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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to distributed amplifier logic designs and, more particularly, to logic designs utilizing differential input and output pairs for each logic gate in combination with input and output inductive transmission lines and neutralizing capacitance elements to increase the operating speed of such logic devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the design of high speed logic circuits there is an on-going need for wideband amplifiers. Wideband amplification has been provided in the past by using a distributed amplifier design. One such design is described in the article entitled "A DC-12 GHz Monolithic GaAsFET Distributed Amplifier" by E. W. Strid et al. appearing in IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Vol. MTT-30, No. 7, July 1982 at pages 969 et seq. In the Strid et al. article, a multi-stage FET amplifier is described that uses an inductive input, an inductive output (the input and output being the respective gate and the drain terminals of the GaAsFET device).
In a distributed arrangement such as the Strid et al. design mentioned above, there remains an intrinsic capacitance between the gate and the drain of each amplifying device (denoted C.sub.gd). This intrinsic capacitance is problematic in that it results in the input of each stage being coupled to its associated output, as well as for each stage to be coupled together. Therefore, the operation of any particular stage is impacted by all previous stages as well as all subsequent stages in the multi-stage design. This interrelationship complicates the design of a multi-stage arrangement and has limited the application of distributed techniques to amplifiers. Thus, a need remains in the art to expand the application of distributed techniques to logic circuit designs.
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This invention relates to an improved vacuum cleaning apparatus or appliance, and in particular to a portable domestic appliance of the kind described in my U.S. patent application Ser. No. 452,917. This U.S. application corresponds to European patent application No. 81302726.5.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 452,917 describes a vacuum cleaning appliance comprising a generally cylindrical outer cyclone with an inlet for dirty air and concentrically within the outer cyclone an inner cyclone, a passageway being provided to allow air from the outer cyclone to enter an upper end of the inner cyclone. Clean air can then be withdrawn centrally from the inner cyclone and then exhausted. A related two cyclone appliance is shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,377,882.
The appliance of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 452,917 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,377,882 is adapted for use in two different modes: in the first mode dirt laden air enters the appliance via a ground engaging cleaning head which is attached to part of the lower end of the cleaner's casing and incorporates an elongate axially rotatable brushing member in the cleaning head; and in the second, pure section mode, dirt laden air enters the appliance through a pipe in a hose section, which may be connected to other suction tools, without the use of a rotatable brushing member.
The problem is to provide an efficient valving means for shifting between the two modes so that the modes operate separately from each other.
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This invention relates to lighting systems and, more particularly, to optical elements that are used in lighting systems.
Lighting systems are commonly used for many lighting/illumination applications, such as general purpose illumination, backlights, signals and displays. Lighting systems generally include one or more light sources. A diffuser is generally provided to diffuse the light that is emitted from the light source, so as to homogenize the light and reduce direct visibility of the light source to a viewer. In many applications, multiple light sources, such as multiple Cold Cathode Fluorescent (CCFL) bulbs, multiple Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and/or multiple incandescent bulbs are used, and it may be desirable for the diffuser to homogenize the light from the multiple light sources.
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The present invention relates to a golf swing analysis device and a golf swing analysis method.
A golf swing analysis device such as that disclosed in JP-A-2010-11926 has been known. The golf swing analysis device disclosed in JP-A-2010-11926 utilizes an optical motion capture system that captures the state of a swing made by a golfer. A marker is fixed at a given position of the golfer or golf club, and the moving path of the given position is recorded by capturing the motion of the marker.
However, a golf swing analysis device that utilizes an optical motion capture system, such as that disclosed in JP-A-2010-11926, has a problem in that large equipment is required, and field measurement is difficult. In recent years, a golf swing analysis method that utilizes an inertial sensor has been used in order to solve the above problem. For example, the golf swing analysis device disclosed in JP-A-11-169499 is designed so that an acceleration sensor is attached to a golf club, and a golf swing is analyzed utilizing the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor.
A related-art golf swing analysis device that utilizes an inertial sensor makes it possible to analyze a golf swing, but has a problem in that it is impossible to provide information that makes it possible to analyze a timing at which a transition to a natural swing occurs (i.e., a timing at which the golfer reduces the rotation of the shoulders to some extent during a swing) after the power produced by the upper part of the body of the golfer has been transmitted to the golf club in the first half of the swing (and a phenomenon that causes such a situation).
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drive transmission device in which rotary force of a driving source is transmitted to a driven unit through a belt wound around a driving pulley and a driven pulley, and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various known apparatuses, such as image forming apparatuses, include a drive transmission device in which rotary force of a driving source, such as a motor, is transmitted to a driven unit.
For example, in an image forming apparatus, driving force of a motor as a driving source is transmitted to a driving roller which drives a driven unit (for example, a photosensitive drum or an intermediate transfer belt) through a plurality of gears. However, the configuration of transmitting driving force using gears has had a problem that vibrations may occur in the image forming apparatus due to vibromotive force caused by a rotation transmission error (especially, an engagement transmission error) between a driving gear and a driven gear. There has been a possibility that vibrations which have occurred at the gears are transmitted to supporting members, such as a shaft, a bearing, and a side plate, and generate noise.
There has been a known drive transmission device that includes a driving pulley, a driven pulley, and a belt wound around the pulleys, and transmits rotational driving force of a driving source (motor) to a driven unit by using friction force between the individual pulleys and the belt. However, in the case where the driving force is transmitted using such a device, if the driving force is increased excessively, slippage of the belt occurs. Therefore, the driving force of the driving source cannot be transmitted to the driven unit with high accuracy.
As described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-146783, there has been a technique of increasing the friction force between a pulley and a belt by allowing electrostatic attraction between the belt and the pulley, and suppressing slippage of the belt. The image forming apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-146783 applies a bias to a core metal of a driving roller as the pulley to cause electrostatic attraction force to act between the driving roller and the intermediate transfer belt, and thus transmits the driving force of the driving roller to the intermediate transfer belt.
In the technique described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-146783, the larger the potential difference between the individual pulleys and the belt, the larger the electrostatic attraction force. Therefore, a high voltage is applied to the pulleys to prevent slippage of the belt.
Furthermore, a load applied to a driven unit is not necessarily constant but may vary. Taking into consideration variations of the load onto the driven unit, it is necessary to set a high set value of an applied voltage for the case of the maximum load condition, in order to reliably prevent the occurrence of slippage between the pulleys and the belt. However, applying a high voltage to the pulley or the belt increases power consumption.
The present invention has been designed to solve the problems of the related art. The present invention appropriately suppresses the slippage between a pulley and a belt by efficiently generating a necessary friction force without performing excessive voltage application.
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In the positioning control of a linear motor, a linear scale is used to increase a positioning accuracy. However, when a mover of the linear motor has a long range of motion, it is necessary to increase the length of the linear scale. In addition, it is also necessary to use a linear scale having less distortion. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the linear motor is increased.
Accordingly, a linear scale is only mounted in a range of motion in which positioning control is needed, so that the manufacturing cost is reduced (Patent Literature 1).
In addition, the magnetism of a drive magnet of a linear motor is detected using an MR sensor attached to a mover and a position of the mover is calculated from the detected magnetic strength to perform the positioning control.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the measurement of the viscoelasticity of saliva, and more particularly, to a device for the measurement of saliva viscoelasticity in order to determine a woman's ovulation time.
2. The Prior Art
It has been known that the cervical mucus of a female has a maximum fluidity just before ovulation, where ovulation is defined as the moment that an ovum is released from the follicle. This knowledge lead to the applicant's previous activities in the development of techniques for monitoring the viscoelasticity, or tackiness, and other properties of cervical mucus as a predictor of time of ovulation and to improvements in rheometer or viscometer apparatus for measuring such viscoelastic properties. See, for example, L. E. Kopita and H. J. Kosasky, "The Tackiness Rheometer Determination of the Viscoelasticity of Cervical Mucus," Human Ovulation, edited by E. S. E. Hafez, Elsevier, North-Holland Biomedical Press, 1979, pp. 351 et seq., and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,002,056 and 4,167,110. Though the viscoelasticity of the cervical mucus has several small dips in its characteristic curve of viscosity versus time preceding, during, and following ovulation (a four-day period), there is a distinct identifiable minimum viscoelasticity. Instruments designed to measure this effect are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,002,056 and 4,072,045.
Saliva is now known to undergo chemical changes during the menstrual cycle, including a change in its viscoelasticity. Especially pronounced is the change in viscoelasticity of sublingual saliva, the saliva found under the tongue. See, for example, S. S. Davis, "Saliva is Viscoelastic", Experientia, 26:1298, (1970), and R. H. Davis et al., "Saliva Viscosity Reflects the Time of Ovulation", Experientia, 30:911, (1974). As described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,627, issued on Oct. 25, 1988 to the present applicant, and entitled PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING FEMALE OVULATION TIME BY MEASUREMENT OF SALIVA VISCOELASTICITY, incorporated herein by reference, the applicant previously discovered that sublingual saliva has a unique and reliably measurable minimum in viscoelasticity that is coincident with the ovulation cycle and its surge of estradiol.
There are devices on the market for measuring viscoelasticity to determine ovulation time, but these devices are designed to use cervical mucus as a sample medium, rather than saliva. The viscoelasticity of cervical mucus is an order of magnitude higher than that of saliva. So, devices designed to use cervical mucus as a sample medium are typically not sensitive enough to use saliva as a sample.
The above-identified U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,627, in addition to disclosing a process for determining female ovulation time by measuring saliva viscoelasticity, discloses a device for measuring the viscoelasticity of the sublingual saliva. The device has a shape somewhat like a syringe, with an outer cup, an inner cup concentric with and located within the outer cup, and a plunger. A roughened surface on the end of the plunger holds the saliva sample. The plunger is inserted into the inner cup until the saliva sample is compressed against the bottom of the inner cup. A predetermined amount of weight pulls the inner cup downward, stretching the saliva sample. If the viscoelasticity of the saliva is low, the saliva sample will fracture, causing the inner cup to fall to the bottom of the outer cup. An indicator at the bottom of the outer cup indicates that the inner cup has fallen to the bottom which, in turn, indicates that ovulation will soon take place. If, however, the viscoelasticity of the saliva is high, the saliva sample will hold the plunger and inner cup together so that the inner cup will not fall to the bottom, indicating that ovulation will not take place in the near future.
This device has several disadvantages. One is that the device can only be used conveniently for one person. The amount of weight that pulls the inner cup downward is selected for a specific person. There must have been a sublingual saliva sample measured from the same person at a time when the sublingual saliva is know to have the minimum viscoelasticity in order to select the amount of weight.
A second disadvantage is that the device must be taken apart in order to take a sample. The plunger must be removed from the inner cup before being inserted in the mouth to obtain a saliva sample. This has the potential for the person to easily contaminate the saliva sample by incorrectly reinserting the plunger after taking the sample, invalidating the measurement.
Thus, there continues to be a need for a device for measuring the viscoelasticity of saliva to determine a female's ovulation time that is easy to use, does not have to be calibrated for an individual, and has a low chance of sample contamination.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of controlling a transmission of a router and, more particularly, to a method of controlling the transmission of the router using polling.
2. Background of the Related Art
Generally, a router is an apparatus connecting networks having different lower hierarchy structures. The router transmits packet data (hereinafter abbreviated packet) through an optimal path established in connection with a routing table, as well as connects the received packet to another network or a target node of its own network.
There are two methods for controlling a transmission of a router, these are the interrupt-based method and the polling method. When a packet is received using the interrupt-based method, the corresponding port produces an interrupt signal so as to inform a controller of the packet's arrival. In the polling method, the controller polls the respective ports periodically or successively to make the corresponding port process the received packet.
FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of the inner structure of a router used in connection with the polling method. Router 100 connects the corresponding destination or a by-way-of the destination so that packets received through the respective ports 20, 30, 40, and 50 are transferred via the most suitable path. The traffic supported by each of the ports 20, 30, 40, and 50 depends on a line speed and circuit capacity of the connected network.
Controller 10 sends a poll to the respective ports 20, 30, 40, and 50 periodically or successively. The port receiving the poll transmits a received packet to the controller 10. Then, the controller routes the packet to its destination through an optimal path.
Ports 20, 30, 40, and 50 are unable to process the received packet until receiving the poll. When the poll is received from the controller 10, the received packet is transmitted to the controller 10. If an amount of the received packet overflows the capacity of the port, so as not to complete the transmission, the packet continues being received until the next poll is received.
In such a polling method, the controller 10 polls all of the ports successively and fairly, but fails to consider the traffic supported by the respective ports or the transmission speed of the packet. Polling is carried out on ports having high and low traffic volumes without distinction, thereby reducing the system efficiency. Also, the polling method fails to respond to burst traffic properly, thereby reducing the performance of the router. Moreover, the packet may be destroyed if an overflow occurs, due to the abrupt increase of a traffic through a specific port.
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1. Field
One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to an organic light emitting display apparatus and a method of fabricating the same, and more particularly, to an organic light emitting display apparatus having an improved stack structure so as to reduce the number of mask used and a method of fabricating the organic light emitting display apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, flat panel display apparatuses, which may be portable, are widely used as display apparatuses. Among flat panel display apparatuses, electroluminescence display apparatuses are self-emission type display apparatuses, which have a wide viewing angle, excellent contrast, and a fast response speed, and thus, are considered as next generation display apparatuses. In addition, organic light emitting display apparatuses, in which a light emitting layer is formed of an organic material, have higher brightness, superior driving voltages, and faster response speeds than those of inorganic light emitting display apparatuses, and may realize multiple colors.
Organic light emitting display apparatuses include a thin film transistor (TFT) unit and an organic light emitting device driven by the TFT unit to emit light. The TFT unit may be formed by stacking a conductor, a semiconductor, and an insulating layer on a substrate, and forming a TFT including a driving transistor and a switching transistor, a capacitor, data lines, scan lines, and pixel units for controlling the organic light emitting device. The TFT unit may be fabricated by a photoresist process by using a mask.
However, since the data lines and the scan lines cross each other on the substrate, it is difficult to dispose the data lines and the scan lines in the same layer. Therefore, the data lines and the scan lines are disposed in different layers, separated by the insulating layer, according to the conventional art. However, when the number of stacked layers increases, processes of exposing patterns by using a mask and etching are additionally performed. Therefore, fabrication processes become complex as the number of stacks increases.
Recently, a half-tone mask has been used to reduce the number of masks used; however, exposure degrees vary depending on portions exposed when using a mask once. Therefore, it is very difficult to perform the process described above, and thus, defective rate of products is increased.
In addition, since the substrate has increased in sized in order to realize a large screen, low resistance wires are necessary, and thus, the data lines and scan lines are formed to be thick. However, the insulating layer disposed between the data lines and the scan lines, which are disposed in different layers, should be thicker than the data lines and the scan lines in order to prevent an electric short from generating where the data lines and the scan lines intersect.
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Such a laser device and a production method therefore is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,954,479, the content of which is incorporated herewith in the present description by reference. An optically pumped surface-emitting semiconductor laser device comprising an amplifier region as vertical emitter region and at least one edge-emitting semiconductor laser as pump radiation source is described. The vertical emitter region and the pump radiation source are grown epitaxially on a common substrate. This makes it possible to achieve a space-saving monolithically integrated arrangement of vertical emitter region and pump radiation sources.
A high pumping efficiency, and thus a high output power of the vertical emitter, is achieved if the wavelength of the pump radiation source is shorter than the wavelength of the radiation emitted by the vertical emitter. This can be achieved, for example, by means of different compositions of the materials of the radiation-emitting pump or vertical emitter layer or by different dimensioning of these layers.
A typical production approach for such a semiconductor laser device is to epitaxially grow the layers for the vertical emitter region initially over a large area on a substrate. Subsequently, these layers are selectively etched away again in the lateral regions which are provided for the pump radiation sources. In a second step of epitaxy, the layers of the pump radiation sources are then finally grown epitaxially in these regions.
Such a two-step epitaxial process is disadvantageous for a number of reasons. In the transition region between pump radiation sources and vertical emitter region, it is difficult to avoid grain boundaries and an increased density of defects which leads to optical absorption losses at this point. Furthermore, the edge of the vertical emitter region can influence the growth mode of the layers of the pump radiation sources in the transition region which can result in a disadvantageous deviation of the layer thicknesses in this transition region. In addition, the two-step epitaxial process is associated with high production expenditure.
From Gerhold et al., IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, Volume 34, No. 3, 1998, pages 506-511, an optically pumped semiconductor laser device produced in a one-step epitaxy is known. Vertical emitter region and pump radiation sources have a common active layer with a quantum well structure. In the region used as pump radiation source, the quantum well structure is intermixed with impurity atoms which leads to the generation of radiation having a shorter wavelength in this region than in the vertical emitter region (IILD—impurity induced layer disordering). However, the method of intermixing with impurity atoms only allows small variations of the wavelength and is also accompanied by the risk that the effectiveness of the radiation emission and thus the pump efficiency will drop.
A general problem with optically pumped semiconductor laser devices which are produced in a one-step epitaxy is represented by the fact that the layer structure of vertical emitter region and pump radiation sources is initially identical. Ideally, in operation, a radiation field expanding laterally should only be generated in the area of the pump radiation sources and in the vertical emitter region only a radiation field expanding in the vertical direction should be generated. Vertically propagating modes in the region of the pump radiation sources reduce the pump radiation power generated. Analogously, laterally expanding radiation modes generated in the vertical emitter region reduce the population inversion and thus the pump efficiency. An efficiently operating semiconductor laser device of said type thus presupposes that the balance between pump layer and vertical emitter layer is cancelled, i.e. that pump layer and vertical emitter layer are no longer equivalent.
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Many vehicles utilize catalysts in exhaust systems to reduce emission. In lean exhaust conditions, such as with regard to diesel exhaust or other lean burning conditions, a catalyst may utilize reductant other than burnt fuel. One such aftertreatment device is a Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system, which uses a catalyst to convert NOx to nitrogen and water. A urea-based SCR catalyst may use gaseous ammonia as the active NOx reducing agent, in which case an aqueous solution of urea may be carried on board of a vehicle, and an injection system may be used to supply it into the exhaust gas stream.
At ambient temperatures of less than −11° C., the aqueous urea solution (comprising 32.5% urea and 67.5% water) may freeze in the on board urea storage tank. Thus, a pick-up tube of the injection system may not be able to deliver urea to the injector for delivery to exhaust gas and NOx reduction. In one approach, the urea storage tank includes an electric heating system to warm the frozen urea. Further, components of the urea storage tank and reductant injection system may have a freeze-safe design to assure functionality and survivability of the injection system over multiple freeze/thaw cycles.
The inventors of the present application have recognized a problem in the above solutions. First, there may be increased cost associated with the heating and freeze-safe components for the urea storage tank and reductant injection system. Second, fuel economy may be decreased by using energy produced by the vehicle to heat the entire urea tank, and such heating may take an extended duration, thus reducing the amount of exhaust gasses that can be treated catalytically with the reductant, and thus increasing exhaust emissions overall.
Accordingly, in one example, some of the above issues may be addressed by a liquid reductant injection system. The liquid reductant injection system includes a storage tank housing a reductant solution, a return conduit extending into the storage tank, the return conduit including an outlet positioned in the storage tank, and a thermosyphon comprising an evaporator coupled to an exhaust conduit and in fluidic communication with a condenser coupled to the return conduit inside the storage tank, the condenser positioned vertically above the evaporator.
In this way, waste heat from the exhaust system can be used to passively heat the reductant solution in the storage tank via the thermosyphon. In some examples, the thermosyphon is a closed-loop thermosyphon. Thus, in such an example, the thermosyphon does not need an outside power source or controller to operate although such components could be used, if desired. As a result, the reductant solution is heated without decreasing the fuel economy by using energy produced by combustion to heat the storage tank.
Additionally, in some examples the reductant solution may include ethanol. By including ethanol in the reductant solution, a freezing point temperature of the liquid reductant may be reduced. As such, the occurrences of reductant freezing may be reduced and/or the size and/or operating temperature range at which thermosyphon functions can be decreased.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.
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The skin of an aircraft is typically composed of multiple, individual pieces that must be securely attached to both one another and/or to a support structure. During the manufacture and assembly process, the aforementioned individual skin pieces are drilled with holes so that they may be via fasteners and/or rivets. It is oftentimes required to prepare the holes of these components prior to attachment. This preparation of the holes typically requires that the holes be cleaned prior to rivet insertion, because they may contain residual dirt and contaminants, such as lubricant and/or solvent.
Preparation techniques currently used in the art include inserting or pushing a swab of gauze through an open fastener hole using a tool or poking device such as a screw driver. Other techniques currently utilized in the art entail inserting a cotton tipped stick or swab through an open fastener hole. Prior to insertion into the holes, the gauze or cotton tipped stick of the aforementioned techniques are oftentimes soaked or saturated in Methyl Propyl Ketone (MPK) or other cleaning solvents to aid in the removal of contaminants and dirt from the holes.
The above-described hole preparation techniques have drawbacks however. For example, hole preparation, specifically the cleaning of the hole prior to fastener installation, accounts for a significant amount of time, manpower and resources during the aircraft assembly process. Furthermore, the aforementioned hole preparation techniques can be somewhat tedious and fatiguing to the mechanic operator performing the task. In addition, waste is generated as a result of the techniques currently employed to prepare holes which must be disposed of properly, adding additional cost to the assembly process. Therefore, given the number of holes on a standard commercial aircraft, and given the fact that typically, each and every hole must be manually prepared, it would be desirable if hole preparation techniques were made more efficient in terms of time consumption and cost.
The hole preparation process is typically a multi-step process. During the process the mechanic or technician may prepare upwards of 1000 holes during his or her shift. This process is oftentimes preceded by a process of saturating the cotton swabs or gauze with cleaning solvents prior to insertion into the hole to aid in the removal of contaminants, which requires additional time. Next, the swab is forced or inserted into the hole. The force required by the mechanic or technician to pass a cotton swab through an individual hole can oftentimes be significant, making the process laborious when repeated many times. Once the swab is passed through the hole, the next step the mechanic or technician performs is to analyze both the hole and swab for dirt and contaminants to determine if an additional treatment is required. Oftentimes a second pass with a new swab is required to ensure the hole is, in fact, clean. As a result, hole preparation sometimes requires a significant amount of time due to the number of holes on an aircraft structure and the multiple steps involved to insure they are prepared properly, requiring the employment of multiple operators or technicians.
Furthermore, as previously mentioned, the current preparation techniques can generate large amounts of waste. Each time a piece of gauze or a cotton swab is passed through a hole, waste is generated. Also, as previously mentioned, a single gauze swab may not be enough to thoroughly clean a hole, necessitating multiple passes through a hole using multiple swabs. Thus, to thoroughly and correctly clean holes prior to rivet or fastener insertion, a large amount of waste material may be generated. In addition, the gauze or cotton is typically treated with solvents, and therefore may require additional disposal steps.
Also, another drawback typically associated with the above-described techniques is that as a swab is pushed through a hole, it exits out the opposite site of the hole where it typically drops onto the factory floor or another section of the aircraft structure. When the swab contacts the aircraft or after exiting the hole, it can transfer contaminants to the other aircraft structure. As a result, the aircraft must be cleaned to remove the contaminants that were possibly transferred and the used swabs that have accumulated as a result of the cleaning must be collected and disposed of, both of which can contribute additional time and manpower to the preparation process.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art to provide a cleaning apparatus and method that allows for convenient and efficient preparation and cleaning of holes prior to rivet or fastener insertion. Also, there is a further need for an apparatus and method for preparing holes prior to fastener insertion that reduces the amount of waste produced during the preparation process.
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In paperboard containers, a flat paperboard blank is folded over on itself to form a container that is square or rectangular in cross-section. The side ends of the container are sealed together to form the final structure. The paperboard is coated on its exterior and interior surfaces with a heat-sealable material that will bond to form the container. Typically, this heat sealable material is a low density polyethylene (LDPE) or other material having a melting point low enough to seal without damaging the paperboard.
There can be additional layers of material on the product side of the paperboard, between the paperboard and the interior sealing layer. One of these layers is usually a gas barrier layer. The gas barrier layer is either laminated, extruded, or co-extruded onto the paperboard to provide a board with gas barrier properties. Extrusion or co-extrusion is a faster, lower cost process than lamination. The cost of a laminate film and associated handling is also avoided with co-extrusion.
The need for a gas barrier in paperboard packages is well known and there have been many solutions to reduce gas transfer through the paperboard assembly. The amount and rate of gas transfer will depend on the type of barrier layer or layers that is used.
Particularly, the need for an oxygen barrier is well known. Oxygen contacting the product reduces the shelf life of the product. The amount and rate of oxygen transfer will depend on the type of barrier layer or layers that is used. The oxygen barrier layer is laminated, extruded or co-extruded onto the paperboard to provide a paperboard assembly with oxygen barrier properties. Oxygen is the gas for which barriers are tested but the barriers are useful for other gases so the barriers are commonly termed “gas barriers.”
There are other factors than oxygen permeability that enter into the choice of a barrier material. Cost is a factor, both in the type and cost of the barrier material being used and also in the amount required to obtain the necessary barrier properties. The number of layers or laminations of material are a factor in the cost.
The most effective, and most costly, oxygen barrier has been an aluminum foil barrier. Food, such as chips, has been placed in foil or plastic pouches. Aluminum foil has also been used in juice containers. Plastic materials, such as nylon, have also been used as barrier materials. Many other materials have been proposed and used in order to reduce the cost of the barrier material. Each of these materials has attributes and shortcomings. Usually, a number of layers of different materials are provided, with each layer having a special function. These functions might be the ease of attachment, a barrier for certain gases, a barrier for certain chemicals in the contained liquid, the ability to adhere two layers together, and the ability to seal the container. Each of these layers adds cost to the container, both in material cost and production cost.
An effective oxygen barrier will have an oxygen transfer rate (OTR) of 40 or less cubic centimeters of oxygen per square meter per day (cc/m.sup.2/day) at standard temperature and pressure (STP) and 50% relative humidity (% RH). Water soluble or water dispersible oxygen barrier materials such as polyvinyl alcohol require large quantities of material per square meter to be effective. This is usually more material than can be applied in a coating application such as a size press without manufacturing difficulty.
A paperboard packaging material minimizing oxygen permeability is desired.
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1-Amino, 3-substitutedphenylcyclopentanecarboxylates are important intermediates for the preparation of a useful class of biologically-active molecules. The processes disclosed in the art for the preparation of these compounds do not address the isolation of stereoisomers with enriched diastereomeric and/or enantiomeric excess. As such there is a need for the development of a process that addresses the isolation of material with diastereomeric and enantiomeric enrichment.
In contrast to previously known processes the present invention discloses an effective method for the preparation and isolation of (1R,3R)-methyl 1-amino-3-(4-bromophenyl)cyclopentanecarboxylate, (1R,3S)-methyl 1-amino-3-(4-bromophenyl)cyclopentanecarboxylate, (1S,3S)-methyl 1-amino-3-(4-bromophenyl)cyclopentanecarboxylate, (1S,3R)-methyl 1-amino-3-(4-bromophenyl)cyclopentanecarboxylate, (1R,3R)-1-amino-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)cyclopentanecarboxylate, (1S,3S)-1-amino-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)cyclopentanecarboxylate which is high yielding and provides for enrichment in both diastereomeric and enantiomeric excess.
These compounds are intermediates in the synthesis of other compounds that possess pharmacological activity. In particular, these other compounds include but are not limited to S1P1 agonists such as those described in WO 2007089715 A2, WO 2006088944 A1 and other publications. S1P1 agonists are useful, e.g., in the treatment of inflammatory diseases and conditions, and in the treatment of other diseases and conditions.
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One of the most common and life-threatening medical conditions is ventricular fibrillation, a condition where the human heart is unable to pump the volume of blood required by the human body. The usual way of restoring a normal rhythm to a heart experiencing ventricular fibrillation is to apply a strong electric pulse to the heart using an external cardiac defibrillator. External cardiac defibrillators have been successfully used for many years in hospitals by doctors and nurses, and in the field by emergency treatment personnel, e.g., paramedics.
Conventional external cardiac defibrillators first accumulate a high-energy electric charge on an energy storage capacitor. When a switching mechanism is closed, the stored energy is transferred to a patient in the form of a large current pulse. The current pulse is applied to the patient via a pair of electrodes positioned on the patient's chest. The switching mechanism used in most contemporary external defibrillators is a high-energy transfer relay. A discharge control signal causes the relay to complete an electrical circuit between the storage capacitor and a wave shaping circuit whose output is connected to the electrodes attached to the patient.
Although the high-energy transfer relays used in external cardiac defibrillators have performed satisfactorily, they have a variety of disadvantages. One of the major disadvantages is the electromagnetic interference (EMI) that is caused when the relay is closed. EMI can be detrimental to the signals used by nearby control circuits and makes the use of EMI-sensitive circuitry impractical during the application of the defibrillation pulse. Due to the EMI interference, external defibrillators typically temporarily place all control circuitry in an "inactive" state while a defibrillation pulse is applied. External defibrillators are therefore unable to verify that the switching mechanism or relay is working properly because a limited amount of circuitry is operational during the application of the defibrillation pulse.
An additional disadvantage of using a relay is that prior to the application of the defibrillation pulse, it may be impractical to test the integrity of the relay. For example, one method for testing the relay requires discharging the energy storage capacitor into a test load. This and similar methods require not only discharging most of the energy in the energy storage capacitor during each test, but also require extra circuitry including a test load.
The present invention is directed to providing a method and apparatus that overcome the foregoing and other disadvantages. More specifically, the present invention is directed to providing a method and apparatus for verifying the integrity of an output circuit before and during the application of a defibrillation pulse.
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As opposed to planar complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) devices, vertical field effect transistors (VFETs) are oriented with a vertical fin channel disposed on a bottom source/drain and a top source/drain disposed on the fin channel. The gate runs vertically alongside the vertical fin channel. Thus, with VFETs the gate length (Lg) is decoupled from the device footprint, and as such VFETs have been pursued as a potential device option for scaling CMOS to the 5 nanometer (nm) node and beyond.
For many circuit applications there is a need for devices with different gate lengths (Lg). With a VFET architecture, however, creating different gates lengths can be challenging due to the vertical orientation of the fin channel.
Therefore, techniques for efficiently and effectively forming VFET devices with different gate lengths would be desirable.
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{
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Clinical laboratory testing has changed and improved remarkably over the past 70 years. Initially, tests or assays were performed manually, and generally utilized large quantities of serum, blood or other materials/body fluids. As mechanical technology developed in the industrial work place, similar technology was introduced into the clinical laboratory. With the introduction of new technology, methodologies were also improved in an effort to improve the quality of the results produced by the individual instruments, and to minimize the amount of specimen required to perform each test.
More recently, instruments have been developed to increase the efficiency of testing procedures by reducing turnaround time and decreasing the volumes necessary to perform various assays. Present directions in laboratory testing focus on cost containment procedures and instrumentation. Laboratory automation is one area in which cost containment procedures are currently being explored. Robotic engineering has evolved to such a degree that various types of robots have been applied in the clinical laboratory setting.
The main focus of prior art laboratory automation relies on the implementation of conveyor systems to connect areas of a clinical laboratory. Known conveyor systems in the laboratory setting utilize separate conveyor segments to move specimens from a processing station to a specific laboratory work station. In order to obtain cost savings, the specimens are sorted manually, and test tubes carrying the specimens are grouped in a carrier rack to be conveyed to a single specific location. In this way, a carrier will move a group of 5-20 specimens from a processing location to a specific work station for the performance of a single test on each of the specimens within the carrier rack.
With the advent of the inventors' new laboratory automation system, as described in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 07/997,281, entitled "METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC TESTING OF LABORATORY SPECIMENS", the inventor has provided a laboratory automation system which requires a different type of conveyor system for the transport of specimens throughout the laboratory. The new laboratory automation system of the co-pending patent application calls for the identification and conveyance of an individual patient's specimen to at least one of a plurality of separate work stations. As discussed above, prior art conveyor systems were based on increasing the quantity of specimens conveyed to a single work station to obtain cost savings. For this reason, prior art conveyor systems were typically "point to point" wherein a plurality of specimens were moved from a processing location to a single work station for completion of a test on all such specimens, at which time the plurality of specimens were returned to the processing station. Such conveyor systems suffer several drawbacks.
First, it is not possible to expedite the processing of a single specimen which is included within a plurality of specimens conveyed to a specific work station. Rather, all of the specimens are conveyed to the work station, all of the specimens are tested, and then all of the specimens are returned to the processing station. Individualized, or prioritization, is not possible with such a conveyor system.
In addition, conducting more than one test on an individual specimen is time consuming. Again, an individual specimen is included in a group of specimens which is transported to a single work station. Before a second test may be performed on any individual specimen, the first test at the work station must be completed on all specimens included in the carrier rack transported to the particular work station. After completion of the first testing procedure at the first work station, all of the specimens are returned to the processing station, at which time individual specimens may then be redirected to a different carrier rack for transport with a plurality of other specimens to a second work station, wherein a multitude of identical tests are performed on a plurality of specimens in that second carrier rack.
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Radar systems are typically provided with a mechanical stabilization system for controlling the angular position of a radar antenna to thereby maintain a constant reference frame for the antenna with respect to a reference axis or plane, e.g., ground. Such mechanical stabilization is usually accomplished using servomechanisms, e.g., gimbal and drive systems. There are three types of vehicle motion that can affect the angular position of the radar antenna: roll, pitch and yaw. Roll is the side-to-side angular motion about a longitudinal, i.e., fore and aft, axis of the vehicle. Pitch is the alternating motion about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. Yaw is the motion of the vehicle about the vehicle's vertical axis. Position or rate gyros are typically used to sense vehicle pitch and roll, and issue position signals directly to the stabilization system to maintain the desired antenna reference.
A problem with using gimbal and drive systems for mechanical antenna stabilization is that they add significant weight to the radar system, which is of particular concern in radars intended for use on aircraft. Additionally, because of complexities associated with stabilization systems, they are prone to frequent repair and maintenance. Another problem is that servomechanisms required for roll and pitch stabilization increase the overall size of an antenna assembly with the result that within a given installation space, the area for the radiating portion of the antenna, and consequently the antenna gain and resolution, must be reduced.
A radar antenna that is rotational only about a vertical or yaw axis and not provided with roll and pitch stabilization, i.e., having a fixed platform, is referred to as being "strapped down". A strapped down antenna eliminates weight penalties and complexities associated with mechanical stabilization systems, and also reduces the space requirement for a given antenna. However, any roll and pitch experienced by a vehicle carrying the antenna is translated directly to the antenna. Movement of the antenna in roll and pitch may look to the radar system like movement of the target, and therefore, fixed platform antennas are incapable of providing accurate target position information during roll and/or pitch of the antenna, thereby preventing the radar tracking system from maintaining target tracking and correlation accuracy during antenna roll and/or pitch.
For example, if a strapped down radar is mounted on an aircraft which is located at an altitude of 1,000 feet, and is tracking an object 10 nautical miles away, a target bearing 45.degree. relative to the aircraft will have a radar indicated azimuth of 45.degree. relative during level flight. However, if the aircraft is in a roll angle of 10.degree., and therefore the radar antenna is at a 10.degree. roll angle with respect to the reference axis, the indicated azimuth will be 44.4.degree. relative. Similarly, if the aircraft is at a 10.degree. pitch angle, the indicated azimuth will be 45.6.degree. relative. The difference between the radar indicated azimuth and the actual azimuth increases with increased roll angle and pitch angle so that, for example, at a roll angle of 25.degree., the indicated azimuth will be 41.9.degree. for a target with an actual azimuth of 45.degree. relative.
The azimuth error suffered by radars which are not roll and pitch stabilized manifests itself as a "blurred" or "smeared" representation of the target on a radar display. Additionally, when roll or pitch movement of the radar antenna is rapid or of a large magnitude, the target may "jump" on the display. The azimuth error will also result in errors in the indicated target track position and velocity as provided by a radar tracking system. The tracking system position and velocity errors degrade the system's ability to maintain target track and correlation.
Typically, in a radar system used for target tracking, target position information is displayed as true azimuth rather than relative to the heading of the vehicle. In vehicles that experience rapid heading changes, e.g., aircraft, this may result in additional azimuth error. For example, if an aircraft is in a rapid or high speed turn, any delay or inaccuracy in the aircraft heading information provided to the tracking system will generate errors in target track information during the conversion from relative azimuth to true azimuth. These error in aircraft heading information typically result from delayed response of platform sensors to changes in aircraft heading, e.g., delayed response of heading rate gyros to rapid changes in aircraft heading. This azimuth error further degrades the tracking system's ability to maintain target acquisition and correlation.
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An electric motor is described, for example, in DE 103 13 274 A1 and the corresponding EP 1 419 568 B1. In this case the motor is specifically one which has a substantially closed or encapsulated motor housing having a high level of IP protection in accordance with DIN/IEC EN 60034-part 5, comprising a stator and an external rotor, which surrounds the stator from one side as part of a motor housing in the form of a pot, and an adjoining electronics housing as a further part of the motor housing on the side axially opposite the external rotor, which electronics housing contains control electronics. The motor housing is designed so as to be substantially closed or encapsulated, apart from an annular gap required for the rotation between the external rotor and the adjoining housing region, this annular gap being sealed off against the ingress of moisture and other contaminants via a rotary seal, generally in the form of a labyrinth seal. With the known motor, the electronics housing has an opening for electrical connection purposes, it being possible for this opening to be closed in a seal tight manner by means of a connecting plug-type connector, which is connected to external connecting lines. Within the electronics housing, corresponding opposing contacts are arranged in the region of the housing opening as the connecting device. The cited publications do not disclose anything about the nature of the internal electrical connections between the opposing contacts of the connecting device and the control electronics and between the control electronics and the stator or the wiring device thereof.
However, with such known motors it has until now been the case that fixedly connected, in particular soldered lines have been provided for all internal connections.
In this regard, reference is also made in supplementary fashion to the publication which was cited and whose contents were acknowledged in EP 1 419 586 B1: Ziehl Abegg's company brochure “The Intelligent Drive”, EC Flyer p65 01/99. With the EC motor depicted therein, the internal line connections can clearly be identified.
Although such motors correspond to a high level of IP protection, under unfavorable operating conditions damp or even moisture can nevertheless enter the motor housing, to be precise primarily through the unavoidable annular gap between the external rotor and the adjoining housing region. Once moisture has entered here, it can propagate within the motor and result in damage.
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of manufacturing plasma display panels, referred to hereinafter as PDPs, in which a pair of substrates with a discharge space therebetween is vacuum sealed along the respective peripheries thereof, and particularly relates to a sealing method to form such a panel having such a sealed discharge space.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hereinafter is described a structure of an AC-driven three-electrode surface discharge type PDP, as representative of plasma display panels in which the present invention can be embodied. As shown in FIG. 19, a perspective and partially cross-sectional view of a PDP, there is arranged for each line L of a display matrix a pair of display electrodes X and Y upon an inner surface of a front glass substrate 50 in order to generate a surface discharge along a surface of the front substrate 50. The display electrodes X and Y may also be called sustain electrodes. The display electrodes X and Y are respectively formed of a stack, or laminate, of a wide, straight transparent electrode 52 formed of a thin film of ITO, Indium Tin Oxide, and a narrow straight bus electrode 53 formed of a thin metal film. The display electrodes X and Y are formed by means of a photolithography technique.
A dielectric layer 54 for the AC (alternating current) drive is formed on the inner surface of the front substrate 50, so as to cover the display electrodes X and Y and protect same from discharges in the discharge space, by means of a screen printing method. Upon dielectric layer 54 is deposited a protecting layer 55 formed of MgO, Magnesium Oxide.
On the other hand, upon an inner surface of a back glass substrate 51 there are arranged, in order to generate address discharges, address electrodes 56, orthogonal to the display electrodes X and Y and spaced by a constant pitch. The address electrodes 56 as well preferably are formed of a stack, or laminate, of metal films by means of a photolithography technique.
Upon the entire inner surface of the back glass substrate 51, including the portions above the address electrodes 56, there is formed a dielectric layer 57 by means of a screen printing method and, further, thereupon is provided a plurality of approximately 150 xcexcm high straight separator walls, or barriers, 58 each centered between a respective pair of adjacent address electrodes 56. Fluorescent materials 60, of three primary colors R (red), G (green) and B (blue) for a full color display, are coated so as to cover the surface of dielectric layer 57 including the respective, exposed portions above corresponding address electrodes 56 and the sides of the separator walls 58, by means of a screen printing method.
Within discharge space 59 is filled a discharge gas, such as typically a mixture of Nexe2x80x94Xe, i.e. neon gas and xenon gas, of several hundreds Torr, for exciting the fluorescent materials by irradiating thereon ultra-violet rays during the gaseous discharge. A sealant (seal-glass layer) 61 is provided for sealing the discharge space 59 at the respective peripheral portions of the substrates 50 and 51.
Front glass substrate 50 and back glass substrate 51 are separately prepared, and finally sealed together with sealant 61 so as to form the sealed discharge space therebetween. The structure of the PDP is thus completed.
Referring to FIGS. 20A, 20B and 21, hereinafter is described a prior art method of manufacturing the PDP, including a step to form the discharge space shielded from the external space (i.e., the surrounding exterior space) with the above described sealant 61. FIGS. 20A and 20B illustrate a cross-sectional view and a plan view, respectively, of a PDP in a step for peripheral edge sealing; and FIG. 21 illustrates heating and exhausting processing cycles as a function of time.
Sealant 61 shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B has been formed by coating a glass paste on the back glass substrate 51 and, next, solidifying the paste during preparing of the back glass substrate. The thus prepared sealant is melted once during the sealing step and solidified again so as to join front glass substrate 51.
As shown in FIG. 20B, during the prior art process of sealing a PDP 71, a front glass substrate 73 and a back glass substrate 72 are stacked with a layer of sealant 74 between their respective peripheries and are clamped with several clips 77 at the peripheries thereof. Clips 77 both fix the glass substrates 72 and 73 relatively to each other as well as impose a predetermined pressure onto the peripheral portions to be sealed while the sealant 74 is melted.
That is, in order to form the discharge space 76 during the sealing process using sealant 74, it is necessary to melt the sealant 74 placed between the paired glass substrates 72 and 73 by heating same and to deform, i.e. press, the paired glass substrates 72 and 73 together so as to have the gap therebetween defined by the height of the separator walls. Accordingly, a pressure has to be imposed in a direction such that the paired glass substrates 72 and 73 approach each other. Several clips 77 are needed to generate the required pressure.
At the periphery of the back glass substrate 73, a conduction pipe (a glass pipe) 75 is provided so as to make a channel connecting the discharge space 76 and the outside (i.e., the exterior) of the PDP 71. The space 76 is exhausted of ambient air and then filled with a discharge gas via the pipe 75. During the prior art sealing process, a pair of the substrates 72 and 73, each of about 3 mm thickness, may be damaged by a stress due to direct clamping with many clips 77. Accordingly, it is necessary to seal the pair of substrates 72 and 73 while weakly clamped over a long time process.
The illustrative prior art method is explained in more detail with reference to FIG. 21, showing processing cycles in above described prior art. The pair of substrates 72 and 73, clamped with many clips 77 as shown in FIG. 20B, is carried into a furnace (not shown) for heating and then the seal head 5 (not shown) is closely mounted to the pipe 75. The seal head is connected to a pump for exhausting, and then to gas cylinders for gas filling (not shown in FIG. 20A).
While keeping (i.e., maintaining) such a state, a heater for heating the furnace is operated first so that the temperature inside the furnace is gradually raised so as to reach a melting temperature Tm of the sealant 74. This heating period is illustrated as a temperature-raising period T1. Next, the temperature inside the furnace is kept at the melting temperature Tm of sealant 74 for a predetermined period, which is illustrated as a first temperature-holding period T2. During the temperature holding period T2, sealant 74 is melted so as to allow both the front and back glass substrates to reach a predetermined gap therebetween defined by the height of the separator walls (e.g., as shown at 58 in FIG. 19) by the pressure of clips 77 as shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B.
The first temperature holding period T2 is a relatively long period because the process, during the temperature holding period T2, has to be carried out while the substrates 72 and 73 are clamped with clips having weak, or low, pressure as described above. When the gap between front glass substrate 72 and back glass substrate 73 reaches the predetermined gap size defined by the height of the separator walls, the temperature inside the furnace is decreased down to a solidifying temperature of sealant 74. This period is illustrated as a temperature-lowering period T3. During these periods of to T3, neither exhausting nor gas-filling is carried out from/into a discharge space 76 sealed by the sealing process.
Next, the temperature as lowered during the temperature lowering period T3 is held for a predetermined period, namely, a second, temperature holding period T4. This lowered temperature nevertheless is at a relatively high level, but such that sealant 74 does not melt. Upon beginning the second temperature-holding period T4, discharge space 76 is exhausted via an exhausting tube 75. This exhausting process is carried out in order to remove impurities existing in discharge space 76; accordingly, the temperature is kept at the high temperature T4 of second temperature holding period T4 sufficiently high as to drive out impurity gases adsorbed by the dielectric layers and the protection layers. The second temperature-holding period T4 is chosen according to the period required to complete removal of the impurity gases from the discharge space 76.
Next, the temperature inside the furnace is lowered by terminating the heater, as illustrated by a second temperature lowering period T5, during which the exhausting operation is continued so as to further remove the impurities. Upon completion of the impurity removal from the discharge space 76 and stabilization of the temperature inside the furnace at room temperature, illustrated as a room temperature period interval T6, a discharge gas is introduced, instead of the exhausting, via the conduction pipe 75 by switching a valve (not shown) provided on a pipe connected to the conduction pipe. The discharge gas is typically a mixture of neon gas and xenon gas.
By completing the processing cycle described above, the front glass substrate 72 and the back glass substrate 73 are sealed together by the sealant so as to form the discharge space 76 between these substrates 72 and 73.
In the above described prior art method, there is a possibility of breaking glass substrates 72 and 73 due to the stress caused from the many clips 77 directly contacting glass substrates 72 and 73. Therefore, the sealing process is carried out over a relatively long period with a weak dipping pressure.
Accordingly, a long period is required for the first temperature-holding period T2, that is a sealing process, resulting in the lowering of the process efficiency. Non-uniformity of the clip pressure may cause a local stress or cause an insufficiently pressed portion, whereby the glass substrate may be broken or may be incompletely sealed. The impurity removal from the discharge space, via the conduction pipe 75 only, also may cause a long exhausting period and insufficient purity in the discharge space.
It is a general object of the invention to provide a method of manufacturing a plasma display panel comprising a pair of substrates separated by a gas discharge space, which method is suitable for high efficient mass production and includes a process for reliably sealing of, and removal of impurities from, the gas discharge space.
The present invention provides a method of manufacturing a plasma display panel based on a feature that sealing a periphery of the pair of substrates is carried out with use of a force caused by a pressure difference between an interior of and an exterior of the pair of substrates during melting of the sealant. More specifically, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a plasma display panel which comprises, sequentially, a first step of forming the sealant in a frame-shape on a periphery of at least one of the substrates and stacking one of substrates onto the other via the sealant, a second step of lowering the pressure in the space, closed with the sealant, between the stacked pair of substrates and of heating the sealant for melting same as so as to compress the sealant and define a gap between the substrates, a third step of curing the sealant, once melted, to glue and fix firmly the pair of substrates to each other and form a discharge space between the pair of the substrates, and a fourth step of removing impurities out of the discharge space.
In the method according to the present invention described above, the pair is pressed toward each other, pressing the sealant by the force due to the pressure difference between the outside and the inside of the pair, during melting of the sealant by heating. Accordingly, the external force applied to the pair may be minimized, a local stress caused in the prior art is decreased and the period for sealing the pair may be shortened, by the method of the present invention. The present invention is also desirable for high efficient mass-production of the panels owing to applying the method to a sealing process in the production process where a plurality of plasma display panels is cut out from a single pair of large substrates.
Further, the present invention provides a manufacturing method based on a feature that the gap of the discharge space in the three-electrodes surface discharge type PDP described above is maintained by a plurality of separator walls or ribs separating the discharge space and formed in a predetermined pattern on the inner surface of substrate. The method for sealing along the periphery of the pair of substrates at an interval, or distance, therebetween determined by the height of the walls, includes a step of forming, previously, on one of substrates a sealant in a frame-shape higher than that of the walls and of setting an assembly of the pair of substrates in a furnace able to heat and exhaust therein, and of exhausting the outside of the pair and in turn as well the inside during melting of the sealant.
Owing to the above described invention, the present invention may improve the dynamic and/or display characteristics, because exhausting the residual solid and/or gaseous impurities in the discharge space via a leakgap at a contact-portion of the sealant and the substrate is available in a period until the beginning of the sealant melting.
The invention described above improves color purity of light emitted from fluorescent material, which is formed on one of the pair, particularly on the back substrate, as well as the separator walls in the plasma display panels subject to the present invention, because heating to melt the sealant is carried out in forming a vacuum and also sufficient purification due to the use of pressure difference between in and outside of the pair is completed. On the other hand, the luminous characteristics, such as a color temperature, in plasma display panels produced via a prior art manufacturing method is poor due to a damage caused in a process in the method.
The above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention, together with other objects and advantages, which will become apparent, will be more fully described hereinafter, with references being made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.
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The 2-chlorosulfinylazetidine-4-one compounds are valuable intermediates in the preparation of 3-exomethylene compounds which in turn are used in the manufacture of clinically useful antibacterial agents such as Cefaclor, Cefroxidine, etc. These intermediate compounds are conventionally prepared by the reaction of corresponding penicillin sulfoxide esters with N-chlorophthalimide in an inert organic solvent at 75.degree.-140.degree. C.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,052,387 (Oct. 4, 1977) and 4,081,440 (Nov. 28, 1978) by Kukolja describe a process for the preparation of 2-chlorosulfinylazetidine-4-one by treatment of the corresponding penicillin sulfoxide ester with an N-chlorohalogenating agent in an inert organic solvent in the presence or absence of a non-alkaline acid scavenger such as propylene oxide, butylene oxide, and the like, to remove any hydrogen chloride formed in the reaction. Cyclization of the intermediate with a Friedel-Craft's catalyst affords the corresponding 3-exomethylene cepham sulfoxide ester in an overall yield of 25-40% (with the exception of example 8 in U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,387).
Further, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,315 (Aug. 21, 1979), Kukolja describes a method similar to that of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,052,387 and 4,081,440 for the preparation of 2-chlorosulfinyl-azetidine-4-one, by using a non-alkaline acid scavenger such as propylene oxide, which on cyclization with stannic chloride gives the 3-exomethylene compound in a very low yield (9-34%).
The methods described in the above patents do not provide an economical, commercially viable process when the reaction scale is increased beyond typical research quantities. For example, in those instances where a quantity of 50 gm or more of penicillin sulfoxide ester has been used as the starting material, the results are poor.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,075,203 (Feb. 21, 1978) 4,165,316 (Aug. 27, 1979) Chou describes an improved process for the preparation of 2-chlorosulfinyl-azetidine-4-one intermediate by carrying out the reaction of penicillin sulfoxide ester with an N-chlorohalogenating agent in the presence of alkylene oxide in combination with calcium oxide as a hydrogen chloride acceptor. The intermediate on cyclization with a Lewis acid affords 3-exomethylene cepham ester with an overall yield varying between 32-59%.
Further improvement is reported in U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,695 (Sep. 15, 1981) by Chou wherein the use of a weakly basic, organic solvent insoluble, poly-4-(vinylpyridine) polymer cross linked with divinyl benzene as a hydrogen chloride binding agent has been used in the chlorinating step to give 2-chlorosulfinylazetidine-4-one which on cyclization with a Lewis acid gives the corresponding 3-exomethylene cepham sulfoxide esters.
A further improvement is reported in Indian Patent Application No. 1019/Del/89 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,195) in which the use of a strongly basic ion exchange resin is described to scavenge liberated hydrogen chloride during the chlorinating step. The 2-chlorosulfinylazetidine-4-one produced by this method is cyclized using a Friedel-Craft's catalyst to afford 3-exomethylene cepham sulfoxide esters.
The present invention relates to an improved method for the preparation of 2-chlorosulfinylazetidine-4-one from penicillin sulfoxide ester. It relates to an improvement in the first step of a two step process for converting penicillin sulfoxide esters via 2-chlorosulfinylazetidine-4-one intermediates to 3-exomethylene sulfoxide esters.
According to this invention, it has been found that a substantially higher yield and purity of 3-exomethylene sulfoxide ester may be achieved when an inert, organic solvent insoluble, weakly basic N-alkali metal salt of cyclic imide is used to bind the hydrogen chloride formed in one of the side reactions during the first stage of the two step process, which first stage comprises the heating of a penicillin sulfoxide ester with an N-halogenating agent in an inert organic solvent at a temperature of about 75.degree. C. to 140.degree. C. to form 2-chlorosulfinyl-azetidine-4-one intermediate.
The use of these weakly basic N-alkali metal salt of cyclic imides effectively removes the hydrogen chloride from the reaction system and thus prevents the formation of degradation products, hence giving overall higher yields. At the end of the reaction, the insoluble inorganic salt of alkali metal and cyclic imide formed during the reaction of hydrogen chloride with weakly basic N-alkali salt of cyclic imide can be easily removed by filtration after cooling the reaction mixture to a desirable temperature.
An advantage of the present invention is that the weakly basic N-alkali metal salts of cyclic imide are inexpensive and can be easily prepared by known methods as compared to the expensive and troublesome methods of preparation of cross-linked polymers as reported in the prior art (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,695 of Sep. 15, 1981), thus making the present invention more useful and simpler for industrial preparation.
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Non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs) are a heterogeneous group of lymphoproliferative diseases. NHL usually originates in lymphoid tissues and can spread to other organs (National Cancer Institute, 2015).
NHL is the seventh most common type of cancer and represents 4.3% of all new cancer cases in the U.S. (SEER Stat facts, 2014). It is the most common hematological malignancy both in Europe and the U.S. (Inoges et al., 2014).
The probability to develop NHL increases with age: The median age at the time point of diagnosis is 66 years. NHL is more common in people of Caucasian descent (21 cases per 100,000 persons), followed by Africans (15 cases per 100,000 persons) and Asians (14 cases per 100,000 persons). Men have a higher risk to develop NHL than women (23.9 cases per 100,000 males vs. 16.3 cases per 100,000 females) (SEER Stat facts, 2014).
The 5-year relative survival of NHL patients is 70% and varies with the cancer stage at the time point of diagnosis. For localized disease, the 5-year relative survival is 82%. If NHL has spread to different parts of the body, the 5-year relative survival decreases to 73.8% for regional and 62.4% for distant stage disease (SEER Stat facts, 2014). Risk factors include (high) age, male gender, ethnicity (Caucasian), exposure to benzene or radiation, HIV, autoimmune diseases, infections with HTLV-1, EBV or HHV8, infections with Helicobacter pylori, Chlamydophila psittaci, Campylobacter jejuni or HCV, (high) body weight and breast implants (American Cancer Society, 2015).
NHL has over 60 subtypes. The three most common subtypes are diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL, the most common subtype), follicular lymphoma (FL, the second most common subtype) and small lymphocytic lymphoma/chronic lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL/CLL, the third most common subtype). DLBCL, FL and SLL/CLL account for about 85% of NHL (Li et al., 2015).
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common NHL type and comprises 30% of all NHLs. DLBCL belongs to the aggressive NHL subtypes and most patients show a quickly progressing disease. The International Prognostic Index (IPI) for aggressive NHL uses five significant risk factors prognostic for overall survival:
1. Age (≤60 years vs. >60 years)
2. Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (normal vs. elevated)
3. Performance status (0 or 1 vs. 2-4)
4. Stage (stage I or II vs. stage III or IV)
5. Extranodal site involvement (0 or 1 vs. 2-4).
Patients with two or more risk factors have a less than 50% chance of relapse-free survival and overall survival at 5 years. Patients with rearrangements of the bcl-2 and myc gene and/or overexpression of myc have a particularly poor prognosis. DLBCL patients co-expressing CD20 and CD30 have a more favorable prognosis and are predestined for an anti-CD30-specific therapy (National Cancer Institute, 2015).
Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the second most common NHL type and comprises 20% of all NHLs and 70% of all indolent lymphomas. More than 90% of the patients exhibit rearrangement of the bcl-2 gene. Most patients are 50 years or older at the time point of diagnosis and have advanced stage disease. The Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (FLIPI) uses five significant risk factors prognostic for overall survival:
1. Age (≤60 years vs. >60 years)
2. Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (normal vs. elevated)
3. Stage (stage I or II vs. stage III or IV)
4. Hemoglobin level (≥120 g/L vs. <120 g/L)
5. Number of nodal areas (≤4 vs. >4).
Patients with none or one risk factor have an 85% 10-year survival rate. Patients with three or more risk factors have a 40% 10-year survival rate (National Cancer Institute, 2015).
Diagnosis of NHL is done on an excisional biopsy of an abnormal lymph node or an incisional biopsy of an involved organ. Besides immunohistochemistry, cytogenetics, molecular genetics and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) are used to clarify the diagnosis (Armitage, 2007).
Staging is done after the evaluation of the patients' history, physical examination and laboratory studies including hematologic parameters, screening chemistry studies and especially a test for serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level. Imaging studies include computed tomograms of the chest, abdomen and pelvis and a PET scan (Armitage, 2007).
Determining for prognosis and treatment decision is the differentiation between indolent NHL types and aggressive NHLs. Indolent NHLs progress slowly, have a good prognosis and respond in early stages to radiation therapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy, but are not curable in advanced stages. Aggressive NHLs progress quickly, but are responsive to intensive combination chemotherapy (National Cancer Institute, 2015).
Depending on the disease stage at the time point of diagnosis patients are classified into prognostic groups (National Cancer Institute, 2015) as follows:
StagePrognostic groupsIInvolvement of a single lymphatic site (nodal region, Waldeyer ring, thymus orspleen (I).Localized involvement of a single extra-lymphatic organ or site in the absenceof any lymph node involvement (IE).IIInvolvement of two or more lymph node regions on the same side of thediaphragm (II).Localized involvement of a single extra-lymphatic organ or site in associationwith regional lymph node involvement with or without involvement of otherlymph node regions on the same side of the diaphragm (IIE). The number ofregions involved may be indicated by a subscript Arabic numeral (for exampleII3).IIIInvolvement of lymph node regions on both sides of the diaphragm (III), whichalso may be accompanied by extra-lymphatic extension in association withadjacent lymph node involvement (IIIE) or by involvement of the spleen (IIIS) orboth (IIIE, IIIS).IVDiffuse or disseminated involvement of one or more extra-lymphatic organs,with or without associated lymph node involvement.Isolated extra-lymphatic organ involvement in the absence of adjacent regionallymph node involvement, but in conjunction with disease in distant site(s). StageIV includes any involvement of the liver or bone marrow, lungs (other than bydirect extension from another site), or cerebrospinal fluid.
The Ann Arbor staging system is usually used for patients with NHL. In this system, stage I, stage II, stage III and stage IV are sub-classified in to the categories A and B. Patients with well-defined generalized symptoms receive the designation B, while patients without these symptoms belong to category A. Category B symptoms include unexplained loss of more than 10% of body weight in the six months before diagnosis, unexplained fever with temperatures above 38° C. and drenching night sweats. Specialized designations are used depending on the involvement of specific organs/sites (National Cancer Institute, 2015) as follows:
DesignationSpecific sitesEExtranodal lymphoid malignancies near majorlymphatic aggregatesNNodesHLiverLLungMBone marrowSSpleenPPleuraOBoneDSkin
To assign a precise stage, patients receive a clinical stage (CS) based on the findings of the clinical evaluation and a pathologic stage (PS) based on the findings of invasive procedures beyond the initial biopsy (National Cancer Institute, 2015).
Treatment of NHL depends on the histologic type and stage. Standard treatment options include (National Cancer Institute, 2015):
StageStandard treatment optionIndolent,Radiation therapystage I and contiguous stage II NHLRituximab ± chemotherapyWatchful waitingOther therapies as designated for patients withadvanced-stage diseaseIndolent,Watchful waiting for asymptomatic patientsnon-contiguous stage II/III/IV NHLRituximabPurine nucleoside analogsAlkylating agents ± steroidsCombination chemotherapyYttrium-90-labeled ibritumomab tiuxetanMaintenance rituximabIndolent,Chemotherapy (single agent or combination)Recurrent NHLRituximabLenalidomideRadiolabeled anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodiesPalliative radiation therapyAggressive,R-CHOP ± (involved-field radiation therapy) IF-stage I and contiguous stage II NHLXRTAggressive,R-CHOPnon-contiguous stage II/III/IV NHLOther combination chemotherapyLymphoblastic lymphomaIntensive therapyRadiation therapyDiffuse, small, noncleaved-cell/BurkittAggressive multi-drug regimenslymphomaCentral nervous system (CNS) prophylaxisAggressive,Bone marrow or stem cell transplantationrecurrent NHLRe-treatment with standard agentsPalliative radiation therapy
Indolent, stage I and contiguous stage II NHL: Standard treatment options include radiation therapy, rituximab (anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody)±chemotherapy, watchful waiting and other therapies as designated for patients with advanced-stage disease.
Indolent, non-contiguous stage II/III/IV NHL: Standard treatment options include watchful waiting for asymptomatic patients, rituximab, obinutuzumab (anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody), purine nucleoside analogs (fludarabine, 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine), alkylating agents (cyclophosphamide, chlorambucil)±steroids, bendamustine, combination chemotherapy (CVP, C-MOPP (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone), CHOP, FND (fludarabine, mitoxantrone±dexamethasone)), yttrium-labeled ibritumomab tiuxetan and maintenance rituximab. Rituximab (R) is considered first-line therapy, either alone or in combination with other agents (R-Bendamustine, R-F (fludarabine), R-CVP (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone), R-CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone), R-FM (fludarabine, mitoxantrone), R-FCM (fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and mitoxantrone)). Under clinical evaluation are bone marrow transplantation (BMT) or peripheral stem cell transplantation (PSCT), idiotype vaccines and radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies (ofatumumab: anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody).
Indolent, recurrent NHL: Standard treatment options include chemotherapy (single agent or combination), rituximab, lenalidomide, radiolabeled anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies (yttrium-90 ibritumomab) and palliative radiation therapy. Treatment options under clinical evaluation include SCTs.
Aggressive, stage I and contiguous stage II NHL: Standard treatment options include R-CHOP±IF-XRT. Treatment options under clinical evaluation include R-ACVBP (rituximab+doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vindesine, bleomycin, prednisone).
Aggressive, non-contiguous stage II/III/IV NHL: Standard treatment options include combination chemotherapy±local-field radiation therapy. Drug combinations include ACVBP, CHOP, CNOP (cyclophosphamide, mitoxantrone, vincristine, prednisone), m-BACOD (methotrexate, bleomycin, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, dexamethasone, leucovorin), MACOP-B (methotrexate, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone fixed dose, bleomycin, leucovorin), ProMACE CytaBOM (prednisone, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, cytarabine, bleomycin, vincristine, methotrexate, leucovorin), R-CHOP. Under clinical evaluation are BMT and SCT.
Lymphoblastic lymphoma: Standard treatment options include intensive therapy and radiation therapy.
Diffuse, small noncleaved-cell/Burkitt lymphoma: Standard treatment options include aggressive multidrug regimens and CNS prophylaxis.
Aggressive, recurrent NHL: Standard treatment options include BMT or SCT, re-treatment with standard agents (rituximab, radiolabeled anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies, denileukin diftitox (a fusion protein combining diphtheria toxin and interleukin-2)) and palliative radiation therapy. Treatment options under clinical evaluation include SCT (National Cancer Institute, 2015).
Spontaneous tumor regression can be observed in lymphoma patients. Therefore, active immunotherapy is a therapy option (Palomba, 2012). An important vaccination option includes Id vaccines. B lymphocytes express surface immunoglobulins with a specific amino acid sequence in the variable regions of their heavy and light chains, unique to each cell clone (=idiotype, Id). The idiotype functions as a tumor associated antigen.
Passive immunization includes the injection of recombinant murine anti-Id monoclonal antibodies alone or in combination with IFN alpha, IL2 or chlorambucil.
Active immunization includes the injection of recombinant protein (Id) conjugated to an adjuvant (KLH), given together with GM-CSF as an immune adjuvant. Tumor-specific Id is produced by hybridoma cultures or using recombinant DNA technology (plasmids) by bacterial, insect or mammalian cell culture.
Three phase III clinical trials have been conducted (Biovest, Genitope, Favrille). In two trials patients had received rituximab. GM-CSF was administered in all three trials. Biovest used hybridoma-produced protein, Genitope and Favrille used recombinant protein. In all three trials Id was conjugated to KLH. Only Biovest had a significant result.
Vaccines other than Id include the cancer-testis antigens MAGE, NY-ESO1 and PASD-1, the B-cell antigen CD20 or cellular vaccines. The vaccines consist of DCs pulsed with apoptotic tumor cells, tumor cell lysate, DC-tumor cell fusion or DCs pulsed with tumor-derived RNA. In situ vaccination involves the vaccination with intra-tumoral CpG in combination with chemotherapy or irradiated tumor cells grown in the presence of GM-CSF and collection/expansion/re-infusion of T cells.
Vaccinations with antibodies that alter immunologic checkpoints are comprised of anti-CD40, anti-OX40, anti-41BB, anti-CD27, anti-GITR (agonist antibodies that directly enhance anti-tumor response) or anti-PD1, anti-CTLA-4 (blocking antibodies that inhibit the checkpoint that would hinder the immune response). Examples are ipilimumab (anti-CTLA-4) and CT-011 (anti-PD1) (Palomba, 2012).
Considering the severe side-effects and expense associated with treating cancer, there is a need to identify factors that can be used in the treatment of cancer in general and NHL in particular. There is also a need to identify factors representing biomarkers for cancer in general and NHL in particular, leading to better diagnosis of cancer, assessment of prognosis, and prediction of treatment success.
Immunotherapy of cancer represents an option of specific targeting of cancer cells while minimizing side effects. Cancer immunotherapy makes use of the existence of tumor associated antigens.
The current classification of tumor associated antigens (TAAs) comprises the following major groups:
a) Cancer-testis antigens: The first TAAs ever identified that can be recognized by T cells belong to this class, which was originally called cancer-testis (CT) antigens because of the expression of its members in histologically different human tumors and, among normal tissues, only in spermatocytes/spermatogonia of testis and, occasionally, in placenta. Since the cells of testis do not express class I and II HLA molecules, these antigens cannot be recognized by T cells in normal tissues and can therefore be considered as immunologically tumor-specific. Well-known examples for CT antigens are the MAGE family members and NY-ESO-1.
b) Differentiation antigens: These TAAs are shared between tumors and the normal tissue from which the tumor arose. Most of the known differentiation antigens are found in melanomas and normal melanocytes. Many of these melanocyte lineage-related proteins are involved in biosynthesis of melanin and are therefore not tumor specific but nevertheless are widely used for cancer immunotherapy. Examples include, but are not limited to, tyrosinase and Melan-A/MART-1 for melanoma or PSA for prostate cancer.
c) Over-expressed TAAs: Genes encoding widely expressed TAAs have been detected in histologically different types of tumors as well as in many normal tissues, generally with lower expression levels. It is possible that many of the epitopes processed and potentially presented by normal tissues are below the threshold level for T-cell recognition, while their over-expression in tumor cells can trigger an anticancer response by breaking previously established tolerance. Prominent examples for this class of TAAs are Her-2/neu, survivin, telomerase, or WT1.
d) Tumor-specific antigens: These unique TAAs arise from mutations of normal genes (such as β-catenin, CDK4, etc.). Some of these molecular changes are associated with neoplastic transformation and/or progression. Tumor-specific antigens are generally able to induce strong immune responses without bearing the risk for autoimmune reactions against normal tissues. On the other hand, these TAAs are in most cases only relevant to the exact tumor on which they were identified and are usually not shared between many individual tumors. Tumor-specificity (or -association) of a peptide may also arise if the peptide originates from a tumor- (-associated) exon in case of proteins with tumor-specific (-associated) isoforms.
e) TAAs arising from abnormal post-translational modifications: Such TAAs may arise from proteins which are neither specific nor overexpressed in tumors but nevertheless become tumor associated by posttranslational processes primarily active in tumors. Examples for this class arise from altered glycosylation patterns leading to novel epitopes in tumors as for MUC1 or events like protein splicing during degradation which may or may not be tumor specific.
f) Oncoviral proteins: These TAAs are viral proteins that may play a critical role in the oncogenic process and, because they are foreign (not of human origin), they can evoke a T-cell response. Examples of such proteins are the human papilloma type 16 virus proteins, E6 and E7, which are expressed in cervical carcinoma.
T-cell based immunotherapy targets peptide epitopes derived from tumor-associated or tumor-specific proteins, which are presented by molecules of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). The antigens that are recognized by the tumor specific T lymphocytes, that is, the epitopes thereof, can be molecules derived from all protein classes, such as enzymes, receptors, transcription factors, etc. which are expressed and, as compared to unaltered cells of the same origin, usually up-regulated in cells of the respective tumor.
There are two classes of MHC-molecules, MHC class I and MHC class II. MHC class I molecules are composed of an alpha heavy chain and beta-2-microglobulin, MHC class II molecules of an alpha and a beta chain. Their three-dimensional conformation results in a binding groove, which is used for non-covalent interaction with peptides.
MHC class I molecules can be found on most nucleated cells. They present peptides that result from proteolytic cleavage of predominantly endogenous proteins, defective ribosomal products (DRIPs) and larger peptides. However, peptides derived from endosomal compartments or exogenous sources are also frequently found on MHC class I molecules. This non-classical way of class I presentation is referred to as cross-presentation in the literature (Brossart and Bevan, 1997; Rock et al., 1990). MHC class II molecules can be found predominantly on professional antigen presenting cells (APCs), and primarily present peptides of exogenous or transmembrane proteins that are taken up by APCs e.g. during endocytosis, and are subsequently processed. Complexes of peptide and MHC class I are recognized by CD8-positive T cells bearing the appropriate T-cell receptor (TCR), whereas complexes of peptide and MHC class II molecules are recognized by CD4-positive-helper-T cells bearing the appropriate TCR. It is well known that the TCR, the peptide and the MHC are thereby present in a stoichiometric amount of 1:1:1.
CD4-positive helper T cells play an important role in inducing and sustaining effective responses by CD8-positive cytotoxic T cells. The identification of CD4-positive T-cell epitopes derived from tumor associated antigens (TAA) is of great importance for the development of pharmaceutical products for triggering anti-tumor immune responses (Gnjatic et al., 2003). At the tumor site, T helper cells, support a cytotoxic T cell- (CTL-) friendly cytokine milieu (Mortara et al., 2006) and attract effector cells, e.g. CTLs, natural killer (NK) cells, macrophages, and granulocytes (Hwang et al., 2007).
In the absence of inflammation, expression of MHC class II molecules is mainly restricted to cells of the immune system, especially professional antigen-presenting cells (APC), e.g., monocytes, monocyte-derived cells, macrophages, dendritic cells. In cancer patients, cells of the tumor have been found to express MHC class II molecules (Dengjel et al., 2006).
Elongated (longer) peptides of the invention can act as MHC class II active epitopes. T-helper cells, activated by MHC class II epitopes, play an important role in orchestrating the effector function of CTLs in anti-tumor immunity. T-helper cell epitopes that trigger a T-helper cell response of the TH1 type support effector functions of CD8-positive killer T cells, which include cytotoxic functions directed against tumor cells displaying tumor-associated peptide/MHC complexes on their cell surfaces. In this way tumor-associated T-helper cell peptide epitopes, alone or in combination with other tumor-associated peptides, can serve as active pharmaceutical ingredients of vaccine compositions that stimulate anti-tumor immune responses.
It was shown in mammalian animal models, e.g., mice, that even in the absence of CD8-positive T lymphocytes, CD4-positive T cells are sufficient for inhibiting manifestation of tumors via inhibition of angiogenesis by secretion of interferon-gamma (IFNγ) (Beatty and Paterson, 2001; Mumberg et al., 1999). There is evidence for CD4 T cells as direct anti-tumor effectors (Braumuller et al., 2013; Tran et al., 2014).
Since the constitutive expression of HLA class II molecules is usually limited to immune cells, the possibility of isolating class II peptides directly from primary tumors was previously not considered possible. However, Dengjel et al. were successful in identifying a number of MHC Class II epitopes directly from tumors (WO 2007/028574, EP 1 760 088 B1).
Since both types of response, CD8 and CD4 dependent, contribute jointly and synergistically to the anti-tumor effect, the identification and characterization of tumor-associated antigens recognized by either CD8+ T cells (ligand: MHC class I molecule+peptide epitope) or by CD4-positive T-helper cells (ligand: MHC class II molecule+peptide epitope) is important in the development of tumor vaccines.
For an MHC class I peptide to trigger (elicit) a cellular immune response, it also must bind to an MHC-molecule. This process is dependent on the allele of the MHC-molecule and specific polymorphisms of the amino acid sequence of the peptide. MHC-class-I-binding peptides are usually 8-12 amino acid residues in length and usually contain two conserved residues (“anchors”) in their sequence that interact with the corresponding binding groove of the MHC-molecule. In this way, each MHC allele has a “binding motif” determining which peptides can bind specifically to the binding groove.
In the MHC class I dependent immune reaction, peptides not only have to be able to bind to certain MHC class I molecules expressed by tumor cells, they subsequently also have to be recognized by T cells bearing specific T cell receptors (TCR).
For proteins to be recognized by T-lymphocytes as tumor-specific or -associated antigens, and to be used in a therapy, particular prerequisites must be fulfilled. The antigen should be expressed mainly by tumor cells and not, or in comparably small amounts, by normal healthy tissues. In a preferred embodiment, the peptide should be over-presented by tumor cells as compared to normal healthy tissues. It is furthermore desirable that the respective antigen is not only present in a type of tumor, but also in high concentrations (i.e. copy numbers of the respective peptide per cell). Tumor-specific and tumor-associated antigens are often derived from proteins directly involved in transformation of a normal cell to a tumor cell due to their function, e.g. in cell cycle control or suppression of apoptosis. Additionally, downstream targets of the proteins directly causative for a transformation may be up-regulated und thus may be indirectly tumor-associated. Such indirect tumor-associated antigens may also be targets of a vaccination approach (Singh-Jasuja et al., 2004). It is essential that epitopes are present in the amino acid sequence of the antigen, in order to ensure that such a peptide (“immunogenic peptide”), being derived from a tumor associated antigen, leads to an in vitro or in vivo T-cell-response.
Basically, any peptide able to bind an MHC molecule may function as a T-cell epitope. A prerequisite for the induction of an in vitro or in vivo T-cell-response is the presence of a T cell having a corresponding TCR and the absence of immunological tolerance for this particular epitope.
Therefore, TAAs are a starting point for the development of a T cell based therapy including but not limited to tumor vaccines. The methods for identifying and characterizing the TAAs are usually based on the use of T-cells that can be isolated from patients or healthy subjects, or they are based on the generation of differential transcription profiles or differential peptide expression patterns between tumors and normal tissues. However, the identification of genes over-expressed in tumor tissues or human tumor cell lines, or selectively expressed in such tissues or cell lines, does not provide precise information as to the use of the antigens being transcribed from these genes in an immune therapy. This is because only an individual subpopulation of epitopes of these antigens are suitable for such an application, since a T cell with a corresponding TCR has to be present and the immunological tolerance for this particular epitope needs to be absent or minimal. In a very preferred embodiment of the invention it is therefore important to select only those over- or selectively presented peptides against which a functional and/or a proliferating T cell can be found. Such a functional T cell is defined as a T cell, which upon stimulation with a specific antigen can be clonally expanded and is able to execute effector functions (“effector T cell”).
In case of targeting peptide-MHC by specific TCRs (e.g. soluble TCRs) and antibodies or other binding molecules (scaffolds) according to the invention, the immunogenicity of the underlying peptides is secondary. In these cases, the presentation is the determining factor.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet supplying device for supplying a sheet from a sheet cassette to a sheet feed path of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine.
2. Description of Related Art
A sheet supplying device is proposed as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,019, issued Nov. 6, 1990. The proposed sheet supplying device has an array of suction cups into and out of contact with an uppermost one of stacked sheets in a sheet cassette. After the suction cups are held against the uppermost sheet, a vacuum is developed in the suction cups to enable the suction cups to attract the uppermost sheet. Then, the suction cups are raised with the uppermost sheet attracted thereto, and a leading end of the attracted and raised uppermost sheet is nipped, and the sheet is delivered into a sheet feed path. When the suction cups are raised, they are angularly moved about an axis to cause the leading end of the attracted uppermost sheet to be obliquely separated from other stacked sheets.
However, in the proposed sheet supplying device, when suction cups are raised attracting the uppermost sheet, a plurality of sheets under the uppermost sheet are raised with the uppermost sheet by the static electricity generated between sheets and are fed to the sheet feed path.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tire vulcanizer known as a vulcanizing and molding press for green tires, in which a plurality of vulcanizing molds installed on a vulcanizer frame may be individually driven and operated, wherein the construction and operation of a mold clamping mechanism and a mold height adjusting mechanism in each of the molds are simplified and facilitated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A tire vulcanizer of the type in which a plurality of vulcanizing split molds are juxtaposed has been known, said tire vulcanizer comprising, in a common vulcanizer frame, a lower mold provided on the base frame side and an upper mold provided on the side frame side, said upper mold being vertically movably and open- and closable toward the lower mold. One example of such vulcanizer is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Publication No. Sho 59-71842 filed by the present applicant. In this conventional vulcanizer, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 thereof, lower molds 14 secured onto a vulcanizer base 1 and upper molds 15 vertically movably and open- and closable toward the lower molds 14 are provided along the guides 3, 3 which are side frames stood upright on the base 1, the upper molds 15 being individually moved up and down by a plurality of fluid pressure cylinders 4 disposed correspondingly in the periphery thereof. Piston rods 17 equadistantly arranged on the vulcanizing base 1 encircling the outer peripheries of the lower molds 14 and including lock portions 18 are provided, as a clamping mechanism for both upper and lower molds, and a plurality of clamping fluid pressure cylinders 2 which makes the locking position of the lock portions 18 variable according to the height of the molds are provided. A clamping movable lock shaft 32, which is engaged with and disengaged from the lock portion 18 of a piston rod 17 of the cylinder 2, is provided in the outer periphery of the upper mold 15 and corresponding to the cylinder 2. With this, the upper mold 15 is made to be closed with respect to the lower mold 14 to cause the lock portion 18 of the piston rod 17 of the fluid pressure cylinder 2 to move into a locking leg 9 of the upper mold 15 so as to engage a lock tail 31 of a lock shaft 32 of the leg 9, and rotation of the lock shaft 32 through 90 degrees locks the lock tail 31 and the lock portion 18, whereby the piston rod 17 of the cylinder 2 is moved downward to clamp the upper and lower molds 14 and 15. If different molds are used and the mold height is then varied, the piston rod 17 of the clamping fluid pressure cylinder 2 is threadedly turned for upward and downward movement to change the position of engagement with the lock tail 31 of the lock shaft 32. An apparatus for clamping upper and lower molds generally known is of the system in which a connection end of upper and lower domes provided to encircle the outer peripheries of upper and lower molds is clamped by a breech-lock mechanism (for example, such as Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Sho 59-138432 which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 4,563,130).
Generally, a tire vulcanizer frequently used is of a twin type in which two vulcanizing molds in the form of open- and closable upper and lower molds are juxtaposed on the vulcanizer frame. Usually, in the juxtaposed open- and closable upper molds in the vulcanizing split molds, top slides which form the upper construction of the upper molds are connected to each other by a connecting beam so that they may be opened and closed together. Paired synchronous driving operation is advantageous in view of productivity and operating efficiency but, in the event a mold different in thickness (or height) is used in either mold, such is disadvantageous in view of operation because accurate adjustment of the mold height is required. In the case of the twin type vulcanizer disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 22118/1982, each vulcanizer mold is constructed such that the upper mold is individually opened and closed by an exclusive-use elevating cylinder, and therefore, even if molds different in thickness (or height) are used, adjustment of the mold height can be easily carried out and vulcanizing of tires different in size may be facilitated. In addition, only one vulcanizing mold can be operated while the other is at rest. This system is suitable for a small production of a variety of kinds but has the following problems in clamping of the molds and the mechanism for adjustment of mold height. In the aforesaid patent, four clamping fluid pressure cylinders 2 are provided on the undersurface of the vulcanizer base encircling the outer periphery of the lower molds 14, and the piston rods 17 of the cylinders 2 are projected externally of the lower dome 14a. Similarly, four lock shafts 32 are likewise disposed encircling the outer dome 15a of the upper die 15 so that closure of the upper mold 15 with respect to the lower mold 14 is made completely, the lock portion 18 of the piston rod 17 is moved into the lock tail 31 of the lock shaft 32, and the lock shaft 32 is turned to lock the lock portion 18 and the lock tail 31, the piston rod 17 being pulled down to effect clamping. In adjustment of the mold height, the piston rod 17 in the cylinder 2 is moved up and down to vertically change the lock position. That is, the provision of four clamping lock shafts 32 around the upper mold 15 and of four piston rods 17 around the lower mold 14, in a limited space of the vulcanizer frame, is disadvantageous because the construction becomes complicated. Furthermore, there is required a moving mechanism for simultaneously driving four lock shafts 32 and a moving mechanism for simultaneously moving four piston rods 14, resulting in a further complication of the entire construction as required. In the tire vulcanizer, as is known, a thermal pressure medium such as steam is used for vulcanization and molding and therefore such is placed under high heat and high pressure environments. In clamping molds, the upper and lower molds are clamped against the thermal pressure medium supplied thereto, and therefore, apart from the upper mold and lower mold, the upper dome 15a and lower dome 14a surrounding the upper and lower molds, respectively, and the base frame and top link (top frame and top beam) are liable to receive flexure and deformation due to the clamping reaction. In addition, there is a tendency that the distribution of clamping force in the upper and lower mold is strong on both sides of the mold and is weaker than the former in the central side. The provision of the clamping mechanism and various moving mechanisms around the molds and of various moving mechanisms as described above therefore still pose problems in that various parts of the assembly are adversely affected.
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Medicinal benefits have been attributed to the cannabis plant for centuries. The primary bioactive constituent of cannabis is Δ9-tetrahydro-cannabinol (THC). The discovery of THC eventually led to the identification of two endogenous cannabinoid receptors responsible for its pharmacological actions, namely CB1 and CB2 (Goya, Exp. Opin. Ther. Patents 2000, 10, 1529). These discoveries not only established the site of action of THC, but also inspired inquiries into the endogenous agonists of these receptors, or “endocannabinoids”. The first endocannabinoid identified was the fatty acid amide anandamide (AEA). AEA itself elicits many of the pharmacological effects of exogenous cannabinoids (Piomelli, Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 2003, 4(11), 873).
The catabolism of AEA is primarily attributable to the integral membrane bound protein fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), which hydrolyzes AEA to arachidonic acid. FAAH was characterized in 1996 by Cravatt and co-workers (Cravatt, Nature 1996, 384, 83). It was subsequently determined that FAAH is additionally responsible for the catabolism of a large number of important lipid signaling fatty acid amides including: another major endocannabinoid, 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) (Science 1992, 258, 1946-1949); the sleep-inducing substance, oleamide (OEA) (Science 1995, 268, 1506); the appetite-suppressing agent, N-oleoylethanolamine (Rodriguez de Fonesca, Nature 2001, 414, 209); and the anti-inflammatory agent, palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) (Lambert, Curr. Med. Chem. 2002, 9(6), 663).
Small-molecule inhibitors of FAAH should elevate the concentrations of these endogenous signaling lipids and thereby produce their associated beneficial pharmacological effects. There have been some reports of the effects of various FAAH inhibitors in pre-clinical models.
In particular, two carbamate-based inhibitors of FAAH were reported to have analgesic properties in animal models. In rats, BMS-1 (see WO 02/087569), which has the structure shown below, was reported to have an analgesic effect in the Chung spinal nerve ligation model of neuropathic pain, and the Hargraves test of acute thermal nociception. URB-597 was reported to have efficacy in the zero plus maze model of anxiety in rats, as well as analgesic efficacy in the rat hot plate and formalin tests (Kathuria, Nat. Med. 2003, 9(1), 76). The sulfonylfluoride AM374 was also shown to significantly reduce spasticity in chronic relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (CREAE) mice, an animal model of multiple sclerosis (Baker, FASEB J. 2001, 15(2), 300).
In addition, the oxazolopyridine ketone OL-135 is reported to be a potent inhibitor of FAAH, and has been reported to have analgesic activity in both the hot plate and tail emersion tests of thermal nociception in rats (WO 04/033652).
Results of research on the effects of certain exogenous cannabinoids has elucidated that a FAAH inhibitor may be useful for treating various conditions, diseases, disorders, or symptoms. These include pain, nausea/emesis, anorexia, spasticity, movement disorders, epilepsy and glaucoma. To date, approved therapeutic uses for cannabinoids include the relief of chemotherapy-induced nausea and emesis among patients with cancer and appetite enhancement in patients with HIV/AIDs who experience anorexia as a result of wasting syndrome. Two products are commercially available in some countries for these indications, namely, dronabinol (Marinol®) and nabilone.
Apart from the approved indications, a therapeutic field that has received much attention for cannabinoid use is analgesia, i.e., the treatment of pain. Five small randomized controlled trials showed that THC is superior to placebo, producing dose-related analgesia (Robson, Br. J. Psychiatry 2001, 178, 107-115). Atlantic Pharmaceuticals is reported to be developing a synthetic cannabinoid, CT-3, a 1,1-dimethyl heptyl derivative of the carboxylic metabolite of tetrahydrocannabinol, as an orally active analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent. A pilot phase II trial in chronic neuropathic pain with CT-3 was reportedly initiated in Germany in May 2002.
A number of individuals with locomotor activity-related diseases, such as multiple sclerosis have claimed a benefit from cannabis for both disease-related pain and spasticity, with support from small controlled trials (Croxford et el., J. Neuroimmunol, 2008, 193, 120-9; Svendsen, Br. Med. J. 2004, 329, 253). Likewise, various victims of spinal cord injuries, such as paraplegia, have reported that their painful spasms are alleviated after smoking marijuana. A report showing that cannabinoids appear to control spasticity and tremor in the CREAE model of multiple sclerosis demonstrated that these effects are mediated by CB1 and CB2 receptors (Baker, Nature 2000, 404, 84-87). Phase 3 clinical trials have been undertaken in multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury patients with a narrow ratio mixture of tetrahydrocannabinol/cannabidiol (THC/CBD). It has been reported that FAAH knockout mice consistently recover to a better clinical score than wild type controls, and this improvement is not a result of anti-inflammatory activity, but rather may reflect some neuroprotection or remyelination promoting effect of lack of the enzyme (Webb et al, Neurosci Lett., 2008, vol. 439, 106-110).
Reports of small-scale controlled trials to investigate other potential commercial uses of cannabinoids have been made. Trials in volunteers have been reported to have confirmed that oral, injected, and smoked cannabinoids produced dose-related reductions in intraocular pressure (IOP) and therefore may relieve glaucoma symptoms. Ophthalmologists have prescribed cannabis for patients with glaucoma in whom other drugs have failed to adequately control intraocular pressure (Robson, 2001, supra).
Inhibition of FAAH using a small-molecule inhibitor may be advantageous compared to treatment with a direct-acting CB1 agonist. Administration of exogenous CB1 agonists may produce a range of responses, including reduced nociception, catalepsy, hypothermia, and increased feeding behavior. These four in particular are termed the “cannabinoid tetrad.” Experiments with FAAH −/− mice show reduced responses in tests of nociception, but did not show catalepsy, hypothermia, or increased feeding behavior (Cravatt, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2001, 98(16), 9371). Fasting caused levels of AEA to increase in rat limbic forebrain, but not in other brain areas, providing evidence that stimulation of AEA biosynthesis may be anatomically regionalized to targeted CNS pathways (Kirkham, Br. J. Pharmacol. 2002, 136, 550). The finding that AEA increases are localized within the brain, rather than systemic, suggests that FAAH inhibition with a small molecule could enhance the actions of AEA and other fatty acid amides in tissue regions where synthesis and release of these signaling molecules is occurring in a given pathophysiological condition (Piomelli, 2003, supra).
In addition to the effects of a FAAH inhibitor on AEA and other endocannabinoids, inhibitors of FAAH's catabolism of other lipid mediators may be used in treating certain other therapeutic indications. For example, PEA has demonstrated biological effects in animal models of inflammation (Holt, et al. Br. J. Pharmacol. 2005, 146, 467-476), immunosuppression, analgesia, and neuroprotection (Ueda, J. Biol. Chem. 2001, 276(38), 35552). Oleamide, another substrate of FAAH, induces sleep (Boger, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2000, 97(10), 5044; Mendelson, Neuropsychopharmacology 2001, 25, S36). Inhibition of FAAH has also been implicated in cognition (Varvel et al., J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 2006, 317(1), 251-257) and depression (Gobbi et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2005, 102(51), 18620-18625).
Two additional indications for FMH are supported by recent data indicating that FAAH substrate activated receptors are important in energy metabolism, and in bone homeostasis (Overton et al., Br. J. Pharmacol. 2008, in press; and Plutzky, Diab. Vasc. Dis. Res. 2007, 4 Suppl 3, S12-4). It has been shown that the previously mentioned lipid signaling fatty acid amides catabolized by FAAH, oleoylethanolamide (OEA), is one of the most active agonists of the recently de-orphanised GPCR 119 (GPR119) (also termed glucose dependent insulinotropic receptor). This receptor is expressed predominantly in the pancreas in humans and activation improves glucose homeostasis via glucose-dependent insulin release in pancreatic beta-cells. GPR119 agonists can suppress glucose excursions when administered during oral glucose tolerance tests, and OEA has also been shown independently to regulate food intake and body weight gain when administered to rodents, indicating a probable benefit energy metabolism disorders, such as insulin resistance and diabetes. The FAAH substrate palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is an agonist at the PPARα receptor. Evidence from surrogate markers in human studies with the PPARα agonist fenofibrate is supportive of the concept that PPARα agonism offers the potential for inducing a coordinated PPARα response that may improve dyslipidaemia, repress inflammation and limit atherosclerosis in patients with the metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes. The FAAH substrate anandamide (AEA) is an agonist at the PPARγ receptor. Anandamide treatment induces 3T3-L1 differentiation into adipocytes, as well as triglyceride droplet accumulation and expression of adiponectin (Bouaboula et al., E. J. Pharmacol. 2005, 517, 174-181). Low dose cannabinoid therapy has been shown to reduce atherosclerosis in mice, further suggesting a therapeutic benefit of FAAH inhibition in dyslipidemia, liver steatosis, steatohepatitis, obesity, and metabolic syndrome (Steffens et al., Nature, 2005, 434, 782-6).
Osteoporosis is one of the most common degenerative diseases. It is characterized by reduced bone mineral density (BMD) with an increased risk for bone fractures. CB2-deficient mice have a markedly accelerated age-related trabecular bone loss and cortical expansion. A CB2-selective agonism enhances endocortical osteoblast number and activity and restrains trabecular osteoclastogenesis and attenuates ovariectomy-induced bone loss (Ofek et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2006, 103, 696-701). There is a substantial genetic contribution to BMD, although the genetic factors involved in the pathogenesis of human osteoporosis are largely unknown. The applicability to human BMD is suggested by genetic studies in which a significant association of single polymorphisms and haplotypes was found encompassing the CNR2 gene on human chromosome 1p36, demonstrating a role for the peripherally expressed CB2 receptor in the etiology of osteoporosis (Karsak et al., Hum. Mol. Genet, 2005, 14, 3389-96). Research also demonstrates a role in osteoarthritis.
Thus, small-molecule FAAH inhibitors should be useful in treating pain of various etiologies, anxiety, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders, nausea/emesis, eating disorders, epilepsy, glaucoma, inflammation, itch, immunosuppression, neuroprotection, depression, cognition enhancement, and sleep disorders, and potentially with fewer side effects than treatment with an exogenous cannabinoid.
Certain amino-substituted pyrimidine compounds have been described in the literature. Certain 2,6-substituted-4-monosubstituted pyrimidines were disclosed as prostaglandin D2 receptor antagonists (PCT Pat. Appl. Publ. No. WO 2006/044732). Certain 2,4-Pyrimidinediamine compounds appear in U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. US 2006/0058525. U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. US 2003/0187026 describes certain heterocyclic compounds as kinase inhibitors. Certain arylalkyl heterocyclic compounds are shown as pharmaceutical agents in U.S. Pat. No. 6,881,740. Certain piperazinyl and piperidinyl ureas, heteroaryl piperazinyl ureas, and heteroaryl-substituted ureas were disclosed as inhibitors of FAAH in U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. US 2006/0173184, U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. US 2007/0004741, respectively. Certain α-keto-oxazole and oxazolyl piperidine compounds were disclosed as inhibitors of FAAH in PCT Pat. Appl. Publ. No. WO 2007/061862 and WO 2007/14005, respectively. Certain α-keto heterocyclic compounds were disclosed as inhibitors of FAAH in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,462,054 and 6,891,043, U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. Nos. US 2005/0239785 and US 2006/0111359, and PCT Pat. Appl. Publ. No. WO 2004/033652. Certain oxadiazole ketone compounds were disclosed as inhibitors of FAAH in U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. US 2006/0100212, and PCT Pat. Appl. Publ. No. WO 2006/044617. Certain oxazole ketone compounds were disclosed as inhibitors of FAAH in U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. US 2007/0203156, and PCT Pat. Appl. Publ. No. WO 2007/098142, and references cited therein for all of the publications referenced in this paragraph.
Still further, certain compounds were obtained from a third party. The compounds are identified herein as Examples 223-245 and Comparative Examples 1-8.
Despite the progress that has been achieved, there remains a desire for potent FAAH modulators with suitable pharmaceutical properties.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a closed crankcase ventilation system and, more particularly, to a closed crankcase ventilation system in which blow-by gas is introduced into an oil separator through a blow-by gas blowout opening.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, the blow-by gas is composed of partially-oxidized mixed gas, combustion gas and incompletely-combusted mixed gas. About a quarter of hydrocarbons exhausted from a vehicle is included in the blow-by gas. Since the blow-by gas is strongly acid, it causes corrosion in the engine and deterioration of oil.
Accordingly, the blow-by gas is forwarded from a combustion chamber into the crankcase of the engine and discharged from the crankcase to a head cover. Because of this account the oil becomes thin or deteriorated under the influence of heat or moisture of the combustion gas, gasoline, etc., thus generating sludge. To this end, an oil separator is typically provided to receive the blow-by gas generated in the process of the combustion in the engine and filter oil included in the blow-by gas to recycle the blow-by gas to an intake and drain the oil and impurities into an oil pan.
In a conventional oil separator, to oil separation portion typically separates oil included in the gas by rotating the introduced gas in an internal space thereof to reduce the flow rate and make the oil in the gas to adhere to the wall surface thereof using the centrifugal force. However, since the passenger and commercial diesel engines have a structure in which the blow-by gas is blown out from a rocker cover to be recycled, especially, overhead camshaft (OHC) engines have a relatively larger amount of oil and impurities due to the lubrication of cams, rocker shaft, etc.
Accordingly, at an early stage of designing the passenger and commercial diesel engines in which the oil consumption amount and the blow-by gas amount are relatively large, it is necessary to improve the durability of the turbo and intercooler system and to prevent the piston rings from being worn away due to carbons generated in the combustion chamber. Moreover, it is necessary to design the oil drain portion to be submerged in the oil at all times to prevent oil from flowing backward.
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As the use of video has become more popular in today's world, video has become available in a wide variety of video formats. These video formats are provided by using traditional video coding techniques that are able to compress video for storage and transmission, and are able to decompress video for viewing. Compression and decompression of video consumes computing resources and time. Although traditional video coding techniques can be used to encode and decode video, such techniques are limited and are often computationally inefficient.
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The present invention relates to the field of video decompression devices, and is more specifically directed to methods and circuits for reducing the memory required during decompression by storing compressed information using discrete cosine transform (DCT) based techniques.
The size of a digital representation of uncompressed video images dopends on the resolution and color depth of the image. A movie composed of a sequence of uncompressed video images, and accompanying audio signals quickly becomes too large to fit entirely onto conventional recording medium, such as a compact disk (CD). Moreover, transmitting such an uncompressed movie over a communication link is prohibitively expensive because of the excessive quantity of data to be transmitted.
It is therefore advantageous to compress video and audio sequences before they are transmitted or stored. A great deal of effort is being expanded to develop systems to compress these sequences. There are several coding standards currently used that are based on the DCT algorithm including MPEG-1, MPEG-2, H.261, and H.263. (MPEG is an acronym for xe2x80x9cMotion Picture Expert Groupxe2x80x9d, a committee of the International Organization for Standardization, ISO.) The MPEG-1, MPEG-2, H.261 and H.263 standards include decompression protocols that describe how an encoded (i.e. compressed) bitstream is to be decoded (i.e. decompressed). The encoding can be done in any manner, as long as the resulting bitstream complies with the standard.
Video and/or audio compression devices (hereinafter encoders) are used to encode the video and/or audio sequence before the sequence is transmitted or stored. The resulting encoded bitstream is decoded by a video and/or audio decompression device (hereinafter decoder) before the video and/or audio sequence is output. However, a bitstream can only be decoded by a decoder if it complies with the standard used by the encoder. To be able to decode the bitstream on a large number of systems, it is advantageous to encode the video and/or audio sequences according to a well accepted encoding/decoding standard. The MPEG standards are currently well accepted standards for one way communication. H.261, and H.263 are currently well accepted standards for two way communication, such as video telephony.
Once decoded, the decoded video and audio sequences can be output on an electronic system dedicated to outputting video and audio, such as a television or a video cassette recorder (VCR) player, or on an electronic system where image display and audio is just one feature of the system, such as a computer. A decoder needs to be added to these electronic systems to allow them to decode the compressed bitstream into uncompressed data, before it can be output. An encoder needs to be added to allow such electronic systems to compress video and/or audio sequences that are to be transmitted or stored. Both the encoder and decoder need to be added for two way communication.
FIG. 1A shows a block diagram of the architecture of a typical decoder, such as an MPEG-2 decoder 10. The decoder 10 can be both a video and audio decoder or just a video decoder, where the audio portion of the decoder 10 can be performed in any known conventional way. The encoded bitstream is received by an input buffer, typically a first-in-first-out (FIFO) buffer 30, hereinafter FIFO 30, although the buffer can be any type of memory. The FIFO 30 buffers the incoming encoded bitstream as previously received data is being decoded.
The encoded bitstream for video contains compressed frames. A frame is a data structure representing the encoded data for one displayable image in the video sequence. This data structure consists of one two-dimensional array of luminance pixels, and two two-dimensional arrays of chrominance samples, i.e., color difference samples. The color difference samples are typically sampled at half the sampling rate of the luminance samples in both vertical and horizontal directions, producing a sampling mode of 4:2:0 (luminance:chrominance:chrominance). Although, the color difference can also be sampled at other frequencies, for example one-half the sampling rate of the luminance in the vertical direction and the same sampling rate as the luminance in the horizontal direction, producing a sampling mode of 4:2:2.
A frame is typically further subdivided into smaller subunits, such as macroblocks. A macroblock is a data structure having a 16xc3x9716 array of luminance samples and two 8xc3x978 array of adjacent chrominance samples. The macroblock contains a header portion having motion compensation information and 4 block data structures. A block is the basic unit for DCT-based transform coding and is a data structure encoding an 8xc3x978 sub array of pixels. A macroblock represents four luminance blocks and two chrominance blocks.
Both NMPEG-1 and MPEG-2 support multiple types of coded frames: Intra (I) frames, Forward Predicted (P) frames, and Bidirectionally Predicted (B) frames. I frames contain only intrapicture coding. P and B frames may contain both intrapicture and interpicture coding. I and P frames are used as reference frames for interpicture coding.
In interpicture coding, the redundancy between two frames is eliminated as much as possible and the residual differences, i.e. interpicture prediction errors, between the two frames are transmitted, the frame being decoded and a prediction frame. Motion vectors are also transmitted in interpicture coding that uses motion compensation. The motion vectors describe how far, and in what direction the macroblock has moved compared to the prediction macroblock. Interpicture coding equires the decoder 10 to have access to the previous and/or future images, i.e. the I and/or P frames, that contain information needed to decode or encode the current image. These previous and/or future images need to be stored and then used to decode the current image.
Intrapicture coding for I frames involves the reduction of redundancy between the original pixels in the frame using block-based DCT techniques, although other coding techniques can be used. For P and B frames, intrapicture coding involves using the same DCT-based techniques to remove redundancy between the interpicture prediction error pixels.
Referring again to FIG. 1A. The output of the FIFO 30 is coupled to a macroblock header parser 36. The header parser 36 parses the information into macroblocks, and then parses the macroblocks and sends the header portion of each macroblock to an address calculation circuit 96. The address calculation circuit 96 determines the type of prediction to be performed to determine which prediction frames a motion compensation engine will need to access. Using the motion vector information, the address calculation circuit 96 also determines the address in memory 160 where the prediction frame, and the prediction macroblock within the frame, that is needed to decode the motion compensated prediction for the given macroblock to be decoded is located.
The prediction macroblock is obtained from memory 160 and input into the half-pel filter 78, which is coupled to the address calculation circuit 96. Typically there is a DMA engine 162 in the decoder that controls all of the interfaces with the memory 180. The half-pel filter 78 performs vertical and horizontal half-pixel interpolation on the fetched prediction macroblock as dictated by the motion vectors. This obtains prediction macroblocks.
As explained earlier, pixel blocks in I frames and prediction error pixels blocks in P or B frames are encoded using DCT-based techniques. In this approach, the pixels are transformed using the DCT into DCT coefficients. These coefficients are then quantized in accordance with quantization tables. The quantized DCT coefficients are then further encoded as variable length Huffinan codes to maximize efficiency, with the most frequently repeated values given the smallest codes and increasing the length of the codes as the frequency of the values decreases. Although codes other than the Huffman codes can be used depending on the decompression protocol. The coefficients are ordered in a rectangular array format, with the largest value in the top left of the array and typically decreasing in value to the right and bottom of the array. To produce a serial data bitstream the array is re-ordered. The order of the serialization of the coefficients is in a zig-zag format starting in the top right comer of the array, i.e if the array is thought of in a matrix format the order of the elements in zig-zag format is 11, 12, 21, 31, 22, 13, 14, etc., as shown in FIG. 1B. The quantization can be performed either before or after the zig-zag scan.
Still referring to FIG. 1A, the header parser 36 sends the encoded block data structures to a block decoder 42. The block decoder 42 decodes variable length codes representing the encoded blocks and converts them into fixed length pulse code modulation (PCM) codes. These codes represent the DCT coefficients of the encoded blocks. The PCM codes are a serial representation of the 8xc3x978 block array obtained in a zig-zag format. The inverse zig-zag scanner 54, connected to the block decoder 42, converts the serial representation of the 8xc3x978 block array obtained in a zig-zag format to a rectangular 8xc3x978 block array, which is passed to the inverse quantizer 48. The inverse quantizer 48 performs the inverse quantization based on the appropriate quantization tables and then passes that to the IDCT circuit 66. The IDCT circuit 66 performs the inverse DCT on its input block and produces the decompressed 8xc3x978 block. The inventors have found that these circuits can be broken down into functional blocks.
The prediction macroblock and the interpicture prediction errors are summed in the summing circuit 72 and passed to the assembly unit 102. Because some frames in interpicture compression require access to future frames to be decoded, the required frames should be sent before the frame that requires them. In the MPEG-2 standard frames can require both past and future frames for decompression, and the compressed frames are not sent in the same order that they are displayed in the video sequence. The assembly unit 102 ensures that the information is placed in the correct place in memory to correspond to the frame being decompressed. The resulting decoded macroblock now needs to be stored in the memory 160 in the place designated for it by the assembly unit 102. All frames need to be stored in memory 160 because the decoded macroblock may not be the next macroblock that is to be sent to the display due to the storing and transmission format of the decompression protocol. In MPEG-2 and other decompression protocols that use interpicture compression, the frames are encoded based on past and future frames. Therefore, in order to decode the frames properly, the frames are not sent in order and need to be stored until they are to be displayed.
The memory requirements of the decoder 10 for a Phase Alternation Line (PAL) and National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) application, capable of supporting 16 Mbits PAL video signals, are typically broken down to the audio and MPEG-2 video requirements. When the audio is MPEG-1, the audio decoder requires 131,072 bits of memory. The MPEG-2 video memory 160 can be logically configured into buffers as follows:
A xe2x80x9cBit buffer,xe2x80x9d which is a buffer for compressed data that the MPEG-2 standard fixes at 1.75 Mbits plus an extra amount, for example 835,584 bits, for a non-ideal decompression process;
An I frame buffer for a decompressed I-frame in a 4:2:0 format;
A P frame buffer for a decompressed P-frame in a 4:2:0 format;
A B frame buffer for a decompressed B-frame in a 4:2:0 format. The B frame buffer can be optimized to require a reduced amount of memory, that is 0.7407 or 0.6111 of an I frame respectively for PAL or NTSC system.
According to the present MPEG-2 standard technique, and regardless of which frame, i.e. I, P, or B, is concerned, each frame buffer may occupy an amount of memory given by the following table:
Taking a PAL system, which represents the most burdensome case, as a reference example, the total amount of memory required is given by:
1,835,008+835,584+4,976,640+4,976,640+(4,976,640*0.7407)=16,310,070 bits.
This calculation takes into account a 0.7407 optimization of the B-picture frame buffer.
Therefore a typical MPEG-2 decoder 10 requires 16 Mbits of memory to operate in the main profile at main level mode (MP at ML). This means that the decoder requires a 2 Mbyte memory 160. Memory 160 is dedicated to the MPEG decoder 10 and increases the price of the decoder 10. In current technology the cost of this additional dedicated memory 160 can be a significant percentage of the cost of the decoder.
Additionally, the decoder 10 should be able to access the memory 160 quickly enough to be able to operate in real time. This means than the decoder 10 should decode images fast enough so that any delay in decoding cannot be detected by a human viewer. A goal is to have the decoder 10 operate in real time without dropping so many frames that it becomes noticeable to the human viewer of the movie. If the decoder 10 does not operate in real time the decoded movie would stop and wait periodically between images until the decoder 10 can get access to the memory to process the next image.
When the memory 160 used for data storage is on a separate chip than the decoder 10, the two chips must be electrically coupled. The input/output pins of the decoder 10 are coupled to the input/output pins of the memory 160 by external metal connections. This increases the amount of time it takes for the decoder 10 to read data out of the memory 160 and write data into the memory 160.
The present invention provides a method of reducing memory required for decompression of a compressed frame by storing frames in a compressed format using DCT-based techniques. The decoder includes a decoder module coupled to a DCT encoder module. The DCT encoder module has an output coupled to a memory. The stored DCT decoder module has an input coupled to the memory, and two outputs, one coupled to the decoder module and the other coupled to an output of the decoder.
In operation, the compressed frame is decompressed in the decoder module to obtain a decompressed frame. The decompressed frame is compressed in the DCT encoder module to obtain a recompressed frame. The recompressed frame is then stored in memory. In a DCT-based decoder, preferably this is only performed for frames having interpicture prediction errors. Most of the decoder module and all of the DCT encoder module can be by-passed for frames not having interpicture prediction errors. The recompressed frame is stored in the memory without having been decompressed. The digital representation of a compressed frame encoded using DCT techniques is much smaller than the digital representation of a decompressed frame and needs much less room in memory than the decompressed frame. Because the frames that are used in the decoding of other frames or that are displayed are stored in a compressed format, the decoder requires much less memory.
The reduction in the required memory allows the memory to be smaller and embedded in the decoder.
In another embodiment of the invention, when the decoder is a DCT-based decoder the stored DCT decoder module can be eliminated and the DCT decoder module contained in the decoder module can be used to both decompress the compressed frame and to decompress the frames needed by the motion compensation engine, provided the DCT decoder module operates fast enough to perform both functions satisfactorily.
Another advantage of the present invention is the significant reduction of memory required by a decoder for decompression of images.
A further advantage of the present invention is the significant cost reduction in the cost of the decoder due to the decoder""s lower memory requirement.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the memory needed by the decoder to decompress images can be embedded in the decoder reducing the time the decoder takes to access the memory and decreasing overall system cost by eliminating external memory devices.
A further advantage is that the above advantages are achieved without a significant increase in die area of the decoder at current integration levels.
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This invention relates to an impact tool comprising a housing, a cylinder axially movable in said housing, a hammer piston provided with pressurized fluid-operated reciprocable drive means arranged for reciprocably driving said hammer piston relative to said cylinder, a cushioning space for containing a recoil cushioning volume of air between the cylinder and the housing, and a pressure regulating means for controlling the supply and venting of air, to and from, respectively, the cushioning space and for balancing the pressure within the cushioning space relative to an actual forward feeding force applied to the housing in use of the tool.
An impact tool of the above type as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,727,700. This known tool, however, employs a vibration cushioning chamber which is continuously supplied with pressurized air and in which the air pressure is controlled by a spring biased relief valve mechanism. The opening pressure of the latter is determined by the degree of compression of the relief valve biasing spring, which in turn depends on the forward feeding force applied to the tool housing.
This type of pressure regulating means is, however, disadvantageous in that, in addition to the continuous air relief flow determined by the degree of compression of the relief valve biasing spring, it momentarily vents air to the atmosphere in order to avoid the build up of pressure peaks during recoil of the cylinder. Thus the above type of pressure regulating means does not permit the air in the cushioning chamber itself to be used as a resiliently deformable and, in use, deformed, spring means and thus itself, together with the cylinder and the housing, form a spring-mass vibration dampening system.
It is an object of the present invention to avoid or minimize one or more of the above disadvantages and to provide an impact tool with an improved pressure regulating means.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a matching search method and a matching search system, and more particularly, to a matching search method and a matching search system capable of dynamically determining a search position and a search range according to image data.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With continuously progressing image technologies, sizes and functionalities of display devices are increasingly diverse. In order to meet requirements of the different consumers, manufacturers of the display devices try to provide new products with better outputting performance and resolution. One of the most interesting products is a display device with three-dimensional display functionality. General three-dimensional display technologies include polarized, interlaced or anaglyph display methods. These display methods utilize special optical structures to project images with different views corresponding to depth information on human left and right eyes. Thus, the human left and right eyes may respectively capture the images with different views to be synthesized by the human brain, and the human may sense a three-dimensional image.
When two-dimensional images without the depth information are displayed by the display device having the three-dimensional display functionality, since the source images for displaying lack the depth information, the display device may not generate multi-views images corresponding to the depth information to be projected on the human left and right eyes. Under such a condition, the display device is required to analyze the two-dimensional images to obtain the depth information, so as to display the multi-views images. In the prior art, at least two images with different views are required to be obtained first by utilizing multiples image capture devices located in different locations, and the depth information may be analyzed from the at least two images with different views. A process for analyzing two images with different views to obtain the depth information is called stereo matching. In the stereo matching, a matching search is performed first between the two images with different views, and matching objects (or characteristics, pixels, etc.) are searched to obtain positional differences of the matching objects in the two images with different views. The positional differences are disparity information (or can be called a disparity map) of the two images, and the depth information of the matching objects may be calculated by the disparity information.
However, since landscapes of the two images with different views are not entirely the same, in the prior art, the matching search is performed within the entire data range of the two images to obtain an accurate matching search result. Under such a condition, more computing cost for the matching search is required, such as more computing time, more hardware cost, or more power consumption, etc. When the resolution of the image is higher, such as a high-definition image, the data range is wider and the computing cost of the matching search is respectively increased. Therefore, how to determine the search range of the matching search for saving the computing cost and not affecting accuracy of the matching search result has become a most important topic in the stereo matching technologies.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to beverage containers, and in particular, to a beverage container that is provided with a receptacle, cavity or receiving space that is adapted to receive, carry or store a cigarette lighter.
2. Description of the Related Art
Beverage containers are currently being used in many different environments. For example, beverage containers are now commonly used inside vehicles, at office or work desks, in garages, at sporting events, and other locations. This common and widespread use of beverage containers is a result of the popular desire by people to carry their favorite beverage(s) with them wherever they go.
However, beverage containers are not the only articles or items that are commonly carried around by people going through their daily routines. Cigarette lighters, combs, pagers, cellular phones, wallets and purses are just a few simple examples of items that a typical person is more likely to carry around on a daily basis. A person typically carries some of these items inside shirt or trouser pockets, or inside handbags, belt pouches, or other carrying bags. To further ease the inconvenience of carrying these items around, there have also been provided belt hooks, carrying cases with straps, and other carrying aids to which these items can be attached, or on which these items can be supported or contained. Unfortunately, the number of items that are typically carried by a person is steadily increasing, and there is still a need to provide convenient, effective and safe means for carrying or storing these items.
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to liquid spray guns and more particularly to spray guns having easy to install replaceable cartridges for delivery of paint without the paint contacting the spray gun.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a typical spray gun, the interior components of the spray gun must be disassembled for proper cleaning and then reassembled for use. This is time consuming and also creates hazardous waste and disposal costs. Along with these inconveniences, unnecessary exposure to toxic vapors and solvents occurs during cleaning.
It is desirable to be able to quickly and easily change the colors used in paint spray guns without having to clean the spray gun each time a different color is used.
It is desired to have a spray gun with a disposable cartridge that shields the gun itself from exposure to paint such that no clean up is required. It is also desirable to eliminate the use of cleaners, such as solvents, with the associated waste which needs to be disposed of.
The cartridge should be easy to use and be quickly insertable and removable from the spray gun body. A spray gun to accommodate such cartridges, that allows quick and easy connections of the pin in the cartridge to the spray gun trigger and to block air flow bypass around the cartridge is also desired.
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1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a device and method for recording an image onto electronic paper.
2. Background Technology
Electronic paper having charged color particles and used for displaying an image when the charged color particles move in the thickness direction is already known. A device for recording an image onto electronic paper controls the position of the charged color particles of the electronic paper by applying an electric field to the electronic paper. An image is thereby recorded to electronic paper (e.g., Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 2009-251048 is an example of the related art.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to voltage generating circuits for a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to an improvement of a circuit for generating a voltage to be applied to a predetermined part of a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Background Art
In a semiconductor device such as a dynamic RAM, a voltage generating circuit is provided for generating a voltage to be applied to cell plates and bit lines.
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing a voltage generating circuit for such a conventional semiconductor memory device, which is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,455. In the drawing, the voltage generating circuit comprises n-type field effect transistors 1-3, p-type field effect transistors 4-6, and resistors 7-10. Two serial connection circuits 31 and 32 are interposed in parallel between a power supply line 20 and a ground. The first serial connection circuit 31 comprises the resistor 7, the n-type field effect transistors (hereinafter referred to as n-FET) 1 and 2 and the resistor 8 connected in series. The resistor 7 has one end connected to the power supply line 20, and the other end connected to a drain electrode and a gate electrode of the n-FET 1. A source electrode of the n-FET 1 is connected to a drain electrode and a gate electrode of the n-FET 2. A source electrode of the n-FET 2 is connected to one end of the resistor 8. The other end of the resistor 8 is connected to the ground. On the other hand, the second serial connection circuit 32 comprises the resistor 9, the p-type field effect transistors (hereinafter, referred to as p-FET) 4 and 5, and the resistor 10 connected in series. The resistor 9 has one end connected to the power supply line 20, and the other end connected to a source electrode of the p-FET 4. A drain electrode of the p-FET 4 is connected to its gate electrode and a source electrode of the p-FET 5. A drain electrode of the p-FET 5 is connected to its gate electrode and one end of the resistor 10. The other end of the resistor 10 is connected to the ground. The n-FET 3 and p-FET 6 are connected in series to be interposed between the power supply line 20 and the ground. More specifically, the n-FET 3 has its drain electrode connected to the power supply line 20, and its source electrode connected to a source electrode of the n-FET 6. A drain electrode of the p-FET 6 is connected to the ground, while a gate electrode of the n-FET 3 is connected to the drain electrode of the n-FET 1, and a gate electrode of the p-FET 6 is connected to the drain electrode of the p-FET 5. An output V.sub.out is taken from a node between the source electrode of the n-FET 3 and the source electrode of the p-FET 6.
Now, operation of the voltage generating circuit shown in FIG. 1 will be described. When a power supply is turned on, a power supply voltage V.sub.CC is applied to the power supply line 20, so that n-FETs 1 and 2 are rendered conductive, and the p-FETs 4 and 5 also rendered conductive. Now, assuming that a resistance value R7 of the resistor 7 and a resistance value R8 of the resistor 8 are equal (R7=R8), a potential at a node between the drain electrode of the n-FET 1 and the resistor 7, that is, a gate potential of the n-FET 3 becomes as represented by the following equation, EQU (V.sub.CC /2)+V.sub.thn
while a potential at a node between the drain electrode of the p-FET 5 and the resistor 10, that is, a gate potential of the p-FET 6 is represented by the following equation, EQU (V.sub.CC /2)-V.sub.thp
Accordingly, when the output voltage V.sub.OUT becomes larger than V.sub.CC /2, the p-FET 6 is rendered conductive so that the output voltage V.sub.OUT drops. On the other hand, when the output voltage V.sub.OUT becomes smaller than V.sub.CC /2, the n-FET 3 is rendered conductive, so that the output voltage V.sub.OUT rises. Accordingly, the output voltage V.sub.OUT is always held at V.sub.CC /2.
More specifically, the voltage generating circuit of FIG. 1 is a voltage generating circuit for stably generating a voltage V.sub.CC /2 which is half of the power supply voltage.
Since a conventional voltage generating circuit is constructed as the above, currents always flow through the first serial connection circuit 31 and the second serial connection circuit 32. Therefore, resistance values of the resistors 7-10 should be made larger in order to reduce power consumption. However, because the resistors 7-10 are formed by diffusion resistance in a semiconductor substrate, the area of the resistors is increased in proportion to the resistance values. As a result, a circuit area of a voltage generating circuit became larger. The resistors 7 and 8, and 9 and 10 form voltage dividing circuits for generating each gate potential of the n-FET 3 and p-FET 6, respectively. Therefore, if resistance values become larger, fluctuation of the power supply voltage V.sub.CC causes accuracy of detection of a reference voltage to be generated in each voltage dividing circuit to be rendered, so that the output voltage V.sub.OUT could not be held at V.sub.CC /2.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fryer for the heating and cooking of foodstuffs with cooking oil filled into an oil vat.
2. Description of Related Art
In the food restaurant industry, for example in fast food restaurants, industrial fryers used in the preparation of deep-fried foods, such as the one shown in FIG. 5, are well known. In this fryer 1, the temperature of the oil filled into an oil vat 11 is maintained within a predetermined temperature range by heating control, and foodstuffs, such as potatoes for French fries, are put into the high temperature oil vat 11 and cooked.
As the oil degrades if it is continually used, it is necessary to C) periodically filter the oil with an oil cleaner 30. To filter the oil in the oil vat 11, a discharge valve lever 16 is operated to open a discharge valve 15, and the oil is transported into an oil tank 31. After the discharge valve 15 has been shut, an oil delivery valve lever 19 is operated to open an oil delivery valve 18, and oil that has passed through an oil filter 32 is returned to the oil vat 11 by driving an oil pump 33. However, because there is a limit to the filtering, oil that has exceeded a certain standard for the extent of oil degradation must be discarded. Naturally, after the oil has been discarded, new oil must be supplied.
Moreover, since oil is depleted because of absorption by the foods and evaporation through heating, it is necessary to periodically furnish oil to the oil vat 11, while the fryer 1 is in use.
Conventionally, the task of supplying oil involved putting the oil into a container, for example an industrial-size oil can, carrying the oil to the place where the fryer 1 was located, and then directly pouring the oil in the oil vat 11 from above. Also, the task of disposing of the oil involved attaching an oil discharge adapter (not shown in the drawings) to an oil discharge opening 14, so that the oil discharge adapter extended to the outside of the fryer 1, placing an empty can below the oil discharge adapter, discharging the oil, and then carrying away that can.
The oil supply task, however, required that the person performing that task to go through the trouble of carrying the oil to the fryer and then lifting the oil above the oil vat, thus making it a time-consuming task. Additionally, oil used for fryers is generally a solid oil at room temperature, for example shortening, thus making it necessary to first liquefy the oil before furnishing it into the empty oil vat. Thus, supplying oil that has been liquefied at a high temperature can be dangerous. Further, the task of discarding the oil is also a time consuming process as it requires man-power to carry the oil out of the fryer, and because the discarded oil is of a particularly elevated temperature, this work is dangerous as well. Moreover, when oil is added into the fryer while the fryer is in use, it is supplied into the fryer in a solid state without being liquefied, and there is the danger that high temperature oil in the oil vat would splash about and cause burns.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a fryer that solves the above problems, and in which the supply and discharge of oil is simple and safe.
To achieve the abovementioned object, a fryer in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention includes an oil vat for containing cooking oil; a heating means for heating the cooking oil in the oil vat; a filtering device for filtering the cooking oil in the oil vat when it is discharged into an oil tank; a return pipe serving as a duct for returning cooking oil in the filtering device to the oil vat; and an oil pump, disposed at an intermediate portion in the return pipe, for intaking cooking oil in the oil tank and pumping it to the oil vat, wherein, on the intake side of the oil pump, an oil supply pipe branches off from the return pipe, and an intake route switching means is provided for switching an intake route of the oil pump between the filtering device and the oil supply pipe.
A fryer in accordance with a second aspect of the present invention includes an oil vat for containing cooking oil; a heating means for heating the cooking oil in the oil vat; a filtering device for filtering the cooking oil in the oil vat when it is discharged into an oil tank; a return pipe serving as a duct for returning cooking oil in the filtering device to the oil vat; and an oil pump, disposed at an intermediate portion in the return pipe, for intaking cooking oil in the oil tank and pumping it to the oil vat, wherein, on the outflow side of the oil pump, an oil disposal pipe branches off from the return pipe, and an outflow route switching means is provided for switching the outflow route of the oil pump between the oil vat and the oil disposal pipe.
A fryer in accordance with a third aspect of the present invention includes an oil vat for containing cooking oil; a heating means for heating the cooking oil in the oil vat; a filtering device for filtering the cooking oil in the oil vat when it is discharged into an oil tank; a return pipe serving as a duct for returning cooking oil in the filtering device to the oil vat; and an oil pump, disposed at an intermediate portion in the return pipe, for intaking cooking oil in the oil tank and pumping it to the oil vat, wherein, on the intake side of the oil pump, an oil supply pipe branches off from the return pipe, and on the outflow side of the oil pump, an oil disposal pipe branches off from the return pipe; and wherein the fryer further comprises an intake route switching means for switching the intake route of the oil pump between the filtering device and the oil supply pipe, and an outflow route switching means for switching the outflow route of the oil pump between the oil vat and the oil disposal pipe.
In a fryer according to a first aspect of the present invention with the above configuration, the intake route switching means is used to switch the intake route of the oil pump provided for filtering oil from the oil tank to the oil supply pipes. By driving the oil pump, new oil for cooking is sucked in from the oil supply pipe and delivered to the oil vat by way of the return pipe, which is provided to serve as a filter return duct. Thus, using the filtration mechanism, new cooking oil can be supplied to the oil vat.
In a fryer according to a second aspect of the present invention, deteriorated cooking oil is discharged from the oil vat into the oil tank, the outflow route switching means is used to switch the outflow route of the oil pump, which is provided for oil filtration, from the oil vat to the oil disposal pipe. By driving the oil pump, deteriorated cooking oil is sucked in from the oil tank and discharged from the oil disposal pipe by way of the return pipe, which is provided to serve as a filter return duct. Thus, using the filtration mechanism, deteriorated cooking oil can be discharged from the oil vat.
In a fryer according to a third aspect of the present invention, oil can be supplied by a method similar to that of the fryer according to a first aspect of the present invention, and oil can be disposed of by a method similar to that of the fryer according to a second aspect of the present invention.
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Chastity devices have a long and varied history. Female chastity devices are generally easier to conceive and produce, as their aim is to prevent penetration and their shape is designed to match the simple female external anatomy. Male chastity devices are harder to produce, given the more complex external anatomy of the male reproductive system.
Generally, male chastity device enclose a male user's penis, and may be locked by a key held by the user's partner or guardian, to ensure that the user does not perform sexual acts. Such a device is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,578,296 and 8,007,431.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,578,296 and 8,007,431 disclose a male chastity system which comprises a housing and a partial ring configured for placement behind the scrotum of the user. The partial ring contains a gap. A bridge bridges the gap by attaching to the partial ring at first and second attachment points. The bridge comprises a rear portion and a front portion, and the partial ring and the bridge collectively form a ring. Guide pins extend at least partially through the rear bridge portion, attachment points, front bridge portion, and housing. A locking pin extends through the bridge and housing, a spacer on the locking pin spacing the housing from the ring, and a lock is applied to the locking pin.
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Reduced-size electronic devices (e.g., devices that are smaller than typical cellular phones such as smart watches) that are configured to be worn by a user can allow a user to view and respond to various types of alerts, such as text messages, emails, voicemails, and calendar alerts. User interfaces that enable a reduced-size electronic device to be efficiently used for viewing and responding to alerts are desirable.
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This type of device comprises a large number of photosensitive points called pixels generally organized as a matrix or strip array. In a detector, a pixel represents the elementary sensitive element of the detector. Each pixel converts the electromagnetic radiation to which it is subjected into an electrical signal. The electrical signals arising from the various pixels are collected during a phase of reading the matrix and then digitized so as to be able to be processed and stored to form an image. The pixels are formed of a photosensitive zone delivering a current of electric charges as a function of the flux of photons which it receives, and of an electronic circuit for processing this current. The photosensitive zone generally comprises a photosensitive element, or photodetector, which may for example be a photodiode, a photoresistor or a phototransistor. Photosensitive matrices of large dimensions which may possess several million pixels are found.
The radiation detector can be used for the imaging of ionizing radiations, and notably X rays or γ rays, in the medical sector or that of nondestructive testing in the industrial sector, for the detection of radiological images. The photosensitive elements make it possible to detect a visible or near-visible electromagnetic radiation. These elements are hardly, if at all, sensitive to the radiation incident on the detector. Use is then frequently made of a radiation converter called a scintillator which converts the incident radiation, for example X-ray radiation, into a radiation in a band of wavelengths to which the photosensitive elements present in the pixels are sensitive. An alternative consists in producing the photosensitive element from another material carrying out the direct conversion of the X-ray radiation into electric charges. This is the case for example for matrices in which a first pixellated substrate made of Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) is connected pixel by pixel to a CMOS reading circuit which therefore no longer possesses the detection function.
It is known to produce an electronic processing circuit by means of a voltage follower making it possible to read the current of charges accumulated in the photosensitive element. A current source ensures the power supply for the pixel during its reading. An exemplary imaging device thus produced is represented in FIG. 1.
This figure schematically presents a matrix of two rows and two columns to simplify understanding. Four pixels are formed, each at the intersection of a row and column. Of course the real matrices are generally much larger.
Each pixel comprises a photosensitive zone represented here by a photodiode D and an electronic processing circuit formed of three transistors T1, T2 and T3. In the figure, the labels of the photodiode D and of the three transistors are followed by two coordinates (i,j) that can take the rank of the row for i and the rank of the column for j.
The pixels of one and the same column or more generally of one and the same row share a transistor T4 and a reading circuit S situated at the column end. The transistor T4 and the reading circuit S are linked to the pixels of the column by means of a conductor Col. The pixels of one and the same row are joined to four conductors conveying signals Phi_line, Vdd, V_ran and Phi_ran making it possible to control each of the rows of pixels.
The transistor T1 makes it possible to reinitialize the voltage of the cathode of the photodiode, to the voltage V_ran, during a phase of reinitializing the matrix during which the control signal Phi_ran is active.
After reinitialization, the illumination received by the photodiode D causes the potential of its cathode to decrease during an image capture phase.
This image capture phase is followed by a reading phase during which the potential of the photodiode D is read. Accordingly, the transistor T3 is turned on, the latter therefore having a role as switch, by virtue of the command Phi_line applied to its gate.
The transistor T2 operates as follower, and the transistor T4 operates as current source. The transistors T2 and T4 then form a voltage-follower stage which copies the voltage present on the cathode of the photodiode D, and reproduces it, to within a shift, on the input of the reading circuit S at the column end. To carry out its copyover, the transistor T2 requires a bias current flowing in its drain and its source. This current is imposed by a current generator formed by a transistor T4 common to several pixels. In the example represented, the transistor T4 is common to a column of pixels.
The voltage Vs present at the input of the reading circuit S can be expressed:Vs=Vp−VT−K (1)
Where Vp is the voltage of the cathode of the photodiode, VT is the threshold voltage of the transistor T2, and K is a constant related inter alia to the value of the current delivered by the transistor T4.
The voltages V_ran and Vdd are often identical.
The phase Phi_line of a row n of a matrix is often the same as the phase Phi_ran of the preceding row n−1. In this case the integration period for the signal upstream of the follower lasts, for row n−1, from the end of the addressing of row n, until the addressing of row n−1 at the following image. The reinitialization and reading phases are therefore different for each row. One speaks of circular addressing of the rows, well known in the literature by the name “rolling shutter”.
The addressing circuits (generally shift registers) generating the control signals Phi_line and Phi_ran are not represented in the figure and are disposed at the row end.
The various outputs of the reading circuits S of the various columns are thereafter multiplexed in a register, not represented in the figure, so as to obtain a video signal of a row.
It is also possible to use just a single current-source transistor T4, for the whole of the matrix, on condition it is switched successively onto the various columns, in tandem with the reading of these same columns.
In practice, each column Col exhibits a lineal resistance represented in the form of a resistance R_pix for each pixel. Relation (1) is correct only at the level of the output node of the pixel, that is to say at the level of the source of the transistor T2. But when this voltage is situated at the end of the columns, on the input of the reading circuit S, it is marred by an ohmic shift related to the resistance of the transistor T3 and to the number n of pixels separating the pixel selected from the reading circuit S along the column Col. The number n corresponds to the rank of the pixel read in the matrix. More precisely, the voltage Vs is expressed:Vs=Vp−VT−K−I×(R(T3)+n×R_pix) (2)
The ohmic shift is troublesome since it depends on the rank of the pixels read and it therefore introduces a variable skew into the reading of the voltages Vp of the photodiodes.
A solution consists in decreasing the lineal resistance value R_pix of the columns Col by increasing the width of tracks forming the column Col conductors. This solution nonetheless presents several drawbacks.
The increase in width of the tracks uses some surface area of the substrate on which the matrix is produced, and therefore reduces the useful surface area in each pixel for photodetection.
The increase in width of the tracks also increases their electrical capacitance. Now, the voltage of the columns changes upon the addressing of each new row, since it represents at each row the illumination of the corresponding pixels. Increasing the electrical capacitance of the column therefore makes it necessary to feed (or to extract) further charges upon each change of row. This increase in the current increases the ohmic drop, thereby reducing the effect initially sought. Ultimately, this is manifested by an increase in consumption, or by a limitation of the reading speed.
The structure of such a pixel with three transistors therefore finds a limit in respect of matrices of large dimensions in which the column capacitances and the column resistances are significant. These matrices cannot be read rapidly.
Another solution consists in replacing the current sources, common to a column, with current sources disposed in each pixel by means of an additional transistor such as for example described in patent application No. WO2009/043887.
The output column Col conductor then no longer has the role of conveying the bias current for the follower stage. It is used only as a device for observing the output voltage of the pixel. It works at zero current, outside of the current transients necessary at each row transition to establish the new voltage value. At the end of these transients, the current on the column conductors being zero, the voltage is the same over the whole of the length of these columns, and in particular the voltage at the column end does indeed represent, with no shift, the voltage of the pixel. The lineal resistance R_pix no longer therefore causes any voltage drop along the column conductor.
This solution nonetheless has the defect, by introducing a current-source transistor into each pixel, of requiring the corresponding control voltages on the gate and the source of this transistor.
Distribution of the gate voltage over a matrix is done without any ohmic drop, since there is no corresponding consumption. But the distribution of the source voltage undergoes ohmic drops since it must generate the bias current for the follower transistor T2.
The source voltage of the additional transistor varies from one pixel to the next as a function of the lineal resistance of the conductor conveying this voltage. The potential difference between gate and source defines the value of the current delivered by these transistors to bias each follower transistor T2. These variations in bias current from one pixel to another therefore create, as in the pixel with three transistors, dispersions on the output signals.
It is possible to alleviate this drawback by keeping the potential difference between source and drain of the additional transistor constant for all the pixels. For this purpose, a voltage drop equal to that which exists on the sources of the current-source transistors is created on their gates, by connecting them to a lateral resistive bar which reproduces the same voltage drop as that which exists on the sources of the additional transistors as described in patent application FR 2 921 788. The resistive bar is linked to all the gates of the additional transistors of a column and is supplied between two voltages, high and low, at the ends of the bar.
This solution operates well, but is fairly complex to put in place and to pilot, since it requires two voltages, high and low (Vg1, Vg2) for biasing the lateral resistive bar.
Another solution for circumventing the problem of ohmic drop has for example been proposed in patent application EP 1 416 722 A1. This solution consists in displacing the current source onto the opposite edge of the matrix, with respect to the edge on which the reading circuits S are situated.
The bias current for the pixel goes from the selected pixel up to the current source, and therefore creates an ohmic drop in the part of the column conductor above the selected pixel. But the lower part, connected to the reading circuit S, is not traversed by any current, and does not therefore undergo any ohmic drop. The lower end of the pixel is therefore properly representative of the voltage of the pixel.
However, this solution exhibits several limitations. It is necessary to have the space required to produce the source at the top of the column. And in the case where several matrices have to be assembled or abutted, for example in fours, so as ultimately to obtain a sensitive area four times as large, then the top of the column is situated at the limit of the desired smallest possible abutment zone. It is therefore not desirable to place in this abutment zone components not belonging to the actual pixels. This would distance the sensitive parts of the elementary matrices, thus creating a dead line in the final image at the level of the abutment.
Moreover, the voltage drop between the addressed pixel and the current source must not be too large, so that the current-source transistor remains in saturated mode, and properly fulfills its current-source function. And as described previously, if the width of the column is increased in order to reduce this voltage drop, this will increase consumption.
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In the field of scanning systems, especially in systems having components of low precision for cost competitive reasons, errors exist due to variations in the performance of the components. For example, a laser in a scanning system may have variations in output due to aging of the components or due to frequency characteristics of the power supply. Or, for example, the reflectivity of a polygon mirror may vary from facet to facet.
There is a need to correct for the variations in scanning systems such that they are capable of producing a reduced error or error-free image. Other approaches exist that correct for image errors using sensors adapted to monitor generally a sum sampling of the exposure errors. Such prior attempts have neglected to monitor the variations of the individual components separately in an appropriate manner and then compensate for the error introduced by each component by combining the individual variations or errors and adjusting for the combined errors.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,740 (Traino et al.) describes a scanning system adapted to monitor the intensity of an exposure beam and to correct for the variation in intensity of the exposure beam. The method taught by this patent, however, monitors the beam intensity using a single sensor adapted to intercept the scanning beam for only a moment during the relatively longer period of time that the beam exposes the photoreceptor in the image plane. While such a method for controlling exposure variations might be adequate for correcting for polygon facet reflectivity error or low frequency variations in the intensity of the laser beam, the method is not adaptable to compensate for high frequency variations in laser beam intensity.
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,247 (Ishizaka). One method taught by this patent utilizes a single detector, as described in the above referenced Traino et al. patent, but uses different control circuitry to modulate the laser beam as a function of imaging beam intensity variations caused by polygon facet reflectivity errors. As described above such an approach is not adaptable to allow a continuous monitoring of the laser beam intensity and therefore is not adaptable to compensate for high frequency variations in intensity. This patent also teaches a method for monitoring variations in polygon facet reflectivity on a continuous basis. However, the method is not concurrently capable of monitoring the imaging beam variation on a continuous basis. In addition, the method taught by Ishizaka does not separate the variations in intensity of the reference laser beam from the variations in facet reflectivity. Such a correction method has the potential of doubling the error of the exposure should the laser intensity variations of the reference laser be out of phase with the intensity variations of the imaging laser.
Montagu, "Laser Beam Scanning", Gerald F. Marshall Editor, published by Marcel Dekker, Inc. (1985), at pages 255-274, describes electronic means to correct for flat field scanning positional errors when using galvanometer and resonant mirror scanning systems. Other sources of errors, such as laser intensity stability errors etc., are mentioned. However, the article does not teach electronic means for sensing the errors individually and then combining error compensation signals in order to correct for several of the scanning errors in the system as a group.
In view of the foregoing it is believed advantageous to provide a system that monitors both continuous and incremental errors, combines the individually monitored continuous and incremental errors into a continuous system error correction signal, and applies the combined system error correction signal in order to compensate for the errors in the system.
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The field of the invention is camera cranes. Camera cranes are often used in motion picture and television production. The motion picture or television camera is typically mounted on a crane arm supported on a mobile base, dolly, or truck. Camera cranes generally have a crane arm supported on a base, with a camera platform at one end of the arm, and a counter weight at the other end. The crane arm can be pivoted by hand to raise and lower the camera, and also to pan to the left or right side.
With the development of high definition digital television cameras, 3-D digital and automated digital and film cameras, recording or filming can be achieved without a camera operator behind the camera. Rather, the camera may be remotely-controlled with the camera operator monitoring the image captured by the camera via a remote monitor. This allows for more versatile camera positioning. For example, a camera may be supported at the end of a camera crane arm in positions not accessible with a camera operator behind the camera.
Due to the variety of filming, TV or video locations (collecting referred to here simply as filming), the camera crane arm should advantageously be portable and lightweight. On the other hand, the arm must be rigid enough, when assembled, to resist bending and sagging, and to avoid excessive whipping motion of the camera during crane arm movement.
Telescoping camera cranes have a telescoping arm that can extend and retract, providing far more capability than fixed length crane arms. However, telescoping cranes have typically been limited to a reach of about 50 feet. Moreover, under certain conditions, telescoping cranes can cause unintended or undesirable camera movements, due to bending, flexing, twisting, or vibration of the crane arm. Noise generated from moving parts in these types of cranes, when the arm is extended or retracted, can also disrupt filming or recording.
Accordingly, various engineering challenges remain in designing an improved camera crane.
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The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United Statement of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.
1.0 Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system used to analyze compositions to determine what chemical elements are present therein and, more particularly, to a system that analyzes an air sample and, if undesired chemical vapors are present therein, provides signals to activate alarms.
2.0 Description of the Related Art
The ambient by which one is surrounded is of utmost importance. However, the ambient may suffer from pollution that allows the surrounding atmosphere to be contaminated, especially by man-made waste and vapor pollutants.
The environment by which one is surrounded may also be invaded by more serious pollutants, especially during terrorist situations or during warfare, in particular, biological warfare. Biological warfare involves the use of living organisms (as disease germs) or their toxic products, such as blister and nerve gases, that attack humans, animals, or plants, with the human suffering severe bodily pain.
Systems for measuring samples to determine the contents thereof are known and some of which may employ ion mobility spectrometers (IMSs), such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,445,038; 5,083,019; 5,300,773; 5,491,337 and 5,587,581, and all of which are herein incorporated by reference. The IMS provides a quantitative measurement of the contents of the molecules being sampled by measuring a time of xe2x80x9cflightxe2x80x9d of the ions of the molecules through a drift region of the IMS which is determined by the ion mobility characteristic of the ions being sampled and which, in turn, provides the identity and the concentration of the composition being measured. The IMS of the prior art serves well its intended purposes, but it is desired that further improvements to the IMS system be provided.
Accordingly, it is desired that means be provided employing ion mobility spectroscopy technology that analyzes the environment to detect the presence of unwanted chemical agent vapors found in pollutants and, more particularly, in biological warfare agents. More particularly, it is desired that an Ion Mobility Spectrometer (IMS) be provided that yields a quick and improved accurate determination of these unwanted chemical agent vapors so that the environment may be quickly purged thereof.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a system utilizing an IMS that accurately detects and monitors for the presence of undesired chemical agent vapors in an environment.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system employing an IMS that quickly, yet accurately, detects and monitors for the presence of undesired chemical vapors in an environment and, upon detection thereof, provides an alarm indication.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system having at least first and second configurations so that an alarm condition is only generated if there is an agreement between the detection derived separately from the first and second configurations.
In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system employing first and second IMSs to advantageously detect ions having both predominate positive and negative polarities, respectively, so as to simultaneously detect separate gaseous samples having respective positive and negative charge characteristics.
It is another object of the present invention to provide for an instrument that uses ion mobility spectroscopy technology that analyzes molecules of chemical agent vapors by determining the cluster arrangement of the ions making up the chemical vapor agents and conditions the molecules of selected vapors so that these molecules are more easily and accurately detected by an IMS operated to more advantageously detect ions manifesting a positive charge.
Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide for an ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) that generates an electrical signal which is routed to one of circuitry and software for comparing the electrical signal against predetermined signals indicative of unwanted and/or dangerous compositions of gaseous vapors, and if a match exists therebetween, an alarm is generated.
The invention is directed to a system for sampling the ambient of a selected environment for the presence of unwanted, predetermined chemical vapors therein.
The system includes a device for obtaining a sample of the selected environment and structure for conditioning the sample into a vapor containing known molecules. The system also includes a device for receiving the vapor made up of ion clusters that define ions of the molecules. The receiving device can include first and second ion mobility spectrometers with one of the ion mobility spectrometers having arranged therewith a reagent source. Each of the first and second ion mobility spectrometers provides an electrical signal representative of the respectively received defined ions of the molecules, if desired, the system also includes circuitry for comparing each of the representative electrical signals of the first and second ion mobility spectrometers against predetermined signals representative of predetermined chemical vapors and for generating an alarm signal if a match exists therebetween.
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Advances in telecommunications and computing technology are leading to the provision of interactive television (TV) on a large scale. Interactive TV involves the use of video gateways and video transport of sufficient bandwidth for video programmers and enhanced video gateway providers to offer their services to residential and business subscribers. Where such facilities are available, subscribers will not only be able to access these services by passively receiving them, but will also be able for the first time to interact with the service providers by communicating requests and commands to the providers via the same path over which the programming services are provided (or even via other paths or drivers).
Interactive TV service is capable of supporting at least the following services: (1) traditional broadcast and cable television programming; (2) video services, such as pay-per-view (PPV), near video-on-demand (NVOD), video-on-demand (VOD), promo channels, electronic program guides, etc.; (3) cable delivered PC-based services; and (4) interactive services, through the use of a combination of compression and digital video technologies. Interactive TV service also permits menuing capabilities and upstream signaling from subscribers to service providers. A subscriber interactive TV connection may, for example, provide subscribers with a screen of available enhanced video gateway providers and/or video programmers and their telephone numbers, or a menu to interactively order services and/or programs.
Interactive television may be provided over any number of paths, including coaxial cable or optical fiber, hybrid fiber/coaxial, or any other suitable path that accommodates sufficient bandwidth for desired analog and digital video channels as well as other telecommunications services. Content Providers may include, for example, providers of interactive or non-interactive over-the-air programming such as commercial television stations, cable programming such as weather, travel and entertainment channels, game channels, and on-line services of various types.
Interactive video enables a subscriber to request that an “interactive session” be established between an “interactive server” or similar platform maintained by an interactive video service provider and a “client” terminal device at the subscriber's premises. An interactive session is a two-way communication relationship, and is a precondition to interactive video services being provided to a subscriber's terminal device. Such a session utilizes the necessary downstream bandwidth and resources (defined below) for delivering interactive video service and the necessary upstream bandwidth from the subscriber's terminal device to issue commands to the interactive server. The terminal device may take the form of what has been termed a “set top box” (STB), or may be any other device capable of performing at least the following functions: (1) exchanging messages (including video-related data) over a network with the interactive server; (2) receiving messages from a user input device, such as a hand-held remote control unit; (3) translating video signals from a network-native format into a format that can be used by the television or display device; and (4) providing a video signal to a television or other display device. A STB may also be capable of performing other functions, such as: (1) inserting alphanumeric or graphical information into the video stream in order to “overlay” that information on the video image; (2) providing graphic or audio feedback to a user; or (3) possibly the most basic function, simply routing a traditional broadcast signal to a viewing device to which the STB is connected.
The STB “client” is “served” by a facility which may be operated and maintained by the video service provider. This “interactive server” provides, in response to a subscriber request, access to an “application,” which may be something as straightforward as a video program, or may itself interact with the subscriber by transmitting, for example, a subscriber prompt or menu to allow the subscriber to assert a desired selection from among a set of given commands for the interactive server to carry out.
This added functionality is in large part the result of a historically unprecedented convergence of communications and computing technology. It makes possible, for the first time, features such as the following. In the game media environment, a subscriber may download video games or even play them interactively with the interactive server and/or with other subscribers. An interactive service subscriber may order “time shift TV,” in which a particular program may be viewed at a time following its ordinary broadcast time. A subscriber may also selectively view desired parts of transactional, informational or advertising services. For example, a subscriber may view information on the weather predictions for a given location or at a given time, gather information relating to a particular sporting event or team, obtain news on demand, or query a system regarding a particular real estate market. Alternatively, a subscriber may participate in interactive entertainment programs, such as interactive game shows, interactive lottery or gambling, or request musical selections. Subscribers interested in educational programming, such as a school or a family residence, may invoke interactive “edutainment” or “how-to” programs. Interactive communication services, such as online services historically provided by the public telephone network, may also be accessed via interactive TV, which permits not only the rapid transfer of files to the subscriber but also interaction with other subscribers.
The combination of broadcast and interactive applications over interactive TV (e.g., interactive programs) creates a new mode of communication in which a user, when informed of the availability of an interactive application relating to the subject matter of a broadcast program, may invoke the application to investigate that subject matter more thoroughly and according to his or her own tastes.
Additionally, television viewers, who are accustomed to choosing at will between the available channels with instantaneous results, will expect to pass from one medium (e.g., broadcast) to another (e.g., interactive) “seamlessly” with the push of a button. To accommodate their viewer's needs, programmers may wish to provide broadcast programming, such as a commercial advertisement or a news program, and make available in the context of that program a related interactive television program.
The means by which interactive television and broadcast television are provided, however, are generally quite different. The two media, for example, are typically supplied from different sources and use different modulation techniques over different transmission paths. The originating source of broadcast programming is likely to be remote from those subscribers interested in invoking an interactive service, making telecommunication between the parties over a dedicated network prohibitively expensive and complex. By contrast, interactive servers, in order to avoid the expense of high bandwidth communications over such distances, can be located geographically close to a corresponding set of subscribers, unlike the programming sources or “Content Providers.” An interactive server can therefore efficiently provide exclusive interactive access to a large number of applications by a large number of interactive subscribers.
The technical differences between broadcast programming and interactive applications, combined with the difficulties of providing interactive services at any rate, make the provision of a smooth transition between interactive and broadcast television a difficult proposition and a seamless transition from broadcast television to interactive television and back an elusive goal.
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Distributed communication systems or networks are now widely used. Such communications systems may be widely distributed information sources such as local- or wide-area networks, corporate or military communication systems, or the world-wide computerized interactive communication system known as the internet. Such communication systems can be used to access remote information or computing resources. When using such systems, it is necessary to know the location or address of the information being sought or of the computing resource to be used, or the user must carry out a search procedure to locate the information. In the case of very large distributed systems which are not indexed, the search is so extensive or time-consuming that it may be impractical, and may therefore not be attempted.
There has been interest in the use of intelligent mobile agents for overcoming some of the problems associated with searches of distributed, possibly unindexed, data bases or computing resources. An intelligent mobile agent is a computer program which can independently or semi-independently perform tasks which the operator could not perform on his own because of the time or effort required for the task. For example, an intelligent mobile agent might be used to discover information autonomously, or under its own control, because the operator or user of the distributed communication system might not be aware of the existence of a source of useful information, or of its address if its existence were known. The mobile intelligent agent is a computer-type program characterized by the ability to move over the communication system from one computer to another while the program is "running"; in fact, it is necessary for it to do so in order to perform its tasks. This does not, of course, mean that the bit pattern of the program changes while it is in transit from one computer to the other, but rather means that, in performing its tasks or "running," the program moves its location from one computer to another. Intelligent mobile agents or "softbots" are described in the following references:
1) "Intelligent Agents: The First Harvest of Softbots Looks Promising", Sara Reese Hedberg, IEEE Expert. PA0 2) "Harnessing the World Wide Web", Jay Allen Sears, US Advanced Research Projects Agency, IEEE Expert. PA0 3) "Intelligent Agents on the Internet: Fact, Fiction, and Forecast", Oren Etzioni and Daniel S. Weld, University of Washington, IEEE Expert. PA0 4) "AI on the WWW--Supply and Demand Agents", Carol Brown, Oregon State University; Les Gasser and Daniel E. O'Leary, University of Southern California; Alan Sangster, University of Aberdeen, IEEE Expert. PA0 5) "Telescript Technology: Mobile Agents", James E. White, General Magic, Inc., American Association for Artificial Intelligence.
One problem which has been found with the use of such mobile agents for seeking information on a distributed computing or knowledge base is that the capability of the agent is more or less related to the size or complexity of the program which embodies the intelligent mobile agent, so that a highly capable mobile agent, just like a highly capable computer program of any sort, tends to be very large in terms of the number of bytes which it contains. Thus, autonomous agents which maintain their state over time, and which are not totally "scripted" and therefore are knowledge-based or "learning" programs, as are the domains of knowledge about which they maintain an understanding, tend to be quite large. The length of time required to transmit the intelligent mobile agent from one computer to another (from one "site" or network "node" to another) over the communication system depends upon the bandwidth of the system in bits or bytes per second. It may not be practical to use a highly capable intelligent mobile agent, because the large size of such an agent requires excessive computer-to-computer transmission time. If the bandwidth of the distributed communication system can be controlled, then its bandwidth can simply be expanded in order to accommodate the desired mobile agents at the desired speed. Ordinarily, the communication system or data base is a given, and its bandwidth cannot be controlled. It should be noted here that limitations in the bandwidth of a part of a computer which interacts at a network node with the communication system will have the same effect, as to that computer, as a limitation of the bandwidth of the communication system itself; it is therefore desirable to use the highest possible speed modem at each computer site. Under bandwidth-limited conditions, the use of a highly capable intelligent mobile agent may result in excessive transmission time delays, and these directly impact the time required for the intelligent mobile agent to perform a search. The amount of time which is considered to be excessive may depend upon the information sought and its importance. If search time is irrelevant, a highly capable intelligent mobile agent may be used on a low-bandwidth distributed computing system or network. Ordinarily, however, large transmission times are undesirable because of the resulting delays in receiving the search results, especially in those cases in which real-time information is sought. Thus, if a very complex search is required to find the desired information, a highly capable intelligent mobile agent capable of performing the search may be too large to be practical under given circumstances. The inability to quickly transmit highly capable intelligent mobile agents tends to prevent full utilization of the resources of the communication system.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/741,759, filed Nov. 5, 1996 in the name of Whitebread et al., describes a scheme for improving the resource utilization in limited bandwidth communication systems. As described generally therein, a distributed communication network includes a plurality of computers, and communication paths for coupling the computers together at nodes of the network for communications therebetween. The network also includes standardized computer network software associated with each of the computers, for providing basic network communications between or among the computers; this may be software suitable for use with a world-wide communication system commonly known as "internet." The network according as described in the Whitebread et al. application also includes a mobile agent generating program located at one or more of the computers of the network, for generating, and for transmitting over the communication network to at least one other computer of the network, agents for performing a desired function. The dimensions (size) of a mobile agent are related to its capability, whereby highly capable agents may be so large as not to be usable, because of network bandwidth limitations. A mobile agent docking arrangement is located at each computer or node of the network, which capability expander is capable of coacting with the mobile agents, for rendering the agents active at that computer. A mobile agent capability expander is located at, or associated with, at least one of the computers of the network which is capable of coacting with mobile agents, for extending at least one capability of a mobile agent. This enhances the capability of mobile agents used in the system without expanding limited network bandwidth. The information embodying the capability enhancement or expander may be transmitted over the communication network to the agent-receiving computer(s) at infrequent intervals, during which the communication network is otherwise lightly loaded, so that the capability expander is available at such later time at which a mobile agent arrives. The capability enhancement may instead be uploaded to the agent-receiving computer(s) from a portable memory, such as a floppy disk.
FIG. 1 illustrates a communication system designated generally as 10, which includes a network 12 and four representative network nodes with computers 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d connected to the network, as described in the abovementioned Whitebread patent application. As mentioned above, each computer is capable of sending intelligent mobile agents out to any of the other three computers. Such mobile agents can be generated at each of computers 14 by the use of a language such as agent TCL, available from the computer science division of Dartmouth College, Dartmouth, N.H., and the mobile agent can be transmitted, by way of the network 12, to the other computers after its generation. The bandwidth of a network such as network 12 varies from about 4800 baud or bits-per-second to as much as tens of megabaud, and may vary within the network, depending upon which network branch is considered.
FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of an arrangement which is similar to a portion of the arrangement of FIG. 1. In FIG. 2, a source of intelligent mobile agents is illustrated as 14a, which is the same designation as that of computer 14a of FIG. 1. Element 14a of FIG. 2 is designated as a "source", because in the most basic system, it needs only to transmit or launch a mobile agent; it may, of course, have other capabilities. The active agent goes out onto the network from element 14a of FIG. 2, and performs its tasks, moving from computer to computer as necessary. If the mobile agent is programmed to return to source 14a when its task is completed, then source 14a must also be capable of receiving the information conveyed by the mobile agent. While source/sink 14a of FIG. 2 need not be a computer, it will ordinarily be such.
Also in FIG. 2, network 12 is connected to a second "computer" block 14b, which may include a database 210 and an agent dock 212. Database 210 may be simply a memory which can be accessed by an intelligent mobile agent, in which case block 14b must further include a processor or "computer", because the intelligent mobile agent must reside, at least temporarily, at location 14b. Instead of a database such as 210, agent dock 212 could be coupled to any other data or computing resource which is to be acted upon by an intelligent mobile agent. As also illustrated in FIG. 2, database 210 is coupled to agent dock 212, and the network 12 is also connected to agent dock 212.
The intelligent mobile agent is a program. In an ordinary computer system, blocks 210 and 212 of location 14b of FIG. 2 may be hardware, or they may be programs (software) which are resident at location 14b. Agent dock 212 of FIG. 2 has the ability to interface or interact with the intelligent mobile agent, and also provides the intelligent mobile agent with capabilities which reside at location 14b. Such capabilities might include access to knowledge bases, additional computational functions, and the like.
FIG. 3 is a simplified architecture diagram which represents the software in the agent dock 212 of FIG. 2. In FIG. 3, one or more intelligent mobile agents 310a, . . . , 310n appears at a layer 310 at the bottom of block 212, adjacent to the path 214 by which it (they) arrive at the dock. It should be recognized that at any particular time, the agent dock may have no mobile intelligent agents docked therewith, it may have only one, or it may have two or more. When docked, each mobile agent 310a, . . . , 310n interfaces with a docking software layer 312, which recognizes the presence of the mobile agent, and which enables the mobile agent by effectively "pushing its ON button", to cause the intelligent mobile agent to recognize that it has arrived at a new location, and to enable it to execute its program or instructions. Location 14b also includes a knowledge base illustrated as 314.
Following the turn-on or enabling of the then-resident intelligent mobile agent 310a, . . . , 310n of FIG. 3, the docking layer 312 acts as a service provider to the intelligent mobile agent 310a, . . . , 310n. For example, the (or one of the) intelligent mobile agent(s) may indicate to the docking layer that the mobile agent is a search agent which is looking for particular data. Such data, in a military context, might be the presence, location, or identity, or all of this information, relating to electromagnetic radiators which might have been located by specialized equipment available at location 14b. It may happen that the computer at location 14b has no specialized equipment for generating the type of data which the intelligent mobile agent seeks, in which case the docking layer 312 of FIG. 3 so advises the agent 310a, . . . , 310n. In that event, the agent may go elsewhere in the network (to another computer location 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, . . . ; of FIG. 1), or return to its source with a failure message. On the other hand, if the docking layer 312 knows that such information is available in its knowledge base 314, it advises the intelligent mobile agent 310a, . . . , 310n, of that fact, and of other relevant capabilities available. For example, in the context of an electromagnetic emitter locator, location 14b might have a database 316 containing raw data representing frequency and pulse characteristics of a received electromagnetic signal, and might also have an expert system 318 which is capable of evaluating the raw data, and which may have already evaluated the raw data, and have identified an emitter as being, for example, a weather radar operating at a particular physical location (which, in general, is not the same as a network location). On the other hand, location 14b might have the raw data represented by database 316, and the knowledge base required as the foundation for an expert system for identifying the emitter, but might not include the expert system itself.
In general, expert systems include two distinct portions, namely a knowledge base and a decision-making portion. The decision-making portion is typically much smaller than the knowledge base. However, the knowledge base changes from time to time as more information becomes available, and as conditions change. For example, in the medical fields the knowledge about the symptoms and progress of newly discovered diseases and/or conditions may not be in an older knowledge base, but, when such information is included in an updated knowledge base, the same types of decision-making programs can operate on the updated information in order to identify, and suggest treatment for, such newly discovered diseases and/or conditions. Similarly, in the abovementioned military application, the knowledge base 318d of FIG. 3 can be updated with the operating frequency, pulse characteristics, and other spectral characteristics of new radar and other emitter types as they become known, which the decision-making portion 318s of the expert system can then use to identify this new type of radar if the raw data is indicative of its presence. Layer portion 320 represents other capabilities which might be available to the intelligent mobile agent.
Thus, the docking layer 312 of FIG. 3 "tells" the then-resident mobile agent or agents of layer 310a, . . . , 310n, about the existence of the raw data available in database 316, and of the existence of either the knowledge base 318d of, or of the entire expert system 318, and also about any other available capabilities 320 which are relevant to the task which the intelligent mobile agent has identified.
Once the intelligent mobile agent 310a, . . . , 310n, of FIG. 3 has received information from the docking layer about the available capabilities, the intelligent mobile agent decides, based upon its program, which of the locally available capabilities it wishes to avail itself of. The docking layer facilitates obtaining the information from the raw-data database or the expert system, or from a stand-alone knowledge base, as required.
The information in expert system database 318 of FIG. 3 can be updated in any of a number of ways. For example, the database 318d can be updated by occasional transmissions over the network 12. While these transmissions may require substantial bandwidth, they are performed infrequently, and may be performed at low data rates, over extended intervals during low-traffic times. In the arrangement of FIG. 3, the expert system and a current database therefor are available to the intelligent mobile agent, without transmitting the entire expert system and its database each time an inquiry is made by transmission of an intelligent mobile agent. The knowledge base 318d may be updated by a memory upload provided by a maintenance worker from a memory disk, or from any other physical media.
FIG. 4 is a simplified flow chart illustrating the operation of a typical mobile agent 310a, . . . , 310n, as described in the abovementioned Whitebread patent application, and FIG. 5 is a simplified flow chart illustrating the operation of the docking system 312. The sequence of events begins with the arrival of a mobile agent at a network node (network site) or an agent dock, as suggested by block 410 of FIG. 4. The sequence representation then flows to a logic node 5-1, which represents a transfer of the sequence to a corresponding logic node 5-1 of FIG. 5. Logic block 510 represents a start point for the docking program, which starts up the logic, and then goes into a "wait" state, waiting for arrival of an agent at the node. From logic node 5-1 of FIG. 5, the logic flows to a block 512, which represents recognition by the logic flow of the docking system 312 that a mobile agent has arrived at the network node. The recognition represented by block 512 may be accompanied by a verification of a security code, following which the docking system logic flows to a decision block illustrated as 514. Decision block 514 decides whether the currently arrived agent has clearance to coact with this network node. If the mobile agent does not meet the security requirement, the logic leaves decision block 514 by the NO output, and flows to a block 518, which represents rejection of the mobile agent. The logic of the agent docking system then returns by a logic path 419 to block 512, whereupon the docking system continues to monitor for the appearance of an active agent at its network node.
If a mobile agent arrives at the network node and meets the established security criteria, the logic leaves decision block 514 of FIG. 5 by way of the YES output, and flows to a block 516, which represents a command for the starting of the mobile agent. From block 516, the logic flows by way of a logic node 4-2 to block 412 of FIG. 4. Block 412 of FIG. 4 represents the starting of the mobile agent in response to the command issued by logic block 516. From logic block 412, the logic flows to a decision block 414, which decides whether the mobile agent requires capability extension. This decision may be as simple as the examination of an "extension required" flag associated with the mobile agent. If no capability extension is required, the logic flows from decision block 414 by way of its NO output, and arrives at a block 416. Block 416 represents performance of the task assigned to the mobile agent by its internal programming. Once the task is completed, the logic flows from block 416 to a block 418. Since the mobile agent has completed its task, it must now decide whether it must return to the originating source with its data, or to seek more data by going on to a known further address, or search randomly by going to an address which has not yet been visited. Block 418 represents the decision as to where the mobile agent is to go next. From block 418, the logic flows to a block 420, which represents an instruction to the docking system to command the transmission of the mobile agent to the selected address. From logic block 420 of FIG. 4, the logic then flows by way of a logic node 5-3 to logic block 520 of FIG. 5, which represents acceptance of the direction to move the mobile agent to a defined network node. Block 522 represents the sending of the mobile agent to its next destination, and the logic then flows by way of a path 523 back to block 512.
In the event that the mobile agent requires extension of its capabilities, the logic flow is as described above until the logic arrives at decision block 414 of FIG. 4. In the case in which the mobile agent requires capability extension, the logic leaves decision block 414 by the YES output, and flows to a block 422, which represents making a request for a particular extension of capabilities from the docking system. It must be recognized that the network may have many nodes having different capabilities, and may have various kinds of mobile agents perambulating therethrough, seeking various different types of capabilities, not all of which are available at each network node. From block 422 of FIG. 4, the logic flows by way of a logic node 5-2 to a block 524 of FIG. 5. Block 524 represents the reception of a request for a particular type of extension capability. From block 524, the logic of the docking system flows to a decision block 526, which looks through its index of available capabilities to see if the requested capability is available. If the capability is not available at this particular network node, the logic leaves decision block 526 by the NO output, and flows to a block 528, which represents the sending of a "not available" signal to the mobile agent. From block 528 of FIG. 5, the control flows by way of a logic node 4-3 to decision block 424 of FIG. 4. Since the capability sought by the mobile agent is not available at this particular network node, the logic of the mobile agent leaves decision block 424 by the NO output, and flows to block 418. As described above, block 418 represents the determination of the location of the next network node to be visited by the mobile agent; from block 418, the logic passes through the states represented by logic blocks or nodes 420, 5-3, 520, and 522, back to block 512, which represents a "waiting for a mobile agent" state of the docking system.
As so far described, the cases which have been discussed in relation to FIGS. 4 and 5 are those in which (a) the mobile agent was not authorized to act, and was rejected; (b) was authorized to act, but did not require capability extension; (c) was authorized to act, and required capability extension, but the particular capability extension was not available at the network node or site. The next possibility is that the mobile agent arriving at the network node is authorized, requires capability, and the capability is available. In this last case, the logic will arrive at decision block 526 of FIG. 5 as described above, but, since the requested capability is available, the logic will leave by the YES output, rather than NO. From the YES output of decision block 526, the logic flows to a block 530, which represents the passing of a capability pointer to the requesting mobile agent. Logic node 4-3 returns the sequence flow to decision block 424 of FIG. 4, whereupon the logic leaves decision block 424 by the YES output, and flows to block 416, which as mentioned above represents the performance of the task, which presumably also means availing itself of the extended capabilities at the network node.
Thus, the arrangement described in the abovementioned Whitebread et al. application allows highly capable intelligent agents of relatively small size to be transmitted over limited-bandwidth networks for performing their functions, with the extended capabilities being made available at the appropriate remote network locations. Portable storage media may be used to take extended capability information to each computer remote computer. In some cases, it may instead be desirable to load the extended capability information into the computer by using the limited-bandwidth network, albeit at a data rate commensurate with network capabilities, by transmission over a period of time, preferably at a time when the network is lightly loaded.
FIG. 6 is a simplified block diagram illustrating three different arrangements for loading extended capability information into a computer at a remote location on the network so that it may be accessed by the docking system of that computer in response to the docking of a mobile agent. In FIG. 6, representative node 14d includes a medium reader, such as a floppy-disk reader 610, which is coupled to a capabilities repository, corresponding to the database, expert system, or the like of FIG. 3. Updates of the capability can be manually transported to the node on a data medium, illustrated as a floppy disk 612, and uploaded by means of the reader 610. Control could be accomplished manually by an operator at a remote site, with the delivery of the update information being performed over the network. It will be clear that updates over the network must be accomplished in the presence of sufficient security to guarantee that unwanted intrusion does not occur. The physical transmission by way of a data medium may also require security measures to assure that the knowledge base is not updated by someone having physical access but without authority to update. Another way to update the knowledge base is by a mobile agent, illustrated as Loader Agent 614, which is especially adapted for uploading or deliver of such information from a remote site during periods of low traffic on the network.
While it is very desirable to be able to express highly capable mobile agents at remote nodes, it is also advantageous to be able to use the cooperation of multiple intelligent mobile agents to perform various tasks. Cooperation of multiple agents implies the transfer of information between the agents. The bandwidth limitation of the communication network prevents the mobile agents from carrying large amounts of information. Improved methods of exchange of information between intelligent mobile agents is desired.
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This invention relates to substituted pyrimidines which are useful for the treatment of hypertension. They achieve this by antagonizing the effects of angiotensin II; the active component of the renin angiotensin system.
Angiotensinogen is converted to angiotensin I by the action of the enzyme renin. Angiotensis II (AII) is formed by angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) acting on angiotensin I. AII is a powerful vasoconstrictor and is implicated as the cause of high blood pressure in a number of species including man. AII elicits these vasopressor responses by acting at specific receptor sites. The compounds described in this invention compete with AII for these receptor sites. Thus antagonizing the vasopressor effects of AII.
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The present application is related to copending U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 10/200,315.
Alstroemeria hybrida cultivar Staprisara.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Alstroemeria plant, botanically known as Alstroemeria hybrida, commercially used as a flowering potted Alstroemeria, and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Staprisaraxe2x80x99.
The new Alstroemeria is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Aalsmeer, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program was to develop new flowering potted Alstroemeria cultivars with compact and uniform plant growth habit and attractive flower colors.
The new Alstroemeria originated from a cross made by the Inventor in April, 1997 in Aalsmeer, The Netherlands, of a proprietary Alstroemeria hybrida selection identified as 93D834-16, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary Alstroemeria hybrida selection identified as 93G112-2, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Alstroemeria was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Aalsmeer, The Netherlands in June, 1998. The selection of this new Alstroemeria was based on its compact plant growth habit and attractive flower coloration.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by root divisions taken in a controlled environment in Aalsmeer, The Netherlands, since June, 1999, has shown that the unique features of this new Alstroemeria are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation.
Plants of the cultivar Staprisara have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Staprisaraxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Staprisaraxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Compact and uniform plant growth habit.
2. Freely branching habit, bushy appearance.
3. Freely flowering habit.
4. Yellow and red purple bi-colored flowers with dark purple-colored spots and stripes.
Plants of the new Alstroemeria are most similar to plants of the parent selections. However, plants of the new Alstroemeria differ from plants of the parents in flower coloration as plants of the female parent have purple-colored flowers and plants of the male parent have yellow-colored flowers. In addition, plants of the new Alstroemeria are more compact than plants of the male parent.
Plants of the new Alstroemeria differ from plants of the cultivar Staprisusa, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 10/200,315, primarily in flower coloration.
Plants of the new Alstroemeria can be compared to plants of the cultivar Staprivina, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,692. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands, plants of the new Alstroemeria differed primarily from plants of the cultivar Staprivina in flower coloration as plants of the cultivar Staprivina had salmon orange-colored flowers.
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The standard approach for biosensor measurements "based on genetic responses" is to attach reporter genes to the relevant promoters and to measure the signal (which consists of the activity of the enzyme encoded by the reporter gene) in response to the analyte of interest. The first publication dealing with the use of the bacterial luciferase operon to achieve such measurements appeared in 1984 (Baldwin et al., 1984). Since that time many more publications detailing the use of this reporter to probe the activity of promoters have appeared. Today there are probably several thousand publications on this subject. Most of these publications rely on the use of luxAB fusions or of entire lux cassettes. The more restricted goal of measuring the concentration of pollutants with such constructs was first proposed and demonstrated by Gary Sayler's group at the University of Tennessee in the USA (King et al., 1990). Burlage & Kuo (1994) recently reviewed the application of such biosensors with respect to environmental monitoring applications.
Practically all of the constructs described utilise either the entire lux operon for activity measurement or the luciferase part of it (lux AB, in this case the activity is measured by external addition of the aldehyde substrate). The major disadvantage of using the entire lux operon is that production of the enzyme responsible for generating the substrate of luciferase (the fatty acid reductase encoded by lux CDE) occurs simultaneously with the synthesis of luciferase. It is therefore probable that the amount of substrate produced by the cell will be insufficient for saturation of luciferase. The present inventors have introduced modifications into constructs suitable for biosensors in an attempt to address this disadvantage thereby allowing maximal light output as soon as luciferase is synthesised.
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The present invention generally relates to a water purification system and methods for providing potable water from contaminated water. More specifically, the present invention relates to a water purification system comprising a catalytic reactor, adsorbent and reverse osmosis units for providing potable water from water contaminated with chemical, biological, radiological and Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TICs) contaminants.
Water covers more than two-thirds of the Earth's surface. Nevertheless, there are many areas where water is scarce or where water, if available, is not potable and not suitable for human consumption. Obtaining sufficient quantities of potable water may be particularly problematic during military conflicts when it is necessary to provide potable water to troops in the field. During warfare, untreated water is potentially contaminated with a variety of toxic species, including chemical warfare agents such as sarin, mustard gas, phosgene, and cyanogens chloride. In addition, water may contain biological warfare agents such as anthrax or other biological toxins, including salmonella, hepatitis, small pox, and Norwalk virus and or radioactive agents. Water may also be contaminated with infectious agents emanating from poor local hygiene or sewage contamination as well as chemical pollutants from industrial and domestic sources. A water purification system that is both portable and highly efficient is desirable under such conditions.
Various water purification systems have been developed for purifying contaminated water, particularly water contaminated by chemical and/or biological warfare agents as well as radioactive agents. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,699,720 and 6,423,236 both describe processes for water purification comprising catalytic thermal oxidation of chemical and/or biological warfare agents in the presence of an oxidizing agent and under high pressure and temperature. Reverse osmosis is used for further purification of water after the oxidation step. While these processes may be effective for providing potable water free of chemical and/or biological warfare agents, they are not effective for removal of radioactive agents. Reverse osmosis may provide 90-99% removal of radioactive agents, but this may not be sufficient to provide safe, potable water. Furthermore, any water purification system using these processes would have to provide both an oxidant for the catalytic thermal oxidation of chemical agents as well as the high temperatures and pressures required.
U.S. Published Application No. 2004/0168989 describes a system and method for water purification comprising non-thermal chemical oxidation where electrochemical generation of ozone is used to both oxidize chemical agents and kill biological agents. A major drawback to the system is that an additional unit is required to generate the ozone as well as subsequent removal of the ozone, in this case by UV irradiation. The system further comprises reverse osmosis and non-specific ion exchange for removal of radioactive agents. As with other systems in the prior art, there is some concern as to how effectively harmful radioactive agents are removed from the water.
As can be seen, there is a need for an efficient water purification system for removing chemical, biological and radioactive warfare agents from contaminated water to provide potable water. The water purification system should be highly efficient and portable. It would be desirable to have a system that is suitable for use during military conflicts.
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The present invention relates to a digital audio tape recorder (DAT), and more particularly to an addressing circuit for controlling an addressing function in order to correct an error in case of recording digital data transmitted from a host computer on the basis of a digital data storage (DDS) format.
In a conventional DAT for recording and reproducing audio signals, there is specified a double R-S code (Reed-Solomon code) of C1 and C2. Moreover, since the DDS format for processing digital data by use of the DAT specifies a C3 ECC (Error Correction Code) for improving the reliability of data as well as the C1 and C2 codes, a parity besides data is additionally recorded. The C3 encoding generally represented by C3 generates a parity of two symbols (in this case, one symbol corresponds to 8 bits) with respect to input data d(x) of 44 symbols, and in the same way with the C1 and C2 codes of the DAT, operations are performed by Galois field. The field means a range or a set of elements for implementing a specific operation. For example, a real number is a field of the four arithmetical operations. Similarly, operations in R-S code are performed within Galois field. The Galois field is expressed by GF(.alpha..sup.m) or GF(2.sup.m), and consists of the total number 2.sup.m of elements. In the case of the DAT, the Galois field of GF(2.sup.8) is used and all the operations are performed with 2.sup.8 =256 elements.
An expression representing the correlationship between elements constituting the Galois field is called a primitive polynomial, and if a predetermined primitive polynomial G(X) is determined, the correlationship between all the elements in the Galois field is determined. In the DAT, the primitive polynomial G(X) is represented by G(X)=X.sup.8 +X.sup.4 +X.sup.3 +X.sup.2 +1, and it is assumed that a root of G(X)=0 is .alpha.. Therefore, the number of elements in GF(2.sup.8) is 256 of {0, .alpha..sup.0, . . . , .alpha..sup.254 }. At this time, .alpha..sup.0 =(0000 0001) and .alpha..sup.255 is equal to .alpha..sup.0. The operation within the Galois field means the operation between symbols, and the result values of all the operations are elements within the field.
Meanwhile, an encoder is an operating circuit for receiving source data d(X) and generating a code word of a regulated form. The code word has k source data symbols and (n-k) parity symbols among a total of n symbols. The source data d(X) is data of the unit of k symbols supplied to the encoder from a signal source, and if the source data d(X) is determined, the parity is generated by a generator polynomial. In the case of C3 of the DDS format, since n=46 and k=44, two parities are produced and the generator polynomial g(X) is as follows: ##EQU1##
The generator polynomial g(X) is an important expression for generating the parity in an encoding process, and a key for correcting an error as well as checking whether an error is generated in received data in a decoding process.
In the DDS format, the recorded and reproduced data is processed by the unit of a group. As shown in FIG. 1, one group consists of 22 frames and a 23rd frame is an ECC frame for recording a parity with respect to the 22 frames. One frame of a DAT has two tracks of positive (+) and negative (-) azimuths, and the data allocation of a main region in one frame is shown in FIG.2.
In the case of the DAT, there is data of 5760 bytes while a drum is rotating once, i.e., during 30 msec, and a sampling frequency thereof is 48 KHz. As shown in FIG.2, the total number of data produced in one frame of the tape is 5824 bytes (1456 words). Moreover, a word number 0 is called a header and the ECC processing for the header is not performed. In addition, 64 bytes (word numbers 1440 to 1455) obtained by subtracting 5760 bytes generated during one rotation of a drum from 5824 bytes of the total number of data in one frame are filled with "0's". On the other hand, C3 (46,44) performs encoding with respect to 5756 bytes except for the header among 5760 bytes generated during each 30 msec period. Through the ECC process, even if there is an error in one frame among 22 frames in one group when reproducing data, it is possible to correct the error. That is, if an error occurs in one symbol out of 44 symbols of the source data d(X), the error can be detected and corrected. However, if there are two errors or more, the correction of the errors is difficult.
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improvement in a dual mode drum brake device which functions as a leading-trailing (LT) type brake device during the service brake operation and functions as a duo servo (DS) type brake device during the parking brake operation.
2. Prior Art
A drum brake as described in the Japanese Provisional Patent Publication No. 10-110758 is known to be an example of a dual mode drum brake device, the summarized operation of which is shown in FIGS. 13-16. Summary of the drum brake device in its inactivated state is explained with reference to FIG. 13. A pair of brake shoes 111, 112 are positioned to face each other, wherein the fixed cylinder device 113 is positioned between adjacent ends of the brake shoes 111, 112 at one end while the fixed anchor 114 is positioned between adjacent ends of the brake shoes 111, 112 at the other end.
A pivot lever 116 is pivotally supported on the brake shoe 111 by a pin 115 between both ends of the brake shoe 111 while a parking brake lever 118 is pivotally supported on the brake shoe 112 by a pin 117 at the end portion of the brake shoe 112 adjacent to the anchor 114.
A first strut 119 is extended between a pivot section of the brake lever 118 and one free end of the pivot lever 116 adjacent to the anchor 114 while a second strut 120 is extended between the other free end of the pivot lever 116 as well as an upper end of the brake shoe 111 adjacent to the cylinder device 113 and the upper side of the brake shoe 112 corresponding to the free end of the pivot lever 116 and the brake shoe 111.
When a service brake operates via a foot brake pedal, the cylinder device 113 is pressurized to advance two pistons housed therein moving both brake shoes 111, 112 outward from positions shown in FIG. 13 to rotate and separate the same brake shoes apart, pivoting each at an abutment point with the anchor 114. Accordingly, the brake shoes 111, 112 frictionally engage with the inner circumferential surface of the brake drum, not shown in the figures, to generate the braking force.
The drum brake device operates as a leading-trailing type drum brake where one of the brake shoes 111, 112 becomes a leading shoe in relation to the rotational direction of the brake drum, thereby generating a self-servo property, and the remaining brake shoe becomes a trailing shoe in relation to the rotational direction of the brake drum without a self-servo property.
The parking brake operation is described while referring to the accompanying FIGS. 14-16. If a hand lever, not shown in the figures, is operated to activate the parking brake, the brake lever 118 is pulled in the direction of arrow W in FIG. 14 via members such as a parking brake cable to rotate accordingly pivoting around a pin 117. As such, the brake lever 118 pushes the strut 119 to the right in FIG. 14 so as to rotate the pivot lever 116 in a counterclockwise direction pivoting around the pin 115.
Such rotation of the pivot lever 116 pushes the strut 120 to the left in FIG. 14 so as to move the brake shoe 112 outwardly pivoting around the abutment point with the anchor 114 as shown in the same figure.
A reaction force generated during the above-operation acts as xcex1 to the right in FIG. 14 via the pin 115, which pushes the brake shoe 111 in the same direction. An upper shoe return spring, not shown in the figures, is stretched between the brake shoes 111, 112 adjacent to the cylinder device 113 while a lower shoe return spring, not shown, is stretched between the brake shoes 111, 112 adjacent to the anchor 114, wherein a moment around the pin 115 when combining the effects of a spring force of the lower shoe return spring and a distance from the pin 115 to the lower shoe return spring is larger than that of the upper shoe return spring and a distance from the pin 115 to the upper shoe return spring, thereby the above reaction force a acting on the brake shoe 111 via the pin 115 urging to move the brake shoe 111 outward, pivoting at the abutment point with the anchor 114 as shown in FIG. 14. A clearance xcex2 is created in an engagement section between the second strut 120 and the brake shoe 111. Both pistons housed in the cylinder device 113 separate apart to follow the brake shoe 111, 112 respectively by a coil spring compressed therebetween.
Due to the rotational movement shown in FIG. 14, the brake shoes 111, 112 frictionally engage with the inner circumferential surface of the brake drum.
Regarding an explanation as to the braking operation when a counterclockwise rotational force xcex3 as shown in FIG. 15 is acted on the brake drum, the brake shoe 111 is trailed by the rotating brake drum from the position in FIG. 14 in order to fill up the clearance xcex2, also as shown in FIG. 14, to collide and contact with the second strut 120. The rotational force of the rotating brake drum is received by the anchor 114 via the strut 120 and the brake shoe 112. When a clockwise rotational force xcex4 as shown in FIG. 16 is acted on the brake drum, the brake shoe 112 is trailed by the rotating brake drum and the second strut 120 shifts from the position in FIG. 14 to the right in order to fill up the clearance xcex2 so as to collide and contact with the brake shoe 111. The rotational force of the brake drum is transmitted through the strut 114 and the brake shoe 111 and is received by the anchor 114.
As is evident from the above-description, when either the clockwise or counterclockwise rotational force of the brake drum is received by the anchor 120, the rotational force is transmitted from one of the brake shoes 111, 112 to the anchor 114 via the second strut 120 and the remaining brake shoe 111 or 112, thereby effecting the parking brake application. Therefore, both brake shoes 111, 112 function as leading shoes having self-servo property regardless of the rotational directions of the brake drum, the drum brake device functions as a duo servo type drum brake.
A conventional dual mode drum brake device uses the strut 120 as a member to transfer the rotational force of the brake drum between both brake shoes 111, 112 during the parking brake operation. The strut 120 needs to be extended between both brake shoes 111, 112. Because of the restriction in its layout, the strut 120 is required to be positioned inwardly relative to the cylinder device 113, and a distance between a drum center, indicated as an X in FIG. 13, and the strut 120 becomes shorter, which tends to increase the self-servo property of the brake shoe 111 or 112 at the primary side during the brake drum rotation.
Here, a relational expression between a brake factor BF representing an effectiveness of the parking brake and braking torque may be: (braking torque)=(brake shoe input)xc3x97(effective radius of drum)xc3x97(BF). For the above-described conventional dual mode drum brake device, as a coefficient of friction xcexc of a brake lining becomes larger, the rate of increase in the brake shoe factor of the primary brake shoe becomes larger, and therefore, input from the primary brake shoe to the secondary brake shoe quickly increases; the total brake factor BF by adding the brake shoe factor of the secondary brake shoe onto that of the primary brake shoe quickly increases as shown in FIG. 12; and the brake factor BF over-increases within the practical range of the coefficient of friction xcexc of the lining. Accordingly, when considering a stronger brake effectiveness during the parking brake operation, the dual mode drum brake device should be designed stronger than the brake device bearing the strength during the service brake operation and a secure mounting strength of the device, thereby causing drawbacks of increasing the weight and cost of the device.
Further, for the conventional dual mode drum brake device, the primary brake shoe in relation to the rotational direction of the brake drum rotates so that the end of the primary brake shoe adjacent to the cylinder device 113, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, proceeds into the cylinder device 113 to fill up the clearance xcexc as appeared in FIG. 14 during the parking brake operation, and the piston corresponding to or facing that brake shoe end is greatly pushed relative to the amount of the brake shoe movement approaching the other piston. Under this condition, if the parking brake is released while applying the foot brake pedal, a pedal stroke becomes larger for the approached distance of both pistons, thereby causing a problem of disconcerting the driver""s feeling for the pedal.
Further, in order to avoid supporting the braking torque of the primary brake shoe during the parking brake operation by a brake cable via the brake lever 118, the brake lever 118 may not be configured to directly push the strut 120, and the parking brake lever 118 needs to be pivoted at the end portion of the brake shoe 112 adjacent to the anchor 114. Therefore, the conventional device may not use the typical structure for a leading-trailing type drum brake device in which the parking brake lever 118 is pivoted at the end portion of the brake shoe 112 adjacent to the cylinder device 113, which reduces the flexibility in its application and causes difficulty in routing and arranging the brake cable because of existing obstacles such as a suspension device.
It is an object of this invention to provide a dual mode drum brake device to resolve all of the above problems.
Further, it is an object of this invention to substantiate a dual mode drum brake device with a forward-pull type parking brake lever and a cross-pull type parking brake lever in the same arrangement as a publicly known leading trailing type drum brake, which facilitates the substitutional use of a leading trailing type drum brake. Moreover, it is an object of this invention to substantiate a dual mode drum brake device in which a forward-pull type parking brake lever and a cross-pull type parking brake lever are utilized just like a conventional dual mode drum brake device, which increases flexibility of brake cable arrangement and routing.
It is another object of this invention to provide a dual mode drum brake device with an added value, wherein the joint member coupling both pistons within the cylinder device may have a shoe clearance adjustment function, or the shoe clearance adjustment function may be conducted automatically, and/or the strut may have a parking brake stroke adjustment function, or the parking brake stroke adjustment function may be conducted automatically.
To that end, a dual mode drum brake device of this invention comprises: a pair of brake shoes positioned to face each other and to be frictionally engaged with an inner circumferential surface of a brake drum, each brake shoe has a first brake shoe end and a second brake shoe end respectively, a cylinder device positioned between a pair of the first adjacent brake shoe ends while a fixed anchor positioned between a pair of the second adjacent brake shoe ends; the cylinder device acts during a service brake operation to advance pistons at a pair of cylinder ends so that the pistons spread the brake shoes apart about abutment points between the pair of the second adjacent brake shoe ends and the anchor to frictionally engage with the inner circumferential surface of the brake drum, a pivot lever is pivotally positioned between ends of one brake shoe; the pivot lever moves along a plane surface which makes a right angle to a brake drum rotational axis, an anchor side strut is extended between a first free end of the pivot lever and the second brake shoe end of the other brake shoe while a cylinder side strut is extended between a second free end of the pivot lever and the first brake shoe end of the other brake shoe and positioned inwardly relative to the cylinder device so that an operating force of a parking brake lever is transmitted to the one brake shoe and the other brake shoe both as an outward force in a radial direction of the brake drum, thereby enabling the operating force of the parking brake lever to separate the brake shoes apart, wherein a force transmitting member is extended between the pair of the first adjacent brake shoe ends and positioned outwardly relative to the cylinder side strut; the force transmitting member transmits a rotational force of the brake drum while a parking brake action is engaged from either brake shoe positioned at a primary side relative to the brake drum rotational direction to a remaining brake shoe positioned at a secondary side relative to the brake drum rotational direction, and the force transmitting member is composed of the two pistons and a joint member extended between the pistons of the cylinder device so as to enable the pistons and the joint member to move integrally while the parking brake action is engaged.
Further, the parking brake lever may engage with the other brake shoe at the first brake shoe end, and the parking brake lever engages with an end of the cylinder side strut at the other brake shoe side.
Still further, the parking brake lever may engage with the other brake shoe at the second brake shoe end, and the parking brake lever engages with an end of the anchor side strut at the other brake shoe side.
Still further, the parking brake lever may engage with the first free end of the pivot lever, and the parking brake lever engages with an end of the anchor side strut at one brake shoe side.
Still further, the joint member may be a shoe clearance adjustment device adjusting clearances between the brake shoes and the inner circumferential surface of the brake drum.
Still further, the shoe clearance adjustment device may be an automatic shoe clearance adjustment device responding to an amount of outward movement of the brake shoes and automatically adjusting the clearances.
Still further, at least one of the cylinder side strut and anchor side strut may include a stroke adjustment device adjusting an amount of the stroke of the parking brake lever.
Still further, the stroke adjustment device may be an automatic stroke adjustment device responding to an amount of outward movement of two brake shoes and automatically adjusting the stroke.
Yet, further, the parking brake lever engages with the second free end of the pivot lever, and the parking brake lever engages with an end of the cylinder side strut.
In this invention, a member transmitting the rotational force of the brake drum between both brake shoes during the parking brake operation is positioned at the outermost side of the drum brake device. Therefore, the distance from the member transmitting the rotational force to the drum center becomes longer, and the self-servo property of both brake shoes during the brake drum rotation is set lower than the conventional device, thereby maintaining the lowest minimum required.
Accordingly, unlike the conventional dual mode drum brake device designed to bear the strong parking brake and requiring to secure a mounting strength of the device itself, the parking brake effectiveness as described herein only needs to clear the minimum requirement, thereby realizing a lighter dual mode drum brake device as well as reducing the cost of the device. During the parking brake operation, if one piston is pushed, the other piston follows to keep a constant clearance between the two pistons. Therefore, if the parking brake is released while the foot brake pedal is applied, the pedal stroke does not become larger, which does not give any disconcerting pedal feeling to the driver.
Further, the brake lever may be pivotally supported on either end of the brake shoe, which does not set any restriction in the brake lever arrangement, and a typical structure for a leading trailing type drum brake device may be utilized, thereby increasing an applicability of the device and not requiring any change in the brake cable arrangement as in a conventional drum brake device.
Furthermore, the above coupling member may be a shoe clearance adjustment device adjusting the shoe clearance between both brake shoes and the inner circumferential surface of the brake drum or the shoe clearance adjustment device may be an automatic shoe clearance adjustment device automatically adjusting the shoe clearance in response to the amount of outward movement of the brake shoe, thereby creating an additional value.
Furthermore, a stroke adjustment device adjusting the stroke amount of the brake lever may be employed in one of the first strut or the second strut or the stroke adjustment device may be an automatic stroke adjustment device automatically adjusting the stroke amount of the brake lever in response to the outward movement of the brake shoe, thereby creating an additional value.
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The closest prior art to the present invention is probably Ser. No. 08/103,122 entitled "Equipment and Process for Waste Pyrolysis and Off-Gas Oxidative Treatment" but differs significantly in that process and equipment is designed to treat ultra hazardous chemicals by dissolution of the chemicals and of the chemical container well beneath the surface of a molten alloy both with a specially designed dunker or distribution unit to give maximum contact with a molten alloy of the ultra hazardous chemicals and products formed with the molten alloy. A similar alloy composition to Ser. No. 08/103,122 which is incorporated herein by reference may used. This composition is:
______________________________________ 50-100 percent aluminum 0-20 percent calcium 0-50 percent zinc 0-50 percent iron 0-50 percent copper ______________________________________
Components of the alloy may be of low purity. Scrap aluminum should be quite satisfactory.
Large volumes of ultra hazardous chemicals such as nerve gas exist and equipment in this process is specifically designed to allow safe, complete destruction to harmless, environmentally innocous products.
In this process the alloy may be heated and held molten by electrical induction heating or by fossil fuel. The alloy is held at approximately 750.degree. to 900.degree. C. by continuous heating.
Above 800.degree. C. essentially all organic materials, including organic pathogens, are broken down into carbon and gaseous products. Negative ions such as chlorine, bromine, etc., in the organic compounds will react with the alloy and be held as non volatile salts. The carbon, and hydrogen and, other oxidizable products, if present after pyrolysis are oxidized in the oxidation chamber. Glass will melt and metal will dissolve or remain in the molten bath. Water in the form of steam will pass into the aqueous scrubber. Normally negative ions such as chlorine will be held by calcium in the alloy; however salts that sublime would also be removed in aqueous scrubber.
Periodically, the molten bath must be replaced in order to reclaim the metals. The molten bath may be allowed to drain out of the reactor or pumped into collection vessels for later use in the metal industry. Molten glass may skimmed off the surface of the molten alloy. Air is essentially excluded from the pyrolysis unit and the small amount of air in the waste as charged reacts to oxidize carbon to carbon monoxide or dioxide.
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Dental articles have been bonded to tooth structures for a wide variety of treatment regimens including, for example, orthodontic treatment. Orthodontic treatment involves movement of malpositioned teeth to orthodontically correct positions. Tiny orthodontic appliances known as brackets are connected to exterior surfaces of the patient's teeth, and an archwire is placed in a slot of each bracket. The archwire forms a track to guide movement of the teeth to desired positions for correct occlusion. End sections of the archwire are often received in appliances known as buccal tubes that are fixed to the patient's molar teeth. In recent years it has become common practice to use adhesives to bond orthodontic appliances to the surface of the tooth, using either direct or indirect methods. A variety of adhesives are available to the practitioner for bonding brackets to tooth surfaces, and many offer excellent bond strengths. High bond strengths are desirable for maintaining adhesion of the bracket to the tooth surface over the duration of the treatment process, which can typically be two years or more.
The use of a bonding method can typically require, among other steps, placing an amount of adhesive on a bracket or using a bracket having the adhesive precoated thereon, applying the bracket to the desired tooth structure, positioning the bracket to the desired location on the tooth, pressing the bracket to exude excess adhesive and achieve the clinically optimum location of the bracket, and removing excess adhesive. Conventional orthodontic adhesives are typically highly filled, which results in an adhesive with a white or tooth color. It is desirable that a sufficient but not an excess amount of adhesive is used to bond the bracket to the tooth structure. Excess adhesive on the tooth structure can eventually be a site for bacteria accumulation and/or staining from food or drink. Because orthodontic treatment can last from 18 to 36 months or more, bacteria accumulation can damage the tooth structure and may lead to discoloration of the adhesive, both of which are undesirable. Identifying and removing excess adhesive from tooth structure can be difficult if there is similarity in the adhesive color and the tooth color, i.e., due to a lack of a contrasting color in the adhesive. Color-changing adhesives that have an initial color that contrasts with the tooth structure have aided practitioners in the identification of excess adhesive. However, removal of the excess adhesive is typically still required.
New adhesives and methods are needed that offer satisfactory adhesion of a dental article to a tooth structure and simplify the removal of excess adhesive, if desired, upon application of the dental article to the tooth structure.
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This invention relates generally to a device for compensation of chromatic dispersion in optical fiber communication systems.
With increased demand being placed on existing optical fiber facilities, lightwave communications providers are looking for ways to increase the usable bandwidth available for customers from existing fiber without installing additional fibers. Lightwave communication systems depend on optical fiber to transport the lightwave signals from one location to another in the system.
Optical fiber, both single mode and multimode, has modal and chromatic dispersion parameters which result from material and waveguide characteristics of the fiber. Chromatic dispersion causes lightwaves at one wavelength to travel at a different velocity through the optical fiber than lightwaves at another wavelength. Thus, for example, a short pulse input to one end of the fiber emerges from the far end as a broader pulse. Pulse broadening effects and, therefore, dispersion limit the rate at which information can be carried through an optical fiber.
Several solutions have been proposed to avoid or at least mitigate the effects of dispersion. These solutions include dispersion compensation techniques.
Most high-speed fiber optic communication systems today use externally modulated lasers to minimize laser xe2x80x98chirpxe2x80x99 and reduce the effects of chromatic dispersion in the fiber. Even with external modulation, there is a certain amount of xe2x80x98chirpxe2x80x99 or broadening of the laser spectrum, because any modulated signal must contain frequency xe2x80x98sidebandsxe2x80x99 which are roughly as wide as the modulation rate. Higher bit rate transmission systems consequently have broader frequency sidebands, and at the same time can tolerate less phase delay because of the shorter bit period. Next-generation high bit rate systems are consequently very sensitive to chromatic dispersion of the optical fiber and any components such as WDM""s within the system.
Chromatic dispersion of optical fiber is roughly constant over the 1550 nm communication window, and can be compensated by several techniques including dispersion compensating fiber, FBG""s, etc. However, certain wavelength filtering components such as WDM""s can have significant dispersion characteristics due to a fundamental Kramers-Kronig type relationship between transmission spectrum and dispersion characteristics. This type of dispersion characteristic typically varies substantially over the narrow WDM passband, and therefore is difficult to compensate using conventional techniques such as dispersion compensating fiber. It is one objective of the present invention to compensate for the dispersion from WDM devices, including multiplexers, demultiplexers, and interleavers.
Conventional optical communication systems are known to utilize directly modulated semiconductor lasers. In combination with chromatic dispersion characteristics of single-mode optical fiber, chirping of these lasers contributes to the spread of optical pulses and results in intersymbol interference and overall degradation in transmission. Current and xe2x80x9cnext-generationxe2x80x9d high speed systems employ transmitters which use narrow linewidth lasers and external modulators in a window or range of wavelengths about 1550 nm. These external modulators generally have a very low chirp; some designs have a zero or negatively compensating chirp. Nevertheless, transmission distance is still dispersion-limited to about 80 kilometers at transmission rates of 10 Gb/s using conventional single mode fibers.
One solution to this problem is in the use of dispersion shifted fiber which has little dispersion in the 1550 nm window. However, replacing existing fiber with dispersion shifted fiber is costly. Other approaches have been proposed such as optical pulse shaping to reduce laser chirp, using a semiconductor laser amplifier to impose a chirp on the transmitted signal that counteracts the chirping of the directly modulated semiconductor laser.
Approaches that are more consistent with the teachings of this invention attempt to reduce the intersymbol interference at or near the receiver, or intermediate the transmitter and the receiver. Essentially any medium capable of providing a sufficient dispersion opposite to that of the optical fiber can serve as an optical pulse equalizer. For example it is known to use a special optical fiber having an equal chromatic dispersion at a required operating wavelength but opposite in sign to that of the transmitting fiber. Other methods include the use of fiber Bragg gratings as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,295 in the name of Li et al., and disclosed by Shigematsu et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,188 assigned to Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., and the use of planar lightwave circuit (PLC) delay equalizers. Unfortunately, special compensating fiber has a high insertion loss and in many applications is not a preferable choice. Fiber gratings are generally not preferred for some field applications due to their narrow bandwidth, and fixed wavelength. PLCs are also narrow band, although tunable devices; fabricating a PLC with large dispersion equalization remains to be difficult. Shigematsu et al. disclose a hybrid of both of these less preferred choices; dispersion compensating fibre with chirped Bragg gratings.
The exact amount of dispersion compensation required for a particular installed fiber link may not be known, and may vary with wavelength or environmental conditions such as temperature. Therefore, it is desirable to have a device capable of providing a tunable amount of dispersion compensation, to simplify installation and to provide real-time control of dispersion.
In a paper entitled xe2x80x9cOptical Equalization to Combat the Effects of Laser Chirp and Fiber Dispersionxe2x80x9d published in the Journal of Lightwave Technology. Vol. 8, No. 5, May 1990, Cimini L. J. et al. describe an optical equalizer capable of combating the effects of laser chirp and fiber chromatic dispersion on high-speed long-haul fiber-optic communications links at 1.55 xcexcm. Also discussed is a control scheme for adaptively positioning the equalizer response frequency. Cimini et al. describe a device having only one common input/output port at a first partially reflective mirror and a second 100% reflective mirror together forming a cavity. The control scheme described attempts to track signal wavelength by obtaining feedback from a receiver. The amplitude response of the equalizer is essentially flat with wavelength at the input/output port, and thus, the proposed control scheme is somewhat complex requiring processing of high speed data at the optical receiver. As well, the proposed control method is stated to function with RZ signals but not with NRZ signals, a more commonly used data format. Although the equalizer described by Cimini et al. appears to perform its intended basic dispersion compensating function, there exists a need for an improved method of control of the position of the equalizer frequency response, and as well, there exists a need for an equalizer that will provide a sufficient time shift over a broader range of wavelengths. U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,947 in the name of Cimini et al., further describes this device.
A Fabry-Perot etalon having one substantially fully reflective end face and a partially reflective front face is known as a Gires-Tournois (GT) etalon. In a paper entitled Multifunction optical filter with a Michelson-Gires-Turnois interferometer for wavelength-division-multiplexed network system applications, by Benjamin B. Dingle and Masayuki Izutsu published 1998, by the Optical Society of America, a device is described which is hereafter termed the MGT device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,557,468 in the name of Ip assigned to JDS Fitel Inc, of Nepean Canada issued Sep. 17, 1996 and shows a dual GT etalon dispersion compensator. This ""468 patent states that cascading two filters having the same reflectivity on the input/output mirrors has been suggested, but does not produce optimum results with respect to increasing the wavelength region over which the equalizer operates; The Ip patent illustrates that by cascading the etalon 100 shown in FIG. 2 with another etalon having dissimilar reflectivity characteristics and being slightly offset in its center frequency response, it is possible to favourably extend the range of the output response of the filter considerably, with respect to both time delay and in operating wavelengths. An etalon equalizer 160 in having two dissimilar cascaded etalons 162 and 164 is shown in FIG. 6 of Ip. The output response for each of the etalons 162 and 164 and the output response for the cascaded equalizer 160 is shown in FIG. 7 in the Ip patent. By cascading the etalons, the operating wavelength is doubled from 5 to 10 Ghz and the time delay is increased by about 25 percent. The first stage etalon (cavity) 162 has a first mirror with a reflectivity R1=55% serving as an input/output port; the second stage etalon (cavity) 164 has a first mirror with a reflectivity R2=38%. The nominal distance xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d between first and second mirrors in each cavity is 2 mm. As is shown in FIG. 7, the offset of the center operating wavelength of each of the cavities is approximately 5 Ghz which corresponds to a small difference in cavity spacing (d1xe2x89xa0d2). Although Ip""s two etalons achieve their intended purpose of extending the operation wavelength range, it would be advantageous to have a device that provide a controllable constant amount of dispersion within a wavelength band of interest. That is, where tuning allowed different constant amounts of dispersion to be induced.
The MGT device as exemplified in FIG. 1 serves as a narrow band wavelength demultiplexor; this device relies on interfering a reflected E-field with an E-field reflected by a plane mirror 16. The etalon 10 used has a 99.9% reflective back reflector 12r and a front reflector 12f having a reflectivity of about 10%; hence an output signal from only the front reflector 12f is utilized.
As of late, interleaving/de-interleaving circuits are being used more widely. These specialized multiplexor/demultiplexors serve the function of interleaving channels such that two data streams, for example a first stream consisting of channel 1, 3, 5, 7, and so on, is interleaved, or multiplexed with a second stream of channels, 2, 4, 6, 8, and so on, for form single signal consisting of channels 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and so on. Of course the circuit can be used oppositely, to de-interleave an already interleaved signal, into plural de-interleaved streams of channels. One such interleaver circuit is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,125,220 issued Sep. 26, 2000 in the name of Copner et al., and another is in U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,932 issued Mar. 21, 2000 in the name of Colbourne et. al. Although interleaver circuits perform a desired function, it has been discovered that some of these circuits suffer from unwanted periodic chromatic dispersion within each channel. It is this type of periodic dispersion that can be obviated or lessened by the instant invention. It should also be noted that in many instances it is not desirable to completely eliminate all chromatic dispersion; it is believed that a small amount of such dispersion can be useful in reducing non-linear effects in WDM systems; therefore, the instant invention can be used to lessen dispersion by a required amount.
Hence, it is an object of this invention to overcome some of the limitations of the prior art described above. Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide a passive device that will compensate for or lessen dispersion over a plurality of interspaced wavelength channels simultaneously.
It is another object of this invention to provide a dispersion compensator that will provide a certain amount of dispersion over a predetermined wavelength band.
It is another object of the invention to provide a dispersion compensator that will provide a tunable dispersion compensator that is at least tunable over a certain range of wavelengths.
It is another object of this invention to provide a device and method for providing a tunably compensating for dispersion by provide a dispersion compensation device that provides different constant amounts of dispersion over a wavelength band of interest wherein the different amounts can be controlled by tuning the device.
In accordance with the invention a dispersion compensation device is provided for compensating dispersion in an optical signal in at least a predetermined wavelength band of wavelengths, comprising:
a first GT resonator having a first FSR and a single sloped dispersion curve in the predetermined wavelength band;
a second GT resonator having a single sloped dispersion curve in the predetermined wavelength band, the slope of the dispersion curve of the second GT resonator is opposite in sign to the slope of the dispersion curve of the first GT resonator in said wavelength band, the second GT resonator being optically coupled with the first GT resonator such that light launched into the first GT resonator is directed to the second GT resonator, at least one of the first GT resonator and the second GT resonator being a tunable resonator such that the free spectral range (FSR) thereof is controllably variable; and,
a controller for controlling the FSR of each tunable resonator and for controlling the amount of dispersion within the wavelength band.
In accordance with the invention there is further provided a dispersion compensation device comprising two etalons and a controller. At least one of the etalons is a multi-cavity etalon, and at least one of the etalons being tunable such that its FSR can be controllably varied. The controllers are for controlling the optical path length of the tunable etalons. The device is tunable so as to provide more or less dispersion over an optical channel, by varying the optical path length of at least one of the tunable etalons.
In accordance with the invention there is provided a dispersion compensation device for compensating dispersion in an optical signal, comprising:
a first optical filter having a monotonically increasing or decreasing sloped dispersion output response to light within at least a predetermined wavelength band; and
a second optical filter having a monotonically oppositely sloped dispersion output response to light within a same predetermined wavelength band, the second optical filter being optically coupled with the first optical such that light launched into the first filter is directed to the second filter, at least one of the first optical filter and the second optical filter being a tunable filter to vary the dispersion thereof over the predetermined wavelength band, such that the dispersion of the device can be controllably varied.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention a method for compensating dispersion in an optical signal is provided, comprising the steps of:
providing a first optical filter having a monotonically sloped dispersion output response within at least a predetermined wavelength band;
providing a second optical filter having a monotonically sloped dispersion output response within at least a predetermined wavelength band, wherein the first and second filters have slopes of opposite sign;
tuning the first filter in a controllable manner to vary the amount of dispersion induced thereby within the predetermined wavelength band.
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In recent years, it has been revealed that formation of an ultrafine crystal layer or a nanocrystal layer in a surface layer portion of a metallic material could cause the material to have excellent characteristics that had not existed before.
The ultrafine crystal layer refers to a layer with crystal grains each having a size of from 100 nm to 1 μm, while the nanocrystal layer refers to a layer with crystal grains each having a size of not larger than 100 um. The ultrafine crystal layer has characteristics suitable for a machine component, such as its hardness higher than that of its base material and its high compressive residual stress. Similarly, the nanocrystal layer has characteristics suitable for a machine component, such as its hardness much higher than that of its base material, its difficulty of grain growth even at a high temperature and its high compressive residual stress.
It is expected that, if the ultrafine crystal layer and the nanocrystal layer could be utilized for industries, a product constituted by a metallic material could have improved strength and performance.
Thus, there are proposed various techniques for forming the ultrafine crystal layer and the nanocrystal layer (hereinafter referred to as “nanocrystal layer or the like”) in a surface layer portion of a metallic material. For example, in JP-2003-39398A, there is proposed a technique for causing a protrusion formed in a distal end surface of a metal weight, to collide with a portion of a surface of a metallic product, so as to form the nanocrystal layer or the like in the portion of the surface of the metallic product.
Further, as another conventional technique, there is a technique using a shot peening. FIG. 16 is a schematic view showing the shot peening. This shot peening is, as shown in FIG. 16, arranged to cause hard particles G such as steels and ceramics to collide with a portion of a working surface 101a of a metallic material 101 at a high velocity, by using an ejection pressure of a compressive air ejected from an ejection device 100. The collision causes the portion of the working surface 101a to be plastically deformed, and accordingly forms the nanocrystal layer or the like in the portion of the working surface 101a.
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The generation of electricity from solar energy is not a new concept. However, since its discovery the use of solar energy to create electricity has been difficult to make economically feasible. This has been due to the large cost of equipment as well as the low efficiency of the equipment. These problems are compounded by the relatively low cost of the production of electricity from burning oil and gas, as well as hydro-electric power generation using dams.
Many solar power collectors are large flat panels capable of creating electricity directly from absorbed sunlight. Users often mount solar panels on roofs or other fixed positions where the solar panels are exposed to the sun. Unfortunately solar panels operate with greatest efficiency when oriented perpendicularly to the sun. As the sun crosses the sky the panels only operate at peak efficiency for a limited amount of time.
To combat the efficiency issues, solar power systems have been created that allow the solar panels to rotate as the sun crosses the sky. With these systems the panels are always pointed directly at the sun and can achieve maximum efficiency. These systems, however, often include expensive hydraulic-systems requiring pumps as well as computer systems, complex algorithms and electric power in order to maintain their orientation with the sun. The costs associated with these systems increases the initial investment required to build and install the solar panel arrays, increasing the cost per watt generated.
The automatic solar array orienting systems, while increasing efficiency, result in an excessive cost increase. In order to make solar power collection more feasible, it is necessary to reduce costs while maintaining efficiency by lowering the initial cost of the equipment and thus improving the cost per watt of electricity, and eliminating the need to provide electricity to the site.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an airfoil for attachment to the windscreen structure of pleasure boats, and more particularly to a device which will provide ventilation to the cockpit area when a top cover is in use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pleasure boats of the type commonly referred to as express or sport cruisers generally provide living space below a deck which gradually rises from the bow and terminates with a permanent windscreen or windshield structure. The helm and companion seat are located in a cockpit area immediately aft of the windshield. Protection from sun and rain for the cockpit area may be provided by a canvas boat top with clear plastic side curtains. Usually, the windshield frame will be provided with metal snaps or similar devices for connecting the forward end of the canvas top. When a canvas top or the like is used for protection from the bright sun, particularly in warm weather regions, the temperature in the cockpit area will rise rapidly. Even when the boat is cruising at high speed, very little air flow occurs in the cockpit area with resulting discomfort to the occupants.
Thus, the occupants have a choice of obtaining ventilation in sunny weather by not utilizing the top but face the danger of sunburn from excess exposure to the sun. Thus, there is a need for means to provide sun protection yet to maintain the cockpit area at a comfortable temperature by improving the airflow therethrough.
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a bicycle frame having a height-adjustable saddle pillar according to the claims and a method for its assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various approaches are known for bicycle frames having a height-adjustable saddle pillar.
In simple solutions, a saddle tube having a saddle fastened thereon is clamped in a seat tube of a bicycle frame. For adjustment, the clamp may be released, the saddle and the saddle tube both adjusted in height, and the clamp may be then re-engaged.
There are furthermore known solutions where a saddle pillar having an adjustable length is clamped in the seat tube of the bicycle frame.
A saddle pillar suited in this regard is known, e.g., from DE 20 2007 014 515 U1 or WO 2006/039195 A2. These documents disclose saddle pillars where the saddle is fastened on a telescope-type pipe arrangement having a frame-side outer tube and a saddle-side inner tube guided in the outer tube. The inner tube is in operative connection with a separating piston separating two pressure chambers from each other. In the case of the known solutions, these two pressure chambers are filled with a non-compressible medium such as oil, for example. In order to adjust the length of the saddle pillar, a valve arranged in the separating piston may be adjusted in a direction from the saddle by means of an adjusting lever so as to open a pressure medium connection between the two above-mentioned pressure chambers. The separating piston arrangement and thus the inner tube is subjected to the pressure in one of the pressure chambers—termed the positive chamber—in the extending direction and to the pressure in the other pressure chamber—termed the negative chamber—in the lowering direction. Here the effective surfaces of the separating piston arrangement are configured such that the force component acting upwardly in the extending direction is greater than the force component acting in the retracting direction, so that the inner tube is biased in the extending direction.
While the pressure medium connection is open, the inner tube may then be pushed into the outer tube by the rider's weight in order to change the saddle height, for example when going downhill, with pressure medium being displaced from the pressure chamber being diminished in size via the opened pressure medium connection into the pressure chamber being enlarged in size. Fixing the saddle pillar in a predetermined relative position is effected by closing the pressure medium connection, so that the exchange of pressure medium between the two pressure chambers filled with a non-compressible medium is then inhibited. In the known solutions, a kind of air spring which is formed by the volumes of air formed in the inner tube and/or in the outer tube is furthermore associated to the pressure chambers.
On the one hand it is a drawback of these known solutions including two pressure media (air, oil) that they have a very complicated construction inasmuch as a multiplicity of pressure chambers must be formed and selected in accordance with the axial length and the diameter of the saddle pillar. Moreover considerable expenditure for sealing is required in order to separate the two pressure media from each other.
Another length-adjustable saddle pillar is shown in document DE 10 2009 010 170 A1. It has an outer tube and an inner tube displaceable in the latter, wherein a separating piston delimiting a positive chamber and a negative chamber is arranged between the outer and inner tubes. A pressure medium connection between the positive chamber and the negative chamber may be closed by means of a closure member. This closure member may be an elastomer ring and may be configured such as to connect inner tube and outer tube with each other by frictional connection or form-fit in the closed position, i.e., while the pressure medium connection is blocked.
It is a drawback of such bicycle frames including an adjustable saddle pillar that in addition to the seat tube of the frame an outer tube of the saddle pillar received therein and an inner tube of the saddle pillar in turn received in the former are necessary. This amounts to a considerable weight and a small adjustment range of the frame including an adjustable saddle pillar.
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In the manufacturing of wafers, integrated circuit devices such as transistors are first formed at the surfaces of semiconductor substrates. Interconnect structures are then formed over the integrated circuit devices. Bumps are formed on the surfaces of the semiconductor wafers, and are electrically coupled to integrated circuit devices. The semiconductor wafers are sawed into semiconductor chips, also commonly known as dies.
In the packaging of the semiconductor chips, the semiconductor chips are often bonded with other chips or package substrates using flip-chip bonding. Solders are used to join the bumps in the semiconductor chips, or join the bumps in the semiconductor chips to the bond pads in the package substrates. When two semiconductor chips (or one semiconductor chip and a package substrate) are bonded, a solder bump may be pre-formed on one of the bumps or bond pads. A re-flow is then performed so that the solder bump joins the semiconductor chips. Conventional bumps were typically large, and hence micro-bumps were developed. Micro-bump flip-chip interconnections allow for high bonding densities.
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary micro-bump on chip 200, with micro-bump 210 formed at a surface of chip 200. Micro-bump 210 includes nickel layer 212, and copper pad 214 on nickel layer 214. Silicon nitride layer 216 covers the edge portion of micro-bump 210, with a center portion of the top surface of copper pad 214 not covered. Electroless nickel electroless palladium immersion gold (ENEPIG) finish 220 is formed to cover copper pad 214, which is exposed through the opening in silicon nitride layer 216. Bump 210 as shown in FIG. 1 will be joined with bump 230 of chip 232 by re-flowing solder cap 234, so that chips 200 and 232 are bonded together.
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The technology utilized to store, manage, and consume power in electrically-powered vehicles has been improving steadily. Indeed, electrically-powered vehicles (hereinafter electric vehicles) are now competitive with fuel-powered vehicles on many performance parameters, and typically surpass fuel-powered vehicles in measures of efficiency, environmental cleanliness, and operating noise levels. This has led to an increase in the popularity of electric vehicles and hence to a steady increase in the number of such vehicles on the road and in use at any given time.
An occasional problem affecting drivers of all types of vehicles, whether fuel-powered or electrically-powered, is running out of power and becoming stranded with an inoperable vehicle. With the increasing popularity of electric vehicles, this problem may become more and more common as many of the drivers of electric vehicles may be unfamiliar with the operating limits of their vehicles. Also contributing to this problem may be drivers' lack of knowledge as to the location of the nearest fueling or recharging station.
Conventional electric vehicles are preconfigured to operate with their batteries between certain upper and lower charge thresholds. Operating within a lower and upper threshold substantially above 0% charge and below 100% charge helps preserve the life of the battery. For example, a lower charge threshold may be 30% and an upper charge threshold may be 80%. In plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, which use both petroleum-based fuel and electrical power from a battery for propulsion, if the petroleum-based fuel is depleted and the battery charge meets or falls below the lower charge threshold, the vehicle cannot be operated even though charge is present in the battery. Thus, a driver of an electric vehicle may become stranded with an inoperable vehicle when, in fact, the vehicle battery still has charge remaining and is capable of continuing propulsion.
Therefore, it is an object in part to provide a method and system for drivers of electric vehicles to reach a fueling or recharging station or other point of interest such as their residence in the event that their fuel becomes depleted and their batteries approach, meet or fall below the lower charge threshold by making use of the remaining battery charge. However, while this is an object underlying certain implementations of the invention, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to systems that solve the problems noted herein. Moreover, the inventors have created the above body of information for the convenience of the reader and expressly disclaim all of the foregoing as prior art; the foregoing is a discussion of problems discovered and/or appreciated by the inventors, and is not an attempt to review or catalog the prior art.
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The invention relates generally to cardiac pacers, and more particularly to means for preventing crosstalk between bipolar pacer leads.
There are two major pumping chambers in the heart, the left and right ventricles. Simultaneously contracting, these chambers expel blood into the aorta and the pulmonary artery. Blood enters the ventricles from the left and right atria, respectively. The contractions arise from a wave of electrical excitation which begins in the right atrium and spreads to the left atrium. The excitation enters the atrio-ventricular (AV) node which delays its passage via the bundle of His into the ventricles. The atria contract in a separate action which precedes the major ventricular contraction by an interval of about 100 milliseconds (md), known as the AV delay. In the healthy heart, atrial contractions begin every 400-1,000 ms at a steady metabolically determined frequency known as the "sinus" rate, which increases automatically with exercise, the AV delay being foreshortened at higher rates.
Electrical signals corresponding to the contractions appear in the electrocardiogram. A signal known as the P-wave accompanies the atrial contraction while a signal known as the QRS complex, with a predominant R-wave, accompanies the ventricular contraction. The P and R-waves can be reliably detected as timing signals by electrical leads in contact with the respective heart chambers.
The typical implanted cardiac pacer operates by producing electrical stimulation pulses to supply missing excitation via an insulated wire (or "pacing lead") terminating in an electrode attached to the right ventricle. The R-wave can be sensed by the same lead to inhibit or trigger stimulation or to restart a timing interval as in "demand" pacing. An additional lead contacts the atrium to sense P-waves, if desired. Pacers whose ventricular stimulation is timed from the sensing of a P-wave are referred to as synchronous or "physiological" pacers since they preserve the natural sinus rate as well as the normal sequence of contractins. In AV sequential pacers, sometimes the atrial lead is also used for atrial stimulation.
There are two basic types of electrode systems used in pacing leads. Unipolar leads terminate distally in a single electrode (cathode) and employ the case of the pulse generator itself, or a conductive plate on the case, as the return electrode or ground (anode). Bipolar pacing leads, on the other hand, terminate distally in two spaced insulated electrodes connected to the pulse generator through respective wires in the pacing lead. Thus, each bipolar lead carries a positive and negative electrode for the respective chamber, and the case is not designed to form a part of the electrical circuit in this configuration.
In an AV sequential bipolar lead pacing system, bipolar pacing leads extend into the right atrium and right ventricle. In a pacer having a common ground connection, the two positive electrodes on the respective bipolar leads are tied together electrically. This shared ground connection can present crosstalk problems in both sensing and stimulation when each bipolar lead is in a different heart chamber. This is an extremely important problem to solve for physiological pacers which provide bipolar stimulation and sensing for both heart chambers with the same implanted pacer powered by a single battery.
One of the ways previously used to accomplish some measure of isolation between bipolar leads is to employ a transformer in the output stage of the pacing circuit to isolate the lead electrodes. This approach, however, has only been practical when sensing is done only one one channel. In addition, it has the serious drawback of adding a relatively bulky ineffecient component to the otherwise miniaturized pacer electronics.
In U.S. application Ser. No. 375,040, filed May 5, 1982, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, in order to prevent crosstalk between atrial and ventricular bipolar cardiac pacer leads, separate input/output circuits for the two channels are powered by respective isolated capacitors. In one embodiment, the capacitors are resistively coupled to the pacer battery for continuous charging. In another embodiment, one side of each capacitor is normally disconnected from the pacer battery. Charging switches momentarily connect one or the other capacitor directly to the battery in response to the output of the corresponding sense amplifier.
In U.S. application Ser. No. 375,198, filed May 5, 1982, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, interchannel crosstalk in an existing dual channel pacer designed for bipolar leads is reduced by inserting a switching circuit between the pacing leads and the pacing terminals. In one embodiment, in each channel an isolation resistance and buffer amplifier in series with the lead electrodes, respectively, are shunting during stimulation. In another embodiment, the lead electrodes are connected to a pair of differential amplifiers which are bipassed during stimulation on a given channel.
I have discovered a system that improves upon and simplifies the aforementioned isolation circuits, may be used with most existing pacers, and is useful to obviate any cross-stimulation between the two pacer channels in any correct or incorrect lead connection.
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In recent years, particularly in emergency medicine, it has come to be known to significantly improve a rehabilitation rate of a cardiac arrest patient by emergency life-saving measures by a doctor or an emergency medical technician while a regional saturation of oxygen (rSO2) of the cardiac arrest patient is monitored using a near-infrared ray (for example, refer to Patent Literatures 1 and 2). Generally, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 1 of Patent Literature 2, a structure of an apparatus for monitoring a regional saturation of oxygen (rSO2) using a near-infrared ray is separated into a probe unit attached to the forehead of a patient's head and an apparatus main body unit having a circuit board for analyzing a signal from the probe unit and a display unit for displaying an analysis result integrated, and the probe unit and the apparatus main body unit are connected with a long signal cable.
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The following are mentioned as belonging to the prior art:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,977 to Herbert (D1), PA1 EP-A-0 136 848 to Baxter Travenol Laboratories, Inc.(D2) and PA1 WO-A-82/04016 also to Baxter Travenol Laboratories, Inc.(D3).
Connecting arrangements or connecting techniques with which the present invention is concerned are disclosed, inter alia, in D1. The object of D1 is a medical bag for storing blood or infusion solutions, in which a connecting piece made of a dimensionally stable plastic material is inserted into the body of the bag made of a different plastic material, wherein, to produce a firm and fluid-tight connection between bag and connecting piece, a bonding layer made of a non-crosslinked copolymer made from an olefin and vinyl acetate or polyurethane is arranged between the connecting piece and the sections of the body of the bag found to be in contact with it.
For the medical bag in accordance with D1, plastic materials based on polyolefins are suggested, inter alia those based on polyethylene, polypropylene and polybutylene. In addition to these homopolymers, plastic materials are also mentioned in D1 that are substituted olefins containing, for example, methyl, ethyl, vinyl or halogen substituents. Copolymers or blends of corresponding materials are also suggested.
Polyethylenes with average to high densities, high molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions are particularly preferred for the bag. Furthermore, according to D1, care should be taken to ensure, in this case, that the polyolefins have a melting point below the sterilization temperature of 110 to 120.degree. C.
Suitable plastics for use for connecting pieces or inserts (in accordance with D1), are relatively rigid and transparent plastic materials and are deformed only at a pressure of at least 2 bar, for example rigid PVC, polypropylene, polyamide, polycarbonate, polyester, polyacrylates and similar materials and/or copolymers based on the previously mentioned compounds and styrene-containing copolymers, but in particular polycarbonates.
Materials for the bonding layer include, according to D1, copolymers of an olefin with vinyl acetate or a polyurethane. The bonding layer is between 0.1 and 7 mm thick and, to produce a connection between the connecting fittings piece or insert and bag, is arranged so that a length of tubing of the bonding layer material is drawn over or brushed onto the exterior of the insert or connecting tube, then the insert is pushed into the opening provided for it in the bag and finally the whole unit is welded together.
It is also possible to weld the bonding layer to the connecting piece first, for fixing purposes, and then to introduce this into the prepared connector opening in the bag and seal this unit. In this case, after the welding procedure, the bonded system is autoclaved at approximately 120.degree. C. and 2 bar. During the heat-sealing process itself (welding), the bag is bonded to the ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer in the intermediate layer, the bag also preferably being made of polycarbonate, like the connecting piece.
The connecting technique in accordance to D1 is disadvantageous for a number of reasons. On the one hand the interpositioning of a connecting layer between the separate parts of the system to be connected is a relatively complicated procedure. On the other hand, the bag is not suitable for recycling due to the use of different materials (the bonding layer is not made of a polyolefin material).
The object of D2 is another connecting technique. This discloses a flexible bag made of ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA), in which a multi-layered connection tube made of a plastic material is arranged so that it is in fluid connection with the interior of the bag, wherein the tube has an outer layer which contains an ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer which can be connected to the internal surface of the bag. In this case the seal is preferably achieved by means of a high frequency energy sealing process. Apart from the fact that the multi-layered tubes, connecting pipes or fittings have PVC-containing layers, wherein PVC is not a material which gives no concern during waste disposal procedures, and furthermore which almost always contains plasticizer which can diffuse out of the material into the solution being stored, a mixture of PVC and vinyl acetate is very difficult to separate during recycling procedures.
D3 also discloses a connector designed specifically for connecting two different plastic materials as an intermediate layer which is particularly suitable for connecting medical containers such as, for instance, blood bags to flexible tubes, when the parts to be connected consist of materials which are incompatible with each other so that direct welding of the separate parts to each other is not possible.
The intermediate item in accordance with D3 is a coextruded or injection moulded multi-layered connector with layers made of different plastic materials, wherein one of the layers "melts" at a lower temperature than the others.
D3 mentions polyvinylchloride as the material in the inner connector layer, whereas the outer layer consists of a lower melting polymer, for example polyethylenevinylacetate (EVA). In this embodiment, the connector in accordance with D3 is suitable, for instance, for connecting a PVC tube to a polyethylene container whose connecting piece consists of a material containing propylene units and polyethylenevinylacetate units as the first and second components.
To form the connection, the PVC tube is now placed in contact with the inner layer of the connector, for example using a solvent such as cyclohexanone. The outer layer of the connector is then introduced into the connection section of the bag under sliding contact, after firmly fixing the inner tube/connector link. The entire tube/connector/connecting piece/bag arrangement is then taken up to a temperature which is sufficient to melt the EVA in the external layer of the connector and to bond with the connecting piece. This thermal treatment can be performed, inter alia, in an autoclave.
To bond separate parts made of similar materials and to lower the temperature required to heat-bond them, D3 suggests the use of two connectors, the first with a low-melting plastic material outer layer (EVA) and a higher melting plastic material inner layer (PVC) and a second with the reverse sequence of layers. The two connectors with different diameters are then pushed together so that the PVC layers are in contact with each other. The two PVC layers are then solvent-sealed (cyclohexanone) together. The resulting "double connector" then has two low-melting plastic material outer layers which can be used in a known manner for connecting EVA bags and tubes.
In several ways, the disclosure published in D3 is also associated with disadvantages for the person skilled in the art.
On the one hand, at least one additional connector part is required each time to connect a medical system (bag+tube). On the other hand, in the end at least two steps are always required to produce the connection. Thus solvent-welding of the PVC layers in the connector and the tube or even of two connectors regularly precedes heat-treatment, which is really quite a complicated procedure. Finally, D3 is directed exclusively towards classical PVC and EVA materials which, from a current point of view, appear rather dubious, especially against the background of the plasticizer problems associated with PVC.
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The present invention relates generally to turbine engine assemblies, and more particularly, to support assemblies that facilitate adjusting turbine engine assemblies.
At least some known industrial turbines, such as gas and/or steam turbines, include an inner casing mounted to an outer casing. Adjustment of the inner turbine casing relative to the outer turbine casing facilitates aligning the inner casing with respect to internal rotating components, reducing clearances and increasing an operating efficiency of the turbine and reducing engine to engine variation. However, given the weight and size of at least some known inner and outer turbine casing, adjusting and/or aligning the components with respect to one another during maintenance procedures, for example, may be time-consuming, difficult, and expensive.
To facilitate assembly of turbine casings, at least some known adjustment systems are used. At least some of such known turbine adjustment systems are located entirely within the outer turbine casing. However, although convenient, such turbine adjustment systems are not externally adjustable. Accordingly, to adjust the inner and outer turbine casing relative to each other, the outer turbine casing must first be disassembled to gain access to the adjustment system. Further, in at least some known adjustment systems, the final adjustment must be performed with an upper half of the outer turbine casing removed. However, mounting the upper half of the outer turbine casing after final adjustment may itself offset and/or alter the adjustment. Similarly, if the turbine adjustment system malfunctions or is damaged, the outer turbine casing must first be disassembled before beginning any repair and/or replacement of the turbine adjustment system. Accordingly, the benefits of such adjustment systems may be limited.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
}
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a program information broadcasting system for broadcasting information of component elements to constitute a program such as category information, performer information, etc. of each of the programs to be broadcast, and further to a broadcasting device used for the above broadcasting system, and to a receiving terminal unit for receiving various types of program information thus broadcast and for displaying the information quickly and efficiently.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, with development and progress of communication technique and data processing technique, multi-media information such as audio information or video information is digitalized and offered to users. Also, with the introduction of large capacity storage medium in the market, it is now possible to provide a broadcasting system, which can send a large amount of data via broadcasting or communication facilities, and receive and accumulate the information at a terminal unit on user side so that the users can view it at any time desired.
Normally, in case a viewer receives and views a broadcasting program using a receiving terminal unit such as television receiver or radio receiver, the user is informed of program content and broadcasting schedule on program schedule in television/radio page of newspapers or magazines and decides the program to view or listen. When the user wants to subscribe a program, it is necessary to input and set broadcasting channel, scheduled broadcasting time, etc. of the program found on newspapers or magazines. In this respect, when the user does not have newspaper or magazine at hand, program subscription cannot be inputted because no program schedule can be referred.
Under such circumstances, it is now partially practiced, in case of television broadcasting, for example, to use a new type of television receiver provided with a data decoder, by which program information including program title and other information is broadcast in multiplex on video signal via teletext or the like, and program schedule can be displayed on screen of the television receiver. As an example, in digital satellite broadcasting, which has been recently started in Japan, program information and broadcasting program are broadcast.
In the broadcasting of program information as proposed in the past, broadcasting center prepares and transmits a program information (master data) and transmits the program information in broadcasting, and the data of the broadcast program information is received and reproduced (or decoded) and displayed on display unit. Included in the program information related to each program are program identification number, program title, broadcasting channel, explanation of program content, program category, individual key word relating to the program (data items such as performer, director, original author, etc.; generally called “items”), date and time of broadcast starting, date and time of completion of broadcasting, etc.
In the digital satellite broadcasting, the program information is transmitted at the same time as the broadcasting program. By receiving the program information, electronic program guide (also called “EPG”) is prepared, and program information is displayed to the users. Using the electronic program guide, the user can obtain various types of information relating to the program on television screen in the same manner as the checking of program on newspaper or other media. Also, it is possible to subscribe or purchase the program using the electronic program guide. The electronic program guide is practically used in the digital satellite broadcasting, which is currently in the stage of practical application. in case program information is retrieved on the electronic program guide as described above, the data of the program information is received by a receiving terminal unit, stored in memory of the receiving terminal unit for once, and is displayed on display screen after retrieval.
However, in the broadcasting of program information as proposed in the past, data is retrieved only after all of the data to be retrieved is incorporated in memory or retrieval of the data is conducted while incorporating the data. In any case, the retrieval cannot be completed until all of the program information is completely incorporated, and the user must wait for relatively long time until program information is actually displayed after an instruction to display the program information is inputted.
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Mobile terminals such as smartphones, tablet computers and notebook computers have been prevalent. A mobile terminal includes a flat display device using liquid crystal or organic electro-luminescence (EL) elements. The display device is connected to a host device which outputs image data, commands, and the like. The display device includes a display panel and a driver which processes commands and drives the display panel.
In the display device, pixels two-dimensionally arranged on the display panel include a common electrode and a pixel electrode. The liquid crystal or organic EL elements are arranged between the common electrode and the pixel electrode. When the driver writes a pixel signal to the pixels on the display panel, the liquid crystal or organic EL elements arranged between the common electrode and the pixel electrode are controlled and an image is thereby displayed.
Display devices capable of detecting an inputting object such as a finger and a touch pen (also called a stylus) approaching or contacting the screen have been widely employed. The operation of allowing the inputting object to approach or contact the screen is called a touch operation or a touch, and the detection of a position of the inputting object is called touch detection. Examples of the touch detection include various types such as an optical type, a resistive type, a capacitive type, and an electromagnetic induction type. The capacitive type is the detection type utilizing a feature that the electrostatic capacitance between a pair of electrodes (called a drive electrode and a detection electrode) is varied by approach or contact of the inputting object, and has benefits that the structure is comparatively simple and that the power consumption is small.
The display device equipped with the touch detection function includes an on-cell type (also called an external type) in which the display device and the touch panel implementing the touch function are produced separately and the touch panel is bonded to the screen of the display device, and an in-cell type (also called a built-in type) in which the display device and the touch panel are integrated. In the in-cell type display device, for example, the detection electrode is formed between a color filter and a polarizer, and a common electrode formed on a thin film transistor (TFT) substrate is also used as a drive electrode. Since the in-cell type display device includes no external touch panel, the display device is entirely slim and lightweight, and visibility of the display is also improved. In the in-cell type display device, however, the display period and the touch detection period need to be set separately and achievement of both the display drive and the touch detection is a problem to be solved.
Recently, touch panel-equipped display devices have increased in size. For example, elongated display devices have been developed similarly to center information display (CID) units provided on dashboards of vehicles to function as display devices for displaying road guidance information, and the like in a car navigation system. The CID unit displays gauges such as a speedometer, a tachometer, a fuel gauge, a water temperature gauge, and a range finder, and the information similar to the gauges, in addition to the road guidance information.
An in-cell type display device includes a number of wiring layers, much parasitic capacitance and much parasitic resistance, a large time constant of CR, and the drive electrode can hardly be driven with a desired waveform. For accurate touch detection, the drive electrode needs to be driven with a desired waveform. For this reason, the touch detection period is required to be longer in the in-cell type display device. To maintain the display frame rate, however, the touch detection period cannot be freely made longer.
Thus, the conventional display device including the in-cell type touch detection function is influenced by the parasitic capacitance and parasitic resistance, and the drive electrode can hardly be driven appropriately.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device having a circuit composed of thin film transistors (hereinafter referred to as TFTs) and a manufacturing method thereof. The present invention relates to, for example, a device represented by a liquid crystal display device (on which a liquid crystal module is mounted) and an electronic device on which such a device is mounted as a part.
Note that the semiconductor device in this specification indicates a device in general, which can function by utilizing a semiconductor characteristic and an electro-optical device, a light emitting device, a semiconductor circuit, and an electronic device each are the semiconductor devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a technique for constructing a thin film transistor (TFT) using a semiconductor thin film (about several to several hundreds nm in thickness) formed on a substrate having an insulating surface has been noted. The thin film transistor is widely applied to an electronic device such as an IC or an electro-optical device and its development as a switching element of an image display device is particularly demanded.
Conventionally, a liquid crystal display device is known as the image display device. Since a high resolution image is obtained as compared with a passive liquid crystal display device, an active matrix liquid crystal display device is used in many cases. According to the active matrix liquid crystal display device, when pixel electrodes arranged in matrix are driven, a display pattern is formed on a screen. In more detail, when a voltage is applied between a selected pixel electrode and an opposite electrode corresponding to the selected pixel electrode, a liquid crystal layer located between the pixel electrode and the opposite electrode is optically modulated and the optical modulation is recognized as the display pattern by an observer.
The range, of use of such an active matrix liquid crystal display device is increased. Demands for a higher resolution, a higher opening ratio, and high reliability are increased along with increase in a screen size. Simultaneously, demands for improvement of productivity and cost reduction are also increased.
Conventionally, when a TFT is manufactured using aluminum as a material of a gate wiring of the above-mentioned TFT, a protrusion such as hillock or a whisker is produced by thermal treatment and an aluminum atom is diffused to a channel forming region. Thus, an operation failure of the TFT and a deterioration of a TFT characteristic are caused. In order to solve this, a metallic material which can be resistant to thermal treatment, typically, a metallic element having a high melting point is used. However, a problem in which a wiring resistance is increased due to increase in a screen size arises, and increase in power consumption and the like are caused.
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Casino table games such as craps, roulette, poker, blackjack or other card games are highly profitable to casinos, particularly because the odds associated with such gambling games favor the casino. In order to maximize the profit generated by each table, it is desirable to not only attract a large number of players to the table but to also keep the players playing at the table for an extended period of time. In essence, while a player may occasionally stop at a table to place several wagers, a casino is most likely to make a profit from a player who stays at a single table over the course of several hours because it is unlikely that such a player will be able to xe2x80x9cbeat the oddsxe2x80x9d over the long run.
Thus, casinos often add extra incentives (e.g., complimentary food and beverages) to keep players at the gaming tables for extended periods of time. However, since all casinos typically offer the same extra incentives, it is not uncommon for players to xe2x80x9ctry their luckxe2x80x9d at a number of different tables or even at a number of different casinos within a single gambling session. For example, if a player is losing money at a particular table (e.g., a blackjack table), or if the player feels that a particular table (or a particular dealer) is unlucky, that player may leave the table and, in some instances, may leave the casino altogether to gamble elsewhere. Of course, during the time that the player is surveying different tables or different casinos, that player is not gambling and the casino is not profiting from that player.
Thus, casinos not only have an interest in attracting players to their table games, they also have an interest in keeping a player at his or her seat for as long as possible. In addition to complimentary items such as beverages, which may help to keep gamblers in the casino but will not necessarily promote continuous wagering at a specific table, casinos may wish to provide an extra incentive to players who play for extended periods of time at a single table. Such an added incentive may be an auxiliary incentive game which is played simultaneously with the primary game, while not interfering with the primary game.
The auxiliary game preferably offers its own set of prizes separate from any rewards or losses which the player may experience within the primary game. Additionally, the auxiliary game preferably rewards all players who remain at the table, regardless of whether the players are winning or losing at the primary game. The auxiliary game simply provides players with an opportunity for additional rewards if the player remains at the table for a sufficient amount of time to complete or xe2x80x9cwinxe2x80x9d the auxiliary game. However, the pace of the auxiliary game is preferably much slower than the pace of the primary game so that a player must continue to play the primary game for a number of hours without interruption before being afforded an opportunity to complete or win the auxiliary game. In this manner, the auxiliary game serves its purpose of keeping players at the gaming table for long periods, even if the player may be losing money at the primary table game.
An auxiliary prize gaming system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,800 to Huard et al., the specification of which is hereby incorporated by reference. In Huard et al., the auxiliary prize game includes random selection means for selecting at random the prize amount to be awarded, for selecting at random the matching gaming symbols or for randomly selecting a player position. The auxiliary prize may be awarded based on a player""s fulfilling of one or more eligibility conditions, such as matching and player position selection.
Another example of such an auxiliary game which is played simultaneously with blackjack as the primary game is Ten Stix 21(trademark). Ten Stix 21(trademark) is played in the same format as blackjack where all players attempt to beat the dealer""s hand without going over 21. The primary difference between Ten Stix 21(trademark) and standard blackjack is that a bonus card is substituted for one card in each deck of cards. xe2x80x9cBonus pointsxe2x80x9d may be awarded for each of the bonus cards collected by the players during the course of multiple consecutive blackjack hands. Once a player has collected a predetermined number of bonus points, the player is awarded a prize by the casino as a bonus gift. This bonus prize thus provides the added incentive for players to stay at the blackjack table, regardless of whether the player is winning or losing while playing blackjack.
The bonus cards used within Ten Stix 2(trademark) preferably replace the ten of clubs within each card deck so that, for example, a six-deck shoe of cards would contain six bonus cards but no ten of clubs. During the normal course of a blackjack hand, each bonus card carries the value of ten and can be utilized by both a player or the dealer as a ten. However, the players have the option of either keeping the bonus card and playing it as a ten or trading the bonus card into the dealer for the next card out of the shoe. If the player opts to trade in the bonus card, the player receives a bonus point toward completion of the auxiliary game. However, the bonus point does not impact the player""s current blackjack hand. Rather, upon trading in the bonus card and receiving a replacement card from the dealer, the blackjack hand continues in a normal manner. On the other hand, if the player opts to keep the bonus card, play continues normally with the bonus card being assigned a value of ten points within the player""s hand.
To prevent a player who receives the bonus card from gaining an unfair advantage over other players during the course of the blackjack hand, a player will not be allowed to trade in the bonus card if the bonus card xe2x80x9cbustsxe2x80x9d the player""s hand (i.e., if the bonus card""s ten-point value would cause the player""s hand to exceed twenty-one points). Thus, in those instances, the bonus card will automatically be accorded its ten-point value and the player will not receive a bonus point for being dealt the bonus card. Additionally, the dealer does not have the option to trade in a bonus card, and thus a bonus card dealt to the dealer will count the same as a ten card.
To complete or win the auxiliary incentive game within Ten Stix 21(trademark), a player must accumulate ten bonus points at one sitting at the same table. In essence, a player starts with zero points when he or she first sits down at a Ten Stix 21(trademark) table and receives a single bonus point for each bonus card traded in to the dealer. When the player trades in a tenth bonus card, the player completes or wins the auxiliary game and is awarded the prize by the casino.
However, the bonus points accumulated by a player over the course of a number of blackjack hands may not be carried away by the player to another table nor may the player save or carry over accumulated bonus points for use in subsequent sessions at the same table. Additionally, a first player""s bonus points may not be transferred to another player at the table or carried over to a subsequent player who takes the first player""s spot at the table. In this manner, a player is encouraged to stay at the blackjack table for extended periods of time until the player has accumulated the ten bonus points required to win the auxiliary game and thus the casino prize. In particular, the Ten Stix 21(trademark) version of blackjack tends to increase the duration of a player""s stay at the blackjack table because the player""s determination to win the bonus prize will typically increase as he or she continues to accumulate bonus points. In fact, a player may continue to play Ten Stix 21(trademark) for hours after he or she would normally have left a conventional blackjack table due to the belief that he or she will eventually win the bonus prize.
The prior Ten Stix 21(trademark) game required the dealers to physically trade a player""s bonus card for an object such as special chip known as a xe2x80x9clammer.xe2x80x9d These lammers are then displayed by each player at a designated spot on the game table next to the player""s position. Once a player accumulated ten lammers by trading in ten bonus cards in one sitting at the Ten Stix 21(trademark) table, the player then turned the lammers into the dealer and collected the bonus prize offered by the casino. Of course, as noted above, a player was not allowed to transfer or trade the lammers to other players at the table, nor was a player allowed to take the lammers if the player left the table prior to accumulating ten lammers and claiming the bonus prize.
However, due to the tangible nature of the lammers, it was often difficult to police the players"" conduct and enforce the above rules, particularly at a busy table where a large number of players may be entering and leaving the game. For example, a player who accumulates one or more lammers but who does not have sufficient funds to continue playing blackjack may attempt to surreptitiously transfer the lammers to another player or leave the table with the lammers in the hopes of using those lammers in a future Ten Stix 21(trademark) game. As a more specific example, a Ten Stix 21(trademark) player with less than ten lammers may decide for a number of reasons to leave the table and abandon the game. The player would then be required to return the lammers to the dealer so that they may be used with subsequent players. However, the player may attempt to pocket some of the lammers, thereby returning only the remaining lammers to the dealer. If an overworked, tired, distracted or new dealer does not remember how many lammers had been accumulated by the player, the dishonest player will not likely be revealed or exposed. The player may then keep or transfer those lammers to another player with the intention of surreptitiously adding those extra lammers to that player""s total. In essence, an unscrupulous player would count on the inability of a dealer or multiple dealers to keep track of the exact number of lammers distributed to each player over the course of a number of hours, and thus the dishonest player in the above example may only need to accumulate six or seven lammers in one, session, while using the lammers obtained from the prior session, to claim the casino""s bonus prize.
The use of the lammers to keep track of each player""s bonus points provides a number of opportunities for dishonest players to defeat the purpose of the auxiliary game (i.e., keeping players at the table for extended periods) because such players may illegally transfer or remove the lammers from the gaming table, thereby removing the incentive for such players to stay at the table. Thus, while the use of the lammers allows a conventional blackjack table to be used for a Ten Stix 21(trademark) game with little or no modifications, there is a need for improvements in controlling and scoring the auxiliary game which can be controlled on a reliable basis solely by the dealer and which are not subject to abuse by dishonest players.
It is also to the advantage of the casino to promote the play of the auxiliary game. Promoting the interest of players in playing the auxiliary game has the positive effect of also increasing the play of the primary game, as noted. One of the recognized approaches to promoting games in casinos is to draw attention and fanfare to winners of those games. Such fanfare can take the form of visual and audible announcements of the player""s success, such as by lighting displays and sounding bells, tunes and jingles to call attention to the success of the player. Playing the auxiliary game with lammers and awarding the prizes through the dealer makes it difficult to recognize the winning player and announce his or her success to the other players in the general vicinity.
It is with respect to these and other factors that the present invention has evolved.
One aspect of the present invention allows an auxiliary game to be controlled and scored on a more reliable basis. Another aspect of the improvements available from the present invention relates to assuring the casino that bonus points associated with play of the auxiliary game will be more accurately accounted for and not be surreptitiously transferred by an unscrupulous player to another game. A further aspect of the present invention relates to easing the responsibilities and duties of the dealer in a primary game, when an auxiliary game is played simultaneously with the primary game. Among other aspects of the present invention is the ability to promote the play of the auxiliary game, and indirectly promote the play of the primary game, by creating public displays and recognition associated with awarding prizes to the winners of the auxiliary game.
The auxiliary game according to the invention rewards players"" loyalty or fidelity to the principal game and/or the auxiliary game by awarding prizes or pay outs once a player has accumulated a predetermined number of bonus points. Such points may be awarded in addition to other prizes in the auxiliary game. For example, the auxiliary game may offer a chance to win a number of prizes and may include a relatively large prize amount. The rules in the auxiliary game may stipulate that the large prize may be won based on possession of a particularly lucky combination of playing symbols, and a smaller fixed prize is awarded to the faithful player who reaches the predetermined number of bonus points. Similarly, the rules may provide for the opposite, namely smaller prizes can be won directly, while the larger pay outs in the auxiliary game may only be won upon reaching the predetermined number of bonus points. The auxiliary game may require payment to participate, thus allowing for a greater amount of prizes to be awarded. While bonus points may be awarded by receiving a special playing card or matching a playing symbol with a randomly chosen symbol (e.g. selecting a number, color, column etc. in roulette), bonus points may also be awarded by random determination, i.e. a random selector may determine if a player is to be awarded a bonus point. In the auxiliary game, it is possible that some prizes be of greater value, and such greater value may also be awarded by giving more than one bonus point to the winning player.
While the invention provides for better control over an auxiliary game requiring accumulation of bonus points as a condition to be eligible to win a prize, the invention may be configured so as to allow a player to transfer bonus points to another table or player position at a table, to receive a non-zero start up number of bonus points preferably randomly determined), and for a player position to keep the number of bonus points acquired when a player at that position continues to play without paying to participate to in the auxiliary game or when the player is replaced by a new player. When configured in this way, there may be a greater incentive to start to participate in the auxiliary game.
In an auxiliary game requiring payment for participation, leaving bonus points on the player""s interface unit when a player leaves the player position does not xe2x80x9ccostxe2x80x9d the casino, since the bonus points have been directly paid for. If a player decides to leave the table, a by-stander will be enticed to fill the position and take over the bonus points. In the case that players may take bonus points with them, the bonus points may be exchanged for a single value token by the dealer, or the bonus points could be loaded onto a smart card or xe2x80x9cDallasxe2x80x9d key for unloading at the new table. The single value token can be exchanged at the new table with the dealer, who will enter tie token value at his or her console. By using single value tokens, players may not combine two tokens to gain a higher trade-in value at another table. By time-stamping the bonus points recorded on the smart card or other monetary value recording medium, the new table could refuse to accept the bonus points if more than a predetermined amount of time has elapsed, for example, the time for a meal break or the time to change tables, or even longer if desired by the casino managers. Instead of reducing the number of stored or saved bonus points to zero when a player exceeds the time limit, it would be possible to reduce the bonus points as a function of time.
As an incentive to join a table, the auxiliary game according to the invention can be configured to award a random number of bonus points. In the case that ten points are required to win a prize in the auxiliary game, the random number may be between zero and five, for example, with a distribution selected by the casino management to be enticing while still profitable to the house. In the latter case, a player, who had little intention of staying at a table long enough to accumulate the desired number of bonus points to win a prize, may be enticed to remain at the casino table to see the benefit of his initial luck in obtaining a relative large number of bonus points.
According to the invention, a player is eligible to win a prize when the predetermined number of bonus points is reached. The auxiliary game according to the invention need not directly and automatically award a prize of fixed or random value when the predetermined number of bonus points is reached. For example, having reached the predetermined number of bonus points may simply make the player eligible to win an enhanced amount of a regular prize or pay out (e.g. double the prize or pay out) either in the principal game or in the auxiliary game. In such a regular pay out or prize multiplier or enhancement configuration, the number of bonus points required to be eligible could also be reduced, for example to five points, and the number of bonus points could be reset when the next one or two bonus points is won. The excitement would thus be increased when the predetermined number of bonus points is reached because the player will be eager to win a prize which qualifies for the loyalty bonus point enhancement while actually hoping not to receive a further bonus point. Likewise, the further bonus point could cancel the enhancement eligibility and also award a smaller bonus prize.
These and other aspects of the present invention are obtained by an electronic system which controls and displays the progress of each player in playing the auxiliary incentive game simultaneously with playing the primary casino table game A bonus point display is positioned for viewing by each player for displaying the number of bonus points received by each player at the gaming table. A controller is connected to the bonus point display and has first means for causing the display to display an incremented number of bonus points received by each player as new bonus points are received by each player, and second means for causing the display to reset and to display a starting number of bonus points in response to the number of bonus points received by the associated player reaching the predetermined number of bonus points. The bonus point display is preferably provided by a player interface unit associated with each player of the primary game and positioned on the gaming table adjacent to the player of the primary game, each player interface unit including a display element to display the number of bonus points received by the associated player, the second means causing the player interface unit to reset the display element to display the starting number of bonus points. Alternatively, the bonus point display may comprises a common display mounted for easy viewing by players at the gaming table, the common display having a display element for each player. Also preferably, the display element is an array of xe2x80x98nxe2x80x99 luminous indicators, where xe2x80x98nxe2x80x99 is the predetermined number of bonus points after which a prize is awarded.
Preferably, a prize display is attached to the gaming table and the prize display includes an indication of at least one prize available to each player who accumulates the predetermined number of bonus points. The controller is connected to the prize display to control the indications of the prize display to show the prize received by each player.
Another embodiment of the invention includes a dealer interface unit connected to the controller and the player interface unit. The dealer interface unit includes dealer control elements which control the bonus points displayed on the player interface units, and which activate a prize selection control element also present on the player interface unit. Upon activation and manipulation of the prize selection control element, the player is able to select one of a plurality of different prizes available for winning the auxiliary game.
An additional embodiment of the invention involves a method of controlling and displaying each player""s progress in playing the auxiliary game. The method involves attaching the prize display to the table, indicating on the prize display a plurality of different prizes, selectively lighting the indication of each prize on the prize display, displaying on each player interface unit the number of bonus points received by the player, controlling the number of bonus points displayed on each player interface unit by the dealer manipulating dealer control elements of the dealer interface unit, activating a prize selection element on the player interface unit by the dealer manipulating the dealer control elements, randomly indexing among the different available prizes, and selecting one of the randomly indexed prizes by the player manipulating the player prize selection element.
Additional preferred features of the present invention involve randomly indexing through each of the different prizes and correlating the time instant when the prize selection control element is manipulated to determine the prize awarded; establishing lesser odds for random indexing to each of the more valuable prizes; producing audible sounds when each prize is indicated, when each prize is awarded, and when bonus points are indicated at each player interface unit; and displaying game control information to the dealer at the dealer interface unit which prompts the dealer to manipulate the dealer control elements in accordance with rules of play of the auxiliary game; among others.
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{
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to call service processing in a mobile terminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to a call service processing apparatus and method that can offer a follow-up action in advance during an ongoing call by analyzing the phone conversation in a mobile terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
In addition to voice call handling, an advanced mobile terminal may perform various functions including speech recognition and multimedia processing. The mobile terminal may employ various sensors to control different functions. A mobile terminal may be controlled by verbal commands input through speech recognition. To save battery power and prevent malfunction, a mobile terminal equipped with a touchscreen may be controlled on the basis of sensing signals collected by various sensors so as to disable display and touch input functions while the mobile terminal is brought close to the ear during a call.
In some cases, during an ongoing call, the user of a mobile terminal may have to perform another action according to phone conversation information. For example, during an ongoing call, the user may have to check schedules and/or messages or enter keys to initiate a specific function. Having to perform a different action during a call may trouble the user and disrupt the phone conversation. However, existing mobile terminals provide only a limited function to handle this problem.
Hence, a need exists for a system and method that proposes a user action in advance during an ongoing call on the basis of phone conversation information, counterpart information and/or the state of the mobile terminal.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present invention.
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{
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This invention relates to a range limiting system which permits detection of desired backscatter-modulated signals but prevents detection of undesired backscatter-modulated signals and also effectively discriminates against system and radiated noise. More particularly, the system of the invention uses a deliberately injected signal which is combined both with desired and undesired signals to generate a combined signal from which desired backscatter-modulated signals can readily be detected. Systems of this type are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,328 assigned to the same assignee as the subject invention.
The signals used in the invention to be detected come from small backscatterers, called "tags". These tags are located on moving or movable objects, such as vehicles, trains, or shipping containers. In the case of vehicles, for example, it is desirable to obtain specific information relating to the car or truck. The information is contained in the tag mounted on the vehicle, and is transmitted by backscatter modulation from the moving vehicle as it passes through a toll lane. However, other tagged vehicles also are passing through adjacent lanes or moving behind the desired vehicle in the same lane at the same time. If the backscattered signal-collecting antenna is aimed properly, there will be a small difference in signal strength between a desired and an undesired backscattered signal. However, in the presence of other noise, as well as system noise in the detection system itself, these small amplitude differences have been found to be hard to distinguish.
One technique used to improve the discrimination ability of the system is described in U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 254,254 filed Oct. 6, 1988 and assigned to the same assignee as the subject invention. However, the technique of this invention is an alternative, and may indeed be employed together with the technique of the above-identified patent application to produce the most effective signal discrimination, particularly in areas of heavy signal traffic.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Lightguides are increasingly being used for decorative (e.g., accent) and functional lighting in various locations, some of which require the lightguide to emit light selectively (e.g., comparatively uniformly or in a particular direction) along its length. Various mechanisms are known for enabling light that is injected into a lightguide from a light source at one end or two ends to be extracted selectively from the lightguide along its length to provide, effectively, a linear lighting device. The use of lightguides in linear lighting devices may offer advantages that include, e.g., the use of a low voltage light source such as a light emitting diode (LED) light source, separation of the light source from the area in which the lighting device is located, etc.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for assisting a user of a vehicle, a control device for a driver-assistance system of a vehicle and a vehicle having such a control device.
2. Description of Related Art
Driver-assistance systems are used to ascertain the driving condition and the traffic situation of the host vehicle and to indicate dangerous situations and advantageous interventions in the driving condition to the driver and, if appropriate, to intervene in the driving condition automatically, as well.
In doing so, sensors of the vehicle for measuring the driving condition of the host vehicle such as velocity, acceleration, etc., and advantageously also driving-environment sensors for sensing the vehicle environment, particularly for sensing other road users and, optionally, the roadway, are utilized.
In particular, sensors for measuring distance and video cameras may be used as driving-environment sensors. In this context, at least one camera integrated in the vehicle covers a surrounding area of the host vehicle. It is thus possible to detect lane markings and traffic signs. In addition, pedestrians, other vehicles and further objects may be detected and classified to some extent, as well.
The published German Patent document 102 38 215 A1 describes a method and a device for driver information and/or reaction in response to departure from the traffic lane. In that case, the traffic lane is detected via an image sensor based on the type of lane marking forming the boundary and/or the type of traffic in the adjacent lane. In each instance, a warning signal may be output or a vehicle intervention may be carried out as reaction depending on the situation recognized.
Furthermore, distance control systems are familiar, in which the distance to a vehicle in front is ascertained and kept constant by automatic vehicle interventions.
With such detection of the traffic condition by sensing other road users and lane markings, reactions are already possible early on. For more complex traffic situations such as in the case of vehicles changing lanes and dangerous situations subsequently developing, such methods alone are often not sufficient; moreover, driving-dynamics interventions already predefined by the driver such as a setpoint acceleration of the vehicle, for example, may exacerbate the recognized danger risk.
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improved electrosurgical forceps and a method of making the same.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Heretofore, some electrosurgical forceps have been characterized by the forceps disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,100,489 granted to R. W. Bagley, which patent is incorporated herein by reference. In this type of forceps, switching means are provided on the forceps itself whereby upon closure of the forceps, the swtiching means is closed to thereby permit the application of radio frequency electrical energy to a site to be treated. There are several shortcomings in this type of arrangement. First, the closing of the switch is dependent upon the closing of the forceps. This limits the flexibility available to the physician. Preferably, at least in some instances, the closing of the switch should be independent of the closing of the forceps.
Further, in the prior art devices, the contacts of the switch on the forceps have been exposed to permit engagement thereof when the forceps are closed. However, since the potentials on these exposed contacts can be substantial, there is a certain degree of danger associated therewith.
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{
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Rear-opening hospital gowns are typically worn by patients in hospitals and outpatient medical facilities. The thin, lightweight cotton design of a conventional rear-opening hospital gown, which is loosely secured in the back via one or more fabric ties, allows an attending physician or nurse to easily access a patient's chest, shoulder, and back areas from the rear of the gown. Such gowns are inexpensive and easily laundered. As a result, conventional hospital gown designs have not changed much over the years, and are generally considered to be both cost and functionally effective from the perspective of a medical practitioner. However, from the perspective of a patient wearing a conventional rear-opening hospital gown, the patient is often left with a compromised sense of privacy and comfort.
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{
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The present invention relates to a hydraulic circuit for a hydraulic construction and working machine.
Conventionally, a construction and working machine is utilized not only for its primary purpose, but for multiple purposes owing to its good mobility and stability of a machine body.
Particularly in a hydraulic construction machine having a working device overhung from the machine body, the usage thereof tends to become diversified. FIG. 6 shows an example of a hydraulic shovel. The hydraulic shovel is primarily used for excavation of earth and sand at a level lower than a ground surface. A substance to be excavated contains hard and soft rock, earth and sand in a mixed condition, and the specific gravity of the substance is indefinite. Accordingly, an excavating resistance is fluctuated according to the substance, and an impact load is often applied to the machine. To prevent such a fluctuated load from adversely affecting the strengths of a machine body, boom 38, arm 39, bucket 40 and members related thereto, and also ensure a sufficient stability of the machine body during operation, the hydraulic shovel is provided with a limiting device for limiting an output and a holding power of hydraulic cylinders 14, 15 and 16 within a predetermined value.
In another kind of work such that the fluctuated load or the impact load is not applied in using the working device of the hydraulic shovel, e.g., in hoisting a heavy load on the ground or pulling a pile in the earth by rotating the boom 38 and the arm 39 to be operated by the hydraulic cylinders 14 and 16, respectively, there is no problem in the stability of the machine body and the strengths of the boom 38 and the arm 39 even if the operating forces of the hydraulic cylinders 14 and 16 are greater than those in the normal construction work. Such increased operating forces are rather advantageous for enlargement of a hoisting power or a pulling power, thus contributing to an improvement in capacity of the machine for this kind of work.
FIG. 3 is a diagram of an essential part of a hydraulic system in a general-purpose hydraulic prior art shovel of a construction and working machine. The operation of the hydraulic cylinder 14 for the boom 38 as shown in FIG. 6 will now be described. Referring to FIG. 3, a discharge pressure oil from a main pump 3 is allowed to flow into a hydraulic selector valve group A, and a main relief valve 23 is provided in a line leading from the main pump 3 to the hydraulic selector valve group A so as to limit the discharge oil pressure within a predetermined value, thereby protecting equipment in the hydraulic circuit and preventing excess outputs from various actuators. When a hydraulic selector valve 8 for the boom 38 is operated, the pressure oil admitted into the hydraulic selector valve group A serves to contract the hydraulic cylinder 14, wherein a contracting force of the hydraulic cylinder 14 is limited so as not to exceed a predetermined value in accordance with the set pressure of the main relief valve 23. Further, port relief valves 17 and 18 are provided in branch lines extending from lines leading from the hydraulic selector valve 8 to head-side and rod-side oil chambers of the hydraulic cylinder 14, so as to prevent breakage or deformation of boom 38 resulting from an abnormal stress generated by an external force greater than the above predetermined value. A set pressure of the port relief valves 17 and 18 is normally set to be slightly higher than that of the main relief valve 23, so that there may be no problem in a normal excavating operation by the boom 38, and only when an abnormal external force is applied to the boom 38, may the hydraulic cylinder 14 be freely expanded and contracted.
Although the above description is directed to the hydraulic cylinder 14 only with reference to FIG. 3, the same measures are provided for the other hydraulic cylinders 15 and 16.
However, in the hoisting or pulling work with the set pressure of each relief valve suitable for the excavating work, there occurs a problem that a working efficiency cannot be improved. To cope with this problem, the prior art has often taken the following measures. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the main relief valve 23 is provided with a boosting pilot oil chamber 27 for boosting the set pressure of the main relief valve 23 by means of a pilot pressure. Furthermore, the set pressure of a port relief valve 17a leading to the load-side oil chamber of the hydraulic cylinder 14 is set to be higher than that in the normal excavating work in a range such that a static load stress generating in each part of the machine is permitted. In hoisting a heavy load or pulling a pile where no impact load is applied, a switch 30 located near a driving seat is operated as required to actuate hydraulic signal generating means 31 which in turn supplies a discharge pressure oil from a pilot pump 4 as a signal to the boosting pilot oil chamber 27.
Although the above description is directed to the hydraulic cylinder 14 for the boom 38, the same measures are taken for the other hydraulic cylinders 15 and 16 for the bucket 40 and the arm 39, respectively. According to the hydraulic circuit as shown in FIG. 4, the operating force of the hydraulic cylinders can be increased by an increased amount of the set pressure of the main relief valve 23 in the hoisting or pulling work generating no impact load, and a resisting force against an external force can of course be increased by an increased amount of the set pressure of the port relief valve 17a.
FIG. 5 is a diagram of an essential part of a hydraulic system as improved from the prior art shown in FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 5, the port relief valve 17 leading to the load-side oil chamber of the hydraulic cylinder 14 is provided with a boosting pilot oil chamber 25 similar to the boosting pilot oil chamber 27 for the main relief valve 23. Both the boosting pilot oil chambers 25 and 27 are connected through pilot lines to the hydraulic signal generating means 31.
In such an improved hydraulic system, when the switch 30 is in an open state, the relief set pressures of the main relief valve 23 and the port relief valve 17 are maintained at the normal set pressures suitable for an excavating work of the hydraulic shovel, thus avoiding application of an excess load due to an external force. In the hoisting or pulling work generating no impact load as mentioned above with reference to FIG. 4, when the switch 30 is closed, the set pressures of the main relief valve 23 and the port relief valve 17 are increased to thereby increase the operating force of the hydraulic cylinder and the holding force in the oil chamber of the hydraulic cylinder 14 leading to the port relief valve 17.
In the construction machine employing the above-mentioned hydraulic circuit, there is a chance that an excavating force should be instantaneously increased during excavation as well as the hoisting or pulling work. In this case, the hydraulic signal generating means 31 may be operated by depressing an auto-return switch such as a push-button switch, wherein the operator must make sure of absolutely no application of an impact load; otherwise the strengths of the boom 38, the arm 39 and the bucket 40 must be increased so as to endure the increased excavating force, and the machine body must be so constructed as to endure a gravity of the strengthened working device.
As described above, the prior art hydraulic circuit for the construction and working machine is designed to increase the set pressure of the main relief valve by operating the switch or the push-button switch with the set pressure of the port relief valve previously boosted in hoisting a heavy load or pulling a pile or the like. However, when the engine is unintentionally stopped by any factors, or the operator erroneously opens the switch or releases his hand from the push-button switch during a hoisted condition of the heavy load, there is a danger that the heavy load will fall. Moreover, as the excavating work can be carried out with the set pressure of the main relief valve remaining increased, an excess force will be applied to the attachments at all times. Even if the set pressure of the main relief valve is not increased, the attachments inclusive of the boom, the arm and the bucket as well as the machine body will be adversely affected by an external force since the set pressure of the port relief valve is set to be higher than that in the normal excavating work.
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Ceramic circuit boards often need to be electrically contactable from both sides and to allow for through-plating through the circuit board. In general, this is carried out by means of holes that are provided in the circuit board and are filled with an electrically conductive material. Such vias normally have diameters of approximately 100-300 μm.
What is nowadays usually used as an electrically conductive material are comparatively expensive silver or other precious metal pastes which are composed of one or more metal powder(s), optionally an adhesive glass proportion of 1-10% by weight, for example PbO, B2O3, Bi2O3 or SiO2, and a high-boiling organic matter, comprising binders such as ethyl cellulose or polyvinyl butyral, and solvents such as Terpineol or Texanol. If the substrate material for the circuit boards consists of AlN, then ZnO, SiO2, CaO, TiO2 and B2O3 may be used as adhesive glasses.
Copper metallisations are also increasingly used as electrically conductive materials, wherein pastes filled with copper particles having diameters of approximately 1-10 μm and an adhesive glass proportion are often used for filling the vias. Subsequently, the material is burned in at 650-1200° C. in a nitrogen atmosphere having a low oxygen content (<1-100 ppm). If copper pastes are used, the problem arises that they greatly shrink, crack and/or fall back out of the vias during burning-in if they only consist of the usual substances mentioned above. In this case, large cavities and/or cracks may occur in the metallisation or in the binding region of the full-area metallisation. In the worst case, the vias may sinter together to form a pin and fall out of the hole. In cases in which cracks or cavities occur, the vias have an elevated electrical resistance and are not hermetically sealed either.
Tightness against the surrounding atmosphere is particularly important if oxygen-sensitive parts such as circuits (Si), LEDs or OLEDs are to be integrated. Towards the top, these components are usually protected by covers, lenses or the like, which are soldered or glued on. However, also the bottom has to be protected against the ingress of air or humidity, which is realised, inter alia, by means of hermetically sealed metallisations of the vias.
Attempts to counteract shrinking of the electrically conductive material during sintering are made by adding adhesive glass. Despite the adhesive glass contained in the paste, however, the negative effects of shrinking can often at least not sufficiently be avoided.
This phenomenon is a particular problem in the case of AlN ceramics because only few substances do not cause the decomposition of the AlN in heat. AlN is only metastable and decomposes forming the lowest energy aluminium compound Al2O3 under certain conditions. Some oxides, such as in particular the Bi2O3 that is often used, or the PbO that used to be applied, vehemently attack AlN, decomposing same to form aluminium oxide, lead and nitrogen according to the following reaction equation:2AlN+3PbO→Al2O3+3Pb+N2.
Other oxides such as ZnO decompose AlN only slowly, and therefore they are better suited as binders of the metallisation to ceramics. In addition, it is important in the case of AlN to achieve a low TCE (thermal coefficient of expansion) such that the compound does not crack.
Moreover, conventional additives such as lead oxide or bismuth oxide are to be avoided for ecological reasons, or they react too strongly with AlN. The nitrogen that is formed from the AlN as a result of the decomposition reaction, see above, makes the metallisation porous and causes it to swell.
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The present invention relates to the art of interchangeably affixing a tool to a shoe or other footwear.
Prior to the present invention the use of a tool to perform tasks on a floor surface or base board either required the use of hands to hold a long handle to which the tool is attached or required the person using the tool to kneel or sit on the floor to use the tool. Many tools require repetitive and forceful application of the tool to the floor. The use of the leg and foot to manipulate the tool would be far better suited to effective use of the tool than the use of the hands or even the arms when kneeling or sitting on the floor, or pushing a long handled device.
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1. Field
Apparatuses and methods consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to control methods for terminals performing near field communication (NFC) with other devices and terminals thereof, and more particularly, to data transmission methods for terminals transmitting data to other devices through NFC according to a user input and terminals thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, near field communication (NFC) is a technology for allowing terminals including personal computers (PCs) and mobile communication terminals such as, for example, portable phones, personal communication service (PCS) terminals, personal digital assistant (PDA) terminals, and notebook computers to perform wireless communication with other devices within a short distance. The NFC may be used for data communication between near field devices, which perform functions such as, for example, a payment service and an electronic key.
To perform the NFC, a terminal uses an NFC device having various operation modes. The various operation modes may include a card emulation mode and a reader mode.
In the card emulation mode, the NFC device may be manually operated to receive data by demodulating data from a magnetic field emitted from another reader device and transmit data to another reader device by modulating the impedance of an antenna circuit into a charge. In the reader mode, the NFC device may transmit data by modulating a magnetic field and receive data according to the transmitted data.
In general, a terminal using the NFC device may perform a plurality of services through the NFC. The terminal may transmit data according to a service to be performed among the plurality of services. For example, to perform a payment service, the terminal may transmit information about a credit card payment means through the NFC. As another example, the terminal may transmit an electronic key desired by a user, among electronic keys for a home, an office, a car, or the like, through the NFC. However, to transmit data according to the service to be performed, among the plurality of services, through the NFC, the user needs to execute an application installed in the terminal and select corresponding data, e.g., a payment means to be transmitted.
Therefore, it is important to transmit only data necessary for a service desired by the user, among the plurality of services, by reflecting a user's intention. Also, it is important to select data to be transmitted to the reader device through the NFC without requesting the user to select an application and transmit corresponding data each time the user uses a service based on the NFC.
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The present invention is generally related to thermal-chemical polishing devices and methods suitable for diamond films, and more particularly to a high-speed and low-cost thermo-chemical polishing device and method for polishing diamond films.
The technology in growing and depositing diamond films on substrates is constantly improving and has reached a level of maturity where diamond films are commonly used in different manufacturing industries. The deposition methods include PVD (physical vapor deposition) which generally forms a thinner layer of diamond film and different types of CVD (chemical vapor deposition) which generally form a thicker layer of diamond film. CVD depositions are divided into MPCVD, RF plasma CVD, HF CVD and thermal CVD which can under low pressure form a diamond film with a thickness up to several hundred micrometers on the surface of a workpiece. Due to its superior mechanical/optical properties such as high strength, low rate of wear, good heat conductivity, anti-radiation, high rate of electron transmission, and high corrosion resistance, the diamond film has infused into various industries creating a revolution of new applications.
A diamond-like carbon (DLC) formed by CVD for example can be used to form cutting tools (surface plating) or grinding powder due to its ultra high strength and good heat dissipating properties which can increase the cutting performance and at the same time extending its life span. Diamond films can also be applied to the surface of molds for protection which assists in heat dissipation (with an increase in the rate of heat dissipation 4 times that of silver) to allow better flow and release of the mold, as a result the life span of the mold increases between 2 to 10 times. Furthermore special properties of diamond films such as high electron transmission, high heat tolerance, anti-acid, and anti-radiation allow usage under extreme conditions such as in high temperature engines, and radar equipment. More importantly, diamond has been recently used as a semiconductor material where diamond chips have a transmission speed double that of silicon chips and yet are not handicapped by the operating temperature limit of 150xc2x0 C. In MEMS components, diamond can eliminate the wear problem of silicon and can be used in high rpm components such as micro motors. At the same time, diamond has played an important role in the medical and optical field. Diamond is a suitable material to be implanted into a human body because of the high stiffness, low wear, and anti-corrosion properties. In the field of optics, diamond can produce highly transparent viewfinders, lenses, planar displays, and scanners. The introduction of diamond has lead to an increase in quality in various applications.
Regardless of the characteristic requirement of diamond for various applications, the level of surface planarity and smoothness has to meet stringent standard to prevent degradation of the superior properties of diamond such as high strength, low wear factor, and high transparency and retain the original performance of the material. Therefore in relation, the technique and technology in diamond polishing is the key to whether the use of diamond can be widely applicable in manufacturing. As commonly known, diamond has the highest hardness among all materials and therefore is usually used as a cutting tool or a polishing pad to polish other materials. In contrast, for diamond itself to be polished to reach planarity is very difficult. Furthermore diamond is a chemically inert material and is the only material that will not react with acid (also not with aqua regia) under 600xc2x0 C. so it is extremely difficult to process diamond. In addition, the low wear and low coefficient of expansion contribute to the difficulty in processing diamond. Please refer to FIG. 5 showing an enlarged diagram of a workpiece 50 having a diamond film 50a being in contact with a polishing pad 55 during polishing. From the figure, due to the difference in the coefficient of expansion between the diamond film 50a and the substrate 50b, the higher coefficient of expansion of the substrate 50b will cause the workpiece 50 to experience warpage which prevents the planar polishing surface of the workpiece 50 from being perfectly in touch with the polishing pad 55. As a result, the quality of the polishing is unsatisfactory. The quality of the diamond polishing also depends on the film thickness, the substrate material, the forming temperature, and the polishing temperature which all affects the consistency of the quality.
Apart from warpage caused by differences in CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion), significant variation in film thickness may be introduced by the inhomogeneous distribution of plasma field (as shown in FIG. 5). In this aspect, a good level of planarity cannot be achieved without removing a large amount of material but contrarily removing a large amount of material requires a huge amount of time which is not time efficient. Consequently the technology for a diamond polishing device that allows high removal rate is in demand.
Diamond powder or diamond wheels are currently used to polish diamond films. However, the removal rate is extremely slow and the cost is high. Prior art uses a method by diffusion between diamond and transition metal (such as Fe) or rare-earth element (such as Se) at high temperature (above 500xc2x0 C.) or by graphitization. The polishing pad is made of Fe or Nixe2x80x94Se and the thermo-chemical polishing is performed at a temperature between 500xc2x0 C. and 950xc2x0 C. in an oxygen or hydrogen environment. FIGS. 6 and 6A show a conventional polishing machine 2. A heating device 61 is attached on a polishing pad 60 for increasing the temperature during polishing. A holder 62 is provided to secure a workpiece 63 by orienting the surface of the diamond film against the polishing pad 60 for performing thermal-chemical polishing. The polishing method used in prior art relies on the expensive and heavy heating device 61 which increases the cost of the polishing machine 2 and also at the same time decreases the performance of polishing due to the limitation on rotational speed of the polishing pad 60 from the added weight. For diamond films under 100 xcexcm, it may take up to approximately 100 hours for the surface to achieve planarity together with extensive repair and replacement; therefore it is impractical for volume production and unsatisfactory to the industries. Furthermore, the conventional polishing machine 2 needs to be operated in a vacuum environment where after polishing a recover process is performed so an air tight mask 64 is provided on the periphery of the polishing pad 60. This design increases the cost of production and maintenance and also affects the rotational speed of the polishing pad 60. This conventional polishing machine 2 is uneconomical and cannot ameliorate the problem of warpage that is shown in FIG. 5 in order to maintain quality consistency.
Therefore the design of a thermal-chemical polishing machine that has a high polishing rate and at the same time low cost and easy to maintain which can satisfy economies of scale is the most focused area of research and development.
An object of the present invention is to provide a thermal-chemical polishing machine that has a high rate of polishing.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a thermal-chemical polishing machine that is low in cost.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a thermal-chemical polishing machine that is easy to repair and replace.
In meeting the aforementioned objects, the present invention provides a thermal-chemical polishing device and method thereof, comprising: a high rpm first rotatable shaft with a circumferential surface having a material that can react with diamond at high temperature and having a predefined heating region; a high rpm rotatable and translational second shaft which is coupled in perpendicular to the first rotatable shaft; and a heating unit that is used to heat up the heating region on the circumferential surface of the first shaft. The second shaft engages with the first shaft to allow the workpiece having the diamond film in the holder to make contact with the heating region. As the diamond film of the workpiece makes contact with the material on the circumferential surface of the first shaft, a chemical reaction occurs for performing a thermal-chemical polish.
The present invention provides a method of thermal-chemical polishing used in the above-mentioned thermal-chemical device, the method comprising the following steps: initiate high rpm rotation of the first shaft; heat up the heating region on the circumferential surface of the first shaft by the heating unit; initiate high rpm rotation of the second shaft and move in the direction of the axis of rotation to allow the diamond film of the workpiece to make contact with the predefined heating region on the first shaft for performing a thermal-chemical polishing. During the polishing process, the second shaft moves axially in a suitable feed-in rate to maintain the surface of the diamond film in appropriate contact with the heating region and to terminate the polishing process as long as the diamond film reaches a level of accepted planarity.
The material of the first shaft that provides the chemical reaction with the diamond is a transition metal (such as Fe) or a rare-earth element (such as Se), which reduces the material cost and increases rotational speed by making the first shaft into a hollow shaft or plating with a transition metal or rare-earth elements onto the surface of the first shaft which can made of a lighter material. Moreover the heating device can be an infrared type or an inductance type which can heat up the predefined heating region to above 450xc2x0 C. for allowing a chemical reaction to take place between the diamond and the transition metals or the rare-earth elements; the second shaft moves back and forth along a direction perpendicular to the first shaft during polishing to allow sliding contact with the heating region of the first shaft to prevent the thickness of one particular area of the surface in the predefined heating region eroding too quickly.
Furthermore a sensing device is located on the second shaft for detecting the positive cutting force exerted or the surface thickness of the circumferential surface of the predefined heating region during polishing. The sensing device adjusts the feed-in according to the result of the detection so the level of contact between the surface of the diamond film and the predefined heating region is maintained at an appropriate level for controlling the quality and efficiency of the polishing process.
According to the above, the present invention provides a thermal-chemical polishing device and a method thereof which uses special devices to greatly increase the rate of polishing. At the same time, the number of components decreases so no extra weight is added to the polishing shaft that causes a decrease in the rotational speed. Furthermore the cost is lowered because there is no wastage of material and lastly repair and maintenance are easy to improve efficiency.
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This invention relates to a splice module for use in optical fiber alignment.
JP-A 2002-48934 discloses a splice module for use in optical fiber alignment. In the splice module, there are a substrate and a presser plate, wherein the substrate is formed with a plurality of grooves, each of which extends in a predetermined direction. The presser plate is arranged on the substrate to define a plurality of passage ways, each of which is for receiving and aligning the ends of optical fibers. In particular, the presser plate is formed with a plurality of guide portions, which are positioned in accordance with the respective grooves to substantially enlarge the opposite ends of each groove. The splice module can provide an insertion ease.
JP-A 2001-201668 discloses another splice module for optical fibers. The splice module has two plates, one of which is formed with a plurality of grooves, while the other is arranged thereon to render the grooves a plurality of passage ways for receiving and aligning optical fibers.
However, there is no consideration as to a suitable relation between passage ways and optical fibers. For example, the splice module according to JP-A 2002-48934 cannot achieve a precise alignment of optical fibers because the sectional area of each passage way is too large to do that. If the passage way has a small cross section, an alignment precision might increase. However, load upon insertion of the optical fibers into the splice module also increase. This means that an unsuitable small cross section of the passage way makes it difficult that the splice module receives a large number of optical fibers.
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In an electric railway vehicle (referred to hereinafter as the “electric vehicle”) that includes a high voltage device, control is performed to interlock between access to the interior of a high voltage device chamber and application of high voltage to the high voltage device.
The interlock device for hinged doors disclosed in Patent Literature 1 includes a cylinder lock mechanism for which inserting and removing of a key are enabled only while rotated to a locking position, and performs interlock control between operation of the cylinder lock mechanism and operation of another device, by combined use of a lock with another device. This interlock device for hinged doors enables application of voltage to the high voltage device only after completion of locking of all the locks of the doors of a high voltage device chamber.
In the interlock lock box disclosed in Patent Literature 2, removing of a plurality of sub-keys is enabled only after insertion and operation of a master key, and the master key can be removed only after insertion and operation of all of the plurality of sub-keys.
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A known procedure for treating vertebral compression fractures and other bone-related disorders is vertebral augmentation with bone cement. Vertebral augmentation can be performed by the direct-injection of liquid cement into the collapsed vertebral body (commonly known as “vertebroplasty”). Vertebral augmentation can also be performed after the restoration of the vertebrae to near normal vertebral body anatomy and creation of an internal cavity with the use of an inflatable bone tamp. This minimally invasive procedure is commonly known as “kyphoplasty” (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,969,888 and 5,108,404). During the kyphoplasty procedure, the inflatable bone tamp is inserted through a small skin incision which accommodates a working tube passed into the vertebral body. Inflation of the bone tamp compresses the cancellous bone and desirably moves the fractured cortical bone to its pre-fractured orientation, creating a cavity within the vertebral body that can then be filled with a settable material such as a cement or any number of synthetic bone substitutes. In effect, the procedure sets the vertebral body at or near its pre-fracture position and creates an internal cast, protecting the vertebral body from further fracture and/or collapse.
As compared to a traditional vertebroplasty procedure, kyphoplasty restores the vertebrae to a pre-fractured condition and the injected bone filler is less likely to leak out of the vertebral body during a kyphoplasty procedure. However, under some circumstances, it has been observed that unpredictable reductions can occur with the kyphoplasty technique in chronic or partially healed collapsed vertebral bodies. Under those circumstances, the surgeon would typically resort to a large, open operation to re-align any post-traumatic kyphosis. Further, inadequate reductions can occur with certain other spinal deformities such as scoliosis and kyphosis using the known techniques and surgical tools. The large, open operations can carry with them significant morbidity in an already physiologically compromised elderly population. The principle benefit of a percutaneous minimally invasive approach, which is the hallmark of the kyphoplasty procedure, is the minimal morbidity associated with the procedure. In this light, additional tools are required to further the kyphoplasty technique, achieve better anatomic re-alignment of the spine, and maintain the minimally invasive nature of the surgery. The additional tools will be deployed through small working portals and be able to achieve the desired strategic vertebral osteotomies to move bone in three dimensional space. One such desirable tool would provide a minimally invasive means to safely cut the lateral (or side) wall of a vertebral body, such as a lateral wall with a prior, and at least partially healed, compression fracture.
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Opto-electronic devices that make use of organic materials are becoming increasingly desirable for a number of reasons. Many of the materials used to make such devices are relatively inexpensive, so organic opto-electronic devices have the potential for cost advantages over inorganic devices. In addition, the inherent properties of organic materials, such as their flexibility, may make them well suited for particular applications such as fabrication on a flexible substrate. Examples of organic opto-electronic devices include organic light emitting devices (OLEDs), organic phototransistors, organic photovoltaic cells, and organic photodetectors. For OLEDs, the organic materials may have performance advantages over conventional materials. For example, the wavelength at which an organic emissive layer emits light may generally be readily tuned with appropriate dopants.
OLEDs make use of thin organic films that emit light when voltage is applied across the device. OLEDs are becoming an increasingly interesting technology for use in applications such as flat panel displays, illumination, and backlighting. Several OLED materials and configurations are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,844,363, 6,303,238, and 5,707,745, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
One application for phosphorescent emissive molecules is a full color display. Industry standards for such a display call for pixels adapted to emit particular colors, referred to as “saturated” colors. In particular, these standards call for saturated red, green, and blue pixels. Color may be measured using CIE coordinates, which are well known to the art.
One example of a green emissive molecule is tris(2-phenylpyridine) iridium, denoted Ir(ppy)3, which has the following structure:
In this, and later figures herein, we depict the dative bond from nitrogen to metal (here, Ir) as a straight line.
As used herein, the term “organic” includes polymeric materials as well as small molecule organic materials that may be used to fabricate organic opto-electronic devices. “Small molecule” refers to any organic material that is not a polymer, and “small molecules” may actually be quite large. Small molecules may include repeat units in some circumstances. For example, using a long chain alkyl group as a substituent does not remove a molecule from the “small molecule” class. Small molecules may also be incorporated into polymers, for example as a pendent group on a polymer backbone or as a part of the backbone. Small molecules may also serve as the core moiety of a dendrimer, which consists of a series of chemical shells built on the core moiety. The core moiety of a dendrimer may be a fluorescent or phosphorescent small molecule emitter. A dendrimer may be a “small molecule,” and it is believed that all dendrimers currently used in the field of OLEDs are small molecules.
As used herein, “top” means furthest away from the substrate, while “bottom” means closest to the substrate. Where a first layer is described as “disposed over” a second layer, the first layer is disposed further away from substrate. There may be other layers between the first and second layer, unless it is specified that the first layer is “in contact with” the second layer. For example, a cathode may be described as “disposed over” an anode, even though there are various organic layers in between.
As used herein, “solution processible” means capable of being dissolved, dispersed, or transported in and/or deposited from a liquid medium, either in solution or suspension form.
A ligand may be referred to as “photoactive” when it is believed that the ligand directly contributes to the photoactive properties of an emissive material. A ligand may be referred to as “ancillary” when it is believed that the ligand does not contribute to the photoactive properties of an emissive material, although an ancillary ligand may alter the properties of a photoactive ligand.
As used herein, and as would be generally understood by one skilled in the art, a first “Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital” (HOMO) or “Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital” (LUMO) energy level is “greater than” or “higher than” a second HOMO or LUMO energy level if the first energy level is closer to the vacuum energy level. Since ionization potentials (IP) are measured as a negative energy relative to a vacuum level, a higher HOMO energy level corresponds to an IP having a smaller absolute value (an IP that is less negative). Similarly, a higher LUMO energy level corresponds to an electron affinity (EA) having a smaller absolute value (an EA that is less negative). On a conventional energy level diagram, with the vacuum level at the top, the LUMO energy level of a material is higher than the HOMO energy level of the same material. A “higher” HOMO or LUMO energy level appears closer to the top of such a diagram than a “lower” HOMO or LUMO energy level.
As used herein, and as would be generally understood by one skilled in the art, a first work function is “greater than” or “higher than” a second work function if the first work function has a higher absolute value. Because work functions are generally measured as negative numbers relative to vacuum level, this means that a “higher” work function is more negative. On a conventional energy level diagram, with the vacuum level at the top, a “higher” work function is illustrated as further away from the vacuum level in the downward direction. Thus, the definitions of HOMO and LUMO energy levels follow a different convention than work functions.
More details on OLEDs, and the definitions described above, can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,279,704, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an allocation planning technology, and in particular to a computer-implemented method of classifying demand data for one allocation term (e.g., one month).
2. Description of the Related Art
In factory management, a demand plan is usually requested over a long time, such as one year or 18 months. A demand plan may be divided into many terms, each term having its own demand data. As an example, an 18-month demand plan of one month terms contains demand data for each term. Generally speaking, the supply manufacturer produces a supply plan corresponding to the demand plan for supply capacity management. The supply plan includes supply data corresponding to the demand data of the demand plan.
Because many variables may appear in the duration of the supply plan, the supply plan should be examined each term, such as once a month, to ensure that it can be maintained. If any exceptions occur, such as unexpected machine shutdown or a wrong recipe applied in a working tool, the supply manufacturer must respond to maintain the supply plan. Especially in the currently-competitive market, the maintenance of a supply plan directly impacts quality of service, and, thereby customer satisfaction.
The goals of maintaining a supply plan is to satisfy orders totally, to satisfy demand data if possible, and distinguish the exceeding part of supply data from demand data. That is to say, demand data should be prioritized for better utilization of further capacity management.
Presently, commercial supply plans do not reflect or embody these priorities. Instead, supply plans generally consider only current demand and order data, while ignoring the relative information. Consequently, commercial supply plan applications generally are not suitable for long-term factory management, especially for a manufacturer with a supply plan of multiple considerable phases, such as IC manufacturers or airline companies.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,393,332 discloses a method and system for providing sufficient availability of manufacturing resources to meet unanticipated demand. The method considers the relationship between an order and a manufacturing plan and attempts to fulfill the order by changing the manufacturing plan. However, the method disclosed focuses on the demand plan daily arrangement, not suitable for manufacturers with long-term, complex supply plans, such as IC manufacturers.
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For a case that very bright and dark portions exist simultaneously, a solid-state image sensor having a wide dynamic range is required to facilitate an excellent imaging. Conventionally, as recited in patent literature (PTL) 1, an image sensor that has two MOS transistors in which a current amplification factor of one MOS transistor is increased to ten times higher than the current amplification factor of the other MOS transistor is proposed.
In the device of the PTL 1, signal charges that are accumulated in an accumulation region via the one MOS transistor have a sensitivity that is ten times higher than signal charges accumulated in an accumulation region via the other MOS transistor. Thus, it is possible to increase the dynamic range. However, in recent application fields such as in-vehicle cameras, monitoring cameras and the like, an image sensor of high sensitivity is required which has a high-speed response that facilitate imaging of a fast-moving target, and has a much wider dynamic range.
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Many medical devices are sensitive to external forces. The medical devices may be easily damaged if they are not properly handled. For example, it is often necessary to clamp the medical devices during medical procedures. As a result, the medical devices may become damaged due to the clamping forces. Moreover, it may be cumbersome to operate the clamp during the medical procedure.
The drawings referred to in this description should be understood as not being drawn to scale except if specifically noted.
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As discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,488,267, when hunting wild game, hunters aim for a quick and clean kill that puts the animal down with little suffering. However, when bow hunting even when the animal is mortally wounded the animal will probably flee for a time before bleeding out and dying. When a game animal has been wounded but flees, it can be very difficult to track. Even during the day, the animal's blood can be difficult to see, for example, on leaves, the bare ground, etc. The problem is compounded during low light conditions, i.e., at night, in early morning, and in late afternoon. No bow hunter wants to lose an animal he or she has wounded because the animal's blood trail could not be tracked. U.S. Pat. No. 7,488,267 disclosed a number of devices and methods comprising fluorescent agents for tracking wounded game animals. However, the devices disclosed are cumbersome and costly. And, the fluorescent agents disclosed are toxic chemicals. Thus it can be seen that there is a need in the bow hunting art for improvements to devices and methods for tracking wounded game animals. It is to such improvements that the instant invention is directed.
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Many processes, such as semiconductor fabrication processes, require water to have an extremely low concentration of ionic and non-ionic impurities. A manufacturing or processing facility with such requirements generally establishes a dedicated water purification plant having suitable treatment capacity and impurity removal characteristics to meet its process requirements. Such a treatment plant typically includes a number of different treatment stages specially selected and arranged to be effective with the particular feed stream received from a local supply, such as a municipal water system, a surface water, a ground water well, treated wastewater or a combination of such sources. When the feed supply is received by the end-user, e.g., by a semiconductor water plant, the in-plant treatment of the resulting feed stream achieves a higher degree of purity by processes such as water filtration, conditioning such as softening or pH adjustment, and deionization, demineralization, degasification or other impurity removal treatments. One common initial treatment is to pass the feed through reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, or through ion exchange beds. High levels of deionization are typically achieved by passing the water through units such as electrodialysis (ED) or electrodeionization (EDI) devices, and distillation may be used in some applications. Organic compounds may pass unaffected through some treatments, or may be introduced or reintroduced by organisms that colonize conduits and tanks in the system. Often these are addressed at one or more stages of treatment steps such as microfiltration, capture in activated carbon or other media, and by breakdown with ultraviolet energy or oxidation. The breakdown or oxidation products may be removed by one or more of the other processes described above.
An in-plant high purity water system may present design problems of various types. The plant must initially be designed to address the range of anticipated feed waters and dependably achieve the minimal required level of water quality. Beyond the factors of capital cost and operating expenses, and the environmental considerations raised by the volume of waste water and by-product of the contaminant-removal treatment processes, various unanticipated problems may arise. Types or levels of contaminants in the feed water may change abruptly, necessitating changes in treatment protocols. The periodically-performed process of regenerating an ion exchange bed, or the unanticipated fouling in the treatment line of a bed or membrane-based treatment system (an RO, ED or EDI unit), may destabilize or impair the treatment process or the quality of the output stream. One therefore seeks to detect problems of this type by the use of diverse monitoring instruments, such as a conductance meters or total organic carbon (TOC) monitors on the output stream or instrumentation elsewhere in the system, and suitable measurements such as off-line ICP-MS measurements. These are applied to develop or maintain robust or effective operating and maintenance procedures. Even so, the continual introduction of new fabrication technologies requires plant operators to frequently ascertain whether existing water quality specs remain sufficient.
Because the normal output water of a high purity treatment plant has such low levels of contaminants, the appearance of an unusual trace contaminant may go undetected when the overall level of the class of contaminants, such as TOC, or other parameter, such as conductance, appears to remain within generally accepted levels. Indeed, an unrecognized or unexpected contaminant might impair the response of the detector, rather than simply passing undetected. In such a case, observation of variation in a process parameter (such as the stability or sensitivity of lithographic exposure or development) or a decrease in quality of a manufactured product (observed, e.g., as an increase in number of defects in a semiconductor wafer) may provide the first indication that the product water has experienced a detrimental change. In this case, investigation is needed to identify the responsible contaminant or treatment unit, and to develop procedures that will, in the future, prevent such quality deviations or detect the responsible agent before it affects the production line. Production down time is quite costly, and the observation of unexplained defects or process variations raises the possibility of additional undetected latent defects, and the specter of defective manufactured products further down the manufacturing train.
Focusing on just one impurity relevant to the present invention, it is generally thought that the presence of boron in UPW product water of a semiconductor fab plant will impair a number of semiconductor processes unless its presence is specifically addressed (for example by effective reduction of the boron load, if necessary, in a first stage, and by use of boron-scavenging resin, ion exchange bottles or other special boron removal unit in a polish loop.) Some fab plants have therefore adopted a conservative approach, removing boron to a very low level, for example by a boron-selective resin column or bed, as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,846.
Other ions must also be controlled to below trace concentrations. For this purpose it is common to have a number of exchange resin bottles or tanks in a polish stage of the primary make up water treatment line. Because the ionic concentrations in the final stage are already quite low, the resin can last for an extended period before exhaustion. A conductivity monitor can be positioned after the polisher to provide a prompt indication when the resin approaches exhaustion. When the resin becomes exhausted, ions start to break through, and this condition may be detected by the onset of an increase in conductivity of the product water. A silica detector may also be used to detect the onset of resin breakthrough.
At this stage, it is common practice to send out the polish stage ion exchange bottles for regeneration of their resin.
Fab plants typically also have a final polish loop for the UPW water produced by the primary make-up treatment line that has been stored in a tank, to effect final polishing just before the water is pumped out to the various plant processes. Since this final polish loop deals with water that is already substantially deionized, the exchange resin beds or bottles see only small amounts of contaminants and may last for an extended time, e.g., several years, before breakthrough or exhaustion of the resin occurs. These bottles are often replaced with virgin resin, rather than regenerating the resin. Since the simple act of attaching a fresh bottle into the loop, or performing any conduit connections, risks introducing some contaminants into the final loop, it is desirable to carry out such replacements carefully, and as infrequently as possible.
For the polish stages of the primary make up treatment line, the resins are usually regenerated. However, problems may be encountered at this stage. Resin regeneration facilities deal with large quantities of mixed resins from diverse sources. Spent resin from mixed bottles or beds must be separated into anion and cation exchange resins before regeneration, and the separation processes, typically relying on fluidized settling separation properties affected by density, bead size and the like are necessarily imperfect. There is thus a possibility of introducing unanticipated contamination from other resins during various regen resin handling plant operations, e.g., conglomeration, separation by type, regeneration, rinsing, re-mixing and bottle filling. Regeneration of fab plant resins should therefore be performed by a facility that can observe special precautions in the handling of such resins, and the regen process should be tightly controlled or specified. Often, plants will have only one qualified vendor. Larger fab plants may perform their own regeneration, while some fab plants may simply require that exhausted beds be replaced with entirely new, rather than regenerated, resin.
Boron is a weakly bound ion. In operation, ions captured by ion exchange from product water in an exchange bed bind to the exchange resin, and weak ions may be displaced by other ions having a stronger affinity for the resin. The more weakly held ions are therefore continuously displaced and shifted toward the downstream end of the ion exchange bed as the upstream end becomes more saturated. The more weakly dissociated species are also captured with lower efficiency, and may extend diffusely along a relatively long depth of the ion exchange bed. Boron, in particular, has a non-self-sharpening wave front and moves through the bed well ahead of other ions. Silica, a common and weakly held ion, has recently been regarded as a good breakthrough indicator of bed exhaustion, and it may be easily detected, for example by a calorimetric, wet chemistry silica detector. The above-noted conductivity rise has also generally been considered an effective indicator of impending breakthrough, and can be detected by a common resistance meter placed downstream of the polisher.
It should also be noted that some fab plants have specified a zero detectable boron standard for their process water. This has lead to the presence of boron being addressed by various approaches, such as the replacement of the polish bed whenever boron concentration reached the detection threshold. One group has reported, however, that the latter method resulted in the need for extremely frequent regeneration of the polish bed—over one hundred times per year. They proposed instead an approach of using of a boron-selective capture resin at various places in the treatment stream ahead of the polish bed to reduce the boron load on that unit.
Recently, it has been noted that a boron breakthrough may be detected earlier than the silicon breakthrough, and before a detectable conductivity rise. For this purpose, boron concentration is monitored directly, using a sufficiently sensitive boron detection instrument. The appearance of boron in treated fab product water may then be used as an indicator of impending exhaustion of the polishing bed exchange resin. Boron is displaced earlier, preceding the breakthrough of silica, and as such constitutes an indicator that may allow a more accurate determination of, or at least an earlier, hence more secure anticipation of, the exhaustion of a normally-functioning ion exchange bed. For such specialized boron detection, one instrument maker (Sievers Instruments, Inc. of Boulder, Colo.) has developed a very sensitive boron detection instrument for UPW monitoring and treatment process control. That boron monitor, which is described in published International Patent Application WO 02/12129, now permits the detection of boron concentration at very low levels, e.g., at parts-per-trillion (ppt) concentration levels. That international patent application is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Boron concentration measurements made with such a detector may in principle be used to anticipate bed exhaustion and to determine timely maintenance, such as replacement or regeneration, of ion exchange beds, thus avoiding unanticipated deterioration of product water quality or costly shut-down of the water production. The detection should permit one to schedule bed replacement or regeneration well before the occurrence of leakage of silica, or of other more tightly bound and more destructive ions, through the polish unit in the product water.
However, boron is a loosely bound ion. If one is controlling based upon a very low detection threshold, it is important that the level or shape of the boron concentration curve be discerned, distinct from background. As noted above, it is also generally accepted that the absolute level of boron should be relatively low. However, early measurements with a sensitive detector have uncovered great variations in the boron-passing or release characteristics in a UPW product water polish stage. Boron is loosely held, is easily displaced, and is captured with fairly low efficiency by the remaining downstream resin. An aged resin bottle, which has already accumulated a load of boron ions, will release boron ions in proportion to the total ionic load as it nears exhaustion increase the residual level of boron when the water temperature rises a few degrees. More significantly, applicants have observed that sometimes newly-regenerated resins appear to release a large amount of boron. It appears therefore that at least some regeneration processes do not produce regenerated resin capable of sustained and dependable boron removal.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a regenerated resin having lower passing or release characteristics, and/or more effective and long-lasting capture characteristics.
It would also be desirable to provide an improved resin regeneration process that dependably produces regenerated resin having lower boron passing or release characteristics, or more effective and long-lasting boron capture characteristics.
It would also be desirable to provide an improved process for producing low-boron UPW product water.
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Conventionally, when images are formed with copying machines, laser beam printers, etc., the Carlson Method has been generally used (U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,221,776, 2,297,691 and 2,357,809, "Electrophotography," p22-p41, R. M. Shaffert, 1965, The Focal Press).
FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of an apparatus for a conventional method of forming fixed images. In the conventional method, after the electrostatic latent image formed on a photoconductor by optical means is developed in a developing process, it is transferred to a recording medium such as recording paper in a transfer process and then fixed into the final image generally with heat and pressure in a fixing process. As the photoconductor is repeatedly used, a cleaning device is provided for cleaning the residual toner after the transfer process with its rotation.
In the conventional method of forming fixed images, however, through the processes from the formation of the electrostatic latent image up to its fixing onto the recording medium, the temperature of the heating element of the fixing device has to remain at a very high level (usually around 200.degree. C.) and further a relatively high nip pressure is required (usually between 2.0 and 6.0 kg/cm). On the other hand, since both the photoconductor and the developing device have to be maintained at around room temperature, a considerable distance has to be maintained between the fixing device and the developing device, which necessitates to make the machine larger. In addition, it is necessary to force the removal of the,generated heat from the system, but the noise produced by the forced radiation device is not negligible.
Further, in the conventional method of forming fixed images, since the fixing section works independently and at such a high temperature of around 200.degree. C., as mentioned above, expensive heat-resistant materials such as heat-resistant resins, heat-resistant rubbers, etc. have to be provided around the fixing device.
When the fixing is carried out at a high temperature, it is subject to problems such as curling and jamming of the paper, etc. In addition, it is pointed out that a fixing failure may take place due to the heat absorbed by the paper, depending upon its thickness. Further, if the fixing requires a high temperature, it takes more time to reach the set temperature so that a quick printing becomes impossible. In such a case, therefore, this method is unsuitable for devices such as a facsimile which requires quick printings.
As for solving these problems, a device for carrying out low temperature fixing using a cold pressing method (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 159174/1984) is known. In this reference, however, although the fixing temperature is low, the nip pressure has to be elevated normally to not less than 4 kg/cm in this method, making the machine heavier. Moreover, it poses problems in the gloss of the images, deformation of the paper copy sheets and an insufficient fixing strength. As for a fixing device for fixing images at such a low nip pressure of less than 4 kg/cm, a heat roller method is known, for example, but it has been pointed out that the fixing temperature needs to be maintained at not less than 120.degree. C.
Under the circumstances, the development of a fixing device that can fix images at a low temperature and at a low nip pressure is highly desired, but it has not yet been developed. Further, as regards toners to be indispensably used for the image formation, since they have been confined to those made from a thermoplastic resin dispersed with additives such as coloring agents, charge control agents, releasing agents, etc., and pulverized, there have been limitations on the molecular weight, the softening point of the thermoplastic resin for use in the toner from the aspect of storage stability, thereby posing limitations on the further pursuit of low temperature fixing.
From these standpoints, the development of a novel method of forming fixed images as well as a matching toner thereto is in demand.
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For many years industry, and particularly the transportation industry has been concerned with providing functional attributes sealing, baffling, acoustic attenuation, sound dampening and reinforcement to articles of manufacture such as automotive vehicles. In turn, industry has developed a wide variety of materials and parts for providing such functional attributes. In the interest on continuing such innovation, the present invention seeks to provide an improved material and/or improved part for providing such functional attributes. The material and/or part can provide sealing, baffling, acoustic attenuation, sound dampening, combinations thereof or the like, but the part and/or material have been found to be particularly adept at providing reinforcement.
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Conventional toilets typically employ a tank mounted above a waste-containing bowl from which a quantity of water is rapidly drained to flush the waste therefrom and into a sewage system. One common toilet design utilizes a flapper valve made of an elastomeric material that normally covers the drain outlet of the tank. When the flush handle on the outside of the tank is depressed by the user, the flapper valve is lifted and the water in the tank moves through the toilet drain outlet and into the sewer system. The flapper valve is designed with an inverted air chamber so that it floats as it is lifted away from the drain outlet in the bottom of the tank. This allows a sufficient amount of flush water to flow into the bowl even if the user immediately releases the flush handle. Additionally, when the water level in the tank drops, it is automatically refilled through a fill valve connected to a high-pressure water supply line.
One of the most common types of fill valves is a ballcock fill valve, which provides a vertical water inlet tube or pipe that is connected to a water supply system. The ballcock fill valve also includes a water valve and a float that is coupled thereto by a long horizontal rod. Typically, such conventional floats are ball-shaped and float on the surface of the water within the tank to monitor its level. When the tank is filled, the water valve is closed to block the inflow of water through the inlet tube. Once a flushing operation has been completed, the water level in the tank drops to nearly the bottom, causing a corresponding drop in the float as well. As a result of the movement of the float, the water valve is opened allowing water from the water supply system to enter the tank. After the water within the tank has reached a predetermined level, the float moves upward, causing the water valve to close, stopping the flow of water into the tank.
Unfortunately, ballcock fill valves require substantial space to accommodate the operation of the lever mechanism that couples the ball float to the water valve. In addition, due to the nature of ballcock valves, they often deliver an imprecise water level when the valve is subjected to different water inlet pressures.
To overcome the drawbacks of ballcock fill valves, pilot valves have been developed. Pilot fill valves include a substantially vertical water inlet pipe that is configured for connection to a water supply at one end and for connection to a main valve structure at another end. In addition, a float structure, which is mechanically coupled to the main valve body by means of a substantially vertical rod, responds to and continually follows the vertical movement of the float. A lever is employed to couple the vertical rod to a pilot valve element provided by the main valve body. As such, the pilot valve element actuates a flexible diaphragm disposed upon a water inlet seat to control the flow of water received from the water supply inlet pipe through the main valve body, thereby controlling the on and off states of the valve.
When the water in the tank falls below its normally filled level immediately following a flushing operation, the lever-controlled pilot element is raised, allowing the diaphragm to in turn rise above the water inlet seat of the valve body. This allows water to flow freely through the main valve and into the tank. When the water level has risen sufficiently within the tank, the lever-controlled pilot element is returned to its lowered position, thereby causing the diaphragm to be repositioned on the water inlet seat, thereby shutting off the flow of water into the tank.
Current pilot fill valves are costly and use various methods to shut themselves off at the correct speed once the tank water level is near full. If the valve takes too long to shut off, a typical user may think that the toilet is leaking when in fact the tank is filling slowly as the valve is near the off position. While various methods have been utilized to prevent slow tank filling near the off position, current pilot fill valves tend to make the valve shut off very quickly, causing the inlet water pipes to rattle and make unpleasant noise.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a pilot fill valve that utilizes a float having an upper cavity to allow water from an outlet port to be routed and collected to increase the weight of the float. In addition, there is a need for a pilot fill valve having a float with an upper cavity, whereby an overflow allows water collected therein to escape, allowing the weight of the float to be reduced quickly so that the buoyancy forces imparted by the rising tank water remain sufficient to lift the float to ensure the valve is fully turned off.
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The housing of existing detachable grill is a box made of insulation material, the end face of the housing is disposed with a reflector made of metal, the center of the reflector is opened with a window, the window is disposed with a material heat conductive block. The heat conductive block, the reflector and the housing form a closed space. An electric heater is disposed inside the closed space, the electric heater is fixed to the heat conductive block. The external surface of the heat conductive block is detachable to the grilling pan. To clean the grilling pan, taking the grilling pan from the heat conductive block of the housing to clean the upper surface of the grilling pan.
As the temperature of the grilling pan is high, for convenient to hand the grilling pan and to avoid the scald, two sides of the grilling pan are respectively disposed with a handle extending out, so that people hand the two handles by hand to carry the grilling pan up or to put the grilling pan to the housing.
However, when the grill is used, the grilling pan is easy to shake on the housing on all sides, thus making it unsafe to use.
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German Patent Publication DE 10 2007 062 047 A1 discloses a compact housing.
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A trailer is generally an unpowered vehicle pulled by a powered vehicle, which is used to transport, goods, equipment, or other materials. Many different types of trailers exist, such as travel trailers or popup campers, large semi-trailers transporting cargo, livestock trailers, food trailers, and restroom trailers.
A common practice for outdoor events such as concerts or community festivals is to provide temporary restrooms where the event does not take place at or near existing adequate facilities. Portable toilets, colloquially referred to as “porta potties”, are often employed, but are cramped and typically do not have power or running water, leading to unpleasant and unsanitary conditions after repeated use. Luxury portable toilets exist which contain every amenity that a public bathroom would have such as running water, flushing toilets, stalls, mirrors, lighting and in some cases even air conditioning and hot water. Such luxury portable toilets are typically mounted on large “office-like” trailers or made from converted shipping containers, and are commonly found at higher end events where higher levels of convenience and comfort are desired, such as weddings, high end charity events, and movie shoots.
With typical restroom trailers, the frame is generally being positioned above the wheels required to transport the trailer, presenting a difficulty for providing access to wheelchairs and other handicapped persons, as steps, ramps and platforms must be put into place. The present invention seeks to address this difficulty by presenting a trailer suspension that allows the trailer to be lowered much closer to ground level, reducing the total height a ramp must traverse in order to provide access to the restroom compartment and reducing liability from potential falls.
Trailers are typically coupled to powered vehicles by a hitch, which is a linkage attached to the vehicle frame of a vehicle for towing. Hitches may take many forms including a tow ball, a tow pin, a tow hook with a trailer loop, or other forms. Hitches are typically permanently fixed to the vehicle frame of the trailer or other unpowered, towable vehicle, and thus are prone to occupying unnecessary space, inhibiting storage and being aesthetically unpleasing.
It is therefore a further object of the present invention to provide a lowerable vehicle frame with a trailer hitch for a towable vehicle which can be folded into a stored position for space reduction and aesthetic improvement.
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Transparent conductors are used for displays such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma display panels (PDPs), and electroluminescence panels (organic EL, inorganic EL), and transparent electrodes for solar cells or the like. In addition, transparent conductors are used for electromagnetic insulation films and infrared shield film. For a material of a metal oxide layer of a transparent conductor, ITO, which is a substance obtained by adding tin (Sn) to indium oxide (In2O3), is widely used.
Terminals provided with a touch panel such as smartphones and tablet terminals have been rapidly spreading in recent years. They have a configuration in which a touch sensor part is provided on a liquid crystal panel, and a cover glass is provided on the outermost surface. The touch sensor part is configured with one sheet or two sheets pasted together, each sheet being obtained by forming an ITO film through sputtering on one surface or both surfaces of a glass or a substrate for a film.
In association with upsizing of touch panels and achievement of highly precise touch sensor function, a transparent conductor having a high transmittance and low resistance has been required. It is required for lowering of the resistance of a transparent conductor with an ITO film to thicken the ITO film or to crystallize the ITO film through thermal annealing. However, thickening of the ITO film leads to lowering of the transmittance. In addition, it is typically difficult to perform thermal annealing for a substrate for a film at high temperature. Thus, it is currently difficult to lower the resistance of an ITO film provided on a substrate for a film while the transmittance is kept high.
In such circumstances, a transparent conductive film having a laminate structure of a metal oxide layer containing a component different from ITO and a metal layer has been proposed (e.g., Patent Literature 1).
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The International Standards Organization (ISO) has established the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model. The OSI Reference Model provides a network design framework allowing equipment from different vendors to be able to communicate. More specifically, the OSI Reference Model organizes the communication process into seven separate and distinct, interrelated categories in a layered sequence. Layer 1 is the Physical Layer. It deals with the physical means of sending data. Layer 2 is the Data Link Layer. It is associated with procedures and protocols for operating the communications lines, including the detection and correction of message errors. Layer 3 is the Network Layer. It determines how data is transferred between computers. Layer 4 is the Transport Layer. It defines the rules for information exchange and manages end-to-end delivery of information within and between networks, including error recovery and flow control. Layer 5 is the Session Layer. It deals with dialog management and controlling the use of the basic communications facility provided by Layer 4. Layer 6 is the Presentation Layer. It is associated with data formatting, code conversion and compression and decompression. Layer 7 is the Applications Layer. It addresses functions associated with particular applications services, such as file transfer, remote file access and virtual terminals.
FIG. 1A is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary conventional L5 command sequence. The L5 level allows the transfer of application buffers between different applications, which is known as a dialog. Referring to FIG. 1A, an exemplary L5 command sequence may be to move N bytes of memory 11 starting at virtual address A of system 1 to system 2 via the network 10. The n bytes of memory 11 may occupy N bytes of memory 12 starting at virtual address B at system 2. An indication that this task is complete may also be requested from system 1.
FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating L1 through L5 processing of the conventional L5 command of FIG. 1A. Referring to FIG. 1B, the left column illustrates protocol layer sequences 17, 19, 21, 23, and 25 for protocol layers L5, L4, L3, L2 and L1, respectively, whereas the right column provides a pictorial view of the data as it processed and prepared for transmission. The first step 15 illustrates the conventional L5 command of FIG. 1A to move a specific piece of host virtual memory (1) to a specific location in another host. The L5 processing encodes the data about the request into a header (2a) and trailer (2b) for the L5 data. The header and trailer may be allocated as new virtual memory areas and may be passed as three or more separate send requests to the L4 layer.
The L4 processing layer may segment the send requests to fit within limitations of the lower layers. It then allocates additional virtual memory areas for individual L4 headers (3) for each segment. Each header, along with the virtual memory pieces needed to complete the segment, is passed down to the L3 layer. In our example, three packets of data are passed down, the first having three virtual memory areas, the second having two virtual memory areas, and the third having three virtual memory areas.
The L3 processing layer allocates yet another virtual memory space for each packet and formats the L3 headers (4), and normally the L2 header for Ethernet packets, into the virtual memory areas. Each group is now passed down to the L2 processing layer. The L2 processing layer may collect the data from the received virtual memory areas and may produce a continuous data stream. Encapsulation for packets may be required at the L2 processing level, as well as guaranteed inter-packet gap (IPG) time. The L2 processing converts the packets received from the L3 processing level into a continuous data stream 28, which may be communicated to the L1 processing level. The L1 processing level coverts the continuous data stream 28 received from the L2 processing into the appropriate electrical or optical signal pulses to travel on the network media.
In conventional communication systems that process packetized data, various different NIC technologies have been implemented in different chips, with each chip adapted to process a particular layer. In this regard, specific chips have been developed to handle L2 processing, specific chips have been developed for L4 offload processing, and specific chips have been developed to handle L5 offload processing.
FIG. 1C is a block diagram of conventional virtual memory system for mapping physical memory. Referring to FIG. 1C, the physical system memory 31 is broken into equal sized 2^^N sized memory pages. These pages may comprise the physical memory allocation units for the system. As memory is allocated to an application, the lower translation page table (TPT) 35 is built to list the physical memory pages currently allocated to the application. The application may also be characterized by an upper TPT entry 33 that may point to the lower TPT entry 35.
Access to a particular virtual memory location, at a specific virtual address, by the application is mapped by first finding the upper TPT entry 33 for the application or buffer (step 1). This upper TPT entry 33 may contain a pointer to the start of the lower TPT entry 35 (step 2). The upper TPT entry 33 may also specify a fixed virtual offset or virtual base to subtract from virtual address before further processing. An index into the lower TPT entry may be determined from the upper bits of the virtual address. This is possible because the pages sizes are consistent and of 2^^N size (step 3). Once the lower TPT entry is determined, its value may point to the start of one of the physical memory pages (step 4). The lower bits that are not used in determining the lower TPT entry index position may be utilized to index into the selected physical page to determine the physical address of the desired data (step 5). Accesses to the complete virtual address space of the buffer may be mapped. In this way, a completed virtual memory view 37 may be generated.
While page based virtual memory systems are common in general purpose computer systems, more customized systems, such as storage severs, may utilize a block organization system. FIG. 1D is a block diagram of conventional block organization system for mapping physical memory. Referring to FIG. 1D, the block organization system is similar to the virtual memory page system of FIG. 1C, except that basic allocation unit may be any consistent size for a particular task.
Access to a particular location in the physical memory 41 for a task is mapped by first finding the task entry in the task list 43 (step 1). The task entry may contain a pointer to the start of the task block list 45 (step 2). The task entry may also specify a specific amount of the first block that is not included in the task, for example, the first block offset. The first block offset may be added to the original location. An index into the block list may be determined by dividing the address by the block size. The division result will be the index into the block list 45 (step 3). The value from the task block list 45 may determine the start of the physical block to be accessed within the physical system memory 41 (step 4). The remainder of the division may provide the index into the selected block to finally determine the physical address of the desired data (step 5). Accesses to the complete block system space of the buffer may be mapped. In this way, a completed block system memory view 47 may be generated.
FIG. 1E is a block diagram illustrating conventional L2 processing on a NIC. The NIC 103 is connected to a host memory 101 via an interface bus 105. Referring to FIG. 1, the NIC 103 may comprise a receive (RX) data engine 119, an on-chip RX buffer descriptor pre-read memory 121, a transmit (TX) data engine 115 and an on-chip TX buffer descriptor pre-read memory 117. The host memory 101 may comprise TX buffers 107, RX buffers 109, a TX buffer descriptor queue 111 and a RX buffer descriptor queue 113. Network data may be communicated with the NIC via the transmit flow 123 and the receive flow 125.
For L2 processing, the basic requirement is to transmit from an endless stream of host physical address TX buffers 107, each with variable length. Data may be received into an endless, constantly replenished stream of host physical address RX buffers 109. During each of the transmit and receive cycles, one packet may go into one or more of the sequential TX buffers 107 and the RX buffers 109, respectively. Since there is only one transmit flow 123 and one receive flow 125, normal practice is to simply read ahead the TX buffer descriptor queue 111 and the RX buffer descriptor queue 113 for the physical address spaces. Data packets may then be transmitted, or received, based on the availability of network bandwidth. All addressing information for the buffers may already be residing on chip. Some times more than one stream is supported in either or both directions, but the number of streams during L2 processing is normally limited to 16 or less.
L2 devices are normally the most competitively priced networking devices on the market. The cost of an L2 device implementation is that application software, or the host based drivers, must do extensive formatting, segmentation, and re-assembly of network traffic to create/process complete L2 packet streams This consumes expensive host CPU bandwidth and host memory bandwidth. An important feature of the L2 on-chip RX buffer pre-read memory 121 is that it is filled with each new buffer descriptor entry from the RX buffer descriptor queue 113 only once. Similarly, the on-chip TX buffer pre-read memory 117 is filled with each new buffer descriptor entry from the TX buffer descriptor queue 111 only once.
Data from the receive flow 125 is initially stored in the RX data engine 119. It may then be distributed in the host RX buffers 109 using RX buffer descriptor queue information stored on the on-chip RX buffer descriptor pre-read memory 121. Data in the transmit flow 123 is moved from the host TX buffers 107 into the TX data engine 115 using TX buffer descriptor queue information stored on the on-chip TX buffer descriptor pre-read memory 117. The buffer descriptor entries will stay on the NIC 103 in the dedicated pre-read memories 117 and 121 until the buffer pointed to by the corresponding descriptor is emptied (during a TX operation) or filled (during a RX operation). Once the buffer descriptor is consumed, the on-chip memory (121 or 117) may be reused for a new buffer descriptor from its corresponding queue.
L2 processing has traditionally been achieved by having a driver running on the main system processor converting virtual memory areas into a list of physical memory address/length pairs. In this regard, the TX buffer descriptor queue comprises physical memory information. The buffers 107 pointed to by each physical address/length pair are portions of the virtual memory areas generated by the higher level network stacks. For L2 offload level, the TX buffer descriptor queue 111 may be read by the NIC into the on-chip TX buffer pre-read memory 117 and fed to the TX data engine 115. Final L2 formatting is achieved as the data is communicated out from the TX data engine 123.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating conventional L4 processing. The NIC 203 is connected to a host memory 201 via an interface bus 205. Referring to FIG. 2, the NIC 203 may comprise a RX data engine 219 and a TX data engine 215. The NIC may be connected to an off-chip RX buffer descriptor pre-read memory 221, and an off-chip TX buffer descriptor pre-read memory 217. The host memory 201 may comprise a set of TX buffers 207, RX buffers 209, a TX buffer descriptor queue 211 and a RX buffer descriptor queue 213, all associated with a specific L4 connection being processed by the NIC. Many 1000's of these connections may need to be processed by the NIC. Data may be communicated with the NIC via the transmit flow 223 and the receive flow 225.
There are different implementations for L4 offload buffer management processing. One implementation for L4 buffer management processing is where each connection supported requires a pair of transmit/receive buffer streams. During a transmit and a receive operation, host physical buffers of variable length may be used, for example, the TX buffers 207 and the RX buffers 209 on the host memory 201. Buffer descriptor information is stored in the TX buffer descriptor queue 211 and the RX buffer descriptor queue 213. During L4 processing, the NIC 203 and the host memory 201 may support many data connections. For example, the number of TX buffer descriptor queues and RX buffer descriptor queues that may be managed is normally counted in the 1000's, with some L4 devices supporting 64K queues and more. Compared to the market for L2 types of devices, the market for L4 types of devices has been less price competitive. With regard to data processing, the L4 types of devices simply pre-read the buffers, just as the L2 types of device did. However, one TX/RX buffer set is required for each connection during L4 processing. This requires large amounts of memory for storage on the NIC, normally requiring multiple external memory devices to implement (i.e. external memory attached to the NIC). For example, an off-chip TX buffer descriptor pre-read memory 217 and an off-chip RX buffer descriptor pre-read memory 221 may be utilized, together with the RX data engine 219 and the TX data engine 215 on the NIC 203, in order to manage the transmit flow 223 and the receive flow 225.
During L4 processing, a driver running on a main system processor coverts the output from the L5 processing into TX buffer descriptor queue 211 entries. The main difference between L4 and L5 processing is that in order to perform the L4 offload, the NIC must keep track of data for each connection individually, so the number of queues and amount of queued information can be significant. The data pointed to by the queue entries is the portions of virtual memory space specified by the L5 processing level. For L4 offload level, the TX buffer descriptor queue 211 for each connection must be read and subsequent processing may be performed for levels 4, 3, 2, and 1.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating conventional L5 processing. The NIC 303 is connected to a host memory 301 via an interface bus 305. Referring to FIG. 3, the NIC 303 may comprise a RX data engine 325 and a TX data engine 323. The NIC 303 may be connected to an off-chip translation page table (TPT) memory 311. The off-chip TPT memory 311 may comprise a plurality of upper translation page tables 313 and a plurality of lower translation page tables 315. The host memory 301 may comprise application virtual memory buffers, contained in equal size host memory pages or blocks 307. Network data may be communicated with the NIC via the transmit flow 327 and the receive flow 329. Data between the NIC 303 and the host memory 301 may be exchanged via the communication bus 305.
L5 offload buffer management processing is more structured than L2 and L4 processing. Normally, the buffers 307 on the host memory 301, for any L5 transmit or receive operations, are described by a two level page table system—lower level and upper level. The upper level is normally called the upper level translation page table (Upper TPT) and identifies a specific buffer for a single or multiple operations. The upper TPT entry identifies a starting virtual address and length for the application buffer, just as the application sees the buffer, as well as the location in the lower TPT entries, where the physical page locations may be located. The upper TPT entry may also include certain access permissions for the buffer.
The lower level is normally referred to as the lower level translation page table (lower TPT). The lower TPT entry is a simple page, or block table, where each entry points to a standard sized system memory page or block. Each of the lower TPT entries 315 may have multiple upper TPT entries 313 pointing to it, where each upper TPT entry may describe a different non-overlapping or overlapping application buffers. This type of L5 buffer description corresponds directly with modern virtual memory general purpose processing systems, such as the systems in FIGS. 1C and 1D, which organize data memory as a large pool of fixed size buffers or storage servers.
In conventional L5 offload systems, the page table system is uploaded and ready in the NIC before it is needed for L5 processing. Each page table is used for the duration of time it is needed and then unloaded from the NIC when it will no longer be used. The L5 processing method may produce very high performance for high-cost NIC implementations. However, it requires a very large amount of memory for all the page tables needed to be loaded for data processing. L5 processing, therefore, may be very expensive as it often requires multiple devices for implementation. For example, an off-chip TPT memory 311, with upper TPT entries 313 and lower TPT entries 315 may be needed, together with a TX data engine 323 and an RX data engine 325 on the NIC 303, in order to manage the transmit flow 327 and the receive flow 329.
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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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to inks, and in particular aqueous inks comprising water insoluble dyes.
2. Description of Related Art
Dyes in some aspects are superior to pigments in ink jet inks for a number of well-known reasons. Pigment particles are about a million times larger than dye molecules. Pigment based inks are, basically, finely ground particles suspended in a transfer medium. The much smaller dye molecules may, under the appropriate conditions, dissolve in a medium as compared with mere physical suspension. It is well known that, owing to its molecular characteristics, dye produces colors spanning a broader range, colors which are truer or otherwise more reproducible, and colors of greater strength. However, water soluble dyes smear and fade after printing. Smearing and fading are, in most applications, highly undesirable characteristics and present severe limitations on the usefulness of dye inks in everyday printer use.
What is still needed is one or more water insoluble dyes dissolved in an aqueous-based ink vehicle. This dye-based ink would enable a greatly expanded range of water-fast, non-smearing, highly saturated colors with high reproduceability and long shelf life. The ink composition of the present invention is useful in ink jet printing, enabling color consistency over a broad range and suitable, owing to non-smearing and non-fading properties, for archival purposes.
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An invention as set forth in the present disclosure relates generally to color sensors. More particularly, this invention relates to a device, system and method for enabling accurate wireless color sensing, storage and comparison of color information for the full range of colors in the visible spectrum.
Designers, painters, contractors, photographers, and, in general, anyone interested in looking for an accurate color information may find the current range of color measurement tools to be limited, bulky, or lacking in convenience.
It would be desirable to provide a sensor that a person can take with themselves anywhere, scan a color, obtain accurate color information, and automatically store the color information on a mobile computing device that the user will always have available (such as for example an iPhone or Android device).
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The retreading of tires, particularly truck tires, with a pre-cured tread is a widely-practiced art. In such an operation, the tire casing to be processed is prepared by grinding or buffing off any old tread remaining on the casing. Cement is then applied and a layer of uncured cushion stock is applied to the cemented casing. A pre-cured tread layer that has had cement applied thereto is then applied over the cushion stock. Finally, the entire composite uncured retread is inserted into a protective covering or "envelope" for encasing the exterior surfaces of the uncured retread and that retread is cured. The principal purpose of the protective cover or envelope is to prevent air and/or steam used during the curing process from coming into contact with the cement and uncured cushion stock during the curing process. A further purpose of the envelope is to compress the various components described above into tight engagement with the casing so that a suitable product is produced during the curing operation. After the protective cover or envelope is placed around the composite uncured retread, the encased retread is then conventionally placed into a curing chamber or module, typically at a temperature of 200.degree. to 325.degree. F., in an atmosphere at a pressure of e.g. 50 to 150 pounds per square inch. Following the curing process, the encased retread is withdrawn from the curing chamber or module and the envelope is removed from it.
Over the years, several types of retread covers or envelopes have been developed for use in the above-described process. One such prior art product used in this process has been constructed from elastomeric calendar sheet. Two sheets of the material to be utilized in constructing this envelope are cut in equally-sized rings and then seamed together around their outer edges in order to produce a tire cover of the desired shape. Since the sheet goods are necessarily seamed together prior to the curing of the sheet stock, problems have arisen in producing a reliable seam along the outer edges while preventing the more interior portions of the calendar sheets from sticking to each other. The curing process mentioned in the preceding sentence, which is referred to in relation to the making of the protective tire cover or envelope, is not the same curing process which is applied (later) in producing a cure between the pre-cured tread, cement, cushion stock and tire casing during the retreading process, i.e. it is the curing process which is necessary to cure the calendar sheet itself and to produce the cured seam between layers of the sheeting prior to using the completed protective cover or envelope in retreading a tire.
There have been numerous efforts to cure the calendar sheet to satisfactorily produce a good, even circumferential seam around the outer edge while preventing the inner portions of the layers from sticking to each other. For example, it has been proposed to introduce a dry lubricant powder between the portions which are not to be joined while maintaining the seaming surfaces free from that powder so that they may be joined during the curing process. The cover is then cured in a flat configuration. This particular approach has the drawback that it tends to produce weak seams when powder is inadvertently present between the seaming surfaces. Irregular covers are produced in those instances where the inner portions of the sheeting are inadequately coated with the lubricant powder, and therefore, the layers stick to each other during the curing process. Thus, it is generally very difficult to produce a strong, precise circular seam around the outermost edge of the calendar goods to be joined. Furthermore, it has been found that cold checking occurs and air blisters which may form further reduce the durability of the contemplated product.
Presti U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,271 proposes a seamless envelope which is compression formed from an uncured elastomeric slug, using compressive forces of the order of 300 to 600 tons. The disadvantages of the seamed calendar sheets are apparently avoided but among the drawbacks of this process is the fact that heavy, expensive equipment is required.
In accordance with another proposal a butt-seamed or "spliced" tube, very similar to a tire tube, is slit along its innermost radial periphery or circumference. This particular type of cover, while generally satisfactory, does not properly conform to the outer surfaces of a composite uncured retread, and its structure, with its wholly circular cross-section, interferes with its being properly tight in the shoulder area of the tire being retreaded.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved retread curing envelope of the butt-seamed type which avoids the drawbacks and disadvantages of prior art proposals.
It is another object of the invention to provide a process for producing a retreading envelope of the character indicated.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a retread envelope which has increased life in comparison with butt-seamed envelopes heretofore produced.
It is still further object of the invention to provide an efficient, inexpensive process for making an improved butt-seamed retreading envelope.
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The art of ink jet printing is relatively well developed. Commercial products such as computer printers, graphics plotters, and facsimile machines have been implemented with ink jet technology for producing printed media. The contributions of Hewlett-Packard Company to ink jet technology are described, for example, in various articles in the Hewlett-Packard Journal, Vol. 36, No. 5 (May 1985); Vol. 39, No. 5 (October 1988); Vol. 43, No. 4 (August 1992); Vol. 43, No. 6 (December 1992); and Vol. 45, No. 1 (February 1994); all incorporated herein by reference.
Generally, an ink jet image is formed pursuant to precise placement on a print medium of ink drops emitted by an ink drop generating device known as an ink jet printhead. Typically, an ink jet printhead is supported on a movable print carriage that traverses over the surface of the print medium and is controlled to eject drops of ink at appropriate times pursuant to command of a microcomputer or other controller, wherein the timing of the application of the ink drops is intended to correspond to a pattern of pixels of the image being printed.
A typical Hewlett-Packard ink jet printhead includes an array of precisely formed nozzles in an orifice plate that is attached to an ink barrier layer which in turn is attached to a thin film substructure that implements ink firing heater resistors and apparatus for enabling the resistors. The ink barrier layer defines ink channels including ink chambers disposed over associated ink firing resistors, and the nozzles in the orifice plate are aligned with associated ink chambers. Ink drop generator regions are formed by the ink chambers and portions of the thin film substructure and the orifice plate that are adjacent the ink chambers.
The thin film substructure is typically comprised of a substrate such as silicon on which are formed various thin film layers that form thin film ink firing resistors, apparatus for enabling the resistors, and also interconnections to bonding pads that are provided for external electrical connections to the printhead. The ink barrier layer is typically a polymer material that is laminated as a dry film to the thin film substructure, and is designed to be photodefinable and both UV and thermally curable. Ink is fed from one or more ink reservoirs to the various ink chambers around ink feed edges that can comprises sides of the thin film substructure or sides of ink feed slots formed in the substrate.
An example of the physical arrangement of the orifice plate, ink barrier layer, and thin film substructure is illustrated at page 44 of the Hewlett-Packard Journal of February 1994, cited above. Further examples of ink jet printheads are set forth in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,477 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,346, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Considerations with ink jet printheads include puddling on the nozzle plate which can affect print quality and reliability.
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Detection of nucleic acids is central to gene expression analysis, diagnostics, medicine, forensics, industrial processing, crop and animal breeding, and many other fields. For example, nucleic acid detection technology is used to diagnose disease conditions, detect infectious organisms, determine genetic lineage and genetic markers, correctly identify individuals at crime scenes, and propagate industrial organisms.
The introduction of nucleic acid amplification methods has greatly improved the specificity and sensitivity of nucleic acid detection. One of the most commonly used methods of nucleic acid amplification is polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which amplifies nucleic acids by using sequence specific primers targeted to opposing strands of double stranded DNA to copy a desired DNA sequence. Multiple cycles of primer annealing, DNA polymerization and double-stranded DNA denaturation are used to exponentially amplify a desired segment of DNA. Reactions with only one copy of template DNA can be rapidly and specifically amplified more than 100 million fold (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,683,195, 4,683,202 and 4,800,159).
Other methods for amplification of nucleic acids include reverse-transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR), nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA), transcription-based amplification system (TAS), self-sustained sequence replication (3SR), ligation amplification reaction (LAR), Q-beta amplification, and ligase chain reaction (LCR). Many of these amplification reactions utilize a polymerase enzyme or fragment thereof.
Details regarding the use of these and other amplification methods can be found in any of a variety of standard texts, including, e.g., Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning—A Laboratory Manual (3rd Ed.), Vol. 1-3, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., 2000 (“Sambrook”); Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, F. M. Ausubel et al., eds., Current Protocols, a joint venture between Greene Publishing Associates, Inc. and John Wiley & Sons, Inc., (supplemented through 2002) (“Ausubel”) and PCR Protocols A Guide to Methods and Applications (Innis et al. eds) Academic Press Inc. San Diego, Calif. (1990) (Innis). Many available biology texts have extended discussions regarding PCR and related amplification methods.
Analytical sensitivity is an important consideration when conducting quantitative PCR. Many methods exist for detecting amplified nucleic acid products. Some methods (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,195) utilize dot-blots, oligonucleotide arrays, size-separation by gel electrophoresis, Sanger sequencing, and various hybridization probes, and may require post-reaction processing.
A number of miniaturized approaches to performing PCR and other amplification reactions have been developed, e.g., involving amplification reactions in microfluidic devices, as well as methods for detecting and analyzing amplified nucleic acids in or on the devices. Details regarding such technology can be found in the technical and patent literature (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,444,461 to Knapp, et al. (Sep. 3, 2002) MICROFLUIDIC DEVICES AND METHODS FOR SEPARATION; U.S. Pat. No. 6,406,893 to Knapp, et al. (Jun. 18, 2002) MICROFLUIDIC METHODS FOR NON-THERMAL NUCLEIC ACID MANIPULATIONS; U.S. Pat. No. 6,391,622 to Knapp, et al. (May 21, 2002) CLOSED-LOOP BIOCHEMICAL ANALYZERS; U.S. Pat. No. 6,306,590 to Mehta, et al. (Oct. 23, 2001) Microfluidic matrix localization apparatus and methods; U.S. Pat. No. 6,303,343 to Kopf-Sill (Oct. 16, 2001) INEFFICIENT FAST PCR; U.S. Pat. No. 6,171,850 to Nagle, et al. (Jan. 9, 2001) INTEGRATED DEVICES AND SYSTEMS FOR PERFORMING TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED REACTIONS AND ANALYSES; U.S. Pat. No. 5,939,291 to Loewy, et al. (Aug. 17, 1999) MICROFLUIDIC METHOD FOR NUCLEIC ACID AMPLIFICATION; U.S. Pat. No. 5,955,029 to Wilding, et al. (Sep. 21, 1999) MESOSCALE POLYNUCLEOTIDE AMPLIFICATION DEVICE AND METHOD; U.S. Pat. No. 5,965,410 to Chow, et al. (Oct. 12, 1999) ELECTRICAL CURRENT FOR CONTROLLING FLUID PARAMETERS IN MICROCHANNELS, and many others).
Despite the widespread use of amplification technologies and the adaptation of these technologies to miniaturized systems, certain technical difficulties persist in amplifying and detecting nucleic acids. Nucleic acid amplification methods, because of their ability to greatly amplify template nucleic acids, are prone to false positive results due to sample contamination, particularly contamination due to sample carryover. Some methods also require substantial sampling volume.
Thus, there remains a need for improved systems and methods for detecting and quantifying nucleic acids with increased sensitivity while minimizing contamination and sampling volume.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a check system for a control board provided with a micro-computer and, more particularly, to a check system for checking the abnormal state of wirings and interfaces disposed between the respective input/output connectors of the control board and the corresponding input/output terminals of the micro-computer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have been proposed many check systems for checking the abnormal state of the control board provided with the micro-computer by the employment of a checker to be connected between the control board and micro-computer before the operation thereof.
Check systems are largely divided into two types; one of which is for confirming whether or not certain signal levels of inputs/outputs exist by checking a given sequence with respect to the normal functions of the control board being actuated in the actual operation, and the other by the employment of a check program provided for operating the checker of simple construction within the main program for operating the micro-computer provided on the control board, both of which are difficult to present in a checker of standard construction capable of being applied to the various kinds of control boards.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,224 discloses a method and a system for isolating faults in a microprocessor and a machine controlled by the microprocessor, wherein the operation of the machine to be controlled by the microprocessor and the parts of the microprocessor are checked by the employment of a test program stored in the microprocessor. This system is characterized in that it tests a unit of the machine and microcomputer, both being connected with each other, and applies the test in broad areas including the machine. Therefore, this system has a disadvantage in the application of checking lines disposed between the connectors of the control board and the terminals of the microprocessor after removing the control board provided with the microprocessor from the machine. Also, for checking all the ports of the microprocessor to be connected with the checker, it is necessary to provide connectors or pins corresponding in number to all the ports therefore which increases the size of the control board. In addition, it is necessary to provide switches and light emitting diodes within the checker, whereby the standardization for the arrangement of the checker is difficult in practical use.
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