A flat cable 11 has a connecting end 23 provided with a conductor exposing part 24, in which an insulating coating 22 is removed so as to be electrically connected to a plurality of terminals 3 and a plurality of conductors 21 are exposed. A cable holder 12 has a cable winding part 26 around which the conductor exposing part 24 is wound so as to be turned back and a provisional holding part 27 which is rotatably supported and presses and holds the connecting end 23. A fitting housing 13, is fitted into a to-be-connected housing element 2 with the connecting end 23 and the cable holder 12 inserted thereto. A clamping part 14 is arranged in an insertion port 36 of the fitting housing 13, presses the provisional holding part 27 to the cable winding part 26, and presses and clamps the connecting end 23 to the cable winding part 26 from both sides.

As an electrical connecting device used for electrically connecting a flat cable, which is generally called FFC, FPC, etc., and has a plurality of conductors, to a plurality of terminals, a connector for pressing the flat cable to be inserted into an insulating housing to the plurality of terminals equipped to the insulating housing with a pressing member has been conventionally known (see Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2000-21478). The connector disclosed in Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2000-21478 includes two types of terminals, a provisional holding terminal and a non-holding terminal of which the plurality are mutually arranged, and holds the flat cable with the two types of terminals and the pressing member.
However, in the conventional electrical connecting devices as disclosed in Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2000-21478, the flat cable is clamped and held between the two types of terminals and the pressing member. Thus, the conventional electrical connecting devices are inferior in terms of strongly holding the flat cable and reliably locking it. The flat cable easily comes out in a case where the electrical connecting device is used under an environment that vibration or outer force is easily applied thereto, and therefore it is difficult to keep a holding state of the flat cable.
Additionally, in terms of improving the holding force of the flat cable, for example, it is conceived that the flat cable is held by a holder and the holder is connected to a to-be-connected housing that supports the plurality of terminals. However, it is difficult to realize construction for sufficiently ensuring contact force of the plurality of the conductors of the flat cable and the plurality of terminals in this case.


A narrow track width read sensor having a high magnetoresistive sensitivity is made using a self-aligned process which requires the use of only a single resist mask. A plurality of sensor layers which includes a top layer of noble metal is deposited over a substrate. Optionally, a central protective barrier which is conductive or reactive-ion-etchable is formed over these sensor layers. After forming a resist mask in the central region, first lead layers are deposited in the end regions and over the resist mask. Using the resist mask, ion milling is performed such that the first lead layers and sensor layers in the end regions are substantially removed but sensor layers in the central region remain, to thereby form a read sensor having lead overlays on the edges thereof. Hard bias and second lead layers are then deposited in the end regions and over the resist mask. After the resist mask is removed, the top of the read sensor may be oxidized through an exposure to oxygen plasma such that the magnetoresistive sensitivity of the read sensor is increased. Alternatively, the top layers of the read sensor may be removed or transformed by reactive ion etching (RIE).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to magnetic heads and methods of making the same, and more particularly to read sensors having narrow track widths and high magnetoresistive sensitivities, and methods of making the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Higher density recording needs of future direct access storage devices (DASDs) are forcing the dimensions of magnetic heads to be well into sub-micron sizes. For example, it is predicted that for 10 gigabit (Gb/in2) drives, the read head size should be about 0.5 um; for 20 Gb/in2 drives, the read head size should be about 0.35 um; for 40 Gb/in2 drives, the read head size should be about 0.17 um; and for 100 Gb/in2 drives, the read head size should be about 0.12 um. Such extreme resolutions make patterning techniques for the magnetic heads very difficult, especially for read sensors.
One conventional method of fabricating a magnetic head utilizes a common masking and milling process. A conventional lift-off mask is made of two layers, namely, a top photoresist layer and a bottom underlayer. This bi-layer lift-off mask is formed over the sensor materials in a central region. The lift-off mask may be referred to as a photoresist mask or resist mask. Ion milling is performed using the mask to remove sensor materials in end regions which surround the central region, such that a central read sensor below the resist mask is formed. Bias layers and lead layers are then deposited in the end regions and over the mask, and the resist mask is removed by dissolving the bottom underlayer. Finally, a gap layer is deposited over the read sensor and the surrounding lead layers. The above-described technique works very well in defining sensor structures down to 0.2 μm, but it shows limitations below that size.
A lead overlay structure is particularly advantageous for enhancing the performance of a read sensor and providing it with a narrow magnetic track width. A process for forming such a structure involves a first photolithography step to define the leads, and a second photolithography step plus ion milling to define the hard bias stabilization of the free layer in the read sensor at a set distance removed from the inner lead edge. However, performing two photolithography steps to define the read sensor is relatively difficult from a manufacturing point of view.
Accordingly, what are needed are improved read sensors having narrow track widths and improved methods of making the same.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.


A coordinate reading system that allows the determination of coordinate values without scanning has a simplified tablet structure and increased coordinate calculation speed. A coordinate indicator contains a coil and generates an AC magnetic field by excitation signals received from an excitation signal generating circuit. Sense lines having unequal width (zigzag sense lines) and/or rectangular return sense lines are laid in the tablet to induce signals having amplitudes that correspond to positions of the coil on the tablet when the AC magnetic field is generated. A selecting circuit directs the induced signals sequentially to a signal processing circuit. The signal processing circuit generates envelope signals of the induced signals. A calculating circuit calculates the coordinate values from the envelope signals generated by the signal processing circuit.

The present invention relates to a coordinate reading system for inputting a coordinate to an external device such as a computer.
As prior art coordinate reading systems, there exist Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 52/96825 and Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 55-96411, which were developed by the applicant of the present invention. Description will be made briefly about these coordinate reading systems.
FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a structure of the prior art coordinate reading system. A plurality of loop-shaped loop line groups 102 are laid on a tablet 101, a coordinate reading plate. These loop line groups 102 are selected one by one by a scanning circuit 107. An output s102 of the scanning circuit 107 is connected to a signal processing circuit 108 whose output is connected to a control circuit 109. The control circuit 109 also provides scanning signals s108 for selecting the loop line groups 102 sequentially in the scanning circuit 107.
A coil 113 is contained in a coordinate indicator 112 and is connected to an excitation signal generating circuit 111 contained in the main body of the coordinate reading system by an excitation signal cable 103.
In the coordinate reading system constructed as described above, coordinate values are calculated as follows. The coordinate indicator 112 is placed on the loop line groups 102 and always generates an AC magnetic field from the signal received from the excitation signal generating circuit 111. The control circuit 109 generates the scanning signal s108 and sequentially selects the scanning circuit 107. This operation is called "scanning." Since signals that correspond to a position where the coordinate indicator 112 is placed are induced in the loop line groups 102, the induced signal s102 for each loop line is sequentially inputted to the signal processing circuit 108 by selecting the loop line group 102 via the scanning circuit 107. The signal processing circuit 108 generates envelope waveforms of these induction signals. The control circuit 109 finds the coordinate values by inputting an amplitude of the induced signal for each loop line from this envelope waveform and by comparing and computing the amplitudes.
Accordingly, the prior art coordinate reading system is characterized in that it observes induced signals by scanning a large number of loop line groups.
In the prior art coordinate reading system, however, a large number of electronic switches such as analog switches had to be used for the scanning circuit to scan the whole tablet surface. This has been a factor which causes an increase in the cost. Moreover, there has been a problem that many loop lines have to be switched in order to detect the induced signals and the speed for detecting the position cannot be increased.


According to the embodiments provided herein, a method for scribing a layer stack of a photovoltaic device can include directing a laser scribing waveform to a film side of a layer stack. The laser scribing waveform can include pulse groupings that repeat at a group repetition period of greater than or equal to 1.5 μs. Each pulse of the pulse groupings can have a pulse width of less than or equal to 900 fs.

The present specification generally relates to photovoltaic devices with scribes and, more specifically, laser scribing methods for forming photovoltaic devices with narrow scribes.
A photovoltaic device generates electrical power by converting light into electricity using semiconductor materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect. Photovoltaic devices include a number of layers that can be divided into cells separated according to one or more sets of scribes. The scribes can be formed through the semiconductor material. Thus, the width and shape of the scribes can impact the overall efficiency of the photovoltaic device.
Accordingly, a need exists for photovoltaic devices with narrow scribes and methods for forming the same.

Photovoltaic devices with narrow scribes and methods and systems for forming the same


It is provided a cooling fan module having: a fan shroud; a fan propeller cutout, which is formed in the fan shroud; a motor mount which is mechanically connected to the fan shroud by means of struts which are located at the rear viewed in the flow direction; a motor, which is mounted at least partially in the motor mount; a fan propeller which is arranged in the fan propeller cutout and which is driven rotationally about a rotational axis R by the motor. The fan propeller has a plurality of blade elements. All the elements of a group which has at least one of the struts and at least one of the blade elements are forward-sickled or rearward-sickled.

A cooling system for an internal combustion engine, in particular of a motor vehicle, carries away heat generated from the walls of the combustion chamber and cylinder. Because excessively high temperatures may damage the engine (e.g., deterioration of lubrication film, burning of the valves), the internal combustion engine must be actively cooled.
Modern internal combustion engines, in particular four-stroke engines in motor vehicles, are, with a few exceptions, liquid-cooled, wherein as a rule a mixture of water, antifreeze and anticorrosive fluids are used as the cooling fluid.
The cooling fluid is pumped via hoses, pipes and/or ducts through the engine (cylinder head and engine block) as well as, if appropriate, through thermally highly stressed parts which are attached to the engine, such as exhaust gas turbochargers, generators or exhaust gas recirculation coolers. In this context, the cooling fluid absorbs thermal energy and carries it away from the abovementioned components. The heated cooling fluid flows on to a cooler. This cooler—previously often made of brass, nowadays usually made of aluminum—is usually mounted at the front of the motor vehicle, where an air flow absorbs thermal energy from the coolant and therefore cools the latter before it flows back again to the engine, as a result of which the coolant circuit is closed.
In order to drive the air through the cooler, a cooling fan module which can be driven mechanically by means of a belt drive or electrically by means of an electric motor is provided upstream or downstream of the cooler viewed in the (main) flow direction. The following statements relate to an electrically driven cooling fan module.

BROSE FAHRZEUGTEILE GMBH & CO. KOMMANDITGESELLSCHAFT, WUERZBURG


In a method for detection of an anomaly related to information about a location of a mobile computing device, the anomaly related to the information about the location of the mobile computing device can be detected by a processor of the mobile computing device. A communication about the anomaly can be provided via a user interface of the mobile computing device. The anomaly can be caused by a bug in an operating system of the mobile computing device. Notifications about the anomaly can be provided to a user of the mobile computing device or other mobile computing devices registered to a shared account.

The advancement of electronic communication network bandwidth capabilities in the last decade has fostered the realization of premises management systems. Premises management systems can allow automated control of components, such as, for example, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning ("HVAC") systems, lighting systems, home theater, entertainment systems, and security systems. Premises management systems can include control panels through which a user can input settings, preferences, and/or scheduling information.
Additionally, the advancement of electronic communication network bandwidth capabilities has enabled the development of mobile computing devices such as, for example, tablet computers, smartphones, and smart watches. Electronic communication networks can allow such mobile computing devices to obtain information about their locations. The combination of the portability of mobile computing devices and the ability of these devices to obtain information about their locations has encouraged the introduction of applications that expand the functionality of these devices.

Detection of anomaly related to information about location of mobile computing device


This invention relates to substituted 5-membered N-Herterocyclic neurotrophic compounds of formula (I) or pharmaceutically acceptable salts or hydrates thereof, wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, V, W, X, Y, and Z are as defined in the description; their preparation methods, compositions comprising the same, and their use as inhibitors of FK560 binding proteases (FKBPs) activity for treating and preventing neurodegenerative diseases and other nerve disorders associated with nerve injuries or other related diseases.

Neurodegenerative disease is a kind of progressive disease associated with age including, for example, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). At present there are no effective methods for treating this kind of disease due to its unclear mechanism and complicated invasion cause.
As very important biological active molecules existed in the nerve system, neurotrophic factors (NTFs), such as nerve growth factor (NGF), brain derived growth factor (BDGF), glial derived growth factor (GDGF) and neurotropin-3 (NT-3), can effectively promote regeneration and functional recovery of injured neuraxon[1]. So, neurotrophic factors are considered as a potential drug for treating neurodegenerative diseases. However, effective clinical application of such neurotrophic molecules is restricted due to the insurmountable low bioavailability and specificity of large protein molecules.
In addition to the immunity system, FKBPs have been found to be present at high concentrations in the central nervous system[2]. It has been found that the immunosuppressant FK506[3], as a potent inhibitor of FKBPs, can remarkably promote the neurite outgrowth and the nerve fiber differentiation, and show excellent blood-brain barrier penetrability and bioavailability[4]. However, when administered chronically, the immunosuppressant FK506 induces a number of potential side and toxic actions, including nephrotoxicity[6], such as impairment of glomerular filtration[5] and irreversible interstitial fibrosis; and neurological deficits, such as involuntary tremors and non-specific cerebral angina[7].

Substituted 5-membered n-heterocyclic compounds and their uses for treating or preventing neurodegenerative diseases

Instititute of Pharmacology and Toxicology

Academy of Military Medical Sciences P.L.A.


A keyboard apparatus for an acoustic piano having strings includes keys, a key bed supporting the keys such that they are turnable thereon, an action mechanism arranged at a rear end portion of each of the keys which operates in a manner interlocked with key depression to strike the associated string to generate a musical tone, and a key sensor switch mounted on the key bed for generating key depression information of the keys. The key sensor switch is formed by a rubber switch, and removably mounted on the key bed. Alternatively, the key sensor switch is movably mounted on the key bed such that the key sensor switch can be moved between a detecting position in which the key sensor switch can be depressed by any key depressed, and a non-detecting position in which the key sensor switch cannot be depressed by any key depressed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a keyboard apparatus for an acoustic piano having key sensor switches incorporated therein for generating key depression information, such as a muting piano and an autoplay piano.
2. Prior Art
The muting piano is a piano which is capable of giving not only a normal acoustic performance by causing hammers to strike strings e.g. when the performance is given during daytime, but also a muting performance by causing a built-in tone generator to generate electronic musical tones based on key depression information for a player to listen to the electronic musical tones through headphones, while preventing hammers from striking the strings, thereby preventing the musical tones from bothering neighbors. In this case, the key sensor switches are used for generating key depression information during the muting performance for generating the electronic musical tones.
The autoplay piano is a piano adapted to give an automatic performance by driving under control of a control unit an actuator, such as a solenoid, which is provided under each key at a rear end portion thereof, at predetermined timings, to cause the actuator to thrust the rear end portion of the key upward. In this case, the key sensor switches are used for generating key depression information during the acoustic performance by the autoplay piano to store the key depression information into a memory. The control unit directs the automatic performance by reading out the key depression information stored in the memory.
A key sensor switch employed in these kinds of acoustic piano has been conventionally proposed e.g. by Japanese Provisional Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 3-161795, which includes a shutter plate fixed to the bottom surface of the associated key, and two photoswitches arranged below the shutter plate at respective upper and lower levels. Each photoswitch is formed by a photocoupler comprised of a light-emitting element, such as a light-emitting diode, and a light-receiving element, such as a photodiode. When a key is depressed, the shutter plate associated therewith passes between the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element of each photoswitch to block of light transmitted from the light-emitting element toward the light-receiving element. The light-blocked state is detected by the light-receiving element to generate key depression information, i.e. occurrence of a key depression and the speed of the key depression (velocity). Thus, the key depression information is generated in the non-contacting state of keys in which the keys are not brought into mechanical contact with the key sensor switches, thereby preventing the key touch from being adversely affected during the acoustic performance.
However, in the case of the proposed key sensor switch, two photoswitches formed of expensive photocouplers are necessitated for each key, and hence the component cost of the key sensor switches becomes very high. Further, the key sensor switch is constructed such that it generates key depression information when the shutter plate blocks off light transmitted from ore element to the other of each of the photoswitches arranged at different levels. Therefore, it is necessary to mount each shutter plate with a very high accuracy. Therefore, the position adjustment of a shutter plate becomes a very delicate and troublesome matter, which, if carried out on all of the eight-eight keys of the keyboard, necessitates an immense tine period, resulting in a large increase in the manufacturing cost.


A modular vehicle transmission shifter mechanism and method of manufacture in which the shifter mechanism is so constructed that it is adapted for use with different transmissions of different vehicles by providing standard components for supporting a pawl detent member and a position feel detent member. The standard components include a detent support member having attachments cooperating with attachments on the detent members, such attachments for each pawl member and said attachments for each position feel detent member being identical requiring only the change in configuration in the notches of the pawl detent member and the undulations in the position feel detent member. This shifter includes a unique shifting handle assembly and an improved support structure for the detent support member.

In the automotive industry, there is a multitude of different shifters constructed for different vehicles. This has been necessary because primarily, the transmission of each vehicle requires different throws (degrees of pivotable movement) of the shifter lever in being shifted from park to reverse, neutral, drive, and low gears. The present-day practice to accomplish the desired throws for each of the vehicles, has been to design a shifter for each of the vehicles. Although the components for each of the shifters are somewhat alike, it has been the practice to design, develop, and tool up for each of the shifters. Although similar components are used in each of the shifters, particularly by any one manufacturer, these specific designs for each shifter have required substantially different tooling for each shifter which is very costly. Further, each design requires substantial testing and frequently redesign of the shifter to accomplish the desired function including the throws of the shifter lever. By "throw" it is meant the degree of rotation of the shifter lever for each of the desired positions of the shift lever as determined by the pawl being movable with the shift lever in and out of notches of a pawl detent member.
Frequently, in addition to the pawl being movable with the shift lever, an arm is connected for movement with the shift lever for giving feel to the operator of the position of the shift lever. Mounted on the end of the arm is a member such as a roller that rolls on a roller detent surface that has undulations corresponding to the position of the pawl in the various park, reverse, neutral, drive, and low selector positions herein referred to as the P-R-N-D-L selector positions. The undulations in the roller detent must be designed to match the throws for the various selector positions of each shifter. Accordingly, it has been the practice in designing a shifter for different transmissions to redesign the entire shifter by modifying all the components closely associated not only with the pawl detent member but also with the roller detent. As previously stated, these modifications were made by designing entirely new shifters and consequently, making new tooling for substantially all components for each of the shifters so designed.

Modular vehicle shifter and method of manufacture

Grand Haven Stamped Products, Div. of JSJ Corporation


This invention relates to polymer-based partially-open, hollow reservoirs in the nano-size to micro-size range that encapsulate an additive, which can be released from the reservoirs using specific event stimuli such as reduction-oxidation and voltage change, or at will, using the same stimuli. This invention also relates to method preparing such reservoirs, and for releasing the additive. This invention further relates to matrix that comprises such reservoirs and the method of preparing such matrix. This invention also relates to applications, for example in corrosion inhibition, lubrication, and adhesion, that benefit from using such a controlled release of an additive.

In one embodiment, the present invention relates to delivering a particular functional additive in the nano-size to micro-size scale to a specific site, and at a specific time, when required. This solution is an advantageous proposition to consumer applications and in the industry having such need. Given below are examples of such need in a few industries. This invention equally applies to other industries.
A. Corrosion Industry
Industries such as oil and gas, automotive, chemical plants, marine, and construction-infrastructure use metals abundantly. Corrosion of metals is one of the biggest problems in the industrial world. Corrosion incurs massive economic losses, inflicts severe environmental damage, and wastes significant resources associated with it. Corrosion often results in structural failure sometimes even leading to loss of human life. Protecting metals from corrosion renders efficient functioning and safety of these industries.
To prevent metal corrosion, coatings containing corrosion inhibiting additives are applied on the metal surface. The most effective anticorrosive coatings contain corrosion inhibiting additives of heavy metal origin: for example, chromium, zinc, lead, and their compounds. Health, safety, and environmental concerns mandate that the heavy metal based anticorrosion additives be replaced with less dangerous additives. Non-heavy metal based corrosion inhibitors, while initially effective, tend to leach out from the coating surface owing to rain and weather events, rendering the coating ineffective. Also, coatings degrade due to mechanical fatigue, or from scratches and dents due to wear, which exposes the underlying metal. The metal starts corroding immediately, making the corrosion inhibitor in anticorrosive coating ineffective.
Therefore, to improve the corrosion-inhibition longevity of the coating, the corrosion inhibitor in it should be preserved for a longer time. Longevity also improves if the corrosion inhibitor is availed to arrest corrosion immediately when a scratch or mechanical damage occurs on the metal surface. Encapsulating corrosion the inhibitor in reservoirs or capsules preserve them in the coatings for a longer time, as provided in the present invention.
B. Lubricant Industry
Lubricants are used in applications that typically involve moving metal parts. They reduce the friction generated between moving parts due to wear and heating, for example. Because lubricants also coat metal parts, they help inhibit corrosion. Functional additives are added into lubricants to increase the performance. For example, a lubricant may include antioxidant additives that prevent the oil from thickening; friction modifier additives that increase engine efficiency; dispersant additives that hold contaminants in suspension; antifoam additives that inhibit the production and retention of air bubbles; detergent additives that reduce deposits on metal; and corrosion inhibiting additives to inhibit corrosion of metals.
Changing lubricant often is expensive and disposal of used lubricant contributes towards soil, and ground water contamination if not properly managed. Therefore, to increase the lubricant's life and consequently the time interval between change of lubricant, it is important to preserve the additives in lubricants for a longer time.
Encapsulating additives in reservoirs preserves them in the lubricant for a longer time, as provided in the present invention.
C. Adhesive Industry
In electronic devices, conductive elements may be bonded to one another by means of adhesives. Manufacturers of metal components use structural adhesives to replace conventional fastening techniques such as rivets, bolts, and welding. Adhesives offer many attractive properties that include improved product performance, aesthetics, reduced overall assembly time, and lower production costs. Additionally, adhesives preclude much of the stress point concentration, corrosion, and component damage often seen with rivets, bolts, welding, and other traditional fastening methods.
There is also considerable interest in attaching two different types of materials together, e.g. in automotive applications, to reduce the overall weight of the structure. For example, the inner and outdoor panels, hoods and deck lids can be made of any combination of steel panels, aluminum panels, magnesium panels, carbon composite to satisfy structural, weight and appearance requirements of the automotive. However, the use of combination of metals presents an issue of corrosion due to galvanic action between closely spaced metal structures.
Clearly, an adhesive is a better approach than mechanical fastening. But an adhesive that comprises reservoirs encapsulated with corrosion inhibitor, as is the present invention, works even more effectively in inhibiting corrosion when two different types of metals are adhered together. Also, a curing agent encapsulated in reservoirs and added to adhesives, as provided in this invention, enables control over when the curing is desired.
D. Biocides and Antifouling Applications
Marine coatings and paint manufacturers customarily add biocides to the paint to prevent or inhibit unwanted infestation of the films by microorganisms, e.g., fungi, such as molds and yeasts, and also by bacteria, algae, and cyanobacteria (so-called "soft fouling") when these paints are applied on a vessel or underwater structure such as a pier. They have also been effective in some cases in preventing the growth of barnacles, tube worms, and the like (so-called "hard fouling"). However, the main drawback of those systems is the poor control on biocides release. Most coatings suffer from premature leakage of biocides, reducing its antifouling action before the end of coatings lifetime. Alternatively, higher biocides contents can be used to reach the required lifecycle, but the continued releasing of those toxic agents into the environment has proven to cause serious side effects on ecosystems, mainly owing to the ecotoxicity and cumulative effect of the applied bioactive agents. Therefore, rigid international regulations have been issued and more are expected to come in a near future. Therefore, ability to store biocides or antifoulants in coating for a longer time and its controlled release in coatings over time is of significant importance. Encapsulating biocides in reservoirs preserves them in the coating for a longer time, as provided in the present invention.
E. Pesticide Applications
Pesticides are undoubtedly critical elements of modern agricultural production. They can effectively increase crop yield by reducing plants pests and diseases. However, the traditional pesticide formulations have several disadvantages such as high organic solvent contents, dust drift, poor dispersibility and most importantly most of the pesticide is lost to the environment and less than 1% remains on the target. This low effectiveness contributes to serious environmental pollution associated with pesticides. Therefore, efforts should be taken to reduce waste, production cost and environmental pollution associated with pesticides while also extending the duration of pesticide activity on crops.
One of the methods to address these challenges would be by using precise controlled release of pesticides, an aspect of the present invention. This approach aims to minimize crop's demand for pesticides to gradually achieve more effective, safe pesticide usage through smart design that slows and controls pesticide release.
The present invention addresses the problems described above, and many other, in the above mentioned industries, as well as other industries further alluded to in the present disclosure. More specifically, the present invention provides a microcapsule or a micro-reservoir that is partially-open that carries an encapsulant such as a functional additive, and releases the encapsulant at a specific location, and at a specific time, immediately, or otherwise, and in many instances, as and when needed.

Stimuli-responsive micro-reservoirs for release of encapsulants


In the focal plane shutter having front and rear curtains disposed between lens and film on the camera, each of the front and rear curtains has a plurality of divided blades, and the shutter performs exposure to the film by forming a slit of a predetermined width between edge surfaces opposed to each other of the front and rear curtains, each of the divided blades comprises a light-reflective lens-side surface and a light-reflective slit-side edge surface having respective predetermined rates of diffused reflection. The lens-side surface is formed to have a rate of diffused reflection in a range of 7 to 30% within the region of visible light, as the predetermined rate of diffused reflection. The slit-side edge surface is formed to have a low rate of diffused reflection of not greater than 15% within the region of visible light, as the predetermined rate of diffused reflection. With this divided blades, the rate of reflection of the surface of the shutter curtain is applicable to a rate of reflection that enables TTL multi-pattern light adjustment and also unevenness of exposure is prevented from occurring.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to divided blade and slit-forming blade constituting the front and rear curtains of a focal plane shutter of the camera positioned near the exposure aperture of a camera and disposed between the lens and the film in the camera.
2. Related Background Art
Conventional TTL light adjustment has encountered exposure results of photographing that are widely dispersed depending on conditions of a subject since such conventional TTL light adjustment is performed in a manner that the quantity of flashing light is controlled so that the average value, across a specific area of film surface, of exposure light reflected from a subject and incident on the film surface and adapted to be received by a photoreceptor device for monitoring, reaches a predetermined exposure light level when flashing light is adjusted.
For example, in the case of a camera having a photoreceptor device enabled to receive light incident to the entire exposure area of the film surface, if a photograph is taken using light flashing in a field where a main subject occupies a small area and the background of the main subject constitutes a wide space, the portion that does not reflect the flashing light becomes wide, and thereby, the quantity of reflected light received by the photoreceptor is smaller, so that the quantity of flashing light so controlled becomes greater and may cause over-exposure for the main subject.
On the other hand, if a photograph is taken using light flashing in a field where an object of a high rate of reflection such as a gold-leafed folding screen is standing right behind a main subject in the case of the same cameras as above, the quantity of reflected light received by the photoreceptor is greater, so that, as a result, the quantity of flashing light so controlled becomes greater and may cause under-exposure for the main subject.
To solve this problem, a TTL automatic light adjustment control device has been proposed in a Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication 3-68928 as means for eliminating dispersion in the light exposure for a main subject due to difference between conditions of factors for subjects in the subject field such as the location and rate of reflection for such subjects in photographing using light flashing.
The TTL automatic light adjustment control device, or simply, the automatic control device, has a plurality of photoelectric means disposed at positions where the photoelectric means can receive light reflected by the film surface, the plurality of photoelectric means each being capable of measuring the light reflection intensity from each of regions of subject field obtained by dividing the subject field into one single central region and a plurality of peripheral regions.
In the process, preliminary flashing of a flashing device is activated immediately before the focal plane shutter of a camera is opened so that the preliminary flashing light is firstly reflected by the subjects onto the lens-side surface of the shutter curtain of the focal plane shutter through the lens. The first reflected preliminary flashing light is secondly reflected by the lens-side surface of the shutter curtain of the focal plane shutter, then received and processed by the plurality of photoelectric means corresponding to the respective regions of the subject field.
The automatic control device integrates the light reflection intensity values outputted from each of the plurality of photoelectric means, and outputs these integrations as the detected values for the subject field rates of reflection based on the preliminary flashing light for the respective regions of the subject field.
Thus, the degree of weighting, or the weighting coefficient for each divided region of the subject field is determined such that the determined weighting coefficients enable an optimal exposure to be obtained for the main subject, by integrating computing the detected information on the rates of reflection for the respective regions of the subject field.
Successively, main flashing of the flashing device is activated immediately after the focal plane shutter of the camera is opened so that the reflected main flashing light is received and processed by the same plurality of photoelectric means as described above.
The automatic control device weights the light reflection intensity values of the main flashing that is outputted from the plurality of photoelectric means, with the weighting coefficient predetermined as described above.
The automatic control device then sums up and integrates the weighted outputs, and compares the integrated values of the weighted outputs with predetermined values. Thus, the automatic control device ceases the main flashing according to timing determined by such comparison, thereby completing the light adjustment of the main flashing. Such system of light adjustment is referred to as the "TTL multi-pattern light adjustment".
When a conventional focal plane shutter is used with a TTL automatic light adjustment control device described above, reflected light from the lens-side surface of the shutter curtain is required to reach the photoelectric means described above. Because of this, the lens-side surface of the shutter curtain is processed with high reflection rate painting (hereinafter also referred to as "whitening painting") for increasing the rate of reflection of the surface to a high value substantially equal to that of the film surface. It is noted that the surface of the shutter curtain so painted with a high reflection rate painting may have some variation in the rate of reflection thereof, in which the painted surface may look white to the naked eye when a relatively high reflection rate painting is applied to it, and rather gray to the naked eye when a relatively low reflection rate painting is applied to it. Colors resulting from high reflection rate surfacing painting as described above, including the gray-looking color, may be hereunder referred to as "white", whereby "whitening painting" may be referred to as "graying painting".
Recently, there has been a demand for higher shutter speeds and higher flash synchro speeds due to increased film sensitivity and desire for new image expression, whereby cameras have been provided that implemented a high shutter speed as high as 1/8000 sec. and a flash synchro speed of 1/250 sec.
In focal plane shutters for implementing such high speed photographing, front and rear curtains constituting a shutter curtain of the shutter are each divided into one slit-forming blade and a plurality of (usually around three) divided shielding blades. When a high shutter speed beyond a flash synchro speed is directed, the rear curtain is started moving with a specified temporal gap in the starting time behind the front curtain, and the width of spatial gap, or slit, between the slit-forming blades of the front and rear curtains, is either fixed to a predetermined value or varied in accordance with the speed, thereby enabling the film to be exposed with light through the slit. This exposure method is referred to as "slit exposure".
In the conventional focal plane shutter described above, with slit-side edge surfaces of the shutter curtains thereof covered with whitening painting of high rate of reflection painting that is applied to the shutter curtains, undesirable unevenness of exposure adversely occurs during the slit exposure due to reflection on such slit-side edge surface of the shutter curtains.

Divided blade and slit-forming blade for focal plane shutter


Mattress packaging displays and the display containers for displaying one or more mattresses in a retail environment generally include a bottom panel, a top panel, sidewalls extending from the bottom panel to the top panel, a front facing panel, and a rear facing panel; wherein the container is seated on the bottom panel during display and comprises at least one opening exposing at least a portion of the mattress, and wherein the container is configured to contain the mattress.

The present disclosure generally relates to display packaging and containers, and more particularly, to the display packaging of mattresses and display containers packaging and displaying a mattress.
A mattress is a product in demand by consumers generally throughout the year, albeit demand is not necessarily even throughout the year. Mattresses generally include top and bottom planar surfaces and sidewalls extending from the top and bottom planar surfaces, wherein the top and bottom planar surfaces are configured for use as a one sided or a two sided mattress. Mattresses are manufactured in several sizes, the most common sizes being referred to as king size, queen size and standard size. Mattresses are also made in smaller or substandard sizes for special purposes. Characteristically however, most if not all are bulky, relatively heavy, and quite difficult to handle in part because of their flexibility, size and weight. Moreover, it takes considerable space to store mattresses for which reason retail establishments must customarily set aside a relatively large area for the storage and display of mattresses.
The packaging of mattresses for shipping, distribution, handling and eventual sale presents a formidable challenge given the size and nature of the product. In order to provide substantial protection from damage and soiling to maintain the "as new" condition required for retail marketing and sale, widespread use of heavier gauge plastic film as a wrapping material is oftentimes used to encapsulate the mattress. The formation of a plastic film package about a mattress has been automated, as described for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,934,041; 6,178,723 and 6,273,257.
When displayed in retail establishments, the, plastic wrapped mattresses do not provide the support required to stand the mattress on a sidewall and oftentimes require the establishment to stack the mattresses on the planar surfaces or provide additional support structures when seated on a sidewall.

Mattress display packaging and display container


A liquid refrigerant drainage mechanism is described for use in a flooded evaporator to mitigate liquid carryover. The drainage mechanism can trap liquid refrigerant droplets, create a liquid column to overcome a pressure difference across the mechanism and drain liquid back to the pool in the evaporator. The drainage mechanism is disposed in a suction baffle, and has a mesh pad and a tapered pipe secured to the bottom of the baffle. The pipe has a drainage aperture at one end to allow the accumulated liquid refrigerant to return to the refrigerant pool below. The mesh pad helps to separate liquid droplets that coalesce and fall into the tapered pipe. By using this liquid drainage mechanism in conjunction with a suction baffle, liquid carryover can be reduced and chiller performance improved.

The present application is directed generally to an evaporator arrangement. Specifically, the present application is directed to a liquid collection and drainage system to remove liquid refrigerant from vapor refrigerant in an evaporator.
In a refrigeration circuit, refrigerant vapor passes from the evaporator to the compressor. If the refrigerant isn't completely changed to vapor in the evaporator, some liquid refrigerant may be passed on to the compressor as liquid carryover. This liquid carryover can affect both the performance and the life of the compressor.
For example, in a flooded evaporator that has liquid refrigerant introduced in the lower part of the evaporator shell to exchange heat with a fluid passing through a tube bank, liquid droplets may be entrained in the refrigerant vapor flow leaving the evaporator after exchanging heat with the fluid within the tube bank. One approach to solving this problem is to provide a liquid/vapor separator, either internally or externally of the evaporator. While these separators are effective, they add substantial expense to the system.
Another approach to removing liquid refrigerant from the refrigerant vapor in the evaporator has been to provide sufficient vertical space between the top of the tube bank and the suction nozzle at the top of the evaporator shell such that any liquid droplets will be caused to flow downwardly by the force of gravity before they reach the suction nozzle. This approach requires the use of a larger shell, which is costly because of the added materials and space that it requires.
Yet another approach for removing liquid refrigerant has been to provide a so-called "mist eliminator" in the form of a wire mesh, between the top of the tube bank and the compressor suction. Such an eliminator tends to interrupt the flow of the liquid droplets, allowing them to collect on the eliminator and to eventually fall by force of gravity. This approach is somewhat effective in controlling liquid carryover and while it requires less space then the approach described hereinabove, it does require some additional space for the eliminator and also involves additional cost. In addition, the eliminator is recognized as being a passive system in the sense that it simply turns back the droplets, which will tend to be entrained in the flow of refrigerant vapor as before. Furthermore, the eliminator causes pressure drop of the vapor flow resulting in degradation of the performance of the chiller.
Other approaches for removing liquid refrigerant include providing a baffle above the tube banks for interrupting and collecting the upward flow of liquid refrigerant droplets that would otherwise tend to flow to the compressor along with the refrigerant vapor. Heat may be added to the baffle to cause an evaporation of the liquid droplets such that the resulting vapor passes to the compressor. However, this approach does not offer an effective drainage of the liquid collected by the baffle.
Intended advantages of the methods and/or systems satisfy one or more of the needs or provide other advantageous features. Other features and advantages will be made apparent from the present specification. The teachings disclosed extend to those embodiments that fall within the scope of the claims, regardless of whether they accomplish one or more of the aforementioned needs.

Drainage mechanism for a flooded evaporator


Embodiments provide a light emitting device package including a body, a light emitting device the body, and a lens disposed on the light emitting device, wherein the lens includes a lower surface portion, an upper surface portion parallel to the lower surface portion, and a lateral surface portion positioned between the lower surface portion and the upper surface portion and provided with a plurality of lateral surfaces, wherein the plurality of lateral surfaces is formed in a shape of a parabola.

A light emitting device such as a light emitting diode (LED) employing semiconductor materials of elements from Groups III to V or Groups II to VI or a laser diode (LD) may implement various colors such red, green, blue and violet with development of thin film technology and device material. It may also implement highly efficient white light by using a fluorescent material or through color mixing. In addition, compared to the conventional light sources such as a fluorescent lamp and an incandescent lamp, the light emitting device consumes low power and ensures a semi-permanent service life, fast response speed, safety, and eco-friendliness.
A light emitting device package having light emitting devices mounted to the package body and electrically connected is widely used as a light source of a display apparatus.
Particularly, in the case of a chip on board (COB) type light emitting module, light emitting devices, for example, LED chips are directed fixed to a substrate through die bonding and electrically connected through wire bonding. Thereby, the COB type light emitting module is used with light emitting devices arranged on the substrate in the form of an array. A COB type light emitting module generally includes a substrate, LED chips arranged in a line on the substrate, a molding surrounding the LED chips and a lens positioned over the molding.

Light emitting device package and illumination apparatus


A system includes a water turbine, a plurality of positioning winches coupled to the water turbine and a plurality of positioning cables. An individual positioning cable extends between a fixed point at a first end and the water turbine at a second end and is coupled to a corresponding positioning winch that is configured to extend and retract the individual positioning cable between the fixed point and the water turbine. A plurality of sensors is configured to sense water conditions around the water turbine. A position control system is connected to the plurality of positioning winches and connected to the plurality of sensors. The position control system is configured to position the water turbine using the plurality of positioning winches according to the water conditions sensed by the plurality of sensors.

The present disclosure relates to technology for operating water turbines including for harnessing wave power.
Water turbines may be used to harness the power of moving water. This may include placing a water turbine in water where there is a current, e.g. in a river or estuary, or where there are waves, e.g. in the ocean. Wave power has been proposed as a source of renewable energy that is available in abundance in many coastal areas. Harnessing wave energy efficiently using a water turbine is challenging for a number of reasons including harsh maritime environments and variability of wave conditions, which may produce large forces. Increasing efficiency of wave energy systems can provide more energy from an installation and/or allow use of smaller installations to meet a given power requirement.

Systems and methods for efficient water turbine operation


A packetized data receiver establishes at the beginning of receiving each respective stream a buffer length for sending packets to higher levels of a protocol stack in the event that a packet is missed. This can be done by requesting retransmission of the first packet and measuring the actual time delay between request and receipt of the retransmitted packet.

When transmitting data from a server to a computer system, or from a computer system to another computer system, it is not guaranteed that 100% of the data requested by the user will arrive. Often times some of the data is lost in the transmission or is never sent at all.
Accordingly, methods have been provided for verifying proper receipt of data and when, for instance, a packet in a packetized data stream is not received, for requesting retransmission. In these methods, a data verification layer in a communication protocol stack tracks the received packets and requests retransmission if a packet does not arrive as expected.
As recognized herein, current standards for tracking data often contain overhead and latency which is too high for certain data streaming environments, such as telephony. Nonetheless, a receiver must buffer data before sending it on to higher levels in the protocol stack while waiting for a retransmitted packet. The length of the buffer in current systems is predefined in an attempt to balance the need to wait long enough for a dropped packet to be retransmitted and received, so as to avoid missing the retransmitted packet when the rest of the data is passed on up the protocol stack, but to also avoid waiting longer than necessary. A buffer length that is too long makes the system seem sluggish (i.e. non-responsive) to the user, while a buffer length that is too short allows stuttering of data (such as video frames) that is presented to the user if the retransmission of certain packets is required. The inaccuracies of estimated buffer length and the visible consequences to the user can be frustrating. The present system is presented in response to the above critical observations.

System and method for dynamically determining retransmit buffer time


A hybrid vehicle is driven by one or both of an engine and a drive motor. The engine is started by a power generating motor, and power generated by the engine is supplied to a battery. An engine-power transmission path is provided with a coupling for being shifted to a connection state of transmitting engine power to drive wheels and a disconnection state of cutting off the transmission. In connecting the coupling while the drive motor is driven and transmitting engine torque, a revolution speed of the power generating motor is controlled based on that of the drive motor. After a revolution speed of an input-side shaft of the coupling is synchronized with that of an output-side shaft, the coupling is connected. After the coupling is connected, torque of the drive motor and engine is controlled based on required torque of the vehicle.

The present invention relates to a control device for a hybrid vehicle that uses an engine and a drive motor together as a source of power.
A hybrid vehicle, which uses an internal combustion engine such as a gasoline engine and an electric motor together as a source of power of the vehicle, includes a series and parallel type. This type of hybrid vehicle is provided with a power generator in addition to the engine and the drive motor, and driving of the vehicle is shifted to any one of driving by the engine, driving by the drive motor, and driving by both of the engine and the motor depending on a running state, whereby the power generator can be driven by the engine at a time of running by the drive motor. The hybrid vehicle can be changed to a motor drive mode of driving the vehicle only by the drive motor, and an engine drive mode of driving the vehicle by the engine or by the drive motor as well as the engine. For example, the vehicle can be driven by the drive motor at a starting time when driving torque is required, and the vehicle can be driven by the engine when a vehicle speed is increased, and the vehicle can be driven by the drive motor and the engine at a high-load running time such as a uphill running time (see Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2000-289472). The running in which the vehicle is driven by both of the engine and the drive motor under the engine drive mode is also called as a parallel running type.


A method for determining an orientation of a base (130) to which a fiducial marker (110) is detachably mounted. The method includes the steps of determining the axis of symmetry for the fiducial marker and choosing the determined axis of symmetry of the fiducial marker (110) as the axis of symmetry of the base (130).

Recent years have seen the development of diagnostic techniques that allow the practicing clinician to obtain high fidelity views of the anatomical structure of the human body. Imaging systems such as computed tomographic (CT) x-ray imagers, positron emission tomographic (PET) scanners, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scanners and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines have provided clinicians with the ability to improve visualization of the anatomical structure of the human body without surgery or other invasive techniques. In lieu of exploratory surgery, the patient can be scanned by these imaging systems, and the anatomical structure of the patient can be reproduced in a form for evaluation by a trained doctor.
A problem associated with such scanning techniques concerns the accurate selection and comparison of views of identical areas in images that are obtained at different times or obtained essentially at the same time using different image modalities, e.g., CT, MRI, SPECT, and PET.
This problem has two aspects. First, in order to relate the information in an image of the anatomy to the anatomy itself, it is necessary to establish a one-to-one mapping between points in the image and points of anatomy. This is referred to as registering image space to physical space.
The second aspect concerns the registration of one image space onto another image space. The goal of registering two arbitrarily oriented three-dimensional images is to align the coordinate systems of the two images such that any given point in the scanned anatomy is assigned identical addresses in both images. The calculation of the rigid body transformation necessary to register the two coordinate systems requires knowledge of the coordinate vectors of at least three points in the two systems. Such points are called fiducial points or fiducials, and the fiducials used are the geometric centers of markers, which are called fiducial markers. These fiducials are used to correlate image space to physical space and to correlate one image space to another image space. The fiducial markers provide a constant frame of reference visible in a given imaging mode to make registration possible.
The general technique for using fiducial markers to obtain registration of image data across time includes implanting within a portion of a human body a series of three fiducial markers whose location can be determined in the image space.
Generally speaking, fiducial markers can be either temporary or permanent with respect to the duration of their placement within the human body. Permanent markers are placed entirely beneath the epidermis of the skin for extended periods of time. Temporary markers have two parts: a base that is implanted into bone, and a temporary fiducial marker portion that is attached to the base for brief intervals of time. In the temporary marker, the fiducial marker portion protrudes from the skin.
In both the temporary and the permanent markers, the marker portion may take the form of a hollow container that is charged with aqueous imaging agents to provide imaging capability in the desired imaging modality or modalities.
Whichever type of marker is employed, its precise location, or more accurately, the precise location of the geometric center of the imageable portion of the marker must be determined with respect to a defined external coordinate system in physical space. With respect to permanently implanted markers, ultrasound can be used to determine non-invasively the location of the fully implanted marker. Other techniques can be employed with respect to temporary, externally protruding markers. One method involves in bringing the tip of an external probe whose location in physical space is known into proximity with the marker itself. However, this may result in significant errors in the location of the precise volumetric centroid of the imaging portion of the marker.
Thus, fiducial markers have been successfully employed in image-guided surgical procedures to provide positional information based on pre-operative images. In the standard technique, centroids of three or more markers are localized in both image space and physical space. The localized positions are used in a closed-form algorithm to determine the three-dimensional rigid-body transformation that will register the two spaces in the least-squares sense.
Rigid-body, point-based registration is a standard means for registering two three-dimensional images of a common object when three points are localized in each image. Accurate input points may be obtained by adding fiducial markers to the object and localizing their centroids. Closed-form algorithms for registering point sets have been available since the 1960's and are reviewed in [1]. Unless the markers are spherically symmetric, their orientations, as well as their centroids, can be estimated from their images. Marker orientations can then be used as an adjunct to marker centroids to achieve rigid-body registration.
Therefore, among other things, there always is a need to develop new system and methods that can provide better and more complete information about the marker orientations.

Apparatus and methods of determining marker orientation in fiducial registration


A sealed reservoir of an ink cartridge of an ink jet printer has one or two spring-loaded bags therein functioning as an accumulator to control back pressure within the sealed reservoir. A source of ambient air for the bag or bags also serves as a source of the air for an air bubble generator. The interior of the single bag or one of the two bags communicates with the air bubble generator so that air is supplied to the air bubble generator when air bubbles are required within the sealed reservoir to decrease back pressure therein. This same air flow arrangement from the interior of the single bag or one of the two bags permits the interior of the bag to receive ink leaking from the sealed reservoir passing through at least one capillary channel of the air bubble generator when the back pressure within the sealed reservoir becomes too low.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,134 to Cowger et al discloses an ink cartridge for an ink jet printer in which the back pressure within a sealed reservoir of the ink cartridge is regulated through an accumulator comprising a flexible bag mounted to a curved spring.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,030 to Baldwin et al has an air bubble generator for supplying air bubbles to a sealed reservoir to reduce its back pressure and a labyrinth for storing a predetermined volume of ink when the ink leaks through the air bubble generator.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,358 to Baldwin et al uses a hydrophobic membrane to prevent the flow of ink through an air vent opening connected to the labyrinth. Thus, the aforesaid Baldwin et al Patent, 5,600,358, recognizes the problem of ink leaking from the ink cartridge of the aforesaid Cowger et al patent. However, the aforesaid Baldwin et al patent, 5,600,358, requires the labyrinth and a second vent opening, which is connected to the labyrinth, adjacent the lowermost portion of the ink cartridge.

Ink leakage control arrangement for an ink cartridge


A transport or drive belt includes: warp threads extending in a longitudinal direction; and weft threads extending between side edges. The weft threads and the warp threads cross each other at least sectionally with a positive inclination or a negative inclination deviating from a right angle. The weft threads follow a wavy course.

Such transport or drive belts are composed of a textile flat structure formed in particular by a plurality of layers, wherein the layered structure may vary considerably depending on the desired use and the corresponding requirements. A typical structure of such a transport and drive belt comprises the traction member composed of warp and weft threads for transmitting the forces acting during operation, a support layer acting as a support surface for the products to be transported, and a running surface which is used as a contact surface for a support.
Each individual warp thread has to be guided through a heald and through the weaving reed (reed), before it may be woven on the so-called cloth beam of the loom. During weaving, the fabric grows due to the introduction of weft threads at right angles to the warp threads.
The weft threads are associated to different shafts through the healds, through which they pass. By lifting and lowering the heald shafts, individual warp threads are lifted or lowered, in order to form the shed. The combination of warp threads, which are simultaneously lifted and lowered, as well as the sequence, according to which the different combinations of warp threads are successively lifted or lowered, determines the weave.
With the aid of a reed, also called a weaving comb, each weft thread is fixedly abutted against the previously produced flat surface. Such weaving combs are composed of a great number of mutually parallel holders, which form slits therebetween, through which the warp threads may pass. Weaving combs have to be adapted to the respective requirements and are thus known in a variety of embodiments. DE 1 535 153 A, for example, discloses a weaving comb having a variable distance.
The three basic weaves comprise the plain weave, the most basic textile type of weave, in which the weft alternatively passes over and under the individual warp threads, the satin weave, and the twill weave, in which the weft is guided under at least one warp thread and then over at least two warp threads. The following weft thread offsets this cycle laterally, so that a typical diagonal pattern is formed, which is called a twill or diagonal ridge.
Fundamentally in all types of weaves for such transport or drive belts is the fact that the weft threads have to extend with the highest precision possible at right angles with respect to the warp threads. The perpendicular extension in particular is a quality characteristic of the transport or drive belt, since a different course of the weft threads may cause the transport or drive belt to move sideways, thus considerably increasing the difficulty of centering over a support, in particular a deflection or support roller.
When using such transport or drive belts in areas accessible to people, such as in passenger transport belts within buildings or treadmills in the area of fitness, the noise thus created represents a drawback. In particular, high frequency acoustic vibrations are perceived as annoying.
Modifying the layered structure of the transport or drive belt by using an additional damping layer has already been considered, so that an improved acoustic damping effect is obtained or at least the frequency of vibrations is transferred into another region. However, this causes undesired higher production costs.
EP 0 775 648 A2 discloses a transport belt having a running side fabric, which contains staple fiber yarns, and which has a twill weave with an inclination angle of 10° to 70° with respect to the running direction of the transport belt. The warp threads are surrounded by staple fibers and extend diagonally over the entire width of the conveyor belt, whereby also in an edge course an endless support of the staple fiber yarn is obtained. Thereby a uniform, vibration-free and low-noise motion of the transport belt is obtained. The running side fabric may to this end be particularly provided with a zig-zag twill or a twill weave having a herringbone ridge arrangement.
DE 10 2009 034 299 A1 further discloses a wire fabric, which may be used as a serigraphic fabric having a plurality of warp wires and weft wires, in which the wire crossing angle of the warp and weft wires deviates by more than 3° from a right angle. According to a variant, the wire fabric may be provided with two fabric portions, which are configured with mirror symmetry to a central warp wire. The corresponding weaving reed is correspondingly symmetrical. The object of the invention is to provide a possible solution for reducing the undesired noise caused during operation of the transport or drive belt, without requiring an additional damping layer or a sound reducing coating of the transport or drive belt. Another object of the invention is to provide a weaving comb suitable for such a transport or drive belt.

Transport or drive belt and weaving comb suitable for the production thereof


Various adaptor configurations are provided that allow newly mandated replacement oxygen modules to replace oxygen generators in the same containers that are currently used in aircraft lavatories. The replacement modules and oxygen generators differ in terms of overall interface dimension, geometries and weights. The adaptors enable replacement modules to be mounted without, or with only minimal, modification of the oxygen containers.

The invention generally relates to aircraft lavatory oxygen modules, and more particularly to the adaptation of newly mandated replacement oxygen modules for use within existing oxygen containers that are configured for accommodating chemical oxygen generators.
The FAA Airworthiness Directive Docket No. FAA-2012-0102; Directorate Identifier 2012-NM-004-AD; Amendment 39-17072; AD 2012-11-09 requires the use of new replacement oxygen modules in lavatory oxygen containers to replace the chemical oxygen generators that are currently in use. The oxygen modules do not have the same overall interface dimension, geometries, center of gravity or weight as the chemical oxygen generators for which the current oxygen containers are configured. It is most desirable to be able to adapt the replacement modules for use in the existing oxygen containers without altering or by only minimally altering the basis for the certification of the existing oxygen containers.
A way of adapting the replacement oxygen modules is therefore needed that requires no (or only minimal) modification of the existing oxygen containers that are currently installed in aircraft.


A mop with a liquid spraying device includes a tubular shaft, a mop head mounted on a lower end of the tubular shaft, a driving device reciprocally received in the tubular shaft, and the liquid spraying device mounted on the tubular shaft and driven by the driving device. The liquid spraying device includes a container attached to the tubular shaft for containing the liquid, such as water or cleaner. The driving device drives the liquid spraying device to compress the liquid in the container and the compressed liquid sprays out from a nozzle that is mounted on the mop head for promoting the cleaning effect of the mop.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mop, and more particularly to a mop with a liquid spraying device.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional mop in accordance with the prior art comprises shaft and a mop head pivotally mounted on a lower end of the shaft. The user must wet the mop head and sprinkle cleaner on the floor for clean the floor. However, such a method of cleaning floor wastes a lot of time.
Consequently, a mop with a liquid spraying device is marketed. The conventional mop with a liquid spraying device uses a battery and an electric pump for pumping water or cleaner from a container to promote the cleaning effect. However, the electric element will make the mop in a high price and need to be kept in a good repair. It is an inconvenient design.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the disadvantages of the conventional mop with a liquid spraying device.
The main objective of the present invention is to provide an improved mop that has a liquid spraying device for promoting cleaning effect of the mop.
To achieve the objective, the mop with a liquid spraying device in accordance with the present invention comprises a tubular shaft, a mop head mounted on a lower end of the tubular shaft, a driving device reciprocally received in the tubular shaft, and the liquid spraying device mounted on the tubular shaft and driven by the driving device. The liquid spraying device includes a container attached to the tubular shaft for containing the liquid, such as water or cleaner. The driving device drives the liquid spraying device to compress the liquid in the container and the compressed liquid sprays out from a nozzle that is mounted on the mop head.


A release agent (i.e. silicone oil) management system including a metering roll supported for contact with release agent material contained in a sump. The metering roll contacts a donor brush which, in turn, contacts one of a pair of fuser roll member. The donor brush comprises a rigid core having a non-woven felt layer adhered to the core. The felt layer provides a soft, nip forming layer. The felt layer is covered with a woven tube of Nomex to reduce the loss of loose fibers from the Nomex material. An oil barrier layer is provided between the Nomex tube and the felt layer for preventing or minimizing oil penetration into the oil permeable nip forming felt layer.

The present invention relates to fuser apparatus for electrostatographic printing machines and in particular to release agent management (RAM) systems for a heat and pressure roll fuser.
In imaging systems commonly used today, a charge retentive surface is typically charged to a uniform potential and thereafter exposed to a light source to thereby selectively discharge the charge retentive surface to form a latent electrostatic image thereon. The image may comprise either the discharged portions or the charged portions of the charge retentive surface. The light source may comprise any well known device such as a light lens scanning system or a laser beam. Subsequently, the electrostatic latent image on the charge retentive surface is rendered visible by developing the image with developer powder referred to in the art as toner. The most common development systems employ developer which comprises both charged carrier particles and charged toner particles which triboelectrically adhere to the carrier particles. During development, the toner particles are attracted from the carrier particles by the charged pattern of the image areas of the charge retentive surface to form a powder image thereon. This toner image may be subsequently transferred to a support surface such as plain paper to which it may be permanently affixed by heating or by the application of pressure or a combination of both.
In order to fix or fuse the toner material onto a support member permanently by heat, it is necessary to elevate the temperature of the toner material to a point at which constituents of the toner material coalesce and become tacky. This action causes the toner to flow to some extent onto the fibers or pores of the support members or otherwise upon the surfaces thereof. Thereafter, as the toner material cools, solidification of the toner material occurs causing the toner material to be bonded firmly to the support member.
One approach to thermal fusing of toner material images onto the supporting substrate has been to pass the substrate with the unfused toner images thereon between a pair of opposed roller members at least one of which is internally heated. During operation of a fusing system of this type, the support member to which the toner images are electrostatically adhered is moved through the nip formed between the rolls with the toner image contacting the heated fuser roll to thereby effect heating of the toner images within the nip. Typical of such fusing devices are two roll systems wherein the fusing roll is coated with an adhesive material, such as a silicone rubber or other low surface energy elastomer or, for example, tetrafluoroethylene resin sold by E. I. DuPont De Nemours under the trademark Teflon. In these fusing systems, however, since the toner image is tackified by heat it frequently happens that a part of the image carried on the supporting substrate will be retrained by the heated fuser roller and not penetrate into the substrate surface. The tackified toner may stick to the surface of the fuser roll and offset to a subsequent sheet of support substrate or offset to the pressure roll when there is no sheet passing through a fuser nip resulting in contamination of the pressure roll with subsequent offset of toner from the pressure roll to the image substrate.
To obviate the foregoing toner offset problem it has been common practice to utilize toner release agents such as silicone oil, in particular, polydimethyl silicone oil, which is applied to the fuser roll surface to a thickness of the order of about 1 micron to act as a toner release material. These materials possess a relatively low surface energy and have been found to be materials that are suitable for use in the heated fuser roll environment. In practice, a thin layer of silicone oil is applied to the surface of the heated roll to form an interface between the roll surface and the toner image carried on the support material. Thus, a low surface energy, easily parted layer is presented to the toners that pass through the fuser nip and thereby prevents toner from adhering to the fuser roll surface.
Following is a discussion of prior art, incorporated herein by reference, which may bear on the patentability of the present invention. In addition to possibly having some relevance to the question of patentability, these references, together with the detailed description to follow, may provide a better understanding and appreciation of the present invention.
Various systems have been used to deliver release agent fluid to the fuser roll including the use of oil soaked rolls and wicks with and without supply sumps as well as oil impregnated webs. A another type of RAM system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,549 granted to Rabin Moser on Jul. 29, 1980. As disclosed therein, release agent material is contained in a sump from which it is dispensed using a metering roll and a donor roll, the former of which contacts the release agent material and the latter of which contacts the surface of the heated fuser roll.
Xerox Disclosure Journal (XDJ) Volume 7, Number 3 dated May/June 1982 discloses a release agent management system for a roll fuser apparatus. The apparatus comprises a fuser roll to which silicone oil is applied in order to counteract toner offset to the fuser roll. The fuser roll cooperates with a softer pressure roll to fuse toner images to a copy substrate such as plain paper. The silicone oil which is contained in a sump is applied to the surface of the fuser roll by means of a rotating brush which is adapted to be rotated in the opposite direction to that of the fuser roll. The brush engages one end of a wick while the other end of the wick is immersed in the silicone oil. Thus, the brush picks up silicone oil from the wick and conveys it to the fuser roll surface. Since the brush rotates counter to the fuser roll the brush bristles strip the lead edge of the copy and deflect it down and away from the fuser roll. The brush fibers undergo a snapping or flicking action as they move out of the nip formed between them and the fuser roll. It is this action which yields the stripping action. The oil application rate is controlled by the brush fiber density and the velocity of the fuser roll.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,200,786 granted to Fromm et al on Apr. 6, 1993, the donor roll of the '549 patent is replaced with a donor brush. As set forth in the '786 patent, the brush donor structure allows for the application of variable amounts of release agent material depending on the mode of operation. In other words, when color prints are being created a greater quantity of silicone oil is applied to the fuser roll compared to the amount applied when operating in the monochrome black mode.
In a donor brush RAM system of the type disclosed in the '786 patent, both fuser rolls (heated and backup) and the donor brush will reach an equilibrium with the oil on the metering roll when the oil is not removed from the fuser. The oil film thickness on the metering roll is much greater than the normal steady state oil film thickness on the brush and fuser rolls. If a machine were required to handle a single size substrate and the donor brush only applied oil to the fuser rolls in areas corresponding to that contacted by the single substrate the aforementioned equilibrium would not occur because the paper would continuously remove oil from the fuser roll. This would reduce the problem of excess release oil outside the paper path to only the narrow zone between the brush edge and paper path edge resulting from paper registration tolerance and subsystem tolerances. Excessive oil outside the paper path occurs when narrower width copy paper is used, particularly, when used for extended copy runs. However, other solutions for preventing excess oil accumulation outside the paper path have not been successful in solving the problem of excess oil occurring between copy sheets and during dead cycles.
Excess oil accumulation outside the paper path is a serious problem, particularly when long copy runs are made. Such oil accumulation must be prevented or at least minimized, otherwise oil will drip into the machine and/or cause copy quality defects from oil spots and/or steaks when switching to wider paper and/or cause deterioration of the fuser roll material when the outer surface of the fuser roll comprises silicone rubber. When roll deterioration occurs, a product of such deterioration is transferred to the wider paper. This results in the phenomena commonly referred to as red printout.


Controller scaling and parameterization are described. Techniques that can be improved by employing the scaling and parameterization include, but are not limited to, controller design, tuning and optimization. The scaling and parameterization methods described here apply to transfer function based controllers, including PID controllers. The parameterization methods also applies to state feedback and state observer based controllers, as well as linear active disturbance rejection controllers.

A feedback (closed-loop) control system 10, as shown in Prior Art FIG. 1, is widely used to modify the behavior of a physical process, denoted as the plant 110, so it behaves in a specific desirable way over time. For example, it may be desirable to maintain the speed of a car on a highway as close as possible to 60 miles per hour in spite of possible hills or adverse wind; or it may be desirable to have an aircraft follow a desired altitude, heading and velocity profile independently of wind gusts; or it may be desirable to have the temperature and pressure in a reactor vessel in a chemical process plant maintained at desired levels. All these are being accomplished today by using feedback control, and the above are examples of what automatic control systems are designed to do, without human intervention.
The key component in a feedback control system is the controller 120, which determines the difference between the output of the plant 110, such as measured by sensor 130 (e.g., the temperature) and its desired value and produces a corresponding control signal u (e.g., turning a heater on or off). The goal of controller design is usually to make this difference as small as possible as soon as possible. Today, controllers are employed in a large number of industrial control applications and in areas like robotics, aeronautics, astronautics, motors, motion control, thermal control, and so on.
Classic Controllers:
Classic Control Theory provides a number of techniques an engineer can use in controller design. Existing controllers for linear, time invariant, and single-input single output plants can be categorized into three forms: the proportional/integral/derivative (PID) controllers, transfer function based (TFB) controllers, and state feedback (SF) controllers. The PID controller is defined by the equation
                    u        =                                            K              p                                    e                    +                                    K              I                                                  ∫              e                                +                                    K              D                                                  e              .                                                          (        1        )            where u is the control signal and e is the error between the setpoint and the process output being controlled. This type of controller has been employed in engineering and other applications since the early 1920s. It is an error based controller that does not require an explicit mathematical model of the plant. The TFB controller is given in the form of
                                          U                                      (              s              )                                =                                                    G                c                                                          (                s                )                                                                E                                            (                s                )                                                    ,                                            G              c                                                  (              s              )                                =                                    n                                            (                s                )                                                    d                                            (                s                )                                                                        (        2        )            where U(s) and E(s) are Laplace Transforms of u and e defined above, and n(s) and d(s) are polynomials in s. The TFB controller can be designed using methods in control theory based on the transfer function model of the plant, Gp(s). A PID controller can be considered a special case of a TFB controller because it has an equivalent transfer function of
                                          G            c                                          (            s            )                          =                              k            p                    +                                    k              i                        s                    +                                    k              d                                    s                                              (        3        )            The State Feedback (SF) Controller
The SF controller can be defined byu=r+K{circumflex over (x)}  (4)and is based on the state space model of the plant:{dot over (x)}(t)=Ax(t)+Bu(t), y(t)=Cx(t)+Du(t)  (5)When the state x is not accessible, a state observer (SO):{dot over ({circumflex over (x)}=A{circumflex over (x)}+Bu+L(y−ŷ)  (6)is often used to find its estimate, {circumflex over (x)}. Here r is the setpoint for the output to follow.
In addition to the above controllers, a more practical controller is the recently developed Active Disturbance Rejection Controller (ADRC). Its linear form (LADRC) for a second order plant is introduced below as an illustration. The unique distinction of ADRC is that it is largely independent of the mathematical model of the plant and is therefore better than most controllers in performance and robustness in practical applications.
Linear Activated Disturbance Rejection Controller (LADRC)
Consider an example of controlling a second order plantÿ=−a{dot over (y)}−by+w+bu  (7)where y and u are output and input, respectively, and w is an input disturbance. Here both parameters, a and b, are unknown, although there is some knowledge of b, (e.g., b0≈b, derived from the initial acceleration of y in step response). Rewrite (7) asÿ=−a{dot over (y)}−by+w+(b−b0)u+b0u=f+b0u  (8)where f=−a{dot over (y)}−by+w+(b−b0)u. Here f is referred to as the generalized disturbance, or disturbance, because it represents both the unknown internal dynamics, −a{dot over (y)}−by+(b−b0)u and the external disturbance w(t).
If an estimate of f, {circumflex over (f)} can be obtained, then the control law
  u  =                    -                  f          ^                    +              u        0                    b      0      reduces the plant to ÿ=(f−{circumflex over (f)})+u0 which is a unit-gain double integrator control problem with a disturbance (f−{circumflex over (f)}).
Thus, rewrite the plant in (8) in state space form as
                    {                                                                                x                      .                                        1                                    =                                      x                    2                                                                                x                                        .                                    2                                =                                                      x                    3                                    +                                                            b                      0                                                            u                                                                                x                      .                                        3                                    =                  h                                                                                y                  =                                      x                    1                                                                                (        9        )            with x3=f added as an augmented state, and h={dot over (f)} is seen as an unknown disturbance. Now f can be estimated using a state observer based on the state space model
                                          x            .                    =                      Ax            +            Bu            +            Eh                                                                              y          =          Cz                                                          where                                                                        A            =                          [                                                                    0                                                        1                                                        0                                                                                0                                                        0                                                        1                                                                                0                                                        0                                                        0                                                              ]                                ,                      B            =                                                            [                                                                                0                                                                                b                          0                                                                                0                                                                              ]                                .                C                            =                              [                                  1                                                                                0                                                                                0                                ]                                              ,                      E            =                          [                                                                    0                                                                                0                                                                                1                                                              ]                                                          (        10        )            Now the state space observer, denoted as the linear extended state observer (LESO), of (10) can be constructed asż=Az+Bu+L(y−ŷ)ŷ=Cz  (11)
which can be reconstructed in software, for example, and L is the observer gain vector, which can be obtained using various methods known in the art like pole placement,L=[β1β2β3]T  (12)where [ ]T denotes transpose. With the given state observer, the control law can be given as:
                    u        =                                            -                              z                3                                      +                          u              0                                            b            0                                              (        13        )            Ignoring the inaccuracy of the observer,ÿ=(f−z3)+u0≈u0  (14)which is an unit gain double integrator that can be implemented with a PD controlleru0=kp(r−z1)−kdz2  (15)Controller Tuning
Over the years, the advances in control theory provided a number of useful analysis and design tools. As a result, controller design moved from empirical methods (e.g., ad hoc tuning via Ziegler and Nichols tuning tables for PID) to analytical methods (e.g., pole placement). The frequency response method (Bode and Nyquist plots) also facilitated analytical control design.
Conventionally, controllers are individually designed according to design criteria and then individually tuned until they exhibit an acceptable performance. Practicing engineers may design controllers, (e.g., PID) using look-up tables and then tune the controllers using trial and error techniques. But each controller is typically individually designed, tuned, and tested.
Tuning controllers has perplexed engineers. Controllers that are developed based on a mathematical model of the plant usually need their parameters to be adjusted, or "tuned" as they are implemented in hardware and tested. This is because the mathematical model often does not accurately reflect the dynamics of the plant. Determining appropriate control parameters under such circumstances is often problematic, leading to control solutions that are functional but ill-tuned, yielding lost performance and wasted control energy. Additionally, and/or alternatively, engineers design using analytical (e.g., pole placement)  techniques, but once again tune with trial and error techniques. Since many industrial machines and engineering applications are built to be inherently stable, acceptable controllers can be designed and tuned using these conventional techniques, however, acceptable performance may not approach optimal performance.
One example conventional technique for designing a PID controller included obtaining an open-loop response and determining what, if anything, needed to be improved. By way of illustration, the designer would build a candidate system with a feedback loop, guess the initial values of the three gains (e.g., kp, kd, ki) in PID and observe the performance in terms of rise time, steady state error and so on. Then, the designer might modify the proportional gain to improve rise time. Similarly, the designer might add or modify a derivative controller to improve overshoot and an integral controller to eliminate steady state error. Each component would have its own gain that would be individually tuned. Thus, conventional designers often faced choosing three components in a PID controller and individually tuning each component. Furthermore, there could be many more parameters that the design engineer must tune if a TFB or a state feedback state observer (SFSOB) controller is employed.
Another observation of control design is that it is not portable. That is, each control problem is solved individually and its solution cannot be easily modified for another control problem. This means that the tedious design and tuning process must be repeated for each control problem.
Thus, having reviewed controllers, the application now describes example systems and methods related to controllers.