closed position. The sear includes a pair of spaced string retaining notches, adapted for engaging the bow string above and below the nock of an arrow, the bow string substantially perpendicular to the axis of the arrow when the string is placed in the release mechanism.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to bow string releases of the type having a releasable sear for retaining a bow string, and more particularly to a bow string release with a head and trigger having adjustable rotational orientation relative to one another.
2. Description of the Prior Art
This invention is related to my co-pending application Ser. No. 07/758,779 entitled: "Twin Jaw Bow String Release", filed on even date herewith.
In recent years, bow string releases have grown in popularity for both target shooting and hunting. A good release provides uniform control of the bow string and increases accuracy. The release is either hand-held or strapped to the wrist and has a trigger which permits the archer to release the string. Typically, such devices employ a releasable sear that engages the bow string, the sear being movable from a string retaining position to a release position for releasing the string. Releases of this type are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,485,798; 4,066,060; 3,954,095; and 3,898,974. It is also known to use ball type elements in place of the sear to retain and release the string, wherein the ball elements are held by a head and retained in position by a yoke or sleeve. A device of this type is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,594 .
In typical use, the releases are used to maintain the bow string in a cocked position in which the bow string is flexed against the tension of the bow for propelling an arrow supported on the bow string. The arrow includes a notched nock which is configured to receive the bow string to insure stability of the arrow during cocking and release of the bow string. The nock of the arrow is preferably disposed at or near the mid-point of the bow string to insure that the flight of the arrow is as true as possible.
In most applications, the release includes a head incorporating the movable sears for holding and selectively releasing the bow string and a body for housing a trigger which is in communication with the sear mechanism and operable when actuated to open the sear and release the bow string. It is desirable that the rotational orientation of the trigger relative to the sear mechanism be adjustable to accommodate the individual requirements of a variety of users. Typically, the rotational orientation of the sear relative to the trigger is set by the user and is locked in position by locking means such as a set screw or the like. While such devices permit the individual user to adjust the orientation of the trigger and sear to his own individual requirements, it has been found that many users desire a range of calibration since they do not hold the bow and release in precisely the same position at each use. The adjustable devices of the prior art are either of the free rotation type, wherein the orientation cannot be set for the individual user, or are of the locking type wherein once the orientation has been calibrated, it is locked in position.

Rotationally adjustable bow string release


A connector including an integrated circuit, for connecting two conductors directly or indirectly. The integrated circuit derives power either from one of the connectors being connected by the connector or from one or more other conductors terminating in the connector, and not from a battery or photovoltaic cell or other such voltage source. A coupler connected to the integrated circuit is used in case of an indirect connection of the two conductors and/or of the one or both of the conductors to the integrated circuit, to avoid having to make a physical attachment.

The prior art provides many types of connectors for connecting electrical or optical conductors. In addition, multi-element electrical connectors for simultaneously connecting several low frequency (including DC) current-carrying conductors (i.e. two electrical lines each including several current-carrying conductors) are well known in the art. The prior art further includes a multi-conductor/coaxial electrical connector for simultaneously connecting a multi-conductor and a coaxial cable. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,154,360 provides a plug member and a socket (receptacle) member. The prior art also includes connectors for connecting optical fibers, and even connectors for simultaneously connecting several low frequency current-carrying conductors (including DC) and also two or more ends of optical fiber, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,416,334.
In addition, integrated circuits (ICs) are well known in the art; the prior art teaches providing integrated circuits (ICs) for performing numerous different functions. ICs are available for use as voltage or current amplifiers, for test and evaluation of circuits, for use as elements of computers, for control, for use in connection with optical circuits (e.g. for performing one or another task of an add/drop multiplexer in a wavelength division multiplex signal), and for providing numerous other useful functions.
In many applications in which two or more conductors of one or more types of signal are used, it is often necessary to perform one or another kind of function at the location where the conductors are connected. For example, it would be useful to provide impedance matching at the point at which two conductors are joined. In addition, it is often useful to amplify a signal at a connector, using either an analog signal amplifier or a digital signal amplifier, or in a purely analog application, provide for either current or voltage amplification. In other applications, other kinds of functions would advantageously be performed at the point of connection of two or more conductors or one or more types.
What is needed therefore is a connector providing not only for connection of two or more conductors or one or more types of conductor, but also providing useful functions having to do with either the signals being conveyed by the connectors, or with the connection itself (including, e.g. test and evaluation of the connection).
Further, for ease of repair in the field and for other reasons affecting performance, it is advantageous to provide for useful functions in a connector not by ICs provided so as to make a physical connection with the conductors being connected by the connector, but instead indirectly coupled, i.e. coupled without making a physical connection to the lines/conductors being connected. Further, such indirectly coupling would be advantageous not only in case of connectors, but in case of electrical and optical circuits generally.

Connector including an integrated circuit powered by a connection to a conductor terminating in the connector


A method for forming a microscale device may include growing, by a chemical vapor deposition, a patterned forest of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes, wherein the patterned forest defines a component of the microscale device, and applying a conformal non-metal coating to the vertically aligned carbon nanotubes throughout the patterned forest, wherein the conformal non-metal coating comprises a substantially uniform thickness along a length of the vertically aligned carbon nanotubes. The method may also include connecting adjacent vertically aligned carbon nanotubes together with the conformal non-metal coating without filling interstices between the adjacent vertically aligned carbon nanotubes, wherein the connecting of the vertically aligned carbon nanotubes is configured to increase a strength of the vertically aligned carbon nanotubes of the patterned forest above a threshold level to withstand forces applied during a wet etching process, and infiltrating the interstices between the adjacent vertically aligned carbon nanotubes with a metallic material.

The present invention relates generally to three-dimensional microscale structures and methods relating to the formation of such structures.
Precision manufacturing of three-dimensional structures on the microscale is of great interest in a variety of sensing and related applications. At present, however, such endeavors have been limited to relatively low aspect ratio devices and to a narrow range of materials. Metals and metal alloys are commonly used in larger applications, but have faced significant barriers at the microscale level.

Microscale metallic CNT templated devices and related methods


A ski securement and carrying harness including an adjustable central strap member. A first securement strap is fixedly secured to an upper end of the central strap member. The first securement strap secures to a pair of skis disposed below toe bindings thereof to facilitate securement of the pair of skis together. A second securement strap is fixedly secured to a lower end of the central strap member. The second securement strap secures to the pair of skis disposed below heel bindings thereof to facilitate securement of the pair of skis together. A third securement strap is slidably coupled with the central strap member by a coupling loop intermediate the first securement strap and the adjustment bracket. The third securement strap secures to the pair of skis disposed between the toe bindings and upper tips thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ski securement and carrying harness and more particularly pertains to enabling a skier to carry their skis in a practical manner with a ski securement and carrying harness.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of ski carriers is known in the prior art. More specifically, ski carriers heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of carrying skis are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,937 to Rottenberg; U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,838 to Knauf; U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,931 to Ferdi; U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,074 to Coates; U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,096 to Sieber; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 337,882 to Bender et al.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objective and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a ski securement and carrying harness for enabling a skier to carry their skis in a practical manner.
In this respect, the ski securement and carrying harness according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of enabling a skier to carry their skis in a practical manner.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for new and improved ski securement and carrying harness which can be used for enabling a skier to carry their skis in a practical manner. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


A commutator for an electrical machine, in particular for an electric motor for actuating drives in motor vehicles, has a commutator body that supports commutator laminations. To reduce the electromagnetic radiation, emitted into the environment as interfering radiation, that is engendered by spark development in the commutation operation, the commutator body is embodied as a hollow cylinder, and the commutator laminations are disposed on the inner jacket face of the commutator body.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to an improved commutator for an electrical machine, in particular for an electric motor for actuating drives in motor vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One commutator known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,285,106 B1 has a hollow-cylindrical commutator body of insulating material, which can be mounted on the rotor shaft of a commutator machine in a manner fixed against relative rotation, and on whose outer circumference the commutator laminations are disposed with gap spacing from one another, side by side in the circumferential direction. Each commutator lamination has an integral connection lug or connection hook for connecting the coils of a rotor winding that is wound in a known manner in slots of a ferromagnetic rotor body that is seated on the rotor shaft in a manner fixed against relative rotation. In order, to reduce the spark development which occurs in the commutation during operation of the commutator machine and which is the cause of electromagnetic interfering radiation, an indentation is machined into the face end of the commutator body facing away from the connection hooks, into which indentation an interference suppressor disk, such as a varistor, is placed such that one annular disk face of it rests on the bottom of the indentation, and the other annular disk face, carrying connection electrodes, points outward. A contact ring is pressed onto the interference suppressor disk and electrically conductively connects the connection electrodes with the commutator laminations. The contact ring has a basic ring of insulating material, with many first and second contacts, each connected to one another. The number of first contacts and the number of second contacts is equivalent to the number of commutator laminations, or the equally large number of connection electrodes on the interference suppressor disk. Each first contact rests on a connection electrode, and each second contact, electrically conductively connected to the first contact, rests with mechanical prestressing on the underside of one of the commutator laminations that protrude at the end past the indentation. A cap that presses the first contacts against the connection electrodes and that is locked in the indentation is pressed onto the contact ring.


The present invention relates to coating composition, which is suitable for preparing light fast coatings and contains a cosolvent-free, aqueous, anionic dispersion of polyurethane-ureas, the solids content of which contains the reaction product, present at least partially in salt form, of. a) an NCO prepolymer prepared from PA1 b) optionally a diamine, PA1 c) a monofunctional chain terminating agent, PA1 d) water and PA1 e) a neutralizing agent,. i) an aliphatic and/or cycloaliphatic diisocyanate, PA2 ii) a macrodiol having a number average molecular weight of 500 to 10,000 PA2 iii) a 2,2-bis-(hydroxymethyl)alkane monocarboxylic acid and PA2 iv) a diol having a molecular weight of 62 to 400, with. provided that the NCO content of the prepolymer is up to 25% lower than the theoretical value, the entire polyurethane-urea synthesis reaction is performed in the homogeneous phase and no cosolvent having a boiling range of greater than 100.degree. C. is used during the preparation of the dispersion of polyurethane-ureas.. The present invention also relates to light fast coatings prepared from these coating compositions and to a process for preparing these coating compositions. Finally, the present invention relates to peelable coatings and to a method for recycling these coatings.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel cosolvent-free, aqueous, anionic polyurethane dispersions, to a process for their production and to their use as a lacquer, coating, adhesive or binder for any desired substrates, in particular as peelable lacquers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Polyurethane plastics dispersed in water are known and have been described, e.g., in Anigewandte Makromoleculare Chemie, 98 (1981) 133-165). Polyurethane binders in aqueous lacquers have been disclosed in Wasserlacke, 1992, ISBN 3-8249-0100-5, page 46).
Because of their superior properties, such as flexibility, abrasion resistance, tear strength, as well as hardness and toughness, these polyurethane plastics may be used in a wide range of applications in the lacquers, coatings, adhesives and binders sectors.
Prior art aqueous polyurethane dispersions have made a major contribution to the stringent requirements to reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC's). However, prior art aqueous anionic polyurethane dispersions do generally still contain high-boiling, polar organic solvents such as dimethylformamide, N-methyl-pyrrolidone, etc. The addition of these high-boiling components simplifies the production process. Once the anionic polyurethane plastics have been converted into the aqueous phase, the high-boiling components remain in the dispersions. This is desirable when these dispersions are used as lacquers, coatings or adhesives, because the organic, polar compounds act as plasticizers, levelling agents and/or coalescing agents and widen the range of applications for the dispersions.
Disadvantageously, these high-boiling components evaporate from the layers over the period of use as a lacquer, coating or adhesive and the organic, polar high-boiling components reduce the water resistance of the lacquer, coating and adhesive layers.
When the dispersions containing cosolvents are used as a peelable coating for the temporary protection of coated surfaces, organic, polar, high-boiling solvents are undesirable because they damage the coated surfaces. These high-boiling components are also undesirable for when the coatings are applied to plastics.
Peelable coatings for the temporary protection of, for example, motor vehicles, are known. Japanese application JP 05 171 068 describes peelable coatings consisting of polybutyral resins, plasticizers, lecithin, organic solvents, non-sublimable hindered phenols, anti-settling agents and UV absorbers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,788 describes an aqueous coating composition which contains a film-forming acrylate polymer and surface-active compounds.
The coating composition contains alkanolamines and "surfactants," i.e., surface-active substances. An anionic phosphate ester is added as the "surfactant." An aqueous concentrate of alkanolamines, surface-active compounds and chelating agents is used as the stripping agent. No information is given with regard to the fate of the stripped coating waste. An automotive coating method to protect the vehicle against stone chipping is also described. The coating used in this method is a polyurethane coating described in no further detail dissolved in isopropanol, toluene, ethyl acetate mixtures. Once damaged, the lacquer may be stripped and the automotive component then recoated with the coating solution.
The previously described processes for the temporary protection of coated or uncoated articles are associated with serious disadvantages. On the one hand, organic solvents are used for the lacquer resins, which can have a detrimental effect on the coated surfaces. On the other hand, stripping agents are used, some of which contain strongly basic compounds. No information is given with regard to the fate of the stripped lacquers.
Recyclable peelable coatings are previously unknown. Reference may here be made, for example, to the automotive industry's demands for aqueous peelable coatings to protect the exterior of motor vehicles. Wax-based exterior protection agents are no longer acceptable in various countries on environmental protection grounds.
The performance currently required from peelable coatings is that the coating should be water-based and cosolvent-free. The coating solution or dispersion should be capable of being applied by dipping, knife coating, pouring, brushing and spraying (airless and electrostatic).
Subsequent drying at 20 to 80.degree. C. should yield a homogeneous film. The film should be water resistant, transparent, tear-resistant, UV-resistant, temperature-resistant, resistant to precipitation (of an organic or inorganic nature), and should adhere to the substrates and be readily removable by peeling. The coating should be reusable by means of a suitable process.
Previously known methods, processes and coatings do not fulfill all of these requirements. It must thus be considered surprising that the aqueous polyurethane-polyurea dispersions according to the invention fulfill all of these requirements, especially since it is known that polyurethane coatings are particularly suitable for the production of coatings and multi-layer coatings having good adhesion properties as disclosed, for example, in EP-A 634,431. The thermoplastic poly-urethanes having lateral carboxyl groups described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,674 adhere so strongly to glass that they are ideally suited to the production of glass laminates.
It is thus particularly surprising and unexpected that the polyurethane-ureas according to the invention do not exhibit this characteristic, provided that certain drying conditions are maintained.
It has not been disclosed that the aqueous polyurethane dispersions described in Angewandte Makrornoleculare Chemie, 98 (1981) 133-165 are peelable coatings. EP-A 669,352, EP-A 407,798, EP-A 427,979 and EP-A 269,972 are among the closest prior art. EP-A 269,972 describes polyurethanes, which are soluble or dispersible in water and contain 0.5 to 30 wt. % of ethylene oxide units present in polyether chains arranged terminally or laterally and 0.1 to 120 mnilliequivalents of carboxylate groups per 100 g of solids. The products of the process are suitable for coating textiles, leather, paper, etc. They are not suitable for peelable coatings because they adhere too strongly to the substrates and swell when exposed to water. This is a disadvantage common to all polyurethane dispersions containing hydrophilic polyether chains in the solids. U.S. Pat. No. 3,412,054 describes polyurethane dispersions having limited dilutability in water and which require the presence of a cosolvent.
The products described in EP-A 427,979 have very good coating properties, such as adhesion and weathering resistance, but due to their content of hydrophilic monofunctional polyether chains are unsuitable for use as a peelable coating.
EP-A 407,798 describes a process for the production of aqueous dispersions of polyurethanes and their use as coating compositions for any desired substrates. Trialkylainmonium compounds are used in this process in order to prevent the isocyanate groups and ammonia from reacting. The process is elaborate and, in addition to unsubstituted ammonium ions, the products also contain trialkylammonium counterions.
DE-A 4,343,895 describes a process for the production of polyurethane dispersions by reacting prepolymers containing unneutralized carboxyl groups and/or terminal NCO groups with ammonia and subsequently dispersing them in water. Ammonia is used in chemically bound form as ammonium carbonate. It is disclosed in the examples that N-methylpyrrolidone is used as a cosolvent. The products are used for the production of coatings, which are preferably crosslinked with melamine resins, for solid surfaces. These products are unusable as a peelable coating, due to the presence of NMP as the cosolvent and because they do not form peelable films without crosslinking agents.
EP-A 669,352 describes "soft-feel" coatings having good mechanical film properties and adhesion. It is disclosed in the examples that the products of the process have a content of organic solvents, in particular NMP, of approx. 2 to 3%. Aqueous polyurethane resins containing solvent are unsuitable as peelable coatings because they attack the coating layers they are intended to protect.
Cosolvent-free, aqueous dispersions of polyurethane-ureas having lateral carboxyl groups, which are at least partially neutralized by ammonia, containing no other hydrophilic groups and coating sheets peeled therefrom or can be recycled to aqueous dispersions have not previously been described.
An object of the present invention is to provide anionic polyurethane plastics, which may be used to provide coatings and adhesives which fulfill requirements with regard to mechanical properties, weathering resistance, light fastness, transparency, temperature resistance, tear strength, elongation, water resistance and resistance to precipitation (of an organic or inorganic nature) and recyclability.
It has now surprisingly been found that the type of salt groups bound to the polymer and the average particle size of the dispersed polymer particles are significant for the formation of defect-free layers. The process according to the invention allows the person skilled in the art, by means of these parameters, to reproducibly obtain stable anionic, cosolvent-free polyurethane dispersions and to produce defect-free coatings therefrom, especially on industrial coating lines.

Cosolvent-free aqueous, anionic polyurethane dispersions and their use as peelable coatings


An energy dissipation device (1) is provided for a car body of a multi-element vehicle in particular a rail vehicle, the energy dissipation device (1) having a damping unit (10) having a regeneratively implemented damping element (11) for damping traction and impact forces occurring in normal travel operation and an energy dissipation unit (20) having a destructively implemented energy dissipation element (21), and the energy dissipation element (21) being designed to respond after a previously determinable critical impact force is exceeded and to transmit at least a part of the impact forces transmitted via the energy dissipation device (1) into heat and deformation work by plastic deformation and thus dissipate them. In order that the energy dissipation device (1) only requires a small installation space, the damping unit (10) is integrated in the energy dissipation unit (20) in such a way that during a transmission of impact forces, the force flux runs through both the damping unit (10) and also the energy dissipation element (20).

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an energy dissipation device for a car body of a multielement vehicle, in particular a rail vehicle, the energy dissipation device having a damping unit having a regeneratively implemented damping element for damping traction and impact forces occurring in normal travel operation, as well as an energy dissipation unit having a destructively implemented energy dissipation element, the destructively implemented energy dissipation element being designed to respond after a previously established critical impact force is exceeded and to convert at least a part of the impact forces transmitted via the energy dissipation device into heat and deformation work by plastic deformation and thus dissipate them.
(2) Description of Related Art
Energy dissipation devices of the type cited at the beginning are generally known in principle from the prior art and are used, for example, in rail vehicle technology in particular as a shock absorber. Such a shock absorber typically comprises a combination of a damping unit (for example, in the form of a spring apparatus) and an energy dissipation unit. The damping unit is used for damping the traction and impact forces occurring in normal travel operation, while the vehicle is protected in particular even at greater collision speeds using the energy dissipation unit.
Typically, the damping unit absorbs traction and impact forces up to a defined dimension and relays forces exceeding this dimension into the vehicle chassis. Traction and impact forces which occur, for example, between the individual car bodies during normal travel operation in a multielement rail vehicle are thus absorbed in this shock absorber, which is typically implemented as regenerative.
If the operating load of the damping unit, which is typically implemented as regenerative, is exceeded, in contrast, upon impact of the vehicle on an obstruction or upon abrupt braking of the vehicle, for example, the danger arises that the damping unit and the possibly provided joint or coupling connection between the individual car bodies and/or more generally expressed the interface between the individual car bodies will possibly be destroyed or damaged. In any case, the damping unit is not sufficient for damping the total incident energy. The damping unit is thus no longer incorporated in the energy dissipation concept of the overall vehicle.
To prevent the incident impact energy from being transmitted directly to the vehicle chassis in such a crash case, connecting an energy dissipation unit downstream from the damping unit is known from rail vehicle technology. The energy dissipation unit typically responds after the operating load of the damping unit is exceeded and is used to at least partially dissipate the incident impact energy, i.e., convert it into heat energy and deformation work, for example. Providing an energy dissipation unit of this type is fundamentally advisable for reasons of derailing safety, to prevent the impact energy incident in case of a crash from being transmitted directly to the vehicle chassis, and in particular the vehicle chassis from being subjected to extreme loads and being damaged or even destroyed in certain circumstances.
To protect the vehicle chassis from damaged upon strong collision impacts, an energy dissipation unit having a destructively implemented energy dissipation element is frequently used as a so-called "shock absorber", which is designed in such a way, for example, that it responds after the operating dissipation of the damping unit is exhausted and at least partially absorbs and dissipates the energy transmitted by the force flux via the energy dissipation element. A deformation pipe comes into consideration in particular as the energy dissipation element, in which, after a critical impact force is exceeded, the impact energy introduced into the energy dissipation unit is converted into deformation work and heat by an (intended) plastic deformation in a destructive way.
An automatic middle buffer coupling 100 for a rail vehicle known from the prior art is shown FIG. 1, this middle buffer coupling 100 being provided with an energy dissipation device of the type cited at the beginning. The middle buffer coupling 100 is linked via a bearing bracket 103 to the front face of a car body (not explicitly shown) in such a way that horizontal and vertical pivoting and axial rotation (cardanic movement) of the coupling rods 101 with the coupling head 102 are made possible.
In the middle buffer coupling 100 shown in FIG. 1, a damping unit 110 is implemented in the form of a traction/impact unit, which absorbs traction and pressure forces up to a defined size and relays forces exceeding this undamped into the vehicle chassis (not explicitly shown) of the car body via the bearing bracket. Various variants come into consideration as the traction/impact unit 110. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a friction spring integrated in the coupling rod 101 on one hand and a spheroplastic bearing on the other hand are used as the traction/impact unit. Using this measure it is possible that the traction/impact forces occurring in normal travel operation and transmitted from the coupling head 102 via the coupling rod 101 to the bearing bracket 103 are damped in the damping unit 110 (traction/impact unit and/or spring apparatus) integrated in the coupling rod 101.
To protect the vehicle chassis (not explicitly shown in FIG. 1) at greater collision velocities, the damping unit 110 (traction/impact unit and/or spring apparatus) integrated in the coupling rod 101 has an energy dissipation unit 120 connected downstream, which is used as a shock absorber. The energy dissipation unit 120 has a destructively implemented energy dissipation element 121 in the form of a deformation pipe. The deformation pipe 121 is designed to respond after the operating load of the damping unit 110 is exceeded and to at least partially dissipate the impact energy introduced into the energy dissipation unit 120 after the operating dissipation of the damping unit 110 is exhausted.
The dissipation of the impact energy occurs in multiple stages. After the operating load of the damping unit 110 is exceeded, the coupling rod 101 and the bearing bracket 103 are shifted in relation to the car body in the direction of the car body. As already noted, the energy dissipation element 121 is implemented as a deformation pipe. The deformation pipe 121 has its end on the car body side projecting into a conical hole provided in a nozzle plate—although this is not explicitly shown in FIG. 1. In case of a crash, i.e., after exceeding the operating load of the damping unit 110, the bearing bracket 103 shifts with the deformation pipe 121 in relation to the chassis of the rail vehicle in the direction of the nozzle plate, the deformation pipe 121 being pressed through the conical hole provided in the nozzle plate with reduction of its cross-section and converting at least a part of the total incident impact energy into heat energy and plastic deformation work.
Accordingly, the energy dissipation device used in the middle buffer coupling 100 shown in FIG. 1 comprises the damping unit 110 integrated in the coupling rod 101 on one hand and the energy dissipation unit 120 connected downstream from the damping unit 110 on the other hand. This combination of damping unit 110 and downstream energy dissipation unit 120 not only allows damping of the traction and impact forces occurring in normal travel operation, but rather also offers protection from damage to the vehicle chassis in the event of strong collision impacts.
The disadvantage of this energy dissipation device known from the prior art may be seen in that—because of the combination of damping unit and downstream energy dissipation unit used—a relatively large installation space must be available to implement the energy dissipation device as a whole. On one hand, it is necessary to integrate the damping unit in the coupling rod, as a result of which the coupling rod may not be shortened arbitrarily, but rather must fundamentally have a specific minimal length. On the other hand, because of the energy dissipation unit connected downstream from the damping unit, an installation space is also additionally to be provided behind the front face of the car body.
This installation space to be provided for implementing the energy dissipation device may not be provided in all vehicle and/or car body types, however, because the front face design of the car body only offers restricted installation space, for example.

Energy dissipation device for a car body of a multi-member rail vehicle


A method of identifying the position of an opening, for example a door or a cargo bay, or the like of an aircraft, said opening having a predetermined perimeter, said method comprising: i) providing at least one passive target means (10, 11) proximate the perimeter of said opening and preferably being disposed proximate the perimeter of said opening, and when said opening is a door proximate the four corners of said door, and in another embodiment said target means is provided as a cluster of targets for example, at least one target located proximate each corner of said door; ii) directing a preferably pulsing lighting means (30) on said target (10, 11), preferably a passive reflective target such as that manufactured by the 3M company under the trademark Scotchlite® in one embodiment being in the invisible spectrum such as infrared or the like; iii) providing a target identification means and preferably at least one camera (20) and preferably a digital camera synchronized with said lighting means (30) and preferably housed together with said light to provide raw data, preferably images to a computing means; iv) computing means for receiving information from said target identification means and preferably at least one camera to process said information (in one embodiment provide enhanced images) and compare it to information stored in the computing means and thereby determine further action which might be taken based on the identification of the position opening.

Modern airports are equipped with passenger bridges located adjacent to numerous gates on which passengers may walk safely protected from the weather between the terminal building gate and the aircraft.
A known mobile-type passenger bridge includes a rotunda that is connected to a terminal building. The bridge is rotatably mounted on a column anchored in the ground. A passageway extends from the rotunda, which is made up of a number of telescoping inter-fitting tunnel like elements, enabling variation of the length of the passageway. At the end of the passageway located farthest away from the rotunda, there is provided a cabin which is pivotable in relation to the passageway so as to align with the doorway of the aircraft. The passageway element to which the cabin is attached is suspended from a vertically adjustable frame, which in turn is supported by a bogie with wheels that can be driven separately.
The passenger bridge normally occupies a parked position in the vicinity of the place where the aircraft is to come to a halt after landing. When the aircraft has come to halt, an operator controls the passenger bridge vertically, angularly, and telescopically extends the passageway in the direction of the aircraft, and finally pivots the cabin such that the end of the bridge is connected to the door of the aircraft. The operation in the horizontal plane is achieved by altering the speeds of the bogie wheels in the relation to one another.
Current Docking Procedures
When the aircraft arrives the Ground Traffic Control (GTC) hands off the aircraft to the Ramp or Apron Control (AC), once the aircraft leaves the taxiway for the terminal gate. The AC instructs the pilot to proceed to a specific gate when the pilot communications switches from GTC to AC. The AC instructs ramp crew to be positioned to receive the aircraft. The Ramp crew must have at least one marshaller, who may activate the visual docking system or operate the paddles. The aircraft may travel to its docking position by means of one engine or two.
When the aircraft stops, the marshaller (who may also be the AC) will plug into the aircraft for communication with the pilot. The passenger bridge operator (which on occasion could be the marshaller) will then drive the passenger bridge (PB) to the aircraft door. The marshaller will then connect the ground power from the PB to the aircraft, APU. Due to the length of the cable on the cable reel, the PB must be against the aircraft in order to connect the APU. The aircraft door is then opened by the PB operator (for some airlines), or the aircraft crew for other airlines.
Departure
Approximately five minutes before "push back", the marshaller will disconnect the ground power from the aircraft APU. Once the aircraft door is closed, the PB can be retracted but the PB operator must remain at the PB controls in case of an emergency evacuation. In practice, if there is a delay, the PB operator sometimes leaves to go operate a PB at another gate. This creates a problem because the PB operator may not be available if the delay is suddenly eliminated and the pilot is ready for "push back". Generally, there will be the ramp lead (connected to the aircraft for communications with the pilot), a tow tractor driver, and possibly one walker to watch for obstructions during "push back" involved in this operation.
Owing to its complexity, this operation requires operators with special training, which of course is expensive for the airlines. Furthermore, it takes a long time to perform the connection. Also, it happens that the bridges bump into the aircraft as a result of error on the part of the operator, thus damaging the aircraft. Therefore the passenger bridge at airline terminals can be a cause of delay to arriving and departing aircraft, because it is necessary to have a qualified operator move the passenger bridge. There are a limited number of qualified operators and during busy times they are in short supply and thus there may not be one available when the aircraft arrives at the gate or is ready to depart from the gate consequently the aircraft will be delayed until the operator arrives.
Applicants are aware of the following patent literature with respect to the abovementioned subject matter:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,440 teaches an apparatus for aligning one or more motorized terminal bridges to one or more doors in a vehicle enabling the loading and unloading of passengers and freight. The subject patent provides control of drive signals used to align the cab of a terminal bridge with a door in parked vehicle. It includes positional transducers which are coupled to various movable sections of the bridge including the rotatable end of the bridge attached to the terminal, the expandable length passageway, the rotatable cab and the variable height hydraulic cylinders connecting the truck which supports the bridge to the passageway. These transducers produce voltages indicative of the spatial position of the bridge as determined by the orientation of the various movable sections. A television camera mounted in the cab enables an operator stationed at a remotely located control panel to view the area around the bridge of a television monitor. The cab can be rotated from the control panel as the operator views the monitor. Control circuits located in an electronics unit under the cab respond to signals from the control panel to produce initial positioning signals that rotate the bridge away from the terminal, extend the passageway, and align an electro-optical device to reflective type material affixed to the aircraft in the vicinity of the door. Positional voltages provided by the transducers and electro-optical device are processed in logic circuits disposed in the electronics unit that function in a prescribed manner to produce drive signals. These drive signals guide the bridge along a path that will bring the cab into alignment with the door. As the cab approaches the door, the speed is automatically decreased until the cab contacts the vehicle. Pressure switches mounted around the perimeter of the cab opening contact the vehicle producing control signals which rotate the cab and provide forward drive motion until complete contact of the cab opening and the vehicle is attained. A park indicator signal is then applied to the remotely located control panel and all power is turned off except that used in the control circuitry connected to the hydraulic cylinders. The electro-optical device mounted in the cab senses the height of the vehicle. If the vehicle height varies during loading or unloading, these switches provide signals to the control circuitry which will produce drive signals to the hydraulic cylinders thereby maintaining the cab at the same level as the door. The bridge is automatically retracted from the vehicle in response to a control signal from the control panel and returned to its original position prior to activation. It is clear that the operation of this system is operator dependent in spite of the semi-automatic computer assisted aspects included. All of the drawbacks in the prior art identified above have therefore not been addressed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,538 teaches a tele-robotic system adapted for tracking and handling a moving object comprising a robot manipulator, a video monitor, an image processor, hand controls and a computer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,204 teaches a tele-robotic control apparatus for aligning the movable end of a motorized passenger loading bridge to the door in a vehicle enabling the loading and unloading of passengers and freight.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,330,726 teaches a bridge for the transfer of passengers between an elevated level of a terminal building having a vestibule attached to the terminal building.
European Patent 0781225 teaches a method of connecting one end of a passenger bridge (1) or a goods-handling device of mobile type to a door on an aircraft. The system requires that the aircraft type be identified in order for the correct windshield configuration to be provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,642,036 teaches a system for automatically fueling an automotive vehicle, comprising a movable fuel dispenser including a nozzle which is adapted to be coupled to the fuel inlet of the vehicle, and programmable moving means connected to the fuel dispenser to move same into a position where the nozzle can be coupled with the fuel inlet.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,917,196 teaches an apparatus for use in orienting aircraft flight for refueling or other purposes.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,137 teaches an automatic fueling system including a pump having a telescoping arm capable of placement in three-dimensional space; a flexibly mounted nozzle on the end of the arm and a docking cone to mate with a fuel port on a vehicle. A camera provides a view of the side of the vehicle on a monitor with guides visible to the operator of the vehicle to assist in locating the vehicle within range of the pump. A light and a camera located adjacent to the nozzle are used to recognize retro-reflective light from an annular target about the intake port.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,531 teaches a dead reckoning optoelectronic intelligent docking system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,345 teaches an autonomous docking system which produces commands for the steering and a propulsion system for a chase vehicle used in the docking of that chase vehicle with a target vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,734,736 teaches an autonomous rendezvous and docking system and method therefore.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,692 teaches an apparatus for automatically adjusting the floor of a moving vehicle to the height of a loading dock or platform.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,571 teaches a line-up vision system for testing the alignment of a workpiece in a holder of an automated machining apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,983,590 teaches a safety device for a loading bridge or walkway, at which aircraft are parked, for loading and unloading of passengers and cargo through an open door in the aircraft.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,495 teaches an array of non-contact proximity sensors mounted on the front bumper of a loading bridge to be in opposition to the airplane.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,552,983 teaches a variable referenced control system for remotely operated vehicles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,003 teaches a method and apparatus for variably elevating a passenger boarding bridge platform.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,035 teaches a method and apparatus for reducing skidding of wheels on a passenger boarding bridge.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,266 teaches a method and apparatus for connecting a passenger boarding bridge to a movable body.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,195,826 teaches an engagement structure adapted for securement to the end of an aircraft boarding bridge including a bumper assembly formed of a first bumper and an auxiliary bumper.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,918 teaches a telescopic connection for the proximate end of an airport passenger bridge.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,757 teaches a passenger boarding bridge for servicing a commuter aircraft.
An object of this invention is, therefore, to address some of the problems in the art.
It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide an imaging system adapted for a vehicle to be docked with an aircraft opening.
It is yet a further object of this invention to provide such a system which is self initiating without the need of an operator.
It is a further object of this invention to automate the controls of a passenger ridge using a camera based imaging system to sense the aircraft position and rive the bridge to the appropriate door opening location.
Further and other objects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art when considering the following summary of the invention and the more detailed description of the preferred embodiments illustrated herein.

Imaging system for a passenger bridge or the like for docking automatically with an aircraft


A method for preparing an aluminum-zirconium-boron alloy and synchronously preparing a cryolite is provided. The method includes the following steps: Step A: placing aluminum in a reactor, heating the reactor to 700-850 degrees centigrade, and adding a mixture consisting of fluorozirconate and fluoborate in a molar ratio of x: y into the reactor; Step B: stirring the reactants for 4-6 hours and extracting the upper molten liquid to obtain a cryolite, wherein the lower substance is an aluminum-zirconium-boron alloy, and aluminum is added in an excess amount. The method provided herein for preparing an aluminum-zirconium-boron alloy which is mild in reaction condition, easy to control and simple in technical flow can prepare a high-quality product through a complete reaction, besides, the use of the synchronously prepared low molecular ratio cryolites (KF.AlF3 and NaF.AlF3) in the aluminum electrolysis industry can achieve a proper electrical conductivity.

Aluminum intermediate alloy, a conventional product mainly used for adjusting alloy components in aluminum melt, is prepared with metal elements relatively high in melting temperature and aluminum using a melting method; as remarkably reduced in melting temperature, the intermediate enables the addition of a metal element relatively high in melting temperature into molten aluminum at a relatively low temperature so as to adjust the element content of aluminum melt. Aluminum can significantly refine pure magnesium grains, and research shows that zirconium can effectively inhibit the growth of magnesium alloy grains to refine the grains and has an allomorphic transformation. Moreover, the addition of boron into an alloy can greatly improve the abrasion resistance, the heat resistance and the thermal shock resistance of the alloy.
Thus, an aluminum-zirconium-boron alloy can improve the high temperature performance and the material property of magnesium and a magnesium alloy to increase the yield of a wrought magnesium alloy and refine grains of the wrought magnesium alloy.

Method for preparing aluminum-zirconium-boron alloy and synchronously preparing crylite

SHENZHEN SUNXING LIGHT ALLOYS MATERIALS CO., LTD.


An alphanumeric, and graphics liquid crystal display having utility in portable devices used in communications, measurement, and data display systems generally, is disclosed in the environment of a wireless telephone handset. The display includes a transparent viewing screen having a reflective substrate adapted to display thereon transitory opaque symbols in response to data signals received during a telephone call or generated at a keypad of the handset when a call is placed. Positioned under the substrate, an illumination screen has selectable elements which are illuminated in response to control signals generated in correspondence with the data signals. Being in registry with portions of the substrate on which the symbols are displayed, the selected elements of the illumination screen provide backlighting for viewing the symbols under low ambient light levels without illuminating the entire viewing screen, thereby conserving power in an on-board battery.

A plentitude of battery powered, hand-held solid state devices are provided with display screens adapted for specialized applications. Examples of such devices include, computers, distance measuring devices, navigational instruments, paging devices, and communications devices generally, including telephone handsets adapted to receive e-mail. This list is not exhaustive, but serves to illustrate the utilitarian nature of alphanumeric, and graphics display screens which are essential where an alphanumeric data or graphics readout is required.
Under conditions of sufficient ambient light level, these screens perform adequately. At low level light conditions, however, illumination is required to read the data carried by the screen. Where an external power source provides operating current for the device, screen illumination is not generally a problem. However where the device relies on a self-contained source of battery power, illumination becomes problematic since the current requirements of illumination components generally impose a substantial current drain from the battery. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are particularly notorious in this regard. Power conservation in battery powered devices of the type described is therefore a major concern for equipment designers and users alike.


A computerized method, system and program product for generating a data mining model. A user can provide objectives for the model and sample data to train, validate, and test the model. A rules system can automatically select a set of algorithms based on the objectives and/or sample data. A plurality of datasets can also be created from the sample data. Using the datasets, the set of algorithms can be optimized for the particular data on which it is intended to be used. The data mining model can then be generated from the optimized set of algorithms.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to generating a data mining model, and more specifically, to a computerized method, system and program product that generate an optimized data mining model based on objectives for the data mining model.
2. Related Art
As businesses increasingly rely upon computer technology to perform essential functions, data mining is rapidly becoming vital to business success. Specifically, many businesses gather various types of data about the business and/or its customers so that operations can be gauged and optimized. Typically, a business will gather data into a database or the like and then utilize a data mining tool to mine the data.
Generation of a data mining model is an iterative and complex process that requires a great deal of knowledge about data distribution, data characteristics, mining functions, mining algorithm parameters, and the like. Typically, a business client will set objectives for the data mining model, an information technology (IT) specialist that understands the data distribution will generate sample data, and a mining expert will select a data mining model defined by a mining function, algorithm, and tuning parameters. In order to meet the stated objectives, the sample data can be fitted to the data mining model by the mining expert. For example, the mining expert may adjust one or more tuning parameters to modify the algorithm.
The current process for generating a data mining model is inefficient and prone to error for several reasons. For example, various individuals (e.g., business client, IT specialist, mining expert) must provide input and perform actions at various stages of the development of the data mining model. When human interaction is required, a misunderstanding becomes more likely, which can result in an erroneous model that does not assist, and may even impede, the business from exploiting a potential revenue stream. Further, the extensive amount of human actions make the process time consuming, inconsistent from model to model, and costly.
As a result, a need exists for a computerized solution for generating a data mining model. In particular, a need exists for a computerized method, system and program product for generating a data mining model based on objectives for the data mining model.

Computerized method, system and program product for generating a data mining model

International Business Machines Corporation


Tents are disclosed herein. A tent includes a plurality of support frames, each support frame being bent in a shape of an arch and having two ends configured to be fixed on a ground surface when the tent is assembled. Each support frame crosses over at least one other support frame when the tent is assembled. Each support frame is positioned such that the ends of the support frame are positioned on non-adjacent vertices of a polygonal base surface when the tent is assembled.

A tent may include a plurality of tent poles that form a frame and a tent fabric that is supported by the frame to form a temporary shelter space in camping or outdoors. For example, the tent fabric may be formed from synthetic fibers.
In particular, tents may form large-sized structures designed to accommodate a large number of people, such as festival tents or tents for temporarily accommodating refugees. Such tents often have an angular structure with a mountain-shaped roof.
Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-1996-0014374 discloses an example of a conventional large-size tent. The conventional tent disclosed by the above Korean patent publication has a shape of a regular hexagon, which provides a more rigid structure than conventional tents having other shapes. In this design, main frames are fixed at the front and rear sides of the tent, and reinforcing frames may be fixed at the central area of the tent. Here, each of these main frames includes pillar parts corresponding to a riser part and ceiling support parts corresponding to a ceiling part. One end of each pillar part and two ends of the ceiling parts are connected by predetermined connectors.
Additionally, bar-type movement members are integrally fixed to each pillar part of the main frame at a predetermined height to adjust the height of the tent. One end of an auxiliary frame is fixed to each of two sides of the movement member, and the other end is fixed to the ground to form a predetermined shape, i.e., a triangular shape, spaced a predetermined distance apart from the pillar part of the main frame.
As described above and disclosed in the Korean patent publication, the auxiliary frames are fixed to all the pillar parts of all of the main frames with the movement members, and thus the entire framework of the tent is stably supported. Subsequently, the main frames, the reinforcing frames, and the auxiliary frames are connected to the tent fabric, thereby forming the assembled tent structure.
When this conventional tent structure forms a tent having a diameter of approximately 6 meters (m) or more, the tent may be sufficiently large and heavy that an installation specialist team may be needed to assemble the tent.


A data processing system, method and program are disclosed to optimize mail piece sorting and the mapping of mail down to the carrier walk sequence using real time statistical data. The invention makes use of techniques such as fast OCR devices at a sending location or deferred processing of OCR scanned mail, to accumulate volume statistics indicating the number of mail pieces being routed particular addressees at a destination postal region on a given day. The information for mail volumes being directed to a particular postal region are collected over data communications links prior to the receipt of the actual mail pieces. The efficiency of sorting is maximized at the destination postal region by organizing the sorting apparatus to remove the highest volume addressee's mail first. This requires the compilation of the real time volume statistics from all of the sending postal regions sending mail to the destination postal location. In this manner, the maximum number of letters on every pass through the sorting apparatus can be achieved at the destination location. This minimizes the total number of reading operations required in order to achieve a desired level of mail sorting separation. Because the mail volume statistics are available at the destination location prior to sorting, at each stage of the sorting operations, bin allocation can be customized to yield the highest final patron or addressee sort. In this manner, the time for every subsequent pass through the sorting apparatus is reduced. This enables sorting directly to the addressee level and the distribution of the mail down to carrier walk sequence.

1. Technical Field
The invention disclosed broadly relates to automated mail processing and more particularly relates to the use of real time mail volume statistics obtained prior to sorting operations at the destination postal region.
2. Background Information
U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,223, entitled "System and Method for Deferred Processing of OCR Scanned Mail" by Walter S. Rosenbaum, et al., assigned to the IBM Corporation and incorporated herein by reference, describes the compilation of statistics indicating the volume of mail pieces directed to particular addressees and destination postal regions. The Rosenbaum, et al. patent describes that such statistics may be used to allocate postal resources at particular destination postal regions to accommodate large volume mail directed to particular addressees.
What is needed in the prior art is an improved means for optimizing the sorting of mail at a destination postal region and the mapping of the mail down to carrier walk sequence, based upon the anticipated pattern of mail volumes to the recipients in that destination region.

Data processing system for optimized mail piece sorting and mapping to carrier walk sequence using real time statistical data

International Business Machines Corporation