Apparatus and method for improving the speed an accuracy of recognition of speech dialects, or speech tansferred via dissimilar channels is described. The invention provides multiple models tailored to specific segments or dialects, and/or speech channels, of the population. However, there is not a proportional increase in recognition time or computing power or computing resources needed. Probability density functions for the acoustic descriptors are provided which are shared among the various models. Since there is a common pool of probability density functions which are mapped or pointed to for the different acoustic descriptors for each different dialect or speech channel model, the memory requirements for the speech recognition apparatus and method are significantly reduced. Each model is comprised of triphonemes which are modelled by discrete probability distribution functions forming hidden Markov models or statistical word models. Any one probability density function is assigned or mapped to many different triphonemes in many different dialects or different models. The invention provides for an automatic selection of the best model in real time wherein the best fit is determined by a voting process.

Speech recognition has been limited, even in the face of substantial progress, by the accuracy of such recognition, the speed of recognition and by the resources needed to perform such recognition. An aspect of the accuracy has been the errors due to the variation of language and pronunciation of the speakers, i.e. the dialects. Another aspect of the accuracy has been the errors due to variability in the apparatus by which speech is captured and transmitted, i.e. the channels (including noise). One solution is to have many models for as many dialects as possible. But with more models the recognition is slower and more resources, e.g. memory, computer speed and power, are needed.
Although at present it is possible to design systems that perform nearly 100% accuracy in real time for one or a few speakers, a persistent object in the art is to provide high accuracy recognition of utterances made in dissimilar manners, or under dissimilar circumstances, or surrounding, or with dissimilar electronics (microphones, computers, etc.).
A paper entitled, State of the Art in Continuous Speech Recognition, was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, USA, Vol. 92, pp. 9956-9963, October 1995, authored by John Makhoul and Richard Schwartz. This paper is hereby incorporated by reference herein as if laid out in full. The authors wrote the paper under the auspices of BBN Systems and Technology, Cambridge Mass., the same assignee of the present patent. The paper discloses three major factors in speech recognition, linguistic variability, speaker variability and channel variability. Channel variability includes the effects of background noise and the transmission apparatus, e.g. microphone, telephone, echoes, etc. The paper discusses the modelling of linguistic and speaker variations. An approach to speech recognition is to use a model, a logical finite-state machine where transitions and outputs are probabilistic, to represent each of the groups of three (or two) phonemes found in speech. The models may have the same structure but the parameters in the models are given different values. In each model there is a hidden Markov model (HMM). HMM is a statistical artifact that is well discussed in the above paper and the references listed therein, and is not be described in depth herein. FIG. 5 of the paper, reproduced herein as prior art FIG. 1, describes an approach to speech recognition. The system is trained by actual speakers articulating words continuously. The audio signal is processed and features are extracted. The signal is often smoothed by filtering by hardware or by software (if digitized and stored), followed by mathematical operations on the resulting signal to form features which are computed periodically, say every 10 milliseconds or so. Continuous speech is marked by sounds or phonemes that are connected to each other. The two adjacent phonemes on either side of a given phoneme have a major effect, referred to as co-articulation, on the articulation of the center phonemes. Triphoneme is the name given to the different articulation of a given phoneme due to the affects of these side phonemes. The continuous speech is divided into discrete transformed segments that facilitate the several mathematical operations. Many types of features have been used including, time and frequency masking, taking of inverse Fourier transforms resulting in a mathematical series of which the coefficients are retained as a feature vector. The features are handled mathematically as vectors to simplify the training and recognition computations. Other features may include volume, frequency range, and amplitude dynamic range. Such use of vectors is well known in the art, and reference is found the Makhoul and Schwartz paper on page 9959 et seq. The spoken words used in the training are listed in a lexicon and a phonetic spelling of each word is formed and stored. Phonetic word models using HMMs are formed from the lexicon and the phonetic spellings. These HMM word models are iteratively compared to the training speech to maximized the likelihood that the training speech was produced by these HMM word models. The iterative comparing is produced by the Baum-Welch algorithm which is guaranteed to converge to form a local optimum. This algorithm is well known in the art as referenced in the Makhoul and Schwartz paper on page 9960. A grammar is established and with the lexicon a single probabilistic grammar for the sequences of phonemes is formed. The result of the recognition training is that a particular sequence of words will corresponds with a high probability to a recognized sequence of phonemes. Recognition of an unknown speech begins with extracting the features as in the training stage. All word HMM model sequences allowed by the grammar are searched to find the word (and therefore the triphoneme) sequence with the highest probability of generating that particular sequence of feature vectors. Prior art improvements have included development of large databases with large vocabularies of speaker independent continuous speech for testing and development. Contextual phonetic models have been developed, and improved recognition algorithms have been and are being developed. Probability estimation techniques have been developed and language models are being improved. In addition, computers with increased speed and power combined with larger, faster memories have improved real time speech recognition. It has been found that increased training data reduces recognition errors, and tailored speaker dependent training can produce very low error rates.
The portion of the Makhoul and Schwartz paper on page 9962, labeled Adaptation, describes incremental improvements in speaker independent systems. The problems and limitations of a new dialect are addressed. The paper states that "incremental adaptation could require hours . . . and . . . patience . . . before the performance becomes adequate." It is suggested, in the next paragraph, that a short training session may be used to transform an existing model for a new speaker. The improvement is not quantified, however. But, with all the advances in speech recognition, limitations on computing resources persist, multiple models still consume large amounts of memory, and fast, powerful computers are needed to recognize continuous, real time speech, and different dialects remain a problem. The present invention is directed to these problems.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a speech recognition system with a large number of models for dialects and/or channels (hereinafter "channel" is inclusively defined as the audio path, speech impediments, noise and acoustic suroundings, the electronics, wireless paths, wire paths) without a proportional increase in computing power and memory.
An object of the present invention is to provide models for speech dialects and/or channels which produce high accuracy in real time for a large variety of speakers.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an automatic selection of the best model for use with different speakers in real time.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a more accurate speech recognition system for discontinuous and continuous speech.

Multi-dialect speech recognition method and apparatus


A pressure indicator for positive pressure protection masks, including powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs) that monitors and determines relative air pressure between the internal space of a protection mask and the ambient environment to alert users of negative or threshold level air pressure, and in turn, to ensure safe operation of the protection masks. The pressure indicator, which is incorporated in the mask, alerts users when the air pressure in the mask reaches a critical level by transmitting optical signals, auditory signals, vibrational signals or a combination thereof that are detectable by the user. The optical signals are projected into the user's line of vision either directly or through a head-up display. The pressure indicator may cause the signal to indicate a safe and danger mode, or may cause the signal to indicate only during a danger mode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pressure indicator for positive pressure protection masks that enables positive safe operation of the protection masks.
2. Description of Related Art
Respiratory devices, such as protection masks, also interchangeably referred to herein as gas masks or masks, are well known. Civilians, law enforcement, military personnel, fire fighters and other groups of individuals commonly referred to as "responders" (hereinafter referred to as "users") wear masks for protection from an environment containing harmful and possibly fatal air-born toxins or any other such hazardous material. Such toxins and materials are hazardous to respiratory systems and generally take the form of harmful gases, vapors, and particulate matter. The respiratory hazards may also include various agents, such as nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) agents, which may be in the form of particulates, vapors or aerosols.
One type of breathing apparatus, known as a Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) (also referred to herein interchangeably as "PAPR protection system"), is a fan-forced positive pressure breathing apparatus. PAPR protection systems are used in environments where the ambient air is relatively oxygen-rich and where filtering elements are effective in removing all contaminants from the ambient air before the ambient air enters the gas mask. PAPR protection systems typically include a gas mask, a filtering element to remove contaminants from ambient air, a blowing element, such as, a fan, and a power source to provide operational power to the blowing element. The fan or blowing element continously supplies filtered air to the gas mask. The filtered air replenishes the internal space of the mask, and the exhaled air, also known as spent air, is continually ejected.
Under certain circumstances, such as heavy workload or extreme body movement, for instance, protection masks can create openings (i.e., also known generally as "leaks") by not completely and seamlessly fitting to the contours of the user's face, and thus, forming an imperfect seal. The openings allow unfiltered, ambient air directly into the internal space of the mask, which may pose serious and even fatal health risks to the user if the ambient air contains harmful toxins or other such hazardous material. PAPR protection systems help reduce health risks caused by masks prone to or having leaks by creating a pressurized environment in the internal space of the mask (also interchangeably referred to as an "overpressurized environment"). In particular, because of the positive pressure gradient between the internal space of the mask and the ambient environment, the internal air pressure caused by the powered circulation of filtered air prevents the unfiltered, ambient air from entering the mask.
Although PAPR protection systems have reduced the danger of allowing unfiltered, ambient air into the internal space of the mask, and in turn, have reduced the danger of inhaling and contacting unfiltered, ambient air by the user, PAPR protection systems do not completely eliminate health risks. In some cases, PAPR protection systems fail to operate properly, and the health risks increase accordingly. Typically, when the PAPR protection system fails to operate, the internal space of the mask depressurizes, i.e., the overpressurized environment is lost. There are numerous instances in which the PAPR protection system may fail to provide a safe environment for the user. For instance, a kinked air supply hose, an obstructed air-purifying filter, a depleted blower battery, or an excessive demand for filtered air by the user may compromise the powered airflow caused by the PAPR protection systems, reducing the air pressure in the internal space of the mask. In each of these examples, the compromised PAPR protection system reduces positive pressure in the internal space of the mask, and thus, allows ambient air to enter the internal space, in the event that openings (i.e., leaks between the user's facial contours and the mask) were present.
The effectiveness of the PAPR protection system, which is typically measured in the level of safety provided to users, is directly correlated with the ability of the PAPR protection system to provide filtered air to the user while preventing unfiltered, ambient air from entering the internal space of the mask. Thus, in the event the safety of PAPR protection system is compromised, i.e., unfiltered, ambient air enters the internal space of the mask, users have a limited amount of time to exit or escape the environment having unfiltered, ambient air containing toxins and other such hazardous material (generally known as the "hot zone"). The present technology only includes devices that sense the volume of air in the mask, as opposed to the air pressure in the mask. Unfortunately, such technology provides an unreliable and indirect measure of whether the protection mask is safe. Presently, there is no reliable mechanism for the user to determine whether the PAPR protection system is functioning properly, and in turn, there is no mechanism for the user to determine whether the PAPR protection system is safe. Specifically, there is no mechanism for the user to determine whether the PAPR protection system has a positive air pressure within the internal space of the mask.
There is a need for a PAPR mask that provides users of the mask with information and feedback regarding the level of filtered air flow to the internal space of the mask. In particular, there is a need for a pressure indicator system, which measures the air pressure in the internal space of the mask and alerts users as to whether there is positive pressure in the mask and the actual value of the pressure gradient. Moreover, there is a further need for a pressure indicator system associated with the PAPR mask that informs the user whether the air entering the internal space of the mask is safe, i.e., whether filtered air rather than ambient air is filling the internal space of the mask.

Pressure indicator for positive pressure protection masks


A process for forming a multi-lumen catheter which includes the steps of providing a multi-lumen first tube, winding a flexible filament onto the first multi-lumen tube, and positioning a second tube over the wound filament layer of the first tube is disclosed for manufacturing the multi-lumen catheter. The second tube is melted and bonded to the first tube and an occluding member is mounted onto the second tube to occlude a patient's ascending aorta when the occluding member is expanded.

Cannulas for cardiopulmonary bypass systems have thin walls to optimize flow rates through the cannula for a given cannula size. Wall thickness is particularly important when using the system for arresting a patient's heart and placing the patient on cardiopulmonary bypass described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/570,286, filed Dec. 11, 1995 by Valley et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Venous blood is withdrawn through a venous cannula and directed to an oxygenator. The oxygenated blood is then returned to the patient's arterial system through an arterial cannula. An aortic occlusion catheter is used to block blood flow through the ascending aorta and deliver cardioplegic fluid to arrest the heart of the patient for performing surgery on the heart and great vessels. The aortic occlusion catheter is inserted through a lumen in the arterial cannula which is the same lumen through which arterial blood is returned.
An advantage of the system described above is that only one opening in the patient's arterial system is required for both delivery of cardioplegic fluid and return of arterial blood. In order to achieve the necessary blood and cardioplegic fluid flow rates, however, the wall of the arterial cannula must be minimized while retaining enough structural integrity to prevent kinking and cracking. The present invention is particularly useful in providing a thin walled cannula which may be used as an arterial return cannula for the system described above.
A known method of making a reinforced cannula is to dip a mandrel in a polymer solution and wrap a metal wire over the polymer. The mandrel is then dipped again to encase the metal wire between two layers of polymer.
Another known method of making a reinforced cannula is to extrude a polymer tubing, wrap a metal wire around the polymer tubing, and extrude another polymer layer over the metal wire.
A problem with the known methods of manufacturing a reinforced cannula is that the spacing between adjacent wires must be relatively large to ensure that the polymer flows between adjacent coils so that the two polymer layers bond together to form an integrated structure. Unfortunately, the relatively large spacing requires a relativley thick polymer layer to provide the necessary strength since the wire has a large pitch. The relatively thick polymer layer is also required to ensure that a sufficient amount of polymer is provided to fill the relatively large space. The resulting cannula has a relatively thick wall.
Thus, a specific object of the present invention is to provide a new method of manufacturing reinforced tubing and, in particular, cannulas for venous withdrawal and arterial return of blood for a cardiopulmonary bypass system.
As mentioned above, an aortic occlusion catheter is passed through the arterial return cannula when practicing the invention disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/570,286. It is also advantageous to minimize the size of the aortic occlusion catheter for the same reasons as it is advantageous to minimize the size of the arterial return cannula. A limiting factor when reducing the size of the aortic occlusion catheter is that the catheter cannot kink when extending around the aortic arch. Thus, another object of the present invention is to provide an aortic occlusion catheter which minimizes the catheter size while providing a catheter which resists kinking.

Method of manufacture of a multi-lumen catheter


Provided herein is a coating method for a vehicle shift fork and the methods includes: preparing a Fe—Cr—Mo-based composition such as a powder; pretreating the shift fork by washing a pad part of the shift fork to remove impurities; forming a coating layer on the pad part using the Fe—Cr—Mo-based powder by high velocity oxygen fuel spraying (HVOF) method; and cooling the coating layer at a rate of about 106 to about 108 K/s to form an amorphous coating layer. Further provided are an amorphous coating formed by high velocity oxygen fuel spraying (HVOF) method and a shift fork including the amorphous coating.

In general, a transmission properly changes driving force of a vehicle depending on driving condition, and it also has a gearing system to drive the vehicle backward because an engine does not counter rotate.
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of an internal structure of a general manual transmission.
As shown in FIG. 1, the general manual transmission has a transmission operating structure to operate the switching state, and the structure includes: a gear lever directly operated by a driver; a shift rail 20 transferring the operating power of the gear lever to a gearshift; and a shift fork 10 operating a synchronizer sleeve 30 by connecting to the shift rail 20. Particularly, the shift fork 10 is fixed to the shift rail 20, and it has a structure of pushing and moving the synchronizer sleeve 30 to the axial direction as being inserted into a groove manufactured on the outer circumference surface of the synchronizer sleeve 30.
The synchronizer sleeve 30 is a component of a synchro-mesh device that is manufactured to make the gearshift easily geared. When a driver operates the gear lever, the shift fork 10 is operated through the shift rail 20, and then the synchronizer sleeve 30 moves back and forth by the shift fork 10.
Accordingly, as the synchronizer sleeve 30 moves back and forth by the operation of the gear lever, the synchro-mesh device works as a clutch, performs synchronizing action to make the main shaft and the shifting gear be the same speed by frictional force at the same time, and then connects a driving gear 40 side and a main shaft 50 side to complete shifting.
Herein, the shift fork 10 has a structure that an arm is formed to a semicircle shape and the arm is settled to the outer circumference surface of the synchronizer sleeve 30. Pad parts are installed in both ends of the inside of the arm to make the gear lever easily attached to the synchronizer sleeve 30, when the synchronizer sleeve moves back and forth by the operation of the gear lever.
During a manual transmission, since the shifting gear pushes the synchronizer sleeve 30 rotating at several thousands rpm, loads are concentrated to the pad part of the shift fork 10. Thus, it is necessary to improve wear resistance and low friction lubrication characteristics of a driving part such as the shift fork 10 to improve life time thereof and to provide competitiveness in vehicle fuel efficiency and emission control.
In the related arts, conventional methods for manufacturing a shift fork, for example, a Korean conventional art entitled "Die casting method of shift fork for vehicle, have been introduced. The methods may improve wear resistance and reduce the production cost by forming an aluminum/alumina thick layer (coating layer) on the contact site of the shift fork to the sleeve. However, when forming a coating layer by cold spray coating method, an amorphous coating layer may not be formed sufficiently, and wear resistance and low friction lubrication characteristics may not satisfy standards thereof.
The description provided above as a related art of the present invention is just for helping in understanding the background of the present invention and should not be construed as being included in the related art known by those skilled in the art.

Coating method for vehicle shift fork and shift fork with amorphous coating layer formed by the same


A system for flight control system using simulator data for an electric aircraft is presented. The system includes a computing device, the computing device configured to receive a plurality of measured flight data, simulate a plurality of aircraft performance model outputs as a function of a flight simulator and the plurality of measured flight data, determine a moment datum as a function of the plurality of measured flight data and the plurality of aircraft performance model outputs, generate an allocation command datum as a function of the moment datum and the plurality of aircraft performance model outputs, and perform a torque allocation on a flight component of a plurality of flight components as a function of the allocation command and the moment datum.

Flight control systems typically use simulator models and/or data derived from such models to control aircraft actuators, such as propeller, lifts fans and other vertical flight rotors, ailerons, elevators, flaps, rudders, and the like during flight. The simulator model represents the aircraft and its geometry, including actuators and their location relative to other structures; aerodynamic surfaces such as wings, tails, stabilizers, etc.; and the aerodynamic effect of other structures, such as the fuselage, pylons, etc. For a complicated aircraft, for example, having many actuators, a single simulation may take three days to run on hundreds of processors. Thousands of such simulations may need to be run to generate an ideal simulator model that is comprehensive enough to provide a command for a pilot to control each component of the aircraft.

Systems and methods for flight control system using simulator data


A chip stack structure having a shielding capability may comprise a wiring substrate, the wiring substrate including a ground layer. The structure may also comprise a first chip attached on an upper surface of the wiring substrate and electrically connected to the ground layer. The structure may also comprise a plurality of first bonding wires which electrically connect the first chip to the wiring substrate. The structure may also comprise a shield plate attached to the first chip and detached from at least one of the plurality of first bonding wires, the shield plate being configured to cover the first chip and at least one of the plurality of first bonding wires. The structure may also comprise a grounding wire which connects the shield plate to the ground layer of the wiring substrate. The structure may also comprise a second chip attached to and supported by the shield plate. The structure may also comprise a plurality of second bonding wires which connect the second chip directly or via the shield plate to the wiring substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a semiconductor package and, more particularly, to a chip stack structure having a plurality of vertically stacked semiconductor chips, and to a system-in-package (SIP) module using the chip stack structure.
A claim of priority is made to Korean Patent Application No. 2005-102526, filed on Oct. 28, 2005, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been an increase in demand for portable products that require light, thin, and small semiconductor packages functioning as components mounted in these portable products. To cope with this demand, there have been various technology-oriented efforts in the semiconductor packaging industry. For example, one approach attempts to reduce sizes of individual semiconductor packages. Another approach includes using a system-on-chip (SOC) technology for integrating multiple components together in a chip. Yet another approach includes a system-in-package (SIP) technology for integrating multiple semiconductor chips in a package.
The SIP technology permits multiple semiconductor chips to be vertically or horizontally mounted in a package. Furthermore, the SIP technology may be regarded as an extension of a conventional multi-chip module (MCM) technology. While multiple semiconductor chips are normally mounted in a horizontal manner in the MCM technology, they are normally mounted in a vertical manner in the SIP technology.
FIG. 1 represents a prior art SIP module 10. Referring to FIG. 1, SIP module 10 includes two or more stacked semiconductor chips. If a lower chip (a first chip 12) is larger than an upper chip (a second chip 14), the second chip 14 may be directly stacked on the first chip 12. The first chip 12 may be electrically connected to a wiring substrate 11 through first bonding wires 13 and the second chip 14 may be electrically connected to the wiring substrate 11 through second bonding wires 15. The first chip 12 mounted on an upper surface of the wiring substrate 11, the second chip 14, and the first and second bonding wires 13 and 15 may be protected by a molding compound 16. Furthermore, solder balls 17 may be formed at a lower surface of the wiring substrate 11.
In the SIP module 10 having the chip stack structure described above, the first chip 12 and second chip 14 may not be shielded from each other. In addition, the first and second bonding wires 13 and 15 may be formed close to each other. Consequently, signal interference may occur between signals transferred via the first bonding wires 13 and signals transferred via the second bonding wires 15. This signal interference may degrade the performance of the SIP module 10.
When the second chip has a size greater than or similar to that of the first chip, then, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,060, there is a need for a spacer between the first and second chips. As shown in FIG. 2, in a SIP module 20 having such a chip stack structure, the spacer 28 acts to suppress electrical interference caused by mechanical contact between first bonding wires 23 connected to a first chip 22 and the lower surface of a second chip 24.
In the SIP module 20, the first chip 22 and second chip 24 are not shielded from each other, and the first bonding wires 23 are exposed to the second chip 24. Consequently, performance of the SIP module 20 may be degraded owing to signal interference between the first chip 22 and second chip 24. In particular, this signal interference may become serious if a semiconductor chip sensitive to external electromagnetic fields, such as, for example, a radio frequency (RF) device, is stacked in the SIP module 20.
When an RF device is stacked in a SIP module, the RF device may be stacked before a baseband device according to the chip stack structure of FIG. 2. That is, the RF device is used as the first chip 22, and the baseband device is used as the second chip 24. Therefore, there is a need to solve problems caused by the signal interference between the RF and baseband devices.
In addition, a portion of the second chip 24 at which second electrode pads 24a are formed is configured in an overhang structure. This overhang structure is not supported by the first chip 22. The lack of support for the overhang structure may affect the wire bonding. For example, in a wire bonding operation, cracks may develop at edge portions of the second chip 24 or the bonding quality of second bonding wires 25 may be degraded. These problems may become more serious with a decrease in thickness of the second chip 24 and an increase in width of the overhang structure. Specifically, in a wire bonding operation for connecting the second chip 24 to a wiring substrate 21, a capillary may apply a predetermined amount of force to the second chip 24 to bond one end of each second bonding wire 25 to a second electrode pad 24a. In particular, when the portion at which the second electrode pads 24a are formed is not supported at the lower part thereof, and is thin, cracks may develop at the edge portions of the second chip 24 because of the force applied by the capillary. Furthermore, when the edge portions of the second chip 24 vibrate owing to a reaction force caused by the action force of the capillary, the quality of bonds between the second electrode pads 24a and second bonding wires 25 may be lowered.
The present disclosure is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems associated with the prior art SIP modules.

Chip stack structure having shielding capability and system-in-package module using the same


A run-in coating is for gas turbines. The run-in coating is used for sealing a radial gap between a housing of the gas turbine and rotating rotor blades of same, the run-in coating being applied onto the housing. The run-in coating is made of an intermetallic titanium-aluminum material.

Gas turbines, such as, for example, aircraft engines, include, as a rule, a plurality of rotating rotor blades as well as a plurality of stationary stator blades, the rotor blades rotating together with a rotor, and the rotor blades as well as the stator blades being enclosed by a stationary housing of the gas turbine. It may be provided to optimize all components and subsystems when it comes to improving the performance of an aircraft engine. Among those are also the so-called sealing systems in aircraft engines. In aircraft engines, a particular problem is keeping a minimum gap between the rotating rotor blades and the stationary housing of a high pressure compressor. The highest absolute temperatures and temperature gradients occur in high pressure compressors, and this makes maintaining the gap of the rotating rotor blades from the stationary housing of the compressor more difficult. Among other things, this is also because in the case of compressor rotor blades shrouds, as are used in turbines, are omitted.
As was mentioned before, rotor blades in a compressor have no shrouds available to them. Therefore, ends, or rather tips of the rotating rotor blades are exposed to a direct frictional contact with the housing in the case of so-called brushing against the stationary housing. Such a brushing of the tips of the rotor blades against the housing is brought about by the setting of a minimum radial gap by manufacturing tolerances. Since, on account of the frictional contact of the tips of the rotating rotor blades to the housing, material is eroded, it is possible for an undesired gap enlargement to set in over the entire circumference of housing and rotor. In order to avoid this, the ends or tips of the rotating rotor blades may be fortified with a hard coating or with abrasive particles.
Another possibility of avoiding the wear at the tips of the rotating rotor blades and of assuring an optimized sealing between the ends or tips of the rotating rotor blades and the stationary housing, is to coat the housing with a so-called run-in coating. In material removal on a run-in coating, the radial gap is not enlarged over the entire circumference, but only in the shape of a sickle, as a rule. This avoids a drop in performance of the engine. Certain housings having a run-in coating are conventional.

Run-in coating for gas turbines and method for producing same


A semiconductor device may include a data output circuit configured to sense and amplify data of an input/output line and a complementary input/output line based on the sense amplification control signal. The semiconductor device may include a data output control circuit configured to delay a point of time that the input/output line and the complementary input/output line are sensed and amplified.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure may generally relate to a semiconductor system including a semiconductor device, and more particularly, a semiconductor system including a semiconductor device configured for performing a test.
2. Related Art
In general, a data input/output line is used for data transmission in a semiconductor memory device. Data of a memory cell included in a memory core is transmitted to a bit line and sensed and amplified through a bit line sense amplifier. The data loaded in the bit line is transmitted to a global line via a local line. Typically, the global line is arranged across a plurality of banks, and serves to transmit data between a data pad and the memory core. At this time, a circuit is required for data transmission between the global line and the local line. In the case of DRAM, an input/output sense amplifier is used to sense and amplify data loaded in a local line and then transmit the amplified data to a global line during a read operation. In a DRAM, a write driver is used to transmit data loaded in the global line to the local line during a write operation.
With the development of technology, semiconductor devices have been gradually reduced in size, and the space between input/output lines also has been gradually narrowed. As the space between input/output lines is reduced, a bridge may be formed between input/output lines, thereby causing a defect in the semiconductor device. The bridge may be formed when parasitic ions of the input/output lines form a current path between the input/output lines. When the bridge is formed between the input/output lines, data loaded in the input/output lines may be lost due to a leakage current caused by the bridge.

Semiconductor device and semiconductor system


Users of a communication system can initiate electronic payments during a communication session hosted by the communication system or via a social network identity page hosted by the communication system. The communication system detects a payment signal from a user of the communication system and the collects payment information details either by displaying a payment object interface in a communication application of the user or receiving payment information input directly from the user's communication device. The payment information includes sender and recipient payment account identifiers that are communicated to a payment processing system for processing and delivery of the designated payment amount to the recipient.

When communicating using synchronous communication systems, such as instant messaging and videoconference, users often discuss details related to payments, including money owed to one another. Ideally, such a discussion during a synchronous communication session would not be interrupted in order to complete a payment. In conventional communication systems, payments can be made only by interrupting the conversation to open a separate browser window to access a payment service and then optionally to use a screen-sharing function to confirm that payment details are correct. Each of these actions interrupts the conversation and moves the focus away from the discussion at hand. Likewise, users are often reminded of money they owe to other individuals when reviewing their own social networking news feeds or viewing the social network identity pages of their contacts within their social network. Currently, a way to initiate an electronic payment during a synchronous communication session or directly from another users social network identity page does not exist.


A system and method of authenticated ID-based key exchange and remote login with insecure token and PIN number can provide an authenticated key agreement protocol based on an elliptic curve bilinear type-3 pairing. A server acts as an Authentication Service to Clients and a Trusted Authority (TA) issues identity based secret numbers to Clients and Authentication Services. Included in the system and method is the capability for the Client to split their secret number into two parts, a Client selected PIN number, and the larger number, the Token.

The present invention is in the field of electronic authentication and authenticated key agreement. The purpose of the invention is to provide a method of authenticated key agreement in a client to server setting that advances the concept of two-factor authentication and provides an alternative to token based schemes that are often based on expensive (and irreplaceable) smart-card tokens, and provides an alternative to password-only schemes require that username and password management in a client and server context.

System and method for secure two-factor authenticated ID-based key exchange and remote login using an insecure token and simple second-factor such as a PIN number


The present invention provides a recording medium including a recording layer on a substrate, wherein the recording layer includes a polymer that has a thioether bond, has a sulfur equivalent of no less than 1.2 meq/g, and has an inorganic/organic ratio (I/O value) represented in an organic-inorganic conceptional diagram of no less than 0.5. According to the invention, the recording medium may be an ink jet recording medium, in which the recording layer is an ink receiving layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording medium used for ink jet recording methods, thermosensitive recording methods, pressure sensitive recording methods, photosensitive recording methods and transfer recording methods, and particularly for ink jet recording methods. In particular, the invention relates to a recording medium that is excellent in ink receptivity, glossiness and light fastness, while having little bleeding and color fading over time in an image portion.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various information processing systems have been developed in recent years along with rapid progress in information technology industries, and recording methods and recording apparatuses suitable for these information processing systems have been developed for practical uses.
Examples of such practically used recording methods include electrophotographic methods, ink jet recording methods, thermosensitive recording methods, pressure sensitive recording methods and thermal transfer recording methods in addition to silver salt photographic recording methods. A high quality image with a sharp image and clear color is required in any of the recording methods described above.
Among these recording methods, the ink jet recording method has been widely used in offices as well as in homes, since this method is advantageous in that it can be used to record on various recording materials, in that hardware (apparatus) therefor is inexpensive and compact, and in that the method is very quiet.
Since resolution of ink jet printers has increased in recent years, obtaining "photorealistic" high quality recorded materials has become possible, and various kinds of ink jet recording sheets have been developed along with such improvement in hardware (apparatus).
Required characteristics for these ink jet printing sheets are generally: (1) rapid drying (rapid ink-absorption speed), (2) proper and uniform diameter of ink dots (no bleeding), (3) good granularity, (4) high circularity of dots, (5) high color density, (6) high chroma (free of dullness), (7) good water resistance, light fastness and ozone resistance of printed portions, (8) high brightness of recording sheets, (9) good storability of recording sheets (no yellowing or bleeding of images in long term storage (excellent in prevention of bleeding over time), (10) substantially no deformation with good dimensional stability (sufficiently small curling), and (11) good running property of hardware.
In the use of photographic glossy paper sheets used for obtaining photorealistic high quality printed material, in addition to the various aforementioned characteristics, the recording sheets are also required to have glossiness, glossiness of printed portions, surface smoothness and texture of printed paper sheets resembling that of silver salt photographs.
An ink jet recording medium having a porous structure in an ink receiving layer has been developed and practically used in recent years for improving the various characteristics described above. Such an ink jet recording medium is excellent in ink receptivity (instantaneous drying ability) while having high glossiness, due to providing the porous structure.
An ink jet recording medium comprising fine inorganic pigment particles and a water soluble resin as well as an ink receiving layer having a high void ratio provided on a substrate has been proposed (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) Nos. 10-119423 and 10-217601).
These recording sheets, and particularly an ink jet recording medium having the ink receiving layer comprising a porous structure using silica as fine inorganic pigment particles, are excellent in ink absorbing property due to their construction. Accordingly, the ink jet recording medium has excellent ink absorptivity and a high ink receptivity capable of forming a high resolution image, while the medium exhibits high glossiness.
However, the recording medium has a large oxygen permeability due to its porous coated layer, and deterioration of components in the ink receiving layer may be accelerated. Furthermore, image bleeding over time may occur in accordance with adsorption of moisture on the silica surface.
Small amounts of gases in the air, particularly ozone, cause color fading of a recorded image over time. Since the recording material comprising the ink receiving layer having the porous structure contains many voids, the recorded image is readily faded with the ozone gas in the air. Consequently, fastness against ozone in the air (ozone resistance) is a crucial characteristic for the recording material having the ink receiving layer of the porous structure.
Recording materials in which sulfur-containing compounds such as anti-color fading agents are added in the ink receiving layer for improving various characteristics have been frequently reported.
For example, JP-A Nos. 64-36479 and 1-115677 have proposed ink jet recording media containing thioether compounds.
However, the compounds exemplified in JP-A Nos. 64-36479 and 1-115677 are hydrophobic low-molecular weight compounds and therefore are water insoluble. Accordingly, it is difficult to mix the compounds with coating liquids, and glossiness of the ink jet recording medium is deteriorated even when these compounds are added as emulsions.
JP-A Nos. 2002-86904 and 2002-36717 have proposed to use thioether compounds having hydrophilic groups.
However, while the compounds exemplified in JP-A Nos. 2002-86904 and 2002-36717 exhibit ozone resistance, bleeding over time becomes worse under high-temperature/high-humidity conditions since the compounds are hydrophilic low-molecular weight compounds. Moreover, since most of such compounds have low melting points, there has also been a problem in that the thioether compound is precipitated on the surface of the recording sheet when stored in a low temperature environment at, for example, 5° C. or lower for one week.
Although polysulfide compounds (disulfide and trisulfide compounds with a molecular weight of less than 1,000) have been used, for example, in JP-A No. 2001-315432, these compounds do not exhibit a sufficient effect for enhancing ozone resistance.
JP-A Nos. 11-58941 and 63-260477 have proposed polymer compounds containing thioether bonds.
However, the ozone resistance improving effect of the compounds exemplified in JP-A Nos. 11-58941 and 63-260477 (and similar compounds) is also insufficient since the sulfur content is low (1 meq/g or less) in the polymer.
JP-A Nos. 11-268406 and 2001-270227 have proposed cationic polyaddition polymers synthesized using specific thioethers.
However, although water resistance is improved by adding the cationic polyaddition polymers in the ink receiving layer, ozone resistance is still insufficient.
JP-A No. 2003-54118 has proposed specific polymer compounds.
However, since the polymer compounds described in JP-A No. 2003-54118 are formed into organic particles having Tg of 70° C. or more, glossiness of the layer is decreased.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A fluid cooled conveying screw adapted for rotary hearth furnaces. A plurality of solid alternating single and double flights are affixed to an outer barrel. The single flights are at least partially cladded to withstand the rigors of the furnace. The double flights extend partially down the barrel.

Assignee employs a rotary hearth furnace (RHF) to recover and recycle valuable nickel, chromium and iron from steel plant wastes such as flue dust, sludge, turnings, etc. In a separate process, it also directly reduces iron oxide in the RHF.
In assignee's operations, metallic plant wastes are first pelletized with coal and then partially reduced in the RHF. The entrained carbon (from the coal) reacts with oxygen in the RHF to produce carbon monoxide which in turn reduces the nickel and iron. The resultant partially sintered pellets are then subsequently treated in an electric arc smelting furnace wherein the chromium is reduced. Ultimately, a rough intermediate 18-8 stainless steel pig is produced. The pig is recycled to the stainless steel industry for reintroduction into their furnaces as ancillary feedstock.
Briefly, an RHF is a continuous reheating furnace generally having a circular inner wall circumscribed by a spaced circular outer wall. The circular void formed therebetween includes an annular rotating hearth. In order to retain and reflect the heat generated within the furnace, the walls are relatively low so as to enable the roof to be close to the hearth. Burners may be installed in the inner and outer walls and in the roof.
Material is usually loaded onto the rotating hearth by dropping it with a conveyor or chute. After the material is carried on the hearth, it is usually removed by a discharge or conveying screw. Due to high temperatures (1300.degree.-2300.degree. F. 704.degree.-1260.degree. C.!), the screw is water cooled. See U.S. Pat. No. 3,443,931. Gases are permitted to vent through a flue located in the roof.
A conveying or discharge screw typically consists of a central shaft with a series of helical flights welded thereto. A cooling fluid is passed through the screw. U.S. Pat. No. 4,636,127 (assignee's current design) discloses a discharge screw having water cooled hollow flights.
The discharge screw conveys the reduced pellets from the hearth bed down a refractory chute and into containers. The discharge screw extends across the width of the donut shaped hearth and is connected to a motor for rotation.
The screw is mounted on a trunnion to allow for height adjustment above the hearth. In order to remove the screw from the furnace, the screw must be first disconnected from its moorings and couplings and then upwardly removed through the roof; a difficult job.
Due to the corrosive nature of the gases and materials present within the RHF, coupled with the high temperatures therein, the discharge screw is subject to frequent failure. The screw barrel and the hollow flights eventually deteriorate. Corrosion and erosion caused by high temperatures, tough particles and bad actors (sodium, sulfides, chlorides, fluorides) within the RHF inexorably chew up the screws and render them useless after about five months.
In addition, the spaces between the flights accumulate fluffy fines that tend to cake together. The fines act as a sponge which serves to collect and concentrate the corrosive gases present within the furnace.
The barrel of the discharge screw originally was fabricated from a butt-welded carbon steel tube. Service life of the tube declined as levels of contaminants (in particular chlorine) in the furnace environment increased. The surface of the barrel would corrode away until water leaks developed necessitating replacement of the entire discharge screw. Service life of the plain carbon steel barrel ranged from four to ten months.
Similar surface corrosion was also observed on the surface of the plain carbon steel discharge screw trunnions that also operate within the furnace atmosphere. As a result, each time a discharge screw was removed from service these trunnions were extensively remetallized to bring their wall thickness back to the original diameter.
Currently, flights are cast from HH alloy (20% nickel, 20% chromium) and are weld overlaid with Inconel.RTM. alloy 72 (55% nickel, 45% chromium) on both surfaces of the flight. (Inconel is a trademark of the Inco family of companies). The purpose of the overlay is to inhibit corrosion of the surface of the flight where it historically corrodes in an "hour glass" pattern along the thickness of the flight. Flights are welded to the barrel using Inconel alloy 82 filler metal. No problems have been observed in the weld area so Inconel alloy 82 continues to be the alloy of choice for welding. This design has resulted in an average service life of 61/2 months. Even with the overlay, the tip of the flight ultimately breaks off at a location approximately one to two inches (2.54-5.08 cm) up from where the flight is welded to the surface of the barrel.
As can be appreciated, frequent screw replacement necessitates frequent downtime, high maintenance and labor costs, and inefficient use of the furnace which in turn leads to higher unit costs. Clearly a longer lasting screw design is necessary.

Solid flight conveying screw for furnace

The International Metals Reclamation Company, Inc.


A vision-based system for automatically detecting the type of object within a specified area, such as the type of occupant within a vehicle is presented. The type of occupant can then be used to determine whether an airbag deployment system should be enabled or not. The system extracts different features, including wavelet features and/or a disparity map from images captured by image sensors. These features are then processed by classification algorithms to produce class confidences for various occupant types. The occupant class confidences are fused and processed to determine occupant type. In a preferred embodiment, image features from image edges, wavelet features, and disparity are used. Various classification algorithms may be implemented to classify the object. Use of the disparity map and/or wavelet features provides greater computational efficiency.

(1) Technical Field
The present invention relates to techniques for fusing sensor data for object classification. More specifically, the present invention relates to the control of vehicle systems, such as air bag deployment systems, based on the classification of vehicle occupants.
(2) Discussion
Virtually all modern passenger vehicles have air bag deployment systems. The earliest versions of air bag deployment systems provided only front seat driver-side air bag deployment, but later versions included front seat passenger-side deployment. Current deployment systems provide side air bag deployment. Future air bag deployment systems will also include protection for passengers in rear seats. Today's air bag deployment systems are generally triggered whenever there is a significant vehicle impact, and will activate even if the area to be protected is unoccupied or is occupied by someone unlikely to be protected by the air bag.
While thousands of lives have been saved by air bags, a number of people have been injured and a few have been killed by the deploying air bag. Many of these injuries and deaths have been caused by the vehicle occupant being too close to the air bag when it deploys. Children and small adults have been particularly susceptible to injuries from air bags. Also, an infant in a rear-facing infant seat placed on the right front passenger seat is in serious danger of injury if the passenger airbag deploys. The United States Government has recognized this danger and has mandated that car companies provide their customers with the ability to disable the passenger side air bag. Of course, when the air bag is disabled, passengers, including full size adults, are provided with no air bag protection on the passenger side.
Therefore, a need exists for detecting the presence of a vehicle occupant within an area protected by an air bag. Additionally, if an occupant is present, the nature of the occupant must be determined so that air bag deployment can be fashioned so as to eliminate or minimize injury to the occupant.
Various mechanisms have been disclosed for occupant sensing. Breed et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,000, issued Dec. 1, 1998, describe a system to identify, locate, and monitor occupants in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle. The system uses electromagnetic sensors to detect and image vehicle occupants. Breed et al. suggest that a trainable pattern recognition technology be used to process the image data to classify the occupants of a vehicle and make decisions as to the deployment of air bags. Breed et al. describe training the pattern recognition system with over one thousand experiments before the system is sufficiently trained to recognize various vehicle occupant states. The system also appears to rely solely upon recognition of static patterns. Such a system, even after training, may be subject to the confusions that can occur between certain occupant types and positions because the richness of the occupant representation is limited. It may produce ambiguous results, for example, when the occupant moves his hand toward the instrument panel.
A sensor fusion approach for vehicle occupancy is disclosed by Corrado, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,340, issued Feb. 15, 2000. In Corrado, data from various sensors is combined in a microprocessor to produce a vehicle occupancy state output. Corrado discloses an embodiment where passive thermal signature data and active acoustic distance data are combined and processed to determine various vehicle occupancy states and to determine whether an air bag should be deployed. The system disclosed by Corrado detects and processes motion data as part of its sensor processing, thus providing additional data upon which air bag deployment decisions can be based. However, Corrado discloses multiple sensors to capture the entire passenger volume for the collection of vehicle occupancy data, increasing the complexity and decreasing the reliability of the system. Also, the resolution of the sensors at infrared and ultrasonic frequencies is limited, which increases the possibility that the system may incorrectly detect an occupancy state or require additional time to make an air bag deployment decision.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a fast and reliable system for detection and recognizing occupants in vehicles for use in conjunction with vehicle air bag deployment systems. There is also a need for a system that can meet the aforementioned requirements with a sensor system that is a cost-effective component of the vehicle.

High-performance sensor fusion architecture


A vehicle curve speed control system (10) adapted for use with a vehicle (12) having an operator (14), includes a map database (16) representing a current vehicle path, and a locator device (20) communicatively coupled to the database (16) and configured to determine the location of the vehicle (12) on the path. The system (10) further includes a controller (36) configured to identify approaching curve points of a curve (18a) in terms of curvature or radius, and determine a desired speed profile based on operator preference and/or vehicle characteristic input. An acceleration profile is determined, based on the current vehicle speed, and desired speed profile. An acceleration/deceleration command at the present control loop is modified towards achieving an optimal curve speed, and is delivered to either a brake or acceleration module (40,42) to automatically accelerate or decelerate the vehicle (12) accordingly.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to curve speed control systems, and more particularly to a speed control system configured to facilitate proper operator management of the curve by accelerating or decelerating the vehicle automatically.
2. Background Art
Particularly with respect to automobiles, operator mismanagement of a curve is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to accidents. In these accidents, it is appreciated that excessive lateral forces result when the rate of speed of the vehicle exceeds the rate of speed at which the vehicle could safely or comfortably manage the curve. It is further appreciated that when approaching a curve at excessive speeds the operator typically begins a precarious cycle of excessive braking and steering to resolve the cornering difficulties.
Historically, licensed civil engineers have designed thoroughfare curves by selecting one of a plurality of curve templates, i.e. circular, spiral, and more likely a combination of both, that best fits existing terrain and avoids obstructions for which removal is deemed too costly. The beginning of the curve is typically set at a given station and further indicia, such as the curve beginning and ending radius, is also typically noted on the plans. Computer aided design techniques and software provide cross-sections at typical station offsets, wherein elevation points and bank angles for the curve are represented. These plans are precisely staked and constructed in the field by survey and construction crews. Finally, the thoroughfare speed limit is determined, such that a typical driver and vehicle combination producing a minimal normal force, and lateral coefficient of friction with the surface, is capable of withstanding the lateral acceleration caused by centrifugal force acting upon the vehicle.
More particularly, centrifugal force, Fc(=mac=mv2/R), acts upon the vehicle during curve management to effect a laterally outward acceleration. To maintain the curve, i.e. constant radius, of the vehicle path, this force must be directly proportional to an equal and opposite centripetal force. With respect to automobile travel, the force of friction between the tires and the road surface provides centripetal force. To accommodate for conditions where friction is insufficient (e.g., on wet roads, ice, oil, etc.), the curve is preferably banked at an angle, θ, so that at least a portion of the centripetal force is provided instead by a normal force, FN (=mg). Equating Fc and FN on a normal road condition where friction is assumed to be 1, the maximum allowable velocity is related to gravity by: v2=g R tan θ, where g is the acceleration due to gravity, and R is the radius of curvature.
Thus, when a vehicle is speeding and friction is insufficient, it is often difficult for an operator to safely maneuver around a curve. To address curve mismanagement, systems have been developed to either identify an approaching curve or modify some aspect of the vehicle performance during or approaching the curve. Some of these systems present mechanisms and control logic for selecting and achieving an optimal transmission gear during curve management, and defining and estimating an approaching curve. Other systems determine stable running speeds for detected nodes and decelerate or accelerate the vehicle, so as to achieve the stable speed at a given point.
These conventional systems, however, are rigid one-size-fits-all models that do not enable modifications due to operator preference or vehicle characteristics. These systems also do not provide means for properly addressing special conditions that may modify an allowable curve speed profile where desired. Of yet further concern, these systems do not accommodate an instantaneous change in curvature radius that may occur at a circular curve termination point, nor provide feedback to enable the optimization of performance, and therefore may result in errors or rapid acceleration when exiting a curve.

Speed control method for vehicle approaching and traveling on a curve


An apparatus for transporting in an air-conditioned environment animals. The apparatus uses crushed ice to air-condition an insulator animal container at approximately 74 degrees Fahrenheit in ambient temperatures up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 hours on one twenty pound charge of ice. The preferred embodiment is self-contained providing storage for the animal, ice, and electric power for a ventilation fan plus food and water. The device operates on 12 volts DC and may serve to transport animals in enclosed motor vehicles and common carriers including airline. An intrinsically safety backup system will keep the animal cool, provided ice is present, upon failure of the ventilation fan. An alternate embodiment is described for use by animal handlers in mini-vans and the like.

Pet owners often travel with their pets. This travel can be as simple as taking their pet to the grocery store, laundry, or the like. The travel can be more complex such as taking their pet with them on a vacation to sending the animal by common carrier.
In the simple case the animal is generally placed in the family car (van or other vehicle) and taken to the destination. A problem is presented whenever the owner wishes to leave the animal in the vehicle. In winter there is no problem as the animal will be able to maintain its warmth through natural actions on its own part. In the summer, there is a major problem for the sun will raise the temperature within vehicle to well over 120 degrees Fahrenheit. This will kill the animal.
Many owners partially roll the vehicle windows downxe2x80x94a process called xe2x80x9ccracking.xe2x80x9d The owner has to crack the windows so that the animal cannot escape and so that a potential thief cannot enter the vehicle. The end result is poor ventilation and the temperature within the vehicle will easily reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Other animal owners often ship their animals by common carrier. For example, dogs are sent to dog shows (or to purchasers by a kennel) and cats are sent to cat shows (or to purchasers). In the winter, again few problems occur, because the common carrier will keep the animal in a fairly warm environment and the animal itself can provide warmth. The problem raises its head, again, in the summer months. Most common carriers will NOT accept animals when the ambient temperature (outside temperature at the airport) exceeds 85 degrees Fahrenheit. The carrier is concerned for the welfare of the animal, for the cage temperature will equal that of the ambient (maximum 85xc2x0 F.); thus, stressing the animal.
Several devices have been proposed and patented which address the problem of controlling the environment of a pet. U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,693 by Arnold discloses a Cooled Pet Bed and uses ice cubes placed within a container underneath an open weave mattress. U.S. Pat. No. 4,939,911 by Mandell discloses a Vehicular Kennel for Pets. This device uses the Peltier effect to cool a kennel within the vehicle. Mandell takes his power from the vehicle, the vehicle battery and/or a solar panel mounted on the vehicle and uses forced air to cool the enclosure. U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,503 by Whittaker discloses a Portable Cooling Kennel System that uses ice as the cooling medium. Ice is placed in a sliding tray underneath the enclosure area and air is drawn over the ice around the enclosure and exhausted at the top. Whittaker discusses xe2x80x9cforced airxe2x80x9d and fans, but never shows how the power is derived. Furthermore, the xe2x80x9cice storage areaxe2x80x9d is limited and the cooling supply will not last long. U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,436 by Duddleston discloses a Portable Cooled Pet Carrier that, like Mandell, uses the Peltier effect to provide cooling for the animal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,992 by Gallo discloses a Portable Animal Storage Unit that is designed to preserve the meat of game animals while being transported. The disclosure mentions that DC power may be used for cooling, but never makes a full disclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,175,534 discloses a pet drying device that uses a restrictive enclosure to house a wet animal while hot air is blown over the animal. The concept could be expanded to blow ambient air over an animal to keep it cool; however, if the ambient air is greater than 85 degree Fahrenheit, the animal will not do well.
All the prior art directly applying to keeping enclosed animals environmentally comfortable, while worthwhile, can only work on paper. No attention has been paid to the size of the Peltier device that would be required to condition an enclosure. The inventors have assumed that power is readily available (which is true in the case of a vehicle, but even in a vehicle the power is limited to some 10 amps at 12 Volts DCxe2x80x94120 Watts). No power is readily available on the tarmac of an airport, in an airplane cargo hold or in a warehouse/baggage facility. Furthermore to properly run a compressor-type refrigeration system it will take at least 1000 watts. Whittaker, while proposing ice as the cooling medium, provides no data as to the length that his device would keep the animal cool. Furthermore, no provision is made for reducing heat transfer.
Thus there remains a need for a working portable air-conditioned animal carrier that will maintain the environment for the enclosed at a comfortable temperature under high ambient temperature conditions and that is easily maintained and relatively inexpensive. The carrier should include a simple fail-safe system that will provide its own source of power for ventilation and have a natural backup if there is a power failure. Finally there remains a need for a system that will operated for at least 12 hours, which is a recognized time period for transporting a animal door to door by common carrier.
The preferred embodiment of the instant invention consists of an insulated outer carrier with internal compartments and a hinged door with ventilation holes. The door may be transparent, translucent or opaque. One compartment is for the animal and the other compartment is used for storing the cooling medium, which is commonly available crushed ice. A heat exchanger is placed at the bottom of the ice compartment. A further compartment is provided for storing ancillary equipment within the container.
A low power electric fan draws air from the outside, through the heat exchanger, into the animal compartment and forces the air out of the ventilation holes in the animal compartment door. A protected switch (one that is not easily turned on or off) controls the electric fan and a lead-gel battery provides power to the fan via a thermostatic switch. The thermostatic switch controls the animal compartment temperature within a narrow range between 73xc2x0 F. and 76xc2x0 F. This range can be maintained with ambient temperatures up to 120xc2x0 F.
Direct current power may be supplied from two sources depending on the use of the instant invention. If local DC power at 12 volts is available (cigar lighter) then power is preferably taken from this source. The alternate source is a lead-gel 12-volt battery that is kept within the device. Both the internal battery and external power may be used at the same time, if required.
The intermittent fanxe2x80x94temperature controlledxe2x80x94makes the ice last at least twelve hours on a full load (20 pounds) of ice. If the fan is turned off and the pet removed, the ice will last at least one full day. Upon a failure of the ventilation system power, the mere fact that the heat exchanger is immersed in ice will cause ventilation air to xe2x80x9cbackflowxe2x80x9d therefore providing air, at ambient temperature to the animal.


Under the present invention, a distribution list of message recipients within an organization undergoing the IT migration is generated by analyzing the infrastructure of the organization. Once the message recipients are known, they can be grouped into a set of mailing groups. Thereafter, specific message templates can be assigned to each group, and a schedule for sending messages to the message recipients can be set. Messages will then be generated and sent to the message recipients using the message templates assigned to their respective mailing group(s) and the schedule. Responses to the messages will be tracked and processed, and records associated with the message recipients will be updated based thereon. Follow-up messages containing additional questions and/or instructions can be generated and sent using any data that is contained in the responses. Also, “non-responses” can be tracked so that reminder messages can be sent.

1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to communications management. Specifically, the present invention relates to a system, method and program product for managing communications such as pursuant to an Information Technology (IT) migration.
2. Related Art
As Information Technology (IT) continues to advance, many organizations are faced with the task of migrating their existing computer infrastructures, telephone systems and the like to newer technology. For example, an organization might wish to migrate its networking functions from token ring to Ethernet. Similarly, an organization might wish to migrate its telephone service from landline-based service to voice-over-IP service. To accomplish the desired migration, an organization will often hire an outside service-provider that will gather needed information and perform the actual migration.
Unfortunately, performing IT migrations such as these this have historically been extremely expensive and labor-intensive processes. Specifically, IT migrations prior to the present invention necessitated numerous physical visits, telephone calls, and individual electronic mail messages for announcements, gathering of information and scheduling the actual migration. Unfortunately, this approach has several problems. For example, a variation in individual's schedules creates problems in gathering the needed information, and often requires several physical visits. In addition, the actual migration is usually delayed since performing the migration typically requires that representatives of the organization be present while the service provider is on site. Still yet, it is time consuming to place telephone calls or send electronic mail messages to every customer to set up an appointment for a visit. Even if mass mailing templates are used, there is no existing system that can manage the communications and between the service provider and the organization. For example, no existing system tracks responses or non-responses, sends follow-up messages with additional instructions based on the data returned with a response, takes appropriate actions to address non-responses, and transfers data contained in the responses to the appropriate databases or applications.
In view of the foregoing, there exists a need for a system, method and program product for managing communications such as pursuant to an IT migration. Specifically, a need exists for a system that is capable of managing messages communicated between an organization and a service provider performing the IT migration such that efficiency is maximized and costs associated with the IT migration are reduced.

System, method and program product for managing communications pursuant to an information technology (IT) migration

International Business Machines Corporation


The invention relates to a method for the controlled operation of an industrial oven which is heated in a regenerative manner and which comprises an oven chamber, in particular a melting tank, in particular for glass, having the following steps: injecting fuel into the oven chamber via at least one fuel injector, which is designed to inject fuel, practically without combustion air in particular, conducting combustion air to the oven chamber in a first period duration and conducting exhaust gas (AG) out of the oven chamber in a second period duration separately from the fuel in a periodically alternating manner by means of a left regenerator and right regenerator which are associated with the at least one fuel injector and which are designed to regeneratively store heat from the exhaust gas and transmit heat to the combustion air. A supply of the combustion air is automatically controlled by means of a control loop. The control loop takes into account an excess air coefficient that is specified in the method as well as the location of the entrance of the excess air upstream, in, or downstream of the air-side regenerator. A corresponding control device and an industrial oven which comprises such a control device and which is heated in a regenerative manner are likewise claimed.

1. Technical Field
The invention concerns a method for the regulated operation of a regeneratively heated industrial furnace, in particular, with a melting tank, in particular for glass, as well as a control device that is formulated for the execution of the method. The invention also concerns an industrial furnace.
2. Description of the Related Art
In principle, an industrial furnace is not restricted to the use in the production of glass. For example, an industrial furnace of the type named in the introduction can also be used in the production of metal or similar products. A regenerative industrial furnace of the type named in the introduction has, however, proven itself to be particularly suitable in glass production for the melting of glass.
Thus far, the control of the regenerative glass melting furnace—that is, regularly by means of control via the upper furnace as a control path—has been entrusted exclusively to PID controllers, the goal of which is the control of an upper furnace temperature, and the output of which represents either a quantity of fuel itself or else a quantity of combustion air which the quantity of fuel then follows in an adjustable relationship.
What is problematic with this is that in actuality, such temperature regulators regularly prove themselves to be unsuitable for regulating the temperature of a regenerative glass melting furnace in a successful, stable manner, and to that extent, they remain unused. The first reason lies in the design of the control that has been followed thus far, which has an inherent systematic tendency to expand slight temperature differences between the regenerators further and further. Within that context, the use of fuel between the flame sides also increases further and further, without a nominal value of the furnace temperature ever being reachable, that is, the control does not converge upon the nominal value of a furnace temperature.
From DE 36 103 65 A1, a method is known for the technologically controlled regulating of an upper furnace heater of an industrial furnace with which a fuel stream is provided for the control of a vault temperature of the upper furnace, and the problem of a regenerative lateral asymmetry is left to subjective influences. It was found that temperature differences in the furnace temperatures between heating on the left and heating on the right have their cause to a predominant degree in the corresponding temperature differences of the associated regenerators. In individual cases, peak temperatures of the left regenerator can be around 45° C. lower than those of the right regenerator, and at the same time, the temperatures in the furnace chamber—that is, regularly in the upper furnace—can be around 20° C. lower with heating on the left than the same temperatures with the heating on the right.
What is desirable is a technological control concept that essentially converges on a nominal value of the furnace temperature and in particular rectifies the problem of the lateral asymmetry through regulation technology.
A second reason lies in the fact that conventional regulation methods incorrectly take for granted that an uncontrolled admission of air is constant, or else they correct the supply of combustion air exclusively on the basis of a measured value of residual oxygen that is measured either manually or continuously which, however, as a result of its non-linear context with the combustion air, cannot achieve any optimal control dynamics. In particular, this approach cannot evaluate the range of substoichiometric heating because from a comparison of different process states each with 0% residual oxygen, no sensible action in terms of control technology can be justified any longer.
A third reason lies in the fact that conventional control methods do not take into consideration the special requirements of regenerative heating with which the combustion air, in addition to its function as an oxygen carrier for the combustion, likewise serves as a transport medium for the heat from the regenerator into the furnace chamber. Therefore, for the compensation in terms of control technology of uncontrolled entry of false air, it makes a difference whether the uncontrolled false air that is to be compensated for has entered before the regenerator—and therefore participates in the heat transport—or whether it only enters after the regenerator—and thus only heats the regenerator on one side on the exhaust gas side with additional exhaust gas heat, and therefore disrupts the thermal symmetry of the regenerators.
The so-called "ratio control" between the fuel stream and the combustion air stream is widespread and common in practice. Within that context, either the quantity of combustion air follows the fuel in an adjustable relationship or, conversely, the fuel stream follows the quantity of combustion air in an adjustable relationship.
In that regard, the ratio specifications are empirically set in such a way that in the exhaust gas stream, a residual oxygen value is set that is estimated as optimal.
What is problematic with this is at minimum that uncontrolled entries to or escapes from the combustion air stream are taken for granted as either not present or else as constant. As has been explained above, though, this condition is not present.
Rather, in regeneratively heated glass furnaces, typically up to 10% of all of the air that arrives for combustion penetrates in an uncontrolled manner into the regenerators or the furnace chamber as false air, whereby the supply of uncontrolled false air is in no way constant, but rather is influenced by the furnace pressure, temperatures, and other operating parameters. Losses of uncontrolled false air are likewise observed, for example by the short circuit flow of combustion air directly in the exhaust gas stream in the case of a leaky reversing blade.
Such deficiencies cannot be compensated for by so-called "cross limit ratio controls" with which the combustion air follows the maximum of the nominal value and the process value of the fuel in an adjustable relationship and, conversely, the fuel is limited if less air is available than would correspond to the air ratio that was set. Because this method also tacitly and incorrectly presupposes that uncontrolled false air is either not present or is supplied constantly.
One known approach to the solution of the problem is provided by a method indicated as "oxygen trimming" with which the empirical correction of the air ratio is replaced by an automatic correction which is oriented to the difference between a target value and a continuously measured value for the residual oxygen content in the exhaust gas.
However, this method can only be used in the case of an oxidizing firing, that is, as long as sufficient residual oxygen is still available. The method of "oxygen trimming" is tied to the disadvantage that a non-linear relationship exists between the residual oxygen value in the exhaust gas and the associated value of the combustion air stream which considerably affects the dynamics of such a regulation.
The method known as "lambda control" is known from the control of internal combustion engines, in particular in automotive engineering, with which the mixture of fuel and air is automatically corrected in such a way that the nominal value for the measuring result of a lambda probe in the exhaust gas is carried out downstream from the engine.
An improved control concept for an industrial furnace of the type mentioned in the introduction is desirable in consideration of the long reaction times that are typical for the regenerative heating of industrial furnaces between a change in the air ratio and the measurable change as a result in the measured value of an exhaust gas analysis measurement. In the end, this is caused as a result of the significantly higher volume of the regenerator and the furnace chamber in comparison with an internal combustion engine. Therefore, an insufficiently simple transfer of a method from automotive engineering to an industrial furnace runs into considerable problems in the control dynamics. In particular, neither the method of "oxygen trimming" nor the "lambda control" that is known from automotive engineering take into consideration the periodicity of regenerative heating or firing with a regenerative industrial furnace of the type mentioned in the introduction. Instead of that, typical recurring trend patterns of the uncontrolled entry of false air or of the uncontrolled false air escape can be observed with a regeneratively fired industrial furnace which cannot be compensated for or can only be incompletely compensated for by a slow, gradual correction of the air ratio, while a fast correction of the air ratio fails because of unfavorable control dynamics.

Method for the controlled operation of an industrial oven which is heated in a regenerative manner, control device, and industrial oven


In a method for closely monitoring a state of a lamp using an electronic device, a plurality of images of the lamp are captured by an image capturing unit of the lamp and a specified number of captured images are sampled. A luminance value of each of the sampled images is calculated to determine a state of the lamp, the possible states of the lamp including a normal state and an abnormal state. The lamp is marked or indicated accordingly on a monitoring interface when the lamp is in the abnormal state.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to monitoring technology, and particularly to an electronic device and a method for detecting state of lamps.
2. Description of Related Art
Usually, the state of lamps is detected manually. A service man must walks to lamps to inspect states (e.g., whether they are functional or not) of the lamps, however, it is hard to find damaged lamps as soon as they are damaged. Therefore, a prompt and efficient method for detecting state of lamps is desired.

Electronic device and method for detecting state of lamps

ShenZhen Goldsun Network Intelligence Technology Co., Ltd.


Video analysis methods are described in which abnormalities are detected by comparing features extracted from a video sequence or motion patterns determined from the video sequence with a statistical model. The statistical model may be updated during the video analysis.

Public infrastructure settings these days are feared to be more and more vulnerable to security threats. The world has suffered much loss of life and property due to terrorist incidents. In order to protect human lives, public infrastructure facilities such as rail and road transport and shopping malls from potential security threats, it has become imperative to build surveillance systems that can monitor a scene and automatically detect and report suspicious events. The importance of surveillance systems is evident from the increasing number of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras we see in in train stations, airports, shopping malls, traffic junctions and streets our day-to-day life. For instance, it has been reported that United Kingdom has one of the largest camera network with over 4.2 m cameras this is approximately 1 for every 14 people.
Much of the content recorded from surveillance scenes are rarely screened and merely serve as record for forensic analysis. Moreover, searching for a specific occurrence in this enormous quantity of data amounts to looking for a needle in a haystack. A surveillance camera becomes more usable if it is packaged with intelligence to detect and report events in close to real time.
Video based surveillance systems are widely used to monitor sensitive areas for dangerous behavior, unusual activities and intrusion detection. This process generally involves humans monitoring a continuous stream of video from single or multiple sources looking to find such abnormal behavior. This process is highly inefficient given the rarity of occurrence of such abnormal events. Most attempts at automating this system require a set of predefined rules describing what sort of events are to be considered abnormal. Such rule based systems describe abnormal events using rules such as 'detect people crossing a virtual line'; 'detect any activity within a bounded region'; 'detect vehicles stopping in a region for a longtime'; etc. Defining rules specific to a scene requires a human to analyze the scene being monitored and create these rules. In addition to this, it is very difficult to create rules to describe most abnormal behavior like 'fight in a crowd' and 'a person loitering in a region with standard people movement'.


Operations in an electrolytic cell for producing aluminum are controlled by sensing infrared radiation on an outer surface of a cell chamber to determine an actual temperature. When the actual temperature is greater than a target temperature, a crust hole is repaired or the actual rate of addition of aluminum fluoride to the cell is increased. When the actual temperature is less than a target temperature, the actual rate of addition of aluminum fluoride to the cell is reduced.

Production of aluminum by the Hall-Heroult process makes use of a cell having a chamber containing alumina dissolved in a molten cryolite electrolyte bath. It is standard practice to add aluminum fluoride regularly to the cryolite so that the NaF/AlF3 mass ratio is maintained at about 0.80-1.20.
The cryolite bath is covered by a solid crust that is punctured regularly when molten aluminum is tapped from the cell. Increasing the area of the open crust holes results in more fluoride evolution from the smelting pot, thereby increasing load on the pot scrubber and the resulting smelter fluoride emission level.
Increasing the average area of open crust holes in a pot line also increases variations in the bath ratio, resulting in poorer cell performance. This occurs because the amount of fluoride evolved from individual pots fluctuates while each pot continues to receive a relatively constant supply of fluoride in reacted ore from the dry scrubber line, plus the same daily maintenance supply of aluminum fluoride. These factors make it desirable to quantify the effects of pot operating practices on fluoride evolution in order to prioritize various efforts to minimize fluoride evolution.
In the prior art, some attempts have been made to control aluminum fluoride additions to smelting cells. Such attempts, however, suffer from one or more serious disadvantages making them less than entirely suitable for their intended purpose.
Desclaux et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,350 issued May 26, 1987 represents an effort in the prior art to control the rate of addition of aluminum fluoride to a cryolite-based electrolyte in an aluminum production cell. The claimed method requires regular measurements of cell temperature, either directly or by means such as a thermocouple inserted in the side wall or in the floor, or in a cathode current collector in the cell floor.
A principal objective of the present invention is to provide a process for controlling additions of aluminum fluoride to individual aluminum electrolysis cells.
A related objective of the invention is to provide a process for controlling inspections and repairs for crust holes in aluminum production cells so that such inspections and repairs are performed where and as needed.
Another important objective of the invention is to reduce energy requirements for operating aluminum electrolysis cells.
Additional objectives and advantages of our invention will become apparent to persons skilled in the art from the following detailed description of some particularly preferred embodiments.

Use of infrared imaging to reduce energy consumption and fluoride consumption


A business method is disclosed of increasing the probability of timely receiving payment for financing renewable energy consumer premises equipment (CPE) by a consumer for power generation at a consumer premises, the renewable energy CPE adapted to deliver power onto a power grid. The method comprises creating an agreement between a consumer and an entity financing renewable energy CPE, wherein creating the agreement includes creating a provision that allows the entity to control power at the consumer premises if a default of the agreement by the consumer occurs.

The present invention relates to financing renewable energy equipment and more particularly to the ability to increase the likelihood that a consumer will repay a loan for such renewable energy equipment in accordance with an agreement to pay such a loan or will make payments for power generated by renewable energy equipment in accordance with an agreement for the purchase of such power.

Methods, systems and agreements for increasing the likelihood of repayments under a financing agreement for renewable energy equipment


A flex fuel vehicle mileage range calculating system and method as described herein can effectively be utilized to calculate the mileage range value corresponding to a fuel mixture. The system is suitable for use in all vehicles capable of using various fuel mixtures. The system can calculate a scale factor, update the mileage range value based on the scale factor and, display the updated mileage range value on an on-board display element to correspond to the fuel mixture in the fuel tank.

Using alternate fuel sources for vehicles is becoming a popular option in many countries. Vehicles capable of consuming different fuel types are referred to as "flex fuel vehicles" (FFV). At the time of this writing, there are approximately 5 million flex fuel vehicles in the U.S.A.
Limited production and increasing prices of petroleum derived gasoline motivates consideration of alternative fuels. For example, ethanol is an alternative automotive fuel that is generally made from the fermentation of relatively abundant renewable crops like corn, sugar cane, sugar beets, and cellulose. Ethanol is a liquid fuel with similar properties to gasoline. Ethanol can be readily mixed with gasoline and used in an internal combustion engine. Mixtures of up to 10% ethanol can be used in a standard automobile engine without modification. Flex fuel engines and vehicles can use any mixture of gasoline and ethanol.
The percentage of ethanol in fuel is commonly referred to by the letter "E" followed by the percentage of ethanol; the remaining content is gasoline. Therefore, E100 is pure ethanol, E0 is pure gasoline, and E10 is a mixture of 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline. The percentage of ethanol affects the performance of an engine and the vehicle using it. The energy content of E100 is approximately 76,000 BTUs while typical E0 fuel has approximately 114,000 BTUs. The higher the E percentage, the more fuel is needed to produce the same amount of energy. Therefore, an increase in the E percentage will usually result in a decrease in the vehicle mileage range for a given quantity of fuel, for example a full tank.
The E percentage can change significantly after a refueling, especially when switching fuel types. Using existing technology, a mileage range value on the vehicle dashboard display will not immediately update itself based on a new fuel blend or mixture in the fuel tank. The vehicle may have to be driven many miles or sometimes run through a full tank of fuel before the mileage range is accurate.
Conventional fuel range calculations do not account for the type of fuel in the vehicle. Most conventional vehicle mileage range displays use the average fuel economy for a previous driven distance, such as the last 25 miles, to calculate the mileage range value. This can lead to an inaccurate mileage range display after fueling if a significant amount of lower or higher energy fuel is added to the tank because the range is calculated from the energy content of the previous fuel mix rather than the present fuel mix. For example, if the fuel is changed from E0 to E85 it can have a significant impact on the fuel consumption value and it would take about 25 miles after switching fuel types to make a difference in the mileage range value calculation.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a way to calculate the mileage range value for vehicles capable of using various fuel mixtures, and to update the mileage range displayed on an on-board display element to a more meaningful value corresponding to each fuel mixture used after each refueling event. Other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.

System and method for adjusting the fuel economy range calculation for flex fuel vehicles