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Ensuring location of an individual or item within a designated area is often of major concern to medical facilities. Certain medical conditions require constant monitoring of the individual to ensure proper health. In addition, certain medical conditions of individuals may affect the memory of the individuals, thereby requiring monitoring of the location of individuals at all times to prevent the individuals from leaving the facility and becoming lost. An example of such an illness is Alzheimer's disease.
In addition, medical equipment is a shared resource and knowing location saves time. Specifically, since most medical equipment is mobile and could be in a number of locations, the ability to keep unwarranted removal of medical equipment maintains the medical equipment to designated areas and is a deterrent to theft.
Further, medical facilities having a maternity ward hold babies within the maternity ward while performing different medical procedures to ensure that the child is healthy and in condition to proceed home with his/her new family. While in the maternity ward, babies are typically provided with a band having a transmitter thereon that is capable of being detected if the baby is carried past a predetermined area. As an example, a detector may be located on the outside of a door to the maternity ward so that if a baby is carried outside of the maternity ward, the transmitter on the baby is detected and an alarm may be sounded.
Unfortunately, it is quite common that a band that has been secured to a baby for the above-mentioned security purposes, falls off of the baby. As an example, the band may be too loose, or, through movement of the baby, the band may fall off. In addition, a nurse securing the band to the baby may not have secured a clasp correctly and the band may simply fall off of the baby. Further, someone may remove the band intentionally so as to be able to remove the baby from the maternity ward without notification to security by the alarm. Unfortunately, if the band falls off of the baby, the only way to ensure location of the baby within the maternity ward is through sight.
To address the problem of band removal, facilities such as the maternity ward quite often have entry and exit points locked at all times. While entry and exit points of the facility may be locked at all times, individuals seeking entry into the maternity ward may gain entry by many different methods, such as, holding a door open before it shuts, stealing or replicating a security card to access the room, or forcing their way into the maternity ward.
Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
In living cells, protein-protein interactions are essential in many biological processes, such as cell-cell interaction, and cell signaling. In particular, membrane proteins embedded in cell membranes, which represent 20-30% of the total proteins encoded by the human genome, play a crucial role in intra- and inter-cellular interactions, such as in diseases like cancer, diabetes mellitus, and schizophrenia, for example. In order to treat these diseases, it is critical to understand the mechanisms driving the membrane proteins involved. Although a plethora of model systems presenting the membrane proteins are available, their instability reduces their accessibility and usefulness.
Thus, membrane proteins have been widely explored and investigated as one of the most popular and viable drug targets in the pharmaceutical industry. However, working with membrane proteins is not easy, given that their amphiphilic nature requires protection from the native environment or its mimics.
Therefore, there remains a need to provide for an artificial cell membrane system which overcomes, or at least alleviates, the above problems. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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An integrated circuit (“IC”), such as a programmable IC, is a well-known type of IC that can be programmed to perform specified logic functions. One type of programmable IC, the field programmable gate array (FPGA), typically includes an array of programmable tiles. These programmable tiles can include, for example, input/output blocks (IOBs), configurable logic blocks (CLBs), dedicated random access memory blocks (BRAM), multipliers, digital signal processing blocks (DSPs), processors, clock managers, delay lock loops (DLLs), and so forth.
Each programmable tile typically includes both programmable interconnect and programmable logic circuitry. The programmable interconnect circuitry typically includes a large number of interconnect lines of varying lengths interconnected by programmable interconnect points (PIPs). The programmable logic circuitry implements the logic of a user design using programmable elements that can include, for example, function generators, registers, arithmetic logic, and so forth.
The programmable interconnect and programmable logic circuits are typically programmed by loading a stream of configuration data into internal configuration memory cells that define how the programmable elements are configured. The configuration data can be read from memory (e.g., from an external PROM) or written into the FPGA by an external device. The collective states of the individual memory cells then determine the function of the FPGA.
Another type of programmable IC is the complex programmable logic device, or CPLD. A CPLD includes two or more “function blocks” connected together and to input/output (I/O) resources by an interconnect switch matrix. Each function block of the CPLD includes a two-level AND/OR structure similar to those used in programmable logic arrays (PLAs) and programmable array logic (PAL) devices. In CPLDs, configuration data is typically stored on-chip in non-volatile memory. In some CPLDs, configuration data is stored on-chip in non-volatile memory, then downloaded to volatile memory as part of an initial configuration (programming) sequence.
For all of these programmable ICs, the functionality of the device is controlled by data bits provided to the device for that purpose. The data bits can be stored in volatile memory (e.g., static memory cells, as in FPGAs and some CPLDs), in non-volatile memory (e.g., FLASH memory, as in some CPLDs), or in any other type of memory cell.
Other programmable ICs are programmed by applying a processing layer, such as a metal layer, that programmably interconnects the various elements on the device. These programmable ICs are known as mask programmable devices. Programmable ICs can also be implemented in other ways, e.g., using fuse or antifuse technology. The phrase “programmable IC” can include, but is not limited to these devices and further can encompass devices that are only partially programmable. For example, one type of programmable IC includes a combination of hard-coded transistor logic and a programmable switch fabric that programmably interconnects the hard-coded transistor logic.
As programmable ICs become larger and the number of devices within programmable ICs continues to grow, adequate testing the programmable ICs also becomes increasingly important. Testing a programmable IC typically entails loading configuration data within the programmable IC to instantiate a circuit design. Test vectors then can be loaded into the programmable IC and provided as input to the instantiated circuit design. The resulting, or actual, output data generated by execution of the test vectors by the programmable IC is compared with expected output data to determine whether any mismatches occur. A mismatch between the actual output data and the expected output data generally is indicative of a malfunction within the programmable IC. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a shearer loader for use in underground mining operations in which the shearer loader includes shearing drums connected through drive transmissions to a driving motor and a haulage box having a haulage box drive wheel connected by a reducing transmission to a driving motor for propelling the shearer loader along a mine face by engagement of a driving wheel of the haulage box with a rack or chain. The driving motor for the haulage box drive wheel is separate and independent from the driving motor for the shearing drums.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As disclosed in West German patent publication No. 1,171,376, it is known in the art to use a differential transmission in a mining tunneling machine to provide automatic control for the rate of advancement and a rate of cutting. The differential transmission is disposed in the shearing or cutting head of the mining machine. The machine drive motor supplies drive torque to the shearing drum by the differential transmission. The transmission takes the form of planetary gear transmission having a sun wheel connected by drive gears to the machine drive motor. The planetary gear transmission is also connected by drive gears to a hydraulic motor which drives the annulus of the planetary gear transmission and thereby supplies additional rotation to the transmission. The speed of the hydraulic motor can be varied in a stepless fashion and the direction of rotation can be reversed. In this motor and transmission arrangement, the speed of rotation provided by the machine drive motor can be adjusted in a stepless fashion by controlling the direction of rotation or by the output speed of the hydraulic motor whereby the output speed of the differential transmission is increased or reduced in a stepless fashion so that the shearing drum can be driven at a desired optimum speed.
Haulage boxes for shearer loaders used in underground mining are designed with a performance capability to operate at a maximum pull at a required rate of advancement of the mining machine. When the rate of advancement by the shearer loader overshoots a predetermined value, the maximum pull of the haulage box decreases because the product of the rate of advancement and pull is constant which determines the instantaneous output of the haulage box under any working condition.
Situations arise in underground mining operations that make it possible and even necessary for a shearer loader to be operated at a considerably greater rate of advancement if the haulage box could provide maximum pull at the increased rate of advancement. This is particularly true when fairly soft and free working coal seams are cut or when the operator of the shearer loader requires an extremely high mining performance beyond the driving power which the haulage box can provide. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The Hall test, invented in 1879 by E. H. Hall and improved by L. J. van der Pauw in 1958, is commonly used to measure carrier concentration and mobility in semiconductor samples. It requires four electronic contacts to be soldered to the surface of the semiconductor sample. The test is time-consuming (on the order of a few hours) and is also subject to large errors due to contamination introduced by soldering. In low-mobility samples such as n-type silicon, the contamination typically results in a 10% or more rise in carrier concentration and approximately 10% drop in mobility due to infusion of the solder's impurities into the sample. In high mobility materials such as mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) and indium antimonide (InSb), soldered contacts can easily result in excess of 100% error in carrier concentration and 50% or more error in mobility. This is due to the "doping" effect of the solder's impurities into the sample at soldering temperatures. For this reason, particularly in thin films, the Hall test is destructive, usually requiring an expendable or "witness" sample that cannot be subsequently used for device manufacture.
Faraday rotation is the rotation of the plane of polarization of light as it passes through a sample in the presence of a magnetic field whose field lines are in the direction of the light. In semiconductors, Faraday rotation has two components: the plasma component which is due to free carriers and the interband component which is due to free carrier transitions across the band gap. The plasma component (.theta..sub.n) is proportional to the free carrier concentration (N), the effective mass (m.sup.*) and the wavelength of light (.lambda.) used according to ##EQU1## where q is the electron charge, c is the speed of light, .epsilon..sub.0 is the permittivity of free space, m is the electron mass (these values are constants along with .pi.), B is the magnetic field strength used, L is the thickness of the sample, and n is the refractive index of the material. By far the most popular known method of determining free carrier effective mass in semiconductors is via measurement of Faraday rotation at a single wavelength as the light travels through the semiconductors. Faraday rotation utilizing a single wavelength is useful in measuring the plasma component of the rotation in semiconductors such as silicon (Si) and gallium arsenide (GaAs) where the interband component is negligible due to their relatively wide band gaps. But in narrow band gap semiconductors such as HgCdTe and InSb where the interband component is significant, the plasma component of the Faraday rotation cannot be isolated from the interfering interband component. Indeed, until the invention of this device, measurement of electron effective mass in narrow band gap semiconductors such as HgCdTe and InSb was very limited if not impossible. HgCdTe was discovered as a promising infrared detector material in 1959. The electron effective mass is an important parameter in the design of detectors but it could not be measured in HgCdTe and other narrow band gap semiconductors such as low-doped InSb. Several calculated values of effective mass of HgCdTe were reported in the early 1980's but these were seen to be significantly inaccurate, especially at higher temperatures. Room temperature values were of particular interest but were unavailable. Effective masses of free electrons in HgCdTe and InSb were recently measured for the first time using this device. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Material handling vehicles are used to transport items from one location to another location. For example, items may be transported from one location in a factory to another location in a factory. In another example, material handling vehicles can be used in a warehouse to store or retrieve various items. In some material handling vehicles, the operator stands while operating the vehicle. In other material handling vehicles, the operator sits while operating the vehicle.
The operator has several controls which are used to control the operation of the vehicle. For example, the controls may control the speed and direction of the vehicle and also the operation of the lift portion. Some manufacturers of material handling vehicles locate the controls in the forward position. Other manufacturers locate the controls in the side position. Furthermore, other manufacturers position the controls so that they are at an angle between the forward position and the side position. The customer must decide at the time the vehicle is purchased the position of the controls. The customer is not able to change the position of the controls after the vehicle has been manufactured and delivered to the customer.
For example, if a customer had material handling vehicles with the controls in the forward position, the customer would not be able to change the position of the controls to the side position. The customer would need to determine the position of the controls at the time the vehicle was ordered from the manufacturer. In addition, if the first customer wished to sell its used vehicles with the controls in the forward position to a second customer, the number of perspective purchasers would be limited to customers who were only interested in vehicles with the controls in the forward position. Therefore, it would be advantageous if the customer could change the position of the controls.
Similarly, if a manufacturer only sells vehicles with the controls in the forward position, then the manufacturer would not be able to sell vehicles to customers who wished the controls to be in the side position or the angled position. Also, if a manufacturer offered one model of a vehicle with the controls in the forward position and another model with the controls in the side position, the manufacturer may need additional parts and/or assembly operations for each model. In addition, the manufacturer or distributor may need to have additional inventory in order to stock both models. Furthermore, as noted above, the customer would need to determine the model (i.e., the position of the controls) at the time the vehicle was ordered. Thus, it would be advantageous if the manufacturer and/or distributor could have one model with multiple positions for the controls.
As noted above, the operator must use his or her hands to operate the controls for the vehicle. These controls move with respect to the control console. Thus, if the operator is using both hands to operate the controls, the operator does not have a fixed surface to hold in order to maintain his or her stability in the vehicle. This situation is more important in the vehicles where the operator stands to operate the vehicle. Thus, it would be advantageous if the control console provided a fixed surface for the operator to hold to maintain stability and which also allowed the operator to manipulate the controls. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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In the technical field of communications, the communication between processes on the same communication node or between processes on different communication nodes is often involved. It is a common practice that the processes communicating with each other negotiate the message format for communication and communicate with Socket; and during the communication, the processes need to monitor message sending, choose the route for the message, and receive the message, etc. Therefore, the processes have to spend much time to process communication connection between the processes as well as packet parsing and joining, which results in a low communication efficiency.
In addition, the developers in the communication industry have to handle the details in communication between the processes repetitively, which results in a heavy repetitive workload, and also leads to a degraded reliability and stability of the communication between processes. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for applying screw threads to a screw blank, the threads having a unique orientation. More specifically, the invention is directed to a device and method of cutting threads into a screw wherein the threads increase in cutting angle from the point to the top of the screw body. Furthermore, the screw core increases in diameter over the same length.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Screws have been utilized for a considerable period of time for the fastening of various objects to each other. Screws are particularly utilized for creating a joinder between two materials through the use of cutting threads which securely mount the shaft of the screw into a mounting substrate. Traditional screw threads cut a helical path through the substrate in an even and parallel form in order to maximize the binding characteristic of the screw while creating as little damage as possible to the substrate when the screw is inserted. While most screws are regular in the orientation of their threads and the sizing thereof, several screws have been developed which enjoy unique and irregular screw thread and core patterns.
A number of screws have been proposed which utilize a tapered central core in which the core of the screw and possibly the threads attached thereto has a smaller overall diameter at the point of the screw than at the head of the screw. This cone-shaped object is utilized for piercing and self-threading applications in which the screw is driven directly into a substrate without the need for a pilot hole or other starting techniques.
One shortcoming of screws having equally spaced and parallel threads is that the screw develops no compressive force on the substrate. While this is generally beneficial when utilized with a fragile substrate or an application in which the members to be joined are correctly oriented prior to insertion of the screw, in some applications it would be advantageous to develop a compressive force on the substrate exerted by the screw. This has been achieved in Lasner, a co-pending application, entitled "BONE SCREW WITH IMPROVED THREADS", bearing Ser. No. 07/618,500, filed Nov. 27, 1990, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,171. In this reference, a screw having threads which are progressively canted over the length of the screw is disclosed. The screw utilizes a tapered central core which is narrower at the point end and wider at the head end. The screw threads are angled at the point end in a fashion roughly perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the screw core. As the threads progress along the screw core from the point end to the head end, the angle of the threads gradually increases from the nearly perpendicular with respect to the core surface to form a series of increasing obtuse angles with respect thereto. This screw develops a compressive force on the substrate material as it is inserted as the increasing cant of the threads over the length of the screw develops an increasing force on the substrate as they enter into it. An increasing continuum of compressive force is therefore developed along the longitudinal axis of the screw with the least amount of compressive force being present at the point end and the most compressive force being present at the head end. The reference does not, however, describe a method or apparatus for creating such threads on a traditional screw blank.
Screws may generally be manufactured in one of two ways. The first is to create a mold and cast a screw in the shape of the mold. The second is to begin with a screw blank and cut the threads into the blank utilizing a lathe or similar device. Even with the cast embodiment, an original prototype must be utilized to create the mold and no method or apparatus has been previously described which is capable of creating progressively canted threads along a screw body. Furthermore, while cutting devices have been proposed which permit the cutting of a tapered screw core with or without tapered threads thereon, no method or apparatus has been proposed which achieves the manufacturer of a screw having a tapered core and threads of varying cant.
What is lacking in the art, therefore, is a cutting device which is capable of variably cutting screw threads into a screw blank and which may further apply such threads to a screw blank having a tapered core. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to a ferroelectric capacitor and, more particularly, to an improvement in fatigue and leakage current along with the ferroelectric capacitor. Also, the present invention is concerned with a method for fabricating the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For ferroelectric capacitor, an electrode with superior conductivity is necessary to transfer charges. Typically, metal electrodes or conductive oxide electrodes have been employed in ferroelectric capacitors. As for metal electrodes, illustrative are a platinum electrode and a platinum/titanium electrode. They are enough only for the purpose of conductivity. However, they are disadvantageous in that the electrical properties of the ferroelectric capacitors comprising only the metal electrodes become degraded as follows. Oxygen vacancies are accumulated at an interface between the ferroelectric and the metal electrode, leading to formation of space charge region at the interface. Since such space charge region has a characteristic of linear capacitor, the dielectric properties of the capacitor are determined by the space charge rather than by the ferroelectric. This causes a rapid fatigue which results from the polarization reversion of ferroelectric, degrading the electrical properties.
In order to prevent the formation of space charge region attributable to the accumulation of oxygen vacancy, there have been suggested to replace Pt electrode with conductive oxide electrode. A RuO.sub.2 electrode, representative of the conductive oxide electrodes, was reported to be able to improve the fatigue somewhat because of supplying oxygen to interface region. However, there appears a significant increase of leakage current compared to that of the metal electrode. This is believed to be attributed to a fact that defect states present at the interface between the ferroelectric and the conductive oxide metal lower the barrier height of electron or that, upon forming PZT, Ru metal from RuO.sub.2 would diffuse and react with PbO at the grain boundary of PZT to form a conductive lead ruthenate (PbRuO.sub.3-x), which results in a reduction of electrical resistance in the ferroelectric thin film. Besides, the conductive oxide electrodes are of lower polarization than metal electrodes as well as of high coercive field. Thus, capacitor adopting only conductive oxide electrodes seems to be difficult to apply for memory devices. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Recently, organic photoreceptors have been widely used as electrophotographic photoreceptors. Organic photoreceptors have advantages compared to other photoreceptors such as that a material suited for various exposure light sources emitting various wavelengths light from visible rays to infrared rays can be easily developed, a material with pollution potential to the environment can be selected and the production cost thereof is low. However it also has drawbacks such as that the mechanical strength and chemical resistively are low and tending of degradation of the static property, and on the surface is easily damaged.
Electrical and mechanical stress is applied directly to the organic photoreceptor, hereinafter simply referred to as photoreceptor, by a charging means, a developing means and a cleaning means. Accordingly, resisting ability against the stress is required of the photoreceptor.
Furthermore, resistivity to counter abrasion and often damage as well as degradation caused by reactive oxygen such as ozone and nitrogen oxide generated during corona discharge is required of the photoreceptor.
A constitution of the photoreceptor is frequently employed to overcome such mechanical and chemical resistivity problems in which the organic photoreceptor is constituted by series of layers of a charge generation layer and a charge transportation layer, in which the charge transportation layer as the surface layer is made of a uniform layer having high strength and high resistivity against permeation of the reactive gas, and the thickness of the charge transportation layer is not less than 20 μm.
Another investigated approach to overcome the problems is a method which provides a protective layer having high strength on the surface of the photoreceptor, as disclosed in JP-A 6-118681. However, such methods to increase the thickness of the charge transportation layer or to provide a stronger protective layer causes problems of image sharpness since the carriers generated in the charge generation are diffused to the sides before arriving at the surface. In the field of digital copying machines, formation a high resolution image is required to meat the demand of high image quality. However, a suitable static latent image can not be obtained by such a layer structure, or in the presence the protective layers causing diffusion of the carriers.
It is necessary for high fidelity reproduction to sufficiently maintain the potential contrast between the exposed and the unexposed areas of the photoreceptor. It is also important to inhibit the diffusion of generated carriers before the arrival at the surface charge for reproducing the high fidelity image. When the ratio D/μ of the diffusion constant D to the drift mobility μ in the charge transportation layer is large, the effect of the diffusion on the degradation of the high density static latent image must be taken into argument. Consequently the degradation of the static latent image is increased when the thickness of the charge transportation layer is increased, as disclosed in “Nihon Gazou Gakkai Shi (Journal of Image Society of Japan)” Vol. 38. No. 4, p. 296.
A photoreceptor in which the thickness of the charge transportation layer is reduced to inhibit diffusion of the static latent image has been proposed, as disclosed in JP-A 5-119503. However, in practice an unclear image with lowered image density tends to form when an image is formed by employing an image forming apparatus in which such a proposed organic photoreceptor is used. Such a phenomenon is due to by lowering of the static potential accompanied with reduction of the static capacity of the photoreceptor. As a result, the developability and the image density are lowered. Particularly, problems occur in that the developability is lowered and the image density formed by the reversal development is insufficient, and a text image and photographic image having high sharpness can be obtained with difficulty only when a developer employing a small particle toner is used.
For recovering such lowering of the developability it is effective to increase the amount of charge per unit area of a thin layer organic photoreceptor so as to increase the electrical field intensity per unit layer thickness. However, both image defects of black spotting and white spotting tend to occur during reversal development when the electrical field intensity per unit thickness of the photoreceptor is raised. Namely, the image defect of black spotting tends to form since charge injection unrelated to the image is increased, in relation to the increase of the electrical field intensity in the photoreceptor. As methods to prevent such black spotting defects, countermeasures providing an interlayer and an electrical isolation layer on the surface of the conductive substrate by anodization to prevent the injection of free carriers. For example, a photoreceptor has been proposed which has a thin photoreceptor layer and an interlayer containing titanium oxide particles as disclosed in JP-A 2002-196522. However, black spotting cannot be sufficiently prevented during reversal development by the foregoing method which causes the increased electrical field intensity.
On the other hand, image sharpness tends to be degraded since an image defect, so called white spotting is formed when the electrical field intensity-is raised. It is assumed that the surface charge at the exposed areas does not disappear which is caused by filming of small toner particles. When the surface charge of the photoreceptor is increased, the ability to clean the toner is lowered due to a rise of Coulomb's force between the photoreceptor and the toner particles so that the white spotting tends to occur. The defect of white spotting easily occurs due to the increase in the surface area when extremely small particle toner is used. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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There is no question that the explosive growth of the Internet in recent years has changed classic business and economic models. One area in which this change has been noteworthy is in the auctioning and fixed price sale of both new and used listings or products (goods and/or services) via the Internet. Participants may provide incremental bids to purchase the product and, upon a bid being successful, the purchaser then pays the amount he or she bid to claim title to the product. Although the products offered for sale are usually goods, it is to be appreciated that the bidding procedure may apply equally to services.
A user listing a product on a network-based commerce facility must select a category or, optionally, more than one category in which the product is to be listed. Success in selling the product may be highly dependent upon the category or categories chosen by the user. However, due to the large number of listings up for auction and/or sale on most network-based commerce facilities, the user is typically bombarded with a vast number of categories in which a product may be listed. Many of the categories may however not be relevant. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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As shown in FIG. 3, a dynamic microphone generally uses a vibrating plate formed with synthetic resin such as polyethylene or polyester. The vibrating plate includes a center dome and a sub-dome which elastically supports the center dome and which connects and communicates with the outer circumference of the center dome.
A voice coil 30 for generating electricity is installed in the center dome 10 with an adhesive or the like. The voice coil 30 is disposed in a magnetic gap (not shown) and the coil as well as the center dome 10 is vibrated by arriving sound waves in the magnetic gap so that the sound waves are converted to an electric signal.
When a dynamic microphone is an unidirectional dynamic microphone, the control system of the unidirectional dynamic microphone is mass control system so that sounds in low frequencies can be captured by lowering a resonance frequency of a low frequency range. As described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-115696, in order to lower a resonance frequency of the vibrating plate, the voice coil 30 is added in weight or the spring force of the sub-dome 20 is weakened (the stiffness of the sub-dome is decreased).
However, the addition in weight of the voice coil 30 increases handling noises so that the way of adding in weight of the coil is unacceptable regarding to a handheld microphone. On the other hand, in order to decrease the stiffness of the sub-dome 20, there are generally two ways of which one is to thin the thickness of the sub-dome 20 and of which the other is to increase the curvature radius of the sub-dome 20. The both ways decrease a mechanical strength of the sub-dome so that an abnormal resonance is generated in a moderate high frequency range of 2 kHz to 8 kHz of the frequency response as shown in FIG. 4. Therefore, neither way is preferable.
The way prior art limits an occurrence of the abnormal resonance will be described hereinafter. A peripheral treatment agent is applied on the substantial whole of the back side of the sub-dome 20 (the concave surface side of the sub-dome in FIG. 3) and a mechanical damping thin film is formed so that the abnormal resonance in the moderate high frequency range can be prevented.
Coated type resin is used as the peripheral treatment agent above-described. The peripheral treatment agent is diluted with an organic solvent such as toluene in order to simplify the applying operation. However, practically, the coated type resin can not be equally diluted lot-by-lot so that each lot of the resin is different in the quality of each of the damping thin films and the effect of preventing the abnormal resonance is not equal.
Further, the damping thin film is hardened by volatilizing the organic solvent and a curing time of each thin film is different due to the factors of the ambient environment so that the quality of the damping thin film is unstable. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to reeling apparatus and particularly, but not exclusively to apparatus for reeling cable.
One known form of cable winding apparatus comprises two reels. When one reel is full, winding is automatically transferred to the other. So that various tests can be carried out on the wound cable, it is desirable for a reasonable length of the inner end of the cable to be brought out to the surface of the reel so that various tests can be carried out on the reeled cable. It is difficult to produce an inner end of sufficient length and also difficult to avoid damage to that inner end. An object of the invention is to mitigate or eliminate these disadvantages.
According to the present invention, there is provided apparatus for reeling an elongate object comprising first and second reeling stations, means at each station for winding cable delivered to the station on a reel disposed at that station, means for guiding the element to be wound to one or other of the stations, means for transferring the element from one station to the other when a sufficient length of element has been wound on a reel at the said one station and means at each station for generating a loop in the element at the beginning of winding at that station which provides an inner loose end.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the means at each station for generating a loop comprise an eccentric, which on rotation displaces the element being wound from the centre of rotation to create the loop. The eccentric includes a catcher or snagger to hold the element at changeover and a deflector which pushes the element onto the barrel of the reel being wound. The part of the element would around the eccentric then becomes the inner loose end. At the commencement of winding, directly after transfer from one reel to the other, changes of speed of element take place causing initial speed increase followed by speed decrease of the element. It is important that this slack does not effect the normal speed control provided by a conventional accumulator unit. A swinging arm is therefore provided to absorb these changes. This arm is itself provided with both spring and pneumatic position control means. Means, for example, pins or a strip, are provided for restraining ballooning of the element due to centrifugal force during changeover. At the end of winding on the reel after changeover, by rotating the eccentric relative to the reel, the inner end form may be laid on the external surface of the reel. To enable the eccentric to be rotated relative to the reel, a pin which normally locks both together is withdrawn and that catcher is opened to release the elements. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image printer, and more particularly to an image printer including a projection-exposure section for projecting an image born on a film onto a photosensitive material, an image exposure section for exposing the photosensitive material based on image information comprised of a plurality of image areas each including color data relating to a plurality of colors, and transport means for transporting the photosensitive material through the projection-exposure section and the image-exposure section.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such image printer as described above may be used for a variety of purposes. For instance, the printer allows the projection-exposure section and the image-exposure section to be utilized independently of each other. The printer is also usable for a multiple exposure operation. In this case, the projection-exposure section effects an exposure of the film image onto a certain portion of the photosensitive material and also the image-projection section effects a further overlapping exposure of another image onto the same portion of the photosensitive material while the photosensitive material is being transported by the transport means through the projection-exposure section and the image-exposure section.
Conventionally, the image-exposure section of the above-described image printer effects an exposure of a video image displayed on a CRT monitor onto the photosensitive material, the video image being comprised of a plurality of image areas each including color data relating to a plurality of colors.
According to the above conventional art, however, the image-exposure section including the CRT monitor tends to be large and complicated, such that it has been difficult to form the entire printer apparatus simple and compact. Thus, there remains room for improvement in this respect.
The present invention attends to the above-described state of the art. And, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved image printer which is compact and simple and which is superior in processing capacity through minimization of undesirable reduction in the speed of the image exposure operation. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
To improve the communication towards the consumers, the molded caps for bottles have to be decorated (logos-printings).
Such a decoration has to be simple and economical with respect to the manufacture of the caps. In the same time, this decoration should contribute to the tamper-proofing of the container.
The decoration should also resist to impacts and abrasions, during the shelf-life of the caps.
And of course, the decoration must be distinctive and attractive for the consumers. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The device of this invention resides in the area of funnels for fluid and other flowable materials and more particularly relates to a funnel that measures and controls dispensing of the contents thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Funnels are well known in the prior art for directing volumes of fluids, particulates or other flowable materials from one source to a receptacle usually having a small opening. They are particularly useful for directing fluids into small openings such as, for example, oil into an oil receipt opening of an engine.
One problem associated with the use of funnels is that it is difficult to determine exactly how much material is placed in a funnel unless one starts with a known quantity as the flowable material placed in a funnel flows right out the funnel. Flexible funnel spouts are known in the art, especially for directing oil into automobile and motorcycle oil receipt openings. Some flexible spouts are accordian-like to retain their positioning until rebent. This feature is especially useful when oil receipt openings are placed in difficult-to-reach areas within motor vehicles. The use of such funnels avoids the mess of spilled oil. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field
Aspects of embodiments of the present invention are directed toward a flexible display.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, the display market is rapidly being dominated by flat panel displays (FPDs) that can be easily made to have a large area and can be made thinner and lighter.
Examples of the FPDs include liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma display panels (PDPs), and organic light-emitting displays (OLEDs). Because these conventional LCDs, PDPs, and OLEDs use a glass substrate, they are lacking in flexibility, and thus, have limited applications and uses.
In this regard, flexible displays that can be bent because they use a flexible substrate formed of a flexible material (e.g., plastic, foil, etc.) instead of a glass substrate are being actively developed as next-generation displays.
Flexible displays have a high degree of freedom of transformation compared with conventional displays. That is, flexible displays can be bent, folded, or rolled. However, the freedom of transformation can cause problems; for example, the flexibility can inconvenience a user in using or viewing a flexible display. Therefore, controlling transformation of the flexible display is an important factor to increase the ease of use of the flexible display. Accordingly, various technological attempts are being made to control a change in the shape of a flexible display or maintain the changed shape of the flexible display. | {
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A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel, a backlight device, circuits for supplying various electrical signals to the liquid crystal display panel, and a power supply, as well as a housing in which to accommodate these. The liquid crystal display panel has a display region in which a plurality of pixels are arrayed, and a frame region around it. In the display region, pixel electrodes and TFTs are provided. In the frame region, a sealing portion, an implementation of driving circuitry, and the like are provided. Since no pixels are arrayed in the frame region, the frame region does not contribute to displaying. Although liquid crystal display devices are featuring narrower and narrower frames, the frame region cannot be abolished according to principles.
When a large screen is constructed by arraying a plurality of display panels, joints will occur in the image because the frame regions of the display panels do not contribute to displaying. Therefore, in order to display a jointless image, Patent Document 1 discloses a display device including a light-transmitting cover provided on the viewer's side of a display panel. An edge portion of this light-transmitting cover includes a portion where its viewer's side surface is curved. The curved portion functions as a lens, and therefore will be referred to as a “lens portion” hereinafter. The lens portion of the light-transmitting cover is provided so as to overlap the frame region of the display panel and a portion of a region of the display region adjoining the frame region. A portion of the display region that overlaps the lens portion will be referred to as a “peripheral display region”. Light which goes out from pixels which are arrayed in the peripheral display region is refracted by the lens portion toward the frame region. As a result, an image is also displayed on the front face of the frame region, so that a jointless image is displayed on the entire screen. | {
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Mouth guards have been used for many years to protect a user's teeth from impact during a sporting activity. They are also used to encourage correct teeth alignment when braces have been removed from an orthodontic patient. The present invention features a mouth guard system for displaying a message using interchangeable tiles resembling teeth.
Any feature or combination of features described herein are included within the scope of the present invention provided that the features included in any such combination are not mutually inconsistent as will be apparent from the context, this specification, and the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art. Additional advantages and aspects of the present invention are apparent in the following detailed description and claims. | {
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Network access nodes, e.g. base stations in Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks and beyond, are responsible for resource scheduling in both the uplink and downlink channels for a plurality of users in their respective network coverage areas. During resource scheduling for each of the plurality of users, the network access nodes may take a variety of considerations into account, including Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. Since both the time and frequency resources of a single network access node are finite, User Equipment (UE) which report improved Channel State Information (CSI) conditions to the network access node increase the likelihood of being prioritized in network resource allocation. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a C shaped metallic thermal building stud that is provided with structure to reduce or eliminate thermal conductivity of exterior ambient air temperature through a building to its interior.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In present day architecture buildings as well as homes utilize a support structure of a framework comprising vertical steel C shaped studs positioned between horizontal steel floor and ceiling steel bases and caps, such as illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,054.
Heretofore, the C shaped studs have had generally smooth end flanges or legs to which interior finish wall boards have been secured to the inside flange. The outside flange or leg usually has attached thereto plywood with an exterior finish such as exterior plaster or a siding attached thereto. With the prior art structure the entire surface of the flanges both exterior and interior are in complete contact with the exterior and interior surfaces of the wall material respectively.
Thus, with full contact ambient exterior air temperature has passed by thermal conductivity through the exterior surface into the flange or leg along its entire surface and the through the C shaped stud web to the interior leg and through the full surface contact with the interior wall into the room. Thus the exterior temperature has passed into a building so that extreme cold or heat renders the interior very uncomfortable.
Such transmission of winter air temperatures in some regions into the house is not only unwanted but increases heating costs to overcome the temperature reduced internal air. Also the opposite is true in the summer when the ambient air may be extremely hot, the temperature is conveyed by the building stud as a thermal conduit directly into the interior of the house or building. Again, this is undesirable because of the interior discomfort and the additional expense of operating air conditioning equipment. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This Invention relates to medical imaging and identifying and archiving medical image information relating to a subject. More particularly, the invention relates to a method of automatically extracting information from a text frame image and organizing text information and images in a particular manner which facilitates ease of storage and retrieval.
2. Background Information and Description of the Prior Art
Medical imaging techniques and devices for obtaining high quality medical images have greatly improved in recent years. With the improvement in techniques and quality of images obtained, an increasing amount of imaging is being performed which results in a greater amount of image information to be organized and archived for later reference by radiologists, other medical personnel or other interested parties.
Many medical imaging devices are currently being used in radiology. Although these devices produce images in a variety of forms, the images can all be converted to a form suitable for digital archival and retrieval systems. Digital images can be produced directly by techniques including computed tomography (CT), nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, digital subtraction angiography and gamma ray imaging In addition, traditional x-ray projection images continue to provide information about many biological systems and these film images can be digitized to a form compatible with digital image management systems. It is envisioned that computer technology which is now being applied to radiology will provide the ability to view, print, and store images developed from any of the aforementioned devices. Additionally, physicians will be interested in retrieving image data about a particular subject generated using all modalities including CT, MRI and x-ray. The basic concepts of various image modalities and image viewing of data generated by such devices are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,833,625.
Historically, images were stored on films which were filed in various ordering systems. A large percentage of such films are lost, or the films become physically separated from file jackets and it then becomes impossible to identify the subject to whom the film relates. More recently, digital image data is stored in computer archival systems. In conventional MRI and CT systems, many images are generated, each having its own identification number and header information. The header information includes textual information about the patient and about the study being conducted. Typically, groups of these images are arranged to appear together on separate pages, with possibly twelve to twenty images per page. A technician must perform the task of entering the identification information and arranging the images into pages. Physicians typically prefer to review images in a page-by-page format and on film rather than viewing separate original images on screen. As noted hereinbefore, historically the information was archived by saving the films and deleting the original image data. More recently, digital archival systems have been developed which store each of the small images individually.
A medical image filing system was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,665. This involves assigning information to image data and using the information in order to retrieve image data which has been stored. Each separate medical picture or image must have retrieving data associated with it in order to retrieve the image This results in a large number of entries in the directory and time is sacrificed in processing textual information associated with every individual image which is archived.
An image data management system was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,112. U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,112 employs a ring-type architecture data transmission network having nodes comprising data input/output points Node interfaces are provided which allow data to flow between an associated image acquisition device or display console and a host computer. Although a method of utilization of storage capacity for image data is provided, a more efficient means of storing textual information is not disclosed. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,112 does not disclose a method of retrieving images from storage based upon such textual information.
Other types of image data acquisition devices and archiving systems have been disclosed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,430,749 discloses a medical imaging apparatus and method for furnishing difference images U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,161 discloses a medical imaging apparatus containing a device for detecting radiation emitted from an object under examination. Both of the these patents relate to magnetic resonance imaging.
Imaging sofware is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,992. A three-dimensional imaging display system was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,921. A method of dual image recording of medical data was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,004 which involves recording a digital representation of an image and saving the raw image data.
As can be seen from the above discussion, methods of image generating and systems for archiving and storing medical images have been known. However, there remains a need for efficient storage of images and textual information in relation to those images. At present there are two classes of digital image archive systems--vendor specific and general purpose. The vendor specific devices are very complex and cannot be easily integrated with equipment from other vendors The general purpose systems suffer from an inability to communicate the textual information associated with an image and hence require a technician to enter the relevant textual information at the beginning of a study as well as prior to archiving image data to be saved. This involves dual entry of the same information. The additional step can lead to typographical and other errors which in many systems cannot be corrected.
In addition, there remains a need for a digital interface communication system which allows immediate retrieval of images from a variety of image acquisition devices. The present trend is for each vendor to provide a proprietary method for the management of image data produced by image acquisition equipment supplied by that vendor. It can be extremely difficult to arrange for systems from different vendors to interact with one another in an efficient manner. Recently, standard protocols have been proposed for image archival and retrieval systems, however, such protocols are extremely expensive and complex and have not been universally adopted by vendors. Although it is extremely desirable, it is not currently practical for image acquisition equipment from multiple vendors to be interconnected into a single image management system in a way suitable for use in radiology departments.
Moreover, there remains a need for a more efficient method of organizing directories which are then used for retrieving image information. At present, the textual data archived by means of digitizing analog signals must be entered a second time as to each set of image data to which it relates. Further, textual information is stored in the computer archiving system for each image generated. Many images are required for one study and this means that there is a great amount of duplication of information stored. As noted hereinbefore, conventional systems involve image-by-image archival systems for which an entry is maintained in the data base for each of the individual small images. The size of such a data base grows very rapidly (about ten million records per year in some institutions) and it becomes progressively more difficult for data to be retrieved. | {
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Astronomical observatories have been known and used for many years to house telescopes for celestial observation. Most of these observatories are large-scale structures comprising a base and a hemispherical dome that rotates about the base. The dome of these structures typically includes a shutter system comprising a longitudinal observation slot extending from the top to the bottom of the dome, and a pair of shutter doors that slide laterally to open and close the observation slot. These observatories typically include electric motors and automated control systems that control the movement of the telescope, dome and shutter doors, to enable the telescope to view all sections of the sky from the horizon to the zenith. While conventional large-scale observatories are useful for professional astronomers, they have certain disadvantages. In particular, conventional observatories are complex and costly structures, which are permanently fixed in a given location, and not generally available for use by the public.
There exist small-scale observatory structures for use by amateur astronomers, known as personal observatories. Most of these personal observatories are similar in form to conventional large-scale observatories, in that they comprise rotatable, hemispherical domes with observation slots similar to those of conventional observatories. However, this type of personal observatory typically requires costly control systems to synchronize the movement of the telescope and the dome. Also, since the observation slot is small in size relative to the volume of air inside the observatory, there can be turbulence or a chimney effect distorting the view when warm air leaving from inside observatory into cold air outside produces eddies with differing air density and different indices of refraction for light.
Another type of personal observatory structure comprises a rectangular building having a peaked, roll-off roof that slides laterally along tracks until the interior of the observatory is open to the sky. This type of personal observatory structures eliminates the chimney effect. However, with no rotation capability, the roof will always block a section of the sky. Also, these buildings are generally made of wood, and while they can be produced in kit form, the kits are relatively heavy and expensive to ship, and they require some expertise to erect.
There is accordingly a need in the art for a personal observatory structure that does not suffer from the chimney effect and that provides a very wide and tall angle of view so that the dome need only be rotated rarely. Furthermore there is a need for an inexpensive personal observatory that is conveniently transported and assembled or disassembled. | {
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The use of fiber-reinforced composites is growing in popularity with applications in transportation, consumer goods, wind energy, and infrastructure. Some of the many reasons for choosing composites over traditional materials such as metals, wood, or non-reinforced plastics include reduced weight, corrosion resistance, and improved mechanical strength. Within the field of fiber-reinforced polymeric composites, thermoplastics are increasingly being used in place of thermosets as the matrix resin due to better durability, recyclability, thermoformability, improved throughput, lower material cost, and lower manufacturing cost.
Many continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites are produced from impregnated tapes. These impregnated tapes may be unidirectional fiber tapes that are impregnated with a thermoplastic resin. These can be layered and thermoformed to produce a wide variety of composites of the desired shape and strength. There are significant challenges associated with producing impregnated tapes at low cost and high quality. Traditionally thermoplastic resins are melted and applied to fibers, but molten thermoplastic resins have very high viscosity and, when combined with the high fiber content that is desired, results in incomplete resin impregnation and/or low throughput. What is desired is a continuous manufacturing process with high throughput that produces fully impregnated thermoplastic prepregs without defects and good coupling between the fibers and the matrix resin. For the conventional partially impregnated thermoplastic prepregs, high pressure is needed in the consolidation step to promote additional impregnation, which introduces excessive flow of the resin matrix and causes detrimental changes in fiber orientation in the finished parts. The fully impregnated thermoplastic prepregs of the instant invention are advantageous in achieving the desired properties in final composite parts, as no additional impregnation is needed in the consolidation step. | {
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When writing computer programs, a programmer writes a source code file in a high level human readable language. "C" and "C++" are two of these languages that are often used. In these languages the programmer typically writes code to perform a particular application or function. This source code file is then provided to a compiler which takes the source code as input and generates a binary non-human readable object deck. Many of these binary object decks are combined to complete a machine executable program. To build this complete executable program or load module, a linker binds together separate object decks into a single functional program. Each object deck defines and references symbols by name. The linker also resolves the corresponding definitions and references to the definitions which may be in different object decks.
The compiler generates object decks which reference symbols which are in a modifiable data area and in a format which is not supported by the system linker/loader. These references to symbols may be linked later with a definition or may be left partially linked. If only partially linked, the linking would be resolved at runtime.
With current compilers it is necessary to resolve the symbol definitions when the object decks are being linked by the linker. See, for example, the compilers used on the S/370 Data Processing System (DPS) available from International Business Machines Corporation. With this system copies of the object decks must be statically linked in to each application that uses them.
Having to statically link each object deck to each application that uses it creates a number of problems. For example, the size of the object code file becomes very large since it is necessary to have many copies of object decks. Each of the various programs that needs one of the definitions at link-time must have a copy of the object deck available to it and the only way it can do that, where it must be statically linked to the application, is by making a copy of the object deck. Obviously, it would be preferable to have a single copy of each object deck which is made available to each application without the need for each application to retain its own copy.
It is also very difficult to maintain the code in the decks when there are multiple copies to locate and fix. A fix to a single piece of code would require statically relinking all the programs that use that code. If the compilation unit were maintained in only one place then making a fix would be relatively easy.
A Dynamic link library (DLL) is a collection of one or more functions or variables which are gathered into a load module. The so-gathered load module contains executable code accessible from a separate application load module or another DLL. The connection (link) from the application to the functions or varibles in the DLL is not made statically at application build-time but dynamically during execution of the application.
Dynamic link libraries (DLLs) are used to delay the linking of referenced symbols until application runtime. The term symbol is used herein to define either or both of functions and variables held in a DLL. This enables all applications to use the same DLL's. This solves the problem of storing and maintaining multiple copies of each object deck containing definitions of referenced symbols. The use of DLL's also allows a function call or a variable reference in one load module to access a definition in another load module.
The implementation of most DLLs requires address modification of symbols in the load module at runtime. This makes the program non-reentrant so that all users cannot share the same code area of a DLL. An embodiment of the invention provides a method of ensuring that the modification to the DLL does not require a modification in the load module. This makes the program, reentrant.
U.S. Pat. no. 5,175,828 to Michael L. Hall describes a dynamic linker which preserves the program's data and state but changing instructions in the programs functions (code area).
U.S. Pat. no. 5,247,678 to James G. Littleton describes a dynamic linker which does the address fix ups in the code-area. As a result, the applications are non-reentrant.
U.S. Pat. no. 5,297,291 to Daniel L. Murphy describes an ordered list of exported symbols which remains in that fixed order provided by the programmer to construct a symbol vector and that the linker and operating system use this vector.
U.S. Pat. no. 5,339,430 to Kennith Lundin describes the dynamic linking required to install new versions of software modules (libraries) while they are in use by an application. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Neopentyl glycol,2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dihydroxypropane, is a diol of substantial value in the commercial chemical arts useful in a variety of formulations in lubricants and adhesives, coatings, plastics and fibers. As a key component in many chemical products, the cost and purity of neopentyl glycol is a key determinant in the eventual competitiveness of the products produced therefrom. Accordingly, those skilled in the chemical arts applicable to neopentyl glycol regularly search for improvements in the process for the production of the diol to advance the technology and usefulness of the products produced.
Due to the usefulness of neopentyl glycol and to certain complexities intrinsic to its manufacture the chemical has been the subject of a substantial number of investigations directed toward improved manufacturing processes and consequently, the prior art is crowded. Although the basic chemistry of the synthesis of neopentyl glycol appear quite straight forward, when incorporated in a process directed toward maximum economic yield challenging problems are presented.
The basic reaction for the most common processes for the manufacture of neopentyl glycol is represented by the equation: ##STR1## wherein isobutyraldehyde and formaldehyde are allowed to react through aldol condensation in the presence of a basic catalyst to yield 2,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxypropanal (hydroxypivaldehyde). This intermediate is then catalytically hydrogenated to produce neopentyl glycol.
The synthesis of neopentyl glycol has been the subject of reviews in the chemical literature, in particular the review by Cornils and Feischtinger in Chem Zeitung, 100 (12) 504 (1976). Catalysts employed to affect the aldol condensation have included alkali hydroxides, alkaline earth metal hydroxides, alkali carbonates, tertiary amines and basic ion exchangers. Of these aldol catalysts, the use of alkali hydroxides, alkali carbonates and tertiary amines has received the most study in the literature. The object of the search for improved catalysts is the reduction or elimination of side reactions that compete with the desired aldol condensation and produce impurities in the reaction mixture requiring additional process steps for their removal. The competing side reactions are due to Cannizzaro and Tischenko reactions where, in the former, two moles of aldehyde react to produce a mole of alcohol and a mole of carboxylic acid and, in the later, two moles of aldehyde react to form the corresponding ester. To the extent these competing reactions occur, the yield and purity of the desired product are not satisfactory and processes based on this overall reaction scheme, such as U.S. Pat. No. 2,400,724, are not generally considered economically viable.
To moderate these competing reactions which occur particularly in the presence of alkali hydroxides sodium carbonate has been used as described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,811,562. Although improvements have been found for aldol catalysts that reduce side reactions, these catalysts may complicate the subsequent hydrogenation step by requiring separation of the intermediate hydroxypivaldehyde before hydrogenation or may dictate the selection of a hydrogenation catalyst of intermediate activity, thereby reducing the final yield of neopentyl glycol. Efforts to resolve this problem have been described in UK Pat. No. 1,017,618 as well as UK Pat. No. 1,048,530 wherein 2,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxypropanal is hydrogenated simultaneously with isobutyraldehyde in the presence of a copper/chromium oxide catalyst. This process is reported to lead to the formation of appreciable quantities of a large number of by-products.
The use of tertiary amines as the aldol catalyst for the condensation of formaldehyde and isobutyraldehyde is also described in Dutch Pat. No. 6,405,068 and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,808,280. U.S. Pat. No. 3,808,280 claims the use of triethylamine as the aldol catalyst and the subsequent use of catalysts containing at least one of cobalt, copper, manganese and nickel to convert the hydroxypivaldehyde to neopentyl glycol and teaches a mixture of these metals is the preferred catalyst. The use of triethylamine and a copper-containing hydrogenation catalyst is claimed; however, it is indicated that copper chromite would be a poor hydrogenation catalyst because of decomposition of hydroxypivaldehyde to produce excessive by-products and lowered yield of neopentyl glycol. Further, the hydrogenation step as described is U.S. Pat. No. 3,808,280 is conducted between 1,500 and 4,000 psig. | {
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An electronic component assembling line in which component-mounted substrates are manufactured by mounting electronic components on substrates is formed as a single manufacturing line by combining plural electronic component mounting apparatuses such as screen printing apparatuses, electronic component loading apparatuses, inspection apparatuses and the like. In such electric component mounting apparatuses, safety mechanisms are provided for ensuring the safety to machine operators during operations. For example, when a cover lid that is provided on a cover to shield a driving part in the apparatus such as a working head is opened for maintenance and checking service or the like, the driving part in the apparatus stops its operation by means of an interlocking mechanism configured between a switch to detect opening of the lid and the driving part in the apparatus. As a result, it is avoid an unsafe condition such that a machine operator uncautiously accesses to the driving part in the apparatus during operation.
In recent years, wide variety and low volume production becomes common in production of electronic devices. In manufacturing facilities, in order to improve area production efficiency and flexibility, there is an increasing demand in manufacturing facilities in which line flexibility is enhanced by constituting a component assembling line is formed by combining plural small-sized manufacturing facilities (See, for example, JP-A-2004-104075).
In the prior art disclosed in JP-A-2004-104075, plural thin unit apparatuses, each having a dimension of approximately 300 to 400 mm in substrate carrying direction, are detachably combined to form an assembling line for electronic components. By this construction, the assembling line configuration can be easily changed in accordance with products to be manufactured, so that it is possible to obtain more flexible production environment.
However, in such facilities in which small-sized thin unit apparatuses are combined as described above, there is a fear that unsafe the condition cannot be sufficiently avoided only by normal interlock mechanisms to ensure safety of the machine operators during the operation. More specifically, when a trouble arises in an operation of one apparatus, the machine operator accesses to the apparatus so that the operator opens the cover lid or inserts a hand or a part of the body through an opening, there is a fear that the operator's hand or the like could be brought into contact with a driving part of an adjacent apparatus even if the apparatus in trouble has been stopped by the interlock mechanism since the adjacent apparatus is located near the apparatus in trouble. Therefore, in manufacturing facilities in which such small-sized thin unit apparatuses are combined, there is a need to establish an advanced safety measure that is further than the conventional safety system. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a disk-rotating drive mechanism for a floppy disk, and in particular, to a metal drive pin used in such disk-rotating drive mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
Disk-rotating drive mechanisms, such as rotation drive mechanisms for 3.5-inch floppy disks, have a shaft engaging the center hole of the disk, a rotating unit that rotates the shaft, a chucking lever and a drive pin attached to one end of the chucking lever. The second end of the chucking lever is supported by the rotating unit. The drive pin engages the drive pin engaging hole positioned eccentrically from the center hole of the disk and drives the rotation of the disk.
The disk-rotating drive mechanism disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 5-41011 is one example. In this example, the drive pin and chucking lever are integrated using resin molding. When a disk hub mounting section mounts the disk, the disk is tilted and rides up over the drive pin until the resin-molded drive pin engages the drive pin engaging hole in the disk. In this example, the upper surface of the drive pin is tilted so that the drive pin is relatively flat when the drive pin is not engaging the drive pin engaging hole in the disk and friction with the drive pin is reduced.
In the disk-rotating drive mechanism disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 4-38751, the drive pin and the chucking lever are made of different materials. In this example, one end of the chucking lever pivots on the rotating unit, which rotates with the rotating axis. The chucking lever is allowed to rotate parallel to the rotating unit with the drive pin situated on the other end of the chucking lever. The chucking lever is also equipped with a plate spring so that the drive pin moves axially and falls into place when the drive pin is to engage the drive pin engaging hole in the disk. This displacement of the drive pin is restricted to a given range.
In recent years, disk-rotating drive mechanisms have become thinner and faster. As disk-rotating drive mechanisms have become thinner, the space between the rotation drive shaft and the disk hub mounting section above the hub platform on the outside edge of the drive shaft has become smaller. The space between the disk hub mounting section and the upper surface of the drive pin has also become smaller.
When the disk-rotating drive mechanism mounts the disk on the hub platform, the drive shaft engages a square center hole in the center of the disk hub, and the drive pin engages a rectangular drive pin engaging hole positioned eccentrically from the center hole in the disk. Then, the disk is centered and can be rotated by the rotation drive mechanism. However, the drive mechanism begins to operate when the disk has been placed on the hub platform. When the drive shaft engages the center hole in the disk hub, the disk hub is generally positioned over the drive pin and the drive pin engages the drive pin engaging hole in the disk hub when the drive pin is rotated along with the rotating unit and the chucking lever.
Therefore, when the space between the disk hub mounting section and the upper surface of the drive pin is narrowed, and the disk is positioned on the disk hub and the drive pin extends into the drive pin engaging hole on the disk hub to center the disk, the drive pin and the drive pin engaging hole are often incompletely engaged. The drive pin moves out of the drive pin engaging hole when the disk is chucked on the hub platform.
As the speed of disk-rotating drive mechanisms increases, the insertion of the drive pin into the drive pin engaging hole in the disk hub when the disk hub is chucked on the hub platform can cause it to be struck hard by the drive pin. Therefore, resin-molded drive pins cannot withstand the impact. The drive pin is eventually damaged or worn, which reduces the precision of the disk centering process. As a result, the mechanism may become less reliable. A mechanism was disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 4-38751 in which the drive pin and the chucking lever are made of different materials. When the drive pin is made of metal, the problem of drive pin damage and wear is solved. However, when a disk is centered and the disk hub is positioned over a metal drive pin, the disk hub can come into contact with the drive pin, causing damage to the disk hub.
A mechanism is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 5-41011 in which the surface of the metal drive pin is inclined. As a result, the disk hub is parallel to the upper surface of the drive pin before the drive pin engages the drive pin engaging hole in the disk. Therefore, the disk hub is less likely to be damaged if the upper surface of the drive pin comes into contact with the disk hub. In this mechanism, the drive pin, peripheral chucking lever, rotating unit and disk mounting section are all manufactured with greater dimensional precision, which makes it even less likely that the upper surface of the drive pin will come into contact with the disk hub. However, the edge of the drive pin can still come into contact with the disk hub in this mechanism. This problem remains unsolved in this reference.
Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,311,383(""383) and 5,648,881 (""881) describe a chucking mechanism with a plastic drive pin that has at least one planar surface engaging a drive hole of the disk hub when chucking is completed. This drive pin planar surface extends in a plane that is at a non-zero angle to a plane containing a portion of a surface of a rotary member that contacts the disk hub. More particularly, the patents ""383 and ""881 teach that this non-zero angle is 2xc2x0xc2x11.5xc2x0.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a disk-rotating drive mechanism that substantially obviates the above-discussed limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a disk-rotating drive mechanism in which the drive pin is made of metal and configured to withstand high speeds and to prevent damage to the disk when the disk is chucked.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the descriptions that follow and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the present invention provides a disk rotating drive mechanism for rotating a floppy disk having a disk hub with a center hole and a drive pin engaging hole positioned eccentrically from the center hole, the disk rotating drive mechanism comprising a rotating shaft for engaging the center hole in the disk hub, a rotating unit that rotates with the rotating shaft, a chucking lever pivotally supported by the rotating unit at one end, and a drive pin made of metal and provided on another end of the chucking lever for engaging the drive pin engaging hole in the disk hub to rotate the disk. The drive pin defines an upper surface that is inclined to be higher at an outside portion farther from the rotation shaft than at an inside portion nearer the rotating shaft. The drive pin further defines a chamfered section formed at the outside edge of the inclined upper surface. Further, the drive pin defines a front surface corresponding to a portion of the drive pin that is leading in a rotation direction of the rotating unit, and a back surface corresponding to a portion of the drive pin that is trailing in the rotation direction of the rotating unit, wherein the front surface is curved and the back surface is flat.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to board games and particularly to vibratory board games.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Board games are well known in the art and generally include a game board with a playing surface having a plurality of stations printed thereon which define a playing piece path of travel. Playing pieces are provided to move from station to station. In most board games, the means for determining how much or how many stations a playing piece is to advance is a chance device of some kind, e.g., dice or a spinner.
Likewise, vibratory games per se are known in the art and generally include pieces which are movable over a surface in response to vibration. The vibration is usually generated by means of a vibratory motor, or the like, associated with the playing surface.
However, with the present invention, vibration is employed to produce movement of plural playing pieces along a defined path on a game board apparatus in an attempt to have the playing pieces stop at defined stations along the path. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to data processing techniques and, more particularly, to a data diffusion processing technique.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to the conventional data processing technique, the control center directly controls every data unit. For example, when processing picture data in a picture zone of 3×3=6 units, the picture variation is controlled by data inputted through X-axis and Y-axis. When updating the picture, the control center inputs data through X-1 and Y-1 to substitute data at the first unit, and then inputs data through X-2 and Y-2 to substitute data at the second unit, and then inputs data through X-3 and Y-3 to substitute data at the third unit, and therefore update of the picture is done.
When updating a motion picture at a screen, the control center needs to uninterruptedly scan and update the value of every unit through X-axis and Y-axis so as to keep the content of the display at the screen continuously changed as desired. Therefore, the control center needs to continuously send a big amount of control commands to every unit and to renew the original value of every unit, keeping the motion picture moving.
Because the control center needs to transmit a big amount of data, a big burden will be given to the control center if the number of units in the picture zone surpasses a certain value, resulting in a picture update delay error. Further, when the conventional data processing technique is applied to the processing of a big scale motion picture in which the distance of every unit is at least several hundred kilometers, different units may receive same data at different times due to different position distances, resulting in a picture update time error and picture processing failure. | {
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Cardiac rhythm management devices have been developed that provide pacing stimulation to one or more heart chambers in an attempt to improve the rhythm and coordination of atrial and/or ventricular contractions. Cardiac rhythm management devices typically include circuitry to sense signals from the heart and a pulse generator for providing electrical stimulation to the heart. Leads extending into the patient's heart chambers and/or into veins of the heart are coupled to electrodes that sense the heart's electrical signals and for delivering stimulation to the heart in accordance with various therapies for treating cardiac arrhythmias.
Pacemakers are cardiac rhythm management devices that deliver a series of low energy pace pulses timed to assist the heart in producing a contractile rhythm that maintains cardiac pumping efficiency. Pace pulses may be intermittent or continuous, depending on the needs of the patient. There exist a number of categories of pacemaker devices, with various modes for sensing and pacing one or more heart chambers.
Pacing therapy has been used in the treatment of various types of heart failure (HF). Generally, HF is associated with diminished pumping power of the heart, resulting in the inability to deliver enough blood to meet the demands of peripheral tissues. HF may cause weakness, loss of breath, and build up of fluids in the lungs and other body tissues. HF may affect the left heart, right heart or both sides of the heart. HF may occur when deterioration of the muscles of the heart produce an enlargement of the heart and/or reduced contractility. The reduced contractility decreases the cardiac output of blood and may result in an increased heart rate. In some cases, HF is caused by unsynchronized contractions of the left and right heart chambers, such as atrial or ventricular dysynchrony. When the left or right ventricles are affected, unsynchronized contractions can significantly decrease the pumping efficiency of the heart.
Pacing therapy can promote synchronization of heart chamber contractions and/or increase contractility of the cardiac tissue to improve cardiac function. Therapy that promotes cardiac synchronization is generally referred to as cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Some cardiac devices are capable of delivering CRT by pacing multiple heart chambers. Pacing pulses are delivered to the heart chambers in a sequence that causes the heart chambers to contract in synchrony, increasing the pumping power of the heart and delivering more blood to the peripheral tissues of the body. In the case of dysynchrony of right and left ventricular contractions, a biventricular pacing therapy may pace one or both ventricles. Bi-atrial pacing or pacing of all four heart chambers may alternatively be used.
Some patients, in particular those suffering from HF, benefit from pacing pulses applied at multiple electrodes disposed within or about a heart chamber. The sequence of the pacing pulses applied to the multiple electrodes may be designed to increase contractility and/or synchrony of the contractions.
Pacing therapy has been proven valuable in treating physiological effects associated with decreased cardiac function. Selecting pacing parameters that provide optimal pacing therapy for HF and/or other cardiac rhythm disorders is desirable. The present invention fulfills these and other needs, and offers advantages over prior art approaches. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention relates to a semiconductor photocoupler.
A semiconductor photocoupler is used for transmitting information between circuits electrically isolated from each other, and is usually called an optically coupled isolator. Optically coupled isolators on the market are of current-light-current type in information transmission, where an instantaneous magnitude of a current flowing in a phototransistor(or a photodiode) of the secondary circuit is proportional to that driving an LED(light emitting diode) of the primary circuit.
The inventor of the present invention has disclosed another type of optically coupled isolator in his prior invention. The prior invention has been patented as a Japanese Patent No. 1,455,290 entitled "Semiconductor Photocoupler" and published as publication No. 62-60828/'87 on Dec. 18, 1987, listing Tetsuro Kato as inventor and NEC as the assignee.
In the prior invention, two light emitting LEDs and a light receiving LED are disclosed, whereby each of the light emitting LEDs emit light of mutually different wavelengths when driven by separate current sources. The light receiving LED, upon receiving this light, experiences a change in capacitance, the magnitude of which depends on which of the light emitting LEDs is ON and the wavelength of the light emitted therefrom information transmission photocoupler is a current-light-capacitance change, and the capacitance change ceases when the light received at a light receiving element of the secondary circuit disappears. In theory, the prior invention utilizes a deep impurity level in and around the neighborhood of the p-n junction of a light receiving element.
Some impurities located deep in a semiconductor have a very large optical capture cross-section(.sigma..sub.n for electron and .sigma..sub.p for hole) for certain wavelengths. Some electrons (or holes) thus captured are seldom released by thermal excitation at room temperature. Therefore, such a trap center (capture cross-section) has an occupation rate of electrons(or holes) of the level dependent only on the wavelengths of the received light. When such a trap center is formed in a p-n junction, the junction capacity is dependent upon the wavelength of the received light, and the junction maintains the capacitance after the received light disappears.
H. Kukimoto et al have disclosed in Physical Review B, vol. 7 No. 6, pp. 2486.about.2507 Mar. 15, 1973 that oxygen doped in a p-n junction or in a p type Zn, O doped GaP red light LED makes such a trap center.
As for oxygen doped in GaP, the capture cross-section .sigma..sub.p for capturing valence band electron at the oxygen level begins at 1.4 eV of received light energy and increases as the received light energy increases to about 1.7.times.10.sup.-16 cm.sup.2 at 1.8 eV(.lambda..apprxeq.689 nm), while the capture cross-section .sigma..sub.n for releasing electron trapped at the oxygen level to the conduction band begins at 0.8 eV, increases as received light energy increases, reaches to a maximum of 3.4.times.10.sup.-16 cm.sup.2 at 1.2 eV, and then decreases as received light energy increases. Therefore, this oxygen level will become neutral by received light of energy higher than 1.7 eV because it captures electrons at the oxygen level, and will become positively charged by receiving light at an energy level of about 1.2 eV.
Since the oxygen level is sufficiently deep (0.9 eV from the conduction band), the trapped electrons are thermally released only in a small quantity. Therefore, the GaP red LED doped by Zn, O makes a light receiving element of a semiconductor photocoupler working on current-light-capacitance in information transmission and having a memory action.
In the prior invention, a semiconductor photocoupler is composed of a light receiving element of a GaP red LED doped by Zn, O, and two light emitting elements, one light emitting element being a GaP red LED (1.77 eV), and the other light emitting element being a Si doped GaAs LED (1.29 eV).
The semiconductor photocoupler of the prior invention transmits a binary signal indicating which light emitting element of the two light emitting elements is energized as a binary capacitance change in the light receiving element and maintains the capacitance corresponding to the lastly received wavelength. This photocoupler can be used as a coupler of binary signals, but can not be used as a coupler of analog signals.
As there is one-to-one correspondence between the current in the light emitting element and that in the light receiving element in a conventional optically coupled isolator, the isolator can be used as a coupler of analog signals. If the current-light-capacitance type photocoupler is to be used as a coupler of analog signals, there must be one-to-one correspondence between the current in the light emitting element and the capacitance of the light receiving element. | {
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A. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of processing multimedia content.
B. Related Art
The present application is an improvement upon U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/028,299 filed Dec. 24, 2001. That application taught accumulation of content based on personal information; facts derived from content experienced by at least one relevant user; and facts derived from the relevant user's behavior. That application also taught filtering content prior to storing excerpts from it and formulating queries based on the accumulated content.
Additional methods of automatically acquiring supplemental information relevant to a user, based on stored information, would still be desirable. | {
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It has previously been proposed to provide anti-skid systems in which a pump supplies hydraulic fluid to form a pressure source for a closed braking circuit. Valves are included in the braking circuits to, respectively, control admission, maintenance of pressurized brake fluid, or drainage of pressurized brake fluid in accordance with operating requirements of the vehicle. Such systems may include a supply valve which supplies pressurized brake fluid to the actual control valve which varies the braking fluid pressure at the brake, the supply valve insuring that, at all times, sufficient pressurized brake fluid is available for the actual hydraulic brake cylinder-piston arrangement at the respective brakes. It has already been proposed to monitor the pressure within the braking fluid pressure supply which, if the pressure should drop below a predetermined level, issues a warning signal and/or a switching signal which controls supply of the pressurized brake fluid to the supply valve and, rather, permits brake actuation under control from the master cylinder of the braking system.
Braking systems of the above-mentioned type are discussed in an SAE ("Society of Automotive Engineers") report, which describes the system including a warning switch constructed as an opening-type switch which provides an immediate indication if a signal line is interrupted since interruption of the signal line will also simulate opening of the switch. Such opening of the switch or interruption of the signal line is indicated, representing either electrical malfunction or failure of the pressure which is being monitored to drop below a predetermined level. | {
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Retail outlets (e.g., supermarkets, cafeterias, etc.) offer sale of various products and services. The outlets are typically equipped with self-checkout kiosks that allow a shopper to scan the products selected for purchase on their own to receive indicia of their prices. The shopper may then use the indicia to make a payment for completing the product purchase.
The products are available either as packaged items or fresh items for purchase. The packaged items typically carry identification markers such as bar codes and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, which are scanned by relevant scanners equipped with the self-checkout kiosks. However, the fresh items (e.g., freshly cooked meals such as different types of curries, pastas, and breads; various salads; fresh fruits and vegetables; etc.) are often untagged and/or unpacked, and require a store attendant to intervene for enabling their purchase. The store attendant traditionally uses his personal assessment of the type and number of ingredients for each fresh item and manually inputs the assessed information to a checkout kiosk for expected payment to complete the purchase.
Since the collection of fresh items at the retail outlets may change based on customer demand or product offerings, the assessed information may vary based on related inventory knowledge and skill of the store attendant. As a result, the assessed information may become susceptible to error and hence business loss. The probability of erroneous assessment increases when various fresh items are mixed together based on customer request or as a new product offering. Such assisted checkouts for fresh items may also become labor intensive and time consuming based on the quantity of fresh items being checked out. Further, customer queues may become bottlenecks during peak periods of customer demand, possibly to provoke the customers to leave the retail outlet to shop elsewhere. Other sales may be lost from customers who may simply avoid a retail location at known busy times and shop elsewhere, because of past inconvenience from delays.
Therefore, there exists a need for an automated object recognition kiosk for retail checkout of fresh foods and provide a seamless retail checkout experience for better customer service. | {
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THIS invention relates to apparatus for controlling infusion delivery.
Medical infusion delivery systems are available which use peristaltic pumps and which generally require the use of specially designed intravenous (IV) administration sets. In order to reduce the cost of providing an infusion delivery system, it would be desirable to be able to use conventional IV sets. It would also be desirable to reduce the cost, particularly by doing away with the need for a peristaltic pump, or other volumetric displacement system, while maintaining or even improving the accuracy of the system.
It is an object of the invention to provide apparatus for controlling infusion delivery which can utilise conventional IV sets and which can provide high accuracy. | {
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A light emitting diode is a device that generates and emits light by having electrons excited to a conduction band and holes excited to a valence band recombine. For emitting light, a light emitting diode has a specific multiple quantum well structure. A multiple quantum well structure has multiple thin layers of alternating well and barrier layers. That is, electrons and holes are confined in the well layers formed between the barrier layers, and light is emitted from recombination thereof. This is an effect of quantum confinement.
Accordingly, light generated in a light emitting diode is characteristically determined by bandgap energy of well layers. That is, when bandgap energy of well layers is large, wavelength of light generated therein is short, and when band gap energy of well layers is small, wavelength of light generated therein is long. Electrons confined in well layers are supplied by an n-type semiconductor layer, and holes are supplied by a p-type semiconductor layer. Accordingly, a light generating layer in a multiple quantum well structure form is sandwiched between an n-type semiconductor layer and a p-type semiconductor layer, forming junctions.
Semiconductor layers forming a light emitting diode are made of compound semiconductors. The semiconductor layers require higher bandgap energy than that of well layers in the light generating layer. This is to prevent light generated in the light generating layer from being absorbed in the semiconductor layer. Also, forming a p-type semiconductor layer becomes more and more problematic with decreasing wavelength of generated light. That is, even when a p-type layer containing a dopant is formed via a MOCVD process, etc, with an insufficient concentration of holes, efficiency is lowered. This is especially problematic for a light emitting diode that generates ultraviolet light.
For example, while AlN, AlGaN, or AlGaIn is used as a material for forming a p-type semiconductor layer, dopant activation in a p-type semiconductor layer is not easy, and efficiency is lowered due to low conductivity of the p-type semiconductor layer. Also, light absorption by a semiconductor layer based on p-type GaN is an important reason for decreased efficiency.
However, despite the aforementioned technically difficult problems, market demand for ultraviolet light emitting diodes is steadily increasing. Ultraviolet light emitting diodes have an advantage in terms of environmental friendliness compared to mercury lamps and may be used for elimination of pollutants in a human-living environment through water purification, air purification, disinfection, etc.
However, due to the technically challenging problems of the ultraviolet light emitting diode, efficiency is not sufficiently high, and, consequently, ultraviolet light emitting diodes are not widely applied for the market demand. | {
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A. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to specifically designing and genetically engineering recombinant baculovirus for producing, in a compatible insect system, a desired protein, virus, protein hybrid, or virus hybrid. In particular aspects, this invention relates to the use of different baculovirus promoters for the ultimate purpose of constructing a recombinant baculovirus designed for the investigator's specific need.
B. Description of the Related Art
The capabilities of producing genetically engineered proteins, through the use of recombinant DNA technologies, have dramatically increased in the last decade. However, problems have accompanied these new capabilities. One of the many problems involves constructing and genetically engineering the desired protein product. The operative words in the last sentence are "engineering the desired protein product." All too often, when it comes to creating a construct specifically designed for the production of a desired protein or virus, comprises have to be made. It is not uncommon that many intervening and tedious steps are involved in the creation of a desired construct for the purpose of producing a desired product. It is also not uncommon to have "to settle" for the production of an almost perfect construct because of technical difficulties in designing compatible sites for insertion of desired genes.
It is the intent of this invention to detail methods and compositions for designing and creating a baculovirus construct. This construct is designed in such a manner that few if any compromises have to be made in order to create the desired product. This baculovirus construct allows for the production of virtually any protein, vaccine, therapeutic, diagnostic, viral pesticide, or virus, as well as, the creation of virtually any new combination of the above. Combinations of proteins or viruses are termed "protein hybrid" or "virus hybrid." These terms imply there are multiple sources from which the product is created or that the product itself is made up of different components.
This invention will allow the investigator to design and create desired proteins, vaccines, viruses, therapeutics, diagnostics, viral pesticides, hybrids of the above, or functional and active domains from any of the above as well. Therefore, the potential use of this vector is endless.
The success of this invention, is in part, due to the unique use of multiple baculovirus promoters (both early and late) along with homologous recombination into a non-essential region(s) of the AcMNPV genome. For optimal flexibility, this invention employs three baculovirus promoters: the natural polyhedrin promoter mapped to the Eco-RI site of Fragment I; an early baculovirus promoter and a late baculovirus promoter.
The present invention also describes the production of recombinantly generated virus or virus hybrid particles or proteins involving the novel use of an early baculovirus gene promoter to temporally drive the expression of truncated or mutated non-structural genes of a virus particle as a unit, 5' to a late baculovirus gene promoter controlling the expression of cDNA for structural genes from the same or a different virus. The recombinantly expressed virus or virus hybrid, obtained from this construct, is essentially intact, virtually identical to the authentic parent virus particle, highly antigenic yet non-replicative and is therefore exceedingly functional in terms of use as a vaccine or diagnostic reagent.
This invention allows the investigator the flexibility to design and create a baculovirus construct that produces either a desired protein, vaccine, virus, therapeutic, diagnostic, viral pesticide, hybrid of the above, or functional and active domain from any of the above as well. This invention will be accomplished efficiently and without undue experimentation. | {
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The present invention pertains to a watch adapted for use as a compass in addition to indicating time, and to a method for use of the watch-compass to identify the North direction.
Regarding the actual state of the technique for watches, it is well known that there exists in commerce watches capable to maintain in addition to the local hour and date, also the hours and dates pertinent to other time zones and to keep many other functions. For usual navigation practice, the orientation is given by the magnetic or gyro compass and each necessitate a periodical check. In yachting navigation only the magnetic compass is mostly used, and it must be compensated for the deflecting effect of iron on board. This compensation operation is not simple and cannot be carried out in general by yachtsmen, not enough experienced for that; moreover that compensation must be checked often and adjusted because it is subject to change. Also in yachting navigation, the North direction, i.e. the orientation necessary to direct the boat when the coast is not in view, is generally a dangerously uncertain datum; yachtsmen cannot then accomplish with quiet mind short crossings of waters out of view of the coasts.
The proposed watch of the present invention provides on the contrary, sure indicators of direction. In professional navigation, this watch can be used as a new and continuous indicator of the astronomical azimuth A useful for the periodical checking of a compass. The orientation relative to the North direction can be also useful in zones of cities not well known to the user, and also in the woods, deserts, or ice covered areas. | {
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Graft prostheses are often implanted within blood vessels, particularly the aorta or other arteries, which may be subject to aneurysm formation and/or severe atherosclerotic disease which may involve multiple stenoses. For example, an aortic aneurysm may develop in a patient, for example, within the abdominal aorta at the aorto-iliac bifurcation, requiring treatment before the vessel wall ruptures. To repair a blood vessel damaged by such an affliction, a procedure involving use of a graft prosthesis is generally performed.
A number of graft prostheses have been suggested that include a tubular graft attached to a stent. The tubular graft may be a biocompatible porous or nonporous tubular structure to which a stent structure, such as a wire mesh, may be attached. The stent structure may be biased to assume an enlarged configuration corresponding to a target treatment site, but may be constrained in a contracted condition to facilitate introduction into a patient's vasculature. The graft prosthesis may be percutaneously introduced in the contracted condition, advanced to a treatment site within a blood vessel, and released to assume the enlarged condition and repair and/or bypass the treatment site.
One problem often associated with such prostheses is effectively securing the tubular graft at the treatment site. The released graft prosthesis may not sufficiently engage the vessel wall adjacent the treatment site, possibly resulting in the graft prosthesis moving after implantation, which may expose the damaged vessel wall. Plastically deformable expandable stent structures may be provided to attempt to more directly control the engagement between the graft prosthesis and the vessel wall. Such expandable structures, however, may require the use of a balloon or other expandable member to expand the stent structure to the enlarged condition, which may introduce risks of uneven stent structure expansion and/or balloon rupture.
In addition to plastically deformable stents, coiled-sheet stent structures have been suggested. Coiled-sheet stents may provide enhanced anchoring within the blood vessel because the size of the fully expanded stent may be more precisely controlled. A-coiled-sheet stent, however, may be substantially rigid transverse to its longitudinal axis, potentially resulting in a less flexible graft prosthesis, which may not be implanted effectively in tortuous anatomical conditions.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved stent-graft that may provide improved flexibility, while still providing substantial anchoring within a blood vessel. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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A number of prior proposals have been made for filling a honeycomb panel with tubular cells with a reinforcing foam so as to provide an enhanced compression strength which is commonly significantly greater than the compression strength of the panel and the foam separately.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,594 (Wang) issued Aug. 6, 1994 assigned to Hexcel Corporation discloses a method for filling the cells where a foamable precursor film is applied to one face of the panel and held between two plates and placed in a hot press and heated under pressure. A release cloth is applied over the ends of the panel which is porous to allow the escape of the gases as the foaming action occurs. However this arrangement requires heat and pressure and hence is inconvenient. There is also a risk that the foam does not properly fill the cells with a constant density foam without voids.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,146 (Cundiff) issued Dec. 5, 2000 assigned to Boeing discloses using such a foam filled honeycomb product in a Resin Transfer Molding process.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,387,200 (Ashmead) issued May 14, 2002 assigned to Cellbond composites Limited discloses a method of filling the cells where a fibrous mat is placed over each face of the panel before the foam is injected through the mat into the cells so that the foam is absorbed into the mat to form a fiber reinforces skin at the end face of the honeycomb panel. Again this method has significant difficulty in properly filling the cells to the required constant density without voids. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Sigma-delta converters are used, for example, for converting an analog signal into a digital data stream. For this purpose, the input signal of the sigma-delta converter is modulated in accordance with the customary sigma-delta modulation principle by means of one or more modulation stages and is fed to a quantizer. In the quantizer, the modulated signal is sampled with two or more quantization stages and quantized such that a quantized data stream with a certain word size is created, wherein this word size depends on the number of quantization stages. Consequently, a binary bit stream is created if only two quantization stages are provided.
In conventional sigma-delta converters, the modulated signal or the modulator can become unstable if the input signal level exceeds certain limits. Consequently, the sigma-delta converter cannot be used in input signal ranges that could theoretically be represented by the digital quantized signal. For example, a sigma-delta converter with a sigma-delta modulator of the fourth order and a one bit output would be unable to process input signals that would produce a modulated signal with a modulation rate greater than ±70%. Expressed in digital terms, the modulation rate may, for example, result as the ratio of the numerical difference between bits with high signal level and bits with low signal level referred to the overall number of bits observed. The closer the input signal level lies to a theoretical positive or negative limit of the input signal range, the higher the amount of the corresponding theoretical modulation rate becomes.
In order to solve these instability problems, it is possible, for example, to adapt the input amplitude of the signal to be converted in such a way that the limited input signal range is no longer relevant and this input signal adaptation is compensated by once again raising the level of the digital quantized signal, for example, by an amplification factor of a downstream digital filter.
However, if such a digital filter cannot be influenced, for example, because the amplification factor is fixed, conventional sigma-delta converters do not make it possible to utilize a theoretically possible input signal range and to simultaneously ensure the stability of the sigma-delta converter. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Composing white light from colored components in an optimum way has been a key problem of the lighting industry since the introduction of fluorescence lamps in the 1930s. Presently, the ability of white light to properly render the colors of illuminated objects is optimized by maximizing the general color rendering index, Ra, a figure of merit introduced by the International Commission of Illumination (Commission Internationale d'Éclairage, CIE) in 1974 and updated in 1995 (CIE Publication No. 13.3, 1995). A trichromatic system with a maximized Ra composed of red (610 nm), green (540 nm) and blue (450 nm) components (W. A. Thornton, U.S. Pat. No. 4,176,294, 1979) is widely accepted in lighting technology as a white light standard.
The development of efficient LEDs radiating in the short-wavelength range of the visible spectrum has resulted in the emergence of solid-state lighting. Since LEDs employ injection electroluminescence and potentially offer radiant efficiency that exceeds the physical limits of other sources of light, solid-state lighting is a tremendous lighting technology with the promise of the highest electric power conservation and vast environmental benefits.
Composite white light from LEDs can be obtained by means of partial or complete conversion of short-wavelength radiation in phosphors, using a set of primary LED chips with narrow-band emission spectrums or a complementary use of both phosphor-conversion and colored LEDs. The multichip approach based on colored LEDs offers an unsurpassed versatility in color control, since the peak wavelengths of the LEDs can be tailored by varying the chemical contents and thickness of the active layers.
Using a large number of colored LEDs with different wavelengths allows for tailoring continuous illumination spectra similar to those of blackbody radiators or sunlight, which are widely accepted as the ultimate-quality sources of white light. This requires the determination of the LED wavelengths providing the best possible quality of light for a given number of colored LEDs comprising a white light source, the number of colors that can be rendered by a white light source composed of a particular number of colored LEDs, and the minimal number of LEDs required for attaining the ultimate quality of white light. However, the existing approach of designing composite white light sources relies on the CIE 1995 procedure (CIE Publication No. 13.3, 1995), which employs the general color rendering index Ra based on eight test color samples and an additional six special color rendering indexes. This number of colors (eight to fourteen) is much smaller than that resolved by human vision. | {
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The disclosures herein relate generally to information handling systems and more particularly to an ejection device for docking stations used in such systems.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Desktop computers include a monitor which is usually supported on a monitor stand. The stand typically is supported by legs and a space is provided under the stand for a docking station and a notebook computer. Typically, the docking connector is positioned at the back of the notebook.
One manufacturer currently provides an advanced port replicator (APR) and dock that uses a bottom docking arrangement rather than docking at the back of the notebook. This system uses an ejection mechanism that involves many sliding components which require a special grease to operate properly.
In a bottom docking arrangement, the portion of the full dock and the APR that fits beneath the notebook must be of minimal height to keep the notebook as near to horizontal as possible and to make the system work well within the limited height beneath the monitor stand.
Another consideration for the eject mechanism is the force the user must apply to actuate the mechanism. This force should be minimal. Therefore, the mechanism needs to take full advantage of the available space to maximize leverage. The friction in the mechanism must be minimized so that leverage that is generated isn""t lost as a result of overcoming friction.
Therefore, what is needed is an eject mechanism which operates satisfactorily in a compact environment.
One embodiment, accordingly, provides an eject mechanism which is sufficiently compact. To this end, a docking station ejection apparatus includes a housing and an actuator movably mounted on the housing. A first member is mounted in the housing for movement between a first position and a second position in response to movement of the actuator. An ejector member is movable to an eject position in response to movement by the first member to the second position. A second member is mounted in the housing for movement between the first position and the second position in response to movement of the first member to the second position. A catch member is mounted in the housing and is movable between a catch position and a release position. A first resilient member urges the first and second members to the first position, and a second resilient member urges the catch member to the catch position. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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SCOPE OF INVENTION
This invention relates to screen frame means for fiberglass screen or other types of screening material in screen frame assemblies such as window screens, patio screen doors and the like, and more particularly to a frame member for such screen frame assemblies which eliminates the need for the retaining spline conventionally used to retain screen panels in place. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a personal GPS navigation device. A personal GPS navigation device is any electronic device that can process GPS location data and display the location of the device on a map. The device may be a dedicated navigation device, or a general purpose electronic device, such as a personal digital assistant, smart phone, mobile telephone, laptop or palmtop computer. The device may be portable or fixed in a vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Personal navigation devices are becoming increasingly common. A particularly successful approach is to connect a PocketPC™ powered PDA (personal digital assistant) to a GPS receiver: the PDA, when running navigation software, becomes a GPS based personal navigation device. Another successful format is the dedicated GPS device, used by hikers, sailors etc. In some countries, mobile telephones will have to be equipped with a GPS receiver in order to be able to send the location of that telephone in the event of an emergency, greatly increasing the adopting of GPS technology as a mass market technology. Portable GPS receiver devices have also been used in personal safety devices as described in, for instance, U.S. Pat. No. 6,480,557 to Rog, et al. entitled “Portable GPS-receiver for a personal safety system”, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
GPS device have also been incorporated into road vehicles and integrated into road map data bases to provide navigation and vehicle tracking systems as described in, for instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,700 to Ando, et al. entitled “Method and apparatus for processing data in a GPS receiving device in a road vehicle” and U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,842 to Brown, et al. entitled “Vehicle tracking system employing global positioning system (GPS) satellites”, the contents of both of which patents are hereby incorporated by reference.
One common feature of current personal GPS navigation devices is that they can display a GPS information screen, such as the screen shown in FIG. 1B. The GPS information screen shows: how many GPS satellite signals are being received and their individual strength at 3a; the location co-ordinates of the device at 3b; the speed of the device at 3c; the direction of movement of the device at 3d; the relative orientation of GPS satellites that a signal is being picked up from at 3e. The GPS information screen is useful when getting a first GPS fix. Once a fix has been established, most users then switch to the map mode, which causes a map to be displayed on the screen of the personal navigation device, indicating the location of the device with an arrow. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Much of the content downloaded from the Internet today includes video and/or audio content. This type of downloaded content is generally characterized by its being streaming content, requiring that the content be downloaded continuously without interruption in order to provide enjoyable user experience. In some cases, the video and/or the audio are played “live” on a user's device while being downloaded while in other cases, the download content may be first stored in the memory of the user's device for later playing. Whichever may be the case, the content should be downloaded without suffering any substantial interruptions so as to not affect user experience.
Most Internet traffic today includes the use of TCP (transmission control protocol) to transport the streaming content from a server to a client (the user's device) over a communications network. The longer the streaming content is downloaded (e.g. long movies), the greater a probability that the TCP traffic may be interrupted by server failure or migration (i.e., a change in the server's physical or network address).
Various migration/recovery solutions to prevent or recover interrupted TCP traffic exist. One solution, such as the IETF TCP Service Migration Protocol (TSMP) draft, utilizes a proxy—an extra server closer to the user client than the streaming server—to provide the streaming content. All the streaming content passes through the proxy regardless of the streaming server functioning properly. Another solution, such as SockMi, requires changes to the user's browser or other client module (e.g. kernel module), or to the server kernel module. A third solution, such as the Migrate Internet Mobility Project, requires a new session-layer library at the user-level that manages session-based network activity and resource allocation for applications. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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In recent years, along with the progress in the portability and codeless tendency of electronic instrument, a demand for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery which is small in size and light in weight and has a high capacity and high energy density, has been increasingly high. As a cathode active material for the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, a composite oxide of lithium and a transition metal, such as LiCoO2, LiNiO2, LiNi0.8Co0.2O2, LiMn2O4 or LiMnO2, has been known.
Particularly, a lithium secondary battery using lithium cobalt composite oxide (LiCoO2) as a cathode active material and using a lithium alloy, graphite, carbon fiber, a silicon alloy or the like as a negative electrode, is widely used as a battery having a high energy density, since a high voltage at a level of 4 V can thereby be obtainable.
However, for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery for consumer application, further improvement in the discharge capacity per unit volume of the positive electrode plate (which may be referred to as a volume capacity density in this specification), i.e. higher energy densification, is desired.
In order to obtain a lithium ion secondary battery having a high energy density, the positive electrode is required to have a high electrode density. In order to improve the electrode density, the tap density or pressed density is regarded as a proper index, and especially, the pressed density is regarded as highly interrelated with the electrode density.
With respect to such packing properties, the following various studies have been made. For example, in Patent Document 1, it is stated that factors influential to the tap density or pressed density of a cathode active material, are the shapes of particles, and the sizes and particle size distribution of primary particles. Further, it is disclosed that the average particle size of LiCoO2 to be used for industrial application is from 1 to 20 μm, and the larger the average particle size, the higher the pressed density.
Patent Documents 2 to 5 disclose a mixed powder having a wide particle size distribution, wherein a powder composed of particles having large particle sizes and a powder composed of particles having small particle sizes are mixed. Further, it is disclosed that by using such a mixed powder, it is possible to improve the packing properties, since small particles will enter into spaces among large particles. Particularly, it is disclosed that it is possible to obtain a cathode active material having high packing properties by mixing two types of active material powders which are substantially different in the particle sizes.
Further, Patent Document 6 discloses that it is possible to obtain a cathode active material which has a high electrode density and is excellent in the slurry and electrode coating uniformity and which has good electrochemical properties, by regulating the particle size distribution of a powder of the cathode active material and by using a powder having a specific sharp particle size distribution where particles of the powder are not excessively large and not excessively small.
Furthermore, Patent Documents 7 to 9 disclose that by using a powder having a specific crushing strength as a powder of a cathode active material, or controlling the state of its presence in the powder layer, it is possible to improve the packing properties of the powder when a compressive stress is exerted to the powder. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 to Taiwan Application No. 089109970 entitled xe2x80x9cEncoding and Decoding System In An Optical Disk Storage Device,xe2x80x9d filed on May 24, 2000.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to encoding and decoding systems for optical disk storage devices, and more particularly to an encoding and decoding system in an optical disk storage device of a compact disk (CD) and digital video disk (DVD) dual system.
2. Description of the Related Art
An optical disk storage device of CD and DVD dual system is capable of encoding/decoding data of either CD or DVD. If it can be more effective in the hardware design of the encoding/decoding system in an optical storage device of the CD and DVD dual system, it leads to a more compact hardware design and thus the area that the hardware requires decreases. For the purpose of a more effective hardware design, the underlying theory for encoding/decoding in all optical disk storage device is first discussed.
For providing reliable and efficient encoding/decoding of the user data, it is necessary to employ error correcting codes in disk storage systems. Although there are many different error correction codes (ECC) for this purpose, Reed-Solomon (RS) codes are the most commonly used ECC in disk storage systems.
With RS codes, input data stream is processed as a sequence of symbols and all of the symbols are elements of a finite field GF(2w), where w denotes the number of bits per symbol. An RS code is a (N, K) block code, where an input data block of K message symbols is encoded, resulting in an output data block of N symbols, or called a codeword of length N. Besides, the codeword of N symbols consists of a parity code of 2T=N-K symbols.
Every symbol of the input data block of K message symbols is associated with a coefficient of a polynomial I(x). Similarly, every symbol of the 2T parity symbols is associated with a coefficient of a polynomial R(x). In addition, the N symbols of a codeword are associated with the respective coefficients of a polynomial C(x). The polynomial R(x) is defined by the expression:
R(x)=(I(x)xc2x7xm)MOD(G(x)),
where G(x) is the generator polynomial of degree m and m=2T. The G(x) is expressed as follows:
G(x)=Πk=0xcx9c(2Txe2x88x921)(x+xcex1k).
Then, a codeword polynomial is obtained by:
C(x)=(I(x)xc2x7xm)+R(x).
The above operations is performed by an RS decoder, resulting in a codeword corresponding to the codeword polynomial C(x). On the other hand, an RS decoder receives codewords transmitted through the noisy communication channel, where the received codewords are with random erroneous symbols. For the correction of the erroneous symbols occurred in the received codewords, the RS decoder performs the decoding process including the following steps: (i) compute syndromes Si; (ii) compute the coefficients of an error locator polynomial using the syndromes; (iii) compute the roots of the error locator polynomial; (iv) compute the error values by using the roots of the error locator polynomial and the syndromes.
Referring now to FIG. 1, it illustrates a conventional structure of the encoding/decoding system in CD/DVD storage devices. During the process of writing data into a disk storage medium, the input data received from a host are first stored in a data buffer 102 via the bus 101. A cyclic redundancy check (CRC) generator and correction validator 104 then reads the data stored in the data buffer 102 and generates the CRC symbols, where the input data with the CRC symbols are stored in the data buffer 102 again. The input data with the CRC symbols are read from the data buffer 102, which are randomized by a randomizer/derandomizer 106. The randomized data are then stored in the data buffer 102. For different optical storage medium, the writing operation then proceeds to different processes.
If the optical storage medium 108 is a CD, the data stored in the data buffer 102 are processed through a CD P/Q encoder/decoder 110, a C2 encoder/decoder 112, an interleaver/deinterleaver 114, and a C1 encoder/decoder 116. After that, the processed data are written into the CD. Besides, during encoding, a static random access memory (SRAM) 118 is used for storing the processing data through a bus 117.
When the optical storage medium 108 is a DVD, the data stored in the data buffer 102 are processed by using a DVD inner/outer encoder/decoder 120. After processing, the encoded data are written to the DVD. In addition, some DVDs include a burst cutting area (BCA) on the DVDs for optionally storing recording information after the completion of the writing process. If the optical storage medium 108 is a DVD with a BCA, a BCA ECC encoder/decoder 122 can be used to process the recording information. The encoded data appended with the encoded recording information are then written into the DVD.
In the process of writing data into a disk storage medium, the CD P/Q encoder/decoder 110, the C2 encoder/decoder 112, the interleaver/deinterleaver 114, the C1 encoder/decoder 116, the DVD inner/outer encoder/decoder 120, and the BCA ECC encoder/decoder 112 employ generator polynomials with respective forms. Besides, different length of symbols are involved in the encoding computation with their respective polynomials.
During the reading of the data stored in a CD/DVD, the process is run in reverse. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described.
In the conventional structure of the error correction system of the CD/DVD storage device shown in FIG. 1, there are drawbacks as follows.
(1) When the error correction system is configured for processing data in CD data format, the DVD inner/outer encoder/decoder 120, and the BCA ECC encoder/decoder 112 are idle. On the other hand, when the system is configured for processing data in DVD data format, the CD P/Q encoder/decoder 110, the C2 encoder/decoder 112, the interleaver/deinterleaver 114, and the C1 encoder/decoder 116 are idle. Thus, no matter what the configuration for processing data in CD/DVD, a part of the circuitry are idle, resulting in the employment of the system components being low in effectiveness.
(2) When the error correction system is configured for processing data in CD data format, the interleaver/deinterleaver 114 spends additional time for access to the data buffer 102 for interleaving or deinterleaving. Thus, this increases the latency of the storage system especially in multimedia applications where large blocks of audio/video data must be read from the storage system. In this way, when the system is employed in the audio/video playback or recording applications, the quality of the playback or recording would be affected.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an encoding/decoding system for an optical storage device, which employs a shareable Reel-Solomon (RS) encoder/decoder. According to the invention, the hardware cost of an encoding/decoding system is lowered and the effectiveness of employment of the hardware components is increased. In addition, the invention involves the integration of interleaving/deinterleaving with C1 encoding/decoding or with C2 encoding/decoding, resulting in the lowering of the latency time.
According to the object of the invention, it provides an encoding/decoding system in an optical disk storage device, for performing compact disc/digital video disk (CD/DVD) encoding/decoding of data which is stored in a data buffer, the encoding/decoding system comprising: a C1 address mapper, a C2 address mapper, a CD P/Q address mapper, a DVD inner/outer address mapper, and a shareable Reel-Solomon (RS) encoder/decoder.
The C1 address mapper is for accessing to the data buffer according to access sequence stored in the C1 address mapper. The C2 address mapper is for accessing to the data buffer according to access sequence stored in the C2 address mapper. The CD P/Q address mapper is for accessing to the data buffer according to access sequence stored in the CD P/Q address mapper. The DVD inner/outer address mapper is for accessing to the data buffer according to access sequence stored in the DVD inner/outer address mapper. The shareable RS encoder/decoder is capable of selectively being coupled to either one of the C1 address mapper, the C2 address mapper, the CD P/Q address mapper, or the DVD inner/outer address mapper.
When the encoding/decoding system is encoding, the shareable RS encoder/decoder employs a generation polynomial of RS code to generate a first codeword of N symbols including a parity code of 2T symbols, where the values of N and 2T are associated with the selected address mapper.
When the encoding/decoding system is decoding, the shareable RS encoder/decoder generates a plurality of syndromes, Sk, where k=0xcx9c15 and k is a positive integer, an error-erasure locator polynomial and an error-erasure evaluator polynomial for obtaining an error value to complete the error correction. Besides, a syndrome Sk is set to zero if k is greater than or equal to 2T.
For the encoding of data, the generation polynomial G(x) is:
G(x)=Πk=0xcx9c(2Txe2x88x921)(x+xcex1k).
For the decoding of data, the syndromes are obtained from: S k = ∑ i = 0 ~ N - 1 xe2x80x83 ( r i α ik ) xe2x80x83 for xe2x80x83 k = 0 ~ 2 T - 1 ,
where ri for i=0xcx9cNxe2x88x921 represents the N symbols of the codeword.
For both the encoding or decoding, xcex1 is an element of a finite field GF(28) and is a root of a primitive polynomial P(x).
P(x)=x8+x4+x3+x2+1. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Most computing systems utilize firmware to control their low-level operation. In many computing systems, the firmware provides functionality for performing a power-on self-test (“POST”) of the computing system, for performing an initial program load, or boot, of the computing system, for providing interfaces to the low-level operation of the computing system hardware to an operating system, and for performing other functions. Because the firmware controls the low-level operation of a computing system, it is imperative that the firmware operates without program errors, sometimes called “bugs.” Because of the complexity of most computing system firmware, however, this type of software can be very difficult to test and debug.
One commonly used mechanism for testing the operation of a computing system firmware involves installing an operating system on a computer system under test (“SUT”). If errors are detected during the installation of the operating system, the errors can be utilized to identify bugs within the computing system firmware. This process is typically repeated for many different operating systems and, potentially, many different versions of the computing system firmware. There are cases where slight variations in task completion time, or other timing problems or delays could cause installations to fail. Therefore, it is also useful to test the identical operating system installation multiple times; something that might be referred to as “burn-in” testing. Because this testing process is typically performed manually by a human operator, however, this process can be extremely time consuming, costly, and prone to human errors due to the often repetitive nature of these tasks.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the disclosure presented herein has been made. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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In systems utilizing power electronics switches, it may be desirable to provide electrical (galvanic) isolation between the low level or logic control components of the system and the components that directly drive the high power switches in the system. Control signals may be passed through this isolation barrier. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Heretofore, there has been widely employed an anti-friction bearing as a rotation support mechanism for a momentum ring utilizing a physical inertia of a rotating body, such as a spinning wheel for a gyroscope, a flywheel for controlling an attitude of a flying object, a flywheel for storing energy. However, as known, the anti-friction bearing involves a mechanical friction due to contact between a roller or a ball and a race. Especially, the mechanical friction has a great influence on control performance of the flywheel for controlling the attitude of the flying object and it has been a task of importance to minimize the friction. To accomplish the task, it is generally required to employ an anti-friction bearing having a size as small as possible. On the other hand, the rotation support mechanism must inevitably have a large structure at a portion around a rotation axis because of requirements for strength and accuracy and a mass is centered on that portion so that a major portion of the entire mass of the momentum ring is located there. Because of this, there is a limit in structure to increase an effective mass for enhancing inertia efficiency with respect to a rotation center.
Furthermore, if the rotation support mechanism is concentratedly provided around the rotation axis, it is necessary to employ an anti-friciton bearing of a large size to increase support rigidity with respect to the rotation axis against an external force. This requirement is incompatible with the requirement that the anti-friction bearing of smaller size be employed to reduce the mechanical friction.
Recently, a non-contact bearing utilizing a magnetic force has been used practically as the rotation support mechanism and produced satisfactory results in eliminating the mechanical friction. However, the known structure employing this type of support mechanism has a magnetic bearing mechanism at a central portion of the momentum ring as in the conventional anti-friction bearing support mechanism. This structure is effective for elimination of the mechanical friction, but it does not bring the intended result of effective distribution of a mass contributive to the support rigidity and the inertia efficiency for the rotation center. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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In the art of dress clothing, which includes both business and formal wear, appearance is a principal factor governing consumer selection. Successful products must remain taught over the body to convey professionalism. At the same time, successful products do not exaggerate, and hopefully alleviate, physical imperfections of the wearer, such as an expansive stomach. This is a delicate balance that is difficult to achieve.
In example, if one has an expansive stomach, it is desirable to firmly attach a shirt to a pair of pants at or near the region of the belly button. However, securing a pair of pants this high on the wearer is problematic using conventional fasteners such as belts. Gravity and the natural pulling forces of the lower body in motion pull the belt down to the wearer's waist. Additionally, no matter how tightly the belt is secured, the shirt eventually crepes out of the pants and requires retucking.
Appearance is also a major concern in the art of sports clothing. However, in the art of sports clothing comfort is equally important in swaying consumers to choose one set of garments over another. Because comfort plays such a critical role in purchaser selection, fastening devices that attach sport shirts to sport pants are considered undesirable. In example, it is generally accepted that belts constrict an athletes flexibility and, therefore, sport pants are not sold with belts and do not generally contain belt loops.
However, despite the deficiency of belts as fasteners in both the dress clothing art and the sports clothing art, acceptable alternatives, to date, have not been apparent. Fastening devices other than belts are considered undesirable for use in attaching a shirt and pair of pants because the devices do not self-release in a reusable manner when subjected to a tensile or shearing force strong enough to tear one of the garments. Instead the fastening devices rip away. Even worse, because the fastening devices are sewn into the garments, the garments can be torn when the fastening devices rip away. In example, hooks, buttons and zippers do not self-release in a manner that leaves them reusable when they are subjected to a tensile or shearing force strong enough to rip the garments. Instead hooks, buttons and zippers rip away, rendering the fastening device useless and often tearing the garments in the process.
Snaps can self-release in a reusable manner when subjected to a tensile or shearing force strong enough to rip the garments, but only when said force is at an appropriate angle. Otherwise, as with hooks, buttons and zippers, the snaps and surrounding material tear away. More importantly, snaps have the disadvantage of providing a weak attachment that is easily undone by the small vibrational forces inherent to physical exertion.
In addition, the metal materials from which most snaps and many buttons and zippers are made are not water and chemical resistant. As a result the fasteners rust and become unsightly.
Finally, all of the previously mentioned fastening devices are made from hard plastic or metal materials that are not readily dyeable in the same dying step and by the same dying means as the garments. Fastening devices must be colored separately, by using paint, colored fillers, or some other means, in a manner that matches the garment to which they are to be attached. Otherwise, the fastening devices are readily apparent to the viewer and detract from the overall appearance of the garment.
For all of the above stated reasons, the art teaches away the use of fasteners other than belts to secure a shirt to a pair of pants. However, it would still be desirable to fasten a shirt to a pair of pants if a suitable fastening means could be found. Fastening a shirt and pair of pants together, whether by means of suspenders or belts or some other device, has long been recognized as the ideal way to maintain the ideal aesthetic appearance of the garments. This is especially true when the shirt is tucked taught into the pair of pants. In fact, the NBA now requires its athletes to keep their uniform shirts tucked into their uniform pants at all times. Other professional and amateur sports associations may have or adopt similar rules. Furthermore, in the business community, it goes without saying that dress shirts are always tucked into suit or dress pants. In addition, fastening the shirts and pants together provides a means of controlling the manner in which the garments relax, thereby allowing the manufacturer, or the wearer, to tailor the fall of the garments in a manner deemed most comfortable and most suitable for a given physical activity.
What is needed is a better way to fasten a shirt to a pair of pants.
What is needed is a means for fastening a shirt to a pair of pants in a taught manner that does not call attention to the physical imperfections of the wearer.
What is needed is a means for fastening a shirt to a pair of pants that does not restrict flexibility.
What is needed is a means for fastening a shirt to a pair of pants that self-releases in a reusable manner when subjected to a tensile or shearing force strong enough to rip one of the garments.
For a variety of reasons, Hook and loop fasteners are an ideal way to attach a pair of pants to a shirt. For example, the material make-up of hook and loop fasteners does not restrict flexibility. Hook and loop fasteners are typically made out of nylon and/or polyester polymers. These polymers are often used to make clothing and bend in the same manner as clothing. Thus hook and loop fasteners are flexible.
In addition, hook and loop fasteners can be made small enough to minimize inflexibility due to the size of the fastener. In fact, an effective bond can be made from a hook and loop fastener that has a thickness, width and length, as little as 1/2" or even less. The narrow thickness is especially important in lessening the chances that the fastener will hinder movement.
Hook and loop fasteners are adjustable by manipulating the size and location of the surface area wherein the hook and loop strips contact. Therefore, if a hindrance to movement occurs, the fastener can be adjusted to minimize the hindrance.
Most importantly, the bonds provided by hook and loop fasteners self-release in a reusable manner when subjected to a tensile and/or shearing forces strong enough to tear one of the garments. The hook strips and loop strips pull apart but remain unbroken, allowing later contact to reform the self-releasing bond. This allows the shirt and/or pant maximum movement when subjected to severe forces and, thereby, minirnizes the chances that the shirt and/or pair of pants will tear. As stated, this is not the case with existing shirt-pants fastening means, such as buttons, hooks and zippers.
However, the bonds provided by hook and loop fasteners are also capable of withstanding the small vibrational forces inherent to physical exertion. In fact, such vibrational forces actually increase the strength of the bond because it causes the hooks to
What is needed is a means for fastening a shirt to a pair of pants that is not easily undone by the small vibrational forces inherent to physical exertion.
What is needed is a means for fastening a shirt to a pair of pants that is water and chemical resistant.
What is needed is a means for fastening a shirt to a pair of pants that is readily dyeable in the same dying step as the fabric. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may or may not constitute prior art.
A typical manual transmission includes a plurality of shafts, gears, shift mechanisms, synchronizers or other torque-transmitting mechanisms that cooperate to provide a plurality of forward and reverse gear or speed ratios. The transmission input shaft is selectively connected to an engine output shaft and includes a number of gears that are selectively connectable to the input shaft using, for example, synchronizers. The gears of the input shaft mesh with corresponding gears that are selectively connectable to an output shaft. To achieve a particular forward gear ratio between the transmission input and output shafts, the driver operates a shift mechanism, such as a manual shifter, that controls the engagement of the synchronizers with the desired gears. To achieve a reverse gear ratio, an idler gear is used to slide between an input shaft gear and an output shaft gear to reverse the rotational direction of the output shaft, and thus the drive wheels.
The idler gear is free to rotate on an idler gear shaft and the idler gear is not necessarily rotating when the idler gear is engaged to the input shaft reverse gear. However, the input shaft reverse gear is often rotating at a high speed having only recently been disengaged from the engine output shaft. Once the idler gear is meshing with the input shaft reverse gear they will both be rotating at the same high speed. The idler gear must then engage the output shaft gear to complete the torque transfer to the output shaft. However, as often is the case, the output shaft is not rotating and may even be rotating in the opposite direction as the driver may be shifting into reverse before the vehicle has stopped moving forward. The meshing of the fast rotating idler gear with a stationary output gear causes an impact or gear clash that creates noise and grinding that is very objectionable to the driver. Furthermore, gear clash is detrimental to the long term durability of the transmission and is the source of costly customer repair bills.
Accordingly, there is room in the art for a transmission that includes a mechanism to reduce or eliminate gear clash and premature component wear by reducing the input shaft and idler gear rotational speed when the driver is shifting into a reverse gear ratio. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Methacrylic acid is obtained by oxidizing isobutylene, tert-butyl alcohol, methacrolein, or isobutyl aldehyde through single-stage or two-stage catalytic gas-phase oxidation reactions in the presence of molecular oxygen. In addition to the desired methacrylic acid (boiling point of 161° C./760 mmHg, melting point of 15° C.), the following byproducts are also included in the obtained product: carboxylic acids such as formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, maleic acid, citraconic acid, benzoic acid, toluic acid, terephthalic acid, and acrylic acid; and aldehydes such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, methacrolein, benzaldehyde, tolualdehyde, furfural, and the like. Most of those impurities can be isolated and purified by generally used purification methods such as distillation and extraction. However, trace impurities such as aldehydes are hard to remove. Since aldehydes absorb light in the ultraviolet region, coloration may occur in a methacrylic acid product in which not a small amount of aldehyde remains. To avoid such coloration, it is necessary to reduce as much of the remaining amount of the aldehyde as possible. Under such circumstances, crystallization methods have been studied to obtain methacrylic acid which is more highly purified than that obtained by distillation methods.
Patent Literature 1 describes the following method for producing purified methacrylic acid: methacrylic acid is crystalized in a solution prepared by adding a second component such as methanol, ethanol, propanol or butanol to crude methacrylic acid, and the deposited crystals are isolated from the mother liquor.
Patent Literature 2 describes the following method: when crystals are to be deposited by a cooling crystallization method using a condenser equipped with an external circulation device or a jacket device to exchange heat through the heat transfer surface of the condenser, crystals (scales) grow on the heat transfer surface and lower the cooling capability. Considering such situations, a change in the operational conditions of the crystallization device, a switch of condensers, a change in the conditions for reactivation treatment of the condenser and the like are proposed in the method. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
3GPP LTE (3rd generation partnership project long term evolution: hereinafter abbreviated ‘LTE’) and LTE-advanced (hereinafter abbreviated ‘LTE-A’) communication systems are schematically explained as an example of a mobile communication system to which the present invention is applicable.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of E-UMTS network structure as one example of a wireless communication system. E-UMTS (evolved universal mobile telecommunications system) is a system evolved from a conventional UMTS (universal mobile telecommunications system). Currently, basic standardization works for the E-UMTS are in progress by 3GPP. E-UMTS is called LTE system in general. Detailed contents for the technical specifications of UMTS and E-UMTS refers to release 8 and release 9 of “3rd generation partnership project; technical specification group radio access network”, respectively.
Referring to FIG. 1, E-UMTS includes a user equipment (UE), a base station (BS, eNode B, or eNB), and an access gateway (hereinafter abbreviated AG) connected to an external network in a manner of being situated at the end of a network (E-UTRAN). The base station may be able to simultaneously transmit multi data streams for a broadcast service, a multicast service and/or a unicast service.
One base station contains at least one cell. The cell provides a downlink transmission service or an uplink transmission service to a plurality of user equipments by being set to one of 1.25 MHz, 2.5 MHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, and 20 MHz of bandwidths. Different cells can be configured to provide corresponding bandwidths, respectively. A base station controls data transmissions/receptions to/from a plurality of the user equipments. For a downlink (hereinafter abbreviated DL) data, the base station informs a corresponding user equipment of time/frequency region on which data is transmitted, coding, data size, HARQ (hybrid automatic repeat and request) related information and the like by transmitting DL scheduling information. And, for an uplink (hereinafter abbreviated UL) data, the base station informs a corresponding user equipment of time/frequency region usable by the corresponding user equipment, coding, data size, HARQ-related information and the like by transmitting UL scheduling information to the corresponding user equipment. Interfaces for user-traffic transmission or control traffic transmission may be used between base stations. A core network (CN) consists of an AG (access gateway) and a network node for user registration of a user equipment and the like. The AG manages a mobility of the user equipment by a unit of TA (tracking area) consisting of a plurality of cells.
Wireless communication technologies have been developed up to LTE based on a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA). Yet, the ongoing demands and expectations of users and service providers are consistently increasing. Moreover, since different kinds of radio access technologies are continuously developed, a new technological evolution is required to have a future competitiveness. Cost reduction per bit, service availability increase, flexible frequency band use, simple structure/open interface and reasonable power consumption of user equipment and the like are required for the future competitiveness.
Recently, ongoing standardization of the next technology of LTE is performed by 3GPP. Such technology shall be named LTE-A in the present specification. Big differences between LTE system and LTE-A system may include a system bandwidth difference and an adoption of a relay node.
The goal of LTE-A system is to support maximum 100 MHz wideband. To this end, LTE-A system uses carrier aggregation or bandwidth aggregation to achieve the wideband using a plurality of frequency blocks.
According to the carrier aggregation, a plurality of frequency blocks are used as one wide logical frequency band to use wider frequency band. And, a bandwidth of each frequency block may be defined based on a bandwidth of a system block used by LTE system. And, each frequency block is transmitted using a component carrier.
Although the carrier aggregation technology is adopted by the LTE-A system, which is a next generation communication system, a conventional technology is unable to support an UL power control operation of a user equipment in a multi-carrier system. In particular, it has never been studied yet on a method of reporting a PHR (power head room) for a multi-carrier, a PHR configuration method for PHR transmission, a format, and the like. | {
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1). Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a protective cover comprising at least two protective-cover elements arranged one after the other in the direction of movement of the protective cover according to the preamble of claim 1.
2). Discussion of Related Art
Protective covers of the type in question are used in particular, but in no way exclusively, for covering movable machine parts or the like.
It is known to provide a bellows for covering movable machine parts of this type. In order to prevent the bellows from being disturbed, for example, by particles such as metal swarf or the like, such as occurs during the machining of metals, plastic, or wood, it is likewise known to cover the bellows by metal lamellas in the endangered area, respectively one metal lamella being arranged on the supporting frame of the bellows in such a manner that the lamellas of neighboring supporting frames overlap in such a manner that during the intended movement of the bellows, the respectively adjacent lamellas slide toward one another in a telescopic manner to form a substantially closed cover.
In particular when the protective cover has an L- or U-shaped or box-like closed cross-section and therefore offset supporting frame and likewise offset lamellas, a package-like arrangement of a plurality of lamellas stacked one above the other is obtained, particularly during extensive compression of the bellows. This has the consequence that as a result of the spatial movement of the metal lamellas, stresses are induced from the area of the offset into the linear regions to the left and right of the offset, which cause sticking of the lamellas and therefore hinder the movement of the bellows or the protective cover as a whole.
In order to reduce this problem, it is known, for example, from DE 201 07 092 U1 to construct the metal lamellas in three parts, namely with respectively one lamella section on both sides of the offset and a third additional lamella section in the area of the offset which is rigidly connected to the supporting frame of the fan-fold screen and grips behind the respectively adjacent lamellas with two offset tabs arranged in the manner of wings. The movements of the lamella sections are certainly decoupled in this way but as a result of the plurality of lamella elements to be produced and mounted, the expenditure on assembly and production is considerable. In addition, no rounded offset regions can be achieved in this design. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a numerical control device, and more specifically a numerical control device for controlling high speed response control axis without shortening control period of entire numerical control device and generating wasting waiting time.
2. Description of the Related Art
A numerical control device, can perform response control to control a control axis to be controlled corresponding to input from an external input device (such as a signal generation device, a communication device). For example, in a machine for performing punch press machining, detection signal is input to a numerical control device when it is detected that a punching tool leaves from a workpiece after hole punching by a punching tool, while the numerical control device performs response control of table axes (X axis, Y axis) corresponding to the input signal and make the workpiece to a next punching point.
In the device, high speed response with shortened control period of response control for responding as quickly as possible enables effective machining. However, in a conventional numerical control device, the control period of response control is fixed for each numerical control device, and all control axes has the same period. Therefore, it is impossible to shorten only the control period of the response control for a high response control axis which requires high speed response. In addition to that, it is possible to shorten the control period of response control by shortening the control period of entire numerical control device. However, since introduction of a high speed CPU, capable of completing all control processing in short control period, and the like, is required for shortening the control period of entire numerical control device, shortening of the control period can not be easily implemented.
Concerning an outputting technique of interpolation command for a high speed control axis, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 01-184506 discloses a technique in which, n pieces of command at 1/n times period of normal period (entire device) are output together at the normal period (entire device), as shown in FIG. 9.
There is a problem in the conventional numerical control device, that even when a command is input from an external device in short period for a high speed response control axis, wasting waiting time is generated from the input of command to response by the control axis, since the control axis can not read the command till the next control period.
For example, in the numerical control device descried in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 01-184506, the control period of response control for responding to an input command form an external input device to control the axis is fixed for each control device. Therefore, even for a axis which requires high speed response to an input command from a high speed external input device, response control is performed in the normal control period.
FIG. 10 shows a timing chart illustrating cyclic operation of an external device which outputs a command for a high speed control axis at ¼ times period of the normal control period and a numerical control device and servo control, in the numerical control device descried in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 01-184506. As shown in FIG. 10, the numerical control device descried in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 01-184506, even when a command is input at short period corresponding to period of servo control, since input detection processing and movement command calculation processing are executed in the normal period, the detection and the calculation of the movement command is waited until starting of the next control period in the control period of the numerical control machine. As a result, a case may happen in which the numerical control device can not perform high speed response and generates wasting waiting time. | {
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In the related art, as a refrigeration cycle apparatus equipped with an expander that recovers the fluid energy as power during its expansion process, for example, there is a refrigeration cycle apparatus equipped with a first compressor that is driven by an electric motor to compress refrigerant, a radiator that rejects the heat of the refrigerant compressed by the first compressor, an expander that decompresses the refrigerant that has passed through the radiator, an evaporator in which the refrigerant decompressed by the expander evaporates, and a second compressor that is driven by the expansion power recovered in the expander and has a discharge side connected to a suction side of the first compressor (for example, refer to Patent Literature 1).
Additionally, there is a refrigeration cycle apparatus equipped with a first compressor, a radiator that rejects the heat of refrigerant compressed by the first compressor, an expander that decompresses the refrigerant that has passed through the radiator, an evaporator in which the refrigerant decompressed by the expander evaporates, and a supercharger (a second compressor) that raises the pressure of the refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator and supplies the refrigerant to the first compressor (for example, refer to Patent Literature 2). | {
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Light-emissive devices are well known and used for a wide variety of purposes, including area illumination and the representation of information in displays. Traditionally, these light-emissive devices rely on evacuated glass enclosures within which are special gases, phosphors, or filaments that emit light upon the application of a current or when stimulated with an electron. More recently, solid-state light-emissive devices have created robust, long-lived, and practical displays using, for example, light-emitting diodes, liquid crystal, and plasma technologies.
Light emissive devices are useful in a variety of forms. Traditional forms include bulbs rounded in one or two dimensions, for example incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs. Neon lighting is often linear and is used to create lines of light through three dimensions. Large-format information displays such as cinemas rely upon curved screens to maintain an immersive experience for viewers and to more readily simulate a real-world environment. Hence, conventional light-emissive and display devices are found with a variety of shapes, including flat, curved in one or two dimensions, and linear.
Conventional high-output light-emitting solid-state diodes utilize light emitting diodes, typically point sources mounted into a substrate. Because individual devices are individually mounted, these devices can be mounted onto a variety of substrates with a variety of shapes. However, because these devices utilize a collection of point light sources, they require additional optical devices such as mirrors and lenses for suitable area illumination. When applied to information display, individually mounted light emitting diodes are expensive and only suitable for low-resolution displays.
Flat-panel solid-state information display devices such as liquid crystal, OLED, and plasma display devices provide good resolution. Such devices are typically built upon flat substrates, typically glass or silicon, and encapsulated with glass cover layers to provide desired environmental protection. Such structures are typically very rigid and difficult to employ in a curved configuration. The use of flexible substrates and covers for displays, typically plastic, is also known and there is increased interest in flexible, light-emitting, solid-state displays and area illuminators. Such devices typically rely upon constructing a flexible, flat light-emissive device on a flexible substrate and with a flexible cover, and then bending the device to meet the needs of an application. Typically, problems such as cracking and moisture permeation are encountered in such flexible devices.
Referring to FIG. 2, a prior-art OLED device includes an organic light-emitting layer 14 disposed between two electrodes 12 and 16, e.g. a cathode and an anode. The organic electro-luminescent layer 14 emits light upon application of a voltage from a power source 18 across the electrodes. The OLED element typically includes a substrate 10 comprising a material such as glass or plastic and is encapsulated with a cover 20. It will be understood that the relative locations of the anode and cathode may be reversed with respect to the substrate. The organic light-emitting layer 14 may include other layers such as electron or hole injection layers as is known in the art. Typically, one of the two electrodes 12 or 16 and either the cover 20 or substrate 10 is transparent to allow emitted light to escape from the OLED device. The other electrode is usually reflective.
In general, glass is employed as the substrate for solid-state displays and many illuminators. The specific properties of glass make it a suitable substrate for carrying electro-conductive layers in electric or semiconductor devices such as flat-panel displays, electro-luminescent panels, cathode ray tubes (CRTs), photovoltaic cells, etc. In addition to a high thermal and dimensional stability, glass has many other beneficial properties compared to plastic materials, e.g. the ease of recycling, excellent hardness and scratch resistance, high transparency, good resistance to chemicals such as organic solvents or reactive agents, low permeability of moisture and gases, and a very high glass transition temperature, enabling the use of high-temperature processes for applying an electro-conductive layer. However, the main problems associated with the use of glass as a substrate in electric or semiconductor devices are its high specific weight, brittleness and limited flexibility. The latter problems require the coating of a functional layer on glass to be typically carried out in a batch process (sheet by sheet).
A common alternative to glass for flexible substrates is plastic. Plastic is typically very flexible, shock resistant, and light weight, but is also porous and many light-emitting materials, for example OLEDs are sensitive to environmental contamination that may permeate a plastic substrate. However, the application of layers on a plastic support is generally performed as a continuous process, e.g. by using a web coater or continuous printing techniques such as screen or offset printing, providing improved productivity and cost efficiency.
For some applications, plastic foils may be used as a substrate for carrying electroconductive layers in spite of the many disadvantages compared to glass. The high permeability of oxygen and water through plastic substrates degrades the electroconductive layers rapidly. Some progress has been made on producing plastic foils with barrier layers to limit permeability; however the lifetime of electric devices in which such plastic foils are used is still limited and needs to be improved. In addition, an inorganic conducting layer such as indium-tin oxide (ITO) is brittle and as a result, the electroconductivity of an ITO layer is susceptible to deterioration by simply bending a flexible plastic substrate. All these effects limit the lifetime of such flexible plastic substrate based devices considerably. Other problems associated with plastic substrates include inorganic electroconductive layers such as ITO may require an annealing step at an elevated temperature which is not compatible with most plastics.
A variety of solutions are proposed to overcome the problems and provide some of the advantages recited above. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,197,418 entitled “Electroconductive glass laminate” discloses a material that comprises a substrate and an organic electroconductive layer provided on said substrate, characterized in that the substrate is a laminate comprising a glass layer and a support. The glass layer is preferably a flexible glass layer having a thickness from 10 to 500 μm. The material can be used as an electrode in electric or semiconductor devices thereby providing an improved lifetime, e.g. displays, photovoltaic cells or light-emitting diodes. US20030062830 entitled “Reinforcement of glass substrates in flexible devices” describes a reinforcement technique used in the fabrication of displays, such as organic light emissive diode displays. A stiff reinforcement lid is mounted on a thin substrate to encapsulate the OLED cells. The lid serves to reinforce the thin flexible substrate and protect it from breakage. It comprises preferably of metal or other materials that have higher stiffness and ductility than the thin substrate. The fabricated display is compatible for integration into chip cards and other flexible applications.
US20020001046 A1 entitled “Apparatuses and methods for forming assemblies” describes various means to form flexible active-matrix displays along a length of flexible substrate. Another embodiment of the invention relates to forming multiple flexible displays along a continuous flexible substrate. Another embodiment of the invention relates to forming a flexible display along a flexible reflective substrate.
US20030184704 entitled “Display Device and Method of Manufacturing the Same” describes a display device comprising a first plastic substrate, a first adhesion layer formed in a first region of the first plastic substrate, the first region being a region where a pixel region is to be formed thereon, a second adhesion layer formed in a peripheral region outside of the first region of the first plastic substrate, a first thin glass layer formed on the first and second adhesion layers, a plurality of active elements formed on the first thin glass layer in one-to-one relation with a plurality of pixels, a display part formed on the first thin glass layer, the display part corresponding to the pixel region and being driven by the plurality of active elements, and an opposing substrate formed over the display part. Such laminated structures can provide a more environmentally tolerant substrate with a greater flexibility. Nonetheless, continuous flexing of such structures can lead to failure and may not provide the process compatibility necessary for OLED display processing.
In many applications, flexibility over time is not necessary so that a flexible display screen may be coupled to a substrate to provide a conformable display that is fixed in shape. Hence, the display screen is flexed only a limited number of times before being fixed in position. For example, WO2003020545 entitled “Conformable Vehicle Display” discloses a conformable vehicle display that includes a flexible display screen coupled to a substrate. The substrate is a curved transparent substrate that is adapted to be coupled to a vehicle component having a curved exterior surface. The flexible display screen is at least partially separate from the exterior surface of the vehicle component and has a luminescent display. The exterior surface of the vehicle component is visible through the flexible display screen and the substrate when the flexible display screen is not activated. The flexible display screen may be a transparent organic light emitting diode display device. However, such a design still requires that an entire display screen itself be flexible, and therefore suffers from the same environmental exposure and lifetime problems found in the OLED flexible display art.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,652,930 discloses a curved information display may be adapted as an exterior display conforming to curved surfaces of a camera casing. In such embodiment, organic electroluminescent material is applied in predetermined patterns to a flexible support, and the flexible support is applied to a rigid support, such as the camera casing or other structure conforming to the shape of the camera casing. The electroluminescent patterns are then coupled electrically to a camera control for selectively applying voltages to the patterns, causing the patterns to luminesce. The flexible display is described as comprising a transparent flexible substrate, and a first transparent conductor, an organic electroluminescent pattern layer, and a second transparent conductor, respectively, coated or otherwise deposited on the flexible substrate, along with a sealing layer 208 applied for mechanical and environmental protection. Such flexible display design still fails to teach encapsulation of a curved display in a manner that solves the environmental exposure and lifetime problems found in the OLED flexible display art.
In an alternative approach to making a curved display or illuminator, a curved, rigid substrate may be employed having the desired display shape, and the materials comprising the device are formed directly on the curved substrate. Such a manufacturing process is described in US2004/0135160. Most display manufacturing equipment, however, is designed for planar surfaces so that the deposition of materials on a curved surface is difficult and the manufacturing infrastructure for supporting such deposition is not available.
There is a need therefore for an improved process for making solid-state OLED light emissive devices having a curved display surface for area illumination or information presentation. | {
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In the past, patient records, such as physician diagnoses and notes, test results, prescription forms, etc. were maintained in a physical file at the location where the patient was seen by the primary care physician. If the patient needed to see a specialist or visited an emergency room or walk-in clinic, the only way for the attending health care provider to obtain the patient's information would be to have the patient bring copies of the file or have the primary care physician's office forward the files to the attending health care provider by, for example, mail or facsimile, which of course is not necessarily an option in the emergency room. In such situations, the attending health care provider must rely on information provided by the patient or the patient's family or friends, which is subject to lapses of memory and misunderstandings of the patient's health history.
Recent advances in technology have spawned trends toward storing all types of documentation in an electronic format on databases that are accessible via local networks and the internet. However, when the issue of storing and transferring patient records in this manner is addressed several concerns have been raised by patients and the medical community. One concern is the mechanics involved in transferring physical paper records into an electronic data store. Manually entering the information is extremely tedious and time-consuming. Furthermore, many physicians are not necessarily willing to change the way that they keep their notes, which is still being done by “paper and pencil” for the most part, by entering their notes directly into the electronic data store. | {
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Compression ignition engines cause combustion of a hydrocarbon by injecting the hydrocarbon into compressed air and can be fuelled by diesel fuel, biodiesel fuel, blends of diesel and biodiesel fuels and compressed natural gas. The purpose of the present invention is different from the invention claimed in UK patent application no. 1003244.9 filed on 26 Feb. 2010 entitled “Filter”. The purpose of the invention in that patent application is a filter for particulate matter in exhaust gas of a positive ignition engine.
Ambient PM is divided by most authors into the following categories based on their aerodynamic diameter (the aerodynamic diameter is defined as the diameter of a 1 g/cm3 density sphere of the same settling velocity in air as the measured particle):
(i) PM-10—particles of an aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 μm;
(ii) Fine particles of diameters below 2.5 μm (PM-2.5);
(iii) Ultrafine particles of diameters below 0.1 μm (or 100 nm); and
(iv) Nanoparticles, characterised by diameters of less than 50 nm.
Since the mid-1990's, particle size distributions of particulates exhausted from internal combustion engines have received increasing attention due to possible adverse health effects of fine and ultrafine particles. Concentrations of PM-10 particulates in ambient air are regulated by law in the USA. A new, additional ambient air quality standard for PM-2.5 was introduced in the USA in 1997 as a result of health studies that indicated a strong correlation between human mortality and the concentration of fine particles below 2.5 μm.
Interest has now shifted towards nanoparticles generated by diesel and gasoline engines because they are understood to penetrate more deeply into human lungs than particulates of greater size and consequently they are believed to be more harmful than larger particles, extrapolated from the findings of studies into particulates in the 2.5-10.0 μm range.
Size distributions of diesel particulates have a well-established bimodal character that corresponds to the particle nucleation and agglomeration mechanisms, with the corresponding particle types referred to as the nuclei mode and the accumulation mode respectively (see FIG. 1). As can be seen from FIG. 1, in the nuclei mode, diesel PM is composed of numerous small particles holding very little mass. Nearly all diesel particulates have sizes of significantly less than 1 μm, i.e. they comprise a mixture of fine, i.e. falling under the 1997 US law, ultrafine and nanoparticles.
Nuclei mode particles are believed to be composed mostly of volatile condensates hydrocarbons, sulfuric acid, nitric acid etc) and contain little solid material, such as ash and carbon. Accumulation mode particles are understood to comprise solids (carbon, metallic ash etc.) intermixed with condensates and adsorbed material (heavy hydrocarbons, sulfur species, nitrogen oxide derivatives etc.). Coarse mode particles are not believed to be generated in the diesel combustion process and may be formed through mechanisms such as deposition and subsequent re-entrainment of particulate material from the walls of an engine cylinder, exhaust system, or the particulate sampling system. The relationship between these modes is shown in FIG. 1.
The composition of nucleating particles may change with engine operating conditions, environmental condition (particularly temperature and humidity), dilution and sampling system conditions. Laboratory work and theory have shown that most of the nuclei mode formation and growth occur in the low dilution ratio range. In this range, gas to particle conversion of volatile particle precursors, like heavy hydrocarbons and sulfuric acid, leads to simultaneous nucleation and growth of the nuclei mode and adsorption onto existing particles in the accumulation mode. Laboratory tests (see e.g. SAE 980525 and SAE 2001-01-0201) have shown that nuclei mode formation increases strongly with decreasing air dilution temperature but there is conflicting evidence on whether humidity has an influence.
Generally, low temperature, low dilution ratios, high humidity and long residence times favour nanoparticles formation and growth. Studies have shown that nanoparticles consist mainly of volatile material like heavy hydrocarbons and sulfuric acid with evidence of solid fraction only at very high loads.
Particulate collection of diesel particulates in a diesel particulate filter is based on the principle of separating gas-borne particulates from the gas phase using a porous barrier. Diesel filters can be defined as deep-bed filters and/or surface-type filters. In deep-bed filters, the mean pore size of filter media is bigger than the mean diameter of collected particles. The particles are deposited on the media through a combination of depth filtration mechanisms, including diffusional deposition (Brownian motion), inertial deposition (impaction) and flow-line interception (Brownian motion or inertia).
In surface-type filters, the pore diameter of the filter media is less than the diameter of the PM, so PM is separated by sieving. Separation is done by a build-up of collected diesel PM itself, which build-up is commonly referred to as “filtration cake” and the process as “cake filtration”.
It is understood that diesel particulate filters, such as ceramic wallflow monoliths, may work through a combination of depth and surface filtration: a filtration cake develops at higher soot loads when the depth filtration capacity is saturated and a particulate layer starts covering the filtration surface. Depth filtration is characterized by somewhat lower filtration efficiency and lower pressure drop than the cake filtration.
Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx by nitrogenous compounds, such as ammonia or urea, was first developed for treating industrial stationary applications. SCR technology was first used in thermal power plants in Japan in the late 1970s, and has seen widespread application in Europe since the mid-1980s. In the USA, SCR systems were introduced for gas turbines in the 1990s and have been used more recently in coal-fired powerplants. In addition to coal-fired cogeneration plants and gas turbines, SCR applications include plant and refinery heaters and boilers in the chemical processing industry, furnaces, coke ovens, municipal waste plants and incinerators. More recently, NOx reduction systems based on SCR technology are being developed for a number of vehicular (mobile) applications in Europe, Japan, and the USA, e.g. for treating diesel exhaust gas.
Several chemical reactions occur in an NH3 SCR system, all of which represent desirable reactions that reduce NOx to nitrogen. The dominant reaction is represented by reaction (1).4NO+4NH3+O2→4N2+6H2O (1)
Competing, non-selective reactions with oxygen can produce secondary emissions or may unproductively consume ammonia. One such non-selective reaction is the complete oxidation of ammonia, shown in reaction (2).4NH3+5O2→4NO+6H2O (2)Also, side reactions may lead to undesirable products such as N2O, as represented by reaction (3)4NH3+5NO+3O2→4N2O+6H2O (3)
Various catalysts for promoting NH3—SCR are known including V2O5/WO3/TiO2 and transition metal/zeolites such as Fe/Beta (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,917) and transition metal/small pore zeolites (see WO 2008/132452).
EP 1663458 discloses an SCR filter, wherein the filter is a wallflow monolith and wherein an SCR catalyst composition permeates walls of the wallflow monolith. The specification discloses generally that the walls of the wallflow filter can contain thereon or therein (i.e. not both) one or more catalytic materials. According to the disclosure, “permeate”, when used to describe the dispersion of a catalyst slurry on the wallflow monolith substrate, means the catalyst composition is dispersed throughout the wall of the substrate.
WO 2008/136232 A1 discloses a honeycomb filter having a cell wall composed of a porous cell wall base material and, provided on its inflow side only or on its inflow and outflow sides, a surface layer and satisfying the following requirements (1) to (5) is used as DPF: (1) the peak pore diameter of the surface layer is identical with or smaller than the average pore diameter of the cell wall base material, and the porosity of the surface layer is larger than that of the cell wall base material; (2) with respect to the surface layer, the peak pore diameter is from 0.3 to less than 20 μm, and the porosity is from 60 to less than 95% (measured by mercury penetration method); (3) the thickness (L1) of the surface layer is from 0.5 to less than 30% of the thickness (L2) of the cell wall; (4) the mass of the surface layer per filtration area is from 0.01 to less than 6 mg/cm2; and (5) with respect to the cell wall base material, the average pore diameter is from 10 to less than 60 11 m, and the porosity is from 40 to less than 65%. See also SAE paper 2009-01-0292.
NOx absorber catalysts (NACs) are known e.g. from U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,887 and are designed to adsorb nitrogen oxides (NOx) from lean exhaust gas (lambda>1) and to desorb the NOx when the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas is decreased. Desorbed NOx may be reduced to N2 with a suitable reductant, e.g. gasoline fuel, promoted by a catalyst component, such as rhodium, of the NAC itself or located downstream of the NAC. In practice, control of oxygen concentration can be adjusted to a desired redox composition intermittently in response to a calculated remaining NOx adsorption capacity of the NAC, e.g. richer than normal engine running operation (but still lean of stoichiometric or lambda=1 composition), stoichiometric or rich of stoichiometric (lambda<1). The oxygen concentration can be adjusted by a number of means, e.g. throttling, injection of additional hydrocarbon fuel into an engine cylinder such as during the exhaust stroke or injecting hydrocarbon fuel directly into exhaust gas downstream of an engine manifold.
A typical NAC formulation includes a catalytic oxidation component, such as platinum, a significant quantity, i.e. substantially more than is required for use as a promoter such as a promoter in a TWC, of a NOx-storage component, such as barium, and a reduction catalyst, e.g. rhodium. One mechanism commonly given for NOx-storage from a lean exhaust gas for this formulation is:NO+½O2→NO2 (4); andBaO+NO2+½O2→Ba(NO3)2 (5),wherein in reaction (4), the nitric oxide reacts with oxygen on active oxidation sites on the platinum to form NO2. Reaction (5) involves adsorption of the NO2 by the storage material in the form of an inorganic nitrate.
At lower oxygen concentrations and/or at elevated temperatures, the nitrate species become thermodynamically unstable and decompose, producing NO or NO2 according to reaction (6) below. In the presence of a suitable reductant, these nitrogen oxides are subsequently reduced by carbon monoxide, hydrogen and hydrocarbons to N2, which can take place over the reduction catalyst (see reaction (5)).Ba(NO3)2→BaO+2NO+3/2O2 or Ba(NO3)2→BaO+2NO2+½O2 (6); andNO+CO→½N2+CO2 (7);(Other reactions include Ba(NO3)2+8H2→.BaO+2NH3+5H2O followed by NH3+NOx→N2+yH2O or 2NH3+2O2+CO→N2+3H2O+CO2 etc.).
In the reactions of (4)-(7) above, the reactive barium species is given as the oxide. However, it is understood that in the presence of air most of the barium is in the form of the carbonate or possibly the hydroxide. The skilled person can adapt the above reaction schemes accordingly for species of barium other than the oxide and sequence of catalytic coatings in the exhaust stream.
In Europe, since the year 2000 (Euro 3 emission standard) emissions are tested over the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). This consists of four repeats of the previous ECE 15 driving cycle plus one Extra Urban Driving Cycle (EUDC) with no 40 second warm-up period before beginning emission sampling. This modified cold start test is also referred to as the “MVEG-B” drive cycle. All emissions are expressed in g/km.
The Euro 5/6 implementing legislation introduces a new PM mass emission measurement method developed by the UN/ECE Particulate Measurement Programme (PMP) which adjusts the PM mass emission limits to account for differences in results using old and the new methods. The Euro 5/6 legislation also introduces a particle number emission limit (PMP method), in addition to the mass-based limits.
Emission legislation in Europe from 1 Sep. 2014 (Euro 6) requires control of the number of particles emitted from both diesel and gasoline passenger cars. For diesel EU light duty vehicles the allowable limits are: 500 mg/km carbon monoxide; 80 mg/km nitrogen oxides (NOx); 170 mg/km total hydrocarbons+NOx; 4.5 g/km particulate matter (PM); and particulate number standard of 6.0×1011 per km. The present specification is based on the assumption that this number will be adopted in due course.
A difficulty in coating a filter with a catalyst composition is to balance a desired catalytic activity, which generally increases with washcoat loading, with the backpressure that is caused by the filter in use (increased washcoat loading generally increases backpressure) and filtration efficiency (backpressure can be reduced by adopting wider mean pore size and higher porosity substrates at the expense of filtration efficiency). | {
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This invention is directed to a UV radiation system having a material for increasing the ratio of desirable radiation to undesirable radiation to a target provided by a radiation source.
In the field of UV sterilization or disinfection, the typical target media is a durable (non-absorbing, non-degenerating) material such as metal, ceramic or chemically simple solutions like water or saline, and the energies involved are typically low, that is, less than 0.1 J/cm2 per pulse total radiation or 20 Watts/cm2 for a continuous radiation source.
The use of a high energy broad spectrum radiation source to inactivate microorganisms has been disclosed in the prior art. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,768,853; 5,786,598; 5,034,235; 4,871,559; and 5,900,211; and WO96/09775 have disclosed the use of a broad spectrum radiation source to inactivate microorganisms on food, water and medical devices. For the applications of the broad spectrum radiation source, damage to the exposed articles, such as the food, water, and medical devices by the radiation has not been considered. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,768,853 and 5,900,211 suggest that the cooling fluid around the flash lamps can be replaced with a liquid for cooling and/or spectral filtering by the use of selected liquid solutions with desired spectral transmittance/absorbance characteristics. No materials other than water are suggested for the spectral filtering liquid, nor is there any discussion of which ranges to filter and/or for what purpose. U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,853 discloses that the outer safety glass of one of the described embodiments does filter out wavelengths shorter than 200 nanometers (nm) to prevent the formation of ozone outside the outer safety glass, although the composition of the glass is not disclosed.
WO 97/33629 discloses a method of sterilization and purification of biological sera and other contaminated fluids through the deactivation of pathogens by exposing them to a precise spectra of UV radiation. The precisely controlled spectra of radiation is specific to the molecular make-up of the pathogens to kill them, but leaves the surrounding cells, proteins, and other components intact. The biological sera are irradiated with UV radiation from about 200 nm to about 250 nm. The specific wavelengths that provide optimal kill of each virus, bacteria or other microorganism is determined within a narrow range of from 3.0 to about 10.0 nm, preferably 3 to 5 nm. A transmitter/regulator, grating or other optical filter can be used to control the wavelength size and variation, but there are no specific examples described. The exposure cell window where the sera is placed is made of quartz, sapphire or UV grad fused quartz silica and can be coated with a transmission material such as polytetrafluorocarbon which allows the UV radiation wavelength to pass through unadulterated. Teflon may also be used as a UV transparent disposable lining.
EPO 0277505 B1 discloses a UV radiation lamp, which is used for sterilizing bottles. The lamp has a reflector, referred to in the patent as a mirror which has a dielectric coating. The dielectric coating (dichroic or interference filter) is used to achieve selective reflection of UV radiation. The reflector can be coated with several tens of dielectric layers each having a thickness of a quarter of the wavelength of the radiation. Suitable materials for the dielectric coating include AL2O3/NaF, Sc2O3/MgF2, ThF4/Na2AlF6, HfO2/SiO2, and PbF2/Na3AlF6. Dielectric coatings are suitable for low energy absorption of UV radiation, but will not survive the demands of a high energy system, and will have short effective lifetimes in a high energy system. Further, dielectric filters are extremely angle sensitive, so they will not be effective for a shaped reflector, which changes the angle of incidence at the filter.
Lamp manufacturers often add dopants to the lamp envelope in a lamp to extend the life of the lamp. Depending on the lamp and what it is to be used for, some dopants are selected to cut off UV radiation entirely, e.g. cerium oxide in the lamp envelope of flash lamps used in laser applications. Other dopants are selected to cut off that portion of the UV radiation less than 180 nm which creates ozone. Lamps having these dopants are called xe2x80x9cozone-free bulbs.xe2x80x9d Other dopants are added to the lamp envelope to strengthen the lamp envelope against thermal shock.
For the application of high energy UV radiation to a polymeric medical device, the inventors have determined that damage to the medical device due to the radiation exposure must be considered, because it may render the exposed medical device useless for its intended purpose. There is a need for materials and ways to incorporate the materials into the lamp system to attenuate the undesirable portion of the UV radiation which is damaging to the polymeric medical device without reducing or significantly reducing the desired portion of the UV radiation, e.g. germicidal effective radiation.
This invention provides a high energy radiation system which produces UV radiation comprising a selectively attenuating material which increases the ratio of desired to undesired radiation to reduce the radiation damage to a target by selectively attenuating at least 30 percent of the radiation from 180 up to 240 nm which impinges upon said attenuating material, and directs greater than 50 percent of the radiation from 240 nm and 280 nm which impinges upon said attenuating material.
The radiation system comprising attenuating materials which selectively attenuate the radiation make it possible to expose to high energy UV radiation targets which are sensitive to UV radiation from 180 nm up to 240 nm. These high energy UV radiation systems produce radiation, which is undesired and desired. Without attenuation, the undesired UV radiation damages the materials of or changes the characteristics of a target at the same time the desired UV radiation is delivered. The target can be any material which comprises UV-sensitive composition(s). Damage to the target includes color changes of organic or inorganic dyes, chain scissions or alteration of the mechanical properties of polymers or other organic materials, or causing oxidation of organic materials. By selectively attenuating the undesired radiation, it is possible to use a high energy UV radiation system on products including organic products and inorganic products which would otherwise be damaged by the radiation, or to treat a broader class of materials, some of which have a low threshold for damage when subjected to the undesired radiation. This invention also simplifies the process control for the radiation systems used to expose UV-sensitive targets, because the amount of undesired radiation delivered after attenuation can be tailored to be below or much below the threshold for damage to the target, which will give more leeway in the amount of radiation which can be delivered. In the preferred embodiments, this invention is used to treat polymeric contact lenses in solution in polymeric packaging. The UV radiation damages the contact lens polymers, container polymers and solution additives. The invention will be described in reference to polymeric target materials; however, it is understood that additional UV-sensitive target materials could be treated by the method of this invention. One important application for this invention is in a lamp system for lasers wherein the target material is the laser medium, e.g. laser dyes, or other organic medium, which is sensitive to UV radiation. | {
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Computer and communication technologies continue to advance at a rapid pace. Indeed, computer and communication technologies are involved in many aspects of a person's day. For example, many devices being used today by consumers have a small computer incorporated within the device. These small computers come in varying sizes and degrees of sophistication. These small computers may vary in sophistication from one microcontroller to a fully-functional complete computer system. For example, small computers may be a one-chip computer, such as a microcontroller, a one-board type of computer, such as a controller, a typical desktop computer, such as an IBM-PC compatible, etc.
Computers typically have one or more processors. The processor(s) usually are interconnected to different external inputs and outputs and function to manage the particular computer or device. For example, a processor in a thermostat may be connected to buttons used to select the temperature setting, to the furnace or air conditioner to change the temperature, and to temperature sensors to read and display the current temperature on a display.
Many appliances, devices, etc., include one or more small computers. For example, thermostats, furnaces, air conditioning systems, refrigerators, telephones, typewriters, automobiles, vending machines, and many different types of industrial equipment now typically have small computers, or processors, inside of them. Computer software runs the processors of these computers and tells the processors what to do to carry out certain tasks. For example, the computer software running on a thermostat may cause an air conditioner to stop running when a particular temperature is reached or may cause a heater to turn on when needed.
These types of small computers that are a part of a device, appliance, tool, etc., are often referred to as embedded systems. The term “embedded system” usually refers to computer hardware and software that is part of a larger system. Embedded systems may not have typical input and output devices such as a keyboard, mouse, and/or monitor. Usually, at the heart of each embedded system is one or more processor(s).
With the increased use of electronic devices and embedded systems, and with the increased demands for the exchange of information, more devices are now able to detect surrounding devices and establish electronic communications with these devices. The Bluetooth specification defines one standard whereby devices can communicate with each other through short-range radio signals. Many kinds of devices may benefit from being able to connect to other devices without needing user intervention. For example, printers, personal digital assistants, digital cameras, telephones, laptop computers, video monitors, electronic calendars, desktops, fax machines, keyboards, joysticks, etc., may all become part of a short-range radio system to connect to other devices. By enabling this type of communication, a bridge is provided to existing data networks to form small private ad hoc groupings of connected devices away from fixed network infrastructures. Thus, device networks may be formed on-the-fly as devices discover each other. However, as more devices attempt to communicate with one another, inefficiencies may arise that may slow down or otherwise hinder the overall communication of one or more electronic devices. Thus, benefits may be realized if communications by electronic devices were enhanced with additional systems and methods for providing more effective communication techniques. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Pegboard attachments for supporting a garment or other lightweight item from a peg to be mounted on a pegboard are well known. In general, the attachments are of molded resin and are produced in a form in which they are joined together and which requires that the attachments be separated from each other prior to joining each of the attachments to a corresponding item.
In general, attachments of the prior art have each comprised a looped portion which fits over the peg, and a crossbar for supporting the garment or other item, the crossbar being joined to the loop by an arm extending radially from the loop. The loop itself is in the form of a question mark, having a slot therethrough which is wide enough so that the loop can be hung over a peg from the side of the peg rather than from the end of the peg. While this is an undoubted convenience, particularly where a plurality of loops is to be hung over a peg, nevertheless the construction gives rise to difficulties. The first of these difficulties is that the end of the loop of one attachment may enter another loop and become entangled therewith. This makes it necessary to disentangle and keep separate attachments being prepared for use. The second difficulty is that where the attachments joined to garments are to be supported from a peg during shipment, the attachments can slip sideways from the peg and be separated therefrom. The present invention is intended to overcome these difficulties. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to data access and in particular to maintaining integrity of cached copies of data.
2. Related Art
The use of proxy servers to cache frequently accessed data sets is well known. Proxy servers may be provided to service a “local” community of users, storing (caching) local copies of frequently requested data sets that would otherwise need to be retrieved from their respective originating data sources every time a user requested access to them. Once a proxy server has stored a local copy of a particular data set, a subsequent request for access by a user to that data set is intercepted by the proxy server and access provided rapidly to the locally cached copy rather than to the originating source specified in the request.
A proxy server may include features to monitor user access requests and to select data sets for caching according to a predetermined selection algorithm. For example, a data set may be selected for caching if access to it was requested from three or more different users over a predetermined time period. A cached data set may be deleted from the cache if the time period between consecutive access requests exceeds a predetermined threshold.
A proxy server must ensure that any cached data sets remain up-to-date with respect to changes to the “original” data set held at the originating data source. To achieve this, known proxy servers use one or more of the following techniques: (1) Periodic checking— once a data set has been cached, the proxy server submits periodic requests for access to the original source of the data set to determine whether amendments have been made. However, if the proxy server is to keep up to date with many cached data sets, a great deal of proxy server processing time and communications bandwidth is consumed if the period between requests is to be kept sufficiently short in order to avoid serving out-of-date data sets to users. (2) Patterns associated with data being updated— the proxy server looks for patterns in the update of a data set and attempt to predict when it will next be amended. For example, if a data set has consistently been updated each morning at 6 am (e.g. a newspaper), then the proxy server may download a new copy of the data set from the corresponding source at say 6.01 every morning. However, it is not possible to be 100% accurate in predicting when a data set will be updated. (3) Specified expiry time— a data set provider tags the data set with a ‘will be valid until . . . ’ message. The proxy server will not seek to refresh the cached copy until after that time. However, timely refresh of the cached copy depends upon the clocks between the proxy and data source being reasonably well aligned and upon the data set not expiring early. In practice short expiry periods are used, e.g. 1 hour. (4) Update queries triggered by user access requests—every time a proxy server receives a request for access to a cached data set, the proxy server sends a message to the corresponding source of that data set asking “Has this data set been updated since xxxx”, where xxxx is a time or date. If it has, then a copy of the new data set is downloaded to the cache. While this is one of the most common modes of operation of proxy servers, it may add considerable time delay to the servicing of a request for access, and consumption of communications bandwidth in submitting an update query every time. This dramatically decreases the Quality of Service available to broadband users who expect far more rapid access to requested data sets. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a connection member for coolant passages, the connection member connecting a first coolant passage that communicates with a first opening and a second coolant passage that communicates with a second opening, and a cooler system which includes the connection member.
2. Description of Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-102017 discloses an inverter to be installed in a vehicle. The inverter includes a first casing, a coolant passage (e.g. second coolant passage), an opening (e.g. second opening) that communicates with the coolant passage, and a second casing fixed to a bottom face of the first casing. The first casing houses a stacked cooling unit integrated with a plurality of power cards each housing a switching element (e.g. semiconductor element). A first connection tube (e.g. bush) is inserted through a through-hole formed in the first casing of the inverter, and the first connection tube is connected to a rigid tube (e.g. first coolant passage) extending from the stacked cooling unit, via a shaft seal member. Also, a face seal member is disposed between a flange of the first connection tube and the first casing. The flange of the first connection tube is fixed to the first casing via a bolt. Also, in the first casing, an opening (e.g. first opening) is defined by an end portion, on the side opposite to the rigid tube, of the through-hole (e.g. coolant flow hole) of the first connection tube. Furthermore, an end of a U-shaped second connection tube fixed to the second casing via a bolt is connected to the opening (e.g. first opening) of the first casing, the opening being defined by the bush, via a shaft seal member, and another end of the second connection tube is connected to the opening (e.g. second opening) of the second casing via a face seal member. A cooling medium is supplied from a coolant pump disposed outside the first casing to a coolant inlet of the stacked cooling unit. The cooling medium flowing through the stacked cooling unit takes heat from the power cards and a temperature of the cooling medium thereby increases, and the cooling medium flows into the coolant passage in the second casing via the rigid tube, and the first connection tube and the second connection tube. The cooling medium flowing through the coolant passage in the second casing takes heat from the first casing and the temperature of the cooling medium thereby increases, and the cooling medium flows into a radiator disposed outside the second casing. | {
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1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to powder coating apparatus, more particularly to tribo-electrogas-dynamic (TEGD) powder charging apparatus. The apparatus comprises a powder gun that is especially useful for coating objects having deep recesses, for example, inside surfaces of two piece aluminum beverage cans.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Presently known powder coating apparatus generally employs an externally applied electric field to charge the powders. A first type of electrostatic charging gun uses direct current high-voltage low amperage electrical power to charge the powder particles as they leave the gun barrel. The voltage used ranges up to and in some cases exceeds 100,000 volts, creating a hazard that can cause fires from arcing and electrical shock to personnel. These types of high voltage power systems are expensive, require safety protection and are subject to failure and resultant system unreliability. Because of the position of the high voltage electrodes, an electrical field is produced between the electrodes and ground, which may be the workpiece, and if not specially protected the gun may be brought too close to the grounded workpiece or other grounded item and cause an arc. It is known that such a field, which is used to transport and guide the powder to the workpiece, greatly limits the ability of the powder to reach into any recesses in the workpiece because of the "Faraday Cage" effect.
A second type of gun in the prior art uses a set of electrodes within the body of the gun. The electrodes are arranged to have the powder pass between then with one electrode at ground and the other at high voltage of about 7,000 to 15,000 volts. This system has a smaller but finite electric field between the end of the gun barrel and the workpiece as compared to the first type of gun. Hence, the second type of gun has fewer Faraday Cage and arcing problems. This type of charging is commonly known as the electro-gas-dynanic (EGD) charging system.
Electrostatic charging by means of friction, or tribo charging, is thought to occur in several ways. One method is to cause the material to be charged to impinge on another surface by rolling, sliding, or bouncing. Another method may be to entrain the material to be charged in a charged fluid that shares the charge with the material. Another method may be to cause differential accelerations among particles of the material to be charged, causing friction between the particles.
A major problem occurs in the prior art when tribo charging of powder is attempted. Almost any powder will tribo charge if it is given sufficient rubbing contact; however, handling typical powders to get sufficient rubbing contact has undesirable consequences. If the powder is a thermoset curing resin, the material is always curing and the rate of cure is temperature dependent. Excessive rubbing can cause the powder to melt and adhere to the walls of tubes and passages, eventually clogging or fouling these passages. If the powder is propelled at a very high velocity in these passages and if the powder particles impact on objects and surfaces in these passages, the kinetic energy is converted to heat causing the powder particles to adhere and cure. This phenomenon is called "impact fusion" and can soon clog passages.
The only known tribo charging gun in the prior art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,903,321 to Schaad and discloses a structure lacking the obstruction free configuration of the present invention. In addition, the Schaad device is limited to teflon as a construction material and charges only a few types of powders. In contrast, the present invention may be constructed of a wide variety of materials and produces a significantly higher charge with a broad range of powders. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Advancements in media delivery systems and media-related technologies continue to increase at a rapid pace. Increasing demand for media has influenced the advances made to media-related technologies. Computer systems have increasingly become an integral part of the media-related technologies. Computer systems may be used to carry out several media-related functions. The wide-spread access to media has been accelerated by the increased use of computer networks, including the Internet and cloud networking.
Many homes and businesses use one or more computer networks to generate, deliver, and receive data and information between the various computers connected to computer networks. Users of computer technologies continue to demand increased access to information and an increase in the efficiency of these technologies. Improving the efficiency of computer technologies is desirable to those who use and rely on computers.
With the wide-spread use of computers and mobile devices has come an increased presence of home automation and home security products. Advancements in mobile devices allow users to monitor a home or business. As a result, benefits may be realized by providing systems and methods for remote presence security in relation to home automation systems. | {
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Traditional electronic water meters using optical encoder technology for digital counting and measurement have been widely used in the water distribution industry, but the technology has inherent flaws, such as difficult assembly, high failure rate, and poor immunity to interference. With the development of magnetic sensor technology, water meters using magnetic sensing technology for the counting mechanism are gradually beginning to replace optical encoder technology. This is because magnetic sensor technology enables high resolution, good stability, and good interference immunity. For these purposes magnetic angle sensing technology is the best. The operating principle of magneto resistive sensors such as a magnetic angle sensor is that they measure the rotation angle of the magnetic field vector produced by a magnet installed on a numbered wheel, and through a corresponding digital processing unit output a digital value.
Magnetic angle sensor technology has high accuracy and good interference immunity, but because it relies on the intensity of the magnetic field, and it tests the total magnetic field strength, the highest precision results may not be obtained, because sensor and permanent magnet relative placement within the water meter greatly influences accuracy, and additionally a strong field if present will influence the measurement, so measurement accuracy may be greatly reduced if not well implemented. Adopting magnetic angle sensor technology in electronic water meters will require the use of a multiplicity of permanent magnets and sensors, the interference of which will affect electronic water meter accuracy. Additionally, the external magnetic field can affect accuracy. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a curable fluorocopolymer. More particularly, it relates to a curable fluorocopolymer which comprises specific contents of units of a fluoroolefin, a cyclohexyl vinyl ether, an alkyl vinyl ether, and a hydroxyalkyl vinyl ether.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has been found that a copolymer of a fluoroolefin and cyclohexyl vinyl ether has properties useful as a resin for paint and moreover, has a special crosslinkability to easily crosslink by heating or irradiating UV light with short wave length in the presence of oxygen, and the crosslinkability is improved by an addition of a specific amount of an oil soluble manganese salt as shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 25414/1980.
It has been further studied to improve a curing property of a copolymer of a fluoroolefin, cyclohexyl vinyl ether and an alkyl vinyl ether having an improved flexibility especially as a resin for paint. As a result, it has been found that when the crosslinkability of such copolymer is utilized, a high temperature or a long term cure is required to bring the hardness of the finish to a practicable sufficient level. A mild curing condition causes unsatisfactory resistance of the finish against stain or adhesiveness to a substrate. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to an electron spectrometer and a measurement method.
An electron spectrometer such as an X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS) and an Auger electron microscope (AES) is known as a device that is used to analyze the surface of a solid.
For example, JP-A-2011-247870 discloses a detector that includes a micro-channel plate (MCP), a fluorescent screen, and a CCD camera as a detector that is provided to such an electron spectrometer. The micro-channel plate two-dimensionally detects the incident electrons, multiplies the electrons on a channel basis, and outputs the multiplied electrons to the fluorescent screen. The fluorescent screen receives the electrons that have been multiplied by the micro-channel plate on a channel basis, and output from the micro-channel plate, and produces visible light having a brightness corresponding to the number of electrons that have reached it per unit time. The CCD camera photographs a visible light image formed by the fluorescent screen.
The image of the fluorescent screen photographed by the CCD camera changes depending on the magnification of the camera lens, the positional relationship between the camera and the fluorescent screen, and the like. It is normally possible to absorb such a change by setting the size of the rectangular camera image (e.g., Video Graphics Array (VGA) and Extended Graphics Array (XGA)) to be larger than the fluorescent screen. However, it is difficult to accurately calculate the geometric position of the fluorescent screen within the camera image. Moreover, since the edge of the fluorescent screen does not necessarily accurately coincide with the diameter of the micro-channel plate, it is difficult to accurately determine the effective range of the fluorescent screen with the naked eye. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cellulose degradable yeast and a production method therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fermentation microorganisms that originally cannot metabolize principal components of soft-biomass, such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and the like have been modified using bioengineering methods as an attempt to attain ethanol fermentation directly from non-edible carbon sources. Cell surface-displaying techniques are suitably used as such bioengineering methods. For example, yeasts that display on the surface a group of enzymes (i.e., a plurality of enzymes) that hydrolyze cellulose have been produced by cell surface-displaying techniques (for example, WO 01/79483 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-86310).
Originally, organisms regulate the level of protein expression in various processes such as transcription, translation, and the like. However, it is very difficult to control the levels and balance of expression of a plurality of foreign proteins in the foreign gene expression system of a yeast with genetically modified.
In conventional researches, it has been common that the expression level of foreign-gene is regulated by selecting the type of promoter. However, such a regulation depends on various factors such as the gene to be expressed, the kind of host yeast strain, the culture conditions, and like, making precise control or extensive application difficult, and it has not been possible to determine the optimal expression level.
It is known that, for example, a filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei or the like, which is known to efficiently degrade cellulose, retains a very large variety of cellulase genes and precisely controls the balance of their expression depending on the environment. However, when those genes are heterologously expressed in different microorganisms such as yeast, it is very difficult to control the balance of their expression.
The δ integration system is known as a technique that can introduce multiple copies of a gene by homologous recombination with δ sequences present in large numbers on a yeast chromosome (for example, Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol., 1997, Vol. 48, pp. 339-345; Biotechnology Letters, 2002, Vol. 24, pp. 1785-1790; Biotechnol. Prog., 1996, Vol. 12, pp. 16-21; Biotechnol. Prog., 1997, Vol. 13, pp. 368-373). These documents relate to that the introduction of multiple copies of a single expression gene to be expressed using integration with yeast δ sequences can result in increase in the level or improved efficiency of its expression, or can make the expression stable. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a medical instrumentation electrode apparatus for use on the skin of a subject, the apparatus being used in connection with an external medical instrument such as, for example, an electrocardiograph machine. More particularly, the invention relates to a medical instrumentation electrode apparatus employing disposable contact members, as well as a medical instrumentation electrode kit including various component parts which may be assembled to form the apparatus in accordance with the invention.
2. Description of Relevant Art
In the field of medical electrocardiography, wherein electrical wiring is connected between the surface of a human body and an electrocardiograph (EKG) machine so as to measure and record electrical waveforms emitted by the human heart, various types of apparatus have heretofore been employed for connecting the wiring with the body surface. Common techniques employed for attaching the wires (Vector Leads) to the human body have included the use of flat metallic plates which are taped in position against the skin, or the use of an electrically-conductive suction cup. Both such techniques require the application of a coating of conductive jelly to the skin surface to ensure proper electrical contact.
Illustrative of known attempts to overcome the difficulties associated with attaching electrical wires to the skin surface of either a human or other mammal are: the "SUCTION ELECTRODE" disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,580,628 issued in 1952 to Welsh; the "MASSAGING EQUIPMENT" disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,619,278 issued in 1952 to Ackerman; the "SPRING-LOADED SUCTION CUP-TYPE BIOMEDICAL INSTRUMENTATION ELECTRODE" disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,534,733 issued in 1970 to Phipps; the "ELECTRIC CONTACTOR WITH VENTURI-SUCTION MEANS FOR ORGANIC TISSUE" disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,640,270 issued in 1972 to Hoffmann; the "SUCTION ELECTRODE" disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,783,865 issued in 1974 to Ricketts; the "ELECTRODE AND CONDUCTOR THEREFOR" disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,976,055 issued in 1976 to Monter et al; and the "THERAPEUTICAL/DIAGNOSTIC SUCTION ELECTRODE" disclosed in German Auslegeschrift No. 2,208,653 dated Apr. 5, 1973 in the name of Heyne.
The foregoing apparatus, as well as other known devices, have generally proven deficient with respect to the difficulty involved in employing the apparatus for use, the general complexity of structure, limitations with respect to the types of external apparatus to which the devices may be connected, and other various problems associated therewith.
The present invention provides a medical instrumentation electrode apparatus which effectively overcomes problems associated with prior known devices. The apparatus in accordance with the invention may be employed as a Vector Lead electrode which is adaptable to virtually any currently-employed conventional EKG machine, which eliminates the time-consuming and messy application of conductive gel, and which includes a disposable contact member together with a retaining and support member adapted for re-use. | {
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A conventional overhead-valve internal combustion engine for a motorcycle or an aircraft includes a crankcase and at least one cylinder, cylinder head and rocker arm box. The cylinder is typically secured to the crankcase by studs or bolts extending through a flange at the base of the cylinder and threaded into the crankcase, while the cylinder head may be separately bolted to the cylinder, or the studs or bolts may be threaded into the crankcase and extend through both cylinder and head.
As is well known, the engine's camshafts are conventionally located in the crankcase, and some form of cam follower imparts motion to pushrods and thence to rocker arms in a rocker arm box located above the head. The pushrods are generally situated outwardly of the cylinder and typically farther beyond the cylinder than the conventional securing studs or bolts, and may extend from a tappet or lifter block secured to the crankcase. When the pushrods are moved by operation of the cam in the crankcase, a force is applied to the rocker arm sufficient to overcome the inertia of the valve, rocker arm, valve collar and keeper as well as to compress the valve spring. The effect is that the force generated tries to lift the rocker arm and box away from the head. The cylinder and head bolts, particularly on the pushrod side of the cylinder head, must resist these forces as well as the combustion pressure within the cylinder. | {
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a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an antifriction bushing for the bearing of a telescopable steering spindle with an inner spindle and an outer spindle which are disposed coaxially and displaceably with respect to one another and, for torque transmission, have a cross section differing from circular. Between the outer spindle and the inner spindle an interspace is provided for receiving the antifriction bushing consisting of a thermoplastic synthetic material or comprising such, and the bushing has an inner surface and an outer surface. The invention furthermore relates to a telescopable steering spindle with an inner spindle and an outer spindle, which are coaxial with respect to one another and (for the torque transmission) have a cross section differing from circular. Between the outer spindle and the inner spindle an interspace is provided in which such an antifriction bushing is disposed.
b) Description of Related Prior Art
Antifriction bushings are employed for friction reduction and/or the clearance or play compensation for example between jacket tubes rotatable with respect to one another and telescopable or between an outer and an inner shaft of a telescopable steering spindle.
Telescopable steering spindles have two coaxial shaft parts having a nonround cross section and which are axially displaceable, and the spindles can transmit a torque. Essential in steering spindles is the freedom from play in the torque transmission, while also having as low a friction level as possible. Telescopable steering spindles are employed in motor vehicles between the steering gear and the generally adjustable steering column. They are intended to compensate for minor changes in the distance between the steering gear and the steering column, such as develop for example due to dynamic loading in a driving operation through distortion of the vehicle body or through movements of the steering gear in a rubber bearing and/or are made possible through a length adjustment of the steering spindle.
The generic prior art is demonstrated in EP 916564 B1. Here, a telescopable steering spindle with nonround profile of the cooperating shaft parts is described. Between the two shaft parts is provided a synthetic bushing with the task of improving the service life of the antifriction properties. In particular, the tendency toward a so-called stick-slip effect is to be decreased. During small movements, this effect causes a force peak in the axial direction due to the difference between static friction and kinetic friction, which peak leads to unacceptable noise development in motor vehicle steering mechanisms.
In telescopable steering spindles according to the prior art, this is not achieved to lasting satisfaction.
As an improvement, DE 102008049825 A1 proposes a selective roughening of the antifriction bushing.
EP 1840193 A2 discloses a sliding connection in which a lubricant with a kinematic viscosity in the range of 1500 to 13,000 mm2/s at 40° C. is employed. Further disclosed is that the contact faces can be coated with a synthetic resin layer.
EP 1840399 A1 also discloses a sliding connection in which a lubricant with a dynamic viscosity in the range of 10 to 210 mm2/s at 25° C. is employed, and the lubricant contains a pressure additive. Onto the contact faces is applied a surface layer, for example of a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).
The improvements proposed in these publications, however, are cost-intensive and complex and to some extent require additional work steps and do not always contribute to a long service life. | {
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1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to supporting devices, and particularly to a support employed by an electronic device such as a mobile phone.
2. Description of Related Art
Mobile phones are not only used for calls or sending and receiving messages these days, but are also used for listening to music, watching television programs and movies, and placing video calls, for example. However, mobile phones are configured for use as hand-held devices, and holding a mobile phone may not always be the most comfortable or convenient way to use its many available functions.
What is needed, therefore, is an electronic device which can overcome the described limitations. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Television picture signals contain random noise from a variety of sources. These sources include electronic noise generated within the transmitter, within the receiver and in the environment between the transmitter and the receiver. Many television signal receivers contain noise reduction circuits that may be adjusted to reduce the level of noise on the received signal without adversely affecting the processing of the received television signal. Often, this noise reduction circuit is manually adjusted to a level of noise reduction corresponding to an average level of expected noise. When the noise received at a television receiver is more than expected, or less than expected, the manually adjusted noise reduction system will not be optimally adjusted. An automatic noise measurement system may provide a means of controlling the noise reduction circuit in a television receiver so that low levels of noise reduction could be applied during the periods of low noise and high levels of noise reduction could be applied during periods of high noise.
Storey (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,249,209 and 4,249,210, issued Feb. 3, 1981) provides for a video noise reduction system that utilizes successive scans of the television signal to produce a difference signal. This difference signal is then applied to the noise reduction circuit. The picture information is chosen for successive scans. When the difference between the successive lines is too large, it is assumed that there is motion in the picture. When the difference is small, it is assumed that the difference is due to the noise in the signal. The noise signal is then scaled and passed to a noise reduction circuit. The system as provided by Storey is not able to continuously measure the noise that exists in a signal where the picture is changing rapidly.
Balbes et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,755 issued Feb. 19, 1980) provide for measuring noise on the sync tip of a composite television picture signal by clamping the sync tip signal to ground and then applying the clamped sync tip signal to a precision rectifier. The output of the rectifier represents the noise level in the signal and the level of the television signal is determined from the magnitude difference between the sync tip and the back porch. A signal-to-noise ratio signal is generated and the bandwidth of the receiver is adjusted in response to the signal-to-noise ratio signal. If there is a color burst signal on the back porch, it is removed by a filter that may also remove part of the noise to be measured. Neither Storey nor Balbes et al. determine noise levels by comparing the back porch signal (or the color burst signal) from one scan line to the same signal from another scan line. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fire-resisting constructions, and more particularly refers to a fire door structure having improved means provided for framing a fire-resistant core and facing skins.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For years the various building codes have accepted a one and three-quarter inch thick solid core wood door, or a solid wood core door, as an appropriate method of protecting an opening between a room and a corridor. Such doors performed acceptably in many fires where they provided necessary protection between a room and a corridor in an individual house, a hotel guest room and a corridor, an apartment house dwelling unit and a corridor, hospital or nursing home patient rooms and a corridor, and so on. However, in the last twenty years or so, the increasing awareness of both a need for and the provision of increasingly more fire resistant measures and also the increasing scarcity and cost of acceptable wooden door cores, and the necessary labor and skill to solidly build them and provide effective fire barriers, has lead to an increased strictness of building codes. With modern high-rise construction becoming more prevalent, it has become even more necessary today than ever before to use fire doors of that type which will exhibit good fire-resistance so that they will pass the requisite fire tests and will withstand the conditions to which they are subjected during ordinary day-to-day usage and during intense fires in such buildings. Responsive to these needs, there has been considerable development of various door core materials as the insulation buffer between the outer skins and considerable development in the techniques of constructing fire doors with such newer core materials. There have even been some changes in the outer skins or facings of the doors. However during all this time the choices for suitable stiles and rails to form the framing of such doors have remained at only wood, sometimes impregnated with a fire retarding salt chemical, and metal.
Wood, of course remains the standard framing material of fire door construction. But it is the weakest link to contain a fire, especially with increased duration or intensity, or both, of the fire. In standard fire tests ordinary wood framing burns out in about one half an hour; and while chemically impregnated wood lasts longer it still fails in less than an hour. The problem is not only the smoldering and then igniting of the wood but also the ensuing structural failure. If the wood around the hinges or latch burns away, then the door may fall. Also the merely burning away of an area creates sufficient opening for the passage of smoke and eventually the passage of the fire itself around the door barrier. Currently tests for fire ratings subject doors to a fire to test for both burning and smoke passage and then apply a fire hose stream of water to test for structural integrity. Generally wooden framed doors burn through and collapse in just over a half hour and generally less than one hour even when impregnated with a fire retardant chemical salt during the fire portion of the test.
Metal rails and stiles suffer certain disadvantages also. Firstly various metals are quite heat conductive; and when the metal facing skin on one side of the door is exposed to the heat of a fire it readily transmits its heat to the metal framing members, and they quickly transmit the heat onto the opposite side of the door and its facing skin. Increasingly, building codes are recognizing that the heat build-up on the side of the door away from a fire can cause ignition to nearby objects such as curtains, draperies and other room furnishings etc. In addition, as the temperature of most metals rises, the metal expands and this expansion causes a warping, twisting and distortion. When metal framed fire doors begin to warp, with the intense heat of high temperature fire tests and increased duration of the fire test, the entire door structure bends allowing openings to occur and thus allowing the passage of smoke and flame. This causes the door to fail the fire test.
Another material which has been used to a great extent in the construction of panels for non-structural uses has been gypsum or plaster and it has been proposed to adhere metal facing sheets to such panels. For example U.S. Pat No. 3,866,376 provides a demountable wall assembly of a metal clad gypsum panel in a hollow wall assembly. Such an arrangement is in no way suggested for, or contemplates, a fire door assembly as disclosed herein. Also, the advantage of combining gypsum with small amounts of fibrous materials such as glass fibers to extract some of the good properties of each was early recognized; for example, see U.S. Pat. No. 1,719,726 issued on July 2, 1929 to Raynes which disclosed a gypsum wallboard, one or more of the edges of the body of which are provided with a strip of fibrous material which might for example be impregnated with gypsum. In that instance, the board was provided with a loose fibrous material i.e. short chopped fibers in dispersed random arrangement to increase the resistance of the edges to chipping and cracking during handling, shipping or the like. Such short random fibers provided only a capacity to absorb surface shock of the fragile material, while most if not all of the tensile strength of the panel was provided by the gypsum material and very little if any bending strength or ductility was provided to the panel. U.S. Pat. No. 3,616,173 is to much the same effect, as is U.S. Pat. No. 2,744,022. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 3,311,516 also relates to gypsum sheets for building constructions but utilizing large quantities of a very fine and small asbestos fiber to form their sheets so such would be without appreciable bending strength; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,892,339 and 3,106,503 teach the making of honey comb structural panels with inter-connected gypsum "cells." While such products are widely utilized as finishing materials in the covering of room walls, corridors, shaft walls, demountable partitions and the like, they do not possess sufficient strength, particularly bending strength to serve as the framing member of structural panels and doors. This material is not particularly resistant to bending forces such as those created when doors are repeatedly subjected to the types of stress normally applied to them. That is, upon repeated openings and closings, along with intermittent slamming to which a door is subjected in ordinary usage, and particularly where it is a thick generally much heavier door, the material is just too brittle to withstand the constant impact and would shatter and break in usage without being subjected to a fire. In addition in the area of door construction there is a current trend toward finding inexpensive doors meeting a minimum fire rating. That is doors which will consistently and inexpensively meet a 20 minute fire rating. Here either the cores or facing sheets are not very critical on fire resistance but the framework in addition to fire resistance must possess sufficient bending strength if a material substitution for wood or metal is to be found. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention broadly relates to a process for preparing aliphatic alcohols from synthesis gas and more particularly to an improved process in which a heavy metal oxide catalyst is employed to effect the hydrogenation of carbon monoxide to produce a mixture of lower aliphatic alcohols.
Lower aliphatic alcohols have been proposed as octane enhancers or as a replacement for gasoline in fueling internal combustion engines. Certain mixtures of lower aliphatic alcohols have the EPA approval for use and are currently being marketed in the United States. The lower aliphatic alcohols can be produced from domestically available non-petroleum sources and the use of these alcohols in fuel compositions can serve to lessen the nation's dependence on foreign sources of crude oil and petroleum products.
Hydrogen and carbon monoxide, or synthesis gas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, can be reacted to form a mixture of lower aliphatic alcohols. The synthesis gas feedstream can be produced from such non-petroleum sources as coal and biomass in well known partial oxidation reactions.
Numerous catalytic processes have been studied in attempts to provide a viable process for the production of aliphatic alcohols from synthesis gas. The early efforts were primarily directed to the production of methanol. More recently, attention has been directed to the production of higher aliphatic alcohols or a mixture of higher aliphatic alcohols with methanol. Such a mixture is highly suitable as an octane enhancing component for motor fuel and as a substitute for tetraalkyl lead additives in motor fuel.
A major problem with the synthesis gas to alcohol conversion process is the occurrence of competing reactions constantly taking place on the surface of the catalyst. Thus, even when the desired product is formed on the catalyst, some of this product may undergo further reactions with adverse effects on the yield of the desired product. It is evident that if some means could be provided for reducing or minimizing competing reactions on the catalyst surface, then improved yields of the desired product might be obtained. In accordance with this invention, a decrease in the number of surface acid sites is achieved by treatment with a thermally stable base or derivative thereof. This procedure reduces the dehydration of product alcohols on the catalyst's acid sites and this results in improved selectivity.
2. Disclosure Statement
U.S. Pat. No. 3,345,427 discloses a dehydrogenation catalyst and process in which the catalyst consists of nickel, molybdenum and alkaline metal oxides on an alumina support.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,164 discloses a process for reacting hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the presence of a solid catalyst comprising rhodium with molybdenum or tungsten to produce 2 carbon-atom oxygenated hydrocarbons in which ethanol is the major component.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,243,553 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,243,554 disclose a molybdenum disulfide catalyst that is useful in the water gas shift, methanation, hydrogenation and dehydrogenation processes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,056 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,055 disclose synthesis gas to alcohol processes in which the catalyst comprises molybdenum in combination with a metal from the group consisting of cobalt, iron and nickel in an oxide form with an alkali metal promoter.
EPA No. 0119609 discloses an alkali promoted molybdenum disulfide catalyst that is useful for producing aliphatic alcohols from synthesis gas. The disclosures of U.S. Pat. No. 3,345,427, U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,164, U.S. Pat. No. 4,243,553, U.S. Pat. No. 4,243,554, U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,056, U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,055 and EPA No. 0119609 are incorporated herein by reference. | {
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The present invention relates to seals which are positioned against a moving surface, and more particularly to seals which prevent fluid, e.g. lubricant, leakage or passage between two surfaces. The seal includes a conductor, such as an optical or electrical conductor, for indicating that the body of the seal has undergone excessive wear or deterioration. The conductor is embedded within or attached to the body of the seal at a specified depth or location, namely the depth or extent of acceptable wear. The conductor may be an optical conductor, such as an optical fiber, or an electrical conductor, such as a wire or other means of conducting electricity. The continuity of the conductor can be checked to determine if the seal body has worn to the specified depth or been deteriorated beyond a specified extent.
Machinery often includes members which move with respect to each other. Bearings have long been used to facilitate such movement. Bearings are used to aid in transmitting forces from one member to another and to reduce friction. Rolling elements are often used in bearings to reduce friction, such as in ball bearings. Bearings often contain lubricant to reduce the friction created within the bearing.
Leakage of fluid from between mechanical parts has long been a problem. Contamination of the bearings or seals with foreign material such as dirt has also long been a problem. Both loss of fluid and contamination lead to increased friction and wear within the structure, damaging the structure and perhaps damaging the machinery.
Seals composed of a soft polymeric material are used with bearings to prevent lubricant leakage and contamination. The polymeric material contacts a moving surface in the bearing and provides a seal. Friction between the polymeric material and the moving surface gradually wears the surface of the polymeric material away. If the polymeric material becomes too worn, it will no longer form a tight seal against the moving surface, and fluid leakage from the bearing and contamination of the bearing again become problems.
In other instances metal or polymeric seals are placed between the moving parts. This arrangement is particularly useful when the movement is a reciprocal movement. Non-limiting illustrations of a reciprocating seal include a piston and cylinder structure, hatches, air locks, doors, covers, lids and caps. With regard to such seals as found in hatches, air locks, doors, covers, lids and caps, the interfitting members may be said to reciprocate with respect to each other, in the sense of opening and closing with regard to each other. However, when a seal is in fluid tight sealing relationship between such interfitting members, the seal may more properly be termed a static or stationary seal, since the interfitting members and the interposed seal are all stationary with regard to each other while the integrity of the sealing relationship is maintained. In certain types of members which are reciprocating with respect to each other, the seal may be made so that it always makes contact with the piston connecting rod and the connecting rod is electrically insulated from the piston barrel. Sealing integrity or effectiveness may also be compromised by cracking, breaking, loss of flexibility or deterioration due to such conditions as repeated flexing, bending and/or compression, or length of contact with various fluids or container contents.
Various methods have been developed to prevent or detect leakage past a seal. As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,023, one method involves monitoring the pressure of the fluid on the high pressure side of the seal, with a loss of pressure indicating leakage past the seal. Alternatively, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,611, the fluid pressure on the low pressure side of the seal may be monitored, with an increase in pressure indicating fluid leakage. A third method, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,178,133, uses colored fluid and visual monitoring of leakage past a seal. Still other methods involve manual maintenance procedures, wherein seals are inspected or replaced on a regular basis.
These various methods to prevent or detect leakage past a seal have not proven satisfactory due to a number of problems. A problem with monitoring fluid pressure is that it is only effective to detect leakage of the fluid. Often this is too late to prevent damage. It is desired that the seal be replaced before leakage has begun. Similarly, visual monitoring of fluid leakage can only indicate that leakage has begun, not that leakage is about to begin. A problem with manual inspection of a seal is that it requires an inspector who is not only trained but also diligent. Often seals are not inspected merely due to neglect or lack of diligence. Another problem with manual inspection is that it may require the machinery to be stopped during the inspection, which can be inconvenient. Scheduled seal replacement also has problems. Seals may wear more or less quickly depending on operating conditions, and scheduled seal replacement may occur too early (before the seal needs to be replaced) or too late (after the seal starts leaking).
An excellent solution to these problems has been provided by the inventions disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,448, issued Jul. 30, 1996, entitled SEAL WITH ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR WEAR INDICATOR and in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,235, issued Sep. 21, 1993, entitled SEAL WITH EMBEDDED WIRE. The present invention is an improvement on my earlier disclosed seals and is particularly adapted to work with reciprocating surfaces which require a seal there between. Illustrative of such reciprocating surfaces are the piston and cylinder, hatches, air locks, doors, covers, lids, caps, etc.
The present invention provides a seal for recognizing excessive seal wear before fluid leakage occurs. The seal is placed between surfaces which may be moving or static with respect to each other and forms a seal with the moving surface or between the static surfaces to prevent fluid leakage. The seal includes a seal body and an optical or electrical conductor. The seal body is composed of a substance which allows it to make a seal with the adjacent surface. various conditions between the surface and the seal body cause gradual deterioration and/or wear of the seal body. For example, friction between a moving surface and the seal body may cause gradual wear of the seal body. Extended contact with a fluid or container contents may cause gradual deterioration or disintegration of the seal body. Aging of the seal material or repeated compression of the seal, as in continued forming and releasing of the seal, may cause gradual loss of resiliency, leading to cracking, breaking or splitting of the seal body.
The optical or electrical conductor may be embedded in the seal body, attached to the seal body or otherwise positioned so that deterioration of the seal body will gradually change the location of the conductor with respect to the adjacent surface or with respect to the surface of the seal body. Deterioration of the seal body to a specified depth can be detected by optical or electrical continuity of the conductor. An electrical conductor may contact the adjacent surface when deterioration of the seal body reaches a specified depth, with electrical continuity between the conductor and the adjacent surface indicating that the seal requires replacement. With an optical conductor attached to the seal, optical fibers will gradually be worn away as the seal wears. An optical sensor may be able to measure such parameters as wear, temperature or strain on the seal. Alternatively, the conductor may be positioned such that it is worn entirely through when the wear of the seal body reaches a specified depth, with loss of optical or electrical continuity through the conductor indicating that the seal requires replacement.
The present invention provides a simple, cost effective device and method to detect deterioration of a seal disposed between moving or reciprocating surfaces, avoiding the problems of previous devices. Because the device detects deterioration of the seal body rather than fluid leakage, the seal may be replaced prior to leakage. The problems associated with waiting until after leakage has begun before replacing the seal may be avoided. The seal may be replaced in a timely manner before leakage begins. Because the present invention is based on optical or electrical continuity, an optical or electrical signal circuit may easily be incorporated with the invention. The signal circuit may indicate to an operator when a seal needs to be replaced, and there is no problem with diligence on the part of an inspector. Because wear of the seal body may be determined without manual inspection, problems with training inspectors and with missed or failed inspections are avoided. There is also no need to stop the equipment or machinery just to check if the seal needs to be replaced. Because the present invention monitors the actual amount of deterioration on the seal body, there is no problem with early or late replacement of the seal based on a scheduled replacement program. Replacement of the seal of the present invention may be based on the actual life of the seal body in operation, not on an average seal body life. Seals may be replaced less often and cost is reduced.
The present invention provides a seal for preventing passage of a fluid between two members. The seal is in engaging contact with both members to prevent passage of fluid between the two members and the seal. The seal is adapted to retain a fluid tight seal with the members so long as the seal has not deteriorated beyond a specified degree. A conductor is placed around one of the members. The conductor serves to conduct a signal. The conductor is positioned with respect to the seal such that deterioration of the seal beyond a specified degree corresponds with signal discontinuity of the conductor. The signal discontinuity through the conductor indicates a requirement for replacement of the seal. The seal may be an electrical signal or an optical signal. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image formation controlling method comprising a step of calibrating (adjusting) an image density sensor for detecting the image density of a toner pattern image of each color, which is formed on a photoconductor, an intermediate transfer member or a transfer member of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer of various kinds, and to an image forming apparatus used for performing the image formation controlling method.
2. Description of Related Art
Since a photo type image forming apparatus forms an image using electrostatic force, the characteristic thereof is changeable in response to a change in conditions of each processing unit in use and conditions of surroundings. A change in characteristic may cause a change in the density of a formed image and deterioration of image quality. In order to avoid such a situation and to adjust image quality so as to keep obtaining preferable image quality, an image formation controlling step (a process control mode) is provided for adjusting (performing process control on) conditions for image formation (such as a charging output, a light exposure, a development bias voltage, a transfer bias voltage and the amount of toner supply (when two-component developer is used)) of each part of an image forming section.
The quality of an image is adjusted by forming a toner pattern image for a test on an image carrier such as a photoconductor, an intermediate transfer member (an intermediate transfer drum or an intermediate transfer belt) or a transfer member (a transfer drum or a transfer belt) at predetermined timing which is not involved in image formation, measuring the image density of the toner pattern image by an image density sensor configured as an optical sensor and controlling the above-mentioned conditions for image formation by feedback control based on the measured value.
The image density sensor has a light emitting device and a light receiving device and is constructed to emit light from the light emitting device toward the toner pattern image and detect light reflected at the toner pattern image by the light receiving device.
In recent years, an apparatus for forming a chromatic toner pattern image on the surface of an image carrier has been widely used. In such an image forming apparatus, a chromatic test toner pattern image is formed on the surface of an image carrier by a developing device and the amount of adhering toner is detected by an image density sensor. For detecting the amount of adhering toner precisely, a method for detecting a quantity of light diffusely reflected at a test toner pattern image has been proposed (in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-122360, No. 2001-100481, No. 2002-169345, No. 2-256076 (1990), No. 3-92874 (1991) and the like). Different methods are used for measuring the density of a black (achromatic) toner pattern image and for measuring the density of a chromatic toner pattern image. The density of an achromatic toner pattern image is measured by measuring light (specular-reflection light) specularly reflected at a toner pattern image while the density of a chromatic toner pattern image is measured by measuring diffuse-reflection light as described above.
Since an image density sensor for a toner pattern image detects the quantity of light, which is emitted from a light emitting device and reflected at a toner pattern image, with a light receiving device, it is required to calibrate an optical characteristic of the image density sensor. That is, the amount of adhering toner cannot be detected precisely without calibrating the output of the image density sensor on the basis of a reference value corresponding to a constant amount of adhering toner.
Consequently, accurate calibration of an image density sensor using a jig or the like is performed at the time of manufacturing or assembling and in shipment.
On replacement of a sensor due to an end of the life of a sensor, a malfunction or the like, accurate calibration in the same manner is required again.
However, when a jig comprising a calibration plate for calibration is used, the jig has to be attached with high accuracy. Moreover, since the image density sensor is arranged in a considerably narrow space, it is difficult to attach a large-scale jig which requires accurate positioning. Such a state causes an increase in maintenance cost. Furthermore, on the assumption that user maintenance is performed, it is extremely difficult to perform accurate calibration in view of complication of a calibration operation.
In order to solve the above problems, a method is proposed to dispose a slidable calibration plate, so that the calibration plate is positioned to oppose a sensor when the sensor requires calibration while the calibration plate which is not in use is held back. There is, however, a problem that structure becomes complex because of installment of a sliding mechanism of the calibration plate. There is another problem that it is difficult to avoid contamination by toner due to long use in the image forming apparatus, which cause increase in maintenance cost. | {
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The present invention relates to the field of dermatology, more particularly to skin treatment and conditioning.
Microdermabrasion is a process for removing dead cells from the outermost layer of the skin (the epidermis) to provide a younger and healthier looking appearance, remove wrinkles, clean out blocked pores, remove some types of undesirable skin conditions that can develop, and enhance skin tone. The process of microdermabrasion should be performed with a certain degree of accuracy, so that underlying live layers of skin tissue are not removed or damaged, but that enough dead cells are removed to give effective results.
Abrasive tipped devices or rotating brushes and cylinders coated with abrasive particles, such as diamond dust, have been used to remove skin layers. U.S. Pat. No. 2,712,823 discusses a brush for removing skin blemishes which includes rotating metallic bristles. This device is more properly referred to as a dermabrasion device as it is quite aggressive in the amounts and rates of tissues removed. While this type of device can be effective for removing gross scarring and keloids such as those associated with burn victims, it can also cause scarring and is difficult to accurately control with regard to amounts of tissue removed. As such it is incapable of effectively performing microabrasion as it is currently defined in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 2,867,214 similarly discusses a device that employs motor driven stainless steel wire brushes and cannot effectively perform microdermabrasion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,499 discusses a handheld foot care instrument that includes a roughened dermabrasion undersurface to function as a nail file and skin smoother While this device may be effective for “spot treatment” of calluses, corns, and the like on the foot, it would not be an effective tool for an overall microdermabrasion treatment of the face or other large area of skin that must be treated with a consistent amount of abrasion over an entire surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,378,804 is directed to a skin abrasion device which uses flowing water to rotate an abrasive brush and create a vacuum to remove loosened skin particles. The rotating brush is usually used in conjunction with a liquid detergent or medicinal compound applied to the skin surface being scrubbed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,187 discusses a dermabrasion tool that employs a rotary hub and a plurality of flexible strips each having a single abrasive surface. No means are disclosed for conditioning the skin or of removing the dead skin particles from the surface of the skin after they have been abraded.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,747 discusses the use of powdered aluminum oxide or a liquid topical composition containing suspended aluminum oxide which is applied to the skin to abrade it. U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,999 discusses a microdermabrasion system which employs a jet of a mixture of air and reducing crystals, such as aluminum oxide, that is applied to the skin to perform the microdermabrasion. U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,797 discusses the use of chemicals or ultrasonically oscillating tips to perform abrasion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,431 describes the use of a pressurized jet of a liquid, such as water or sterile saline, to fragment and remove diseased tissue without harming surrounding healthy tissue. This device operates in conjunction with vacuum aspiration to remove the liquid and fragmented tissue. A powdered abrasive material may be applied to abrade the skin and removal may be performed using vacuum.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,739 discusses a microdermabrasion device that provides a tubular treatment tool having a fixed abrasive tip on the end thereof. The abrasive tip has a central opening therethrough, through which a vacuum is applied. When the tip is scraped over the surface of the skin, loosened skin particles are vacuumed up through the central opening. However, a trailing side of the abrasive tip, which trails the central opening of the abrasive tip as the tip is moved over the surface of the skin, also microabrades the skin surface and leaves a trail of loosened skin particles which cannot be collected by the vacuum. Additionally, this is a dry system which does not treat the skin during microdermabrasion, which can leave streaking effects on the remaining skin.
While microdermabrasion is often useful, it is sometimes desired to effect skin treatment utilizing vacuum without abrasion. Various vacuum-based therapies and devices have been developed to treat the skin and subdermal tissues by way of massage or vacuum action, or a combination of these. One such therapy, as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,841,332, involves cup shaped members drawn over the skin in which a pulsating vacuum results in a cyclical suction and relaxation action. The therapy is said to promote lymphatic and blood circulation in the areas of suction application. A similar approach is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,319,211, especially for removing dirt and debris.
In order to facilitate vacuum-based tissue massage or pursue other treatment goals, or both, a technician utilizing a suction device will often topically apply a lubricant such a gel, massage oil, or another solution. It is also know to utilize suction devices adapted to deliver such materials through or within the vacuum chamber defined by the working end of the instrument.
Yet, none of the aforementioned references teach a system that incorporates the various advantages of the present invention. For example, no instrument or system adapted to perform microderabrasion includes provision for delivery of a therapeutically useful solution at the abraded site. Instead, useful agents are applied as a lotion, salve or balm, after moving the treatment device or terminating its use altogether. The present invention offers an improved approach for skin treatment. Particularly, it is a system offering additional or optional advantages in the context of vacuum massage, dermal abrasion, or point delivery, or a combination of these, of a desired compound. | {
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The invention relates generally to the field of medical catheters, and in particular, to multi-functional medical catheters adapted to map, orient and/or provide treatment for a variety of medical conditions.
Physicians make use of catheters today in medical procedures that are best performed by gaining access into interior regions of the body. For example, in electrophysiological therapy, ablation is used to treat cardiac rhythm disturbances. Such a therapy may be used, for instance, to treat atrial fibrillation by forming lesions in heart tissue at desired locations to interrupt undesirable electrical pathways.
During these procedures, the physician typically first maps the electrical activity of the patient's heart to help determine the location of any abnormalities. The physician then steers a catheter through a main vein or artery into the interior region of the heart that is to be treated. An ablation element carried on the distal end of the catheter is positioned near the tissue that is to be ablated. For such treatments, the delivery of ablating energy must be closely governed to avoid incidence of tissue damage and coagulum formation. Further, the ablation catheters must be precisely positioned adjacent to and preferably in contact with the tissue to be treated, to insure the lesions are properly located.
Physicians and staff performing diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, such as electrophysiological therapy, typically require an imaging system to assist them in positioning the ablation catheter. Mini-transesophageal echocardiography (mini-TEE) probes are available, however, these probes must be swallowed or inserted down the patient's throat. Such probes are poorly tolerated by patients unless they are fully anesthetized. Further, these probes can be rather large (i.e., 20 French in diameter), use complex transducer configurations and may have difficulty in detecting tissue contact by the ablation elements. Further, the mapping, imaging and treatment often requires multiple instruments or catheters, involving complex procedures as well as the introduction or reintroduction of multiple catheters into the patient. Improvements are desired. | {
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Web browsers are conventionally used to display documents created with a standard descriptive language such as Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML). Documents written in such languages can be displayed with various visual and audio effects such as color, animation, sound effects, and the like. The documents may include text, bitmap images, graphics, and other types of content.
Web browsers (or, more generally, “document browsers”) typically provide functions which permit a user to advance forward and backward among a series of related pages; to jump to a specified page; to jump to pages that are referenced via a so-called “hyperlink” embedded in a page; and to maintain a list of recently viewed pages. Although frequently used to navigate through web pages on the Internet, document browsers can be used to display pages that reside on a local area network or even a local computer on which the browser executes.
Recently, as computers have become smaller, it has become possible to run browsers on notebook computers, palm-sized computers, and so-called “tablet and stylus” computers. The latter devices typically comprise a thin computer roughly the size of a sheet of paper with a large writing surface that doubles as a display, and a stylus that substitutes for a keyboard. A user can display and edit documents using the stylus as a writing instrument.
One potential application for such hand-held computers is the display of mass-produced documents such as books, maps, and other descriptive material. For example, a user who purchases a textbook or fictional work on a CD-ROM or other medium can display the work using a small computer such as a tablet-based computer.
In some instances, a user may want to annotate or otherwise mark pages displayed on the computer. Using a conventional word processing program, a user can rearrange text, highlight certain words or phrases, or delete portions of the text. Such features require that the user have access to the underlying content (e.g., the descriptive material that forms the work). In the case of copyrighted materials, however, editing capabilities may not be available to modify the underlying materials. Certain text may be copy-protected or otherwise unavailable for editing using normal editing tools, or may not be in a format suitable for word processing. In such circumstances, there may be no practical way for a user to annotate such works. As one example, a student viewing a copy-or edit-protected textbook on a tablet-based computer may have no practical way of making notes directly in the textbook. Such a feature would be desirable notwithstanding the copy protection or unavailability of general editing functions for the document. | {
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Processes for cracking hydrocarbon oils generally comprise contacting and reacting a hydrocarbon oil with a cracking catalyst in a cracking zone under cracking conditions, separating cracked products and the catalyst, circulating the catalyst to a regeneration zone to regenerate the catalyst and circulating at least a part of the regenerated catalyst back to the cracking zone. The object of regenerating the catalyst is to maintain the cracking activity of the catalyst.
Some hydrocarbon oils contain impurities, such as nickel, vanadium, iron and the like. If impurities contained in the hydrocarbon oil, such as nickel, vanadium, iron and the like, are deposited onto the catalyst containing a molecular sieve, the catalyst will thus be deactivated and the distribution of cracked products will be affected. In order to solve this problem, a reduction zone is added in some processes for cracking hydrocarbon oils. U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,992 discloses a process for cracking hydrocarbon oils. The process comprises, under cracking conditions, contacting an olefin oil with a catalytic cracking catalyst in the form of particles in a cracking zone; continuously transferring part of said cracking catalyst to a regeneration zone, removing the carbonaceous deposit on the catalyst in the regeneration zone by combustion, continuously transferring the regenerated catalyst to a reduction zone, contacting said catalyst with a reducing gas in the reduction zone under reduction conditions that enable the adverse effects of the metal impurities to be reduced, using a gaseous seal at the upstream of the reduction zone to assure that the major portion of the unconsumed reducing gas passes into the cracking zone, continuously transferring the reduced catalyst to the cracking zone. Said catalyst includes conventional cracking catalysts, such as zeolite-containing catalysts and amorphous aluminosilicate catalyst.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,443 discloses a process for hydrogenation of olefins. The process comprises cracking a hydrocarbon with a regenerated catalyst having a metal coat under cracking conditions in a cracking zone; transferring continuously said catalyst to a regeneration zone, contacting said catalyst with an oxygen-containing gas to regenerate said catalyst; transferring continuously a part of the regenerated catalyst to said cracking zone; meanwhile, transferring the other part of the regenerated catalyst to a reduction zone where said catalyst contacts with a reducing gas under conditions in which metals on the catalyst are reduced; transferring the cracked hydrocarbon to a separation zone where hydrogen and olefins are separated from the cracked products; contacting at least a part of said hydrogen and olefins with the reduced catalyst in a hydrogenation zone to hydrogenate the olefins; and finally transferring said catalyst to the regeneration zone.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,443 further discloses a process for continuous hydrogenation of olefins. The process comprises, under regeneration conditions, contacting a deactivated and metal-contaminated cracking catalyst with an oxygen-containing gas to obtain a regenerated and metal-contaminated catalyst; contacting the regenerated and metal-contaminated catalyst with a reducing gas under reduction conditions to obtain a reduced, regenerated and metal-contaminated catalyst and finally immediately contacting the reduced, regenerated and metal-contaminated cracking catalyst with a mixture of hydrogen and olefins to hydrogenate said olefins under hydrogenation conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,443 also discloses a process for converting hydrocarbons. The process comprises (1) contacting a hydrocarbon which contains metals with an active catalyst in a reaction zone under cracking conditions to obtain cracked products and a catalyst that has been partially deactivated and metal-contaminated; (2) separating the cracked products and the partially deactivated and metal-contaminated catalyst; (3) fractionating said cracked products into hydrogen, olefins and other hydrocarbons; (4) contacting said partially deactivated and metal-contaminated cracking catalyst with an oxygen-containing gas under regeneration conditions to obtain a regenerated and metal-contaminated catalyst; (5) circulating a part of said regenerated and metal-contaminated catalyst to said reaction zone (6) contacting the other part of the regenerated and metal-contaminated catalyst with a reducing gas under reduction conditions to obtain a reduced, regenerated and metal-contaminated catalyst; (7) contacting said reduced, regenerated and metal-contaminated catalyst with hydrogen and olefins under hydrogenation conditions to obtain hydrogenated olefins and a reduced, regenerated and metal-contaminated catalyst that is partially coked; (8) separating said hydrogenated olefins and said partially coked, reduced, regenerated and metal-contaminated catalyst; (9) circulating the hydrogenated olefins to the fraction system according to (3); (10) circulating the partially coked, reduced, regenerated and metal-contaminated catalyst to (4) to carry out regeneration.
In recent years, requirements of fuel standards worldwide become more and more stringent for the sake of environmental protection. For instance, in China, “Criteria for Controlling Hazardous Materials in Automobile Gasoline” was regulated by the National Quality Monitoring Bureau in 1999. Sulfur content in gasoline should be less than 800 ppm according to the requirement of the Criteria. More stringent requirement of gasoline sulfur content i.e. less than 30 ppm, is regulated according to the Europe III Emission Standard of Fuel Oil. In fact, more than 90% of sulfur in gasoline is from FCC gasoline. In the other hand, more and more sour crude from the middle-east countries are processed in many Chinese refineries as FCC feedstock; meanwhile, crudes are getting more and more heavier in recent years. Therefore, there needs to develop a cracking catalyst with higher cracking activity and desulfurizing ability and a cracking process with higher ability for cracking and desulfurizing of heavy oil.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,847 and its European counterpart patent EP 0,798,362A2 disclose a process for fluidized catalytic cracking of hydrocarbons, wherein said hydrocarbon feedstock is cracked in a cracking zone without adding hydrogen, and all particles, including catalyst particles, are circulated continuously between a cracking zone and a regeneration zone. In said process, besides said particles, there are additional particles which have a lower activity for cracking hydrocarbon oils than the catalyst particles, said activity being based on the fresh catalyst particles. The particles consist essentially of titanium oxide and an inorganic oxide other than non-titanium oxides. Said inorganic oxide other than non-titanium oxides contains a Lewis acid supported on alumina, and the Lewis acid is one selected from the group consisting of the following elements and their compounds: nickel, copper, zinc, silver, cadmium, indium, tin, mercury, thallium, led, bismuth, boron, aluminum (non alumina) and germanium. The sulfur content of FCC gasoline as the cracked product is decreased because of the use of a titanium oxide-containing additive.
CN1078094C discloses a riser reactor for fluid catalytic cracking that comprises, vertically from bottom to top along said rector, a coaxial pre-lifting section, a first reaction zone, a second reaction zone with an expanded diameter and an outlet zone with a reduced diameter, and a horizontal pipe connected to the end of said outlet zone. The first reaction zone and the second reaction zone of the reactor can not only process under different conditions of, but also feedstock oils with different properties can be processed in separate stages.
CN1076751C discloses a catalytic conversion process for preparing isobutane and isoalkane-rich gasoline, comprising feeding a preheated feedstock oil to a reactor having two reaction zones, contacting it with a hot cracking catalyst in the presence of a steam, carrying out primary and secondary reactions under cracking reaction conditions of a temperature of 530°-620° C. for 0.5-2 seconds in the first reaction zone and a temperature of 460-530° C. for 2-30 seconds in the second reaction zone, separating reaction products, feeding the spent catalyst that has been stripped to a regenerator, recycling the catalyst after coke thereon is burned. | {
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Immunologic adjuvant refers to a substance which can non-specifically change or enhance the specific immune response of an organism to an antigen, and it is required to be non-cancerogenic, nontoxic, high-purity, degradable, of certain adsorbability and stable. The action principle of the immunologic adjuvant is mainly represented in the following three aspects: 1) increasing surface area of an antigen to improve the immunogenicity thereof; 2) playing slow-release function to the antigen to extend the retention time of the antigen in tissue; 3) promoting inflammatory reaction to stimulate active immune response. That is to say, the immunologic adjuvant causes the immune system to recognize the immunologic adjuvant itself also as an antigen, mainly by pseudomorphically pre-stimulating the immune system, and thus can cause a behavior of immune response of the organism more early. Currently, the common immunologic adjuvant comprises aluminium adjuvant, freund's adjuvant, CpG DNA adjuvant, nanoadjuvant, microorganism and the metabolite adjuvants thereof, and the like, wherein the activity of the freund's adjuvant is far higher than those of other types of adjuvants, however, the initiated side effect thereof is too intense, and thus cannot be widely used. Aluminium adjuvant is the only immunologic adjuvant currently approved to be used in human vaccine, which is used in various liquid vaccines. However, the aluminium adjuvant can only initiate humoral immunity, but cannot induce cell immunity, which increases limitation for its application. Moreover, the bonding capacity of the aluminium adjuvant with an antigen is not stable enough, and thus the potential toxic side effect of liquid aluminium element in vaccine after injecting in large dose also draws attention. Therefore, it has become an important task in the field of contemporary immunology research to find an efficient, secure, novel immunologic adjuvant.
Traditional Chinese medicine is an important part of the traditional medical theory of our country, which has its unique theoretical system and application form. Modern research shows that some of the active ingredients in the Traditional Chinese medicines (such as saponins, polysaccharides, flavonoids, etc.) possess good immunomodulatory effects. It is reported that: ginsenosides contained in ginseng, a traditional tonic Traditional Chinese medicine, can increase the activity of macrophages induce the generation of interferon, and stimulate the activity of cytotoxic T lymphocyte; astragalus polysaccharide can produce antagonism to some immunosuppressive drugs; icariin, as a main active ingredient of total flavonoids of herba epimedii, can increases the quality of immune organs, which makes the formation rate of E rosette and serum tumor necrosis factor-α level be significantly increased. Generally, the Traditional Chinese medicines are natural products, which have high bioaffinity, and the effects thereof are mild and persistent, therefore, their advantages, as novel vaccine adjuvants, are very significant, and thus they have drawn increasing attentions.
Currently, the vaccines containing adjuvants of Traditional Chinese medicines or Traditional Chinese medicinal ingredients have been developed and exploited to some extent. However, the vaccine itself which contains an adjuvant of Traditional Chinese medicine or Traditional Chinese medicinal ingredient has problems of non-ideal effect and inconvenient use. Therefore, there is a need for an efficient, convenient vaccine injection. | {
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1. Field
Embodiments generally relates to systems and methods for solving the shortest path problem and, more specifically in some embodiments, to a system and method for solving the shortest path problem on a graph with multi-edge constraints in a time and space efficient manner.
2. Description of Related Art
The shortest path problem is the problem of finding a path between two nodes of a graph that minimizes the sum of the weights of the path's edges. A real-world example of the shortest path problem is navigating a city's streets. A driver desires to get from one area of the city to another area of the city by driving the quickest route possible. The quickest route is determined by considering how far the driver must drive on each street in the city to get to the destination and how quickly the driver can drive on each of the streets, and then selecting the combination of streets in the city that minimize the amount of traveling time between the starting location and the destination. Depending on traffic, construction, road restrictions, etc., the quickest route can change considerably. In the above example, the city's network of streets is modeled as a graph. The nodes of the graph are the starting location and destination of the driver and all intersections in the street network. The streets the driver could travel on during the trip are the edges of the graph. Each edge is also assigned a weight representing the amount of time the driver must spend traveling the street that corresponds to the edge.
Several techniques have been developed to solve the shortest path problem, but all have considerable limitations. Dijkstra's algorithm can solve the shortest path problem, but only for a graph where the edge weights are independent of all previous edges. For example, continuing our driving example above, Dijkstra's algorithm cannot find the quickest route between two locations in a city where the city's network of streets has driving constraints based on which edge the driver has come from, such as no-left turns at certain intersections. The A* algorithm, which can also solve the shortest path program, is subject to the same limitations. Finally, while a simple breadth-first search with a priority queue can solve the shortest path problem, it is still subject to many of the same limitations. In particular, a breadth-first search will never allow a route where the same intersection must be visited twice. For example, if a left turn at an intersection is not allowed, the fastest route may be to go straight at the intersection, perform three right turns around a city block, and then go straight again at the same intersection. | {
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1. Field
Embodiments relate to a polarizer and a method of fabricating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are among the most widely used flat panel displays. The LCD includes an LCD panel, which includes two display panels each having electric field generating electrodes and a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween. The LCD displays an image by applying voltage across the electrodes to generate an electric field in the liquid crystal layer so as to determine orientations of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer while controlling polarization of incident light.
A polarizing plate is disposed outside the LCD panel. The polarizing plate can control polarization of light by selectively transmitting a light component in a specific direction therethrough among light emitted from a backlight unit and light having passed through the liquid crystal layer.
Generally, a polarizing plate includes a polarizer capable of polarizing light in a specific orientation and a protective layer for supporting and protecting the polarizer. | {
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The present invention relates generally to conversion of sunlight into other forms of energy, including thermal energy and electrical energy, and, more particularly, to use of elongated concave trough-shaped reflectors connected in an array for unitary movement, and maintaining essentially perpendicularity between the reflectors and the rays of the sun to heat water with linearly-focused, reflected sunlight and to create electricity with point-focused reflected sunlight derived from the line-focused reflected sunlight.
Solar energy is freely and daily available. It is a clean, non-polluting source of energy. Providing a reliable, long term, cost effective, efficient way of using sunlight to obtain electrical and thermal power has long been an unsolved problem, until the present invention.
It has been proposed that flat panel solar converters be used to convert direct sunlight into thermal or electrical energy.
Pedestal supported flat panels using direct sunlight to generate electricity were part of the Solar One project.
A circular, but concave reflector mounted on a single column or pedestal has been proposed. This approach was used on the Soleras water desalination project in Saudi Arabia and on the Solar Two project in Dagget, Calif.
Fixed position concave reflectors placed in an array and positioned in side by side rows on an incline have been proposed. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,322. Such an installation was made at the Federal Correctional Institution at Phoenix, Ariz.
Tiltable elongated concave reflector assemblies have been utilized, such as the one at Barstow, Calif. owned by FPL Energy SEGS VIII and IX.
Solar Systems comprising bidirectionally controlled Fresnel lens and solar cell assemblies, utilizing direct sunlight, have been proposed. See, U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,899, for example. Also see, U.S. Pat. No. 4,245,153. Optical detectors for dual axis tracking of the sun are known.
The above-identified proposals and installations have failed to provide reliable, low cost, efficient, variable capacity systems by which solar energy is converted to thermal and/or electrical energy. A long felt need has existed for energy conversion plants which are reliable, efficient, cost effective and size variable to meet both low and high capacity demands for thermal and electrical energy.
In brief summary, the present invention overcomes or substantially alleviates the long term problems of the prior art by which solar energy is converted to thermal energy and/or electrical energy. The present invention provides reliable, cost effective systems for such conversion, where the size of the system can be correlated to the desired capacity.
The orientation of an array of elongated concave parabolic trough-shaped reflectors is biaxially kept essentially perpendicular to rays of the sun by a control such that the sunlight is reflected and concentrated along a focal line of each elongated reflector by which (a) tube-contained water is heated at the focal line by reflected sunlight impinged thereon and/or (b) line focused reflected sunlight is optically transformed into point focused reflected sunlight from which electricity is generated using solar cells upon which the point focused reflected sunlight is impinged.
With the foregoing in mind, it is a primary object of the present invention to overcome or substantially alleviate the long term problems of the prior art by which solar energy is converted to thermal energy and/or electrical energy.
Another paramount object of the present invention is to provide reliable, cost effective systems for such conversion, where the size of any such system can be correlated to the desired capacity.
A further object of great significance is the provision of solar energy conversion systems wherein the orientation of an array of elongated concave parabolic trough-shaped reflectors is biaxially kept essentially perpendicular to rays of the sun by a control such that the sunlight is reflected and concentrated along a focal line of each elongated reflector by which (a) tube-contained water is heated at the focal line by reflected sunlight impinged thereon and/or (b) line focused reflected sunlight is optically transformed into point focused reflected sunlight from which electricity is generated using solar cells upon which the point focused reflected sunlight is impinged.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will be apparent from the detailed description taken with reference to the accompanying drawings. | {
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The Controller Area Network (“CAN”) communications protocol has been known for 25 years (referred to herein as “Classical CAN” or “CAN-C”). The CAN-C protocol is used for communication among several communication modules or micro-controller units (“MCUs”) on a common bus. In 2012, a new communication protocol based on CAN was proposed having up to 64 byte where data can be sent with a higher bit-rate as compared to CAN-C. This new CAN-protocol was named CAN-Flexible Datarate (“CAN-FD”). A CAN-FD controller can handle both CAN-FD frames and CAN-C frames concurrently on the same CAN-bus. The problem is that previous produced CAN-controllers cannot handle the CAN-FD format. If a CAN-C controller receives a CAN-FD protocol message, the CAN-C controller generally will output an unrecoverable Error-condition.
This compatibility problem is significant because there are several hundred different products with using CAN-C made pursuant to the previous version of the International Standards Organization (“ISO”) 11898-1. Interest in adopting CAN-FD as a higher speed protocol is discouraged because such modules cannot be used on a bus having a module that can only communicate using CAN-C.
Although theoretically one can convert an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) such as the one illustrated in FIG. 2 from Classical-CAN to CAN-FD by replacing the integrated Classical CAN-controller with a CAN-controller with CAN-FD functionality, but such a conversion involves an investment and time. First, it is necessary to design a new MCU where the Classical-CAN controller is replaced by the CAN-FD controller. Then it is necessary to make new masks defining how such device will be produced. After the device is produced will it be necessary to verify and validate that everything is working as expected. This process will take at least six months before there are any new devices to test in the ECU. When you have the ECU with the new MCU including the CAN-FD controller, it will be necessary to do some changes in the software to support the CAN-FD controller. Even if those changes are relatively small, it will be necessary to evaluate that nothing else changed. If the devices have a safety related task, it will be necessary to retest the complete unit. Such test will take several months up to a year assuming that the first MCU samples have no bugs. In most cases will there be some parts that did not come out 100% correct, and it will be necessary to make a redesign of the MCU.
One attempt to solve this problem includes inserting a filter between CAN-FD portions of the bus and any CAN-C modules that intercept CAN-FD communications before they reach CAN-C modules. This solution, however, is not elegant because a CAN-FD communication can only be identified by reading a particular bit (FDF bit) of the communication, which according to the CAN-C and CAN-FD protocols is several bits into the message. In CAN-C the FDF bit is always logic zero and in CAN-FD the CAN-FD bit is logic one. Thus, this approach will result in either generation of an error message when the CAN-C controller sees that the message it was receiving is cut off by the filter or a delay where the filter holds the message until receipt of the FDF bit. In the second situation, however, holding back the message can interfere with communications arbitrations that coordinate how the modules communicate amongst themselves.
In the first situation, it could be possible to prevent this Error-frame from coming out on the CAN-bus, but it will still cause confusion for diagnostics to distinguish those artificial local Error-Frames from real Errors. If there are too many CAN-FD frames on the bus, there is a risk that those Classical-CAN units will go Error-passive, which will change the behavior of those modules in the system.
Even if one were to accept that each CAN-FD frame will result in a local Error Frame, there remains an even bigger problem. The CAN protocol is designed to make it possible to start sending the next CAN frame directly after the previous frame has ended. This makes the CAN-protocol effective, but this also demands that all CAN devices must complete their CAN-frames simultaneously, including the Error Frames, to begin the next CAN frame in the next succeeding bit on the bus. The probability that the local Error-frame will end at the same instance in time as the CAN-FD frame on the CAN-bus is very low. If a second CAN-message will start directly after the Error-frame for the local node or after the CAN-FD frame on the bus, there will an unrecoverable condition with the only solution being to place an Error-frame at the same time both locally and on the CAN-bus. This will force all units to restart the communication with a great probability that the same problem will occur a second time until some units will go bus-off and leave the communication. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ferroelectric thin film formation composition containing a metal compound to form a ferroelectric thin film, a ferroelectric thin film and a method of fabricating a ferroelectric thin film.
2. Description of the Related Art
A piezoelectric element having a ferroelectric thin film containing a crystal, which is typified by lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) and the like, has spontaneous polarization, high dielectric constant, an electrooptic effect, a piezoelectric effect, a pyroelectric effect and the like. Thus, the piezoelectric element described above is applied to wide-ranging device development. Moreover, as a method of forming such a ferroelectric thin film, for example, a sputtering method, a sol-gel method, a CVD method and the like are known. Among the above-described methods, the sol-gel method is a method of forming a film by sequentially performing application, drying and calcination of a sol (colloidal solution). Accordingly, the sol-gel method has an advantage that the ferroelectric thin film can be easily formed at relatively low cost. For example, by use of the sol-gel method as described above, the ferroelectric thin film can be formed in the following manner. Specifically, a ferroelectric thin film formation composition (sol) is applied onto a substrate, the ferroelectric thin film formation composition being obtained by dissolving a metal compound such as a metal alkoxide in a solvent such as alcohol and adding an arbitrary additional agent, as the need arises, for adjustment. Thereafter, the sol is dried, degreased and calcined.
However, if the ferroelectric thin film is formed by use of a conventional ferroelectric thin film formation composition, a radially extending uneven striped pattern, that is, a striation occurs in the ferroelectric thin film. Thus, there is a problem that an even ferroelectric thin film cannot be formed. Note that the cause of occurrence of the striation has not been clearly elucidated in the present circumstances.
Accordingly, in order to solve the problem as described above, there has been proposed a ferroelectric thin film formation composition in which a water content in a sol composition is set to a predetermined amount or less (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-48540). However, there is a problem that selection of the composition, for example, use of a compound containing water of crystallization or a compound such as alkoxide, which has a hydroxy group by hydrolysis, is significantly limited.
Moreover, there has been proposed a perovskite oxide thin film formation source solution containing silicon (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-72416). This perovskite oxide thin film formation source solution is intended to eliminate the striation by containing silicon which has chemical stability that a composition of the source solution hardly reacts with organic matter and has very low surface tension.
However, as described above, silicon is chemically stable and never reacts with other compounds. Thus, even if silicon is dried or calcined, silicon remains as it is in the ferroelectric thin film as impurities. Consequently, there arises a problem that the impurities may adversely affect piezoelectric properties. | {
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1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to computer networks and more particularly to a method and system for providing Systems Network Architecture (SNA) Access to Telnet 3270 (TN3270) and Telnet 3270 Enhanced (TN3270E) services over Wide Area Networks based on technologies such as Frame Relay (FR), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Switched Multimegabit Data Services (SMDS) or Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN).
2. Description of the Related Art
Every day, for all sorts of reasons, more and more companies are focusing on the consolidation of the multiple specialized networks they directly operate or lease from service providers onto a single protocol network. These multiple specialized networks are based on diverse networking technologies such as Systems Network Architecture (SNA), Internet Protocol (IP) or Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX). These companies are making the consolidation one of their top priorities, and they are almost exclusively selecting IP (the Internet Protocol) as their protocol of choice. However, for the overwhelming majority of these companies that are using SNA protocols and applications, there still is and will be for the many years to come, a major requirement for employees to keep the capability they always had to have access to the huge amount of existing corporate data residing in traditional mainframes and accessible through SNA applications.
TN3270 and TN3270 Enhanced
In an IP environment, a widely used technique for the transport of SNA information across IP networks is the use of Telnet technologies (TN3270 and TN3270 Enhanced). This technique for SNA green screen workstation users is a Client/Server approach. Host On Demand from IBM or WebClient from CISCO are examples of Client software implementations. Network Utility from IBM or CISCO router's offerings are typical Server implementations (hardware and software).
The TN3270 Client usually runs within the customer's workstation while the Server is usually placed in front of the customer's Data Center mainframes (or sometimes directly within the mainframe itself) or within the customer branch offices. As illustrated in FIG. 1, IP protocols 102 are used between the Server 100 and the Clients 101, while traditional SNA protocols 103 are used between the Server 100 and the target Applications 104 within the mainframe. More information concerning Telnet, TN3270, TN3270 Enhanced, Network Utility and more generally SNA over IP can be found in the following publications incorporated herewith by reference:
IBM 2216/Network Utility Host Channel Connection, Erol Lengerli, Jacinta Carbonell, Thomas Grueter; IBM International Technical Support Organization, January 1999, SG24-5303-00.
IBM Network Utility Description and Configuration Scenarios, Tim Kearby, Peter Gayek, Gallus Schlegel, Imre Szabo, Zhi-Yong Zhang; IBM International Technical Support Organization, January 1999, SG24-5289-00.
Internetworking with TCP/IP—Volume I—Principles, Protocols, and Architecture Douglas E. Comer, Second Edition, Prentice Hall 1991.
SNA and TCP/IP Integration, Jerzy Buczak, Karl Wozabal, Antonio Luca Castrichella, Heikki Lehikoinen, Maria Cristina Madureira, Tsutomu Masaoka, IBM International Technical Support Organization, April 1999, SG24-5291-00.
TCP/IP Tutorial and Technical Overview, Martin W. Murhammer, Orcun Atakan, Stefan Bretz, Larry R. Pugh, Kazunari Suzuki, David H. Wood, IBM International Technical Support Organization, October 1998, GG24-3376-05.
Request For Comments (RFCs) from the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF):
RFC 1576: TN3270 Current Practices,
RFC 1646: TN3270 Extensions for LU name and Printer Selection,
RFC 1647: TN3270 Enhancements,
RFC 2355: TN3270 Enhancements.
Wide Area Networks
Data transmission with a specific focus on applications is now evolving by integrating a fundamental shift in the customer traffic profile. Driven by the growth of the number of intelligent (programmable) workstations, the pervasive use of local area network (LAN) interconnections, the distributed processing capabilities between workstations and super computers, the new applications and the integration of various and often conflicting structures (e.g., hierarchical versus peer to peer, wide versus local area networks, voice versus data), the data profile consumes more bandwidth and requires more connectivity. The data profile is also bursting and non-deterministic. Based on the above observations, there is a strong requirement for supporting distributed computing applications across high speed wide-area networks that can carry local area network communications, voice and data traffic (and sometimes also even video) among channel-attached hosts, business or engineering workstations, terminals, and small to large file server systems.
The vision of a high speed multi-protocol network is the driver for the emergence of fast packet or cell switching network architectures such as Frame Relay, Asynchronous Transfer Mode or Switched Multimegabit Data Services in which data, voice, or, even in some cases, video information is digitally encoded, chopped into small packets and transmitted through a common set of nodes and links. With the continuously evolving environment, there still is and will be for the many years to come, a major requirement for transporting legacy data traffic, such as System Network Architecture (SNA) traffic across Wide Area Networks.
More information about Wide Area Networks and more particularly about Frame Relay (FR), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) or Switched Multimegabit Data Services (SMDS) technologies can be found in the following publications incorporated herewith by reference:
High Speed Networking Technology: An Introductory Survey, IBM International Technical Support Organization, July 1995, GG24-3816-02; and
Asynchronous Transfer Mode (Broadband ISDN)- Technical Overview, IBM International Technical Support Organization, June 1994, GG24-4330-00.
An efficient transport of mixed traffic streams on very high speed lines means that for these new network architectures, a set of strict requirements in terms of performance and resource consumption is needed. The set of requirements includes a very high throughput and a very short packet or cell processing time, an efficient set of flow and congestion control mechanisms, and a very large flexibility to support a wide range of connectivity options. | {
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One of the most basic electrical junctions used in modern electronic devices is the conductor-semiconductor junction. In some cases, depending on the materials used, the junction may be ohmic in nature (i.e., the junction may have negligible resistance regardless of the direction of current flow). However in other cases the junction is inherently rectifying; that is, the junction tends to conduct current in one direction more favorably than in the other direction.
By 1938, Schottky had developed a theoretical explanation for such rectification; explaining that a barrier in electrical potentials at the surface of contact between the conductor and the semiconductor was responsible. In order for electrons or holes to pass between the conductor and the semiconductor, the charge carriers had to overcome this “Schottky barrier”. The height of the barrier is determined by the difference in potentials between the carriers in the metal and those at the conduction band states of minimum energy (relevant to electrons) or valence band states of maximum energy (relevant to holes) of the semiconductor.
Metal/semiconductor junctions are fundamental components of field-effect transistors (FETs). With a FET device in the “on” state (in which charge is induced in a channel region by a gate electrode), carriers must relatively freely travel from one or more source(s), through the channel, and into one or more drains, where whether a given channel tap is better identified as a “source” or as a “drain” depends on the relative potential applied to the channel tap. Two types of channel taps are commonly used: “doped” semiconductor regions and metals.
With a doped source or drain, primarily substitutional impurities (dopants) yield a local reservoir of charge carriers (typically electrons for an n-channel transistor and holes for a p-channel transistor). To connect the transistor to other elements within the circuit, or to external connections of the circuit, metal is placed in electrical contact with the impurity-rich region. The critical parameter in a doped source or drain is how effectively the carriers can be exchanged with the reservoir (electrons for an n-type reservoir or holes for a p-type reservoir). A variety of junction characteristics contribute to a free exchange of these carriers, including: 1. A low Schottky barrier height due to an effective metal workfunction that is sufficiently low (for an n-type reservoir) or sufficiently high (for a p-type reservoir). 2. A high electric field at the interface, thinning the Schottky barrier and facilitating the tunneling of carriers through it. For example, higher concentrations of ionized impurities in the semiconductor near the metal/semiconductor interface tend to result in higher electric fields at that interface. 3. A shift in the effective band edges of the semiconductor, for example by “band gap narrowing” due to high concentrations of ionized impurities. 4. An increase in the rate of carrier generation/recombination processes in the vicinity of the barrier, facilitating the exchange of electrons and holes there, contributing to the flow of carriers between the contact and the channel when the channel is “on”.
Metal or “Schottky” channel taps do not use impurity-rich regions between the contact and the channel(s), instead placing a metal conductor in direct contact with the region in which the channel is formed. The requirements on the Schottky barrier height at Schottky channel taps tend to be stricter than those for doped channel taps. There are several reasons that Schottky channel taps have stricter requirements. One is that Schottky channel taps tend to have a smaller metal/semiconductor interface area over which carriers can cross the interface; carriers must cross a Schottky contact in close proximity to the channel, where the channel is typically only a few nanometers thick, while with a doped channel tap carriers may be able to spread over a much broader area, traveling through the conductive impurity-rich region before or after crossing the metal/semiconductor boundary. Another reason is that a higher electric field at the contact (item 2 in the preceding list), impurity-induced band edge shifts (item 3 in the preceding list), and enhanced generation/recombination (item 4 in the preceding list) are less available to Schottky channel taps. Regions of high concentrations of ionized impurities (dopants) are unavailable, and substantially enhanced generation/recombination processes would increase the “off-state” leakage current.
So for both types of source or drain, doped or Schottky, but especially Schottky, reducing the Schottky barrier height is beneficial for the efficient transfer of current between the source(s) and drain(s) when the channel is in the “on” state. The most straightforward approach to reducing the Schottky barrier height is to choose a metal with a lower (for an n-channel transistor) or higher (for a p-channel transistor) workfunction. However, metal/semiconductor interactions reduce the efficacy of this approach.
The Schottky barrier is affected by a chemical and/or electrical interaction between the metal and the semiconductor with which it is in contact. The result of the interaction may be a charge dipole layer at the interface, which is affected by the potential energy of carriers in the metal, the energy levels of the available semiconductor conduction or valence band states, and possibly energy levels induced in the semiconductor gap due to proximity with the metal. The charge dipole may be “extrinsic”, due to imperfections in the crystal structure at or in the vicinity of the interface, or “intrinsic”, a fundamental consequence of the proximity and/or local bonding of the different materials. This dipole tends to have a polarity and strength such that it causes the Fermi level of the metal to be roughly aligned with an energy level in the semiconductor (at the metal/semiconductor interface) associated with the “forbidden gap” of the semiconductor: an energy at which there are essentially no “free” electron or hole states. With this alignment, there are Schottky barriers to the conduction and valence bands. Among the approaches to describing this “intrinsic” interaction are those of R. Tung, Phys. Rev. B, vol. 45, no. 23, pp. 13509-13523 (1992), and W. Mönch, Surface Science, vol. 300, pp. 928-944 (1994).
In either case, an approach to reducing the intrinsic interaction (as described by Grupp and Connelly in the above-cited patent applications) is to impose an interfacial layer between the semiconductor forming the channel and the metal. If this material can be formed with a low defect density, minimizing “extrinsic” states, while reducing the intrinsic states arising from the proximity of the metal to the semiconductor, the magnitude of the charge dipole can be reduced, allowing for a reduced or even eliminated Schottky barrier between the metal and the semiconductor in the channel region. The key is that the material be sufficiently thin so that, even if there is a Schottky barrier between the metal and the interfacial layer, free carriers of the appropriate type (electrons or holes) can be readily exchanged between the channel region semiconductor and the metal. The carriers may, for example, tunnel through the barrier associated with the thin interfacial layer.
Thus, Grupp and Connelly demonstrated that controlling or adjusting the barrier height of a metal/semiconductor junction could produce electrical devices of desired characteristics. For example, using the methods described in the above-cited patent applications one can tune MOSFETs to address issues of on-resistance and off-state leakage currents, as well as control short-channel effects. However, certain challenges must be overcome to achieve these advantages; among them, the ability to control the thickness of the interface layer between the metal and the semiconductor.
Controlling the thickness of interfacial layers or films of the types described in the above-cited patent applications (e.g., materials which, in their bulk form, are insulators, such as silicon nitride, Si3N4, or oxides of semiconductors, such as SiO2, or of metals, such as ZrO2) may not be easy. The film needs to be sufficiently thin that the tunneling of free electrons and holes through the resulting potential barrier is sufficiently probable that the peak available current in the device is not substantially diminished. Achievement of this needed tunneling probability, while maintaining the needed reduction in the metal/semiconductor interaction, may require near-monolayer control of the interfacial layer thickness.
Additionally, the present inventors have recognized that the interfacial material's interface with the channel region semiconductor should have a low defect density, avoiding “extrinsic” states and/or other deleterious effects associated with a high defect density. And, to facilitate the tunneling of free carriers through the interfacial layer, the material used for that layer should have sufficiently small potential barriers at the conduction and valence band, combined with suitably low “tunneling effective masses” for electrons and holes, where the “tunneling effective mass” describes how readily, for a given potential barrier height, carriers tunnel. Conversely, since material with weaker intrinsic interactions with metals tend to have wider band gaps, an interfacial layer in a preferred embodiment will not in general be one with a minimum barrier height to the conduction or valence band of the semiconductor with which it is in contact. Finally, if the interfacial layer does tend to “pin” the Fermi level towards a given value (a value at which the dipole at the interface between the interfacial layer and the metal becomes small), that value should preferably be closer to the band edge associated with the channel carrier (the conduction band for n-channel transistors, the valence band for p-channel transistors), of the material forming the channel region, resulting in a reduced tendency for the “pinning” to increase the Schottky barrier height between the metal and the channel region semiconductor for the carrier type of the channel. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The invention relates to a roller screen, comprising a screen, a roller mechanism for the screen, a pull-beam connected to an end edge of the screen and two side guides for guiding the side edges of the screen, wherein the screen extends into each side guide through a longitudinal slot and a guiding rod for the corresponding side edge of the screen is provided in each side guide, wherein each guiding rod with its end opposite to the roller mechanism is received in a mounting element fixed in the corresponding end of the side guide.
Such a roller screen is known in various embodiments. In a known roller screen the end of the guiding rod opposite of the roller mechanism is bent along 90.degree. and said end is inserted into an opening formed in the side guide. Thereby the known roller screen has the disadvantage that several operations are required for mounting the guiding rod, for example, a bending operation on the guiding rod and providing an opening in the side guide. Further the assembly of the guiding rod and the side guide is rather cumbersome. Moreover, the guiding rod may be released from its mounted position under some circumstances.
CH-A-455 231 discloses a roller screen of the above-mentioned type, wherein the mounting element is fixed in the side guide by a screw, by which said end of the guiding rod is also fixed in the mounting element. Thereby several operations with high accuracy are required for mounting the guiding rod and mounting the roller screen on the frame, otherwise an undesired high tension can easily occur in the screen. When the side guides are mounted inaccurately, a complete closing of the roller screen could be hindered.
It is an object of the invention to provide a roller screen of the above-mentioned type, wherein said disadvantages are obviated in an efficient manner. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Integrated chips contain millions of transistor devices. Transistors are connected to off chip electronics by way of a series of metal interconnects, which couple the transistor devices to a package (e.g., to a leadframe of a package). The metal interconnects comprise metal layers that progressively increase in size as they get further away from the transistor devices. Typically, the lowest metal layer comprises a contact (e.g., a W contact) that vertically connects a transistor device (e.g., a polysilicon layer or a well of a transistor) to a first metal interconnect layer that runs parallel to the surface of the integrated chip.
In SRAM memory cells, butted contacts are widely used to connect one or more transistor devices (e.g., a polysilicon layer, a well layer) to a first metal interconnect layer. Butted contacts are large contacts that enable connection of one or more gates (e.g., comprising a polysilicon material) to one or more active areas (i.e., diffusion regions) without the use of a horizontal metal interconnect layer. By using a single butted contact to connect to a gate and an active area, the size of an SRAM memory cell can be reduced. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present device is related to the field of skin treatment and, in particularly, skin treatment by electromagnetic energy for dermatological and cosmetic purposes.
Skin tightening or wrinkles reduction, removal of skin lesions and reduction of subcutaneous fat layers, or adipose tissue, is a dermatological and aesthetic treatment for which there is a growing demand. Among the different physical therapies available, the application of radio frequency is emerging as a leading technology for use in the removal of skin wrinkles and for performing other body shaping procedures. Methods associated with this technology are typically based on the delivery of a dose of electromagnetic energy to a target section or volume of the skin of a recipient and into the deeper subcutaneous skin layers to a volume of tissue to be treated. This energy shrinks or destroys collagen that is contained in the skin and tightens the skin. Typically, the energy is delivered by an applicator being in contact with the section of the skin to be treated and driven by a source of suitable electromagnetic energy, and particularly RF energy.
The electromagnetic energy is typically delivered to a target section of the skin of the recipient by selecting a contact element that is compatible with the treated section size. Alternatively, a plurality of contact elements can be utilized, in which the plurality of elements contact and penetrate discrete points of the target section of the skin. In the later case, the healing period is typically shorter. Although both modes of treatment are effective, the use of multiple contact elements treating discrete points of a target section more effectively tightens the skin, reduces wrinkles, and improves the skin appearance.
Currently, the applicators that deliver electromagnetic energy to the target section of the skin and induce the electric current therein are designed for multiple treatments. The proper operation of these applicators mandates introduction of an electrically conductive fluid or gel that is applied between the electrodes or contact elements and the target section of the skin. These conductive fluids generally have a resistance level that is higher than the resistance of the upper skin layer stratum corneum and they facilitate the application or conduction of electric current to the skin and tissue. The introduction of this electrically conductive fluid or gel between the electrodes and the treated section of the skin complicates the treatment process in that it requires the applicator to be cleaned prior to its next use. Such cleaning procedures typically require certain sterilization-like operations to be applied to the applicator prior to using the applicator on the next patient. Although the use of disposable applicators is known in the art, these disposable applicators are expensive elements and as such, have not been widely use in the industry. In addition, these disposable applicators also require the use of an electrically conductive fluid or gel being applied between the electrodes or contact elements and the treated section of the skin.
Some of the applicators that avoid the need for an electrically conductive fluid or gel in skin treatment include skin penetrating electrodes. When using these skin penetrating electrodes, the tending party is required to apply a sufficient amount of pressure to the applicator so as to ensure that the electrodes actually do penetrate the skin. The penetrating electrodes usually have sharp tips, require care in handling, and post treatment electrode processing or disposal.
Therefore, there is a need in the industry for a non-invasive or non-penetrating method of skin treatment and an applicator that can operate on dry skin, without conductive fluid having to be applied between the skin and the applicator. There is a further need in the art for a disposable applicator, or at least an applicator that includes disposable parts for electromagnetic radiation skin treatment. There is also a need in the art for a disposable applicator that penetrates the skin without involving sharp mechanical elements and producing similar treatment results. There is also a need in the art for an applicator that is capable of affecting a relatively large skin area without creating a need to leave treatment patches on the skin area. These and other needs in the art are met by the various embodiments that are described within this document. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates generally to a process for manufacturing precision guide rollers for video tape recorders (VTR). More specifically, the invention relates to a high-precision cutting process in guide roller production. The present invention further relates to an apparatus which performs the process according to the invention.
In general, a guide roller comprises a cylindrical guide roller sleeve with annular bearing and and oil-seal inserted into an axial opening through the roller sleeve. The bearing is made of a sintered metal impregnated with oil. Such guide rollers, particularly guide rollers for VTR's and so forth, which will be referred to hereafter as "VTR guide rollers", must be machined to a smooth and very even surface finish.
Various attempts have been made to provide satisfactorily precise surfacing processes for VTR guide rollers. Conventional manufacturing processes for VTR guide rollers have unsatisfactorily low yields, resulting in high production costs. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Related Documents
This invention is described in Disclosure Document No. 232254, | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to methods and devices for the monitoring, measuring, and evaluation of internal combustion engine operation. The present invention relates more specifically to a method and apparatus for sensing, measuring, and analyzing the operation of an internal combustion engine by detecting mechanical stress pulses created by both the combustion process and the mechanical action and interaction of the engine elements. The present invention in particular applies to both a one-time, non-destructive evaluation of engine deterioration and an on-going, on-board, monitoring of engine operation.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Information regarding the operation and condition of internal combustion engines is desirable and important from two standpoints. First, the designs of internal combustion engines are constantly being refined to improve efficiency and output. Factors which affect efficiency and output are sometimes difficult to control, measure, and analyze, especially during the operation of the engine combustion cycle. If detailed information on the timing of combustive events, the operation of the mechanical components, and the combustion characteristics, could be obtained then a much more thorough efficiency and condition analysis could be achieved. From a second standpoint, assuming some internal combustion engine of optimal efficiency and output, the inevitable and on-going deterioration of the engine and its effect on the efficiency and output, is of great importance. If information could be gathered and analyzed on a continuous basis, many deteriorating actions and effects within an engine could be detected as it operates and, in some cases, compensated for or brought to the attention of the engine operator in advance of significant detrimental effects on the operation of the engine.
A more thorough knowledge and understanding, therefore, of the activities and occurrences within an internal combustion engine would help lead to not only improved engine designs but also to the better use and operation of existing engine designs. Efforts thus far in the field to obtain relevant information on the operation of the internal combustion process have been limited to somewhat gross measurements of temperatures and pressures within the engine. Typically, as for example in an automotive engine, lubricant pressure and temperature, coolant temperature, and combustion cycle timing, have been the extent of the monitoring. In more refined applications, analysis of exhaust gases, spark plug firings, and periodic wear measurements have provided additional bits of information from which to discern and describe the function and efficiency of the engine. On the whole, however, very little has been done in the field to obtain the much-needed, yet more difficult to obtain, information associated with the operation of the mechanical elements and the combustion of the fuel within the engine. This is not surprising, since the environment within and about an internal combustion engine is not conducive to the sensitive types of sensors that are normally required to obtain the more detailed information about engine performance. Combine this problem with the higher costs associated with the more refined sensors, and it is easy to understand why little effort has been made to acquire additional details about engine operation along these lines.
As indicated above, well-known parameters that can and have been measured for engine operation include various temperatures and pressures whose values are obtained through thermocouple-based sensors or more rugged but less sensitive pressure transducers. Since the operational temperatures and pressures within an engine are an indication of its efficiency and can ultimately be an indication of problems occurring in the engine, these parameters are quite important but somewhat limited in the information they convey. More often than not, changes in temperature and pressure parameters merely indicate the presence of a problem or an operational inefficiency and do nothing to suggest where that problem might be occurring or what the basis of an inefficiency is.
More sensitive types of transducers have been utilized in the laboratory to analyze engine conditions but very little of this laboratory analysis has been translated into an on-board operational analysis or monitoring. In the laboratory, piezoelectric transducers have been able to detect, monitor and assist in the analysis of not only pressure characteristics (and when operated in conjunction with thermocouples, temperature characteristics) but also the mechanical interaction of the components of the engine itself. Piezoelectric transducers can be configured to measure pressures within the combustion chambers, the lubricant system, and may also be used to localize mechanical events in a manner that allows some indication of their general location. Piezoelectric transducers, however, though rugged for many applications, are still far too delicate to be utilized for long periods of time in association with the high operating temperature and vibrational effects within and about internal combustion engines. In addition, the ability of piezoelectric transducers to finely distinguish vibrations and waves that might be associated with anomalous events and/or ordinary events in the operation of an engine is quite limited.
It would, therefore, be advantageous to develop an apparatus and method for detecting, measuring, and analyzing conditions within an internal combustion engine with a sensitivity that allows a more thorough understanding of not only ordinary operational events but also any anomalous events within the engine that might occur over short or long periods of time. It would be desirable to have such a system that could, on the one hand, function in an analytical setting where the then existing condition of an engine could be determined and characterized. On the other hand it would also be advantageous if such an apparatus and method could be implemented in a monitoring mode whereby information on the on-going, long-term operation of an engine could be collected and retained for either later analysis or for continuous comparison with threshold values that might signal problems. Further, it would be advantageous to have such a method and apparatus that would permit feedback compensation for events where such compensation can be shown appropriate and where the event is a modifiable occurrence.
Some use of more recent sensor technology and devices such as magnetostrictive sensors has been shown in other fields to provide sensitive means for mechanical stress wave measurement in both metallic and non-metallic structures and machines. Some application of these magnetostrictive devices has been made in the field of internal combustion engines and might be typified by the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,620 issued to Adolph on Apr. 12, 1988, entitled, "Magnetostrictive Element for Measuring Knocking Engines," describes the use of a magnetostrictive element to detect self-ignition or "knocking" in the combustion cycle. A number of sensor devices are connected by way of mechanical wave guides (wires) to each of the individual combustion chambers within an engine. The ability of these devices to gather information, however, is strictly limited to the detection of knocking within a specific cylinder and over all does not lend itself to easy installation on existing engines or, for that matter, versatility in its ability to characterize any engine events other than the occurrence of combustion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,610 issued to Anderson III, et al on Aug. 7, 1984, entitled "Tuned Vibration Detector," describes a sensor for detecting engine knock that incorporates a tuning mechanism mechanically resonant with a pre-selected vibrational frequency. The effects of engine knock on the tuning network in the Anderson device indicate the varying applied stress. The limitations described above with respect to the Adolph patent, however, likewise apply herein, insofar as little more than a detection of engine knock as an event is possible with such a sensor.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,534,276 issued to Lancor on Dec. 19, 1950, entitled "Vibration Pick-up Device and System," describes an early magnetostrictive-type vibration sensor utilized to detect impact, shock, or detonation, and which functions much like an accelerometer. This device is mounted in an engine's cylinder wall. Here again, the device is limited in that it isolates only what goes on in a single combustion cylinder and, even then, gathers information relevant only to the occurrence of a combustive event, and little more.
While the above patents represent that some effort has been made to utilize magnetostrictive-type sensors in engine analysis, it is clear that such uses to date have been quite limited. These limitations derive from the fact that the sensor structures and methods disclosed heretofore are unable to isolate and interpret anything other than the gross occurrence of a combustion event. The fact that efforts in the past have resorted only to identifying combustive events and their relative time spacing, and that these sensors must be associated with specific individual combustion chambers, indicates that little more information can be obtained under the constraints placed on them.
III. Background on the Magnetostrictive Effect
The magnetostrictive effect is a property peculiar to ferromagnetic materials. The magnetostrictive effect refers to the phenomena of physical, dimensional change associated with variations in magnetization. The effect is widely used to make vibrating elements for such things as sonar transducers, hydrophones, and magnetostrictive delay lines for electric signals. The magnetostrictive effect actually describes physical/magnetic interactions that can occur in two directions. The Villari effect occurs when stress waves or mechanical waves within a ferromagnetic material cause abrupt, local dimensional changes in the material which, when they occur within an established magnetic field, can generate a magnetic flux change detectible by a receiving coil in the vicinity. The Joule effect, being the reverse of the Villari effect, occurs when a changing magnetic flux induces a mechanical vibrational motion in a ferromagnetic material through the generation of a mechanical wave or stress wave. Typically, the Joule effect is achieved by passing a current of varying magnitude through a coil placed within a static magnetic field thereby modifying the magnetic field and imparting mechanical waves into a ferromagnetic material present in that field. These mechanical or stress waves then propagate not only through the portion of the ferromagnetic material adjacent to the generating coil but also into and through any further materials in mechanical contact with the ferromagnetic material. In this way, non-ferromagnetic materials can serve as conduits for the mechanical waves or stress waves that can thereafter be measured by directing them through these ferromagnetic "wave guides" placed proximate to the magnetostrictive sensor element.
The advantages of magnetostrictive sensors over other types of vibrational sensors becomes quite clear when the structure of such sensors is described. All of the components typically utilized in magnetostrictive sensors are temperature, pressure, and environment-resistant in ways that many other types of sensors, such as piezoelectric based sensors, are not. High temperature, permanent magnets, magnetic coils, and ferromagnetic materials are quite easy to produce in a variety of configurations. Further, although evidence from the previous applications of magnetostrictive sensors would indicate the contrary, magnetostrictive sensors are capable of detecting mechanical waves and translating them into signals that are subject to very fine analysis and discrimination in a manner that allows information to be obtained from the elements in an engine that have initially generated the stress. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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