Methods and systems for a differential assembly are provided herein. In one example, a method is provided that includes operating a clutch motor coupled to a differential locking clutch to place the differential locking clutch in a locked configuration. The method further includes, after the differential locking clutch is placed in the locked configuration, reducing electric power delivered to the clutch motor at a first rate and increasing the electric power delivered to the clutch motor when it is determined that clutch disengagement is occurring based on outputs from a motor position sensor or outputs from shaft speed sensors coupled to a pair of shafts coupled to the differential locking clutch.

Vehicle differentials permit speed differentiation between axles shafts or drive axles in the case of interaxle differentials (IADs). Both types of differentials have made use of locking devices to selectively prevent speed differentiation in the differential to increase vehicle traction when the vehicle experiences low traction conditions. The locking devices may be activated by a vehicle operation in anticipation of travel into low traction environments.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,043,184 B2 to Boddy discloses a differential system with a hydraulically actuated locking clutch that is actuated by an electronic solenoid. During clutch actuation, the electronic solenoid is energized using a multi-stage strategy. During a first stage an engagement, current delivered to the solenoid fully engages the clutch. In a second stage a steady state current maintains clutch engagement. Specifically, when fast engagement is needed the current delivered to the solenoid during the first stage is larger than the subsequent holding stage.
The inventor has recognized several drawbacks with Boddy's techniques for locking clutch activation as well as other locking clutch engagement strategies. The steady state clutch holding current may be higher than needed to maintain clutch engagement. However, previous differential systems may present difficulties with regard to the determination of the clutch's holding current threshold. For instance, modeling the amount of current needed to sustain locking clutch engagement, may be inaccurate. These inaccuracies may result in the clutch slipping when engagement is desired or the use of an inordinately high hold current used to sustain clutch engagement and avoid clutch slip. Consequently, the system's energy efficiency may drop.
To overcome at least some of the aforementioned challenges a method for operating a locking clutch in a differential is provided. In one example, the method includes operating a clutch motor coupled to a differential locking clutch (e.g., an IAD locking clutch) to place the differential locking clutch in a locked configuration. The method further includes, after the differential locking clutch is placed in the locked configuration, reducing electric power delivered to the clutch motor at a first rate. The method additionally includes increasing the electric power delivered to the clutch motor. The electric power is increased when it is determined that clutch disengagement is occurring based on outputs from a motor position sensor and/or outputs from shaft speed sensors coupled to a pair of shafts attached to the differential locking clutch. In this way, the locking clutch's holding power may be reduced to increase actuation efficiency and more generally driveline efficiency.
In another example, the power delivered to the clutch motor is increased when the outputs from the motor position sensor indicate the clutch motor is rotating backwards toward an initial clutch engagement point. In such an example, the motor position sensor is coupled directly to the clutch motor. In this way, the electric power can be reduced until it is confidently determined, via a sensor directly attached to the motor, that the clutch disengagement has started. In this way, energy used for clutch engagement can be conserved until the clutch begins to release. Thus, electrical power may be cyclically reduced and increased using clutch disengagement as the inflection point between the decrease and increase in electric power.
In another example, the method includes, after the electrical power delivered to the clutch motor is increased and the differential locking clutch is in the locked configuration reducing the power delivered to the clutch motor at a second rate. In this example, the second rate is less than the first rate. In this way, the reduction in electrical power delivered to the clutch is slowed to reduce the number of times the clutch begins to disengage and increase locking clutch performance.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.

Control and diagnostic method for a differential system


A method of making a calcium-fluoride layer formed on an object surface for more wear resistance includes the steps of coating sodium fluoride to a surface of an object having calcium, whereby the calcium fluoride and the calcium are inverted to become a calcium-fluoride layer on the surface of the object after a chemistry reaction; preparing a CO2 laser device having a CO2 laser emitter for emitting CO2 laser; and applying irradiation of the CO2 laser via the CO2 laser emitter to the calcium-fluoride layer for at least five seconds. In light of this, the wear resistance of the calcium-fluoride layer is enhanced for at least 34%, the absorption rate of the fluoride is increased for at least 23%, and the surface of the object has aesthetic and integral appearance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to wear resistance of an object and more particularly, to a method of making a calcium-fluoride layer formed on an object surface for more wear resistance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fluoride is a natural element and exists in many common eatable foods, such as tea, taros, seafood, and drinking water. Fluorine has high affinity for calcium and can invert calcium hydroxyapatite of dental enamels into calcium fluoroapatite having lower solubility to further reduce the solubility of the dental enamels in an acid. Fluorine can also be linked up with calcium ionized by the acid to jointly return to the dental enamels, as known as remineralization.
The aforesaid conventional way of increasing the wear resistance of an object is to coat fluoride to a part of the object. However, the calcium-fluoride layer on the surface of the object is soft and has poor wear resistance, so it is necessary to frequently coat the fluoride to the object. Besides, after the calcium-fluoride layer suffers wear and tear, the surface of the object becomes inaesthetic.

Method of making calcium-fluoride layer formed on an object surface for more wear resistance


The invention discloses a process for preparing a polynuclear ferric hydroxide-saccharide complex, including: adding an aqueous solution of an alkaline substance drop-wise into an aqueous solution of iron salt at a temperature of 5-20° C. until pH 6-8, collecting the polynuclear ferric hydroxide from the reaction mixture by a conventional method; reacting the polynuclear ferric hydroxide with a saccharide in a solution of an alkaline substance for 10-40 hours at 106-125° C. under pH 10-12, resulting in a crude product having an isoelectric point of 4.4-5.3 and a weight average molecular weight of 20,000-100,000 Daltons, and then harvesting the polynuclear ferric hydroxide-saccharide complex from the crude product. The process can precisely control the molecular weight of the polynuclear ferric hydroxide-saccharide complex without an effect on the other characteristics of the product, for example its saccharide content or isoelectric point etc. Furthermore, it is very simple and readily applicable in industry.

Iron-deficiency anemia is referred to as microcytic hypochromic anemia, one of the most popular anemia throughout the world, which is caused by insufficient iron storage in the body to an extent that affects the synthesis of hemoglobin.
Iron deficiency may be caused by various factors, such as insufficient iron intake, increased iron consumption, excessive loss of iron, poor absorption of iron, or increased loss of free iron, etc. The most effective way for treating iron deficiency anemia is to replenish iron. The way of replenishing iron comprises oral iron supplementation which are generally iron salts of a small molecular weight, such as ferrous sulfate, ferrous gluconate, ferrous lactate and the like; or parenteral iron which are typically complexes of iron and a saccharide, including polysaccharide, oligosaccharide, or monosaccharide, such as iron dextran, iron sucrose (published in the current USP and the Chinese Pharmacopoeia), and sodium ferric gluconate, due to their good solubility and relatively low toxicity upon parenteral administration.
Although oral administration of iron is the major way for iron replenishment, sometimes it is especially advantageous to parenteral iron supplementation, for example, when oral administration of iron is inappropriate, oral iron therapy is ineffective, or there is an urgent need of rapidly correcting iron deficiency anemia. In particular, parenteral iron is being used more and more often to replace oral administration in treating renal anemia. As reported in the clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of anemia of chronic renal failure made by the U.S. National Kidney Foundation Dialysis Outcome Quality Initiative, NKF-DOQI in 1997: "When Epoetin is administered to a patient of chronic kidney dysfunction (CKD), it is necessary to maintain the value of Ht to 33-36% (corresponding to a level of Hb of 11-12 g/dl), thus supplemental iron should be administered to prevent iron deficiency and to maintain adequate iron storage. Oral administration of iron cannot maintain a sufficient level of iron in adult patients before hemodialysis, home hemodialysis patients, and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients in vivo. Iron may be orally administered to a hemodialysis patient, but it is unlikely for the patient to maintain a TSAT of above 20%, serum ferritin at a level higher than 100 ng/mL, and an Ht value of 33% to 36% (an Hb level of 11 to 12 g/dL). To achieve and maintain an Ht value of 33% to 36% (an Hb level of 11 to 12 g/dL), most hemodialysis patients will require intravenous iron injection on a regular basis." However, the use of iron dextran will cause dosage-independent allergic response (0.7%-1%) that even seriously threatens the lives of patients. In 1991-1999, more than 30 patients died of allergic responses to iron dextran. While, the incidence rate of severe allergy caused by administration of iron sucrose and sodium ferric gluconate is apparently lower than that caused by administration of iron dextran. Among 450,000 patients who had been treated with iron sucrose injection of the trade name of Venofer® during 1992-1999, 27 cases were reported to exhibit an allergic reaction, of which only 8 cases were serious (http://www.hcfa.gov/coverage/8b3-11.htm), thus iron dextran is gradually being replaced by iron sucrose.
The polynuclear ferric hydroxide-saccharide complexes being referred to herein do not include complexes of high molecular weight polysaccharide such as dextran and ferric hydroxides, unless specifically indicated otherwise in the context.
Iron sucrose is a polynuclear ferric hydroxides-sucrose complex having a high molecular weight, and the relative molecular weight Mw (weight-average molecular weight) of a commercially available product (Venofer®) is 34000-60000 Daltons. Some literatures reported that the molecular weights of iron-saccharide complexes are relevant to their pharmacodynamic parameters and side effects such as allergy during their clinic application. If their molecular weights are too high or too low, they will cause adverse effects. Therefore, for such iron-saccharide complexes, it is quite important to control their molecular weight within a suitable range so as to ensure the safety and effectiveness in their clinical application as well as the quality homogeneity of the product. The specifications for iron sucrose injection is recorded in the 27th version of USP, which species the range of the relative molecular weight of iron sucrose (Mw 34000-60000 Daltons, Mw/Mn<1.7, Mn being the number-average molecular weight) and methods for the determination thereof.
However, although the iron sucrose has been marketed for many years, there are few reports on its preparation methods. Nissim (The Lancet Apr. 23, 1949 p 686-689) disclosed a method for preparing iron sucrose, and mentioned the control of the isoelectric point of iron sucrose. It demonstrated that the toxicity of iron sucrose increased when the isoelectric point was too high or too low, yet it did not mention the control of the molecular weight thereof. In the specifications for iron sucrose injection liquid embodied in 27th version of USP, the isoelectric point is specified as 4.4-5.3.
Patent publication No. WO 2005000210 described a method for preparing an iron-saccharide complex with an absolute molecular weight of above 25,000 Daltons, wherein an aqueous solution or dispersion containing iron ions and hydroxyl ions is heated together with a saccharide under an alkaline condition for a given time to allow the iron-saccharide complex to reach a desired molecular weight. However, except that the absolute molecular weight of the resulting complex was determined therein, the preparation process disclosed therein has no significant difference from that recited in the published literatures. Neither did WO 2005000210 disclose how to control the molecular weight of the complex more accurately or how to control its isoelectric point. Therefore, those skilled in the art can neither produce products which meet the requirements of the USP nor ensure the safety of the products in accordance with the techniques disclosed in WO 2005000210.
In the published patent application No. WO 2005000210, the molecular weight of the iron-saccharide complex is controlled by heating a mixture of iron and a saccharide under an alkaline condition for a given time until a desired molecular weight is reached. Specifically, WO 2005000210 teaches that, where the molecular weight of the complex is higher than that desired, excess saccharide may be added to lower it. However, this is disadvantageous during the drug manufacturing process because the addition will change the content of the saccharide in the product, which has to be restricted to a specific range, for example, from 26% to 34% as stipulated in the 27th version of USP. Apparently, the method as disclosed in WO 2005000210 has a limited ability to control the range of the molecular weight of the product. Furthermore, in WO 2005000210, it is also mentioned that, when the iron-saccharide mixture is heated to a temperature of aggregation-point, the molecular weight of the product will tend to increase or decrease over time depending on the difference in the content of the saccharide in the product. Clearly, it will be difficult for the process to be used for preparing an iron-saccharide complex with a high molecular weight when the content of the saccharide is high.

Process for the preparation of polynuclear ferric hydroxide-saccaride complexes

Chongqing Pharmaceutical Research Institute Co., Ltd.


A conductive rubber roller 10 has a conductive rubber layer 1, containing chloroprene rubber, and composes an outermost layer thereof. When an alternating current is applied to the conductive rubber roller 10 at a voltage of five and a frequency of 100 Hertz, the dielectric loss tangent is 0.1 to 1.8.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductive rubber member that is used as a developing roller, a cleaning roller, a charging roller, a transfer roller, and the like mounted on an electrophotographic apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a semiconductive rubber member which can be used preferably as the developing roller for attaching an nonmagnetic one-component toner to a photoreceptor by imparting a high charging property to the nonmagnetic one-component toner. The developing roller is used in an image-forming mechanism of an electrophotographic apparatus such as a laser beam printer and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, regarding an electrophotographic apparatus such as a laser printer, research has been widely made to realize a high-speed operation and form a high-quality image. To cope with the situation, polymerized toner that is spherical and can be reduced in the diameter thereof has come to be widely used.
As the polymerized toner, a one-component toner not using a carrier has come to be widely used instead of a two-component toner, composed of a carrier consisting of ferrite powder or iron powder and a toner, which has been hitherto used because it is easy to design on the mixing of the carrier and the toner. In such a situation, as the developing roller which receives toner and supplies it faithfully to a toner image formed on the photoreceptor, magnetic type which has been mainly used is being replaced with a semiconductive elastic rubber roller.
When the two-component toner using the carrier is used, it is easy to transport the toner to the photoreceptor owing to electrical and magnetic actions. But when the one-component toner is used, the magnetic action cannot be utilized to transport the toner. Therefore it is necessary to uniformly form the surface of the developing roller which is the end surface of an electrode. Further to uniformly attach the toner, the particle diameter of which is of a micron order to the photoreceptor, it is necessary that the electrical properties represented by an resistance value is uniform inside the developing roller so that when a bias electric potential is applied to the developing roller, a uniform electric potential distribution is obtained.
Because the one-component toner does not contain the carrier, the developing roller is required to have the function of controlling the charging property of the toner. That is, the developing roller is required to impart charging property to the toner and maintain the charging property imparted to the toner. When the charged amount of the toner is insufficient, an electrostatic force is insufficient and hence the toner is not transported to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor. Consequently owing to the rotation of the developing roller, there occur a change in density, generation of a ghost image, photographic fog, and the like.
To comply with the above-described demands, various developing rollers are proposed. For example, disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-194203 (patent document 1) is the rubber member, for electrophotographic use, made of the rubber material containing the ionic-conductive epichlorohydrin rubber and the calcium carbonate, whose particle diameter is restricted to a specific diameter, which is dispersed in the epichlorohydrin rubber. In the rubber member, the electric resistance of the rubber member is controlled not electronically because a conductive filler is not used but by ionic conduction to improve uniformity and enhance processing accuracy by using the filler. But the performance for charging toner and the durability of the electric charge imparted thereto are not high. Thus when the rubber member is used as the developing roller, it does not provide a high-quality image.
In the disclosure made in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-357735 (patent document 2), to control the performance for charging toner, the surface of the conductive member is coated with the treating agent containing the amine compound. A very high dimensional accuracy is demanded for the developing roller. Thus a specific apparatus is required to treat the surface of the conductive member with high accuracy. Further the yield is very low, which leads to an increase of the manufacturing cost. In addition, because the material of the conductive member and the material of the coating agent are different from each other, the coating agent will separate from the surface of the conductive member when the conductive member is manufactured or when it is used.
As described above, to impart a high charging property to the unmagnetic one-component toner, the developing roller is required to have the performance of applying an electrical charge to the toner and maintaining the applied electrical charge. When a coating layer is formed on the surface of rubber layer, the cost for manufacturing the developing roller is high. Therefore it is difficult to form the coating layer. Even if the coating layer is formed on the surface of rubber layer, it may separate therefrom.
Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-194203
Patent document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-357735


The present invention relates to an internal combustion engine which is used in particular in motor vehicle having a reformer for generating hydrogen, whereby the reformer has a single operating mode in which it generates as much reformate as needed or even more for purification of the maximum quantity of exhaust gas generated, whereby a distributor apparatus is situated at the output end of the reformer and the distributor apparatus is connected at the output end to an intake train of the internal combustion engine and to an ammonia generator, whereby the ammonia generator is connected at the output end upstream from an SCR catalyst to an exhaust train of the internal combustion engine, whereby the distributor apparatus allocates the reformate between the intake train and the ammonia generator as a function of the operating state of the internal combustion engine.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an internal combustion engine, in particular in a motor vehicle, having a reformer for generating hydrogen.
(2) Description of Related Art
It is known in general that reformers may be used in aftertreatment of exhaust gas, in particular diesel engine exhaust gas. Their function is to generate hydrogen, which is converted to ammonia, for example, in additional steps. To do so, fuel, e.g., diesel, is mixed with air and enters an autothermal reactor that operates mostly without external heating. A gas mixture comprised mainly of hydrogen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and water is formed there at approximately 700° C. Ammonia produced from hydrogen in additional steps can convert the nitrogen oxides present in the exhaust into harmless nitrogen and water in a catalytic converter (SCR catalyst, where SCR stands for selective catalytic reduction) designed specifically for this purpose. It is known in general here that such reformers may be positioned in the full stream, in a substream (bypass) or between the intake and exhaust sides of the engine.

Internal combustion engine with a fuel reformer and ammonia generator


A method of determining whether voltage from an aggressor net exceeds a voltage threshold on a victim net design in an integrated circuit design. Probabilistic noise from the aggressor net on the victim net is calculated. The probabilistic noise is checked against the voltage threshold, and the victim net design is passed when the probabilistic noise does not exceed the voltage threshold. When the probabilistic noise does exceed the threshold, then an effective noise at a desired mean time to failure is computed, and the effective noise is checked against the voltage threshold. The victim net design is passed when the effective noise does not exceed the voltage threshold, and failed when the effective noise does exceed the threshold.

For every succeeding generation of integrated circuits, both transistor speed and transistor density has increased. To increase the transistor density, the metal line widths and spacing for the electrical interconnects have been reduced. The reduction of the spacing between the signal lines of an integrated circuit generally increases the capacitance between lines. This tends to make the lines noisier, as it is commonly called.
As the term is used herein, "integrated circuit" includes devices such as those formed on monolithic semiconducting substrates, such as those formed of group IV materials like silicon or germanium, or group III-V compounds like gallium arsenide, or mixtures of such materials. The term includes all types of devices formed, such as memory and logic, and all designs of such devices, such as MOS and bipolar. The term also comprehends applications such as flat panel displays, solar cells, and charge coupled devices.
When doing crosstalk or noise analysis, signal lines, also called nets, are identified as either victim nets or aggressor nets. The net being analyzed is considered the victim net, and those nets disposed adjacent to it, whether along its entire length or for just a portion of its length, are considered the aggressor nets. Nets that are not directly adjacent the victim net may also be considered as aggressor nets in the analysis of the victim net. The determination of what constitutes an aggressor net is outside of the scope of this discussion. When the analysis has been performed for a given victim net, then another net is selected as the new victim net, while the prior victim net may then be reclassified as an aggressor net, and the analysis is repeated for the new victim net.
The problem with such noise, and the importance of this type of analysis, continually increases as the voltage threshold for the active devices of integrated circuit is reduced, so as to speed up the integrated circuits. By lowering the voltage threshold of a transistor, and increasing the capacitance between nets, the probability increases that an amount of noise sufficient to switch the transistor state will be generated.
However, current noise analysis tools tend to be too pessimistic in their analysis, because they generally assumed that all aggressor nets will switch in the same direction, at the same time, and that their voltage peaks will be aligned. This results in a worst case maximum height composite noise waveform on the victim net. However, the number of aggressors that could have a significant amount of coupled noise to the victim net can often be quite large. In such a case, the likelihood of realizing a worst case composite noise, where all of the aggressor nets switch at exactly the same time, is very small. Because of the increasing complexity of integrated circuit designs, the problem of overestimating signal noise becomes more serious as the technology advances.
Two different general methods of noise analysis are typically used. The first is called a deterministic approach. In a deterministic approach, the noise waveform is estimated accurately by accounting for the logic and timing relationships between the aggressors and a victim. It is often necessary to perform static timing analysis and construct timing windows before this method of noise analysis can be performed. Although the incorporation of timing information in the noise analysis generally improves the accuracy of the noise estimation, it requires a very high computational effort.
The second method is called a probabilistic approach. In a probabilistic approach, it is assumed that the switching of the aggressor nets occurs randomly over a specific time interval within a clock period. Then the likelihood, or in other words the probability, that the total noise on a victim net will exceed a given threshold, such as the voltage threshold of a transistor on the victim net, is calculated. The mean time to failure is often used as a criterion to prioritize the jeopardy faced by victim nets that are subject to noise violation.
Unfortunately, the deterministic approach, as mentioned above, requires an extremely high computational effort, and therefore is not appropriate for a noise analysis of the entire integrated circuit. This leaves the probabilistic approach. However, there is no existing analytical model for probabilistic noise analysis, which makes it again computationally expensive.
An example of a probabilistic approach is presented in the paper Probabilistic Analysis of Interconnect Coupling Noise, by S. Vrudhula, et al., in the IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided Design of Integrated Circuits and Systems, Vol. 22, No. 9, September 2003, pages 1188-1203. In that method, finding the mean time to failure for a given victim net requires an iterative search, which makes the method very slow and time consuming. Moreover, due to the lack of an analytical model, that method can only be used to computed the mean time to failure for a given noise threshold, and cannot compute the effective peak noise for a given mean time to failure.
What is needed, therefore, is a system that overcomes problems such as those described above, at least in part.


A novel molecular alloy of O2 and H2 and a method of producing such a molecular alloy are provided. When subjected to high pressure and extensive x-radiation, H2O molecules cleaved, forming O—O and H—H bonds. In the method of the present invention, the O and H framework in ice VII was converted into a molecular alloy of O2 and H2. X-ray diffraction, x-ray Raman scattering, and optical Raman spectroscopy demonstrate that this crystalline solid differs from previously known phases.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a novel molecular alloy of O2and H9 and a method of producing such a molecular alloy.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
H2O forms at least 15 stable (1) and metastable crystalline (2-5) and amorphous ices (6-9). Its rich phase diagram displays a range of exotic behavior such as symmetric hydrogen bonds (10-12), superionic ice (13, 14), and multiple critical points (15, 16).
Applicants excited H2O with high-energy x-radiation in order to access a larger portion of the energy landscape at high pressure. Although at ambient pressure x-rays are known to produce metastable free radicals in molecular systems or to induce stable reactions by overcoming kinetic energy barriers, documented examples of x-ray induced transitions at high pressure have been extremely rare.


Sockets that have a simplified design and are readily manufactured, and also provide easy access for users to change cards while allowing the use of thinner device enclosures.

Computers are a collection of many circuits operating together. These circuits may include central processing units, memories, graphics processors, networking circuits, and others. Many of these circuits, such as central processing units, may be directly placed on a main or motherboard, also known as a main logic board. Other circuits, such as memories and graphics processors, may reside on separate boards, also known as daughter boards or cards. These daughter boards or cards may connect to the main logic board. This connection is often made using one or more sockets, where the sockets are fixed to the main logic board and the memories or graphics processors are inserted into the sockets.
These daughter boards or cards are typically inserted into these sockets at an angle that is at least somewhat orthogonal to the main logic board. This configuration makes it relatively easy for a user to pull cards and insert new ones. For example, this configuration may make it easy for users to upgrade cards or replace defective cards. This configuration also reduces the footprint or area on the main logic board that is consumed by the card.
These sockets may include contacts that make connections with contacts or pads on the cards or boards. Inserting and extracting boards or cards into and out of these sockets may wear or cause damage to the contacts. This damage may cause the sockets to be nonfunctional. Accordingly, it may be desirable that these sockets have contacts that are able to withstand the removal and insertion of cards into and out of the socket.
Similar to these sockets, connector inserts may be inserted into, and removed from, connector receptacles up to several times a day. Accordingly, it may be desirable that these contacts be useful in connector inserts and connector receptacles.
Thus, what is needed are sockets that have a simplified design and are readily manufactured, and also have contacts that are able to withstand the insertion and extraction of cards into and out of the socket. It may also be desirable that these contacts be useful in connector inserts and connector receptacles.


A bicycle component control apparatus is basically provided with a communication interface and a controller. The communication interface is configured to communicate with at least one electric bicycle component and at least one manually operated input member. The controller is electrically coupled to the communication interface, and programmed to control the at least one electric bicycle component based on operation of the at least one manually operated input member. The controller is programmed to decide an operation mode of the at least one electric bicycle component differently based on a number of manually operated input member coupled to the controller via the communication interface.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a bicycle component control apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a bicycle component control apparatus that changes an operation mode of at least one bicycle component based on a number of manually operated input members that are operatively coupled thereto.
2. Background Information
In recent years, some bicycles are provided with electric bicycle components. Examples of some these electric bicycle components include suspensions, transmissions (e.g., derailleurs, internally geared hubs, etc.) and seatposts. Typically, bicycles equipped with electric bicycle components are also provided a manually operated input member for each of the electric bicycle components. A bicycle component control apparatus has been proposed that controls an operation of one or more electric bicycle components, e.g. a derailleur, a suspension and an adjustable seatpost, based on an electrical connecting state between a controller and a manually operated input member. An example of such a bicycle component control apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012-0253600, which is assigned to Shimano Inc.


The present disclosure relates to products, including preservative systems and compositions (e.g., foods, beverages, health care products, personal care products, herbicidal products, and containment devices). The products comprise a constituent comprising an isothiocyanate compound. The products may further comprise a preservative selected from sorbate preservatives, benzoate preservatives, and mixtures thereof. The present disclosure further relates to methods of preserving products comprising incorporating the foregoing preservative systems into such products.

Consumer products can provide a hospitable environment for rapid microbial growth. Such exposure can, and frequently does, result from inadvertent microbial inoculation of the product during manufacturing or packaging. Spoilage microorganisms, for example in food or beverage products, can then rapidly proliferate by feeding on nutrients provided by the product.
Preservatives, such as sorbates, benzoates, organic acids, and combinations thereof have been used in various products, particularly foods and beverages, to provide some degree of microbial inhibition. At levels effective to inhibit microbial growth, some of these preservatives can contribute off-flavors in the product, thus making the product undesirable for its intended purpose. For example, accepted usage levels for potassium sorbate is typically in the range of from about 200 ppm to about 3000 ppm. However, at the higher end of this accepted usage range, potassium sorbate can contribute to off-flavors in the foods or beverages.
Additionally, certain preservative systems are not effective in the presence of fortification components, including various vitamins and minerals. For example, calcium fortification in certain food or beverage products can render the preservative system inactive, thereby failing to inhibit microbial growth. Therefore, wherein nutrient fortification is desirable, expensive preservative components such as dimethyl dicarbonate (DMDC) must be utilized to inhibit microbial growth in the fortified product.
It has been disclosed that oil of mustard, which contains isothiocyanates, exhibits an antibacterial and antimycotic effect in oral therapies and on certain foods. See e.g., Sekiyama et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,373, assigned to Nippon Sanso Corp., issued Aug. 2, 1994; and Madaus et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,964, issued Dec. 21, 1976. However, it has been suggested that mustard oil can irritate the mucous membranes and may not be well tolerated by individuals ingesting the oil. See e.g., Madaus et al. Additionally, mustard oil can exhibit strong characteristic flavors which render the oil unfavorable for use in food or beverage products. Accordingly, mustard oil has not been widely known or widely utilized in the art for its antibacterial and antimycotic effect, particularly in products suitable for ingestion such as food and beverage products.
However, the present inventors have surprisingly discovered that one or more isothiocyanate compounds, optionally in combination with a sorbate and/or benzoate preservative, exhibits a strong antimicrobial effect without imparting off-flavors or offensive odors in the final product. In doing so, the present inventors have discovered a synergistic relationship between the relative effects of each of the preservative components when utilized in combination. Surprisingly, when utilized in combination, each of the preservative components are effective at levels low enough to maintain the organoleptic integrity of the final food or beverage product. The present inventors have further surprisingly discovered that such antimicrobial effect is maintained even in the presence of fortification nutrients such as calcium, thus overcoming the problems associated with currently fortified products. Accordingly, the preservative systems of the present invention are utilized at relatively low levels, provides maintenance of flavor and odor integrity, and are effective against microbial growth even in the presence of fortification nutrients.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Products comprising an isothiocyanate preservative system and methods of their use


A method and a system are proposed for increasing the data integrity on smartcards. In accordance with the invention a sequence of write processes on a smartcard is defined as a unit for which the integrity of the data to be written is ensured. The write process may involve the writing of data to one or more files. The data of an integrity unit i.e. a unit of data for which the integrity is to be ensured is preferably written to shadow memory. The method in accordance with the invention decreases considerably the likelihood that data will be corrupted through an error in writing the data on the smartcard. Data can be restored or completed through the interface of read-write units. The method in accordance with the invention can serve as a basis for maintaining data files external to the smartcard consistent with data on the smartcard.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns data integrity in applications employing smartcards.
2. Prior Art
Secure smartcards today find application in a number of different functions and are being used in increasing numbers. To some extent the data on the smartcard may be of considerable value, such as-means of payment payment limits or personal (e.g. medical) data. Data protection legislation and the fact that it is a smartcard personal data store make it difficult to provide data security. For these reasons the highest demands are made on the integrity of the data on a smartcard. With the anticipated large numbers in the expansion of smartcards even low error rates can lead to a considerable number of errors.
The expression integrity of data means freedom from errors in the sense that they retain the information entered on them as an accurate picture of the reality and can therefore be used for meaningful data processing. Correspondingly consistency of the data signifies agreement of the data with the reality which they represent. For this both a formal (physical condition) and a contextual (semantic functional) requirement must be fulfilled.
The integrity of the data on a smartcard is endangered particularly by physical influences both on the smartcard as such and also during a reading operation.
The most used smartcards implement the ISO standard 7816-X or the analogous national standards. In accordance with these data on the smartcard is organized in files. Parts of a file can be written as records or as any Sequence of symbols with write commands. Errors which appear in the smartcards during the writing process will be notified to the read-write equipment. If, for mechanical, electrical or electronic reasons, the writing process is not terminated and the read-write equipment and/or the smartcard cannot undertake any error correction, the data is inconsistent.
In particular, smartcards are ever more frequently employed in conjunction with non-motorized smartcard readers. Especially with these cheap readers, in which the insertion and removal of the smartcard is effected manually, the user of the smartcard can abort the process by removing the smartcard prematurely. In addition external influences such as vibration or power failure can lead to such abortions of the current use. The consequence of this may be that the aborted application leaves inconsistent data conditions on the smartcard and in the smartcard reader which makes the smartcard unusable for further application.
Two functions are for example incorporated on a smartcard: an electronic wallet and an authority to visit a fitness studio. Every month the authority is extended by debiting the fee from the wallet. This process may consist of the following steps:
Debiting the amount from the wallet PA1 Confirming the debit through the smartcard and PA1 Extending the authority.
If tale smartcard is now removed between the fist and second steps there will be an inconsistency: The amount is debited but the authority is not extended. Since the smartcard reacher has also not received the confirmation of the debit, its data will indicate that it has neither debited nor extended the authority. Thus the smartcard is unusable and can no longer be restored to a consistent state.
The methods known in the state of the art for writing data to smartcards provide no means of ensuring the integrity of data particularly if the writing process is aborted during writing.

Method and system for improving the integrity of data on a smartcard

International Business Machines Corporation


A tape head system. The tape head system includes: a head for reading from and/or writing to magnetic tape; a support; and at least one leaf spring assembly supporting the head moveably relative to the support so as to allow the head to follow a motion of the tape, the at least one leaf spring assembly including at least one leaf spring and at least one damping element configured for damping a motion of the head relative to the support.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tape systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to tape head systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
In modern tape systems, data is organized in data tracks which are written and read back in a parallel fashion by a read and write head having servo read, data read, and data write elements, i.e. transducer elements. These data tracks run in a longitudinal direction of the magnetic tape and are much narrower than the excursions the magnetic tape experiences in the lateral direction as a result of imperfections in the mechanical entrainment system. Therefore, it is crucial to accurately position the head relative to the magnetic tape as the magnetic tape is streamed. To this end, modern tape systems provide for track-following functionality ensuring that the head follows the lateral motion of the tape as it is transported over the head in order to keep the read and write transducers centered on a desired track location. Also, tape systems are known which provide for a tape skew following functionality ensuring that the head assumes a desired angular orientation with respect to the magnetic tape. The tape skew following functionality is essential in enabling read-while-write-verify functionality as the track width is scaled to smaller dimensions. The track following functionality as well as the skew following functionality can be implemented as closed loop control systems.
One challenge in the design of tape drives is maintaining the performance of the closed loop control systems under vibration conditions. Tape head systems providing the track following or tape skew following functionality are typically implemented with voice coil actuators, and are relatively well-modeled as mass-spring systems with fundamental resonance frequencies in the range of tens of Hz up to 100 Hz. Under typical vibration conditions in tape drives ranging from 0 up to a few hundred Hz, the tape head systems are excited at their fundamental resonance frequency resulting in degraded track following or tape skew following performance. Higher-order resonance modes of the tape head systems are typically well above the frequency range of applied vibrations and are hence not efficiently excited and; therefore, less of an issue.
According to one approach, it is known to add damping to the tape head systems to improve track following and tape skew following performance, especially at the fundamental resonance frequency.

International Business Machines Corporation


A multi-wheel assembly includes an outer wheel having an outer wheel assembly for an outer tire. The outer wheel assembly includes an outer wheel rim, a removable front bead seat band such that the outer tire may be removed from the outer wheel rim. A removable rear bead seat band is also provided. The multi-wheel assembly also includes an inner wheel having an inner wheel assembly including an inner wheel rim and a removable front bead seat band which is radially expandable and able to pass over the outer wheel rim. The dimensions of the outer wheel rim are such that the inner tube is able to pass over the outer wheel rim. A radially expandable bead seat band is also disclosed. A method of removing a tire is disclosed as well as a method of modifying a wheel assembly.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improved multi-wheel assemblies, in particular, although not exclusively, for heavy transport vehicles. The invention also relates to a new or improved bead set band. The invention also relates to a method of retrofitting an existing wheel assembly with a modified design.
2. The Relevant Technology
Demountable rims and wheels are commonly mounted in due configuration on rear axle(s) on heavy duty vehicles such as earth moving trucks and trailers typically used in the mining industry. There are also some applications, though comparatively rare where the tires in dual mounted configuration are found on front axles of heavy equipment. The current wheel and rim design as applied to a dual wheel/rim situation is shown in FIG. 1. A segment of the rim base 10 is shown in cross section. The rim base 10 is made up of a front portion 12 a middle portion 14 and a rear portion 16. Each of these portions is formed by rolling and machining and then the three portions are circumferentially welded together to form the finished rim base 10. A wheel disc can be welded onto the inner diameter of the rim base.
The rear portion 16 has a radially outer surface 18 which is ramped radially outwardly in the direction towards the rear edge 20. The rear edge 20 also has a flange projecting radially outwardly. To provide additional support to the tire, an annular flange 22 is provided. The diameter of the radially outer periphery of the rear edge 20 is greater than the inner diameter of the tire wall. Accordingly, the rear tire wall is not permitted to pass beyond the rear edge 20 as the outside of the rear tire wall sits against and maintains an outward force on the annular flange 22.
At the front portion 12 of the rim 10, the radially outer periphery is provided substantially level with middle portion 14. The tire 24 is assembled onto the wheel rim by being passed over the front portion 12 until the back wall abuts against the rear edge 20 indirectly through the annular flange 22. The front wall of the tire 24 is held in position by the use of an annular bead seat band 26. The bead seat band 26 has a ramped radially outer periphery with a peripheral flange 28 projecting radially outwardly. The bead seat band 28 is held in place by a lock ring 30. An annual flange 32 is also inserted between the front tire wall and the peripheral flange 28.
In a dual wheel assembly, two such wheels or rims would be located side-by-side, with the lock ring 30 of each wheel or rim adjacent the lock ring 30 of the other wheel or rim see (FIG. 2). In order to change the tire of the inner wheel or rim, it is necessary to remove the outer wheel or rim to gain access to the inner wheel or rim. To change the tire of the inner wheel or rim, the tire is deflated and then the lock ring and bead seat band and flange are removed so that the tire can be removed. Once the tire has been changed, the flange 32, bead seat band 29 and lock ring 30 are returned, following which the outer wheel/rim can be returned to its position on the axle. For tires mounted on demountable rims, deflation of both outer and inner tire is required prior to loosening the cleat nuts for safety reasons.
To change the tire of the outer wheel or rim, the wheel or rim must first be removed from the truck. Once removed from the truck it is normally placed horizontally on the ground, the tire is first deflated and then the lock ring and bead seat band and flange are removed so that the tire can be removed. Once the tire has been changed, the flange 32, bead seat band 28 and lock ring 30 are returned, the inner wheel/rim can be returned to its positions on the axle. For tires mounted on demountable rims deflation of both outer and inner tire is required prior to loosening the cleat nuts for safety reasons.
The removal of the outer wheel rim to gain access to a tire of an inner wheel is time consuming. In particular, there are a large number of wheel nuts to be removed and later refitted from the outer wheel. When these wheel nuts are refitted, they are required to be retorqued to ensure adequate bond between the track axle and the wheel or rim. Furthermore, the lifting and removal of the outer wheel rim and later refitting has potential to damage the stud threads. Furthermore, the mere task of lifting the very heavy outer wheel rim has associated risks.
One prior art solution has been presented in Australian patent application No. 200126561 (see FIG. 3). This proposed solution involves reducing the size of the outer wheel rim so that the inner tire may be slid over the outer wheel rim without having to remove the outer wheel rim. To compensate for the decreased diameter in the wheel rim, thicker bead seat bands are used at both the front and the rear of the outer wheel rim. The different sizing of the outer wheel leads to introduction of additional parts including a new size for the wheel rim, a new sizing for the band seat bands, the locking-ring and "O" rings. In any situation where it is desirable to keep quantities of replacement parts in stock, the introduction of yet more parts in often remote locations and would seem to be a disadvantage. Fitting of heavy equipment tires has recorded many fatalities, accidents and near misses that were caused by mismatching of wheel/rim assembly components, the introduction of an "O" ring, lock ring, bead seat band and flange arrangement of different dimension and having specific application would only seem to increase the potential for mismatched components to be used with often tragic consequences.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to address at least some of the aforementioned disadvantages or at least provide the public with a useful choice.
The foregoing prior art discussion is not to be taken as an admission of common general knowledge.


A furniture glide is provided for mounting on the terminal end of a furniture leg having an outer surface. The furniture glide includes a base having a generally arcuate lower surface for engaging a supporting surface. A sleeve extends from the base and defines a cavity for receiving the furniture leg therein. The sleeve includes a leg engagement element for engaging the furniture leg received within the cavity and for retaining the furniture glide thereon.

Coasters are often used under the legs of a piece of furniture to act as a buffer between the legs and the floor on which the piece of furniture rests. Typically, coasters take the form of glass or rubber discs having flat bottoms that rest on the floor. By positioning the coasters between the furniture legs and the floor, the weight of the furniture leg is dispersed over a larger area such that the furniture leg does not scratch or mar the floor when the piece of furniture is moved or leave a depression in the floor when the piece of furniture remains in one place for an extended period of time.
In addition, furniture glides or sliders have been developed that are also positioned between the legs of a piece of furniture and the carpeting on which the piece of furniture rests. By way of example, Bushey, U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,705 discloses a furniture glide that facilitates the movement of a piece of furniture on carpeted and bare floors. The furniture glide includes a convo-convex disc having an arcuate convex lower surface, a concave upper surface defining a central cavity, and resilient pad fixed to the disc upper surface within the central cavity below the edge thereof. Adhesive is provided for securing the resilient pad to the bottom of the piece of furniture or to the leg of the piece of furniture.
While functional for its intended purpose, the furniture glide disclosed in the Bushey '705 patent has certain limitations. More specifically, repeated movement of a piece of furniture along a floor may cause the adhesive to fail such that the resilient pad becomes detached from the bottom of the piece of furniture. As a result, the furniture glide may become separated from the piece of furniture such that the bottom of piece of furniture may engage and damage the flooring. Therefore, it is highly desirable to provide a furniture glide and/or coaster that may be simply secured to a bottom of a piece of furniture to prevent damage to the flooring on which the piece of furniture rests.
Therefore, it is a primary object and feature of the present invention to provide a furniture glide that may be securely retained on a leg of a piece of furniture.
It is a further object and feature of the present invention to provide a furniture glide that is inexpensive to manufacture and simple to utilize.
It is a still further object and feature of the present invention to provide a furniture glide that may be utilized on the leg of a piece of furniture to prevent damage to the flooring on which the piece of furniture sits.
In accordance with the present invention, a furniture glide is provided for mounting on a terminal end of a furniture leg having an outer surface. The furniture glide includes a base having a generally arcuate lower surface for engaging a supporting surface and a sleeve extending from the base. The sleeve defines a cavity for receiving the furniture leg therein. The sleeve has an adjustable portion for accommodating furniture legs of different dimensions within the cavity.
The adjustable portion of the sleeve includes a plurality of flexible depressions extending into the cavity. The depressions define corresponding inner surfaces for engagement with the furniture leg. It is contemplated that the depressions communicate with the upper edge of the sleeve. Alternatively, the adjustable portion of the sleeve may include a plurality of resilient projections extending radially inward from the upper edge of the sleeve for engaging the outer surface of the furniture leg and retaining the furniture leg in the cavity.
The base of the furniture glide may include a backing layer having an inner surface directed towards the cavity of the sleeve and an outer surface. A pad may be fixed to the outer surface of the backing layer to prevent marring of the supporting surface. The sleeve is generally tubular and includes an upper edge and a lower edge and is defined by an inner surface and an outer surface. The base may include an outer periphery affixed to the inner surface of the sleeve at the location adjacent the lower edge of the sleeve. Alternatively, the base may be affixed to the outer surface of the sleeve at a location adjacent the lower edge of the sleeve. The sleeve may also include a plurality of flutes formed therein that extend from the upper edge to the lower edge thereof. The plurality of flutes in the sleeve are generally parallel to each other.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a furniture glide is provided for mounting on the terminal end of a furniture leg having an outer surface. The furniture glide includes a base having a generally arcuate lower surface for engaging the supporting surface and an arcuate inner surface for engagement with the terminal end of the furniture leg. A sleeve extends from the base and has an inner surface that defines a cavity for receiving the furniture leg therein. The sleeve includes a leg engagement element for engaging the furniture leg within the cavity.
The leg engagement element may include a plurality of flexible projections that extend into the cavity to engage the furniture leg received in the cavity. The projections may intersect the upper end of the sleeve, or alternatively, project radially inward from the upper edge.
The base of the furniture glide may include a backing layer having an inner surface directed towards the cavity of the sleeve and an outer surface. A pad is affixed to the outer surface of the backing layer. The outer periphery of the base may be affixed to the inner surface of the sleeve at a location adjacent the lower edge thereof.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a furniture glide is provided for mounting on a terminal end of a furniture leg having an outer surface. The furniture glide includes a slider having a lower surface for engaging a supporting surface and an inner surface for engagement with the terminal end of the furniture leg. A leg connection member is interconnected to the slider and retains the furniture glide on the furniture leg.
The leg connection member includes a generally tubular sleeve having a plurality of flexible projections projecting from the inner surface thereof. The projections engage the furniture leg received in the cavity. The slider includes a backing layer having an inner surface for engagement with the furniture leg and an outer surface. A pad is affixed to the outer surface of the backing layer. The outer periphery of the slider may be affixed to the inner surface of the leg connection member at a location adjacent its lower edge. It is contemplated to provide a plurality of flutes in the leg connection member.


To provide a sequencer terminal block having a terminal connection surface on which a plurality of terminal connection portions, to which terminals can be respectively connected, are arrayed. The sequencer terminal block includes a band attachment portion formed to protrude in a first direction parallel to an array direction of the terminal connection portions. The band attachment portion includes two first legs formed to protrude in the first direction, and a first joining portion that joins ends of the first legs to each other. An area surrounded by an attachment-portion forming surface on which the band attachment portion is formed, the first legs, and the first joining portion becomes an insertion hole into which a banding band can be inserted.

Conventionally, in a sequencer unit used for such a system as a factory automation (FA) device, a plurality of sequencers are arrayed and fixed. Such a sequencer includes a terminal block on which a plurality of terminal connection portions, to which wires for input and output of signals are connected, are arrayed. If the wires connected to the terminal connection portions are not held together and are left as they are, the wires may interfere with an adjacent sequencer, thus making attachment and detachment of the sequencer difficult. Furthermore, the visibility of the wiring state is likely to decrease, thereby delaying detection of dropout or the like in the wiring and making it difficult to prevent a ground fault or the like.
Therefore, the wires connected to the terminal connection portions are generally banded and held together with a banding band. To further prevent the wires from spreading apart, the banding band for holding the wires together is fixed. For example, in Patent Literature 1, a band attachment portion for fixing a banding band to a terminal block is provided.

Sequencer terminal block, sequencer, and sequencer unit


A digital microscope system, having one or several objectives, a tube lens system, a digital image recording device, a stand, a holder for a specimen and an illuminating apparatus, and optionally at least one magnification changer. One or several objectives, the tube lens system, the digital image recording device and the illuminating apparatus are integrated into a compact optical assembly, and the optical assembly is joinable to the stand in several versions that differ with regard to the spatial position and orientation of the optical assembly relative to the stand and to the specimen. The spatial position and orientation of the optical assembly relative to the stand and to the specimen may correspond, in a first version of the joining, to an upright microscope configuration and, in a second version of the joining, to an inverted microscope configuration.

Digital microscope systems per se are known. With digital microscope systems, unlike conventional optical microscopes, the image of the specimen examined is not observed through an eyepiece but first converted optoelectronically by application of a digital image recording device and then either presented visually again by means of an image display device, or else the image content is analyzed electronically. With such a system, observation and analysis are not tied to the location of image recording but can be freely selected thanks to the facilities for transmitting electronic image signals. This enables, e.g., optimum adaptation to the body constitution of an observer, image transmission via communication means to several observation or analysis locations, and adaptation of the microscope to observation tasks that cannot be carried out with conventional microscopes.
Commercially available digital microscopes or microscope systems are intended to suit particular applications and thus mostly designed either as upright or inverted microscopes. Conversion for changing applications that require a change from the upright to the inverted microscope type or vice versa is either not possible at all or only with an excessive amount of work and time.


The present invention provides a wire-bonding structure of a semiconductor device comprising short and long bonding-wires. The short bonding-wires are provided for electrical connections between outer-positioned electrode bonding pads of the semiconductor device and inner-positioned inner lead bonding pads of longer inner leads. The long bonding-wires are provided for electrical connections between inner-positioned electrode bonding pads of the semiconductor device and outer-positioned inner lead bonding pads of shorter inner leads so that the short bonding-wires and the long bonding-wires area alternately aligned. The short bonding-wires rise to a first top level from the outer-positioned electrode bonding pads and slope down gradually from the first top level onto the inner-positioned inner lead bonding pads. The long bonding-wires rise to a second top level higher than the first level from the inner-positioned electrode bonding pads and slope down gradually from the second top level onto the outer-positioned inner lead bonding pads, whereby the long bonding-wires are kept in higher level than and differ in three-dimensional position from the short bonding-wires.

The present invention relates to a wire-bonded semiconductor device, and more particularly to a wire-bonded semiconductor device with staggeringly aligned wire-bonding pads and a method of wire-bonding a semiconductor device.
A typical one of the conventional wire-bonded semiconductor device will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B. FIG. 1A is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view illustrative of a wire-bonded semiconductor device packaged in a sealing resin material. FIG. 1B is a partially enlarged plane view illustrative of a wire-bonded semiconductor device of FIG. 1A. A semiconductor device 23 is placed on an island 28. The semiconductor device 23 is square-shaped and has a peripheral area on which bonding electrode pads 24 are provided to align along each side of the square-shaped semiconductor device 23. Inner leads 21 are provided which extend outwardly in radial directions. Inside end portions of the inner leads 21 are spaced apart from the outside edges of the semiconductor device 23. The positions of the inside edges of the inner leads 21 are different in distance to the outside edge of the semiconductor device 23 between adjacent two inner leads 21 so that the inside edges of the inner leads 21 are staggeringly aligned. Namely, one of the adjacent two inner leads 21 has an inner-positioned inside edge which is thus positioned closer to the peripheral edge of the semiconductor device 1 than outer-positioned inside edge of the remaining one of the adjacent two inner leads 21 so that the inner-positioned inside edges and the outer-positioned inside edges are alternately aligned. Inside bonding pads 21a are provided on the inner-positioned inside edges of the inner leads 21 whilst the outside bonding pads 21b are provided on the outer-positioned inside edges of the inner leads 21. A ridged taping material 22 is provided which extends along between alignments of the inside and outside bonding pads 21a and 21b so that the inside and outside bonding pads 21a and 21b are separated by the ridged taping material 22. The bonding electrode pads 24 of the semiconductor device 1 are bonded via bonding-wires 25 to the inside and outside bonding pads 21a and 21b of the inner leads 21. The wire-bonded semiconductor device 23, the bonding-wires 25 and the island 28 are sealed with a sealing resin material 30.
As illustrated in FIG. 1B, a distance between the adjacent two inner leads 21 is made narrow gradually in the inside direction toward the semiconductor device 23 so that the inner leads 21 become closer to each other as the position is closer to the peripheral edge of the semiconductor device 1. The ridged taping material 22 provided between the alignments of the inside and outside bonding pads 21a and 21b hold the inner-positioned inside edges and prevent the inner-positioned inside edges from dislocation. The inner-positioned inside edges of the inner leads 21 is thus made free of dislocation. This means that the provision of the ridged taping material 22 prevents contacts between the inner-positioned inside edges of the inner leads 21. This means that the provision of the ridged taping material 22 allows the inner-positioned inside edges of the inner leads 21 to be made closer to the peripheral edge of the semiconductor device 23. This firer means that the provision of the ridged taping material 22 prevents contacts between the inner-positioned inside edges of the inner leads 21, even the pitch of the inner-positioned inside edges of the inner leads 21 is extremely narrow. If the inner-positioned inside edges of the inner leads 21 have the closer positions to the peripheral edge of the semiconductor device 1, this means that the bonding-wires 25 are short so that the bonding-wires 25 have no remarkable bending or dangling. The longer bonding-wires 25 connecting the bonding electrode pads 24 to the outside bonding pads 21b of the inner leads 21 is arched to cross over the ridged taping material 22 whereby remarkable bending or dangling of the longer bonding-wires 25 are prevented. This contributes to prevent contacts between the inner-positioned inside edges of the inner leads 21 or between the longer bonding-wire 25 and adjacent inner-positioned inside potion of the inner lead 21.
The above-described conventional wire-bonded semiconductor device, however, has disadvantages as follows. At the comer of the semiconductor device 23, the adjacent longer and shorter bonding wires are likely to be contacted to form a short circuit because the outside and inside bonding pads 21a and 21b are concentrated in the vicinity of the corner of the semiconductor device 1 and because the distances between the adjacent bonding electrode pads 24 and between the adjacent bonding-wires 25 are narrower in the vicinity of the comer of the semiconductor device 1.
Another disadvantage of the above-described conventional wire-bonded semiconductor device is in a possibility of displacement of the arched center portion of the bonding-wires 25, particularly the longer bonding-wires 25 caused by pressures of molten sealing resin material 30, when the semiconductor device 23 is packaged with the sealing resin material 30.
In place of the wire-bonded semiconductor device, a tape-automated bonding structure has been known. Notwithstanding, the tape-automated bonding structure may raise another disadvantage in higher manufacturing cost than the wire-bonded semiconductor device.
In the above circumstances, it had been required to develop a novel wire-bonding structure of a wire-bonded semiconductor device free from the above disadvantages.


A dripper obtained by incorporating together a first member and second member, which are both resin moldings. The first member is on the side into which an irrigating solution flows, and the second member is on the side from which the irrigating solution is discharged. The dripper has an inflow part having a low-pressure stop filter function, and/or a diaphragm part for narrowing a flow path by elevating the hydraulic pressure of the irrigating solution. The dripper makes it possible to stabilize the amount of irrigating solution discharged, irrespective of the hydraulic pressure of the irrigating solution, and also makes it possible to reduce costs.

Conventionally, as means of supplying irrigation liquids such as water or liquid fertilizer to the plants to be grown on the soil in the agricultural land, the plantation or the like, drip irrigation apparatuses that regulate the supply speed of the irrigation liquid have been employed. The use of the drip irrigation apparatus enables the saving of the irrigation liquid and the management of the growth of the plants.
Such a drip irrigation apparatus includes a dripper for controlling the ejection amount of the irrigation liquid per unit time when ejecting the irrigation liquid having flowed into a flow tube from the water source side (pump side) toward the plants.
One example of such drip irrigation apparatuses is what is called an on-line dripper. The on-line dripper is used by being inserted into holes bored in a tube wall (side wall) of polyethylene pipe or into the opening of the end portion of a microtube. The on-line dripper is conveniently employed not only in soil culture but also in nutriculture or pot culture when used for greenhouse culture, raising seedling, fruit growing, and the like.
As such an on-line dripper, a dripper with what is called a differential pressure control mechanism (pressure correction function) being installed is known. The dripper is configured, for example, with a three-component structure in which an elastic film (e.g., silicone rubber film) such as a diaphragm is sandwiched by an inlet side member and an outlet side member (see PTLS 1 and 2, for example).
The dripper utilizes the operation of the diaphragm (film) in accordance with the liquid pressure of the irrigation liquid having flowed from the inlet of the dripper to control the inflow of the irrigation liquid toward a pressure reduction channel on the downstream side of the inlet and to control the amount of the outflow of the irrigation liquid from the outlet of the dripper after pressure reduction by the pressure reduction channel.
More specifically, in the dripper, when the inflow liquid pressure of the irrigation liquid toward the inlet is increased to a certain level, the diaphragm that is disposed to shield the pressure reduction channel is deflected by the inflow liquid pressure toward the outlet. Due to the deformation of the diaphragm, the reduction pressure channel is opened, and thus the irrigation liquid flows into the pressure reduction channel. The irrigation liquid having flowed into the pressure reduction channel moves toward the outlet while the pressure of the irrigation liquid is reduced in the pressure reduction channel to flow out of the dripper from the outlet. When the inflow liquid pressure toward the inlet is further increased, the amount of the deflection of the diaphragm toward the outlet becomes larger. In association with the larger amount of the deflection of the diaphragm, the sectional size of the channel at the outlet is reduced, and thus the outflow of the irrigation liquid is regulated.

Drip-irrigating dripper and drip irrigation device


A solid-state image sensing apparatus of an aspect of this invention can appropriately correct the black level of a video signal even when a high-luminance state or spotlight exists. The apparatus includes an effective pixel unit to receive object light, and a light-shielded light-shielded pixel unit to output an optical black level equivalent signal. In addition to the output from the effective pixel unit, one of the output from the light-shielded pixel unit and a predetermined reference voltage is selectively output.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solid-state image sensing apparatus which has, e.g., an effective signal photoelectric conversion unit and a light-shielded reference signal photoelectric conversion unit to output a black level equivalent signal, and corrects the signal output level of the effective signal photoelectric conversion unit on the basis of the output signal from the reference signal photoelectric conversion unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in image sensing using a solid-state image sensing apparatus, the pixel output variation at the time of reset must be corrected. To do this, correlated double sampling (CDS) is executed. In addition, to make the black level of a video signal constant, an error signal (dark current component) generated by a dark current must be subtracted from the video signal. To detect the dark current component, the output signal from a light-shielded pixel (optical black [OB] signal) is referred to.
However, in sensing a scene having extremely high luminance as a whole or a scene containing a high-luminance light source such as a spotlight, the OB signal level may vary. If black level correction is done by using the varying OB signal, the video signal may be inappropriate. There is a conventional technique-related to an image sensing apparatus (Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2002-290841). In this prior art, OB regions are prepared at a plurality of points near the effective pixel region including light-receiving elements which are arrayed on the light-receiving surface and generate pixel signals. Pixel signals are read out from both regions, thereby preventing any partial decrease in level of the pixel signals after black level correction.
Patent reference 1 above discloses several techniques for coping with the above-described situation, though none of them can solve the problem practically.

Solid-state image sensing apparatus including a noise suppressing circuit


An insulated wire having as components a conductor, a first insulating layer on the conductor, and a second insulating layer which comprises a coating resin having a glass transition temperature of between 100 and 250.degree. C. after baking and a lubricant and has a thickness of 0.005 mm or less, which has good lubricity and resistance to processing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an insulated wire having good lubricity and resistance to processing such as winding of magnet wires.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is desirable for a coil to be miniaturized having a high efficiency and a larger number of insulated wires packed into a limited space and increased performances of equipments. Therefore, the coatings of the insulated wires are easily damaged by the needles of automated coil winding machines. The insulated wires often suffer from layer-to-layer short or ground failure. Attempts have been made to prevent the damage to coatings by decreasing a friction coefficient on the surfaces of the insulated wires. In one example, a lubricant such as a wax is coated on the surface of the insulated wire.
However, it is difficult for the above method to apply a uniform coating of the lubricant over the surface of the insulated wire. Furthermore, the insulated wires which are coated with the lubricant should be washed with solvents since the coated lubricants easily gathers dust or foreign particles.
Imparting lubricity to the insulated wires by adding lubricants (e.g. polyethylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, molybdenum disulfide, boron nitride, waxes, etc.) to a varnish for the insulating coating has been investigated.
However, it is extremely difficult to disperse the lubricants homogeneously in the varnish for the insulating coating, since the lubricants are insoluble or hardly soluble in the solvents. Therefore, problems arise such as wire breakage or poor appearance due to the nonuniformity of the insulating coating in the production step of insulated wires.
The wire breakage and poor appearance have been solved by the selection of lubricants and adjustment of the added amount of lubricants, but the obtained insulated wires have insufficient lubricity.
In particular, the above problems are significant when the lubricants are added to polyamideimide or polyimide which is a heat resistant insulating coating resin. Therefore, the heat resistant insulated wires having the coating of polyamideimide or polyimide which has good lubricity have not been produced.


Circuitry and methods for obtaining accurate measurements of current supplied by an integrated circuit are provided. Current calculations are performed using information from a precision termination resistor and from the ratio relationship of two on-chip resistors. The invention provides a way to obtain accurate current measurements without the use of component trimming.

This invention relates to driver circuitry. More particularly, this invention relates to driver circuitry that performs current measurements using a precision external resistor.
In the past, the semiconductor industry has utilized various configurations of "driver circuitry" for supplying power to loads that are external to an integrated circuit. Common examples of such external loads include transmission lines, communication systems, electric motors, and illumination systems. One characteristic of driver circuitry that is of interest to system designers is the amount of current the driver circuitry actually supplies to the external load. In certain applications, such as those involving power transmission or lighting systems, it is not necessary for the driver circuitry to obtain precise values of the supplied current. Other applications, however, such as communications systems, often rely on precise bias and modulation current measurements to properly function. Previously, precision current measurements have been made possible by "trimming" on-chip resistors and voltage references to obtain tolerance values suitable for current sensing. This method, however, is costly and time consuming.
In light of the foregoing, it would therefore be desirable to provide circuits and methods for accurately calculating the current supplied by driver circuitry without resorting to costly and time consuming trimming techniques.

Circuits and methods for current measurements referred to a precision impedance


A vinyl gate structure includes a frame which has spaced-apart upright members and top and bottom cross-piece members extending there between. Each upright member includes a cross-piece receiver for the cross-piece members. Vinyl cross-piece covers, or cross-piece members, are provided, and vinyl web members generally extend between the cross-piece covers to provide a web for the fence. A typical fence is held together with four fasteners, located in the corners thereof, which fasteners secure the upright members, the cross-piece members and the vinyl cross-piece covers, thereby forming a solitary unit.

Because good fences make good neighbors, the variety and design of fences and gates has undergone significant change in the recent past. Although fence material may generally be compacted for shipment, gates are typically shipped in an assembled, or at least partially assembled, condition, which requires the use of a considerable amount of space in the transport vehicle. Because shipping costs are constantly increasing, it is important that all products moving in commerce be shipped in their most compact form to reduce shipping costs.
A number of known gate structures are suitable for shipment in a collapsed form. Maillard, U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,635, discloses one such gate structure which is assembled from multiple parts, and therefore may be disassembled for storage and transport.
Wilkerson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,098 discloses an adjustable gate, which adjustment is made by fracturing portions of the gate frame at predetermined intervals. This frame is also suitable for storage and shipping in disassembled form, although the frame is disclosed as a one piece welded structure, which does not provide for easy disassembly.
Warwick, U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,384 discloses a gate which is assembled from component parts, and which may therefor be stored and shipped in a disassembled form.
The aforementioned disclosures generally include some form of a metal framework having a metal or wood web placed thereover to form the completed gate. Again, because metal and wood are relatively heavy materials, there has been a tendency to construct fences and gates out of lighter materials, such as plastics, and specifically vinyl. Fences so constructed have the advantage of being substantially rust-free, corrosion-free and in most instances, are more attractive that conventional fences and gates. This leads to longer life, and additionally, provides a material that is much lighter, and is therefor much less expensive to transport. Known vinyl gates, however, continue to be preassembled by their manufacturers and require additional space in the shipping vehicle.


A magnetic recording tape comprising a magnetic layer, a flexible support and a back coat layer in this order, wherein the support is a polyester film having an intrinsic viscosity of from 0.40 to 0.60 dl/g and a number average molecular weight of from 12,000 to 24,000, a surface of the back coat layer has protrusions having a height of 100 nm or more measured with an atomic force microscope in a density of from 10 to 500 in 90 μm square, and a ratio of a total number of protrusions having a height of 50 nm or more on the surface of the back coat layer to a total number of protrusions having a height of 100 nm or more on the surface of the back coat layer is from 10 to 100.

Magnetic recording media are widely used as the recording media of all sorts of data such as audios, images and letters. In recent years, the requirements for high density recording have risen in correspondence with the increment of the capacity of data to be recorded and the improvement of transfer rate, and magnetic recording media having high electromagnetic characteristics are wanted. Further, the reliability in the repeating use of a medium is also required at the same time. Therefore, running properties have been improved by providing a back coat layer, in particular in a tape medium. For improving running properties by a back coat layer, providing protrusions on the base surface to roughen the surface of a back coat layer to thereby improve the running durability has been conventionally tried. However, when the surface of a back coat layer is too roughened by this method, the back coat layer and the magnetic layer are tightly pressed in winding the magnetic recording tape on a hub for the purpose of storage or process, and so-called "imprinting of back coat" occurs, i.e., the magnetic layer is infected with the unevenness of the back coat layer, which results in the reduction of electromagnetic characteristics. For solving the problem of imprinting of back coat, smoothing the surface of a back coat layer has been tried. However, when a back coat layer is smoothed, the air entrained by winding is difficult to come out, as a result irregular winding such as protrusion of the tape is liable to occur. When irregular winding occurs, a tape edge is woven by being brought into contact with the flange of the controlling guide during running of the tape that generates the increment of dropout. The thickness of a magnetic tape is thinned in recent years, so that the problem of weaving of an edge has become serious.
As the conventional example of a trial to better electromagnetic characteristics by smoothing a back coat layer to thereby improve so-called imprinting of back coat (back imprinting), an example of a back coat layer mainly comprising the mixture of granular titanium oxide and carbon black is disclosed in JP-A-11-259851 (The term "JP-A" as used herein refers to an "unexamined published Japanese patent application".). JP-A-11-259851 also proposes the use of acicular nonmagnetic powder. However, the back coat layer becomes smooth and imprinting of back coat certainly reduces by using these powders, but the back coat layer becomes too smooth and the friction coefficient increases, as a result, the tension during running rises, which results in the increase of dropout. With respect to supports, JP-A-7-6351 and JP-A-8-45060 disclose the molecular weights and viscosities. Both literatures disclose that high edge can be prevented by using polyester-2,6-naphthalate (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "PEN") having a molecular prescribed to 8,000 to 16,000 or PEN having a viscosity prescribed to 0.45 to 0.53, but these supports are not provided with the back coat layer prescribed in the present invention, so that these are insufficient to achieve high durability. Thus, a magnetic recording tape can not satisfy both of electromagnetic characteristics and the restraint of weaving of an edge by conventional techniques. In particular, in these days when it is required to thin the thickness of a magnetic recording tape as a whole, although a magnetic recording tape having good electromagnetic characteristics and edge quality is required, such a magnetic recording tape is not provided yet.


A removable hub (100) for a catheter (170) including a lower portion (110) having a lower proximal end (114), a lower distal end (112), and a lower channel (116, 118, 120) extending between the lower proximal end and the lower distal end. The catheter hub (100) further includes an upper portion (130) having an upper proximal end (134), an upper distal end (132), and an upper channel (136,138,140) extending between the upper proximal end and the upper distal end. The catheter hub (100) further includes a hinge (150) connecting the lower portion and the upper portion and a lock (152a, 152b, 156a, 156b) for releasably securing the lower portion and the upper portion to each other, distal from the hinge. When the lower portion is releasably secured to the upper portion, the lower channel and the upper channel form a passageway (182, 184, 186).

Catheters for the introduction or removal of fluids may be located in various venous locations and cavities throughout the body for introduction or removal of these fluids. Such catheterization may be performed by using a single catheter having multiple lumens. A typical example of a multiple lumen catheter is a dual lumen catheter in which one lumen introduces fluid and the other lumen removes fluid.
Generally, to insert any catheter into a blood vessel, the vessel is identified by aspiration with a long hollow needle in accordance with the well known Seldinger technique. When blood enters a syringe attached to the needle, indicating that the vessel has been found, a thin guide wire is then introduced, typically through a syringe needle or other introducer device into the interior of the vessel. The introducer device is then removed, leaving the guide wire within the vessel. The guide wire projects beyond the surface of the skin. At this point, several options are available to a surgeon for catheter placement. The simplest is to pass a catheter into the vessel directly over the guide wire. The guide wire is then removed, leaving the catheter in position within the vessel. However, this technique is only possible in cases where the catheter is of a relatively small diameter, made of a stiff material, and not significantly larger than the guide wire, for example, for insertion of small diameter dual lumen catheters. If the catheter to be inserted is significantly larger than the guide wire, a dilator device is passed over the guide wire to enlarge the hole. The dilator is removed and the catheter is then passed over the guide wire. After the catheter is inserted, the guide wire is removed.
For chronic catheterization, in which the catheter is intended to remain inside the patient for an extended period of time, such as for weeks or even months, it is typically desired to subcutaneously tunnel the catheter using various tunneling techniques. The catheter is typically tunneled into the patient prior to inserting the catheter into the patient's vein. The catheter typically includes a catheter ingrowth cuff that allows skin tissue forming the subcutaneous tunnel, to grow into the ingrowth cuff to secure the catheter subcutaneously to the patient. The catheter also typically includes a hub that extends proximally of the subcutaneous tunnel. The hub usually includes at least one suture wing that allows the surgeon to suture the hub to the patient's skin, to further secure the catheter to the patient.
There may be times when it is more advantageous, such as depending on the patient or the implanting surgeon's skill, to perform the tunneling after the catheter is implanted in the patient. For some catheters, though, such as multiple lumen catheters with a hub and with bonded luers on the proximal ends of the catheters, it is impractical to perform the tunneling after the catheter is installed in the patient. It would be beneficial to provide a catheter assembly having a hub configuration that provides a surgeon with alternative installation procedures for installing the catheter that better suit either the patient's needs or the surgeon's skills. Further, while catheters are provided to surgeons in standard sizes, patients come in all different sizes and in all different conditions, and what may be a suitable place to suture a hub in one patient may be a poor place to suture a hub in another patient. It would therefore be beneficial to provide a hub that can be disposed along the catheter to a particular location as determined by the surgeon, based on the size and condition of each particular patient.
Further, since the catheter is intended to be in the patient for an extended period of time, the hub, which may be fairly large as compared to the diameter of the catheter, may cause inconvenience to the patient. It would therefore be beneficial to be able to remove the hub at some time after installation of the catheter so that the hub does not inconvenience the patient.


An elevator system for a basketball backboard comprising, in combination, a parallelogram frame and a backboard connected to the frame. A ratchet and pawl arrangement is connected between one of the arms and one of the vertical surfaces of the parallelogram frame so that a first vertical surface is freely movable upward relative to a second vertical surface and is held in a selected vertical position when the vertical lifting force applied to the first vertical surface is removed. The ratchet includes a plurality of ratchet teeth connected to and movable with one arm relative to the first vertical surface. The pawl is pivotally connected to the first vertical surface and disposed for engagement with the ratchet teeth to hold the first vertical panel in a selected vertical position when the vertical lifting force is removed. Also provided is a structure for biasing the pawl toward selective engagement with the ratchet teeth, the engagement depending upon the vertical position of the first vertical surface relative to the second vertical surface. A bell crank lever is pivotally connected to the first vertical surface and operatively associated with the ratchet and pawl arrangement, with a structure for connecting the bell crank lever to the pawl that is responsive to pivotal movement of the bell crank to move the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet teeth.

This invention relates to basketball backboard support arrangements and, more particularly, to such arrangements as will permit adjustment of the vertical height of the backboard and attached goal.
The desirability of having an adjustable basketball backboard is well recognized. Numerous constructions have been proposed for accomplishing incremental adjustment of the vertical height of the backboard and attached goal. Such arrangements have incorporated parallelogram type support frames capable of permitting vertical movement of the backboard while maintaining a parallel relationship between the backboard and the particular support surface to which it is attached. In addition, various releasable locking arrangements have been proposed for holding the backboard at a desired height and alternatively allowing the backboard to be lowered to a different position. Such selective locking arrangements have been used in combination with parallelogram type frame supports as well as other types of backboard supports.
For the most part, these prior art arrangements have been relatively complex, meaning they are relatively involved and expensive to manufacture as well as difficult to manipulate after installation and in use.
Among the general objects of this invention are to provide a simplified and yet effective basketball backboard support.
A further object of this invention is to provide such a basketball support which permits incremental height adjustment of the goal with a simplified frame and selective height locking arrangement.
Yet another general object of this invention is to provide an effective locking arrangement for establishing a desired basketball goal height and yet one which is relatively simple to operate both when raising and lowering the goal.
A more specific object of this invention is to provide a combination height adjustable backboard support and locking arrangement therefor, which combination permits upward adjustment of the backboard and release for downward movement of the backboard through basically a unitary readily manipulable releasable locking mechanism.


An illuminated writing table includes an underlying housing having a top perimeter plate with a central opening therethrough, with the top plate having a flange to accommodate and receive a transparent light member and intermediate plate of guide lines directed therealong, whereupon writing paper positioned upon the transparent plate permits visual observation of the guide lines for providing guidance of writing in a neat and orderly manner along the paper member. Clip structure is arranged relative to the table top for securing the paper relative to the transparent plate.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to illuminated table structure, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved illuminated writing table to provide for a guide pattern below an underlying paper to provide guidance for writing in spaced linear manner relative to the paper.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Writing tables of various types have been utilized throughout the prior art and exemplified by the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,875,396; 4,654,762; 4,564,886; and 4,418,378.
The instant invention attempts to overcome deficiencies of the prior art that have heretofore failed to provide for illuminated writing table in association with a guide pattern readily removed and mounted relative to the table and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.