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The concepts described herein relate to a user terminal device and a method of displaying a lock screen of the user terminal device, and more particularly, to a method of displaying content on the lock screen of the user terminal device.
When, for example, a button disposed on a side of a user terminal device is pressed, a lock screen may be provided to a display unit of the user terminal device. Generally speaking, a lock screen controls access to the user terminal device by requiring a user to provide a certain input (e.g., a code, a password, a gesture, a biometric input, and the like) in order to “unlock” the device.
Content may be displayed on the lock screen. The content may be a landscape image or a portrait image, and the image may be same as an image of a background screen for the user terminal device.
A user may input a password or a gesture on the lock screen to “unlock” the device, and may then proceed to a home screen that is an unlock screen. A shortcut icon(s) to an application(s) or a widget(s) may be included in the home screen.
When a password is set in the user terminal device, a user interface element for receiving an input of the password may be provided along with the content on the lock screen. For example, the password may be a particular pattern, an access number, a fingerprint recognition, etc.
When the password is not set in the user terminal device, a user interface element leading to the home screen may be provided on the lock screen. Here, the user interface element may be visually displayed or may not be displayed on the lock screen.
As mentioned, a lock screen is a screen that a user is required to pass in order to proceed to a home screen. According to statistics, the user enters the home screen via the lock screen about 100 to 150 times a day on average. However, use of current lock screens is generally limited to preventing another person from easily accessing a home screen. Even if content is displayed on the lock screen, the content is usually limited to a particular image stored in a memory of the user terminal. Such images are generally the same as an image of a background screen, so that the user repeatedly encounters a constant and uninteresting image on the lock screen.
Therefore, a method of more efficiently using the lock screen may be desirable.
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As a background art in this technical field, there is Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2009-65305 (Patent Document 1). An object of the invention described in this publication is “To provide a technique for appropriately providing a seamless viewing style without depending on places by a terminal apparatus and a large-screen information receiving terminal apparatus”.
As a solution to this issue, the publication describes “An information receiving terminal apparatus includes means for transmitting mobile viewing information to a terminal apparatus, and a video information system controls a viewing environment for satisfying respective requests from two or more users, and is configured to enable the continuous viewing of a content viewed at the information receiving terminal apparatus by the transmission and reception of the content to and from the terminal apparatus and enable the continuous viewing conversely at the information receiving terminal of the content viewed at the terminal apparatus based on inter-terminal cooperation and center cooperation of time code information for continuing content viewing from the information receiving terminal apparatus to the terminal apparatus.”.
Also, as another background art, there is Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-275090 (Patent Document 2). An object described in this publication is “To provide a broadcast receiving apparatus capable of preventing a main story after a CM from being missed”.
As a solution to this issue, the publication describes “A broadcast receiving apparatus 10 includes first and second tuners 13a and 13b that receive broadcasting and a RAM 18 that stores a received video, when a program on a channel which is being received by the first tuner 13a is being output, a predetermined amount of video of the program immediately before a most recent CM is stored in the RAM 18, when an instruction to switch the channel to another channel is issued during the CM, the other channel is received by the second tuner 13b and a program on the other channel is output instead of the program on the channel being received by the first tuner 13a, and when the video immediately before the CM stored in the RAM 18 and the video on the channel being received by the first tuner 13a are approximate to each other, the end of the CM is output.”.
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The invention relates to an oscillating body, a mechanical oscillating system and to a watch with several mass weights arranged at regular angle distances around an oscillating body middle axis that respectively can rotate or swivel on the oscillating body on an axis parallel to the oscillating body axis and have a mass center of gravity that is radially offset to this axis.
Oscillating bodies for mechanical oscillating systems of watches, especially wristwatches, are known in different embodiments and they generally have the shape of a wheel or spoked wheel. To adjust the dynamic mass moment of inertia of the oscillating body and therefore the frequency of the oscillating system and the precision of the watch, mass weights are provided in the outer area of the oscillating body, the mass center of gravity of which is adjustable radially or approximately radially to the axis of the oscillating body.
It has been shown that the temperature behavior of a mechanical oscillating system can be improved very decisively in that, when a spiral spring made of silicon (mono or polycrystalline silicon) with an oxidic surface coating, for example, with a coating of silicon oxide, is used, the oscillating body is manufactured from molybdenum or a molybdenum alloy, in which case a certain disadvantage of this material consists in that fact that it is relatively difficult to machine or work with.
It is an object of the invention to present an oscillating body for mechanical oscillating systems of wristwatches that facilitates simplified manufacturing while maintaining a compact design and high stability, especially with high temperature stability.
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Cholecystokinin (CCK) and gastrin (G) are regulatory peptides which are found in gastro-intestinal tissue and in the central nervous system, Mutt, Gastrointestinal Hormones. Glass, Ed. Raven Press, N.Y., p. 169 (1980). The CCK peptides reportedly co-exist with dopamine in certain mid-brain neurons and thus may play a role in the functioning of dopaminergic systems in the brain, as well as serving as neurotransmitters, Prange et al., Ann. Repts. Med. Chem. 17: 31 (1982). Gastrointestinal CCK and gastrin may act on parietal and chief cells of the fundic glands of the mammalian gastric mucosa to stimulate acid and pepsinogen secretion, Chew and Hersey, Am. J. Physiol. 242: G504 (1982). Cholecystokinins are also believed to be physiological satiety hormones and, thus, may play a role in appetite regulation, Smith, Eating and Its Disorders. Stunkard and Steller, Eds., Raven Press, N.Y., p. 67 (1984). Additional effects of CCKs include the stimulation of colonic motility, gall bladder concentration, pancreatic enzyme secretion and the inhibition of gastric emptying.
Intestinal CCK exists in 39- and 33-amino acid forms with the C-terminal 33-amino acid residues being identical. Biological activity is restricted to the C-terminal heptapeptide of the native peptide and a C-terminal octapeptide has the same efficacy as CCK-33 but is approximately ten-times more potent, Jensen et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 77: 2079 (1980).
Gastrin also occurs naturally in several different forms; 34-amino acids, 17-amino acids and 13-amino acids with the tyrosine being either sulfated or unsulfated. The 17- and 13-amino acid forms can be viewed as C-terminal fragments of the 34-amino acid form. The different forms exhibit varying potency for stimulating gastric acid secretion. Gastrin-17 is 5 times more potent than Gastrin-34 end 2.5 times more potent than Gastrin-13, Walsh and Grossman, New Engl. J. Med. 292: 1324,1377 (1975). Gastrin and CCK share a common C-terminal pentapeptide amide sequence, Gly-Trp-Met-Asp-Phe-NH.sub.2.
Gastrin and CCK antagonists are useful for treating diseases mediated by gastrin and CCK. CCK antagonists are successful in preventing or treating CCK-related disorders of the gastrointestinal, central nervous and appetite regulatory systems of animals, especially of humans. Antagonists of CCK are also useful in potentiating and prolonging opiate-mediated analgesia and thus have utility in the treatment of pain, Faris et al., Science 226: 1215 (1984). Gastrin antagonists are useful in the treatment and prevention of gastrin-related disorders of the gastrointestinal system in humans and animals, such as ulcers, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, antral G cell hyperplasia and other conditions, in which reduced gastrin activity is of therapeutic value. CCK and gastrin also have trophic effects on certain tumors, Ohyama, Hokkaido J. Med. Sci., 60. 206 (1985), and antagonists of CCK and gastrin are useful in treating these tumors.
Antibiotics of the Virginiamycin family have been used as food additives to improve the growth of poultry, swine and cattle. Although growth promotion by antibiotics is not thoroughly understood, there is little doubt that the effect is due in part to an inhibition of the intestinal flora, Coccito, Micro. Rev. 43: 145 (1979). Virginiamycin M.sub.1 and related antibiotics are generally specific for gram-positive bacteria and prevent cell multiplication. The virginiamycin antibiotics are most effective when in their complex form, that is when they are composed of both M and S components, Coccito, Micro. Rev. 43: 145 (1979). The wide use of these antibiotics as growth promoters relates their low toxicity, lack of accumulation in animal tissues, no production of resistant mutants and a rapid degradation in animal feces.
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1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates generally to image display systems and more specifically to wearable displays with holders that retain displays at particular positions.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known head-mountable display (“HMD”) with a display is worn on the head of a user. The known HMD projects image light, which represents an image, toward an eye of a user. The known HMD enables the user to directly observe an image without a screen on which the image would otherwise be displayed.
The HMD generates the image light with light emitted from a light source using a display panel actuated in accordance with an image signal. A liquid crystal display or an organic electroluminescence (“EL”) display is used for the display panel in the known HMD. Another known HMD is a see-through HMD that allows a user to see a display image displayed by the HMD superimposed on an external scene.
Each known HMD includes the display and a holder. The holder is attached to a wearable member that is worn on the head of the user, such that the holder retains the display at the head of the user. In the known HMD, the wearable member is a frame of a pair of glasses, a glasses-type special frame, or a headband.
A known holder allows the display to be hung on a frame of a pair of glasses worn by a user to retain the display at the head of the user. Another known holder is a suction cap or adhesive, which allows the display to be attached to one or each lens of a pair of glasses worn by a user.
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The present invention relates generally to liquid dispensers, and particularly to a dosing pump for a viscous liquid dispenser and a dispenser incorporating such a pump.
Viscous liquid dispensers are well known in the art for dispensing any manner of viscous liquid, for example lotions, soap, and the like. The conventional dispensers utilize a wide variety of pumping mechanisms which allow a user to depress or manipulate a pump actuator in order to dispense liquid from the dispenser. Exemplary devices are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,810,203; 5,379,919; 5,184,760; and 4,174,056.
Conventional dispensers and pump mechanisms are configured generally for vertical mode operation. In other words, the dispenser stands generally upright with the pumping device configured at the top of the unit. These pump devices are generally vented around the stem of the pump and should a user attempt to use the dispenser in a horizontal mode, the dispenser will, in all likelihood, leak around the pump stem.
An additional problem noted with conventional pumps, particularly lotion or soap dispenser pumps, is that there is a tendency for leakage of residual liquid left in the pump head. Certain types of combination pumps, such as peristaltic pumps common to liquid skin care product dispensers, incorporate a spring and ball check valve system in the discharge area to prevent leaking. However, this type of check valve system is relatively expensive and complicated, and the components may be subject to corrosion and/or sticking when used with certain chemical compositions.
Diaphragm type valves are used in certain applications, for example squeeze actuated bottles of hand lotion, in which the bottle is squeezed by a user to provide the liquid pressure required to open the diaphragm valve. However, with these configurations, there is no discreet control over the amount of liquid dispensed.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a dosing pump that can dispense a metered amount of viscous liquid in a horizontal mode while preventing leakage from around the pump mechanism without complicated check valve devices.
Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
The present invention provides a unique dosing pump that is particularly well suited for viscous liquid dispensers, for example, soap dispensers, lotion dispensers, and the like. The pump may be oriented in a generally horizontal configuration and thus allows greater flexibility as to the design and configuration of a dispenser utilizing the pump.
The pump may be utilized with any manner or shape of dispenser. The dispenser will generally comprise a housing member or members that define a liquid reservoir. The pump includes a pump chamber that is in communication with the liquid reservoir. In one embodiment, the pump chamber may be defined internally of the dispenser housing. For example, the pump chamber may comprise and integrally molded component of the housing. In an alternative embodiment, the pump chamber may be configured on the outside of the reservoir or housing with a channel or passage defining a liquid communication path between the reservoir and the pump chamber. It should be appreciated that any number of configurations may be utilized to define a pump chamber that is in fluid communication with a liquid reservoir.
The pump chamber has a volume that generally defines the metered dose of liquid to be dispensed. A dispensing orifice is defined in the pump chamber. The orifice may be defined in any wall member of the chamber, or in one particular embodiment according to the invention, the orifice is defined in a bottommost wall of the pump chamber.
A pump mechanism is configured with the pump chamber to pressurize liquid within the pump chamber upon actuation of the pump mechanism. The pump mechanism may be any member or configuration of components that pressurizes the liquid contained within the chamber in order to expel or dispense the liquid through the dispensing orifice. In one particular embodiment according to the invention, the pump mechanism includes a pump cylinder that is slidably disposed and retained in the pump chamber. The pump cylinder is moveable from a rest position to a pressurizing position. The cylinder may be biased to the rest position with a spring or other biasing element.
An actuator is configured with the pump cylinder and provides a device for a user to move the pump cylinder to its pressurizing position in order to dispense liquid out the dispensing orifice. The invention is not limited to any particular type of device for actuating the pump. In one particular embodiment, the actuator may comprise a panel member that is pivotally mounted to the dispenser housing. The panel member rests against a front end of a pump cylinder and thus moves the pump cylinder or shaft upon a user depressing the panel member. In an alternate embodiment, the actuator may comprise a plate, button or the like attached directly to the front end of the pump cylinder. The actuator may be configured in any shape to contribute to the aesthetically pleasing look of the dispenser.
A check valve mechanism is operably disposed in the opening between the pump chamber and the liquid reservoir. Upon actuation of the pump, the check valve mechanism moves to seal the pump chamber so that the liquid within the chamber can be pressurized. Upon release of the pump actuator, the check valve mechanism moves to unseal the pump chamber so that a metered amount of viscous liquid is able to flow automatically from the reservoir into the pump chamber for dispensing upon the next subsequent actuation of the pump. The check valve mechanism may take on a number of configurations, such as a ball check valve, a flap member, and the like. In one particular embodiment, the check valve mechanism may comprise an elongated shuttle type valve that is slidable within the opening between the pump chamber and reservoir. The shuttle valve includes a sealing member, such as an elastomeric cap, that seals the opening upon actuation of the pump device. Upon release of the pump, the shuttle valve unseals, and liquid is free to flow past the shuttle valve and into the pump chamber. In the embodiment wherein the shuttle valve includes an elastomeric cap or similar type of sealing member, movement of the pump cylinder back to its rest position causes a slight vacuum to be drawn in the pump chamber before the elastomeric cap unseats. This vacuum is beneficial in that any liquid remaining in the dispensing orifice will be drawn back into the pump chamber.
A sealing member is disposed within the pump chamber to seal the dispensing orifice upon an initial movement of the pump cylinder towards the pressurizing position. For example, in one embodiment the sealing member may remain stationary relative to the pump cylinder and the pump chamber as the pump cylinder is moved initially towards its pressurizing position. In an alternate embodiment, the sealing member may have a longitudinal length so as to move with the initial movement of the pump cylinder while maintaining a seal of the dispensing orifice. As long as the dispensing orifice is sealed by the sealing member and the pump cylinder is moved towards the pressurizing position, liquid within the pump chamber is pressurized.
Upon further movement of the pump cylinder towards the pressurizing position, the sealing member eventually moves and unseals the dispensing orifice. At this point, liquid within the pump chamber will flow out of the dispensing orifice.
Upon initial return movement of the pump cylinder to its rest position, the sealing member remains unsealed relative to said dispensing orifice. So long as the check valve does not immediately unseat, at least a partial vacuum is drawn in the pump chamber causing any liquid in the dispensing orifice to be drawn back into the pump chamber. Upon further movement of the pump cylinder towards its rest position, the sealing member moves to seal the dispensing orifice and, after the check valve has unseated, liquid is drawn from the reservoir past the check valve and into the pump chamber.
This sealing member may be, for example, a multiple lip elastomeric seal disposed circumferentially around the pump cylinder and sealingly engaged against the interior wall of the pump chamber. The sealing member may be moved to seal and unseal the dispensing orifice by engagement members defined on the pump cylinder. For example, a first engagement member may come into contact with and move the sealing member off of the dispensing orifice as the pump cylinder is moved towards the pressurizing position. A second engagement member may come into contact with and move the sealing member over the dispensing orifice as the pump cylinder is subsequently returned to its rest position.
The pump cylinder may include an internal longitudinally extending channel defined therein having an inlet and an outlet. Once the dispensing orifice is unsealed, pressurized liquid within the pump chamber may enter the channel inlet and be dispensed out the channel outlet, the outlet being aligned with the dispensing orifice. In this configuration, the longitudinal channel thus defines a by-pass path for the liquid around the sealing member.
The present invention also includes any manner of dispenser incorporating the unique dosing pump as described herein.
The invention will be described in greater detail below through embodiments illustrated in the figures.
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The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for transporting and delivering multiple trucks, and in particular, to a universal folding boom trailer for loading, transporting and delivering trucks in compliance with the Department of Transportation Regulations.
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art method of towing semi tractor trucks 10. This current method of towing provides delivery of two semi tractor trucks at a time, one semi tractor truck 12 typically is facing forward and towing a boom trailer 14. The second semi tractor truck 16 is connected to the boom trailer 14 by its fifth wheel connection 18 and is towed facing backwards with only the steering tires 20 on the ground 22. The steering tires 20 are held in a straight position on the towed semi tractor truck 16 by securing the steering wheel with the driver's seat belt. The driver's personal pickup truck 24 is transported on top of the boom trailer 14 between the semi tractor trucks 12, 16 (the loading ramps are not shown).
In this arrangement, the majority of the weight of the pick up truck 24 is behind the fifth wheel 26. The majority of the weight of the boom trailer 14 is also behind the semi tractor truck fifth wheel 26. Therefore, the entire weight of the pickup truck 24 and the boom trailer 14 is supported by the steering tires 20. The steering tires 20 also support the entire semi tractor truck 16 while being towed backwards.
The Department of Transportation regulations requires that the steering tires, such as those shown at 20, of a semi tractor truck should not exceed 12,000 lbs. This current method of towing exceeds this limit by thousands of pounds. The entire towing method illustrated in FIG. 1 is improperly loaded because the majority of the weight is to the rear of the truck and trailer combination. This overweight towing arrangement may cause the steering tires to blow out in transit. In turn, a blowout can cause the towed truck 16 to change lanes and collide with a passing vehicle. While the castering effect of a semi tractor truck going forward assists in holding the steering tires 20 straight, when the truck is pulled backwards as described herein, the castering effect will actually cause the steering tires 20 to turn either left or right. The seat belt is inadequate to keep the steering wheel straight in case of a tire blowout.
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to wireless communication systems, in particular, directional antennas for use in wireless communication systems.
2. Background
In wireless communication systems, antennas are used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals. In general, the antennas can be omni-directional, receiving and transmitting signals from any direction, or directional, with reception and transmission of signals limited in direction. In general, directional antennas provided increased gain over an omni-directional antenna because the directional antenna's coverage is focused over a small spatial region. Because a directional antenna covers a limited spatial region, the antenna needs to be “pointed” so that it can transmit and receive signals in a desired direction. Some conventional antenna systems include multiple directional antennas, or elements, arranged in an array such that individual elements “point” in different directions. By selecting desired elements of the array the overall direction of the antenna system can be varied. In addition, there exist antenna systems which provide directive gain with electronic scanning, such as phased arrays, rather than being fixed. However, many such electronic scanning technologies are plagued with excessive loss and high cost. In addition, many of today's wireless communication systems provide very little room for antennae elements.
One type of directional antenna that is popular is traditional Yagi-Uda (“Yagi”) antenna. A traditional Yagi antenna includes a driven element, the element a signal is fed to by a transmitter or other signal source, called the driver or antenna element, one or more reflectors, and one or more director elements. The reflector and director elements are parasitic elements that are not driven. By choosing the proper length and spacing of a reflector element from the driven element, as well as the length and spacing of director elements, the induced currents on the reflector and director elements will re-radiate a signal that will additively combine with the radiation from the driven element to form a more directive radiated beam compared to the radiation from the driven element alone. The most common Yagi arrays are fabricated using a dipole for the driven element, and straight wires for the reflector and director elements. The reflector element is placed “behind” the driven element and the director elements are placed in “front” of the driven element. The result is a linear array of wires that together radiate a beam of radio frequency (RF) energy in the forward direction. The directivity, and therefore the gain, of the radiated beam can be increased by adding additional director elements, but at the expense of overall antenna size. The director element can be eliminated, which leads to a smaller antenna with wider beam width coverage compared to Yagi antennas utilizing director elements.
In conventional Yagi antennas, the driven element is a dipole element that has a length that is nominally one-half of a wavelength of the radio frequency (RF) signal transmitted or received by the antenna. The reflector element is usually approximately five percent longer than the dipole and the director elements are approximately five percent shorter than the dipole. The spacing between the elements is critical to the design of the Yagi and varies from one design to another, with element spacing typically varying between one-eighth and one-quarter wavelength. While the Yagi antenna dos provide a relatively simple directional antenna design, the overall size is usually relatively large because of the reflector and director elements and the spacing between the elements.
There is a need in the art for improved antennas that can provide directional gain and are compact in size.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a supporting member on which a plurality of cartridges are adapted to be mounted in a detachable manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic image forming process, there has been adopted a system in which at least one of an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a process unit acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and a developer storage portion with a developer stored therein is formed into a cartridge and is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus main body. According to such a cartridge system, a user is able to perform the maintenance of the apparatus without resort to a serviceman. As a result, convenience and efficiency in operation of the apparatus can be improved to a remarkable extent. Therefore, such a cartridge system has been used in a lot of electrophotographic image forming apparatuses.
For such a detachable construction of a cartridge, there is known a system in which a cartridge being carried on a tray is drawn out for detachment and attachment thereof (see Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2006-184901 and U.S. Pat. No. 2005147432).
However, in an image forming apparatus that has a drawer or tray to which a plurality of cartridges can be attached, in case where only a specific cartridge is made larger in size because of a large amount of consumption of a specific developer contained in the specific cartridge, etc., there will be a possibility that the image forming apparatus might have to be increased in size, or a waste of space might occur.
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The present invention relates to a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine containing more than 70% of a fatty acid monoester and a process for the preparation thereof.
Furthermore, the present invention relates to a highly-purified fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine and a process for the preparation thereof.
Still further, the present invention relates to the use of the fatty acid esters compositions of a polyglycerine for an additive for food-stuffs.
In addition, the present invention relates to a resin composition containing the fatty acid esters compositions of a polyglycerine.
Besides, the present invention relates to compositions for cosmetics or detergents containing the fatty acid esters compositions of a polyglycerine.
In more detail, the present invention relates to a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine having an excellent emulsifying ability. The fatty acid esters compositions of a polyglycerine are useful as an additive for food-stuffs, an additive for thermoplastic resins, and an additive for cosmetics or detergents, etc.
In recent, fatty acid esters of a polyglycerine are permitted as an additive such as an emulsifier for food-stuffs, and demands in a market are getting increased. The fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine have been usually employed in a variety of fields, particularly such as foods, as an emulsifier or an agent for adjusting a viscosity because esters having a wide range of HLB values can be obtained by the combination of polyglycerines having various molecular weight with fatty acids having various chain length which are starting materials, and it exhibits a higher stability in an acidic range.
As processes for preparing the fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine, there are exemplified; (1) an esterification reaction of a polyglycerine with a fatty acid, (2) a transesterification reaction of a polyglycerine with a fatty acid ester, (3) a transesterification reaction of a polyglycerine with an oil and fatty acid, (4) an addition polymerization reaction of glycidol to a monoglyceride of a fatty acid, and (5) an addition polymerization reaction of glycidol to a fatty acid, etc. Of the above-described reactions, the processes (2) and (3) are problematic in the reactivity and the processes have many limitations in quality and purity of the fatty acid ester of a polyglycerine.
The process (1) is described in JAOCS (Journal of American Oil Chemists"" Society), Vol. 58, page 878 (1981), in which there is carried out the esterification reaction of a polyglycerine with a fatty acid in the presence of alkali catalysts to obtain a fatty acid ester of the polyglycerine.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication (Kokai) No. 41007/1994 discloses similar processes.
The process (5) is described in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication (Kokai) No. 65705/1976, in which there is prepared a fatty acid monoester of glycerine. However, the Publication states that there is obtained a carboxylic acid-1-monoglyceride having the polymerization degree of glycerine of 1 with a high percentage in the presence of an inert solvent, that is, it corresponds to a compound having n of average 1 in the above-described chemical formula [1]. Notwithstanding, there is not mentioned a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine at all in the Publication.
As processes in which the addition polymerization reaction of glycidol is employed, there are exemplified the addition polymerization reaction [Japanese latent Examined Publication (Kokoku) No. 55254/1989, Japanese Patent Examined Publication (Kokoku) No. 11532/1992, Japanese Patent Examined Publication (Kokoku) No. 1291/1993] of glycidol to glycerine to obtain a polyglycerine employed in the processes (1) to (3), the preparation of a polyglycerine [Japanese Patent Examined Publication (Kokoku) No. 69621/1992] by a hydrolysis reaction after the addition polymerization reaction of glycidol to a fatty acid, and the preparation of polyglycerine monoalkylether or the preparation of polyglycerine monoalkylthioether [U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,821,372, 3,966,398, and 4,087,466], etc.
However, in the preparation process of a polyglycerine by a hydrolysis reaction after the add polymerization reaction of glycidol to a fatty acid described in Japanese Patent Examined Publication (Kokoku) No. 69621/1992, low fatty acids (a carbon number of 2 to 6) are employed as fatty acids to prepare polyglycerines, and a fatty acid ester of a polyglycerine is not mentioned at all.
Heretofore, a fatty acid monoester of a polyglycerine has been prepared by the above-described process (1). In the process, it is pointed out that a polyglycerine having reactive hydroxyl groups of 4 to 10 on an average is employed as a starting polyglycerine, as a result, a resulting product contains an unreacted polyglycerine, poly-substituted fatty acid esters such as diester, triester, and tetraester, etc. other than the desired fatty acid monoester of a polyglycerine [N. Garti, et al, Journal of American Oil Chemists"" Society, 59, 317-319 (1982)].
Furthermore, even in the process (4) in which glycidol is addition polymerized to a fatty acid monoglyceride, a purity of a reaction product remarkably depends upon the starting fatty acid monoglyceride [c.f. U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,775]. Particularly, in the case when there is employed a fatty acid monoglyceride obtained by the reaction of glycerine with a fatty acid as a starting material, the starting material contains unreacted glycerine as well as in the above-described process (1), resulting in that a fatty acid monoester of a polyglycerine obtained by the addition polymerization of glycidol contains only approximately 40% of the fatty acid monoester, and the residue of approximately 60% is composed of unreacted glycerine and poly-substituted fatty acid esters [Shigeru Tsuda, Monoglyceride, page 67(1985), Maki Book Store].
As described above, there remain a large amount of unreacted polyglycerine and poly-substituted fatty acid esters in the fatty acid monoester of a polyglycerine employed until now. In the case when such the fatty acid monoester is employed as surfactants or emulsion stabilizers in food industries, it results in decrease of surface tension, decrease of dispersibility, decrease of foaming ability, and decrease of stability in emulsifying.
As a process for removing tie unreacted polyglycerine, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication (Kokai) No. 23837/1988 discloses a process in which the unreacted polyglycerine is removed by a liquid separation process using a mixed solvent composed of at least one of water-soluble organic solvents or water and at least one of water-insoluble organic solvents.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication (Kokai) No. 81252/1991 discloses a process that the unreacted polyglycerine is removed by an adsorption method in which a solution of a reaction product in esterification is brought into contact with an alkyl-silylated silicagel.
Still further, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication (Kokai) No. 41007/1994 discloses an extracting process in which the unreacted polyglycerine is removed by employing a water-soluble organic solvent such as n-butyl alcohol, n-propanol, or dioxane, etc. together with water or an aqueous solution containing a salting agent such as lithium, sodium, potassium or ammonium salts of an organic acid or an inorganic acid such as sulfuric acid or phosphoric acid.
And also, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication (Kokai) No. 228052/1994 discloses an extracting process in which the unreacted polyglycerine is removed by employing methylethylketone together with water.
However, the process in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication (Kokai) No. 23837/1988 includes a problem in uses for food-stuff from a viewpoint of safety because of aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene and toluene which are described as examples of the water-insoluble organic solvents. Furthermore, in the process, the reaction molar ratio of a fatty acid to a polyglycerine is limited within 1, and there is not described the effectiveness in the reaction molar ratio exceeding 1.
Still further, in the case of a toluene/methanol system, it is observed that a large amount of a fatty acid ester of polyglycerine having a high HLB value moves to methanol phase containing water even in the reaction ratio below 1 and, further, unreacted polyglycerine cannot be sufficiently removed, resulting in that there are problems in industrial preparation.
In addition, the separation process disclosed in the Kokai No. 81252/1991 includes disadvantages that operation costs are expensive and operations are troublesome.
Besides, even though according to the prior arts including the processes disclosed in the Kokai No. 41007/1994 and 228052/1994, although the unreacted polyglycerine can be removed, poly-substituted esters of polyglycerine cannot be removed.
As described hereinabove, in the case when there is prepared a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine according to the above-described processes (4) and (5) in which glycidol is employed, preparation of polyglycerine can be prevented. However, there is a problem that a small amount of unreacted glycidol remains in the fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine.
Even a small amount, unreacted residual glycidol itself does not exhibit emulsifying ability, and unpreferably causes a remarkable decrease of surface tension, dispersibility, foaming ability, and stability in emulsifying in products including the fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine.
In order to remove a small amount of unreacted glycidol from the composition, there requires molecular distillation which is not economical and not preferred from a viewpoint of industrial applications. It is to be noted that glycidol is another name of an epoxy alcohol.
In view of the above-described background, there has been expected a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine containing high contents of a fatty acid monoester which exhibits an improved surface tension, dispersibility, foaming ability, and stability in emulsifying during uses as an emulsifying stabilizer in the fields of surface active agents, food-stuffs, cosmetics, and detergents.
Furthermore, the fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine containing high contents of a fatty acid monoester in the present invention effectively acts as a plasticizer, an improver of a wetting ability for hydrophobic resins, an improver of a printing property, an anti-static agent, a releasing agent, or an anti-clouding agent, etc. for a variety of resins which include a polyvinyl chloride resin, a styrene-based resin, a methylmethacrylate-based resin, and a polyacetal resin.
For example, a polyvinyl chloride resin has been widely employed as a wrapping film or a bottle for food-stuffs, cosmetics, detergents, and other miscellaneous goods, materials for printing such as a calendar and a poster because of its excellent rigidity, transparency, moldability, printing ability.
In particular, uniaxially or biaxially oriented films are employed as a shrinkable wrapping and a shrinkable label because of the excellence in rigidity, a gloss, dimensional stability in storage, and a shrinkable property.
However, similarly to other resins, a polyvinyl chloride resin has a disadvantage that static electricity is very readily charged, resulting in that it gives an unpleasant feeling to human bodies and it readily catches dusts in air.
Accordingly, there is often carried out a process for preventing static electricity.
The process for preventing static electricity includes mixing an anti-static agent together with a thermal stabilizer, a reinforcing material, and a slipping agent, etc. in the case of molding a polyvinyl chloride resin, or coating an anti-static agent after molding.
As the anti-static agent for vinyl chloride resins, there have been conventionally employed a fatty acid ester of glycerine, a fatty acid ester of sorbitan, a non-ionic surface active agent of a higher alcohol, and an anionic surface active agent such as a sodium alkylbenzene sulfonate and a sodium alkylsulfonate. However, mixing of the anti-static agents cannot sufficiently give an effect for preventing static electricity to films having thin thickness such as thermally shrinkable oriented films, and transparency of the films is occasionally decreased.
On the other hand, coating of the anti-static agents after molding has disadvantages that an effect for preventing static electricity is often decreased by rubbing or evaporation with a long lapse of time, and further films themselves readily cause blocking.
In JP Kokai No. 1861/1994, although there is disclosed the use of a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine for an anti-static agent, the composition contains a large amount of a residual polyglycerine and poly-substituted esters, unpreferably resulting in that an effect for emulsifying and preventing static electricity is remarkably small, whereby, a large amount of the composition has to be employed.
Meanwhile, a styrene-based resin is excellent in transparency, non-toxic, non-deodorant, and water-resistant.
However, there has been a problem that it is brittle in spite of exhibiting strength and rigidness. Recently, the brittleness in a styrene-based resin has been improved, whereby, the styrene-based resin has been used as films for food-stuffs.
Particularly, the styrene-based resin films have a variety of problems in the use as films for wrapping food-stuffs because of non-affinity for water.
In the case when the styrene-based resin films are used for wrapping food-stuffs and stored at low temperatures, moisture in the food-stuffs such as vegetables or meat forms drops of water over the films. There is a problem that the drops of water adversely affect transparency of the films, unpreferably resulting in that the food-stuffs in wrapping cannot be visually identified, and it is not only visually unpreferred, but also it gives a bad feeling.
In order to solve the problem, there has been thought out a process for improving surface properties of the films.
As the process for improving surface properties of the films, there are known processes that an anti-clouding agent is coated on the films or mixed in preparing the films.
Although the coating process of the anti-clouding agent provides an excellent anti-clouding effect for a short period after coating, anti-clouding effect becomes decreased by rubbing with a long time of lapse.
On the other hand, the mixing process of the anti-clouding agent can provide the films with an excellent anti-clouding effect for a long period after mixing.
As the anti-clouding agent for the styrene-based resin films, there are known (1) fatty acid esters of glycerine (JP Kokoku No. 4147/1963 and JP Kokoku No. 26532/1977), (2) fatty acid esters of polyethyleneglycol (disclosed in JP Kokoku No. 21112/1964), and (3) fatty acid monoesters of polyglycerine (JP Kokai No. 157558/1986), etc.
However, in the case when the fatty acid esters of glycerine of (1) and the fatty acid esters of polyethyleneglycol of (2) are employed as the anti-clouding agent for the styrene-based resin films, a large amount of those must be employed in order to provide an aimed anti-clouding effect, resulting in that mixing is difficult.
In the case when the fatty acid monoesters of polyglycerine of (3) is employed as the anti-clouding agent for the styrene-based resin films, although an anti-clouding effect at ordinary temperatures is excellent, an anti-clouding effect at low temperatures is poor, and further miscibility and transparency are poor, resulting in being not appropriate to wrapping for food-stuffs at low temperatures.
It is to be noted that the fatty acid monoesters of polyglycerine of the above-described (3) are prepared by the esterification of polyglycerine with a fatty acid and the purification b y molecular distillation or solvent extraction, which is different from a fatty acid esters composition of polyglycerine in the present invention prepared by the addition polymerization reaction of glycidol to a fatty acid.
Anti-clouding agent for the styrene-based resin films to be employed for wrapping food-stuffs has to be excellent in a low temperature property, a high temperature property, a recovery property, and durability, etc. Particularly, it attaches importance to an anti-clouding effect at a low temperature atmosphere for a long time of period.
In order to make durability of an anti-clouding effect at low temperatures exhibit, an anti-clouding agent to be mixed must exhibit moderate miscibility with the styrene-based resins at low temperatures.
An anti-clouding agent exhibiting a poor miscibility readily moves to the surface of the film, and it oozes out of the film, unpreferably resulting in causing blocking of the films in spite of the presence of the anti-clouding effect.
On the other hand, an anti-clouding agent exhibiting an excessive miscibility does not readily move to the surface of the film, unpreferably resulting in not exhibiting the anti-clouding effect. Accordingly, an anti-clouding agent must exhibit a well-balanced miscibility with resins.
As a conventional anti-clouding agent for the styrene-based resins has an excessive miscibility with the resins, it is involved inside the resins, resulting in that there has been required a large amount ranging from 7 to 8% by weight.
The problems can be solved by the use of the fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine containing high contents of a fatty acid monoester in the present invention.
Furthermore, although an article molded from the styrene-based resin is particularly excellent in transparency, there is a problem that it readily accumulates static electricity induced by friction, and it does not readily disappear, unpreferably resulting in that dust in air is drawn.
In order to prevent the accumulation of static electricity, surface active agents have been mixed in the resin, or silicone-based compounds have been coated on the surface of the molded article.
However, there are problems that a small amount of the surface active agents do not sufficiently provide an anti-static effect and, unpreferably, a large amount of the surface active agents adversely affect transparency of the resin, and coating process of silicone-based compounds onto the surface of the molded article results in increasing costs of production.
The problems can be solved by the use of the fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine containing high contents of a fatty acid monoester in the present invention.
In the mean time, a methylmethacrylate-based resin is widely employed in a variety of fields which supply parts for automobiles such as a cover for a variety of meters, optical parts such as photo-magnetic disks and lenses, and a cover for an illuminating lamp, etc., because of its excellence in transparency, weatherability, and mechanical properties, etc.
The molded articles are usually prepared by an injection molding and a compression molding. Particularly, the optical parts such as photo-magnetic disks and lenses are molded by compression molding with a precise mold, and a molded article is exceedingly tightly in contact with the mold, whereby, release of the molded article from the mold becomes insufficient, resulting in making a productivity lower.
Therefore, it is proposed that a variety of releasing agents are employed in molding a methylmethacrylate-based resin.
For example, JP Kokai No. 73754/1086 discloses a methylmethacrylate resin in which there are mixed higher fatty acid esters, polyvalent alcohols, higher alcohols, higher fatty acids, amides of higher fatty acids, and metal salts of higher fatty acids as releasing agents.
However, a releasing property is insufficient, and the releasing agents move to the surface of molded articles, unpreferably resulting in that the surface of the mold becomes dirty, and commercial values remarkably decrease by coloration of the molded article.
The additive which is the fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine of the present invention can provide a methylmethacrylate-based resin having an excellent releasing property in spite of a small amount of use.
In the meantime, a polyacetal resin which is one of engineering plastics has been exceedingly widely employed in a variety of fields which supply parts for automobiles or home electric appliances, etc., because of its excellence in physical properties such as mechanical properties and electric properties, moldability, and chemical properties such as chemical resistance and thermal stability.
However, as a polyacetal resin unprocessed is poor in a printing property by a variety of inks, it has been used after a treatment by corona discharge.
However, in the case when it is molded, for example, as a shutter for a disk or a magnetic tape cartridge, as the shutter itself is thin in thickness, bending or deformation is unpreferably caused by a long time treatment or high-voltage treatment in corona discharge, resulting in incapability of practically using.
In view of the situations, there has been expected a material on which inks can be printed even by a short time treatment or low-voltage treatment in corona discharge.
Although a process of a primer coating is known as a process for improving a printing property, the primer process requires solvents, unpreferably resulting in being problematic from viewpoint of environmental pollution.
In JP Kokai No. 195155/1985, there is disclosed a process in which a polyacetal resin is mixed with 0.01-3 parts by weight of hindered amines together with 0.01-4 parts by weight of a specific benztriazole-based ultraviolet absorbent in order to improve weatherability.
However, a printing property cannot be sufficiently improved by the process, and further, durability of the printing property is almost not improved.
Furthermore, in JP Kokai No. 128740/1982, there is disclosed a process in which a polyacetal resin is mixed with 0.01-5 parts by weight of a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine and/or polyalkyleneglycol-alkylether.
However, even a printing property cannot be sufficiently improved by the process because the fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine is not prepared by the above-described glycidol process (5).
Still further, in JP Kokoku No. 14709/1994, there is disclosed a process in which a polyacetal resin is mixed with 0.01-3% by weight of a hindered amine compound together with an effective amount (as an anti-static agent) a fatty acid ester of a polyvalent alcohol.
However, even a printing property cannot be sufficiently improved by the process, and further, durability of the printing property is almost not improved.
In addition, in JP Kokai No. 41583/1986, there is disclosed a process in which a polyacetal resin having the thickness of less than 200 microns in skin layer.
However, even a printing property cannot also be satisfactorily improved by the process, and further, durability of the printing property is not occasionally improved.
The problems in the polyacetal resin can be solved by the use of the fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine containing high contents of a fatty acid monoester in the present invention.
In addition, there is a problem that polyacetal resins or a article molded therefrom do not exhibit a sufficient wetting property to water and a liquid containing water such as water-soluble inks, and blood, etc.
Wide applications of the polyacetal resins demand a variety of special characteristics as materials. One of the special characteristics is an improved wetting property to inks, etc.
Wetting property is prescribed in JIS K6768 in which it is defined as a condition that liquid coated on the surface of a solid is not repelled.
As a method for measuring the wetting property, there is known a method measuring contact angle, and small contact angle represents easiness of wetting.
Wetting property is required in a variety of molded articles. For example, in an ink jet nozzle in a printer for a personal computer, wetting property of the nozzle edge surface is required in order to constantly control the direction jetting ink, resulting in improving quality of printing.
Furthermore, in a carrier for a biosensor, improved wetting property of a sample liquid is required in order to elevate a sensitivity of measurement.
As methods for improving wetting property, there have been put into practice plasma treatments, chemical treatments, and surface coating by paints. However, the methods include a disadvantage of inferior efficiency in production because a highly-controlled technology is required in order to guarantee a constant quality in surface treatment.
As methods for improving wetting property in a polyacetal resin, although JP-A-257499/1994 discloses a method in which there is mixed an additive such as polyethylene glycol for improving wetting property, the method is insufficient.
Although JP-A-293856/1994 discloses a method in which there is mixed a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine for improving wetting property, a large amount of the composition must be employed in the method because a large amount of unreacted polyglycerine remains in the composition.
Furthermore, a polyalkyleneglycol or a fatty acid esters composition of a polyvalent alcohol is also insufficient from viewpoint of improving wetting property, as shown in Comparative Examples of the present invention which are described later.
Still further, a large amount of a compound improving wetting property occasionally tends to adversely affect to mechanical properties and moldability.
In addition, a polyacetal resin is used as a resin composition by mixing a hindered phenol-based compound, inorganic fibers having short length and other additives, in order to prepare small or precise parts having thin thickness for precision instruments such as a watch, a printer, and a desk top electronic calculator, etc., because of being excellent in mechanical properties and dimensional stability.
As the inorganic fibers having short length, there are exemplified fiberglass and fibrous potassium titanate.
However, the fiberglass has the average fiber diameter ranging from 6 to 13 microns and the average fiber length ranging from 20 to 3000 microns. Accordingly, diameter and length are too thick and too long, resulting in being incapable of employing, for example, as gears for watch having the thickness of 50 or 60 microns.
On the other hand, the fibrous potassium titanate has the average fiber diameter ranging from 0.2 to 2 microns and the average fiber length ranging from 10 to 100 microns.
Accordingly, although the fibrous potassium titanate can be employed as the gears, it often causes a problem of gate plugging in a molding die.
Recently, micro-fibrous titanium oxide has been employed as substitutes for fiberglass and fibrous potassium titanate.
For example, JP-A-113465/1989 teaches that micro fibrous titanium oxide is employed to prepare a resin composition with which there can be formed molded articles having excellent strength and gloss of the surface.
However, the polyacetal resin composition in which micro-fibrous titanium oxide is mixed has a drawback that releasing property from a molding die is poor.
The poorness results in a poor profile property of the surface in a molded article and a stain in a molding die.
Particularly, as the molding die for the precise parts is small, cleaning of the stain requires a long maintenance time, resulting in falling productivity.
The problems can be solved by the use of only a small amount of the fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine having high contents of a fatty acid monoester in the present invention.
In the meantime, a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine has been widely used as an additives for cosmetics, toiletries, and detergents.
As a specific example of cosmetics, a water-in-oil type-emulsified composition for cosmetics is used as an agent for keeping moisture on human skin because outer layer is composed of oil components, resulting in being capable of preventing dryness in the human skin.
It is to be noted that a water-in-oil type-emulsified composition for cosmetics is prepared by mixing a water-soluble high viscous compound such as glycerine, oils and/or waxes, water, and an emulsifier, etc.
As it does not have an affinity to water or sweat, properties are not diminished by those, preferably resulting in that the properties are durable for a long time of period.
Furthermore, an affinity to an oily makeup is high, resulting in that it can be preferably employed as an excellent cleansing for the purpose of removing the oily makeup.
However, there are disadvantages that a water-in-oil type-emulsified composition for cosmetics unpreferably gives an oily or sticky feel when it is applied on human skin because outer layer is composed of oil components.
In order to solve the disadvantages, a water-in-oil type-emulsified composition for cosmetics containing a large amount of water has been numerously investigated, for example, as described in JP-B-26366/1985, JP-A-302935/1988, and JP-A-160709/1994.
However, the water-in-oil type-emulsified composition for cosmetics containing a large amount of water is not suitable for the purpose of removing the oily makeup because of high content of water. Furthermore, the water-in-oil type-emulsified composition for cosmetics containing a larger amount of water is not thinly extended.
In the JP-A-160709/1994, it is described that a large amount of silicone oils which are slippery are employed as oil components for outer layer formed by a water-in-oil type-emulsified composition, and further viscosity of the composition is controlled within 20000 cps, whereby, thinness and an oily or sticky feel is improved.
Still further, sorbitan fatty acid esters composition or glycerine fatty acid esters composition which is a lipophilic emulsifier has been employed in the presence or absence of metal soaps of higher fatty acids for preparing the water-in-oil type-emulsified composition for cosmetics. In addition, there are recently employed organic compound-modified clays composition or mixed emulsifiers containing alpha-monoglyceryl ether.
However, in the case when the composition or emulsifiers are employed with a large amount of oils, viscosity thereof exceedingly lowers, resulting in that there cannot be readily obtained a water-in-oil type-emulsified composition for cosmetics having an excellent feel in use and excellent stability for a long time of period.
Besides, there is described a water-in-oil type-emulsified composition for cosmetics having an excellent stability for a long time of period in JP-A-128135/1994 in which a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine is employed. However, the composition is prepared by an esterification reaction of a polyglycerine with a fatty acid which is the preparation process No. (1) described hereinabove.
As described hereinabove, the composition prepared by an esterification reaction of a polyglycerine with a fatty acid has problems.
The problems in the water-in-oil type-emulsified composition for cosmetics can be solved by the use of the fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine containing high contents of a fatty acid monoester in the present invention.
As a specific example of cosmetics, a transparent liquid composition for cosmetics has been used as an agent for keeping moisture on human skin, cosmetics for bathroom, cosmetics for cleansing, cosmetics for a massage, cosmetics for a facial pack, cosmetics for hairs, and a base material for medicines, etc.
It is to be noted that a transparent liquid composition for cosmetics is prepared by mixing an non-ionic surface active agent, at least one of water-soluble compound having at least two hydroxyl groups, oils, and water, etc.
The transparent liquid composition for cosmetics usually contains oily components and plasticizers or emulsifiers which are usually non-ionic surface active agents.
It is known that the non-ionic surface active agents are relatively safe for human skin. Recently, the use of a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine is proposed similarly to a fatty acid esters composition of sucrose instead of the non-ionic surface active agents from viewpoint of irritating skin.
However, a conventional fatty acid esters composition of polyglycerine is poorer in a solubilizing and emulsifying property compared to non-ionic surface active agents having polyoxyethylene chains. Particularly, it is difficult to solubilize a large amount of oily components in water which is a base material, and as a composition for cosmetics is highly viscous, there has been a disadvantage that a feel in use is not heavy.
The problems in the transparent liquid composition for cosmetics can be solved by the use of the fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine containing high contents of a fatty acid monoester in the present invention.
As a specific example of cosmetics, a gel-like emulsified composition for cosmetics has been used as cosmetics for cleansing and cosmetics for a massage, etc.
It is to be noted that a gel-like emulsified composition for cosmetics is usually prepared by mixing glycerine, oils, a polyvalent alcohol except glycerine, and an emulsifier, etc.
It has been conventionally difficult to prepare a gel-like emulsified composition for cosmetics having a stability because of characteristic properties thereof. In order to prepare a gel-like emulsified composition having a stability, it has been uncommonly tried to make the composition itself high viscous at the sacrifice of a special characteristic and a feel in use.
Furthermore, although a gel-like emulsified composition for cosmetics has been numerously investigated with development of a hydrophilic fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine, there is a problem that a conventional fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine exhibits an unpleasant feel in use which is a poor spreadability because of its sticky property.
As a method for solving the problem, for example, JP-A-224507/1992 discloses an instance that there are employed a fatty acid esters composition of polyoxyethylenesorbit and/or a fatty acid esters composition of polyoxyethyleneglycerine together with a fatty acid esters composition of diglycerine instead of a hydrophilic fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine, and JP-A-4911/1993 and JP-A-4912/1993 disclose instances that there are employed natural surface active agents.
However, the compositions are insufficient from a viewpoint of safety, there has been expected the development of a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine having excellent safety, an excellent feel in use, and a special characteristic for a gel-like emulsified composition.
The expectation can be attained by the fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine containing high contents of a fatty acid monoester in the present invention.
The problems in the gel-like emulsified composition for cosmetics can be solved by the use of the fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine containing high contents of a fatty acid monoester in the present invention.
As a specific example of cosmetics, a composition for tooth paste contains a foaming agent in order to give a refreshing feel, a dispersing and emulsifying function, and a foaming function, and a surface active agent is employed for giving functions.
It is to be noted that a composition for tooth paste is usually prepared by mixing an abrasive such as secondary hydrated calcium phosphate, water-soluble compounds having high molecular weight such as a carboxymethyl cellulose, a wetting agent such as glycerine, and medicinal components, etc.
The surface active agent to be employed for giving functions is an essential component. The refreshing feel in teeth-brushing is enhanced by a decrease of surface tension owing to mixing it. Furthermore, the effect is enhanced by accelerating dispersion and permeation of the medicinal components owing to mixing it. Still further, the surface active agent sensuously gives stability by foaming in use.
As the composition for tooth paste is used in mouth, not only the surface active agent to be employed must possess excellent ability for decreasing surface tension and excellent ability for foaming, but also taste and odor must be satisfactorily acceptable.
Therefore, there have been conventionally employed anion surface active agents not having taste and odor such as a sodium alkylsulphate, sodium acylsalkosinate, alpha-olefin sulphonate, and a monoglyceride composed of sodium sulphate and a coconut oil, etc.
However, the anionic surface active agents have disadvantages that mucous membrane in mouth is irritated, tastes of foods are changed after using, and an effect by enzymes to be mixed as medicinal components in tooth paste is decreased. Furthermore, safeness has recently become problematic.
In view of situations, anionic surface active agents have advantages of milder irritation to skin and mucous membrane compared to anionic surface active agents. Furthermore, the anionic surface active agents have an advantage of not decreasing the effect by enzymes, and a fatty acid esters composition of sucrose and a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine are narrowly approved as surface active agents for food processing.
Therefore, a fatty acid esters composition of sucrose and a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine are proposed as surface active agents for mixing in tooth paste.
However, a fatty acid esters composition of sucrose and a conventional fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine have disadvantages that those do not sufficiently foam in use, and an effect as tooth paste and a feel in use are exceedingly poor. It is only known that monolaurate of sucrose and monomyristate of sucrose were mixed [G. L. Fosol and P. Rovesti, (International Symposium on Sugar-ester) Maison de la Chimie Paris, Jun. 8, 1960].
The problems in the composition for tooth paste can be solved by the use of the fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine containing high contents of a fatty acid monoester in the present invention.
As a specific example of cosmetics, a cleaning agent composition is widely used in a variety of fields. Particularly, a cleaning agent composition importantly acts in food industries,
In the food industries, it is used for cleaning foods themselves, starting materials for foods processing, apparatuses for foods processing, and containers such as bottles or cans.
In the food industries, safeness of a cleaning agent composition is severely demanded because it possibly remains in apparatuses, containers, and foods themselves to be cleaned, resulting in that it is taken together with foods or beverages in human body.
Particularly, as a cleaning agent composition for the food industries is often used for foods themselves, there have been used a fatty acid esters composition of sucrose and a fatty acid esters composition of glycerine which are also additives for foods from viewpoint of safeness (Journal of Food Sanitation, vol. 18, No. 3, page 217).
Furthermore, JP-A-158090/1994 discloses that there is used a mixture composed of a monoglyceride composition of a polycarboxylic acid ester and a fatty acid esters composition of glycerine which are ionic surface active agents as a cleaning agent composition. However, the cleaning agent composition in the Journal and the mixture in the JP are not sufficient in cleaning ability.
The problems in the cleaning agent composition can be solved by the use of the fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine containing high contents of a fatty acid monoester in the present invention.
The cleaning agent composition of the present invention is harmless for human body and strong in cleaning ability, and it can be preferably used as a cleaning agent composition for foods, starting materials for foods, apparatuses for foods processing, and bottles, containers, and cans in food industries.
As a specific example of cosmetics, a foaming composition for cleaning is widely used as a cleaning agent in cosmetic fields and a detergent for a kitchen or bathroom.
For example, hair washing with a shampoo requires rinsing by water or warmed water after washing. However, in the case when a person cannot have a bath or cannot wash with water because of an injury, or in a place being incapable of using water, it is difficult to clean hair.
Therefore, there is proposed a wiping type cleaning agent which does not require rinsing.
Specifically, there are exemplified an aerosol type water-based cleaning composition in JP-B-47960/1982, a foaming hair cleaning agent in JP-A-289023/1986, a foaming hair cleaning agent for wiping a shampoo in JP-A-205011/1987, a dry hair cleaning method and an agent therefor in JP-A-14711/1988, and an aerosol type shampoo composition in JP-A-190813/1988, etc.
However, conventional compositions in which an electrolyte-based surface active agent is employed are not sufficient in stimulation to head skin and hair by only wiping, and spray-type conventional compositions in which a non-electrolyte-based surface active agent is employed are not satisfied because cleaning agents are scattered beyond necessary portions, and foam-type conventional compositions in which a non-electrolyte-based surface active agent is employed are not satisfied in cleaning ability and refreshing feeling because a mixing amount of alcohols is limited in order to prepare a foam type one.
Furthermore, JP-A-100435/1994 discloses that a non-electrolyte-based surface active agent such as a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine is employed in combination with a higher alcohol to prepare a foaming composition for cleaning containing a large amount of the higher alcohol.
However, the conventional fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine is not prepared by the glycidol process (5) as described hereinabove. Accordingly, the content of a fatty acid monoester is low in the composition, resulting in that the foaming composition for cleaning does not satisfactorily exhibit sufficient stability for a long time of period, a cleaning effect, and a refreshing feel.
The problems in the foaming composition for cleaning can be solved by the use of the fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine containing high contents of a fatty acid monoester in the present invention.
As a result of an intensive investigation by the present inventors, the present invention has been completed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine containing more than 70% of a fatty acid monoester and a process for the preparation thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a highly-purified fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine and a process for the preparation thereof.
It is other object of the present invention to provide the use of a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine as an additive for food-stuffs, thermoplastic resins, cosmetics, and detergents.
A first aspect of the present invention relates to a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine containing more than 70% of a fatty acid monoester represented by general formula [1]described below;
RCOxe2x80x94[OCH2CH(OH)CH2]nxe2x80x94OHxe2x80x83xe2x80x83[1]
wherein R is an alkyl group, an alkenyl group, or a hydroxyl group-substituted alkyl group which have a carbon number ranging from 6 to 21, and n is an integer of at least 4, based on a peak area ratio detected using an ultraviolet ray absorption detector in a high performance liquid chromatographic analysis method.
A second aspect of the present invention relates to a process for the preparation of a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine which comprises the reaction of a fatty acid represented by general formula [2] described below;
RCOOHxe2x80x83xe2x80x83[2]
wherein R is an alkyl group, an alkenyl group, or a hydroxyl group-substituted alkyl group which have a carbon number ranging from 6 to 21, with glycidol in the presence of a phosphoric acid-based acidic catalyst.
A third aspect of the present invention relates to a process for the preparation of a highly-purified fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine which comprises the steps;
(a) allowing to react a fatty acid with glycidol to obtain a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine,
(b) removing water after adding water into said fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine, and then heating.
A fourth aspect of the present invention relates to a highly-purified fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine having an oxirane oxygen concentration of below 100 ppm, said oxirane oxygen concentration is defined by the titration method defined in Cd. 9-57 of Journal of American Oil Chemists"" Society, or having a ratio of below 0.01%, said ratio is a peak area value of a chemical shift between 2.7 ppm and 2.8 ppm assigned by methylene proton derived from an oxirane group with respect to a peak area value of a chemical shift between 3.4 ppm and 4.4 ppm assigned by methylene proton and methine proton derived from a polyglycerine with a proton NMR.
A fifth aspect of the present invention relates to the use of a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine in the first aspect or a highly-purified fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine in the fourth aspect for an additive for food-stuffs.
A sixth aspect of the present invention relates to a resin composition which comprises a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine in the first aspect or a highly-purified fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine in the fourth aspect, and a thermoplastic resin.
A seventh aspect of the present invention relates to a water-in-oil type-emulsified composition for cosmetics which comprises glycerine, oils and/or waxes, water, and a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine in the first aspect or a highly-purified fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine in the fourth aspect.
An eighth aspect of the present invention relates to a transparent liquid composition for a cleansing which comprises at least one of an non-ionic surface active agent, at least one of water-soluble compound having at least two hydroxyl groups, oily components, water, and a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine in the first aspect or a highly-purified fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine in the fourth aspect. a highly-purified fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine in the fourth aspect or a highly-purified fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine in the fourth aspect, and an agent for spraying said mixture.
A ninth aspect of the present invention relates to a gel-like emulsified composition for cosmetics which comprises glycerine, liquid oily components, a polyvalent alcohol except glycerine, and a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine in the first aspect or a highly-purified fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine in the fourth aspect.
A tenth aspect of the present invention relates to a composition for tooth paste which comprises an abrasive, a caking material, a wetting agent, and a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine in the first aspect or a highly-purified fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine in the fourth aspect.
An eleventh aspect of the present invention relates to a cleaning agent composition which comprises (a) a polycarboxylic acid ester of a monoglyceride or a salt thereof represented by general formula [3]
R1xe2x80x94COOxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CHOZ1xe2x80x94CH2OZ2xe2x80x83xe2x80x83[3]
wherein R1 is an alkyl or alkenyl group having a carbon number ranging from 7 to 17, either Z1 or Z2 is a residual group of a polycarboxylic acid or salt thereof, and another hydrogen atom or a residual group of a polycarboxylic acid or salt thereof, (b) a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine as set forth in claim 1 or a highly-purified fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine as set forth in claim 14, (c) organic or inorganic builders, (d) fluidity improvers, and additionally (e) thickening agents, (f) perfumes, (g) coloring agents, (h) sterilizers, (i) enzymes, and (j) anti-inflammatory agents.
A twelfth aspect of the present invention relates to a foaming composition for cleaning which comprises a mixture composed of at least one of a lower monovalent alcohol having a carbon number ranging from 1 to 3, water, at least one of a higher alcohol having a carbon number ranging from 12 to 22, and a fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine in the first aspect or a highly-purified fatty acid esters composition of a polyglycerine in the fourth aspect.
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There is a known electric storage module including electric storage devices and an outer package member that covers the electric storage devices (see JP 2013-5509 A).
The electric storage module includes a plurality of electric storage devices aligned in line in one direction and fixed to each other, an outer package member that covers the plurality of electric storage devices, and a cable laid on the outer package member. The electric storage module further includes a cable fixing portion provided on the outer package member to hold the cable.
A through-hole through which the cable is inserted penetrates the cable fixing portion in one direction. Therefore, the cable fixing portion attached to the outer package member can route the cable only in one direction. In other words, the conventional cable fixing portion has low flexibility of layout of the cable.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hearing aids and to methods of operating hearing aids. The invention, more specifically relates to hearing aid systems comprising hearing aids, wireless transceivers and remote controls.
2. The Prior Art
Hearing aids capable of being operated by remote controls are known. Remote controls have been used primarily for selecting among different listening programmes stored in the hearing aids and for individual adjustment of the output levels of the hearing aids. The data bandwidth of the communications channels available in existing remote control systems for use in hearing aids is comparatively small and mainly used for simple commands like “adjust output level up one notch” or “change to program 2”, these command types taking up but a small number of bits of information. Existing wireless communications channels for the remote control of hearing aids in use today are usually one-way channels, i.e. it is not possible to transmit information from the hearing aid via the communications channel.
Recent developments in hearing aid signal processors encompass a multitude of different parameters and settings stored in non-volatile memory circuits in the hearing aid, each setting having a specific relation to the performance of the hearing aid, e.g. gain and compression levels in different frequency bands. The values of these parameters and settings will usually be decided and stored in the hearing aid during a fitting session with the user and a fitter. The effect of changing one or more parameters in the hearing aid may, to some extent, be monitored by the fitter through simulation in computer software, and, in some systems, monitored by reading out the parameters from the hearing aid in real-time, as described in the following.
An industry standard programming interface is the NOAH-Link® interface, manufactured by Madsen Electronics, Taastrup, Denmark. This programming interface comprises a transponder unit worn in a string around a hearing aid user's neck and connected, during use, to one or two hearing aids via cables and connectors. The transponder unit is capable of transmitting or receiving digital programming signals from a personal computer equipped with a similar transponder and running suitable software for the purpose of programming the hearing aid.
The transponders in the programming device and the personal computer preferably utilize the industry standard Bluetooth® wireless networking interface for communication, and the personal computer runs a version of the industry standard Compass® hearing aid fitting software. During use, a fitter of hearing aids may use this programming interface to program a prescription frequency response into the hearing aids of the user as decided, based on a hearing test, and according to the user's preferences. Data regarding the condition, programming, type, and serial number etc. of the hearing aids to be programmed may also be read out by the system for display in the computer. Although the link between the transponder and the personal computer is wireless, the system requires galvanic connection between the transponder of the programming device and the hearing aid circuitry.
However, connector sockets in hearing aids are complicated in design and manufacture, a potential source of error, and add significantly to the bulk of the hearing aids. The fitting of hearing aids with cables is a significant complication for the fitter.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,229 describes a magnetically coupled short-range communication system for transmitting audio signals between a magnetic transmission element and a magnetic receiving element in a hearing aid. The audio signals are transmitted as a time variant modulated, pulse coded data stream. This is a simplex system, and the magnetic receiving element in the hearing aid appears to be power-intensive, thus putting a great strain on the hearing aid battery.
WO 98 48526 devises a magnetic-induction time-multiplexed two-way short-range communications system for transmission and reception of signals between a telephone base unit and a portable headset in close proximity to said base unit. It has duplex capabilities and an adequate bandwidth, but the size of the receiver and transmitter in this system prohibits its use in hearing aid systems.
US 2004/0037442 describes a wireless binaural hearing aid system utilizing direct sequence spread spectrum technology to synchronize operation between individual hearing prostheses. This system enables two hearing aids to communicate wirelessly with each other for the purpose of synchronizing the sampling of the sounds picked up by the hearing aid microphones. A remote control is not involved in this system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,254 discloses a hearing aid adapted for control by hand-held radio-controlled volume and tone controls and utilizing a radio link to enable enhanced real-time signal processing of the incoming sound via a remote processor. The wireless system utilized in this hearing aid is essentially based on analog processing, and although such a system could be made to function in practice it would be very cumbersome to use due to the size and power consumption of the components involved. However, no practical suggestions as to how such a wireless system might be implemented in practice are devised in U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,254, and no reference to any supporting literature in this respect are made.
EP 1 445 982 A1 describes an apparatus and method for mutual wireless communication between one or two hearing aids and a remote control unit for the purpose of controlling program selection and adjusting output volume. The communication is controlled by assigning different priorities to the hearing aids and the remote control unit and making each unit transmit in its own time slot according to the assigned priority. Apparently, no means to communicate from the remote control unit by other means than those provided for communication to the hearing aids, are provided.
EP 1 460 769 A1 discloses an electronic module and a mobile transceiver comprising several receivers for receiving electrical or electromagnetic signals carrying audio signals and a radio transmitter for transmitting radio signals carrying audio signals. The mobile transceiver comprises a prioritising module and a transmitter for transmitting audio received by one of the receivers to a hearing aid comprising a receiver. The actual transmission scheme used by the mobile transceiver is not disclosed, and no means for transmitting signals from the hearing aid to the mobile transceiver is disclosed.
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International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 14496-10 (Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)-4 Part 10 Advanced Video Coding) or H.264, which is video compression/encoding technology jointly standardized in ISO/IEC and International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunication Standardization (ITU-T), an ISO/IEC 14496-10 Amendment 3 (MPEG-4 Scalable Video Coding) standard, a video codec-1 (VC-1), which is an Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) standard, an audio video coding standard (AVS), and the like have achieved significant advance in terms of video data compression efficiency.
There are various factors for improving video compression efficiency. In particular, a process of sub-dividing a macroblock in units of 16×16, 16×8, 8×16, 8×8, 8×4, 4×8, and 4×4, prediction-encoding sub-blocks, and encoding a block for minimizing cost in an optimum block mode in terms of rate-distortion cost is performed, unlike existing video encoding standards (MPEG-1 Video, MPEG-2 Video, MPEG-4 Part 2 Visual, H.261, H.263, and the like) in which prediction encoding is performed after a size of a picture to be encoded is divided in units of macroblocks (each of which has 16×16 pixels).
Thereby, a micro motion or a motion of a complex video may be more effectively predicted, and compression efficiency may be significantly improved by significantly reducing a generated residual signal.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing seven types of motion prediction block divisions used in H.264 as division block types of 16×16 macroblock unit blocks to be encoded in an H.264/advanced video coding (AVC) encoder of the related art.
In a block-based prediction encoding method as shown in FIG. 1, an encoding process is generally performed by dividing an input video into macroblock units having a size of 16×16. In particular, in the ISO/IEC 14496-10 (MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding) or H.264 standard, prediction encoding is performed by dividing a macroblock into seven types of sub-blocks as shown in FIG. 1 and finally selecting a block for minimizing the rate-distortion cost.
When intra encoding of sub-blocks into which a 16×16 macroblock to be encoded is divided is performed, the macroblock is subjected to intra prediction encoding in a size of one 16×16 pixel unit. Alternatively, after the macroblock is divided into sub-blocks, intra prediction encoding of four 8×8 blocks or sixteen 4×4 blocks is performed.
In general, the above-described intra prediction encoding technique efficient in terms of the reduction of the number of cases of various block modes in low definition video encoding, but has a problem in high definition (HD) or ultra high definition (UHD) video encoding. That is, in the case of a super-macroblock having a size of 32×32 or more to which a 16×16 macroblock as an encoding unit block is extended, encoding efficiency is degraded if all divided block modes within the super-macroblock are applied to the same intra prediction based on a 16×16, 8×8, or 4×4 block as in the existing method.
In other words, it should be noted that all divided blocks are encoded by only intra or inter prediction encoding in a prediction encoding method based on division blocks in the related art. That is, only one of the intra prediction encoding and the inter prediction encoding is selected and applied to a division block without applying both the intra prediction encoding and the inter prediction encoding to the division block. This may result in a gain of encoding efficiency in image or video compression at an HD rate or less due to simplicity of a syntax expressing a block encoding mode obtained by applying only one of intra and inter encoding, but may become a factor that degrades the encoding efficiency when a unit of encoding is a super-macroblock that has the same or greater size than a macroblock.
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Lubrication is an important aspect of maintaining machinery in proper operating condition. Machine elements such as bearings, journals, shafts, and joints require lubrication between moving surfaces to decrease friction, prevent contamination, reduce wear and dissipate heat. In some cases, improper lubrication has the potential to result in premature component wear. Accordingly, gas turbine engines include lubrication systems to maintain a flow of a suitable lubricant through the engine, including in the turbines or gearboxes. In most lubrication systems, a supply pump feeds the lubricant from a reservoir through a supply conduit to a nozzle device that sprays the lubricant onto the elements to be lubricated, and a return pump directs lubricant collected in a sump back into the reservoir to repeat the flow circuit.
Over time and particularly at high temperature operation, some of the lubricant may undergo a coking process in which solids are formed and deposited in the lubrication system. At times, coking may result in blockages in the nozzles, which if unaddressed, may impede lubricant from properly flowing through the system. Typically, this issue is evaluated according to a maintenance schedule when the engine is offline. Generally, conventional systems do not have a mechanism for detecting nozzle blockage during operation.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a lubrication system with a nozzle blockage detection system that indicates potential blockage issues within the lubrication system, particularly during operation of the associated engine. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.
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Current shipping management systems (e.g., shipping container management systems, port management systems, train management systems, trucking management systems, etc.) are inefficient, for example failing to utilize sensor information available to them. As a non-limiting example, current shipping container management systems do not take full advantage of sensor technology integrated with the Internet of moving things. Limitations and disadvantages of conventional methods and systems will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such approaches with some aspects of the present methods and systems set forth in the remainder of this disclosure with reference to the drawings.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display. More particularly, it relates to an OLED display having improved visibility.
2. Description of the Related Art
An OLED display includes a plurality of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) including hole injection electrodes, an organic light emission layer, and electron injection electrodes. Light is emitted by energy generated when excitons generated as electrons and holes are combined drop from an excited state to a ground state, and the OLED display displays an image by using the light.
Accordingly, the OLED display has self-luminance characteristics, and unlike a liquid crystal display (LCD), the thickness and weight thereof can be reduced since a separate light source is not required. Further, because the OLED display has high quality characteristics such as low power consumption, high luminance, and high reaction speed, the OLED display is appropriate for use in a mobile electronic device.
In general, at least one of the hole injection electrode and the electron injection electrode and other metal wires of the OLED display can reflect external light. When the OLED display is used in a bright place, expression of a black color and contrast are deteriorated due to reflection of the external light, thereby deteriorating visibility of the OLED display.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.
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A typical powertrain for a vehicle transmission includes an output differential, which requires some lubrication. This lubrication is generally provided by splashing oil from the transmission case or by supplying lubrication fluid from the general lube circuit after the fluid has passed through a torque converter where the fluid gets heated due to converter heat generation and then through a cooler (part of the vehicle radiator) where the fluid is cooled and then supplied to various lubrication passages throughout the transmission.
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Laser emitters are widely used preparatory to radiation treatment of a patient for accurately positioning a target area on the patient relative to the isocenter of a radiotherapy machine. This use of the target device is an important application of the present invention, although it is not the only one. The target device can be used in other situations in which there is a requirement to align a plurality of beams from lasers or other light emitters to cause them to converge at an isocenter.
In the medical application referred to above, namely when the invention is used in conjunction with radiotherapy equipment, there are typically four light sources, e.g. laser sets. One laser set is mounted on each of two opposite walls of the room in which the equipment is located, and they are oriented to direct composite beams horizontally towards each other. These are referred to as the lateral laser sets. A third laser set is mounted on the ceiling and directs its composite beam downwardly. Ideally, the three sets of beams should intersect in space to define the isocenter. The fourth laser, called the saggital laser, is mounted on a third wall of the room at an elevated location, and directs its single beam towards the isocenter at right angles to the two lateral composite beams coming from the wall mounted laser sets.
The composite beam from each of the lateral and ceiling laser sets consists of two intersecting portions, each portion being a narrow strip. The two strips are perpendicular to each other, one strip being horizontal and the other vertical. The two beam portions thus define a cross. In the case of the ceiling laser set, the two strips are both horizontal. The single beam from the saggital laser consists of only one portion, namely a vertical strip.
The beams are visible to the operator and are designed to meet and display a cross on a common target.
The foregoing procedure is known in the art, but the prior art devices for achieving alignment of the beams to define the isocenter have suffered from inaccuracies. They have generally relied on use of a pair of right-angled wires (crosshairs) that project a shadow image of a cross on whatever target is used. A problem when depending on these crosshairs is that on some radiotherapy machines they are mounted on a removable tray that slides in and out with provision for adjusting its position in the X and Y directions (the two horizontal directions). Since the prior art laser alignment devices have depended on proper crosshair alignment in the initial set up, if the crosshairs are in fact not correctly aligned, the lasers will also lack proper alignment. Another problem is that correct alignment of the crosshairs depends on the operator's visual dexterity. In addition, the alignment checks are performed sequentially, each subsequent check requiring a new set up.
Yet another problem of the prior art alignment techniques resides in the fact that, even assuming that all the beams accurately intersect at the isocenter, there is no guarantee that they are accurately directed relative to each other, which is a requirement of a perfect set up. Specifically, the two lateral beams should together define a single straight line and the ceiling beam should be at right angles to the lateral beams.
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1,3-Propanediol has utility in a number of applications, including as a starting material for producing polyesters, polyethers, and polyurethanes. Methods for producing 1,3-propanediol include both traditional chemical routes and biological routes. Biological methods for producing 1,3-propanediol have been recently described (Zeng et al., Adv. Biochem. Eng. Biotechnol., 74:239-259 (2002)). Biologically producing 1,3-propanediol requires glycerol as a substrate for a two-step sequential reaction. First, a dehydratase (typically a coenzyme B12-dependent dehydratase) converts glycerol to an intermediate, 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde (3-HP). Then, 3-HP is reduced to 1,3-propanediol by an NADH- (or NADPH) dependent oxidoreductase (See Equations 1 and 2).Glycerol→3-HP+H2O (Equation 1)3-HP+NADH+H+→1,3-Propanediol+NAD+ (Equation 2)The 1,3-propanediol is not metabolized further and, as a result, accumulates in high concentration in the media.
Typically, glycerol is used as the starting material for biologically producing 1,3-propanediol. However, glucose and other carbohydrates also are suitable substrates for 1,3-propanediol production. Specifically, Laffend et al. (WO 96/35796; U.S. Pat. No. 5,686,276) disclose a method for producing 1,3-propanediol from a carbon substrate other than glycerol or dihydroxyacetone (especially, e.g., from glucose), using a single microorganism comprising a dehydratase activity. Emptage et al. (WO 01/012833) describe a significant increase in titer (grams product per liter) obtained by virtue of a non-specific catalytic activity (distinguished from the 1,3-propanediol oxidoreductase encoded by dhaT) to convert 3-HP to 1,3-propanediol. Payne et al. (U.S. No. 60/374,931) disclose specific vectors and plasmids useful for biologically producing 1,3-propanediol. Cervin et al. (U.S. No. 60/416,192) disclose improved E. coli strains for high yield production of 1,3-propanediol. WO 96/35796, WO 01/012833, U.S. No. 60/374,931, and U.S. No. 60/416,192 are incorporated by reference in the instant specification as though set forth in their entirety herein.
The enzymes responsible for converting glycerol to 3-HP are largely coenzyme B12-dependent enzymes, known as coenzyme B12-dependent glycerol dehydratases (E.C. 4.2.1.30) and coenzyme B12-dependent diol dehydratases (E.C. 4.2.1.28). These distinct, but related, coenzyme B12-dependent enzymes are well studied in terms of their molecular and biochemical properties. Genes for coenzyme B12-dependent dehydratases have been identified, for example, in Klebsiella pneumoniae, Citrobacter freundii, Clostridium pasteurianum, Salmonella typhimurium, Klebsiella oxytoca, and Lactobacillus collinoides (Toraya, T., In Metalloenzymes Involving Amino Acid-Residue and Related Radicals; Sigel, H. and Sigel, A., Eds.; Metal Ions in Biological Systems; Marcel Dekker: New York, 1994; Vol. 30, pp 217-254; Daniel et al., FEMS Microbiology Reviews 22:553-566 (1999); and Sauvageot et al., FEMS Microbiology Letters 209: 69-74 (2002)).
Although there is wide variation in the gene nomenclature used in the literature, in each case the coenzyme B12-dependent dehydratase is composed of three subunits: the large or “α” subunit, the medium or “β” subunit, and the small or “γ” subunit. These subunits assemble in an α2β2γ2 structure to form the apoenzyme. Coenzyme B12 (the active cofactor species) binds to the apoenzyme to form the catalytically active holoenzyme. Coenzyme B12 is required for catalytic activity as it is involved in the radical mechanism by which catalysis occurs.
Biochemically, both coenzyme B12-dependent glycerol and coenzyme B12-dependent diol dehydratases are known to be subject to mechanism-based suicide inactivation by glycerol and other substrates (Daniel et al., supra; Seifert, et al., Eur. J. Biochem. 268:2369-2378 (2001)). In addition, inactivation occurs via interaction of the holoenzyme with high concentrations of 1,3-propanediol. Inactivation involves cleavage of the cobalt-carbon (Co—C) bond of the coenzyme B12 cofactor, leading to the formation of 5′-deoxyadenosine and an inactive cobalamin species. The inactive cobalamin species remains tightly bound to the dehydratase; dissociation does not occur without the intervention of coenzyme B12-dependent dehydratase reactivation factors (“dehydratase reactivation factors”). This inactivation can significantly decrease the reaction kinetics associated with 3-HP formation and, thus, indirectly decrease 1,3-propanediol production.
The effects of coenzyme B12-dependant dehydratase inactivation can be partially overcome. For example, inactivation can be overcome by relying on those proteins responsible for reactivating the dehydratase activity. Dehydratase reactivation factors have been described in: WO 98/21341 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,013,494); Daniel et al. (supra); Toraya and Mori (J. Biol. Chem. 274:3372 (1999)); and Tobimatsu et al. (J. Bacteria 181:4110 (1999)). Reactivation occurs in a multi-step process. Initially, interaction of inactivated coenzyme B12-dependent dehydratase with dehydratase reactivation factors, in an ATP-dependent process, results in the release of the tightly bound inactive cobalamin species to produce apoenzyzme. Subsequently, the dehydratase apoenzyme may bind coenzyme B12 to re-form the catalytically active holoenzyme and the inactive cobalamin species may be regenerated (by enzymatic action, in a separate ATP-dependent process) to coenzyme B12. Depending solely on dehydratase reactivation factors to restore dehydratase activity is inherently limited, however, since both the dehydratase reactivation and the coenzyme B12 regeneration processes require ATP. These ATP-dependent processes represent a significant energetic burden to the process of converting glycerol to 3-HP, particularly if a subsequent reaction of 3-HP to 1,3-propanediol is present and the 1,3-propanediol concentration is high.
Alternatively, it is possible to either increase the amount of coenzyme B12 added to a medium during 1,3-propanediol production or to supplement the culture media with vitamin B12 (which is converted to coenzyme B12 in vivo) to supply additional coenzyme B12 to microorganisms. However, in both cases, the cost of these additions may significantly interfere with process economics.
Croux et al. (WO 01/04324 A1) have addressed the problems associated with coenzyme B12-dependent dehydratases by developing a process for producing 1,3-propanediol using a recombinant microorganism that expresses a coenzyme B12-independent dehydratase. However, the usefulness of this solution may be limited by the ability of B12-independent dehydratases to function under certain preferred process conditions (e.g. under aerobic conditions (Hartmanis and Stadman, Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 245: 144-52 (1986)).
In principle, it should be possible to isolate coenzyme B12-dependent dehydratases with reduced inactivation kinetics from naturally occurring microbial strains. Reduced inactivation kinetics would increase the turnover ratio (mol product/mol holoenzyme) of coenzyme B12-dependent dehydratase in a microbial host, and thus, reduce the dehydratase and coenzyme B12 demand. This approach would also reduce the energy needed to maintain that level of dehydratase and coenzyme B12. However, in practice, the diversity of coenzyme B12-dependent dehydratases has been found to be limited with respect to inactivation kinetics.
The problem to be solved, therefore, is that currently available coenzyme B12-dependent dehydratase enzymes are unable to provide the reaction kinetics needed for industrial applications for the production of industrial compounds.
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This invention relates to reactive adducts of certain vinyldioxo compounds and to curable coating compositions comprising such reactive adducts.
Vinyldioxo (VDO) compounds are cyclic acetals and are described in detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,010,918; 3,010,923; and 3,197,484 by Ikeda, U.S. Pat. No. 3,014,924 by Brachman, and an article by S. Hochberg entitled The Chemistry of the Vinyl Cyclic Acetals and Their Air Drying Reactions, 48 Journal of the Oil and Colour Chemists' Association (JOCCA) 1043-68 (1965). The simplest compounds in this class are made by a reaction of acrolein with a compound having two hydroxyl groups, either on adjacent carbon atoms or on carbon atoms separated by an additional carbon atom. When more than two hydroxyl groups are present in a compound, different pairs of hydroxyl groups can react with the aldehyde to form a cyclic acetal. Typical compounds having at least two hydroxyl groups include, for example, ethylene glycol, glycerin, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, and trimethylolpropane. Depending on the number and type of hydroxyl groups, the resulting VDO can be either a substituted 1,3-dioxolane or a substituted 1,3-dioxane, but frequently it is a mixture of a dioxolane with a dioxane. The reaction of acrolein (1) with trimethylolpropane (2) is shown below in Equation 1. The formation of VDO compounds, like other acetal-forming reactions, is catalyzed by acids. ##STR1##
The reaction product according to formula (3) is a 2-vinyl-1,3-dioxane substituted with an ethyl group and a hydroxymethyl (methylol) group in the 5-position. Analogous reactions can be used to prepare substituted rings having four to ten carbon ring members, that is, substituted dioxirane, dioxetane, dioxolane, dioxane, dioxepane, dioxocane, dioxonane, and dioxecane. An improved process for the synthesis of vinyldioxo compounds is disclosed in copending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/435,251, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
VDO compounds and their various derivatives have been described as useful polymerizable materials, which have the potential of providing both pigmented and clear-coat finishes in automotive and other applications. Those compounds polymerize in the presence of oxygen, such reactions being catalyzed by cobalt compounds. In an aqueous medium and in the presence of acids, the VDO compounds are unstable, so that further reactions are carried out in either a neutral, alkaline, or organic medium. In spite of the great industrial potential of VDO compounds, they have not been successfully commercialized in high performance coatings.
It has been found that VDO compounds can be polymerized, with ring opening, in the presence of an acid. For example, one of several reactions that take place involves the above compound of formula (3) in the following equation 2: ##STR2##
The hydroxyl group attached to the repeating group of the VDO polymer in formula (4) can be used for crosslinking by reaction with a difunctional or polyfunctional compound to form a solid coating. The VDO polymer crosslinking reaction typically comprises one or two liquid components in the absence of a solvent or with a minimum amount of a solvent or diluent.
The copending application designated Ser. No. 08/435,919, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses a class of adducts formed by reacting VDO compounds with difunctional compounds having two reactive functional groups, at least one of those functional groups being a silyl group, most preferably a di- or trialkoxysilyl group where the alkyl groups have from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, those adducts being represented by the following generic formula (5): ##STR3## where R is an alkyl having 1 to 12, preferably 1 to 6, carbon atoms, most preferably methyl or ethyl, or R is a branched or cyclic alkyl having 3 to 12, preferably 5 or 6, carbon atoms, and Z is a divalent radical between the oxygen on the VDO moiety and the terminal silyl group.
This invention discloses a class of VDO adducts that display hybrid crosslinkng when used in coating formulations. In particular, VDO compounds as disclosed above are reacted with various cyclic reactants to form VDO adducts. During the formation of the VDO adducts, the cyclic reactants undergo ring opening and the VDO ring structure remains intact. The resultant VDO adducts have two mechanisms by which they can be crosslinked: the VDO ring structure and reactive groups derived from the cyclic compounds that underwent ring opening.
Hybrid crosslinking occurs when the VDO adducts are used in coating formulations in the presence of acid, a traditional crosslinking agent, and optionally an additional catalyst for the crosslinking agent, such that two or more different types of crosslinking reactions occur simultaneously, subsequently, or both. The acid polymerizes the VDO adduct by opening the VDO ring structure. The traditional crosslinking agents react with the reactive groups derived from the cyclic compounds that underwent ring opening. As shown in the examples, the hybrid crosslinking provides superior results when used in coating formulations.
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The present invention relates to a variable swirl siamese type intake port structure for an internal combustion engine cylinder head, and more particularly relates to such a siamesed type variable swirl intake port structure for an internal combustion engine cylinder head, which incorporates two intake valves (and thus is of the three valve type or the four valve type) and a switchover valve construction for selectively supplying intake air - fuel mixture to said two intake valves in varying proportions, and which is improved as regards air - fuel mixture swirling characteristics and volumetric efficiency in various engine operational conditions.
The present invention has been described in Japanese patent applications Ser. Nos. Showa 60-163149 (1985) and Showa 60-186886 (1985), both of which were filed by an applicant the same as the entity assigned or owed duty of assignment of the present patent application; and the present patent application hereby incorporates into itself by reference the text of said Japanese patent applications and the claims and the drawings thereof; copies are appended to the present application. Further, the present applicant wishes to attract the attention of the examining authorities to the existence of a copending patent application ser. No. Showa 56-143215, which may be considered as relevant to the examination of the present patent application.
In the prior art, there are various types of intake port structures for internal combustion engine cylinder heads, and in particular for so called siamese type cylinder heads. Such intake port structures typically are of the variable swirl siamese type, in which the siamesed intake port comprises a generally straight intake passage and a generally helical intake passage arranged in parallel with said generally straight intake passage, so that both said generally straight intake passage and also said generally helical intake passage receive supply of intake air - fuel mixture from the engine intake manifold, with a control valve selectively at least partially interrupting the flow of air - fuel mixture through said straight intake passage, so as selectively provide extra swirl for the intake air - fuel mixture being sucked into the combustion chamber of the engine, so as to improve combustibility, flame front propagation speed, and firing efficiency and thereby militate against engine knocking, thereby to allow the engine to be operated with a weaker intake air - fuel mixture than would otherwise be practicable. Such a construction typically includes a separating wall which divides between said generally straight intake passage and said generally helical intake passage. And a prior art to the present patent application, Japanese patent application Ser. No. 56-143215 (1981) which has been laid open as Japanese Patent Laying Open Publication Ser. No. 58-48715 (1983) and which was filed by an applicant the same as the applicant of the Japanese patent application of which the priority is being claimed in the present application and to whom either the present application is assigned or is owed a duty of assignment of the present application, discloses an improved siamesed type intake port structure for an internal combustion engine cylinder head which is provided with a bypass air passage through said separating wall, connecting a point on the generally straight intake passage downstream of said control valve provided therein to a vortex end wall of the generally helical intake passage.
With such an intake port structure for an internal combustion engine cylinder head, when the control valve is controlled to be in the closed state by a control system therefor, all of the air - fuel mixture sucked in by the combustion chamber of the engine is inhaled through the generally helical intake passage, and is accordingly imparted with strong swirling; this mode of operation is appropriate for when the engine is operating at low load, as during the idling engine operating condition. In this condition, because of this swirling motion, the limit to which the air - fuel mixture being supplied to the engine can be weakened without engendering deleterious effects is extended. However, at this time the resistance presented to flow of air - fuel mixture by the generally helical intake passage alone is high. On the other hand, when the control valve is controlled to be in the open state by the control system therefor, most of the air - fuel mixture sucked in by the combustion chamber of the engine is inhaled through the generally straight intake passage with only a minor proportion thereof being inhaled through the generally helical intake passage, and accordingly the inhaled air - fuel mixture as a whole is imparted with relatively weak swirling, thus accordingly causing the volumetric efficiency of the engine to be high so as to develop good engine power; this mode of operation is appropriate for when the engine is operating at high load, such as full load. At this time the resistance presented to flow of air - fuel mixture by the combination of the generally straight intake passage and the generally helical intake passage is relatively low.
There is however a problem with such an intake port structure for an internal combustion engine cylinder head, in that, when the control valve is thus controlled to be in the closed state by its control system and all of the air - fuel mixture sucked in by the combustion chamber of the engine is being inhaled through the generally helical intake passage and is accordingly being imparted with strong swirling, although the apparent flame propagation speed is improved and the weak mixture limit is extended, nevertheless because of the swirling of the air - fuel mixture in the combustion chamber the fuel therein is preferentially thrown towards the periphery of the combustion chamber by centrifugal force, and so in the radial direction of the combustion chamber there is created an air/fuel ratio gradient, with the air - fuel mixture at the center portion of the combustion chamber being weaker than the air - fuel mixture at the edge portion thereof. Accordingly, if the air/fuel ratio of the overall air - fuel mixture being supplied to the combustion chamber is near the limit in the weakness direction, then the air/fuel ratio at the center portion of the combustion chamber may become too low for good ignition, and, since in such a three valve type or four valve type internal combustion engine it is convenient and usual to locate the spark plug at the center or approximate center of the combustion chamber, this means that the air/fuel ratio of the air - fuel mixture near and around the ignition portion of said spark plug may become too low for proper ignition. For this reason, according to the conventional art, it is not practicable to push the weakening of the intake air - fuel mixture to the limit, even although good combustion chamber swirling is being provided by such a siamese type intake port structure as detailed above.
Also, as a subsidiary desideratum for such a siamese type intake port structure for such an internal combustion engine cylinder head, it is important that, especially during transient driving conditions, the fuel supply responsiveness of the engine should be as good as possible.
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Embodiments relate to compressive sensing and, more particularly, to a system and method for providing a high resolution infrared image from a low resolution infrared detector array with compressive sensing.
Target detection systems are generally used to determine a location of a potential target in a field of view of a sensor. Traditionally, this is accomplished with high quality images generated by a conventional imager. However, when a wide field of view is intended, this can pose a challenge for data acquisition due to very high bandwidth requirements. For capturing images in the infrared spectrum, systems have been developed. However, such systems have been found to have a high size, weight and power (SWaP) requirement as well as cost. This is because such systems typically require not only large infrared focal plane arrays, but also large cooling systems to cool the arrays.
Manufacturers and users of target detection systems would benefit from a system and method which provides for target detection where SWaP is reduced.
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This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Abdominal and pelvic surgical procedures carry a risk of accidental injury to the tissues of the renal system, and in particular, to the bladder and/or ureters. The bladder is a hollow, muscular, and elastic vesicle situated in the anterior part of the pelvic cavity. The bladder serves as a reservoir for urine until it can be eliminated from the body through the urethra. The ureters are delicate, small-diameter muscular vessels that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder. In a healthy individual, the ureters tend to be about 25 cm to about 30 cm long and up to about 3 mm in diameter (J. W. Utrie, Bladder and Ureteral Injury, Clin. Obstet. Gynecol., 1998, 41(3):755-763; N. Zelenko et al., Normal Ureter Size on Unenhanced Helical CT, Am. J. Roentgenol. 2004, 182:1039-1041). In part because of their small diameter, the ureters are often difficult to identify in a surgical field. This is especially true in laparoscopic procedures, because the surgeon generally has a limited view of the surgical field and cannot use tactile perception to aid in identification of organs and tissues. Thus, in such procedures there is often a risk that the bladder may be unintentionally penetrated or that the ureters may be unintentionally nicked, severed, ligated, crushed, or otherwise injured.
Injuries to the bladder and ureter are not uncommon complications of hysterectomy. Hysterectomy is the second most common surgery among women in the United States, with over 600,000 such procedures performed each year (Women's Reproductive Health: Hysterectomy, http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/WomensRH/Hysterectomy.htm). Ureteral injury occurs in approximately 0.5 to 2 percent of all hysterectomies and routine gynecologic pelvic operations, and in approximately 10 percent of radical hysterectomies (S. B. Brandes, Urologic Complications from Pelvic and Vaginal Surgery: How to Diagnose and Manage, http://www.urology.wustl.edu/PatientCare/UrologicComplications.asp). Laparoscopic hysterectomy has become more popular in recent years due to its advantages over conventional surgical methods (e.g., smaller incisions, reduced hospital stays, and a speedier return to normal activities). However, laparoscopic hysterectomy generally carries a greater risk of accidental injury to the bladder and ureter as compared to conventional surgical procedures. As another example, the incidence of ureteral injury during colorectal surgery has been reported as ranging from 0.2 to 4.5% (F. Chahin, et al., The Implications of Lighted Ureteral Stenting in Laparoscopic Colectomy, JSLS, 2002, 6:49-52).
Injury to the urinary tract can result in various complications, some of which may be life-threatening. Such complications include voiding difficulties, incontinence, detrusor instability, bowel obstruction, persistent abdominal and/or flank pain, urinary tract infection, pyelonephritis, loss of kidney function that may require surgical removal of the kidney, fever/body-wide responses to serious infection, and possible death. In particular, ureteral injuries that occur during a surgical procedure are often not immediately recognized and can therefore lead to very serious complications. Such ureteral injuries may result in permanent kidney damage, possibly requiring removal of a kidney, and in some cases are life-threatening.
Methods for detecting or visualizing a ureter during abdominal or pelvic surgery generally have involved inserting a lighted catheter or stent through the urethra and bladder and into the ureter. Such methods are particularly popular in laparoscopic procedures, where tactile identification of the ureters is not possible. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,423,321, 5,517,997, 5,879,306, and 6,597,941 disclose infrared illuminated ureteral catheters coupled with infrared detection systems. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,652 describes a double lumen ureteral catheter device made of light transmitting material, one lumen of which houses a single fiber optic filament capable of illuminating the catheter with visible light.
Placement of a lighted ureteral catheter or stent is a highly invasive procedure. Some surgeons believe that ureteral catheters do not prevent injuries to the renal system and may in fact predispose patients to such injuries. Furthermore, placement of a lighted ureteral catheter or stent is associated with its own list of complications. For example, in one study of complications associated with placement of a lighted ureteral stent during laparoscopic colectomy, nearly all (98.4%) patients developed gross hematuria lasting approximately three days. Less frequent complications included reflux anuria which in some cases required renal support with hemodialysis for three to six days, and urinary tract infection. Placement of lighted catheters also prolonged anesthetic time by on average 26 minutes, thus increasing the cost of the procedure. Where visualization of both ureters is desired, bilateral placement of ureteral catheters may increase the likelihood and severity of these complications (F. Chahin, et al., The Implications of Lighted Ureteral Stenting in Laparoscopic Colectomy, JSLS, 2002, 6:49-52).
Because of the risk of injury to the tissues of the renal system during abdominal and pelvic surgical procedures and because of the complications associated with the placement of lighted ureteral catheters, it would be desirable to develop a non-invasive method by which a surgical patient's bladder and/or ureters can be readily visualized or detected. Furthermore, because ureteral injuries that occur during surgical procedures are often not immediately recognized and can result in very serious complications, a method facilitating immediate detection of ureteral injuries during a surgical procedure would be advantageous.
Although the majority of ureteral injuries occur in patients with no identifiable risk factors, a non-invasive method for visualization or detection of the ureters during a surgical procedure would be particularly desirable for individuals who are at increased risk for ureteral injury. For example, prolapse patients and pregnant women may have extremely dilated and thin ureters and thus are more at risk for ureteral injury. Furthermore, congenital defects in the urinary system, such as ureteral duplication, can alter the anatomy of the renal system and thus increase the likelihood of injury to the bladder and/or ureter during a surgical procedure.
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Machines for compacting soil or asphalt having a compacting member like a drum are well known in the art. Such machines use a hydrostatic drive with means for distribution of transmission fluid between the compacting member and a set of traction wheels. Typically, the hydrostatic drive includes a hydrostatic pump to which drive lines from the compacting member and the set of wheels are remotely connected via a manifold.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,523,611 discloses a hydrostatic transmission including a pump and a motor. The hydraulic transmission further includes an external manifold extending between and connecting the pump to the motor. The external manifold includes two conduits that connect ports in the pump to ports in the motor for supplying a hydraulic fluid between the pump and the motor.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns electrically conducting complexes, methods of producing such complexes and their use in producing highly conducting plastic materials. More particularly, the present invention concerns such a complex which comprises two components, the complete dissolution of which must be avoided.
In the complex according to the present invention, there is a highly conductive component (component (A)) and a second component (component (B)), which is capable of dissolving component (A). In the present invention, component (A) and component (B) are combined so that limited dissolution takes place at the interfaces between the parts, whereby the advantages of each component are obtained in the complex. The invention also concerns a method of producing the complex and the use of such complexes together with a polymer matrix in highly conductive plastic materials.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, electrically conducting polymers are attracting great interest worldwide. Such polymers offer the possibility of replacing metallic conductors and semiconducting materials in a plurality of applications including batteries, sensors, switches, photocells, circuit boards, heating elements, antistatic protection (ESD) and electromagnetic interference protection (EMI). Conducting polymers have the advantages over metals of light weight, corrosion resistance, and lower production and processing costs.
Conducting polymers can be roughly categorized into two different groups: filled conducting polymers, which contain a conductive filler, e.g. carbon black or lampblack, carbon fiber, metal powder, etc., added to a thermosetting or thermoplastic resin; and intrinsically conducting polymers and complexes, which are based on polymers made conductive by an oxidation, reduction or protonation (doping) process.
The electrical conductivity of filled conducting polymers is dependent on the mutual contacts formed between the conductive filler particles. Typically, approximately 10 to 50% by weight of well-dispersed filler material is required to achieve composites of high conductance. However, problems are associated with such conducting composite materials: the mechanical and other properties of such composites are decisively degraded as the filler content increases and the polymer content decreases; their conductivity becomes difficult to control particularly in the semiconductor range; and stable and homogeneous dispersing of the filler into the matrix polymer becomes difficult.
Intrinsically conducting polymers can be produced from organic polymers having long chains formed by conjugated double bonds and heteroatoms. The polymers may be made into conductive complexes by modifying the .pi.- and .pi.-p electron systems of the double bonds and heteroatoms in the polymers by adding into the polymer certain doping agents. Thus, the backbone chain of the polymer can be modified to contain electron holes and/or excess electrons that provide pathways for the electric current along the conjugated chain.
The benefits of intrinsically conducting polymers and complexes include easy modification of their conductivity as a function of the dopant concentration, also described as the doping level, which is particularly accentuated in conjunction with low conductivities. By contrast, attaining low conductivities with filled conducting polymers is difficult. Examples of kinds of polymers known in the art as intrinsically conducting polymers include polyacetylene, poly-p-phenylene, polypyrrole, polythiophene and its derivatives and polyaniline and its derivatives.
Plastics are processed into desired articles, such as workpieces, fibers, films, etc., by two major types of processes: melt processing and solution processing. Melt processing is suitable for multiple applications, while solution processing can be used principally only in the manufacture of fibers and films, and is not generally suitable for making shaped articles. However, the processing and doping of most intrinsically conducting polymers result in problems with the handling, stability, homogeneity and other aspects of these materials when processed into conducting plastics.
An intrinsically conducting polymer that is particularly technically and commercially promising is polyaniline and its derivatives. Polyaniline is an aniline polymer or its derivative which is based on aniline monomers or their derivatives, in which the nitrogen atom is bonded to the para-carbon in the benzene ring of the next unit. Polyaniline can occur in several forms, such as leucoemeraldine, protoemeraldine, emeraldine, nigraniline and toluoprotoemeraldine. For conducting polymer applications, the emeraldine form, having the formula ##STR1## wherein x is approximately 0.5, is usually used.
Doping of polyaniline is performed in accordance with methods known in the art by conventionally using protonic acids including among others HCl, H.sub.2 SO.sub.4, HNO.sub.3, HClO.sub.4, HBF.sub.4, HPF.sub.6, HF, acids of phosphorus, sulfonic acids, picric acid, n-nitrobenzoic acid, dichloroacetic acid and polymeric acids. Doping is advantageously performed with a sulfonic acid and most advantageously with dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (DBSA). Protonation attacks the nonprotonated nitrogen atoms of the aniline units shown in the formula above, the proportion of such nonprotonated nitrogen atoms being approximately 50% of all N-atoms of the emeraldine base form of polyaniline. Herein reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,963,498, 4,025,463 and 4,983,322, which are representative examples of the publications in the art. Numerous references to the forming of conductive complexes by doping of polyaniline with protonic acids may also be found in other literature in the art.
Conductive complexes of polyanilines doped with a protonic acid have been found extremely useful when blended with an excess amount of the protonic acid such as the above-mentioned sulfonic acid or its derivative, whereby the blend contains a sufficient amount of acid for both the doping and plasticization of the blend. In fact, using excess amounts of the protonic acid in this manner makes the doped polyaniline complex suitable for melt-processing, as the protonic acid serves the above two functions in the blended compound. However, such use of excess protonic acid gives doped polyaniline an acidic pH value, which acidity may decidedly hamper the use of the conducting polymer in most applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,499, which is incorporated by reference, discloses a method of plasticizing a conducting polymer complex containing polyaniline doped with a protonic acid, advantageously a sulfonic acid and most advantageously dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid. In the method according to the cited publication, the polymer blend containing doped polyaniline is treated with a metallic compound. According to the preferred embodiment of the method, the compound suited for plasticizing the doped polyaniline is prepared by reacting a metallic compound, most advantageously zinc oxide, with any acid capable of forming, with the metallic compound, a compound that acts as a plasticizer for the doped polyaniline. Such an acid is advantageously the same acid as that used for doping, namely, dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (DBSA). The reaction mixture is heated and the plasticizing metallic compound thus formed is dried, cooled, and milled prior to being blended with the doped polyaniline. To transform the doped polyaniline into a processable form, the solidification method based on heat treatment disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,346,649, which is incorporated herein by reference, is used.
Accordingly, the above-described method provides, most advantageously using a ZnO/DBSA compound, a less acidic, electrically conducting polyaniline plastic, which is further blended with a suitable matrix polymer such as polyethylene, to achieve the required mechanical properties. Thus, the zinc compound acts in this kind of blend as a plasticity and/or compatibility improving agent between the conducting polymer and the matrix polymer.
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Asymmetric synthesis is becoming more and more important in the pharmaceutical industry. There is growing regulatory pressure to approve only those enantiomers of drugs that have the desired biological activity. For safety reasons and to demonstrate efficacy, regulatory agencies are taking the position that only those enantiomers with pharmaceutical action should be administered, apart from the enantiomers with little or no action or even adverse or toxic effect. The total market for enantiomerically pure pharmaceuticals is projected to be ninety billion U.S. dollars by 2000. To prepare such large quantities of drug only via resolution will often be cost prohibitive. Chiral catalysis will no doubt complement traditional methods such as resolution or chiral separation. Many asymmetric syntheses involve use of catalysts, and typically employ chiral ligands and late transition metals. Bidentate ligands play a central role in catalyst design for asymmetric synthesis. Ligands that have been used successfully in asymmetric synthesis include the BINAP family of catalysts for asymmetric reductions and isomerizations (For example, see Asymmetric Catalysis in Organic Synthesis, Noyori, R., Ed.; John Wiley and Sons: New York, 1994, p.16-121). ##STR2##
Bisoxazolines for asymmetric cyclopropanation and cycloadditions have been reported (For a review, see Ghosh, A. K.; Mathivanan, P.; and Cappiello, J. Tetrahedron: Asymmetry 1998,9, 1-45). ##STR3##
Pyridyloxazolines for asymmetric hydrosilations have also been described (Brunner, H.; Obermann, U. Chem. Ber. 1989, 122, 499). ##STR4##
Even more recently, electronically "mixed" bidentate ligands with two different ligating heteroatons (N--O, P--N, P--O) have emerged. Such ligands have been shown empirically to outperform P--P bidentate ligands in a number of synthetically important transformations. Such "mixed" ligands are the phosphino-oxazolines described by Pfaltz et al. (Synthesis, 1997, 1338), Helmchen et al. (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Eng., 1997, 36 (19)2108), and Williams et al., (Tetrahedron, 1994, 50, 9). ##STR5##
The Heck reaction is one of the most versatile catalytic methods for C--C bond formation. In this reaction, an aryl or alkenyl halide or triflate is coupled with an alkene, as shown in the following scheme: ##STR6##
The catalytic cycle starts with an oxidative addition of organic halide or triflate to a Pd (0) complex, followed by insertion of an alkene. The resulting Pd (II) alkyl complex then undergoes .beta.-hydride elimination. Several isomeric products can be formed, depending upon the structure of the substrate. In path (a), the C--C double bond is restored in the original position and a stereogenic center is not created. However, if .beta.-hydride elimination takes path (b), the stereogenic C atom introduced in the insertion step is retained. For path (b), the use of chiral palladium complexes makes it possible to perform such reactions in an enantioselective manner. Pfaltz et al. showed that chiral phosphino-oxazolines are very efficient ligands for enantioselective Heck reactions (Synthesis 1997, 1338). For example, asymmetric Heck arylation, using Pd/phosphino-oxazolines, produces substituted dihydrofuran in 90% yield and 92% ee, as shown below: ##STR7##
The phosphino-oxazolines described and taught by Pfaltz et al., Helnchen et al. and Williams et al. are superior to BINAP catalysts in the Heck reaction in that: (a) such ligands are insensitive to the nature of the added base; (b) have more ability to suppress side products; and (c) have very high enantioselectivity. However, such phosphino-oxazolines have a major deficiency. The above Heck arylation required six (6) days, an extremely long reaction time. It appears that the R substituent of the phosphino-oxazolines is not in conjugation with the ligating atoms, and therefore functions solely in a steric role. From the long reaction time or the low turnover of these catalysts, it is clear that the donicity of the bidentate ligand is not optimized.
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This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Applications No. 11-371568, filed Dec. 27, 1999; and No. 2000-205070, filed Jul. 6, 2000, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
This invention relates to a lateral high-breakdown-voltage transistor.
The lateral high-breakdown-voltage MOS transistor is a type of a power MOS transistor, which is switched on when a voltage ranging from several tens to several hundreds volts is applied thereto.
FIG. 13A is an enlarged plan view illustrating part of the planar pattern of a conventional lateral high-breakdown-voltage MOS transistor. FIG. 13B is a sectional view taken along line 13Bxe2x80x9413B of FIG. 13A. In FIG. 13A, the gate electrode of the transistor is omitted.
As shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, a low-concentration nxe2x88x92 drain region 102 is formed in a low-concentration pxe2x88x92 silicon substrate 101, and a high-concentration n+ source region 103 is formed therein, separated from the drain region 102. A gate electrode 105 is formed on that portion of the substrate 101, which is located between the drain and source regions 102 and 103, i.e. on a channel 104, such that the electrode 105 is electrically isolated from the substrate 101.
An n+ drain contact region 106 having a higher impurity concentration than the drain region 102 is formed in the drain region 102. The drain contact region 106 is sufficiently separated from the channel 104 by means of a field insulating film 108 formed on the substrate 101. The field insulating film 108 is made of, for example, silicon dioxide, and formed by the LOCOS (Local Oxidation of Silicon) technique, or STI (Shallow Trench Isolation) technique, etc. Further, high-concentration p+ substrate contact regions 107 are formed in the substrate 101 in contact with the source region 103.
An interlayer insulating film 109 made of, for example, silicon dioxide is formed on the field insulating film 108 and on those portions of the substrate 101, in which the aforementioned semiconductor regions are formed. The interlayer insulating film 109 has a contact hole 110 that exposes the drain contact region 106 therethrough, and a contact hole 111 that exposes the source region 103 and the substrate contact regions 107 therethrough. Drain wiring 112 is provided on the interlayer insulating film 109 such that it comes into contact with the drain contact region 106 via the contact hole 110. Similarly, source wiring 113 is provided on the interlayer insulating film 109 such that it comes into contact with the source region 103 and the substrate contact regions 107 via the contact hole 111. The drain wiring 112 is electrically connected to the drain region 102 via the drain contact region 106. In FIG. 13A, reference numeral 116 denotes a contact surface between the drain wiring 112 and the drain contact region 106. The source wiring 113 is electrically connected to the source region 103, and also to the substrate 101 via the substrate contact regions 107. Further, in FIG. 13A reference numeral 115 denotes a contact surface between the source wiring 113 and the source region 103, the substrate contact regions 107.
Since, in the lateral high-breakdown-voltage MOS transistor, the drain and source regions 102 and 103 exist at the same level as shown in FIG. 13A, a lateral parasitic bipolar transistor exists which uses the drain region 102, the substrate 101 and the source region 103 as a collector, a base and an emitter, respectively. When the lateral parasitic bipolar transistor is turned on, it adversely affects the operation of the MOS transistor. The lateral parasitic bipolar transistor is turned on, for example, in the following situation.
When the gate is turned on and the voltage at the drain is increased, avalanche breakdown starts at a curved surface 114 of the drain contact region 106, whereby a hole current flows toward the substrate 101. This hole current flows below the source region 103 to the substrate contact regions 107, and then, usually, to the source wiring 113 via substrate contact regions 107.
When the voltage at the drain is further increased, the level of the avalanche breakdown increases to thereby increase the hole current. As the hole current increases, a high voltage is generated due to the resistance of a portion of the substrate 101 below the source region 103. Accordingly, forwardly biasing of the PN junction between the substrate 101 and the source region 103 occurs, thereby turning on the lateral parasitic bipolar transistor. When the lateral parasitic bipolar transistor is turned on, control using the gate cannot be executed, resulting in breakdown of the lateral high-breakdown-voltage MOS transistor.
The present invention has been developed to solve the above-described problem, and aims to provide a lateral high-breakdown-voltage transistor capable of suppressing turn-on of a lateral parasitic bipolar transistor and hence having a higher breakdown voltage.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a semiconductor device having a lateral high-breakdown-voltage transistor comprising: a first-conductivity-type semiconductor layer; a second-conductivity-type source region formed in the semiconductor layer; a second-conductivity-type drain region formed in or outside the semiconductor layer, separated from the source region; a gate electrode formed above the semiconductor layer between the drain region and the source region, insulated from the semiconductor layer; a second-conductivity-type drain contact region formed in the drain region and having a higher impurity concentration than the drain region; a drain wiring electrically connected to the drain region via the drain contact region; a first-conductivity-type substrate contact region formed adjacent to the source region; and a source wiring electrically connected to the source region, and also connected to the semiconductor layer via the substrate contact region. This transistor is characterized in that the source wiring touches a portion of the source region and the substrate contact region, thereby forming a contact surface therebetween, and the substrate contact region laterally extend from inside the contact surface to outside the contact surface.
Since, in the semiconductor device having the lateral high-breakdown-voltage transistor according to the first aspect, the substrate contact region extend from inside the contact surface of the source wiring to outside the contact surface, the ratio of the contact area of the substrate contact regions and the source wiring to their non-contact area can be increased as compared with the conventional case. As a result, a hole current flowing in the semiconductor layer can easily flow to the source wiring, which makes it difficult to turn on the lateral parasitic bipolar transistor. This enables production of a lateral high-breakdown-voltage transistor of a higher breakdown voltage.
According to a semiconductor device having a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a lateral high-breakdown-voltage transistor comprising: a first-conductivity-type semiconductor layer; a second-conductivity-type source region formed in the semiconductor layer; a second-conductivity-type drain region formed in or outside the semiconductor layer, separated from the source region; a gate electrode formed above the semiconductor layer between the drain region and the source region, insulated from the semiconductor layer; a second-conductivity-type drain contact region formed in the drain region and having a higher impurity concentration than the drain region; a drain wiring electrically connected to the drain region via the drain contact region; a first-conductivity-type substrate contact region formed adjacent to the source region; and a source wiring electrically connected to the source region, and also connected to the semiconductor layer via the substrate contact region. This transistor is characterized by further comprising a first-conductivity-type low resistance layer, which is formed in the semiconductor layer in contact with a bottom of the source region and has a higher impurity concentration than the semiconductor layer.
Since, the semiconductor device having the lateral high-breakdown-voltage transistor according to the second aspect further comprises a first-conductivity-type low resistance layer formed in the semiconductor layer in contact with a bottom of the source region and having a higher impurity concentration than the semiconductor layer, the resistance of the device below the source region can be reduced as compared with the conventional case. As a result, a voltage that is generated when the hole current passes below the source region is reduced, thereby making it difficult to turn on the lateral parasitic bipolar transistor. This enables production of a lateral high-breakdown-voltage transistor of a higher breakdown voltage.
According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a semiconductor device having a lateral high-breakdown-voltage transistor comprising: a first-conductivity-type semiconductor layer; a second-conductivity-type source region formed in the semiconductor layer; a second-conductivity-type drain region formed in or outside the semiconductor layer, separated from the source region; a gate electrode formed above the semiconductor layer between the drain region and the source region, insulated from the semiconductor layer; a second-conductivity-type drain contact region formed in the drain region and having a higher impurity concentration than the drain region; a drain wiring electrically connected to the drain region via the drain contact region; a first-conductivity-type substrate contact region formed adjacent to the source region; and a source wiring electrically connected to the source region, and also connected to the semiconductor layer via the substrate contact region. This transistor is characterized in that a distance from a contact surface of the drain wiring and the drain contact region to an edge of the source region side of the drain contact region is 5 xcexcm or more.
In the semiconductor device having the lateral high-breakdown-voltage transistor according to the third aspect, the distance from the contact surface of the drain wiring and the drain contact region to the edge of the drain contact region is set at a value that causes a portion extending from the contact surface to the edge of the drain contact region to have a resistance of 10xcexa9. In other words, the distance from the contact surface of the drain wiring and the drain contact region to the edge of the drain contact region is set longer than in the conventional case. Accordingly, the level of the electric field applied to the edge of the drain contact region can be reduced as compared with the conventional case. Further, since the distance to the curved surface is longer than in the conventional case, avalanche breakdown, which concentrates on the curved surface in the conventional case, can be dispersed even to the bottom of the drain contact regions. The prevention of concentration of an electric field on the curved surface, and the dispersion of avalanche breakdown suppress the occurrence of strong avalanche breakdown. As a result, the hold current flowing in the semiconductor substrate is reduced, thereby making it difficult to turn on the lateral parasitic bipolar transistor. This enables production of a lateral high-breakdown-voltage transistor of a higher breakdown voltage.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a semiconductor device having a lateral high-breakdown-voltage transistor comprising: a first-conductivity-type semiconductor layer; a second-conductivity-type source region formed in the semiconductor layer; a second-conductivity-type drain region formed in or outside the semiconductor layer, separated from the source region; a gate electrode formed above the semiconductor layer between the drain region and the source region, insulated from the semiconductor layer; a second-conductivity-type drain contact region formed in the drain region and having a higher impurity concentration than the drain region; a drain wiring electrically connected to the drain region via the drain contact region; a first-conductivity-type substrate contact region formed adjacent to the source region; and a source wiring electrically connected to the source region, and also connected to the semiconductor layer via the substrate contact region. This transistor is characterized in that the drain contact region has a bottom at a level lower than a bottom of the drain region.
Since, in the semiconductor device having the lateral high-breakdown-voltage transistor according to the fourth aspect, the drain contact region reaches the semiconductor layer via the bottom of the drain region, the distance from the contact surface of the drain wiring and the drain contact region to the curved surface of the drain contact region is longer than in the conventional case. Accordingly, the level of the electric field applied to the curved surface can be reduced as compared with the conventional case, thereby reducing the level of avalanche breakdown that occurs at the curved surface. As a result, a hole current flowing in the substrate can easily flow to the source wiring, which makes it difficult to turn on the lateral parasitic bipolar transistor. This enables production of a lateral high-breakdown-voltage transistor of a higher breakdown voltage.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided a semiconductor device having a lateral high-breakdown-voltage transistor comprising: a first-conductivity-type semiconductor substrate; a second-conductivity-type buried layer formed in the semiconductor substrate; a second-conductivity-type epitaxial layer formed on the buried layer; a first-conductivity-type well layer formed in a surface portion of the epitaxial layer; a second-conductivity-type source region formed in a surface portion of the well layer; a second-conductivity-type drain region formed in a surface portion of the epitaxial layer or the well layer, separated from the source region; a second-conductivity-type deep diffusion layer formed in the drain region but extending to a level lower than a bottom of the drain region in contact with the buried layer, and having a higher impurity concentration than the drain region; a gate electrode formed above the well layer between the drain region and the source region, insulated from the well layer; a first drain electrode formed on the deep diffusion layer and electrically connected to the drain region via the deep diffusion layer; a source electrode formed on and electrically connected to the source region; a second-conductivity-type isolating diffusion layer surrounding the drain region and the source region, separated from the well layer, and extending to the buried layer; and a second drain electrode formed on the isolating diffusion layer and electrically connected to the first drain electrode. This transistor is characterized in that a distance between the deep diffusion layer and the source region being greater than a thickness of the epitaxial layer on the buried layer.
In the semiconductor device having the lateral high-breakdown-voltage transistor according to the fifth aspect, a surge voltage, when it is applied thereto via the drain electrode, more easily flows in the direction of the thickness (i.e. in the vertical direction) than in the lateral direction. Accordingly, an electric field more concentrates in the vertical direction than in the lateral direction, thereby causing breakdown to occur in the buried layer. In other words, concentration of an electric field on the curved surface of the drain contact region reduces to thereby suppress breakdown in the lateral direction. As a result, concentration of an electric field is avoided, and hence the breakdown voltage of the transistor is enhanced. Moreover, since the deep diffusion layer is extended from the surface of the substrate in the drain region to the buried layer, a surge voltage, when it is applied to the drain electrode, is sufficiently absorbed therein, and therefore the adverse influence of the surge voltage is avoided. This being so, electric field concentration on the curved surface of the drain contact region is avoided, thereby increasing the breakdown voltage.
According to a sixth aspect of the invention, there is provided a semiconductor device having a lateral high-breakdown-voltage transistor comprising: a first-conductivity-type semiconductor substrate; a second-conductivity-type buried layer formed in the semiconductor substrate; a second-conductivity-type epitaxial layer formed on the buried layer; a first-conductivity-type well layer formed in a surface portion of the epitaxial layer; a second-conductivity-type source region formed in a surface portion of the well layer; a second-conductivity-type drain region formed in a surface portion of the well layer, separated from the source region; a second-conductivity-type drain contact region formed in a surface portion of the drain region and having a higher impurity concentration than the drain region; a gate electrode formed above the well layer between the drain region and the source region, insulated from the well layer; a first drain electrode formed on the drain contact region and electrically connected to the drain region via the drain contact region; a source electrode formed on and electrically connected to the source region; a second-conductivity-type isolating diffusion layer surrounding the well layer, separated from the well layer, and extending to the buried layer; and a second drain electrode formed on the isolating diffusion layer and electrically connected to the first drain electrode. This transistor is characterized in that a distance between the drain contact region and the source region being greater than a thickness of the epitaxial layer on the buried layer.
In the semiconductor device having the lateral high-breakdown-voltage transistor according to the sixth aspect, a surge voltage, when it is applied thereto via the drain electrode, more easily flows in the direction of the thickness (i.e. in the vertical direction) than in the lateral direction. Accordingly, an electric field more concentrates in the vertical direction than in the lateral direction, thereby causing breakdown to occur in the buried layer. In other words, concentration of an electric field on the curved surface of the drain contact region reduces to thereby suppress breakdown in the lateral direction. As a result, concentration of an electric field is avoided, and hence the breakdown voltage of the transistor is enhanced. Moreover, since, in the device, the drain region and the source region are formed in the well layer, the current path is prevented from extending to the epitaxial layer. Thus, the resistance of the element can be reduced.
As described above, the invention can provide a lateral high-breakdown-voltage transistor capable of suppressing the turn-on of the lateral parasitic bipolar transistor and hence having a higher breakdown voltage.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to screw constructions, screwdriver constructions, and attachments for such screwdrivers for firmly holding such screws to thereby prevent mutual slipping.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The conventional screwdriver for inserting or removing a screw has not proven to be altogether adequate, particularly in cases where the screw exhibits resistance to turning. One common problem associated with conventional screwdriver constructions is that the screwdriver blade slips upwardly and/or outwardly out of the slot in the screw head. This may mar the outer surface of the screw and is evidently highly undesirable, particularly in industrial applications.
Moreover, complex screw-holding attachments for screwdrivers have been proposed which are operative for holding a screw while driving the same with a screwdriver. It has been proposed to shift such attachments lengthwise along the screwdriver in a coarse manner, i.e. manually sliding such attachments in lengthwise direction. Additionally, the known complex attachments are comprised of a great number of discrete parts, each part being prone to being mislaid. Consequently, such attachments have not proven to be altogether reliable in operation, nor satisfactory in practice.
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Cutting elements and inserts for use in machinery such as crushers, picks, grinding mills, roller cone bits, rotary fixed cutter bits, earth boring bits, percussion bits or impact bits, and drag bits typically comprise a superhard material layer or layers formed under high temperature and pressure conditions, usually in a press apparatus designed to create such conditions, cemented to a carbide substrate containing a metal binder or catalyst such as cobalt. The substrate is often softer than the superhard material to which it is bound. Some examples of superhard materials that high pressure-high temperature (HPHT) presses may produce and sinter include cemented ceramics, diamond, polycrystalline diamond, and cubic boron nitride. A cutting element or insert is normally fabricated by placing a cemented carbide substrate into a container or cartridge with a layer of diamond crystals or grains loaded into the cartridge adjacent one face of the substrate. A number of such cartridges are typically loaded into a reaction cell and placed in the high pressure high temperature press apparatus. The substrates and adjacent diamond crystal layers are then compressed under HPHT conditions, which promote a sintering of the diamond grains to form a polycrystalline diamond structure. As a result, the diamond grains become mutually bonded to form a diamond layer over the substrate interface. The diamond layer is also bonded to the substrate interface.
Such inserts are often subjected to intense forces, torques, vibration, high temperatures and temperature differentials during operation. As a result, stresses within the structure may begin to form. Drill bits, for example, may exhibit stresses aggravated by drilling anomalies during well boring operations, such as bit whirl or bounce. These stresses often result in spalling, delamination, or fracture of the superhard abrasive layer or the substrate, thereby reducing or eliminating the cutting elements' efficacy and the life of the drill bit. The superhard material layer of an insert sometimes delaminates from the carbide substrate after the sintering process as well as during percussive and abrasive use. Damage typically found in percussive and drag drill bits may be a result of shear failure, although non-shear modes of failure are not uncommon. The interface between the superhard material layer and substrate is particularly susceptible to non-shear failure modes due to inherent residual stresses.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,713 by Dennis, which is herein incorporated by reference for all that it contains, discloses a cutting element which has a metal carbide stud having a conic tip formed with a reduced diameter hemispherical outer tip end portion of said metal carbide stud. The tip is shaped as a cone and is rounded at the tip portion. This rounded portion has a diameter which is 35-60% of the diameter of the insert.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,408,959 by Bertagnolli et al., which is herein incorporated by reference for all that it contains, discloses a cutting element, insert or compact which is provided for use with drills used in the drilling and boring of subterranean formations.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,484,826 by Anderson et al., which is herein incorporated by reference for all that it contains, discloses enhanced inserts formed having a cylindrical grip and a protrusion extending from the grip.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,848,657 by Flood et al., which is herein incorporated by reference for all that it contains, discloses domed polycrystalline diamond cutting element wherein a hemispherical diamond layer is bonded to a tungsten carbide substrate, commonly referred to as a tungsten carbide stud. Broadly, the inventive cutting element includes a metal carbide stud having a proximal end adapted to be placed into a drill bit and a distal end portion. A layer of cutting polycrystalline abrasive material is disposed over said distal end portion such that an annulus of metal carbide adjacent and above said drill bit is not covered by said abrasive material layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,737 by Bovenkerk which is herein incorporated by reference for all that it contains, discloses a rotary drill bit for rock drilling comprising a plurality of cutting elements held by and interference-fit within recesses in the crown of the drill bit. Each cutting element comprises an elongated pin with a thin layer of polycrystalline diamond bonded to the free end of the pin.
US Patent Application Serial No. 2001/0004946 by Jensen, although now abandoned, is herein incorporated by reference for all that it discloses. Jensen teaches a cutting element or insert with improved wear characteristics while maximizing the manufacturability and cost effectiveness of the insert. This insert employs a superabrasive diamond layer of increased depth and by making use of a diamond layer surface that is generally convex.
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Recently, copper wirings (interconnects) have come to be used as metal wirings in semiconductor devices for decreasing the electrical resistance. However, if copper wirings are used, electromigration or stress migration of copper wirings at the bottom of via-holes, adapted for forming vias to be connected to the copper wirings, is becoming of a problem. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique comprising forming copper silicide on the top of a copper wiring formed by a copper-containing metal followed by forming a via thereon. This improves resistance against migration of the copper wiring.
Patent Document 2 discloses a technique comprising exposing a layered structure, composed of a Cu film sandwiched between barrier films, to a silane gas, and selectively forming a copper silicide layer only on a portion of the wiring where copper has been exposed.
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. JP-P2004-96052A
[Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. JP-A-9-321045
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This invention relates to structures that can be used to make connections between tubular medical grafts and a patient""s tubular body conduits. The invention also relates to methods for making and using the structures mentioned above.
Tubular grafts are frequently needed in medical procedures. For example, a coronary bypass procedure may involve the installation of a tubular graft between an aperture that has been formed in the side wall of the aorta and an aperture that has been formed in the side wall of a coronary artery downstream from an occlusion or blockage in that artery. Each end of the graft must be connected to the side wall of either the aorta or the coronary artery. Each such connection must extend annularly around the associated end of the graft conduit and be fluid-tight so that no blood will leak out. One common way to produce such connections is by suturing. It will be appreciated, however, that making such connections by suturing can be extremely difficult, time-consuming, and dependent on the skill of the physician for the quality of the results. There is also increasing interest in less invasive procedures which tend to impose constraints on the physician""s access to the sites at which graft connections must be made and thereby make it more difficult or even impossible to use suturing to make such connections (see, for example, Goldsteen et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,976,178, Sullivan et al. U.S. Pat No. 6,120,432, and published PCT patent application WO 98/55027, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties).
Various types of mechanical connectors have been developed to reduce or eliminate the need for suturing, but improvements are constantly sought for such mechanical connectors with respect to considerations such as ease and speed of use, ease of manufacture, strength and permanence of the resulting connection, etc. A connector, including methods for making and installation thereof, is disclosed in published PCT patent application WO 99/38454, and is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of this invention to provide improved and simplified graft connectors for connecting two tubular structures without the use of sutures.
It is still another object of this invention to provide improved and simplified methods of making structures that can be used as medical graft connectors.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide improved and simplified methods for installing medical graft connectors.
These and other objects of the invention are accomplished in accordance with the principles of the invention by providing a connector which may be attached to two tubular structures without the use of sutures or other attachment means. The connector is preferably formed by using a highly elastic material such as nickel and titanium alloy (nitinol) metal. A first plurality of fingers is configured to engage an interior surface of the side wall of the existing conduit. A second plurality of fingers is configured to engage an exterior surface of the side wall of the existing conduit. A third plurality of fingers is received in an interior lumen of the graft conduit, and a fourth plurality of fingers is configured to pierce the graft conduit. The connector is radially deformable between a first size and a second size.
In a preferred embodiment, the pluralities of fingers are substantially radially aligned with respect to a longitudinal axis of the connector. The first and second pluralities of fingers may be resiliently deformable towards parallelism with the longitudinal axis of the connector. A substantially xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d-shaped configuration may be defined by adjacent ones of the first and second plurality of fingers when viewed from a plane extending radially out from a longitudinal axis of the connector.
To install the graft connector in a patient, a tubular graft conduit is attached to the connector. The first and second pluralities of fingers of the connector may be deflected inwardly toward parallelism with the longitudinal axis. The connector and graft conduit may be inserted in a delivery apparatus, which may maintain the fingers in their substantially axially extending condition. The delivery apparatus may then be inserted through the aperture in the side wall of the patient""s tubular body conduit to which the end of the graft conduit is to be attached. The delivery apparatus is manipulated such that restraint is removed from the fingers of the connector. This permits the fingers to spring out to engage the tissue structure to which the connection is to be made. The delivery may be performed by passing the delivery structure intraluminally within the patient""s tubular body conduit and through the wall of the body conduit to outside the conduit.
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In recent years, there is more need for improvement in automobile fuel efficiency, as exemplified by the establishment of a new target for automobile fuel efficiency improvement and the introduction of tax privileges for low fuel consumption vehicles, as measures for reducing carbon dioxide emissions aimed at the prevention of global warming. The weight reduction of an automobile is effective as a means for improving fuel efficiency and, from the viewpoint of such weight reduction, a material having a higher tensile strength is strongly demanded. On the contrary, generally speaking, the press formability of a material deteriorates as the strength of the material increases. Therefore, the development of a steel sheet satisfying both press formability and high strength is desired in order to attain the weight reduction of such a member. There are an elongation measured by a tensile test, an n-value and an r-value as indices of formability. Nowadays, the simplification of a press process by integral forming is a current issue and therefore, among those indices, a large n-value that corresponds to a uniform elongation is being regarded as an important index.
Then, a hot-dip galvanized steel sheet is also required to have a higher tensile strength. In order to attain both a higher tensile strength and workability, it is necessary to add elements such as Si, Mn and Al. However, when such Si, Mn and Al are contained as components of a steel sheet, there arises a problem in that oxides that have poor wettability with a plating layer are formed during annealing in a reducing atmosphere, incrassate on the surface of the steel sheet and deteriorate the plating performance of the steel sheet. In other words, the elements such as Si, Mn and Al have a high oxidizability and for that reason they are preferentially oxidized in a reducing atmosphere, incrassate on the surface of a steel sheet, deteriorate plating wettability, generate so-called non-plated portions, and thus result in the deterioration of plating appearance.
In this light, in order to produce a high-strength hot-dip galvanized steel sheet, it is essential to suppress the formation of oxides containing Si, Mn, Al etc. as mentioned above. From this point of view, various technologies have so far been proposed. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H7-34210 proposes the method wherein a steel sheet is heated to 400° C. to 650° C. for oxidizing Fe in an atmosphere having an oxygen concentration in the range from 0.1 to 100% in the preheating zone of an annealing furnace of oxidization-reduction type equipment and thereafter subjected to ordinary reduction annealing and hot-dip galvanizing treatment. In this method however, since the effect depends on the Si content in a steel sheet, it is not said that plating performance is sufficient in the case of a steel sheet having a high Si content. Here, though there may sometimes be a state where non-plated portions are not formed if it is immediately after the formation of a plating layer, since the plating adhesiveness is insufficient, the problems of plating exfoliation and others may sometimes occur when various processing is applied to a hot-dip galvanized steel sheet after the formation of a plating layer. In other words, though Si addition is a requirement essential for the improvement of the workability of a steel sheet, such an amount of Si as necessary for the improvement of the workability cannot be added from the restrictions for securing plating performance by the aforementioned technology and therefore the technology cannot be a fundamental solution. Further, another problem of the technology is that the technology cannot be used in equipment having the capability of only reduction annealing since this method is applicable to only oxidization-reduction type equipment.
Meanwhile, though non-plated portions can also be avoided by applying reduction annealing and hot-dip plating in the state of forming Fe, Ni etc. on the surface of a steel sheet by electroplating beforehand, such a method requires additional electroplating equipment and causes an additional problem of the increase of the number of the processes and resultant cost increase.
Further, Japanese Patent No. 3126911 proposes the method wherein plating adhesiveness is improved by forming oxides at the grain boundaries of a steel sheet containing Si and Mn through a high temperature coiling at the stage of hot rolling. However, since this method requires a high temperature coiling at the stage of hot rolling, the problems thereof are: that pickling load after hot rolling increases as a result of the increase of oxidized scales, thus productivity deteriorates and resultantly the cost increases; that the surface appearance of the steel sheet deteriorates because grain boundary oxidization is formed on the surface of the steel sheet; and that the fatigue strength deteriorates with the grain boundary oxidized portions functioning as the origin.
Furthermore, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-131693 discloses the method wherein a steel sheet is annealed firstly in a reducing atmosphere having a dew point of 0° C. or lower, thereafter oxides on the surface of the steel sheet are removed by pickling, and subsequently the steel sheet is annealed secondly in a reducing atmosphere having a dew point of −20° C. or lower and then subjected to hot-dip plating. However, the problem of the method is that annealing must be applied twice and thus the production cost increases. Yet further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-47547 discloses the method wherein internal oxidization is formed in the surface layer of a steel sheet by applying heat treatment after hot rolling while black skin scales are attached to the steel sheet. However, the problem of the method is that a process for black skin annealing must be added and thus the production cost also increases.
Moreover, WO 00/50658 proposes the technology wherein Ni is added in an appropriate amount to a steel containing Si and Al. However, the problem caused by the technology is that, when the technology is intended to be applied to practical production, the plating performance varies with a reduction annealing furnace only and resultantly a good steel sheet cannot be produced stably.
In the meantime, a hot-rolled steel sheet and a cold-rolled steel sheet obtained by utilizing the transformation-induced plasticity of retained austenite contained in the steel are developed. Those are the steel sheets, each of which contains retained austenite in the metallographic structure through heat treatment, that is characterized by: containing only about 0.07 to 0.4% C, about 0.3 to 2.0% Si and about 0.2 to 2.5% Mn as basic alloying elements without containing expensive alloying elements; and applying bainite transformation in the temperature range nearly from 300° C. to 450° C. after annealing in a dual phase zone. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. H1-230715 and H2-217425 disclose such steel sheets. As such steel sheets, not only a cold-rolled steel sheet is produced through continuous annealing but also it is disclosed that a hot-rolled steel sheet can also be obtained by controlling the cooling on run-out tables and a coiling temperature in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H1-79345, for example.
The trend of applying plating to automobile members is growing with the aim of improving corrosion resistance and appearance in conformity with the trend of a higher-grade automobile and galvanized steel sheets are presently used for a variety of members excluding specific members mounted in the interior of an automobile. Therefore, it is effective from the viewpoint of corrosion resistance to use a steel sheet subjected to hot-dip galvanizing or alloying hot-dip galvanizing wherein alloying treatment is applied after hot-dip galvanizing as such a steel sheet. However, in the case of a steel sheet having high Si and Al contents among such high-strength steel sheets, there is the problem in that an oxide film tends to form on the surface of the steel sheet, therefore fine non-plated portions are generated at the time of hot-dip galvanizing, and resultantly the plating performance deteriorates at the portions processed after alloying. Therefore, it is the present situation that a high-strength high-ductility alloyed hot-dip galvanized steel sheet of high Si and Al type, the steel sheet being excellent in corrosion resistance and plating performance at processed portions, is not practically applied.
In the case of a steel sheet disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. H1-230715 and H2-217425 for example, since Si is added by 0.3 to 2.0% and retained austenite is secured by utilizing the unique bainite transformation, an intended metallographic structure cannot be obtained and the strength and elongation deviate from the target ranges unless the cooling after annealing in the dual phase coexisting temperature range and the retention of the steel sheet in the temperature range nearly from 300° C. to 450° C. are extremely strictly controlled. Such a heat history can be realized industrially in continuous annealing equipment, run-out tables after hot rolling and a coiling process. In this case, when the temperature range is from 450° C. to 600° C., since the transformation of austenite is completed soon, such control as to particularly shorten the time duration where a steel sheet is retained in the temperature range from 450° C. to 600° C. is required. Even when the temperature range is from 350° C. to 450° C., since the metallographic structure varies considerably in accordance with the retention time, only poor strength and elongation are obtained in the case of deviating from prescribed conditions. Further, the problem here is that, since the retention time in the temperature range from 450° C. to 600° C. is long and Si that deteriorates plating performance is contained as an alloying element, it is impossible to produce a plated steel sheet through hot-dip plating equipment, the surface corrosion resistance is inferior, and thus a wide range of industrial application is hindered.
In order to solve the aforementioned problems, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. H5-247586 and H6-145788 disclose a steel sheet having the plating performance which is improved by regulating an Si concentration. In this method, retained austenite is formed by adding Al instead of Si. However, the problem of the method is that, since Al, like Si, is also more likely to be oxidized than Fe, Al and Si tend to incrassate and form an oxide film on the surface of a steel sheet and sufficient plating performance is not obtained. Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H5-70886 discloses the technology wherein plating wettability is improved by adding Ni. However, the method does not disclose the relationship between Ni and the group of Si and Al that deteriorate plating wettability.
Furthermore, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. H4-333552 and H4-346644 disclose the method wherein a steel sheet is subjected to rapid low temperature heating after Ni preplating, hot-dip galvanizing and successively alloying treatment as an alloying hot-dip plating method of a high Si type high-strength steel sheet. However, the problem of the method is that new equipment is required because Ni preplating is essential. Further, this method neither makes retained austenite remain in the final structure nor refers to a means to do so.
Yet further, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-234129 discloses the method wherein good properties are obtained by adding Cu, Ni and Mo to a steel sheet containing Si and Al. It says that, in the method, good plating performance and material properties can be obtained by properly adjusting the balance between the total amount of Si and Mn and the total amount of Cu, Ni and Mo. However, according to our investigation, a problem of the method is that the patent can not always secure good plating performance when Si is contained since the plating performance of a steel containing Si and Mn is dominated by the amount of Al. Further, another problem thereof is that the method is only applicable to a steel sheet having such relatively low strength as in the range from 440 to 640 MPa in tensile strength.
Moreover, the present inventors propose in PCT Patent Publication WO 00/50658 the technology wherein an appropriate amount of Ni is added to a steel containing Si and Al. However, the problem of the technology is that the quality of a material obtained by this method varies due to the dispersion of an alloying temperature in an attempt to produce an alloyed hot-dip galvanized steel sheet.
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Magnetoresistance is the ability of a material to change its electrical resistance when exposed to an external magnetic field. This ability may be taken advantage of to provide, among other things, sensors for detecting magnetic field intensity. Anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) is a form of magnetoresistance where the change in resistance of a material depends upon the angle between the direction of magnetization and the direction of current flow in the material. Typically, the resistance of an AMR material will be a maximum when the magnetization of the material is in the same direction as the current. To achieve linear operation in an AMR sensor, an angle may need to be maintained between the direction of magnetization with no external magnetic field applied (i.e., the easy angle) and the current in the AMR element. Most modern AMR sensors use “barber pole” structures to provide the desired current angle. Typically, an angle of around 45 degrees is used.
As with any electrical device, there is a need for new and improved AMR sensor architectures. There is also a need for new techniques for efficiently and/or inexpensively fabricating AMR sensors. Techniques are also needed for producing AMR sensors that are capable of high performance operation.
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Technical Field
The invention relates to a method for monitoring various physical conditions of a pneumatic tire and to a tire having a memory device containing stored information relating to the tire, and a monitoring device which senses engineering conditions within the tire. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and tire construction in which the memory and monitoring devices attach to the tire innerliner and contain electronics to maintain stored data regarding the tire, preferably an antenna and a low-powered battery to transmit and receive data to and from a transponder mounted on the tire rim. The transponder transmits the received data to a remote location via an antenna external of the tire.
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The goal of vegetable breeding is to combine various desirable traits in a single variety/hybrid. Such desirable traits may include greater yield, resistance to insects or pests, tolerance to heat and drought, better agronomic quality, higher nutritional value, growth rate and fruit properties.
Breeding techniques take advantage of a plant's method of pollination. There are two general methods of pollination: a plant self-pollinates if pollen from one flower is transferred to the same or another flower of the same plant or plant variety. A plant cross-pollinates if pollen comes to it from a flower of a different plant variety.
Plants that have been self-pollinated and selected for type over many generations become homozygous at almost all gene loci and produce a uniform population of true breeding progeny, a homozygous plant. A cross between two such homozygous plants of different varieties produces a uniform population of hybrid plants that are heterozygous for many gene loci. Conversely, a cross of two plants each heterozygous at a number of loci produces a population of hybrid plants that differ genetically and are not uniform. The resulting non-uniformity makes performance unpredictable.
The development of uniform varieties requires the development of homozygous inbred plants, the crossing of these inbred plants, and the evaluation of the crosses. Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection are examples of breeding methods that have been used to develop inbred plants from breeding populations. Those breeding methods combine the genetic backgrounds from two or more plants or various other broad-based sources into breeding pools from which new lines are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes. The new lines are evaluated to determine which of those have commercial potential.
One crop species which has been subject to such breeding programs and is of particular value is spinach. Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is a flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae native to central and southwestern Asia. Spinach is now grown in many temperate parts of the world, but is most productive in cool seasons and climates as heat will cause spinach to bolt. It is an annual plant (rarely biennial) having flowers that mature into a small hard dry lumpy fruit cluster about 5-10 mm across containing several seeds.
Spinach has two stages in its life cycle including the vegetative, rosette stage in which the plant is marketable (about 35-40 days) and the bolting, seed stalk stage in which the plant is no longer marketable. Spinach can grow in a range of soils as long as they are moist and fertile, and particularly sandy loams that are high in organic matter. However, the plants typically do poorly in acid soil, which should be at least a pH of 6.0, having an optimum pH of 6.2-6.9.
Spinach performs poorly against weeds. For weed control, usually 2-4 cultivations are conducted in spinach fields, but fields should be shallow as to not harm any of the roots. Spinach also has a shallow root system, so spinach grows best in uniformly moist conditions. Fields are irrigated by either flooding, furrow, or overhead sprinklers, furrow or flooding irrigation is preferred because overhead irrigation can reduce yields by increasing the risk and levels of disease that thrive in moist, humid conditions.
Spinach is traditionally classified by sowing time (spring, summer, and winter spinach) and harvesting method. Spinach is considered to be dioecious, although there is a continuous range of monoecious types regarding the proportion of pistillate to staminate flowers per plant. In 1954, Janick and Stevenson (1954) reported a study of progeny segregation from selected crosses involving pistillate, staminate, and monoecious types to clarify the genetic mechanisms that bring about the monoecious complex in spinach. Sex determination in dioecious strains of spinach is controlled by a mechanism that acts as if it were a single factor pair; the pistillate plant is homozygous (XX), and the staminate plant is heterozygous (XY). The monoecious character in spinach appears to be controlled by one major gene, Xm, which was found to be allelic to the X Y factor pair. Xm is incompletely dominant to X. The Y allele is dominant to X and Xm.
While breeding efforts to date have provided a number of useful spinach lines with beneficial traits, there remains a great need in the art for new lines with further improved traits. Such plants would benefit farmers and consumers alike by improving crop yields and/or quality.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
}
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to infant stroller apparatuses.
2. Description of the Related Art
Infant strollers can be used to conveniently transport babies and children for outdoor activities. When it is unused, the infant stroller generally can be collapsed to a compact form for convenient storage or transport.
Some existing infant strollers have a stroller frame on which a seat can be detachably installed. For collapsing the infant stroller, certain construction may require to detach the seat before the stroller frame is folded, which may be more cumbersome and need additional storage space for the seat. Some other construction may have a seat assembly that allows collapse of the stroller frame with the seat mounted thereon. However, the collapsed infant stroller with the seat thereon may have a size that is still not as small as desired.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved infant stroller that can be conveniently collapsed to a compact form, and can address at least the foregoing issues.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transparent camera calibration tool that is employed in camera calibration of computer vision for estimating parameters of six degrees of freedom (extrinsic parameters) for the position and orientation of a camera and parameters (intrinsic parameters) such as the image center position and lens distortion coefficients, which are camera-specific qualities, and to a geometrical calibration method that employs the transparent camera calibration tool.
2. Description of the Related Art
In computer vision, the estimation of extrinsic parameters, which express the relationship between a camera coordinate system and a world coordinate system and intrinsic parameters, which express the relationship between an image coordinate system and the camera coordinate system, is indispensable. It is difficult to determine the position and orientation of a camera on the basis of camera specifications, mounting position information, and so forth, and to determine the focal length from the lens calibration, and so forth, when accuracy is lacking in a real operation and, therefore, generally, camera calibration that entails imaging a calibration tool whose size is already known once and estimating the parameters for the camera position and orientation based on this image is performed. FIG. 20 schematically shows a camera calibration method that uses a conventional calibration tool. First, a calibration tool is disposed close to the object and imaged by means of the camera as a preprocessing to capturing image as shown above on the right, whereupon an image of the calibration tool as shown on the center right is obtained and analyzed and the extrinsic and intrinsic parameters of the camera are calculated and stored. A procedure is adopted in which the calibration tool is withdrawn a certain time afterward, the object is captured as illustrated above on the left to obtain an observed image of the object as shown on the center left, whereupon a three-dimensional analysis of the observed image is carried out on the basis of the previous camera extrinsic and intrinsic parameters. Because an analysis of the observed image is performed on the basis of the camera extrinsic and intrinsic parameters obtained from the calibration tool image in this manner, the position and orientation of the camera and the focal length thereof, and so forth, cannot be changed following calibration.
In the method that is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. H8-86613 “Stereo camera calibration device” (Apr. 2, 1996), a perforated board c that is rendered by forming a multiplicity of holes b in the upper side of a plate a as shown in FIG. 19 is provided and calibration poles d of rod material are randomly fitted in optional positions of the multiplicity of holes b in the perforated board c. The upper side of plate a is coated black, the upper side of perforated board c is coated gray, and the tops of the calibration poles d are coated white. Further, the lengths of the calibration poles d are set at random. Two cameras (a left camera and right camera) e and f are arranged on top of a calibration table in a cross-eye view so that the optical axes of the left camera e and right camera f are roughly joined at a certain point on the calibration table. An image of the upper side of the calibration table is taken by left camera e and right camera f. The images taken by the left camera e and right camera f are inputted to a coordinate circuit and coordinates are established by the coordinate circuit on the basis of the shading of the images. The information of the coordinate circuit is then inputted to a three-dimensional position processing circuit and calibration parameters estimated by a calibration parameter processing circuit are inputted to the three-dimensional position processing circuit. The three-dimensional position processing circuit determines a three-dimensional position of a projected point based on the information of the coordinate circuit and calibration parameters. This method is favorable in the case of image pickup of a stationary object but requires a device for moving the camera accurately in order to track a moving image of a person or the like by means of a camera. There is also the problem that, because the calibration tool is installed and withdrawn, same is not suited to an outdoor application or the like.
Furthermore, a correction method in a case where a moving object is tracked is also illustrated in Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. H5-241626 (‘Detected Position Correction method’, published on Sep. 21, 1993). When the details of Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. H5-241626 are reviewed, calibration data (CDA), which is obtained by means of calibration in a position A prior to moving the camera, and calibration data (CDB) in position B after the camera has been moved by means of a calculation from movement amount data (CM) for the position and orientation of the camera are determined with the object of detecting the position of the target in every position and detecting the position of the target over a wide range by simply performing calibration once in an optional position. Next, the position of the target is detected from this calibration data (CDB) and from the imaging data (CM) for the target in position B of the camera. This technique involves establishing a correlation between the coordinates of the target and the coordinates of the camera also when the camera is moved once the calibration has been performed. However, the accuracy of this correlation is linked solely with the degree of accuracy of the movement amount data (CM) for the position and orientation of the camera. Therefore, a highly accurate drive mechanism must be provided. This also entails the fundamental defect that errors accumulate with each successive movement.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an object, a method, or a manufacturing method. In addition, the present invention relates to a process, a machine, manufacture, or a composition of matter. In particular, the present invention relates to, for example, a human interface, a semiconductor device, a display device, a light-emitting device, a power storage device, a driving method thereof, or a manufacturing method thereof. In particular, the present invention relates to, for example, a method and a program for processing and displaying image data, and a device including a recording medium in which the program is recorded. In particular, the present invention relates to, for example, a method for processing and displaying image data by which an image including information processed by an information processor provided with a display portion is displayed, a program for displaying an image including information processed by an information processor provided with a display portion, and an information processor including a recording medium in which the program is recorded.
2. Description of the Related Art
The social infrastructures relating to means for transmitting information have advanced. This has made it possible to acquire, process, and send out many pieces and various kinds of information with the use of an information processor not only at home or office but also at other visiting places.
With this being the situation, portable information processors are under active development.
For example, portable information processors are often used outdoors, and force might be accidentally applied by dropping to the information processors and display devices included in them. As an example of a display device that is not easily broken, a display device having high adhesiveness between a structure body by which a light-emitting layer is divided and a second electrode layer is known (Patent Document 1).
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to virtualization and more particularly to virtual machines on multiple hosts.
2. Description of the Related Art
A virtual machine (VM) or virtual computer is a logical representation of a computer implemented within computer software. In a traditional physical computer, one instance of the operating system supports one or more application programs. In a virtualization environment, however, a single physical computer, or cluster of physical computers, runs software that abstracts the resources of a physical computer so that the resources of the physical computer may be shared between multiple virtual computers or VMs. To that end, each VM may be running a different operating system from all of the other virtual machines on the physical machine. Of import, a crash or other program error resulting in any of the VMs leaves all of the other VMs unaffected in the single physical computer.
There are different types of virtualization, including desktop virtualization and server virtualization. Desktop virtualization moves the operating system and the applications it supports from a desktop computer to a virtual computer running on a server. A user can still customize the desktop environment. In addition, unlike when working on a traditional single physical computer, when a user moves to a different location, the entire workspace of the user appears on whichever workstation or device the user is currently using. If the workstation hardware should fail, the entire workspace of the user is available on any other workstation on the network.
Server virtualization allows a physical server to be apportioned to run multiple secure virtual machines (VMs) or virtual servers. This creates an opportunity to consolidate physical servers. In addition, as the resource requirements of one of the server-based products running in a VM grows, moving the VM to a different physical server with more available resources is as simple as copying a file. Generally, VMs, in multiple server environments, are placed on different physical servers based on static analysis of CPU utilization and memory usage.
In the case of a single server environment, virtualization solutions use content based page sharing to consolidate memory resources in a server platform. Page sharing allows identical pages to be shared across VMs, which eliminates redundant pages and frees up memory resources. In operation, a hypervisor scans the memory for duplicate pages. On detecting a duplicate page the hypervisor eliminates one of the duplicate pages and alters virtual memory to point to the shared copy, but this approach is limited to VMs on a single server.
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The present finding relates to a facilitated-detachment electrical connection device for kitchen appliances.
As known, current household appliances exhibit active and passive safety systems for the purposes of protecting as much as possible the users from accidents.
For this reason, current household appliances, and above all appliances that are used in the kitchen, exhibit several protection devices of the electrical parts, and safety devices adapted to prevent their opening of access to their interior during operation or soon after the same.
One of the problems currently present for household appliances, particularly those used in the kitchen, is that due to the fact that, for their operation, they almost always need the electrical connection with the electric network of the house or of the room they are arranged in.
For this reason sometimes, above all in the case of children, the electrical cable can be grasped thus allowing the electrical appliance to be dragged onto the work surface, for example a table, a shelf or the like, thus making the same fall on the child, with all the consequences arising from such action.
If, for example, the appliance is a deep-fryer, it is easy to understand how a child, pulling the electrical cable, can drag the same on its rest surface and, even during operation, tip it, with the possibility of oil leak, thus with unforeseeable and very dangerous consequences.
For this reason, electrical connectors have been devised, which use a magnetic force between a plug and an outlet as connection force.
In this case, if the electrical cable is pulled, there must occur the detachment between outlet and plug present on the electrical appliance to prevent the child from tipping it on himself.
However, above all for some electrical appliances such as deep-fryers, rice cookers, steam cookers, electrical grills, electrical plates and in general all household appliances for hot foodstuff, such application exhibits the disadvantage that a possible formation of condensate may penetrate between the electrical contacts of the appliance, thus causing a short circuit or other possible anomalies.
Moreover, above all for household appliances mainly realised with plastic material, exhibiting a low self-extinguishing power, the closeness with the electrical contacts can cause considerable disadvantages, such as the melting or self-combustion of the plastic, with the consequences that also in this case may arise from such situation.
Last but not least, it must be considered that the magnetic force of connection between plug and outlet must always be less than the friction force that generates between the electrical appliance and the rest surface, so as to allow the detachment of the plug from the outlet, thus preventing the possibility of dragging the appliance on the rest surface.
Object of the present finding is that of eliminating the above disadvantages of the prior art.
Within the scope of this object, an important purpose of the finding is that of realising a facilitated-detachment electrical connection device for kitchen- appliances which should be protected from possible infiltrations of condensate or the like, so as to prevent short circuits or other operation anomalies.
Another purpose of the finding is that of realising a facilitated-detachment electrical connection device wherein the magnetic force of electrical connection should be less than the friction force for dragging the appliance on the rest surface of the same irrespective of the direction in which the cable is pulled.
Another purpose of the finding is that of realising a facilitated-detachment electrical connection device for kitchen appliances which, should the latter exhibit parts made of a plastic material with a low self-extinguishing power, should prevent the melting of the same or the combustion of the same due to the closeness of the electrical contacts.
Last but not least, another purpose of the finding is that of realising a facilitated-detachment electrical connection device for kitchen appliances which should be very stout and with a regular operation in time without exhibiting any mechanical or electrical disadvantage.
This object, as well as these and other purposes, are achieved by a facilitated-detachment electrical connection device for kitchen appliances comprising an electrical cable exhibiting a connection plug to the electric network at one end, and a magnetised member electrically associablexe2x80x94through a magnetic forcexe2x80x94to an outlet connected to the kitchen appliance at the opposed end, characterised in that it comprises insulation means present on said kitchen appliance and/or on said magnetised member for preventing the contact of condensate or the like with the electrical contacts of such magnetised member and of said outlet.
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Various types of humidity sensors have been developed over the years. A cost-effective miniaturized solution is to employ a solid state sensing film that interacts with water vapor to convert the water vapor concentration into an electrical signal. Techniques for converting the water vapor concentration into electrical signals include capacitive sensing, thermoelectric sensing and magnetoelastic sensing. A typical electrical humidity sensor may sense water vapor concentration, by having a capacitance or impedance between two electrodes. The capacitance of impedance may vary with the relative permittivity of a polymer film. The relative permittivity of the polymer film may be sensitive to an amount of water vapor absorbed by the polymer film. The typical accuracy of this type of sensors may range from ±1.7% to ±5%, which can meet the requirements in some consumer electronics, for example for use in environmental sensing and medical devices for breath testing. Another method for measuring relative humidity may be to use a “chilled-mirror” dew-point hygrometer. A “chilled-mirror” dew-point hygrometer may include a miniature polished mirror that may be cooled by a Peltier thermoelectric heat pump until the mirror reaches the dew-point of the water vapor under test. When the dew point temperature has been reached, condensation will begin to form on the mirror surface. The “chilled-mirror” dew-point hygrometer may include an electro-optical loop to detect a reduction of the light intensity reflected from the mirror surface and thereby, detect that condensation. The typical accuracy of such a dew-point hygrometer may be ±0.1° C. according to relative humidity accuracy of ±0.014% at a relative humidity of 1%. The high accuracy of a “chilled-mirror” dew-point hygrometer may allow it to be applied to a range of high-end applications including metrology laboratories, aerospace, natural gas, petrochemical and meteorology. However, there are many barriers to using the “chilled-mirror” dew-point hygrometer, including its high cost, large size and slow response rate. Other potential disruptive solutions for high accuracy detection of relative humidity include carbon nanotubes and graphene which exhibit very high humidity sensitivity. However, such solutions still require further development in order to be understood and applied to practical applications.
As such, there is a need for a humidity sensor that can achieve high accuracy with a relatively fast response rate, while being relatively small size and being available at a low cost.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of internal combustion engines, high performance and conventional manufactured engines in general use, pertaining to poppet valve operating systems, particularly rocker arm systems for valve actuation pivoting on a shaft, the rocker arm being actuated by push rods and a camshaft.
2. Description of Background Information
Internal combustion engines, including high performance engines and conventionally manufactured engines, having poppet valve systems actuated by rocker arms and push rods that operate at high engine speeds or having high dynamic forces within the valve system require specially designed rocker arm systems for stability and for use in high inertia force conditions. For example, a high performance engine speed may peak at approximately 9200 revolutions per minute. This engine speed corresponds to a valve system actuating at 77 cycles per second. These high engine speeds cause very high inertia forces and high amplitude vibration forces to react on rocker arms and valve system components.
Rocker arms manufactured for performance engines generally have a common design basis. The common design consists of a rocker arm beam body having a needle bearing pressed in the beam body. The rocker arm pivots on a shaft that is rigidly fastened by 2 bolts through the shaft located one on each side of the beam to a mounting base attached to the engine cylinder head. Alternatively, the rocker arm beam body and needle bearing assembly are fitted to pivot on a pedestal or central stud mount.
Engines using push rods to actuate valves often have the push rod skewed in an oblique movement direction offset from the plane of rotation of the pivoting rocker arm, opening and closing the valve. This condition results because engine block and cylinder head castings are complicated with structure in the path areas where push rods operate. The resulting skewed push rod path applies a torque to the rocker arm beam that tends to deform the rocker arm beam and the supporting pivot bearing and pivot shaft mounting. FIG. 1. is a rear elevation view of a conventional high performance rocker arm system. Illustrated is the skewed offset push rod 17 and rocker arm 10 arrangements often found in performance engines. The offset push rod force (OPF) is illustrated by arrows at an angle to rocker arm pivot path 22. There are two improvement areas discussed in following paragraphs that the present invention addresses. First: Improvements for a stabilized rocker arm pivot system suitable for use in pushrod actuated systems. Second: Rocker arm beam improvements for reduction of mass and rotational inertia affects and improved beam stiffness.
The first improvement area: A stabilized rocker arm pivot requires different concepts to correct conventional rocker arm deficiencies. Many conventional rocker arms have skewed offset push rods and have a force vector at an angle reacting with the rocker arm. This condition results in rocker arm problems of torsional distortion and increased friction forces. These problems are primarily due to conventional rocker arm beams having a narrow bearing pressed into the beam, which does not provide sufficient resistive reaction to torsional loads. Instability at the rocker arm fulcrum also occurs because bearings commonly are over-stressed by the dynamic angled forces causing severe edge loading of the narrow bearing elements. The bearings then become excessively loose fitting and unstable to the mounting shaft causing unwanted valve train motion, vibration, valve spring surge and increased friction, all adding to performance loss. The torsional deformation of the rocker arm increases stress within the rocker arm body. Indeed, crack failures are common in the beam area near the push rod connection. These described conditions require precautionary and costly rocker arm replacement after a short service time in performance engines. Providing stable rocker arms is a needed improvement provided by the present invention.
The second improvement area: Reducing rocker arm beam mass is practiced by engineers in order to control inertia effects on the valve system. The purpose is to (1) achieve high engine speeds and aggressive valve actuation and lift rates to increase cylinder filling with air and fuel mixtures for applications requiring increased performance and (2) achieve improved engine efficiency by reducing friction and engine component inertia. A mechanism is required to provide stable, low mass rocker arms having high stiffness that can operate at increasingly high loads. Providing stable low mass rocker arms with reduced polar moment of inertia about the beam pivot axis is a significant factor to improve performance levels accomplished by the present invention.
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In semiconductor devices the precise location of the P-N junction, for example its location relative to a particular interface within the device, is often critical to the device performance. The location of the junction may vary from one batch of devices to another because of fluctuations in, or inadequate control of, the conductivity modifier concentration, the diffusion time or temperature, and subsequent processing steps. These variations can result in a low yield of useful devices at the end of the manufacturing process.
A particular example of this problem arises in the manufacture of a P-I-N photodetector such as that described by Webb et al. in the IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices ED-30, 395(1983). This photodetector includes an N-type InP substrate, an In.sub.0.53 Ga.sub.0.47 As absorptive layer on the substrate and a P-type InP cap layer on the absorptive layer. The as-deposited absorptive layer is undoped and generally contains a low number of N-type conductivity modifiers. The P-N junction is formed in the absorptive layer, preferably a small distance from the interface between the absorptive and cap layers, by diffusion of P-type conductivity modifiers from the cap layer into the absorptive layer during the deposition of the cap layer. Variations in the growth procedure, for example too large a concentration of P-type conductivity modifiers in the cap layer will convert a large portion of the absorptive layer to P-type conductivity. It is also useful to provide a comparatively thick cap layer over the absorptive layer to increase the resistance of the detector to mechanical damage during wire bonding. However, during the prolonged high temperature deposition of the cap layer the conductivity modifiers can diffuse through most or all of the absorptive layer.
The effect of this larger than desired P-type region is that a large fraction of the light passing through the transparent cap layer is then absorbed in the P-type region of the absorptive layer. The electron-hole pairs so-generated recombine in the P-type portion before the electrons and holes can be separated and detected, thereby rendering the device useless.
It would be desirable to have a detector structure and method of fabrication which reduces or eliminates this problem and which provides improved control during manufacture of the location of the P-N junction.
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It is well known to transport trailers of trucks on railroad cars, namely, flat bed railroad cars. Some designs have used specialized structure railroad cars and adapters for the landing gear of semi-trailer trucks as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,864,321. Others have provided stands for the king pin of the trailer which ride along a pair of slots in the surface of the railroad car, and generally include a manually actuated mechanism to hold the stand in place on the car after adjustment. Examples of these structures are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,845,878; 2,846,172 and 2,903,977.
Collapsible fifth wheel stands have also been installed at one end of a flat bed and arranged to be raised by a chain pulled by a truck tractor beneath a parked trailer to secure it to the railroad car. This is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,202,390. Examples of stationary, collapsible fifth wheel stands which are raised or lowered by spring, screws or hydraulic include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,180,282; 3,189,307; 3,291,074 and 3,289,987.
A self-propelled stanchion which can be positioned along the surface of the railroad car and raised and lowered using internal or external motors is described in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,800. But its operation was independent of the trailer positioning.
All of the systems of the prior art have advantages and disadvantages. Those which use specialized car design are not usable to transport other types of freight. Those which have erect stand are not as storable and require the removal of unused stands at one location and a supply at the unloading location if there is further loading to be performed. Some of the collapsible stands are not adjustable along the surface of the flat bed and, thus, do not allow for optimum placement of the maximum number of trailers on a train system. The positioning and securing of the stanchions require special equipment or more than one operator or plural steps in addition to positioning connecting and disconnecting the trailer.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a stanchion which is adjustable along the surface of a railroad car.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a stanchion system which reduces the number of steps in loading, securing, unsecuring and unloading a trailer on and from a railroad car.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a system wherein the stanchion is repositioned and operated from the tractor which positions the trailer.
These and other objects of the invention are obtained by providing a stanchion with a latch system which is operable from the tractor which positions the trailer such that the tractor locks and unlocks the latch to appropriately reposition the stanchion during the positioning of the trailer. The stanchion includes a sled to which a stand is mounted. The latch is biased to be normally engaged to the rail car to prevent movement of the sled, and in response to an external force from the tractor disengages the rail car to prevent movement of the sled. The latch includes at least one dog and an operator or piston moving the dogs to disengage a railroad car in response to an external force. The operator and dogs are biased to the engaging position. The sled includes a channel which receives a horizontal portion of a track and the dogs engage the vertical portion of the track. The track includes a plurality of apertures in which the dogs are received.
An interlock is provided between the latch and the stand for permitting the latch to disengage from the railroad car only when the stand is in the lowered position. The interlock includes a cam connected to the latch and having a camming surface which has a first and second positions corresponding to the lock and unlocked position of the latch. A cam follower is connected to the stand for at least engaging the cam surface in the second position when the stand is in the lowered position. The cam follower disengages the cam surface in the first position when the stand is not in the raised position.
The tractor includes a gate having a locking and unlocking position. In the unlocking position, the gate engages the operator of the latch when the tractor is adjacent to the sled to apply the external force to unlock the latch. In the locking position, the gate does not apply the external force to the latch when the tractor is adjacent to the sled. The tractor also includes a hook which engages the stand for two purposes. First it is used during loading of the trailer to raise the stand of a latched or locked sled from its lowered to its raised position to engage and secure the tractor. Second, when the stand is in its lowered position and the tractor's unlocking gate is in its unlock position the hook engages the stand and prevents motion of the sled away from the adjacent tractor. With the sled and stand thus captured between the hook and the gate, any movement of the tractor in either forward or reverse direction, will be transmitted to the unlocked sled, and it will thus move with the tractor and be repositioned during the loading and unloading of the trailer by the tractor.
The hook may be a single element manipulated by an operator or may be a pair of links pivotally connected and moved between an extended and retracted position by an operator in combination with a third link. The hook is mounted on a slide block to the tractor, and a shock absorber is provided. This increases the ability to move the hook while the stand is in the raised position. The hook includes first and second members pivotally connected together to form the hook. A lock is provided having a first position for locking the first and second members into a hook configuration and a second position to allow first and second members to rotate relative to each other. Thus, when the hook is unlocked, the forward motion of the tractor relative to the stand will cause the two members to rotate relative to each other and release the hook configuration and the hook from the stand. Biasing means such as a spring is provided for biasing the first and second members into the hook configuration.
A method of loading and securing a trailer to the railroad car using the tractor includes positioning the trailer over a lowered stanchion on the surface of the railroad car. The trailer and stanchion are then repositioned to a desired position on the surface of the railroad car using the tractor. The tractor is disconnected from the trailer and the stanchion is raised by the tractor to connect and secure the trailer to the railroad car. Apparatus on the tractor as mentioned above is used to unlock the stanchion from the railroad car before the repositioning step and lock the stanchion after the repositioning step. Apparatus on the tractor activates a hook to hook a portion of the stanchion to the tractor before the raising step and to unhook the stanchion from the tractor after the raising step.
The method of unloading a trailer secured to a railroad car by a stanchion using a tractor includes positioning the tractor adjacent to the trailer and the stanchion. Next, the tractor disconnects the trailer from the stanchion and connects the trailer to the tractor. The tractor repositions the trailer and the stanchion to a desired position in which the stanchion is to be stowed, and finally removes the trailer from the railroad car.
The tractor disconnects the trailer from the stanchion by lowering the stanchion. The tractor unlocks the stanchion from the railroad car by applying an unlocking force before the repositioning step and relocks the stanchion to the railroad car after the repositioning step. A hook on the tractor engages the stanchion after it is unlocked and pulls it to its repositioned position and then unhooks from the stanchion before removing the trailer. The stanchion is repositioned to one end of the railroad car to be ready for the next loading operation.
Thus, the unique stanchion and its manipulation by the tractor allows the stanchion to be repositioned during loading and unloading, in order to secure the most efficient use of deck space on the train, as well as being raised and lowered. Similarly, all the operations, repositioning and controlling of the stanchion are performed from the tractor, thereby reducing the amount of time, the number of steps and the number of people involved in the loading and unloading of the trailer and the positioning and repositioning of the stanchion.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clamp for an electrical cable. More particularly, the invention pertains to a clamp for fixing an electrical cable to a railway car. Still more particularly, the invention relates to a clamp which is useful for mounting and protecting electrical cables which quickly apply railway car electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known in the art that when a long train of moving railway cars is to be stopped, a control car typically transmits a pneumatic braking signal to brakes on the moving cars. A typical air brake may comprise an apparatus for pneumatically or mechanically applying brake shoes to the wheels of a railway car by pumping a handle connected by gears and/or linkages to the brake shoe engaging mechanism in contact with the wheels. The brakes can be applied or released from a remote or central control point such as the locomotive or caboose and may utilize vacuum, air pressure, or another source of power to activate or release a brake. Typical railway braking equipment is known from U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,624,472 and 5,558,411.
A problem with such a pneumatic braking system is that the braking signal from the control car does not quickly reach the brake shoe applying mechanism in the rear of long trains which have many dozens of railway cars. As a result, faster acting electrically actuated braking systems have been developed. These electrically actuated braking systems comprise a generator at the end of a railcar axle which supplies power to the car control unit and solenoid valves. The braking signal is issued to each car control unit from the main control car via a radio signal. It is a problem in the art to secure the cable to each railway car truck frame and protect it from its working environment A means therefore becomes necessary to secure an electrical cable between each generator and the main car control unit to a railway car truck frame. Typically the cable must be flexible, crush resistant, mechanically protected in a variety of environments, and must hold its shape and position. In addition, because of the strict operating and safety rules applicable to train operation in the United States and other countries, no holes may be drilled into the railway car trucks which might weaken the truck and interfere with train equipment and operation as required by practices established by the Association of American Railroads and by the relevant government agencies.
The present invention solves these problems by providing an improved clamp for such a railway car electrical cable. The clamp comprises a curved frame of rigid sheet material covering a helical spring which surrounds a cable. The spring serves to maintain cable flexibility and crush resistance. A series of detents project from the surface of the clamp into the spaces between the spring windings to prevent spring slippage within the clamp. One or more steel belts pass through holes in the clamp and around convenient parts of the railway car truck and are attached together. This arrangement firmly secure the clamp to the truck without having to drill holes in the truck.
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The Object Management Group (OMG) consortium has defined an architecture termed Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA). The CORBA architecture enables the distribution of applications on different kinds of platforms. According to the client-server model, there are two kinds of applications: the client applications that request services and the server applications that offer the requested services.
In CORBA architecture the services and computer units work together so that the services are independent of the operating systems and the hardware platforms. CORBA encapsulates the C++ code and data into objects so that the objects are accessible by means of method invocations. In this way a client can access objects located in another computer unit. The client does not know where the service takes place geographically, but only the name and interface of the objects providing the service.
CORBA 2.0 includes specifications for a functionality that is termed Object Request Broker (ORB). ORB enables transparent communication between applications. The client and the server applications are separated from the mechanism used for communicating, activating, and storing objects. Each computer unit which needs to communicate with other units has the ORB functionality.
Intelligent Network (IN) is an architectural concept for the creation and provision of advanced telecommunications services.
FIG. 1 shows an example of IN architecture based on CORBA. The SS7 network can communicate with the Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTNs) and the Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs). It can also communicate with CORBA through a bridge shown in FIG. 1. Furthermore, the SS7 network can communicate with the Internet via CORBA.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has defined a protocol named the Transaction Capabilities Application Part (TCAP). TCAP describes dialog handling and communication procedures for the transfer of non-circuit-related signals. TCAP is a general protocol that reduces the need for the development of new protocols when new features are introduced in the SS7 network. TCAP belongs to layer 7 of the OSI model and provides a protocol layer for specific applications such as mobile and IN applications.
For example, the Intelligent Network Application Protocol (INAP) is one protocol that TCAP supports. INAP relates to communication between IN physical network elements. INAP is defined by ITU, and the other version of INAP called “Core INAP” is defined by ETSI (European Telecommunication Standards Institute).
Mobile Application Part (MAP) is another protocol that TCAP supports. MAP is used in mobile networks.
INAP and MAP are SS7 network protocols. The commonly known TCP/IP protocol is one of the Internet protocols.
The next three protocols are used in CORBA:
General Inter-ORB Protocol (GIOP) specifies standard transfer syntax and a set of message formats for communications between the ORBs.
Environment-Specific Inter-ORB Protocol (ESIOP) specifies how GIOP messages are exchanged using a particular networking or distributed computing infrastructure.
Internet Inter-ORB Protocol (IIOP) specifies how the GIOP messages are exchanged using TCP/IP connections. IIOP provides interoperation between ORBs on the vendor-neutral transport layer.
Light Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) specifies directory models supporting X.500 directory models, while avoiding certain resource requirements of X.500 Directory Access Protocol (DAP). The X.500 directory models and said DAP are defined by ETSI. LDAP is specifically targeted at Internet management applications and browser applications that provide read access or write access to directories. LDAP assumes there are one or more servers providing access to the tree making up the entries. Each entry has a name formed from letters and numbers representing attribute values so that one or more attribute values at the beginning of the name distributes the entry form to all others. The tree being made up of the entries is termed an LDAP directory.
Besides protocols also abstract languages and special transfer syntaxes are needed. The abstract languages and transfer syntaxes define how the data are to be encoded and located in the messages.
Interface Definition Language (IDL) is an abstract language used in CORBA. IDL specifies objects that compose an interface of a client application.
Common Data Representation (CDR) is a transfer syntax that maps IDL types, i.e. data types, to low-level representation for on-wire-transfer between ORBs.
The SS7 network delivers messages that are specified using data structure language named the Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1). The ASN.1 language is capable of specifying complex recursive data types and is used to describe the content and context of messages. During transfers over the SS7 network, the values of the ASN.1 types are encoded according to a transfer syntax such as Basic Encoding Rules (BER). The BER enables a series of recursive elements, comprised of Tag, Length, and data fields. The Tag fields indicate what type of data is packed into the message, and the Length fields indicate the number of bytes of data within this particular part of the message.
In order to convert data between different networks, certain kinds of mapping rules are also needed. The Telecom Task Force group in OMG has defined the mapping rules between INAP and IDL data definitions. In addition, the X/open Preliminary Specifications include an ASN.1 to IDL translation algorithm. The INAP/MAP messages of the SS7 network are inputs for generating the GIOP messages of CORBA, and vice versa. This message generation is executed according to the mapping rules.
The Service Logic Environment (SLE) is an entity made for executing CORBA services. The SLE is equipped with an ORB functionality, which enables applications to provide services for other applications.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the SLEs connect the applications to CORBA. An Inter-Working Unit (IWU), shown in FIG. 2, is one part of the bridge, shown in FIG. 1, which connects the CORBA network to the SS7 network. In this context, IWU refers to a process, not necessarily to a computer unit. IWU is equipped with the ORB functionality as well as the SLEs. Therefore, IWU and the SLEs comply with GIOP, ESIOP, and IIOP protocols. IWU communicates with the SLEs via CORBA using GIOP messages.
TCAP is a protocol as described above. In this paper, TCAP also refers to a process. As shown in FIG. 2, TCAP is the other part of the bridge connecting CORBA and the SS7 network. TCAP communicates with the SS7 network using INAP or MAP messages.
The bridge receives GIOP messages from an SLE, and INAP/MAP messages from the SS7 network. Receiving a message can be termed an event. The bridge creates a record of an event, which record includes data received in a message. Inside the bridge, IWU and TCAP may communicate with each other by transmitting records of events.
A dialog refers to communication between two applications using data conversions. A dialog is composed of dialog primitives. The dialog primitives indicate the beginning of a dialog, the formation of a dialog, the continuation of a dialog, and the end of a dialog. The dialog primitives may also transmit data belonging to a dialog.
When a TCAP begin message is received from the SS7 network to the bridge, an association is formed between an application executing in SLE and the SS7 layer in the bridge. This TCAP begin message is termed SS7Begin dialog primitive. Alternatively, the SLE can initiate the association between it and the SS7 layer in the bridge by sending an SLEBegin named dialog primitive. The association represents a dialog which has been established all the way from the SLE application to the application on the SS7 network. Events relating to one association compose a dialog. The application on the SS7 network may be, for example, a call instance process executing in a service switching point (SSP). The dialog could represent, for example, an IN control relationship between the SLE application and the SSP call instance.
During an association, i.e. during a dialog, a CORBA application may execute remote operations for an SS7 application. The Remote Operation Procedure (ROP) defines how the remote operations are invoked and how the results or errors of the invoked remote operations are received. The ITU has defined remote operations for CORBA. These remote operations are called IDL operations.
The ITU has also classified different kinds of INAP operations. The INAP operations define how remote operations of SS7 applications are invoked and how the results or errors of the invoked operations are received.
The Telecom Task Force group in OMG has defined mapping rules between the IDL and the INAP operations. The mapping rules are needed because CORBA applications and SS7 applications should be able to execute remote operations for each other.
In data conversions the data of a first format is converted to the data of a second format. The data of the first format as well as the data of the second format is stored in one or more data structures. A utility is a program or a part of a program which executes data conversion between certain data structures. Utilities compose a set which is termed a utility set. Correspondingly, messages of a certain protocol compose a message set. For example, the messages of the INAP protocol compose an INAP message set.
The utilities perform conversions from one encoding format to another. In this case encoding means, for example, how data structures are represented in the data communication between two entities. The aim is to provide conception of the structure and semantics of the data on the target side which is similar to the source side.
The present invention relates generally to the bridge shown above. Next, the object-oriented programming and compiler techniques utilized within the bridge will be discussed.
JAVA and C++ are examples of object-oriented programming languages. The objects may compose, for example, an interface of a CORBA server application. Each object is defined as a class, which includes some data and methods for handling that data. A class may also include methods for handling the data of other classes.
A compiler is a program that reads one or more input files and writes an executable code, or a source code, in one or more output files. The executable code may act, for example, as a utility set offering conversions between different data definitions. A compiler itself, and the files read and processed by the compiler, may include various classes.
More specifically, the invention concerns converting BER encoded ASN.1 data structures into the CDR data structures, and vice versa. The BER encoded ASN.1 data structures are named briefly as BER data structures and said conversions are named briefly as BER-CDR conversions. The BER-CDR conversions are executed in the IWU shown in FIG. 2.
Each utility can execute the BER-CDR conversion between an IDL-based interface definition and an ASN.1-based interface definition. There could be several versions of both types of interfaces. Thus a utility executes the conversion between a certain version of the interface defined by the IDL and a certain version of the interface defined by the ASN.1.
The interfaces could correspond to, for example, a certain MAP, INAP, or CAP version and their interface which is based on ASN.1 or IDL definitions. For instance, a utility could perform a conversion related to CAP (Camel Application Protocol). It could perform the conversion between the CDR encoding of a data type in the IDL interface and the BER encoding of a data type in the ASN.1 interface for CAP version 3.
There are older and newer versions of INAP/MAP message sets. Each utility can execute the BER-CDR conversion between a data structure of a certain GIOP message version and a data structure of a certain INAP/MAP message version. Thus, a great many utilities for the BER-CDR conversions are needed to enable conversions between each GIOP and INAP/MAP message set versions.
Snacc is an example of a known freeware compiler which can be utilized in the BER-CDR conversions. As any compiler, the Snacc comprises at least the lexical analyzer, grammatical parser, and code generator. The lexical analyzer extracts grammatical tokens from the input stream. In this case, the input stream contains BER encoded ASN.1 data structures.
The Snacc compiler uses its embedded BER library for generating a C++ code. The BER library has the functionality to convert BER data structures into ASN.1 C++ classes, and vice versa.
The Snacc compiler generates the C++ code for BER-CDR conversions. The C++ code includes the following method calls of the BER library: BEncPdu BDecPdu BEnc BDec BEncContent BDecContent
In these method names “Enc” refers to encoding and “Dec” refers to decoding. “Pdu” refers to a Protocol Data Unit; which is a block of data transmitted in the network.
The procedure hierarchy structure of the generated code corresponds to the structure of the ASN.1 data types presented as input to the Snacc compiler. Thus, depending on how the data types have been nested, the encoding routines of different data types call each other. For example, if datatype1 contains datatype2 in its structure, the encoding function of datatype1 calls the encoding function of datatype2.
Every C++ class generated is derived from a base class named AsnType. The code generation is executed one data structure at a time and one field of the data structure at a time.
For example, if the type of the field is integer, a class named AsnInt is used. Thus, the type of the field determines which derived class of the AsnType base class is used in the code generation.
The Orbix library (produced by a company named IONA) is an example of a known tool which can be utilized in the BER-CDR conversions. The Orbix library uses its embedded CDR library for generating C++ code.
The CDR library has a functionality to convert CDR data structures into IDL C++ classes, and vice versa.
FIG. 3A shows how the utilities for the BER-CDR conversions are generated in prior art. The generation of the utilities consists of at least three phases that are marked 1 to 3. The second phase is further divided into three sub-phases 2A, 2B, and 2C.
Thus the Snacc compiler can be used to generate the C++ code for phase 1, in which BER encoded data structures are converted to ASN.1 classes or vice versa. Correspondingly, the Orbix library can be used to generate the C++ code for phase 3, in which IDL C++ classes are converted to CDR encoded data structures or vice versa.
In prior art, there is no tool for phase 2, i.e. the translation phase. Therefore a programmer has to write: a) a program “2A” for translations between the ASN.1 C++ classes and ASN.1 instances, b) a program “2B” for translations between the ASN.1 instances and IDL instances, and c) a program “2C” for translations between the IDL instances and IDL C++ classes.
The following example describes what kind of definition files the NAC compiler reads. The example concerns an “InitialDP” named operation which is defined in “IN Capability Set 1”.
The definition for the “InitialDP” operation may be in a file named “operation.asn”:
CS1OPErationTypes DEFINITIONS ::=...InitialDP::= OPERATIONARGUMENT InitialDPArgERRORS {...}InitialDPOPE ::= OBJECT {&ArgInitialDPArg&Err{...}
The definition for an “InitialDPArg”, which is printed in the “operation.asn” file, is given in another file that may be named “argument.asn”. The definition for the “InitialDPArg” is given in an “argument.asn” file as:
InitialDPArg ::= SEQUENCE {serviceKey[0] ServiceKey,...redirectionInformation[30] RedirectionInformation...}
The following two examples concern the conversion of the “InitialDpArg” named data structure which is showed above, and which is BER encoded. We may assume that also the corresponding CDR data structure is named the “InitialDpArg”.
The Snacc compiler processes the data structure field by field. This processing depends on the type of field. For example, “InitialDpArg” data structure contains a field which is named a “serviceKey”. When the Snacc compiler has read the “serviceKey” field, the Snacc compiler generates C++ code so that the BDecContent method of the AsnInt class is called because the “serviceKey” field is the integer type.
The C++ code processing also depends on whether a field includes a data structure or not, i.e. on whether the processed data structure is nested or not. If the field of the data structure includes a data structure, the data structure included is handled in the same way as the field itself.
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With the continuous growth of digital television or broadcast multimedia, and/or broadband access, which may be used in conjunction with online businesses, social networks, and/or other online services and applications, users may desire having access to a larger number of providers and/or a broader range of content in a manner that is flexible and/or suits the users' lifestyles. Most users connect to the Internet using web browsers running on personal computers (PCs). Furthermore, most households may have one or more televisions that may be used to view television and/or multimedia broadcasts. Television broadcasts may include terrestrial TV, Cable-Television (CATV), satellite TV and/or Internet Protocol television (IPTV) based broadcasts. To ensure against unauthorized reception and/or use of TV and/or multimedia broadcast, service providers may require use of dedicated set-top boxes (STBs) that may be used to encrypt broadcast signals communicated from the service providers to generate suitable video and/or audio streams that may be played via televisions and/or other display/playback devices in the household. Furthermore, STBs and/or TVs may support Internet access. Thus, rather than using a computer to access the Internet, a user may find it more convenient to use the flat screen televisions and/or monitors in homes for the same purpose. To do so, for example, an STB communicatively coupled to a flat screen television may be provided with web browsing software and protocols, and Internet connectivity, which may enable the user to easily access the Internet or check their electronic mail (email), for example, from a convenient and comfortable location such as their living room.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.
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Heretofore, a connector has been known, in which a holding metal fitting is embedded in a peripheral wall portion of a housing of a socket (one of connector elements) (for example, refer to Patent Literature 1).
The holding metal fitting of Patent Literature 1 includes a substantially L-shaped body portion having a side plate portion and a bottom plate portion, and anchor portions which bite into a housing are provided on the side plate portion of the body portion, whereby it is made possible to enhance rigidity and strength of the housing.
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1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to an integrated system that provides an enhanced analogue of interactive voice response structures and functions (IVR) for mobile phones and similar devices. Despite the extensive deployment of these IVR systems in business establishments and organizations, there is a near universal level of frustration and outright disgust regarding the inefficiency and tediousness of using IVR and its related features.
All callers generally detest or simply do not have the time to listen through several minutes of a complex series of pre-recorded verbal instructions, most especially if the caller only requires immediate and direct access to a particular party or information.
For example, when a blackout or water outage occurs in a county, several hundred people will usually call into the county's utilities management office to inquire as to what happened and when regular electrical or water service shall be restored. In such scenarios, all available telephone lines (and IVR functionality) will usually be jammed with hundreds of increasingly frustrated callers who require essentially the same set of information.
Caller frustration levels with IVR systems rise exponentially during medical emergencies, fire and other life-threatening disasters. There is clearly then a long-felt, long-existing and unsolved need to address well-known and rightly justified public frustration with IVR systems and its related features, since such efforts can directly result in not just added convenience, but also the preservation of life and property.
2. Description of Prior Art
There are known numerous systems that relate to the enhancement of wireless and landline communication functionality, including associated network elements, Internet interoperability, and automated user interfaces such as interactive voice response (IVR) devices that complement generally proprietary private automatic branch exchange (PABX) telephony equipment.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,928,156 discloses an automated operator assistance with menu options that allows a subscriber to implement and access telecommunications services, using a graphical user interface (GUI) via the Internet, but requires an IVR system to provide its services, whereas the present invention does not.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,917,911 discloses a IVR system that utilizes three levels of navigation with musical tones, for presenting information units arranged in sets, which is not implemented in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,885,733 discloses a method for providing a user interface for audio telecommunication systems, whereas the present invention encompasses multimedia communications.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,823,370 discloses a system and method for retrieving select web content which collects desired search results and passes them to an IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system for presentation to the POTS/Cellular caller, that facilitates search request interpretation and Web searches by a trained operator, using a visual PC based browser, whereas the present invention is not mean for merely searching web content, neither does it require an IVR system to operate.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,021 discloses a system, controller and method for alerting mobile subscribers about emergency situations, whereas the present invention supports two-way communications and structures emergency communications into a context-sensitive data stream so that recipients are not flooded with unrelated information.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,788,770 discloses an ‘intelligent’ voice response (IVR) unit coupled to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) provides predetermined services to a user according to an IVR menu, whereas the present invention does not require IVR equipment, neither is its operation limited to PSTN, rather the present invention primarily operates in the realm of IP networks and provides access mainly using wireless mobile communications networks.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,631,186 discloses a system and method for implementing and accessing call forwarding services, whereas the present invention is not limited to call forwarding, neither is primary communication directed at IVR systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,587,822 discloses a web-based platform for interactive voice response (IVR) applications over the Internet and is primarily directed at a speech synthesizer, a grammar generator and a speech recognizer equipment, whereas the present invention is not primarily about the implementation of voice recognition technology.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,456,699 discloses a way for developing IVR menus using web-based applications, whereas the present invention is does not require IVR equipment and is not involved in any way in the creation of IVR menus.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,404,880 discloses a method and apparatus for delivering critical information that involves the use of IVR, PSTN networks and cellular phones and email, whereas the present invention is not limited to merely sending messages and is designed to provide context-sensitive information with two-way interaction.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,353,608 discloses a customer host connect gateway that connects any Interactive Voice Response (IVR) platform with any customer host computer, whereas the present invention functions independently of such IVR platforms.
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Tablets, laptops, phones (for example, cellular or satellite), mobile (vehicular) or portable (personal) two-way radios, and other communication devices are now in common use by users, such as first responders (including firemen, police officers, and paramedics, among others), and provide such users and others with instant access to increasingly valuable additional information and resources such as vehicle histories, arrest records, outstanding warrants, health information, real-time traffic or other situational status information, and any other information that may aid the user in making a more informed determination of an action to take or how to resolve a situation, among other possibilities.
Many such communication devices further comprise, or provide access to, electronic digital assistants (or sometimes referenced as “virtual partners”) that may provide the user thereof with valuable information in an automated (for example, without further user input) or semi-automated (for example, with some further user input) fashion. The valuable information provided to the user may be based on explicit requests for such information posed by the user via an input (for example, such as a parsed natural language input or an electronic touch interface manipulation associated with an explicit request) in which the electronic digital assistant may reactively provide such requested valuable information, or may be based on some other set of one or more context or triggers in which the electronic digital assistant may proactively provide such valuable information to the user absent any explicit request from the user.
As some existing examples, electronic digital assistants such as Siri provided by Apple, Inc.® and Google Now provided by Google, Inc.®, are software applications running on underlying electronic hardware that are capable of understanding natural language, and may complete electronic tasks in response to user voice inputs, among other additional or alternative types of inputs. These electronic digital assistants may perform such tasks as taking and storing voice dictation for future reference and retrieval, reading a received text message or an e-mail message aloud, generating a text message or e-mail message reply, looking up requested phone numbers and initiating a phone call to a requested contact, generating calendar appointments and providing appointment reminders, warning users of nearby dangers such as traffic accidents or environmental hazards, and providing many other types of information in a reactive or proactive manner.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
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The present invention relates to a carrier for holding analytical samples which is used when a solution is analyzed by X-ray fluorometry.
Where a trace amount of solution is to be analyzed by X-ray fluorometry, it has been common practice to allow the solution to permeate into a carrier, such as filter paper, and dry it to provide for X-ray analysis.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a conventional example of such a carrier. As shown in FIG. 1, the filter paper 1 has not been given any special treatment, with the result that, when a solution is allowed to permeate, it diffuses throughout the filter paper 1. Moreover, since it diffuses ununiformly, it has been impossible to ensure that the diameter of a spot 2 of the solution is constant. As a result, large variations in the X-ray intensity being observed are produced, making accurate measurement impossible.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a carrier for holding analytical samples which will overcome the above, and other, disadvantages.
Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a carrier capable of holding a sample in a fixed region with high reproducibility.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a carrier capable of greatly lowering the lower limit of quantitative limiting concentration.
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A TCAM (ternary content-addressable memory) is a memory for querying content based on binary numeral system, and is mainly configured to classify packets. Several entries are set in a TCAM, and an action corresponding to a TCAM entry is stored in an RAM (random-access memory). In a process of packet classification, a keyword in a packet is matched with an entry in the TCAM, and if an entry successfully matches the keyword in the packet, an action corresponding to the entry is performed on the packet.
Although using a TCAM for content query has an advantage of high efficiency, the TCAM is generally costly and power-consuming, and using a TCAM for packet classification is relatively widely applied, which leads to a shortage of TCAM resources on a network device.
In the prior art, the following three states may be used for a bit of a TCAM entry: a “0” state, a “1” state, and an “*” (Don't Care) state, where “0” and “1” may be used for exact matching, and “*” may be used for fuzzy matching. In order to save TCAM resources, a TCAM entry may be set by using “*”. For example, an action 1 needs to be performed on packets with port numbers from 0 to 7 in IP packets, and a TCAM entry 1 corresponding to the action 1 may be set to “0***”; because multiple matching conditions can be represented by using one TCAM entry, utilization of the TCAM can be improved. However, the method for setting a TCAM entry is only applicable to a situation where an entry is a suffix mask, that is, the entry only includes continuous Don't Care states and the least significant bit of the entry is a Don't Care state.
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The present invention relates to a bag inflatable by gas under pressure and fillable with a liquid for closing off a mine gallery, especially for use to prevent spreading of underground explosions, in which the bag after inflation has a cylindrical or half cylindrical cross section with curved end faces and is provided at an upper portion thereof with an overpressure valve and on one end face thereof with tubes communicating with the interior of the bag for filling the latter with the pressure gas, respectively the liquid.
Flexible bags to be filled with water or other fire extinguishing fluids to provide the miners with a preliminary protection during suddenly occurring underground fires or explosions are already known from the German Offenlegungsschrift 2,136,346. Such bags filled with liquid act during an explosion against the dynamic explosion pressure and reduce, as experiments have shown, the explosion pressure wave practically to zero. This, however, necessarily leads to a bursting of a bag. The quenching liquid emanating from the bursting bag will cool the explosion flame, however, this will not completely exclude that the miners will be exposed to subsequent explosions.
Explosion-resistant dams which consist of wooden sheeting which is filled with a quickly hardening solid material are also already known. Due to their high weight, they are adapted to withstand explosions. The necessary time for erecting such dams is, however, considerable and this may entail that during rapid spread of an underground fire, whole sections of a mine gallery will have to be abandoned.
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Prostate adenocarcinoma is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the U.S. male population (excluding skin cancer). Over 20% of these cases are locally-advanced non-metastatic cancers. Treatment for this stage is problematic with significantly low control rates using traditional doses of radiation, which is the main-line therapy. Treatment of prostate cancer is difficult because of the extreme proximal position of tissues that are sensitive to radiation, such as the bladder and rectum. Radiation treatment, which is typically delivered in daily fractionated doses over the course of several weeks, is further complicated by prostate motion relative to the radiation field on a daily basis. More aggressive radiation treatment techniques utilizing conformal fields and higher doses have been used with improved therapeutic results. However, these dose-escalated treatments have met with problems due to increased dose delivered to normal tissues that are in the radiation field, producing many unacceptable complications such as rectal fistulas and bladder perforation and/or sloughing. Therefore, dose-escalated, conformal treatments cannot be delivered without significantly increased morbidity unless the exact position of the prostate can be visualized and registered, and this field localization maintained during the course of the treatment.
The following sections describe in more detail the current treatment model for external beam radiation therapy, including the equipment involved, the procedural methods or phases involved, and the existing problems and limitations.
A linear accelerator (“LINAC”) is a treatment device which generates a beam of therapeutic high-energy X rays or electrons. The treatment focus of the beam is the isocenter, which exists at a fixed location with respect to a movable gantry. Moving the gantry allows the angular orientation of the beam (but not the location of the isocenter) to be adjusted. A movable treatment table allows the position and orientation of the isocenter to be adjusted with respect to the patient. The cross-sectional size and shape of the beam can be modified by adjusting the rectangular aperture and by obscuring portions of the resulting rectangular beam, using either custom-cut lead blocks or an automatic multileaf beam collimator. The position of the isocenter for a specific LINAC installation is indicated by orthogonal laser beams. This positional information aids the treatment technician in positioning the patient, treatment table and gantry correctly prior to each treatment. The lasers are aligned with ink marks made on the patient's skin.
An X-ray simulator is a treatment planning device which uses low-energy diagnostic X-rays to simulate an external-beam LINAC treatment. The simulator is a low-energy X-ray unit with a movable gantry and treatment table similar to that of the LINAC. Low-energy beams are directed through the patient at the same angles of incidence which will be used during treatment. The resulting “beams-eye” X-ray images are captured on film and imported into a treatment planning system, where beams are defined, sized, and blocked, and the resulting dose distribution is predicted.
A CT simulator is a treatment planning device which captures transverse CT images referenced to a simulated isocenter. The resulting CT view volume is typically imported directly into a treatment planning system, where beams are defined, sized and blocked, and the resulting dose distribution is predicted. The CT Simulator provides more information than the X-Ray Simulator, because additional anatomical information, including the density of intervening tissue, is visible.
Treatment planning systems include third-party software applications that enable an operator to graphically specify beam apertures conformal to the prostate, based on externally-obtained image data. The radiotherapeutic dose resulting from the specified beams is then computed, and decisions are made with respect to beam energy, number of planned treatments, etc.
The first step in radiation treatment involves simulation, during which an X-ray simulator or CT simulator is used to capture anatomical information about the patient referenced to a simulated treatment isocenter. Using indelible ink, marks are made on the patient's skin indicating the location of the simulated isocenter. Later, these marks will be used to align the patient during treatment. The input to this process is the number of beams to be used and the angles of incidence of each beam, which correspond to the positions of the LINAC gantry to be used at treatment time. Typically, four or six beams are defined. The output of this process is either X-ray images or a CT view volume, spatially referenced to the simulated isocenter.
The second phase involves treatment planning, during which a radiation physicist and radiation oncologist design a multi-beam treatment plan for the patient using a Treatment Planning System (TPS). The input to this process consists of the isocenter-referenced X-ray images or CT view volume resulting from the simulation process, as well as information on the specific LINAC system to be used during treatment. A urologist or radiation oncologist determines the presumed location of the prostate with respect to the isocenter and “contours” or delineates its outline to the TPS. The oncologist defines the apertures and blocking for each beam, thereby defining the cross sectional geometry of each beam. Beams are defined so that the volumetric intersection of the beams conforms as nearly as possible to the presumed location and extent of the prostate. The output of this process is configuration information for the LINAC, including beam apertures, block geometry, beam energy, and beam orientation and also treatment methodology, including the number and frequency of treatments.
The third stage of the LINAC process is the actual treatment delivery, during which a radiologist aligns the patient with respect to the isocenter, using the guidance lasers associated with the LINAC and the ink marks made on the patient's skin during simulation. This is accomplished by moving the patient and/or treatment table as necessary. For each beam defined in the treatment plan, the LINAC is set up with the appropriate gantry angle and beam configuration (field size and blocking), and the specified radiation dosage is delivered.
One of the primary problems associated with radiation treatment of prostate cancer is the location of the prostate during treatment planning. The prostate is not visible on simulation X-rays and is difficult to define in simulation CT data. As a result, during treatment planning, the oncologist must make a judgment determination as to the location of the prostate by reference to nearby structures (e.g. pelvic girdle, bladder, etc.) Variations between patients, especially in prostate size, make this an imperfect process. The resulting beam definitions are not optimally conformal with respect to the prostate, resulting in potential under-dosage of the cancerous tissue and/or overdosage of nearby healthy tissue. The ability to accurately determine the location and extent of the prostate during the treatment planning process would result in better beam/prostate conformance and allow more accurate treatment delivery.
Another significant problem during radiation therapy is caused by prostatic movement between treatment sessions. The patient is positioned at treatment time by aligning the LINAC guiding lasers (indicating the position of the isocenter) with the ink marks on the patient's skin indicating the location of the simulated isocenter. Normal migration of the prostate within the body due to bladder contents, rectal contents, prostatic edema, hormonal therapy, and other factors cannot be accounted for at treatment time. Since numerous treatments are delivered over a period of weeks or months, this migration can result in significant loss of targeting accuracy due to prostatic movement with respect to the isocenter.
Likewise, there is also an issue of prostatic movement during the actual treatment session. After the patient is positioned for treatment, the operator leaves the room and administers the treatment remotely, typically viewing the patient via a closed-circuit video link. Any movement by the patient may move the prostate with respect to the treatment isocenter, reducing beam/prostate conformance and impairing the effectiveness of the treatment.
Another significant issue is the unwanted radiation exposure to the rectum and bladder. Due to the proximity of the rectum to the prostate, treatment plans must be careful to avoid overdosing the rectal wall and the bladder in the course of treating the prostate. The amount of fecal matter in the rectum and the volume of bladder content can affect the dosage received by the posterior wall of the rectum or by the bladder during any given treatment.
One conventional system is marketed as the BAT (B-mode Acquisition Targeting) system by Nomos Corporation. The BAT consists of a transabdominal ultrasound probe attached to a table-mounted localizer arm, and a two-dimensional ultrasound imaging system, which is used to display the prostate during the process of positioning a patient with respect to the isocenter at treatment time. BAT does not offer a treatment planning component.
The BAT system uses a transabdominal TA probe, which can be used by a radiation technician with minimal increase in treatment time, instead of a transrectal (TR) probe. The TR probe provides more reliable imaging of the prostate than the TA probe, since the amount of intervening tissue between the rectum and prostate is small and patient size has little effect on the relevant geometry. Patient size can have a significant effect on the ability of a TA probe to view the prostate.
The BAT provides two-dimensional imaging and must be moved by an operator to offer different spatial views of the prostate. The BAT cannot be used during treatment, because it would interfere with the therapeutic beams and because it would be difficult to ensure continued ultrasound-transparent contact with the patient throughout the treatment. Consequently the BAT is used only during patient set-up. Furthermore, the BAT is not integrated with the treatment plan and is only used to visually position the center of the prostate with respect to the isocenter.
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The present invention relates generally to a multi-processor computer system and, more particularly, to a distributed computer system comprising multiple processors and shared memory resources.
Distributed computer systems typically comprise multiple computers connected to each other by a communications network. In some distributed computer systems, the networked computers can concurrently access shared data. Such systems are sometimes known as parallel computers. If a large number of computers are networked, the distributed system is considered to be xe2x80x9cmassivelyxe2x80x9d parallel. As an advantage, parallel computers can solve complex computational problems in a reasonable amount of time.
In such systems, the memories of the computers are collectively known as a distributed shared memory. It is a problem to ensure that the data stored in the distributed shared memory are accessed in a coherent manner. Coherency, in part, means that only one computer can modify any part of the data at any one time; otherwise, the state of the data would be nondeterministic.
Some distributed computer systems maintain data coherency using specialized control hardware. The control hardware may require modifications to the components of the system such as the processors, their caches, memories, buses, and the network. In many cases, the individual computes may need to be identical or similar in design, which means they are homogeneous.
Consequently, hardware controlled shared memories are generally costly to implement. In addition, such systems may be difficult to scale. Scaling means that the same design can be used to conveniently build smaller or larger systems.
More recently, shared memory distributed Systems have been configured using conventional workstations or PCs connected by a conventional network as a heterogeneous distributed system. In such systems, data access and coherency control are typically provided by software-implemented message passing protocols. The protocols define how fixed size data blocks and coherency control information is communicated over the network. Procedures that activate the protocols can be called by xe2x80x9cmiss check code.xe2x80x9d The miss check code is added to the programs by an automated process.
States of the shared data can be maintained in state tables stored in memories of each processor or workstation. Prior to executing an access instruction, e.g., a load or a store instruction, the state table is examined by the miss check code to determine if the access is valid. If the access is valid, then the access instruction can execute, otherwise the protocols define the actions to be taken before the access instruction is executed. The actions can be performed by protocol functions called by the miss handling code.
The calls to the miss handling code can be inserted into the programs before every access instruction by an automated process known as instrumentation. Instrumentation can be performed on executable images of the programs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,729, entitled Validation Checking of Shared Memory Accesses, issued Jun. 2, 1998. discloses a method for providing valid memory between processors or input/output interfaces connected to processors, all of which access the shared memory within the distributed computer environment. The method provides instrumentation to initialize the bytes allocated for the shared data structure to a predetermined flag value. The flag value indicates that the data are in an invalid state.
Unfortunately, the prior art system is directed towards a generic solution for covering shared memory accesses with a distributed computer environment. It is not able to correct or provide management for specific processors that follow specific read/write ordering functions such as the Alpha AXP microprocessor, manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation, Maynard, Mass.
The Alpha AXP processor can be used in a single processor environment or in multiple processor environments such as a distributed computer environment. Additionally, the Alpha AXP processor is considered to be in a multi-processor environment when it includes a single processor with a direct memory access (DMA) input/output (I/O). In a multi-processor data stream, the Alpha AXP communicates shared data by writing the shared data on one processor or DMA I/O device, executes a memory barrier (MB) or a write MB (WMB), then writes a flag signaling the other processor that the shared data is ready. Each receiving processor must read the new flag, execute an then read or update the shared data. In the special case in which data is communicated through just one location in memory, memory barriers are not necessary.
In a significant special case occurrence, when a write is done to some physical page frame, an MB is executed and a previously invalid page table entry (PTE) is changed to be a valid mapping of the physical page frame that was just written. In this case, all processors that access virtual memory by using the newly valid PTE must guarantee to deliver the newly written data after the translation buffer (TB) miss, for both I-stream and D-stream accesses, where I represents instructions and D represents data.
The overall operation of the Alpha AXP processor is described in ALPHA AXP ARCHITECTURE REFERENCE MANUAL, Second Edition, Sites and Witek, Published by Digital Press, 1995, incorporated by reference for all purposes.
Unfortunately, this multi-processor synchronization is very expensive in terms of performance. Without the synchronization, data may be corrupted when a page fault occurs on one CPU and the recently faulted data is immediately referenced from another CPU. The execution of the MB instruction in the TB-Miss flow after fetching the PTE forces a memory coherency point. Any outstanding cache coherency operations are completed prior to using the PTE to fetch data. Unfortunately, there is a performance penalty that results in up to 20% degradation in performance on the Alpha AXP processor. Unfortunately, not in all cases is the memory ordering necessary. Accordingly, what is needed is a way of limiting ordering to only those threads or processes that are actually sharing the PTE effected by the initial MB.
According to the present intention, a distributed computer system is disclosed that allows shared memory resources to be synchronized so that accurate and uncorrupted memory contents are shared by the computer systems within the distribute computer system. The distributed computer system includes a plurality of devices, at least one memory resource shared by the plurality of devices, and a memory controller, coupled to the plurality of devices and to the shared memory resources. The memory controller synchronizes the access of shared data stored within the memory resources by the plurality devices and overrides synchronization among the plurality of devices upon notice that a prior synchronization event has occurred or the memory resource is not to be shared by other devices.
A method for managing memory synchronization is also presented that determines whether a memory element within the memory resource has changed, determines whether a memory synchronization event has occurred among the multiple devices, and synchronizes the multiple devices if no synchronization event has occurred. The method may also determine whether the memory resource is to be shared with more than one of the multiple devices and prevents the synchronization of the memory resource if the memory resource is not to be shared. The memory resource can comprise page frame memory. The method may further generate an issue slot for each device to manage instructions given each of the devices and to observe the change of a memory element and the need for a memory synchronization determination.
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The present invention is directed to bicycle derailleurs and, more particularly, to a bicycle derailleur with a motion resisting structure.
Bicycling is becoming an increasingly more popular form of recreation as well as a means of transportation. Moreover, bicycling has become a very popular competitive sport for both amateurs and professionals. Whether the bicycle is used for recreation, transportation or competition, the bicycle industry is constantly improving the various components of the bicycle. One component that has been extensively redesigned is the bicycle rear derailleur.
Typically, a rear derailleur comprises a base member, a movable member movably coupled to the base member via a linkage assembly, and a chain guide movably coupled to the movable member. The base member is attached to the frame of the bicycle, and the chain guide is configured to move a chain laterally over a plurality of rear sprockets. A torsion spring biases the chain guide in a chain tensioning direction around an axle housed in the movable member so that the chain guide can apply a sufficient tension to the chain. Another spring, called a return spring, biases the movable member and the chain guide to an innermost or outermost position relative to the rear sprockets. A Bowden-type control cable is typically coupled to the rear derailleur and to a conventional shift control device so that the rider may control the lateral movement of the chain guide. Pulling an inner wire of the control cable moves the chain guide against the biasing force of the return spring, while releasing the inner wire allows the chain guide to move in accordance with the biasing force of the return spring.
When riding on rough terrain, the chain guide sometimes swings both in the chain tensioning direction and in the direction opposite to the chain tensioning direction, thereby causing the chain to bounce severely. Such bouncing of the chain sometimes causes the chain to derail from the currently engaged front and/or rear sprocket.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a mechanical advantage system of a power distribution assembly.
2. Description of Related Art
A power distribution assembly is used in a vehicle for placing multiple electrical components, such as fuses, relays, etc, in a single housing to simplify a vehicle electrical system. The power distribution assembly includes a seating tray and a housing removably coupled to the seating tray. Both the seating tray and housing have electrical components which engage each other and create resistance when coupling the housing to the seating tray.
Although power distribution assemblies are used in many vehicles, design constraints in a vehicular setting are restrictive and limit the open area around the power distribution assemblies for coupling the housing to the seating tray. The limited open area in the vehicle can create difficulties for an operator to evenly seat the housing upon the seating tray. For example, the operator may only be able to use one hand during installation. Additionally, coupling the housing to the seating tray may require a large force from the operator to overcome the resistance from the electrical components of the housing and seating tray engaging each other. Therefore, there remains an opportunity for an improved power distribution assembly.
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Web search engines may receive hundreds of millions of search queries from users in a short period of time, such as in the course of a single day. It is common for a developer of a web search engine to analyze these search queries to discern user information needs in order to fine tune the search algorithm used by the search engine. For example, the developer may tune the search algorithm based on the frequency that a particular search query is submitted by different users, or the correlation between different search queries and uniform resource locators (URLs) in the search results ultimately selected by the users. The search engine with the improved search algorithm may deliver more accurate search results.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to motorcycle clutch tools and in particular, clutch tools for securing the clutch hub assembly to the clutch shell so as to facilitate maintenance procedures performed on motorcycle clutch assemblies.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The motorcycle clutch tool of the present invention includes a disc having radially extending tabs or slots for engagement with the inner slots or tabs of the clutch shell of a motorcycle and centrally located tabs or apertures about a central aperture in the disc for engagement with the outer periphery of the clutch hub assembly. The clutch hub assembly and clutch shell are thus securable to each other; thereby allowing the clutch hub nut to be easily removed. Otherwise, the clutch hub is able to rotate since, upon removal of the clutch pressure plate, the drive and driven clutch plates are free to rotate with respect to each other.
The present invention also includes a handle attached to the disc, or a female socket for engagement with a ratchet driving tool, for positioning the disc between the hub assembly and clutch shell. The handle or ratchet tool also allows torque to be applied to the disc to counterbalance torque applied to the clutch hub nut so as to facilitate loosening of this nut. The torque applied to the disc may also counterbalance torque applied to the drive sprocket nut during its removal so as to remove the drive sprocket from the drive shaft.
Although clutch tools have been made by the motorcycle user in the past for securing the clutch hub assembly to the clutch shell during the maintenance procedure, these tools required one to fabricate them from drive and driven clutch plates. The user was thus required to have at least two extra clutch plates from which a clutch tool could be fabricated by welding the plates together while maintaining them in the proper orientation. In Chilton's TRUIMPH Motorcycle Repair and Tune-up Guide, 1967 Ed., at page 58, such a clutch tool is shown in an illustration. This clutch tool, however, does not provide a unitary homogeneous rigid disc having radially extending tabs or recesses for engagement with a clutch shell and inwardly radially projecting tabs for engagement with a clutch hub assembly, nor does it disclose or suggest integral placement of a handle to this unitary disc or attachment of a female socket for engagement with a ratchet driving tool so as to position the disc within the clutch shell and clutch hub assembly and to apply torque thereto during extraction of the clutch hub nut from the clutch assembly or the sprocket nut from the drive sprocket.
Also, in Chilton's HARLEY-DAVIDSON Motorcycle Repair and Tune-Up Guide, 1971 Ed., at page 44, a clutch tool No. 97175-55 is disclosed for use in disassembly of the motorcycle clutch assemblies. This tool also utilizes a drive and driven clutch plate welded together as mentioned above and does not include a handle attached to a unitary disc.
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a bolometric focal plane array and more particularly to a bolometric focal plane array having an integrated signal processor for processing signals from an array of bolometer detectors.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Thermal radiation detectors that operate at room temperature have been known for more than 100 years. Recently, the availability of integrated circuit and micromachining technology has revived interest in this field. It is now practical to manufacture an array containing many thousands of these detectors along with signal processing electronics.
A bolometer is a thermal radiation detector that operates by first absorbing incident electromagnetic radiation and converting the absorbed energy into heat. The resulting temperature change of the detector is then sensed by measuring its resistance, which is a function of temperature. In a large array of such detectors, it is practical to measure the resistance of only a few detectors at any given time without compromising the signal to noise ratio of the system. The signal to noise ratio is a very important parameter for practical systems.
As a result, there remains the problem of how to implement circuitry to measure the resistance of many thousands, for example more than 80,000 detectors, within the size, power, and component restrictions placed upon an integrated circuit. The integrated circuitry must measure the resistance of each element of the array and format the results into a single data stream. The signal from each bolometer far exceeds the integrating capacity of a single practically sized integrated capacitor. It is therefor a motive of the invention to provide a bolometric focal plane array with an integrated signal processor that fits within a reasonable area, uses only the components available within the integrated circuit process, and dissipates a limited amount of power.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma display panel, and more particularly to a plasma display panel that is adaptive for improving color temperature.
2. Description of the Related Art
A plasma display panel (hereinafter, PDP) is a display device using that visible ray is generated from phosphorus when vacuum ultraviolet ray generated by gas discharge excites the phosphorus.
The PDP has an advantage that it is thinner and lighter than a cathode ray tube CRT, and it can be made into a high definition large-scaled screen. The PDP includes a plurality of discharge cells arranged in a matrix, and each discharge cell becomes a pixel of a screen.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a discharge cell of a three AC surface discharge PDP in the related art includes a scan-sustain electrode 4Y and a common sustain electrode 4Z formed on an upper substrate 16, an address electrode 2X formed on a lower substrate 14. Herein, each of the sustain electrode pair 4Y and 4Z consist of a transparent electrode 4a and a bus electrode 4b.
There are deposited an upper dielectric layer 12 and a passivation film 10 on the upper substrate 16 where the scan-sustain electrode 4Y and the common sustain electrode 4Z. The upper dielectric layer 12 is formed in a multi-layer structure, e.g., there are formed a first and a second upper dielectric layer 12A and 12B. Wall charges generated upon a plasma discharge are accumulated on the upper dielectric layer 12.
The passivation film 10 prevents the damage of the upper dielectric layer 12 caused by a sputtering that is generated upon plasma discharge and at the same time the discharge efficiency of secondary electron. The passivation film 10 is generally magnesium oxide MgO.
There are formed a lower dielectric layer 18 and barrier ribs 8 on the lower substrate 14 provided with the address electrode 2X, and the surface of the lower dielectric layer 18 and the barrier ribs 8 is coated with a phosphorus layer 6. The address electrode 2X is formed crossing the scan-sustain electrode 4Y and common sustain electrode 4Z.
The barrier ribs 8 are formed parallel to the address electrode 2X to prevent the ultraviolet ray and visible ray generated by the discharge from being leaked to adjacent discharge cells.
The phosphorus layer 6 is formed on the barrier ribs 8 and the lower dielectric layer 18, and gets excited by the ultraviolet ray generated upon the plasma discharge to generate any one of red, green and blue visible rays R, G and B.
There is injected an inert gas for gas discharge into a discharge space provided between the upper substrate 16, the lower substrate 14 and the barrier ribs 8.
In the PDP, there is formed a light-shielding layer 20 between the first upper dielectric layer 12A and the second dielectric layer 12B along the barrier ribs 8 in a direction of crossing the sustain electrode pair 4Y and 4Z in order to minimize the interference between adjacent discharge cells and to improve the contrast of a screen at the same time. Or, there is formed a light-shielding layer 22, as shown in FIG. 3, between the scan-sustain electrode 4Y and the common sustain electrode 4Z, which are formed in each of the discharge cells adjacent to each other, in a direction of crossing the barrier ribs 8.
The discharge cell with such a structure is selected by the opposite discharge between the address electrode 2X and the scan-sustain electrode 4Y, then sustains the discharge by a surface discharge between the sustain electrode pair 4Y and 4Z. In the discharge cell, the ultraviolet ray generated upon the sustain discharge causes the phosphorus 6 to emit the visible light to the outside of the cell, thereby displaying a picture.
The related art PDP have discharge cells realizing red, green and blue of a specific width with the barrier ribs 8 therebetween. The luminescent brightness of the discharge cells, which realize red R, green G and blue B, is different due to the luminescent characteristic of the phosphorus layer 6 of red R, green G and blue B, which are different from each other. Specifically, the luminescent brightness of the discharge cell, which realizes green G, is higher than those of the discharge cells, which realize red R and blue B, and the luminescent brightness of the discharge cell, which realizes red R, is higher than that of the discharge cell, which realizes and blue B. In this case, there is a problem that the color temperature of the PDP on the whole is lowered due to the low luminescent brightness of the discharge cell, which realizes blue B.
In order to solve the problem like this, the PDP with asymmetric barrier rib structure is proposed as shown in FIG. 4.
Referring to FIG. 4, the PDP with asymmetric barrier rib 26 structure has a discharge cell 28R realizing red R, a discharge cell 28G realizing green G and a discharge cell 28B realizing blue B formed to have different width from one another, thereby controlling the color temperature. In other words, the area of the discharge cell 28B realizing blue B, the luminescent brightness of which is the lowest, is formed to be the biggest, and the area of the discharge cell 28R of red R, the influence of which is the lowest on the whole brightness and color temperature, is formed to be the smallest. For example, the ratio of the area of red, green and blue discharge cells 28G, 28G and 28B is 0.8:1:2.2.
However, when coating the red, green and blue discharge cells 28R, 28G and 28B of different width, the mask and process condition for phosphorus coating get different by red, green and blue discharge cells 28R, 28G and 28B to make the operation difficult.
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A memory device including a memory core which is slow relative to output drivers and input receivers may use parallel to serial conversion for read operations and serial to parallel conversion for write operations. For example, assuming single data rate processing with eight bit shift registers, an output read shift register can be loaded in parallel once every eight bit times, with the resulting data shifted out onto the data bus one bit at a time. Similarly, an input write shift register can accumulate eight bits of incoming data, which are then presented to the memory core simultaneously. The conversions are used to match the relatively slow speed of the memory core with the higher speeds of the output drivers and input receivers. If the device uses double data rate processing, which transmits data on both edges of the clock, additional circuitry may be included to relax the timing requirements by separating even and odd data bits during read and write operations.
Typically, the memory device will have a certain number of address and control pins, used to transfer control and address information, and a certain number of data pins, used to transfer data between the memory and an external bus. Each data pin communicates via input/output (I/O) circuitry with the portion of the memory associated with the data pin. For a single data rate system, the I/O circuitry includes an input write shift register, an output read shift register, an input receiver, an output driver, and the read/write data lines between the shift registers and the memory. Each pair of read/write data lines is associated with a sub-portion of the memory. In the example discussed above, there would be eight pairs of read/write data lines between the portion of the memory associated with the data pin and the shift registers for each data pin. If there are eight data pins, the device will include 64 pairs of read/write data lines.
There exist various prior art schemes for compensating for damaged memory cells by providing redundant columns within the memory core. Cells within these redundant columns are used in place of damaged memory cells in regular (non-redundant) columns. In a memory device using serial-to-parallel conversion for write operations, and parallel-to-serial conversion for read operations, there are a large number of read/write data lines connected to the memory core. The redundancy scheme must be able to ensure that the correct data will be shifted out onto the bus at the appropriate time.
One common redundancy scheme is to add one or more spare columns in each sub-portion corresponding to a pair of read/write data lines. When there is a damaged cell within one of the regular columns in that sub-portion, the read from the damaged cell is suppressed, and the data is written to or read from the spare column instead. A disadvantage of this approach is that the redundancy address match and suppressing the access to the damaged cell location may limit column access time. Additionally, the number of spare columns required is relatively large, because each spare column can be used only within the sub-portion corresponding to a particular pair of read/write data lines. Therefore, the memory device will require at least one spare column for each pair of read/write data lines, and that will be insufficient if there is more than one failure in a sub-portion.
Another common redundancy scheme is to provide one or more spare columns in the array associated with each data pin. A multiplexor is included for each read/write data line, to substitute a cell of the spare column for a damaged cell in one of the regular columns in the sub-portion associated with that read/write data line. Use of the redundant columns is more flexible in this scheme, since a redundant column may be used for any read/write data line associated with a particular data pin. However, the wiring and multiplexing required is fairly substantial. Furthermore, the relatively high capacitance of the spare lines, due to their length, makes them slow to operate, potentially limiting column access time.
Thus, there a need in the art for a column redundancy scheme which is flexible, relatively fast, and does not require significant wiring and multiplexing.
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I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a flexible storage rack and, more specifically, to a flexible storage rack that is sturdily built by multiple methods, and including a pair of base bars with multiple frames to form an adjustable space to store different objects.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, it is known to store an electronics apparatus on a rack to be seen and accessed from different directions. However most of the racks are a fixed structure: a frame with several mount boards fixed in place and cannot be changed once it is built. It is very difficult to rearrange the space of this structure to fit different objects with different sizes.
It is therefore a primary object of the invention to provide a flexible storage rack comprising a base, multiple frame, a pair of stand braces, several adjustable extension bars and supporting boards for sturdiness. The large area base bars also make the rack more stable.
It is an objective of this invention to provide a flexible storage rack formed by different assembly methods for different applications, and capable of forming multiple variations to offer more flexibility.
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The present invention relates to a product dispenser and, more particularly, to a product dispenser for dispensing extrudable product, especially product having components which must be kept separate until used.
Product dispensers are known for dispensing extrudable product such as toothpaste or other dental preparations wherein a combination of two substances or ingredients are provided. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,663 is drawn to an article for storage and delivery of baking soda and peroxide preparations and, as pointed out in this patent, the hydrogen peroxide and sodium bicarbonate may not normally be premixed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,949 discloses a dispenser including a base and a housing/cartridge structure which slidably moves over the base portion. The product is contained in two cylinders in the upper housing structure. The base portion includes structures for driving product out of the cylinders, and the base must initially be in a fully extended position with respect to the housing so that product can be provided within the cylinders. However, this initial configuration results in the dispenser occupying a large amount of space which is undesirable during shipping, stocking, and even subsequent use.
The need remains for a product dispenser wherein the fully assembled dispenser containing product therein occupies less space.
It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide a dispenser wherein the base/ram structure can be fully advanced relative to the housing while cylinders contained within the housing are filled with product.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dispenser as above wherein the dispenser can be positioned to a shipping position which occupies substantially only the space occupied by the upper housing including cylinders containing product.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a dispenser as set forth above which can be readily configured by an end user to a position for simple, easy and stable use.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a dispenser as set forth above wherein an end user can easily re-position the dispenser to an original compact configuration for travel and the like.
Other objects and advantages will appear hereinbelow.
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This invention relates to an adjustable hand held carrier for large boards. More particularly this invention relates to an adjustable carrier having oppositely facing lips or trays at either end.
In the building profession it is necessary to transport relatively large sheets of material from the delivery site to the place such sheets are to be used. Sheets such as plywood are used for flooring, roofing, siding and to make concrete forms. Plasterboard sheets are used for interior walls or sheets of paneling. These sheets may be four feet by eight feet or perhaps even larger. Because of their dimensions they are often difficult to handle. When using two hands to carry a sheet one's vision is often blocked or impaired thus causing the person carrying a sheet to run into or stumble over unseen objects. On the other hand, when two persons carry a sheet the cost of labor is increased thereby raising construction costs. It is to be emphasized that it is not the weight of the sheets but their size that cause them to be difficult to handle.
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to prefabricated display stands for exhibiting merchandise and, more particularly, to a display stand with folding modules that can be erected to derive a desired display configuration.
2. Background Art
Prefabricated display stands are commonly used for displaying merchandise in retail establishments, particularly supermarkets. It is known to make stands from cardboard of similar material that is compatible with low cost and lightweight construction.
An exemplary structure is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,372,813, to Ishida. In Ishida, separate corner columns and shelves are provided and are suitably joined together as by staples, to derive a desired display stand configuration, dictated by the quantity and size of articles to be exhibited. Construction of the display stand is complicated by the several parts and fasteners required to assembly the parts. Further, the resulting display stand is semipermanent in nature and knock-down for reuse of the parts not contemplated. Rather, disposal is taught by Ishida after use, specifically by burning.
It is known to construct stands in modular fashion. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,684,766, to Blom, stackable trays are disclosed which are nested within one another for increased storage. While the Blom structure is not intended as a display device, the problems contended with in the stacking are also present in the display stand art. Most prevalent of these problems is that of structural instability. As the height of the overall stand increases, the tendency of the stand to collapse increases due to the absence of any framework or reinforcing structure. This is particularly a problem where goods are displayed on elevated shelves. Often, as goods are drawn from those shelves, there is a tendency to pull the upper modules off the underlying module(s).
The present invention is specifically directed to overcoming the above enumerated problems in a novel and simple matter.
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Neonates are incapable of maintaining their own body temperature during the first few weeks of life. Skin perfusion rates are very high and the infant loses heat rapidly. Thermal management is critical, requiring an accurate, fast, noninvasive method of core temperature measurement.
Rectal temperature has long been considered to be the standard indicator of neonate core temperature. However, since temperature measurements from different locations on a neonate's skin are sufficiently uniform as to be relatively interchangeable with one another, the clinician may select the most noninvasive and convenient site at which to measure temperature. Due to its inherent safety and long established efficacy, axilla (underarm) is the most recommended site for neonates. Unfortunately, conventional thermometers such as glass/mercury, electronic and paper strip thermometers require up to several minutes to obtain an accurate axillary reading.
In recent years, infrared thermometers have come into wide use for detection of temperature of adults. For core temperature readings, infrared thermometers which are adapted to be inserted into the patient's ear have been extremely successful.
Infrared ear thermometry has not found such high acceptance for use with neonates. Neonates have a very high moisture level in their ear canals, due to the presence of vemix and residual amniotic fluid, resulting in low tympanic temperatures because of the associative evaporative cooling. In addition, environmental uncertainties, such as radiant heaters and warming pads can significantly influence the air temperature. Further, clinicians are less inclined to position the tip of an infrared thermometer in the ear of a small neonate.
An infrared thermometer designed for axillary temperature measurements is presented in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/469,484. In that device, an infrared detector probe extends from a temperature display housing and may easily slide into the axilla to lightly touch the apex of the axilla and provide an accurate infrared temperature reading in as little as one-half second.
The axillary infrared thermometer has found great utility not only with neonates but as a screening tool in general and especially for small children where conventional temperature measurements such as a thermometer under the tongue or a rectal thermometer are difficult. The axillary measurement is particularly accurate with children where there is a lack of axillary hair and perspiration.
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Virtualization technology that allows one or more virtual computers (also called virtual machines) to be run on a physical computer is presently being used in the field of information processing. Each virtual machine is run by an operating system (OS). For example, software (also called a hypervisor) that allocates computer resources such as a central processing unit (CPU) and a random access memory (RAM) to the virtual machines is executed on a computer that runs one or more virtual machines. The operating system of each virtual machine control application program scheduling and the like within the scope of the allocated resources.
Recently, services are being used that rent out rights to use computer resources to users and bill the users according to usage conditions such as the amount and time of resource usage. The format for using such services is called “infrastructure as a service” (IaaS). Virtualization technology may be used on a computer to run one or more virtual machines per user to simplify billing management and separation of processing between users.
A method has been proposed to increase computing devices allocated to users and to update billing information when comparing a user service level contract and computer CPU utilization rate in a data center when the service level is not reached. There has also been proposed a method of presetting an upper threshold and a lower threshold for loads in a system that divides physical resources into logical partitions (LPAR) and allocates the LPARs to users. There has further been proposed a method of increasing resource allocations when the load exceeds the upper threshold and returning the amount of the increased resources to an initial value when the load falls below the lower threshold.
(See Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-24192, and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-202959 (paragraph 0075).)
However, one problem is how to find the best way to control the amount of resources allocated when loads on virtual machines increase. For example, a user may desire the resources to be appropriately allocated in conjunction with the increase in load. On the other hand, another user may desire that fees do not become too high in a service usage format in which billing is conducted according to the amount of resources allocated.
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Emerging package assemblies may include embedded dies, for example, processors and memory chips. In order to access these embedded dies, the packaging assemblies must contain conductive pathways to electrically couple a package-level interconnect (e.g., solder balls) to a die contact Current technologies used to fabricate interfaces between dies and the surrounding packaging may require numerous processing steps each contributing to the cost and manufacturing complexity of the assembly. Reducing the number of required steps may simplify processing and reduce the manufacturing cost of the finished package assembly.
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The present invention relates to a process for increasing the filling power of tobacco. More particularly, the present invention relates to a process for increasing the filling power of tobacco at a substantially constant moisture content, that is, without substantially increasing or decreasing the moisture content of the tobacco during treatment.
During curing, the moisture content of tobacco leaves is greatly reduced resulting in shrinkage of the leaf structure and a decrease in filling power. Additionally, the shredding or cutting techniques generally employed to convert the cured tobacco leaves into filler may result in some lamination and compression of tobacco, thereby decreasing the filling power even further. Many processes have been devised for increasing the filling power of cured tobacco for reasons well known in the art.
The heretofore known processes may be broadly characterized as involving penetration or impregnation of the tobacco with impregnants (blowing or puffing agents) which when removed during a subsequent expansion process step generate elevated pressure in and expand the tobacco.
Among the impregnants which have been employed are pressurized steam, air, water, volatile organic liquids, ammonia, carbon dioxide, combinations of ammonia and carbon dioxide and compounds capable of liberating a gas when subjected to chemical decomposition, as by heating. Among the means disclosed for removing the impregnant to expand the cell walls are a sudden reduction in pressure, freeze-drying, convection heating, radiant transfer (infrared), and the application of a microwave field.
While a number of the known processes may be employed to provide a satisfactory, expanded tobacco product, which may then be blended with an unexpanded tobacco and formed into cigarettes or the like, the known processes do possess certain disadvantages. The use of certain impregnants, such as volatile organic liquids (e.g., freon), which are foreign to tobacco, may not be completely satisfactory because some of the materials employed are not always desired as additives and the introduction, in considerable concentration, of such foreign materials presents the problem of removing the excess expansion agent after the treatment has been completed in order to avoid affecting aroma and other properties of the smoke. Moreover, aside from the aforementioned disadvantages, the use of such foreign materials adds to the overall cost of producing tobacco end products.
The use of water as the impregnant is known. The earlier of the reported processes employing water as the sole impregnant tend to produce a more satisfactory result with tobacco stem than with tobacco lamina filler. One belief was that the lamina cellular structure was difficult to impregnate and that, therefore, most of the water remained on the surface. This belief may have motivated some of those skilled in the art to try vacuum impregnation and longer bulking times. More recent processes employing water as the sole impregnant have been successful in substantially increasing the filling power of tobacco lamina filler. Typically, in these processes, filler having a specific initial moisture content is subjected to rapid and uniform heat transfer which produces an expanded and stiffened filler having a relatively low moisture content. These processes, which may be viewed as involving dehydration of the filler, represent a significant advance in the art, but do require the establishment of critical initial moisture contents, the establishment and maintenance of the critical heat transfer parameters required to produce an expanded and stiffened filler having the essential, drastically reduced, post-treatment moisture content, and are generally accompanied by a significant loss of alkaloids, which may, in certain instances, be highly desirable. Discoloration and charring can occur when the various process parameters are not properly maintained.
Surprisingly, it has now been discovered that moisture elimination is not required during heat treatment in order to increase the filling power of tobacco and that heat treating the tobacco at a substantially constant moisture content can actually enhance filling power gain without loss of alkaloids. Additionally, since evaporation of water is not involved, the filling power gain can be realized at a lower energy expenditure.
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The subject matter disclosed herein relates to controlling vehicles and in particular to compensating for a heading error of the vehicle when calculating lateral and longitudinal ground speeds.
Aircraft are typically controlled by controls that adjust a pitch, yaw and roll of the aircraft. A difference between the target heading, or the heading indicated by a pilot's control, and the actual yaw results in a heading error of the aircraft. Likewise, a difference between a lateral ground speed target and an actual ground speed results in a lateral ground speed error, and a difference between a longitudinal ground speed target and an actual ground speed results in a longitudinal ground speed error. Conventional systems correct the lateral ground speed error by adjusting the roll of the aircraft and correct the longitudinal ground speed error by adjusting the pitch of the aircraft. However, these systems may not take into account a relationship between the heading error and the actual lateral and longitudinal ground speeds. Over-compensation or under-compensation of lateral and longitudinal ground speeds may result.
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The use of steam or explosive decompression to disintegrate or fiberize wood fibers is well known in the art. However, due to the oxidation of wood and acid hydrolysis, steam explosion processes often result in a loss of brightness, strength and yield. Therefore, there is a need for improving the steam explosion process by minimizing one or more of these detrimental effects.
It has now been discovered that a steam explosion process can be improved by combining certain chemicals with the steam such that the high temperatures associated with the steam explosion process accelerate certain desired chemical reactions. In addition, the process of this invention is applied to individual fibers, rather than paper or wood particles, which substantially improves the effectiveness of the treatment. These individual fibers can be virgin pulp fibers or deinked fibers. The resulting modified fibers are able to form handsheets with higher bulk, less brightness reduction, less or no tensile reduction and a higher porosity.
More specifically, for example, the loss of brightness associated with conventional steam explosion processes can be improved by the addition, prior to steam explosion process, of: peroxide and caustic soda (NaOH); boric acid; free sugars and alditols such as glucitol, maltose, and maltitol; antioxidants such as ascorbic acid and 1-thioglycerol; and/or nitrogen-free complexing agents such as tartaric acid and gluconolactone.
Strength degradation can be reduced by adding monochloroacetic acid and caustic soda (NaOH) to the individual fibers prior to subjecting them to steam explosion. In addition, other chemicals can be used which contain a fiber reactive group and also contain one or more anionic groups to increase the negative charge density on the fiber surface. The fiber reactive groups which are responsible to form a covalent bond to hydroxyl groups on cellulose fiber, include groups such as monohaloalkyl, monohalotriazine, dihalotriazine, trihalopyrimidine, dihalopyridazinone, dihaloquinoxaline, dihalophtalazine, halobenzothiazole, acrylamide, vinylsulfone, beta-sulfatoethylsylfonamide, beta-chloroethylsulfone, and methylol. Suitable anionic groups include, without limitation, sulfonyl, carboxyl or salts thereof. In addition, the polymeric reactive compound (PRC), comprising a monomer with carboxylic acid groups on adjacent carbon atoms that can form cyclic anhydrides in the form of a five-membered ring could be added for strength improvement. A useful commercial compound is BELCLINE(copyright) DP 80 (FMC Corporation), which is a terpolymer of maleic acid, vinyl acetate and ethyl acetate.
In order to neutralize any acid generated in the steam explosion process of this invention, in addition to NaOH, other alkaline agents can also be applied to the fibers, such as NaHCO3, Na2CO3, Na3PO4 and the like.
Hence, in one aspect the invention resides in a process for the treatment of cellulosic fibers comprising: (a) treating an aqueous slurry of individual cellulosic fibers containing brightness and/or strength enhancing chemicals with steam at super atmospheric temperature and pressure; and (b) explosively releasing the super atmospheric steam pressure to produce permanently curled fibers.
In another aspect, the invention resides in a paper sheet or an absorbent article comprising the curled fibers treated by the processes disclosed herein.
A wide variety of cellulosic fibers can be employed in the process of the present invention. Illustrative sources of individual cellulosic fibers include, but are not limited to: wood fibers, such as wood pulp fibers; non-woody paper-making fibers from cotton fibers; fibers from straws and grasses, such as rice and esparto; fibers from canes and reeds, such as bagasse; fibers from bamboos; fibers from stalks with bast fibers, such as jute, flax, kenaf, cannabis, linen and ramie; and fibers from leaf fibers, such as abaca and sisal. It is also possible to use mixtures of one or more kinds of cellulosic fibers. Suitably, the individual cellulosic fibers used are from softwood sources such as pines, spruces, and firs, and hardwood sources such as oaks, eucalyptuses, poplars, beeches, and aspens.
As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cfiberxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cfibrousxe2x80x9d is meant to refer to a particulate material wherein the length to diameter ratio of such particulate material is 10 or greater.
It is generally desired that the cellulosic fibers used herein be wettable. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cwettablexe2x80x9d is meant to refer to a fiber or material which exhibits a water-in-air contact angle of less than 90xc2x0. Suitably, the cellulosic fibers useful in the present invention exhibit a water-in-air contact angle from about 10xc2x0 to about 50xc2x0 and more suitably from about 20xc2x0 to about 30xc2x0. Suitably, a wettable fiber refers to a fiber which exhibits a water-in-air contact angle of less than 90xc2x0, at a temperature between about 0xc2x0 C. and about 100xc2x0 C., and suitably at ambient conditions, such as about 23xc2x0 C.
Suitable cellulosic fibers are those which are naturally wettable. However, naturally nonwettable fibers can also be used. It is possible to treat the fiber surfaces by an appropriate method to render them more or less wettable. When surface treated fibers are employed, the surface treatment is desirably nonfugitive; that is, the surface treatment desirably does not wash off the surface of the fiber with the first liquid insult or contact. For the purposes of this application, a surface treatment on a generally nonwettable fiber will be considered to be nonfugitive when a majority of the fibers demonstrate a water in air contact angle of less than 90xc2x0 for three consecutive contact angle measurements, with drying between each measurement. That is, the same fiber is subjected to three separate contact angle determinations and, if all three of the contact angle determinations indicate a contact angle of water in air of less than 90xc2x0, the surface treatment on the fiber will be considered to be nonfugitive. If the surface treatment is fugitive, the surface treatment will tend to wash off of the fiber during the first contact angle measurement, thus exposing the nonwettable surface of the underlying fiber, and will demonstrate subsequent contact angle measurements greater than 90xc2x0. Suitable wettability agents include polyalkylene glycols, such as polyethylene glycols. The wettability agent is used in an amount less than about 5 weight percent, suitably less than about 3 weight percent, and more suitably less than about 2 weight percent, of the total weight of the fiber, material, or absorbent structure being treated.
It is desired that the cellulosic fibers be used in a form wherein the cellulosic fibers have already been refined into a pulp. As such, the cellulosic fibers will be substantially in the form of individual cellulosic fibers although such individual cellulosic fibers may be in an aggregate form such as a pulp sheet. The current process, then, is in contrast to known steam explosion processes that generally treat cellulosic fibers that are typically in the form of virgin wood chips or the like. Thus, the current process is a post-pulping, or post deinking, cellulosic fiber modifying process as compared to known steam explosion processes that are generally used for high-yield pulp manufacturing or waste-recycle processes.
The cellulosic fibers used in the steam explosion process of this invention are desirably low yield cellulosic fibers. As used herein, xe2x80x9clow yieldxe2x80x9d cellulosic fibers are those cellulosic fibers produced by pulping processes providing a yield of 85 percent or less, suitably about 80 percent or less, and more suitably about 55 percent or less. In contrast, xe2x80x9chigh yieldxe2x80x9d cellulosic fibers are those cellulosic fibers produced by pulping processes providing a yield greater than 85 percent. Such pulping processes generally leave the resulting cellulosic fibers with high levels of lignin.
In general, the cellulosic fibers may be treated with chemicals in either a dry or a wet state. However, it may be desirable to first prepare an aqueous mixture or slurry of the cellulosic fibers wherein the aqueous mixture is agitated, stirred, or blended to effectively disperse the cellulosic fibers throughout the water. Accordingly, it is desired that the aqueous mixture have a consistency of from about 10 to 100 weight percent, suitably from about 25 to about 80 weight percent and more suitably from about 55 to about 75 weight percent cellulosic fibers, based on the total weight percent of the aqueous pulp mixture. (As used herein, xe2x80x9cconsistencyxe2x80x9d refers to the concentration of the cellulosic fibers present in an aqueous mixture. As such, the consistency is a weight percent representing the weight amount of the cellulosic fibers present in an aqueous mixture divided by the total weight amount of cellulosic fibers and water present in such mixture, multiplied by 100.)
A dewatering means can be used to thicken the aqueous mixture to the desirable consistency. Dewatering means that are suitable for use in the present invention include, but are not limited to, typical equipment used to thicken pulp slurry or sludge slurry such as twin wire press, screw press, belt washer or double nip thickener. Such thickening equipment is well known and is described in various pulp and paper journals and textbooks. To dewater the pulp slurry beyond 60 weight percent consistency, thermal drying processes can be used. An example of a direct thennal drying system is a convection dryer, where hot air or flue gases flow over the pulp slurry and purge the water from the pulp slurry. Among the convection drying processes in the paper industry are drum dryers, belt dryers or rack dryers.
Chemical addition, such as the addition of brightening agents and/or strength agents, is suitably introduced to the concentrated fiber pulp slurry. A mixing means can be used to mix the brightening agent or strength agent as needed prior to feeding the fiber slurry to the steam explosion reactor. Mixing means that are suitable for this purpose include typical equipment used to mix bleaching chemicals with pulp slurries, such as medium consistency or high consistency mixers available from Ingersoll-Rand, Impco, Andriz and Sunds Defibrator. Such mixing equipment is well known and is described in various pulp and paper journals and textbooks.
The aqueous mixture of fibers and chemicals is then fed to a suitable steam explosion reactor. Such reactors are well known in the art. Suitable equipment and methods for steam explosion may be found, for example, in Canadian Patent No. 1,070,537, dated Jan. 29, 1980; Canadian Patent No. 1,070,646, dated Jan. 29, 1980; Canadian Patent No. 1,119,033, dated Mar. 2, 1982; Canadian Patent No. 1,138,708, dated Jan. 4, 1983; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,262,003, issued Nov. 16, 1993, all of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.
In carrying out the steam explosion process, it is desired that the cellulosic fibers and chemicals are cooked in a saturated steam environment that is substantially free of air. The presence of air in the pressurized cooking environment may result in the oxidation of the cellulosic fibers. As such, it is desired that the cellulosic fibers are cooked in a saturated steam environment that comprises less than about 5 weight percent, suitably less than about 3 weight percent, and more suitably less than about 1 weight percent of air, based on the total weight of the gaseous environment present in the pressurized cooking environment.
The individual cellulosic fibers are steam cooked at a high temperature and at a high pressure in the presence of the added chemicals. In general, any combination of high pressure, high temperature, and time which is effective in achieving a desired degree of modification, without undesirable damage to the cellulosic fibers, so that the cellulosic fibers exhibit the desired liquid absorbency properties as described herein, is suitable for use in the present invention.
Generally, if the temperature used is too low, there will not be a substantial and/or effective amount of modification of the cellulosic fibers that occurs. Also, generally, if the temperature used is too high, a substantial degradation of the cellulosic fibers may occur which will negatively affect the properties exhibited by the treated cellulosic fibers. As such, as a general rule, the cellulosic fibers will be treated at a temperature within the range from about 130xc2x0 C. to about 250xc2x0 C., suitably from about 150xc2x0 C. to about 225xc2x0 C., more suitably from about 160xc2x0 C. to about 225xc2x0 C., and most suitably from about 160xc2x0 C. to about 200xc2x0 C.
Generally, the cellulosic fibers and chemicals will be subjected to an elevated superatmospheric pressure over a time period within the range of from about 0.1 minute to about 30 minutes, beneficially from about 0.5 minute to about 20 minutes, and suitably from about 1 minute to about 10 minutes. In general, the higher the temperature employed, the shorter the period of time generally necessary to achieve a desired degree of modification of the cellulosic fibers. As such, it maybe possible to achieve essentially equivalent amounts of modification for different cellulosic fiber samples by using different combinations of high temperatures and times.
Generally, if the pressure used is too low, there will not be a substantial and/or effective amount of modification of the cellulosic fibers that occurs. Also, generally, if the pressure used is too high, a substantial degradation of the cellulosic fibers may occur which will negatively affect the properties exhibited by the crosslinked cellulosic fibers. As such, as a general rule, the cellulosic fibers will be treated at a pressure that is superatmospheric (i.e. above normal atmospheric pressure), within the range from about 40 to about 405 pounds per square inch, suitably from about 40 to about 230 pounds per square inch, and more suitably from about 90 to about 230 pounds per square inch.
After steam cooking the cellulosic fibers, the pressure is released and the cellulosic fibers are exploded into a release vessel. The steam explosion process generally causes the cellulosic fibers to become modified. Without intending to be bound hereby, it is believed that the steam explosion process causes the cellulosic fibers to undergo a curling phenomenon. The steam exploded cellulosic fibers, in addition to being modified, have been discovered to exhibit improved properties that make such steam exploded cellulosic fibers suitable for use in liquid absorption or liquid handling applications.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the cellulosic fibers will be considered to be effectively treated by the steam explosion process when the cellulosic fibers exhibit a Wet Curl Index (hereinafter defined) of about 0.2 or greater, more specifically from about 0.2 to about 0.4, more specifically from about 0.2 to about 0.35, more specifically from about 0.22 to about 0.33, and more specifically from about 0.25 to about 0.33. In contrast, cellulosic fibers that have not been treated generally exhibit a Wet Curl Index that is less than about 0.2.
After the cellulosic fibers have been effectively steam exploded, the treated cellulosic fibers are suitable for use in a wide variety of applications. However, depending on the use intended for the treated cellulosic fibers, such treated cellulosic fibers may be washed with water. If any additional processing procedures are planned because of the specific use for which the treated cellulosic fibers are intended, other recovery and post-treatment steps are also well known.
The cellulosic fibers treated according to the process of the present invention are suited for use in disposable absorbent products such as diapers, adult incontinent products, and bed pads; in catamenial devices such as sanitary napkins, and tampons; other absorbent products such as wipes, bibs, wound dressings, and surgical capes or drapes; and tissue-based products such as facial or bathroom tissues, household towels, wipes and related products.
Wet Curl Index
The curl of a fiber may be quantified by a measuring the fractional shortening of a fiber due to kink, twists, and/or bends in the fiber. For the purposes of this invention, a fiber""s curl value is measured in terms of a two dimensional plane, determined by viewing the fiber in a two dimensional plane. To determine the curl value of a fiber, the projected length of a fiber, xe2x80x9cL1xe2x80x9d, which is the longest dimension of a two-dimensional rectangle encompassing the fiber, and the actual length of the fiber, xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d, are both measured. An image analysis method may be used to measure L and L1. A suitable image analysis method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,642, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The curl value of a fiber can then be calculated from the following equation:
curl value=(L/L1)xe2x88x92L1.
Depending on the nature of the curl of a cellulosic fiber, the curl may be stable when the cellulosic fiber is dry but may be unstable when the cellulosic fiber is wet. The cellulosic fibers prepared according to the process of the present invention have been found to exhibit a substantially stable fiber curl when wet. This property of the cellulosic fibers may be quantified by a Wet Curl Index value, as measured according to the test method described herein, which is a length-weighted mean average of the curl value for a designated number of fibers, such as about 4000 fibers, from a fiber sample. As such, the Wet Curl Index is the summation of the individual wet curl values for each fiber multiplied by the fiber""s actual length, L, and divided by the summation of the actual lengths of the fibers. It is hereby noted that the Wet Curl Index, as determined herein, is calculated by only using the necessary values for those fibers with a length of greater than about 0.4 millimeter.
The Wet Curl Index for fibers is determined by using an instrument which rapidly, accurately, and automatically determines the quality of fibers, the instrument being available from OpTest Equipment Inc., Hawkesbury, Ontario, Canada, under the designation Fiber Quality Analyzer, OpTest Product Code DA93. Specifically, a sample of dried cellulosic fibers to be measured is poured into a 600 milliliter plastic sample beaker to be used in the Fiber Quality Analyzer. The fiber sample in the beaker is diluted with tap water until the fiber concentration in the beaker is about 10 to about 25 fibers per second for evaluation by the Fiber Quality Analyzer.
An empty plastic sample beaker is filled with tap water and placed in the Fiber Quality Analyzer test chamber. The less than System Check greater than button of the Fiber Quality Analyzer is then pushed. If the plastic sample beaker filled with tap water is properly placed in the test chamber, the less than OK greater than button of the Fiber Quality Analyzer is then pushed. The Fiber Quality Analyzer then performs a self-test. If a warning is not displayed on the screen after the self-test, the machine is ready to test the fiber sample.
The plastic sample beaker filled with tap water is removed from the test chamber and replaced with the fiber sample beaker. The less than Measure greater than button of the Fiber Quality Analyzer is then pushed. The less than New Measurement greater than button of the Fiber Quality Analyzer is then pushed. An identification of the fiber sample is then typed into the Fiber Quality Analyzer. The less than OK greater than button of the Fiber Quality Analyzer is then pushed. The less than Options greater than button of the Fiber Quality Analyzer is then pushed. The fiber count is set at 4,000. The parameters of scaling of a graph to be printed out may be set automatically or to desired values. The less than Previous greater than button of the Fiber Quality Analyzer is then pushed. The less than Start greater than button of the Fiber Quality Analyzer is then pushed. If the fiber sample beaker was properly placed in the test chamber, the less than OK greater than button of the Fiber Quality Analyzer is then pushed. The Fiber Quality Analyzer then begins testing and displays the fibers passing through the flow cell. The Fiber Quality Analyzer also displays the fiber frequency passing through the flow cell, which should be about 10 to about 25 fibers per second. If the fiber frequency is outside of this range, the less than Stop greater than button of the Fiber Quality Analyzer should be pushed and the fiber sample should be diluted or have more fibers added to bring the fiber frequency within the desired range. If the fiber frequency is sufficient, the Fiber Quality Analyzer tests the fiber sample until it has reached a count of 4000 fibers, at which time the Fiber Quality Analyzer automatically stops. The less than Results greater than button of the Fiber Quality Analyzer is then pushed. The Fiber Quality Analyzer calculates the Wet Curt value of the fiber sample, which prints out by pushing the less than Done greater than button of the Fiber Quality Analyzer.
Preparation of Wet-Laid Handsheet
A) Handsheet Forming:
A 7xc2xd inch by 7xc2xd inch handsheet has a basis weight of about 60 grams per square meter and was prepared using a Valley Handsheet mold, 8xc3x978 inches. The sheet mold forming wire is a 90xc3x9790 mesh, stainless steel wire cloth, with a wire diameter of 0.0055 inches. The backing wire is a 14xe2x80x3xc3x9714xe2x80x3 mesh with a wire diameter of 0.021 inches, plain weave bronze. Taking a sufficient quantity of the thoroughly mixed stock to produce a handsheet of about 60 grams per square meter. Clamp the stock container of the sheet mold in position on the wire and allow several inches of water to rise above the wire. Add the measured stock and then fill the mold with water up to a mark of 6 inches above the wire. Insert the perforated mixing plate into the mixture in the mold and slowly move it down and up 7 times. Immediately open the water leg drain valve. When the water and stock mixture drains down to and disappears from the wire, close the drain valve. Raise the cover of the sheet mold. Carefully place a clean, dry blotter on the formed fibers. Place the dry couch roll at the front edge of the blotter. The fibers adhering to the blotter, are couched off the wire by one passage of the couching roll, without pressure, from front to back of wire.
B) Handsheet Pressing:
Place the blotter with the fiber mat adhering to it in the hydraulic press, handsheet up, on top of tow used, re-dried blotters. Two new blotters are placed on top of the handsheet. Close the press, clamp it and apply pressure to give a gauge reading that will produce 75 PSI on the area of the blotter affected by the press. Maintain this pressure for exactly one minute. Release the pressure on the press, open the press and remove the handsheet.
C) Handsheet Drying:
Place the handsheet on the polished surface of the sheet dryer (Valley Steam hot plate). Carefully lower the canvas cover over the sheet and fasten the 13 lb. dead weight to the lead filled brass tube. Allow the sheet to dry for 2 minutes. The surface temperature, with cover removed, should average 100.5 plus or minus 1 degree C. Remove the sheet from the dryer and trim to the 7xc2xd inchxc3x977xc2xd inch. Weigh the sheet immediately.
Testing of Handsheets
Handsheets shall all be tested at the standard 50% humidity and 73 degree F. temperature basis.
Bulk
The Bulk of the handsheets is determined according to TAPPI (Technical Association of Pulp and Paper Industry) test method (T220 om-88).
Brightness
The Brightness of the handsheets is determined in accordance with TAPPI test method T525 om-92.
Tensile Index
The Tensile Index of the handsheets is determined in accordance with TAPPI (Technical Association of Pulp and Paper Industry) test method (T220 om-88).
Dry Tensile Strength
The Dry Tensile Strength is determined by in accordance with TAPPI test method T220 om-88, but reported in the unit of grams/in.
Wet Tensile Strength
The Wet Tensile Strength is determined by the same procedures for dry tensile strength test as described above, but with the following modifications:
1. Pour distilled water to about xc2xd-xc2xe inch depth in the container. Maintain this depth when testing numerous specimens.
2. When testing handsheets, from an open loop by holding each end of the test strip and carefully lowering the specimen until the lowermost curve of the loop touches the surface of the water without allowing the inner side of the loop to come together.
3. Touch the lowermost point of the curve on the handsheet to the surface of the distilled water in such a way that the wetted area on the inside of the loop extends at least 1 inch and not more than 1.5 inches lengthwise on the strip and is uniformed across the width of the strip. Do not wet the strip twice. Do not allow the opposite sides of the loop to touch each other or the sides of the container.
4. Remove the excess water from the test specimen by touching the wetted area to a blotter. Blot the specimen only once. Blotting more than once will cause fiber damage and too much moisture to be removed.
5. To avoid excess wicking, immediately insert the test specimen into the tensile tester so the jaws are clamped to the dry areas of the strip with the wet area about midway between the jaws.
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The present invention relates to physical cables, and deals more particularly with using a reaction among chemiluminescent or flourescent compounds for illuminating a selected cable. The illuminated cable thus becomes easier to identify, particularly if located within a group or bundle of cables.
When an electronic device is installed for use as, for example, a component of a computing system or network, there may be a number of cables connected thereto. It is common to have a relatively large number of electronic devices installed together in close proximity, each having its own connected cables. The cables may become intertwined, and/or may be placed in locations that are difficult to see and/or access. As the number of devices increases, the ability to locate a particular cable attached to a particular device becomes increasingly difficult.
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There are a number of known methods of smelting iron ore to produce molten iron which are based on the use of a metallurgical vessel (hereinafter referred to as a "smelt reduction vessel") containing a molten bath of iron and slag.
In general terms, these known methods comprise injecting iron ore or partially reduced iron ore and a source of a carbonaceous material into a molten bath of iron and slag. In the molten bath the iron ore or partially reduced iron ore is reduced to metallic iron and melted. The carbonaceous material (in solid or gaseous form) is required as a source of reductant and thermal energy and to carburise the molten bath to produce pig iron (typically 1 to 4 wt. % carbon in metal).
In a number of known processes, reaction gases that are discharged from the smelt reduction vessel are used to preheat and to partially reduce iron ore in a pre-reduction vessel, such as a shaft furnace, prior to transferring the partially reduced iron ore into the smelt reduction vessel. These known processes are commonly described as being two-stage linked processes.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a three dimensional image display device, a method of manufacturing the three dimensional image display device, and an apparatus for manufacturing the three dimensional image display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
As display panels for three dimensional image display devices, flat panel display devices are generally used, such as liquid crystal display panels (LCDs) which control the intensity of light by utilizing the orientation of liquid crystals, plasma display panels (PDPs) which cause phosphors to emit light by use of ultraviolet rays of plasma discharges, field emission display panels (FEDs) which cause phosphors to emit light by use of electron beams of field emission electron emitters, and field emission display panels which cause phosphors to emit light by use of electron beams of surface-conduction electron emitters.
As for three dimensional image display systems for three dimensional image display devices, there are various systems such as a multi-view or integral imaging system. As three dimensional image display devices which display three dimensional images using such systems, three dimensional image display devices including lenticular lenses have been developed. If the lenticular lens is used, a three dimensional image can be viewed without use of glasses or the like for three dimensional image viewing.
Generally, when a lenticular lens is provided on a display panel, a lens plate having the lenticular lens is bonded to the display panel by using an adhesive applied in a rectangular frame shape on the display panel. Note that a technique of providing a lenticular lens on a liquid crystal display panel have been proposed for the purpose of improving the efficiency for light utilization (see JP-B No. 3708112, for example).
However, when the lenticular lens is provided on the display panel, it is difficult to achieve complete coherence between the display panel and the lenticular lens and, therefore a gap (spaced distance) may be formed therebetween. If the gap does not fall under an acceptable range (for example, a range of a desired value plus or minus several tens of μm), an error in viewing angle also falls outside an acceptable range. Accordingly, the display quality of a three dimensional image is degraded.
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Two basic direction finding ("DF") techniques have been widely used in the prior art to measure the angular coordinates of incoming electromagnetic radiation. Both techniques employ two or more antennas at the aircraft to receive an electromagnetic signal at the aircraft's location. The signals received by the different antenna elements are compared, whereupon the angular position of a source of the electromagnetic radiation is computed by a processor.
The first of these techniques, designated an amplitude comparison system, compares only the relative amplitude of the signals received by the different antenna elements. This approach is relatively inexpensive to incorporate but also relatively inaccurate. Generally, it can be characterized as including a pair of antennas on an aircraft which are employed to simultaneously but independently receive the incoming signal. The antennas, typically broadband spiral antennas, have apertures squinted off the boresight axis at angles +.theta.s and -.theta.s, respectively. An incoming RF signal approaching at an angle .theta. from the antenna axis is received differently by the antenna elements. The orientation of the antennas A1 and A2 results in the antenna patterns G.sub.1 (.theta.) and G.sub.2 (.theta.). These antenna patterns are typically broad with 3 dB beamwidths generally greater than 60.degree.. As such, a mathematical function can easily be derived which simulates these patterns. The measured amplitude (electromagnetic field strength) of the signals received by the antennas can be compared to one another to determine the angle of arrival .theta. of the source of the signal relative to the axis of the antenna at the aircraft.
While the amplitude comparison system is relatively simple and cost effective, its accuracy is typically on the order of one-tenth of the antenna beamwidth (i.e., about 10.degree.) which is rather poor. Accuracy is basically limited as a result of the inability to accurately measure small differences in amplitude between the received signal at the squinted antenna elements.
A more precise, albeit complex DF approach is known as phase interferometry or phase comparison. According to this technique the pair of antenna elements are separated by a distance "d" and independently receive the transmitted signal. With this approach, the planar apertures of the antennas lie in the same plane rather than being squinted away from one another. To determine azimuth positions, the antennas would be positioned on the y axis; to determine elevation angles, they would lie on the z axis. For the azimuth case, a plane wave propagating toward an aircraft, and arriving at an angle .theta. from boresight (the x axis) is received by each of the two antennas. A phase difference .DELTA..phi. between the signals received by the two antennas is expressed as .DELTA..phi.=2nd sin(.theta.)/.lambda., where .lambda. is the wavelength of the signal propagating from the unknown angular location.
The plane wave travels an extra distance 1=d sin(.theta.) to reach one antenna as compared to the other antenna, thus the phase of the signal received by the first antenna lags accordingly. The phase of the two received signals are compared by a phase comparator and then frequency detected, with the results supplied to a processor where the azimuth angle .theta. of the radiation source is readily computed.
The primary drawback of the phase interferometer approach is that more than one angular position of the target emitter can produce the same phase relationship between the signals received by the two antennas. Consequently, ambiguities in angular position will result with the two antenna approach. The ambiguity problem can be solved by employing one or more additional antennas or pairs of antennas with different baseline spacings between these additional antennas. Ambiguities are then resolved by comparing electrical phase between several pairs of antennas. Once the ambiguities are eliminated, angle of arrival accuracy of the phase interferometry system better than 0.5 degree accuracy has been reported.
However, finding adequate installation locations for the extra antennas renders this type of system impractical, and more so for military aircraft platforms attempting to achieve a small radar cross section.
An attempt to resolve interferometric ambiguities is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,047, entitled "Phase and Time-Difference Precision Direction Finding System", therein phase interferometry is used between planar elements (which are not squinted) to determine the ambiguous angle of arrival. The multiple ambiguities that ensue are resolved by using time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA) of the signal between the two antenna elements. However use of TDOA implies very accurate measurement of time difference in the 10's of picosecond time range, with considerable processing to determine the TDOA by correlation of the signals at the two elements. Accordingly, such an approach results in undesirable more complex and expensive or larger systems.
The accuracy of the angle-of-arrival (AOA) measurements can be degraded if the electromagnetic signal is received from a location that is not at the same elevation as the receiving antennas.
An attempt to reduce elevation induced error is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,411, entitled "Apparatus For Measuring A Spatial Angle To An Emitter Using Squinted Antennas". Therein squinted, doubly polarized (LHCP and RHCP) elements are used to obtain an unambiguous, approximate value of the elevation angle through an induced phase-bias measured by polarization switching at the squinted antennas. However, the use of polarization snitching, phase-bias or other techniques such as is discussed provide only a course estimate of the elevation angle.
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This invention relates to a friction heat generator and more particularly to such a device constructed in a unique manner so as to achieve efficient heat generation in a trouble-free manner.
Various friction heat generator constructions have been proposed in the past; for instance, those shown by the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 361,164, KILBOURN, issued Apr. 12, 1887; 1,126,354, BECKER, Issued Jan. 26, 1915; 1,366,455, HENSON, issued Jan. 25, 1921; 1,682,102, ALLEN, issued July 19, 1926; 1,758,207, WALKER, issued May 26, 1928, 2,226,423, BLACK, issued Oct. 4, 1939; 3,683,448, SMITH issued July 12, 1951; 3,198,191, WYSZOMIRSKI, issued Aug. 3, 1965. Such proposed constructions are either overly complex or require periodic parts replacement or the use of components which are difficult to machine or otherwise form and accordingly expensive. The need, accordingly, still exists for an improved friction heat generator which operates at a high efficiency, is easy to assemble and operate and which can be formed from universally available components and thus can be produced at a reasonable cost.
It is accordingly a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved construction friction heat generator which accomplishes the above indicated desirable features yet which avoids prior art drawbacks. These and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by the provision of a friction heat generator comprising an inner cylinder and a coaxial outer cylinder in surrounding spaced relation to the inner cylinder so as to provide a chamber therebetween and wherein said chamber is adapted for receipt of a heat exchange fluid, said inner cylinder having a plurality of first pins affixed thereto and radially outwardly extending into said chamber to a point spaced from the inner surface of said outer cylinder, said outer cylinder having a plurality of second pins affixed thereto and radially inwardly extending into said chamber to a point spaced from the outside surface of said inner cylinder, said first and second pins arranged so as to be both circumferentially and longitudinally spaced from each other, and means for rotating said inner cylinder with respect to said outer cylinder whereby the movement of said first pins past said second pins and said outer cylinder churns and agitates said fluid so as to generate frictional heat in turn absorbed by said fluid and said outer cylinder.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.
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The present invention relates to a method of forming an insulating layer on a multi-layer printed circuit board and a printed circuit board having such an insulating layer.
In a method of manufacturing the multi-layer printed circuit board, a silk screen printing is performed on a circuit pattern with an insulating ink, and a conductive ink, for example, a carbon ink, a silver paste ink or the like is provided on the insulating ink by the silk screen printing method, thereby forming a jumper wire.
In this case, it is important to perform provides an insulation between the circuit pattern and the jumper wire which are formed on the insulating base material plate. In the case of a circuit pattern having density and complicated shape, however, it is difficult using screen printing to introduce the insulating ink between the circuit patterns and a problem formation of pin-hole arises, so that provision of an insulation between the conductive layers can not be completely performed. Therefore, a problem of the reliability in formation of film arises.
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Multi-propeller aerial vehicles (e.g., quad-copters, octo-copters) are becoming more common. All such vehicles require a body configuration that will support the separation of the multiple propellers, the control components, the power supply (e.g., battery), etc. However, there is a balance between weight and duration of flight. As the weight increases, for example to support more components, the flight duration will decrease.
While implementations are described herein by way of example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the implementations are not limited to the examples or drawings described. It should be understood that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit implementations to the particular form disclosed but, on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope as defined by the appended claims. The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims. As used throughout this application, the word “may” is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words “include,” “including,” and “includes” mean including, but not limited to. Additionally, as used herein, the term “coupled” may refer to two or more components connected together, whether that connection is permanent (e.g., welded) or temporary (e.g., bolted), direct or indirect (i.e., through an intermediary), mechanical, chemical, optical, or electrical. Furthermore, as used herein, “horizontal” flight refers to flight traveling in a direction substantially parallel to the ground (i.e., sea level), and that “vertical” flight refers to flight traveling substantially radially outward from the earth's center. It should be understood by those having ordinary skill that trajectories may include components of both “horizontal” and “vertical” flight vectors.
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This invention relates to a method of producing a glass optical element with a high precision and to a glass substance processed by the method into the glass optical element.
A wide variety of development and research have been made about the technique of press-forming or press-molding a glass substance within a mold to produce a glass optical element of high precision. For example, one attempt has been directed to a mold which has a molding surface of silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and the like.
Herein, silicon carbide and silicon nitride are excellent in hardness and strength against a high temperature. Such a molding surface of silicon carbide and/or silicon nitride may be deposited by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. In this event, the molding surface has an excellent compactness without occurrence of surface defects, such as pores, and can be polished into a mirror surface. However, the molding surface of such materials is liable to be oxidized to form a silicon oxide surface layer of several tens of angstroms thick. In this case, it has been pointed out that fusion sticking often takes place between the molding surface and the glass substance during a press-forming step when the glass substance is composed of borosilicate glass or silicate glass containing a large amount of modification components, such as alkali or alkaline earth positive ions. Moreover, stress is concentrated in a following cooling step here and there on the molding surface, which causes cracks to occur on the molding surface. This results in a phenomenon such that the molding surface of the mold is scooped or removed in spots. This phenomenon will hereinafter be simply called a "pullout" or a "pullout" phenomenon.
Taking the above into consideration, Japanese Patent Publication (B4) No. 61816/1992 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (A2) No. 199036/1990 disclose a method of forming a carbon thin film on the molding surface of silicon carbide or silicon nitride. The carbon thin film may be either a hard carbon film or an i-carbon film and serves to prevent the above-mentioned fusion sticking of the glass substance to the mold. By coating the molding surface of silicon carbide or silicon nitride with the carbon thin film, the fusion sticking and the pullout can effectively be avoided. Thus, the carbon thin film is helpful to release from the molding surface the glass substance pressed by the mold and may be called a releasing thin film.
However, it is impossible to form a perfect carbon thin film which is free from defects and which completely covers an entire area of the molding surface of the mold. In other words, film defects are micro-scopically observed in the carbon thin film. This fact is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (A2) No. 120245/1990 and well known in the art.
If the carbon thin film has such film defects, silicon carbide or silicon nitride of the molding surface is exposed through the film defects of the carbon thin film and locally oxidized to form the silicon oxide surface layer. Such local oxidization of the molding surface causes the pullout to occur due to both the fusion sticking of the glass substance to the mold and the stress concentration during repetition of the press-forming step and the cooling step.
In addition, the carbon thin film is not permanently invariable and may be peeled off from the mold by repetition of the press-forming step followed by the cooling step as a result of oxidization of silicon carbide or silicon nitride, which weakens the adhesion strength of the carbon thin film.
Taking the above into consideration, the carbon thin film is forcibly detached and removed from the molding surface after these steps are repeated over a predetermined period. Thereafter, a new carbon thin film is formed to reproduce or reuse the mold.
However, the film defects inevitably take place in the new carbon thin film. If the press-forming step is repeated by the use of the mold with the film defects left in the carbon thin film, the pullout is caused to occur as described in the foregoing. The spread of the pullout not only results in degradation of a glass optical element but also in an unrecoverable damage of the mold.
As described above, it is technically impossible in an industrial scale to form a non-defect carbon thin film and also to completely cover the entire area of the molding surface of the mold with such non-defect carbon thin film.
Under the circumstances, consideration might be directed to the glass substance to be processed by press-forming. However, no disclosure has been made yet about an effective glass substance.
Recently, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (A2) No. 345461/1994 proposes a glass substance which includes neither arsenic oxide nor antimony oxide and which can be readily press-formed. Specifically, this proposal is based on the following facts. Namely, a dense crown glass is exemplified as a glass substance which contains by weight 0.2% arsenic oxide and 0.2% antimony oxide as a refining agent and a decoloring agent. The glass substance is placed in a mold which has a molding surface coated with an amorphous diamond-like carbon thin film and is heated to a temperature between 750.degree. C. and 1250.degree. C. In this event, reaction occurs between the carbon thin film and oxygen gas released from arsenic oxide and antimony oxide. As a consequence, the carbon thin film is oxidized, consumed, and partly peeled off. In order to avoid such reaction, arsenic oxide and antimony oxide are excluded from the glass substance proposed in the above-mentioned publication.
However, exclusion of both arsenic oxide and antimony oxide from the glass substance brings not only about deterioration of a seed-free characteristic of a glass melt but also about decoloration of the resultant glass article. It is therefore required to solve these disadvantages.
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Peptides are generally administered parenterally, e.g., by subcutaneous injection, since they are often degraded in the gastrointestinal tract. Many peptide treatments (e.g., insulin, LHRH, and somatostatin) require either the continuous or repeated administration of the peptide in the patient over an extended period of time. However, such continual injections cause both inconvenience and discomfort to the patient. Sustained-release formulations have been developed to deliver peptides over prolonged periods of time without the need for repeated injections. Solid polymeric microcapsules and matrixes, for example, utilizing biodegradable polylactic polymers, have been developed. See e.g., Hutchinson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,628 and Kent, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,675,189. Hydrogels have also been used as sustained-release formulations for peptides. These hydrogels comprise polymers such as poly-N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPA), cellulose ether, hyaluronic acid, lecithin, and agarose to control the delivery. See, e.g., PCT Applications WO 94/08623.
Some peptides have been reported to form soluble aggregates or insoluble particulates once mixed into a solution. See, Eckhardt, et al., Pharm. Res., 8:1360 (1991). Others have studied the possibility of utilizing these peptide aggregates as sustained-release formulations. See European Patent Application 0510913 A2 (1992); and Wan, et al., Pharmaceutical Research, Vol. 11, 10 Suppl., abstracts P. S291 and P. S243 (1994). However, these aggregate sustained-release compositions require that the peptide be dissolved in saline or biologically compatible buffers, and then incubated until a liquid crystalline gel structure is formed.
Elsewhere it has been reported that certain soluble peptide salts can be formulated as sustained-release gel formulations without the addition of a biodegradable polymer or other carrier matrix to control the peptide's release profile. See Cherif-Cheikh, U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,760.
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It is sometimes desired for a memory device, such as a memory card, to perform a time-based activity, such as, but not limited to, determining whether a digital rights management (DRM) license has expired. Many memory devices do not have a battery and, thus, are unable to run an internal real-time clock to keep track of time. Some memory devices rely upon a software agent running in a host device to provide the memory device with a time stamp. In operation, the software agent running in the host device would obtain a time stamp from an external time source (such as a time server in a network) and send the signed time stamp to the memory device. Since the software agent obtains the time stamp from an external time source, the memory device will not be able to receive a time stamp from the external time source when the host device is not able to connect to the external time source (e.g., when the host device is not connected to the Internet or loses its wireless connection) or if the host is not running the agent (e.g., if the agent is not supported by the host platform, if the agent was terminated, etc.). In such a situation, the memory device can perform a time-based activity using a previously-received time stamp. However, performing the time-based activity with a stale time stamp may lead to an inefficient or unintended result (e.g., allowing access to content based on the stale time stamp even though the content license is actually expired).
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1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to a system and method for 3-dimensional (3D) image reconstruction in a spiral scan cone beam computed tomography (CT) imaging system and, more specifically, to a spiral scan cone beam CT system and method that computes a normalization correction for image reconstruction when a reduced pitch spiral scan is used to acquire cone beam projection data using a fixed size detector.
2. Description of Related Art
A system employing cone beam geometry has been developed for three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) imaging that comprises a cone beam x-ray source and a 2D area detector. A 2D area detector used for 3D imaging generally has detector elements arranged in a 2D array of rows and columns. An object to be imaged is scanned, preferably over a 360 degree angular range and along its entire length, by any one of various methods wherein the position of the area detector is fixed relative to the source, and relative rotational and translational movement between the source and object provides the scanning (irradiation of the object by radiation energy). The cone beam approach for 3D CT has the potential to achieve 3D imaging in both medical and industrial applications with improved speed, as well as improved dose utilization when compared with conventional 3D CT apparatus (i.e., a stack of slices approach obtained using parallel or fan beam x-rays).
As a result of the relative movement of the cone beam source to a plurality of source positions (i.e., xe2x80x9cviewsxe2x80x9d) along the scan path, the detector acquires a corresponding plurality of sequential sets of cone beam projection data (also referred to herein as cone beam data or projection data), each set of cone beam data being representative of x-ray attenuation caused by the object at a respective one of the source positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,112 entitled xe2x80x9cTHREE-DIMENSIONAL COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY SCANNING METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR IMAGING LARGE OBJECTS WITH SMALLER AREA DETECTORSxe2x80x9d, issued on Feb. 14, 1995 to Kwok Tam, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,666 entitled xe2x80x9cHELICAL AND CIRCLE SCAN REGION OF INTEREST COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHYxe2x80x9d, which issued on Oct. 31, 1995, both of which are incorporated herein by reference, describe a spiral scan cone beam CT system in which an x-ray source following a spiral scan path is used to image a relatively long object, wherein the x-ray detector is much shorter than the object. The only height requirement for the detector is that it be longer than the distance between adjacent turns in the spiral scan of the x-ray source.
More specifically, FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram of a scanning trajectory 20. Specifically, the source scanning trajectory 20 comprises a helical (spiral) path located on the surface of a predetermined geometric surface (such as a cylinder) radially centered on axis Z. The helical path 20 defines a plurality of stages 211, 222, . . . 22n that are mutually spaced and surrounding an object O (or a region of interest (ROI) portion of an object) under examination such that each plane passing through the object O intersects the scanning trajectory 20 in at least one point. The term stage refers to each of the turns or revolutions formed by the helical path about axis 12, for example.
As the cone beam source 14 follows the scan path 20, the detector 16 acquires many sets of cone beam projection data, each set representative of the x-ray attenuation caused by the object O at each of a plurality of source/detector positions along the scan path 20. The cone beam projection data is then manipulated to reconstruct a 3D image of the object using any suitable image reconstruction protocol.
It is known in the art that to ensure that the cone beam data set acquired via such scanning trajectory is complete, each plane passing through the object O should cut the scanning trajectory 20 in at least one point. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, any plane (such as plane 24) intersecting the object O must also intersect the boundary of the geometric surface which surrounds object O, being that the scanning trajectory 20 is defined upon such geometric surface. In the case illustrated in FIG. 3, the geometric surface corresponds to the surface of a cylinder 26 that surrounds the object O. In the exemplary diagram, the curve of intersection between plane 24 and cylinder 26 comprises an ellipse 28. Further, it is shown that the curve of intersection between plane 24 and the cylindrical object O is also an ellipse 30 which is enclosed by scanning ellipse 28. Therefore, it should be appreciated that since the scanning helical path lies on the surface of cylinder 26, then the scan path intersects plane 24 at points 321 . . . 32n that collectively lie on the boundary of the geometric surface upon which the helical path is defined, that is, such points of intersection lie on scanning ellipse 28.
Referring again to FIG. 2, the criterion that any plane intersect at least one point on the scan path generally assumes that the detector 16 is fixed relative to the source 14 and that the entire object can be scanned within the field of view of the source. As explained in the above-incorporated U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,112, for example, the foregoing criterion can be advantageously satisfied if the height dimension H of the detector 16 extends just sufficiently along a direction generally parallel to axis Z to span at least the two consecutive stages in the helical path having the largest spacing therebetween as represented by L, that is, the largest spacing between corresponding points of such consecutive stages along axis Z. In some applications, the spacing between successive stages could vary depending on the specific scanning implementation. Alternatively, the scanning trajectory may be comprised of stages wherein the spacing L (i.e., pitch) between any two successive stages along axis Z is substantially equidistant.
In a cone beam CT system, to achieve optimal performance and efficiency of the detector, an optimal spiral pitch L is selected based on the detector height H. Since the pitch is determined by the table translation speed, the fixed pitch means that the table translation speed is fixed for the cone beam CT system. Thus, an optimum spiral pitch is determined by the detector height H and therefore is not adjustable.
In some circumstances, however, it is desirable to increase the photon counts on the detector to enhance the S/N for the reconstructed image. Photon counts are increased by, e.g., maintaining the scan time, and decreasing the table translation speed, which in turn reduces the spiral pitch. If the pitch is smaller, since the detector size is fixed, only a center portion of the detected cone beam image contributes to image reconstruction, and the data at the top and bottom edges of the detector amount to unnecessary exposure. In other words, when the pitch of the spiral scan is reduced from the optimal pitch based on the detector geometry, the photon efficiency of the system is compromised.
Accordingly, a system and method that would provide efficient and accurate reconstruction of an image by reducing the pitch and thereby increasing the x-ray exposure to obtain higher signal-to-noise, while using the same detector, is highly desirable.
The present invention is directed to a method for 3D image reconstruction in a spiral scan cone beam computed tomography (CT) imaging system that allows the pitch of spiral scan projection to be reduced, thereby increasing the x-ray dosage to obtain a higher S/N (signal-to-noise) ratio, while achieving efficient use of the same detector. In addition, an image reconstruction protocol according to the present invention computes a correction factor for integration planes that intersect a 1/n (n=3, 5, 7, 9, etc) reduced-pitch spiral path (which surrounds a ROI) at a number of points M, where M less than n (n=1, 3, 5, 7, 9, etc.), in a 1/n reduced pitch spiral scan. Despite the reduced pitch, these M less than n integration planes do not provide increased flux despite (in contrast to integration planes that intersect the object and scan path in n or greater locations). Consequently, by calculating the contribution of the projected image data from the M less than n planes, and adding an appropriately computed correction factor, uniform image enhancement (e.g., higher S/N ratio) can be achieved across all integration planes by virtue of the reduced pitch and correction factor.
In one aspect of the present invention, a method for image reconstruction in a spiral scan imaging system comprises the steps of:
acquiring cone beam projection data for a 1/n reduced-pitch spiral scan of a ROI (region of interest) of an object, wherein the step of acquiring comprises applying radiation from a cone beam source towards the object from a plurality of source positions along the reduced-pitch spiral scan path that encircles the ROI, and acquiring a set of cone beam projection data on an area detector, the set of cone beam data corresponding to a respective portion of the ROI at each of said source positions;
identifying a set of integration planes that intersect the ROI and that intersect the reduced-pitch spiral scan path at M less than n locations;
computing a contribution of cone beam image data for the identified set of integration planes;
computing a correction factor for the identified set of integration planes and adding the correction factor to the cone beam image data associated with the identified set of integration planes so as to increase the S/N (signal-to-noise) ratio;
reconstructing an image of the ROI using, in part, the corrected cone beam image data.
In another aspect, the step of identifying a set of integration planes comprises the step of determining a set of parallel integration planes in a direction 2, wherein 2 is within an angular range determined by a first and second curved mask boundary of a data mask that is used to acquire the cone beam projection data. Preferably, the first curved mask boundary is defined by cone beam projections of at least two spiral scan path turns above a current source position, and wherein the second curved mask boundary is defined by cone beam projections of at least two spiral scan path turns below the current source position.
In another aspect, the angular range is determined by a pair of common tangents in the direction of angles xcex8t(∞) and xcex8t(xe2x88x92∞), respectively, which diagonally connect the first curved mask boundary and the second curved mask boundary, wherein the angle xcex8t(∞)=tanxe2x88x921(P/2xcfx80R) is the direction of the projection of the scan path direction, wherein P denotes a pitch of the scan path and R denotes the scanning radius.
In yet another aspect, the step of computing a contribution of cone beam image data for the identified set of integration planes comprises the step of computing image data along a plurality of lines in the cone beam data in an angular range R=[xcex8t(xe2x88x92∞)xe2x88x92(xcfx80/2), xcex8t(∞)+(xcfx80/2)] using a filtered backprojection method.
In another aspect, the step of computing a contribution of cone beam image data for the identified set of integration planes comprises the step of computing image data along a first and second parallel line in an angular range R=[xcex8t(xe2x88x92∞)xe2x88x92(xcfx80/2), xcex8t(∞)+(xcfx80/2)] using a Hilbert Transform, wherein the first parallel line is tangent to the first curved mask boundary and the second parallel line is tangent to the second curved mask boundary.
In yet another aspect, the correction factor comprises a multiplying the contribution of the cone beam image data associated with the identified set of integration planes by a factor that corresponds to the amount of pitch reduction.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be described or become apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
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Optical electronics have become an important part of the consumer electronics industry, arguably one of the fastest growing, rapidly evolving and intriguing industries of modern times. Camera and video equipment have become near ubiquitous in the consumer electronics market, currently being integrated into smart phones, laptop computers, personal digital assistants, and even micro surveillance technologies, as well as employed in dedicated hand-held cameras and video recorders. Much of the successful penetration in the consumer electronics market is due to miniaturization and modularization of optical electronic systems. Camera and video recording equipment, for instance, can be manufactured as modular elements having near plug-n-play capability from the device assembly perspective, not only with respect to mounting a modular element within an electronic device, but with respect to hardware and software interoperability. This plug-n-play capability in conjunction with miniaturization of optics and optical circuits has facilitated very low cost and effective integration of optical components in a wide array of consumer devices.
In addition to the foregoing, advancements in electronics technology in general have reduced the cost of electronic devices and greatly enhanced their technical features and personal utility. This is evident with camera and video recording equipment just as much so with other types of electronic devices. The combination of reduced cost and increased utility generally drives consumer demand upward, and optical electronics has been no exception.
Although advancements in electronics have made great impact over recent decades, a few in particular have specifically facilitated integration of image capture components into consumer electronics. First, improvements in semiconductor technology enable processor and memory chips to become progressively smaller for a given number of transistors. As transistor-based processors and memory have shrunk in size, modularization has become feasible even on the scale of hand-held consumer electronics. Second, miniaturization of optical components including lenses and image sensors has enabled fabrication of these components at a fraction of their volume just a decade ago. While large optical lenses have traditionally been a constraint on the size of video capture devices, this is decreasingly the case, particularly with fixed focus optical devices. Third, digitization of image capture and storage technology has enabled a transition away from film media and toward digital storage media. Modern digital storage media, such as a micro flash chip, can hold many thousands of pictures, feature-length video, and more, on a small flat memory chip that can be plugged into a cell phone, or other hand-held electronic device.
While there has been great technological advancement in optical devices generally, image capture and image processing have observed very profound advancements in particular. For instance, digitization of image capture technology has facilitated great advancements in camera and video recording electronics. Digital image sensors generally comprise a two-dimensional grid of light-sensitive electronic pixels, which can detect varying levels of light energy, varying wavelengths of light, and other optical characteristics. Light incident upon a digital image sensor can be captured by the grid of pixels and—because respective pixels are sensitive to variations in light energy and wavelengths—spatial variations in brightness, contrast and even color over the two-dimensional grid can be captured. When coupled with a suitably positioned optical lens, the incident light can form an image that is projected onto and captured by the digital image sensor. The sensor can then output image data for storage, data processing, image processing, or the like.
One aspect of optical electronic devices receiving significant consumer demand is increased optical resolution. High definition video and television, for instance, refer to higher optical resolution of a display, sometimes referred to as a number of pixels in the display. Increased resolutions often involve higher quality optics and the capture of more optical information. As a result, processing this information at speeds suitable for video utilizes high speed analog and digital circuitry, including processors, memory and clock speeds. These higher speeds can also extend to image processing electronics, which convert image information output by an optical sensor into a usable form for graphical display. A general rule in electronics is that faster signal processing, particularly analog signal processing, consumes more electronic power. In addition, as image capture devices transition to high definition imaging, the graphical resolutions increase and result in the capture and processing of more information at a predetermined frame rate, further increasing power consumption. Moreover, secondary functions, such as real-time error correction, signal conditioning, signal analytics and feedback, and so on, place additional demands on processing equipment. Providing technological improvements while mitigating the impact on resource consumption is among the many challenges that provide a framework for much of existing research and development in optical electronics and related industries.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bonding load correction method and a wire bonding apparatus which includes a bonding arm movable upward and downward by an elastic member.
2. Prior Art
A wire bonding apparatus in which the bonding arm is supported so that the bonding arm is moved upward and downward and driven by an elastic member is shown in FIG. 2.
The bonding arm 2 of this bonding apparatus has a bonding tool 1 at one end thereof and is fastened to one end of a supporting frame 3. The supporting frame 3 is attached to a moving table 5 via a plate spring 4 which is assembled in the form of a cross, so that the supporting frame 3 is swingable upward and downward as shown by an arrow V, and a moving table 5 is mounted on an XY table 6. The coil 8 of a linear motor 7 is fastened to another end of the supporting frame 3, and the magnet 9 of this linear motor 7 is fastened to the moving table 5. A linear scale 10 is mounted to the rear end (right-side end in FIG. 2) of the supporting frame 3, and position detecting section 13 that comprises a position sensor 11 and an encoder 12 is fastened to the moving table 5 so that the position sensor 11 faces this linear scale 10. The wire bonding apparatus further includes a heating block 15 which heats a workpiece (not shown), and this heating block 15 is raised and lowered by a raising-and-lowering mechanism 16.
Examples of a wire bonding apparatus of this type are described in Japanese Patent Application Pre-Examination Publication (Kokai) Nos. S58-184734 and H6-29343 and Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication (Kokoku) No. H6-80697.
With the structure described above, the supporting frame 3 and bonding arm 2 are caused to swing in the direction of arrow V about the plate spring 4 by the linear motor 7, and the bonding tool 1 is thus moved up and down. Furthermore, the moving table 5, supporting frame 3, bonding arm 2 and bonding tool 1 are moved in the horizontal (or X and Y) direction by the XY table 6. By way of a combination of the vertical movement and horizontal movement of the bonding tool 1, a wire (not shown) passing through the bonding tool 1 is connected between a first bonding point and a second bonding point on the workpiece (not shown). In other words, a ball formed at the tip end of the wire is bonded to the first bonding point, and the other portion of the wire is bonded to the second bonding point. During bonding of the wire to the first bonding point and second bonding point, a load or a bonding load is applied by the linear motor 7 so that the ball or wire is pressed against the bonding point on the workpiece by the bonding tool 1.
Next, the operation system for the above bonding apparatus and the control configuration of the linear motor 7 will be described. The operation system substantially comprises an external input-output means 20 and a computer 21.
The external input-output means 20 performs input-output of various types of information (required for the operation of the apparatus) with respect to the computer 21. This may be accomplished by manual operation or by operation based on on-line communication with external devices.
The computer 21 comprises a control circuit 22, an operating circuit 23, a reference coordinate register 24, a load limit value register 25 and a height position counter 26. The control circuit 22 controls the external input-output means 20, operating circuit 23, reference coordinate register 24, load limit value register 25 and height position counter 26.
In the reference coordinate register 24, the height position of the bonding arm 2 is stored. The value of the height position is inputted into a position control circuit 31 of the position control section 30 as one position command. When the value is inputted, the position control circuit 31 compares a previous position command and a new position command and generates an amount of movement of the bonding tool from the difference between the two position commands. This amount of movement is transmitted to a motor driver 33 of the position control section 30 as a driving signal 32.
In the load limit value register 25, a value which indicates the upper limit (value) of the bonding load is stored, and the load limit value register 25 transmits such a value to the motor driver 33 as limit information 27. The motor driver 33 generates electric power which is used to move the bonding tool 1 to the designated height position in accordance with the driving signal 32 and at the same time acts so as to limit the electric power in accordance with the limit information 27 so that the upper limit value of the bonding load is not exceeded. Generally, electric power is the product of voltage and current; therefore, actual control of the linear motor 7 can be accomplished by controlling either the voltage or current, or both. Accordingly, the following explanation describes the case where the driving current 34 (and not voltage) that flows through the linear motor 7 is controlled and the voltage value is fixed. The circuit described in Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication (Kokoka) No. H6-18222 may be cited as an example of the circuit that controls the driving current. When the driving current 34 generated by the motor driver 33 is applied to the coil 8 of the linear motor 7, a driving force is generated; and as a result of this driving force, the supporting frame 3, bonding arm 2 and bonding tool 1 are caused to swing about the plate spring 4.
Furthermore, the height position counter 26 of the computer 21 counts signals from an encoder 12 which converts signals from the position sensor 11 into a signal format which is suitable for being inputted into the computer 21 and generates an actual height position on the linear scale 10. The computer 21 is provided beforehand with the ratio of the amount of movement of the bonding tool 1 in the vertical direction to the amount of movement of the linear scale 10 in the vertical direction, and a quantization coefficient. Accordingly, the actual height position of the bonding tool 1 is determined by calculations performed (on the basis of the above-described value) by the operating circuit 23 on the value indicated by the height position counter 26. The term "height position of the bonding tool" refers to the height position at which the bonding tool 1 contacts the object to which a load is to be applied.
A bonding load calibration method within the bonding apparatus described above will be described.
First, a load cell 40 is placed on the heating block 15 so that the projecting part 41 (detection part) of the load cell 40 is positioned directly beneath the tip end portion of the bonding tool 1. This load cell 40 is connected to a load gauge 42, so that the load applied to the load cell 40 is constantly displayed by the load gauge 42. Next, the raising-and-lowering mechanism 16 is operated so as to raise and lower the heating block 15 and load cell 40, and the bonding arm 2 is adjusted to a horizontal position.
The bonding arm 2 is adjusted horizontally because it is desirable that the undersurface of the bonding tool 1 which contacts the bonding point be parallel to the bonding surface during bonding. The bonding tool 1 is fastened to the bonding arm 2 at right angles to the direction of extension of the bonding arm 2, so that the bonding tool 1 faces directly downward. Furthermore, the bonding arm 2 and the bonding tool 1 swing about the plate spring 4. Accordingly, it is desirable that the bonding tool 1 be in a vertical position, i.e., that the bonding arm 2 be in a horizontal position, when the bonding tool 1 contacts the bonding point.
When the bonding arm 2 has thus been adjusted to a horizontal position, a command is sent to the computer 21 using the external input-output means 20 so that the bonding arm 2 is placed in a horizontal position. As a result of this command, the control circuit 22 sends control information for this purpose (horizontal positioning) to the position control circuit 31 via the reference coordinate register 24; and in addition, the control circuit 22 sends limit information 27 which is used to limit the driving current 34 to the motor driver 33. Furthermore, the position control circuit 31 sends a driving signal 32 which is used to generate a driving current 34 to the motor driver 33. On the basis of this driving signal 32, the motor driver 33 generates a driving current 34 of the specified polarity and magnitude and outputs this driving current 34 to the coil 8. However, in cases where the driving current 34 exceeds the upper limit value specified by the computer 21, the magnitude of the driving current 34 applied to coil 8 does not exceed the upper limit value.
Afterward, instructions concerning the movement of the bonding arm 2 are sent out from the computer 21 in the manner described above.
Next, when the bonding load (for instance 20 g) is set via the external input-output means 20, this load is applied to the load cell 40 as a result of the above-described operation. In this case, since the actual bonding load value is displayed by the load gauge 42 which is connected to the load cell 40, it is necessary to adjust the driving current 34 so that this value is equal to the set bonding load. The correspondence between the limit information 27 specified by the computer 21 and the value of the actually limited bonding load is thus altered by manual operation of the external input-output means 20. When the set bonding load agrees with the actual value of the bonding load displayed by the load gauge 42, the bonding load is set at a different value (for instance, 200 g), and then the above-described operation is repeated. In this way, the error between the set bonding load and the actual bonding load is minimized.
In the system wherein the supporting frame 3 is supported by a plate spring 4 so as to swing upward and downward as described above, when no driving current 34 flows through the coil 8 or when no driving force is generated in the linear motor 7, the bonding arm 2 stops at the equilibrium position B as shown in FIG. 3(b) which is between the driving force of the plate spring 4 and the weight balance of the bonding tool 1, bonding arm 2, supporting frame 3, coil 8 and linear scale 10, etc. supported by the plate spring 4. The driving force of the plate spring 4 in this case acts in a direction which causes the bonding arm 2 to return to the equilibrium position B.
More specifically, when the bonding arm 2 is in a position A which is higher than the equilibrium position B as shown in FIG. 3(a), a driving force which pushes the bonding arm 2 downward toward the equilibrium position B is generated. On the other hand, when the bonding arm 2 is in a position C or D lower than the equilibrium position B, as shown in FIG. 3(c) or 3(d), then a driving force which pushes the bonding arm upward toward the equilibrium position B is generated. The equilibrium position B varies according to the mechanical factors; therefore, the bonding arm 2 in the equilibrium position B is not necessarily to a horizontal position as shown in FIG. 3(c). Here, the term "mechanical factors" refers to mechanical errors arising from the working precision, assembly, adjustment, etc. of the parts that makes up the bonding head part.
As the bonding arm 2 is displaced toward the higher position A from the balance position B, the force with which the bonding arm 2 is pulled downward by the plate spring 4 increases, so that the driving force of the plate spring 4 is added to the original bonding load. Accordingly, there is a corresponding increase in the actual bonding load. Furthermore, as the bonding arm 2 is displaced downward toward the lower position C or D, the force with which the bonding arm 2 is pulled upward by the plate spring 4 increases, so that the original bonding load is canceled. Accordingly, there is a corresponding decrease in the actual bonding load. As seen from the above, the prior art system has a problem. In other words, as the height position of the bonding arm 2 is apart from the equilibrium position B determined by the plate spring 4, error between the set bonding load and the actual bonding load increases.
Furthermore, in the conventional bonding load calibration method, the set bonding load is merely adjusted with the height position of the bonding point set at the horizontal position C of the bonding arm 2; and absolutely no consideration is given to the relationship between the driving force of the plate spring 4 and the weight balance of the bonding tool 1, bonding arm 2, supporting frame 3, coil 8 and linear scale 10, etc., supported by the plate spring 4. In the mean time, the height of the bonding points of the workpieces to be bonded varies according to the type of workpiece involved; and even in the same workpiece, in some cases, the first and second bonding points have different heights. Accordingly, when bonding is performed at a position other than the equilibrium position B, a driving force is generated in the plate spring 4, and this driving force affects the bonding load, so that the actual bonding load differs from the set bonding load.
Furthermore, in the prior art described above, the load gauge 42 must be read by an attendant, and the actual bonding load must be adjusted by this attendant so that the bonding load is kept equal to the set bonding load. Accordingly, the problem of correction error caused by human factors arises.
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Epilepsy is a neurological condition that makes people prone to seizures. A seizure is a change in sensation, awareness, or behavior brought about by a brief electrical disturbance in the brain. Seizures vary from a momentary disruption of the senses, to short periods of unconsciousness or staring spells, to convulsions (Fisher et al., Epilepsia 46: 470-472, 2005). Some people have just one type of seizure. Others have more than one type. All seizures are caused by the same thing: a sudden change in how the cells of the brain send electrical signals to each other.
During epilepsy, a propagation of high frequency, continuous firing is initiated, referred to as a seizure. The severity and symptoms of this seizure will depend on the position of the initial focal point, seizure length, frequency of the discharges and the distance the propagation spreads. Essentially, what a patient experiences during a seizure will depend on where in the brain the epileptic activity begins and how widely and rapidly it spreads. Neurons may fire up to 500 times a second during an epileptic seizure, over six times the normal rate of about 80 times a second. The onset of epilepsy is defined as a condition characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures.
There are over 40 different types of seizures, ranging from seizures that go totally unnoticed by others to tonic-clonic seizures which involve muscular contraction, uncontrollable jerks and loss of consciousness. Knowing which type of seizures a person has is useful as this will determine which antiepileptic drug (AED) is most likely to be of benefit. However, the choice of the AED also depends on several other issues, including the age and sex of the patient, requirements for compliance and the presence of hard-to-treat epileptic syndromes. The causes of epilepsy can be divided into three categories:
Symptomatic epilepsy has a known cause, e.g. structural abnormality of the brain, including head trauma, birth trauma, cerebrovascular disorders, cerebral anoxia and brain tumors. Idiopathic epilepsy has no clear underlying cause for the sudden start of the seizures, although it is thought that having a low seizure threshold could be a contributing factor. Cryptogenic epilepsy may be symptomatic or idiopathic. This form of epilepsy is believed to be symptomatic of a hidden cause of unknown etiology, although unlike idiopathic epilepsy, it is not thought to have started due to a low seizure threshold.
Epilepsy is the one of the most common neurological disorders with approximately 3.3 Million patients in North America and almost 200,000 new cases annually (Banerjee et al., Epilepsy Res. 85: 31-45, 2009 and Epilepsy Prevalence, Incidence and Other Statistics (2011).
Since the introduction of barbiturates as the first anticonvulsant therapy there have been many drugs discovered and developed to treat the disorder. However, despite the many therapeutic options available, a large number of patients are refractory to antiepileptic treatments: patients either fail to respond to any drug treatment or have a poor response with continuing seizures.
Currently, treatment of epilepsy is symptom-focused, i.e., to reduce or eliminate seizure response. While many new AEDs have been commercialized in the past 15 years with improved seizure control and reduced side effects, there still remain important unmet medical needs in the treatment of epilepsy. Successful management of epilepsy still remains a significant problem as demonstrated by the fact that despite using various combinations of AEDs, 20-25% of epileptic patients are insensitive to currently available medication. Therefore, there is an ongoing need to discover and develop effective drugs or synergistic combinations of drugs for treating epilepsy.
Following observations that fasting can decrease the incidence of seizures in epilepsy patients, it was hypothesised that this was due to the production of ketones as metabolism switched from carbohydrates to lipids. Although glucose metabolism is the primary source of brain energy, ketone metabolism provides an alternative pathway, which normally occurs under starvation conditions. Ketone bodies are a natural endogenous energy source mainly produced by the liver from mobilisation of endogenous body fat and utilised by extrahepatic tissues (brain, heart, kidney, muscle, etc.).
The ketogenic diet was introduced in the 1920's as a high fat diet which would produce elevated levels of ketone bodies in the plasma (Maalouf et al., Brain Res Rev. 59: 293-315, 2009 and Hartman et al., Pediatr Neurol. 36: 281-292, 2007). The diet proved to be effective in many patients who failed to respond to conventional treatment and has remained a mainstay or adjunctive treatment for drug resistant patients. Investigations indicated that the diet was an effective anti-seizure treatment in animals (Hartman et al., Pediatric Neurol. 36: 281-292, 2007) as well as humans. The diet is, however, unpalatable and failure to adhere to the diet leads to a return or increase in seizures. In addition, the health consequences of a high fat diet for life can be considerable.
Studies have shown that several ketones produced in animals and humans have anti-seizure activity in animal models (Hartman et al., Epilepsia 49: 334-339, 2008 and Likhodii et al., Ann. Neurol. 54:219-226, 2003). Although the anticonvulsant potential of ketones has been well-established, finding a method to translate this activity into a therapy has proven difficult. Typical ketone bodies such as acetone are very short lived and rapidly removed from the body making their use as therapies impractical. Amongst the research in this area are studies showing that specific medium chain fatty acids, such as caprylic acid (octanoic acid), which can be metabolised to ketones have anticonvulsant properties (Chang et al., Neuropharmacology 69: 1-10, 2013). Accordingly, caprylic acid, which is used in a medium chain free fatty acid ketogenic diet, has been shown to have anticonvulsant effects (Wlaz et al., Neuropharmacology 62: 1882-1889, 2012).
Some ketones have demonstrated the ability to potentiate the anticonvulsant activity of some but not all anti-epileptic drugs (Likhodii et al., Ann. Neurol. 54: 219-226, 2003 and Zarnowska et al., Epilepsia 50: 1132-1140, 2009). A similar effect has been observed for caprylic acid (Wlaz et al., Neuropharmacology 62: 1882-1889, 2012).
The same mechanism which leads to anticonvulsant activity may also produce beneficial cognitive effects. For example, caprylic acid supplementation has been shown to significantly improve cognitive performance in Beagle dogs (Pan et al., British Journal of Nutrition 103: 1746-1754, 2010). A similar improvement in cognition following medium chain fatty acids has been reported in diabetic patients (Page et al., Diabetes 58: 1237-1244, 2009). In addition, the cognition enhancing effects for compounds with atypical anticonvulsant activities such as piracetam, aniracetam and the well-used anti-epileptic drug levetiracetam are known (Malykh and Sadaie Drugs 70: 287-312, 2010 and Genton and Vleyman Epileptic Disorders 2: 99-105, 2000).
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wireless terminal device and a communication control method, in which transition to a power-saving state is possible.
2. Related Art
Wireless terminal devices that include a touch screen display are known heretofore, such as a smartphone and a tablet device. In such a situation, a technique for reducing power consumption of a wireless terminal device has been proposed (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2009-49875).
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In the harvesting of trees, it is typical to mount a tree harvesting apparatus to the boom of a carrier vehicle such as a feller buncher or crawler tractor. The harvesting apparatus referred to herein is typically referred to as a harvesting or cutting head which typically employs a circular cutting saw to sever the tree, a means to grip and hold the tree, comprising a grapple and collector arm, and a base member which partially overlays the circular saw for supporting the tree off of the circular saw as the tree is being cut. Those cutting heads which accumulate the trees on the head itself oftentimes employ a tree accumulation area in which the severed trees are stored and transported. In recent years, machine productivity has become a major issue since the end users of such machines are increasingly under pressure to make a return on their investments in the forestry industry. To this end, it has been found to be desirable to reduce the number of tasks required by the operator while achieving the same productivity levels.
An example of a task that the operator must perform is to manually monitor the tree or trees stored in the accumulation area for any movement or jostling of the trees therein. Should sufficient movement of the trees occur such that the pressure applied by the one or more of the arms to trees is reduced, the operator must manually activate one or both of the arms accordingly to tighten the grip on the tree or trees so as to prevent inadvertent dropping of the trees from the tree harvesting apparatus or premature dumping of the trees by the operator.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.
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Antennas for receiving and transmitting electromagnetic wave communication are often provided in elevated structures for more efficient receiving and transmitting, such as communication in the 160 mhz to 960 mhz range. As the antennas themselves are mounted typically far off the ground, they are by their position inaccessible. When service or other maintenance is required, some antennas provide for a swing tube mechanism for bringing the removed end of the antenna close to the ground. By this functionality, the antenna itself is able to be reached by the serviceman. Antenna towers of this type are sometimes referred to as “tilt towers.”
Antenna tilt towers are known in the art for mounting an antenna to the removed end of a tower. Tilt towers allow a service man access to the antenna by removing a coupling and allowing a tilt or swing tube section of the antenna to rotate about the removed end of the mast or base tube from an antenna up (skyward) position to an antenna down (adjacent the ground providing access to the serviceman) position.
Antennas, themselves, however, typically need to be attached to a mounting member. More specifically, antennas are configured in a number of different ways. That is to say, antenna tower manufacturers may make antenna towers that may be adapted to a number of different antenna configurations (made by antenna manufacturing firms, not tower manufacturing firms), which configurations may attach to a tilting or rotating member of an antenna tower.
Heretofore, the antennas have been attached to the tilt members through a number of differently configured clamps, such as the following: CommScope, Inc. of Hickory, N.C. 28602, Part ## DB5091-3, DB375, DB365-OS, ASPA320, DB375-SPS, ASPR616, ASP617, DB365-SP7, DB365-SP9, DB370. Each of these clips or assembly clamps allows the user to attach one tube or pipe to another tube or pipe. One of the tubes or pipes may be held in a preselected alignment to a second tube or pipe. These clamps typically use multiple members and “all threads” and are sometimes called Andrew/Decibel Antenna Pipe to Pipe and Crossover Clamps.
Often, the single most time consuming procedure during the installation of a PTC Tilt-tower is the installation and alignment of the PTC antenna. Most PTC designs seem to use a clamp originally made by Andrews Corp. The clamp is called an Andrews Clamp and consists of a large number of all-threads, formed steel plate, nuts, and lock washers. The clamp must first be assembled, the antenna mounted, and the antenna aligned. This process may take between forty-five minutes and one hour.
In the prior art, on towers of great length, the Tilt-tube is broken into manageable lengths and connected by a flanges or slip joints. Normally these towers are shipped in three or more separate pieces and include an additional box of hardware. The coaxial cable, connector fittings, grounding material, and weatherproofing material are shipped separately. All of these pieces are then assembled in the field in all types of weather conditions and field environments.
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Wireless local area network (WLAN) and personal area network (PAN) devices that use different radios are widely used in many platforms like notebooks, net-books, desktop computers, cellular telephones, mobile personal devices and the like. The WLAN and PAN devices may include for example, Bluetooth (BT) and WiFi transceivers. The BT and WiFi transceivers may operate on the same frequency band for example, 2.4 GHz band or on different frequency bands. For example, the BT transceiver may operate at the 2.4 GHz band and the WiFi transceiver may operate at the 5 GHz band.
Another frequency band that the WLAN and PAN devices may use is the 60 GHz frequency band. WiFi compliant devices may use 2.5 GHz, 5 GHz and 60 GHz frequency bands. One of the problems with switching transceivers between multiple FREQUENCY bands is the switching of traffic streams from one frequency band e.g., 60 GHz to the other frequency band e.g., 5 GHz, 2.4 GHz or operating in parallel in many FREQUENCY bands efficiently.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.
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The present invention relates to a mail-article processing apparatus, and more particularly to a mail-article tracing apparatus for use in an automatic mail-handling system.
One example of an automatic mail-handling system requiring a mail-article tracing apparatus is a postal code printing apparatus, in which an address described on a mail-article is picked up by an operator or an optical character reader (OCR), and the postal code corresponding to this address is printed on the same mail-article.
In a prior art mail-article tracing method, plural detectors such as photo-electric detectors are provided along a mail transport path such that there is a predetermined distance between adjacent mail detectors, and plural registers are also provided corresponding to the plural mail detectors, respectively. In this method, a letter is traced by shifting a signal showing a mail-article in the series of registers in response to the detection at the series of the mail detectors. In this case, since the register can store only one signal representing one mail-article, a plurality of mail-articles should not be presented in the transport path corresponding to a section between two adjacent mail detectors. This means that the length of the section should be shorter than the minimum transfer interval of the mail-articles. Therefore, a great number of mail detectors must be provided in a mail-handling system which requires a long transport path. The tracing method just described is referred to as the light bar method hereinafter.
There is another prior art mail-article tracing method reducing the number of the mail detectors in the light bar method, in which a series of several mail detectors are omitted, and a timer circuit is provided to produce a psuedo mail detecting signal. In the timer circuit, the psuedo mail detecting signals are produced in substitution for the mail detection signals delivered from the omitted mail detectors by counting the clock pulses generated in response to the transport speed to a predetermined amount which corresponds to the distance between two adjacent mail detectors in the light bar method. This tracing method is defined as a clock method hereinafter. In the clock method, since the timing of the psuedo mail detecting signal outputted from the timer circuit can be considered equivalent to that of the mail detection signal delivered from the omitted mail detector in the light bar method, the transport speed, for example, the transport belt speed must be kept equal to the actual mail transport speed. However, the actual mail transport speed is in practice because of the slippage between the mail-article and a transport path, and this variation in the actual mail transport speed results in a timing error between the psuedo mail detecting signal and the time when the mail-article arrives at the point of the omitted mail detector. With increasing omitted mail detectors, this timing error is extended. Consequently, a mis-tracing operation occurs when the timing error exceeds the transport time corresponding to the distance of one section, i.e., the distance between two adjacent mail detectors in the light bar method. Since the number of mail detectors which can be omitted is limited to several in practice, it is not possible to reduce the system hardware, such as mail detectors, remarkably.
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Panicum virgatum ‘Huron Solstice’, hereinafter also referred to as ‘Huron Solstice’ and the new plant is a new and distinct cultivar of Switch Grass. It is the result of a cross made by Martin Quinn between Panicum virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’ (not patented) as the female parent and Panicum virgatum ‘Rehbraun’ (not patented) as the pollen parent at a nursery in Goderich, Ontario, Canada and selected for further observation in 2001. The plant has been successfully propagated by division at the same perennial plant nursery in Goderich, Ontario, Canada and found to produce identical plants that maintain the unique characteristics of the original plant. The plant is stable and reproduces true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.
Panicum virgatum ‘Huron Solstice’ differs from its parents as well as all other Panicum known to the applicant, in that the new plant has some blue green foliage like ‘Heavy Metal’ but develops dark purple leaves early. Panicum ‘Huron Solstice’ has fewer leaves that are redder rather than the large number of the new plant that turn dark purple. Other similar Switch Grass include Panicum ‘Prairie Fire’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 19,367. ‘Prairie Fire’ is has more reddish foliage than ‘Huron Solstice’.
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The present invention relates to an air-fuel ratio control apparatus for detecting the air-fuel ratio of the mixture from the composition, e.g., the concentration of oxygen in the exhaust gas from an engine and feedback controlling the air-fuel ratio so as to maintain it at the desired ratio.
In a known apparatus of this type including an oxygen concentration detector for detecting the air-fuel ratio, a comparison circuit responsive to the signal from the oxygen concentration detector to make a comparison and determination whether the air-fuel ratio is greater or smaller than a predetermined air-fuel ratio, an integrating circuit responsive to the comparison output to generate an integration voltage and air-fuel ratio control means, e.g., a driver circuit for controlling the amount of air bleed to the carburetor in accordance with the integration voltage as an air-fuel ratio correction amount, the feedback is applied in accordance with a predetermined control constant irrespective of whether a low region or a high region. However, this method is disadvantageous in that the air-fuel ratio becomes richer in the high region than in the low region so that the level of the controlled bleed amount is increased and the bleed sensitivity (a change of the air-fuel ratio in response to a change in the flow rate) is deteriorated thereby deteriorating the control response characteristic.
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The following discussion of the state of the art should not be construed as an admission of prior art.
Duplex steel is characterized by a ferritic-austenitic structure, where both phases have different compositions. Modern duplex steel will mainly be alloyed with Cr, Mo, Ni and N. The duplex steel grade SAF 2507 (UNS S32750) has high contents of Cr, Mo and N for a high resistance to pitting corrosion. This resistance is often described as a PRE-number (PRE =Pitting Resistance Equivalent=%Cr+3.3% Mo+16N). The alloy is consequently optimized with respect to this property and has a good resistance in many acids and bases, but the alloy is above all developed for resistance in chloride environments. The elements Cu and W have been used as alloying additions. Consequently has for example the steel grade DP3W (UNS S39274) which has an analogous composition as SAF 2507, but it is alloyed with 2.0% W as substitute for a share of the Mo-content in the alloy. The steel grade Uranus 52N+(NS S32529) has similarly an analogous composition as SAF 2507, but it is alloyed with 1.5% Cu with the purpose to improve the resistance in acid environments. The steel grade Zeron 100 is a further steel grade which is analogous to SAF 2507, but this is alloyed with both about 0.7% Cu and 0.7% W. The steel grade DTS 25.7NWCu (UNS S39277) is in this composition very similar to SAF 2507, besides that it is alloyed with about 1.7% Cu and 1.0% W. In relation with that it is alloyed with W, a PRE formula was produced, which also includes the element W with a weight corresponding the halve of this for Mo., i.e.--PRENW=%Cr+3.3(%Mo+0.5% W)+16N. All described steel grades have a PRE number, irrespective to the calculation method, that is over 40.
Another type of ferritic-austenitic alloy with high resistance to chloride is the steel grade described in the Swedish Patent 9302139-2 or U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,656. This type of alloy is characterized by Mn 0.3-4%, Cr 28-35%, Ni 3-10%, Mo 1-3%, Cu maximum 1.0% and W maximum 2.0%, and has a high PRE number, generally over 40. The biggest difference compared with the established superduplex steel SAF 2507 and others is that the contents of Cr and N are higher in this steel grade. This steel grade has been used in environments where the resistance to intergranular corrosion and corrosion in ammonium carbamates is of importance, but the alloy also has a very high resistance to chloride environments.
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{
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I. Field
The following relates generally to wireless communication, and more specifically to facilitating multiple wireless access technologies over a common terrestrial radio access network.
II. Background
Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication, for example, voice, data, and so on can be provided by such wireless communication systems. A typical wireless communication system, or network, can provide multiple users access to one or more shared resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, . . . ). For example, a system can use a variety of multiple access techniques such as Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), Code Division Multiplexing (CDM), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), and others.
Generally, a wireless multiple-access communication system can simultaneously support communication for multiple access terminals. Each access terminal can communicate with one or more base stations through transmissions on the forward and reverse links. The forward link (or downlink) refers to the communication link from the base stations to the access terminals, and the reverse link (or uplink) refers to the communication link from the access terminals to the base stations. This communication link may be established through a single-in-single-out, multiple-in-single-out, or a multiple-in-multiple-out (MIMO) system.
Wireless communication systems sometimes employ one or more base stations, each base station providing a coverage area. A typical base station can transmit multiple data streams for broadcast, multicast, and/or unicast services, wherein a data stream may be a stream of data that can be of independent reception interest to an access terminal. An access terminal within the coverage area of such base station can be employed to receive one, more than one, or all the data streams carried by a composite stream. Likewise, an access terminal can transmit data to the base station or another access terminal.
Several advancements are currently considered for Long Term Evolution (LTE) advanced system like Multi User MIMO, higher order MIMO (with 8 transmit and receive antennas), Network MIMO, Femto cells with Restricted Association, Pico cells with range extension, larger bandwidths, and the like. LTE advanced has to support legacy UEs (e.g., LTE release 8 UEs) while providing additional features to new UEs (and legacy UEs when possible). However, supporting all features in LTE can put several constraints on LTE advanced design, limiting potential gains and affecting user experience.
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{
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drug dispenser.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in a drug dispenser for dispensing packed drugs with a flange 100a or 101a such as blister packs 100 as shown in FIG. 10 and heat tablets 101 as shown in FIG. 11 at the request of a pharmacist, a plurality of drug cases are stacked in the drug case in a vertical direction so that the lowermost drug can be pushed out in a horizontal direction by a pushing mechanism to dispense it.
In this kind of drug dispenser, as shown in FIG. 9, when pushing out the lowermost drug pack 100 on rails 102 by means of a drug pushing claw 103, the bottom corner portion of the second drug pack 100′ positioned at the upstream side of a pushing direction drops on the rails 102, causing a state in which the second drug pack 100′ rides on the lowermost drug pack 100 with a fulcrum C at the bottom corner portion while the lowermost drug pack 100 is pushed out. In this state, because the center of gravity G of the second drug pack 100′ is higher than the fulcrum C, the second drug pack 100′ hardly falls down horizontally. Moreover, the load of the drugs above the third drug pack 100″ acts on a portion of the second drug pack 100′ at the upstream side of the pushing direction. As a result, even if the lowermost drug pack 100 has been pushed out, the second drug pack 100′ may remain in a state where the end portion thereof at the downstream side of the pushing direction rises up. Thus, there has been a disadvantage that the second drug pack 100′ may clog a discharge port when pushing out the second drug pack 100′.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to lamp sockets and more particularly to a lamp socket in a housing which is adapted to be located in a wet/humid environment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is common to include some form of underwater lighting to enhance the night time effect of swimming pools, spas, fountains and the like. The usual method of providing the desired artificial light is to provide a watertight housing for an incandescent or halogen bulb. A common method of providing the light is to locate a housing in the floor of a fountain or in a vertical wall of a swimming pool. The lens of the housing is usually mounted to be flush with the floor of the fountain or the wall of the swimming pool. A gasket is provided to form a watertight seal between the lens and the housing body and the lens is designed to be separated from the housing body to permit the light bulb to be changed. The conventional underwater light is designed to use a flood type of incandescent bulb typically having a relatively high wattage.
A difficulty associated with a light bulb socket in a water tight housing is that the socket in the housing is normally exposed to a high humidity environment which contributes to corrosion of the electrical conducting paths. Thus, except for the electrical contacts between the bulb and the lamp socket, all other electrical contacts and conductive paths must be water tight. The sealing of the electrical contacts and conductive members of the socket is important to prevent shorting between the conductors, corrosion of the electrical contacts and the prevention of water forming a conductive path between the socket and the housing to insure that a person that comes in contact with the water around the housing will not receive an electrical shock.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved socket which can be used in a high humidity environment.
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{
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Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an orbital plane control of a spacecraft and more specifically to a spacecraft and an orbital plane change method therefor for changing the orbital plane of a rotating orbit around the earth to another orbital plane different in the orbital inclination or in the right ascension of the ascending node.
Background Art
Changing the orbit of a satellite is referred to as “orbit control (correction).” An orbit control method is able to be mainly classified into in-plane control and orbital plane control.
The term “in-plane control” means changing the size and shape of the orbit by firing engines for acceleration or deceleration within the orbital plane of the satellite.
The term “orbital plane control” means changing an angle of the orbital plane to the equator (the angle is referred to as “orbital inclination”) or an angle formed by a point at which the orbit intersects the equatorial plane in a direction from the south to north latitude (the point is referred to as “ascending node”) and the reference axis (the angle is referred to as “right ascension of the ascending node”).
The orbital plane control is disclosed, for example, in Non-Patent Document 1.
Moreover, a general “orbit change” is disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2. In addition, Patent Document 3 discloses “a method of controlling the longitude of the reference point in an inclined elliptical spaceship orbit.” [Non-Patent Document 1] “Guidebook for JAXA Space Activities, Mission 4 Artificial satellite,” JAXA Space Education Center, [Searched for on Apr. 22, 2015], Internet <edu.jaxa.jp/materialDB/html/guidebook/guidebook/main.html> [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-80598 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-286698 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-46697
In an orbital plane control for changing an orbital plane, conventionally engines are fired in a direction perpendicular to the orbital plane of a satellite. Alternatively, the orbit is swung by perturbation and then a desired orbit is maintained when it is acquired. The term “perturbation” means an orbital variation caused by the gravitational field of the earth. In addition, an orbital swing caused by perturbation is referred to as “drift.”
Fuel is necessary for changing an orbital plane by using engines. In this case, for example, in order to achieve, a useful change in an orbital plane (10° or more), a lot of fuel (a half or more of the self weight) is required. On the other hand, a drift caused by perturbation requires a long period of time (several ten days) to achieve the useful change in the orbit similarly.
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{
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A network corresponds to an interconnection of more than one computer system. For example, one type of network is a home network. A home network may correspond to two or more personal computers that can exchange data with each other and the Internet. Different types of networks exist throughout society. For example, large organizations often have data centers, servers, and various personal computer systems to exchange information between users, and to provide processing power to a single user.
In order to provide such functionality, a network includes various types of hardware and software. For example, the hardware includes the computer systems (personal computers, servers, and other such computing devices), network interface hardware, interconnection mediums (e.g., cables, wireless signals, etc.) routers, switches, hubs, and other such hardware. The software is instructions for providing the functionality of the network. For example, the software may include operating systems, network specific applications, user applications, server applications, etc.
In order to keep a network operating properly, the network must be managed. Managing a network involves managing the different resources (i.e., hardware and software) of the network. Typically, a resource can be managed through an application programming interface (API) of the resource. An application programming interface is the interface that a resource provides in order to allow management requests for service and management data to be made of the resource by management applications. Specifically, a management application that has knowledge of the application programming interface of the resource can manage the resource by accessing the different functions and data available through the application programming interface of the resource.
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{
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Instant messaging, live chatting, and text messaging have become very common in everyday life. Depending upon the participants, the context of the conversation, and the subject matter being discussed, the content of a given message may be relatively brief or relatively complex. Long and complicated messages can be very time consuming and difficult to enter. Moreover, certain messaging contexts tend to occur more frequently than others. For example, a small group of coworkers may participate in a typical “lunch initiation” conversation almost every workday at noon. As another example, members of a family may engage in a typical “when will you be home” conversation almost every day at dinnertime.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have an efficient and effective mode of entering content for a messaging system, such as an instant messaging system. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.
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{
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