A programmable event driver/interface has timekeeping and scheduling functions and tone and voice capabilities. A software-based interface allows for direct communication with individual annunciators and dynamic grouping of annunciators by zone. System state of health can be ascertained periodically for each annunciator, displayed in a visual summary, stored, and time tagged. Both tones and audio signals such as voice and radio can be commanded to be output by individual annunciators as well as by zones and by all annunciators at once. Schedules, including time-of day, day-of week, and date for annunciator outputs can be programmed for any or all annunciators.

Annunciator and paging systems within such facilities as factories, office buildings, parks, schools, and the like can use electrically activated bells as well as speaker-generated tones to announce normal periodic events such as breaks, shift changes, and other non-emergency events. Such systems are commonly limited to a single sound, in the case of those using mechanical bells, and a range of sounds, in the case of those using speakers and driven from a central audio tone source.
Some annunciator system designs use an individual loudspeaker at each of a multiplicity of locations. In some versions, they are wired in parallel, with each speaker transformer-isolated to permit high transmitter signal voltage at low current, which can reduce copper losses. Other designs may use signals sent from a central source at comparatively low levels, with the annunciators equipped with power supplies and amplifiers driven by local AC power. Systems with multiple zones to be signaled at different times or under different circumstances may be directly wired by zone from a shared control panel. Annunciators wired individually back to a control panel may be activated individually using switches. Volume control may be realized using a central attenuator or an attenuator at each speaker.
A logical extension of the speaker system concepts outlined above may be found in existing digital annunciator systems, which can take advantage of the significant flexibility available to digital systems in general to add features not available in earlier designs. Digital designs can include direct addressing of individual annunciators through a signal distribution system, so that a digital communication processor circuit in an individual annunciator can recognize its own address and respond appropriately.
A representative signal distribution system in use employs RS-485, a standard developed by industry and recognized by the Electronics Industry Association (EIA). RS-485 is a two-wire transmission line communication bus that uses a differential serial data stream for communication between one talker at a time and multiple listeners. RS-485 can be configured to be sufficiently flexible to permit each listener to reply when commanded to do so and to permit multiple talkers to talk in turn, using a scheduling protocol to avoid bus contention. The message bits comprising RS-485 may serve as alert signals, address bits, data bits, and checksums, as well as to be assigned other meanings. Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) integrated circuits and associated circuitry that can be incorporated into annunciators can recognize RS-485 signal traffic, and can be programmed to recognize their own addresses, to interpret commands sent out on the bus, to execute commands, and to take over the bus to transmit a reply when directed to do so.
Annunciators using RS-485 for communication with a central annunciator control panel can be addressed individually using a variety of addressing systems, including for example switch-selected binary code numbers that are transmitted to select each annunciator individually. Some of these annunciators can be commanded to respond to zone messages; subsequently, commands can address these zones instead of individual annunciators, allowing large groups of annunciators to be activated simultaneously. Some designs permit assignment to zones to be established and changed without need to alter physical wiring within a facility.
Annunciator systems in general emit audible tones when activated from a central location. More capable systems may provide the alternative of emitting prerecorded voice announcements or other brief, locally stored recordings. A nominally digital annunciator design in common use further extends this capability by allowing continuous analog output as well as synthesized tones and short messages. For such an annunciator, digital communication with a base station may be augmented with analog signal distribution on a second wire pair, broadcast, typically amplified at the annunciator, and emitted along with or in place of the annunciator's digitally generated tones.
It would be desirable to have an annunciator system with increased capability and flexibility, to take advantage of the opportunities offered by incorporating computer technology into annunciator systems to a greater extent than has been done heretofore.

Programmable event driver/interface apparatus and method


An axle assembly and method for assembling such axle assembly for a vehicle are disclosed. The axle assembly may comprise meshed ring and pinion gears, a center housing portion, and left and right leg housing portions. The center housing portion may include a center housing defining a center cavity in which the bevel gear is disposed, and at least one channel having an entrance port into the center cavity. The axle assembly may include a first conduit configured to branch off of the first channel in a first direction and a second conduit configured to branch off of the first channel in a second direction. Such channels and conduits may be integral to the center housing or substantially external to the center housing.

The axle housings of vehicles used for earth moving, construction, material handling, mining, and the like, are partially filled with oil or other lubricating fluid (collectively, "oil") to ease contact between meshing gears contained in the housing. It is desirable to have a film of oil between meshing gear teeth in order to avoid the extreme heat that may otherwise be created in the contact area of the teeth. Such extreme heat causes, between the surfaces of the meshing gear teeth, micro-welding that results in tearing and pitting of the gear teeth and breaking of the teeth due to material fatigue.
Each axle housing typically contains a toothed gear set such as a bevel gear and a pinion gear. The teeth of the smaller dimensioned pinion gear mesh with the teeth of the bevel gear. Generally, an output shaft from the vehicle transmission provides power to rotate the pinion gear. The rotating and meshing of the pinion gear teeth with the bevel gear teeth drives the bevel gear and transfers power, through the rotating bevel gear, to the wheels of the vehicle. The gear ratio of the pinion gear to the bevel gear typically creates a reduction of the input speed from the transmission and an increase in the torque applied to the wheels.
Generally, the axle housing is filled with enough oil to ensure that gear teeth, including those of the bevel and pinion gears, are lubricated. Thus, a larger gear disposed generally vertically within the axle housing (such as the bevel gear), which requires a lower fill level of oil in the axle housing, has to rotate through a much deeper oil fill level in order to ensure that other gears (for example, those with smaller diameters, those positioned horizontally) are adequately lubricated. Thus, the oil flow around a large gear, such as the bevel gear, is often turbulent due to the depth of oil in which the gear must rotate. This turbulence may be compounded by the meshing of gears, such as the bevel and pinion gears, that have different rotational axes. The input power required to overcome the resistance of the oil to the rotation of the gear(s) may be referred to as "churning loss." This churning loss results in increased fuel usage as more input power must be applied to make-up for the churning loss.
In addition, the axle housing is filled with enough oil to lubricate componentry disposed in either end of the axle housing (in the legs of axle housing). When the vehicle is operating on an incline, and hence the axle housing is inclined, the oil in the axle housing flows downhill toward the axle housing leg that is lowest on the incline. This flow increases the churning of the oil and decreases the availability of oil for lubrication of the componentry disposed in the leg housing that is higher on the incline. Neither is a beneficial result.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,825,099 ("Hopf") issued Jul. 23, 1974 is an example of prior art related to oil associated with bevel gears in axle drives. FIG. 1 of Hopf discloses a lubrication arrangement in which oil thrown up by the bevel gear is caught by a trough and conducted into collection chambers/pockets. The oil is then gravity fed through a maze of chambers into the differential gear housing that is adjacent to the bevel gear in the center portion of the housing. Disadvantageously, Hopf deposits the oil flowing out of the differential gear housing back into the center portion of the housing in the proximity of the bevel gear. A better design is needed that removes oil from the center housing portion of an axle housing, decreases churning loss and provides a flow of oil to the upper end of the axle housing when the axle housing is inclined.


A tensioning device for tensioning a flexible elongate member, such as a cord, comprises a first winding member which can rotate around an axle for, directly or indirectly, winding and unwinding the elongate member at a first end thereof, and a second winding member which can rotate around said axle for, directly or indirectly, winding and unwinding the elongate member at the second end thereof. The first and second winding members are interconnected by a tensioning member striving to cause a relative rotation between the first and second winding members for creating a prestress or tension in the elongate member. A restriction device is provided for limiting the maximum possible relative rotation between the first and second winding members.

The discussion below is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
An aspect of invention firstly relates to a tensioning device for tensioning a flexible elongate member, such as a cord, comprising a first winding member which can rotate around an axle for, directly or indirectly, winding and unwinding the elongate member at a first end thereof, and a second winding member which can rotate around said axle for, directly or indirectly, tensioning the elongate member at the second end thereof, wherein the first and second winding members are interconnected by a tensioning member striving to cause a relative rotation between the first and second winding members for creating a prestress or tension in the elongate member.
For example such a tensioning device is applied in a sunscreen assembly, comprising a winding shaft which can rotate around an axle for winding and unwinding a sunscreen. A free end of the sunscreen remote from the winding shaft is engaged by a first end of the flexible elongate member which extends around a reversal roller and which has a second end that can be wound and unwound by a winding disk which can rotate around said axle. Here, the winding shaft defines the first winding member and the winding disk defines the second winding member of the tensioning device interconnected by, generally, a coil spring.
This known tensioning device, however, has the disadvantage that when the first end of the elongate member (in the above sunscreen assembly being attached to the sunscreen) is moved towards the first winding member (in the above sunscreen assembly that means when winding the sunscreen onto the winding shaft) too quickly, the inertia of the winding shaft may prevent the elongate member from being maintained in a taut state at its first end (in the above sunscreen assembly that means that the sunscreen is not kept taut), such that it will slack, resulting in an irregular winding thereof onto the first winding member (winding shaft). Moreover, when the first end of the elongate member (in the above sunscreen assembly being attached to the sunscreen) is moved away from the first winding member (in the above sunscreen assembly that means when winding off the sunscreen from the winding shaft) too quickly, the inertia of the second winding member (the winding disk of the sunscreen assembly) may prevent the elongate member from being maintained in a taut state, such that it will slack, resulting in a loss of function of the tensioning device.

Tensioning device and sunscreen assembly provided therewith


A servo drive spring conveyance apparatus is disclosed in which a spring is grasped by a grabbing jaw of a multi-armed conveying star and fed from there to additional stations. The conveyance apparatus includes two belt loops that are provided for the conveyance of the springs.

The present invention relates to a spring conveyor apparatus for positioning and feeding a spring from a star shaped conveying hub to a downstream processing station.
Spring conveyor apparatus with servo drive are known wherein a spring is grasped by the gripping hand of a star shaped multi-armed conveyor and fed from there to additional stations. Such machines serve to convey a manufactured spring in a manner suitable for processing and precisely positioned to an arrangement where the springs are mounted on a spring core, a pillow or a seat cushion.
In such spring insertion stations, a spring is grasped by a spring manufacturing machine, which is known per se and thus will not be further described herein, by a gripping hand of a multi-armed conveying star. That spring is then fed to various other downstream stations of the assembly machine via a spring insertion machine.
In commonly assigned published German patent DE 34 26 110, which is hereby incorporated by reference, a spring manufacturing machine was described where a star shaped conveyor was also provided. Each spring produced in that station is inserted into the respective gripping hand of the conveying star, grasped by clamping and fed to a subsequent processing station.
The spring insertion station connected to it functions such that swivelled jaws were provided in the run-out area of the respective gripping hand of the conveying star, which swivelled jaws accepted the spring between them whereby the spring coming from the gripping hand of the conveying star was inserted between these swivelled jaws. Such a swiveling motion of the accepting jaws in the area of the spring insertion station, however, had the disadvantage, that the spring inserted into the spring insertion station could never be positioned precisely enough. This, in connection with the additional disadvantage that the spring had to be precisely aligned via a large number of alignment stations which was associated with high machinery outlays.
Accordingly, in applicant's known prior arrangement, it was not possible for the belt drive to execute different strokes and, consequently, the springs could be conveyed to the transfer arrangement only with the same distance between them. This resulted in the disadvantage that the individual distance between the springs had to be adjusted in the zone of the transfer arrangement located near the end of the drive chain, which resulted in higher machinery outlays and correspondingly increased manufacturing costs for the transfer arrangement.
In the prior art, a mechanical drive connection was used between the conveying star and the downstream spring conveying arrangement which resulted in the disadvantage that only constant strokes could be used and, correspondingly, that only a constant distance between springs could be set.


A network system may include a server and a client. The server accepts a request for a reservation of registration of a log that is transmitted from the client, and returns to the client log registration identification information. The server acquires execution command data from a registration command storage and registers the log stored in a log storing storage with a storage unit, asynchronously with the registration of the execution command data with a registration command storage. The client stores a log, transmits a request for a reservation of registration of the stored log, and selects a log to be requested to be registered from the stored log based on returned log identification information. The client transmits the selected log to the server to request registration of the log.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to control for registering a log of an image forming apparatus on the Internet.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there has been developed a job management method for efficiently managing a job history (job log) performed in an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a scanner, a facsimile, a copying machine, and a multifunction printer (MFP) integrating these machines. One method for collecting a job log is to install an application enabling transmission of a job log in an image forming apparatus, and cause the image forming apparatus itself to transmit the job log, as discussed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-166176.
Another method for collecting a job log is to cause, for example, a server computer in a network to acquire a job log of each job performed in various image forming apparatuses from the image forming apparatuses.
According to conventional methods, job log registration is performed in such a state that an image forming apparatus side, which transmits a job log, and a server side, which registers the job log, maintain communication therebetween (in synchronization with each other) when the job log is registered. In recent years, the cloud computing system technique and the Software as a Service (SaaS) technique have started to be used as a system configuration in which a server computer side is in charge of various kinds of processing.
The cloud computing technique utilizes many computing resources to distribute data processing among them, so that a large number of requests can be processed simultaneously. Hereinafter, the term "instance" will be used to collectively refer to an entity of one processing which offers a function with use of computing resources.
Consider such a configuration that a job log is registered from, for example, a jog log collection server which collects a job log from an image forming apparatus, or an image forming apparatus to a server computer group which constitutes a cloud. Hereinafter, the term "client" will be used to collectively refer to a job log collection server and an image forming apparatus which register a job log to a server computer group.
If a client and a server computer group are in synchronization with each other to register a job log, like the conventional job log registration methods, an instance is occupied from the start to the end of the registration processing. In addition, conventional job log registration is performed within an intranet, and therefore a system side can know the number of clients. As a result, less stressful job log registration is realized by setting up the schedule of jog log registration timing.
However, once job log registration has been started to be performed in an Internet environment, it has become impossible for a system side to know when and how much access is coming from clients. Therefore, this system may have such a situation that the server computer side receives registration requests from a large number of clients at the same time. The cloud computing technique utilizes many instances and can process requests from a large number of clients at the same time by distributing data processing.
However, realization of a job log collection system under the cloud computing technique requires many instances to maintain running for a long time so that the server computer side can maintain a stable operation even when a plurality of clients tries access thereto at the same time. The cloud computing technique is characterized by its ability to freely use many resources by freely setting the number of instances, but this leads to such an issue that a user is charged according to how many hours the instances are running, and an increase in the number of instances results in an increase in the operational cost.

Network system, server, information processing apparatus, log registration method, and program


System resources are pooled and allocated in an optimal manner to handling telephone voice traffic or to handling computer data traffic. A combination of mechanisms is used to achieve higher statistical multiplexing on a network interface by dynamically adjusting the multiplexing. The system: 1) Provides homogeneous access to DS0 trunk resource by both voice and data traffic, resulting in a larger resource pool. 2) Partially normalizes the class of service characteristics of data traffic to make it more predictable and can dynamically adjust the bandwidth such that requests for resources can be honored with a higher success rate, and 3) Maintains multiple qualities of service for multiple voice and data streams drawing from a single resource pool. Data traffic is normalized into flows, each of which has an assigned priority and bandwidth is allocation to each of the flows.

Most present day offices include telephones and computers. Office suites generally have a PBX or key system to handle the telephones and a separate Data Router to interconnect computers via a LAN.
Telephone key systems and PBX systems are available in a wide variety of forms. Most such systems are built using special purpose hardware. However, recently, programmed personal computers have been used to implement telephone switching systems. Such systems use the multitasking capabilities of computers such a the Microsoft Windows NT system to simultaneously switch a number of telephone calls between local loops and from local loops to trunk circuits.
The LANs used in office suites generally interconnect computers through Data Routers. A number of companies including Cisco Systems Inc., and AT&T market Routers for LAN networks.
In general, telephone systems and computer networks are moving toward similar technologies. This movement has been accelerated by the advent of "Internet Telephony". Internet Telephones transmit digitized and packetized voice over computer LAN networks and over the Internet.
Recently, systems have become available which integrate in one unit both, telephone switching or PBX capabilities, and LAN Data Routing or switching capabilities. Such integrated systems can function as both a small PBX and as a LAN Data Router. Presently available integrated systems use the multitasking capabilities of computer systems (such as the multitasking capabilities of the Microsoft Windows NT system) to handle multiple tasks on a time slice basis. Such systems can both switch telephone lines and they can also route data packets traveling over a LAN network.
Recurring cost for wide area network links dominates the overall service cost when providing either telephone or data communication networks. Because of this significant value is provided by equipment that can achieve higher wide area network utilization rates.

Combined telephone PBX and computer data router with pooled resources


A method for selectively dropping out feature elements from a tensor in a neural network is disclosed. The method includes receiving a first tensor from a first layer of a neural network. The first tensor includes multiple feature elements arranged in a first order. A compressed mask for the first tensor is obtained. The compressed mask includes single-bit mask elements respectively corresponding to the multiple feature elements of the first tensor and has a second order that is different than the first order of their corresponding feature elements in the first tensor. Feature elements from the first tensor are selectively dropped out based on the compressed mask to form a second tensor which is propagated to a second layer of the neural network.

Reconfigurable processors can be configured to implement a variety of functions more efficiently or faster than might be achieved using a general purpose processor executing a computer program. So called coarse-grain reconfigurable architectures (e.g. CGRAs) are being developed in which the configurable units in the array are more complex than used in typical, more fine-grained field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and may enable faster or more efficient execution of various classes of functions. For example, CGRAs have been proposed that can enable implementation of energy-efficient accelerators for machine learning and artificial intelligence workloads. See, Prabhakar, et al., "Plasticine: A Reconfigurable Architecture for Parallel Patterns," ISCA '17, Jun. 24-28, 2017, Toronto, ON, Canada.
In machine learning problems, regularization is the process of adding information in order to prevent overfitting. A reconfigurable architecture system that implements a neural network topology often employs one or more regularization techniques. Dropout is a popular regularization technique used in neural network models, to prevent overfitting of data. Dropout can be implemented using dropout mask elements. It may be desirable to efficiently generate and/or efficiently store the mask elements used for dropout.

Tensor dropout using a mask having a different ordering than the tensor


An image reader and an image forming apparatus are provided. The image reader includes a stationary document scanning device; a moving document scanning device; a scan window; a document cover covering the scan window and comprising an opening located at a position facing the scan window; a document feeding mechanism which is disposed at the document cover and feeds a document through the opening in the document cover and onto the scan window when the document is to be scanned by the moving document scanning device; an image pickup device configured to read an image from the scan window; and a controller which detects edges of the stationary document based on image data read by the image pickup device, and performs an image data defining operation to determine image data, which is included within the detected edges of the document, as exact image data.

Related art image readers have a stationary document scanning function (e.g. a flatbed scanning function) and a moving document scanning function (e.g. an automatic document feeder (ADF) scanning function). The stationary document scanning function reads an image from a stationary document placed on a scan window. The moving document scanning function reads an image from a moving document automatically fed by a document feeding mechanism such as the ADF.
The related art image reader may include two separate scan windows, one of which is to be used to scan a stationary document placed thereon by the stationary document scanning function and the other of which is to be used to scan a moving document by the moving document scanning function. The scan windows are disposed side by side in the image reader in a width direction (e.g. a right-left direction) of the image reader. By using this structure, the related art image reader can perform both the stationary document scanning function and the moving document scanning function.

Image reader and image forming apparatus


A network node comprising a memory and a controller, wherein said controller is configured to: detect that a handover for a mobile communications terminal from a first base station to a second base station and in response thereto determine if an application module associated with the mobile communications terminal is to be migrated, and if so, cause a migration of said application module to be performed.

Mobile communications terminals, such as mobile phones, smart phones and tablet computers, are becoming more and more advanced and the applications that are developed for these mobile communication terminals are also becoming more and more advanced requiring more and more computing power to be executed efficiently. However, to keep the cost of the mobile communication terminals low, the computing power of the mobile communication terminals often do not increase at the same pace as the demands of the applications that are to be run on the mobile communications terminals.
Since the development in the computer industry, and thereby also the mobile phone market and the tablet computer market, is so fast (with exponential growth as regards processor speed and memory space) it becomes difficult for a user to efficiently execute new applications on an older smartphone, tablet computer or other mobile communication terminal, without having to upgrade the mobile communication terminal.
There is thus a need for a mobile communications terminal that allows applications that require a lot of computing power to be executed efficiently. There is also a need that such execution is performed efficiently and uniformly even if the terminal is a mobile communication terminal which is moving.

Handover in a telecommunications system with distributed processing


Selecting an obscured object of a computer-generated model consisting of a plurality of objects displayed on a computer screen includes receiving input data interpreted as an instruction to change a visibility characteristic of a first one of the plurality of objects (the first one of the objects obscuring another of the objects, and the first object being determined based on the location of an on-screen cursor), and modifying a visibility characteristic of the first object to cause another one of the objects to become discernable and selectable.

Computer-aided design (CAD) software allows a user to construct and manipulate complex three-dimensional (3D) models of assembly designs. A number of different modeling techniques can be used to create a model of an assembly. These techniques include solid modeling, wire-frame modeling, and surface modeling. Solid modeling techniques provide for topological 3D models, where the 3D model is a collection of interconnected vertices, edges, and faces, for example. Geometrically, a 3D solid model is a collection of trimmed surfaces. The trimmed surfaces correspond to the topological faces bounded by the edges. Wire-frame modeling techniques, on the other hand, can be used to represent a model as a collection of simple 3D lines, whereas surface modeling can be used to represent a model as a collection of exterior surfaces. CAD systems may combine these and other modeling techniques, such as parametric modeling techniques. Parametric modeling techniques can be used to define various parameters for different features and components of a model, and to define relationships between those features and components based on relationships between the various parameters.
A design engineer is a typical user of a 3D CAD system. The design engineer designs physical and aesthetic aspects of 3D models, and is skilled in 3D. modeling techniques. The design engineer creates parts and may assemble the parts into one or more subassemblies. In addition to parts, a subassembly may also consist of other subassemblies. Using parts and subassemblies, the design engineer designs an assembly. Hereinafter, parts and subassemblies are collectively referred to as components.
In addition to design engineers, engineers in other disciplines may use 3D CAD systems. For example, a manufacturing engineer may use a 3D CAD system to view, and possibly modify, a component to address manufacturing processes used to build the component.
An engineer using a 3D CAD system frequently needs to select an entity in a component, such as a vertex, an edge, or a face. When a CAD model is not displayed as a wire-frame model or when a complex CAD model is displayed as a wire-frame model, an entity that the engineer wishes to select may be hidden by another entity. The engineer may be able to transform the model to make the hidden entity visible. For example, to select the back face of a part currently displayed on a computer screen, the engineer may be able to rotate the model until the back face becomes visible. However, in some cases, the back face may not become visible because the back face becomes obscured by another entity.
Manipulating the clipping planes, which determine the portion of the 3D modeling space that is rendered in a modeling window, may also remove obscuring objects. Employing this technique, however, may still require translation or rotation of the model to position the model in such a way as to eliminate obscuring entities. Even then, the entity that the engineer may want to select can still be hidden by another entity.
To address the drawbacks of only being able to transform the model and the modeling space to make obscured entities visible, some commercially available 3D CAD systems provide software tools that allow the selection of obscured entities without having to transform the model. These software tools, however, do not remove the obscuring entities and require the engineer to envision where the desired entity would appear on the computer display if not concealed by one or more other entities. Once the engineer envisions the location of the desired entity, he or she uses a pointing device to position a cursor at the envisioned location and indicates to the 3D CAD system the intention to select an obscured entity (e.g., by pressing a key on the keyboard while pressing a mouse button).
The 3D CAD system then produces a list of entities positioned beneath the cursor location. To produce the entity list, the 3D CAD system executes a procedure that constructs an imaginary line, known as a ray, through the model beginning at the cursor location and in an inward direction perpendicular to the x and y screen axes. The procedure then generates a list of all entities through which the ray passes (possibly within some tolerance value) and presents that list to the engineer, in some cases one entity at a time. If and when the desired entity is presented, the engineer indicates that the desired entity is indeed the entity he or she intends to select.
The entity list may be presented in a dialog box and each entity in the list identified by a system- or user-defined name (e.g., the name of a front face listed above the name of a back face). Alternatively, the entities in the list may be presented by highlighting the entities one at a time in the modeling area. A further presentation technique may allow the user to move the cursor over an entity list in a dialog box thereby causing the respective entity in the modeling area to be highlighted. A 3D CAD system typically highlights the outline of the entities and allows the outline to bleed through other obscuring entities, meaning that even though an entity is behind another, the entity can be perceived by the engineer. Generally, the entities are highlighted one at a time to distinguish each entity from another and to avoid a visually confusing representation of the CAD model. Whether the entities are presented by name in a dialog box or are highlighted in the modeling area, or a combination of both presentation methods, when the desired entity is presented, the engineer must indicate that the desired entity is to be selected (e.g., by selecting the entity name in a dialog box or by pressing a "Yes" button in a dialog box after the desired entity is highlighted).
The process just described consisting of generating a list of entities, presenting the entities in the list to the engineer, and allowing the engineer to indicate which entity to select contains fundamental drawbacks. One drawback is that the engineer must predict the location of the entity he or she wants to select. Being able to predict where the entity would be displayed if visible may be problematic. For small entities more often than large, the engineer may have difficulty placing the cursor over the desired entity. Therefore, many times the entity an engineer wants to select is not included in the entity list generated by the 3D CAD system.
Another drawback is that the engineer may not be able to recognize an entity's name or a highlighted entity when presented. If an entity name is unrecognizable, the engineer must reference another source to discover the name. If several entities are highlighted at once, the engineer may not be able to distinguish one entity from another. Moreover, the engineer's familiarity with a model determines the difficulty that he or she will have in determining which entity is highlighted due to the physical and positional similarities of various entities.
A further drawback is that the process does not permit the engineer to utilize the commonly used selection technique of pointing to an entity and clicking a mouse button. The way in which the engineer indicates that an obscured entity is desired for selection varies among 3D CAD systems. However, using current state of the art 3D CAD systems, pointing to an entity and pressing a mouse button in the way that entities are customarily selected is not possible for the purpose of selecting obscured entities. Rather, the engineer is required to press a mouse button while the cursor is located at an area of the computer screen other than where the entity being selected is positioned. That is, the engineer must concentrate on a dialog box or another user interface element that lists the entity names or awaits confirmation or rejection of a highlighted entity.
A 3D CAD system that addresses the foregoing drawbacks and thereby enables engineers to quickly select obscured entities in a manner in which engineers commonly select entities would enhance the capabilities and ease of use of such a 3D CAD system.

Selection of obscured computer-generated objects


A method for the internal oiling of a transmission shaft (1) which is positioned coaxially with the oil pump (2) of a transmission (13) and drives the oil pump (2). The transmission shaft (1) is internally oiled or lubricated using leakage oil which is already present from the oil pump (2) which is integrated in the transmission (13).

From the prior art, various methods and arrangements are known for the internal oiling of transmission shafts. For example, transmission shafts can be internally oiled by passive oiling systems in which special oil and guide devices are used, which collect the oil by means of drip edges in the housing or oil capturing devices and deliver it through ducts to one end of the transmission shaft to be oiled; the oil is led into the transmission shaft to be oiled by means of an oil guide that projects into the shaft at one end or by means of a rotary distributor.
DE 10 2005 052 450 A1 by the present applicant describes a method for oiling components by means of rotating shafts, for example in automatic transmissions of motor vehicles or other mechanisms that have rotating components.
The known system comprises at least two hollow shafts arranged in the flow direction of the oil, such that a main shaft is arranged coaxially in an accommodating area of a driveshaft wherein it is mounted by means of a roller bearing. To be able to supply sufficient lubrication oil to lubrication points at varying oil delivery efficiencies and rotational speeds of the shafts, according to DE 10 2005 052 450 A1 it is provided that on the driveshaft there is arranged an oil reservoir container provided with at least one flexible wall, whose inside space is connected by way of at least one radial bore to the axial bore of the driveshaft, and which has an oil penetration regulating component arranged in the end of the driveshaft remote from the main shaft.
Disadvantageously, in systems of this type additional components are needed, for example oil guide devices and sometimes a rotary distributor, and this has an adverse effect on the assembly effort and on the production and maintenance costs.
Furthermore, the internal oiling of the transmission shafts can be ensured by active oiling systems. In this case the oil is pumped by a pump through an oil guidance system to an injection nozzle at the end of the transmission shaft to be oiled or to a rotary distributor, and injected into the shaft. In active oiling systems as well, additional components are disadvantageously required, such as oil guide devices, an injection nozzle and a rotary distributor.
For example, DE 10 2004 018 226 A1 by the present applicant describes a system for supplying oil to shafts, in particular transmission shafts, that comprises an axially extending bore or oil duct with at least one oil bore in the shaft provided with the axial bore or oil duct, the bore leading from the surface of the shaft into the axial bore or oil duct. In addition the known system comprises at least one nozzle arranged outside the shaft, through which oil is injected into the at least one bore, the injection speed of the oil being determined such that the stream reaches at least as far as into the oil duct in the shaft, where it is broken up and distributed in the shaft.

Method and device for the internal oiling of a gear shaft that is arranged coaxially to the oil pump of a gearbox and drives the oil pump


A passive electro-mechanical device that reduces phase noise in oscillators, thereby improving their frequency precision. The noise reduction device can consist of a pair of coupled nonlinear resonators that are driven parametrically—by modulating their natural frequency in time, through the output signal of a conventional oscillator at a frequency close to the sum of the linear mode frequencies. Above the threshold for parametric response, the coupled resonators can exhibit oscillation at an inherent frequency. The novel possibility for noise elimination is realized by tuning the system to operating points for which this periodic signal is immune to frequency noise in the drive signal, providing a way to clean the phase noise of the driving oscillator.

Self-sustained oscillators frequently appear as crucial elements in the electrical devices that surround us in our highly technological environment. Essentially, oscillators are devices generating a periodic signal at an inherent frequency, so their primary function is to provide a time reference (clock) or frequency reference. An ideal self-sustained oscillator is mathematically described as a limit cycle in the phase space of dynamical variables, or equivalently as a periodic solution of a set of autonomous differential equations. The ideal oscillator can be described in terms of a steadily increasing phase variable corresponding to the phase space point advancing around the limit cycle, with a 2π-phase change corresponding to a period of the motion. This phase is highly sensitive to additional stochastic terms (noise) in the equations of motion, as the appearance of periodicity without an external time reference implies the freedom to drift in the phase direction. In the power spectrum of the oscillator output the stochastic phase dynamics lead to a broadening of the spectral peaks, that are perfectly discrete in the ideal case [see M. Lax, Phys. Rev., vol. 160, pp. 290-307, 1967; A. Demir et al., "Phase Noise in Oscillators: a Unifying Theory and Numerical Methods for Characterization," Circuits and Systems I: Fundamental Theory and Applications, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 47, no. 5, pp. 655-674, 2000], and a degradation of the performance as a time or frequency reference. Thus, an essential task in the design of a good oscillator is to reduce the effects of the noise present in the system on the oscillator phase. See, for example, Greywall et al., "Evading Amplifier Noise in Nonlinear Oscillators," Phys. Rev. Lett., 72, 19, 2992-2995, (1994).
Oscillator phase noise is described in, for example, US Patent Publication Nos. 2005/0046505 and 2012/0299651.

Passive phase noise cancellation element


A void-forming preform for installing a light fixture in a pavement, such as a poured concrete slab, or other structure comprises an upper chamber for receiving the light fixture, a ledge for supporting the light fixture, and a lower chamber for holding a length of wiring entering the lower chamber through a port. In a further embodiment, adjustable standoffs are formed in the bottom of the preform. The standoffs may be bent down to provide support for the preform on a pavement base prior to forming the pavement, and allow easy and fine adjustment of the height of the preform in relation to the final grade of the pavement.

The present invention relates to a receptacle box for use in a pavement or similar structure. More specifically, the present invention relates to a void-forming box, or preform, that can be embedded in a poured concrete pavement or similar structure to accept and support a light fixture.
Pavements are made from a variety of materials, including asphalt, concrete, brick, and gravel, for a variety of purposes, such as roadways, runways, driveways, sidewalks, patios, and so forth. In many situations, it is desirable to provide illumination on the surface of the pavement, to illuminate a centerline or an edge of the pavement, for example. Pavements are illuminated with both reflective and active devices. Reflective devices, such as reflective paint or reflectors, reflect light from an light source, such as a car's headlamps. Reflective devices are relatively inexpensive, easy to apply, and robust. However, reflective devices must be illuminated by an external light source and often provide reflective illumination over only a narrow viewing angle.
Active devices have a light source, such as a lamp or fiber optic cable, that emits light. While active devices do not rely on an external light source, active devices require some sort of power to be delivered to, or contained within, the device. The power lines that deliver power to active devices usually run beneath the surface of the pavement. This protects the power lines against damage from the traffic on the surface of the pavement and provides a smooth pavement surface.
One active system for use with asphalt pavements, such as airport runways, runs power lines through a slot cut in the pavement to a lamp that is placed in a divot that is chipped out of the pavement. The slot is then filled with a sealing material. Such a system is limited in utility as the lamps are typically small so that they may sit within the divots and be protected from the weight of the tires. These types of systems are not generally used in concrete or brick pavements because of the difficulty of forming the slots and divots.
Another system uses fiber optic cable to distribute light from a lamp near the pavement to bricks or paving blocks that have a hole drilled through the brick and a small lens on the surface of the brick. The fiber optic cable is brought to the backside of the brick and optically coupled to the lens to provide a small dot of light on the surface of the brick. Unfortunately, this system is impractical for use with formed-in-place pavements, such as poured concrete pavements, because any repair or replacement of a part often requires the use of a jackhammer or sledgehammer to destroy the pavement in order to gain access to the part, and then the pavement must be repaired.
Conventional electrical receptacles, junction boxes, pull boxes, and similar devices exist for forming voids in poured concrete structures, such as floors of buildings, but are unsuitable for accepting and supporting light fixtures for several reasons. A common problem with such devices is the labor and total process time required to set the devices to grade. Typically, such devices are set to grade using a wet-set technique or a trimming technique. The wet-set technique involves pouring a patty of concrete at the intended location of the receptacle and pressing the receptacle into the concrete until the receptacle is at the proper grade. This is a time consuming and labor-intensive process that requires mixing and pouring of concrete before the slab may be poured, and does not allow fine adjustment of the height of the receptacle. Preforms used in trimming techniques typically extend above the height of the intended slab. The preform is set to an approximate height, and the excess is trimmed off after the slab is poured. This technique is also time consuming, and does not provide accurate control of the depth of the void.
Controlling the depth of the void is important when a preform is intended to accept a subsequent component of a particular height, such as a light fixture, because the component may stick out of, or be sunk below, the pavement if the height of the preform is not accurately controlled. Furthermore, conventional receptacles and preforms typically have no means to support a light fixture, have structures that would interfere with insertion of a component, such as screw tabs or seating rims, and do not provide any storage space for coiling wire to allow the light fixture to be removed and serviced.
Therefore, a device or system allowing illuminating devices to be installed in formed-in-place pavements is desirable. It is further desirable that any such device or system provide support for the traffic passing over the pavement, and allow access to the device for maintenance or replacement.

Embedded light fixture preform for poured concrete structures


A portable, self-contained apparatus for cooling automotive engine fluid, e.g. engine coolant, includes quick couplers for connection to an automotive engine. The apparatus receives hot engine fluid from the engine, cools the engine fluid, and returns the cooled engine fluid to the engine. A fluid reservoir and one or more heat exchangers aid in the cooling process. Corresponding methods provide similar advantages.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to cooling systems and methods. More particularly, specific aspects of the invention provide portable cooling systems and methods that quickly reduce the temperature of an automotive engine.
2. Description of Related Art
In automotive races sponsored by the NASCAR organization, for example, cars are allowed to run warm-up laps for a specified period of time, e.g. one hour, prior to running qualifying laps. During the warm-up laps, a car runs a series of timed laps. The car is then brought back into the garage area for adjustments, and then sent back out for more laps. This process continues for e.g. one hour or other designated time.
When the car is brought back in for adjustments, it is important for the race team to cool the engine as fast as possible, so that appropriate adjustments can be made and the car sent back out. The more laps the car can run during the warm-up laps, the better the race team can tune the car for the qualifying laps. To provide the best adjustments, it is best for the car to be sent out each time at approximately the same temperature. Currently, cars of this type are able to cool their engines to 10-20 Fahrenheit degrees above ambient temperature prior to the qualifying laps.
When the race team runs the qualifying laps, they typically will unhook the fan belts and tape off the grill. This is done so that all possible horsepower is used to give the fastest possible qualifying lap. With fan belts off and the grill taped off, the car has little to no cooling during the qualifying laps themselves. For this additional reason, it is very important for the car to start at the lowest possible temperature.
One current way to cool race car engines is with a machine that uses ice cubes. As engine coolant is circulated into the machine, ice is added to the coolant reservoir to directly cool the reservoir. Adding ice to the reservoir, however, often causes the reservoir to overflow. A valve is opened and the coolant is allowed to spill out directly onto the garage floor, driveway, or other underlying surface. This spillage presents at least two problems. First, the spilled coolant can be very hot and can flow into areas where crews are working, causing the potential for burns or other serious injuries. Second, race teams often take the temperature of the tires in different locations after the car returns from a warm-up lap. If coolant is being spilled onto the driveway, the car may drive through the coolant, changing the tire temperatures and providing the race team with inaccurate tire temperature information. Note FIG. 1, for example, which shows coolant or other fluid spillage 10 on driveway or other road surface 20. Car 30 must drive through and/or rest in spillage 10, potentially creating the above-described problems.
Aspects of the invention overcome the problems described above, and other problems. Aspects of the invention provide a portable cooling system that reduces the temperature of an engine or other similar device or system. Engine coolant is circulated through one or more heat exchangers and a reservoir. The coolant is pumped or otherwise directed through the engine block via a product pump or equivalent device. One or more of the heat exchangers are e.g. of the xe2x80x9cliquid-to-airxe2x80x9d type, the xe2x80x9cliquid-to-liquidxe2x80x9d type, or of both types. Aspects of the invention can be operated manually or automatically, e.g. through a series of electrical controls.
Aspects of the invention have particular application to vehicles used in the racing sport. An engine block is rapidly cooled, so that adjustments can be made and more warm-up laps run. Aspects of the invention allow initial engine temperature to be quickly and significantly reduced, compared to current cooling systems. Cars can start cooler and run faster throughout the entire qualifying lap, for example, giving the race team a better pole position on race day.
Other features and advantages according to the invention will become apparent from the remainder of this patent application.

Engine fluid cooling systems and methods


A secondary light assembly emits light into an area lit by a primary light source. The secondary light assembly includes a light sensor for sensing light emitted from the primary light source. A secondary light source is operatively connected to the light sensor. A controller is electrically connected to the light sensor and the secondary light source. The controller calculates a rate of change of light emission from the primary light source such that the controller turns the secondary light source on when the rate of change of light emission from the primary light source is above a predetermined rate threshold.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to assemblies used as night lights. More specifically, the invention relates to light assemblies that are used only momentarily after a light source is turned off.
2. Description of the Related Art
Devices are well known that provide some level of light for an area automatically upon certain conditions. In the past, lights were automatically turned on based upon a clock setting. In other devices, lights turned on when ambient light was reduced to a level below which a secondary light source was turned on. Some of these devices are commonly referred to as "night lights" because they stay on to provide a minimal amount of light all during the night allowing those that need to get up to move about the room without running into objects.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,198,563 discloses a modified light assembly. The circuit disclosed in this patent energizes a secondary light source when ambient light is reduced below a predetermined level. When the circuit is activated by the reduced ambient light, a timer is activated to govern how long the secondary light source is to be lit. More specifically, a timing circuit provides a reset input for an SR flip-flop that determines for how long the secondary light is supposed to stay on once a photo-detector sets the flip-flop when ambient light drops below the predetermined level.
This is a fair representation of most supplemental light sources in that they are activated after the ambient light drops below a predetermined level. In essence, they are more concerned about providing light when ambient light is reduced. Not only that the ambient light is reduced, but that it is reduced to or below what has been determined to be a fair representation of a condition that requires supplemental light emission for human activity. While light may be needed in these circumstances, there is no device that provides momentary illumination in a space or room that is triggered by an event defined by the rate at which ambient light is reduced.

Automatic momentary secondary light source assembly


An apparatus for generating random bits includes a plurality of mapping devices. A respective mapping device is configured to map a predefined number of input signals, with the aid of a combinatorial mapping, into a predefined number of output signals. The plurality of mapping devices are concatenated with one another, and at least one combinatorial mapping is configured such that a state change of an input signal of a respective mapping device is mapped on average onto more than one output signal of the respective mapping device. No feedback loop is present such that a state change of at least one feedback output signal of a specific mapping device is fed as a state change of at least one input signal to another mapping device such that one or a plurality of output signals of the specific mapping device is influenced by the state change of the feedback output signal.

The present embodiments relate to generating one or more random bits.
In security-relevant applications (e.g., in asymmetrical authentication methods), random bit sequences are used as binary random numbers. In this case, it is desired to implement as little hardware outlay as possible, particularly in mobile applications. Known measures for generating random numbers include, for example, pseudo-random number generators, analog random sources, ring oscillators and modifications thereof.
In pseudo-random number generators, seeds are used. Proceeding from this, deterministic pseudo-random numbers are calculated. A physical random generator may be used for generating the seed. As analog random sources, noise sources such as, for example, the noise of zener diodes are amplified and digitized. In this case, the linking of digital with analog circuit technology may be realized only in a complex fashion.
In the case of ring oscillators constructed from an odd number of inverters connected in series, random jitter arises from fluctuating transient times of the signals through the inverters. The jitter (e.g., an irregular temporal fluctuation in state changes of the signals sent through the inverters) may be accumulated upon multiple passes through the ring oscillator circuit, such that ultimately a random analog signal arises. What is often disadvantageous in the case of ring oscillators is the long time required from the start of the oscillation until a usably random signal arises on account of the accumulation of jitter. Therefore, low, unacceptable data generation rates may arise in the case of ring oscillators. The accumulating jitter contributions may also cancel themselves out again, such that on average, random short gate transient times are compensated for by random longer gate transient times.
Fibonacci and Galois ring oscillators generate random signal waveforms more rapidly than traditional ring oscillators. However, different digital gates such as XOR and NOT gates are used. As a result, large differences in the speed of the types of gates may arise (e.g., in implementations on ASICs). It is often desired to generate random bit sequences with the aid of field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). However, in these digital components, periodic oscillations that have only low entropy or randomness in the signals may commence (e.g., on account of ambient temperature fluctuations).
The power consumption in oscillator circuits in random number generators may prove to be disadvantageous, since an electric current is to continuously flow during operation.
In digital circuits, the current consumption essentially depends on the number of changeover processes per time. In corresponding digital oscillation circuits, this is to take place continuously, and a rather unfavorable power consumption arises in the case of random number generators based on ring oscillators. In the case of mobile applications, it is desirable to keep down the power consumption or the current consumption of the circuits implemented in terms of hardware. Nevertheless, statistically good physical random chance is intended to arise.

Apparatus and method for generating random bits


A video sensor device is provided which incorporates a rangefinder function. The device includes a single video camera and a fixed laser spaced a predetermined distance from the camera for, when activated, producing a laser beam. A diffractive optic element divides the beam so that multiple light spots are produced on a target object. A processor calculates the range to the object based on the known spacing and angles determined from the light spots on the video images produced by the camera.

Although the invention is not limited to such an application, an important use of the invention is in the inspection of hardware on space vehicles. There has been a further increased emphasis on the reliability of space related assets after the second loss of a space shuttle. The intricate nature of the hardware being inspected often requires that the hardware be completely disassembled in order for a thorough inspection to be performed. For this reason and others, such an inspection can be difficult as well as costly. In fact, requalification of the hardware is sometimes prohibitively expensive and time consuming. Further, it is imperative that the hardware under inspection not be altered in any way other than that which is intended.
Potential inspection areas in spacecraft include areas around turbine fans in the high pressure turbo pump, the "injection forest" where propellant and oxidizer enter the combustion chamber, and plumbing such as a cooling manifold around the nozzle. The physical environment to be navigated by the inspection device is generally characterized by constant lighting conditions, curved walls, confined spaces and two to twelve inch length corridors.
Machine vision offers an inspection approach which can enable inspection to be carried out at a faster rate using less obtrusive methods. One class of machine vision that is of particular relevance here is rangefinders and, in this regard, as will appear, the present invention is, broadly speaking, a special form of rangefinder combined with a video sensor. Commercial rangefinders are widely used and relatively accurate. Unfortunately, most are designed for outdoor use as opposed to indoor use in confined spaces, and even those specifically designed for indoor use employ time of flight (TOF) techniques that are not effective in providing accurate measurements of distances less than two feet.
Rangefinders using triangulation dominate simplified distance navigation devices. One device of interest here is described in C. Mertz, J. Kozar, J. R. Miller, C. Thorpe, C. Eye-safe Laser Line Striper for Outside Use, IV 2002, IEEE Intelligent Vehicle Symposium, June, 2002, December, 2001. The described device employs a laser line projected onto the target, and uses deformation in the laser line to identify and alert an automobile driver as to the proximity of the automobile to an object (e.g., a curb).
Alternative distance measuring techniques using a single camera also include pixel dithering techniques (see, e.g., Robert A Ulichney, One-dimensional Dithering, Proc. SPIE Vol. 3409, p. 204-214, Electronic Imaging: Processing, Printing, and Publishing in Color, Jan Bares; Ed) and an optoelectronic technique for target recognition (see, e.g., Curtis Padgett, Wai-Chi Fang, Steven Suddarth, Smart Optoelectronic Sensor System for Recognizing Targets, Suraphol Udomkesmalee, NASA Tech Brief, Electronic Systems category, NPO-20357).
Unfortunately, simple triangulation cannot account for curved surfaces, angles or corners, and, as set forth previously, it is important in the applications here that the inspection be carried out in environments having these features. Further, a method such as the method described in the Mertz et al. reference mentioned above, which uses a laser line, is also impractical for these applications because of the impact of increased computational requirements on size. Also, in a practical implementation, some of the various parameters (e.g., the distance from the camera to the target and the laser and camera angles) are very difficult to precisely define.

Video sensor with range measurement capability

The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration


In a transmission timing control apparatus, a state variable signal affected by a phase representing the data transmission timing of a neighboring node is used to determine the data transmission timing of the own node. A node information transmitter/receiver transmits source identification information particular to the own node and source node information of a data signal received by the own node, and receives node information transmitted from the neighboring node. A neighboring node information collecting circuit collects neighboring node information of all neighboring nodes having received data signals, based upon the source identification information received by the node transmitter/receiver and the source node information. A collision determination circuit compares in number neighboring nodes to which the transmission timing determining circuit is related as to the control of the data transmission timing with nodes based on the all neighboring node information to determine the probability of a collision between data transmissions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a telecommunications system, and more specifically to a transmission timing control apparatus that can be mounted on, or applicable to, communication nodes disposed in the form of, e.g. a sensor network, a mobile communications network or a local area network (LAN) to be spatially apart from each other.
2. Description of the Background Art
In order to allow such nodes spatially distributed to transmit data without colliding with each other, a time division multiple access (TDMA) system and a carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) system, such as a carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) system or a carrier sense multiple access with collision detection (CSMA/CD) system are available, as taught by Y. Matsushita et al. "Wireless LAN Architecture", pp. 47, 53-59 and 69, Kyoritsu Shuppan Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, 1996.
A problem with the TDMA system is that when an error occurs in a central control server the entire telecommunications system goes down. In light of this, there have been proposed various methods of allowing each of the nodes to mutually adjust its time slots by itself in a distributed coordination fashion without resorting to a central control server for thereby avoiding a collision between communication data. In accordance with such methods, each node periodically transmits and receives impulse signals with neighboring nodes for thereby mutually adjusting the allotment of time slots.
More specifically, each node uses a numerical formula modeling nonlinear oscillation to adjust the timing for transmitting an impulse signal in accordance with the timings at which the other nodes transmit input signals. Each node can therefore execute the adjustment in such a fashion that the timing for transmitting its own impulse signal is apart from the timings of the other nodes for transmitting impulse signals as far as possible, implementing the acquisition of time slots in a distributed coordination fashion.
When the communication control method stated above is applied to a radio or wireless communication environment, it is necessary to solve the problem of so-called hidden terminals. For that aim, the transmission output strength is controlled in such a manner that a transmitted timing signal in the form of impulse propagates over a range twice or more as broad as the propagation range of a data signal. For example, FIG. 2 shows the propagation ranges of data signals indicated by solid lines 31 and the propagation range of a transmitted timing signal indicated by a dotted line 33. By designing each of the propagation ranges 33 of timing signals transmitted from nodes N1, N2 and N3 twice or more as broad as the propagation ranges of a data signal, the nodes N1 and N3 are successfully prevented from simultaneously sending out data toward the node N2. In this manner, the nodes N1 through N4 interact with each other to control the data signal transmission timings thereof.
However, even if the transmission output strength is selected such that the propagation range 33 of a transmitted timing signal is twice or more as broad as the propagation range 31 of a data signal, it is likely that the former is not twice or more as board as the latter in an environment, e.g. where an electromagnetic wave sent from a node is attenuated by an obstacle. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, although the node N4 is able to receive data signals from both of the nodes N1 and N5, the node N5 stays outside the timing signal propagation range 31 of the node N1, and therefore unable to receive a timing signal sent from the node N1. It follows that the nodes N1 and N5 cannot interact with each other but are apt to send out data signals at the same time, resulting in a collision between the data signals.
Under the above circumstances, it is desirable to control the propagation range of transmitted timing signals and data transmissions in such a manner as to avoid a collision from occurring between data transmissions when the propagation range of a transmission timing signal is short of one two times longer than the propagation range of a data signal.

Telecommunications system for determining the probability of and avoiding collision between data transmissions


A state storage device for use in an RFID tag includes, in at least one embodiment, a capacitor coupled to a high impedance node. The storage device can be configured to indicate a high or low bit condition. The high impedance node can be designed to dissipate the stored electrical charge at a user-controlled, predefined, or known rate. The state storage device can be configured to store the bit condition for no more than four seconds. In some embodiments, the high impedance node can be formed from an electrically trimmed transistor.

One of the major problems facing radio frequency identification ("RFID") systems today is that of RFID tags not being read, which results in a reduction in tag identification rates. Tags are less likely to be read if a large number of tags is present in a small enclosure. When tags are close to each other, they can shield other tags and mutual coupling between tags can result in tags losing power. Loss of power can result in tags not being identified or taking too long to identify. As a result, some currently available RFID systems have not shown good performance when used with a high density of RFID tags close to each other.
To prevent tags from losing power, persistent state storage bits ("superbits") that store flags can be implemented in tags. Using such state storage can give substantial improvement in RFID throughput, help eliminate missed tags in passive RFID operation, and improve tag recognition. Using known systems, however, a command sent to a tag to reset a persistent state storage bit might not be received and the capacitor may stay charged. If a particular tag is weakly energized (e.g., if the tag is energized only at one frequency out of 30 frequencies in the band), and if the tag's state storage bit is not reset several times because it misses most reset commands, then this tag could be missed by all identification cycles.
Currently known methods of implementing a state storage bit are based on a high impedance node blocking a capacitor so that the leakage through the high impedance determines the maximum time for which the state storage bit can be stored. Since the high impedance depends on parasitics, the state storage time can vary from a few seconds to a few hours, or even days. Currently known state storage devices allow the capacitor to drain current too quickly or allow the capacitor can retain a charge for too long. In known devices, when the power supply is off, the state storage device dissipates its charge by means of an unknown and widely varying leakage current.

State storage with defined retention time


A photolithographic process involves the use of plasma to effect a superficial etch of a semiconductor wafer prior to the application of photoresist. Photoresist is applied directly on the wafer, without using an adhesion promotor. The photoresist is then exposed to patterned light. After exposure, the photoresist is developed leaving the desired photoresist mask on the wafer. Due to the superficial etch, curling of the photoresist is minimized, enhancing the selective protection provided by the photoresist to the wafer below.

The present invention relates to semiconductor processing and, more particularly, to photolithographic processing of semiconductor materials. A major objective of the present invention is to improve the precision with which integrated circuit features can be defined using photolithography.
Much of modern technological progress is identified with miniaturization of integrated circuits. Miniaturization allows for increased functionality by increasing the number of circuits that can be integrated onto a single device. Increased processing speeds are also achieved as the capacitances and distances between circuit elements are reduced. In addition, miniaturization can lower costs by increasing the number of integrated circuit devices that can be made together.
Photolithography, a pervasive component of semiconductor processing, provides for the definition of integrated circuit features using patterns of light. Typically, a semiconductor wafer, at an initial or intermediate stage of processing, is coated with photoresist. A photoresist is a material whose solubility or reactivity changes as it is exposed to light. In photolithography, the light is patterned so that some regions of the photoresist are altered while others are not. A "negative" photoresist is one for which development removes unexposed photoresist, while a "positive" photoresist is one for which development removes exposed photoresist. Commonly, a positive photoresist is used which acidifies when exposed to ultraviolet light. An alkaline developer can be used to removed the exposed photoresist. The unexposed photoresist then masks the regions it covers, while the uncovered regions are subjected to subsequent processing steps.
Increasing miniaturization, i.e., increasing circuit density, requires that circuit features be made smaller and be arranged more closely together. However, small deviations in the manufacture of small, closely-spaced features can lead to non-functioning circuits. To increase the yield of integrated circuit manufacturing, circuits are made larger and spaced further apart than theoretically necessary so that tolerance is provided for errors in device placement and definition. Greater circuit density, as well as performance and economy could be achieved if photolithography could be made more precise.
The importance of photolithographic precision can be illustrated in the context of a metal-on-oxide (MOS) transistor. A MOS transistor functions as a switch having a source, a drain, and a gate. The source and drain can be electrically coupled and decoupled by varying the voltage applied to the gate. The gate of a MOS transistor lies over a channel in the semiconductor which has a conductivity type opposite to that of the source and drain regions. Conductivity type is determined by dopants introduced into the semiconductor material. If the dopant intended for the source and drain enters the intended channel region, the transistor will not function according to design. For this reason, the channel region is typically masked during introduction of the dopant intended for the source and drain.
The mask can be defined photolithographically. A layer of silicon dioxide can be formed over the semiconductor substrate. Positive photoresist can be spun on over the silicon dioxide. The photoresist can be exposed to ultraviolet light that is patterned so as to define the channel region. The exposed photoresist is dissolved and removed, while leaving unexposed photoresist over the source and drain. The portions of the silicon dioxide thereby uncovered are then chemically etched away, defining apertures through the silicon dioxide over the intended source and drain regions. The remaining photoresist can be removed at this point. The dopant for the source and drain is then introduced into the proper semiconductor regions. However, the dopant cannot penetrate through the silicon dioxide protecting the channel region.
One limitation on photolithographic precision is a tendency of the photoresist to curl away from the underlying surface. This can subject regions under the curl to unintended treatment. In the case of the MOS transistor, the chemical etchant can seep under the hardened photoresist and remove silicon dioxide from over the channel region. This can result in source/drain dopant entering the channel region, impairing or destroying the resulting transistor. This scenario can be accommodated by providing dimensional tolerances at the expense of circuit density and performance.
To address this problem, an adhesion promotor has been applied before the photoresist to limit its curling. In MOS processing, an adhesion promoter such as hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) can applied to an oxide layer surface of the wafer before it is coated by a photoresist. The adhesion promoter can be applied by any one of several common coating techniques. For example, a quantity of the HMDS can be coated onto the wafer and the wafer then can be spun at speeds of from 3000 to 6000 revolutions per minute (rpm) to spread the adhesive by centrifugal force. Alternatively, a desired thickness of coating can be attained either by immersing the wafer in a solution of adhesion promoter, or by depositing vaporized adhesion promoter onto the wafer. Deposition of photoresist can then proceed as usual.
However, the use of adhesion promoters has some inherent disadvantages. One disadvantage is that many adhesion promoters--including HMDS--can introduce contaminants, which can adversely effect the photoresist. Another disadvantage is that thin adhesion-promoting films on a wafer can lead to interference of the ultraviolet light used to expose the photoresist. This interference makes precise control of opening widths difficult. In addition, because some coatings can chemically react with some adhesives, the method of applying adhesives on the wafer to improve the photolithographic processing is limited in practical application. Toxicity and/or flammability of adhesives makes the use of adhesives inconvenient and hazardous, since great attention and care must be paid during movement and application.
What is needed is a photolithographic process that improves photolithographic precision without the use of adhesion promoters, and without introducing toxics, contaminants, or side reactions. This process should also be applicable to various wafer and layer compositions, and with various coating materials.

Semiconductor photolithography with superficial plasma etch


There is provided a cup holder including a holder body, an opening formed in a side wall of the holder body, a support supported on the side wall so as to advance into or retreat from a storage space through the opening, and a leaf spring disposed between the support and the side wall and biasing the support in a direction in which the support advances into the storage space. The support has a turning shaft serving as a center of swinging of the support and a swinging portion swinging around the turning shaft by turning of the turning shaft. On a peripheral edge of the opening formed in the side wall, a nipped portion protrudes to the outside of the side wall and swingably holds the support by being nipped between the turning shaft and the swinging portion while the support advances or retreats.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a cup holder disposed in the interior of a vehicle or the like and, more specifically, to a cup holder having a support that can hold a beverage container stored in a storage space.
2. Related Art
The interior of a vehicle is equipped with a cup holder to stably hold a beverage container. A large number of cup holders include supports to stably hold beverage containers having various sizes against acceleration or vibration of vehicles.
Such a support is normally biased to protrude into a storage space. As the support, for example, a biasing member is disposed between a holder body of the cup holder and the support to bias the support in a direction in which the support advances into the storage space. When a beverage container is stored in a storage space to push the support to the outside in a radial direction, the support retreats from the storage space to hold the side surface of the beverage container with biasing force of a biasing member (JP 2009-101999 A, JP 2012-046036 A, JP 2010-195186 A, JP 2006-001479 A, and JP 2004-182229 A).


The present invention relates to a novel benzoic acid amide derivative compound, isomers thereof, pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, prodrugs thereof, hydrates thereof, or solvates thereof. The novel compound has excellent skin whitening effects.

Melanin protects skin organs beneath the dermis by blocking UV at the epidermis and also protects the skin by scavenging free radicals. Also, melanin is the primary determinant of skin color and is the cause of pigmentation such as freckles, dark spots, etc. when existing in excess.
Melanin is produced by melanocytes, which are found in the basal layer of the epidermis. It is known that the production of melanin is promoted by stimuli such as UV or inflammation. Accordingly, the melanin production can be reduced by decreasing external stimulation, blocking signal transduction or inhibiting synthesis of the melanin-producing enzyme tyrosinase or inhibiting activity thereof.
Until now, kojic acid, hydroquinone, arbutin, azelaic acid, aloesin, 4-butylresorcinol, resveratrol, ceramide, sphingosine-1-phosphate, sphingosylphosphorylcholline, etc. are known to be able to regulate melanin production by promoting tyrosinase breakdown or regulating glycosylation. However, these substances are not used widely due to unsatisfactory skin whitening effect and stability as well as skin irritation. Accordingly, development of a substance that provides superior skin whitening effect with less side effects is necessary.


A control test device for testing a dual starter system has a first and a second starter. Each starter has a starter electrical interface including a starter start signal interface and a starter status signal interface. The control test device includes a first and a second communication interface for communicating a test signal to the first and second starter respectively. Each communication interface includes an electrical interface for interfacing with the first and second starter electrical interface. The test signal includes a start signal and a status signal. The start signal interfaces with one of the first and second starters start signal interface. The status signal sends a simulated status of the other one of the first and second starters to the one of the first and second starters start interface. A switch mechanism commands the start signal to one of the first and second starters.

Internal combustion engines use electrically operated starters to initiate the rotation of the engine. Some high compression (HC) engines require a larger electrical and mechanical load than lower compression (LC) engines. Therefore, some HC engines use a parallel starting system having two or more starters coupled to the engine flywheel. In such systems, the mechanical and electrical loads are divided between the two starters. FIG. 1 shows a dual starter assembly 100 having two parallel starters 102a, 102b with respect to their control terminals. Each starter 102 has an electric starter motor and an engaging relay for engaging a pinion 104 with a flywheel ring gear 20 of the internal combustion engine. The starters 102 are electrically interconnected with one another such that the primary current path to the starter motors 102 is not closed until both pinions 104 are engaged or both engaging relays have engaged. Each starter 102 may also have a power relay. The power relay is switched to the primary current to the starter motor. In some starters, the power switches the primary current to the starter motor only when all the engaging relays have engaged.
When a user initiates the starting operations, if the first starter 102a has a malfunction, the second starter 102b will receive a signal from the first starter 102 indicating that the first starter 102a has a malfunction and the second starter will not attempt to turn over the engine by itself. This also occurs if the second starter 102b has the malfunction (i.e., the first starter 102a will not attempt to turn over the engine by itself). Therefore, in dual starter systems 100, both starters 102 need to be individually operational before the system 100 as a whole can be operational.
It is rare for both starters to fail simultaneously so, in situations where one of the starters 102 becomes inoperable, it becomes time consuming for a technician to determine which of the two starters 102 has failed, and consequently the technician often replaces both of the starters (even though one of them may be fully functional). This leads to higher cost of repairs and wasted time and other resources.


A clamping device has a main body with a bore that extends from a back to a front end thereof. The bore has a fastening area proximate the back end, a front-end axial abutment surface and a central axial abutment surface. A centering sleeve is disposed in the bore and extends axially between a centering sleeve first and second axial end. A guide sleeve is disposed in the bore and partially in the centering sleeve. The guide sleeve extends axially between a guide sleeve first and second axial end. A locking member is removably disposed in the fastening area, has a tapered abutment surface and faces the front end. The centering sleeve is axially retained by and between the tapered abutment surface and the central axial abutment surface. The guide sleeve is axially retained by the tapered abutment surface and the central axial abutment surface.

A collet is a device having two or more "jaws" between which an object such as a tool or a work piece can be positioned, the jaws forming a collar around the object. The jaws of the collet are configured to constrict around the object and exert a clamping force. In one type of collet, constriction of the jaws may be affected by pushing a suitable mechanism around the circumference of the collet. In another type of collet called a draw-in collet, the collet is tapered and drawn into a sleeve to cause the jaws to constrict around the tool or work piece. Collets are typically fabricated from steel, which allows the jaws to be sufficiently flexible relative to each other to facilitate the constriction of the tool or work piece.
With regard to either type, the collet is held in a clamping device, which is connected to a shaft that can be rotated, which in turn causes the tool or the work piece to rotate. In instances in which a tool is clamped in the collet and rotated, the tool is made to engage or be engaged by a work piece. In instances in which the work piece is clamped in the collet and rotated, the work piece engages or is engaged by a tool.
The rotational accuracy of the tool or the work piece affects the process of removing swarf from the work piece. In particular, the rotational accuracy of the tool or the work piece is typically a function of concentricity along the axis of rotation. Once clamped into a machine tool such as a lathe or a grinding machine, the tool or work piece is adjusted to attain concentricity upon rotation. The concentricity achieved with mechanical clamping is often inadequate or compromised during rotation, thereby resulting in runout, which will detrimentally affect the finished work piece. Concentricity is often adjusted numerous times during an operation of a machine tool. For example, some guiding sleeves that guide collets introduce additional runout because they cannot be precision ground in place in the main body. In addition, some guiding sleeves are made of materials that tend to flexibly deform during use. Furthermore, some guiding sleeves are merely held in place by friction and tend to undesirably move towards the front end of the main body when the collet is removed from the guiding sleeve. In addition, some prior art clamping systems require separate centering sleeves and/or guiding sleeves for each size collet, which adds time to set up.

Clamping device for clamping a tool or work piece


A dual explosive charge is described that simultaneously enhances blast and fragmentation characteristics of the charge, including an inner driven charge of a non-ideal explosive surrounded by an outer charge sleeve of a more nearly ideal explosive, detonation of the outer charge resulting in an extremely high temperature, high pressure environment that accelerates reaction kinetics in the inner charge, resulting in enhanced blast and fragmentation performance of the explosive charge.

The present invention relates generally to explosive charge formulations and configurations and more particularly to a dual explosive charge formulation and configuration for enhancing blast pressure and fragmentation in a munition.
Previously existing customized explosives used for enhancing the blast or fragmentation characteristics of munitions have primarily been based on features of a target or set of targets. Blast performance is compromised in order to obtain high velocity fragments from very brisant or nearly ideal explosives (i.e., binders with nitramines). Fragmentation performance is compromised in order to obtain enhanced blast characteristics by replacing a portion of the nitramines with oxidizers and/or metal powders in non-ideal explosives. Total energy theoretically achievable from the non-ideal formulations is seldom realized experimentally. The rate of energy release from these formulations is relatively slow and many of the reactions occur relatively late compared with more nearly ideal explosives.
The invention solves or substantially reduces in critical importance problems with conventional explosive charge formulations and configurations by providing a dual explosive charge that simultaneously enhances blast and fragmentation characteristics in munition systems that commonly employ high explosive charges. The dual charge of the invention includes a cylindrical inner driven charge of a non-ideal explosive containing an inter-molecular composite mixture which includes fuels and/or oxidizers such as metal powders and/or oxidizers with a near stoichiometric blend of intra-molecular fuel ingredients such as trinitrotoluene. The inner charge is surrounded by an outer charge sleeve of a more nearly ideal explosive. Detonation of the outer charge results in super-confinement and/or shock pressure over-driving the inner charge and extremely high temperature, high pressure environment that accelerates the reaction kinetics for the inner charge, thereby allowing more reaction products to be formed earlier than for an unconfined charge of the same composition. With the proper inner-charge diameter and outer charge thickness, the outer charge maintains the fragment acceleration characteristics of a charge containing only the outer charge composition and allows blast performance to be enhanced while maintaining fragmentation performance by accelerating the reaction rate of the non-ideal explosive.
It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide an improved explosive charge.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an explosive charge configuration having optimum blast pressure and fragmentation characteristics.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an explosive charge configuration having enhanced blast and fragmentation performance by accelerating the reaction rate of the explosive.
It is another object of the invention to provide an explosive charge for enhancing the performance of blast and fragmentation warheads and deep earth penetrating munitions.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent as a detailed description of representative embodiments proceeds.

Blast and fragmentation enhancing explosive

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force


The invention relates to a vessel (1) provided with a deck (2) and with a device (3) for removing and/or installing a sub-structure (4) of a drilling or production platform, wherein said device comprises a supporting structure (5) which is capable of tilting movement in a direction transversely to an edge (6) of the deck (2), hoisting means (7) connected to said supporting structure for hoisting said sub-structure, and supporting means for supporting said sub-structure mainly during tilting movement of said supporting structure, wherein said supporting means are provided separately from the supporting structure and capable of tilting movement with respect to the edge of the deck.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a vessel provided with a deck and with a device for removing and/or installing a sub-structure of a drilling or production platform, wherein said device comprises a supporting structure which is capable of tilting movement in a direction transversely to an edge of the deck, hoisting means connected to said supporting structure for hoisting said sub-structure, and supporting means for supporting said sub-structure mainly during tilting movement of said supporting structure.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Such a vessel is disclosed in prior Dutch patent application no. 1012314 (not prepublished). The supporting structure of said vessel comprise two support beams. Each support beam is provided with supporting elements on its side remote from the vessel, which supporting elements function to support the sub-structure during tilting movement thereof. Furthermore, each support beam is fitted with hoisting means at its upper end remote from the deck. In order to provide adequate support for a sub-structure, which generally comprises downwardly diverging legs, during tilting movement thereof, said supporting elements are movable transversely to each support beam.
The object of the present invention is to provide a vessel comprising a device for removing and/or installing a sub-structure, wherein said removing/installing device has been improved.

Vessel provided with a device for removing and/or installing a sub-structure of a drilling or production platform