A system for specifying transformation rules of Extensible Markup Language (XML) documents into other XML documents, wherein the rule language used is XML itself. The transformation rule specifications identify one or more transformations of the document to be performed when a pattern match occurs between the document and a source pattern. The specifications are used to define class specifications for objects that perform the transformations.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to transforming documents, and in particular, to a system for specifying and executing transformation rules for transforming extensible Markup Language (XML) documents into other XML documents, wherein the rule language used is XML itself.
2. Description of Related Art
Extensible Markup Language (XML) is poised to be the next big revolution for the World Wide Web (WWW). With the realization that the Web is not about just browsing any more, XML has emerged as an enabling technology to carry the Web to the next generation of electronic commerce, Web-based workflow, and integration of databases with Web applications.
XML describes a class of data objects called XML documents and partially describes the behavior of computer programs that process them. XML is a restricted form of SGML, the Standard Generalized Markup Language, defined in ISO 8879. The specification for XML can be found at the URL: http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-xml.
XML documents are made up of storage units called entities, which contain either parsed or unparsed data. Parsed data is made up of characters, some of which form character data, and some of which form markup. Markup encodes a description of the document""s storage layout and logical structure. XML provides a mechanism to impose constraints on the storage layout and logical structure.
An XML schema specifies constraints on the structures and types of elements in an XML document. The basic schema for XML is the DTD (Document Type Definition). Other XML schema definitions are also being developed, such as DCD (Document Content Definition), XSchema, etc. Information concerning DTD and DCD can be found at the URL: http://www.w3.org/.
The main difference between DTD and DCD is that DTD uses a different syntax from XML, while DCD specifies an XML schema language in XML itself. (XSchema is similar to DCD in this respect). In spite of the differences in the syntax, the goals and constraint semantics for all these XML schema languages are the same. Their commonality is that they all describe XML Schema. This means that they assume the common XML structure, and provide a description language to say how these elements are laid out and are related to each other.
There are about five basic constraints that the XML schema languages describe:
1. The attributes that an element should/may contain:
a. the types of the attribute values (mainly string types), and
b. the mandatory or optional nature of occurrences of these attributes.
2. The type and the order in which elements can be contained inside another element (the content model of the element):
a. the sub-element should of a certain name or type or that a sub-element could be of any type, and
b. a regular expression system to express how these elements occur, wherein this regular expression system can be expressed by the following operators:
i. |: A | B (either element of type A or of type B can occur),
ii. ,: A, B (element of type B follows one of type A),
iii. *: A* (zero or more occurrence of element of type A),
iv. +: A+ (one or more occurrence of element of type A),
v. ?: A? (zero or one occurrence of element of type A), and
vi. ( ): ( . . . ) (grouping of expressions in this system).
An EBNF (Extended Backus-Naur Form) for this regular expression system can be expressed as below:
re= greater than A
| re | re
| re, re
| re*
| re+
| re?
| (re)
| ANY
Note that this system includes some convenience operators. For example, A+ is the same as A, A*.
A software module called an XML processor is used to read XML documents and provide access to their content and structure. It is assumed that an XML processor is doing its work on behalf of another module, called the application. The XML specification located at the URL noted above describes the required behavior of an XML processor in terms of how it must read XML data and the information it must provide to the application.
In a typical application that uses XML for a particular specification, there would be a DTD that specifies the XML schema and one or more XML documents that satisfy that schema. The application would typically convert the XML document into an object. The application programmer would typically write several lines of code to read in the XML document based upon the schema, to get and set elements and properties based upon the schema, and to notify other parts of the application when an element in the document changes.
Because XML is a generalized extensible markup language, it has incredible potential to be the ultimate format for data description, transport, and exchange. As structured and semi-structured data flows through the various nodes of the Internet and exchanged, the data may be filled in, transformed, pruned, or composed at every stage before they get delivered, browsed, or stored. Partially filled documents may get incrementally completed as they go through various sites of a workflow or a routing system.
The same document may have different views based on its locale (e.g., one view of the date (dd/mm/yy) in Europe and another in the US (mm/dd/yy)). In electronic commerce, prices of commodities have to be displayed in different currencies, have to be computed differently for different consumers (e.g., educational consumers vs. commercial consumers of a software product), etc.
If a common language like XML is used for all these processes, sufficient dynamism is required where partial or whole XML documents can be automatically transformed with the transformed document replacing the original portion of the document in-place.
In notification systems (e.g., push technologies), a user specifies an interest profile and registers herself with the content service provider. Whenever there is content that matches the user""s interest the content provider pushes the content (possibly filtered based on the user interest specifics) to the user.
As content summaries and user profiles are specified in XML, a pattern matching/transform system will be of great use. Of course, pattern matching/transformation systems are known in the art.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,447,875, Bolton, Hagenmeier, Logsdon, and Miner describe a reduction processor for the evaluation of one or more functions which are stored in memory in a tree like graph where nodes implement a variable-free applicative language. This is a reduction processor and not a template-based pattern match or pattern match replacement system that takes advantage of the schema structure.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,321,606, Kuruma and Yamano describe another transformation system based upon context-free grammar. In transformation from a symbol string to a term, transformation rules received describe structures of input symbol strings in the form of a context-free grammar, and include structures of output terms as arguments of terminal symbols and non-terminal symbols. An inputted symbol string is analyzed by reduction processing based on the structures of input symbol strings described in the transformation rules, and an intermediate tree is formed. A term for output is produced in accordance with the structures of output terms shown in the arguments of the terminal symbols and the non-terminal symbols corresponding to the structure of the inputted symbol string. Transformation of structured data is performed in like manner using transformation rules which describe structures of input data in terms of relations between classes of partial structures, and includes structures of output data as arguments of class identifiers.
In another example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,863, Hino describes a programming language processing system for a computer language processing system, wherein a program described in a high level programming language is translated into another program written in lower level programming language. In one embodiment of the invention, a specification of a programming language incorporates a concept of handling various basic words classified by parts-of-speech including nouns, adjectives, conjunctions, and various logic words. The program described by the programming language is converted into an internal expression form based on a sentence structure which can be converted to a binary tree. In accordance with a logic synthesis rule for term-rewriting based on a pattern collation, a logic expressed by the internal expression form is subject to conversion to a lower level program description wherein the parts-of-speech are deleted.
In yet another example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,691, Sakaki and Hashimoto describe a tree transformation in machine translation system. XSL (XML Style-sheet Language) is an XML based language specification for rendering XML documents. It has a core tree transformation language. This language is based upon search for an elements that qualify rather than based upon template based patterns as in our system. However, it does not take advantage of the schema structure in the syntax. Even though XSL has syntax to embed scripts for actions on pattern match, it does not integrate a programming language like Java for evaluation conditions of pattern match, conditions of variable evaluation in patterns, and conditions for replacement. There are other XML-based (or otherwise) query languages for XML being proposed that query XML structures and return parts of XML structures that qualify. These are not template based, however, and are not very powerful.
In still another example, in a publication by R. Ramesh and I. V. Ramakrishnan, entitled xe2x80x9cNon-linear Pattern Matching in Treesxe2x80x9d, Journal of the Association for Computing Machinery, Vol 39, No. 2, April 1992, 295-316, the authors describe a tree pattern match algorithm for tree structures where variables occur only at the leaf level.
Thus, there is a need in the art for techniques to provide sufficient dynamism where partial or whole XML documents can be automatically transformed. Moreover, there is a need in the art for techniques that couple such dynamism with pattern matching.
To overcome the limitations in the prior art described above, and to overcome other limitations that will become apparent upon reading and understanding the present specification, the present invention discloses a system for specifying transformation rules of XML documents into other XML documents, wherein the rule language used is XML itself. The transformation rule specifications identify one or more transformations of the document to be performed when a pattern match occurs between the document and a source pattern. The specifications are used to define class specifications for objects that perform the transformations.

Transforming documents using pattern matching and a replacement language

International Business Machines Corporation


A vehicle drive-force transmitting apparatus including: a drive gear; a fluid pump that is to driven by rotation of the drive gear; and a casing that stores therein the drive gear and the fluid pump. The fluid pump includes: a pump body; a pump cover; a rotor; a driven gear that meshes with the drive gear; and a pump shaft on which the rotor and the driven gear are mounted. The pump shaft is rotatably supported at its supported portion by the pump body and/or the pump cover. The driven gear is mounted on a free end portion of the pump shaft. An outer peripheral portion of the pump body or an outer peripheral portion of the pump cover is supported by the casing, such that the other portion of the pump body and the other portion of the pump cover are spaced apart from the casing.

There is known a drive-force transmitting apparatus for a vehicle, wherein the transmitting apparatus includes: a drive gear that serves as a drive-force transmitting member configured to transmit a drive force from the drive force source to the drive wheels; a fluid pump that is to driven by rotation of the drive gear; and a casing that stores therein the drive gear and the fluid pump. JP-2011-174583A discloses such a drive-force transmitting apparatus for a vehicle. In the disclosed drive-force transmitting apparatus, the fluid chamber includes: a pump body that defines therein a pump chamber; a pump cover that covers the pump chamber and is fixed to the pump body; a rotor that is disposed in the pump chamber; a driven gear that meshes with the drive gear; and a pump shaft on which the rotor and the driven gear are mounted.
Further, in the drive-force transmitting apparatus disclosed in the above-identified Japanese Patent Application Publication, the fluid pump is in close contact with the casing so as to be attached to the casing, such that the pump cover is fitted in a recess provided in a wall surface of the casing. Owing to this arrangement, when the fluid pump is assembled into the casing, the rotor is prevented from being removed from the pump chamber whereby an assemblability of the fluid pump is improved.

Drive-force transmitting apparatus for vehicle


A device incorporated in a bidirectional CATV system for reducing noise introduced in an up-going channel at a subscriber station. A terminal unit and a protector perform monodirectional or bidirectional switching operations on the basis of a DC current which the terminal station selectively outputs.

The present invention relates to a device incorporated in a bidirectional CATV (Cable Television) system for reducing the noise of up-going signals and, more particularly, to a device for reducing the noise of up-going signals introduced at subscriber stations.
It is a common practice with a noise reducing device of the type described to cause the central station to turn on and off a line switch of a repeater every time noise is introduced in an up-going signal, since a down-going channel is constantly connected. The problem is, therefore, that the place where noise is introduced cannot be rapidly located, slowing down the recovery. Moreover, since the up-going signal is turned off by a repeater, the central station has to interrupt communication with a plurality of terminals even when noise is introduced at a single location. In addition, the control relying on a switch built in a repeater is not practicable without resorting to complicated and expensive circuitry.

Noise reducing device for up-going signals in bidirectional CATV system


A stator for a turbo-engine and a method for mounting the stator serve to improve fixing of the vanes of the stator and resistance of these vanes to impact in the event foreign bodies enter the turbo-engine. The stator includes several vanes radially maintained by their external and internal pivots between an internal ferrule and an external casing. The internal ferrule includes at least one bore intended to receive one of the internal pivots and the external casing includes a mechanism for the radial positioning and locking of the vane so as to make it possible to keep the internal pivot of the vane in the bore.

The general structure of a turbojet engine shall now be mentioned in brief with reference to FIG. 1. The turbojet engine is traversed by a current of axial air (symbolized by the arrow F). It successively includes a blower or low-pressure compressor 1, a high-pressure compressor 3, a combustion chamber 5, a turbine 7 and an air ejection pipe 9. The air sucked up by the turbojet engine successively traverses the low-pressure compressor 1 and the high-pressure compressor 3 where it is compressed, and then the combustion chamber where it is heated, and finally the pipes 9 where it is ejected.
The constant search for weight reduction has led motorization technicians to study and produce compressors fitted with hollow vanes or vanes made of a composite material. The use of these techniques unfortunately results in the production of vanes which are more fragile than those vanes used hitherto.
Furthermore, increasing of the diameter of blowers is a determinant factor concerning the risks of foreign bodies being sucked up from the ground or during flight. For example, these foreign bodies may be birds which may be present in large numbers when airplanes fly at high speeds or at low altitudes. At high altitudes, these foreign bodies may be pieces of ice.
When these foreign bodies penetrate into the blower or low-pressure compressor 1, they generally result in a slight movement in the axial direction of the vanes of the stator or the vanes of the rotor, and indeed may even result in breaking of these vanes as they are quite fragile. When a vane of a stage moves, they abut against the vanes of the next stage and thus break. The vane fragments then penetrate into the high-pressure compressor 3 resulting in secondary damage to the vanes of the stator and the rotor.
It is thus important to ensure that the vanes do not move axially towards the front or rear of the turbojet engine as a result of an impact with a foreign body.
One first solution to try to resolve the damage caused to vanes by foreign bodies entering is described in the patent application FR-2 326 603. The vane described in this document is intended to be placed in an air flow blowing channel and be disposed in series with an adjacent vane against which it is likely to abut in the event of an impact occurring. These vanes are conventionally orientated radially inside the blowing channel. Each vane is constituted in this case by one metallic main portion fitted at its extremities with pivots allowing for a selective rotation of the vane around the axis defined between the two pivots. This vane has in its external downstream radial portion a block made of a composite material. This block is generally made of a graphite-epoxy composite material and forms the trailing edge of the vane. It is fixed rigidly to the rest of the vane by means of an adhesive, for example. This block is able to break and separate from the metallic portion, either when it directly receives an impact, or when the vane moves and when the block abuts against the following vane. Thus, at the time of impact, only the more fragile block made of a composite material is split into small pieces and, when these pieces are sucked up by the compressor, they do not cause any secondary damage downstream.
This technique, even if it does partially limit damage caused to the vanes of the secondary stages of the compressor, does not prevent the axial movement of this vane.
The vanes of the prior art are generally fixed as shown on FIG. 2.
The vane 11 is fixed at its two extremities between an external casing of the cylindrical stator (not shown in FIG. 2) and an internal ring-shaped ferrule 13 disposed coaxially inside the external casing. Each vane 11 has at its internal radial extremity a platform 14 ending in a pivot 15. This pivot 15 is maintained between two annular half-rings 17 and 19 fixed around the ferrule 13 of the compressor. An antifriction washer 20 is placed between the pivot 15 and the two half-rings 17 and 19. In addition, these two half-rings 17 and 19 are kept assembled by a set of soldered plates 21 which comprise a gasket 22. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the vane 11 is not locked at its base (towards the center of the engine), and the platform 14 merely rests inside a housing 23 provided in the half-rings 17 and 19. This explains the easy axial movement of the vane when a foreign body enters.

Stator for directing the inlet of air inside a turbo-engine and method for mounting a vane of said stator

Societe Nationale d'Etude et de Construction de Moteurs d'Aviation "S.N.E.C.M.A."


A two stage free piston pneumatically operated air compressor having an integral and coaxial power piston, first stage piston and second stage piston. The discharge of the compressor first stage is the inlet for the compressor second stage. A piston-type throttling valve is used to control the speed of the reciprocating piston. The piston-type throttling valve is responsive to the pressure drop across a fixed orifice.

This invention relates generally to reciprocating piston compressors and more particularly to pneumatically operated reciprocating piston compressors, also known as "free piston" compressors.
Typically pneumatic free piston compressors compress air to a few hundred psia. Prior art pneumatic free piston compressors are usually not capable of producing high pressure compressed air, such as 1000 psia.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present pneumatically operated reciprocating piston compressors. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.

Pneumatically operated reciprocating piston compressor

Northern Research & Engineering Corporation


A cooling device includes: a heat sink and a heat pipe that are connected with each other; a metal plate that is connected with the heat pipe; an elastic member that is provided in the metal plate; and a securing member that is attachable with a printed circuit board on which a heating part is mounted, is able to be secured to the elastic member to be elastically deformed such that the metal plate is pushed to the heating part, and is able to position the metal plate in a state where the securing member is not secured to the elastic member.

There is known a cooling device for cooling a heating part mounted on a printed circuit board. Such a cooling device includes: a heat sink and a heat pipe connected with each other; and a metal plate pushed to the heating part connected with the heat pipe. Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication Nos. 2008-199058, 2006-147618, and 2003-101269 disclose a technology relevant to such a cooling device.
An elastic member is provided in the metal plate. The metal plate is secured to a printed circuit board while the elastic member is elastically deformed, so that the metal plate is pushed to the heating part by the elastic restoring three of the elastic member. A securing member which can secure the elastic member is beforehand assembled into or provided in the pruned circuit board. The elastic member and the securing member are secured to each other by, for example, screws. The work to secure the elastic member and the securing member is performed in a state where the printed circuit board and the cooling device are put on a work bench. Here, the heat pipe is made of metal having a rigidity. Thus, before the elastic member is secured to the securing member, the metal plate connected with the heat pipe may be floated from the heating part. Therefore, when the elastic member is secured to the securing member, the metal plate is positionally adjusted in the horizontal direction horizontal to the printed circuit board such that the elastic member is positioned above the securing member in the vertical direction. Next, the metal plate is pushed to the heating part such that the elastic member is brought into contact with the securing member. Next, the elastic member is secured to the securing member. The cooling device is assembled into the printed circuit board in such a way, so that the assembling property of the cooling device deteriorates.

Cooling device, printed circuit board unit, and electronic device


In order to prevent static electricity impairment of an electronic component, a layer at the surface of a container to be in contact with an electronic component is one having a relatively high surface resistivity, a layer having a higher electrical conductivity than that is laminated below it, and the surface resistivity of the layer at the surface is higher than that of the layer below it. It is considered that in an electronic component packaging container having such a constitution, static electricity electrified on an electronic component is gradually discharged from the electronic component to the surface of the electronic component packaging container without sudden discharge, thus preventing the static electricity impairment. The surface layer preferably comprises a material close to the electronic component in the series of frictional electrification.

As packaging forms of electronic components such as IC, an injection tray, a vacuum-formed tray, a magazine, a carrier tape (embossed carrier tape), etc., may be mentioned. An electronic component packaging container is used for e.g. transport or storage of electronic components. A container having a surface resistivity of from 104 to 108 Ω/cm2 prevents static electricity destruction of an electronic component since generated static electricity is likely to go away by earthing of the container. In order that the surface resistivity is within the above range, a method of coating an antistatic agent on the surface of the packaging container, a method of coating an electrically conducive coating, a method of dispersing an antistatic agent or a method of dispersing an electrically conductive filler may, for example, be known (JP-A-57-78439).
Among them, a method of dispersing an electrically conductive filler has been commonly used. As the electrically conductive filler, a metal fine powder, carbon fibers, carbon black, etc. have been known (JP-A-60-8362). It is possible to uniformly disperse carbon black, whereby a stable surface resistivity is easily obtained. As a resin in which the carbon black is dispersed, a thermoplastic resin is employed. For example, a polyvinyl chloride type resin, a polypropylene type resin, a polyethylene terephthalate type resin, a polystyrene type resin, an ABS type resin, a polyphenylene ether type resin or a polycarbonate resin may be mentioned. A polystyrene type resin and a polyphenylene ether type resin are excellent respectively for general use and for heat resistance use, since their fluidity and moldability do not significantly decrease even when a large amount of carbon black is added, as compared with other resins, and in view of cost also.
When the surface resistivity of e.g. an electronic component packaging container is within a range of from 104 to 108 Ω/□, static electricity impairment may be prevented but can not completely be prevented. As wiring in an electronic component becomes fine along with high integration of the electronic component, the electronic component is more likely to be susceptible to static electricity destruction. Even in an electronic component packaging container having a surface resistivity of from 104 to 108 Ω/□, destruction of an electronic component may be caused by discharge of static electricity generated on an electronic component by friction between the electronic component and the container or by induction from another electrified substance into the electronic component packaging container in some cases. The reason of the destruction of an electronic component by static electricity is considered to be an instantaneous increase in temperature in the inside of an electronic component along with discharge from the electronic component to the surface of the electronic component packaging container in a very short period of time.

Sheet and electronic component packaging container


A microscope stage with a flexural axis may exhibit predictable flexure characteristics and limited cross-coupling translations. Z motion of a Z plate proximate to a Z actuator may be substantially linear, while a distal side of the Z plate may be allowed to rotate about a hinge axis associated with a flexural component.

Microscope stages are generally required to be highly accurate and repeatable along all motion axes. Typically, a microscope stage will have three orthogonal axes: X, Y, and Z, which are generally defined by the optical axis of the microscope. For most applications, motion along the Z axis should be characterized by high resolution, for example step distances of less than about 0.10 μm, and high repeatability, for example error between multiple visits to the same targeted Z location of less than about 0.20 μm. Additionally, microscopy systems generally attempt to minimize cross-coupling between motion in the Z and X and Y coordinate axes, since such cross-coupling tends to distort the data captured during imaging operations, which in turn decreases quality and usability of the data acquired. A typical Z scan of a microscope slide may consist of 65 points taken on 0.20 μm intervals, for a total Z axis displacement of 13 μm. Ideally, cross-coupling movement in the X or Y axes in such applications would be limited to about 0.40 μm or less throughout the total 13 μm Z scan.
In accordance with conventional stage technologies, as exemplified in the assignee's U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,781,753 and 5,812,310, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety, a conventional microscopy system stage utilizes a series of linear slides in a ramp configuration. The slides and ramp cooperate to guide a microscope slide, disposed on the stage, in the Z dimension. Such multiple linear slide configurations required to create a Z translation, by necessity, are over-constrained. Consequently, parts tolerance, specifications, and assembly methods must be extremely accurate, otherwise the slides will "fight" each other during motion. This can cause binding along the Z axis, which results in high repeatability errors.
Additionally, conventional systems are typically associated with attendant high costs, which result from the foregoing specification, tolerance, and assembly requirements. For example, six separate linear slides and multiple custom machined plates or slide mounts may be required in order to enable Z axis translation in a conventional system.


An aromatherapy air pump is damped and largely isolated against acoustic and mechanical transmission of vibrations in three dimensions by a combination of containment within multiple, nested housings and standoffs provided by elastomeric supports having anisotropic geometry. An elastomeric liner as well as unstable legs, physical separations, and hermetic seals combine to provide sound reduction for noise and vibration emanating from the pump and its drive motor.

1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to air pumps and, more particularly to novel systems and methods for reducing sound and vibration from air pumps used in aroma therapy.
2. The Background Art
Various mechanisms for treating an environment with moisture, medicaments, and the like have been developed using boilers, heaters, fans, and so forth. Aroma therapy involves evaporation, distribution, or other entrainment of volatiles, essential oils, or the like into breathing air, an atmosphere of a room, or other enclosed space. Applicant has previously developed various mechanisms for distributing atomized liquids into the atmosphere. Likewise, various systems for heating or dissolving aromatic or oil-based materials in a solvent to promote evaporation into the atmosphere have also been relied upon in the art. Meanwhile, various medical devices provide humidification of a space such as a "steam tent" or the like.
However, in aroma therapy, it would be an advance in the art to accommodate space, aesthetics, weight, stability, simplicity of use, ease of use, storage, and the like. Accordingly, it would be an advance in the art to provide an integrated system having suitable weight for stability, a sufficiently small size so excessive footprint and volume are not occupied on a dresser, table, or a night stand, and otherwise rendering a system easily located on furniture within a room. Likewise, it would be an advance in the art to provide an aesthetically pleasing shape integrating all of the functions required for driving an atomizer of, perfume, essential oils, or other material desired to be distributed within an ambient environment.
It would be an advance in the art to provide an air pump for use in aroma therapy that is virtually silent. Reducing sound by several decibels is very difficult because of the fundamental nature of a vibrating motor driving a diaphragm pump. Accordingly, it would be a substantial advance in the art to create a mechanism for damping, isolating, or both, the mechanical vibration and acoustic vibration within air through a mechanical and fluid systems in order to provide a virtually silent pump. It would also be an advance in the art to provide a pump having long life, inexpensive components, easily replaceable parts, few moving parts, few wearing parts, economical maintenance, and simple assembly and operation.

Noise-suppression pump apparatus and method


The mixing apparatus comprises a pressure vessel having a chamber and a first opening that communicates with the chamber. The mixing apparatus also comprises a first cap which fits over the first opening to engage the vessel and close the first opening. Additionally, the mixing apparatus comprises a stirrer having a shaft. The shaft extends through the first cap into the chamber. There is a motor connected to the shaft to turn the shaft. The motor is disposed adjacent to the vessel and external to the chamber. Moreover, there is a first self-sealing spring-loaded seal disposed between and preferably in contact with the first cap and the vessel to seal the first cap with the vessel as pressure increases in the vessel. The mixing apparatus comprises a shaft self-sealing spring-loaded seal which seals the shaft to the first cap as pressure increases in the vessel. The shaft is rotatable in the shaft self-sealing spring-loaded seal.

Current available sealing methodologies for the mechanical stirring of vessels under high pressure is cumbersome, unreliable and does not have long life. This has always been a problem in the pharmaceutical and chemical industry and a number of users have used magnetic stirrer systems to eliminate this problem. However, magnetic stirrer systems are not always convenient and cannot be used in many instances either due to incompatibility to vessel material or due to inaccessibility.
Traditional design that does not use magnetic stirrers uses o-rings and packings as seal mechanisms for the stirrers. These types sealing mechanisms require additional forces to be exerted on them to provide the seal. This force increases with increasing operating pressure. The high force on a rotating shaft leads to a tenuous seal life. To try alleviate this problem, designers have developed multiple seal designs. However, this benefits comes with a major disadvantage: seal replacement has become a very tedious job. This problem is obvious from the lack of any competitively priced mechanical stirrers for pressures greater than 1500 psi and especially for pressures greater than 5 or 10,000 psi.
Replacing the o-rings or packings with a special energized seals such as the spring loaded seals that are similar to the ones used in HPLC pumps, provide an effective sealing method requiring very minimal force. It is practically "self-sealing". The seal consists of a polymeric body with a metal spring or a o-ring in the middle. The spring pushes the two lips of the seal outside. One side of the seal touches the body of the vessel and the other side of the seal touches the cap. When the pressure inside the vessel increases, it acts against the seal and pushes the lips even further towards the wall. This type of a seal requires very little force to maintain a seal.
The spring loaded seal is more forgiving on the stirrer shaft than the other seals. This allows the design to incorporate a little misalignment on the stirrer shaft and thus a more robust sealing mechanism. A smoother finish on the stirrer shaft (especially where the spring loaded seal is) also increases the life of the seal. This can be accomplished in many ways: a polished shaft, a polished ceramic shaft, or a ceramic coated shaft.
The stirrer shaft can be rotated through a number of ways. Connecting to an electric motor directly would be the simplest. By controlling either the voltage or the current or both, the stirrer speed can be controlled. The electric motor can be replaced with an air motor. This would be especially important in explosion proof environments.
A high pressure stirring system can increase the rate of extraction and rate of reactions under various conditions. For instance, in supercritical or subcritical fluid extraction, stirring has shown to have improved reaction rates by numerous personnel in the area of natural product extraction, precision cleaning using supercritical carbon dioxide and reactions under supercritical conditions.

Mixing apparatus having self-sealing spring-loaded seals


An overrunning clutch has a first race, a second race, a set of pawls between the first race and the second race and a set of springs between the first race and the second race, one spring for each pawl and each corresponding spring biasing the corresponding pawl into a position in which the first race and the second race are engaged with each other in a driving direction and are disengaged from each other in a free wheeling direction. Each spring is received in a spring receiving recess of one of the races and biases a rearward portion of the corresponding pawl radially inwardly into a pawl receiving recess of the race.

One-way or overrunning clutches are used in a variety of power transmission applications. Bicycles, scooters, motorcycles, and automobiles all can have one or more overrunning clutches. The overrunning clutch transmits torque in one rotary driving direction but not the other. In some automotive applications, pawls are used as the element between two rotary parts of the clutch that transmit torque in one direction or the other. The pawls are held in one race and the other race has teeth that at least one or more of the pawls engage in one direction of relative rotary motion between the races (the driving direction) but not in the other direction (the free wheeling direction). The pawls are typically biased using an accordion or compression spring in the front of the pawl that biases it into the engaged position with the teeth.
This design requires much attention to the design of the pawl to make a clutch that allows the pawls to remain assembled in one race in the absence of the other race that normally keeps the pawls assembled to the one race. Overrunning clutches for bicycles sometimes use a rearward biasing of the pawls using a garter spring that fits within a groove that is provided in the pawls at an engagement angle. This is a costly method in biasing pawls, but reduces the total number of parts of the final assembly.
Rearward biasing by the springs in a pawl-type overrunning clutch allows designers more flexibility in the design of pawls. While accordion spring-type clutches that bias the pawls to an engagement position under the front portion of the pawl are inexpensive to manufacture, care must be taken in how the pivot point and the rear of the pawl pocket are designed if the pawls are required to remain assembled when the toothed race is removed.


Endoscope connection portions, a fluid feeding duct, a liquid supply duct, a pump, a first atmospheric exposure duct including one end connected to the fluid feeding duct and the other end exposed to atmosphere, a relief valve disposed at an intermediate position of the first atmospheric exposure duct, a first stop section disposed at an intermediate position of the first atmospheric exposure duct, and a control section that performs control to supply a liquid to ducts of endoscopes and controls at least opening/closing operation of the first stop section are included.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope cleaning/disinfecting apparatus that cleans/disinfects an endoscope.
2. Description of the Related Art
An endoscope cleaning/disinfecting apparatus configuration in which an endoscope duct is connected to an endoscope connection portion of an endoscope cleaning/disinfecting apparatus and a liquid is supplied from a liquid supply source into the endoscope duct via a liquid supply duct, a fluid feeding duct and the endoscope connection portion inside the endoscope cleaning/disinfecting apparatus, thereby cleaning/disinfecting the inside of the endoscope duct is well known.
Also, a configuration in which in order to detect clogging of an endoscope duct, for example, a flow measurement section that measures a flow of a liquid passing through a fluid feeding duct is provided in a fluid feeding duct is also well known.
Here, when clogging occurs in the endoscope duct, if the liquid is continuously fed into the endoscope duct, the pressure inside the endoscope duct becomes equal to or exceeds a withstanding pressure, resulting in breakage of the endoscope duct.
Therefore, International Publication No. WO2004-049925 discloses a configuration in which an atmospheric exposure duct is connected to the downstream side of a fluid feeding duct and a relief valve that opens under a pressure that is equal to or exceeds a set pressure set to be lower than a withstanding pressure of an endoscope duct is provided in the atmospheric exposure duct. As a result of the relief valve being opened, a liquid and a gas are let out from the fluid feeding duct via the atmospheric exposure duct, whereby the pressure inside the endoscope duct is made to be lower than the withstanding pressure.
Therefore, when detection of clogging of an endoscope duct is performed using a flow measurement section, normally, clogging of the endoscope duct is detected as a result of a measurement value from the flow measurement section decreasing or becoming zero.


A method for compensating a transmitted torque of a clutch between a regulated drive motor, in particular an electromotor, and a combustion engine in the transition to an operation using only the drive motor, to hybrid operation in which an overall torque is supplied jointly by the drive motor and the combustion engine, and the engine speed of the drive motor is controlled with the aid of a manipulated variable; to implement the transition, the combustion engine is dragged by coupling it with the drive motor with the aid of a proportional clutch having a controllable transmitted torque, and the control of the engine speed of the drive motor is implemented as a function of the transmitted torque using which the drive motor is coupled with the combustion engine.

In hybrid vehicles, which can be driven both by electromotors only and which, in hybrid operation, additionally also use a combustion engine for driving the vehicle, the combustion engine must first be started in the transition from electric-only operation to hybrid operation. Such hybrid vehicles are typically equipped with a hybrid clutch, which couples the driven shafts of the electromotor and the combustion engine. As a rule, the hybrid clutch is embodied in the form of a sliding clutch or as a proportional clutch. A proportional clutch is a clutch, which, in contrast to a shift-only clutch, is able to set a desired transmitted torque, for instance according to a suitable manipulated variable.
To drag the combustion engine, the hybrid clutch is activated during the electric driving, so that a corresponding specific transmitted torque is transmitted to the combustion engine, and the combustion engine is started. Prior to complete, autonomous running of the combustion engine there is temporary slippage at the hybrid clutch between the stationary or starting combustion engine and the electromotor rotating at a specific engine speed.
In an rpm-regulated electromotor, a torque for starting the combustion engine is transmitted as transmitted torque in the transition from electric-only operation to hybrid operation. The torque picked up by the combustion engine via the hybrid clutch interferes with the closed-loop speed control, thereby causing a considerable system deviation from the setpoint speed, i.e., a drop in the instantaneous engine speed. The driver of the vehicle perceives this as a strong jerk.

Method and control device for implementing a startup of a combustion engine in a hybrid vehicle


A fan comprises blowing units, each including a squarely hollow casing, an electric motor incorporated into the casing and an axial impeller coupled to the motor for generating an air flow from an inlet toward nozzles; the casing having one end opened to form the inlet and the opposite end opened to form the nozzles; and a guide which projects into the casing to arrange the nozzles in a parallel pattern, in a slit shape and in rows; wherein each blowing unit has opposite side walls of the casing formed with openings for mounting heaters at locations corresponding upstream portions of outlets of the parallel nozzles, and the blowing units are coupled together at adjacent sides thereof to be arranged in a row so that the units have corresponding openings located in alignment with one another throughout the entire coupled units.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the technical field of a fan for forming an air curtain at an opening of a building.
2. Discussion of Background
Such an air curtain is formed by cross flow fans with air flowing across impellers or axial fans. In case of using the axial fans, a structure which has been disclosed in e.g. JP-A-6313603 has been adopted. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12 of the present application, axial fan units 101 which are respectively constructed to work as an independent fan are arranged in a row to provide a collective fan as a whole. Although it is difficult to modify the entire length of a collective fan in case of using the cross flow fans, the arrangement of the units 101 as just above mentioned allows the entire length to be easily modified by increasing or decreasing the number of the units 101 or adjusting spacing between the units 101.
The air curtain is discharged directly downward or downward at an angle with respect to the vertical direction as needed. The discharging direction of the air curtain is changed by adjusting the direction of outlets of the collective fan. In practice, changing the discharging direction is dealt with by adjusting a mounting angle of the collective fan to a building, or providing rotatable louvers at a downstream side of the collective fan, which is disclosed in the publication.
From the viewpoint that a person who passes through the air curtain in winter is exposed to fast cold air and feels extremely cold, some collective fans have a heater incorporated thereinto to heat the air. Cross flow fans have the same arrangement as a hot air heater adopted thereinto for heating, discharging a heated air curtain. Each guide 102 which is formed as a flow divider has a reflecting plate 103 and a heater 104 incorporated therein to irradiate heat downward even in the axial fan type of the publication as shown in FIG. 13, preventing a person from feeling cold.
The conventional collective fan with axial fans in a row as stated earlier creates some problems. One of them is that it is difficult to take measures to prevent a person from feeling cold. In order to obtain heated air in the arrangement shown in FIG. 13, each unit 101 has to be provided with means for generating heated air though an air curtain itself remains cold and coldness can not be modulated drastically. On the other hand, when the collective fan is installed at a door way and the like of a walk-in refrigerator, it is not necessary obtain heated air. Under the circumstances, it is disadvantageous in terms of cost and production to cope with those two contradictory purposes by providing two types of fans.
Another is that when the collective fan has a heater incorporated therein to obtain heated air, a heater supporting structure and its accessory parts are needed in addition to requirement of a heat-resistant structure, which can not meet the demands for a decrease in cost and companction. Because two rows of air flows are blown out, collective fans for industrial use which are operated by three-phase alternating current has difficulty in the number of heaters in terms of load balance of three-phase alternating current supply. It is difficult to equalize the temperatures of two rows of air curtains.


A self-contained chromatography system is provided and includes a chromatography column, a carrier gas reservoir containing a carrier gas and an analyte stream processing device, wherein the carrier gas reservoir is disposed upstream from the chromatography column and wherein the analyte stream processing device is disposed downstream from the chromatography column. A method for implementing the self-contained chromatography system is also provided and includes generating a first system pressure upstream from the chromatography column and a second system pressure downstream from the chromatography column to cause the carrier gas to flow between the carrier gas reservoir and the analyte stream processing device. The method further includes combining a sample material with the carrier gas, introducing the combined sample to the chromatography column to generate the analyte stream and processing the analyte stream via the analyte stream processing device.

Hydrocarbon producing fields typically include a subterranean fluid that is comprised of a mixture of oil, gas and water, wherein the phase relationship between these components are controlled by the pressure, temperature and composition of the fluid. It is desirable to analyze and evaluate these fluids to determine a variety of fluid characteristics of commercial interest to the petroleum industry, such as the type and quality of the fluid within the reservoir. One way to accomplish this is by retrieving a sample of the subterranean formation fluid to the surface and analyzing the fluid to determine its composition using known techniques, such as gas chromatography.
Gas chromatography is a well-known method for identifying the chemical composition of a material sample and has found application in a variety of industries which rely on the identification of chemical compounds, such as the petroleum industry which uses chromatography to identify the chemical composition making up a subterranean fluid to be extracted. The gas chromatography process involves vaporizing and introducing a material sample into a chromatographic column, wherein the material sample is transported through the column by the flow of an inert, gaseous mobile phase, such as nitrogen (N2), hydrogen (H2) or Helium (He). Although the material sample is transported through the column via the carrier gas, the motion of the analyte is inhibited by the adsorption of the analyte molecules onto a stationary phase.
There are at least two well-known types of columns typically in use with gas chromatography systems: packed columns and capillary columns. A packed column contains a finely divided solid support material (eg. diatomaceous earth) which may be coated with a stationary phase, wherein the nature of the coating material is dependent upon the type of materials to be strongly adsorbed. This allows a packed column to be tailored to separate a specific type(s) of compound. A capillary column, on the other hand, has a very small internal diameter (on the order of tenths of millimeters) and the column walls are coated with the active materials. For example, most capillary columns are made of fused-silica with a polyimide outer coating, or stainless steel, and tend to be flexible, allowing for a very long column which can be wound into a small coil.
As such, the rate at which the molecules progress along the column depends upon the strength of the adsorption, which in turn depends upon the type of molecule and the column material. Since each type of molecule has a different rate of progression, the various components of the sample material are separated as they progress along the column and thus reach the end of the column at different times. A detection device is then used to monitor the outlet stream of analytes from the column to determine the amount of analyte exiting the column as well as the time it takes for the analyte to traverse the column. These substances may then be generally identified by the order in which they emerge from the column and by the residence time of the analyte within the column.
Unfortunately however, the retrieval of formation fluids from a subterranean reservoir to the surface may have undesirable consequences. For example, after samples of petroleum fluids are extracted from the earth formation at high temperature and high pressure, they must be brought to the surface, transferred to a transportation vessel and shipped to a distant laboratory for analysis. Changing temperatures and pressures associated with these operations can lead to changes in the fluids, some of which are irreversible. Additionally, leaks in the pressure vessel and transfers between pressure vessels also tend to change the composition of the fluid. These significant and irreversible changes in the fluid characteristics reduce the ability to accurately evaluate the actual properties of the formation fluid.
Another undesirable consequence involving the retrieval of formation fluids from a subterranean reservoir to the surface includes the time and cost involved in running a sampling tool to the formation of interest, retrieving a sample of the fluid within the formation and analyzing the sample of fluid without affecting the integrity of the composition of the fluid. One way to accomplish this involves maintaining the pressure of the formation fluid sample using various apparatus, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,822 (1994) to Massie et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,775 (1994) to Michaels et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,755 (1995) to Michaels et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,439,307 (2002) to Reinhardt, incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
One way to accomplish the desired analysis of formation fluids without compromising the integrity of the fluid composition involves the down-hole characterization of formation fluids using borehole chromatography techniques, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,654 (1988) to Pilkington et al. and PCT Pat. Appl No. PCT/US01/40372 (2001) to Storm and Richardson. This may be accomplished by disposing a downhole chromatograph within a well bore and by introducing a sample fluid into the chromatograph, wherein the chromatograph may be powered via an umbilical (i.e. a wireline from the surface), a down-hole turbine/alternator power supply or via a battery device. The chromatograph would then analyze the composition of the formation fluid sample and communicate the results to the surface. Unfortunately, however, several problems still exist with current downhole chromatography devices and techniques. For example, while U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,654 (1988) to Pilkington et al. allegedly discloses a downhole chromatography technique, the method and apparatus disclosed therein cannot be implemented in the field, as they suffer from severe defects, namely inadequate gas handling storage and disposal techniques.
One problem involves the handling of the carrier gas. In conventional gas chromatography systems, the carrier gas is a consumable that is typically provided from a high pressure tank, allowed to flow through the column and vented into the atmosphere, wherein the flow rate of the gas through the column must be constant in order to produce interpretable chromatograms. In laboratory and other surface systems, the constant flow rate through the column is ensured by maintaining a constant pressure drop along the column, wherein a gas regulator is used to control the flow line pressure at the high pressure end of the column and the low pressure end of the column is vented at ambient atmospheric pressure. Unfortunately, this type of carrier gas system is not suitable for borehole application for several reasons.
First, the use of consumable gases in wireline, logging while drilling (LWD) or subsea tools is currently undesirable because they require delivery of these gases to shops and depots. Moreover, when tools are required for multiple jobs at remote sites, e.g. offshore platforms, the logistics of delivery become even more troublesome. Second, in the absence of contact with the atmosphere, there is no infinite reservoir for the disposal of the carrier gas once it has traversed the column. Third, current systems and methods are not capable of maintaining a constant pressure gradient along the chromatography column.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a self-contained chromatography system capable of sample analysis in remote locations. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a self-contained chromatography system for down-hole sample analysis. It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a chromatography system having an improved gas handling system. Furthermore, it is yet another object of the present invention to provide a chromatography technique having an improved pressure regulation means at the outlet of the gas chromatography system.


A method for ensuring integrity of data sent by a vehicle V2X communication device to a control module to ensure operational safety, including: receiving data transferred by vehicle-to-X communication by a first computing apparatus of the V2X communication device, storing the data in a data memory, forwarding the data to a second computing apparatus, receiving the data by the second computing apparatus, establishing whether an action is to be triggered for the data and, in response, transmitting the data to a comparison apparatus, carrying out a comparison test for the data provided by the second computing apparatus with the data stored in the data memory and, in response to the test being passed, outputting the data and/or a control instruction and/or a warning message by the V2X communication device to a control module. Furthermore, a corresponding vehicle-to-X device and the use of the device in a vehicle are disclosed.

Vehicle-to-X (V2X) communication is the state of the art or respectively advance development and is currently in the process of being standardized. The relevant standards are IEEE802.11(p), IEEE1609, SAE 2735, SAE 2945 and ETSI ITS-G5. Additionally, new standards are in the process of being drawn up at 3GPP for C-V2X or respectively LTE-V2X or respectively 5G V2X. Functional safety is described in the standard ISO 26262 for the automotive industry.
In particular, internal errors of a V2X communication device for V2X communication can result in V2X information having problems or respectively errors, said information being transferred by means of a data bus to the relevant vehicle systems utilizing the information. It can occur, by way of example, that V2X information transferred by a V2X communication device to other vehicle systems by means of a data bus is corrupted, damaged or obsolete. In particular, this can negatively influence the operational safety of a vehicle or respectively can produce safety-critical situations. Alternatively, no appropriate measures for countering potentially safety-critical situations are triggered.

Method for ensuring the integrity of data to ensure operational safety and vehicle-to-X device


An example system includes: a contactless communication unit for performing contactless communication with a data storage medium having a contactless communication function; a data acquiring unit for acquiring data stored in the data storage medium by the contactless communication unit; a display processing unit for displaying at least one content stored in a content storage unit and a content according to data acquired by the data acquiring unit on a display unit as selection objects; a selection accepting unit for accepting selection by a user for a content displayed by the display processing unit; and an information processing unit for performing information processing pertaining to a content, which is an object of selection accepted by the selection accepting unit.

Conventionally, contactless communication technology such as NFC (Near Field Communication) or RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) for performing wireless communication contactlessly with an IC (Integrated Circuit) tag or the like has become widespread. In recent years, such contactless communication technology has started to be utilized in an information processing apparatus such as a game machine or a mobile phone. For example, there is a game machine, a game program or the like for performing contactless communication with a data storage medium such as a figure or a card having a built-in IC tag and reflecting data acquired from the data storage medium on the game content.
According to an aspect of the embodiment, a contactless communication unit for performing contactless communication with a data storage medium having a contactless communication function, a data acquiring unit for acquiring data stored in the data storage medium by the contactless communication unit, a display processing unit for displaying at least one content stored in a content storage unit and a content according to data acquired by the data acquiring unit on a display unit as selection objects, a selection accepting unit for accepting selection by a user for a content displayed by the display processing unit, and an information processing unit for performing information processing pertaining to a content which is an object of selection accepted by the selection accepting unit are provided.
The object and advantages of the example embodiment will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the claims.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are not restrictive of the example embodiment.
The above and further objects, features, aspects and effects of the present technology will more fully be apparent from the following detailed description by collation with accompanying drawings.

Inserting game objects through contactless communication


A method and apparatus for controlling a haptic device. In one embodiment, the haptic device includes an actuator; an actuator sensor, producing an actuator signal indicative of the actuator velocity; a load; a load output sensor producing a load output signal indicative of the load position; and a controller in electrical communication with the load output sensor, actuator sensor and actuator. The controller controls the actuator in response to the actuator signal and the load output signal to provide a haptic response to a user. In one embodiment, the method for controlling an actuator of a haptic device includes the steps of producing an actuator signal indicative of the velocity of an actuator; producing a position signal indicative of the position of a load; and controlling the actuator in response to the actuator signal and the load output position signal to produce a haptic response to a user.

Cable drive haptic devices incorporate a cable transmission having a proximal (or drive) end and a distal (or load) end. The proximal end includes actuators (such as but not limited to motors) that drive the transmission to thereby transmit load to an endpoint of the distal end. Typically, the endpoint of the haptic device is disposed in physical space and a haptic rendering algorithm generates virtual haptic surfaces (or haptic objects) that are located in the physical space. The haptic device enables a user to interact with the virtual haptic surfaces, for example, by controlling the actuators to transmit a load to the distal end of the transmission when the endpoint encounters a haptic surface. The user typically grasps the distal end of the haptic device or a tool or device attached to the distal end of the haptic device. In this manner, the haptic device enables the user to "feel" the haptic surface.
Conventional cable drive haptic devices may include sensors (e.g., position sensors such as encoders) mounted with the actuators at the proximal end of the cable transmission. Data from the actuator sensors (e.g., motor angles) is input to a forward kinematics process to calculate a position of the endpoint. Although this scheme permits good haptic performance of the haptic device, one drawback is that the calculated position of the endpoint, and thus the haptic surfaces, in physical space may not correspond to the actual position of the endpoint due to compliance and hysteresis in the cable transmission. For example, when the user applies a force to the distal end of the haptic device, the cable transmission may flex, resulting in endpoint movement even if the controller maintains the actuator output position. That is, the compliance of the cables of the cable transmission permits some movement of the endpoint even if the actuator attempts to respond to maintain a desired position. This movement results in an error between the actual endpoint location relative to the location of the endpoint as computed by the controller based on the actuator output position.
For haptic applications where a user interacts with a virtual environment, such as when using a conventional cable drive haptic device to modify a virtual CAD model where the haptic device enables the user to "feel" the surfaces of the virtual CAD model, the inaccuracy between the actual endpoint position of the haptic device and the calculated endpoint position is not important because it is not necessary to locate precisely the haptic surfaces in the physical workspace of the haptic device. Thus, the haptic surfaces can be initially positioned anywhere convenient within the workspace without affecting the user's interaction with the virtual environment. For this reason, the endpoint positioning accuracy of conventional cable drive haptic devices is rarely even considered as important. In addition, such haptic devices are generally designed to be compact and have minimal moving mass and inertia, so they typically will not have extra position sensors, especially on the load end of the transmission, where the sensors will have a larger deleterious effect on the haptic performance.
Some haptic applications, however, may require a high degree of endpoint positioning accuracy. For example, in computer aided surgery where a surgeon uses a haptic device to perform a surgical cutting operation, the haptic surfaces define a cutting boudary for a cutting tool attached to the haptic device and thus must be precisely positioned in the physical space of the patient. To provide sufficient endpoint positioning accuracy, a haptic device with a stiff transmission, such as a geared transmission, may be used. One drawback of stiff transmissions, however, is that they may not be backdriveable and/or suitable for use in a haptic device. Although conventional cable drive haptic devices are backdriveable, they present the endpoint positioning accuracy problem described above. One possibility for improving the endpoint positioning accuracy is to relocate the sensors from the proximal (or drive) end to the distal (or load) end of the cable transmission, such as relocating the sensor from the actuator to the joint. This permits a more accurate determination of the position of the endpoint. Relocating the sensors to the load end of the cable transmission, however, may cause the controller to exhibit instability because the sensing and actuation are not located at the same place and are connected by a transmission that is not rigid and has dynamics that can be excited by the controller. Additionally, when a haptic device includes sensors on only one side of the cable transmission, the controller lacks additional information useful for improving the stability of haptic control, which allows for increased haptic wall stiffness. Increased haptic wall stiffness is important when the haptic device is used in computer aided surgery because the haptic surfaces must sufficiently convey to the surgeon the location of the tool with respect the actual tissue surface.
Other conventional positioning devices and industrial robots may also require precise endpoint positioning, but, unlike a haptic device, these devices usually have stiff transmissions and rely solely on actuator position sensors for control. In some cases, positioning systems use both drive and load end position sensors, but these systems are typically used for positioning and not for user interaction or rendering haptic objects.
Thus, a need exists for a cable drive haptic device capable of compensating for compliance and hysteresis in the cable transmission to enable rendering of haptic surfaces in precise locations in physical space with sufficient wall stiffness to accurately and robustly guide the actions of a user. The use of both actuator and load position sensors improves haptic wall stiffness in two ways. First, without the load position sensors, when the user applies a force to the end of the device, the transmission will flex and the endpoint will move, even if the controller maintains the actuator output position. That is, the compliance of the cables of the system permits some movement even if the actuator attempts to respond to maintain haptic position. This movement of the endpoint will then result in an error in the tip location relative to the location of the tip as computed by the controller based on the actuator output position.
Second, the use of both actuator and load output position provides additional information that the controller can use to help improve the stability of the haptic control, allowing for increased haptic wall stiffness. While there are many ways in which to use two input sensors to compute a haptic control output, using the actuator output position sensor to provide a velocity signal and using the load output position sensor to provide the load output position signal to the control algorithm is a simple, fast method that enhances the stability and accuracy of the device compared to single sensor solutions. Increased haptic wall stiffness is particularly important, for example, when the haptic device is used in computer aided surgery because the haptic surface must accurately and robustly convey to the surgeon the location of the tool with respect the actual tissue surface. The present invention addresses these needs.

Method and apparatus for controlling a haptic device


Hexavalent chromium is reduced to trivalent chromium by reacting the hexavalent chromium with peroxide in acidic solution. In another aspect of the invention, the hexavalent chromium reduction with peroxide step may take place after the step of the destruction with aldehyde of any cyanide or cyanide compounds present, so that the peroxide may destroy any excess aldehyde remaining after the first step. No materials are added which have to be removed later in the process. In either case, the waste solution may then be treated with sodium hydroxide, or other conventional materials, to precipitate chromium hydroxide and effect removal of the hazardous chromium from the waste stream.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the treatment of wastewater solutions generally and, more particularly, to the treatment of such waste solutions containing hexavalent chromium so as to render the waste solutions safe for disposal.
2. Background Art
Waste solutions containing toxic amounts of hexavalent chromium are obtained in a variety of industrial operations, for instance metal stripping processes and electroplating processes. These waste solutions must be disposed of and, because of their hexavalent chromium content, serious problems were encountered in their disposal in the past, due to their toxicity to both aquatic and nonaquatic life. A conventional method of treatment is to treat these solutions with a reducing agent. When hexavalent chromium is reduced to trivalent chromium, the chromium is in a form which can be precipitated from solution in conventional treatment processes. Conventional methods of reducing hexavalent chromium include treatment with sodium metabisulfite, sulfur dioxide, or ferrous sulfate, in acidic solution.
The disadvantages of these conventional treatment methods are that solutions have to be made up from powdered materials, the solutions are generally corrosive, objectionable gases may have to be controlled, and/or materials are being added to the waste stream which will require later removal. The latter disadvantage is of particular importance, as it makes little sense to increase the burden on the overall treatment system.
It would, therefore, be desirable to employ a process for reducing hexavalent chromium in which no materials are added to the waste stream which need be removed later and in which process any added materials are relatively easy and safe to store and handle.
Frequently, particularly in waste streams from plating operations, cyanide and cyanide compounds are present in addition to hexavalent chromium. In my U.S. Pat. No. 3,505,217, issued Apr. 7, 1970, which is incorporated herein by reference, I show how free and combined cyanide in a waste solution can be treated with aldehyde or water-soluble bisulfite addition reaction product compounds of the aldehyde in basic solution to convert the cyanides to relatively harmless nitrogen compounds. While this method satisfactorily treats the cyanides as intended, the treatment may result in a residual concentration of aldehyde being present and, since the treatment takes place in basic solution, there can be no reduction of the hexavalent chromium which may be present.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a process for reducing hexavalent chromium without the introduction of materials which require later removal from a waste stream.
Another object of the invention is to provide a process for reducing hexavalent chromium which will also destroy residual aldehyde remaining from a previous cyanide treatment step.
Other objects of the invention, as well as particular features and advantages thereof will, be apparent from the following description.

Process for reduction of hexavalent chromium


An electronic apparatus includes: a circuit board that is disposed inside a case that is formed by coupling first and second case halves, the circuit board being interposed between first and second boss portions; first and second conductive members that are disposed between a gap formed between the first boss portion and the circuit board; a third conductive member that is disposed between the first boss portion and the first conductive member and between the first boss portion and the second conductive member to electrically connect the first conductive member to the second conductive member; and a measurement circuit that is electrically connected to a first wiring and a second wiring, which are respectively connected to the first conductive member and the second conductive member, and measures an electrical characteristic value of at least one of the first conductive member and the second conductive member.

In recent years, a demand for high performance and a multi-function of an electronic apparatus mounted with a semiconductor device has been increased. In response to this demand, integration in large-scale and increase of a size are progressed in a semiconductor chip. Accordingly, the number of electrical contacts for connecting a semiconductor package and a circuit board for mounting the semiconductor chips has considerably been increased.
The increase in the number of the electrical contacts results in an increase in thermal variation occurring inside an electronic apparatus. Accordingly, there arises a problem in that a relative displacement caused due to a difference in a linear expansion coefficient of the semiconductor package and the circuit board occurs between the semiconductor package and the circuit board since the thermal variation is repeated.
An example of a technique for detecting the damage of the electrical contacts caused due to thermal fatigue beforehand is disclosed in JP-A-10-093297.
The document JP-A-10-093297 discloses a technique to provide a sensing bump, other than an electrically connecting bump, for electrically connecting the semiconductor package to the circuit board. An electric resistance value of a connection passage including the sensing bump is automatically detected to determine whether the electrical contacts are damaged by the thermal fatigue when the electric resistance value exceeds a predetermined level.
However, the technique disclosed in the document JP-A-10-093297 has a problem in that it is difficult to design the configuration of the sensing bump and it is difficult to allow a lifespan of the sensing bump to be less than that of other bumps, since the height of the sensing bump provided in the semiconductor package has to be designed so as to be the same as the height of other bumps. That is, if the lifespan of the sensing bump is nearly equal to or more than that of other bumps, those other bumps may be damaged due to the thermal fatigue faster than the sensing bump. Accordingly, a purpose for detecting the electric resistance value beforehand may not be achieved. Moreover, in order to realize the technique disclosed in the document JP-A-10-093297, the sensing bump has to be provided in all mount elements since the sensing bump only allows to detect the damage of the own package caused by the thermal fatigue.

Electronic apparatus having self-diagnosis capability


A power supply unit for an aerosol inhaler, which causes an aerosol generated from an aerosol source to pass through a flavor source to add a flavor component of the flavor source to the aerosol, includes: a power supply configured to be dischargeable to a first load configured to heat the aerosol source and dischargeable to a second load configured to heat the flavor source; and a processing device. The processing device determines whether the second load can heat the flavor source. When it is determined that the second load can heat the flavor source, the processing device starts or continues discharging from the power supply to the second load as second discharging before starting discharging from the power supply to the first load as first discharging.

In recent years, there has been a device that can add a flavor component contained in a flavor source to an aerosol by passing the aerosol generated by heating a liquid through the flavor source, and can cause a user to inhale the aerosol containing the flavor component.
Devices described in WO 2020/039589, JP 2017-511703 T, and WO 2019/017654 include a heater that heats a liquid for aerosol generation and a heater that heats a flavor source.
In a device including such two heaters, an inhale port of an aerosol inhaler is often disposed close to the heater that heats the flavor source. Therefore, it is not preferable from a viewpoint of safety of the aerosol inhaler to energize the heater that heats the flavor source in a state where the flavor source cannot be heated. Further, there is a strong demand for miniaturization of the aerosol inhaler, and it is also desired to avoid wasting power supply.
It is an object of the present invention to provides a power supply unit for an aerosol inhaler, the aerosol inhaler, and an aerosol inhale system, which have high safety and can prevent waste of power accumulated by a power supply.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Power supply unit for aerosol inhaler, aerosol inhaler, and aerosol inhale system


A seal assembly includes a shield that is mounted to an outer race on each side of a self-centering bearing and a resilient seal that is mounted between a bearing inner race and a shield on each side of the bearing. The shield and seal form a protected annulus volume adjacent the outer race and ball bearing in which grease is packed.

The present invention relates to a seal assembly, and more particularly to a seal assembly for a self-aligning center bearing of a multi-shaft driveline.
Vehicle drivelines typically include a driveshaft that extends a relatively long distance along the vehicle. The shaft is supported at spaced locations. Typically, a bearing supports the shaft and is received within a resilient bearing cushion. The bearing cushion is supported within a support bracket that is fixed to the under side of a vehicle through a hanger bracket.
Some bearing assemblies include a bearing that is self-aligning within the support bracket. Exterior shields protect the ball bearings within the center bearing. An annulus of space formed between the shields and the ball bearings is packed with grease to provide an additional barrier against environmental contaminants.
In some instances, grease may be excreted from the center bearing assembly due to the self-aligning feature. Over time, the loss of grease may disadvantageously affect bearing performance.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a seal assembly which accommodates a self-aligning center bearing without loss of grease.


An in-vehicle device wirelessly sends a request signal to an assistance-possible area in which a user of a welfare-use seat device can be assisted. When a wireless portable key device, i.e., a remote control is present inside of the assistance-possible area, the portable key device returns a response signal containing an ID code. When receiving the response signal, the in-vehicle device executes a collation relative to the ID code contained in the response signal. When the collation is successfully completed, a short-depression movement mode is designated. When a short-time manipulation or depression is once applied to an operation instruction switch of the wireless portable key device under the short-depression movement mode being designated, the movement of a welfare-use seat device is started toward a movement end position without need further continued manipulation or depression to the operation instruction switch.

[Nonpatent document 1] Explanation page of Toyota "welcab" (http://toyota.jp/welcab/alphard/s_liftup/index.html)
There is known a welfare-use vehicle having a welfare-use seat device which executes a bringing-in and bringing-out movement for a user such as an aged person and a disabled person to allow the user to move inward and outward of the vehicle easily (for example, refer to Nonpatent document 1). In order to improve usability in the welfare-use vehicle in Nonpatent document 1, operation of moving inward and outward of the welfare-use seat device can be operated remotely using a remote control. Upon receiving an instruction from the remote control, the welfare-use seat device performs a rotary operation, slide operation, moving-up operation, moving-down operation, etc., to thereby reach a movement end position.
Incidentally, in the conventional welfare-use vehicle, only while the remote control is manipulated, i.e., during the manipulation being continued, the welfare-use seat device is operated. This is to pay attention to safety. For example, even if the remote control hits something to thereby be mistakenly manipulated for a short time, the operation of the welfare seat device is thereby prevented from continuing for a long time; thus, the continuation of the operation is limited only for such a short time under the manipulation being actually applied. That is, the safety aspect is much considered in the conventional welfare-use vehicle; thus, the welfare-use seat device is operated only during a period for which the positive intention of operating the welfare-use seat device is exhibited or demonstrated.
Thus, in the conventional welfare-use vehicle, when actually moving the welfare-use seat device up to the movement end position, the user needs to manipulate the remote control for a long time. The manipulation of the remote control may be felt as a burden. In addition, the battery life of the remote control is naturally thus reduced.


Disclosed are a method and apparatus for sending a signal, a method and apparatus for reporting channel state information, a storage medium and an electronic device. The method for sending the signal includes: a first-type reference signal is sent to a terminal, where the first-type reference signal is associated with a number N of channel feature hypotheses, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1; and channel state information sent by the terminal is received.

In a process of training antenna weights (also referred to as pre-codes or beams), a high-frequency-band sending end sends a training pilot, a high-frequency-band receiving end receives a channel and performs channel estimation, and then the high-frequency-band receiving end needs to feed back channel state information to the high-frequency-band sending end, so that the sending end and the receiving end can conveniently find a sending-receiving end antenna weight pair required for a multi-channel data transmission from optional sending-receiving end antenna weight pairs for data transmission.
In a 5G communication system, a base station (high-frequency sending end) may have multiple antenna panels, and each antenna panel may generate multiple beams in different directions. The same situation applies to a user equipment (UE) end (high-frequency receiving end). In the related art, the UE end can only feed back channel state information according to a beam, sent by the base station, in a current direction, but cannot perform feedback channel state information of beams in other directions, thus impacting the performance of the 5G system.

Method and apparatus for sending signal, method and apparatus for reporting channel state information, and storage medium


A molding apparatus has a fixed mold part having a pair of flat side faces and formed on each face with a plurality of laterally open half cavities and respective movable mold parts each having a side face juxtaposed with a respective fixed-part side face and displaceable transversely into and out of a molding position with the movable-part side face flatly engaging the respective fixed-part side face of the stationary mold part. Each movable mold part is formed with a plurality of half cavities forming full mold cavities with the half cavities of the respective fixed-part side face in the molding position. Each movable-part half cavity is formed with at least two inwardly open pockets, one of the pockets of each movable-part half cavity being open at the respective movable-part side face and being transversely closed by the respective fixed-part side face.

When producing molded parts, in particularly when they are at least partially hollow, there are substantial problems involved in removing the parts from the mold, that is demolding. These problems are particularly aggravated when the molded part has lateral projections so that it must be produced in a multi-part mold.
This is a particularly problem in making a cap for a blood-drawing kit as described in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,539. Such a cap forms a stable connection between the top of a blood vial and a cannula-carrying holder. Such a stable connection is for example desired also when mounting a blood-drawing tube on the device. In such a drawing device a cap is screwed onto the vial, which is provided with a piston, and in turn the cannula-carrying holder is fitted to the cap. To this end the cap has a cylindrical extension whose end wall has a central hole closed by a pierceable and self-sealing membrane. The cannula extends from both sides of its holder and has points at both ends so that as the holder is axially fitted to the cap, the back point is pressed axially through the membrane of the cap. The front point is the actual needle that can be inserted into a vein.
To retain the holder on the cap, the cap is normally provided with a radially projecting cylindrical lug or tab and the holder has an L-shaped groove or slot. The lug moves along an axially extending leg of the groove as the holder is fitted to the cap, and at the end of its travel the holder is twisted to lock the lug in an angularly extending shorter leg of the groove, like a bayonet mount.
It is essential that the holder be solidly secured to the cap. The single mounting lug has, therefore, been found to be inadequate in that it can allow the holder to tip so it has been suggested to provide two or more such lugs for a multipoint connection. In general it is desired to have at least two diametrally opposite lugs to prevent tipping of the holder on the cap, and preferably three to prevent tipping in any direction.
The cap is, however, an item that is mass produced in very large quantities, as such caps are used in large quantities and are discarded after a single use, so it must be made very cheaply. Hence the caps are typically formed in a so-called multi-daylight mold. Such arrangements have a central fixed mold part having a pair of opposite sides each forming with a respective movable mold part a plurality of mold cavities. The single lug can easily be formed by a pocket in the cavity of the movable mold part so that, once the mold is opened, the finished part can be knocked out of the fixed mold half axially, once of course a core element has been withdrawn. Obviously it would be impossible to make a two- or three-lug cap in such a multi-daylight mold since it would be necessary to form some of the lugs in the fixed mold part, making it impossible to knock out the molded pieces without shearing off the lugs in the fixed mold part.


A vibrating gyro element includes in the same plane a base portion; a pair of vibrating arms for detection extended out of the base portion on both sides in a straight line shape; a pair of connecting arms extended-out from the base portion onto both sides in directions perpendicular to the vibrating arms for detection; a pair of vibrating arms for driving each extended-out from the tip portion of each of the connecting arms to both sides perpendicularly to this tip portion; two pairs of beams extended out of the base portion along the respective arms for detection; and a pair of support portions to which the respective beams extended out in the same direction are connected; wherein the support portion is arranged outside the vibrating arm for detection between the vibrating arms for driving in the extending-out direction of each of the vibrating arms for detection.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a vibrating gyro element, a support structure of the vibrating gyro element, and a gyro sensor used in the detection of an angular velocity.
2. Related Art
In recent years, the gyro sensor having the vibrating gyro element stored in a container is largely used as a manual moving correction of an image pickup device, posture control of a mobile navigation system of a vehicle, etc. using a GPS satellite signal.
For example, a so-called double T-type vibrating gyro element is known as the vibrating gyro element in JP-A-2001-12955 and FIG. 1. In this double T-type vibrating gyro element, a driving vibrating system of about the T-type is arranged in left-right symmetry with respect to a central detecting vibrating system.
In these gyro sensors, there is a request of compactness to improve portability and the degree of freedom of a device design. It is necessary to make the gyro element compact so as to make this gyro sensor compact. With respect to support of the gyro element, a central base portion (gravity center portion) of the gyro element is normally adhered and supported in a substrate, etc. However, as the gyro element is made compact, a problem exists in that a support area with respect to the substrate is also reduced and no strength can be secured when a vibration or an impact is applied. Therefore, for example, as shown in JP-A-2001-12955 (FIG. 4), a structure for extending a support frame out of the base portion and respectively supporting the base portion and the support frame is proposed.
However, in this former gyro element, a detecting vibration is suppressed by supporting the base portion, and detecting sensitivity of the angular velocity is reduced. Further, since the support frame is arranged outside the driving vibrating system and the detecting vibrating system of the gyro element, there is a limit in the compact formation of the gyro element.

Vibrating gyro element, support structure of vibrating gyro element, and gyro sensor


A shield connector (10) includes a connector housing (20) with resiliently deformably provided resilient locking pieces (25), a collective shield shell (50) formed with collective side engaging portions (56) engageable with the resilient locking pieces (25), and an individual core shield shell (30) formed with individual-core side engaging portions (38) engageable with the resilient locking pieces (25). Either one of the collective and individual core shield shells (50, 30) is selectively fixed to the connector housing (20) by engaging the resilient locking pieces (25) and the collective side engaging portions (56) when the collective shield shell (50) is mounted onto the connector housing (20) or engaging the resilient locking pieces (25) and the individual-core side engaging portions (38) when the individual core shield shell (3) is mounted onto the connector housing (20).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shield connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a collective shield connector for collectively shielding a plurality of wires is known from Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-113910, and an individual core shield connector for individually shielding a plurality of wires is known from Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-165512.
The collective shield connector includes a collective connector housing from which the plurality of wires are drawn out backward and a collective shield shell to be mounted onto a rear part of the collective connector housing. The collective shield shell includes a collective insertion portion which is open in a front-back direction and into which the plurality of wires are collectively inserted, and the plurality of wires drawn out backward from the collective connector housing are collectively shielded by covering this collective insertion portion by a braided wire. Further, the collective connector housing includes a pair of resilient locking pieces which are resiliently deformable, and these resilient locking pieces are inserted into the collective insertion portion from front and engaged with a rear end opening edge part of the collective insertion portion from behind, whereby the collective shield shell is mounted onto the rear part of the collective connector housing.
On the other hand, the individual core shield connector includes an individual core connector housing from which the plurality of wires are drawn out backward and an individual core shield shell to be mounted onto a rear part of the individual core connector housing. The individual core shield shell includes a plurality of individual core insertion portions into which the plurality of wires are individually inserted in the front-back direction, and each wire drawn out backward from the individual core connector housing is shielded by covering each individual core insertion portion by a braided wire. Further, the individual core shield shell is formed with locking holes provided before the individual core insertion portions and extending in a direction perpendicular to a wire draw-out direction and a pair of resilient locking pieces provided on the individual core connector housing are engaged with inner peripheral edge parts of these locking holes, whereby the individual core shield shell is mounted onto the rear part of the individual core connector housing.
If there are two types of shield connectors for collective shielding and for individual shielding as described above, it is necessary to manage two types of connector housings and shield shells and parts management may become inefficient.
The present invention was completed in view of the above situation and an object thereof is to reduce the number of components by using a common connector housing onto which collective and individual core shield shells are to be mounted.


The invention features a method for diagnosing a malignant neoplasm in a mammal by contacting a bodily fluid from the mammal with an antibody which binds to an human aspartyl (asparaginyl) beta-hydroxylase (HAAH) polypeptide and methods of treating malignant neoplasms by inhibiting HAAH.

Primary malignant central nervous system (CNS) neoplasms, particularly glioblastomas, are highly fatal due to their aggressive and widespread infiltration of the brain and resistance to anti-cancer treatments. Although progress has been made in unraveling the pathological mechanisms underlying CNS cancers as well as other cancer types, tumor specific therapeutic approaches and methods of diagnosis have been largely elusive.

Diagnosis and treatment of malignant neoplasms