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Urinary incontinence, or an inability to control urinary function, is a common problem afflicting people of all ages, genders, and races. Various muscles, nerves, organs and conduits within the urinary tract cooperate to collect, store and release urine. A variety of disorders may compromise urinary tract performance and contribute to incontinence. Many of the disorders may be associated with aging, injury or illness.
In some cases, urinary incontinence can be attributed to improper sphincter function, either in the internal urinary sphincter or external urinary sphincter. For example, aging can often result in weakened sphincter muscles, which causes incontinence. Some patients also may suffer from nerve disorders that prevent proper triggering and operation of the bladder or sphincter muscles. Nerves running though the pelvic floor stimulate contractility in the sphincter. A breakdown in communication between the nervous system and the urinary sphincter can result in urinary incontinence.
Monitoring urinary incontinence aids a clinician in diagnosing the precise condition of the patient. For example, a clinician may monitor parameters of voiding events, such as time of voiding events (voluntary and involuntary), volume of leaked fluid for an event, number of voiding events, and contents of urine, in order to diagnose the condition of the patient. Accordingly, monitoring may include collecting urine samples from the patient and/or maintaining a patient voiding diary in which the patient logs voluntary voiding events, involuntary voiding events, i.e., leakage, or other related problems. The patient may keep the voiding diary on paper or in an electronic device. The clinician may review the samples to determine the contents of the urine and may review the diary to view the frequency and number of voiding events experienced by the patient. In some cases, the clinician may tailor a therapy, such as electrical stimulation, according to the diary and the contents of the urine samples. | {
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This invention relates to optical fiber connectors.
Optical connectors are necessary throughout lightwave systems wherever it is desired to optically couple two or more fibers together. Typical connectors employ a glass ferrule in which the fibers are situated. The ferrules are inserted within opposite ends of a sleeve so that the ferrules, and therefore the fibers, are aligned. In one form of connector, the ferrule is locked into the sleeve by means of rotating the ferrule until a tab on the sleeve is engaged by a collar mounted around the ferrule (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,508 issued to Palmquist). Other types of connectors employ a latching mechanism to lock the ferrule into the sleeve (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,695 issued to Evans; U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,964 issued to Haesly; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,887 issued to Glover). Latching mechanisms have also been proposed for male-female optical connector configurations (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,225,214 issued to Hodge et al).
While adequate for most applications, most presently-available connectors cannot be easily adapted for use where a high density of fiber arrays is required. For example, in providing lightwave communications to each home, the fibers must be housed in underground closures where space is severely limited. This may require, for example, an array of 864 fibers in a panel measuring 38 cm high, 46 cm wide and 25 cm deep, which translates into a center-to-center spacing for the fibers of just 1.02 cm. In such dense arrays, it is difficult, if not impossible, for a technician to remove a fiber connector which requires either rotation or latch tripping by insertion of a hand around the connector in the space between adjacent connectors.
In order to deal with this problem, it has been proposed to provide a connector with a rotating mechanism which engages tabs on the connector sleeve so that the fiber can be inserted and removed by a longitudinal force exerted on the fiber (See U.S. patent application of C. W. Scott, Jr. filed on an even date herewith).
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide an alternative design of optical fiber connectors which can be used conveniently in dense fiber arrays. | {
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With development of electronic technology, light-emitting diode (LED) is widely used in application of general illumination market and display market per smaller, easier driver and higher efficiency. Currently, LED driver system typically uses a three-stage circuit structure. A precise current is needed for LED driving, and other voltage power supplies, for example, 12V and/or 5V, are also needed for powering other circuits of LED driver system.
There are several kinds of structures for LED driver system, for example, multi-stage LED driver system with voltage converters and LED driver circuit. As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional three-stage LED driver system 100 comprises a power factor correction (PFC) stage 11, an isolated DC/DC converter stage 12, an isolated DC/DC converter stage 13, and a LED driver stage 14. Isolated DC/DC converter 13 is used to provide DC voltage power supplies, 12V and 5V. Isolated DC/DC converter 12 is used to provide power for LED driver stage 14. LED driver stage 14 is used to drive a LED Panel. It is obviously that conventional three-stage LED driver system 100 is complex, low efficiency and has high cost and large size. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma display panel having an improved structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
A plasma display panel (PDP) is a slim and light flat panel display that has a large size, high definition and wide viewing angle. Compared with other flat panel displays, the PDP can be simply manufactured in a large size and the PDP is thus considered to be the next-generation large flat panel display.
The PDP is classified into a DC (direct current) type, an AC (alternating current) type, and a hybrid type according to a discharge voltage characteristics. Also, the PDP is classified into an opposite discharge type and a surface discharge type according to a discharge structure.
A conventional triode surface discharge PDP includes a scan electrode, a common electrode, a bus electrode, a dielectric layer covering the electrodes, and an MgO layer, which are disposed on a front substrate. Most (about 40%) visible rays emitted from a phosphor layer are absorbed by the electrodes and the layers, and therefore a luminous efficiency is low.
If the conventional PDP displays the same image for a long time, the phosphor layer is ion sputtered by charged particles of a discharge gas, thus causing a permanent image sticking or burn-in.
Also, since a distance between the scan electrode and an address electrode where an address discharge occurs is large, an address discharge voltage is high. Further, since the scan electrode and the common electrode where a sustain discharge occurs are formed on the same plane, a discharge start voltage is high. | {
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Monatin is a high-intensity sweetener having the chemical formula:
Because of various naming conventions, monatin is also known by a number of alternative chemical names, including: 2-hydroxy-2-(indol-3-ylmethyl)-4-aminoglutaric acid; 4-amino-2-hydroxy-2-(1H-indol-3-ylmethyl)-pentanedioic acid; 4-hydroxy-4-(3-indolylmethyl)glutamic acid; and 3-(1-amino-1,3-dicarboxy-3-hydroxy-but-4-yl)indole.
Monatin contains two chiral centers leading to four potential stereoisomeric configurations. The R,R configuration (the “R,R stereoisomer” or “(R,R)-monatin”); the S,S configuration (the “S,S stereoisomer” or “(S,S)-monatin”); the R,S configuration (the “R,S stereoisomer” or “(R,S)-monatin”); and the S,R configuration (the “S,R stereoisomer” or “(S,R)-monatin”). The different stereoisomers of monatin have different sweetening characteristics.
Certain isomeric forms of monatin can be found in the bark of roots of the Schlerochiton ilicifolius plant located predominately in the Limpopo region, but also in Mpumalanga and the North West Province of South Africa. However, the concentration of the monatin present in the dried bark, expressed as the indole in its acid form, has been found to be about 0.007% by mass. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,298. The exact method by which monatin is produced in the plant is presently unknown.
At least in part because of its sweetening characteristic, it is desirable to have an economic source of monatin. Furthermore, because of the different sweetening characteristics of the different stereoisomers, it is desirable to have an economic source of a single stereoisomer of monatin, such as the R,R stereoisomer. Thus, there is a continuing need to develop methods for the production of monatin in stereoisomerically-pure or stereoisomerically-enriched form. | {
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Underground storage tanks of the type found at service stations generally include several riser lines which extend up from the top of the storage tank. A pair of riser lines extend up to ground level for use in filling the underground tank. One line is used for transferring fuel from a fuel tanker to the underground tank and the other line is used to transfer the vapor displaced from the underground tank being filled back to the fuel tanker. A third riser line is provided for use in placing a submersible product pump into the storage tank to permit pumping of the product from the storage tank to the various product dispensers found at the service station.
The pump riser line associated with the pumping equipment of an underground storage tank often leads to a containment box which houses the piping and electrical equipment associated with the submersible product pump. The containment box associated with the pumping equipment is generally accessible through a manhole. This containment box is useful for a number reasons. First, a containment box provides access to the pumping equipment associated with an underground storage tank. Perhaps more importantly, a containment box is useful in that if there is ever any failure of the equipment associated with the product pump such that fuel leaks from the equipment, the containment box will contain the leaking fuel and prevent it from contaminating the surrounding soil.
In addition to containment boxes used in connection with the pumps for the underground storage tanks, service stations generally include other secondary containment equipment useful for containing any leakage of products so as to prevent contamination of the surrounding soil. Examples include tank liners, double-walled piping systems and containment boxes associated with the product dispensers.
While secondary containment systems using double-walled pipes and containment boxes are routinely used to prevent soil contamination at service stations, the use of secondary containment systems for containing leaks at the joints between a storage tank and its riser lines have only recently been proposed. Initial attempts at providing secondary containment at the riser line joints have generally required the use of a secondary riser tube which surrounds a riser line and which is permanently sealed to the outer wall of the tank. While such a system is fairly effective at containing any leaks at the various riser line joints, one problem with such a system is that the sealing of the riser tube to wall of the underground storage tank can be difficult. Often, a joint made of fiberglass and fiberglass resin or similar materials must be used to form an effective seal. However, materials such as fiberglass can be difficult to work with and can require a significant amount of time for the associated resin to cure. They can also result in a brittle joint that is susceptible to cracking upon the settling of the surrounding soil. Of course, a cracked joint is ineffective at containing any leakage. A further problem with such systems is that in order to ensure that the fiberglass or other sealing material provides a good seal against the tank wall, power tools such as sanders or grinders must be used to remove the dirt or other residue that may be found on the tank's outer surface. Such practices are often discouraged by tank manufacturers due to the risk that such procedures might compromise the integrity of the underground storage tank. Consequently, an improved, easy to install secondary containment system is desired for use with underground storage tank riser lines. | {
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The object of the present invention is to provide a headlamp for vehicles by means of which the blinding or glaring phenomenon is eliminated, or is at least reduced to a large extent. To achieve such antiblinding effect, the headlamp of the invention comprises two reflecting surfaces which are joined to each other, between which a short straight filament is horizontally and parallely placed with respect to the main reflecting surfaces. The headlamp is completed by a converging lens output glass.
The two reflecting surfaces are semi-parabolas formed by displacing a parabola along a straight line. Such parabolas, which give rise to both the upper and lower reflecting surfaces forming the headlamp assembly, have different parabolic values.
The side parts of the headlamp are flat reflecting surfaces.
It should be pointed out that the upper part of the reflector, as well as the lower part thereof, when formed by parabolas which differ from each other, will give rise to the fact that the focal axes of such parabolas will not coincide, the axis of the lower part of the reflector being in an advanced position with respect to the focal axis of the upper part of the reflector. A lamp is connected to this structure, which lamp is cylindrical in shape and is placed parallely with respect to the headlamp, so that the filament of the lamp will be placed along the focal axis of the upper reflector.
The output glass, which all headlamps include, is in the case of a headlamp made according to the invention, a converging lens whose task is to corradiate the rays dispersed from the reflector and the filament, thus causing the rays to be deviated in a suitable manner so that the light beam, which emerges from such glass, is formed by approximately parallel rays.
With the structure which has just been explained, the light of the headlamps of a vehicle can be projected with a defined separation between a zone situated above a horizontal plane corresponding to the height of the headlamp, and an illuminated zone which will be precisely below such plane.
The upper reflector is a surface which emits light having a large divergence in a horizontal direction (just as in the case of the lower reflector) and a small divergence in a vertical direction, smaller than that of the lower reflector. The present invention is primarily concerned with vertical divergence.
Taking this divergence into account and supposing that the focal plane of the headlamp is horizontal (the plane which embraces the two focal axes, the filament and the vertex), then the luminous rays which emerge from the upper reflector are ascending, and they are more ascending, as they approach the edge i.e. as they are reflected more towards the upper end.
To prevent the luminous rays which emerge from the upper reflector from ascending, such reflector should be turned until its more ascending rays are situated in a horizontal position. The mode of carrying this out will be described subsequently. However, it is now necessary to clarify certain aspects of the invention which are also related to the turning of the upper reflector.
The first aspect refers to a manufacturing characteristic of the headlamp, according to which the illuminating zones of the upper reflector and those of the lower reflector are completely independent i.e. there is at no time any intersection of their rays. Consequently, this causes a weakening in the centre of the complete illuminating beam, precisely in the zone which separates the two illuminating zones of the two reflectors, due to the following reasons:
a. Tapering of the reflector in its assembly which is at its maximum in this zone. Thus, a reduction in the reflection capacity is produced. PA1 b. Presence of the bulb, with the corresponding appearance of reflections in the glass and distortion produced thereby. PA1 c. Presence of the opaque covering, with the corresponding shade production.
The second aspect is directly related to the secondary reflection which is produced in the interior of the headlamp, primarily due to the reflection of the light on the inner surface of the outlet glass. To prevent this reflection, which is a highly important factor in the blinding or glaring phenomenon and which makes the reflecting surfaces shine, there should be arranged in the interior of the headlamp a flat plate, both surfaces of which are covered with a non-reflecting substance or a light absorbing substance. This plate extends from one side of the headlamp to the other and from the proximities of the lens, until it touches the glass of the lamp. It will, at the same time, serve as a protecting cover which prevents direct ascending rays from being emitted.
With these two clarifications in mind, the manner in which the upper reflector should be turned so that the more ascending rays emerging therefrom are finally in a horizontal position and the illuminating zones of the upper and lower reflectors are at the same time joined, thus eliminating the weak zone, will now be described.
The turning of the upper reflector is effected for the filament, as an axis and from there the upper reflector is for the filament, as the axis and from there it is slightly turned until the previously mentioned plate is so positioned that it follows the direction of its rays without intercepting them. Once this has been achieved, the upper reflector is fixed in the assembly of the headlamp. Naturally, with this turning there is a zone which separates the vertices of the upper and lower reflecting surfaces, which before the turning, were coincident. However, due to the smallness of such zone with relation to the assembly of the reflector, its shape is of no great importance, hence it can be an accomodation surface between the two reflectors.
So-called levelling of the maximum ascending rays, which emerge from the upper reflector should be achieved with this turning. This is just as important as is the elimination of the possible weak zone which is formed around the focal plane. However, if the previously described turning is not sufficient to achieve the horizontal positioning of the maximum ascending rays of the upper reflector, a turning of the complete headlamp can be made until the desired positioning is achieved. Logically, this latter will depend on the divergence given to the upper reflector and to the inclination of the opaque-absorbing plate, which factors can be modified as desired.
To establish the position of the absorbing plate within the headlamp, the end thereof near to the lens is situated in the focal plane (horizontal) and the opposite end thereof is parallel to the focal axes and therefore, also horizontal, although slightly raised, with respect to the focal plane of the lower reflector.
When a headlamp assembly, made according to the invention is installed in a conventional automobile, safety or security in night driving is, increased, since blinding of the driver of a vehicle which travels in the opposite direction will be avoided or will be reduced to a great extent. This is another practical advantage of the invention i.e. the; elimination of the device for changing the bright and driving lights which is at present necessary in all vehicles.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a headlamp for vehicles which projects the light in such a way that there is a darkened zone above a horizontal plane situated at the height of the headlamps of the vehicle. Such zone protects the driver of an on-coming vehicle to which the headlamps of the invention have been adapted, while below such horizontal plane the contemplated headlamp illuminates the ground as well as the objects which are found in the zone below the height of the horizontal plane and the height of the headlamps.
With the headlamps which are presently used, it is not possible to achieve such separation of the illuminating zone and the darkened zone below and above the horizontal plane, respectively. This is due to the fact that the reflecting surface of a conventional headlamp is a revolution paraboloid which projects light, according to a diverging cone, both in a horizontal as well as a vertical direction and which therefore, emits light above the horizontal plane which establishes the position of the headlamps of the vehicle in question. | {
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Downhole operations often include a downhole string that extends from an uphole system into a formation. The uphole system may include a platform, pumps, and other systems that support resource exploration, development, and extraction. In some instances, fluids may be passed from the uphole system into the formation through the downhole string. In other instances, fluid may pass from the formation through the downhole string to the uphole system. The downhole string may include various sensors that detect downhole parameters including formation parameters and parameters associated with the downhole string.
It is desirable to communicate information from downhole sensors to the uphole system. Communication may take place through wired, optical, or acoustical systems. Acoustical systems rely upon passage of pressure pulses generated downhole to an uphole receiver. The pressure pulses are created by moving a piston through a hydraulic fluid. The uphole receiver converts the pressure pulses to data indicative of sensed parameters. The pressure pulses provide useful information to uphole operators. Therefore, advances in downhole communication systems would be well received by resource exploration and recovery companies. | {
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This invention relates to FM stereophonic broadcasting systems and, more particularly, to an improved FM stereophonic broadcasting system utilizing companding of the difference signal and simultaneous companding and modulation/demodulation techniques.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,485,483 of Emil L. Torick and Thomas B. Keller, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, describes an FM stereophonic broadcasting system in which the usual left and right signals are conventionally matrixed to obtain conventional sum (M) and difference (S) signals, and the difference signal is used to amplitude-modulate a first sub-carrier signal and is also applied to a compressor which compresses its dynamic range in accordance with a given law to produce a compressed difference signal S'. The compressed difference signal S' amplitude-modulates a second sub-carrier signal, preferably of the same frequency but in quadrature phase relationship with the first. The M signal, the two modulated sub-carrier signals, and a pilot are then frequency modulated onto a high frequency carrier for transmission purposes. The receiver includes a demodulator for deriving the M signal, the normal difference signal S and the compressed difference signal S', and an expander for complementarily expanding the derived compressed difference signal. The expanded noise-reduced version of the difference signal is combined with the derived sum signal M to obtain the original left (L) and right (R) signals. Companding of the difference signal S gives 22 db to 26 db signal-to-noise improvement in the transmission thereby to greatly extend the effective stereo service area over that of the existing FM stereo service.
Commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 688,940 filed Jan. 4, 1985, by applicant David W. Stebbings, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,380 the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, discloses an improvement of the above-described Torick/Keller system in that unlike the Torick/Keller system, in which only the expanded version of the received compressed difference signal is matrixed with the sum signal M to obtain the original L and R signals, the receiver matrixes a noise-reduced difference signal, derived by combining and expanding the received difference signals S and S', with the derived signal M to obtain the original L and R signals. Since the signal content of the signals S and S' is the same, by combining them the effective level of the received difference signal is increased by about 6 db, whereas the noise is increased by only about 3 db, resulting in a net improvement in signal-to-noise ratio of about 3 db over that of the Torick/Keller system. The transmission of the uncompressed difference signal S (necessary for compatibility with existing systems), coupled with the utilization at the receiver of both the uncompressed and compressed difference signals, allows the use of any desired companding law for the compression of the difference signal.
Commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 688,854, also filed Jan. 4, 1985, by Aldo G. Cugnini, Daniel W. Gravereaux and applicant David W. Stebbings, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,381 the disclosure of which is also hereby incorporated herein by reference, describes an FM stereophonic broadcasting system which utilizes the Torick/Keller concept of transmitting both the usual difference signal S and a compressed difference signal S' and the Stebbings concept of combining the usual difference signal and the expanded version of the compressed difference signal at the receiver to achieve greater noise reduction and improved signal-to-noise ratio, and additionally uses the normal difference signal at the receiver as a reference signal for controlling the expander so as to cause the amplitude of the companded difference signal to equal the level of the normal difference signal and thus insure proper dematrixing with the received sum signal M. The latter feature has the important advantage that the expander is adaptive to any compressor characteristic that might be employed at the transmitter. Further, the uncompressed difference signal available at the receiver enables adaptive decoding of dynamic parameters of the received signal, such as frequency response and attack and recovery time constants, so that all of the parameters of the original signal can be substantially restored, automatically, whatever the transmission system used.
In order that the adaptive expander system described in the aforementioned application Ser. No. 688,854 realize the maximum benefit from the availability at the receiver of both the unchanged and compressed difference signals S and S' it was necessary to use a stereo decoder (or demultiplexer), often in integrated circuit form, modified to give access to both the S and S' signals in quadrature. More particularly, in the prior system, these signals and decoded from the 38 KHz carrier to derive the corresponding baseband audio difference signals, both unchanged (S) and compressed (S'). The expander, which in a preferred embodiment is adaptive in nature, operates on the demodulated S and S' signals, with the S signal utilized as a reference for controlling the expansion. Thus, the decoder IC requires an extra demodulator as compared to the conventional FM stereo receiver, and also a second reference 38 KHz carrier, either in quadrature or at 45.degree. for driving the extra demodulator, as well as other matrices and components for effecting demodulation and expansion of the compressed difference signal. These additional components represent an increase in complexity and cost over that of conventional FM stereo receivers, and in order for the improved system to be more readily accepted these added costs are desirably reduced to more nearly correspond to the cost of conventional receivers.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an FM stereophonic broadcasting system utilizing companding of the difference signal which is simpler and less costly than the systems described in the aforementioned copending patent applications.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved companding system having lower distortion level, and less control signal breakthrough to the audio output.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide in an FM stereophonic receiver for a system utilizing companding of the difference signal in which simultaneous demodulation and expansion of the difference signal is combined with the simultaneous demodulation of the FM signal directly at the output of the FM limiter of the receiver.
A more specific object of the invention is to provide a technique for simultaneously modulating an audio signal onto a reference carrier and compressing the signal, or for simultaneously demodulating and expanding such compressed signal. | {
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Known compact tandem pumps of axial piston configuration, with swash plates and coaxially arranged shafts are designed with the two ends of the pump housing being similar or identical to the front housing of a standard single pump. Between the two end portions of the housings a single or a double mid-housing is inserted in which an auxiliary pump can also be mounted.
The shafts of both pumps and their corresponding cylinder blocks are supported by independent bearings. Accordingly, a bearing is arranged in each of the two end housings and two bearings are arranged in the mid-housing. Each shaft typically has a splined end in the mid housing area and both splined ends are in engagement with a separate splined hollow coupling member to permit torque transmission between the two pumps.
An example of this type of arrangement is disclosed in DE 198 28 180. In that reference the shafts 4 and 5 of the first and second hydraulic pumps 2, 3 are engaged by an additional coupling member 28, and the shafts are supported by four bearings 8, 9, 11, 12.
A similar arrangement is disclosed in JP 9177668. As shown in FIG. 1 of that document, male and female portions of the first and second shafts 24A, 24B form a direct intermeshing connection in the mid housing, such that a separate coupling member is not required. The shafts 24A, 24B are supported by two bearings 38, 39 in two housing end radial covers, and two further bearings 31, 34 in the mid housing region.
One disadvantage of these arrangements relates to the large number of parts required for radial bearing of the shafts and for effecting torque transmission between them. This results in increased manufacturing costs and the overall axial length of the tandem pump assembly is large.
The excessive length of the pump assembly adds to the overall weight of the pump unit, and hence requires additional material during production. These factors contribute to increased manufacturing and operating costs of the pump unit.
Another known arrangement of compact tandem axial pumps utilises two cylinder blocks on a same shaft, which is radially mounted on two bearings. For example, this type of arrangement is shown in DE 42 25 380. In this prior art document, as can be seen in FIG. 1 for example, a primary pump 1 and a secondary pump 12 are both mounted on a single input shaft 2. However, such arrangements are suitable only for lower operating pressures and small displacements of the pumps.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a tandem axial piston pump unit which has a reduced axial length, and/or reduced weight and/or is of a simplified design to conventional tandem axial pump units. | {
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The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of substituted 3-(1-amino-2-methylpentane-3-yl)phenyl compounds.
A class of active ingredients having excellent analgesic effectiveness and very good tolerability are substituted 3-(1-amino-2-methylpentane-3-yl)phenyl compounds such as for example (3-(3-methoxyphenyl)-2-methyl-pentyl)dimethylamine which are inter alia known from EP 0 693 475 B1 and WO 2008/012047 A1.
These compounds are conventionally prepared via a multi-step synthesis including a Mannich reaction as one of the key steps as it is exemplarily depicted below for the synthesis of (3-(3-methoxyphenyl)-2-methyl-pentyl)dimethylamine:
| {
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There is substantial and growing interest in the development of flexible electronic circuitry for applications that range from intelligent labels for inventory control, to large format flexible displays. This technology has great potential for many such applications due to the inherent low costs and high throughput of the manufacturing process.
From a structural perspective, flexible electronic circuits are essentially a multilayer stack of thin film laminates. These laminates can range in thickness from a few nanometers, to hundreds of microns. When these structures carry an electrical current, joule heating takes place, and there is a potential for deleterious structural deformation due to the mismatch of thermal expansion coefficients from one layer to the next. The prior art has attempted to address the aforementioned drawbacks and disadvantages, but has achieved mixed results.
For example, in order to redistribute thermal stress, the use of a spacer layer between the thin film and a more rigid layer of a multilayer flexible electronic device has been devised. Although this technique is applied in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,281,452B1 and 6,678,949 in order to minimize thermal stress, it is nonetheless characterized by drawbacks. This method is generally less than ideal, since it adds unnecessary thickness to a device that is required to be sufficiently thin. Additionally, such thickness restrictions hinder the possibility of employing additional layers that may be needed to minimize thermal stress.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,479 discloses a multilayer device, comprised of an electronic element, a plastic substrate, and a thin film, wherein the thermal deformation of the thin film is minimized by plastic substrate and the electronic element. This method has a distinct disadvantage in that it does not provide flexibility in adjusting the coefficient of thermal expansion and the thickness of the respective layers. | {
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Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of severe respiratory illness in infants and young children and is the major cause of infantile bronchiolitis (Welliver (2003) J Pediatr 143:S112). An estimated 64 million cases of respiratory illness and 160,000 deaths worldwide are attributable to RSV induced disease. In the United States alone, tens of thousands of infant hospitalizations are due to infections by paramyxoviruses, such as RSV and parainfluenza virus (PIV) (Shay et al. (1999) JAMA 282:1440-1446). Severe RSV infection occurs most often in children and infants, especially in premature infants. Underlying health problems such as chronic lung disease or congenital heart disease can significantly increase the risk of serious illness. RSV infections also can cause serious illness in the elderly, individuals with chronic pulmonary disease and immunocompromised adults, such as bone marrow transplant recipients.
Several approaches to the prevention and treatment of RSV infection have been investigated, including vaccine development, antiviral compounds (ribavirin), antisense drugs, RNA interference technology, and antibody products, such as immunoglobulin or intravenous monoclonal antibodies. Intravenous immunoglobulin (RSV-IGIV; RespiGam®) isolated from donors and a monoclonal antibody, palivizumab (SYNAGIS™), have been approved for RSV prophylaxis in high risk children. A vaccine or commercially available treatment for RSV, however, is not yet available. Only ribavirin is approved for treatment of RSV infection. In order to be effective for treatment of RSV infection, high doses, frequent administrations and/or volumes of antibody products, such as RSV-IG and palivizumab, are required due to low specificity. Further, the use of products, such as intravenous immunoglobulin, is dependent on donor availability. Accordingly, there exists a need for additional agents for the prevention or treatment of RSV infections. | {
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Hard disk drive drawers are used to allow easy access to repair and replace hard disk drives in computers. The hard disk drive drawer has a fixed outer casing which surrounds an inner casing that allows for the storage and removal of a plurality of hard disk drives.
Traditionally, input/output (“I/O”) cables were connected to the hard disk drives in such a way that the disk drives could not be accessed without powering down the system and disconnecting the cables, thereby resulting in costly computer downtime. This is also problematic in that it does not allow for easy management of highly dense signal paths as it is not always easy to track which I/O cables were associated with a particular hard disk drive.
A cable management module that allows for easy access to a hard disk drive as well as precise management of highly dense signal paths in a small area would be an important improvement in the art. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to methods of header compression within a wireless communications network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wireless communication systems have developed through various generations, including a first-generation analog wireless phone service (1G), a second-generation (2G) digital wireless phone service (including interim 2.5G and 2.75G networks) and a third-generation (3G) high speed data/Internet-capable wireless service. There are presently many different types of wireless communication systems in use, including Cellular and Personal Communications Service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular Analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), the Global System for Mobile access (GSM) variation of TDMA, and newer hybrid digital communication systems using both TDMA and CDMA technologies.
The method for providing CDMA mobile communications was standardized in the United States by the Telecommunications Industry Association/Electronic Industries Association in TIA/EIA/IS-95-A entitled “Mobile Station-Base Station Compatibility Standard for Dual-Mode Wideband Spread Spectrum Cellular System,” referred to herein as IS-95. Combined AMPS & CDMA systems are described in TIA/EIA Standard IS-98. Other communications systems are described in the IMT-2000/UM, or International Mobile Telecommunications System 2000/Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, standards covering what are referred to as wideband CDMA (WCDMA), CDMA2000 (such as CDMA2000 1xEV-DO standards, for example) or TD-SCDMA.
In wireless communication systems, mobile stations, handsets, or access terminals (AT) receive signals from fixed position base stations (also referred to as cell sites or cells) that support communication links or service within particular geographic regions adjacent to or surrounding the base stations. Base stations provide entry points to an access network (AN)/radio access network (RAN), which is generally a packet data network using standard Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) based protocols that support methods for differentiating traffic based on Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. Therefore, the base stations generally interact with ATs through an over the air interface and with the AN through Internet Protocol (IP) network data packets.
In wireless telecommunication systems, Push-to-talk (PTT) capabilities are becoming popular with service sectors and consumers. PTT can support a “dispatch” voice service that operates over standard commercial wireless infrastructures, such as CDMA, FDMA, TDMA, GSM, etc. In a dispatch model, communication between endpoints (ATs) occurs within virtual groups, wherein the voice of one “talker” is transmitted to one or more “listeners.” A single instance of this type of communication is commonly referred to as a dispatch call, or simply a PTT call. A PTT call is an instantiation of a group, which defines the characteristics of a call. A group in essence is defined by a member list and associated information, such as group name or group identification.
Conventionally, data packets within a wireless communications network have been configured to be sent to a single destination or access terminal. A transmission of data to a single destination is referred to as “unicast”. As mobile communications have increased, the ability to transmit given data concurrently to multiple access terminals has become more important. Accordingly, protocols have been adopted to support concurrent data transmissions of the same packet or message to multiple destinations or target access terminals. A “broadcast” refers to a transmission of data packets to all destinations or access terminals (e.g., within a given cell, served by a given service provider, etc.), while a “multicast” refers to a transmission of data packets to a given group of destinations or access terminals. In an example, the given group of destinations or “multicast group” may include more than one and less than all of possible destinations or access terminals (e.g., within a given group, served by a given service provider, etc.). However, it is at least possible in certain situations that the multicast group comprises only one access terminal, similar to a unicast, or alternatively that the multicast group comprises all access terminals (e.g., within a cell or sector), similar to a broadcast.
Broadcasts and/or multicasts may be performed within wireless communication systems in a number of ways, such as performing a plurality of sequential unicast operations to accommodate the multicast group, allocating a unique broadcast/multicast channel (BCH) for handling multiple data transmissions at the same time and the like. A conventional system using a broadcast channel for push-to-talk communications is described in United States Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0049314 dated Mar. 1, 2007 and entitled “Push-To-Talk Group Call System Using CDMA 1x-EVDO Cellular Network”, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. As described in Publication No. 2007/0049314, a broadcast channel can be used for push-to-talk calls using conventional signaling techniques. Although the use of a broadcast channel may improve bandwidth requirements over conventional unicast techniques, the conventional signaling of the broadcast channel can still result in additional overhead and/or delay and may degrade system performance.
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (“3GPP2”) defines a broadcast-multicast service (BCMCS) specification for supporting multicast communications in CDMA2000 networks. Accordingly, a version of 3GPP2's BCMCS specification, entitled “CDMA2000 High Rate Broadcast-Multicast Packet Data Air Interface Specification”, dated Feb. 14, 2006, Version 1.0 C.S0054-A, is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. | {
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To meet consumer demand for a variety of multifunctional electronic devices, such as microelectronic devices, medical devices, wearable electrical materials, and the like, the development of power sources such as smaller, thinner, lighter, and environmentally friendly supercapacitors or batteries has received much attention.
Among such power sources, supercapacitors use a charge phenomenon by movement of ions to the interface between an electrode and an electrolyte or a surface chemical reaction unlike batteries using a chemical reaction, and thus have higher charge/discharge efficiency and longer lifespans than those of batteries. Therefore, such supercapacitors have drawn great attention as a next-generation energy storage apparatus. Of these supercapacitors, micro-supercapacitors (micro-electromechanical systems) use nano- or micro-structured materials instead of large-scale materials, and thus have a large surface area per volume, resulting in easy access of an electrolyte. Thus, various studies into use thereof as a portable and lightweight power source which may be applied to small electronic devices, such as small robots, wearable electronic fabrics, implantable medical devices, and the like, have been conducted.
Recently, a variety of micro-supercapacitors having increased energy and power density have been developed through effective structural design or various preparation methods of various active materials, such as carbon nanotubes, reduced graphene oxides, activated carbon, conductive polymers, and metal oxides. For example, a twist-spun yarn super-capacitor using carbon nanotubes, which are one-dimensional carbon nanostructures, has an excellent pore structure and strength, but a scale-up process for industrialization is complicated, applicable fields are limited, its elasticity is low enough to cause breakage even at an elongation of 10%, and high manufacturing costs are required.
To address these problems, wet spun graphene or carbon nanotube (CNT) composite fibers are disclosed. These materials have improved elasticity compared to the above-described fibers, but a process of preparing mixing materials such as single-wall carbon nanotubes is complicated, use of highly purified materials is required, and the preparation process is performed under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions, requiring high manufacturing costs. In addition, a scale-up process thereof for industrialization is also complicated and difficult.
In addition, metal wires having electrical conductivity may be added to an electrode, but may act as an obstacle to application thereof to small electronic devices, such as wearable electronic fabrics and the like, due to their intrinsic stiffness and rigidity.
To address the above-described problems, a yarn-type micro-supercapacitor, manufactured by coiling a hybrid membrane obtained by coating a conductive polymer on a high-density carbon nanotube sheet, is disclosed (Korean Patent Application Registration No. 10-1214787). However, such a yarn-type micro-supercapacitor also has low elasticity and is expensive, and manufacturing processes are sensitive and complicated, and thus applicable fields are limited.
Therefore, there is a need to develop a micro-supercapacitor that has mechanical characteristics sufficient to endure various forms and deformations, excellent electrochemical characteristics, a long lifespan, and may be easily and conveniently manufactured. | {
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The present disclosure relates to data storage systems, and more specifically, to generating and accessing a data table using queries and an index.
Data can be stored in and accessed from a database. In various embodiments, a database, such as a base table, has rows of data that can be accessed using queries. A query can be one or more statements interconnected with logical operators. The base table can be queried to obtain a result (data) to the query. In certain embodiments, a base table can contain large amounts of data and the time it takes to return a result to a query can be significant. Furthermore, in particular embodiments, the same data can be accessed multiple times. As a result, the same or similar queries can be used multiple times. | {
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Modern trucks contain air compressors which are used to charge an air tank from which air-powered systems, such as service brakes, windshield wipers, air suspension, etc., can draw air. In a typical trucking application, an air compressor can run in an unloaded state as much as 90% of the time. This high level of unloaded use results in using as much as 80% of air compressor fuel consumption during unloaded time and increased compressor head temperatures, reducing both fuel and engine efficiency. In an attempt to increase both fuel and engine efficiency, systems have been developed to reduce the amount of unloaded use of the air compressor and to reduce the amount of air compressor use during high energy use periods.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,312,728 issued to O'Hagan et al. a compressor control system is disclosed which activates a compressor when pressure in a reservoir drops below a first predetermined value, and deactivates the compressor when pressure in the reservoir reaches a second, higher predetermined value. However, the patent does not allow for optimal air compressor control by activating the air compressor when the tank pressure is between the predetermined values and the air compressor is in an unloaded state.
In an effort to overcome these shortcomings, U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,204 issued to Earle discloses a compressor used in a motor vehicle which is activated during downhill operation and while slowing and deactivated when climbing a hill or during periods of high energy use. While this increases the efficiency of a portion of the system, it does not optimize the efficiency throughout the air compressor cycle by activating the air compressor whenever the tank pressure falls below a predetermined value and deactivating the air compressor whenever the tank pressure surpasses another, higher predetermined value.
The prior art improves the efficiency of different portions of the air compressor cycle without optimizing the efficiency over the entire cycle of the air compressor and without controlling compressor head temperatures. Clearly, there is a need in the art for an air compressor control system which not only controls the air compressor in a manner which optimizes efficiency over the entire operating cycle, but one which also controls the compressor head temperature to prolong the operating life of the compressor. | {
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The field of this invention is catalyst screening units, particularly of the type used for cleaning incoming feed catalyst prior to loading the same within a catalytic reactor.
In the loading of catalytic reactors, it is manifest that substantial care in cleaning catalyst be exercised for proper long-life reactor operation thereof. Since many catalysts contain costly noble metals, such catalysts are of considerable expense even when only a small portion thereof contains such noble metals. It, therefore, is extremely important that care be taken to prevent damage to fragile catalyst while cleaning the same prior to loading into a reactor. Thus, from both operational and economic viewpoints, it is of substantial importance that the catalyst not only be thoroughly cleaned of particles, such as broken catalyst, fines and dust, which interfere with proper reactor operation, but also care be taken to minimize attrition of costly catalysts when loading the same.
Prior art screening devices include those such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,685,651 and 3,250,389. | {
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The use of a solid molded silicone rubber stent for use in reconstructing a larynx is described by Dr. William W. Montgomery on pages 581 to 592 of his textbook "Surgery of the Upper Respiratory System" (1973 ed.). The stent is used to support tissue grafts and to block off flow through the trachea while the larynx is being reconstructed. The Montgomery stent which is relatively firm must be sutured in place. Therefore, its removal is quite traumatic.
There is a need for a laryngeal and/or tracheal stent which does not have to be sutured in place and which can be readily removed without trauma. | {
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The invention is concerned with a telephone answering system which includes a sensing circuit which responds to a ring signal on the telephone line to activate the system. When the system is so activated, a recorded announcement is transmitted over the telephone line to the calling party during a time interval (T.sub.1). A message recording tape is then activated in order that the calling party may record his message during a subsequent time interval (T.sub.2). In the system of the invention, the message recording equipment is voice actuated, so that the calling party is not limited to any particular prescribed time interval (T.sub.2) in which to record his message. So long as the calling party continues talking, the message is recorded up to the capabilities of the recording apparatus.
Voice actuated telephone answering systems are known to the art. However, problems have arisen in the prior art systems in that, for the most part, such systems were incapable of handling a situation in which the calling party hung up, without recording any message. When the calling party hangs up, usually a dial tone signal or a busy signal then appears on the telephone line, and the prior art voice actuated telephone answering systems had a tendency, instead of deactivating the recording process to continue to record the busy signal or the tone signal for the entire length of the recording tape, thereby wasting the entire unused portion of the tape.
In an attempt to solve the problem, telephone answering systems have been conceived in the past which, for example, respond to potential changes on the line when the calling party hangs up, in order to deactivate the telephone answering systems. However, such systems are not effective to deactivate themselves in the event the calling party hangs up during the announcement interval (T.sub.1), when the system is not responding to incoming signals but is transmitting an announcement over the telephone line to the calling party.
Other systems have been conceived in the past which respond, for example, to a silence or a dial tone on the telephone line, following a hang-up by the calling party to deactivate themselves. However, many telephone systems automatically produce a busy signal on the telephone line a predetermined time interval after the calling party has hung up. Accordingly, a situation can arise where the calling party hangs up during the announcement interval (T.sub.1) of a telephone answering system, for the system to encounter a busy signal on the telephone line when it switches itself to the message recording mode (T.sub.2). Most prior art voice operated telephone answering systems are incapable of distinguishing the received busy signal from normal voice signals, and this results in the busy signal being recorded during the remaining length of the message recording tape, and thereby wasting the message tape.
The voice operated telephone answering system of the present invention is constructed so that when the system enters the message recording mode (T.sub.2), at the end of the announcement interval (T.sub.1), it will remain activated only so long as the system actually receives a human voice. Should the calling party hang up at any time during the announcement interval (T.sub.1), or during the message interval (T.sub.2), so that a silence, a dial tone, or a busy signal occurs on the telephone line at the beginning or during the message interval (T.sub.2), the system of the invention will deactivate itself thereby stopping the message tape. | {
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Estimation of readability and document complexity or sophistication is often performed in education and in other domains. Such a situation may occur, for example, where a student or applicant's essay is being scored, or if a document's suitable reading-level (e.g., by school grade level or age) is being determined. These types of determinations are typically performed manually, which are often costly, time-consuming, and lack objectivity. The problem is further exacerbated where the number of documents that need to be analyzed is large. | {
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The present invention relates to an integrated circuit (IC) for processing video signals, and in particular, to an integrated circuit for processing video signals having means (memories) for providing a 1 H delay (i.e., a delay of one horizontal scanning period) and a function to test the 1 H delay means. | {
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Laser apparatus requires a source of pumping power to produce excitation of a laser amplifying medium. In one class of lasers, pumping power is provided by a discharge produced between two electrodes in a gas-filled tube. The gas may itself act as the laser amplifying medium, or may comprise a buffer gas in which the discharge occurs and which heats other material within the tube to provide vapour which acts as the amplifying medium. For example, in a metal vapour laser, the discharge is produced in a buffer gas and the heat of the discharge causes vapour to be produced from a solid metal charge within the tube.
To produce a discharge within the discharge tube a suitably large potential difference must be applied between its two electrodes. The breakdown voltage at which a discharge occurs is dependent on the gas pressure within the tube and the distance between the electrodes, in accordance with Paschen's law. The potential difference is applied between the electrodes in the discharge tube by using a circuit arrangement which includes a capacitor and a thyratron. Initially, the thyratron is not conducting and the capacitor is charged. The circuit is designed so that, when it is desired to produce a discharge within the discharge tube, the thyratron is triggered into conduction and the energy stored by the capacitor discharges through the gas in the tube. | {
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This invention relates to machine tools and more particularly to machine tools having multiple spindles.
Machine tools with multiple spindles are used in assembly processes to tighten many fasteners at one time. When the torque requirement is low, i.e. less than 12 Nm, the tools are quite often ineffective. Under these conditions the tool will often under-tighten one or more of the fasteners. This leads to the inspector or the operator to use a separate tool to tighten the incorrect fasteners. In many instances, the manufacturer has resorted to using a single spindle nut runner in place of a multiple spindle tool. This solution results in a more time consuming operation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved multiple spindle tool.
In one aspect of the present invention, a single motor is employed to drive a plurality of spindles. In another aspect of the present invention, a gear arrangement is placed between the motor and the spindles. In yet another aspect of the present invention, the gear arrangement is comprised of a central gear (sun gear) and three planet gears. In still another aspect of the present invention, the planet gears are fixed in a common carrier.
In yet still another aspect of the present invention, each of the spindles has an input shaft and an output shaft. In a further aspect of the present invention, an adjustable slip clutch is positioned between the input shaft and output shaft for each of the spindles. In a yet further aspect of the present invention, the gearing arrangement, input and output shafts, and the slip clutches are enclosed in a housing. In a still further aspect of the present invention, the output shaft of each spindle is supported in a bearing positioned in a lower cover of the housing. | {
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The present disclosure relates to a spindle motor and a hard disk drive (HDD) including the same.
In an information recording and reproducing device such as a HDD for a server, or the like, a fixed shaft-type spindle motor in which a shaft having excellent vibration characteristics is fixed to a case of the hard disk drive is commonly used.
That is, in such a fixed shaft-type spindle motor, the shaft is fixedly installed in the spindle motor mounted in the hard disk drive for a server, in order to prevent a disk from being damaged and not allowing information to be recorded thereon or for information recorded thereon from being read, due to a rotor having a large amplitude, caused by external vibrations.
As described above, in the case in which the fixed-type shaft is installed, thrust members are fixedly installed on upper and lower portions of the shaft.
However, in the case in which the shaft is fixed to the lower thrust member and the lower thrust member is fixed to a base, since the shaft serving as a rotational axis should be firmly fixed in place, a thickness of the lower thrust member is increased and the lower thrust member having the increased thickness is fixed to an outer peripheral surface of the shaft by a method such as a press-fitting method, a bonding method, a sliding coupling method, or the like. Alternatively, the lower thrust member and the shaft are formed integrally with each other.
Particularly, since the lower thrust member has a cup shape which includes a disk part and an extension part protruding from the disk part in an axial direction, it may be difficult to process the lower thrust member so that the disk part and the extension part form an accurate right angle with respect to each other at a boundary portion therebetween. Therefore, contact between a sleeve and the boundary portion between the disk part and the extension part may be generated. Accordingly, a thrust bearing to be formed between the sleeve and the disk part may not be appropriately operated.
Further, the lower thrust member may include a fitting protrusion formed in a central portion thereof and protruding upwardly in the axial direction so as to be coupled to the shaft. In this case, it is also difficult to process the lower thrust member so that the disk part and the fitting protrusion accurately form a right angle with respect to each other at a boundary portion therebetween. Therefore, the shaft may not be completely fitted into the fitting protrusion, thereby hindering thinning of the spindle motor.
As described above, in the spindle motor according to the related art, the thinning of the spindle motor is hindered by a structure of the lower thrust member, a bearing span distance can is inevitably decreased, and the thrust bearing may not be appropriately operated, such that performance of the spindle motor may be impaired. | {
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1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to the use of robotic technology in mining industry, specifically in smelting processes.
2. Prior Art
During metal obtention and refining processes, smelting furnaces are used to cast metal concentrates for purifying and extracting them. The first stage of the productive process is to move the dry concentrate to one of these furnaces, which could be a flash furnace and/or a Teniente converter, where casting is at temperatures over 1.200° C. In this way, while the concentrate becomes a molten liquid mass, its components are being separated and combined to form a two layer bath. The heaviest layer is called matte and it is a metal enriched component. Over this layer, the slag is floating, which is a coat of impurities of the metal of interest. In this way and during successive stages, the stage which is rich in the metal is sequentially cast and refined through several furnaces which allows to obtain a high purity metal.
In the last stage of the smelting process, the fire refining stage is carried out in which the metal is processed in rotary furnaces, by adding special purifying agents which are called fluidizing agents to oxide and eliminate all the impurities with the resulting effect of very few non desired elements contained in the molten bath. Then, the oxygen is extracted with steam or oil injections with the final result of a high purity level.
Thus, when a metal load reaches the required purity level, the furnace is inclined and in exact quantities the metal is poured into one of the ingot casts of the fire refined cast casting wheel. Once the metal is poured into the cast, the wheel rotates to advance the following cast into position and other ingot is cast. In this way, the wheel speed is adjusted in an accurate way to the optimum speed profile, ensuring a smooth acceleration and disacceleration level of the casts. This is intended to produce high quality ingots with a minimum burr formation grade.
To finish the smelting process, the dislodging process (stripping and/or extraction) proceeds in which the cast ingots are lifted and sent to a cooling tank to avoid the excessive oxidation and to obtain a deep scrubbing.
Finally, the cast ingots are counted and arranged in predetermined bundles or at distances required by the electrolytic plant. The discharge of cooling tanks is carried out whether by a forklift or by anode lifting device.
Once the casting process has been ended, the casts are reviewed and those presenting cracks or adherence of material are removed for repair. They are later reinstalled in the casting wheel.
Particularly, the repair of casts in the way it is performed today has the disadvantage of being carried out manually or in a semiautomatic way which means less efficiency of the system. On the other hand the superficial inspection has the disadvantage of being performed visually in many cases or with low levels of advanced technology vision applications. Similarly, in many cases, the operators are subjected to a high physical demand and harsh environmental conditions. | {
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The present invention relates to a heat-collecting kiln device and, more particularly, to a heat-collecting kiln device that can be used on differing heating devices, such as household microwaves or gas stoves, to sinter a handiwork.
After having finished a handiwork at the end of a handiwork class of metal working, ceramics, or liuli, it is not uncommon to receive the notice of retrieval of the handiwork after a couple of weeks or even longer. It would be a problem to the students who forgot to sign on the handiworks. The last student retrieving the last handiwork may doubt whether the ugly handiwork is his or her work or not.
Conventionally, when sintering dried blanks formed of inorganic powders of metal or ceramic or of melting glass (liuli), enamel, and cloisonné, the workpieces are placed in a temperature-controllable electric kiln or gas kiln and then heated to produce the required ornamental handiworks.
Both of the electric kiln and gas kiln are bulky and provide slow heating effect while having a large temperature difference inside the kiln. It is time-consuming and laborious to sinter a small amount of small workpieces in addition to a waste of energy and space. Furthermore, heating of the workpieces is uneven. Namely, the electric kiln and gas kiln are only suitable to sinter a large amount of large workpieces requiring the same heating conditions. As a result, when using an electric kiln or gas kiln, the heating processing can only begin after the kiln is full with the workpieces, which requires patience. When sintering handiworks of students, flaws may occur due to differing materials and differing handiworks, and the flaws of a handiwork may spread to surrounding handiworks. Furthermore, it is inconvenient and dangerous during placement and removal of the handiworks due to limitation of the space receiving the handiworks. Another option is a small electric kiln generally for experimental purposes. However, the electric kiln is expensive and has many limitations to the use of the space. Furthermore, the electric kiln can not or is difficult to control the atmosphere for oxidization or reduction.
A further option is a hand-held gas burner that directly heats the blank in an open space. The worker can adjust the temperature by the naked eye. Only a portable gas container and a gas stove are required to sinter the blank at any place. However, the hand-held gas burner has many disadvantages including incapability to maintain the temperature of the blank, waste of fuel, difficulties in controlling the atmosphere for oxidization or reduction and in uneven heating, instability of long-term hand-held operation, and potential risk of injury to the eyes or body of the worker.
Another option is a circular kiln stove made of hollow, lumpy, inorganic ceramic fibrous boards and including a hollow interior and a cylindrical surface. However, a considerable amount of material is wasted while preparing the hollow inorganic ceramic fibrous boards, which is not eco-friendly. Furthermore, due to the extending direction of the fibers of the inorganic fibrous boards, the kiln stove has poor thermal shock resistance, such that the kiln stove is liable to crack in the extending direction of the fibers when the temperature dramatically increases or decreases, leading to hazard. Further, the interior of the kiln oven is circular in cross section, which has a space-using efficiency in receiving the blanks poorer than a kiln including an interior that is square in cross section.
Thus, a need exists for heat-collecting kiln device that does not produce wasted materials and that will not trouble the user in the cost, installation space, placement of the blanks, and removal of the products. Furthermore, the products can be obtained soon after finish of the blanks. Further, everyone can make a unique artifact at home, because the working space is no longer a problem. Further, development of cultural creativeness can be enhanced. The space of the heat-collecting kiln device is larger than those of conventional kilns. The heat-collecting device is light, easy to carry, eco-friendly, and energy-saving and can serve multiple purposes, conduct and collect heat, and maintain temperature. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus and an imaging method. More particularly, the present invention relates to an imaging apparatus and an imaging method having a camera shake correcting function and a photographing sensitivity changing function.
2. Description of Related Art
Imaging apparatuses such as digital still cameras and digital video cameras that convert an optical image of the photographing object to electrical image signal and outputs image signal (hereinafter simply referred to as “digital cameras”), have become popular. With reductions in size and weight and escalation in the magnification rate of optical zooming in recent years in particular, digital cameras have become convenient for photographers.
However, accompanying reductions in size and weight and escalation in the magnification rate of optical zooming of digital cameras, a blur may occur in photographed images and may cause image quality degradation.
Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-13671) discloses a digital camera with a blur correcting optical system that reduces the influence of image shake upon the image when a photograph is taken. The digital camera disclosed in Patent Document 1 moves the correction lens up, down, left and right in directions perpendicular to the optical axis, depending on image shake of when a photograph is taken, and corrects image distortion. By this means, it is possible to take a photograph with reduced image shake using a smaller-sized and lighter-weighted digital camera. Furthermore, the digital camera disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not have to use a flash lamp to emit light upon taking a photograph to prevent image shake, so that it is possible to take a photograph under conditions producing similar atmosphere to natural colors.
On the other hand, among causes for degrading image quality of photographed images is object shake caused by the motion of the photographing object, in addition to camera shake caused by vibration such as caused by a shaking hand, added to the camera. Object shake can be prevented by making exposure time shorter and taking a photograph at a high shutter speed. Shutter speed can be made faster by, for example, increasing photographing sensitivity or by lighting a flash lamp. As for optical image shake of the photographing object in the imaging plane, shake caused by vibration applied to the camera will be referred to as “camera shake” and shake caused by the motion of the photographing object will be referred to as “object shake.” Camera shake and object shake will be collectively referred to as “image shake” with respect to the imaging plane.
Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-157428) discloses an apparatus with a motion prediction section for predicting the motion of the photographing object and changing photographing conditions such as shutter speed when the photographing object is likely to move, and a method applicable with the apparatus.
Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-107335) discloses a technique of detecting the face, eyes, nose and mouth of a person in image data, using part of the detected face of the person as the automatic focus area (hereinafter referred to as “AF area”) and performing automatic focus control.
Generally, when photographing sensitivity is increased, the output signal from the imaging sensor is amplified, and, consequently, noise generated from the imaging sensor is also amplified. Therefore, an image taken in high sensitivity contains a large amount of noise. Increasing photographing sensitivity more than necessary may thus result in image quality degradation. It is therefore desirable to increase photographing sensitivity when camera shake still occurs due to insufficient ambient brightness after correction by the correcting optical system or when a fast-moving photographing object is photographed.
However, with such a conventional imaging apparatus, it is difficult for photographers to identify what level of moving speed of the photographing object causes object shake. Therefore, cases often occur where even though it is possible to take a photograph without object shake, the photographer observing the motion of the photographing object misjudges that object shake will occur. As a result, there is a problem that the photographers change photographing sensitivity to high sensitivity and take a photograph containing a large amount of noise. Furthermore, there is a problem that photographers need to change photographing sensitivity immediately before taking a photograph and might miss the chance to take a photograph.
That is, a general photographer cannot identify what level of moving speed of the photographing object will or will not cause object shake. In other words, using the camera shake correcting function may result in taking a photograph with object shake when the photographing object is moving fast, and increasing ISO sensitivity may result in taking a photograph with a large amount of noise when the photographing object is moving slowly. Therefore, taking photographs in good quality is not possible.
Furthermore, although the digital camera having a blur correcting optical system disclosed in Patent Document 1 can reduce image quality degradation due to camera shake, there is no proposal of easing image quality degradation caused by object shake.
Furthermore, since the digital camera disclosed in Patent Document 2 is only directed to predicting the motion of the photographing object and is not directed to deciding what level of moving speed of the photographing object will or will not cause object shake, it is not always possible to take a photograph at an optimal shutter speed matching the speed of the photographing object. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for producing a fluorine-containing graft copolymer, and more particularly to a process for producing a thermoplastic fluorine-containing graft copolymer.
2. Description of Related Art
Fluorine-containing copolymers are polymeric materials having a distinguished resistances to heat and chemicals. Above all, fluorine-containing copolymer elastomers have been widely used as sealing materials for O-rings, packings, oil seals, etc. or as molding materials for hoses, etc., calling for a heat resistance and an oil resistance. However, vulcanization products of the fluorine-containing copolymer elastomers have a difficulty in recycling of burrs and scraps due to their insolubility and non-meltability. Furthermore, the vulcanization process itself requires an enormous amount of energy and a precise process control.
Thermoplastic elastomers, on the other hand, are easy about recycle of burrs and scraps because of possible omission of vulcanization step itself and thus can be said as materials suitable for nowadays social demands such as resource saving and low waste discharge. Furthermore, the thermoplastic elastomers have a self-reinforcability and thus basically do not require any addition of a reinforcing filler. That is, the thermoplastic elastomers can be appropriately used in applications, where the filler pollution is a problem, such as fields of medicine, food, semiconductor device production, etc.
So far known thermoplastic fluorine-containing copolymer elastomers are disclosed typically in the following documents:
JP-A-53-3495 discloses production of a multi-segmented polymer, at least one of whose polymer chain segments is a fluorine-containing polymer chain segment, as shown by the following formula: ##STR1## where X: residue freed from iodine of an iodide compound, and
A, B, . . . :polymer chain segments, by successively polymerizing monomers, which are to constitute respective polymer chain segments so as to form at least two kinds of polymer chain segments between the carbon-iodine bond of the iodide compound when at least two kinds of radical-polymerizable monomers are polymerized in the presence of the iodide compound having a carbon-bonded iodine. The resulting multi-segmented polymer has a good rubber resiliency, but does not always satisfy the compression set characteristics, which is a practically important characteristics of sealing materials.
JP-A-61-49327 discloses a fluorine-containing segmented polymer, which comprises a chain of 2 or 3 polymer chain segments and, an iodine atom at one end of the chain and a residue freed from at least one iodine atom of an iodide compound at the other end of the chain, where one kind of polymer chain segment (in case of the chain consisting of two polymer chain segments) or one or two kinds of polymer chain segments (in case of the chain consisting of three polymer chain segments) is an elastomeric polymer chain segment having a molecular weight of 30,000 to 1,200,000, selected from (1) VdF/HFP/TFE (molar ratio=45-90:5-50:0-35) polymer and (2) FAVE/TFE/VdF (molar ratio:15-75: not more than 85:0-85) polymer, and the remaining polymer chain segment or segments are non-elastomeric polymer chain segments having a molecular weight of 3,000 to 400,000, selected from (3) VdF/TFE (molar ration=0-100:100:0) polymer and (4) ethylene/TFE (molar ratio=40-60:60-40) polymer, a ratio by weight of the elastomeric polymer chain segment to the non-elastomeric polymer chain segment being 40-95:60-5. The fluorine-containing segmented polymer also has a distinguished rubber resiliency, but does not always satisfy the compression set characteristic, which is a practically important characteristic of sealing materials. The foregoing abbreviations correspond to the following compounds:
VdF: vinylidene fluoride PA1 HFP: hexafluoropropene PA1 TFE: tetrafluoroethylene PA1 FAVE : perfluoro(alkyl vinyl ether) having a C.sub.1 -C.sub.3 alkyl group
JP-A-58-206615 discloses production of flexible fluoro resins by preparing a fluorine-containing elastic copolymer having a glass transition temperature equal to room temperature or less at the first stage by copolymerizing at least one kind of monomers including at least one kind of fluorine-containing monomers with a monomer having a double bond and a peroxy bond simultaneously in the molecule, thereby introducing the peroxy group into the copolymer molecule, and graft copolymerizing the copolymer obtained at the first stage in an aqueous emulsion or a dispersing solvent with at least one kind of monomers including at least one kind of fluorine-containing monomers, capable of giving a crystalline polymer having a melting point of 130.degree. C. or higher at the second stage.
The fluoro resins obtained by the process require no crosslinking treatment and can be easily molding-processed to give molding products having good mechanical characteristics and proper applicability as sealing materials, but their specific embodiments typically as given in Example 1 show the necessity for a series of complicated steps of emulsion polymerization--salting out water washing-solvent washing-drying-graft polymerization (solution polymerization--solvent separation drying. Thus, the process is not preferable from the viewpoint of production cost.
The present inventors, previously proposed a fluorine-containing graft copolymer, which was a thermoplastic fluorine-containing copolymer elastomer having an improved compression set characteristic and properly applicable as molding materials for sealing materials or the like, prepared by copolymerizing at least two kinds of monomers selected from the group consisting of fluorinated monomers and propylene in the presence of (A) a saturated, iodine-containing compound represented by the following general formula: EQU RIn
where R is a fluorohydrocarbon group, a chlorofluorohydrocarbon group, a chlorohydrocarbon group or a hydrocarbon group and n is 1 or 2, or an iodine and bromine-containing compound represented by the following general formula: EQU InBrmR
where R is a fluorohydrocarbon group, a chlorofluorohydrocarbon group, a chlorohydrocarbon group or a hydrocarbon group and n and m are each 1 or 2, and (B) an unsaturated fluorohydrocarbon or an unsaturated hydrocarbon, each of which contains an iodine atom or a bromine atom, and then graft polymerizing the resulting copolymer with at least one kind of monomer selected from the group consisting of fluorinated monomers and ethylene (JP-A-10-130341).
However, the thus obtained fluorine-containing graft copolymer has a melting point Tm of about 160.degree. to about 280.degree. C. and is not satisfactory for application to molding materials for sealing materials requiring a higher heat resistance. In other words, among the resistance to chemicals and the heat resistance (oxidation resistance) due to the C--F bonds of fluorine-containing copolymer the heat resistance characteristics has not been fully satisfied yet.
On the other hand, JP-A-7-316246 discloses thermoplastic elastomers having a distinguished compression set characteristic. The thermoplastic elastomers have a block structure composed of at least one of elastic type A fluorinated polymer segments and at least one of plastomeric type B fluorinated polymer segments, at least one of type A or type B segments being composed of a unit derived from an olefin iodide represented by the following general formula: EQU CH.sub.2 .dbd.CXRfCHRI
where X: H, F or CH.sub.3 and Rf: (per)fluoroalkylene group or (per)fluoropolyoxyalkylene group.
Even such thermoplastic elastomers have a melting point Tm as low as about 165.degree. C., and furthermore the olefin iodide represented by the forgoing general formula has a high production cost and their compression set (120.degree. C., 24 hr.) is about 53%. Thus, the thermoplastic elastomers can be said to have no such properties as to meet the expended costs. | {
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In order for hydrocarbon oils, particularly lube and transformer oils derived from petroleum oil distillates, to function effectively as lubricants or insulators under low temperature conditions, it is essential that the oils be free from wax. In the industry this dewaxing is conducted employing a variety of processes, the simplest being a reduction in temperature of the oil in question until the wax therein crystallize or solidifies at which point it can be removed from the oil by suitable separation procedures, such as filtration, centrifugation, etc. This procedure works well for light oils, but heavier oil distillates, bright stocks or residuum require solvent dilution in order to be dewaxed to a low enough pour point while retaining sufficient fluidity to facilitate handling. Typical solvents used in these solvent dewaxing processes include ketones, aromatic hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons and mixtures thereof. This solvent dewaxing can be practiced in a number of ways. It is well known that wax-containing petroleum oil stocks can be dewaxed by shock chilling with a cold solvent. It is also known that shock chilling, in itself, results in a low filtration rate of the dewaxed oil from the resultant wax/oil-solvent slurry. Because of this, the conventional method of solvent dewaxing wax-containing petroleum oil stocks has been cooling in scraped surface heat exchangers using an incremental solvent addition technique. In this technique, the dewaxing solvent is added at several points along the chilling apparatus. The waxy oil is chilled without solvent until some wax crystallization has occurred and the mixture is thickened considerably. The first increment of solvent is introduced at this point and cooling continues. Each incremental portion of solvent is added as necessary to maintain fluidity until the desired filtration temperature is reached at which point the remainder of the solvent required to obtain the proper viscosity of the mixture for filtration is added. In using this technique it is well known that the temperature of the incrementally added solvent should be the same as that of the main stream of oil at the point of addition to avoid the shock chilling effect.
Alternatively, the waxy oil can have cold solvent mixed with it and thereby be chilled to the wax separation temperature. A preferred embodiment of this direct dilution chilling procedure is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,650. The procedure described therein, referred to as DILCHILL, avoids the adverse effects of shock chilling by introducing the waxy oil into a staged chilling zone and passing the waxy oil from stage to stage of the zone, while at the same time injecting cold dewaxing solvent into a plurality of the stages and wherein a high degree of agitation is maintained in the stages so as to effect substantially instanteous mixing of the waxy oil and solvent. As the waxy oil passes from stage to stage of the cooling zone, it is cooled to a temperature sufficiently low to precipitate wax therefrom without incurring the shock chilling effect. This produces a wax/oil-solvent slurry wherein the wax particles have a unique crystal structure which provides superior filtering characteristics such as high filtration rates of the dewaxed oil from the wax and high dewaxed oil yields. | {
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This invention relates a data transmission system wherein a plurality of transmission modules are connected in a multidrop manner.
It is well known that signal transmission may be effected utilizing building or house wiring or cable for power distribution. A typical example of a multidrop connection scheme is illustrated in FIG. 1, which includes a power distribution cable 1 and a plurality of transmission modules 2 for the transmission and receipt of data. The most serious problem of this kind of system is that in the event that any one of the transmission modules 2 is faulty in a hardware aspect while signals representative of transmission data continued to be supplied to the cable 1, the system becomes disabled as a whole and fails to send signals. In the case that a large number of the modules are installed, it is very difficult to determine which module is working improperly. | {
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The present invention relates to a structure or shape of an iron core in a rotating instrument for an electric motor, an electric generator and the like. More specifically, the invention relates to a technique for a rotating instrument having high performance at a low cost, wherein, while holding high efficiency of the rotating instrument which has been made highly efficient in late years, cogging torque of a rotor in the rotating instrument is reduced to generate a stable rotating torque and improve rotating characteristics.
As is generally known, in a conventional rotating instrument, such as an electric motor and an electric generator, there has been proposed a number of techniques for improving rotating characteristics by reducing cogging torque of a rotor to generate a stable rotating torque.
More specifically, there have been attained rotating characteristics (torque characteristics) in practical use in a conventional rotating instrument by reducing the cogging torque with multiple magnetic poles in an iron core, or with different numbers of the stator poles and the rotor poles, i.e. with the stator of twelve poles and the rotor of four poles.
The rotating instruments as described above are considered to be further improved in the following points.
In detail, in the conventional rotating instrument having high efficiency, in order to improve the rotating torque characteristics by reducing the cogging torque, it has only been proposed that an electric motor or an electric generator has multiple magnetic poles in a stator or a rotor, resulting in a costly structure with an intricately wound-wire.
Also, in the conventional technique, to attain the rotating instrument having the reduced cogging torque, the pole number of the stator and the pole number of the rotor are made different. For example, the cogging torque problem has been solved by allowing the stator to have twelve poles and the rotor to have four poles. Thus, a rotating instrument having a small pole number, such as three pole stator and two pole rotor, has not been proposed due to the strong cogging torque. Also, it has been difficult in the conventional art that a rotating instrument having the stator and the rotor with the same pole number is used since such a rotating instrument generates structurally a strong caulking torque.
In view of the above, an object of the invention is to provide a rotating instrument having high efficiency and high power, wherein in the rotating instrument requiring high efficiency and high power, the cogging torque can be reduced even in a rotating instrument with the small number of poles, and even in a combination of a stator and a rotor having the same pole number, which have been difficult in the conventional art.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an EL (electroluminescent) device which emits light when applied with an electric voltage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An EL device which includes therein a lightemitting layer, or an electroluminescent layer, sandwiched between electrodes to emit light when D.C. or A.C. voltage is applied between the electrodes is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,140,937.
To make this device, a transparent electrode 2 is formed from transparent conductive material, such as tin oxide and indium oxide, on a glass substrate 1 as shown in FIG. 5 by evaporation or sputtering. Then, a substance made into paste form by dispersing such a phosphor material, which is composed of zinc sulfide or the like as the base material and copper to become luminescence centers and the like as active impurities added thereto, in such an organic binder as cellulosic resin is applied to aforesaid electrode and dried to be formed into a light-emitting layer 3. Over this layer is formed a back electrode 4 made of conductive metal with a good light reflecting property such as aluminum. When D.C. or A.C. voltage is applied between the transparent electrode 2 and the back electrode 4, a high electric field is developed within the light-emitting layer 3 and electrons in the conductor are excited and accelerated by the high electric field so as to be sufficiently energized to excite the aforesaid active substance, i.e., copper luminescence centers, and thus light is emitted when the excited copper luminescence centers return to the ground state.
Although such an EL device has an advantage in that its power consumption is lower than other surface luminescent devices such as a plasma display panel and fluorescent display tube, it has a disadvantage that the EL device as a whole becomes heavier in weight since the glass substrate 1 is heavy. Therefore, although such EL elements were suitable for the use in a fixed state, they were not suitable as light sources for displays, for example, for a show window, Christmas tree, or the like, which are used in a suspended state.
On the other hand, an EL device employing a light-transmitting sheet member instead of such a glass plate 1 is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,509,401.
To provide this device, as shown in FIG. 6, a light-transmitting sheet member such as a flat polyester film is used as its substrate, and by applying thereto transparent conductive material, such as tin oxide and indium oxide, by means of evaporation, sputtering, or the like, and cutting the film into a desired luminescent shape while providing the same with a transparent electrode terminal 10a, a transparent electrode 10 is thus formed.
Then, a moistureproofing member 12 made of a thermoplastic high polymer light-transmitting sheet member, such as chlorotrifluoroethylene film or composite film of chlorotrifluoroethylene film and polyethylene film, which is made to be somewhat larger than the transparent electrode 10 and provided with bonding agent 11 of olefinic series or the like on one side thereof, is disposed such that the surface applied with the bonding agent 11 is in contact with the mentioned light-transmitting sheet member forming the transparent electrode 10.
Then, a light-emitting layer 13 is formed on the transparent electrode 10 by means of screen printing or the like.
Thereafter, on the light-emitting layer 13 is disposed a back electrode 14 which is of the same constitution as the transparent electrode 10 or made of conductive metallic material having a good light reflecting property as aluminum. At this time, an electrode terminal 14a which is formed to be integral with the back electrode 14 and led out is disposed so as not to overlap the electrode terminal 10a of the transparent electrode 10.
Then, a moistureproofing member 16 of the same constitution as the aforementioned moistureproofing member 12 with bonding agent 15 of olefinic series or the like provided on one side thereof is disposed on the back electrode 14 such that the side applied thereon with the bonding agent 15 comes in contact with the back electrode 14 and both the electrode terminals 10a, 14a for the electrodes 10, 14 are partly exposed.
Finally, two moistureproofing members 12, 16 are fused together by a laminating method or the like under the heating condition at higher temperature than the plasticizing temperature of the same, and thus, the EL device is completed. The EL device of such constitution applied with the aforementioned voltage between its electrode terminals 10a, 14a emits light similarly to the previous one.
Since the above mentioned EL device uses, as the transparent electrode 10, a light-transmitting sheet member with a transparent conductive material disposed thereon, instead of the glass substrate 1 (refer to FIG. 5), it has an advantage that the EL device is much lighter in weight.
However, the light-transmitting sheet member used as the substrate for the transparent electrode 10 and the moistureproofing member 12 are inferior to the glass substrate 1 in the light-transmitting property, and further, the bonding agent 11 interposed between the transparent electrode 10 and the moistureproofing member 12 disturbs the transmission of light, and therefore, quantity of the light outwardly emitted from the light emitting layer 13 of the EL device is greatly reduced. Such low efficiency in the light emission was a disadvantage of this type of EL device | {
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The present invention relates to repeating firearms, and particularly to an accessory for a repeating firearm using a replaceable magazine.
In land warfare the individual infantry solider is still an important part of military operations. The effectiveness of the individual soldier depends to a large extent on the accuracy, rate of fire, and number of rounds of ammunition that each individual soldier is capable of providing. For that reason, modern infantry firearms are capable of high cyclic rates of fire and are usually equipped with magazines capable of holding dozens of cartridges. Such magazines must usually be manually released from the firearm when they have become empty, at which time a full magazine must be inserted into the firearm before firing may be continued. In order to be capable of sustained firing, an infantry soldier carries loaded spare magazines, typically held in protective pouches attached to ammunition belts. When actually engaged in combat it is common for soldiers to carry spare magazines more immediately ready for use, since removal of a loaded magazine from a cartridge belt may take an undesirably long time.
It is clumsy, however, to carry a loaded spare magazine in one's hand, since it detracts from the ability to hold the firearm securely and aim it accurately.
Previous ways to approach these problems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,484,404 and 5,636,465. In order to provide an ability to fire additional rounds quickly, spare magazine carriers disclosed in these patents allow a spare magazine to be carried alongside the receiver of a rifle, ready for immediate use.
However, with each of these devices, both the spare magazine and the active magazine are released from their respective locations simultaneously, although in certain circumstances, a rifleman would prefer to release the active magazine from the firearm without releasing the spare magazine from its spare magazine carrier.
In case of certain malfunctions of a rifle it is desirable to release an active magazine from the rifle, yet the spare magazine should be retained in a spare magazine carrier to prevent it from interfering with clearance of the malfunction. However, using the devices shown in the patents mentioned above, it would be difficult or awkward to release either magazine selectively rather than releasing both magazines simultaneously, because magazine latch mechanisms of the spare magazine carrier and the firearm are arranged to cooperate with on another. While one such known mechanism provides for separate release of a spare magazine, it makes separate release of an active magazine difficult or awkward.
The spare magazine carriers disclosed in the mentioned patents are not particularly well adapted for use by left-handed shooters without the risk of dropping the loaded spare magazine.
What is desired, then, is to provide a spare magazine carrier for use with a repeating firearm, in which a spare magazine is securely held, readily available and easily released to be inserted into the receiver of the firearm, by a user who is either right-handed or left-handed. At the same time, the spare magazine should not be released automatically from the carrier in response to release of an active magazine from operative engagement in the firearm, nor should release of the spare magazine be necessary for easy release of an active magazine from a firearm. | {
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Today, some software programs contain one million lines of code (LOC) or more. In order to ensure the reliability of these software programs, the software programs undergo testing before releasing the software programs to consumers. Typically, the testing includes a value flow analysis. Value flow analysis analyzes the software program to determine which memory locations hold a given value at a given program point along a given execution path within the program. The analysis then identifies code that incorrectly uses a value. For example, the analysis may check whether a function call has acquired a lock that was created by a preceding function call, whether a value is valid for a given function call, and the like. Because values created in one portion of the code may be passed to numerous other portions of the code, value flow analysis tracks each execution path for every value.
The current approaches for value flow analysis make a trade-off between precision and scalability. If the value flow analysis is precise, the analysis maintains information about all the values for each execution path. When the software program is very large, this precise value flow analysis can not compute the necessary information in a timely manner. Thus, precise value flow analysis does not scale well to large software programs. In contrast, imprecise value flow analysis does scale well to large software programs. However, imprecise value flow analysis does not keep accurate information. Rather, at certain locations within the program, the information is merged. Because, the imprecise value flow analysis merges some of the information, the results identify some portions of the code as having errors, when in fact those portions do not have errors. This reporting of incorrect errors is commonly referred to as noise. If the imprecise value flow analysis has too much noise, the analysis is not useful. Thus, full-scale reliable value flow analysis of a software program having a large code base has been unattainable. | {
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The present invention relates to a thermoplastic polymeric sheet material used for preventing growth of aquatic weeds.
The presence of some aquatic weeds in waterways can become problematic. For example, the introduction of Eurasian millfoil in Canadian lakes and canals has resulted in clogging of certain sections of these lakes and canals. Uncontrolled aquatic weed growth may also lead to impediment of flow of water through irrigation ditches. Further, in sub-tropical and tropical climates aquatic weeds tend to harbour and provide a food source for water snails. Such water snails can be carriers for parasites and diseases e.g. shistosomiasis which are transmissible to human beings and other animals. It may be seen therefore that methods of controlling or eradicating aquatic weeds in waterways is often desirable.
Herbicides are not often used because of dilution in the water to which they are added. Harvesting e.g. semi-annually tends to be expensive and requires land-based areas set aside for decomposition of the harvested weeds.
It is also known to apply directly over rooted aquatic plants a foraminous screen e.g. closely woven glass fibre screening to control weed growth at the bottom of bodies of water. Such a screen is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,056,936 to J. R. Mayer issued Nov. 4, 1977. Such foraminous screen material permits some growth of aquatic weeds, but because of the relatively small size of the holes in the screen the thickness of roots or stems which pass therethrough are controlled, thus stunting the growth of such weeds. Stunting of growth of weeds on the bottom of the water body is also aided by the effect of the screening to partially block sunlight from reaching the bottom of the water body. Closely woven screening is not entirely satisfactory, however, because it permits some growth of the weeds. For plants such as Eurasian millfoil which may propagate by suckers, cuttings or seedlings, any control method which permits growth is less desirable than methods which do not permit growth.
Another material for controlling weed growth has now been found.
Accordingly the present invention provides a film, of a thermoplastic synthetic polymer, having a plurality of incisions therein, each incision being shaped to form at least one flap of film adjacent the incision, such film also having a light transmittance in the 200 to 650 nm wavelength range of less than 50%.
In a preferred embodiment each incision is shaped such that the flaps adjacent each incision have an area of between about 1 and about 25 cm.sup.2.
In another embodiment there are between about 36 incisions and 1 incision per square meter of film.
In a further embodiment each incision is in the form of a vee, forming a triangular flap, the area of each such flap being between about 1 and about 25 cm.sup.2.
In yet another embodiment the thermoplastic synthetic polymer is selected from the group consisting of nylon, homopolymers and copolymers of C.sub.2 -C.sub.3 olefins, polyesters and polyvinylchloride.
Nylon films e.g. cast i.e. unoriented nylon 6 and nylon 66 films are preferred because they have densities higher than the density of fresh water and because water has a plasticizing effect on nylon which permits the nylon film to substantially conform to small irregularities on the bed of a waterway. Synthetic thermoplastic polymers which are less dense than fresh water may be used for the film of the present invention, but provision must be made to cause the film to remain on the bed of the water body.
In rocky areas reinforced films may be desirable e.g. a fabric of loosely woven polyethylene tapes, coated with polyethylene having the incisions therein.
In a further embodiment the thermoplastic synthetic polymer contains sufficient opacifying material to impart a light transmittance to the film of less than 50% in the 200 to 650 nanometer wavelength range as measured using a Cary* spectrophotometer with an integrating sphere attachment. FNT *denotes trade mark
In another embodiment the opacifying material, is selected from the group consisting of iron oxide, aluminum, titanium dioxide, calcium carbonate, talc, wollastonite, mica, lead oxide, zinc oxide, chromium oxide, calcium metasilicate, silicon dioxide and carbon black. In a preferred embodiment carbon black is added in the amount of between about 0.2 and about 2.0% by weight of the polymer.
In another embodiment the film has a thickness between about 25 and 250 .mu.m.
In yet another embodiment the thermoplastic synthetic polymer contains sufficient opacifying material to reduce the light transmittance to less than 10% in the 200 to 650 nm wavelength range, and preferably less than 5% in the 200 to 650 nm wavelength range. | {
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The present invention relates to integrated circuit structures and fabrication methods, and particularly to CMOS integrated circuits which include both normal logic transistors and lower-threshold transistors with leakage characteristics which would not be acceptable for all transistors on chip.
As power supply voltages are scaled lower, one of the difficult tradeoffs for process and circuit designers has been where to set threshold voltages. Reducing the magnitude of threshold voltages produces faster switching, but higher leakage currents.
One known approach to this dilemma is to provide BOTH standard and reduced-threshold-voltage transistors: the reduced-threshold-voltage transistors can be used for fast signal propagation, and the standard transistors can be used, for example, to power off signal paths or blocks which are not being used.
This approach is very attractive, but previous implementations have significantly increased process complexity. For example, in a CMOS process four types of small MOS transistors would have to be specified, in addition to any bipolar, high-voltage, or other special device types.
Low Vt Transistor by Tailoring Effective Channel Length
The present application discloses a way to fabricate low Vt transistors that decreases the number of process steps. In the preferred embodiment, a single mask is used to completely or partially remove the oxide spacer surrounding the polysilicon gate on the low Vt transistors only. This is followed by the standard CMOS process, except that no special implants are necessary to alter the threshold voltages of the low Vt transistors. This is because the effective channel length of the low Vt transistors is smaller than that for the core transistors for the same extension implants.
Advantages of the disclosed methods and structures, in various embodiments, can include one or more of the following:
reduced number of mask steps needed for fabricating different threshold voltage transistors in same process;
reduced number of implant steps for low Vt transistors. | {
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The present invention relates to a liquid crystal indicator for those products, such as washing machines, which are used in highly moist places.
Because of wide availability and legibility (or easiness to see) of displayed information, liquid crystal indicators are currently used in many types of products such as word processors, TV units, OA (Office Automation) equipment, cameras, clocks/watches as well as automobiles. The application fields and the quantity of those indicators used are continuing to increase rapidly. Liquid crystal indicators also have received attention in the home electric appliance industry producing a variety of products, and are beginning to be adopted in part of the products. However, it has been generally thought difficult to adopt such indicators in products employed under moist conditions, since liquid crystal display sections inclusive of backlights are susceptible to moisture.
While liquid crystal indicators have been recently incorporated in the above type products with some anti-moisture treatment as required, in some cases perfect satisfaction cannot yet be attained with respect to anti-moisture structure, assembling efficiency, etc. Looking briefly at the structure of incorporating liquid crystal indicators in electronic rice cookers, motorcycles or the like which are used in environments exposed to steam or rain, for example, a liquid crystal alone or a liquid crystal with a backlight is directly mounted onto a product control substrate, followed by placing this assembly in a container and enclosing it with a cover. A packing made of rubber or the like is applied to a joint region between the container and the cover, and is then held tight by fastening a number of screws to maintain a sealed condition. Further, in anticipation of the situation wherein a cable line leading from the control substrate is moved around very frequently, an outlet of the cable line is sealed off by applying elastic silicone rubber for injection molding or the like thereto. In some cases, aiming at perfect removal of moisture, desiccants are put in the container accommodating the liquid crystal display section.
However, the above prior art has difficulties in maintaining the inside of the container in a sealed condition because of variations in smoothness of the joint surfaces between the container and the cover, or in the process of applying the silicone rubber to the cable outlet. In addition, with air filled in the container, the air volume is changed due to differences in the ambient temperature, which causes the breathing or respiration through holes in walls of the container, small gaps at the joint surfaces between the container and the cover, or air bubbles in the applied silicone rubber. This allows moisture to enter the container and prevents lasting of a perfectly sealed condition. Consequently, the prior art is not sufficiently suitable for use in those products, such as washing machines, which are employed in extremely watery and moist places. | {
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The present invention relates to improvements in plastic film bags with pressure closable and reopenable rib and groove profile fasteners at the top.
In the development of thin plastic film bags, an objective to be served is to provide a bag which has pressure closable and reopenable continuous rib and groove fastener elements at the top. Such fastener elements must securely close the bag and resist accidental opening due to forces on the side walls of the bag which occur during stacking, handling and merchandising. In order to reduce the cost of the bag, the fastener profiles are made as lightweight as possible without jeopardizing the facility of the fasteners to hold the bag closed. The ability of the fastener to remain closed can be augmented by design of a fastener but also by design of the bag structure in relation to the fastener structure. Coaction between the bag wall panels and the fastener strips can be attained by structural design so that stresses and pulls on the bag wall, such as occur inadvertently, do not pull apart the fastener strips to open the rib and groove profile fastener elements.
Efforts which have been made to provide a bag with a reclosable rib and groove fastener that withstands shocks and opening stresses have largely been directed at improving the form of the fastener, and in some instances it has been recognized that with a given fastener, the manner in which the forces are transmitted to the fastener is significant in improving the closure strength and integrity of the fastener strips. For example, an early development wherein a hinge action is sought so that the side wall of a bag can pivot outwardly without directly applying a stress to the fastener is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,054,434, Ausnit et al, entitled "Bag Closure". In this patent, a hinge arrangement is provided wherein the fastener strips are located at the top of the bag projecting fully above the bag walls.
Another form of structure provided to improve the closure strength is shown and describe in U.S. Pat. No. 3,347,298, Ausnit et al, entitled "Flexible Fastener With Unidirectional Opening Wherein Strengthening Filling Material is Utilized With the Fastener".
Another arrangement wherein some hinge relationship occurs between the side walls and the fastener is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,366, Ausnit et al, entitled "Attachment of Plastic Zipper to Incompatible Bag Wall Web", although the primary purpose of the disclosure is for other objectives.
An arrangement illustrating the use of a separate fastener attached within the walls of the bag is illustrated in co-pending application, Ser. No. 164,970, Van Erden, entitled "Bag With Separate Attachment Zipper and Method of Making", filed Mar. 7, 1988.
An object of the invention is to provide an improved bag structure which has a greater resistance to opening wherein the bag is constructed with separate fastener strips attached to the inner wall surface of the panels.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved bag construction and a method of making wherein the bag has a reclosable fastener at the top and can withstand pulls and stresses caused by the contents acting on the side walls of the bag without accidental opening of the bag.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved structure and method of making the structure wherein a flexible bag is provided with a rib and groove type of reopenable fastener at the top and providing a structure wherein forces that tend to pull the bag open from inside the bag are applied to the rib and groove fastener in a shear mode rather than a peel mode so that the fastener resists accidental opening. | {
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Select embodiments of the present invention may be used to measure stress in tensioned members of critical structures. This measure of stress is also referred to as “bulk tension.” In many cases access to these members is limited, e.g., steel reinforcing members buried in concrete. Critical structures include dams, bridges, elevated highways, nuclear containment domes, parking garages, piers, tunnels, and the like.
Acoustic waves are nondestructive and are capable of traveling long distances in engineered structures. Further they can be used to “interrogate” a structure to determine its integrity. Acoustic “interrogation” signals may be employed for purposes of determining bulk properties and to detect defects. Bulk properties, such as tension, are determined by acoustic signals interacting macroscopically with material, whereas, defects are identified by acoustic signals interacting microscopically with material. These dual purposes are achieved by carefully shaping transmitted acoustic signals and using tailored signal processing techniques on the reflected signals. Acoustic interrogation can identify both bulk properties and defects, quantifying results quickly, i.e., in “near real-time” although custom processing may extend display of results by one or two minutes.
There are two common types of ultrasonic waves, longitudinal and shear. Other types of ultrasonic waves exist, such as surface waves and plate waves. For a longitudinal wave, also termed compressional wave, particles vibrate in a direction that is the same as the propagation direction. For a shear wave, particles vibrate in a direction that is perpendicular to the propagation direction. Shear wave velocities, Vs, are typically about half of longitudinal wave velocities, Vl. Shear waves do not exist in some media, such as water and air, although solid media support shear waves.
Landa and Plesek employed shear waves in a technique that is both reasonably sensitive and linear. Landa, M. and J. Plesek, Ultrasonic Techniques for Non-Destructive Evaluation of Internal Stresses, Institute of Thermomechanics ASCR, Dolejskova 5, 18200, Praha8, Czech Republic, October, 2000. Their technique is limited to using shear waves that are polarized in two directions, parallel to the principal stress axis and transverse to the principal stress axis. These shear waves propagate in the remaining direction across the principle stress axis. Propagation parallel to the principal stress axis is preferable.
A select embodiment of the present invention now enables inspectors to quickly and easily make a quantitative determination of damage or degradation of post-tensioned members or objects. Prior to the present invention, two methods were commonly available for this purpose. The first is a “hammer test” that produces a first acoustic tone when the object is under zero or low tension and a second noticeably different tone when under designed (moderate or high) tension. Obviously, the hammer test yields a purely qualitative result. The second method involves the use of a jack, such as a hydraulic jack and is termed a “jacking test.” It often requires attaining “reasonable” access to members that otherwise have limited access. Jacking is both laborious and expensive when used to determine the condition of post-tensioned members in the field. While the jacking test is quantitative, it cannot be used in many situations because of restricted access considerations, expense, or both.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,081, Means and Method for Ultrasonic Measurement of Material Properties, to Thompson et al., Oct. 13, 1992 employs two electromagnetic acoustic sensors arranged on a single side of an object to be measured. Stress measurements are limited to those available near a surface of ferromagnetic objects having a large accessible surface. No measurements are made throughout the bulk of the object.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,387, Method for Measuring Stress, to Higo, et al., Feb. 22, 1994, uses a variety of sensor types and placements on metal, polycarbonates or acryl resin objects to measure bulk stress. The '387 patent measures attenuation of ultrasound to determine stress. Since attenuation is an indirect measurement, i.e., not related to fundamental ultrasonic properties, this method is limited to measuring very well characterized objects, such as standard items in a production line. For example, it cannot be used successfully on unknown parts picked at random.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,477,473, Ultrasonic Stress Measurement Using the Critically Refracted Longitudinal (LCR) Ultrasonic Technique, to Bray, Nov. 5, 2002, uses two sensors in a specific arrangement placed on a single side of an object. The sensors measure a reflection angle to determine longitudinal wave speed and hence stress. This device is limited to objects with accessible large surfaces since it measures the velocity of a longitudinal wave only.
None of these patents provide a device or method for determining tension in a randomly picked object that may have only a limited surface available for access, such as a reinforcing member embedded in concrete. Embodiments of the present invention differ from existing ultrasonic instruments, such as the StressTel®, BoltMike® and the like, that measure tension in bolts. These instruments measure elongation of a bolt while it is being torqued. They are “tension (bolting) control systems” that depend upon measuring changes in length between the un-loaded and the loaded (stressed) conditions of a particular fastening device, such as a bolt. Thus, unlike an embodiment of the present invention, they cannot measure stress in a fastener, such as a bolt or screw, that was tightened prior to use of the instrument.
From first principles of ultrasonic theory a relationship for calculating stress (tension) in a part using only the shear and longitudinal velocities may be derived as follows:
σ = ( V l 2 - 2 V s 2 ) 2 ( V l 2 - V s 2 ) ( 1 ) where Vl is the longitudinal wave velocity and Vs is the shear wave velocity and σ is the bulk stress (tension) along the principal stress axis of the structure to be measured. However, Eqn. (1) has been relegated to theory and not adapted for use because heretofore both shear and longitudinal velocities were unable to be measured simultaneously and accurately. Select embodiments of the present invention address this limitation by employing Eqn. (1) in the design of a robust, portable, efficient and relatively inexpensive package. Further, embodiments of the present invention do not require using shear waves that are polarized in two directions, i.e., parallel to the principal stress axis and transverse to the principal stress axis, to propagate in the remaining direction across the principle stress axis. Instead, applying Eqn. (1) allows calculation of bulk stress (bulk tension) by using acoustic energy, preferably ultrasound, propagated parallel to the principal stress axis.
Select embodiments of the present invention are able to address a wider range of situations than is possible using prior techniques. An embodiment of the present invention is useful for accurately determining the bulk stress inside an object that may offer limited access in its permanent installation, such as a reinforcing member buried in concrete, a post-tensioned element used in dams or bridges, and the like. An accurate measure of the bulk stress in a reinforcing member is critical for determining the structural integrity of damaged buildings; in making “repair or replace” decisions on existing structures; in determining the extent of deterioration of infrastructure; in researching degradation of materials, and in like applications. An embodiment of the present invention is also useful for accurately determining the strength of undamaged walls, e.g., resistance to penetration.
Select embodiments of the present invention may be provided in a portable package. Further, select embodiments of the present invention are able to limit the imposition of the acoustic signal to small areas, essentially points, for improved resolution. | {
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This invention relates to a color Xerographic printing system having a multicolor printbar rather than a traditional polygon ROS (raster output scanning) system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a color Xerographic printing system having a polychromatic photoreceptor and a multicolor printbar for developing a full color image on the photoreceptor.
Generally, the process of Xerographic (electrostatographic) printing includes the step of charging an imaging member to a substantially uniform potential to sensitize the surface thereof. The charged portion of the surface is exposed to an image, such as an image of an original document being reproduced, or to a computer-generated image written by a raster output scanner. This records an electrostatic latent image on the imaging member corresponding to the original document or computer-generated image. The recorded latent image is then developed by bringing a developer material into contact therewith. In a tri-level system, three separate potential levels are used. The unexposed areas of the latent image are developed in one color, and the fully discharged areas are developed in another color; the partially exposed areas remain undeveloped. This forms a toner powder image on the imaging member that is subsequently transferred to a substrate, such as paper. Finally, the toner powder image is permanently affixed to the substrate in image configuration, for example by heating and/or pressing the toner powder image.
A suitable developer material may be a two-component mixture of carrier particles having toner particles triboelectrically adhered thereto. The toner particles are attracted to and adhere to the electrostatic latent image to form a toner powder image on the imaging member surface. Suitable single component developers are also known. Single component developers comprise only toner particles; the particles have an electrostatic charge (for example, a triboelectric charge) so that they will be attracted to, and adhere to, the latent image on the imaging member surface.
Various forms of systems for producing two-color developed images are also known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,929 to Gundlach teaches the use of a tri-level electrostatographic system as a means to achieve singlepass highlight color images. Gundlach teaches a method for two-color development of an electrostatic charge pattern of a single polarity and having three different levels of potential by utilizing relatively negatively charged toner particles of one color and relatively positively charged toner particles of a second color. In this method, the photoreceptor is initially charged to a voltage V.sub.0. It is then selectively discharged with a single raster output scanner to approximately V.sub.0 /2 in the background areas and to near 0 or residual potential in the color areas. The fully discharged areas are printed in color, and the unexposed areas, which undergo dark discharge, are printed in black (or a second color). Alternatively, the colors may be reversed, i.e., the unexposed areas may be developed in color, and the areas of near 0 or residual potential may be developed in black (or a different color).
Another method of two-color reproduction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,013,890 to Bixby. Bixby teaches a method in which a charge pattern of either a positive or negative polarity is developed by a single, two-color developer. The developer of Bixby comprises a single carrier that supports both triboelectrically relatively positive and relatively negative toner. The positive toner is a first color and the negative toner is a second color. The method of Bixby develops positively charged image areas with the negative toner and develops negatively charged image areas with the positive toner. A two-color image occurs only when the charge pattern includes both positive and negative polarities.
However, these development systems do not provide multicolor or full spectrum print results, desirable in many applications. These development systems rely upon a photoreceptor, charged to different charge amounts by a single charging means.
Various forms of development systems for producing multicolor developed images are also known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,303 to Kovacs et al. discloses a full color xerographic printing system, in either single or double pass operation, using a single polygon ROS containing a dual wavelength diode laser. The system further includes a dual layer photoreceptor wherein each photoreceptor layer is sensitive to or accessible by only one of the two wavelengths of the diode laser.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,373,313 to Kovacs discloses a full color xerographic printing system, in single pass operation, using a single polygon ROS containing a multiple wavelength diode laser. The system further includes a multiple layer photoreceptor wherein each photoreceptor layer is sensitive to or accessible by only one of the multiple wavelengths of the diode laser.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,463 to Kovacs et al. discloses a single pass three-toner color xerographic development system. The development system uses a two-layer photoreceptor and a single polygon ROS system having a dual wavelength diode laser array. Each of the two photoreceptor layers is sensitive to or accessible by only one of the dual wavelengths of the diode laser.
There remains a need in the art for multicolor printing systems that can operate at higher speeds, but also at a lower cost. However, production of such systems has heretofore been hindered by the difficulty in manufacturing the necessary multicolor laser diode array. For example, due to absorption spectra of polychromatic photoreceptors for the development of four colors, the multiple wavelengths need to be separated by a large amount, typically 100 nm or more. Thus a multicolor system would be expected to require wavelengths of in the blue (400 to 500 nm), green (500 to 600 nm), red (600 to 700 nm) and infrared (700 to 800 nm) regions. However, the attainment of four wavelengths over such a wide range is very difficult in a monolithic diode laser structure, because it requires the integration of at least two different material systems. In addition, printing at high speed requires an addressable array at each color, making the array even more complex and expensive to fabricate. Nonmonolithic assemblies of addressable arrays are another possible approach to fabricating such a monolithic laser array source, but such assemblies are not straightforward and have not yet been demonstrated.
Therefore, there remains a need in the electrostatographic printing art for a full color printing system that does not require the complex ROS and multiple wavelength laser systems. In particular, there is a need for a less complex and less costly system for high speed multicolor printing. | {
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Multiple spindle automatic bar machines generally employ collet chucks for holding end working tools such as drills, spot drills, center drills, counterbores, spot facers, combination drills and countersinks, reamers, end mills, and hollow mills, the integral shanks of the chucks being longitudinally adjustably clamped in the end working tool slides (or auxiliary slides thereon) which are moved toward and away from the spindle carrier. The use of end working tool chucks of the character indicated adds substantially to set-up time in that it entails longitudinal adjustment of the tools in the respective chucks and of the chucks in the end working tool slides with respect to the spindle drum face of the machine. Moreover, replacement of dull or broken tools entails substantial down time of the machine whether the tools are replaced at the machine or in the chucks removed from the machine. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lubricant adapted for use in hot work and, more particularly, to a lubricant which is suitably applied to the surfaces of hot-work tools such as a plug, guide shoe and so forth employed in a process for producing a seamless steel pipe through rolling by a cross rolling mill.
2. Description of the Related art
In general, a process for producing a seamless steel pipe in accordance with the Mannesmann method basically has the steps of: (1) piercing a round billet to form a hollow bloom; (2) elongating the hollow bloom to elongate the same; and (c) finish-rolling the tube. The steps including the piercing, elongating and finish rolling are performed with the help of tools and devices such as plugs, guide shoes, rolls and so forth.
Among these tools and devices, plugs are easily worn. Reducing the wear of the plugs is beneficial from the view point of efficiency, economy and product quality in the pipe production process. The surface of the plug is covered by a thick oxide scale which is closely adhered to the base material. The scale serves as a heat insulating layer for protecting the plug body, thus directly affecting the life of the plug. In addition, the scale reduces the rolling load and prevents deterioration. The scale alone, however, cannot provide satisfactory protective effect in many instances. Attempts have been made, therefore, to lubricate plugs used for directly piercing billets, by applying lubricants to the plugs.
For instance, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 51-57729 and 1-180712 disclose methods in which an oily lubricant is sprayed from the end of the plug. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-138213 discloses a method in which a graphite-type lubricant is applied to the plug surface before the plug is used for piercing. The first-mentioned method, however, has not yet been successfully introduced to the industry, because of difficulty encountered in forming a spray nozzle on the plug's head without impairing the shape of the plug's head which is an important factor of the plug design in the piercing process. The second-mentioned method also suffers from a disadvantage in that the graphite allows slippage of the plug. Thus, the graphite does not fully contribute to the improvement in the piercing efficiency but, rather, involves a risk of allowing problems such as failure in biting the material to be rolled and failure in the sticking of the tail end of the rolled material from the roll.
The conditions under which the plugs are used are becoming more severe, due to the current tendency towards the use of stainless steels and alloy steels to form seamless steel pipes. This is because alloy steels pose higher levels of piercing loads than ordinary steels. More specifically, when an alloy steel is used as the pipe material, the scale on the plug surface is exfoliated in a short time due to the heavy piercing load, so that the plug directly acts on the material subjected to rolling without an intermediate layer which would serve as a heat-insulating and lubricating layer, with the result that the wear of the plug is promoted.
In the production of a seamless steel pipe by a Mannesmann-type piercing mill, the pipe material is rolled and pierced by means of a pair of opposing skews or cross rolls and a plug. At the same time, a pair of guide shoes are used to prevent the outside diameter of the rolled material from increasing due to the rolling. The guide shoes may be of a stationary type or of a diskroll type.
The surfaces of the guide shoes are in such a state as to permit easy slip of the guide shoes with respect to the surface of the rolled material in the circumferential direction of the material. In addition, the guide shoes which act to prevent radial expansion of the material have to sustain a large reaction force. Consequently, the surfaces of the material tend to adhere to the guide shoes surface subjected to rolling, particularly when the material to be rolled is a high-alloy steel represented by about 13% Cr steel, about 22% Cr steel or stainless steel.
As measures for preventing such score, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 60-56406 and Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 5-16925 disclose, respectively, methods for rolling while supplying the guide shoe surface with graphite-type lubricant and a boric acid type lubricant. In both methods, application of the lubricant to the guide shoe surface is performed by spraying.
Each of these lubricating methods, however, suffers from a problem in that flaws are liable to be generated due to insufficient anti-scoring effect when the rate of supply of the lubricant is too small. Conversely, excessive supply of the lubricant tends to cause a rolling failure due to slip between the rolled material and the rolls which undesirably reduces the friction coefficient, particularly when the lubricant is of the graphite type as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 60-56406. When the lubricant is of the boric acid type as proposed in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 5-16925, the lubricant tends to be washed away by a large quantity of water such as that used for cooling, thus impairing the anti-scoring effect.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-142749 discloses a method in which a billet is rolled while its surface is being supplied with a lubricant of the sodium silicate type. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-116709 discloses a method in which rolling is conducted while supplying the roll surface with a lubricant of swelled mica-type lubricant.
These methods, however, have the following shortcomings. The method disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-142749, which relies upon the application of a sodium silicate type lubricant on the billet surface during rolling, allows the exfoliation of the scale from the rolled material during transportation or rolling of the billet, as well as the separation of the lubricant from the material surface, thereby failing to provide appreciable anti-scoring effect. The method disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-116709, which relies upon the application of a swelled mica-type lubricant on the roll surface during rolling, is also liable to fail to satisfactorily prevent seizure because the lubricant tends to be washed away by the supply of a large quantity of water such as roll cooling water and the separation of lubricant due to exfoliation of the scale from the surface of the material subjected to the rolling.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-148493 discloses the use of an aqueous solution of sodium silicate containing graphite or mica as a lubricant for lubricating a rolled material. This water-glass type lubricant, when heated, foams by allowing water content to evaporate therefrom and becomes a pumice-like substance which is then vitrified when the temperature reaches a softening point. When this type of lubricant is applied to the outer surface of the hot material to be rolled, the lubricant is softened into a glassy state so as to produce a lubricating effect upon contact with the guide shoes and rolls. This type of lubricant, by virtue of its liquid nature, can easily be applied to plugs and guide shoes which are normally held at comparatively low temperatures and, hence, seems to be suitably usable as a lubricant for such plugs and guide shoes. The inventors have found, however, that this type of lubricant cannot exhibit appreciable lubricant effect when applied to the plugs and guide shoes, for the reason that the lubricant when so used is subjected to a shearing load before it is heated up to the softening point at which it becomes glassy so that it easily comes off the surface of the plug or the guide shoe.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-171165 discloses a lubricant for a material to be rolled. This lubricant has a composition composed of a particulate oxide-type laminar compound and a binder containing an alkali borate mixed with boron oxide and boric acid. Unfortunately, this lubricant does not exhibit a liquid state and, hence, cannot exhibit satisfactory adhesion or spreading by melting on the surface of a plug or guide shoes, which are usually cooled to temperatures much lower than that of the rolled material, which is usually at an elevated temperature of 900.degree. C. or higher at the internal hollow surface.
Thus, in the field of production of seamless steel pipes by the Mannesmann method, it is desirable to decrease the coefficient of friction between the material subjected to rolling and the tools such as the plug and guide shoes which are used in the step of piercing a billet and the subsequent elongating and rolling steps, thereby prolonging the lives of the plug and the guide shoes. This is particularly desirable in the cases where the billet to be processed is made of a material which imposes a heavy load on the rolling tool and other devices, such as a stainless steel or an alloy steel, is used as the material of the billet. | {
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a. Field of Invention
This invention relates to the cyclic dodecapeptide, triglycyl-lysine vasopressin or also called triglycyl-vasopressin, of the formula ##STR2## More particularly this invention relates to an improved process for preparing triglycyl-lysine vasopressin and to intermediates used for the process.
B. Prior Art
The name "vasopressin" has been proposed for the factor found in pituitary extracts which controls the water balance as well as exhibiting other biological effects (see review by E. Schroder and K. Lubke in "The Peptides" Vol. 11, pp 336-358, Academic Press, New York and London, 1966).
A number of analogs of lysine vasopressin were prepared by E. Kasafirek et al, Coll. Czech. Chem. Commun., 31 4581(1966), most notably triglycyl-lysine vasopressin. Results from clinical trials by J. H. Cort et al, Europ. J. Clin. Invest., 5, 165-175(1975), show that this peptide has a prolonged effect on uterine contractions, thus useful for initiating abortive menstruation and in addition the peptide inhibits bleeding from both the gut and uterus.
The report relating to the synthesis of triglycyl-lysine vasopressin by Kasafirek et al, supra, does not give the experimental details for the preparation of the cyclic dodecapeptide. However, by analogy with the process used for the preparation of the other vasopressin analog in the same report, the over-all yield of the process for the vasopressin analog apparently is very low. In addition, it should be noted that the synthesis utilizes very stable protecting groups which require severe conditions for their removal.
In keeping with the need for a practical synthesis of the cyclic dodecapeptide, triglycyl-lysine vasopressin, the present invention discloses a new practical process for the large scale preparation of the cyclic dodecapeptide. Furthermore the present process has additional advantages in that it starts from readily available materials, avoids noxious reagents, is executed facilely, utilizes easily removable protecting groups and provides a pure product in high yield with a high degree of physiological potency. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photovoltaic module that comprises a module body and a frame fitted on the periphery of the module body, a solar-power generating apparatus comprising photovoltaic modules arranged on the roof of a building, a support member for supporting photovoltaic modules, and a method of installing a solar-power generating apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Solar-power generating apparatuses are installed on the roofs of buildings. A solar-power generating apparatus comprise photovoltaic modules laid on a rail-like support member that is secured on the roof of a building.
Japanese UM Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 8-3023 discloses the technique of installing a solar-power generating apparatus, without laying photovoltaic modules on support members that are laid on the ground.
These support members comprise an upper support and a lower support. The upper support has a groove that opens downwards and slantwise. The lower support lies below the upper support and has a groove that opens upwards and slantwise. Photovoltaic modules, each having no frame part attached to the periphery, are secured to the upper and lower supports, partly fitted in and extending between both supports.
The photovoltaic modules are secured in the following method. First, each photovoltaic module is moved up from below and slantwise, until its upper edge is inserted into the grooves of the upper support. Then, the photovoltaic module is rotated, in its entirety, around the center of the upper support, approaching and opposing the groove of the lower support. Next, the whole photovoltaic module is moved downward and slantwise, with its upper edge kept inserted in the groove of the upper support. The whole lower edge of the module is thereby inserted into the groove of the lower support. Thus, the photovoltaic module is secured to both the upper support and the lower support.
In the prior-art method, the photovoltaic module is moved upward and slantwise to have its upper edge inserted into the groove of the upper support. Hence, the upper edge of the photovoltaic module is likely to slide in acute friction. Since the upper edge of the module is relatively thick, it may abut on the rim of the groove of the upper support as it is inserted into the groove. For the same reason, the module can be inclined but at a small angle, to have its upper edge inserted into the groove of the upper support. Consequently, it is hard to achieve the insertion. The photovoltaic module cannot be secured to the support member with high efficiency by the method described above.
The present invention has been made to provide a photovoltaic module that can easily be secured to an upper support and a lower support that lies slantwise below the upper support, a solar-power generating apparatus that comprises such modules, a support member for supporting such modules, and a method of installing a solar-power generating apparatus on the roof of a building.
A photovoltaic module according to this invention comprises a rectangular module body and a frame secured to the sides of the module body. The frame is composed of an upper bar, a lower bar and a pair of side bars. The upper bar has an insertion projection protruding from a part of the upper bar, which is middle in the thickness direction of the upper bar.
In the photovoltaic module according to the invention, the upper bar of the frame will not slide in acute friction in the down-open groove of an upper support member, even if it abuts on the bottom of the down-open groove of the upper support member. Further, the upper bar can be inserted into the down-open groove of the upper support member, at a large insertion angle. This makes it easy to insert the upper bar into the down-open groove. The photovoltaic module according to the invention can therefore be laid easily between the upper support member and the lower support member arranged below the upper support member.
A solar-power generating apparatus according to this invention comprises an upper support member, a lower support member, and photovoltaic modules. The upper and lower bars are secured on the roof of a building and spaced apart in the direction the roof slopes. The photovoltaic modules are laid between the upper and lower support members. Each module comprises a rectangular module body and a frame secured to the sides of the module body. The frame is composed of an upper bar, a lower bar and a pair of side bars. The upper bar has an insertion projection protruding from a part of the upper bar, which is middle in the thickness direction of the upper bar.
In the solar-power generating apparatus according to this invention, the upper bar of the frame of each photovoltaic module will not slide in acute friction in the down-open groove of an upper support member, even if it abuts on the bottom of the down-open groove of the upper support member. Moreover, the upper bar can be inserted into the down-open groove at a large angle. This facilitates the insertion of the upper bar into the down-open groove. Thus, the photovoltaic modules can be easily laid between the super support member and the lower support member, both secured on the roof, in the solar-power generating apparatus according to the present invention.
A support member according to this invention has a down-open groove opening downwards and slantwise and an up-open groove opening upwards and slantwise, which are positioned in back-to-back relation.
The support member of this invention can support a photovoltaic module, holding the upper bar of the module in the down-open groove or holding the lower bar of the module in the up-open groove. The support member can be effectively used to lay photovoltaic modules on the roof.
A method of installing a solar-power generating apparatus, according to the present invention, comprises the steps of: securing an upper support member and a lower support member on the roof of a building; inserting the insertion projection protruding from the upper bar of a photovoltaic module, from below and slantwise, into the down-open groove of the upper support member; rotating the photovoltaic module around the upper bar, thereby moving the lower bar of the module toward the lower support member and causing the lower bar to oppose the up-open groove of the lower support member; moving the photovoltaic module downwards and slantwise, thereby inserting the lower bar into the up-open groove; and securing holding members to the upper support member and lower support member, thereby holding the upper bar and the lower bar from above, respectively.
With the method of method of installing a solar-power generating apparatus, according to this invention, it is easy to lay photovoltaic modules between the upper and lower support members secured on the roof.
A solar-power generating apparatus according to the invention comprises a plurality of support bases and a plurality of support members laid on the support bases and crossing them, each having connection holes. Each support base has an upper wall, an opening made in the upper wall, and a groove provided inside the opening and being broader, at the bottom, than the opening. The apparatus has bolt-holding bodies, each having at least one screw hole, shaped not to rotate in the groove, and provided movably in the grooves to pass under the support members. Bolts are driven into the screw holes through the connection holes, thus coupling the support members to the support bases.
In the solar-power generating apparatus, the bolts can be driven from above and tightened to couple the support members to the support bases. Further, the bolt-holding bodies can be moved beneath the support members to the positions where the support members are coupled to the support bases. This enhances the efficiency of coupling the support members to the support bases. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the testing of microprocessors. It more specifically relates to a method and device for digital data transmission between a monitoring circuit integrated in a microprocessor chip and an analysis tool.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
FIG. 1 schematically shows an integrated circuit 10 comprising a microprocessor (μP) 12, an internal memory (MEM) 14, and input/output terminals (I/O) 16. Microprocessor 12 is intended to execute a program or software stored in memory 14. Under control of the program, microprocessor 12 may process data provided by input/output terminals 16 or stored in memory 14 and read or write data through input/output terminals 16.
To check the proper operation of the microprocessor, a monitoring circuit 18 (TEST) is generally integrated on integrated circuit 10. Monitoring circuit 18 is capable of reading specific data provided by microprocessor 12 on execution of a program, and of possibly processing the read data. Test terminals 22 connect monitoring circuit 18 to an analysis tool 24. Analysis tool 24 may perform a processing of the received signals, for example, according to commands provided by a user, and ensure a detailed analysis of the operation of microprocessor 12. In particular, analysis tool 24 may determine the program instruction sequence really executed by microprocessor 12.
The number of test terminals 22 may be on the same order of magnitude as the number of input/output terminals 16, for example, from 200 to 400 terminals. Test terminals 22 as well as the connections of monitoring circuit 18 take up a significant silicon surface area, which causes an unwanted increase in the circuit cost. For this purpose, a first version of integrated circuit 10 comprising monitoring circuit 18 and test terminals 22 is produced in small quantities to adjust debug the program of microprocessor 12 or “user program”. After this debugging, a version of integrated circuit 10 without monitoring circuit 18 and without test terminals 22 is sold. This requires forming of two versions of the integrated circuit, which requires a significant amount of work and is relatively expensive. Further, the final chip is not necessarily identical to the tested chip.
To overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages, it is desired to form a monitoring circuit 18 which takes up a reduced surface area and only requires a reduced number of test terminals 22, which decreases the selfcost of the monitoring circuit. Monitoring circuit 18 can then be left on the finally sold integrated circuit 10.
It is thus desired to decrease the number of signals provided by monitoring circuit 18. For this purpose, certain logic operations are directly performed at the level of monitoring circuit 18 on the data measured at the level of microprocessor 12 to only transmit messages having an important information content.
Thus, standard IEEE-ISTO-5001 in preparation provides in its 1999 version, accessible, for example, on website www.ieee-isto.org/Nexus5001, a specific message exchange protocol between a monitoring circuit and an analysis tool for a monitoring circuit 18 requiring but a reduced number of test terminals 22.
Among the messages provided by monitoring circuit 18 according to standard IEEE-ISTO-5001, a message for example indicates that a jump has occurred in the program executed by microprocessor 12. Another message may indicate the fact that microprocessor 12 executes a read or write operation, for example, an operation of reading or writing of data from or into an area of memory 14. Based on the messages transmitted by monitoring circuit 18, analysis tool 24 reconstitutes the instruction sequence executed by microprocessor 12. The reconstituted instruction sequence can then be compared with an instruction sequence theoretically executed by microprocessor 12 to determine malfunctions of microprocessor 12.
Certain events, however, do not correspond to specific instructions of the program executed by microprocessor 12 or do not cause modifications in the execution of the program by microprocessor 12. Thus applies, for example, in the case of a mobile telephony application, to the automatic blanking of the screen of a portable phone controlled by a specific control signal which is not provided by microprocessor 12 of the portable phone. Such events are generally not detected by monitoring circuit 18 and thus do not cause the transmission of messages by monitoring circuit 18 to analysis tool 24. It may also be, for example, specific signals generated by the internal circuits of microprocessor 12.
It would be desirable for analysis tool 24 to be able to indicate to the user that such events have occurred. Indeed, such events may be helpful in the diagnosis of malfunctions of microprocessor 12. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to conveyor systems, and more particularly, is directed to an articulated conveyor adapted to be suspended from an overhead monorail and capable of traversing a curvilinear path.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In mining operations, especially underground mining operations, such as, coal mining or the like, conveyors or series of conveyors are used to transport the mined ore from the mine. Normally, there is a main conveyor that moves the mined material along a fixed path. The main conveyor has a terminal end at a fixed location for receiving the material being mined. In the past, shuttle cars or other short distance haulage vehicles have been used to transport the mined material from the mining machine to the fixed terminal end of the main conveyor. The use of shuttle cars and other such haulage vehicles is intermittent, time consuming, and inefficient in not providing for the continuous transport of the mined materials from the mining machine to the fixed conveyor. Thus, in more recent years there have been several developments directed toward a mobile articulated conveyor that provides for continuous transport of the discharge of a continuous miner to the main conveyor as the miner advances into the mine face and changes the direction of its forward movement. Such mobile articulated conveyors are particularly adaptable to "room and pillar" type coal mining operations wherein the mobile conveyor follows the continuous miner and changes in direction as the machine penetrates into the mine face in one room and then is backed out and set to work in the mine face of another room while roof bolts are installed in the recently mined room. The mining machine is then backed out of this second room and set to work in either the recently roofbolted room or it may go on to still another room.
One of these more recently developed mobile articulated conveyors is shown in the Payne et al. patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,707,218, and sold under the trade designation "Serpentix". The Serpentix conveyor has an endless trough shaped, accordion-pleated belt supported on a vertebrae-like member which, in turn, is supported on the mine floor by stanchions. The stanchion supported conveyor was cumbersome and did not lend itself to frequent shifting of the conveyor path from room to room. Thus, Craggs, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,920,115, suspended the Serpentix conveyor from an overhead monorail and thereby provided a flexible frame conveyor which could be attached to the surge car behind a mining machine. The conveyor could now follow the mining machine as it moved from one room to another in performing its mining operation.
Another development is such mobile articulated conveyors is disclosed in McGinnis U.S. Pat. No. 3,701,411 which shows a conveyor comprised of an endless belt supported on a train of pivotally interconnected portable cars or carriages. Each of the carriages are supported on ground engaging wheels thereby providing mobility to the conveyor. A self propelled tractor is connected to the conveyor train to move it from one location to another. Another development along the same lines can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,752.
A later McGinnis patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,223, discloses a mobile articulated conveyor suspended from an overhead monorail. Shown is a U-shaped conveyor belt carried by a plurality of individual carriage units suspended from the overhead monorail. The carriage units are fastened to one another by a resilient, flexible spline member which provides for positioning of the carriage units around vertical and horizontal curves. The conveyor belt is driven by a separate power belt and guided by guide rollers.
Although, the above-referenced developments have made an advancement in the art of mobile articulated conveyors, each has encountered specific problems and does not perform as satisfactory as desired. Along with suffering from the shortcomings of being expensive, cumbersome, bulky, complex structures, with some having a high silhoutte, these referenced developments have experienced problems in maintaining the upper conveying run portion of the belt in a suitable load conveying mode as the conveyor moves around horizontal and vertical curves. Further, these prior conveyors do not provide a smooth path for the belt to follow around curves, thus pinching the belt and causing excessive wear thereto. | {
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The number and types of electronic devices available to consumers have increased tremendously the past few years, and this increase shows no signs of abating. Devices such as portable computing devices, tablet, desktop, and all-in-one computers, cell, smart, and media phones, storage devices, portable media players, navigation systems, monitors and other devices have become ubiquitous.
These devices often receive power and share data using various cables. These cables may have connector inserts, or plugs, on each end. The connector inserts may plug into connector receptacles on electronic devices, thereby forming one or more conductive paths for signals and power.
These inserts or plugs may have contacts that mate with corresponding contacts in a receptacle. These mated contacts may form portions of electrical paths for data, power, or other types of signals. Various types of contacts may be used. One type of contact, a spring-loaded contact, may be used in either a connector insert or a connector receptacle.
Spring-loaded contacts may include a plunger biased by a spring, such that the plunger may be depressed when contacting a second contact, then retracted when disengaged from the second connector. But this arrangement may lead to a reduced reliability for the spring-loaded contact. For example, the spring and plunger may become entangled. That is, the spring may become caught between a plunger and a barrel or housing of the spring-loaded contact. This may prevent the plunger from retracting, thus keeping the plunger depressed.
Also, when a plunger makes contact with a second contact and is depressed, the plunger may break contact with the barrel or housing. This may lead to large current flow through the spring, which may in turn damage or destroy the spring.
Thus, what is needed are spring-loaded contacts that provide an improved reliability by having a reduced tendency for entanglement between a spring and a plunger, and a reduced chance of large currents flowing through the spring. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Server computing devices, to protect against individual device failures, often operate in a clustered environment, where multiple server computing devices maintain equivalent access to multiple volumes of data. Should one of the server computing devices fail, another server computing device can assume the former's duties and server operations can resume with a minimum of downtime. Similarly, data in such a server cluster, is likewise often stored in a redundant manner, such that, should one volume of data experience a failure, the data would remain accessible through one or more other volumes. In such a manner, a clustered environment, with multiple computing devices each maintaining equivalent access to multiple volumes of data, can provide a greater measure of fault-tolerance.
Traditionally, the data contained within a volume of data, which is typically stored on a data storage hardware device, such as a hard drive, is protected from unauthorized access by the computer-executable instructions of the computing device to which the data storage device is communicationally coupled. If the data storage device were, however, to be communicationally decoupled from a host computing device having such protective computer-executable instructions, the data could be accessed and its security compromised. To prevent such unauthorized access of data, the notion of “full volume encryption” was developed, whereby all of the relevant data stored on a data storage device was stored in an encrypted manner. Consequently, even if such a data storage device were to be independently accessed, through a computing device having no executable instructions for the protection of the data, the data could, nevertheless, remain protected, since it would be physically stored in an encrypted manner.
To limit access to data protected through full volume encryption, the key used to decrypt the data can be protected, such as by a password, key card, or similar security device. Unfortunately, should a user lose access to such a security device, a new key would need to be generated. Such a new key would require that the data be encrypted in such a manner that the new key could decrypt it. Consequently, the creation of such a new key would entail the computationally expensive, and lengthy, process of decrypting the volume and, subsequently, reencrypting it in such a manner that the new key could decrypt it. To avoid such inefficiencies, a layer of indirection was added whereby the key that can decrypt the data is, itself, encrypted by another key. This second key is then protected by a security device. Should a user lose access to the security device, only the second key would need to be changed, requiring only the decryption, and subsequent reencryption, of the first key, and not of all of the data itself. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Annuloplasty prostheses for heart valves are well known as is shown, for example, by Alfieri et al. U.S. patent application publication U.S. 2002/0173844 A1 and Bolling et al. U.S. patent application publication U.S. 2003/0093148 A1. Such prostheses may be complete rings (e.g., as in the above-mentioned Alfieri et al. and Bolling et al. references), or they may be less than complete rings (e.g., as in Carpentier U.S. Pat. No. 3,656,185). The term “annuloplasty” is used herein to refer to both of these types of prostheses (i.e., both complete rings and less than completely annular structures (e.g., generally C-shaped structures)).
Typical annuloplasty prostheses include a core member surrounded by a soft fabric cover. The core member is often substantially rigid or at least semi-rigid and not penetrable by a suture needle and suture material. The fabric cover may be designed to cushion the prosthesis, and possibly also to promote tissue in-growth into the prosthesis to help integrate the prosthesis into the patient's body. It is often desired to secure the prosthesis in the patient by passing one or more suture needles and suture material through the fabric cover and adjacent tissue. Tightness and/or thinness of the fabric cover may make this difficult to do. Even if the surgeon is successful in getting proper engagement, the amount of fabric caught may be less than would be desirable for good tissue healing and over-growth. | {
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Three-dimensional (3D) sound localization offers people a wealth of new technological avenues to not merely communicate with each other but also to communicate with electronic devices, software programs, and processes.
As this technology develops, challenges will arise with regard to how sound localization integrates into the modern era. Example embodiments offer solutions to some of these challenges and assist in providing technological advancements in methods and apparatus using 3D sound localization. | {
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This invention generally relates to recovering vacuum deposited materials for recycling. More particularly, it relates to apparatus for simplifying the recovery of metals from surfaces of a deposition chamber.
In a vacuum evaporation apparatus, a source material, such as lead, tin, titanium, tungsten, chrome, copper, or gold, is heated in a crucible or on a filament so that the material evaporates. With sufficiently high vacuum, evaporated material moves in a straight line across the chamber, coating all exposed surfaces along the line of sight from the crucible or filament. Both substrates provided in the chamber for coating and chamber surfaces, such as chamber walls or shields, are equally coated.
Semiconductor wafers may be provided in the chamber mounted on a dome designed to hold the wafers at approximately equal distances from the source. In a process in which shadow masks are provided in front of each wafer to provide solder bumps at selected locations on each wafer, the masks are also coated with a large amount of the solder. In such a process less than 1% of the source material evaporated from a crucible may be deposited on areas of the wafer desired as solder bumps. The remaining 99% of the solder coats the mask, spaces on the dome between wafers, shields, and other exposed surfaces within the chamber.
Depending on the thickness of material deposited, the material must be removed from masks, domes, shields and other surfaces after a number of deposition runs have been accomplished. Removal has involved removing and replacing chamber shields and other components or hammering, chiselling, and scraping fixed components. In either case, material removal has taken time from wafer processing. In addition, the removal steps have the potential for exposing workers to hazardous materials, such as lead dust. In addition, once the chamber was cleaned and chamber shields replaced, at least one run without product was needed to ensure that the tool was performing properly. Finally, because the chiselled or scraped material was contaminated by that treatment, it could not be reused in the chamber, and posed a hazardous materials disposal problem. Thus, a better solution is needed that provides a system in which the material that does not coat wafers is more easily removed from chamber surfaces without adding substantially to cost, without reducing throughput, and without providing a hazardous materials problem, and this solution is provided by the following invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide apparatus that permits easily peeling deposited material from chamber surfaces.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of removing deposited material from chamber surfaces without contaminating the material.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of removing deposited material from chamber surfaces so that the material can be reused without chemical purification.
It is a feature of the present invention that chamber surfaces are coated with Teflon to provide sufficient adherence so that evaporated material adheres but with sufficiently weak adhesion to permit easy peeling.
It is an advantage of the present invention that evaporated lead can be peeled from chamber surfaces rapidly and in large pieces, reducing cost, improving throughput, and reducing human exposure to toxic dust.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention are accomplished by providing a system for depositing material on a substrate. The system includes a chamber comprising chamber surfaces exposed to the deposited material. The system also includes a protective material coating substantially all chamber surfaces, wherein the deposited material adheres to the protective material with sufficient adhesion so the deposited material sticks and wherein the deposited material adheres to the protective material with adhesion sufficiently weak that the deposited material can be peeled off leaving the protective coating in place on the chamber surfaces. | {
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Opto-electronic devices that make use of organic materials are becoming increasingly desirable for a number of reasons. Many of the materials used to make such devices are relatively inexpensive, so organic opto-electronic devices have the potential for cost advantages over inorganic devices. In addition, the inherent properties of organic materials, such as their flexibility, may make them well suited for particular applications such as fabrication on a flexible substrate. Examples of organic opto-electronic devices include organic light emitting devices (OLEDs), organic phototransistors, organic photovoltaic cells, and organic photodetectors. For OLEDs, the organic materials may have performance advantages over conventional materials. For example, the wavelength at which an organic emissive layer emits light may generally be readily tuned with appropriate dopants.
OLEDs make use of thin organic films that emit light when voltage is applied across the device. OLEDs are becoming an increasingly interesting technology for use in applications such as flat panel displays, illumination, and backlighting. Several OLED materials and configurations are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,844,363, 6,303,238, and 5,707,745, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
One application for phosphorescent emissive molecules is a full color display. Industry standards for such a display call for pixels adapted to emit particular colors, referred to as “saturated” colors. In particular, these standards call for saturated red, green, and blue pixels. Color may be measured using CIE coordinates, which are well known to the art.
One example of a green emissive molecule is tris(2-phenylpyridine) iridium, denoted Ir(ppy)3, which has the following structure:
In this, and later figures herein, we depict the dative bond from nitrogen to metal (here, Ir) as a straight line.
As used herein, the term “organic” includes polymeric materials as well as small molecule organic materials that may be used to fabricate organic opto-electronic devices. “Small molecule” refers to any organic material that is not a polymer, and “small molecules” may actually be quite large. Small molecules may include repeat units in some circumstances. For example, using a long chain alkyl group as a substituent does not remove a molecule from the “small molecule” class. Small molecules may also be incorporated into polymers, for example as a pendent group on a polymer backbone or as a part of the backbone. Small molecules may also serve as the core moiety of a dendrimer, which consists of a series of chemical shells built on the core moiety. The core moiety of a dendrimer may be a fluorescent or phosphorescent small molecule emitter. A dendrimer may be a “small molecule,” and it is believed that all dendrimers currently used in the field of OLEDs are small molecules.
As used herein, “top” means furthest away from the substrate, while “bottom” means closest to the substrate. Where a first layer is described as “disposed over” a second layer, the first layer is disposed further away from substrate. There may be other layers between the first and second layer, unless it is specified that the first layer is “in contact with” the second layer. For example, a cathode may be described as “disposed over” an anode, even though there are various organic layers in between.
As used herein, “solution processible” means capable of being dissolved, dispersed, or transported in and/or deposited from a liquid medium, either in solution or suspension form.
A ligand may be referred to as “photoactive” when it is believed that the ligand directly contributes to the photoactive properties of an emissive material. A ligand may be referred to as “ancillary” when it is believed that the ligand does not contribute to the photoactive properties of an emissive material, although an ancillary ligand may alter the properties of a photoactive ligand.
As used herein, and as would be generally understood by one skilled in the art, a first “Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital” (HOMO) or “Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital” (LUMO) energy level is “greater than” or “higher than” a second HOMO or LUMO energy level if the first energy level is closer to the vacuum energy level. Since ionization potentials (IP) are measured as a negative energy relative to a vacuum level, a higher HOMO energy level corresponds to an IP having a smaller absolute value (an IP that is less negative). Similarly, a higher LUMO energy level corresponds to an electron affinity (EA) having a smaller absolute value (an EA that is less negative). On a conventional energy level diagram, with the vacuum level at the top, the LUMO energy level of a material is higher than the HOMO energy level of the same material. A “higher” HOMO or LUMO energy level appears closer to the top of such a diagram than a “lower” HOMO or LUMO energy level.
As used herein, and as would be generally understood by one skilled in the art, a first work function is “greater than” or “higher than” a second work function if the first work function has a higher absolute value. Because work functions are generally measured as negative numbers relative to vacuum level, this means that a “higher” work function is more negative. On a conventional energy level diagram, with the vacuum level at the top, a “higher” work function is illustrated as further away from the vacuum level in the downward direction. Thus, the definitions of HOMO and LUMO energy levels follow a different convention than work functions.
More details on OLEDs, and the definitions described above, can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,279,704, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an inverse dispersion compensating optical fiber. More particularly, the invention relates to a large-effective-area inverse dispersion compensating optical fiber that exhibits relatively low optical loss relative to conventional inverse dispersion fiber and that is suitable for compensating dispersion in large-effective-area positive dispersion fiber.
2. Description of the Related Art
Optical fibers are thin strands of glass or plastic capable of transmitting optical signals, containing relatively large amounts of information, over long distances and with relatively low attenuation. Typically, optical fibers are made by heating and drawing a portion of an optical preform comprising a refractive core region surrounded by a protective cladding region made of glass or other suitable material. Optical fibers drawn from the preform typically are protected further by one or more coatings applied to the cladding region.
Advances in transmission over optical fibers have enabled optical fibers to have enormous bandwidth capabilities. Such bandwidth enables thousands of telephone conversations and hundreds of television channels to be transmitted simultaneously over a hair-thin fiber. Transmission capacity over an optical fiber is increased in wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) systems wherein several channels are multiplexed onto a single fiber, with each channel operating at a different wavelength. However, in WDM systems, nonlinear interactions between channels occur, such as 4-photon mixing, which severely reduces system capacity. This problem has largely been solved by U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,516 (the '516 patent), which is owned by the assignee of the present application. The '516 patent discloses an optical fiber that reduces these nonlinear interactions by introducing a small amount of chromatic dispersion at the operating wavelengths. As the number of WDM channels to be transmitted over a single fiber increases, the optical power carried by the optical fiber also increases. As the optical power increases, the nonlinear effects caused by interaction between the channels also increases. Therefore, it is desirable for an optical fiber to provide a small amount of chromatic dispersion to each of the WDM channels in order to reduce the nonlinear interactions between the channels, especially in view of ever-increasing bandwidth demands. However, in order to be able to restore the signal after the transmission link, it is important that the dispersion introduced vary as little as possible amongst the different WDM channels.
Important advances have been made in the quality of the material used in making optical fibers. In 1970, an acceptable loss for glass fiber was in the range of 20 dB/km, whereas today losses are generally less than about 0.25 dB/km. The theoretical minimum loss for silica based fiber is about 0.15 dB/km, and it occurs at a wavelength of about 1550 nanometers (nm). Dispersion in a glass fiber causes pulse spreading for pulses that include a range of wavelengths, due to the fact that the speed of light in a glass fiber is a function of the transmission wavelength of the light. Pulse broadening is a function of the fiber dispersion, the fiber length and the spectral width of the light source. Dispersion for individual fibers is generally illustrated using a graph (not shown) having dispersion on the vertical axis (in units of picoseconds (ps) per nanometer (nm), or ps/nm) or ps/nm-km (kilometer) and wavelength on the horizontal axis. There can be both positive and negative dispersion, so the vertical axis may range from, for example, −250 to +25 ps/nm km. The wavelength on the horizontal axis at which the dispersion equals zero corresponds to the highest bandwidth for the fiber. However, this wavelength typically does not coincide with the wavelength at which the fiber transmits light with minimum attenuation.
For example, typical single mode fibers generally transmit best (i.e., with minimum attenuation) at about 1550 nm, whereas dispersion for the same fiber would be approximately zero at 1310 nm. Also, the aforementioned theoretical minimum loss for glass fiber occurs at the transmission wavelength of about 1550 nm. Because minimum attenuation is prioritized over zero dispersion, the wavelength normally used to transmit over such fibers is typically 1550 nm. Also, Erbium-doped amplifiers, which currently are the most commonly used optical amplifiers for amplifying optical signals carried on a fiber, operate in 1530 to 1565 nm range. Because dispersion for such a fiber normally will be closest to zero at a wavelength of 1310 nm rather than at the optimum transmission wavelength of 1550 nm, attempts are constantly being made to improve dispersion compensation over the transmission path in order to provide best overall system performance (i.e., low optical loss and low dispersion).
In order to improve dispersion compensation at the transmission wavelength of 1550 nm, it is known to couple the transmission fiber, which normally is a positive dispersion fiber (PDF), with an inverse dispersion fiber (IDF). The positive dispersion transmission fiber typically comprises a single mode fiber designed to introduce dispersion in order to reduce the nonlinear interactions between wavelength channels. The inverse dispersion fiber has a negative dispersion and negative dispersion slope that provide dispersion and dispersion slope compensation that enable the dispersion and dispersion slope compensation of the transmission fiber to be managed. The transmission PDF is coupled to a length of IDF by splicing. The combination of the PDF and the IDF has both an intrinsic fiber loss and a splicing loss. Of course, overall optical loss for a transmission link should be kept at a minimum. The need to minimize optical loss is even more important when long transmission links are involved due to the fact that more amplifiers normally are needed along the link to prevent transmission quality degeneration.
For example, in trans-oceanic communications systems it is advantageous to use a combination of super-large-effective-area (SLA) PDF and an IDF having matching relative dispersion slopes (RDSs) at a particular wavelength, usually at the center of the transmission band. The RDS of a fiber is the ratio of the dispersion slope, S, of the fiber to the dispersion, D, of the fiber. The RDS of the IDF needs to match the RDS of the PDF for proper management of dispersion and dispersion slope. However, merely matching the RDSs of the transmission PDF and the compensating IDF does not solve all problems. Other issues such as management of the aforementioned nonlinear effects, bending loss and optical attenuation should also be taken into consideration. Conventional IDF used for compensating dispersion in a SLA transmission fiber has a median loss of, for example, approximately 0.246 db/km at 1550 nm. One way to decrease the overall loss of the transmission link would be to provide an IDF that has a lower fiber loss than conventional IDF that is currently used in combination with SLA transmission fibers. However, conventional IDFs currently used with these SLA PDFs have relatively small effective areas, which presents problems. For example, the small effective area of the IDF limits the amount by which the overall nonlinear effects between channels and attenuation loss can be reduced, which limits the degree by which degradations in system transmission performance can be prevented. Of course, when system transmission performance degrades, the number of WDM channels that these systems can support becomes limited.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,419 B1 to Tsukitani, et al. discloses a dispersion-equalizing fiber that is designed to have reduced bending loss so that it is suitable for use in a dispersion compensating module in which it will be wound about a spool and spliced with a transmission fiber to reduce dispersion and the dispersion slope of the transmission line as a whole. Tsukitani discloses that the dispersion-equalizing fiber has an effective area of anywhere from 15 to 19 micrometers squared (μm2), and discloses that the dispersion-equalizing fiber having these effective areas restrains the aforementioned nonlinear effects. As a consequence, the dispersion-equalizing fiber has a bending loss of 10 to 50 dB/m with respect to light having a wavelength of 1550 nm when wound at a diameter of 20 mm.
Tsukitani discloses that it is desirable to maintain the ratio of the length of the dispersion-equalizing fiber to the length of the total transmission line (i.e., length of the dispersion-equalizing fiber+length of the transmission fiber), which is referred to in Tukitani as the DEF ratio, between 25% and 40% in order to repress nonlinear effects. As shown in FIG. 2B in Tsukitani, when the DEF ratio is between 25% and 40%, the effective area, Aeff, of the dispersion-equalizing fiber ranges from between about 15 and about 19 μm2. Tsukitani discloses that the nonlinearity index can be kept within acceptable ranges that provide low bending loss when the effective area of the dispersion-equalizing fiber is anywhere from about 15 μm2 to about 19 μm2 and when the ratio, Ra, between the diameter of the core region and the diameter of the trench region is greater than around 0.6. Thus, not only is the DEF ratio a factor taken into account in designing a dispersion-equalizing fiber with low bending loss, the ratio Ra is also taken into account. The diameter of the core region generally doesn't change very much compared to the amount by which the diameter of the trench region may vary. It can be seen from FIGS. 3-9 in Tsukitani that when the effective area Aeff is anywhere from about 15 μm2 to about 19 μm2 and Ra is greater than 0.6, the dispersion-equalization fiber exhibits a relatively low 20 mm bending loss and has a good nonlinear index.
One of the disadvantages of the dispersion-equalization fiber disclosed in Tsukitani is that, as can be seen from the figures in Tsukitani, increases in the effective area Aeff and/or R4 reduce the ability of the fiber to repress nonlinear effects and/or increase bending loss. It would be desirable to provide an inverse dispersion fiber (IDF) that has a large effective area Aeff and that is capable of maintaining the aforementioned desirable transmission characteristics, such as, for example, low attenuation loss, reduced nonlinear interactions between channels, etc, even with an Ra less than or equal to, for example, 0.45. It would also be desirable to provide a large-effective-area IDF that has a low cable cutoff wavelength (e.g., below 1500 nm) and bending loss sensitivities that will result in a reduction in cabling optical loss. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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A resistor-capacitor (RC) circuit, such as RC filter or RC network, is an electric circuit composed of resistors and capacitors driven by a voltage or current signal source. A first order RC circuit can be composed of one resistor and one capacitor in series, where the product of resistance and capacitance is normally referred to as the time constant. RC circuits can be used to filter a signal by blocking certain frequencies and passing others. The three most common RC filters are the high-pass filters, low-pass filters, and band-pass filters.
An RC time constant is a value, measured in units of time, indicating the amount of time required to charge a capacitor from zero to approximately 63.2% of its full charge through a resistor. For various circuits, e.g. an integrated circuit, an RC time constant can be a very important parameter affecting the operation of various circuits therein. For example, an RC time constant can affect switching times of some circuits, determining the amount of time required to switch from a first state to a second state in digital circuitry. It is also affecting the frequency properties of RC filters.
Correct time constants of RC-circuits are particularly important in communication apparatuses. To reach a required frequency selectivity a wireless user equipment (UE) should have an approximately flat frequency response for the wanted signal, i.e. in-band, and a deep attenuation of unwanted signals, i.e. out-of-band. In a zero-IF (Intermediate Frequency) receiver the frequency selectivity is achieved by a variable bandwidth LPF (VBWLPF) as the desired signal is located around DC (Direct Current, i.e. zero frequency).
For 2G/3G/4G capable UEs, the LPF cut-off frequency needs to be configurable over a wide range of frequencies. For instance, the channel bandwidth can range from a few 100 kHz, e.g. GSM, to 36 MHz, e.g. 2×LTE20, with more than 10 different operation modes.
The accuracy of the LPF cut-off frequency is also important. If it is too wide, the unwanted interference may compress the filter, and if it is too narrow the in-band signal may be filtered out. In both cases, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for the desired signal is degraded. The pole locations of an integrated active-RC LPF is determined by the RC time constant of on chip resistors and capacitors. Due to e.g. manufacturing inaccuracies and temperature variations, the cut-off frequency might deviate by as much as 40% from its nominal (“designed for”) value in practice. To achieve an accurate cut-off frequency it is common practice to use an RC calibration circuit. It generates a digital control signal, used to adjust digitally tunable resistors and/or capacitors of the LPF to achieve the desired pole locations.
One method for finding the RC time constant in a circuit, e.g. on chip in an integrated circuit, is to adjust the RC time constant of an RC-oscillator until its oscillation frequency equals that of an accurate frequency reference. An example of such a technique is disclosed in US 2013/0082720A1, which describes RC calibration circuit suitable for oscillators. Using chopping, the offset effect of the comparator and current source mismatches can be compensated for. However the switching time for the discharge period is ignored, leading to a measurement error. Also the calibration method may need many cycles to get a result. Note that the oscillator based calibration needs a long time to get results, and the results are also temperature sensitive as they depend on the time it takes for switching devices to completely charge/discharge capacitors, and the speeds of switching devices are temperature dependent.
Another approach is to instead use the kind of calibration circuit shown in FIG. 1. It also locks the RC time constant to an accurate frequency reference, but does not require an oscillator. Instead, it has a comparator and a pair of current sources, one connected to a digitally tunable resistance R and the other one to an equivalent dynamic resistance Req created by switched capacitors, C. The (accurate) switching frequency is here denoted fsw providing the equivalent dynamic resistance Req as fsw·C. If R is adjusted such that voltages across the digitally tunable resistance and the equivalent dynamic resistance are equal, the time constant is given by RC=1/fsw. The correct setting of R is found by first setting it to its smallest value, by setting a digital control value to a smallest value, and then increasing the digital control value, and thereby R, step by step until the comparator output, DATA_READ, toggles. If low-pass filter (LPF) resistors are of the same type as the resistors of the calibration circuit, the digital control value for R can be used directly in the LPF without the need for any further processing. A filter built with three capacitors, here 2 pF, and two resistors, here 20 kΩ, is preferably connected at the comparator input to improve the accuracy of the circuit by reducing the switching noise from the switched capacitors, and reducing kickback effects from the comparator. For the comparator input voltage to settle, the updating of R must be made at a lot slower pace than the switching frequency. The switching noise of the switched capacitors is further filtered by a relatively large capacitor, Cbig. To make the current sources well matched, and reduce the offset of the comparator, relatively large transistors are required. To keep the thermal noise low, R must be small, or the time constant for the filter at the comparator input must be large. Also note that the small switch resistance means large switching devices, which contradicts the requirement for small parasitic capacitance meaning small switching devices. Due to high time constants and large switching devices the calibration time is rather long, about 10 μs.
US 2009/0140701A1, which relates to Auto-averaging RC time constant calibration, shows an RC time constant calibration circuit using two comparators and two switched capacitors to do the RC time constant measurement. The reason for using two capacitors/comparators is to remove the effect of the discharging period as the capacitors are charged in an interleaved way. No offset effect of the comparator is taken into account.
Thus, some of the present oscillator-based RC calibration solutions are sensitive to temperature and requires a long switching time. Other solutions for RC calibration may show other drawbacks, such as: Accuracy. As the mismatch in the current sources and comparators lead to a certain error that is not negligible, the accuracy is limited. The digitally tuned resistor should preferably have a relatively high resistance to achieve a relatively low current consumption. However, this leads to relatively high voltage noise. Speed. The digital control is created by a test procedure that needs to change settings for a variable capacitor or resistor until voltages across the digitally tunable resistance and the equivalent dynamic resistance are equal. It means that every setting must be tested in the worst case. Due to the analog filters for the comparator input, the settling time is long making the circuit slow. Cost. Analog circuit elements like the relatively large capacitor, Cbig, the filter at the comparator input, well matched current sources, and a low offset comparator occupies significant chip area since the matching is better for components with large area.
It is therefore a desire to provide an alternative way of RC calibration measurements. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present inventive concept relate to an image forming apparatus having a developing device to reduce image defects.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus is designed to print an image on a recording medium based on input image signals. Examples of image forming apparatuses include printers, copiers, fax machines, and devices combining functions thereof.
Such an image forming apparatus includes a developing device to feed developer to a photoconductor drum on which an electrostatic latent image has been formed, so as to develop the electrostatic latent image into a visible image.
The developing device is divided into a developer feed unit in which developer is stored and a developing unit in which the electrostatic latent image is developed into a visible image using the developer fed from the developer feed unit.
In the above-described developing device, the developer feed unit and the developing unit may be integrated with each other, or may be separated from each other so as to be detachably attached to each other.
The developing device typically takes the form of a cartridge. Major developing elements including a photoconductor drum, charging roller, cleaning roller, developing roller and feed roller are accommodated in a main body of the developing device in the form of a single process cartridge.
Typically, prior to being mounted within the image forming apparatus, the cartridge-shaped developing device remains in a state in which nips are defined between the photoconductor drum and the charging roller and between the charging roller and the cleaning roller.
That is to say, since the charging roller is under pressure by a pressure member and thus, comes into pressure contact with the photoconductor drum, a surface of the charging roller has a nip indented by a predetermined depth. | {
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This invention relates to a quick-install mounting nut assembly for a single control kitchen faucet in which the connection of the faucet shank to the deck may be completed from below the deck without the use of any tools. Because the space below the deck is usually very crowded and hard to get at, making the connection is often troublesome and time consuming. Accordingly, when tools must be used to connect the faucet shank, the result is sometimes a poor or faulty connection. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thin film transistor for use in a liquid crystal display device, and more particularly, to a method of fabricating a top gate type thin film transistor (TFT) having low temperature polysilicon.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In general, silicon is classified into amorphous silicon and crystalline silicon depending on the silicon's crystalline state. It is possible for the amorphous silicon to be formed as a thin film on a glass substrate. Because the glass substrate has a low melting point, the amorphous silicon is deposited at a low temperature on the glass substrate. The amorphous silicon is generally used for a switching device, such as a thin film transistor in pixel of a liquid crystal display panel. However, a thin film of amorphous silicon has some disadvantages, such as decreased reliability, decreased electrical characteristics when used in a switching device, and is difficult to redundantly form in each pixel of a very large area liquid crystal display panel.
A liquid crystal display panel can be utilized for a laptop computer, a wall-mounted TV or other commercial applications. However, since these commercial products need a large-sized display, high resolution, and high color image rendering capability, the thin film transistor used as a switching device in each pixel has to have superior electrical characteristics, such as high field effect mobility, reliability against high frequency, and low leakage current. The demand for such superior electrical characteristics has forced thin film transistor producers to research and develop polycrystalline silicon (i.e., polysilicon) for use in the thin film transistor.
Recently, a low temperature polysilicon thin film transistor (LTPS-TFT) has been widely attracting attention for system-on-panel-integration in CMOS process. Such an LTPS-TFT can be used in an active matrix type liquid crystal display device. However, at this time, it is necessary to enhance the quality of a gate insulation layer for the purpose of improving the operating characteristics of the low temperature polysilicon thin film transistor (LTPS-TFT).
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a low temperature polysilicon thin film transistor (LTPS-TFT) according to the related art. As shown in FIG. 1, the LTPS-TFT has a polysilicon active layer 16 over a substrate 10 and a gate electrode 20 over the polysilicon active layer 16 to make a top gate type thin film transistor. Because the polysilicon active layer 16 is formed by applying heat to amorphous silicon, the gate electrode 20 is formed in a later step after the step of forming the polysilicon layer 16 to protect the gate electrode 20 from the applied heat. More specifically, since the metal of the gate electrode 20 may be affected by the applied heat, the polysilicon layer 16 is formed and then the gate electrode 20 is formed over the polysilicon active layer 16 thereafter. Between the active layer 16 and the gate electrode 20, a silicon oxide 18 (often referred to as a gate insulation layer) is formed. The polysilicon active layer 16 is divided into an active portion 16a in the middle and highly-doped source/drain portions 16b on left and right sides. The gate electrode 20 is formed to correspond in position to the active portion 16a. Source and drain electrodes 28 and 30 are formed over the substrate 10 to contact the highly-doped source/drain portions 16b, respectively.
The polysilicon may be used for a bottom gate type thin film transistor. The bottom gate type thin film transistor usually has a gate electrode on a substrate, a gate insulation layer on the gate electrode, and an amorphous silicon layer on the gate insulation layer especially over the gate electrode. The amorphous silicon layer is then crystallized through the laser crystallization to be the polysilicon layer. At this time, however, there are some disadvantages, i.e., the step of the gate electrode causes the nonuniformity of the polysilicon. Therefore, the bottom gate type thin film transistor having such polysilicon represents bad electrical characteristics so that the polysilicon layer is hardly used for the bottom gate type thin film transistor.
FIGS. 2A to 2E are cross-sectional views illustrating process steps of forming a low temperature polysilicon thin film transistor (LTPS-TFT) having a top gate according to the related art. As shown in FIG. 2A, a buffer layer 12 is first deposited on the substrate 10. The buffer layer 12 is formed of one of silicon nitride and silicon oxide. The buffer layer 12 prevents alkali substances and the like in the substrate 10 from spreading into a silicon layer that is subsequently formed. Thereafter, an amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) layer 14 is sequentially deposited on the buffer layer 12, and then crystallized. There are a lot of methods of crystallizing amorphous silicon including, for example, laser crystallization. Besides laser crystallization, other low temperature crystallization methods can be applied to the amorphous silicon 14 for silicon crystallization.
Referring to FIG. 2B, the crystallized silicon layer (i.e., a polysilicon layer) is patterned to from an island-shaped active layer 16. The polysilicon active layer 16 is divided into a first portion 16a and second portions 16b. The first portion 16a is located in the middle of the polysilicon active layer 16, and the second portions 16b are located on both right and left sides of the first portion 16a. The first portion 16a is often referred to as an active portion, and the second portions 16b are often referred to as ohmic contact portions. A gate insulation layer 18 is formed on the buffer layer 12 to cover the polysilicon active layer 16. The gate insulation layer 18 is made of silicon oxide (SiO2) using a Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) method.
Referring to FIG. 2C, a gate electrode 20 is formed on the gate insulation layer 18 to define the active portion 16a. Thereafter, the gate insulation layer 18 is patterned into a gate-electrode shape, but this patterning process can be omitted so that the gate insulation layer 18 can remain on the buffer layer 12 while covering the polysilicon active layer 16. After forming the gate electrode 20 right above the active portion 16a, dopant ions, such as p-type ions, are doped into the second portions 16b. Since the gate electrode 20 is disposed above the first portion 16a and acts as an ion stopper, the dopant ions, such as p-type ions, are not doped into the first portion 16a. The doped areas, the second portions 16b, become highly-doped source/drain contact areas where source and drain electrodes are contacted in a later step.
Referring to FIG. 2D, an interlayer insulator 22 is formed over the entire substrate 10 to cover the gate electrode 20, the gate insulation layer 18 and the active layer 16. A first contact hole 24 and a second contact hole 26 are formed through the interlayer insulator 22, thereby exposing the second portions 16b (i.e., the highly-doped source/drain portions) of the polysilicon active layer 16, respectively. The exposed second portions 16b are source and drain regions on which source and drain electrodes are formed, respectively.
Referring to FIG. 2E, a source electrode 28 and a drain electrode 30 are formed on the interlayer insulator 22. The source and drain electrodes 28 and 30 electrically contact the exposed second portions 16b of the polysilicon active layer 16, respectively, through the respective first and second contact holes 24 and 26. This completes a top gate type thin film transistor having a low temperature polysilicon layer.
However, the method of forming the low temperature polysilicon thin film transistor includes some disadvantages. The gate insulation layer of silicon oxide is formed on the polysilicon active layer, and then the gate electrode is formed on the silicon oxide gate insulation layer. At this time, interface states are inevitably formed between the gate insulation layer and the polysilicon active layer. Furthermore, the operating characteristics of the LTPS-TFT may degrade due to the fact that the silicon oxide gate insulation layer has low resistance against F-N stress (Fowler-Nordheim stress).
FIG. 3 is a graph showing current characteristics of silicon oxide layer in accordance with gate voltage and gate current density applied to a metal of the Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (MOS) structure. As shown in FIG. 3, as the gate voltage is applied to the metal of the MOS structure, the gate current density applied to the silicon oxide layer is divided into three different dominant regions; a leakage current dominant region (gate insulation layer quality dependent region), a F-N tunneling dominant region that is a peculiar current mechanism of silicon oxide, and a hard breakdown region where the silicon oxide layer loses its dielectric characteristic. The current passing through the silicon oxide layer is represented by summing up the leakage current value and the tunneling current value.
To test the reliability of the silicon oxide layer, the voltage and current level in the F-N tunneling dominant region is continuously applied to the silicon oxide layer such that an F-N stress is continuously applied to the silicon oxide layer. Thereafter, the point of time of breakdown is measured in the silicon oxide layer. For example, the constant current in the F-N tunneling dominant region is applied to the silicon oxide layer for a long time. The time of breakdown of the silicon oxide layer can be represented by current density×time to dielectric breakdown=charge to breakdown. As the value of charge to breakdown increases, so does the reliability of the silicon oxide layer. The LTPS-TFT fabricated through the related art of FIGS. 2A–2E has a silicon oxide layer 18 shows a very low resistance to F-N stress. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a weight adjustment device suitable for use in a seat suspension for a vehicle such as an automobile.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, many of seats for an automobile or the like are provided with a so-called seat suspension device which is adapted to support the seat resiliently so as to absorb the vibrations thereof, and, recently, a new type of seat suspension is proposed which is provided with a weight adjustment device for obtaining a predetermined seat support height at all times even when occupants of different weights are seated.
In FIG. 5, there is illustrated an example of the conventional seat suspension weight adjustment devices of this type. In FIG. 5, reference numeral (1) designates an upper frame and (2) represents a lower frame. The upper frame (1) and lower frame (2) are connected through two pairs of X-shaped links (3)(3) to each other in such a manner that they can be oscillated vertically.
Each of the X-shaped links (3), as is well known, comprises two link bodies (4) and (5) both of which are pivotally supported substantially at their central portions by a shaft (6) such that they are free to rotate. The rear-side (or front-side) upper end (5a) of each of the X-shaped links (3) is mounted to the upper frame (1) by another shaft (7) in a freely rotatable manner, while the lower end (4b) thereof is mounted to the lower frame (2) by another shaft (8) in a freely rotatable manner. Also, the front-side (or rear-side) lower end (5b) of each X-shaped link (3) is attached to the lower frame (2) by a roller (9) or the like such that it is free to slide, that is, it can be moved back and forth. The front-side upper ends (4a) of the respective X-shaped links (3) are connected with each other by means of a frame (10) extended therebetween, which serves to support the front portion of the upper frame (1) from below.
The rear-side upper ends (5a) of the two X-shaped links (3) are also connected with each other by means of another frame (11) to which the respective first ends of a pair of springs are secured.
A bell crank (14) is rotatably mounted via a pivot shaft (13) to the upper frame (1), with one end thereof bening engaged with an adjust shaft (15) extending laterally and the other end thereof being connected through a shaft (17) to one end of a tension frame (16) in a rotatable manner. This tension frame (16) is connected to an equalizer frame (18) in such a manner that it is rotatable about a shaft (19), and the second ends of a pair of springs (12) mentioned above are respectively secured to the two ends of the equalizer frame (18).
The above-mentioned adjust shaft (15), in this embodiment, is formed as a rotary shaft which is formed in a portion thereof with a screw slot (20). A nut (21) is threadedly engaged with this slot (20) and the above-mentioned one end of the bell crank (14) is engaged with this nut (21).
Also, substantially centrally of such conventional weight adjustment device, there is provided a shock absorber (22) with one end thereof being rotatably mounted to the rear-side side of the lower frame (2) and the other end thereof rotatably mounted to the frame (10).
In operation, if the adjust shaft (15) is rotatively operated to move the nut (21) back and forth, then the tensile force of the tension spring (12) can be varied through the bell crank (14) and tension frame (16), so that, even when the occupants of different weights are seated, the upper frame (1) can be adjusted such that it is always supported in a predetermined height level.
In the above-mentioned prior art arrangement, however, partly because a sufficient space is not available between a pair of springs (12) and partly because a screw mechanism including a screw and a nut block is employed as the adjustment mechanism thereof, when adjusting, for example, between 50 kg and 100 kg, the adjust shaft (15) must be rotated (manually) a considerable number of times, resulting in a very poor operationability. Also, the operation forces required for such adjustment become greater as the adjustment approaches toward 100 kg, and, actually, while the door of the car is closed, the adjustment operation is impossible.
Further, since the above adjustment mechanism is disposed on the upper frame (1) side, when a cushion body of the seat proper is directly mounted onto the upper surface of the upper frame (1), the cushion body interferes with the adjustment mechanism to produce a strange feeling at the sitting time. To avoid this, after another cushion frame is mounted onto the upper surface of the upper frame (1), the cushion body is then placed on the cushion frame. As a result of this, the prior art weight adjustment device is increased in weight and thickness and thus it is difficult to apply such prior art device to an ordinary automobile or the like which has a limited space. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatuses and methods for optimizing the operation of ion thruster arrays. Particularly, the present invention relates to apparatuses and methods for balancing the emission current of neutralizers in ion thruster arrays.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ion propulsion generally involves employing an ionized gas accelerated electrically across charged grids to develop thrust. The electrically accelerated particles can achieve very high speeds. The gas used is typically a noble gas, such as xenon. The principle advantage afforded by ion propulsion systems over conventional chemical propulsion systems is their very high efficiency. For example, with the same amount of fuel mass an ion propulsion system can achieve a final velocity as much as ten times higher than that obtainable with a chemical propulsion system. Although the principle of ion propulsion was established many decades ago, it has only relatively recently been implemented in practical applications.
The delay in development of practical applications may be due, in part to the fact that, although they are efficient, ion propulsion systems develop very low thrust when compared with chemical propulsion systems. This reality has narrowed the range of ion propulsion applications. However, ion propulsion is well suited for space applications where low thrust is often acceptable and fuel efficiency is critical. More and more ion propulsion is becoming a component of new spacecraft designs. Many spacecraft, including satellites as well as exploration vehicles, are presently making use of ion propulsion systems.
For example, ion thrusters are currently used for spacecraft control on some communications satellites. In a typical satellite ion thruster, thrust is created by accelerating positive ions through a series of gridded electrodes at one end of a thrust chamber. The electrodes, known as an ion extraction assembly, create thousands of tiny beams of thrust. The beams are prevented from being electrically attracted back to the thruster by an external electron-emitting neutralizer. The power processing unit (PPU) is the device which serves to provide electrical control and power to drive the ion thruster, including control of the emission current in the neutralizer cathode.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a power processor system 100 operating with two individual power processor units 102A, 102B (collectively referred to as 102), one for each ion thruster 104A, 104B (collectively referred to as 104) of a thruster pair. The ion thrusters 104 each include a thruster body 106A, 106B (collectively referred to as 106) and a neutralizer body 108A, 108B (collectively referred to as 108) which are each electrically driven by their respective PPU 102A, 102B.
The principle elements of a PPU 102A, 102B include the discharge power supply 110A, 110B (collectively referred to as 110) coupled to the anode of the thruster body 106A, 106B to provide ionizing power to the fuel (e.g., Xenon) and the screen power supply 112A, 112B (collectively referred to as 112) coupled to the discharge cathode of the thruster body 106A, 106B to drive the main beam. In addition, the PPU 102A, 102B includes a discharge heater supply 114A, 114B (collectively referred to as 114) coupled to the discharge cathode heater to heat it to a high temperature at startup and initiate electron emission for gas ionization and a keeper supply 116A, 116B (collectively referred to as 116) coupled to the discharge keeper to maintain electron emission for ionization after startup. The accelerator supply 118A, 118B (collectively referred to as 118) accelerates ions out of the thruster body 106A, 106B.
The PPU 102A, 102B also includes similar power supplies to drive the neutralizer 108A, 108B which serves to both charge neutralize and current neutralize the ion beam. The neutralizer heater supply 120A, 120B (collectively referred to as 120), coupled to the neutralizer cathode heater, heats it to initiate electron emission from the neutralizer. The neutralizer keeper supply 122A, 122B (collectively referred to as 122) maintains electron emission after startup. The Zener diodes 124A, 124B (collectively referred to as 124) allow the respective neutralizer cathodes to float at whatever potential is necessary to supply the correct electron emission to neutralize the positive ion beam of thrusters 104.
One critical element of an ion thruster is the neutralizer cathode. The neutralizer cathode, commonly a hollow cathode, is generally life limited by its operating temperature; the higher the operating temperature, the shorter the operating life of the cathode (and accordingly, the shorter the operating life of the thruster). Because the operating temperatures of such cathodes are directly proportional to their emission current, control of the emission current in the neutralizer cathode is important to maximizing the thruster's operating life. Consequently, in order to maximize operating life, a single PPU is provided to drive each ion thruster due to sensitivities such as the cathode emission current. Thus, a typical satellite using four ion thrusters (two pairs) requires four separate PPUs so that all four thrusters are capable of being turned on simultaneously. Consequently, this adds considerably to the mass required to drive the ion thruster array.
There is a need in the art for power processor systems for ion thruster arrays which are robust with optimized life. Further, there is a need for such systems to have reduced mass. As detailed hereafter, the present invention meets these and other needs. | {
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OFDM
Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is a multi-carrier communication technique, which employs multiple orthogonal sub-carriers to transmit parallel data streams. Due to the relatively low symbol-rate on each of the sub-carriers, OFDM is robust to severe channel conditions, such as frequency attenuation, narrowband interference, and frequency-selective fading. By prepending a cyclic prefix (CP) in front of each symbol, OFDM can eliminate inter-symbol interference (ISI) when the delay spread of the channel is shorter than the duration of CP. OFDM can also simplify frequency-domain channel equalization because the inner-carrier sub-carriers are orthogonal to each other to eliminate inter-carrier interference (ICI).
OFDMA
When OFDM is combined with a multiple access mechanism, the result is orthogonal frequency division multiplexed access (OFDMA). OFDMA allocates different sub-carriers or groups of sub-carriers to different transceivers (user equipment (UE)). OFDMA exploits both frequency and multi-user diversity gains. OFDMA is included in various wireless communication standards, such as IEEE 802.16 also known as Wireless MAN. Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) based on 802.16 and the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) long-term evolution (LTE), which has evolved from Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), also use OFDMA.
SC-FDMA Structure in LTE Uplink
The basic uplink (UL) transmission scheme in 3GPP LTE uses a single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) with cyclic prefix (CP) to achieve uplink inter-user orthogonality and to enable efficient frequency-domain equalization at the receiver side. This allows for a relatively high degree of commonality with the downlink OFDM scheme such that the same parameters, e.g., clock frequency, can be used.
Antenna Selection
The performance of the system can be enhanced by multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology. MIMO increases system capacity without increasing system bandwidth. MIMO can be used to improve the transmission reliability and to increase the throughput by appropriately utilizing the multiple spatially diverse channels.
While MIMO systems perform well, they may increase the hardware cost, signal processing complexity, power consumption, and component size at the transceivers, which limits the universal application of MIMO technique. In particular, the RF chains of MIMO systems are usually expensive. In addition, the signal processing complexity of some MIMO methods also increases exponentially with the number of antennas.
While the RF chains are complex and expensive, antennas are relatively simple and cheap. Antenna selection (AS) reduces some of the complexity drawbacks associated with MIMO systems. In an antenna selection system, a subset of an set of the available antennas is adaptively selected by a switch, and only signals for the selected subset of antennas are processed by the available RF chains.
Signaling and Protocol Design for Antenna Selection
In order to indicate one antenna out of two possible antennas (A and B), one scheme uses 1 of bit information, either explicitly or implicitly, into an “uplink scheduling grant” message, which indicates the antenna selection decision, 0 means antenna A, and 1 indicates antenna B.
In the prior art, antenna selection is typically performed using pilot signals. Furthermore, antenna selection has been performed only for small-range indoor wireless LANs (802.11n), and where only a single user is on a wideband channel at any one time, which greatly simplifies antenna selection.
In the prior art, sounding reference signals (SRS) and data demodulation (DM) reference signals are only used for frequency dependent scheduling.
A protocol and exact message structure for performing antenna selection for large-range, outdoor OFDMA 3GPP networks is not known at this time. It is desired to provide this protocol and message structure for performing antennas selection for an uplink of an OFDMA 3GPP wireless network. | {
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Reading English is difficult for children and for all the English as second language students because of the complication of the language due to the many languages from which it has borrowed. Unlike other European languages, the English language is not always written as it sounds. Like the International Phonetic Alphabet or pronunciation symbols utilized in dictionaries, the invention is designed in a similar method to assist students to identify the proper sounding but without altering the spelling of the word.
Throughout years of research, the inventor found a number of obscurities and confusion with the current teaching and learning English reading curriculum and concluded that there is an inevitable necessity of visual presentation of the English sounding without distorting the spelling or learning the complicated symbols. In the present invention, the Alphabet Image Reading to aid the proper English sounding and spelling with the following attributes:
1) It employs a simple method to lead children to identify the proper sounding of the word. PA0 2) It does not distort the spelling nor create confusion from memorization of different symbols and rules. PA0 3) It is like the International Phonetic Alphabet and dictionary pronunciation symbols, a complete sounding aid system and flexible to expand when new words and soundings are added. PA0 4) It is compatible to the existing Phonics, whole Language and other English teaching reading curriculums. PA0 5) It can conduct pronunciation tests to any number of students at one time. PA0 6) The method is applicable in teaching sounding of other foreign languages. | {
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This invention relates to spray cooled systems for the roof of a metallurgical vessel, e.g. an electric arc furnace, and more particularly to a roof assembly which includes a removable spray cooled component having an integral spray cooled extension for the removal of heated gases and flume from the electric furnace. | {
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1. Field of the lnvention
This invention relates to a lifting mechanism, and more particularly, to a mechanism for lifting vehicle tires.
2. Problems in the Art
Large and heavy vehicle tires present handling problems. Changing and/or maintenance of these tires is difficult and usually requires specialized equipment.
An example of such tires are the large drive wheels for farm tractors. The particular problem exists in the handling of dual wheels, in that the outside dual wheels of the tractors are added and removed depending on the selected use of the tractor.
Most of the devices known in the art which attempt to help with handling large and heavy tires either utilize a framework to cradle the tire or have some type of means to grasp the outer perimeter of the tire. Once cradled or grasped, the tire thus being supported, can either be moved, raised or lowered.
Problems and deficiencies do exist with these devices. For the cradling devices, the vehicle itself must be jacked up a sufficient height to, at a minimum, equal the level of the tire as it sits in its lowest position in the cradle. For large and heavy vehicles, such as farm tractors, to which the tires belong, it is advantageous to have to raise the vehicle as little as possible. The cradle mechanisms also require supplemental supporting structure to keep the tire upright and secure. This additionally means that the raising and lowering mechanism is fairly complicated and requires structure additional to the holding or cradling structure.
The perimeter grasping devices many times require intricate complicated grasping structure to insure secure holding of heavy, large tires. The special nature and very large diameter of farm tractor drive wheels makes perimeter grasping devices particularly unsatisfactory. The raised tread and the extreme size and weight of a tractor drive wheel would not favor such devices. Maintenance and repair of tires usually requires some rotation of the tire, whether it be for checking the tire or finding and repairing certain locations on the tire. Similarly, adding or removing a tire usually requires either some rotation of the tire or the hub to match the studs with the rim holes. The cradling or perimeter grasping devices do not adequately allow such rotation and it is particularly advantageous for such to be able to occur.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a mechanism for lifting vehicle tires which allows rotation of the tire while being lifted and supported by the mechanism.
A further object of this invention is to provide a mechanism for lifting vehicle tires which lifts and supports the tire by contacting the interior rim of the tire.
A further object of this invention is to provide a mechanism for lifting vehicle tires wherein the only points of contact with the tire are on the tire's interior rim.
Another object of this invention is to provide a mechanism for lifting vehicle tires which requires minimal raising of the vehicle itself to remove or add the tire from or to the vehicle.
Another object of this invention is to provide a mechanism for lifting vehicle tires which is adaptable to many different sizes of vehicle tires.
A further object of this invention is to provide a mechanism for lifting vehicle tires which is uncomplicated in structure, economical, and efficient.
Another object of this invention is to provide a mechanism for lifting vehicle tires which allows selective lifting, lowering, supporting, rotating, and transport of vehicle tires.
A further object of this invention is to provide a mechanism for lifting vehicle tires which is easily movable and maneuverable along the ground.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent with reference to the accompanying specification including the drawings. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement in a magneto-optical recording medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, a magneto-optical recording medium comprises a non-magnetic substrate, and the substrate holds thereon a layer of an amorphous rare-earth-transition-metal alloy. The layer has the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy perpendicular to a layer face thereof. The layer comprises two to three components, each belonging to transition metals or rare-earth metals.
In the above-mentioned magneto-optical recording medium, a recording operation and a reading operation are performed as follows. In an example case, an amorphous alloy layer is partially heated by a laser beam carefully focused thereon to raise the temperature of the amorphous layer over a compensation temperature of the amorphous layers or over the Curie temperature thereof, and at the same time, an external magnetic field is applied to the layer face perpendicularly thereto. Then, in a heated area, the desired magnetization perpendicular to the layer face is realized. In case a coercive force after cooling down the heated area is enough to stabilize an area which should be magnetically modified for recording operation, a diameter of a stable area can be formed as small as about 1 micron. Information values corresponding to logic numbers "1" or "0" are recorded by allocating them along a direction of magnetization in the layer area.
A reading operation is performed by applying a plane-polarized light beam to the layer area, so as to detect a magnetized direction of the layer area utilizing the Faraday effect or the Kerr effect.
But, the above-mentioned conventional magneto-optical recording medium has a shortcoming the Faraday effect or the Kerr effect is not enough to perform the reading operation, and structure of the amorphous substance is so much changed so as to make restoration to its former state difficult at a relatively low temperature, namely deteriorating the characteristics of the magneto-optical recording medium in the crystallization process. Attempts have been made to add boron to improve the crystallization process (i.e. for increasing the crystallization temperature), but an improvement upon the Faraday effect or the Kerr effect has not been realized. On the other hand, bismuth or tin has been added in an attemtp as to improve the Faraday effect or the Kerr effect, but an improvement upon the rise in the crystallization temperature has not been realized. Both the bismuth and the tin are low-melting point metals having the melting points lower than 300.degree. C. When adding such metals, it is expected that the crystallization temperature rather drops. And further, in the case of making the alloy layer by a sputtering method, it is necessary to suppress the target temperature below the melting point of bismuth or tin, and therefore it is difficult to make the alloy layer with a single target electrode. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present disclosure relates to a flash memory system, and more particularly, to an encryption method for a flash memory system including a memory cell array for storing multi-bit data.
A memory cell array of flash memories includes a main area for storing the data and a spare area. The spare area stores an error correction code (ECC) corresponding to the data, and a flash translation layer (FTL). By way of example, when one page of a main area of a flash memory is 512 bytes in size, a spare area is 16 bytes in size.
The FTL translates a logical address generated by a file system during a write operation into a physical address of a corresponding sector wherein an erase operation has been performed.
Error detection and correction techniques effectively restore data errors caused by various factors. For example, data errors may be introduced by various factors during a process of storing data in a memory, and may also be introduced because of distortions of a data transmission channel during transmission of data from a source to a destination.
Various methods for detecting and correcting data errors have been proposed. For example, a Reed-Solomon (RS) code, a Hamming code, a Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) code, and a cyclic redundancy code (CRC) are well known methods for detecting and correcting data errors.
For example, CRC codes may be used to detect data errors and Reed-Solomon codes to correct data errors.
Data is usually stored in the flash memory device together with ECC data. The ECC data is used to correct an error in a read operation of the flash memory device. The number of errors that can be corrected using the ECC data is limited. A bit error in the read operation of the flash memory device can be corrected using the aforementioned error detection and correction techniques, without an additional operation such as a block replacement operation.
In a flash memory having an array of memory cells for storing multi-bit data, a bit error is contained in data due to the intrinsic characteristics of a multi-level cell (MLC). Thus, the flash memory includes a spare area used to store an ECC to correct the bit error. When a bit error occurs, the flash memory system ia able to correct the bit error based on the ECC.
A typical flash memory system encrypts data in the main area to protect the main area from hacking attacks. Also, the flash memory system stores an ECC, corresponding to the encrypted data of the main area, in the spare area. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Recently, in the manufacture of a semiconductor device, a chemical mechanical polishing (hereinafter briefly referred to as “CMP”) method has been widely used to flatten an insulating film, a metallic film, or a polycrystalline silicon film which is formed to fill a trench formed in a substrate. In the CMP method a chemical action resulting from a chemical is combined with a mechanical action resulting from abrasive grains to flatten a treatment target surface, specifically by supplying, onto an abrasive cloth, a polishing agent (slurry) including the abrasive grains and the chemical and bringing a treatment target into contact with the abrasive cloth.
However, the CMP method has a problem in that mechanical damage by the abrasive grains could not be avoided and a polishing damage might be caused to a treatment target surface. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a hair clipper blade.
2. Discussion of the Background
An edge cutting method using a grindstone 30, shown in FIGS. 22(a)–22(c), is conventionally known as one typical example of methods of manufacturing a hair clipper blade 1′ for use in a manual or electric hair clipper. In FIG. 22(a), β denotes an angle of the grindstone 30 and θ2 denotes an edge cutting angle. Also, γ in FIG. 22(b) denotes an edge groove angle, and θ3 in FIG. 22(c) denotes a tip angle of a cutting edge portion 4.
To increase sharpness of the hair clipper blade 1′, the edge cutting angle θ2 must be finished into an acuter angle. This solution, however, reduces the thickness of a remaining wall of a tip 4a and lowers the intensity of the hair clipper blade 1′. Another problem is that because the amount to be cut by the grindstone 30 is also increased, the life of the grindstone is shortened and the blade cost is pushed up.
In view of those problems, as another example of the related art, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 64-49596 discloses a hair clipper blade 1″ in which, as shown in FIG. 23, a tip angle of the cutting edge portion 4 is formed in two steps as denoted by θ and θ′ to increase both edge sharpness and tip strength. The contents of this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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There are currently a great number of types of mattresses on the market that ensure giving people's bodies beneficial rest, and which also must fulfil the function of giving people proper support, being neither too soft nor too hard. The main varieties are the following: Wool mattress: currently they are produced very infrequently, because wool has been replaced by new materials. This type of mattress has as a drawback that with use, the wool becomes lumpy and that every two or three years it has to be re-carded so as to restore its consistency. In addition, mattress makers are very scarce nowadays. Spring mattress: it is made of steel springs that can be bi-conical (the upper and lower turns are bigger than the central ones), or helical (the turns have all got the same diameter), and they are often individually isolated in order to prevent noise. On either side of the springs, the filling-holder is lined with a layer of horsehair, sisal or felt; a cotton, wool or synthetic fibre filling, which in turn are also lined; and finally, the whole assembly is closed into the outer cover. These mattresses are solid and comfortable. “Multi-elastic” mattresses differ from those of traditional springs in that they have a kind of thick net of metallic thread. Synthetic latex mattress: a chemical reconstruction of natural latex. These mattresses have a flat surface, and another one full of cells that facilitate air circulation. They are very hygienic, but sensitive to light when they are exposed to it without their covers. Polyester mattress: the density of polyester used for producing mattresses must not be less than 25 kg/m3. The softness of the foam depends on this density. Since the regulations are not always respected, this type of material has acquired an undeservedly bad reputation. Before buying one of these mattresses, the consumer should insist that the density of the foam rubber should be specified. It should also have a thickness of, at least, 10 cm to be of good quality.
With the objective of solving the described problems, a new type of mattress has been developed, which is described below. | {
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The invention relates to a device for determining overrun conditions of a vehicle, in particular of a commercial or utility vehicle, having a processing device which serves to determine the overrun conditions. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for determining overrun conditions of a vehicle, in particular of a commercial or utility vehicle. Likewise, the invention relates to the use of a navigation system which is suitable for determining at least altitude (height) profile data of a section of road which is being traveled on or is to be traveled on by a vehicle.
Generally, the prior art discloses that in vehicles, in particular in commercial or utility vehicles, an instantaneous or present case of overrun conditions of the vehicle is determined. Given knowledge of the occurrence of the overrun conditions, various vehicle components can be controlled or actuated using, for example, a processing device or calculation device and control device, in order thereby to be operated in a way which is economical in terms of energy. One of these vehicle components can be, for example, an air supply system. For example, in utility vehicles such air supply systems, in particular electronic air supply systems, for supplying compressed air consumer circuits with compressed air are controlled by control devices. Such compressed air consumer circuits are, for example, brake circuits of a utility vehicle brake system, a secondary consumer circuit, a trailer supply circuit, a parking brake system circuit, an air suspension circuit, etc. The compressed air supply or the air supply is therefore a central component in the utility vehicle brake system. In particular for the utility vehicle brake system, the air supply system controls the taking up of braking energy in the form of compressed air. It is therefore an intermediate element or connecting element between a compressor, which is provided for providing or supplying compressed air, and which delivers oil-containing and water-containing air, and the compressed air consumer circuits in the utility vehicle.
Electronically controlled air supply systems are already known in the prior art. Such an air supply system controls the taking up of compressed air, its filtering and drying and the distribution of the compressed air purified in this way among the various compressed air consumer circuits by means of, for example, an electronic processing device or control device which is assigned to the air supply system. This is generally done in conjunction with specific compressors of differing designs and also using vehicle information from other control units or control devices which are provided in the utility vehicle. However, the air supply by means of the air supply system leads to a high consumption of energy or fuel. This is due to the fact that in order to provide the compressed air, the compressor has to be driven by way of an internal combustion engine of the utility vehicle via, for example, a positively locking connection. Measures for reducing the consumption of fuel were already taken in the prior art, with multiple and in some cases also different approaches being followed.
One approach is, for example, to switch over a compressor resistance to an idling operating mode in which only the driving power for the internal combustion engine, which is necessary for the idling mode, is incurred. This switching over is usually carried out in travel states of the utility vehicle in which, for example, the brake system is filled with compressed air and no further feeding of compressed air is necessary. The compressors which are suitable for switching over therefore have a pneumatic control line, referred to as the ESS line. These compressors are actuated by the air supply system via the control line, as a result of which the feeding of the compressed air counter to the compressed air levels present in the compressed air consumer circuits is interrupted. In this idling operating mode, for example, the compressor pumps the air in the circuit and/or exchanges it with the surroundings.
A further approach is to interrupt the positively locking connection between the internal combustion engine and the compressor completely during the idling operating mode if air supply is not necessary. This can be implemented, for example, by means of a compressor clutch or a clutch which is provided between the compressor and the internal combustion engine. In comparison to the approach mentioned above, in this case the idling load during the idling operating mode of the compressor is entirely taken away from the internal combustion engine.
Furthermore, in the prior art an approach is known for performing synchronization of an air supply operation or of a compressed air providing operation with overrun conditions or overrun phases of the internal combustion engine, i.e. to drive the compressor during the overrun conditions of the internal combustion engine. In this case, overrun conditions of the utility vehicle are understood to be the operating phases in which the engine is towed by the kinetic energy of the vehicle without fuel being consumed when the drive train is connected in a positively locking fashion, for example in an engine braking mode.
In particular, the overrun conditions of the utility vehicle are determined in the air supply systems belonging to the prior art by virtue of the fact that various information items which are made available, for example a negative torque when the gearspeed is engaged simultaneously and the clutch is closed or transmitting force, are used by way of a CAN bus which is usually used in the utility vehicle. In this context, if this state lasts for a specific duration of several seconds in such electronic air supply systems, it is inferred that there is a section of road with a negative gradient and therefore the overrun conditions are persisting over a relatively long time, i.e. an expected duration of the overrun conditions is assumed. The overrun conditions are thus used to carry out the provision of compressed air and therefore to bring about an increase in the compressed air level in, for example, the brake system without fuel being consumed (overrun mode).
However, when the compressor switches over from the provision of compressed air to the idling operating mode, a considerable volume of compressed air is lost, for example from lines, etc. In particular, this volume of compressed air is blown off into the surroundings (atmosphere) during the switching over. For this reason, the switching over should take place only if overrun conditions are expected to persist for a relatively long time. However, this is not taken into account in the execution of the air supply operation according to the prior art; all that is determined is the instantaneous occurrence of the overrun conditions. As a result, during the overrun conditions or overrun phases of the internal combustion engine, which are only very short under certain circumstances, switching over to the consumption-free feeding of air or provision of air occurs. In this context it is possible, in particular during the subsequent switching over to, for example, the idling operating mode of the compressor, to eject a quantity of compressed air which is equal to or even larger than the previously fed quantity of compressed air. As a result, instead of an originally intended saving in energy, energy is lost. The cause of this is that with the current way of determining the overrun conditions there is a lack of certainty about the continuation of the overrun conditions. In addition, frequent changing between the two operating modes of the feeding of compressed air and the idling mode has a disadvantageous effect on the achievable service life of corresponding switching components.
For the abovementioned reasons, it is therefore possible, under certain circumstances, for fuel consumption to increase. However, on the part of vehicle manufacturers there is increasingly a requirement by customers for the functionality to be improved in all components which consume energy and therefore fuel.
The object of the invention is therefore to develop devices and methods for determining overrun conditions of vehicles in such a way that more certainty about the continuation of overrun conditions is obtained.
The device according to the invention for determining overrun conditions of a vehicle is based on the prior art of the generic type by virtue of the fact that the processing device is suitable for determining an expected occurrence of at least one case of overrun conditions at least as a function of altitude (height) profile data of a section of road which is being traveled on and/or is to be traveled on by the vehicle. The altitude profile data of the section of road which is being traveled on and/or is to be traveled on by the vehicle are obtained here, for example, from a satellite-supported navigation system (for example one which uses GPS) provided in the utility vehicle. In this case, the navigation system not only supplies position information data and travel information data of the commercial or utility vehicle, which are provided, for example, for identifying a destination, but also altitude information data from which the altitude profile data of the section of road which is being traveled on and/or is to be traveled on by the vehicle can be determined. This can be brought about, in particular, by virtue of the fact that topographic map material is made available to the navigation system. By including the altitude profile data in the determination of the overrun conditions, in particular in the execution of synchronization of the air supply operation with the overrun conditions, it is possible to ensure that the vehicle is actually located in a section of road with a negative gradient. This ensures, for example, that the synchronization of the air supply operation with the overrun conditions is carried out in a way which is better tailored to demand.
In particular, the overrun conditions are utilized better for air supply. Likewise, the determination of the expected occurrence of overrun conditions can also be used for other vehicle components. For example, the operation or driving of a generator to generate current can also be made dependent on this determination in order, for example, to charge an electrical energy source. The overall fuel consumption can therefore be reduced. The device according to the invention is particularly suitable here for electronically controlled air supply systems which can carry out electronic air supply, for example EAC (electronic air control). The altitude profile data preferably include, inter alia, vertical position coordinates of a plurality of section-of-road points or section-of-road areas along the section of road which is being traveled on or is to be traveled on.
The device according to the invention can advantageously be developed such that the processing device is also suitable for determining the expected occurrence of the at least one case of overrun conditions as a function of current position data of the vehicle and/or current vehicle parameters. In particular, the use of current vehicle parameters and of the section-of-road profile data of the section of road which is being traveled on or is still to be traveled on by the vehicle increases the certainty of the determination of the overrun conditions and therefore, for example, the efficiency of the synchronization of the air supply operation with the overrun conditions. The position data which are processed by the processing device include, inter alia, the instantaneous position (x coordinate and y coordinate) of the traveling vehicle along the route.
Furthermore, the device according to the invention can be embodied in such a way that the processing device is suitable for determining the expected occurrence of the at least one case of overrun conditions for a part of a section of road which lies ahead of the vehicle and has a predefined length. The processing device therefore calculates a prediction, which includes the expected occurrence of future overrun condition phases along the respective parts of the route lying ahead of the vehicle.
Furthermore, the device according to the invention can be implemented such that the processing device is suitable for determining whether one or more cases of overrun conditions can be expected to occur in the predefined part of a section of road. This increases the certainty about the chronological continuation of overrun conditions or of an overrun phase since calculation in advance takes place.
In addition, the device according to the invention can be configured such that the processing device is suitable for inferring, on the basis of the altitude profile data, at least one negative-gradient part, at which the at least one overrun condition can be expected to occur, of the section of road which is being traveled on and/or is to be traveled on. In contrast to the prior art, in which a negative gradient on a section of road is inferred only by reference to current vehicle parameters, the device according to the invention ensures, on the basis of the altitude profile of the section of road which is being traveled on and/or is to be traveled on by the vehicle, that a negative gradient on a section of road is actually present. The processing device then preferably compares a length of a negative gradient on a section of road lying ahead with a predefined minimum length, wherein a selective utilization of overrun condition phases is considered only on such sections of road with a negative gradient whose length exceeds the predefined minimum length.
Furthermore, the device according to the invention can be developed such that the processing device is suitable for determining, on the basis of the altitude profile data, the current vehicle parameters, and/or the current position data, a duration of the overrun conditions which are expected to occur. The determination or the calculated prediction preferably includes information about an expected time of the start and a time of the expected ending of the overrun conditions.
Furthermore, the determination can also include the chronological duration of one or more overrun condition phases which are expected to occur or are imminent. Likewise, the processing device can determine a time interval to the earliest overrun condition phase which is expected to occur and whose duration is expected to exceed the predefined minimum duration. In particular, the definition of limiting values such as, for example, the predefined minimum duration, can be determined as a function of one or more instantaneous vehicle parameters. Likewise, constant limiting values which the processing device uses can also already be predetermined. These limiting values may be retrieved, for example, from a non-volatile or volatile memory, for example a ROM or RAM memory. The calculation of an expected duration of the overrun conditions is intended to ensure that no unnecessary switching over between an idling operating mode and an air supply operation of the compressor is performed. The synchronization is therefore performed only if an adequate duration of the overrun conditions can be expected. For example, a predetermined limiting duration can be defined for this assessment. The synchronization is ultimately carried out only if the duration is longer than the limiting duration. Therefore, the assessment of the expected duration of the overrun conditions brings about an overall increase in the energy-saving re-usability of the overrun conditions.
The device according to the invention can be advantageously developed such a that, when an instantaneous overrun condition occurs, the processing device is suitable for determining a continuing duration of instantaneous overrun condition on the basis of the altitude profile data, the current vehicle parameters, and/or the current position data. The processing device can therefore in particular respectively generate signals for instantaneous overrun condition phases which indicate whether, in view of the expected remaining chronological duration of the corresponding overrun condition phase, a technical utilization of this overrun condition phase will bring about energy recovery and/or energy storage for at least one vehicle component. It is preferably possible to provide that the processing device respectively generates, for an instantaneous overrun condition phase which has already occurred, a signal which, if the expected remaining chronological duration of the instantaneous overrun condition phase exceeds a predefined limiting value, gives rise to a technical utilization of this overrun condition phase which brings about energy recovery and/or energy storage for at least one vehicle component. It is likewise possible to provide that the processing device prevents a technical utilization of an instantaneous or expected subsequent overrun condition phase for the recovery of energy and/or storage of energy for vehicle components if the chronological duration of the overrun condition phase is expected to be shorter than the minimum duration, and this overrun condition phase precedes an overrun condition phase whose duration is longer than the predefined minimum duration. This means that only that overrun condition phase which is expected to occur whose duration is predicted to be adequately long is used. The technical utilization can be performed, for example, in the form of generation, feeding, passing on, treating or storage of compressed air in at least one vehicle component.
Furthermore, the device according to the invention can be embodied such that the altitude profile data of the section of road which is to be traveled on by the vehicle are based on altitude profile data of a total route which are calculated in advance. The total route is predetermined by means of a starting position and a predetermined destination of the vehicle. As a result, information about the future profile of the section of road is suitably evaluated, as a result of which the entry time, the positive gradient and the duration of upcoming parts of a section of road with a negative gradient up to the destination are respectively known in advance over the total route. In particular, this permits efficient planning of the synchronization operations of the air supply operation with the overrun conditions which are expected to occur. The efficient planning takes into account here only those cases of overrun conditions whose duration also involves a savings in energy. As a result, for example, a length of the negative gradient can be calculated in advance up to a certain degree, permitting possible overrun conditions to be predicted. By taking into account the destination which is input by the driver, it is possible to plan the refueling processes or air supply operations over the course of the section of road which is already known or the total route. Consequently, the overrun conditions of the vehicle can be predicted, as a result of which the kinetic energy of the vehicle can be used for energy-saving ventilation of the brake system with air.
In this context it is particularly advantageous to use all the parameters for automatically calculating the overrun conditions in advance in order, for example, to obtain the start, the duration and the end of the overrun conditions using the positive gradient/negative gradient profile relating to the section of road. Furthermore, straight relatively long sections of road with a negative gradient can already be included in an optimum way in advance in the planning for energy-saving air supply, and then utilized. The air supply can, inter alia, include the re-filling of the air supply system with compressed air, the regeneration of, for example, an air drier of the air supply system, an air pressure controller in the brake system, etc.
Furthermore, the device according to the invention can be implemented such that the processing device is suitable for controlling an operating mode of at least one vehicle component as a function of the at least one overrun condition of the vehicle which is determined and which is expected to occur. This may include all the vehicle components whose operation using the overrun condition involves a saving in energy, in particular the above-mentioned generator or the air supply system.
In this context, the at least one vehicle component may preferably be at least a brake system, a component of a brake system, a dynamo, the generator, the air supply system, a compressor, a retarder, an air suspension control module (ELC), a tachometer (TC), an instrument (INS) and/or an engine controller (FR). In the case of the air supply system which is operated as a function of the overrun conditions, in particular a clutch, a compressor, a compressed air valve, a compressed air distributor, an air treatment unit or an air purification cartridge may be components which are to be actuated or controlled.
Furthermore, the device according to the invention can also be implemented such that the processing device is suitable for controlling the air supply system such that, when the overrun condition which is determined and which is expected to occur occurs, the air supply system synchronously carries out an air supply operation. In particular, with respect to the air supply it is possible for the determination of the expected occurrence of future cases of overrun conditions and the utilization thereof to be particularly efficient, as mentioned above, since the air supply system plays a central role in vehicles, in particular commercial or utility vehicles, which use compressed air. References to commercial or utility vehicles are used interchangeably herein.
In this context, the processing device can control, for example, the air pressure of a pneumatic control line which leads from a compressed air distributor to a compressor. Furthermore, the processing device can, however, also carry out the control by means of electrical signals. For example, a compressor or a compressed air distributor, a compressed air treatment unit, a compressed air consumer or further components may be actuated pneumatically by the air supply system.
In this context it is possible to provide that the device according to the invention is implemented such that the processing device is suitable for controlling the air supply system such that the execution of the synchronization of the air supply operation with the overrun conditions is based at least on the presence of the at least one negative-gradient part of a section of road.
Furthermore, the device according to the invention can be embodied in such a way that the processing device is suitable for assessing whether the air supply operation is being carried out, on the basis of inter-vehicle distance data relating to the distance between the vehicle and another vehicle traveling ahead. It is therefore possible to distinguish in particular between random and brief cases of overrun conditions due to an impending rear-end collision with a vehicle in front by reference to the inter-vehicle distance data and cases of overrun conditions which relate to the section of road and are relatively long term and therefore can be used efficiently.
Furthermore, the device according to the invention can be implemented in such a way that the processing device is suitable for controlling the air supply system such that the air supply operation is carried out by operating a compressor which is coupled to a drive train, wherein the processing device is also suitable for controlling the air supply system so that the air supply operation is ended if the compressor is operated in an idling mode and/or is decoupled from the drive train. The compressor, which is coupled to the drive train, supplies the air supply system or the air supply unit with compressed air. On the other hand, if the demand for compressed air is no longer present, the compressor is switched, for example, into an idling state in which the air supply system or the air supply unit is no longer supplied with compressed air (or only with compressed air at a relatively low pressure). In particular, the processing device can actuate a compressed air valve. Likewise, a compressed air distributor can be actuated by the processing device. The processing device therefore actuates, for example, the compressed air treatment unit in such a way that a compressed air cartridge of the compressed air treatment unit is not regenerated during the occurrence of overrun conditions. In contrast, the compressed air cartridge is preferably regenerated when no overrun conditions are occurring. In particular, the processing device uses the determination of the cases of overrun conditions which are expected to occur to control the air treatment system in such a way that times at which regeneration of the compressed air cartridge, in particular dehumidification and cleaning are carried out, are brought forward or delayed as a function of the determination of the cases of overrun conditions which are expected to occur. For example, the time of regeneration is put back at most to times during relatively short overrun condition phases.
Furthermore, the device according to the invention can be embodied such that the processing device is suitable for controlling the air supply system in such a way that, when overrun conditions of the vehicle are not occurring, the air supply operation is also carried out when the air supply of the vehicle is absolutely necessary. This measure serves to reliably supply the air supply system with compressed air, which has to be ensured in all cases even if no air supply operation can be synchronized with the overrun conditions.
In addition, the current vehicle parameters which the device according to the invention uses include at least one element from the position data or altitude data of the vehicle, the vehicle speed, wheel speeds and/or yaw rates, a vehicle acceleration, a compressed air level of a brake system, a humidity level of a compressed air vessel or of a compressed air treatment cartridge, an engine speed, the absolute value and/or the sign of an engine torque, clutch data and/or gearspeed data, retarder data of the vehicle and a distance from another vehicle traveling ahead. Since the information or data supplied by the navigation system is used in conjunction with current, vehicle-specific variables such as wheel speeds and yaw rates, etc., the position of the vehicle can be calculated with precision up to a few meters. The current parameters are preferably also made available to further processing devices and/or control units or control devices which are not involved in controlling the air supply. This is done, for example, by way of a CAN bus which is provided in the vehicle. Furthermore, inter-vehicle distance information data relating to vehicles traveling ahead, made available by driver assistance systems (Adaptive Cruise Control=ACC), can be used to assess whether the synchronization should take place.
Furthermore, the device according to the invention can be embodied such that the processing device is suitable for obtaining at least the altitude profile data and/or the current position data from a navigation system. The data which are supplied by the navigation system can be passed on in this way to the processing device. In this context, the navigation system can also supply instantaneous vertical positions of the vehicle. A navigation system which is supported by a GPS (Global Positioning System) or a satellite-supported navigation system is preferably used. The navigation system correspondingly supplies altitude profile data which contain, inter alia, vertical position coordinates of a plurality of section-of-road points or of section-of-road areas along the route which is being traveled on or is to be traveled on.
The method according to the invention for determining overrun conditions of a vehicle is based on an expected occurrence of at least one overrun condition being determined at least as a function of altitude profile data of a section of road which is being traveled on and/or is to be traveled on by the vehicle.
As a result, the properties and advantages explained in conjunction with the device according to the invention are obtained in the same way or in a similar way, for which reason reference is made to the corresponding statements relating to the device according to the invention, in order to avoid repetition. The same applies correspondingly to the following preferred embodiments of the method according to the invention, with reference also being made in this regard to the corresponding statements relating to the device according to the invention in order to avoid repetition.
The method according to the invention can advantageously be developed such that the expected occurrence of the at least one overrun condition is also determined as a function of current position data of the vehicle and/or current vehicle parameters.
Furthermore, the method according to the invention can be carried out such that the expected occurrence of the at least one overrun condition is determined for a part of a section of road which lies ahead of the vehicle and has a predefined length.
Furthermore, the method according to the invention can be implemented such that it is determined whether one or more overrun conditions can be expected to occur in the predefined part of the section of road.
In addition, the method according to the invention can be implemented such that at least one negative-gradient part, at which the at least one overrun condition can be expected to occur, of the section of road which is being traveled on and/or is to be traveled on is inferred on the basis of the altitude profile data.
Furthermore, the method according to the invention is preferably implemented such that a duration of the overrun conditions which are expected to occur is determined on the basis of the altitude profile data and/or the current vehicle parameters and/or the current position data.
The method according to the invention can advantageously also be developed such that, when an instantaneous overrun condition occurs, a continuing duration of the instantaneous overrun condition is determined on the basis of the altitude profile data and/or the current vehicle parameters and/or the current position data.
Furthermore, the method according to the invention can be developed such that the altitude profile data of the section of road which is to be traveled on by the vehicle are based on altitude profile data of a total route which are calculated in advance, which total route is predetermined by way of a starting position and a predetermined destination of the vehicle.
In addition, the method according to the invention is implemented in such a way that an operating mode of at least one vehicle component is controlled as a function of the at least one overrun condition of the vehicle which is determined and which is expected to occur.
Furthermore, the method according to the invention can be implemented in such a way that the at least one vehicle component is at least a brake system, a component of a brake system, a dynamo, a generator, an air supply system, a compressor, a retarder, an air suspension control module, a tachometer, an instrument and/or an engine controller.
In this context, it is particularly advantageous to configure the method according to the invention in such a way that the air supply system is controlled in such a way that when the overrun condition which is determined and which is expected to occur occurs, the air supply system carries out an air supply operation synchronously.
The method according to the invention is preferably developed in such a way that the air supply system is controlled so that the execution of the synchronization of the air supply operation with the overrun conditions is based at least on the presence of the at least one negative-gradient part of a section of road.
In this context, it is particularly advantageous to develop the method according to the invention in such a way that on the basis of inter-vehicle distance data relating to the distance between the vehicle and a further vehicle traveling ahead it is assessed whether the air supply mode is carried out.
Furthermore, it is possible to provide for the method to be carried out in such a way that the air supply system is controlled so that the air supply operation is carried out by operating a compressor which is coupled to a drive train, wherein the air supply system is also controlled so that the air supply operation is ended if the compressor is operated in an idling mode and/or is decoupled from the drive train.
In addition, the method according to the invention is configured in such a way that the air supply system is controlled so that, when overrun conditions of the vehicle are not occurring, the air supply operation is also carried out when the air supply of the vehicle is absolutely necessary.
Furthermore, the method according to the invention can be implemented in such a way that the current vehicle parameters include at least one parameter from the position data or altitude data of the vehicle, the vehicle speed, wheel speeds and/or yaw rates, a vehicle acceleration, a compressed air level of a brake system, a humidity level of a compressed air vessel or of a compressed air treatment cartridge, an engine speed, the absolute value and/or the sign of an engine torque, clutch data and/or gearspeed data, retarder data of the vehicle and distance from another vehicle traveling ahead.
Furthermore, it is advantageous to embody the method according to the invention in such a way that at least the altitude profile data and/or the current position data are obtained from a navigation system.
The inventive use of the navigation system is provided to permit an expected occurrence of at least one overrun condition of the vehicle to be determined as a function of the altitude profile data. In this case also, the properties and advantages which are explained in conjunction with the device according to the invention are obtained in the same way or a similar way, for which reason reference is also made to the corresponding statements relating to the device according to the invention in order to avoid repetition.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
In a conventional wireless LAN communication system of this kind, when a base station has traffic larger than a specified value, the base station selects a terminal having traffic larger than a specified value from terminals connected to the base station and switches the channel of the selected terminal and a channel of another base station having traffic smaller than the specified value. In this case, the channel of the base station having traffic smaller than the specified value is determined according to a result of monitoring by a receiver for monitoring other channels, provided for each base station (see JP 2001-237856 A, for example).
In the above-described conventional load sharing among base stations in a wireless LAN communication system, to perform channel changeover, respective base stations need to monitor the other channels to determine a channel of another base station having traffic smaller than the specified value.
The present invention has been made to solve the problem described above, and has an object to provide a wireless LAN communication system capable of performing load sharing among base stations in which a terminal autonomously selects a connection destination base station based on information on the number of associations transmitted from each of the base stations. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to light emitting diode (LED) lighting devices and, more particularly, to LED lighting devices, which enable the assembly of one or more LED products into a variety of structures for use in a broad range of applications including street lights, security lighting, tunnel lights, floodlights, etc.
2. Background Art
Generally, light emitting diodes (LEDs) are developed based on characteristics of a compound semiconductor emitting light upon application of current thereto, and have a smaller size and longer lifespan than other light sources while exhibiting excellent efficiency in converting electrical energy into light.
Recent advances in semiconductor technology have enabled commercialization of a white LED having high brightness and a variety of lighting devices using the white LED have been introduced.
In particular, various research has been actively conducted into development of an LED lighting module capable of illuminating a sufficiently large area through high-density integration of LED devices in series or parallel to increase the degree of luminous intensity per unit area, namely, brightness, to several thousand cd/cm2 or more.
However, an increase in integrated density of LEDs leads to an increase in the amount of heat generated per unit area, causing damage to the LEDs by heat generated from the LEDs.
An example of LED lighting device includes a metallic heat sink, which exhibits good heat dissipation efficiency and is attached to a lower side of a printed circuit board (PCB), to enhance heat dissipation efficiency.
For example, referring to FIG. 1, an LED lighting device includes a single PCB 100, a plurality of LED devices 110 mounted on the PCB 100, a heat sink 120 attached to a lower side of the PCB 100, and a case 130 covering the LED devices on the PCB 100.
In this LED lighting device, however, heat transfer from the LED devices to the heat sink is obstructed by the flexible PCB and a bonding agent located therebetween and having low thermal conductivity, and only a single heat sink is used for heat dissipation of all the LED devices, causing heat to concentrate at the center of the lighting device. As a result, the LED lighting device cannot effectively dissipate the large amounts of heat generated by high density LED devices, thereby increasing a likelihood of damaging the LED devices during light emission that involves heat generation.
As such, since multiple LED devices are mounted on a single substrate and are operated by DC power in the LED lighting device, the entire lighting device needs to be replaced, even if any one or a few of the LED devices in the lighting device are damaged.
Further, since the LED lighting device has a circuit structure in which the multiple LED devices are supported by a single PCB, the LED lighting device has a limit in realization of various structures and enables structure change only through production of new molds, which is uneconomical.
The foregoing discussion in this section is to provide general background information, and does not constitute an admission of prior art. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Electromechanical dissociation (EMD) is a clinical condition of cardiac arrest with no palpable pulse or blood flow although coordinated ventricular electrical activity exists. This does not exclude the possibility of very weak ventricular contractions, not usually perceptible by standard external or indirect clinical means, which do not produce significant perfusion pressure capable of sustaining life. EMD may occur as the primary modality of cardiac arrest, distinct from fibrillation. Where EMD occurs, the prognosis for recovery is very poor, with survival rates reported on the order of a few percent. When persistent and untreated, EMD is associated with global ischaemia, which will result in rapidly progressive and irreversible brain damage within minutes.
EMD also commonly occurs after defibrillation. In the past, the accepted remedy has been to provide continued life-support while waiting for cardiac output to return. Life support measures commonly include CPR and the administration of drugs such as epinephrine in connection with a search for and removal of reversible causes for the condition. Chest compressions and ventilation may extend the period of viability, although it is well known that standard CPR is a poor substitute for cardiac contractions. If cardiac output does not spontaneously return death is probable. This may particularly be the case for patients with implantable automatic cardioverter-defibrillators. The device may terminate an episode of ventricular fibrillation, cardiac electrical rhythm may be restored, and the patient may nevertheless die as a result of EMD.
The basic implantable cardioverter/defibrillator system consists of at least one electrode attached to the heart and connected by a flexible lead to a shock or pulse generator. This generator is a combination of a power source and the microelectronics required for the system to perform its intended function. An implantable cardioverter/defibrillator may also include a pacemaker to treat bradycardia. Many cardioverter/defibrillators in current use incorporate circuits and antennae to communicate non-invasively with external instruments called programmers. Implantable cardioverters/defibrillators have the capability of correcting dangerous tachyarrhythmias and fibrillation by applying selected stimulation patterns or high-energy shocks. High-energy shocks are used primarily to correct life-threatening tachyarrhythmias by essentially stopping the heart and allowing an appropriate rhythm to re-establish itself.
There remains a need, however, for apparatus that can not only terminate fibrillation, but can also identify post-defibrillation electromechanical dissociation, and provide a therapy.
It is an object of our invention, therefore, to provide a method for treating post-defibrillation electromechanical dissociation.
It is also an important object of our invention to provide an apparatus that can stimulate the heart in the presence of post-defibrillation EMD in such a manner as to restore life-sustaining cardiac output.
Another important object of our invention is to provide an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator with apparatus for sensing and treating post-defibrillation EMD. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
It is well known that vinyl halide, and particularly vinyl chloride polymers are used quite extensively in extruded profiles, molded objects, sheets, films and coatings and it is often desirable to attempt to increase impact strengths for these polymers. One approach taken to achieve better processability has been to blend plasticizing agents into the vinyl halide polymer. However, such blending often results in decreased tensile strength, less resistance to solvents, poor high temperature properties, etc.
Alternative approaches have included incorporating minor amounts of elastomeric materials into the vinyl halide polymer. A major drawback of this technique has been that most elastomers are incompatible with vinyl halide polymers, with the result being that mixing conditions must be quite vigorous and only a very weak mechanical mixture is obtained. For instance, the mixing of any rubber into PVC resins requires very robust equipment such as a Banbury Mixer or a two-roll rubber mill. The product from such equipment cannot be easily fed to an extruder for fabrication of a final product (e.g., a rigid profile) but must be further cut or diced to a convenient size.
To alleviate this problem, elastomers such as butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymers, chlorinated or brominated butyl rubbers, etc. (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,090,768 and 3,424,818), which contain functional groups capable of enhancing compatibility, have been utilized with varying degrees of success.
In an attempt to prepare mixtures of vinyl chloride polymer and butyl rubber (an elastomer lacking compatibility-enhancing functional groups), it was reported in U.S. Pat. No. 3,158,664 that although impact strengths were appreciably increased (a maximum impact strength of 14.0 ft-lb/inch of notch was reported), considerably longer periods of time were required to produce these mixtures on a mill than were required for mixtures of vinyl chloride polymers with elastomers containing compatibility-enhancing functional groups such as butadiene-acrylonitrile.
In any case, such mixing operations generally require quite high proportions of elastomers in order to attain enhanced impact strength and quantities in excess of 15% are normal. Further, such properties as stability, chemical resistance, finished appearance, and the ability to rework scrap all suffer to varying degrees. The growth of new applications and the continuous competitive nature of the industry have spotlighted the drawbacks of these methods and promoted interest in reducing their shortcomings.
The best approach to overcome the inherent disadvantages due to incompatibility in combining vinyl halide polymers with elastomers has been to graft a substantial portion of the vinyl halide polymer to an elastomeric backbone. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,629,369 teaches grafting of greater than 75% of the chlorinated butyl rubber by the vinyl chloride monomer. Very energetic free radical initiators are required. By this technique, a graft blend polymer is created, with the grafted portion providing increased compatibility for the two homopolymer species. Polymers which have been employed in combination with polyvinyl chloride in preparing these graft polymers include polyethylene, copolymers of ethylene and high alpha olefins (EPR's), terpolymers of ethylene, higher alpha olefins and minor amounts of dienes (EPDM's), and chlorinated butyl rubber. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,408,424, British Pat. Nos. 1,097,020, 1,504,062, 1,070,297, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,629,369. It is apparent that the graftable substrates cited contain readily accessible graft-sites, e.g., high degree of unsaturation, or labile groups known to facilitate grafting, e.g., chlorine, thiols.
Although these graft-blend compositions show good impact strengths, they have been found to be relatively difficult to process, possibly because the elastomer becomes cross-linked during the polymerization step or the elastomer is too extensively grafted. A further well known drawback is that the relatively high degree of grafting creates excessive compatibility between the species, preventing development of optimum impact strength, and degrading other physical properties. This problem is further aggravated when residual compatibility-enhancing polar groups, such as chlorine or thiol, remain present in the grafted substrate. A graft-blended composition of vinyl chloride and chlorinated butyl rubber prepared under conditions comparable to those used in preparing the instant butyl rubber-vinyl chloride compositions gave impact strengths of 9 ft-lb/in. of notch vs 21 ft-lb/in. notch for the graft blend of vinyl chloride and butyl rubber of the instant invention. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus that forms registration patches of different colors on an intermediary transfer member and detects the thus formed registration patches of the different colors to correct for a color displacement in a color image based on the results of the detection.
2. Description of Related Art
For example, in a tandem-type color image forming apparatus, image forming units for different colors, each built around a photoconductive drum and a transferring device, are arranged along an intermediary transfer belt. In each image forming unit, the photoconductive drum is scanned with, and exposed to, a laser beam from a laser diode to form an electrostatic latent image, which is then developed with toner to form a toner image. Thereafter, those toner images are primarily transferred to the intermediary transfer belt in a superposed fashion. The toner images of the different colors thus primarily transferred are then, at a secondary transfer position, secondarily transferred, all at once, to a sheet of a printing medium that passes between the intermediary transfer belt and a secondary transfer roller which rotates in contact with it.
In such a color image forming apparatus, factors such as secular deterioration of the photoconductive drum, intermediary transfer belt, secondary transfer roller, etc. and variations in temperature and humidity around the apparatus can cause, among others, a displacement between the positions exposed to the laser beam for the different colors, resulting in a color displacement. To prevent that, color displacement correction is often performed. One example of color displacement correction is registration correction, whereby registration patches comprising toner images of different colors are formed on the intermediary transfer belt and, based on the positions at which the registration patches of the different colors are formed, the displacement amounts of the different colors are detected, and the image write positions are corrected.
During registration correction, if the secondary transfer roller is in contact with the intermediary transfer belt, the registration patches on the intermediary transfer belt attach to the secondary transfer roller and soil the roller surface. The soil on the roller surface then, during image formation, soils the reverse side of the sheet. To prevent that, conventionally, the secondary transfer roller is configured to be releasably contactable with the intermediary transfer belt and, during registration correction, the secondary transfer roller is so controlled as to be released from the intermediary transfer belt.
However, as the coefficient of friction between the intermediary transfer belt and a driving roller that makes it rotate decreases with use, a difference arises in the rotation speed of the intermediary transfer belt between when the secondary transfer roller is contacted with the intermediary transfer belt and when the secondary transfer roller is released from the intermediary transfer belt. Thus, actual image formation and registration correction are performed under different conditions, and this makes accurate correction of a color displacement impossible. One possible solution is to increase the belt tension of the intermediary transfer belt to make the speed of the intermediary transfer belt constant irrespective of whether the secondary transfer roller is contacted with or released from the intermediary transfer belt. Increasing the belt tension, however, can lead to, among others, a crack in the intermediary transfer belt.
Thus, for example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-47741) discloses a technology whereby registration patches are formed with the secondary transfer roller both contacted with and released from the intermediary transfer belt and the difference in the rotation speed of the intermediary transfer belt depending on whether the secondary transfer roller is contacted with or released from the intermediary transfer belt is calculated to correct displacement amounts.
However, with the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-47741), the registration patches need to be formed also with the secondary transfer roller contacted with the intermediary transfer belt, and registration correction requires more time and toner.
Against the background discussed above, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can perform registration correction accurately without requiring too much time or toner, with consideration given to the difference in the rotation speed of an intermediary transfer member depending on whether a secondary transfer roller is contacted with or released from the intermediary transfer member. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Integrated circuit technology relies on transistors to formulate vast arrays of functional circuits. The complexity of these circuits require the use of an ever increasing number of linked transistors. As the number of transistors required increases, the, surface space on silicon chip/die dwindles. It is one objective then, to construct transistors which occupy less surface area on the silicon chip/die.
Metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOS transistors) are prevalent in integrated circuit technology because they generally demand less power than their counterpart, bipolar transistors. Bipolar transistors, on the other hand, also possess certain advantages over MOS transistors, such as speed. Therefore, it is another objective and attempts have been made to combine the technological designs of bipolars and MOS transistors in an effort to maximize the benefits of both transistor types.
Various types of lateral transistors have been historically described and utilized in complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. Lateral bipolar transistors have received renewed interest with the advent of bipolar complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (BiCMOS) technologies. Recently the action of newer devices has been described in new terms and a more careful distinction made between the different types of transistor action possible. Both gate-body connected MOS transistors and gated lateral bipolar transistors have been described. The term gate-body connected transistors is used to describe vertical or other device structures where the body of the MOS transistor also serves as the base of a bipolar transistor but each device functions separately as a normal transistor and MOS transistor action is dominant. Applying the gate voltage to the body serves primarily to change the threshold voltage of the MOS transistor.
Other structures are possible where the gate and base are common and the bipolar transistor and MOS transistor are in parallel but the bipolar transistor current is dominant. In a gated lateral transistor, not only the structures but also the operation is merged and most current flows along a surface under the gate in either MOS or bipolar operation. In the case of a gated lateral bipolar transistor, at low gate voltages around threshold (V.sub.t), they can act as gate-body connected MOS transistors. At higher input voltages, V.sub.t or more, the bipolar action can dominate and they are more appropriately described as gated lateral bipolar transistors.
Much effort has been placed into the study of these merged transistor structures. Both vertical and lateral structures have been studied. These studies do not look to solutions for conserving precious die space in the fabrication of integrated circuits. Likewise, previous efforts have not been able to maximize low power operation and simultaneously maximize switching speeds. It is desirable then to invent new transistor structures and then to apply those improved structures in circuits and methods which can accommodate the faster switching speed and low power consumption. Any improved circuit configuration should desirably remain fully integrateable with prevalent integrated circuit design. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fishing lure structures and more particularly pertains to a scent dispensing worm lure for dispensing a scented fluid to attract fish.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of fishing lure structures is known in the prior art. More specifically, fishing lure structures heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art fishing lure structures include U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,982; U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,453; U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,181; U.S. Pat. No. 4,044,490; U.S. Pat. No. 3,953,934; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,528.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a scent dispensing worm lure for dispensing a scented fluid to attract fish which includes a worm body having a center fluid reservoir extending therethrough for receiving a supply of scented fluid, and a plurality of lateral reservoirs communicating with the center fluid reservoir to dispense the scented fluid through a plurality of apertures in the worm body. Furthermore, none of the known prior art fishing lure structures teach or suggest a scent dispensing worm lure of the aforementioned structure in which the worm body is constructed of a resilient material such that a fish bite will compress the center fluid reservoir to dispense the scented fluid therefrom through the apertures. Moreover, none of the known prior art disclosed a scent dispensing worm lure of the aforementioned structure in which the worm body is shaped so as to define a plurality of arcuate contours over which the surrounding water is accelerated to draw the scented fluid in small amounts from the apertures through the venturi effect.
In these respects, the scent dispensing worm lure according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of dispensing a scented fluid to attract fish. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Sophisticated high performance systems often include specialized hardware that either performs a desired task directly or that assists the processor in an embedded system. An example is the graphics system of a modern computer workstation. There one often finds entire hardware subsystems arranged in a serial pipeline to successively perform the various tasks that need to be accomplished. In a computer graphics environment there can be hardware that clips primitive shapes such as lines, planes and triangles, against other planes and the surfaces of rectangular solids. Additional hardware, for example, handles the task of polygon rendering, and so on. Despite such solutions, there is an irresistible urge for things to run faster, and not just in computer graphics systems, either.
We may generalize a bit and say that one approach for speeding things up (for a suitable class of problems) is to adopt a parallel architecture. Let us say that a single instance of a hardware set that solves a problem is a "channel". A parallel solution would then involve a plurality of identical (or nearly so) channels. Once this arrangement is adopted it becomes necessary to decide which channel is to be selected to operate on the next set of incoming data. There are many ways this might be done, but assuming that each channel is otherwise equally appropriate to perform the operation, and that perhaps there is some input buffering for each channel, a good way is often to assign a channel number k according to the relationship k=(some parameter in the data) mod n, where n is the number of channels. What the parameter is does not really matter, as long as it is suitable. For example, in a computer graphics system the parameter might be an address that some earlier subsystem assigned to a primitive that is to processed by the graphics system. The idea is to get an integer k in the range o.ltoreq.k<n. This may be done by dividing the suitable parameter by n and taking k as the remainder. This brings us to the question of how to perform such divisions quickly and without undue expense. We note that the usual division mechanisms all are completely general in that they expect to accommodate arbitrarily variable divisors. We have in mind division by a fixed divisor, or a constant, or, perhaps by a rather limited number of divisors. It would be desirable if there were a way to take advantage of this limitation on the divisor to reduce the complexity of the division, and at the same time speed it up.
One prior art solution to this more restricted class of division problem has been to multiply the parameter by the reciprocal of the desired divisor. This provides the quotient, but not the integer remainder. Instead, you get the sum of the quotient plus a decimal, octal or binary (depending upon the radix in use) Arabic fraction. To recover the remainder (i.e., the integer numerator of an indicated division whose denominator is also our divisor) it is necessary to subtract out the quotient and exchange the remaining Arabic fraction for an integer (as by a look-up table). It would be desirable if a genuine division mechanism could instead be simplified to take advantage of the fixed divisor.
It should also be kept in mind that channel assignment in a parallel architecture is but one possible use for a mechanism that can divide an integer (or, perhaps, a fixed point number) by a constant. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
A display unit including a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a plasma display panel (PDP), and an electrophoretic display (EPD) is manufactured through several processes. In order to manufacture the display unit, a polarizing film formed with an absorption axis is attached to one surface and the other surface of a panel. A process of attaching the polarizing film to one surface of the panel will be described below.
In the process of attaching the polarizing film to one surface of the panel, when an optical film including a polarizing film including an adhesive layer and a release film, which is attached to the adhesive layer so as to be peeled from the adhesive layer, is supplied, the supplied optical film is carried to an attachment position, at which a polarizing film sheet piece is attached to the panel, by a carrying unit. Before the optical film is transferred to the attachment position, a plurality of arranged polarizing film sheet pieces is formed on the optical film by cutting the optical film by a predetermined depth, in which the release film is not cut. In the optical film, on which the polarizing film sheet pieces are formed, the polarizing film sheet pieces are peeled from the release film by a peeling unit, and the peeled polarizing film sheet pieces are attached to one surface of the panel by an attachment unit.
When the peeling unit in the related art is used, the release film is folded back toward an inner side at a front end of the peeling unit and a carrying direction of the release film is changed to peel the polarizing film sheet piece from the release film. However, by friction between the front end of the peeling unit and the release film, a surface of the release film is damaged and foreign substances are generated, and the generated foreign substances flow in during a process of attaching the polarizing film sheet pieces to one surface of the panel, thereby causing a defect of the display unit.
Korean Patent No. 10-0967499 (hereinafter, Patent Document 1) suggests a system for manufacturing an optical display unit and a carry mechanism. The Korean Patent discloses a characteristic in that an adhesive optical film may be peeled from a release film by using a peeling device and the peeled adhesive optical film may be bonded to a display substrate. However, the system for manufacturing the optical display unit disclosed in Patent Document 1 has difficulty in suppressing the generation of foreign substances in the peeling device and decreasing a defect of the optical display unit. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Numerous factors enter into the manufacture of electromechanical cable, including electrical conducting capability, effectiveness of the electrical insulation, size of the cable, strength of the cable, weight, cost, response to bending action, response to twisting action, response to longitudinal mechanical load, and the like. The present invention is directed to cable which is light in weight relative to its mechanical strength. Light weight is particularly important where the cable is to be deployed for long vertical distances and must support its own weight.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide an electromechanical cable which is high in mechanical strength but low in weight.
Another object of the invention is to provide a new and unique component part for an electromechanical cable, namely, a composite strain member. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for controlling an optical fiber amplifier used in an optical transmission system applied with a wavelength division multiplexing (hereafter referred to as WDM) transmission technology, and in particular, relates to a control method of a pumping light in a rare-earth element doped optical fiber amplifiers or a Raman amplifier, and to an optical transmission system using this method.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Recently, the construction of optical transmission systems or photonic networks, which realize high-capacity optical communications by applying a WDM transmission technology, has become in practical use. In such optical transmission systems, it is possible to collectively amplify a WDM signal light using for example an optical fiber amplifier, such as a rare-earth element doped optical fiber amplifier, a Raman amplifier or the like, thereby repeatedly transmitting the WDM signal light over a long distance.
For the above described optical transmission systems or the like utilizing the optical fiber amplifier, there are common problems, for example, a demand for extending the WDM signal light wavelength band to increase the transmission capacity, or the improvement of an optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) in each repeating interval to realize a superior transmission characteristic.
As a conventional technology for extending a signal light band, in a system as shown in (A) of FIG. 15 for example, wherein a WDM signal light in a wavelength band of 1530 nm to 1565 nm, generally referred to as a C-band, is repeatedly transmitted on a transmission path fiber 3 from a transmission terminal (Tx) 1 to a reception terminal (Rx) 2 while being amplified by a plurality of repeaters 4 each provided with a rare-earth element doped optical fiber amplifier corresponding to the C-band, there has been known a technology as shown in (B) of FIG. 15, wherein a rare-earth element doped optical fiber amplifier 4L corresponding to a wavelength band of 1565 nm to 1625 nm, generally referred to as an L-band is disposed in parallel with a C-band rare-earth element doped optical fiber amplifier 4C of each repeater 4, to extend the signal light band into both the C-band and the L-band. Further, in a system utilizing for example a Raman amplifier, a technology has also been known wherein Raman pumping light source is added, to give a plurality of pumping lights having different wavelengths to an amplification medium, thereby realizing the extension of the signal light band (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-73852, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-98433, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-76482, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-303896, and the literature by M. Takeda et al., “Active gain-tilt equalization by Preferentially 1.43 μm—or 1.48 μm—Pumped Raman Amplification”, ThA3, OMA 1999).
As a conventional technology for improving the OSNR in each repeating interval, in a system wherein a plurality of repeaters each using a rare-earth element doped optical fiber amplifier is arranged on a transmission path fiber, a technology has been known wherein a distributed Raman amplifier (DRA) which uses the transmission path fiber in each repeating interval as an amplification medium, is applied to increase the power of the WDM signal light input to the repeater from the transmission path fiber by the Raman amplification as shown by the dotted line in a level diagram in FIG. 16 for example, thereby improving the OSNR. Generally, the DRA applied to such a system is of a backward pumping type configuration in which a pumping light is given to the transmission path fiber in a direction opposite to a propagation direction of the signal light. Moreover, in order to further improve the OSNR in the above system, a system applied with a forward pumping type Raman amplifier in which a pumping light is given to the transmission path fiber in the same direction as the propagation direction of the signal light, is also under investigation. However, for the forward pumping type Raman amplifier, there have been known a problem of RIN transfer in that a relative intensity noise (RIN) in the pumping light transits into the signal light as the noise, and a problem of PDG (polarization dependent gain) in that a Raman gain significantly depends on a signal light polarization state, (refer to the literature by C. R. S. Fludger et al., “Pump to Signal RIN Transfer in Raman Fiber Amplifier”, Journal of Lightwave Technology Vol. 19, No. 8, 2001, and the literature by J. Zhang et al., “Dependence of Raman Polarization Dependent Gain on Pump Degree of Polarization at High Gain Levels”, OMB4, OAA 2001). In order to reduce the problems of the above forward pumping type Raman amplifier, the utilization of a bidirectional pumping Raman amplifier applied with both the forward pumping and the backward pumping is in the study (refer to the literature by J. Bromage et al., “Raman-enhanced pump-signal four-wave mixing in bidirectionally-pumped Raman amplifiers” OWA5, OM 2002).
However, the conventional technology for extending the signal light band and the conventional technology for improving the OSNR in each repeating interval, cause the following problems.
That is to say, as shown in FIG. 15, in the system using the rare-earth element doped optical fiber amplifiers, when the rare-earth element doped optical fiber amplifiers corresponding to different bands are added in order to extend the signal light band, repeaters equivalent to those prior to the addition are added in parallel. Therefore, there is caused a problem of high cost in band extension service for when transmission capacity demands are increased after the installation of system for example. Further, also when the extension of signal light band is realized by adding the pumping light sources in a system using Raman amplifiers, high-power pumping light sources are generally expensive, resulting in an increase in band extension service cost. In order to provide the band extension service at a minimum cost, it is desirable to be able to readily extend an amplification band of the rare-earth element doped optical fiber amplifier used in a large number of optical transmission systems.
Moreover, when the above bidirectional pumping type Raman amplifier is utilized to improve the OSNR, there is caused a problem in that the performance of the Raman amplifier is considerably varied depending on a position of lump loss existing on the transmission path fiber being the amplification medium. Specifically, this lump loss is a comparatively large loss, which occurs in a concentrated manner due to the bad connection of a connector or a fused portion connecting between transmission path fibers, the bending of fiber or the like.
For example, when the comparison is made on the case where 1 dB lump loss exists on an input end of a signal light and the case where 1 dB lump loss exists on an output end of the signal light, in a 100 km transmission path fiber, as shown in FIG. 17, a signal light level diagram differs considerably between the two cases. Therefore, when the lump loss exists on the input end, the level diagram is lowered over the entire repeating interval, to deteriorate the OSNR. On the other hand, when the lump loss exists on the output end, there is a possibility that the power of the signal light in the transmission path fiber is increased, and thus various non-linear phenomena occur, to deteriorate the signal waveform.
If a large margin to the lump loss is obtained, considering the deterioration in the performance of the Raman amplifier occurring due to the above lump loss, the cost of the bidirectional pumping type Raman amplifier is increased. It is therefore desirable to suppress a variation in the performance of the Raman amplifier due to an influence of lump loss as much as possible. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention concerns a universal tool for maintenance and handling of soldering and de-soldering equipment.
It is very often required in soldering and de-soldering operations to change the suction nozzle used with de-soldering equipment or otherwise to clean the suction nozzle before de-soldering. Similarily, it is often required to clean the soldering head or the suction channels. Until now, the changing of the suction nozzle for de-soldering was achieved with several tools or it was done by the user with pliers or the like. Since the parts to be changed may be very hot, the danger of serious burns exists for the user; furthermore, the suction nozzles for de-soldering in the soldering head have several diameters. Each different diameter requires a different size cleaning tool.
There is therefore a need to provide a universal tool that allows for the maintenance of soldering and de-soldering equipment as well as the changing and the cleaning of nozzles for de-soldering without the danger of an injury to the user. | {
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I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a system for copying and duplicating flexible magnetic storage diskettes, and more specifically, a system which permits the copying and duplication of such magnetic storage diskettes on a high-volume basis irrespective of the mode in which the magnetic information is recorded and the format employed for organizing the digital information on the diskette.
II. Discussion of the Prior Art
In recent years there has been an explosive growth in the number of personal computers and minicomputer systems installed throughout the world, and this growth is expected to compound dramatically through the rest of this decade. These computer systems are typically 8 or 16-bit microprocessors and 32 bit minicomputers, both of which rely extensively on flexible magnetic disk or "floppies" for their program and data input.
Whereas, in the past, the number of copies of a program which had to be prepared was relatively low while the selling price of the program was high, often in the thousands of dollars, it intended to make the cost of duplication of the program a relatively insignificant issue. Personal computer software typically sells in the $50-$200 price range and literally thousands, and perhaps in the future millions, of copies of a particular program will be produced. What is required for low-cost mass duplication of information on floppy diskettes is the equivalent of the modern day printing press. However, whereas the printing press can be modified to print virtually any material for any use by merely changing the printing plates, it is not that simple in the duplication of magnetic storage diskettes. Virtually every computer system employs a different diskette standard, where these differences will cover the physical size of the diskette, i.e., 3 in., 31/4 in., 31/2 in., 51/4 in. or 8 in. diameter, the manner in which the digital information is encoded into the magnetic domains, i.e., FM, MFM, M.sup.2 FM, GCR and, even more diversely, the format or structure which is used to organize the data on the diskette.
Each computer system has developed a unique combination of dedicated high-speed hardware and software to perform the read and write operations for a particular diskette standard. It cannot accommodate any other standard typically. We thus have a real "Tower of Babel" syndrome in the computer industry. Duplication of programs is even further complicated by the use of copy protection schemes of software publishers which make it very difficult, if not impossible, for a user of the software to make his own copies with his equipment. Software publishing to date has been virtually a Guttenberg-type process, with the duplication of diskettes being done on very special purpose hardware with very low production rates.
The present invention enables very low-cost, high-speed duplication of diskettes, e.g., 4,200 per hour in a maximum configuration, for the diskette size mentioned for any of the encoding standards in use and it will accommodate any variety of formats presently used or which may be derived in the future, including formats which are copy-protected. Whereas, conventional techniques can potentially achieve this level of versatility at very low production rates or, conversely, low versatility at high-production rates, the novelty of the present invention resides in special purpose apparatus which will accomplish both ends. That is to say, through a combination of special purpose high-speed logic, which makes extensive use of large scale integrated circuits and programmable array logic "PALs", coupled with a unique architecture which allows the duplication process to be done in parallel on a plurality of slaves, e.g., 30 or even more, both high volume and high versatility are achieved.
A conventional 16-bit microprocessor, executing a program out of eraseable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), provides supervisory control for the dedicated high-speed logic.
In that in all digital magnetic recording, regardless of the media, the method of encoding the data or the data format, involves the periodic reversal of magnetized states on the magnetic media, i.e., flux transitions, this is the common denominator of all recording systems. The entire duplication process of this invention deals with information represented in the form of the time of occurrence of flux transitions. This is the most detailed representation of the data and thus requires higher speed logic circuitry to deal with it, but it is the most general form of the data and this is the feature that enables complete versatility of duplication. Reliable high-speed duplication requires three revolutions of the object diskette for each track of information, one revolution to acquire the track, a second to write the data onto the track and the third to verify the integrity of the track by comparing the information read to what was intended.
A major issue in digital magnetic recording is the need for good data interchange margins such that information recorded on one system can be reliably read on another. The software publishing business is unique in its requirement that the programs be distributed to a very wide number of user systems, often with a considerable delay between the time the information is written and the time it is first attempted to be read by the user. These factors place an exceptional emphasis on data interchange margins, and an object of this invention is to assure the tightest possible tolerances on recording amplitude and timing to provide the widest possible data interchange margins. | {
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Reusable launch vehicles including the space shuttle are known. Weapon delivery systems which are self guided following launch of the system are also known. An example of this type of system includes the cruise missile. The cruise missile is normally rocket launched from a stationary or mobile platform and includes its own internal navigation equipment to enable the cruise missile, given its originating location coordinates, to identify and fly under its own power to a specific target. The cruise missile is very effective at delivering relatively small explosive payloads to a target. Disadvantages of the cruise missile include: (1) it travels at subsonic velocities and is susceptible to being detected and destroyed by enemy fire; (2) it includes its own engine and fuel, reducing its payload; (3) it can strike against a single target only; and (4) it is not a reusable platform.
It is therefore desirable to provide a reusable air vehicle having improved survivability and a reduced detection signature, which carries no propulsion system, but is operable at high altitudes and travels at higher than sonic speed. It is also desirable to provide a reusable air vehicle to reduce the operating costs of delivering a weapons payload. | {
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The present invention relates to a solid state imaging device capable of suppressing generation of a dark current, a method of manufacturing the same, and an imaging apparatus.
Solid state imaging devices, such as a CCD (charge coupled device) and a CMOS image sensor, are widely used in a video camera, a digital still camera, and the like. Improvement in sensitivity and noise reduction are important issues in all kinds of solid state imaging devices.
In particular, a dark current, which is detected as a very small current when an electric charge (electron) generated from a minute defect in a substrate interface of a light receiving surface is input as a signal, or a dark current generated due to the interface state on the interface between the light sensing section and an upper layer even though there is no pure signal charge generated by photoelectric conversion of incident light in a state where there is no incident light is a noise to be reduced in the solid state imaging device.
As a technique of suppressing generation of a dark current caused by the interface state, for example, an embed type photodiode structure having a hole accumulation layer 23 formed of a P+ layer on a light sensing section (for example, a photodiode) 12 is used as shown in (2) of FIG. 42. Moreover, in this specification, the embed type photodiode structure is referred to as an HAD (hole accumulated diode) structure. As shown in (1) of FIG. 42, in a structure where the HAD structure is not provided, electrons generated due to the interface state flow to the photodiode as a dark current. On the other hand, as shown in (2) of FIG. 38, in the HAD structure, generation of electrons from the interface is suppressed by the hole accumulation layer 23 formed on the interface. In addition, even if electric charges (electrons) are generated from the interface, the electric charges (electrons) do not flow to a charge accumulation section, which is a potential well in an N+ layer of the light sensing section 12, but flow to the hole accumulation layer 23 of the P+ layer in which many holes exist. Accordingly, the electric charges (electrons) can be eliminated. As a result, since it can be prevented that the electric charges generated due to the interface are detected as a dark current, the dark current caused by the interface state can be suppressed.
As a method of forming the HAD structure, it is common to perform ion implantation of impurities for forming the P+ layer, for example, boron (B) or boron difluoride (BF2) through a thermally oxidized layer or a CVD oxide layer formed on a substrate, to activate injected impurities by annealing, and then to form a p-type region near the interface. However, heat treatment in a high temperature of 700° C. or more is essential in order to activate doped impurities. Accordingly, formation of the hole accumulation layer using ion implantation is difficult in a low-temperature process at 400° C. or less. Also in the case of desiring to avoid long-time activation at high temperature in order to suppress diffusion of dopant, the method of forming a hole accumulation layer in which ion implantation and annealing are performed is not preferable.
Furthermore, when a silicon oxide or a silicon nitride formed on an upper layer of the light sensing section is formed in a low-temperature plasma CVD method, for example, the interface state is reduced compared with an interface between of a light receiving surface and a layer formed at high temperature. The reduction in interface state increases a dark current.
As described above, in the case of desiring to avoid ion implantation and annealing process at high temperature, not only the hole accumulation layer cannot be formed by known ion implantation but also a dark current is further reduced. In order to solve the problem, it becomes necessary to form a hole accumulation layer in another method that is not based on ion implantation in the related art.
For example, there is disclosed a technique in which charged particles having the same polarity as an opposite conduction type are embedded in an insulating layer formed of a silicon oxide on a photoelectric conversion element having a conduction type opposite a conduction type of a semiconductor region formed within a semiconductor region to thereby pull up an electric potential of a surface of the photoelectric conversion section and form an inversion layer on the surface and as a result, generation of a dark current is reduced by preventing depletion of the surface (for example, refer to JP-A-1-256168). However, in the above technique, a technique of embedding the charged particles into the insulating layer is needed, but it is not known which kind of embedding technique is used. In addition, in order to inject electric charges into the insulating layer from the outside as normally used in a nonvolatile memory, an electrode used to inject electric charges is needed. Even if electric charges can be injected from the outside in a non-contact state without using an electrode, the electric charges trapped in the insulating layer are not detrapped. Accordingly, an electric charge holding property becomes a problem. For this reason, since a high-quality insulating layer having a high electric charge holding property is requested, it has been difficult to realize the insulating layer. | {
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Topical antimicrobials are currently prescribed by healthcare providers to prevent and treat a variety of serious skin infections such as impetigo, infected diabetic ulcers, venous stasis ulcers, infected surgical wounds, burns, acne, psoriasis and other topical infections. Increasingly, topical antimicrobials that contain antibiotics are not effective against microbes which have developed drug resistance (i.e., antibiotic-resistant microbes).
Drug resistance is usually caused by a mutation within the microbe. When a colony of microbes is subjected to a dose of an antimicrobial, most of the bacteria die. However, occasionally some microbes, by chance, harbor mutant genes that render them resistant to the antimicrobial drug; Not only do these bacteria survive the antimicrobial treatment, but they transfer their “drug resistant” genes to their progeny (one bacterium can leave approximately 17,000,000 offspring within 24 hours). As a result, a specific antibiotic or antimicrobial used to treat an infection caused by that microbe may no longer be effective. Furthermore, once a microbe develops resistance to a specific antimicrobial, there is the possibility that the microbe will concomitantly be resistant to the entire class of antimicrobials.
Certain antimicrobials, especially antibiotics, are becoming increasingly ineffective due to the rapid increase in drug-resistant forms of microbes. For example, mupirocin ointment (Bactroban®, SmithKline Beecham) is a topical antimicrobial used most frequently for treatment of impetigo. Mupirocin has been shown to be highly effective against Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, S. saprophyticus, and Streptococcus pyogenes. Unfortunately, microbes frequently develop drug resistance to mupirocin.
What is needed are pharmaceutical compositions useful in the prevention and treatment of infections and diseases which comprise an antimicrobial agent and one or more medicinal agents and which remain antimicrobially active in an aqueous environment, and more specifically an aqueous environment that contains sodium chloride. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Millimeter Wave (mmWave) devices are being utilized for high throughput wireless communications at very high carrier frequencies. There are several standards bodies such as, for example, 60 GHz wireless standard, WirelessHD, WiGig, and WiFi IEEE 802.11ad that utilize high frequencies such as the 60 GHz frequency spectrum for high throughput wireless communications. In the US, the 60 GHz spectrum band may be used for unlicensed short range data links such as data links within a range of 1.7 km, with data throughputs up to 6 Gbits/s. These higher frequencies may provide smaller wavelengths and enable the use of small high gain antennas. However, these higher frequencies may experience high propagation loss.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings. | {
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A coax cable connector is generally used to provide a simple connection to an externally threaded coax receptacle or jack. The connector contacts the outer conductor of the cable in order to conduct the outer conductor signal to the jack. The center conductor of the cable passes through the center of the connector to engage the center hole of the jack. A dielectric portion between the components of the connector that contact the center conductor and the outer conductor isolates the signals. In some cases, such as with miniature coaxial cable, the center conductor is too small to engage the center hole of the jack fully for good conduction of the center conductor signal. A step up pin may be applied to the end of the center conductor to increase the diameter of the center conductor; however, step up pins are conventionally difficult to manage, are easily lost, and may be difficult to apply to the center conductor. Further, step up pins tend to be easily damaged during handling. In some cases, the pin might be a fixed part of the connector. It is difficult to line up the center conductor of the coax cable with the pin in this case because the user cannot see the opening of the axial bore of the pin.
A number of U.S. patents are directed to coax cable connectors including U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,199 issued to McGeary. McGeary teaches a coaxial cable connector having a captive inner pin contact. The connector includes a tubular main body that is crimped over the cable braid of a coaxial cable. A crimp ring is provided inside the rear end of the tubular main body and secures the cable braid of the coaxial cable against a ferrule which is inserted between the cable braid and the cable dielectric prior to crimping. A cylindrical contact insulator is secured inside the front end of the tubular main body, separates the inner pin contact from the front end of the tubular main body, and secures the inner pin contact in combination with the insulator ring and ferrule. Threads are provided on the inside surface of the ferrule to hold the ferrule in position during crimping, to help provide positive contact to the tubular main body, and to captivate the insulator ring and inner pin contact. McGeary does not teach how the pin might be stored prior to assembly of the connector onto a cable. Nor does McGeary teach a step up pin having tabs or spring fingers for engaging the connector or the center conductor.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,863,565 issued to Kogan, et al. teaches a connector for receiving a mating plug, forming a constant impedance connection. The center conductor of the first plug is supported with a cap attached over a portion of the center conductor that extends beyond the outer conductor portion of the same plug. The mating plug has an outer conductor that projects beyond the inner conductor, and is made to receive the connector or first plug portions. Kogan thus teaches a pin having a larger diameter than the center conductor and supporting the center conductor. Kogan does not discuss securing the pin to the connector prior to assembly in a way that prevents the pin from being lost and that aids assembly of the pin onto the center conductor. Kogan further does not teach a step up pin with an enlarged cable guide portion or spring fingers and tabs for engaging the center conductor or the connector.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,445 issued to Bacher, et al. teaches a unitary three-vane support bead with a central conductor having an axial blind bore in each end. The smaller diameter end engages a center conductor of a coax cable. The central conductor is formed in place in the connector. Bacher does not teach a method of securing the pin to the connector prior to assembly in a way that prevents the pin from being lost and that aids assembly of the pin onto the center conductor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,672,342 issued to Gartzke teaches a coaxial cable connector assembly for connecting coaxial cables of different diameters, the assembly including a center conductor with a large diameter end and a small diameter end. Each end includes spring fingers for engaging the center conductor of a coaxial cable. Gartzke does not discuss securing the pin to the connector prior to assembly in a way that prevents the pin from being lost and that aids assembly of the pin onto the center conductor.
Therefore, a coaxial cable connector that provides storage and protection for a step up pin, and that provides a simple way to apply the step up pin to the center conductor is desired. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a contactor for an electric part, suitable for press contacting with an electric part such as an IC having a plurality of contacts.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a conventional contactor of this type, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Early Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 68-25467, a contactor main body comprises a movable contactor to be press contacted with an electric part elastically held by one end of a coil spring. The other end of the coil spring is supported by a stationary contactor, the movable contactor being pushed down by the electric part to compress the coil spring so that the movable contactor is elastically press contacted with the electric part by the elastic force thereof.
This movable contactor is linearly moved on its axis by the elastic force of the coil spring to realize the press contact.
However, the contactor thus constructed has problems in that, since the coil spring is interposed between the movable contactor and the stationary contactor as a means for press contacting the movable contactor to the contact of the electric part, the coil spring must be prepared as a separate part, and therefore the number of parts is increased, increasing the cost, and the reliability is low because the coil spring is disposed at a signal line.
It also has problems in that since the movable contactor moves on the axis of the coil spring merely to be press contacted with the contact of the electric part, in the case where a press contacting surface of the movable contactor or an abutment surface of the contact of the electric part is covered with an oxide film, contact between the movable contactor and the contact of the electric part becomes unstable, and therefore the reliability is low. | {
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Very high-frequency emitting radar antennas have been used in the detection of land mines or other concealed objects. As used herein, the term ‘very high frequency’ refers to radar systems employing at least some frequency components in a range in excess of 30 MHz. Moreover, while radar systems, and the invention described herein, may advantageously be employed for a wide variety of non-intrusive inspection (NII) applications; including, without limitation, narcotics detection, bomb detection, buried cable and pipe detection, motion detection, corpse detection, see-through-the wall technology, archaeology, geophysics, etc., the invention is described, herein, in terms of a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) system for the detection of landmines, with no intent of limitation.
In certain applications, such as those of GPR, proximity of the emitting antenna to the ground is known to be beneficial (particularly, proximity on the order of 30 centimeters or less) by virtue of reducing radar footprint on the ground and thereby improving the intensity of the signal that is reflected by the buried object. However, when the antenna is located near the ground or other objects, undesired reflections may appear between the antenna and the ground or other objects. Multiple reflections result in interference referred to as “clutter”. These multiple reflections are primarily a function of the following: distance between the antenna and the ground, the presence of other objects in the vicinity of the antenna, roughness of the terrain, the angle of the antenna, and the radar reflectivity of the antenna and its components. These multiple reflections interfere and mask the reflected signatures of the buried objects and are referred to as ‘clutter’. It is extremely beneficial to have system components that minimize this clutter. | {
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By “NOx specific reactant” herein, we mean a reducing agent that, in most conditions, preferentially reduces NOx instead of other components of a gaseous mixture. Examples of NOx-specific reactants include nitrogenous compounds such as nitrogen hydrides, e.g. ammonia (NH3) or hydrazine, or an NH3 precursor.
By “NH3 precursor” we mean one or more compounds from which NH3 can be derived, e.g. by hydrolysis. These include urea (CO(NH2)2) as an aqueous solution or as a solid or ammonium carbamate (NH2COONH4). If the urea is used as an aqueous solution, a eutectic mixture, e.g. a 32.5% NH3 (aq), is preferred. Additives can be included in the aqueous solutions to reduce the crystallisation temperature.
Urea hydrolyses at temperatures above 160° C. according to equation (1) to liberate NH3 itself. It also thermally decomposes at this temperature and above according to equations (2) and (3) resulting in reduction of NOx.CO(NH2)2+H2O→2NH3+CO2 (1)CO(NH2)2→.NH2+CO (2).NH2+NO→N2+H2O (3)
The NH3 can be in anhydrous form or as an aqueous solution, for example.
The application of NH3 SCR technology to treat NOx emissions from IC engines, particularly lean-burn IC engines, is well known. Several chemical reactions occur in the NH3 SCR system, all of which represent desirable reactions which reduce NOx to elemental nitrogen. The dominant reaction mechanism is represented in equation (4).4NO+4NH3+O2→4N2+6H2O (4)
Competing, non-selective reactions with oxygen can produce secondary emissions or may unproductively consume NH3. One such non-selective reaction is the complete oxidation of NH3, represented in equation (5).4NH3+5O2→4NO+6H2O (5)
Presently, urea is the preferred source of NH3 for mobile applications because it is less toxic than NH3, it is easy to transport and handle, is inexpensive and commonly available.
Early methods of using urea as a source of NH3 in exhaust systems involved injecting urea directly into the exhaust gas, optionally over an in-line hydrolysis catalyst (see EP-A-0487886 (incorporated herein by reference)). However, not all urea is hydrolysed in such arrangements, particularly at lower temperatures.
Incomplete hydrolysis of urea can lead to increased PM emissions on tests for meeting the relevant emission test cycle because partially hydrolysed urea solids or droplets will be trapped by the filter paper used in the legislative test for PM and counted as PM mass. Furthermore, the release of certain products of incomplete urea hydrolysis, such as cyanuric acid, is environmentally undesirable. Another method is to use a pre-injection hydrolysis reactor (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,968,464 (incorporated herein by reference)) held at a temperature above that at which urea hydrolyses.
It will be appreciated that at lower temperatures, below about 100–200° C., NH3 can also react with NO2 to produce explosive ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) according to equation (6):2NH3+2NO2+H2O→NH4NO3+NH4NO2 (6)
For the avoidance of doubt, the present invention does not embrace such reactions or the promotion of conditions which bring them about. For example, the reaction can be avoided by ensuring that the temperature does not fall below about 200° C. or by supplying into a gas stream less than the precise amount of NH3 necessary for the stoichiometric reaction with NOx (1 to 1 mole ratio). For cold start applications, measures to prevent water from contacting the catalyst can be adopted. These can include disposing a water trap, e.g. a zeolite, upstream of the catalyst to reduce the amount of water vapour contacting the catalyst until it is heated sufficiently. A water trap can also be positioned downstream of the catalyst, to prevent atmospheric humid air from travelling up the exhaust pipe. An electric heater can also be employed to drive off moisture from the catalyst pre-cold start. Such arrangements are described in our EP 0747581, (incorporated herein by reference).
In order to meet existing and future emission legislation, generally a vehicular exhaust system includes one or more components, such as catalysts. One of the legislated exhaust gas components is NOx. During normal operation, the exhaust gas produced by a lean-burn internal combustion engine, for example, includes an excess of oxygen and oxidising species. It is very difficult to reduce NOx to N2 in an oxidising or lean atmosphere. In order to treat NOx in lean exhaust gases, a component has been developed that absorbs NOx during normal lean-burn operation of the engine. This component is commonly called a NOx-trap and generally it includes: (i) an oxidation catalyst (e.g. platinum) to oxidise NO in the exhaust gas to NO2 in the oxidising atmosphere; (ii) a NOx storage component to store the NO2 e.g. as the nitrate. The NOx storage component is generally a basic compound of an alkali metal or an alkaline-earth, such as barium oxide; and (iii) a reduction catalyst, such as rhodium. It is possible, however, to use a NOx trap formulation in certain circumstances which comprises only the NOx storage component, or the NOx storage component and one or other of the oxidation and reduction catalyst.
Intermittently, the engine is run rich, e.g. by adjusting the moment of fuel injection into one or more cylinders, or by injecting a reducing agent, e.g. a hydrocarbon fuel, into the exhaust gas, in order to remove the stored NOx and reduce it to N2. This also regenerates the absorber for another store-regenerate cycle.
Another approach for removing NOx from a gas stream is by selective catalytic reduction (SCR), which comprises adding e.g. NH3 to the gas and passing the mixture over a catalyst effective to react the NOx and NH3 to nitrogen. Another approach is described in our WO 00/21647 (incorporated herein by reference) wherein NOx from a diesel engine exhaust gas is removed by absorbing it in a solid absorbent. The absorbent is regenerated by the action of a NOx-specific reactant.
Either such process requires careful control to avoid over- or under-supply of e.g. NH3, leading respectively to emission of NH3 or NOx. NH3 is an irritant and has an unpleasant odour and, accordingly, it is undesirable to slip NH3 to atmosphere. In practice this would mean positioning an oxidation “clean-up” catalyst downstream of the SCR catalyst or NOx-trap to oxidise slipped NH3 to NOx. Therefore, slipping NOx per se, by providing inadequate levels of NH3, or NH3 would have the effect of reducing the overall effectiveness of the exhaust system to limit emissions.
One problem associated with NH3 SCR technology is to maintain good NOx conversion when the exhaust gas temperature is relatively low, e.g. during extended idling or following cold-start. NOx conversion can be achieved using NH3 at temperatures as low as 150° C. using Pt-based catalysts, but the preferred delivery form of NH3, aqueous urea solution, does not decompose significantly below 200° C. Pt-based catalysts generate nitrous oxide (NO) according to equation (5) at above about 225° C.
Changes in engine test cycles have been introduced in the present Euro III standard and will govern Euro IV type approval of new vehicles. In particular, the new test cycles include the European Stationary Cycle (ESC); the European Transient Cycle (ETC); and a test for smoke opacity on the European Load Response (ELR) test. These cycles and tests include significant periods at low temperature. To attain type approval, a new vehicle will have to pass both the ETC and ESC/ELR tests.
It is stated in our WO 00/21647 that “If the [NH3 SCR] catalyst system is associated with the [NOx] absorbent, that is the absorber is ‘catalysed’, the catalytic material may be for example co-precipitated or co-impregnated or co-deposited with NOx absorbent or present as one or more sandwiched layers or as fine (e.g. 10–500 microns) particles on or in a layer of absorbent or among particles of absorbent”.
Elsewhere in WO 00/21647 we state that the point of injection of a NOx specific reactant can be downstream of the filter, i.e. upstream of the NOx absorbent and “in this event the temperature is typically in the range 150–300° C.”.
We have looked at putting barium (a NOx absorbent) on a cerium and iron-containing SCR catalyst, and the SCR function was significantly reduced, although the ability of the composition to absorb and desorb NOx was unimpaired. In our WO 02/068099 we demonstrate the principle of using NH3 (or urea) injection over a NOx trap catalyst to reduce stored NOx during lean running conditions. This arrangement is particularly useful for diesel applications. In WO 02/068099 we state: “Whichever [NOx storage] compounds are used, there may be present also one or more catalytic agents, such as precious metals, effective to promote reactions of NOx-specific reactant [including NH3] with nitroxy salt. Such catalysts are also known as SCR catalysts and can include iron/zeolite or V2O5/TiO2. Where the NOx absorbent and SCR catalyst are associated, in one embodiment they are segregated. By ‘segregated’ we mean that they should, at least, be supported on separate supports and can therefore be disposed in separate layers above and/or below the other component or in the same layer. Alternatively, they can be coated on distinct areas of the same substrate ‘brick’ or on separate substrates disposed within the same system.”
We have now found that it is possible to use a NOx absorbent disposed downstream of a SCR catalyst to prevent NH3 slip from an SCR catalyst and NOx and NH3 slip from the system as a whole. We have also found that it is possible to regenerate a NOx absorbent in a manner set out in our WO 02/068099 by intentionally slipping a controlled amount of NH3 past an SCR catalyst when the catalyst is above a pre-determined temperature. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a network device that is connected to a network and able to perform communication with a monitoring server via the network, a control method of a network device, and a storage medium that stores a program of implementing the control method.
Description of the Related Art
Recently, a system in which a monitoring server is connected with a network device via a network so that communication can be performed therebetween, and the monitoring server performs remote monitoring based on device information acquired from the network device is known.
In the system in which the remote monitoring for the network device is performed, the monitoring server acquires various information from the device. For example, the network device is provided with not only a user mode in which a user can perform an operation but also a service mode in which only a serviceman undertaking the maintenance of the device can perform an operation. In the service mode, service mode information indicating a state or a setting of the network device is acquired by the network device itself. Further, in a case where a trigger event occurs, the network device transmits the acquired service mode information to the monitoring server via the network.
In this remote monitoring system, in a case where a failure occurs in the monitoring server and thus the monitoring server is not able to communicate with the network device, it is wasteful for the network device to acquire of its service mode information. Further, under the situation in which communication between the monitoring server and the network device is disabled, if the network device transmits the service mode information, an unnecessary communication load is put on the network.
In a system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-086729, before a device transmits a packet to be transmitted to a destination, the device transmits a ping packet to the destination as a communication acknowledgement request, and a communication acknowledgement is performed between the device and the destination in advance. | {
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Utility poles support overhead power lines and various other utilities (e.g., mobile network antennas, street lights, traffic lights, power for train lines) and related equipment (e.g., transformers and street lights) to keep the cables and other equipment insulted from the ground and out of the way. The standard utility pole in the United States is about 40 feet tall and is buried about 6 feet into the ground. However, utility poles and other structures can reach heights of 120 feet or more to satisfy clearance requirements.
When there is a problem with the utility, a person often has to determine and fix the problem. While bucket trucks may be able to reach some utility poles and other structures, often bucket trucks either cannot reach the utility pole (e.g., cannot be driven into the area where the utility pole is) and/or the bucket cannot reach the height of the utility pole.
As such, a line worker is often needed to climb the utility pole or other structure. However, climbing a utility pole or other structure can be very dangerous. The line worker will often use a snap hook and carabiner. But these can be heavy, causing fatigue and the risk that the line worker just does not want to carry these, thereby foregoing safety. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to a technical field of a pressure intensifying master cylinder in which master cylinder pressure is intensified with fluid pressure regulated according to the input force applied through an operating means and, more particularly, to a technical field of a pressure intensifying master cylinder in which the input side and the output side are separately operated so that the input travel can be set freely without the influence of operation of the output side. In the following description, the term xe2x80x9cmaster cylinderxe2x80x9d will be sometimes referred to as xe2x80x9cMCYxe2x80x9d.
For example, in a conventional brake system of an automobile, a braking pressure intensifying device has been employed which hydraulically intensifies the pedal force on a brake pedal into predetermined magnitude to develop large braking pressure. The braking pressure intensifying device functions to provide large braking force from small pedal force on the brake pedal, thereby securing the braking performance and reducing the fatigue of a driver.
In the conventional braking pressure intensifying devices, a control valve is actuated by an input based on the pedal force applied to the brake pedal to develop hydraulic fluid pressure according to the input and the developed hydraulic fluid pressure is introduced into a power chamber, thereby intensifying the input at a predetermined ratio to output intensified pressure. A piston of a master cylinder is moved by the output of the braking pressure intensifying device so that the master cylinder outputs master cylinder pressure. The master cylinder pressure is introduced as braking pressure into wheel cylinders, thereby actuating the wheel brakes.
By the way, conventional brake systems employ various brake controls such as for controlling the braking force in a brake maneuver, for example, Anti-Lock Control (ABS), Brake Assist Control for assisting pedal force in the event of emergency braking, and Regenerative Brake Coordination Control for controlling the braking pressure produced by a service brake system when a regenerative brake system is used to develop braking pressure during the braking by the service brake system, and automatic brake controls, for example, a brake control for controlling the distance from another vehicle, a brake control for avoiding a collision with an obstacle object, and Traction Control (TRC).
Most of such brake controls are normally conducted in a brake circuit between the master cylinder and the wheel cylinders. However, when the brake control is conducted in the brake circuit after the master cylinder, it is required to prevent the input travel of the braking pressure intensifying device from being influenced by such brake controls, for instance, for obtaining better operational feel.
However, in a brake system in which a conventional braking pressure intensifying device and a brake master cylinder are combined, the travel of a piston of the master cylinder is fixed by the relation between the master cylinder and wheel cylinders. The travel of an input shaft of the braking pressure intensifying device i.e. the pedal travel of a brake pedal, depends on the travel of the piston of the master cylinder. Consequently, the travel of input side is influenced by the brake controls conducted in the brake circuit after the master cylinder. In the combination between the conventional braking pressure intensifying device and the brake master cylinder, it is difficult to securely and sufficiently satisfy the aforementioned requirement.
For changing the travel characteristic of the brake pedal as the input side to obtain better operational feel, the brake master cylinder and the brake circuit after the brake master cylinder are also influenced so that some change on the output side, for instance a size change on the master cylinder, should be required. By the change on the output side, the output characteristic of the brake system is influenced. This means that the overall change on the brake system is required, i.e. large-scale change is required.
It is further desired that the input side is influenced as little as possible by brake circuit which may differ according to the type or size of vehicle.
If the input side and the output side are just separated from each other to produce outputs regardless of the travel of the input side, the input side does not travel so that the travel of the input side can not be ensured.
For this, it has been conventionally proposed that a travel simulator is provided on the brake circuit after the master cylinder to prevent the travel of the input side from being influenced by the brake control after the master cylinder and to ensure the travel of the input side.
However, to add specially the travel simulator, many parts such as a travel cylinder and an electromagnetic shut-off valve used for the travel simulator are required, making the structure complex and increasing the cost.
There is still a problem that brakes must be securely operated in case of a fluid pressure source failure even with a travel simulator.
In an anti-lock control system, it is desired that when one or more braked wheels are in locking tendency, the braking force is controlled to cancel the locking tendency of the wheels. Further, in a regenerative coordination brake system, when the regenerative brake system is operated during the operation of the braking pressure intensifying device, the braking force produced by the braking pressure intensifying device should be reduced by an amount corresponding to the braking force produced by the regenerative brake system. In this case, it is desired to reduce the output of the braking pressure intensifying device to a value obtained by subtracting the output of the regenerative brake system from the output of the braking pressure intensifying device. In a brake system composed of a combination of a service brake system and a brake assist system, it is desired to increase the output of the braking pressure intensifying device to intensify the braking force produced by the braking pressure intensifying device in such case that brake assist operation is needed, for example, a case that a driver can not depress a brake pedal enough during the operation of the braking pressure intensifying device so as not to develop predetermined braking force.
When the brake control is performed in a brake maneuver just like the above case, the brake pedal is not influenced even with the travel simulator.
Further, in a brake system for controlling the distance from a front vehicle, it is desired to hold the distance constant by automatically actuating wheel brakes when the distance becomes short during running. In a brake system for avoiding a collision, it is desired to avoid a collision with an obstacle object by automatically actuating wheel brakes when there is a possibility of collision with the obstacle object. Furthermore, in a traction control system, it is desired to cancel a slipping tendency to ensure the secure starting by automatically actuating the brakes of the driving wheels when the driving wheel(s) is in slipping tendency at the starting.
As mentioned above, it is desired that the brake pedal is not influenced when the automatic braking is conducted even with the travel simulator.
Further, it is desired that such a system for controlling the braking force during braking operation or controlling the automatic braking can be manufactured with a simple structure.
Moreover, it is desired that the input-travel characteristic, the input-braking pressure characteristic, or the travel-braking pressure characteristic is allowed to be changed according to the condition of a vehicle or the like, with the structure remaining simple.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a braking pressure intensifying master cylinder of which the travel characteristic at the input side can be freely changed without the influence of the output side.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a braking pressure intensifying master cylinder with simple structure which can intensify master cylinder pressure to obtain large braking force when necessary.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a braking pressure intensifying master cylinder which can securely operate even in case of the fluid pressure source failure, and which can be manufactured to be compact at a low cost.
To achieve the aforementioned objects, the present invention provides a braking pressure intensifying master cylinder comprising at least: an input shaft which travels by input applied in braking maneuver; a control valve of which operation is controlled by said input shaft to regulate the fluid pressure of the fluid pressure source to develop fluid pressure corresponding to said input; a pressurized chamber into which the fluid pressure regulated by said control valve is supplied; and a master cylinder piston which is actuated by the fluid pressure supplied into the pressurized chamber to develop master cylinder pressure, wherein said control valve is biased by biasing force of a biasing means in a direction opposite to the operational direction of said input shaft and is biased by the fluid pressure regulated by said control valve in the operational direction of said input shaft, and said input shaft travels such that the force produced by the fluid pressure regulated by said control valve and the biasing force of said biasing means are balanced.
The braking pressure intensifying master cylinder of the present invention is characterized by further comprising a reaction chamber which can communicate with said pressurized chamber and into which the fluid pressure regulated by said control valve can be supplied, wherein the fluid pressure supplied in said reaction chamber acts on said input shaft against said input.
The braking pressure intensifying master cylinder of the present invention is also characterized in that said control valve has a valve spool which is slidably disposed to develop said regulated fluid pressure, and said valve spool is biased by the operational force produced by the fluid pressure regulated by said control valve and by the biasing force of said biasing means in directions opposite to each other.
The braking pressure intensifying master cylinder of the present invention is also characterized in that said control valve comprises said valve spool and said input shaft, said valve spool travels such that said biasing force and said operational force are balanced, and said input shaft travels depending on the travel of said valve spool.
The braking pressure intensifying master cylinder of the present invention is also characterized in that said control valve comprises said valve spool and said housing and said input shaft travels such that said biasing force and said operational force which bias said valve spool are balanced.
The braking pressure intensifying master cylinder of the present invention is also characterized by further comprising an electromagnetic shut-off valve for controlling the communication/isolation between said fluid pressure source and said pressurized chamber, an electromagnetic selector valve to be selectively controlled for allowing the communication between said pressurized chamber and said reaction chamber or restricting the communication therebetween by a relieve valve, and a controller for controlling the opening/closing of said electromagnetic shut-off valve and the selection of said electromagnetic selector valve.
The braking pressure intensifying master cylinder of the present invention is also characterized by further comprising a first electromagnetic shut-off valve for controlling the communication/isolation between said fluid pressure source and said pressurized chamber, a second electromagnetic shut-off valve for controlling the communication/isolation between said fluid pressure source and said reaction chamber, and a controller for controlling the opening/closing of said first and second electromagnetic shut-off valves.
The braking pressure intensifying master cylinder of the present invention is also characterized in that said fluid pressure source comprises a pump which is actuated when necessary to discharge hydraulic fluid, and an accumulator in which pressure exceeding a setting value is stored by said pump, and that said first electromagnetic shut-off valve controls the communication/isolation between said pump and said pressurized chamber, and said second electromagnetic shut-off valve controls the communication/isolation between said pump and said reaction chamber, and the communication/isolation between said accumulator and said pressurized chamber is controlled by a third electromagnetic shut-off valve of which opening/closing is controlled by said controller.
The braking pressure intensifying master cylinder of the present invention is also characterized by further comprising an electromagnetic shut-off valve for controlling the communication/isolation between said fluid pressure source and said pressurized chamber, and a controller for controlling the opening/closing of said electromagnetic shut-off valve.
The braking pressure intensifying master cylinder of the present invention is also characterized in that said fluid pressure source comprises at least an accumulator in which pressure exceeding a setting value is stored and is characterized by further comprises: a first electromagnetic shut-off valve for controlling the communication/isolation between said accumulator and said pressurized chamber, a second electromagnetic shutoff valve for controlling the communication/isolation between said pressurized chamber and said reaction chamber, and a controller for controlling the opening/closing of said first and second electromagnetic shut-off valves.
The braking pressure intensifying master cylinder of the present invention is also characterized in that said master cylinder piston is pressed by said input shaft to develop master cylinder pressure when no fluid pressure is developed in said pressurized chamber due to failure of said fluid pressure source even with travel of said input shaft in a braking maneuver.
According to the braking pressure intensifying MCY of the present invention having the aforementioned construction, the pressure intensifying function is contained in the MCY itself, thus eliminating the need for a booster such as a vacuum booster or a hydraulic booster as conventionally used. Therefore, the entire length of the braking pressure intensifying MCY can be shorter than the length of a combination of a MCY and a booster as the conventional one because of no booster. This also enables to facilitate the structure of the brake system and improve the flexibility for installation of the braking pressure intensifying MCY.
The input shaft and the master cylinder piston can be operated separately from each other when operated and the input shaft travels such that the fluid pressure regulated by the control valve and the biasing force of the biasing means are balanced so that the control valve can function as a travel simulator.
The pressurized chamber and the reaction chamber can be isolated from each other, whereby fluid pressure of the fluid pressure source can be supplied to the pressurized chamber independently from the reaction chamber. This enables the regenerative brake coordination control, the automatic brake control, the auto cruise compensation control, and/or the brake assist control.
The control valve has a valve spool and the input shaft travels such that the operational force produced by the fluid pressure regulated by the control valve and the biasing force of the biasing means are balanced, whereby the valve spool can function as a travel simulator.
By changing the pressure receiving area of the control valve on which fluid pressure regulated by the control valve acts and/or changing the biasing force of the biasing means, the travel characteristic of the input shaft as the input side can be freely changed independently from the output side, without influence on the master cylinder pressure as the output side of the braking pressure intensifying MCY.
Because the travel characteristic of the input shaft is not influenced by the master cylinder pressure, the operational feel is improved.
The travel simulator is built in the braking pressure intensifying master cylinder, that is, no external simulator is necessary, thereby allowing compact design of the braking pressure intensifying MCY.
When the electromagnetic selector valve is selected in the pressure-regulating position by the controller, the fluid pressure of the reaction chamber should be lower than the fluid pressure of the pressurized chamber by an amount corresponding to the relief pressure of the relief valve, whereby the braking pressure intensifying MCY can exhibit jumping characteristic.
The braking pressure intensifying MCY of the present invention may be applied to an open-center type MCY. In this case, when a predetermined period of time has passed after the input shaft starts to travel in a braking maneuver, the controller opens the second electromagnetic shut-off valve, whereby the braking pressure intensifying MCY can exhibit jumping characteristic.
The controller controls the opening/closing of the first and second electromagnetic shut-off valves based on information indicating operational condition of regenerative braking, whereby the braking pressure intensifying MCY is operated to coordinate the operation of the regenerative braking so as to obtain optimal braking force as a whole corresponding to the braking force generated by the regenerative braking.
Further, the controller controls the opening/closing of the first through third electromagnetic shut-off valves based on information for actuating automatic braking, information for controlling the operation of the braking for holding the vehicle to run at a constant speed, and/or information for controlling the braking for brake assist, whereby the braking pressure intensifying MCY is operated to conduct the automatic brake control, the auto cruise compensation control, and/or the brake assist control.
The braking pressure intensifying MCY of the present invention may be applied to a closed-center type MCY. When a predetermined period of time has passed after the input shaft starts to travel in a braking maneuver, the controller opens the second electromagnetic shut-off valve, whereby the braking pressure intensifying MCY can exhibit jumping characteristic. The controller controls the opening/closing of the first electromagnetic shut-off valve and the second electromagnetic shut-off valve based on information indicating operational condition of regenerative braking, information for actuating automatic braking, information for controlling the operation of the braking for holding the vehicle to run at a constant speed, and/or information for controlling the braking for brake assist, whereby the braking pressure intensifying MCY is operated to conduct the regenerative brake coordination control, the automatic brake control, the auto cruise compensation control, and/or the brake assist control.
According to the present invention, the master cylinder piston can be directly operated by the input of the input shaft when no fluid pressure is developed in the pressurized chamber due to the failure of the fluid pressure source. Therefore, the wheel brakes can be securely actuated whenever no fluid pressure is developed in the pressurized chamber due to the failure of fluid pressure source.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.
The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a touch panel in which a resin material including conductive balls for electrically connecting electrode-side terminal portions and circuit-side terminal portions is interposed between a substrate on which detection electrodes and the electrode-side terminal portions are formed and a circuit board on which the circuit-side terminal portions are formed and a method for manufacturing the touch panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
A so-called touch panel that enables a user to perform various operations using a finger is widely used as a display device of, for example, a multi-function mobile phone (smart phone) or a digital camera. In a general touch panel, fine metal conductor wires are provided on at least one surface of a substrate, which is a resin film, to form detection electrodes. In recent years, a technique has been proposed in which a groove formed in a substrate, which is a resin film, is filled with a conductive material to form a detection electrode (for example, see paragraphs <0076> to <0078> and FIGS. 5 and 11 in JP2011-513846A).
A detection electrode is electrically connected to an electrode-side terminal portion through a peripheral wire. The electrode-side terminal portion is electrically connected to a circuit-side terminal portion of a flexible print substrate (circuit board) provided on a substrate. At that time, an anisotropic conductive film which is made of a thermosetting resin including conductive balls is interposed between the substrate and the flexible print substrate, as disclosed in JP2013-61658A and JP2013-45439A. The electrode-side terminal portion and the circuit-side terminal portion are electrically connected to each other by the conductive ball. That is, the conductive ball becomes a conductive path from the electrode-side terminal portion to the circuit-side terminal portion. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
With the progress in the semiconductor integrated circuits, from LSI (large scale integration), VLSI (very large scale integration), to ULSI (ultra large scale integration), the integrity of the integrated circuits rises in an amazing rate. Taking DRAM (dynamic random access memories) for example, the increasing integrity in manufacturing extends the capacity of a single DRAM chip to step from earlier 4 megabit to 16 megabit, and further to 256 megabit or even higher. The increasing integrity of integrated circuits generates numerous challenges with semiconductor manufacturing process. Every element needs to be formed within smaller area without influencing the characteristics and operations of the integrated circuits. One important challenge is in the wiring technology for forming metal connections within smaller space with uncompromising electric characteristics.
In conventional semiconductor manufacturing processes, various methods have been developed, for making a contact window within a narrow space between the gates of the device like a MOS (metal-oxide semiconductor). A SAC (self-alignment contact) technology without using a mask is now widely employed in the semiconductor manufacturing processes. The SAC technology is applied frequently in making a contact window 24 between the gates as shown in FIG. 1e. FIG. 1a shows a semiconductor substrate 10 with a gate structure 11 formed upon. The gate structure 11 has a gate oxide 12, a gate electrode 14 formed above the gate oxide, and a gate electrode protection layer 16 formed above the gate electrode. The formation of the gate structure 11 is well known in the art of semiconductor manufacturing process. The substrate 10 is prepared for proceeding following steps like forming active regions of the integrated circuits and making connections. As shown in FIG. 1b, side wall spacers 18 are then formed around the gate by sequentially depositing and anisotropically etching a first insulation layer of silicon dioxide. An ion implantation using the gate structure 11 and the side wall spacers 18 as a mask is then performed to the whole substrate 10. The uncovered spaces between the side wall spacers are ion-implanted for forming active regions such as source regions or drain regions of the integrated circuits.
A second insulation layer 20 is then covered as an IPD (inter-polysilicon dielectric) layer as shown in FIG. 1c. The second insulation layer 20 insulates the gates and other non connecting regions from making a conductive connection. The second insulation layer 20 is generally formed by depositing a silicon dioxide layer. A photoresist layer 22 is formed on the second insulation layer 20 and portions of the photoresist layer 22 is removed, for defining a connecting region as shown in FIG. 1d. An anisotropic etching process employing the photoresist layer as a mask is performed to the second insulation layer 20. Since the etching process is anisotropic, a width of a contact window 24 are defined by controlling the etching of the second insulation layer 20, as shown in FIG. 1e. The process of forming the contact window 24 is a self-aligned etching process and portions of the second insulation layer is left aside the side wall spacers 18 as second side wall spacers 20b. Finally, a connection layer 26 of doped polysilicon or metal is then deposited to fill the contact window 24 as a conductive connection to the active region, as shown in FIG. 1f.
Referring to FIG. 1e, the contact window is formed by a self-aligned, anisotropic etching of the second insulation layer. With the low exchange rate of etchant at a narrow region like the contact window 24 and under the consideration of over etching, the second side wall spacers 20b are left from incompletely etching. The presence of the second side wall spacers 20b reduce the contact window width for making a connection. The reduction in the contact window width has a great influence on the design rule controlling the space between the gates. The contact window width becomes a vital limit in raising the integrity of the integrated circuits. In addition, in the aforementioned process, the steps of etching the first insulation layer and of etching the second insulation layer 20 must be carefully controlled. Over etching during the processes may expose the gate electrode 14 at the side walls. The undesired exposing of the gate electrode 14 causes current leakage and forms unexpected short connections with a connection layer formed later. The leakage and short connections decrease the reliability or even crash some devices of the semiconductor. The process must be well controlled, or the undesired short will reduce the manufacturing yield and increase the manufacturing cost. Thus a method is needed for providing better wiring technology in making wider contact window and reducing the space needed between the gates. A solution to the over etching problem is also needed for increasing the reliability and reducing the manufacturing cost of the integrated circuits manufacturing. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector which is used for, e.g., an eco-friendly car such as a hybrid car and an electric car, in particular, to a connector which may be potentially employed for a connection of a power harness used for transmitting a large amount of power.
2. Description of the Related Art
A power harness is used for connecting between devices such as between a motor and an inverter or between an inverter and a battery in, e.g., a hybrid car or an electric car, which has made significant progress in recent years, for transmitting a large amount of power. The power harness is at one end thereof provided with a connector in a two-block structure composed of, e.g., a male connector portion provided with a male terminal as well as a first terminal housing for housing the male terminal and a female connector portion provided with a female terminal connected to the male terminal as well as a second terminal housing for housing the female terminal (see, e.g., JP-A 2009-070754).
In recent years, all components in such an eco-friendly car have been reduced in weight in order to improve the energy saving performance, and to reduce the size is one of effective means for reducing the weight.
For example, a technique therefor is disclosed in Japanese patent No. 4037199.
Japanese patent No. 4037199 discloses an electrical connection structure for vehicle in which connecting terminals of plural phases of conductive member led from a vehicle driving motor are connected to connecting terminals of plural phases of power line cable led from an inverter for driving the motor, a connecting terminal of each phase of the conductive member overlaps a corresponding connecting terminal of each phase of the power line cable, an insulating member is arranged on a surface opposite to an overlapping surface of the connecting terminals, and the overlapped terminals of each phase are tightened and fixed to the insulating member in an overlapping direction (or a lamination direction) by a single bolt provided at a position to penetrate therethrough.
In other words, Japanese patent No. 4037199 discloses a connection structure in which plural connecting terminals and insulating members compose a laminated structure and the connecting terminals are fixed and electrically connected all together at contact points by tightening a single bolt in an overlapping direction while plural contact points between the connecting terminals as an overlapping surface thereof are sandwiched, and this kind of configuration is more effective than the technique of JP-A 2009-070754 in that downsizing is easy.
Furthermore, Japanese patent No. 4037199 discloses a structure in which the insulation members sandwiching a contact point between the connecting terminals are supported by a separately provided retaining jig to allow gaps between the respective insulating members to be kept, and such a structure is effective in insertability of the connecting terminal. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to a vehicle wheel for a pneumatic tire. The vehicle wheel has a rigid one-piece rim, and the tire is a belted tire having pull-resistant cores in the beads. The rim of the wheel has rim flanges which essentially extend radially inwardly. Seats for the tire beads are provided on the inner surface of the rim next to the rim flanges. Also on the inner surface of the rim, toward the central plane of the rim body, are arranged recessed portions the base of which has a diameter which is greater than the average diameter of the seats. Circumferential supporting surfaces for the tire are present on the outer surface of the rim.
In the event of a defect or failure, i.e. when the air escapes or leaks out of the tire, one is faced with the common problem that no matter how carefully one continues to drive, damage or even destruction of the tire is caused. This is primarily due to the fact that when riding on a flat tire, the difference between the rolling or riding periphery of the rim and the periphery of the tire produces unusually great friction which can result in thermal destruction of the tire. Due to the difference between these two peripheries, the tire beads periodically become detached from the seats, but are then pushed back during the course of further rotation of the wheel; the tire begins to "flap".
With known vehicle wheels, an aid to the resolution of the described problems is the introduction into the hollow cavity of the tire of a coolant or lubricant. However, this measure in very involved, and in practice has also not produced the desired results.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle wheel of the aforementioned general type which has improved characteristics with regard to emergency operation. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Package identification is a well-known method for inventory control. By providing a way to identify a specific package, manufacturers can track the construction process of a product, shippers can track a package from one location to another, and vendors can track the location of products. Bar codes are one established method for identifying products and the containers in which products are transported. Another established technology for identifying and tracking products is radio-frequency identification (RFID). RFID tags can include passive circuits in an integrated circuit (IC) that respond to a radio signal with stored identification or other data. The radio signal is provided by a “reader” (or “interrogator”) that commands the tag to transmit its stored data. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0204238 describes a variety of RFID-enabled devices. In this publication, the term “downlink” refers to communications from a reader to an RFID tag. The term “uplink” refers to communications from a tag to a reader.
RFID devices are also used for monitoring purposes, e.g., as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,268,680. This patent describes a tag unit having a transmitting unit coupled to wearable electronic banding material. An RFID unit with a writeable memory is coupled to the transmitting unit. The band can include one or more conductors (which can be an antenna) that complete an electronic circuit. A layer of the band can include the RFID tag IC. The RFID tag can be read to determine that it is operational. The tag can also return data indicating whether the band is still connected to the tag IC.
Capacitively coupled RFID readers, for example as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,236,316, electrically communicate with an identification tag to receive a unique digital code containing data relating to an object to which the identification tag is secured. The identification tag contains a transponder circuit that contains the unique digital code. The transponder circuits are typically constructed from integrated circuits and can be expensive for the intended tracking purpose. Moreover, the unique digital code is programmed into an IC on the tag in a silicon wafer fab, e.g., by laser-trimming each IC die before it is encapsulated. Since wafer processes are designed to produce large numbers of identical ICs, uniqueness requires a significant investment in programming equipment and in workflow equipment and processes to manage the ICs and guarantee uniqueness of the IDs.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,533,361 discloses a system and process for combining printable electronics with traditional electronic devices. Pre-provided electronic circuits on a substrate are electrically connected by an ink solution that includes conductive particles (e.g., silver particles). The conductive particles are used to form conductors that interconnect conventional integrated circuits and to print electronic devices with electronic functions on a conventional circuit board.
Updating an electronic memory from an external data source requires an interface (e.g., a reader) be located at any location where updating is desired. Moreover, the success of such an update cannot be determined when away from a reader. Furthermore, RFID readers are generally short-range, so it is difficult to use one reader for communications with widely-scattered RFID tags, e.g., in a large warehouse. It is also problematic to associate RFID tags to specific containers, for example by affixing the tag to the container, without error or confusion. Moreover, affixed tags can be removed and lose their effectiveness at reducing errors or theft.
There is a need, therefore, for an information-storing device that provides reduced process costs and parts costs, improved security and reliability, and a simplified process flow. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
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