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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exhaust gas purifying apparatus for an internal combustion engine, and particularly to an apparatus having a selective reduction catalyst which reduces NOx in exhaust gases under existence of a reducing agent.
2. Description of the Related Art
The NOx removing device for removing NOx in the exhaust gases using the selective reduction catalyst is shown, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2009-209765 (JP-'765). This NOx removing device is provided with the selective reduction catalyst and an aqueous urea solution (hereinafter referred to as “urea solution”) supply device for supplying urea solution as a reactant for generating a reducing agent, to the upstream side of the selective reduction catalyst. According to this device, a reducing agent supply amount is controlled by controlling an amount of the urea solution supplied to the selective reduction catalyst.
Even if an amount of the urea solution is maintained at a constant value, a suitable supply amount of the reducing agent changes corresponding to a change in the urea concentration of the urea solution. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the urea concentration. Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2007-163177 (JP-'177) and Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2005-337969 (JP-'969) disclose techniques in which a sensor (urea concentration sensor) for detecting an urea concentration is provided in an urea solution tank which stores the urea solution.
Further, JP-'765 shows a method for estimating the urea concentration according to the freezing point of the urea solution without using an urea concentration sensor. Specifically, the urea solution which is frozen by reducing a temperature of the urea solution in the tank and the freezing point of the urea solution is measured by detecting a temperature at which the frozen urea solution melts.
Further, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2008-546968 (JP-'968) shows an exhaust gas purifying apparatus in which ammonia gas is supplied to the selective reduction catalyst as a reducing agent. According to this apparatus, the ammonia gas supply amount is controlled so that a ratio of ammonia to NOx becomes optimal with suppressing an outflow of ammonia to the downstream side of the selective reduction catalyst.
As shown in JP-'177 and JP-'969, the apparatus using the urea concentration sensor invites a cost increase and an increase in weight and size. Further, the urea solution in the tank vibrates when the vehicle runs and air bubbles may be generated by the vibration. Therefore, detection accuracy of the urea concentration may deteriorate due to the vibration and the generation of air bubbles.
Further, the method shown in JP-'765 has a problem described below. FIG. 41 shows a relationship between the freezing point TSOL and the urea concentration CUR. As apparent from FIG. 41, it is correctly detectable that the urea concentration CUR is equal to the normal concentration CUR0 (32.5%) (TSOL=TSOL0). However, when the freezing point TSOL, for example, is equal to TSOL1, the urea concentration CUR may be equal to the concentration CUR1H higher than the normal concentration CUR0 or to the concentration CUR1L lower than the normal concentration CURO. Therefore, it cannot be determined which is the correct urea concentration. In general, it is considered that the urea concentration CUR changes in the decreasing direction. However, there may be a case where the urea concentration changes in the increasing direction depending on the using condition, or a case where the urea solution outside the standard is used. Accordingly, the urea concentration may incorrectly be determined by the method shown in JP-765.
If the deterioration in the detection accuracy of the urea concentration or the incorrect determination occurs as described above, there is a possibility that the control accuracy of the urea solution supply amount may deteriorate or an unnecessary fail-safe action may be performed.
Further, according to the apparatus shown in JP-'968, an ammonia gas flow rate is detected by a flow rate sensor, and a flow rate control valve is controlled so that the detected ammonia gas flow rate coincides with a command value. Therefore, the control accuracy of the ammonia supply amount may possibly deteriorate due to the characteristic variations or aging changes in the flow rate sensor or the flow rate control valve. | {
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The present invention disclosed herein relates to an apparatus for detecting bio materials and a method for detecting bio materials by using the apparatus, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for detecting bio materials by measuring surface absorbance variations of gold nanoparticles.
Biosensors are used to detect an optical or electric signal varying according to selective reaction and binding between an analysis-target assay and a biological receptor capable of recognizing a specific bio material. That is, biosensors are used to determine the existence of a bio material or analyze a bio material qualitatively or quantitatively. Materials such as enzymes, antibodies, and DNAs that can selectively react or couple with specific materials are used as biological receptors (i.e., sensing materials). Various physicochemical methods, such as a method of detecting an electric signal varying according to the existence of an assay and a method of detecting an optical signal varying according to a chemical reaction between a receptor and an assay, are used as signal detection methods for detecting and analyzing bio materials.
In a typical bio material detection method (label detection method), a specific antibody is labeled with a material such as a radioisotope or a fluorescent material, and then a corresponding antigen is quantitatively detected by measuring variations of radiation or fluorescence caused by a reaction between the specific antibody and the corresponding antigen. However, such a bio material detection method requires complicated processes and high process costs due to, for example, an additional process necessary for labeling a specific antibody with a fluorescent material emitting a specific color.
Therefore, recent research has been conducted on a label-free detection method that does not use a label material such as a fluorescent material emitting a specific color. That is, much research has been conducted on optical biosensors such as a surface plasmon biosensor, a total internal reflection ellipsometry biosensor, and an optical waveguide biosensor.
Generally, such label-free optical biosensors using surface plasmon, total internal reflection, or an optical waveguide are configured by an optical source unit capable of emitting light, a reacting unit adapted for reacting antibodies and antigens, and an optical detecting unit adapted for detecting an optical signal. Generally, a device such as a light-emitting diode and a laser is used as the optical source unit, and a spectrometer is used as the optical detecting unit.
However, in the case of using a spectrometer as the optical detecting unit, the sensitivity of the optical detecting unit may vary largely according to the direction of light incident on the reacting unit. Furthermore, to measure an optical spectrum, the optical source unit should be a frequency variable optical source unit, or the optical detecting unit used to detect variations of an optical signal should be a spectrometer. Therefore, very complicated optical systems are required for configuring the optical source unit and the optical detecting unit, and thus the manufacturing costs of a biosensor increase. | {
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A standard subscriber telephone transmits and receives over two or a pair of wires known as a subscriber line or loop. The data or voice is an analog voltage signal across the two wires and is known as VF. Status of the subscriber's telephone, such as Off/On Hook, Hook flash, Disconnect and Dial Pulsing is also transmitted over the two wires, as a combination of voltage and current signals and are known as DC signalling. The voltage and current signals or DC signalling are for status signalling and are sufficiently different from the voice signals so as not to be confused and unnecessarily interfere. The two wires from the subscriber's telephone are connected on the other end to a central office. The central office monitors the subscriber's line for the status or state of the subscriber's telephone. Depending on the status of the subscriber's telephone, the central office takes appropriate action. If the subscriber's telephone is Off Hook, then the central office will be prepared to receive Dial Pulsing and connect the subscriber's line to another subscriber's line so that voice signals can be exchanged between the two subscribers.
The standard analog telephone system represents signalling for loop-supervision which hasn't electrically changed in almost 100 years. All advances in the switching of telephone traffic had to be backwards compatible to the installed base of telephones.
Older telephone systems used saturable core reactors, line feed transforms, and other magnetic devices to monitor the Loop for Off/On Hook, Hook Flash, Disconnect and Dial Pulsing. The advantage of the magnetic device was its natural integration of noise spikes out of the signalling. The disadvantage of the magnetic device was its size.
Current Telephone Line-Card technology no longer employs magnetic devices in the loop for signal supervision; instead ASIC-mixed technologies and digital processing techniques are used to power the line and monitor loop current for the DC-Loop signalling. The Line Card has lost its natural ability to integrate out noise spikes as a result of not using a magnetic device for Line Feed.
Modern telephone equipment typically use fast computers for call processing. A Call-Processing State Machine is implemented in today's fast micro processors. Such a State Machine operates fast compared to the older relay-logic based machines. Thus, will react to noise pulses in the DC Signalling from the line card. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printer which can print particular characters in the positions designated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In conventionally known printers, a tabulation function to align the print start positions is provided so that the print start positions may be easily designated.
However, to print the particular characters in desired positions, it is necessary to confirm the length of the character string and the positions of the particular characters and to key them in. | {
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A variety of surgical procedures require the attachment of something relative to a surgical site. For example, in surgery relating to the skeletal system, it is often advantageous to attach soft tissue, suture, implants, and/or other items in or adjacent to a joint. For example, ligaments, tendons, fascia, other capsular material, and/or muscle may be attached to an adjacent bone to affect a repair of a joint. Such joints may include any joint in a patient's body such as the joints of the hands and feet, ankle, wrist, knee, elbow, hip, shoulder, and spine. For example, it is often advantageous to pass a suture through a portion of a bone to form a transosseous attachment to the bone. | {
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Serial ATA (SATA)-compliant devices, such as SATA hard disk drives and other SATA storage devices, are widely used in the consumer personal computer (PC) industry. The SATA specification generally describes a point-to-point interface between a host computer and an ATA device. Due to the large volumes driven by the consumer PC industry, SATA drives provide large storage capabilities at decreasing prices. However, SATA drives have only a single port for connecting to a single host, and the SATA architecture only supports one host with the ATA command set. This is acceptable in consumer PC applications, which do not typically require redundant architectures. In applications, such as storage networks for server-based and storage array-based applications, that require redundant data storage and/or access, a redundant array of independent drives (RAID) and/or a SAS system can be used.
SAS systems can maintain redundant access paths to storage devices, and are widely deployed in storage networks due to their performance and reliability. The SAS standard specifies a protocol stack that provides a serial physical interconnect that can be used to connect target devices and hosts together. It specifies the transport layer protocols, transport small-computer system interface (SCSI) commands, Serial ATA tunneling and management commands used to communicate between hosts and storage devices. The protocol is intended to be used in conjunction with SCSI and ATA command sets, as it reuses the physical interface of the SATA specification.
The SAS standard defines three basic components: initiators (or hosts), expanders, and targets (or peripheral devices, such as storage devices). SAS system components can include SAS hosts, SAS expanders, SAS devices, SATA drives, SATA port selectors and SATA port multipliers. The sum of all components used in a SAS implementation is known as the SAS domain. Initiators may be provided as an on-board component of a motherboard, or through the use of an add-on host bus adapter (HBA). Expanders are part of the service delivery subsystem and facilitate communication between SAS components. Generally, SAS expanders provide switching and routing functions to the SAS system components connected to them. SAS expanders allow multiple SAS components to be connected together to form a SAS topology. By creating two independent topologies, redundant paths between the SAS system components can be created.
As noted above, a SATA drive can be considered a SAS system component, as SAS expanders are capable of converting the tunneled SATA protocol (SATA Tunneled Protocol or STP) received from a host into a SATA serial interface compatible with a SATA drive. Due to their single-ported nature, SATA drives can only be directly connected to a single SATA host. To provide multiple hosts access to a single SATA drive, the drive can be connected to a SAS expander and then be available in a SAS topology. However, when connected to a SAS expander, the SATA drive can still only respond to one host at a time, requiring the hosts to coordinate access with each other. This process is inefficient. In addition, since a SATA drive can only be connected to a single SAS expander, that single expander becomes a non-redundant point of failure.
To address this, the SAS standard supports the use of a SATA port selector in a SAS topology. The port selector can connect to a SATA drive and to two SAS expanders, but, because the SATA drive is unaware that it is being accessed by two hosts, the hosts must coordinate their communication with the SATA drive. Since the ATA command set used by SATA drives is designed for a single host, a host must complete a desired operation with the SATA drive before relinquishing the drive to the other host. In other words, the host must ensure that the SATA drive is in an idle state before the port selector changes state. The port selector state is generally controlled by either side-band or protocol-based methods. Side-band methods require one or more electrical signals to be transmitted from the hosts to the port selector. Specific events, such as a rising edge on one of the signals, communicate to the port selector that it should change state. Protocol-based methods use a pattern of out-of-band (OOB) events to communicate a state change.
SATA port selectors allow 2 hosts to share access to a SATA drive. However, a SATA port selector only provides hosts with alternating, but still exclusive, access to the SATA drive. Storage applications are efficient if hosts are able to issue commands in close succession, and have the target receive and respond to those commands in a timely manner. While the use of SATA port selectors provides alternating access and redundancy, they do not provide concurrent access for multiple hosts and therefore detrimentally affects the system performance as it is wasteful of resources.
In addition to their single port limitation, SATA drives did not originally support command queuing, while SAS devices support Tagged Command Queuing. The SATA II specification extended the original SATA specification by defining a simple and streamlined command queuing model for SATA drives. This Native Command Queuing (NCQ) increases performance of SATA drives by allowing the individual device to receive more than one request at a time and decide which to complete first. For example, using detailed knowledge of its own seek times and rotational position, a SATA hard disk drive can compute the best order in which to perform input/output (I/O) operations. This can reduce the amount of unnecessary seeking of the drive's heads, resulting in increased performance and decreased wear, particularly for server-type applications where multiple simultaneous read/write requests are often outstanding. The SATA II specification provides a mechanism to identify these commands by a queue tag in a manner that is compatible with the original SATA specification. However, NCQ commands must still be issued as a contiguous series of frames to and from the target. This poses a problem for two hosts independently seeking access to a SATA drive.
Relying upon hosts to coordinate access to a single device causes difficulties on a number of levels. On one level, it removes the transparency of conventional SAS topologies, and requires that hosts interact with each other to coordinate drive access in real time. In a simple configuration, this may be possible, but causes problems if more than two hosts contend for a single SATA drive. Multiple hosts attempting to gain exclusive access to a single SATA target will experience long wait times for each request, which would not happen if they had simultaneous access. Further delays are caused during the switch over event as control of the drive passes from one host to another. These factors detrimentally impact system performance. On another level, coordination may require that hosts have knowledge of the configuration of a device, and base their access to the device on that knowledge. This makes replacing the drive with another device more difficult at a later date. As well, the coordination must handle error conditions such as when the device owner fails and/or disappears unexpectedly. | {
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(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the structure of the external cap of a spout assembly used in waterbed. More specifically, the present invention relates to an external cap with a hand grip which can be lifted up from a slot and rotated for opening or closing.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Summer is hot and humid most of the time. People go to the beach, turn on the air conditioning or the fan and spray water on the floor to relieve from the summer heat. In recent years, waterbeds are getting popular. The waterbed can cool down the body temperature and provide relaxation during sleeping. The pressure at the spout of the waterbed is high. Therefore, the structure of the spout assembly is very important. Water will be everywhere in the room if the spout breaks or leaks. The Inventor, after many years of experience working in the waterbed industry, has found that the spouts are recessed below the surface of the waterbed. The high water pressure tends to press recessed open area towards the center of the spout. Although the external cap is not affected, the pressure expands the area from which the fingers can no longer get in to turn the external cap. The external cap was then modified to have two lugs on the edge, from which two semi-arc sections are attached. The semi-arc sections can be lifted up and pressed together for turning. But this kind of joining the semi-arc sections with the lugs is not sturdy, and the Inventor also found two disadvantages on the application:
1. Due to the frequent usages, the semi-arc sections tend to protruded upward above the waterbed surface. This causes some inconvenience since the design of the spout assembly shall be recessed below the surface of the waterbed. PA1 2. If the semi-arc sections are not being used too often, then they tend to lean downward. This will make it difficult to lift them up for turning. | {
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It is known in the art of building structure heating to propel air, as by means of a fan, from a lower level to an upper level. Known systems of this nature, however, are deficient in that they require either continuous fan operation, which utilizes excessive amounts of energy, or constant manual intervention, which is both inefficient and time consuming.
In contrast, the system of the present invention operates automatically to lessen the differential of temperatures in upper and lower building levels. The system operates by redistributing the hot air that normally rises to the upper levels of a multi-story building to a lower level, thereby providing a more uniform temperature throughout the building.
It will be appreciated that such redistribution saves energy since the occupant of the building need not over-heat the upper level in an attempt to properly heat the lower level. It is not uncommon for temperatures between levels of a multi-story building to reach differentials of 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit or more. An occupant can therefore waste a great deal of energy trying to heat a building lower level to a desired temperature.
The system of the present invention obviates these problems and difficulties in an efficient manner. The system functions only as necessary and when necessary, being activated only when the temperature differential between an upper level and a lower level exceeds a first predetermined magnitude. The system automatically shuts down when such temperature differential drops to a second predetermined magnitude. | {
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There is a significant and growing need for the ex vivo creation of mammalian tissues for the augmentation or replacement of damaged tissues and organs. For example, cartilage cells produced in vitro may be useful for repairing cartilage that has been damaged in a knee injury or deteriorated by osteoarthritis.
The successful development of tissues created ex vivo depends on several factors. Such factors may include an adequate cell source that can be grown and differentiated into the desired tissue, a template that will promote cell adhesion and induce the deposition of extracellular matrix proteins, and a growth environment that will foster cell communication.
Different cells must possess different properties for proper functioning in the human body. For example, articular cartilage, or the cartilage that lines bones in joints, is firm and flexible connective tissue that is specialized to absorb and resist compression. Articular cartilage is protected by a nutritive and lubricating medium known as the synovial fluid of the joint. Cartilage is composed of chondrocyte cells, which occupy 10-20% of its volume, and an extracellular material that contains up to 80% water by weight.
The chondrocytes are enclosed within small cavities, called lacunae, generally in groups of 2, 4, or 6 cells as a result of mitosis and restricted cellular movement. The extracellular material consists primarily of large hydrated proteoglycan aggregates entrapped within a matrix of collagen fibrils. The matrix is predominantly made of type II collagen which forms a meshwork of high tensile-strength fibrils. The entrapped proteoglycans (also called mucopolysaccharides) are composed of a core protein that forms a backbone to which many glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains are covalently attached. The GAGs are high negatively charged molecules that encourage the binding of water and the generation of a large osmotic swelling pressure.
The mechanical behavior of articular cartilage is similar to that of a sponge. During rest, for example when a person is sitting or lying down, the osmotic pressure generated by the proteoglycan aggregates fills the tissue with water up to its maximum capacity. This swelling pressure is contained only by the resilient collagen meshwork. Under load, such as when the person is standing up or walking, the weight of the body compresses the cartilage, squeezing water out until the osmotic pressure generated by the polyglycan produces a swelling force (due to the bound water) equal to the compressive force across the joint. When the load is removed, the cartilage slowly swells back to its full extent.
In order for the tissue created in vitro to function properly, it must have the same properties as the native tissue, or tissue found naturally in the human body. For example, experimental evidence has shown that the application of mechanical stimuli to engineered chondrocytic constructs that emulate the forces applied to articular cartilage leads to the production of a more functional artificially-produced tissue. In other words, tissue developed using the application of mechanical loading is more similar in its content and mechanical properties to physiologic cartilage than tissue produced without mechanical loading.
The main types of mechanical loads that have been investigated include (1) hydrostatic pressure, (2) direct mechanical compression, (3) high and/or low shear forces, (4) forced perfusion, and (5) ultrasonic compression or shear wave induction. Each of these involves the application of actual mechanical stimulation to the cells growing in vitro. A persistent drawback of each of these types of mechanical stimulation, however, is the increased complexity of the system necessary to produce the mechanical load stimulus. This complexity is magnified when production systems are scaled-up for producing large quantities of tissue.
Thus, there is a need for a bioreactor and method for producing and maintaining cells that are similar in content and possess similar mechanical properties to physiologic cells on a large scale with reduced complexity. | {
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People like to communicate with each other; it is natural to share one's own thoughts, and it is entertaining and informative to learn from others. Individuals generally communicate most with their own closest real-world friends and colleagues, and sometimes with those friends and colleagues' own contacts. Individuals often also share other information with one other, such as digital photographs of children and events, gossip, practical tips, jokes, political opinion, etc.
The sharing of each of these types of information has been made easier in recent years due to the emergence of online social networks, which are online communities through which a registered user may form virtual relationships with other registered users (often only after both registered users agree) and then submit information that can be viewed by his/her respective acquaintances (and perhaps others). For example, a user can compose a social network post about his/her current activities or feelings, and that information may be displayed when that individual's social network contacts/friends access their own accounts on the social network. On some social networks, a user can “check in” at a venue (such as a bar or restaurant) to indicate to that user's social network contacts the presence of that user at the venue. Alternatively, a user may take a photograph with a smartphone and then post it to his/her social network profile. When social network contacts of the user log into the social network (such as by activating an application on a smartphone for reviewing content from the social network), they can often see such activity and/or content posted by their social network contacts, including the user. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a current collecting structure of a sealed rechargeable battery of high power.
2. Background Art
Various portable electronic apparatuses have been recently developed. As one important key device, a sealed rechargeable battery serving as a driving power supply has been studied. Especially, a light and small battery of high energy density such as a nickel-metal-hydride rechargeable battery or a lithium-ion rechargeable battery is used in various applications, for example from a consumer-oriented apparatus including a portable phone to a driving power source for an electric vehicle or an electric tool. Especially, the lithium-ion rechargeable battery has received attention as the driving power supply, and has been actively studied in order to increase the energy density and power thereof.
A conventional sealed rechargeable battery for an electric tool or the like requiring high power has a structure shown in FIG. 7A. Electrode group 12, formed by winding positive electrode 3 and negative electrode 6 through separator 11, is stored together with an electrolyte (not shown) in closed-end case 13 made of metal.
Positive electrode 3 has collector 2 and active material layer 1 applied thereon as shown in FIG. 7B. Collector 2 has exposed section 7 having no active material layer 1 at its one end in the width direction. Negative electrode 6 similarly has collector 5 and active material layer 4 applied thereon, and collector 5 has exposed section 8 having no active material layer 4 at its one end in the width direction. Positive electrode 3 and negative electrode 6 are arranged so that exposed sections 7 and 8 lie on opposite sides, and are wound through separator 11 to form electrode group 12. At this time, exposed sections 7 and 8 are exposed at upper and lower end surfaces of electrode group 12.
As shown in FIG. 7A, collecting plate 15 is connected to exposed section 7, and collecting plate 16 is connected to exposed section 8. In this state, electrode group 12 is stored together with electrolyte in case 13, and collecting plate 16 is connected to the inner bottom face of case 13, and collecting plate 15 is connected to a terminal of sealing plate 14. This structure is called a tabless structure. In the tabless structure, the current distribution becomes uniform both in positive electrode 3 and negative electrode 6, and the discharge characteristic of the battery improves. Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2000-323117 discloses the following structure. Exposed sections 7 and 8 are folded from the outer periphery of electrode group 12 toward the winding axis side sequentially to form welding faces of collecting plates 15 and 16, and collecting plates 15 and 16 are welded to the welding faces, respectively. This method ensures the connection between exposed section 7 and collecting plate 15, and exposed section 8 and collecting plate 16, respectively.
However, when exposed sections 7 and 8 are folded from the outer periphery of electrode group 12 toward the winding axis, the diameter of the large-diameter part becomes small in order. Therefore, the folded part gets wrinkled at each winding position, and hence it is difficult to form a flat welding face. When the exposed sections are folded to form welding faces and then pressurized in order to flatten the welding faces, collectors 2 and 5 buckle at positions between active material layers 1 and 4 and the folded parts. Therefore, the welding faces are not sufficiently flattened and are not sufficiently connected to collecting plates 15 and 16, and hence a target high rate discharge characteristic cannot always be obtained. The buckling may cause distortion in active material layers 1 and 4 to peel them away from collectors 2 and 5, or may partly break active material layers 1 and 4 to disable use of them for charge and discharge. Thus, the battery characteristics including the battery capacity may degrade. | {
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The present invention relates generally to cloud computing, and more particularly to policy-based cloud resource management.
Cloud computing defines an approach to providing scalable and distributed information technology (IT) services to a variety of users, each having a different user role. A cloud service provider owns, manages, and operates live cloud computing systems to deliver services to consumers, including third parties and end users. A cloud service consumer uses or subscribes to cloud services. A cloud service developer develops technical and business aspects associated with cloud services. Cloud service integrators provide composite cloud services to cloud service consumers by integrating and aggregating services offered by cloud service providers.
The relationships between the various cloud user roles take on a variety of forms. When a cloud service consumer enters an agreement with a cloud service provider, they are often billed for all cloud services they have requested, regardless of whether they are always being utilized. The cloud service consumer is simply billed for cloud services used until they expire or they are ceased, and as such, cloud service consumers are often billed for their consumption when they are not consuming the cloud service. Some cloud service providers offer subscription-based software as a service (SaaS) on a pay-as-you-go, metered basis, however, cloud service consumers are still charged for cloud services even when they are not being consumed. Take for example a cloud service consumer who is consuming a cloud service to enable them to design and build a software application. The development environment being used is the cloud service, and it has been established, maintained, and provided by a cloud service provider. At some point in time, the cloud service consumer wishes to promote their application through different environments from development, for instance into test, pre-production, and production. As the application moves through each phase of the cloud service, some aspects of the cloud service may no longer be in use (i.e., when the application moves to pre-production, development may no longer be in use). However, it is commonplace for the cloud service consumer to be charged for all phases of the cloud service unless the cloud service consumer explicitly ceases the cloud service. | {
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Forage choppers typically employ chopping "cylinders" which rotate at high speeds and cooperate with stationary shearbars to chop incoming crop stalks and the like into small segments. The relationship of the shearbar to the knives of the cylinder is critical to achieving proper severance and uniform length of chopped segments. Thus, it is essential that the position of the shearbar be adjustable with respect to the chopper so that accommodations can be made as may be necessary or desirable for wear on the part of the knives and the shearbar tending to militate against the quality of chop obtained. In some situations, however, the shearbar is located in an area in which direct access thereto is obstructed by adjacent equipment and structures, making adjustment difficult and tending to discourage proper periodic adjustment. Furthermore, the degree of accuracy and precision involved in prior adjustments has not been all together optimum. | {
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In the method of production of trichlorosilane (TCS), metallurgical grade silicon is reacted with HCl gas in a fluidized bed reactor, in a stirred bed reactor or in a solid bed reactor. The process is generally carried out at a temperature between 250° and 1100° C. In the reaction other volatile silanes than TCS are formed, mainly silicon tetrachloride (STC). Since TCS normally is the preferred product, the selectivity of the reaction given as the molar ratio of TCS/(TCS+other silanes) is an important factor. The other important factor is the reactivity of the silicon, measured as first pass HCl conversion. Preferably more than 90% of HCl is converted to silanes, but industrially lower reactivity can be observed.
The selectivity and reactivity will depend strongly on the process temperature when silicon and HCl is reacted. According to the equilibrium calculation the amount of TCS should be about 20-40% (remaining is mainly STC) in the temperature range given above. However, in practical terms a significantly higher TCS selectivity is observed, and at temperatures below 400° C. it is possible to observe TCS selectivity of more than 90%. The reason for this big deviation from equilibrium is that the product composition is given by kinetic limitations (formation of active species on the silicon surface). Higher temperature will move the product distribution towards the equilibrium composition and the gap between the observed selectivity and the calculated selectivity will get smaller. Reactivity will increase with higher temperature. Coarser silicon particles (lumps) can therefore be used when the temperature is increased and still maintaining close to 100% HCl consumption.
Higher pressure will favor a higher-TCS selectivity. Metallurgical grade silicon contains a number of contaminating elements like Fe, Ca, Al, Mn, Ni, Zr, O, C, Zn, Ti, B, P and others. Some contaminants will either be inert to HCl like Fe and Ca and will form solid, stable compounds like FeCl2 and CaCl2. The stable metal chlorides, will depending on their size, either be blown out of the reactor with the silane or be accumulated in the reactor. Other contaminants like Al, Zn, Ti, B and P form volatile metal chlorides, which leave the reactor together with the silanes produced.
O and C are enriched in slag particles of the silicon that do not react or react very slowly with HCl and tend to accumulate in the reactor. The smallest slag particles can be blown out of the reactor and trapped in the filter systems.
Many of the contaminants in metallurgical grade silicon influences the performance of the silicon in the process of producing trichlorosilane by reaction of silicon with HCl gas. Thus both the reactivity of the silicon and the selectivity can be effected both positively and negatively. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a solar cell module using a two-side incidence type solar cell capable of generating power by utilizing light incident from both front and rear surfaces.
2. Description of Prior Art
A conventional solar cell module comprises a plurality of solar cells 101 including a transparent front surface member 102, a rear surface member 103, and a transparent sealing material 104 sealed between the front surface member 102 and the rear surface member 103 as shown in a schematic cross sectional view of FIG. 10. Each of the solar cells 101 is electrically connected in series or in parallel each other with a conductive connecting member (not shown), and an output electricity is taken out from the module.
Glass is suitable for the front surface member 102. Particularly a reinforced glass having excellent light transmittivity and shock resistance is generally used. The rear surface member 103 comprises a metal film of aluminum or the like sandwiched between weather resistant resin films of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or the like so as to be weather and moisture proof and electrically insulative. PVB (polyvinyl butyral) capable of suppressing degradation of light transmittivity caused by ultra violet rays and EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) having excellent moisture proofness is mainly used as the sealing material 104.
A frame 105 of aluminum may be mounted around the module so as to improve the strength of the whole module.
It is preferred to increase an area ratio of the solar cells to the solar cell module in order to increase quantity of power generation in the conventional solar cell module. Thus, as shown in a schematic plan view of FIG. 11, solar cells having an approximately square shape are arrayed in matrix with little spaces of approximately 2-5 mm.
Meantime, it was found that power is generated not only by light incident from a front surface side of the solar cells but by light incident from a rear surface side of the solar cells, and the two-side incidence type solar cell capable of generating power by utilizing light incident from both of the front and rear surfaces has been developed.
A solar power generation system using the two-side incidence type solar cells is provided with solar cell modules -arranged on the ground or on a roof and comprising the two-side incidence type solar cells arrayed in matrix with little spaces to be close with each other. Scattered light which is incident to a lower side of the solar cell module and is irregularly reflected on the ground or a roof is incident to the rear surface side of the two-side incidence type solar cell.
In the above solar cell module, reflected light from a part shaded by a roof or from a ground is weak or less, and light is not incident from the shaded part to a rear surface of the two-side incidence type solar cell. Therefore, power generation efficiency per solar cell is not improved than expected, and reduction of cost by reducing the number of solar cells and reduction of weight of the solar cell module are not achieved.
This invention was made to provide a solar cell module having excellent output characteristics and manufactured at low cost without ineffectiveness as described above.
In order to solve the existing problems, the solar cell module according to this invention comprises a front surface member which is transparent, a rear surface member, a plurality of two-side incidence type solar cells arranged between the front surface member and the rear surface member, a connecting member which is conductive for electrically connecting the solar cells in series or in parallel, and a reflecting surface for reflecting light incident from the front surface member to a space between the solar cells which are adjacent each other and introducing reflected light to a rear surface of the solar cell.
In this solar cell module, incident light entered from a front surface member to a space between adjacent solar cells is reflected on the reflecting surface, and the reflected light reflected on the reflecting surface is introduced to the rear surface of the solar cell. Therefore, both of the incident light and the reflected light is incident to the solar cell, and power generation per solar cell increases as compared with the conventional solar all module of utilizing only incident light. Therefore, this invention can provide a solar cell module capable of reducing the number of solar cells necessary for obtaining same power generation as that in the existing solar cell module, having excellent output characteristics, and manufactured at low cost.
The reflecting surface is a scattering reflecting surface and is provided at least in a position corresponding to the space. Or, the reflecting surface is formed to be a recessed surface corresponding to the solar cell.
As described above, when the reflecting surface is the scattering reflecting surface, the incident light can be reflected slantly from the reflecting surface. Thus, the reflected light can be introduced to the rear surface of the solar cell effectively in spite of changes of an incident angle of the sunlight with time.
A ratio of areas of the solar cells to an area of the solar cell module is approximately 0.4-0.9. And, the solar cell has an approximately circle shape. With this structure, a solar cell module capable of generating greater power per module can be provided.
The reflecting surface is provided on a solar cell side of the rear surface member or on a rear surface side of the rear surface member. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connection method and a connection device for electrical connection of small portions, in particular, various portions in electronic parts, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to electrically connect the inner lead portion of a lead frame and a bonding pad formed on a semiconductor chip, a wire bonding method using a gold wire or aluminum wire is generally used. Recently, method of forming a bump on a bonding pad and electrically connecting the bump to the wiring pattern formed on a film carrier or electrically connecting the bump to the wiring pattern formed on the board as in TAB (tape automated bonding) or flip-chip bonding have been used. With the above methods, the bonding pad and the bonding wire, the bonding wire and the inner lead portion, and the bump and the wiring pattern are electrically connected to each other by metal bonding. Further, soldering is often used for electrical connection at the time of mounting of electronic parts on the printed-circuit board.
However, the wire bonding method has defects that the arrangement of elements formed on the semiconductor chip is limited and it is difficult to reduce the pitch between the pads. That is, in order to connect the bonding wire and the bonding pad to each other by metal bonding, it is necessary to apply a physical load such as heat, pressure or ultrasonic vibration to the connection portion. Therefore, when a semiconductor element is formed in an area directly under the bonding pad, the element may be damaged and the characteristic thereof may be deteriorated. Thus, the semiconductor element cannot be formed in an area near or directly under the bonding pad. Further, since the shortest distance between adjacent bonding wires is limited by the outer diameter of a bonding capillary, it is practically difficult to reduce the pitch between the pads to be less than 100 .mu.m. For this reason, the chip size of a semiconductor chip in which a large number of pads are required to be formed must be increased.
In a connection method using no bonding wire, unlike TAB or flip-chip bonding, a larger amount of heat and a higher pressure may be often applied to the connection portion than in the wire bonding method. For this reason, the elements formed in the semiconductor chip may be often damaged. Further, the pad pitch may be reduced to less than approximately 80 .mu.m, but since it is not preferable to reduce the size of the bump from the viewpoint of the mechanical strength, reduction in the pad pitch is limited. Further, since a large number of bumps and a large number of wiring patterns are connected at the same time, the heights of the bumps must be made constant and the connection position must be precisely determined. Thus, the connection method, such as TAB and flip-chip bonding, has been problems in that various conditions for connection may exist, that are unsuitable variation in the connection state and connection strength tends to occur, and it is difficult to maintain a stable connection.
Where electronic parts are mounted on the printed-circuit board, for example, and where the outer lead portion of the semiconductor device is connected to the wiring pattern formed on the printed-circuit board by soldering, solder must be previously attached to the outer lead portion. Further, flux or the like must be coated on a portion to be connected or to-be-connected portion. In addition, it is necessary to remove the flux by using organic solvent after the soldering is completed. Thus, the connection method using solder requires a large number of working steps, and the working efficiency and the reliability thereof is low. Further, since the organic solvent and solder vapor are harmful, environmental protection measures must be taken, thereby increasing manufacturing cost. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Excavation equipment with excavation buckets for digging and grading has been known for many years. The buckets themselves have been developed and refined over the years to increase the digging efficiency of such devices. Excavation buckets are typically adapted to backhoes. A backhoe is a type of excavation equipment which includes, generally, a tractor and an articulating, hinged arm assembly attached to the tractor. The arm assembly is mechanically interconnected at one end to the tractor and at its opposing end to an excavation bucket. In use, the bucket is extended away from the tractor, engaged with the material being excavated, and then drawn toward the tractor to scoop the material into the bucket.
A typical excavation bucket comprises, generally, a pair of spaced-apart side plates and a bottom plate joined along edge portions of the side plates to define a material-containing volume therein. A leading edge of the bucket, defined by the leading edge of the bottom plate, may be provided with a plurality of teeth for improved digging action. The rear of the bucket is provided with mounting plates defining holes for mounting the bucket onto the arm of a backhoe.
In this conventional configuration, the bottom plate of the bucket is a continuous plate extending from the front of the bucket to the rear of the bucket. The profile of the bottom plate is typically arcuate, defining a varying radius of curvature along different portions of the bottom plate. During use, the bucket is rotated by the backhoe arm while the leading edge of the bucket is forced into the material being excavated. The configuration of the bottom plate, and of the bucket generally, is such that the bottom plate slides relative to the material and provides little resistance to movement of the bucket. The leading edge of the bucket, at which the teeth are located, is typically the widest transverse portion of the bucket and the portion of the bucket that extends deepest into the trench. This configuration insures that there will be little or no interference between the bucket side plates and the sidewalls of the excavated trench or ditch.
Backhoes are particularly effective for digging trenches and ditches. However, the conventional backhoe bucket becomes difficult to operate when working near building foundations or other locations where buried building service conduits and pipes may extend from the building near the location of excavation. For example, electrical cables, either direct-buried or disposed in buried conduits, water mains, and gas lines, are often buried in the ground adjacent building foundations. When excavating with a conventional bucket near locations known or suspected to include buried objects, it becomes necessary to remove only shallow layers of material as the depth of the trench approaches the buried depth of the buried object. Failure to excavate with caution near the buried object could result in the excavation bucket snagging, rupturing, or otherwise damaging the structure, possibly with catastrophic consequences.
Further, when laying pipe or other conduit in excavated trenches, the final grading of the trench must be carefully and precisely made to ensure proper slope and foundation for the pipe or conduit. This type of operation is difficult to perform with a conventional backhoe bucket because the toothed leading edge of the bucket is not designed to remove shallow layers of excavation material or to permit fine-grading of material to be excavated. | {
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A source of illumination is used for lighting purposes. A linear light source may be used as a source of illumination to provide light in the backlights of display systems. In color transmissive display systems such as liquid crystal displays, the backlights are designed to provide light into the liquid crystal sheet. The light emanating from the liquid crystal sheet passes through a sheet of color filters. The color filter sheet allows only light of a particular color to pass through and blocks light of other colors. So, a significant proportion of light emanating from the backlight is blocked by the color filter sheet, reducing the efficiency of the display.
There exists prior art wherein a color display is lighted by column sources of light, each column carrying light of a particular color. A multicolored light source is needed so that light of various colors is coupled into the various columns. The multicolored linear light sources known in art are cumbersome and costly to produce. Thus, there is a need for a simple and cheaper multicolored linear light source.
A photoluminescent tube (usually known as a fluorescent tube) is used as a source of illumination for backlights in displays. A photoluminescent tube is made of a gas discharge tube coated with photoluminescent material on the surface of the tube. When a high voltage is applied across the tube, ionization of the gases occurs. These ions emit photons which hit the photoluminescent materials on the surface. The photoluminescent materials on the surface emit light of a particular spectrum. Photoluminescent material is any material which absorbs photons and hence emits photons. Photoluminescent materials include fluorescent materials, phosphorescent materials and scintillators. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to swimming pool controllers and more particularly pertains to a new swimming pool management system for controlling and monitoring various features of a swimming pool.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of swimming pool controllers is known in the prior art. More specifically, swimming pool controllers 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 includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,422,014; 4,224,154; 4,817,217; 4,657,670; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 273,033; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,238.
In these respects, the swimming pool management system 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 controlling and monitoring various features of a swimming pool. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Medical implant devices are often made from biodegradable polyesters, such as poly(lactide), poly(glycolide), poly(lactide-co-glycolide), and poly(caprolactone). Such devices can be implanted into a human or other subject to provide a wide variety of therapeutic benefits. The devices can help a bone to heal, deliver a drug, function as a fluid pump, stimulate electrical signals, as well as many other functions. Devices made from biodegradable polyesters provide the added advantage of being non-toxic and readily degradable and secretable from the subject once the lifetime of the device is over, or once the therapeutic effect is achieved. Biodegradable devices can be formulated so as to degrade over a relatively wide range of time periods, such as hours and up to months or even years.
Polyesters of biodegradable implant devices are susceptible to hydrolysis by water. Water can absorb into a device and thereby come in contact with the polyester even after a brief exposure of the device to a normal atmosphere. When water does come into contact with polyesters, hydrolysis is likely to occur. As a result of hydrolysis, polyesters break-down or degrade into smaller subunits of the polymer. Such degradation, induced by hydrolysis, severely affects a number of properties of the device, such as the mechanical strength of the device, cohesiveness of the device, or can even cause the unwanted release of a substance, such as a drug, that is present within the device. Residual moisture resulting from a process for preparing a device or moisture that is later absorbed into the device can thus reduce the shelf-life of the device and adversely affect device performance. | {
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In an electrical communications system, it is sometimes advantageous to transmit information signals (e.g., video, audio, data) over a pair of conductors (hereinafter a “conductor pair” or a “differential pair” or simply a “pair”) rather than a single conductor. The signals transmitted on each conductor of the differential pair have equal magnitudes, but opposite phases, and the information signal is embedded as the voltage difference between the signals carried on the two conductors. This transmission technique is generally referred to as “balanced” transmission. When signals are transmitted over a conductor such as a copper wire in a communications cable, electrical noise from external sources such as lightning, computer equipment, radio stations, etc. may be picked up by the conductor, degrading the quality of the signal carried by the conductor. With balanced transmission techniques, each conductor in a differential pair often picks up approximately the same amount of noise from these external sources. Because approximately an equal amount of noise is added to the signals carried by both conductors of the differential pair, the information signal is typically not disturbed, as the information signal is extracted by taking the difference of the signals carried on the two conductors of the differential pair; thus the noise signal is cancelled out by the subtraction process.
Many communications systems include a plurality of differential pairs. For example, high speed communications systems that are used to connect computers and/or other processing devices to local area networks and/or to external networks such as the Internet typically include four differential pairs. In such systems, the conductors of the multiple differential pairs are usually bundled together within a cable, and thus necessarily extend in the same direction for some distance. Unfortunately, when multiple differential pairs are bunched closely together, another type of noise referred to as “crosstalk” may arise.
“Crosstalk” refers to signal energy from a conductor of one differential pair that is picked up by a conductor of another differential pair in the communications system. Typically, a variety of techniques are used to reduce crosstalk in communications systems such as, for example, tightly twisting the paired conductors (which are typically insulated copper wires) in a cable, whereby different pairs are twisted at different rates that are not harmonically related, so that each conductor in the cable picks up approximately equal amounts of signal energy from the two conductors of each of the other differential pairs included in the cable. If this condition can be maintained, then the crosstalk noise may be significantly reduced, as the conductors of each differential pair carry equal magnitude, but opposite phase signals such that the crosstalk added by the two conductors of a differential pair onto the other conductors in the cable tends to cancel out. While such twisting of the conductors and/or various other known techniques may substantially reduce crosstalk in cables, most communications systems include both cables and communications connectors that interconnect the cables and/or connect the cables to computer hardware. Unfortunately, the communications connector configurations that were adopted years ago generally did not maintain the conductors of each differential pair a uniform distance from the conductors of the other differential pairs in the connector hardware. Moreover, in order to maintain backward compatibility with connector hardware that is already in place, the connector configurations have, for the most part, not been changed. As a result, many current connector designs generally introduce some amount of crosstalk.
In particular, in many conventional connectors, for backward compatibility purposes, the conductive elements of a first differential pair in the connector are not equidistant from the conductive elements that carry the signals of a second differential pair. Consequently, when the conductive elements of the first pair are excited differentially (i.e., when a differential information signal is transmitted over the first differential pair ), a first amount of signal energy is coupled (capacitively and/or inductively) from a first conductive element of the first differential pair onto a first conductive element of the second differential pair and a second, lesser, amount of signal energy is coupled (capacitively and inductively) from a second conductive element of the first differential pair onto the first conductive element of the second differential pair. As such, the signals induced from the first and second conductive elements of the first differential pair onto the first conductive element of the second differential pair do not completely cancel each other out, and what is known as a differential-to-differential crosstalk signal is induced on the second differential pair. This differential-to-differential crosstalk includes both near-end crosstalk (NEXT), which is the crosstalk measured at an input location corresponding to a source at the same location, and far-end crosstalk (FEXT), which is the crosstalk measured at the output location corresponding to a source at the input location. NEXT and FEXT each comprise an undesirable signal that interferes with the information signal. In many connector systems, a plurality of differential pairs will be provided, and differential-to-differential crosstalk may be induced between various of these differential pairs.
A second type of crosstalk, referred to as differential-to-common mode crosstalk, may also be generated as a result of, among other things, the conventional connector configurations. Differential-to-common mode crosstalk arises where the first and second conductors of a differential pair, when excited differentially, couple unequal amounts of energy on both conductors of another differential pair where the two conductors of the victim differential pair are treated as the equivalent of a single conductor. This crosstalk is an undesirable signal that may, for example, negatively effect the overall channel performance of the communications system.
Cross-connect wiring systems such as, for example, 110-style and other similar cross-connect wiring systems are well known and are often seen in wiring closets terminating a large number of incoming and outgoing wiring systems. Cross-connect wiring systems commonly include index strips mounted on terminal block panels which seat individual wires from cables. A plurality of 110-style punch-down wire connecting blocks are mounted on each index strip, and each connecting block may be subsequently interconnected with either interconnect wires or patch cord connectors encompassing one or more pairs. A 110-style wire connecting block has a dielectric housing containing a plurality of double-ended slotted beam insulation displacement contacts (IDCs) that typically connect at one end with a plurality of wires seated on the index strip and with interconnect wires or flat beam contact portions of a patch cord connector at the opposite end.
Two types of 110-style connecting blocks are most common. The first type is a connecting block in which the IDCs are generally aligned with one another in a single row (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,140 to Baker, III et al., the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety). The second type is a connecting block in which the IDCs are arranged in two rows and are staggered relative to each other (see, e.g. GP6 Plus Connecting Block, available from Panduit Corp., Tinley Park, Ill.). In either case, the IDCs are arranged in pairs within the connecting block, with the pairs sequenced from-n left to right, with each pair consisting of a positive polarized IDC designated as the “TIP” and a negatively polarized IDC designated as the “RING.”
The staggered arrangement results in lower differential-to-differential crosstalk levels in situations in which interconnect wires (rather than patch cord connectors) are used. In such situations, the aligned type 110-style connecting block relies on physical separation of its IDCs or compensation in an interconnecting patch cord connector to minimize unwanted crosstalk, while the staggered arrangement, which can have IDCs that are closer together, combats differential-to-differential crosstalk by locating each IDC in one pair approximately equidistant from the two IDCs in the adjacent pair nearest to it; thus, the crosstalk experienced by the two IDCs in the adjacent pair is essentially the same, with the result that its differential-to-differential crosstalk is largely canceled.
These techniques for combating crosstalk have been largely successful in deploying 110-style connecting blocks in channels supporting signal transmission frequencies under 250 MHz. However, increased signal transmission frequencies and stricter crosstalk requirements have identified an additional problem: namely, differential-to-common mode crosstalk. This problem is discussed at some length in co-pending and co-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/044,088, filed Mar. 25, 2005, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety. In addition, differential-to-differential crosstalk levels generally increase with increasing frequency, and conventional 110-style cross connect systems may not provide adequate differential-to-differential crosstalk cancellation at frequencies above 250 MHz. | {
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The present invention relates to containers for dispensing foodstuff, medications and the like and more particularly to a compartmentalized container having sealed therein a prefilled quantity of product to be dispensed.
There are available today numerous types of dispensing containers which are adapted in one way or another to house a prefilled dosage of product. One family of containers of this type employ container inserts which are filled and sealed with a product at one site and then inserted into a container specially designed to receive the insert. One disadvantage of this type of container is that separate manufacturing steps are involved in filling and sealing the capsular insert and thereafter inserting and securing the capsule to a container. It is also necessary to transport the container shells and the filled container capsules to a common site for assembly and in view of the relatively fragile nature of these items, considerable care and expense is required in order to prevent breakage. Another drawback is that when containers of this type are used in vending machines, it is necessary to compactly stack the containers and the container inserts tend to increase the overall container size thereby making them unsuitable for use in vending machines.
Another family of containers of this type comprise generally unitary containers which are sub-divided into compartments, one of which houses the dose of product and the other of which is provided to receive a liquid for mixing with the product. The major drawback of this type container is that relatively intricate devices have been employed to break the seal between the two compartments in order to effect mixing of the liquid and product thereby making these containers expensive. The particular devices employed are awkward and cumbersome to use and often times render the container unsuitable for use for many purposes. Moreover, if the containers are to be suitable for use in vending machines, the devices must be designed so as to enable compact container stacking without damaging the devices or the containers. Difficulties have also been encountered in effecting a liquid-tight seal between the two compartments so as to avoid contamination of the product yet permit rupture of the seal to enable liquid-product mixing. | {
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This invention relates to a circuit arrangement and an electrical appliance with a buck converter and an inductive load as, for example, an electric motor, a relay or a solenoid valve. A buck converter is known to include a diode, a coil and an electronic switching device switching the current passing through the coil on and off. The output voltage of the buck converter may be higher or lower than a supply voltage provided, for example, by a battery or a power supply.
The art knows of electrical appliances in which a buck converter produces from a supply voltage a dc voltage used for operating an electric motor. These appliances may additionally include an electronic circuit which is equally supplied by the buck converter.
Furthermore electrical appliances are known which have an electric motor adapted to have its speed regulated or to be switched on and off by an electronic circuit including, for example, a pulse duration modulator and an electronic switching device. In particular in battery powered electrical appliances of this type it may happen that when the electric motor is turned on the supply voltage drops at least temporarily to such a low level that proper operation of the electronic circuit is no longer ensured, causing, for example, a microcontroller to be reset.
From DE 42 37 843 a circuit arrangement for operating an inductive load is known which comprises at least one first and one second part winding. The circuit arrangement comprises a control arrangement and is operated from a dc voltage source whose voltage is not sufficient for operating the control arrangement. The part windings of the inductive load are utilized as autotransformer in order to thus generate a higher voltage sufficient to operate the control arrangement.
It is an object of the present invention to make sure that an electrical appliance with an inductive load and an electronic circuit functions reliably also under a fluctuating supply voltage, and to provide a circuit arrangement suitable therefor.
This object is accomplished in particularly simple manner by a circuit arrangement in which, according to the present invention, the buck converter utilizes the inductive load as coil. In an electrical appliance of the invention the buck converter supplies an electronic circuit but not the inductive load.
The present invention will be explained by way of an example in which the inductive load is an electric motor. In this instance the circuit arrangement of the invention has the particular advantage of requiring very few components in order to implement a speed regulation for the electric motor on the one hand, and a buck converter for stabilizing the supply voltage for an electronic circuit on the other hand. According to the invention not only is the electric motor used as coil for the buck converter, but also the electronic switching device used for speed regulation is utilized as switching device for the buck converter. To enable the buck converter to operate also when the electric motor is at a standstill, it is necessary to maintain a minimum current flow, chopped by the electronic switching device, through the electric motor, that is, the load needing to be powered by the electric motor has to be of a magnitude causing the electric motor to stop at this minimum current. On the other hand, care must be taken to ensure that the electric motor is not at any time operated at full power, that is, with the current not chopped, because otherwise the buck converter does not operate either. The permissible pulse duty factor of the chopped current to ensure satisfactory operation of the electrical appliance depends on the dimension of the electric motor, the dimension of a storage capacitor charged by the buck converter, and on the current consumption of the electronic circuit supplied by the storage capacitor. The pulse duty factor may be in the range of, for example, 0.01 to 100, and where small electrical appliance are concerned rather in the range of 0.05 to 20 or 0.1 to 10. | {
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Typically, a roll of wrap film wound on a paper core is stored in a paper rectangular-parallelepiped box, and a user cuts the wrap film to a desired length to use the wrap film. However, since a temporary holding member is generally provided on the front plate portion of a conventional wrap film storage box to prevent retraction of a remaining wrap film into the storage box, the leading edge portion of the wrap film remaining on the storage box side often clings to the front plate surface of the storage box. Also, the wrap film is made of a thin and transparent material. Thus, there is a problem that the leading edge portion of the wrap film is difficult to grasp in next use.
In order to solve the problem, there has been proposed a method for allowing a user to easily grasp the leading edge portion of a wrap film by making a hole in a portion where the wrap film is picked up or providing a cut in the portion and raising the cut forward (Patent Document 1). Also, as a method for lifting a portion of a front surface wall in advance, there has been proposed a method of forming a cut line such that its both end portions reach a fold line between a first wall and a second wall, the cut line forming a projecting member on the first wall portion of the front surface wall obtained by folding the first wall and the second wall, and utilizing a phenomenon that the first wall and the second wall will be restored to a flat state (Patent Document 2).
However, the method of making a hole described in Patent Document 1 actually has a small effect on allowing a user to easily grasp the wrap film. The leading edge portion of the wrap film may sometimes cling to a roll body inside the storage box through the hole, thereby adversely making it difficult for a user to grasp the wrap film. Also, when the cut portion is provided, there is a problem that an operation of folding and lifting the cut portion is left to a user. Furthermore, when a user picks up the leading edge portion of the wrap film together with the lifted cut portion, the storage box may be damaged from the both end portions of the cut portion and the cut portion may be torn away from the storage box. In the case of Patent Document 2, the projecting member is lifted in advance by use of the repulsive force of the material. Since the cut line of the projecting member reaches the tip portion of the front surface wall having the two walls adhered together, the projecting member is thus not torn away even when picked up together with the wrap film. The projecting member, however, can substantially freely move around the tip portion of the front surface wall as the center. Thus, when a film temporary holding member is provided on the projecting member, the projecting member is difficult to separate from the wrap film even by picking up only the wrap film, and the wrap film cannot be smoothly pulled out. Also, since the projecting member has a small width relative to the length of the front surface wall in the longitudinal direction, there is a problem that the effect of lifting the wrap film decreases when the storage box is kept for a long period of time with a lid body being closed. Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-113247 Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-274534 | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention generally relates to switching of the access path to a logical storage device in a storage system.
The technologies disclosed in Japanese Application Laid Open Nos. 2007-72571, 2005-202495, and 2004-227558, for example, are known as technologies relating to the switching of the access path to a logical storage device in a storage system.
According to Japanese Application Laid Open No. 2007-72571, an access path can be switched by changing both the multipath management software of the host and the storage path definition.
According to Japanese Application Laid Open No. 2005-202495, as a result of the migration destination storage system performing data migration from the migration source storage system after changing the host access destination port setting, migration with a host fault-tolerant system can be implemented.
According to Japanese Application Laid Open No. 2004-227558, a virtualization control device which is located between the host and the storage system is able to implement data migration and change the access destination device without changing the identification information with which the host identifies volumes.
According to Japanese Application Laid Open Nos. 2007-72571 and 2005-202495, the host is required to possess a function for changing the access path. The operation of changing the settings of the access path involves problems that differ for each OS (operating system) of the host.
According to Japanese Application Laid Open No. 2004-227558, there is no need for the host to possess a function for changing the access path. However, the virtualization control device is required to perform access path virtualization processing not only at the time of data migration but also during normal operation (when the host issues an access command to the storage system). Hence, in order to prevent a functional bottleneck, a high-performance virtualization processing circuit and processor must be installed. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Vacuum cleaners commonly employ a downward-facing nozzle to apply suction to a carpet or other surface being cleaned. A long-standing difficulty with such an arrangement, however, is the inability to clean effectively in areas very close to a wall or other obstruction. For example, the edge of a carpeted area where it meets the wall often forms a crevice which tends to collect dirt and debris that conventional nozzle assemblies have difficulty removing.
Vacuum cleaner designers have attempted to deal with this problem by positioning the ends of the intake opening as close as possible to the lateral edges of the nozzle assembly. Even when the nozzle assembly is made as thin as possible, however, the end wall of the opening and the end support for the roller brush always create a gap that prevents the cleaning action from reaching into the crevice. In some instances, designs have small channels that extend laterally from the main airflow opening and under the roller brush end supports in an effort to generate some suction along the edges of the nozzle assembly, but these solutions often must be quite limited in size or else they will compromise the ability of the assembly to generate an upwards suction force with sufficient airflow when moving over the floor in areas away from the wall. Alternatively, many vacuum cleaners are provided with a separate “crack tool” or “crevice tool”, which can be a flat, narrow nozzle that is mounted on the end of a suction hose. Although these tools usually work adequately, they add an additional step to the edge-cleaning process.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a vacuum cleaner assembly that provides an effective cleaning action along at least one lateral edge thereof so as to effectively remove dirt and debris along the junctures between the floor and walls or other obstructions. Furthermore, there exists a need for such an assembly to provide effective edge-cleaning without compromising the ability of the assembly to provide a vertical suction against floor surfaces when cleaning in areas away from the wall. In addition, there exists a need for such an assembly that is structurally simple, economical to manufacture, and durable in use. | {
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Vector control technologies for permanent-magnet synchronous electric motors (hereinafter abbreviated as “electric motor”) using an inverter are widely employed in industry. By separately controlling the magnitude and the phase of inverter output voltage, a current vector in an electric motor is optimally controlled, so that torque of the electric motor is fast and instantaneously controlled. Permanent-magnet synchronous electric motors are known as high-efficiency electric motors in comparison with induction motors because no energizing current is needed due to establishment of magnetic field by the permanent magnet and no secondary copper loss is generated due to no rotor current. For that reason, application of permanent-magnet synchronous electric motors to electric railcars has been investigated in recent years.
Subjects with controllers in applying permanent-magnet synchronous electric motors to electric railcars are to realize a stable field-weakening operation up to a high speed range and to achieve a stable transition to a one-pulse mode in which inverter loss can be minimized and voltage applied to the electric motors can be maximized. The one-pulse mode is an operation mode for inverters, in which an inverter outputs, as its output line voltage, square waves having a positive and a negative maximum rectangular voltages of 120 degree durations each that are repeated one after another with a zero voltage period of 60 degrees therebetween, in one cycle, i.e., 360 degrees.
The following method is disclosed in Patent Document 1 as a related prior art. A voltage setting unit is provided that receives a voltage fixing command and a voltage command calculated based on a current command. When the voltage fixing command is input, the voltage setting unit outputs a voltage command as a new voltage command by setting its magnitude to a predetermined voltage set value. A magnetic-field-direction (d-axis) current command is then corrected using a magnetic-field-direction (d-axis) current correcting value obtained by taking a proportional-integral control of the difference between the voltage command calculated from the current command and the new voltage command. A modulation index for the inverter is then calculated from the voltage command to control the inverter, so that a field-weakening operation is performed.
Patent Document 1: Japan Patent Application Laid-Open No. H09-84399 (see paras. [0023]-[0029]). | {
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It is known in the art that certain polymer structures lead to particular characteristics in the resulting polymer. For example, the presence of long chain branching may improve certain polymer characteristics, such as processability and melt strength. The presence of long chain branching in a polymer is typically characterized by the occurrence of polymer moieties of a length greater than that of any olefin comonomer remnant attached to the main, backbone polymer chain. In prior art techniques, long chain branching may be generated in a polymer by incorporation of a vinyl-terminated macromer (either added or formed in situ during polymerization) either by action of the polymerization catalyst itself or by the use of a linking agent. These methods generally suffer from incomplete incorporation of the vinyl-terminated macromer or linking moiety into the polymer, and/or a lack of control over the extent of long chain branching for given process conditions.
It is also known in the art that selective incorporation of particular moieties at the terminal ends of a polymer may produce polymers having particular physical properties or enable their use in specific applications. Significant research has been conducted into such syntheses and related strategies. Accordingly, controlling polymer structure is a topic of much research.
It is well known that acrylic polymers may be produced having a variety of different forms such as block copolymers, random polymers, and telechelic polymers. Acrylic polymers are used in a wide array of applications such as adhesive applications, and thus are of great interest to developers and formulators. Techniques are also known for placing functional groups at the ends of acrylic polymer chains in order to increase molecular weight. Modifying molecular weight and other characteristics of acrylic polymers enables adjustment of properties of adhesive compositions when such polymers are used therein. Although satisfactory in certain aspects, a significant need remains for producing polymers for adhesive formulations that have particular structures in order to provide desired end properties associated with the adhesive formed from the polymer.
As far as is known, currently known strategies do not enable precise placement of monomers with functional groups in particular regions of a polymer. Moreover, currently known strategies do not provide polymers having particular concentrations or loading densities of functional groups in select regions of the polymers, and particularly polymers having precise weight ratio concentrations of functional groups in different regions of the polymers. Accordingly, a need exists for such methods and for polymers having ordered architectures produced using such methods. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to hybrid motor vehicles and methods for their control.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hybrid vehicle powertrains are being studied as a way to improve the fuel efficiency of motor vehicles. Commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,719,080 (“Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicle”) to Gray, and commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/415,109 (“Modular Hydraulic Hybrid Drivetrain”), filed Mar. 8, 2012, which are both incorporated herein by reference, describe two examples of a hydraulic hybrid powertrain for a motor vehicle utilizing a series mode of operation. The series mode of operation on a hydraulic hybrid vehicle includes an engine-driven hydraulic pump which receives working fluid from a low pressure fluid source and pressurizes the fluid to a higher pressure. A high pressure fluid line (or other fluid connection) conveys the pressurized fluid to a hydraulic motor, where the pressurized fluid drives the hydraulic motor to provide useful work. An energy storage high pressure accumulator is fluidly connected to the high pressure fluid line, to (1) receive pressurized fluid from the hydraulic pump and retain the fluid in a highly pressurized state for energy storage purposes, and (2) provide pressurized fluid as needed to drive the hydraulic motor. Hybrid electric vehicle powertrains are also well-known in the art.
Efficiency and performance of hybrid motor vehicles are highly dependent on selection of effective vehicle control methods for governing the actions and interactions of the hybrid powertrain components (e.g., engine, pump, motors, valves, accumulators, and auxiliary systems for a hydraulic hybrid) within the vehicle. There is a need for continued improvements in vehicle control methods, to further improve the efficiency and performance of hybrid motor vehicles. Optimum vehicle controls for a hybrid vehicle can be significantly affected by factors such as vehicle weight and drive cycles. It is therefore beneficial to facilitate vehicle control adjustments responsive to such factors. | {
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The present invention relates to polymeric resins, for instance and more specifically to fluoropolymer and non-perfluorinated polymeric resins containing ionic and/or ionizable groups (also referred to as a “polyelectrolyte”), which are useful in a variety of products such as polyelectrolyte membranes and other thermoplastic articles. The present invention further relates to methods of making these resins as well as using these resins.
Perfluorocarbon ionic exchange membranes provide high cation transport, and have been extensively used as ionic exchange membranes. Polymeric ion exchange membranes can be referred to as solid polymer electrolytes or polymer exchange membranes (PEM). Because of the severe requirements for fuel cell applications, the most commonly used membranes, and commercially available, are made from perfluorosulfonated Nafion®, Flemion® and Aciplex® polymers. However, reports and literature describe these membranes as working well but show several limitations that prevent developing the technology further to commercialization. Additionally, they work better with gaseous fuels than with liquid fuels which may be mainly due to liquid fuel crossover that diminishes cell performance. A membrane's chemical resistance and mechanical strength are important properties for fuel cell applications. Indeed, the membrane is often subjected to high differential pressure, hydration-dehydration cycles, as well as other stressful conditions. Also, mechanical strength becomes important when the membrane is very thin such as less than 50 microns. Further, when used with fuel cells or battery applications, the membrane sits in a very acidic medium at temperatures that can reach 200° C., in an oxidizing and/or reducing environment due to the presence of metal ions and sometimes the presence of solvents. This environment requires that the membrane be chemically and electrochemically resistant, as well as thermally stable.
Currently, many fluorine-containing membranes can suffer from one or more of the following short comings: i) high liquid and gas crossover through the membrane; ii) heterogeneous blending between the fluorinated polymer and other polymers that leads to inferior properties; iii) insufficient chemical resistance in the presence of some liquid fuels; iv) poor electrochemical resistance; v) lack of heterogeneous distribution of sulfonated groups; vi) poor mechanical properties; and/or vii) poor thermal stability.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,952 to de Nora et al. relates to cationic membranes which have partly sulfonated tripolymers of styrene, divinylbenzene, and at least one of 2-vinylpyridine, 4-vinylpyridine, and/or acrylic acid.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,679,482 to Ehrenberg et al. relates to fuel cells incorporating an ion-conducting membrane having ionic groups. The polymer forming the membrane contains styrene which has been sulfonated using a sulfonation agent. The sulfonation can take place with the monomer or polymer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,668 describes a fuel cell containing a MEA with a reinforced polymeric ion exchange membrane (PEM) using Nafion® type polymers. The PEM is based on a fluorinated porous support layer and a reinforced ion exchange membrane with an equivalent weight of about 500 to 2000 and a preferred ion exchange capacity of from 0.5 to 2 meq/g dry resin. The porous support layer is made of certain PTFE and PTFE copolymers. The membrane is a perfluorinated polymer with side chains containing —CF2CF2SO3H. It is known from the literature that Nafion® type polymers can have mechanical failure in methanol fuel cells as well as problems with liquid crossover.
WO 97/41168 to Rusch relates to a multi-layered ion-exchange composite membrane having ionic exchange resins, such as fluorinated or non-fluorinated polystyrene based sulfonates and sulfonated polytetrafluoroethylenes.
WO 98/20573 A1 describes a fuel cell containing a highly fluorinated lithium ion exchange polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM). The PEM is based on an ion exchange membrane which is imbibed with an aprotic solvent.
WO 98/22989 describes a polymeric membrane containing polystyrene sulfonic acid and poly(vinylidene fluoride), which provides reduced methanol crossover in direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) use. However, the polymer blending process described does not provide an acceptable blend and the sulfonation steps are complicated.
Holmberg et al., (J. Material Chem. 1996, 6(8), 1309) describes the preparation of proton conducting membranes by irradiation grafting of styrene onto PVDF films, followed by sulfonation with chlorosulfonic acid. In the present invention, a sulfonation step is not required since the sulfonated group can be incorporated using a sulfonated monomer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,252,000 relates to a blend of fluorinated ion exchange/non-functional polymers. Specific examples include perfluorinated sulfonyl fluoride polymer/poly(CTFE-co-perfluorodioxolane) blends.
WO 99/67304 relates to an aromatic perfluorinated ionomer prepared by the copolymerization of sulfonated aromatic perfluorinated monomer with acrylic monomers. The sulfonated group that is present is in the fluorinated aromatic chain of the polymer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,025,092 relates to a perfluorinated ionomer wherein a VDF monomer is polymerized with a sulfonated monomer.
Moore et al., (J. Membrane Sci., 1992, 75, 7) describes a procedure for preparing a melt-processable form of perfluorosulfonate ionomers utilizing bulky tetrabutyl ammonium counterions as internal plasticizers to yield the desired melt-flow properties.
Boucher-Sharma et al., (J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 1999, 74, 47), describes the application of pervaporation of aqueous butenol solutions using a thin film composite composed of PVDF coated with a sulfonated poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) polymer. The polymer is then ion exchanged with quaternary ammonium cations having aliphatic substituents of varying chain lengths.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,011,074 relates to use of quaternary ammonium cations to enhance the ion-exchange properties of perfluorosulfonated ionomers.
Berezina et al. (Russian J. Electrochemistry, 2002, 38(8), 903), describes the effect of tetraalkyl ammonium salts on the transport and structural parameters of perfloronated membranes including Nafion®-117 and MF-4SK. They observe that specific adsorption of organic ions makes the water clusters of the polymers disintegrate and the elasticity of side segments diminish thereby significantly decreasing the proton conductivity of the polymer films.
Pasternac et al., (J. Polym. Sci., A: Polym. Chem., 1991, 29(6), 915) relates to the application of pervaporative membranes for C2-C4 alkanes, and demonstrates that when Nafion®-117 is treated with tetraalkyl ammonium bromides, the separation factor increases with increasing counterion organic chain length.
Smith et al. in European Patent No. 143,605 A2 describes a process where the membrane is cation exchanged with tetraalkyl ammonium ions and expanded by dry stretching to yield a membrane useful for electrolysis.
Feldheim et al., (J. Polym. Sci., B: Polym. Physics, 1993, 31(8), 953) shows a strong dependence of Nafion® thermal stability on the nature of the counterion. Metal salts and alkyl ammonium salts were studied. The thermal stability of the membrane is shown to improve as the size of the counterion decreases. This inverse relationship of thermal stability with counterion size is attributed to an initial decomposition reaction which is strongly influenced by the strength of the sulfonate-counterion interaction.
The neutralization of Nafion® by tetrabutyl ammonium hydroxide was further studied in various publications by Moore et al. See, for example, Polymer Chemistry, 1992, 31(1), 1212; Polymer Chemistry, 1995, 36(2), 374, J. Polym. Sci. B: Polym. Physics, 1995, 33(7), 1065, and Macromolecules, 2000, 33, 6031.
Furthermore, sulfonated acrylic or sulfonated vinylic polymers are described for use in superabsorbents, diapers, and contact lenses, for instance. (See J. Mater. Chem., 1996, 6(a), 1309 and Ionics, 1997, 3, 214.) However, such type of products has not been described for application as membranes for polyelectrolyte membranes and the like. All patents, publications, and applications mentioned above and throughout this application are incorporated by reference in their entirety and form a part of the present application.
Thus, there is a need to overcome one or more of these limits and to develop a membrane that can be used for applications in liquid fuel cells. More particularly, there is a need to develop a polyelectrolyte to make membranes directly from aqueous or non-aqueous dispersions or solutions. Also, there is a need to provide compositions and methods of synthesis as well as methods of using water or non-aqueous dispersions of polyelectrolyte having sulfonated or other functionalities. Further, there is a need to provide a method that is easier and environmentally friendly. In addition, those skilled in the art would prefer a polyelectrolyte membrane having a higher chemical resistance and mechanical strength. | {
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The center of gravity (CG) of a golf club head is a critical parameter of the club's performance. Upon impact, the position of the CG greatly affects launch angle and flight trajectory of a struck golf ball. Thus, much effort has been made over positioning the center of gravity of golf club heads. To that end, current driver and fairway wood golf club heads are typically formed of lightweight, yet durable material, such as steel or titanium alloys. These materials are typically used to form thin club head walls. Thinner walls are lighter, and thus result in greater discretionary weight, i.e., weight available for redistribution around a golf club head. Greater discretionary weight allows golf club manufacturers more leeway in assigning club mass to achieve desired golf club head mass distributions.
Various approaches have been implemented for positioning discretionary mass about a golf club head. Many club heads have integral sole weight pads cast into the head at predetermined locations to lower the club head's center of gravity. Also, epoxy may be added to the interior of the club head through the club head's hosel opening to obtain a final desired weight of the club head. To achieve significant localized mass, weights formed of high-density materials have been attached to the sole, skirt, and other parts of a club head. With these weights, the method of installation is critical because the club head endures significant loads at impact with a golf ball, which can dislodge the weight. Thus, such weights are usually permanently attached to the club head and are limited in total mass. This, of course, permanently fixes the club head's center of gravity.
Golf swings vary among golfers, but the total weight and center of gravity location for a given club head is typically set for a standard, or ideal, swing type. Thus, even though the weight may be too light or too heavy, or the center of gravity too far forward or too far rearward, the golfer cannot adjust or customize the club weighting to his or her particular swing. Rather, golfers often must test a number of different types and/or brands of golf clubs to find one that is suited for them. This approach may not provide a golf club with an optimum weight and center of gravity and certainly would eliminate the possibility of altering the performance of a single golf club from one configuration to another and then back again.
It should, therefore, be appreciated that there is a need for a system for adjustably weighting a golf club head that allows a golfer to fine-tune the club head to accommodate his or her swing. The present application fulfills this need and others. | {
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There are numerous steps in the development of any novel, desirable soybean variety. Plant breeding begins with the analysis and definition of problems and weaknesses of the current germplasm, the establishment of program goals, and the definition of specific breeding objectives. The next step is selection of germplasm that possess the traits to meet the program goals. The breeder's goal is to combine in a single variety an improved combination of desirable traits. These traits may include higher seed yield, resistance to diseases and insects, reducing the time to crop maturity, tolerance to drought and/or heat, altered fatty acid profiles, abiotic stress tolerance, improvements in compositional traits, and better agronomic characteristics.
These product development processes, which lead to the final step of marketing and distribution, can take from six to twelve years from the time the first cross is made until the finished seed is delivered to the farmer for planting. Therefore, development of new varieties is a time-consuming process that requires precise planning, efficient use of resources, and a minimum of changes in direction.
A continuing goal of soybean breeders is to develop stable, high yielding soybean varieties that are agronomically sound with maximal yield over one or more different conditions and environments. | {
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Crude oil, condensate and water produced from wells are typically stored in storage tanks located at or near the well sites. The storage tanks provide temporary storage, as the wells may produce at a slow or uneven rate. Periodically, when a sufficient quantity of liquids have been produced and stored in the storage tank, the liquids are discharged from the tank.
One such method of discharging occurs when a tanker truck visits the well or production site. The truck driver manually connects the storage tank to the truck tanker and discharges the tank contents into the tanker. Another method involves automatically discharging, via a pump, the storage tank into a pipeline such as a sales line, which in turn is connected to a larger pipeline or tanker truck.
For example, one common method is to use, a LACT (Lease Automatic Custody Transfer) unit to automatically discharge and sell the liquids. Most LACT units meter the liquids that are sold so that an accurate measurement is obtained. The TACT unit also operates one or more pumps to move the liquids from the tank to the sales line or tanker truck. The LACT unit operates automatically, with no human intervention needed.
The liquid often contains gas in liquid or vapor form. Gas flashes off of the liquid and rises to the top of the tank. This gas is considered a valuable product and is removed from the tank by separate gas processing equipment for sale.
As liquid is removed from the tank, the pressure of the gas above the liquid decreases due to the increase in gas volume. If the pressure of the gas falls too much, a relief valve on the tank opens to admit atmospheric air into the tank. This is done to prevent the walls and exterior shell of the storage tank from collapsing due to a pressure differential between the outside and inside. The storage tank walls, ceiling and floor are thin and cannot withstand a significant pressure differential.
While admitting air saves the tank from collapse, it has detrimental effects on the downstream gas processing equipment, which includes pipelines, compressors, separation and processing equipment. Air of course contains oxygen and this oxygen causes corrosion and other safety concerns in the downstream equipment.
The same problem arises with water storage tanks. Many wells produce water (typically saltwater), in addition to oil and condensates. Much of the water is separated from the oil at the well site. The water is then stored in a tank that is separate from the oil storage tank. As with the oil, gas flashes off the water and is collected for processing and disposal. A pump removes the water from the storage tank and delivers the water to a pipeline truce, for eventual disposal down a disposal well. The pump can remove the water from the tank too fast, resulting in an inflow of atmospheric air into the tank. This air enters the downstream gas processing equipment.
Thus, it is desired to minimize the admission of air into downstream equipment and in particular into the gas stream or gas circuit of the transfer system. | {
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The present embodiments relate to an arrangement for converting an analog detection signal from a magnetic resonance detection coil into a digital detection signal.
In magnetic resonance devices, local coils may also be used as detection coils. Such local coils transfer the detection signals to an evaluating device of the magnetic resonance device, where the signals are to be further processed by digital signal processing (DSP). Since the analog detection signals of the detection coil lie at the magnetic resonance frequency and are to be transported undistorted through the magnetic fields of the magnetic resonance device and through components of the magnetic resonance device without causing interference, coaxial cables with sheath current filters are used in order to transfer the detection signals to the evaluating device, where the signals are digitized and further processed.
WO 2006/048816 A1 discloses that the conversion of analog detection signals into digital detection signals may be carried out directly at the detection coil. For this purpose, an analog-to-digital converter is used. The analog-to-digital converter is arranged spatially within a detection region of the detection coil. In this way, bulky and costly coaxial cables are dispensed with. Active detection elements may be selected in the digital domain, so that analog switching electronics may advantageously be dispensed with. This also simplifies the use of the local coils.
One problem that arises with the corresponding embodiment of a conversion and transmission arrangement of this type is the digital signal transmission from the detection coil to a digital receiver of the evaluating device. The overall data rate used is proportional to the product of the signal bandwidth, the channel count and the logarithm of the signal dynamic range. These properties are limited by the available data rate of the transmission technology used.
The frequency bandwidth of the magnetic resonance signal is determined by the maximum gradient and object size. The bandwidth may reach an order of magnitude of approximately 1 MHz. In theory, it would thus be sufficient to use a sampling rate of 2 MS/s. However, in order to simplify the requirements placed on the prefilter for preventing noise-related aliasing, a sampling rate of, for example, 10 MS/s is used at the analog-to-digital converter.
In order to achieve the best possible signal to noise ratio (SNR) and the fastest measuring speed, the magnetic resonance signal may be detected with an array of a plurality of individual detection antennae of a detection coil, and processed simultaneously. For example, 128 active channels may be operated in parallel.
The signal dynamic range to be processed at an input of the signal chain (e.g., at the detection coil) extends from the thermal noise floor from the object being detected (e.g., a patient (−174 dBm/Hz)) up to a maximum level of approximately −20 dBm in a magnetic resonance device having a basic field strength of 3 Tesla. So that rounding errors in the digital transmission of the background noise does not increase significantly, at a sampling rate of, for example, 10 MS/s, a word size of approximately 18 bits is used.
This results, in this example, in a total data rate of 18*128*10 Mbit/s=23 Gbit/s. This represents an obstacle for the realization of wireless (e.g., radio) data transmission between the detection coil and the evaluating device.
Ways to reduce the transmission rate are being sought. A sampling rate of 2 MS/s is theoretically sufficient to be able to image the 1 MHz bandwidth magnetic resonance signal (e.g., the useful signal) without loss. German application DE 10 2011 006578.4 proposed that the digitized detection signal should initially be decimated to the lowest possible data rate. This is undertaken only after conversion into a digital detection signal by the analog-to-digital converter, since the useful dynamic range of the analog-to-digital converter in logarithmic representation behaves proportionally to the sampling rate. Thus, for example, at a sampling rate of 5 MS/s, the available dynamic range is three decibels lower than at 10 MS/s. In addition to this, given a severe reduction in the sampling rate of the analog-to-digital converter (ADC); a halved rate of 5 MS/s), the demands made on the analog filter may be met with extreme difficulty or not at all. For example, the useful signal from the detected signal downmixed to an intermediate frequency lies at 1.8+/−0.5 MHz. In that case, the “roll-off” (e.g., the step in the frequency response between the pass band and the stop band; at −40 dB) is achieved at between 2.3 MHz and 2.7 MHz, where the first aliasing band would occur. This requirement may not be achievable, with the result that decimation of the digitized detection signal to a lower sampling rate by a decimation filter is proposed. However, the requirements exist. For example, with the roll-off at 2.3 MHz-2.7 MHz, the filter portion of the digital decimation filter suppresses alias bands and noise aliasing. These requirements increase strongly as the degree of decimation rises. Therefore, an ever more complex filter with an increasing number of adders, subtractors (e.g., in cascaded integrator-comb filters (CIC)) and multipliers (e.g., in the general form of finite impulse response (FIR) filters) is provided. Taking account of the available FGPA resources and, above all, the energy utilization, the limits of feasibility are quickly reached. Added hereto is that, with regard to the emission of interference signals, the smallest possible number of digital operations close to the magnetic resonance detection antennae of the detection coil is a goal. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a nuclide identification method, a nuclide identification system, and a photoneutron emitter for identifying a nuclide, and in particular, to a method, a system, and a photoneutron emitter which are configured to identify a fissile nuclide such as 233U, 235U, and 239Pu.
2. Description of the Related Art
In safety inspection, it is very important to inspect a fissile nuclide. The so-called fissile nuclide mainly indicates nuclides, such as 233U, 235U, and 239Pu, that can be induced to split by thermal neutrons. | {
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An electronic overload relay detects a load current of a motor by a current detecting device (such as a CT), and if a detected load current exceeds a set value, the electronic overload relay flows operating current to a polarized electromagnet from a current detection circuit, and performs a trip operation for opening and closing a control circuit contact.
By the trip operation, a normally-open contact (contact a) is closed to turn on an indicator lamp, and a normally-closed contact (contact b) is opened to release excitation of an electromagnet of an electromagnetic contactor of a load circuit of a motor, thereby blocking the load circuit to prevent an accident such as burnout of the motor. After the trip operation, to restart the motor, it is necessary to perform a reset operation for returning the overload relay to a state before the trip operation (a state where the normally-open contact is opened and the normally-closed contact is closed).
The reset operation includes a manual reset operation that is performed by operating a reset bar, and an automatic reset operation that is performed by operating a polarized electromagnet using operating current output from a current detection circuit after a predetermined time is elapsed after the trip operation. This reset operation has to be performed after the cause of the overload of the load circuit of the motor is eliminated.
The overload relay needs a trip free function capable of performing a trip operation without any problem when an overload of the motor (load) is detected by a current detecting device even when an electric wire hits the reset bar for some sort of reason and the reset operation is performed, a manual/automatic switching function of the reset operation, and a function for prohibiting the reset operation for a predetermined time after the trip to prohibit the motor from restarting before the motor is cooled or the motor is recovered from its abnormal condition.
As a conventional overload relay having these three functions, there is an overload relay including a polarized electromagnet having a permanent magnet and a coil in a magnetic circuit, in which an armature is attracted and held in a reset position against a spring force by a magnetic field of the permanent magnet, and a magnetic field in a direction opposite to the permanent magnet is generated when an overload is detected, a contact mechanism that is operated in association with an armature, and a reset bar that returns the released armature to the reset position. This overload relay includes an inversion mechanism that is alternately inverted to a reset side and a trip side when crossing a dead center of a spring function, thereby switching the contact mechanism, the inversion mechanism is pushed by the released armature to invert the inversion mechanism to the trip side from the reset side, the inversion mechanism that is inverted to the trip side is pushed by the reset bar toward the reset side, and when the armature is released when an overload is detected, the coil is energized such that a magnetic field is generated in the same direction as the permanent magnet after a predetermined time is elapsed, the released armature is returned to the reset position and then, the reset bar is pushed, thereby inverting the inversion mechanism to the reset side (for example, see Patent Document 1).
According to this overload relay, the reset bar can be locked in its pushed-in state, and when the inversion mechanism is pushed toward the trip side by the armature in the pushed-in state, the inversion mechanism is prevented from inverting by the reset bar before crossing the dead center so that the automatic resetting can be performed. Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-022203 | {
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Over the years, electronic device manufacturing has developed into a highly sophisticated and automated technology. In some instances, however, operators still perform manual assembly operations. One such operation is a heat-seal operation for packaging a dual-in-line package (DIP) integrated circuit formed on a ceramic substrate. During the heat-seal operation, a plastic cap is placed and sealed against the active (or circuit) side of a rectangular ceramic circuit substrate. Outward extending leads are cut from a frame and are bent down against the edges of the plastic cap to form the typical shape of the DIP. Prior to the heat-seal operation, the ceramic substrate is bonded to the horizontally extending leads of a lead frame. The lead frame is, in a preferred handling technique, one in a short strip of eight frames cut from a strip of indefinite length.
The heat-seal caps are rectangular caps of the same size as the DIPs. Tabs extend perpendicularly from the caps along the two longer edges thereof to fit between the leads and to become formed around the edges of the ceramic substrate. In the previously mentioned heat-seal operation, eight of the caps are placed manually into eight spaced nests which correspond in their spacing precisely to the spacing of the lead frames in the strip of lead frames. A respective lead frame is then placed over the caps. A subsequent operation seals the caps to the substrates, cuts the leads from the frames and forms the leads after cutting into the typical DIP configuration.
Placing eight of the caps into the respective nests has been found to be time consuming and cumbersome. However, because of a desirably precise spacing of the caps as determined by the spacing of the lead frames in the strip, the loading operation of the caps has, in the past, remained a manual one. | {
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Location information is becoming more important and prevalent.
In one example application of the use of location information, carriers, shippers, freight hauling services providers, third-party logistics service providers and courier services providers as well as other logistics and freight service providers (freight hauling) benefit from monitoring the location of vehicles in their fleets or under contract. Monitoring the location of vehicles helps improve efficiency because it allows for real-time or near real-time decision making when matching loads with vehicles. For example, by monitoring the location of fleet vehicles, a dispatcher may better understand which vehicle is the most appropriate (e.g., geographically closest, appropriate size, etc.) to send to a location for a load pickup. Conventional systems for monitoring vehicle location have relied on global positioning systems (GPS) to provide the vehicle's location. These systems require a GPS receiver to be installed in each vehicle. Moreover, some of these systems require the installation of additional dedicated equipment in each vehicle.
In addition, at least in part due to limitations of conventional systems for monitoring vehicle location, a common practice in the vehicle location monitoring services industry is to charge a user a standard flat monthly fee for monitoring services. This practice may represent a substantial cost to a user or organization that, for example, may wish to monitor a relatively small number of vehicles or a relatively small number of loads for a relatively short amount of time. | {
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Field effect transistors are comprised of a pair of diffusion regions, referred to as a source and a drain, spaced apart within a semiconductive substrate. Such include a gate provided adjacent the separation region and between the diffusion regions for imparting an electric field to enable current to flow between the diffusion regions. The substrate area adjacent the gate and between the diffusion regions is referred to as the channel. The semiconductive substrate typically comprises a bulk monocrystalline silicon substrate having a light conductivity dopant impurity concentration. Alternately, the substrate can be provided in the form of a thin layer of lightly doped semiconductive material over an underlying insulating layer. Such are commonly referred to as semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) constructions.
Integrated circuitry fabrication technology continues to strive to increase circuit density, and thereby minimize the size and channel lengths of field effect transistors. Improvements in technology have resulted in reduction of field effect transistor size from long-channel devices (i.e., channel lengths greater than 2 microns) to short-channel devices (i.e., channel lengths less than 2 microns).
As field effect transistor channel lengths (i.e., gate widths) became smaller than about 3 microns, so-called short channel effects began to become increasingly significant. As a result, device design and consequently process technology had to be modified to take these effects into account so that optimum device performance could continue to be obtained. For example, as device dimensions are reduced and the supply voltage remains constant, the lateral electric field generated within the substrate increases. If the field becomes strong enough, it can give rise to so-called hot-carrier effects. This becomes a significant problem with channel lengths smaller than 1.5 microns. Hot-carrier effects cause unacceptable performance degradation in n-type transistor devices built with conventional drain structures if their channel lengths are less than 2 microns.
A preferred method of overcoming this problem is to provide lightly doped drain (LDD) regions within the substrate relative to the channel region in advance of the source and drain regions. The LDD regions are provided to be lighter conductively doped (i.e., less concentration) than the source and drain regions. This facilitates sharing of the voltage drop by the drain in the channel, as opposed to the stark voltage drop at the channel occurring in non-LDD n-type transistors. The LDD regions absorb some of the voltage drop potential into the drain, thus effectively eliminating hot carrier effects. As a result, the stability of the device is increased.
However, further shrinking of the gate width (i.e., shorter channel length) makes the LDD region of a conventional transistor less effective. For example, shorter channel lengths require the LDD length to be reduced to ensure sufficient semiconductive material between the diffusion regions to prevent conductance when the gate voltage is off. One way of attending to such problems is to displace the predominant portion of the source and drain regions outwardly away from the substrate by elevating them. For example, a thin (e.g., 200-nm) epitaxial layer of monocrystalline silicon can be selectively grown from an exposed monocrystalline source and drain substrate areas within an epi reactor, and provided with sufficiently high conductivity doping to effectively provide source and drain regions. The lighter doped LDD regions can be provided within the substrate immediately below the elevated source and drain. Thus, a channel of sufficient length is effectively provided despite the smaller width gate.
One preferred prior art method for providing elevated sources and drains is to first provide a contact opening within an insulating dielectric layer immediately adjacent a word line over the desired source and drain regions. The word line is encapsulated in an insulative nitride material, with the insulating dielectric layer through which the contact openings are provided comprising borophosphosilicate (BPSG). Ideally, etch chemistry for the contact etching through the BPSG layer is selected to be highly selective to the nitride, thereby preventing word line etch rendering the process substantially self-aligning to the word line. One drawback, however, is an inherent difficulty in etching BPSG selectively relative to a nitride encapsulated word line.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to overcome certain of these drawbacks of the prior art. The invention arose primarily out of concerns associated with providing field effect transistors having elevated sources and elevated drains, and having nitride encapsulated word lines. However, the artisan will appreciate applicability of the invention to other aspects of semiconductor processing with the invention only being limited by the accompanying claims appropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents. | {
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A number of hard surface cleaners have been specially formulated to target bathroom soils. These include products containing liquid hypochlorite for combating mildew and fungus; products with quaternary ammonium compounds as bacteriostats; and acidic cleaners, such as those containing phosphoric or other strong mineral acids. These cleaners will typically include buffers, dyes, fragrances, and the like in order to provide performance and/or aesthetic enhancements.
Gipp, U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,527, discloses a laundry prespotter consisting essentially of at least 5% nonionic surfactants and chelating agents, including ammonium EDTA, but which is substantially solvent-free.
Murtaugh, U.S. Pat. No. 4,029,607, discloses the use of ammonium EDTA in a drain opener, while Bolan, U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,215, discloses the use of ammonium EDTA in a thixotropic gel for tile cleaning. Neither of these two references, however, discloses, teaches or suggests the presence of a solvent, nor discloses, teaches or suggests the formulation of an aerosol bathroom cleaner with enhanced soil removal.
Graubart et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,984, discloses a cleaning composition comprising quaternary ammonium compounds, tetrasodium EDTA, a mixture of surfactants, and a glycol ether. However, the reference fails to teach, disclose or suggest the use of either potassium or ammonium EDTA as a chelating agent.
Garabedian et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,252,245, 5,437,807 and 5,468,423, and Choy et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/410,470, filed Mar. 24, 1995, all of common assignment herewith, disclose improved glass and surface cleaners which combine either amphoteric or nonionic surfactants with solvents and effective buffers to provide excellent streaking/filming characteristics on glass and other smooth, glossy surfaces.
Co-pending application Ser. No. 08/807,187 filed Feb. 27, 1996, a continuation of Ser. No. 08/507,543, filed Jul. 26, 1995, now abandoned, of Zhou et al., entitled "Antimicrobial Hard Surface Cleaner," of common assignment, discloses and claims an antimicrobial hard surface cleaner which includes amine oxide, quaternary ammonium compound and tetrasodium EDTA, in which a critical amine oxide: EDTA ratio results in enhanced non-streaking and non-filming performance.
Co-pending application Ser. No. 08/605,822, filed Feb. 23, 1996, of Choy et al., entitled "Composition and Apparatus for Surface Cleaning," of common assignment, discloses and claims a hard surface cleaner which uses a dual chamber delivery system, one chamber containing an oxidant solution and the other, a combination of chelating agents and surfactants.
However, none of the art discloses, teaches or suggests the use of tetrapotassium EDTA and/or tetraammonium EDTA as an effective chelating agent which additionally surprisingly enhances the soil removing, especially soap scum-removing, ability of the liquid, one phase cleaners formulated therewith. Additionally, none of the art discloses, teaches or suggests an aerosol formulation of these cleaning compositions. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention relates generally to a photo-typesetting machine and, more particularly, to a transport mechanism for delivering the photosensitive paper used in such machines.
Most printing machines employ some form of feed mechanism for either continuously or intermittently supplying a flexible sheet material that receives a print medium. The flexible sheet usually is maintained under tension so as to establish a predetermined alignment between successive lines of printed matter. Proper tensioning of the sheet material also is important in certain applications to insure stability of the sheet material during printing operations and thereby prevent blurring of the printed material. The latter factor is particularly significant for photo-typesetting machines in which images are optically produced on photosensitive sheet material.
A common passive type of tensioning system entails a pair of frictionally loaded tension rollers between which a flexible sheet is drawn by a suitable drive mechanism. Since the sheet material must be pulled through the tension rollers, the passive tensioning system has the deficiency of being effective only in those applications requiring a single direction of sheet material movement. For those applications requiring bi-directional sheet material movement, there have been employed and proposed semi-passive systems in which a tension roller is coupled to a one-way slip clutch and sympathetically driven by a main drive system. In a forward direction of sheet travel the tension roller is rotated by the frictional force of the moving sheet that overcomes the slip clutch. In the opposite direction of travel, the tension roller is driven by the main drive mechanism in the direction of sheet travel so as to maintain tension thereon. Although establishing tension for either direction of sheet material travel, the semi-passive tensioning system suffers the disadvantage of failing to provide dynamic tension in the absence of sheet material travel. This absence of tension at the completion of sheet travel after each phase of an intermittent feed system results in less than precise alignment of the sheet which can settle in a variety of positions within the backlash tolerance of the controlling elements.
Also known is an active tensioning system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,684. The active tensioning system utilizes an auxiliary motor that is connected to a tension roller by a slip coupling. During feed cycles, the frictional force generated by the moving sheet material overcomes the slip coupling to rotate the tension roller. Conversely, during static periods, the auxiliary motor drives the tension roller in a reverse direction to maintain tension on the stationary sheet. Although maintaining tension during both static and dynamic periods, the system disclosed in the previously noted U.S. patent exhibits the disadvantage of producing continuous rotation of the tension drive mechanism. In addition, the system fails to provide for bi-directional feed of the sheet material.
The object of this invention, therefore, is to provide an improved film transport mechanism for high speed photo-typesetting machines. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention pertains to the temporary restraining of small animals, particularly for administering oral doses of medications. The small animals often panic and can easily injure both the handler and itself, and can also cause the administration to be misdosed, which may lead to erroneous data, unwanted clinical effects, and possible animal death. Therefore, the oral dosing procedure is both time consuming and labor intensive, requiring as many as three persons to execute with safety and efficacy.
This invention presents a novel apparatus in which to complete the oral dosing procedure with increased safety to the restrained animal, increased efficacy of the dosing procedure, increased handler safety, and decreased labor intensity.
It is the primary object of this invention to provide a sturdy, sanitizable, portable restrainer that is operable by one animal handler.
It is further an object of this invention to provide a restrainer that presents the animal to the handler in a position that streamlines the oral dosing procedure, and results in increased safety for the handler and the animal being restrained.
It is further an object of this invention to provide a less stressful environment for the restrained animal by providing a better-tolerated restraint method. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The invention relates to a novel process for conditioning isocyanates.
In the production and processing of isocyanates, organophosphorus aids and additives are occasionally used. These organophosphorus aids and additives as used or in the form of secondary products, can lead to problems in the later processing of the isocyanates.
For instance, in the polyisocyanates containing uretdione groups accessible by the teaching of DE-A 1670720, for example, occasionally the oxides of the trialkylphosphines used as catalysts occur which can also be formed from other P-containing intermediates products, in particular the trialkyldihalophosphoranes. All of these P-containing species can accumulate in the process in the case of repeated use of the monomer separated off in the process typically by distillation, and this leads to problems on reuse of the monomeric isocyanate. A simple removal by distillation fails because of the catalytic activity in particular of the trialkylphosphine oxides towards isocyanates which leads to unacceptably high losses of yield having to be accepted.
There has been no lack of attempts to remove the interfering organophosphorus components in a suitable manner (i.e. conditioning of isocyanates). In these various attempts, however, it has proved that either no change of these interfering organophosphorus components occurs, or else that the isocyanate to be conditioned reacts with the conditioning agent to an unacceptable extent.
Conversion of organophosphorus compounds of the abovementioned type into phosphine sulfides by means of P4S10 is described, at least for some of such compounds, for example in Houben-Weil, Vol. XII/1, pp. 168 ff and literature cited therein. However, trialkylphosphine oxides are only suitable for conversion into the corresponding trialkylphosphine sulfides by means of P4S10 in individual cases, according to Houben-Weil, Vol. E2 (Organic Phosphorous Compounds II), pages 87 ff and literature cited therein. Where and to what extent these conversion products are inert towards NCO groups and the suitability for conversion and removal of trialkylphosphine oxides from isocyanates is not apparent from the prior art.
The object of the invention was to provide a suitable process for eliminating trialkylphosphine oxides and trialkyldihalophosphoranes from isocyanates or mixtures thereof which enables the isocyanate to be conditioned to be recovered in high yield and high purity without having the problem of interfering side reactions with the conditioning agent or its secondary products.
Surprisingly, it has now been found that treating trialkylphosphine oxide-containing isocyanates and mixtures which may be contaminated with additionally P (phosphorus) containing impurities such as, for example, trialkyldihalophosphoranes, with P4S10 as a conditioning agent achieves the abovementioned object. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The use of electro-dynamic loudspeakers or earpiece units in apparatus is common. Most electronic devices contain an electro dynamic loudspeaker or transducer configured to convert electrical signals into acoustic waves to be output and heard by the user of the apparatus. For example mobile or similar telephones can contain an integrated transducer sometimes called an integrated hands free (IHF) transducer configured to operate as an earpiece for speech and also as a loudspeaker for hands free and audio signal playback.
Furthermore it has been suggested that electro-dynamic loudspeakers or earpiece units in apparatus can be replaced by generating the acoustic waves using the display. In such suggestions the display is moved or vibrated by actuators or transducers coupled to the display. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Media applications have been driving microprocessor development for more than a decade. In fact, future media applications will place even higher computational requirements on available microprocessors. As a result, tomorrow's personal computing (PC) experiences will be even richer in audio/video effects as well as being easier to use. More importantly, future microprocessors will enable computing to merge with communications.
Accordingly, the display of images is increasingly popular for current, as well as future, computing devices. Unfortunately, the quantity of data required for these types of media applications tends to be very large. In addition, increases in computational power, memory and disk storage, as well as network bandwidth, have facilitated the creation and use of larger and higher quality images. However, the use of larger and higher quality images often results in a bottleneck between the processor and memory. As such, image/video processing (media) applications often suffer from memory latency problems in spite of the fact that microprocessor clock speeds are continuously increasing.
Although Random Access Memory (RAM) claims to provide random access to the memory contained therein, RAM is not generally accessible in a random pattern. In fact, the time required to access different portions of the RAM may vary. For example, horizontal access of memory locations within a memory device is generally quite expedient. In contrast, vertical memory access is quite slow when utilizing conventional memory devices.
As a result, raster-scan memory arrangements for video images place pixel data linearly across the image plane within a cache memory, which often lead to numerous problems. First, a cache line holds some parts of several basic image blocks (e.g., 8×8 or 16×16). In contrast, a basic image block is contained in several cache lines. As such, accessing a block, say 8×8, is equivalent to accessing several cache lines (e.g. at least 8 cache lines in current architectures under the assumption that we are dealing with images wider than a single cache line).
Accessing an image using conventional memory devices requires at least eight memory accesses. Furthermore, it is likely that eight software pre-caching instructions are required in order to avoid having eight cache misses. Moreover, when processing an image block, conventional applications load superfluous data into the cache in addition to the block itself. Consequently, unless nearby blocks are processed immediately, superfluous data is brought into the cache memory, which reduces the cache efficiency due to the superfluous data.
One solution for providing improved cache localities when processing image data involves block based memory arrangements. Although block based memory arrangement schemes provides higher cache localities, access to a vertical set of 8- or 16 pixels using one instruction is still not supported. To access a vertical set of data, most conventional implementations use pack and unpack operations to transpose the data. Unfortunately, this is a slow procedure in most of the applications. Moreover, in some applications, such as image/video compression, the pixel data must be accessed in varying scan orders, which is nearly a random access of the pixel data.
Furthermore, various video/image algorithms and matrix operations require data access according to varying memory access patterns, as well as bit-plane extraction. In fact, data access according to varying memory access patterns is required by image and video encoding applications including, for example, zerotree image coding, zig-zag scan for discrete cosign transfer (DCT), bit plane extraction in joint photographic experts (JPEG) 2000 and motion picture experts group-four (MPEG-4) fine granularity scalability. Unfortunately, bitplane encoding in the JPEG2000 image coding standard can take up to 40% of the central processing unit (CPU) execution time in conventional image/video systems. Therefore, there remains a need to overcome one or more of the limitations in the above-described, existing art. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stent for prostatic urethra expansion, and more particularly to a stent for prostatic urethra expansion which does not generate bladder stones, is removable without causing injury on a urethra, and does not generate atrophy of a prostatic urethra even after removal.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the past, prostatism was generally defined as an enlarged prostate which gets fat, blocks a discharge passage of urine under a bladder, and thus causes urethral obstruction to reduce a urine flow.
However, histologically, prostatism is defined as proliferation of stromal cells or epithelial cells of the prostate.
That is, the pathology of prostatism is very complicated now, and thus prostatism is difficult to describe with the above definition or concept. At present, prostatism is defined as lower urinary tract symptoms including bladder storage symptoms, such as pollakiuria representing a state that a male who is 50 years old or more abnormally frequently discharges urine more than 8 times or more a day, nycturia, and urgency representing a state of being incapable of holding urine while having strong and sudden desire to urinate, and bladder dysfunctions, such as delay (a state of discharging urine after a designated time), interruption (a state of interrupting a urine flow), and pushing during urination.
Such prostatism is treated with aerotherapeutics and pharmacotherapy. However, pharmacotherapy requires a considerably long time, and pain due to prostatism continues to occur during treatment using pharmacotherapy.
Accordingly, a treatment for prostatism which eliminates the sensation that urine remains even after urination and facilitates smooth urination has been desperately required. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The explosion in rich media content, such as audio, video and gaming, is significantly increasing the load on cellular systems. State-of-the-art and next generation cellular systems have to cope with the mobile data growth. The number of cells required to meet the capacity demands is expected to increase significantly. Solutions to meet the increasing demand include the deployment of heterogeneous networks (HetNets) involving macrocells and small cells (picocells, femtocells, etc.), distributed antenna systems (DAS), coordinated multi point (CoMP) communication, relay stations (RS), and the use of device-to-device (D2D) communications. In fact, HetNets are expected to constitute a paradigm shift in state-of-the-art cellular networks, and they constitute an interesting solution for network densification, which is a main theme for the evolution of cellular networks into the fifth generation (5G).
On the other hand, energy efficiency is representing an increasing concern for cellular network operators. Naturally, the main motivation is to minimize their electricity costs and maintain profitability. Nevertheless, reducing CO2 emissions and other negative impacts on the environment such as electromagnetic radiation pollution are also important objectives. In fact, a large portion of the energy dissipated in a cellular system is actually consumed at the base stations (BSs).
Further, operating a dense HetNet in an energy-efficient manner with minimized energy consumption is a challenging task. Typically in a HetNet, macrocell BSs (MBSs) cover areas that are relatively large, and coexist with small cell BSs (SCBSs) covering smaller areas and thus providing network access points (APs) at closer proximity to the users in order to enhance the capacity and achievable data rates and meet the quality of service (QoS) requirements.
The conventional techniques addressing BS on/off switching, assume that there is a sort of centralized entity in the network that controls the on/off switching of BSs. In addition, the conventional techniques consider an exchange of information between the BSs and/or the UEs with the network that is beyond the existing standards in state-of-the-art cellular networks. The conventional methods focuses on switching off BSs and fail to disclose any efficient technique for switching BSs on.
In view of the drawbacks inherent in the prior art, there exists a need of a low complexity, efficient, and distributed approach that allows dynamically switching BSs on/off according to traffic load conditions without centralized control from a central entity in the network to save energy in wireless networks. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for estimating a thermal displacement of a rotatable spindle in a machine tool such as a machining center.
2. Description of the Background Art
A machine tool generally has heat sources at different parts thereof (e.g., roller bearing for a spindle) in the nature of the machine, and heat generated by the heat sources is transmitted to various parts of the machine, which causes a thermal displacement of the machine body. As the thermal displacement of the machine body largely affects machining accuracy, a method for cooling heat generating parts, or a method for estimating a thermal displacement from machine body temperature information for correction has been conventionally widely employed.
As the latter method for estimating a thermal displacement, the Patent document 1 disclosed a method where a thermal displacement is accurately estimated in any operational condition in such a way that a heat value during rotation is calculated based on an observed temperature changes during a period from a transient state after rotational speed is changed to a steady state, and then the thermal displacement is calculated from the calculated value.
Further, Patent document 2 discloses a thermal displacement estimating calculation where a thermal displacement of a spindle is obtained while varying a factor in a thermal displacement estimating arithmetic expression depending on time or the number of corrections, such that time response of temperature becomes the same as that of thermal displacement in a transient state, in order to make an accurate correction in any operational condition. In relation to the above method, Patent document 3 discloses the use of a function for making the time response of temperature equal to that of thermal displacement in order to cancel a dead time (delay) in temperature measurement caused depending on a time constant or mounted position (distance from a heat source) of a temperature sensor.
[Patent document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-15461
[Patent document 2] Japanese patent No. 3151655
[Patent document 3] Japanese patent No. 3422462 | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The many different methods are known for producing printed circuits from at least one printed circuit board and a hybrid.
For example, in the case of hybrids arranged on printed circuit boards, electrical connections between the printed circuit board and the hybrid are produced by solder edges, it being necessary in this case for soldering points to be present both on the printed circuit board and on the hybrid. Arranging these soldering points is time-consuming and not always reliable, since deficiencies can occur in the contacting.
German Patent No. 40 28 440 A1 describes a method for producing printed circuits from at least one printed circuit board and a hybrid, in which at least one unsintered ceramic foil is printed with printed circuit traces, thereupon deformed, subsequently fixed in this form by sintering, and joined to the printed circuit board and/or another hybrid. It may be that the solder edges can be omitted in such a contacting of the printed circuit board and the hybrid. However, it is nevertheless necessary to form electrically conductive connections, e.g., by solder or a conductive adhesive, between the printed circuit board and the hybrid arranged on it. This must be done simultaneously with the mounting of the hybrid on the printed circuit board, and likewise involves the danger that contacting deficiencies can occur. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Automated banking machines have been developed which enable customers to carry out banking transactions. Such banking transactions often include receiving cash, making deposits of funds, transferring funds between accounts, making balance inquiries, paying bills and cashing checks. The capability of providing general advertising and/or targeting marketing messages to the user of a banking machine has been developed and is disclosed in patent applications from which this application claims priority.
Systems have also been developed in which transactions can be carried out remotely with a service provider. Such transactions can be carried out by exchanging items with a remote service provider through a transport system. Alternatively, such a system may include transaction function devices like those included in an automated banking machine, such as an automated teller machine (ATM) at the customer station. Selected communication including general advertising and targeted marketing messages may also be delivered to transaction customers in these systems. Systems of this type are also disclosed in the prior applications of which this application claims priority.
Prior systems would benefit from further improvements. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The prior art generally comprises systems having either an air compressor for tire inflation or a vacuum machine system for cleaning. None of the prior art teaches the combination of the two components allowing easily interchangeable operation. Each system requires the user to pay a fixed price. Once the coins are deposited in the coin mechanism, the selected part of the system starts and operates for a fixed time, say five minutes. In other systems a combination of an air compressor and vacuum machine is offered, but they suffer from high start-up amperages and poor interchangeablility of operation. Other systems comprise a stand-alone coin operated air compressor or a stand-alone coin operated vacuum machine.
Representative of the art is:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,239 (1997) to Osika discloses a portable pneumatic vacuum source which includes a source of pressurized fluid and a vacuum pump in fluid connection with the pressurized fluid source, the vacuum pump operative to generate a vacuum in response to pressurized fluid flow therethrough.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,407 (1995) to Nikolic discloses a system for providing electrical power in response to deposited coins comprising a mounting post secured to the ground, an input head secured at the upper extent of the mounting post, and an output module which includes a pair of electrical receptacles adapted for the receipt of a 110 volt plug and a 220 volt plug with grounding components.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,464 (1995) to Steiner discloses a variable high/low vacuum/blower device which includes an interchangeable vacuum or blower device with high pressure/low air flow or low pressure/high air flow operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,727 (1993) to Roestenberg discloses a central vacuum system for workspaces such as auto body or wood shops which is rotatably mounted at a level above the heads of the shop workers and integrated with a rigid boom having a flexible vacuum hose at its distal end so that the boom may be swung in an arc parallel to the floor space and gives access to the vacuum over a wide area.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,050 (1992) to Morris discloses a garage forecourt installation in which the fuel dispensing pump is linked to a vacuum cleaning device so that as the fuel pump is switched on suction is made available at a suction cleaning nozzle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,544 (1992) to Yamamoto discloses a vacuum cleaning apparatus with built in air pressure supply lines for operating pneumatic tools.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,255 (1989) to Hed discloses a coin-operated vacuum made with two housings, one for mounting the coin mechanism and the vacuum motor and blower, and the other comprising the debris collection barrel and filter.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,292 (1987) to Schmiegel discloses a vacuum cleaning apparatus which has a main suction hose with a dirt collecting container and an auxiliary suction box with a flexible hose which is automatically drawn into its position of non-use and is automatically cleaned during non-use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,658,464 (1987) to Sharp discloses an apparatus for spraying a shampoo solution through a shampoo solution supply conduit to a nozzle as the nozzle is moved over an area of upholstery, carpet, and the like while dirty shampoo solution is drawn back through the nozzle to a vacuum tank by vacuum suction.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 287,656 (1987) to Waldrep et al. discloses an ornamental design for a combined automotive air pump, vacuum cleaner, and dispensing unit for anti-freeze and air freshener.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,309 (1986) to Ogden discloses a compact, self-contained central vacuum cleaning machine which has expandable vacuum suction and pressure capacities and variable vacuum suction and performs a multiplicity of cleaning operations including dry vacuuming, wet vacuuming, hydro-extraction vacuuming and pressure washing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,225 (1981) to Scholta discloses a coin-operated vending machine operable to compress air and dispense compressed air for a selected period to time.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,072 (1980) to Gonzales discloses a self-service, wet-vacuum cleaning machine for carpets, upholstery, and the like which utilized a hand-held tool attached to both a vacuum hose and a hot water horse.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,262 (1980) to Finley et al. discloses a vacuum extraction cleaning machine adapted for coin-operated applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,346 (1977) to Livingston discloses a coin-operated vacuum apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,781 (1975) to Bryant, Jr. discloses a vacuum cleaner tank which has superimposed separate top and bottom sections and is provided in its side with an air inlet for connection to a hose.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,381,327 (1968) to Kelley discloses a vacuum cleaner which is fixedly mounted and rotatable about a vertical axis and is weather conditioned for outdoor use.
None of the prior art systems provides a dual function air compressor and vacuum machine system which allows a user to rapidly switch from air compressor for tire inflation to a vacuum machine for cleaning while the system is in operation. It is necessary for a user to pay for and then operate each function separately. If the user has need of both functions, then each has to be paid for and operated separately. Prior art air compressors cannot be rapidly started and stopped at the discretion of a user in this application. This is because if the pressure in the air compressor outlet pipe or manifold is not released when the compressor is stopped, then the air compressor must be started in a "loaded" condition. This requires a substantial initial amperage in order to start the loaded motor, generally on the order of 30 amps.
What is needed is an air compressor/vacuum machine system which is started with a single payment. What is needed is an air comressor/vacuum machine system which allows a user to interchangeably select between the two modes at any time as quickly and as often as desired. What is needed is an air compressor/vacuum machine system that allows the air compressor manifold to be pressurized when the air compressor is operating and is de-pressurized when the air compressor is turned off and the vacuum machine is operating. What is needed is an air compressor motor on a dual air compressor and vacuum machine system which can be restarted with significantly reduced initial starting current. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention relates to a device for identifying a person or an object, and more specifically to a device which utilises light to identify a person or an object in dark or dim conditions.
Chemical light sticks for identifying a person in certain circumstances, for example under water, are known. Conventional chemical light sticks generally include a first chemical in an outer, flexible tube and a second chemical sealed within an inner glass tube inside the outer, flexible tube. To activate the light stick the outer tube is bent until the inner tube breaks and releases the first chemical into the second chemical to produce a fluorescent glow. The known types of chemical light sticks are available in different sizes and are marketed under different names, for example GLO-STICK, CYLUME, LIGHT-STICK, CHEM-STICK and CHEM-LIGHT.
A problem associated with known light sticks of the type described above is that the chemicals sustain the fluorescent glow for a limited time only, generally in the region of six hours, and consequently, under normal circumstances, these sticks cannot be re-used. Also, the activation of these light sticks is dependent upon the proper contacting of two chemicals, and consequently these sticks have to be used before an expiry date and often are defective upon purchase.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative light-emitting device for identifying a person or an object which is relatively long-lasting, re-usable and robust. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention concerns a module for filtering, separating, purifying gases or liquids, or for catalytic conversion, comprising within a housing at least one rigid treatment element for purification or having a membrane for separating, filtering, or catalytic conversion. Such a module may be used for filtering, separating or purifying liquids but it is especially applicable to filtering or purifying gases used for example in the manufacture of semiconductors.
This type of module comprises:
- a generally cylindrical metal envelope or housing, comprising one part or a plurality of parts assembled by fused metal bonding;
- one or more rigid treatment elements, of tubular shape or of multi-channel type, such as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,157, or of honeycomb type, such as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,831;
In applications for filtering or purifying gases to be used especially for the manufacture of semiconductors, the module assembly must be able to withstand:
- thermal stresses arising from use (thermal cycling and degassing for example),
- mechanical stresses in withstanding pressure, such as for example in treating a gas which can be at several hundreds of bars,
- corrosion by the treated fluid, which may be for example HCl, a chloride, a bromide or another corrosive gas used in producing integrated circuits, especially in etching.
Moreover the requirements for ultra-cleanliness in the electronics industry require that there shall be no risk of polluting particles being thrown out by the module.
Such a module should be capable of functioning at temperatures going from ambient temperature to several hundreds of degrees Celsius, whether for treating the fluid or for cleaning or regeneration of the treatment element or elements. Differences in expansion appear between the element and the housing with the effects of variations in temperature and can amount to several millimeters when the treatment element has a length in the order of a meter. The element-to-housing connection has to be sufficiently flexible to be able to deform in such a way as to compensate for these differences in expansion.
In some known assemblies, the element-to-housing connection can be effected by way of a polymer or elastomer gasket, for example of PTFE, EPDM, a silicone, etc. In this case the elasticity of the gasket is used to compensate for the differences in expansion between the element and the housing.
This solution is not suitable for high temperature uses, for the obvious reasons of physical-chemical and mechanical degradation of the polymer or elastomer. Moreover these materials age and creep with time.
Modules are also known in which the connection of the element or elements to the housing is effected through one or more metal parts or rings located at the ends of the element. Each of these parts is fixed securely both to the metal envelope and also to the end of a treatment element, by brazing or by glass (or enamel). These solutions suffer from major problems.
Firstly, brazing does not usually provide good corrosion resistance with gases such as HCl, chlorides, bromides, etc., which are used at present for etching integrated circuits.
Secondly, glasses which have good corrosion resistance are in general terms those which do not comprise components in their composition which fuse at a low temperature. These glasses thus melt at high temperatures. Assembly of the module by means of these glasses requires the module assembly to be raised to a high temperature, which is not always possible because of the risk of damaging the treatment element (filter layer, catalyst, etc.), or the metal of the ring. Moreover, in order to obtain a good bond between the glass and the metal of the housing or of the ring, it is generally necessary firstly to oxidize the metal surface, which is incompatible with the ultra-cleanliness imposed in applications to the manufacture of semiconductors for example. Finally, this glass solution is costly, because it involves large heating means and a method that is complex. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and system of recovering gold from alluvial placer deposits.
2. Description of Related Art
Placer gold mining historically relied upon a sluice box, and its variants, to separate the gold from the gravel matrix. The sluice has been the primary method of gold recovery from its historical introduction to the present.
A typical alluvial mining plant uses a very large volume of water to transport the larger size gravels over the recovery sluice. Depending on volume being processed, water usage can be over 5000 gallons per minute. The percentage recovery of gold in a typical sluice box is 20% to 40% of all gold run through it. This low recovery percentage is even be lower when the gold is still attached to the host rock, such as in matrix pieces. Matrix pieces usually comprise quartz with a small percentage of gold, are lower in specific gravity than pure gold nuggets and are thus commonly washed out of a sluice recovery system. Because there has been no efficient way to recover this percentage of gold in the past, the lost revenue to the operator is significant. Many placer companies find it difficult to financially survive, even in rich areas, when their recovery is so low.
The process of a sluice recovery system is not environmentally friendly. The large volume of water required creates obstacles in sourcing and cleaning the water of solids before returning to the source. This typically involves using large settling ponds, which implicates corresponding costs of land use, construction costs, excess fuel burning during construction and final reclamation. In addition, the pumping and dewatering of such large volumes of water requires significant power. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tablet automatic packing machine, and more particularly to an information input device for a tablet automatic packing machine capable of easily and directly storing tablet information in a memory chip installed to the tablet automatic packing machine and updating/reading the tablet information in/from the memory chip at a user side.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, tablet automatic packing machines serve to dispense corresponding tablets based on prescription data and to automatically pack them based on a dose of tablet. The construction of such a table automatic packing machine is described in detail with reference to FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which tablet cassettes are collected in a tablet automatic packing machine according to the prior art. As shown in the drawing, the tablet automatic packing machine 50 includes a plurality of shelves on the upper side of a case 52 shaped as a frame. Each of the plurality of shelves has a plurality of cassette supporters 60 installed thereon for mounting a plurality of tablet cassettes 70, respectively.
The case 52 has a hopper 56 thereunder, which collects tablets discharged from the plurality of cassettes 70 through the plurality of cassette supporters 60. The hopper 56 has a packing assembly 57 thereunder, which packs the collected tablets based on dosage units. Here, the packing assembly 57 includes a printing unit for printing information on each packing paper on which user should note instructions for taking the tablets, and a heater 58 for heat-sealing openings of the packing papers.
FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a state in which tablet cassettes are installed to cassette supporters for the prior art tablet automatic packing machine. If the prior art tablet automatic packing machine determines that the quantity of tablets in a tablet cassette 20 is less than a predetermined value, a tablet cassette tag label 20a attached to one side of the tablet cassette 20 indicates tablet depletion therein in a light emission fashion. Here, a user separates a corresponding tablet cassette from a corresponding tablet supporter 10 and refills corresponding tablets therein. After wards, the user inserts the refilled tablet cassette 20 into the cassette supporter 10 based on recognition of the tablet cassette tag label 20a and the cassette supporter tag label 10a.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a tablet cassette is separated from a cassette supporter for a tablet automatic packing machine according to the first embodiment of the prior art. The tablet cassette 70 has a rotor 72 for guiding and dispensing corresponding tablets, which is installed therewithin, a memory chip 75 and a terminal 77 electrically connected to the memory chip 75, which are installed on the lower surface of the table cassette 70. The tablet cassette supporter 60 includes a motor 64 for rotating the rotor 72, which is installed therewithin, and a tablet discharging unit 62 for discharging tablets. The tablet discharging unit 62 includes a tablet discharging hole formed therein and a sensor unit 66 formed around the tablet discharging hole. The sensor unit 66 includes a light reception unit 66a and light emitting unit 66b such that they can perform a sensing operation for tablets discharged through the discharging hole. Also, the tablet cassette supporter 60 includes a connector 67 installed on the upper surface thereof. A passage 54 for downwardly dispensing tablets discharged from the cassette supporter 60 through the tablet discharging unit 62 is formed in the inside of the case 52.
In the case that the table cassette 70 is coupled to the tablet cassette supporter 60, the terminal 77 mounting the memory chip 75 thereon is connected to the connector 67 of the tablet cassette supporter 60 such that tablet information stored in the memory chip 75 can be transmitted to a controlling unit (not shown) of the tablet automatic packing machine. Therefore, since a memory chip 75 storing information of tablets contained in a tablet cassette 20 can be connected to a connector of any of the tablet cassette supporters, the tablet cassette and the tablet cassette supporter need not to be assembled so that their tag labels are consistent with each other.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a tablet cassette is separated from a cassette supporter for a tablet automatic packing machine according to the second embodiment of the prior art. The configuration of FIG. 4 employs the same reference numerals as those of FIG. 3 with respect to the same elements. Since a terminal 68 electrically connected to a memory chip 65 is directly mounted on the tablet cassette supporter 60, the tablet cassette 70 must be coupled to the tablet cassette supporter 60 while their tag labels are consistent with each other. Before the tablet automatic packing machines constructed as described above are sold, information of tablets to be contained in the tablet cassettes, such as tablet information, tablet cassette identification number, tablet name, sensitivity/minimum sensing time/sensing period etc. of a sensor for sensing tablet discharge, is recorded in each of the memory chips installed in the automatic packing machines by an exclusive input device. However, as a variety of new tablets have been developed, tablet information must be frequently updated or newly stored in the memory chips.
However, there is no known separate input device for storing/updating tablet information to the respective memory chips. Therefore, if there is a need to update information stored in the respective memory chips of the respective cassette supporters, the prior art tablet automatic packing machine must be sent to the manufacturer or a sales agency. Accordingly, the prior art tablet automatic packing machine has disadvantages in that the update procedure is complicated, and update of tablet information stored in the memory chip is delayed. Also, since it must be sent to the manufacturer or a sales agency to update tablet information, the dispenser cannot dispense the tablets according to prescription data using the prior art tablet automatic packing machine because it is being updated.
Also, the prior art tablet automatic packing machine doesn't provide the user with the convenience of being able to easily confirm tablet information stored in the memory. In addition, if it is difficult to recognize tablet information through tag labels 10a and/or 20a attached to a cassette supporter 10 and/or tablet cassette 20, the user must find, one by one, the cassette supporter 10 having a memory chip storing corresponding information of tablets contained in the tablet cassette 20. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Nuclear reactors with water-basin or pool cooling are known. The heat produced in the reactor is conducted by natural circulation to cooling elements, which transfer it to customers or to the environment. Some of these reactors have high, promptly negative neutron-absorption temperature coefficients. This means that removal of the neutron-absorbing control rods results in only a limited power excursion, since the temperature increase automatically limits the chain reaction.
Nuclear reactors in which the power is regulated by varying the content of neutron-absorbing solutions in the coolant, which also acts as a moderator, are known.
Nuclear reactors are known in which the spent fuel elements are individually manipulated and successively placed in transport containers, in which they assume an adequately subcritical configuration so that they can be transported.
Nuclear reactors are known in which the pressure drop via the reactor core, which is cooled by forced circulation, is in equilibrium with the hydrostatic negative pressure under a gas-filled bell in such a way that any disruption in cooling causes the gas to escape and the core to be flooded with neutron-absorbing water from the basin (i.e., pool). | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The following relates generally to the electronic countermeasure arts, the unmanned autonomous vehicle arts, signal jamming arts, communications arts, satellite navigation and communication arts, law enforcement arts, military science arts, and the like. It finds particular application in conjunction with the jamming and hijacking of drones, and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it will be understood that it also finds application in other usage scenarios and is not necessarily limited to the aforementioned application.
Unmanned or autonomous aerial vehicles (“UAV), more commonly known as “drones”, have become more and more prevalent in both the military and civilian context. Current, commercially available drones embody technology that was until recently, solely within the purview of governmental entities. The drones available to the civilian and military markets include navigation systems, various types of eavesdropping components, high-definition or real-time video output, long life lithium batteries, and the like. Furthermore, current civilian models may be operated by any individual, without regarding to licensing or regulation.
The propagation of civilian drone usage has resulted in invasions of privacy, interference with official governmental operations, spying on neighbors, spying on government installations, and myriad other offensive operations. Military usage of drones, including armed drones, has increased substantially as battery storage has increased and power consumption has decreased. This widespread use of drones has led to security and privacy concerns for the military, law enforcement, and the private citizen. Furthermore, drones have substantially decreased in size, resulting in smaller and smaller, while the capabilities of the drones themselves have increased. This poses a security risk for security personnel as the operator of the drone may be far away, making the determination of the operator's intent particularly difficult to ascertain.
The drones in use typically operate using multiple frequency bands, some bands used for control signals between the drone and the operator, GPS/GLONASS signals for navigation, and other frequency bands for video and/or audio signal transmissions. This use of multiple frequencies results in difficulty in effectively tailoring a jamming signal directed solely to the offending drone, without negatively impacting other, non-offensive radio-frequency devices.
Furthermore, current commercially available jammers, while illegal in some jurisdictions, are generally omnidirectional in nature. To avoid issues relating to non-offensive devices, these jammers typically are limited in radius from less than a meter to 25 meters. Those jammers having larger effective radii for signal jamming or denial require substantial power (plug-in/non-portable) or are bulky. A common problem with all of these jammers is their inability to specifically target a drone, while allowing non-threatening devices to remain operational. Furthermore, due to the distances, and heights, at which drones operate, the portable jammers currently available lack the ability to effectively jam signals that may be used by the drones. For example, such commercially available jammers for Wi-Fi or GPS will propagate a jamming signal circularly outward, rendering the user's own devices inoperable while within that radius. The unintended consequences of such jamming may cause vehicle accidents or aircraft issues, depending upon the strength and radius of the jammer being used.
In addition to the foregoing problems, current jammers lack the ruggedness associated with field operations. That is, the commercially available jammers are delicate electronics, not designed for use by soldiers in the field. As noted above, the commercial jammers currently available further utilize multiple antennae, each directed to a different frequency band. These are not ruggedized pieces of equipment, capable of being utilized in field operations by law enforcement, security, or military. The multiple antennae are prone to breakage during transport. Those rugged military or law enforcement jammers that are available are portable in the sense that they are backpack or vehicle born devices, requiring substantial training to effectively operate.
Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a ruggedized form factor directional drone jammer that provides a soldier or law enforcement officer with simple, targeted anti-drone capabilities. Such a jammer is portable, including power supply, and comprises a rifle-like form allowing the soldier or law enforcement officer to aim via optic, electronic or open sights at a target drone for jamming of the drone control and/or GPS signals, while preventing interference for other devices utilizing the jammed frequencies. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
In 1953, it was first recognized that ingestion of gluten, a common dietary protein present in wheat, barley and rye causes disease in sensitive individuals. Gluten is a complex mixture of glutamine- and proline-rich glutenin and prolamine molecules, which is thought to be responsible for disease induction. Ingestion of such proteins by sensitive individuals produces flattening of the normally luxurious, rug-like, epithelial lining of the small intestine known to be responsible for efficient and extensive terminal digestion of peptides and other nutrients. Clinical symptoms of Celiac Sprue include fatigue, chronic diarrhea, malabsorption of nutrients, weight loss, abdominal distension, anemia, as well as a substantially enhanced risk for the development of osteoporosis and intestinal malignancies (lymphoma and carcinoma). The disease has an incidence of approximately 1 in 200 in European populations.
A related disease is dermatitis herpetiformis, which is a chronic eruption characterized by clusters of intensely pruritic vesicles, papules, and urticaria-like lesions. IgA deposits occur in almost all normal-appearing and perilesional skin. Asymptomatic gluten-sensitive enteropathy is found in 75 to 90% of patients and in some of their relatives. Onset is usually gradual. Itching and burning are severe, and scratching often obscures the primary lesions with eczematization of nearby skin, leading to an erroneous diagnosis of eczema. Strict adherence to a gluten-free diet for prolonged periods may control the disease in some patients, obviating or reducing the requirement for drug therapy. Dapsone, sulfapyridine and colchicines are sometimes prescribed for relief of itching.
Celiac Sprue is generally considered to be an autoimmune disease and the antibodies found in the serum of the patients supports a theory of an immunological nature of the disease. Antibodies to tissue transglutaminase (tTG) and gliadin appear in almost 100% of the patients with active Celiac Sprue, and the presence of such antibodies, particularly of the IgA class, has been used in diagnosis of the disease.
The large majority of patients express the HLA-DQ2 [DQ(a1*0501, b1*02)] and/or DQ8 [DQ(a1*0301, b1*0302)] molecules. It is believed that intestinal damage is caused by interactions between specific gliadin oligopeptides and the HLA-DQ2 or DQ8 antigen, which in turn induce proliferation of T lymphocytes in the sub-epithelial layers. T helper 1 cells and cytokines apparently play a major role in a local inflammatory process leading to villus atrophy of the small intestine.
At the present time there is no good therapy for the disease, except to completely avoid all foods containing gluten. Although gluten withdrawal has transformed the prognosis for children and substantially improved it for adults, some people still die of the disease, mainly adults who had severe disease at the outset. An important cause of death is lymphoreticular disease (especially intestinal lymphoma). It is not known whether a gluten-free diet diminishes this risk. Apparent clinical remission is often associated with histologic relapse that is detected only by review biopsies or by increased EMA titers.
Gluten is so widely used, for example in commercial soups, sauces, ice creams, hot dogs, and other foods, that patients need detailed lists of foodstuffs to avoid and expert advice from a dietitian familiar with celiac disease. Ingesting even small amounts of gluten may prevent remission or induce relapse. Supplementary vitamins, minerals, and hematinics may also be required, depending on deficiency. A few patients respond poorly or not at all to gluten withdrawal, either because the diagnosis is incorrect or because the disease is refractory. In the latter case, oral corticosteroids (e.g., prednisone 10 to 20 mg bid) may induce response.
In view of the serious and widespread nature of Celiac Sprue, improved methods of treating or ameliorating the effects of the disease are needed. The present invention addresses such needs. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
In Patent Literature 1 (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-326354), a vertical MOSFET in which a protection diode composed of a bidirectional Zener diode is connected between a gate and a source is disclosed. A bidirectional Zener diode is used as a protection element that releases positive and negative surge currents, to protect other devices. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-315138, filed on Oct. 28, 2005, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-276856, filed on Oct. 10, 2006, is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method for forming a mark and a liquid ejection apparatus.
2. Related Art
Normally, an electro-optic apparatus such as a liquid crystal display or an electroluminescence display includes a substrate that displays an image. The substrate has an identification code (for example, a two-dimensional code) including product information regarding the name of the manufacturer and the product number, for purposes of quality control and production control. The identification code includes a plurality of dots formed by, for example, colored thin films or recesses. The dots are arranged in a predetermined pattern so that the identification code can be identified in accordance with the arrangement pattern of the dots.
As a method for forming an identification code, JP-A-11-77340 discloses a laser sputtering method and JP-A-2003-127537 discloses a waterjet method. In the laser sputtering method, a code pattern is formed through sputtering by radiating a laser beam onto a metal foil. In the waterjet method, dots are marked on a substrate by ejecting water containing abrasive onto the substrate.
However, in the laser sputtering method, the interval between the metal foil and the substrate must be adjusted to several micrometers to several tens of micrometers in order to form each dot in a desired size. The substrate and the metal foil thus must have extremely flat surfaces and adjustment of the interval between the substrate and the metal foil must be carried out with accuracy on the order of micrometers. This limits application of the method to a restricted range of substrate, and the use of the method is limited. In the waterjet method, the substrate may be contaminated by water, dust, and the abrasive that are splashed when the identification code is formed.
In order to solve these problems, an inkjet method has been focused on as an alternative method for forming an identification code. In the inkjet method, dots are provided on a substrate by ejecting droplets of liquid containing metal particles from nozzles of an ejection head onto the substrate. The droplets are then dried to provide the dots. The method thus can be applied to a relatively wide range of substrate materials. Further, the method prevents contamination of the substrate caused by formation of the identification code.
However, the inkjet method may cause the following problem in correspondence with the surface condition of a substrate or surface tension of a droplet. Specifically, immediately after having been received by a substrate, a droplet starts to spread wet on the surface of the substrate. Thus, if the time necessary for the droplet to be dried is excessively long (for example, 100 milliseconds or longer), the droplet may spread excessively on the surface of the substrate and overflow from the corresponding data cell. This makes the code pattern unreadable, which causes loss of the information regarding the substrate.
This problem may be avoided by radiating a laser beam onto the droplet on the substrate and instantly drying the droplet. However, in a typical liquid ejection head, the interval between the nozzles and the surface of the substrate is maintained at several millimeters to improve position accuracy of reception of an ejected droplet by the substrate. The laser beam thus must be radiated onto the droplet toward the narrow distance between the ejection head and the substrate immediately after the droplet has been received by the substrate. That is, it is necessary to greatly incline the optical axis of the laser beam with respect to a normal direction of the surface of the substrate. Accordingly, the optical cross section of the laser beam, or a beam spot, with respect to the surface of the substrate or the droplet becomes excessively large on the surface of the substrate. This may lower the radiation intensity of the laser beam or the position accuracy of radiation of the laser beam. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
For a variety of commercially significant purposes it is desirable to perform nondestructive tests to measure the electrical conductance, conductivity, or resistivity of a sample.
For example, during semiconductor product manufacturing, there is a need to measure the conductivity of various conductive thin films on semiconductor wafers and integrated circuits in a nondestructive manner. Also during semiconductor product manufacturing, it is useful to perform stress measurements on semiconductor wafers and integrated circuits in a nondestructive manner.
It is well known that such measurements can be obtained by eddy current testing. One conventional apparatus for performing eddy current testing on a sample is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,458, issued Dec. 28, 1976. Another is described in Jeanneret, et al., "Inductive Conductance Measurements in Two-Dimensional Superconducting Systems," Applied Phys. Lett. 55 (22), pp. 2336-2338 (Nov. 27, 1989). The Jeanneret, et al., apparatus employs two coils, both positioned above the sample: a drive coil (of radius 2.05 mm), and an astatically wound receiver coil (having radius 1.2 mm) coaxially mounted within the drive coil. The receiver coil has a first section (wound with right-handed helical geometry) and a second section (wound with left-handed helical geometry). The lower end of the drive coil is positioned at a first known distance (0.3 mm) above the sample, and the lower end of the lower section of the receiver coil is positioned at a second known distance above the sample, where the second distance is much (e.g., an order of magnitude) smaller than the first distance. As the drive coil is driven by an AC voltage source (at a frequency of 70 kHz), the in-phase and quadrature components of the voltage at the receiver coil are measured by "conventional lock-in techniques or by an ac mutual-inductance bridge." The resulting voltage data can be processed (with data indicating the coils' distance from the sample) to determine the sample's complex conductance.
Several conventional techniques for processing in-phase and quadrature voltage data obtained during eddy current testing are described in the Nondestructive Testing Handbook, Second Edition, edited by R. C. McMaster, American Society for Nondestructive Testing, Inc. (1986), Volume 4-Electromagnetic Testing, at pages 218-222. However, such conventional techniques require accurate knowledge of the separation between the sample and an eddy current probe (comprising drive coil and sense coil) at one or more positions of the probe relative to the sample.
In typical applications of eddy current testing, accurate measurement (or prior knowledge) of the separation between the eddy current probe and the sample requires complicated and expensive equipment. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,302,721 describes an eddy current testing apparatus which employs complicated acoustic wave measurement equipment to measure eddy current probe-to-sample separation.
Other typical applications of eddy current testing require maintenance of the eddy current probe at a constant, precisely repeatable, distance from the sample. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,849,694, issued Jul. 18, 1989, assumes that a sample's resistivity or thickness is known, and employs eddy current measurements to determine the other of the sample's resistivity or thickness in a manner requiring that the measurement apparatus maintain the eddy current probe at a constant, precisely repeatable distance "d" from the sample surface. This reference teaches that a precision optical microscope is preferably used to precisely position the eddy current probe at the distance "d" from the sample.
Until the present invention, it was not known how to perform eddy current testing to obtain accurate conductance or conductivity measurements on a sample without the need to measure the separation between the probe and the sample or to perform measurements at a precisely maintained probe-to-sample separation. The eddy current testing method of the present invention provides a convenient and inexpensive way to obtain conductance and/or conductivity measurements on a sample without the need to measure separation between an eddy current probe and a sample. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to a novel and useful yo-yo structure.
Yo-yos have been known since the early 20th century and are believed to derive from the Philippines. Generally, yo-yos include a pair of disks that are connected to a spindle which is used to wind and unwind a cord. The yo-yo is then held by the user and flung outwardly causing the yo-yo-to spin and wind down the string and wind up the string back to the user. This operation is repeated. A variety of maneuvers may be performed with a yo-yo that serve as a source of amusement for many persons.
However, many persons are unable to perform the basic operation of a yo-yo due to difficulty in gripping the double disk body.
A yo-yo structure which is easy to grasp and includes a novel structure for the same would be a notable advance in the toy and game field.
In accordance with the present invention a novel and useful yo-yo structure is herein provided.
The structure of the present invention utilizes a pair of disks connected to one another by a shaft or spindle to permit winding and unwinding of a line in the conventional sense. The pair of disks form a groove where the line, connected to the shaft, is extended from the shaft when the yo-yo is operated. The pair of disks may be formed of any hardened material, such as plastic or wood.
A cover of soft, flexible material having a plurality of flexible appendages is also employed in the present invention. The cover fits over at least one of the pair of disks, and preferably over both disks. The spinning of the pair of disks of the yo-yo also causes spinning of the flexible material and the appendages. Being soft, the flexible material is easy to hold and serves as a cushion for the movement of the yo-yo against the hand of the user.
Shield means is also found in the present invention for preventing the plurality of flexible appendages of the soft cover from entering the groove formed by the pair of disks. In this manner, the line, serving as a necessary element in the operation of the yo-yo, is not tangled or fouled in any way. The shield means also serves to cushion the finger of the user when the line of the yo-yo is wound around the central shaft and the body of the yo-yo, consisting of a pair of disks, is held in the hand of the user. The shield means also provides better control of the yo-yo hen it is tossed outwardly from the user. The shield means may be formed of resilient material or flexible material, as the case may be. In this regard, hardened rubber or similar compositions may be used to form the shield means of the present invention. The shield means may include a flange which extends from the disks that includes an inner surface that curves outwardly from the groove. The flange may form an endless edge about the disks to alleviate any gaps in the shield about the periphery of the pair of disks. Of course, the pair of flanges forming the shield means would balance the yo-yo structure so as not to interrupt the operation of the same.
It may be apparent that a novel and useful yo-yo structure has been herein before described.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a yo-yo structure which includes a cover portion which is soft and pleasing to the touch.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a yo-yo structure which includes a soft cover portion having flexible appendages which do not upset the balance of the yo-yo structure.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a yo-yo structure having a plurality of flexible appendages on the side portions thereof which do not interfere with the line or string portion of the yo-yo structure.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a yo-yo structure which is easy to manufacture and is durable during use.
The invention possesses other objects and advantages especially as concerns particular characteristics and features thereof which will become apparent as the specification continues. dr
FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the yo-yo structure of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the yo-yo structure of the present invention showing a human finger partially in phantom.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 4xe2x80x944 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the shield means flange of the structure of the present invention. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to an electromagnetically-driven apparatus and more particularly to an electromagnetic vibratory pump including a winding structure configured to drive one or more magnets.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, the attraction and repulsion of a permanent magnet induced by electromagnetism is used to convert electrical energy into mechanical energy. One example operated in accordance with this principle is electric motors, also known as motors or pumps.
In an electric motor, moving charges in the coil, i.e. electrical current, create a magnetic field in the form of magnetic lines of force, which accordingly form an N-pole and an S-pole on the coil. When a permanent magnet exists in the magnetic field defined by the magnetic lines of force, the permanent magnet is moved due to magnetic repulsion and attraction until the magnetic lines of force disappear.
Generally, two different modes of movement are known for the permanent magnet. In the first mode, the permanent magnet rotates continuously in a closed coil. In the second mode, the permanent magnet swings back and forth in response to the alternating magnetic poles.
There are several drawbacks in the second mode that result in poor swinging efficiency. For example, in the swing trajectory of the permanent magnet, the distance between the permanent magnet and the coil is not always identical, so that the permanent magnet cannot consistently receive the same magnetic attraction intensity. Therefore, during swinging, the amplitude of swing of the permanent magnet will vary. In addition, in a device with multiple permanent magnets, collision of permanent magnets happens due to the inconsistent amplitudes of swing, and the service life of permanent magnets is therefore shortened.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide an electromagnetic vibratory pump to address the drawbacks in the conventional arts. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
A memory card (semiconductor memory card) having a NAND-type flash memory or the like is being downsized and provided with high capacity rapidly. For realization of a downsized memory card, semiconductor chips such as a memory chip and a controller chip are mounted in a stacked form on a wiring board. Besides, the memory chips have come to be often stacked into multiple layers on the wiring board. The electrode pads of the semiconductor chips are electrically connected to the connection pads of the wiring board through metal wires (bonding wires).
To realize a memory card with high capacity, provision of the memory chip itself with higher integration and higher capacity based on it is being conducted in addition to the improvement of the stacked structure of the semiconductor chips such as a memory chip and a controller chip on the wiring board. The outer shape of the memory chip tends to become large when it is provided with high capacity. The outer size of the memory card is specified by SD™ standard or the like. In addition, the outer circumference of the memory card is provided with a cutout portion to indicate the forward or backward direction and the front or rear surface direction of the card when it is fitted into a card slot (JP-A 2007-293800 (KOKAI)).
In a case where a large memory chip is mounted on a wiring board for the memory card, the connection between the wiring board and the memory chips might become difficult. It becomes a factor of restricting the number and size of the memory chips mountable on the wiring board. To perform wire bonding of plural memory chips, the plural memory chips are stacked in a step-like shape to expose the electrode pads arranged along their short sides (JP-A 2005-302871 (KOKAI)).
When the memory chips which have the electrode pads arranged along the short sides are stacked into a step-like shape, their length in the stepped direction becomes long with the increase in the number of stacked memory chips, and an occupied area of the semiconductor chips relative to the wiring board increases. It becomes a factor of restricting the number of memory chips mountable on the wiring board to disturb the provision of high capacity which is demanded for the memory card. In addition, the memory chip having a single-short-side pad structure might not be able to comply with an increase of the number of electrodes on the basis of the provision of high integration and high sophistication. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Percussive techniques in respiratory therapy are increasingly ordered by physicians. Patients recovering from surgery are treated with percussive techniques to prevent or minimize the onset of pneumonia or atelectasis. It is also ordered to prevent or treat the occurrence of emphysema, chronic bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, asthma, and other respiratory ailments. Percussion can be ordered in many ways, i.e., CPT or chest physiotherapy, which consists of percussion during postural drainage including coughing and/or suctioning. PVD or percussion vibration and drainage and PVS or percussion vibration and suctioning. Also used prior to percussive therapy are various inhaled medications including broncho-dilators, mucolytics and corticosteroids.
An important part of percussive techniques is administering the therapy to specific focal points on the chest wall. This procedure is also known as cupping and clapping since the therapist cups his or her hand against the patient's chest wall in rapid succession. This previous technique of using the hands had several disadvantages e.g., the direct contact of the percussor's hand with the patient's body, who may have open wounds or sores creating increased risk of contamination and infection. It was also very difficult to focus percussion on body areas where there were intravenous devices (IV), cardiac monitoring devices, chest tubes and lines for equipment or the like.
Furthermore, the hand of the therapist was really too large to properly percuss neonates and small children, since the adult hand is too large to contact only areas of specific location.
Also, there are many areas of the body which the respiratory therapist must avoid striking, e.g., kidney, spine, and breast. Therefore, complete percussive therapy could be severely limited between those areas which were occluded due to medical equipment and its attachments or sensitive body areas which had to be avoided. When it was impossible to use the hand, nurses and therapists frequently used or adapted whatever was nearby.
Therefore, in accordance with the preferred embodiments of the present invention, a hand held medical appliance comprises a partially enclosed cavity presenting a substantially circular opening bordered by an annular ring of moldably compressible material for effecting a pneumatic seal of the cavity to a body area against which it is placed. The important objective of the use of percussion in respiratory therapy is to transfer percussive waves into a body area, such as the lungs, to dislodge blocked mucus and allow it to move along to a point that the patient can expectorate it or spit it up. A non-skid finish is provided on the external surface of the appliance to keep the user's hand from slipping off. The embodiments increase the transfer of percussive energy into the desired body area while reducing the severity of the impact to the skin surface. This is accomplished by creating an excellent seal of the cavity of the appliance to the body surface. Also the cavity is designed to compress resiliently deform and compress in response to the impact pressure applied by the therapist. The annular moldable ring thus provides both a seal and provides some protection for the skin tissue at the contact point. Also, one could use the embodiments with pneumatic or electrically driven vibrator action to enhance the mucus loosening effect, or these embodiments can be used to percuss and then the body area could be vibrated. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to electronics. In particular, the invention relates to receiver front-end circuits.
Description of the Related Art
Various receiver architectures exist. These architectures include regenerative receivers, direct-conversion receivers, and superheterodyne receivers. Each has its benefits and disadvantages.
One disadvantage of a conventional superheterodyne receiver architecture is that the active component count can be rather high, which can result in a relatively large, expensive, and power-hungry circuit. What is needed is an improved superheterodyne receiver. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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A type of prior art having an arm and provided with at least one hole and a plate holding engine or gearbox to their rear side, disable or substantially hinder access to rear side thereof such that certain parts must be removed form engine and gearbox (e.g. clutch, flywheel, oil seal, clutch release spring, realise arm, bearing guide sleeve) before they attached.
A type of prior art having two supports and carriers securing engine to two engine sides or ends substantially hinder or disable access to bolted sides of engine and position of carriers or supports may prevent full rotation of mounted engine if it has extended or coupled part(s) on its block.
Beside that some kind of engine stands (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 1,812,585) requires considerable consumption of material and relatively expensive and complex mechanism must be provided especially for carriers.
Even a combine of the features of above types of prior arts could not satisfy a demand to enable access to all sides of engine and gearbox.
Invention U.S. Pat. No. 7,237,758 discloses the universal stand capable of holding various types of engines and gearboxes allowing clear access to every side thereof during repair and renovation.
Nevertheless, in said invention it is found that a rear engine plate, that some engines have and which positioned between engine block and fly wheel, cannot be removed from engine while engine is bolted on the stand.
Beside that, some engine have upper holes, which holes are used for bolting engine on the stand, positioned close to each other. In that case upper handles coupled on respective carrying plat have to be longer than lower handles also coupled on respective carrying plat and because of that may happened that upper handles may prevent the fly wheel being removed from or returned to engine while engine is on the stand.
Also some large engine have upper holes mentioned in previous paragraph positioned so close to lower holes that upper handles close to lower handles, i.e. the angle between each upper handle and corresponding lower handle is too small in what case engine may not be completely secure on the stand.
Also above mentioned invention requires usage of adapters to centre engines which is inconvenient.
The present invention is intended to provide and improved device to solve these problems. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Computer and communication technologies continue to advance at a rapid pace. Indeed, computer and communication technologies are involved in many aspects of a person's day. Computers commonly used include everything from hand-held computing devices to large multi-processor computer systems.
Computers are used in almost all aspects of business, industry and academic endeavors. More and more homes are using computers as well. The pervasiveness of computers has been accelerated by the increased use of computer networks, including the Internet. Many computers may be connected to such networks. These computers are often referred to as nodes. One or more servers or computers may provide data, services and/or may be responsible for managing other computers on the network. A computer network may include hundreds or even thousands of nodes.
Networks may often become congested due to the amount of network traffic. For example, as communications attempted over a network increase, network throughput may decrease. As a result, data transmission and reception speeds may decrease, which may cause nodes to perform operations more slowly. In some cases, network failure may even occur. This may cause some node operations to be suspended or aborted. As can be observed from this discussion, systems and methods that help reduce network traffic may be beneficial. | {
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The present invention relates to network termination modules that are utilized in telephone network interface apparatus to isolate the telephone company ("telco" herein) portion of the system from that serving the respective subscribers. Such isolation is desirable in order to segregate the responsibility for faults or malfunctions that may occur in the respective parts of the system.
The aforementioned patent applications (the contents of which patent applications are incorporated herein by reference), of which this application is a continuation-in-part, describe a telephone network interface apparatus arrangement utilizing a device, referred to herein as a "network termination module," in which the demarcation between the telco and subscriber portions of the system is established. Such network termination modules are advantageously organized to house within a single base structure those elements, such as a jack, a protector assembly and other apparatus required to interface the wiring for the subscriber telephone service with the incoming telephone wiring. While such devices can be used as single, stand-alone units, they are particularly useful for applications, such as office buildings, apartments, or the like, in which the incoming telephone wiring is intended for use by a multitude of subscribers. The described modules are particularly suited to be stacked in close, side-by-side relation in box-like enclosures, termed the "network interface apparatus", that, depending upon their size, are capable of accommodating any number of modules. Consequently, there results from such devices the ability, not only to segregate that portion of the system which is the responsibility of the subscriber from that for which the telephone company is responsible, but also to permit the centralization of a large number of the devices for ready access, whether by the subscriber or by a telco installer.
It is known to provide security for equipment of the described type by incorporating an enclosure that possesses two covers, one of which can be opened by both telco installers and by subscribers and the other which can be opened solely by the former. In this way, subscriber wiring is accessible by both the subscriber and a telco installer but telco wiring and that portion of the system which is appurtenant thereto can be accessed only by the telco installer.
With the housing within a common enclosure of equipment that provides telephone service to a large number of diverse subscribers, the need for security extends, not only to the interior of the housing, but even to the interior of each module. Thus, it is known to provide individual module with individual security covers and to provide means for locking such covers in place, typically by a padlock that can be opened only by the concerned subscriber. Early efforts in the design of this equipment utilized telco covers which, when opened, permitted removal of the padlock securing the module cover whereupon a telco installer could have access to the module interior. Such efforts are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,209 granted Dec. 18, 1990 to T. J. Collins et al. and assigned to Keptel, Inc.
Through use it has been discovered that apparatus requiting removal of the padlock before access to subscriber wiring in subscriber line or network termination modules of the described type can be obtained by a telephone installer suffers several disadvantages. For example, when a padlock must be removed from the module of a subscriber to permit access to the interior thereof, there is the problem that the lock can be misplaced or lost, thereby denying the subscriber the requisite security until the lock is replaced. Even more troublesome, however, is the fact that, when access is required to such modules, it is readily conceivable that the locks for a pair or more of the modules can be switched or mixed. This, of course, creates the disadvantage that, not only must the lock of the concerned subscriber be replaced, but the lock erroneously put in place must be removed, either by breaking it or by the engagement of a locksmith.
In this regard, there is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,466, granted Apr. 25, 1989, to Dowler et al. and assigned to the assignee herein, an arrangement for enabling authorized access to a telephone interface security device without need to remove the lock. Such arrangement presents a complex organization of parts occupying considerable space thereby making it inappropriate for use with network termination modules of the type described herein.
It is to the amelioration of these and other problems associated with the use of the concerned equipment that the present invention is directed. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to a method for assembling a controlled impedance electrical connector using conventional components.
2. The Prior Art
Electrical signals operating at very high frequencies require controlled impedance and energy containment in their associated wiring and connectors. Commonly, controlled impedance and energy containment is effected by using shielded or coaxial cable and/or special electrical connectors or connector inserts. Such connectors typically are custom-made for particular applications and, therefore, often are expensive and not readily available when needed.
It would be beneficial to provide a method for fabricating a controlled impedance connector for a variety of applications using readily available, conventional components.
The present invention provides a novel method for assembling a controlled impedance electrical connector, such as the connector disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/607,487. More particularly, the present invention provides a method for assembling a controlled impedance electrical connector using conventional connector components, including conventional connector shells and inserts. The method of the present invention can be used in connection with connector shells having nearly any cross-section, including, without limitation, circular, square, and rectangular. The method of the present invention can be used to assemble an impedance controlled connector for use with conductors carrying a variety of signals, including single-ended signals, differential signals, and bidirectional differential signals. Test results indicate that a controlled impedance electrical connector assembled using the process of the present invention provides appropriate energy containment for signals varying in frequency from direct current (DC) to approximately 3.5 GHz.
In a preferred embodiment, the method of the present invention can be used to terminate an impedance controlled cable, such as a cable having a center conductor and a surrounding shielding braid, to a conventional insert in a conventional electrical connector shell. Preferably, the impedance controlled cable is prepared for termination by first stripping a length of outer jacket away from an end of the impedance controlled cable, leaving all but a short length of the underlying shielding braid in place. The exposed shielding braid then can be pushed back against the end of the remaining outer jacket, exposing the inner dielectric insulation. A short length of the inner dielectric insulation (and center conductor protective wrap, if present) is removed to expose the center conductor. Preferably, the center conductor is folded back upon itself to provide an adequate diameter for crimping.
In a preferred embodiment, a standard M39029/56-348 connector socket or M39029/58-360 connector pin (or the respective, suitable alternative) then is crimped onto the center conductor using a conventional crimping tool and die. A small section of shrinkable tubing can be installed across the gap between the crimp contact, i.e., the connector socket or connector pin, and the inner dielectric insulation to provide additional mechanical strength to the connection.
The shielding braid then is replaced over the inner dielectric insulation. Preferably, the shielding braid is spread evenly over the inner dielectric insulation, ensuring that no opening in the braid has a dimension larger than {fraction (1/20)} of a wavelength corresponding to the highest frequency to be handled by the connector (or, in a time domain, {fraction (1/20)} of the fastest transition speed of a signal, as would be known to one skilled in the art). A wire can be wrapped around the braid to cover any opening of excessive size. If such a cover wire is used, it preferably is soldered to the shielding braid to improve the overall shielding characteristic and to hold the wire in place, thus ensuring the opening remains covered. A drain wire preferably is added around the shielding braid near the end of the outer cable jacket and soldered in place.
The foregoing steps describe the preferred method for preparing a cable carrying a single-ended signal for termination at a connector insert. The method of the present invention also can be used in connection with, for example, multiple cables or a multi-wire cable carrying differential signals and bidirectional differential signals, among others. In a differential signal application, a second cable or wire is prepared and terminated in the same manner as for the single-ended signal application described above. The drain wires of the two cables or wires then are twisted and preferably soldered together. A standard M39029/56-348 connector socket or M39029/58-360 connector pin (or the respective, suitable alternative) is crimped onto the twisted and soldered drain wires using conventional tools. In a bidirectional differential signal application, a second pair of cables or wires for the second signal path also is prepared, as described above.
The prepared cables and/or wires are arranged into a predetermined pattern in which they will be configured when installed into the connector. This pattern is selected to ensure that the assembled connector will exhibit adequate impedance control characteristics. This pattern can be determined using any suitable parameter extraction software, such as the Maxwell(copyright) program available from the Ansoft Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pa., or other commercial or proprietary program. One suitable alternative software package is available from Innoveda of Redmond, W.Va.
The prepared and arranged wires are inserted into a conventional insert in a conventional connector housing in the predetermined pattern. Preferably, all of the conductor termination components (i.e., connector sockets or pins) associated with a particular cable or group of cables are pressed into the connector insert substantially simultaneously, a little bit at a time, to avoid placing excessive strain on any of the wiring. Any practical number of conductors can be prepared for and terminated at a connector in the foregoing manner. Once installed into a connector, individual connector sockets and/or pins can be removed and reinserted using conventional insertion and removal tools.
If reference planes are needed for impedance control within the connector, as would be known to those skilled in the art, they may be provided by inserting signal pins into the connector insert in a predetermined configuration and grounding them to the connector shell, thus forming a Faraday Cage around the signal wires requiring such impedance control measures. Preferably, the grounds (or drains) of the relevant signal wires are connected to any of these grounded pins.
Overall shielding of the cable also can be accomplished using conventional connector fittings in a novel manner. More particularly, the shielding can be bunched at the location where the shielding normally ends. This allows the shield to continue within the connector to provide impedance control right up to the inner face of the connector housing. | {
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The invention relates to fiber optic telecommunication systems and more specifically to chromatic dispersion compensation in such systems.
The tendency of a pulse of light propagating through an optical fiber to broaden is a result of the fact that different wavelengths of light pass through the fiber at different speeds. This speed differential which causes the pulse to broaden is termed chromatic dispersion. Chromatic dispersion presents a problem in modern optical communication systems because the tendency of light pulses to broaden as they propagate down the fiber causes the closely spaced light pulses to overlap in time. This overlap can have an undesirable effect since it restricts how closely spaced the pulses can be. This in turn limits the data bandwidth of the optical fiber.
There are many characteristics of dispersion. First order dispersion is the rate of change of index of refraction with respect to wavelength in the fiber. First order dispersion is also referred to as group velocity. Second order dispersion is the rate of change of the first order dispersion with respect to wavelength. Second order dispersion produces the pulse broadening. Third order dispersion is the rate of change of broadening with respect to a change in wavelength. This is often referred to as the dispersion slope.
Several solutions have been proposed to mitigate the effects of dispersion in transmission fibers. One technique involves the use of a compensating optical fiber having an appropriate length and which has a dispersion that is opposite to the dispersion characteristic of the transmission fiber. The result is dispersion in the transmission fiber is substantially matched and canceled by the total dispersion in the compensating fiber. While this technique offers a solution to the dispersion problem, it may be impractical in actual use because of the attenuation due to the required length of the compensating fiber. In such a case, the total transmission length of the fiber is significantly increased thereby increasing the signal attenuation in the fiber. Furthermore, it may be difficult to find a fiber of the desired length with the required dispersion properties.
It is also difficult to design a fiber having a changing index of refraction across the diameter of the fiber (the fiber index profile) that will compensate simultaneously for the second and third dispersion orders. It is even more difficult to control the material properties of such fibers even in the most accurate fabrication process necessary to produce such fibers. In addition, the process of fabricating the single compensating chromatic dispersion fiber is expensive and generally not practical.
When a pulse of light is transmitted through an optical fiber, the energy follows a number of paths which cross the fiber axis at different angles. A group of paths which cross the axis at the same angle is known as a mode. Sometimes it is necessary to limit or control the number of modes used in a transmission system. The fundamental mode LP01 in which light passes substantially along the fiber axis is often used in high bandwidth transmission systems using optical fibers commonly referred to as single mode fibers.
The dispersion properties of high order modes have been investigated at length. There is a dependence of high order mode dispersion on wavelength and on the properties of the fiber. By properly designing the fiber index profile it is possible to make the dispersion slope be positive, negative or zero. It is also possible to make the magnitude of the dispersion be negative, zero or slightly positive. Using these two properties one can either control or compensate for the dispersion in any transmission fiber.
Systems have been developed to take advantage of higher order modes to compensate for dispersion in a typical optical communication system. In such systems it has been necessary to first convert the lower order fundamental mode of the light to a higher order spatial mode. This is accomplished using longitudinal mode conversion.
Prior art methods for mode conversion are known as longitudinal mode conversion and are based on introducing a periodic perturbation along the fiber axis. The length of each period and the number of periods in these longitudinal converters must be determined accurately according to the wavelength, the strength of the perturbation, and the modes involved. By constructing a longitudinal mode converter it is possible to achieve good efficiency in transferring the energy from one mode to the other in a limited spectral bandwidth. This spectral property has been used in Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) applications in telecommunications for other applications. Unfortunately, this technique is accompanied by significant energy attenuation and it cannot be used over broad spectral bandwidths.
Another deficiency associated with longitudinal mode converters is related to the fact that after the conversion, only a single mode should be present in the fiber. It can be difficult to discriminate between desired modes and undesired modes having almost the same group velocities because unwanted modes can appear at the output of the converter. As the modes propagate, modal dispersion occurs and the pulse broadens. Generally, longitudinal mode converters introduce significant energy attenuation and noise. Therefore, a trade-off must be made between having broad-spectrum capability and the demand for converting the original mode to a pure, single, high-order mode.
One such longitudinal mode converter is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,234. Here, a single mode transmission fiber carries the LP01 to a longitudinal mode converter. Before conversion in this system, however, it is necessary to couple the single mode transmission fiber to a multimode fiber while maintaining the signal in the basic LP01, mode. This coupling is typically difficult to achieve without signal degradation and any misalignment or manufacturing inaccuracies can result in the presence of higher order modes. It is desirable that only the LP01 mode propagate initially in the multimode fiber in order to avoid significant noise that degrades the system performance and typically such coupling results in the propagation of additional modes.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of longitudinal mode converters and previous attempts to control dispersion in a fiber optic system.
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for chromatic dispersion compensated optical communication. The apparatus and method make use of a chromatic dispersion compensation fiber, a first transverse mode transformer at one end of the compensation fiber and a second transverse mode transformer at the other end of the compensation fiber. Each transverse mode transformer is coupled to a transmission fiber. Light from one transmission fiber is transformed by the first transverse mode transformer to a higher order spatial mode before being injected into the chromatic dispersion compensation fiber. Light exiting the chromatic dispersion compensation fiber is transformed by the second transverse mode transformer to a lower order mode before being injected into the other transmission fiber. The chromatic dispersion in the optical communication link is thus substantially reduced.
The present invention features an optical fiber transmission system which includes a chromatic dispersion compensation fiber and a transverse mode transformer. The mode transformer can be used to transform light entering the fiber to a higher or lower spatial mode. In one embodiment, the transmission system includes a transverse mode transformer at each end of the fiber. In another embodiment, a transmission fiber is optically coupled to the transverse mode transformer.
In another aspect, the invention features a method of compensating for chromatic dispersion in an optical system which includes the steps of receiving an optical signal having a first spatial mode, converting the optical signal to a second spatial mode using a transverse mode transformer and injecting it into a chromatic dispersion compensation fiber. The method includes the additional steps of receiving the optical signal from the fiber and converting it to a third spatial mode using another transverse mode transformer. In one embodiment, the first and third spatial modes are the same. In another embodiment, the first spatial mode is lower than the second spatial mode. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to a flat-panel-type display device using a display panel and a manufacturing method thereof, and is preferably applicable to a display device which mounts a drive circuit chip thereon with high accuracy.
Various types of flat-panel type display devices such as a display device which is capable of performing a high-definition color display for a notebook type computer or a display monitor or a liquid crystal display device which uses a liquid crystal panel, an organic electroluminescence display device (an organic EL display device) which uses electroluminescence (particularly organic electroluminescence) elements or a field emission type display device (FED) which uses field emission elements as a display panel for a mobile phone have been already practically used or have been studied for a practical use thereof.
In the flat-panel-type display device, the above-mentioned drive LSI (also referred to as the drive circuit chip or the driver LSI) for driving pixels is mounted on a periphery of a display region where a large number of pixels are arranged on a transparent insulation substrate made of glass or the like in a matrix array. In the display device of a type which is configured to control the turning on and off of the pixels using thin film transistors, the above-mentioned transparent insulation substrate is also referred to as a thin film transistor (TFT) substrate or an active matrix substrate. In the explanation made hereinafter, the transparent insulation substrate is also referred to as the transparent substrate or simply as the substrate.
In mounting the drive circuit chip on the TFT substrate, it is necessary to align bumps which are conductive projections and constitute connection terminals formed on a back surface (a surface facing the substrate or a side surface) of the drive circuit chip and wiring electrodes formed on the TFT substrate with the high accuracy. Usually, in performing this alignment, alignment marks which are respectively formed on the TFT substrate and the drive circuit chip are aligned to each other and, thereafter, the TFT substrate and the drive circuit chip are fixed to each other using an anisotropic conductive adhesive film (ACF). | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an elevation-adjustable rod member locking structure, which enables two rod members to be axially adjusted to change the combined length, and can positively lock the rod members in position.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 6 shows an elevation-adjustable upright support for supporting a raised floor in a computer room or clean room according to the prior art. This structure of elevation-adjustable upright support comprises a tubular upright post 92, a socket 921, and adjustment nut 93, and a screw rod 91. The socket 921 is fixedly provided at the top of the tubular upright post 92, having a recessed circular receiving hole 922. The adjustment nut 93 is threaded onto the screw rod 91 and supported on the top side of the socket 921, having a downward shank 931 inserted into the recessed circular receiving hole 922 of the socket 921. Rotating the adjustment nut 93 causes the screw rod 91 to be moved axially to the desired elevation. This design of elevation-adjustable upright support is not satisfactory in function. The contact between the downward shank 931 of the adjustment nut 93 and the recessed circular receiving hole 922 of the socket 921 is insufficient to absorb side force or vibration. When people walk on the raised floor, the elevation-adjustable upright support may be forced to produce noise. A vibration may cause the adjustment nut 93 and the screw rod 91 to fall from the socket 921. Further, the rod members (the screw rod 91 and the tubular upright post 92) can bear only downward compressive force. When pulling the screw rod 91 upwards with the hand, the adjustment nut 93 will be disconnected from the socket 921, i.e., the rod members (the screw rod 91 and the tubular upright post 92) cannot protect against upward stretching force.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an elevation-adjustable rod member locking structure that eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks.
The main object of the present invention is to provide an elevation-adjustable rod member locking structure, which enables two rod members to be axially adjusted to change the combined length, and can positively lock the rod members in position. It is another object of the present invention to provide an elevation-adjustable rod member locking structure, which provides a high locking power, enabling the locked rod members to bear high compressive force as well as stretching force. It is still another object of the present invention to simplify and cost down an elevation-adjustable rod member locking structure.
To achieve these and other objects of the present invention, the elevation-adjustable locking structure comprises a locating socket, an adjustment nut, and a lock screw. The locating socket is fixedly fastened to an end of a tubular upright post, comprising an inner thread extended to the topside thereof and a shoulder inwardly disposed in the bottom side thereof. The shoulder has a top face. The adjustment nut is mounted inside the locating socket and supported on the shoulder, comprising an inner thread threaded onto a screw rod, a peripheral wall, an operation unit at the top side of the peripheral wall, and an outward flange at the bottom side of the peripheral wall. The outward flange has a top face, and a bottom face supported on the top face of the shoulder of the locating socket. The lock screw is adapted to lock the adjustment nut in the locating socket, comprising an annular inside wall sleeved onto the peripheral wall of the adjustment nut, a head around the periphery thereof at the topside, an outer thread threaded into the inner thread of the locating socket, and a bottom edge supported on the top face of the outward flange of the adjustment nut. When rotating the adjustment nut clockwise/counter-clockwise after loosened the lock screw, the screw rod is forced to move upwards/downwards to the desired elevation. After adjustment, to rotate the lock screw downwards would force its bottom edge against the top face of the outward flange, then the bottom face of the outward flange is forced against the top face of the shoulder accordingly. Therefore, the locating socket, the adjustment nut, and the lock screw are all locked together.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The invention relates to a chuck for tools such as drills and milling cutters, adapted to be manually operated to firmly clamp the tool in the chuck and to be removably mounted together with the tool on a driving shaft of a precision drilling or milling machine.
Swiss-Patent No. 288 808 shows a chuck having a one-piece elongate hollow housing and an adjusting insert disposed within the housing and in threaded engagement therewith. A key can be inserted from the rearward side into a polygonal pocket hole formed in the insert to rotate the insert and at the same time move it axially to open or close the mouth between a plurality of jaws arranged in the housing. Disadvantages of this prior art exist in that the overall length is great, the structure is complicated and therefore not easy to manufacture, the jaws rotate when the chuck is opened or closed and the chuck is not adapted for right and left rotation because it can loosen by itself.
Chucks of other types are known from U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,479,973 and 3,861,693 but they are not adapted to clamp a tool before inserting the chuck-tool-unit into a drilling machine. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Test strips for analytical purposes are generally supplied to users in test strip vials from which individual test strips are removed as needed. A variety of test strips are known in the art including, for example, those designed to measure the concentration of an analyte in a fluid sample. With currently available test strip vials, it may be difficult for a user to remove a single test strip without tilting and/or shaking the vial, especially when the test strip vial is filled with test strips. Furthermore, tilting and/or shaking of test strip vials may result in undesired test strip spills and potential contamination of test strips. The present disclosure addresses these and related issues in the art. | {
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This disclosure relates generally to wager games such as poker, slots and dice games, and more particularly to wager games that are capable of being played at multiple levels or rounds. Such games typically provide for progressively larger payouts at each successive level if the player continues to achieve a winning result and advances to the next level.
Multi-level wager games are known in the art and described in the patent literature, including U.S. Pat. No. 6,612,927 (Slomiany et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,648,163 (Moody). In one version of a multi-level poker game, a first round of poker, such as five card draw poker, is played at a first level. If the player does not obtain the minimum poker hand ranking in the first level or round, the game is over and the player does not advance to a second level or round. However, if the player obtains a hand with a minimum poker hand ranking, such as a pair of Jacks or better, a winning result is deemed to have been achieved and the player wins according to a pay table. The player then advances to play at a second level of the game. The attraction of this game, referred to sometimes as “multi-level poker” or “multi-strike poker”, is that the pay table for the second round is typically higher than the pay table for the first round. For example, the pay table for the second round might be double the pay table for the first round. Stated differently, if the player has a winning hand at the second level they would win twice as much at the second round as they would in the first round for the same poker hand.
As a method of adding additional excitement to the game, the game can be extended to additional levels, such as a third level and a fourth level, with the player only advancing to the next level if they continue to achieve a winning hand (i.e., a poker hand with a minimum poker hand ranking). However, the pay table for the third and subsequent rounds continues to escalate, e.g., at each successive level the pay table doubles again. A lucky player that wins at each level up to and including the fourth level has a potential for an enormous payout, particularly if they have a good or great hand at the highest level. The risk the player faces is that if the player loses at any level, the game is over, they forfeit their wager on the levels that they did not get to play, and they only retain their winnings for the level(s) at which they had the minimum poker hand ranking, if any, less their initial wager.
The concept of poker played at multiple levels, as described above, can be extended to other card wager games, and to other non-card wager games, such as slots or dice games such as Bunco, as set forth in the aforementioned '927 U.S. patent. Such games can be played in a variety of formats, such as using video gaming terminals, at a card table, or in an on-line gaming format where a player plays at a computer workstation and communicates with a gaming server associated with a casino website over a network such as the Internet.
There is an ongoing need in the art for providing new and exciting games for players, including new and exciting improvements to multi-level wager games. This invention provides for an improved method and apparatus for playing multi-level wager games, and is applicable to dice, poker, slots, and other types of games capable of being played in a multi-level format. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The safety arrangement of the present invention is intended to provide protection for the driver or front-seat passenger of a motor vehicle.
It has been found that in many accident situations, especially a frontal impact situation, the floor pan of a motor vehicle may be deformed, and if the deformed part of the floor pan is in the region of the foot of the driver or a vehicle occupant, then the foot, ankle or lower leg of the driver or occupant may be injured.
It has been proposed to provide a safety arrangement in a motor vehicle in which an air-bag is located on the floor of the vehicle in the foot-well at a position beneath the feet of the driver or front seat occupant of the vehicle. In the event that an accident is sensed, the air-bag may be inflated, thus effectively lifting the foot of the driver or vehicle occupant above the floor pan of the vehicle. Such an arrangement may prove to be satisfactory in many situations, but it is difficult to maintain the integrity of an air-bag located under the front carpet of a motor vehicle during the entire life of the motor vehicle. The air-bag may be punctured or may deteriorate to an unacceptable level due to the hostile environment experienced by the air-bag.
It has also been proposed to utilize a double-floor arrangement, with an upper floor element being moveably mounted on to a lower floor. However, all prior proposed arrangements suffer from one or more disadvantages. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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A well-known anti jamming technique useful in attenuating the influence of a jamming signal when determining geolocation is known as space frequency adaptive processing (SFAP). Space frequency adaptive processing works to eliminate a jamming signal in both a spatial domain and a frequency domain. Such techniques rely on Fourier transformations in order to determine frequency domain information.
Space frequency adaptive processing works well when there is a stable jamming signal. However, if the frequency of a jamming signal changes or if its amplitude pulses over the course of a block of anti jam processing, the space frequency adaptive processing algorithms will not be as effective as they otherwise could be.
When the frequency of a jamming signal changes, for example when the jamming signal sweeps across a given frequency band, the bandwidth of the jamming signal appears to be greater than it really is. For example, if, over the course of a block of processing, the frequency of the jamming signal changes from 0 Hz to a Nyquist rate, the jamming signal would appear to be a broadband, low power signal. This would force the use of a broadband spatial null in the anti jam processing instead of a localized elimination of the jamming signal at a particular frequency at that same spatial location. This reduces the ability of the anti jamming system to attenuate the effects of a jamming signal and results in increased signal distortion.
Similarly, when a jamming signal is pulsed on and off, an anti jamming system may be forced to assume that a jamming signal is present during an entire block of anti-jam processing. This, too, results in sub-optimal anti jamming performance. This is because the weighting factors that are used to counter the jamming signal that are applied to various spatial perspectives of a signal at different frequencies will be constant. This results in attenuation at a consistent level even though the jamming signal is not present at all such spatial-frequency combinations. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a misfire-detecting system for a multiple cylinder-type internal combustion engines which detects a misfire, i.e. an abnormal firing occurring in a cylinder when spark ignition is not properly effected in the cylinder, and more particularly to a misfire-detecting system which is adapted to detect a misfire based on variations or fluctuations in the rotational speed of the crankshaft of the engine.
2. Prior Art
Recently, in order to cope with the problem of environmental pollution, etc., there has been an increasing need for detecting a misfire occurring in an internal combustion engine, which causes emission of undesirably rich exhaust gases. Further, it is also required to determine which cylinder is suffering from a misfire, particularly in an internal combustion engine for automotive vehicles, which is of a multiple cylinder type.
A misfire-detecting system of this type has been disclosed in Japanese Provisional Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2-112646, in which a misfire is detected based on variation in the rotational speed of the engine. More specifically, in this system, the rotational speed of the crankshaft is momentarily detected when a piston within each cylinder is in a particular position, e.g. in the vicinity of a top dead center position, and a misfire is detected based on variation in the rotational speed of the crankshaft thus detected.
Further, a misfire-detecting system for internal combustion engines has also been proposed e.g. by Japanese Provisional Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2-49955, in which a signal is output whenever the crankshaft rotates through a predetermined angle, and variation in the time intervals between signals thus output (variation in the rotational speed of the crankshaft) is detected to thereby detect a cylinder in which a misfire is occurring, based on the variation in the rotational speed of the crankshaft.
In general, the rotational speed of the engine (i.e. the rotational speed of the crankshaft) has a periodically changing characteristic when momentarily monitored with a very short time span such that it assumes the lowest value when the piston is close to its top dead center position, and then higher values until the next piston becomes close to its top dead center position. More specifically, in a multiple cylinder-type engine, while a certain cylinder is in the compression stroke, its piston reaches its top dead center position, and then the cylinder enters the explosion stroke where a compressed air-fuel mixture within the cylinder is ignited, so that the rotation of the crankshaft increases because the crankshaft is accelerated by downward movement of the piston under the pressure of the explosion gas. Then, the rotational speed of the crankshaft progressively decreases due to resistance applied by load on the engine until the next cylinder is subjected to ignition, which again causes acceleration of the crankshaft. This process is repeatedly carried out. Therefore, the rotational speed of the engine has a periodically changing characteristic, as mentioned above.
However, when a misfire occurs in one of the cylinders, the acceleration of the rotation of the crankshaft is not effected by the cylinder, so that the rotational speed continues to decrease even after its piston passes the top dead center position.
The above-mentioned proposed misfire-detecting systems utilize this fact, by detecting a momentary rotational speed of the crankshaft when each cylinder is in the vicinity of its top dead center position to thereby monitor variation in the rotational speed of the crankshaft, and by determining that the cylinder is normal when the variation is small, whereas a misfire has occurred in the cylinder when the variation is large, i.e. the rotational speed of the crankshaft has largely decreased. Further, it is possible to determine the cylinder in which a misfire has occurred, by identifying the cylinder which just passed the top dead center position immediately before a large decrease in the rotational speed was detected.
However, in the proposed misfire-detecting systems, a signal indicative of the engine rotational speed at a particular position of each cylinder is directly used for misfire detection, which makes it impossible to determine whether a variation in the rotational speed has been caused by a misfire or by another factor.
More specifically, the signal indicative of the detected engine rotational speed reflects a variation in the rotational speed which occurs at a frequency twice as high as the rotational speed of the engine if the engine is a four-cylinder type, and at a frequency three times the rotational speed of the engine if the engine is a six-cylinder type. Further, an internal combustion engine installed on an automotive vehicle also undergoes variations in the rotational speed which are caused by changes in the condition in which the vehicle is operating, such as acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle and travelling on a rough road. Therefore, the signal indicative of the detected rotational speed contains variations in the rotational speed which are caused by various factors other than a misfire.
As a result, if the signal indicative of the engine rotational speed is directly used for misfire detection as in the proposed system, the signal can contain noise produced particularly when the engine is in a high rotational speed/low load condition or when the engine is in a relatively low rotational speed condition while the vehicle is travelling on a rough road, which makes it difficult to discriminate a variation in the rotational speed which is caused by a misfire, resulting in low accuracy of misfire detection and difficulty in determining the cylinder which is suffering from the misfire.
The present inventors have made intensive studies to solve these problems, and found that by sequentially detecting a momentary rotational speed of the engine to obtain a waveform signal, and causing the signal to pass through a filter to obtain a signal having a particular frequency component therefrom, this signal contains considerably reduced variations in the rotational speed of the engine caused by factors other than a misfire. By monitoring the signal having a particular frequency component, it is possible to clearly and distinctly determine a variation in the rotational speed caused by a misfire, which enables to improve the accuracy of misfire detection.
However, when the engine undergoes a misfire, the rotational speed of the engine, after having decreased as described above, rises again due to a phenomenon of so-called "reactionary motion" of the main body of the engine and then falls again, followed by repeating this rise and fall process or vibration. The frequency of the reactionary motion is smaller than the frequency of variation in the rotational speed caused by a misfire but fairly close to the latter. Therefore, it is difficult to eliminate the influence of the reactionary motion by merely causing the signal to pass a filter. To eliminate the influence of the reactionary motion, it is necessary to increase the filtering frequency of the filter for filtering off low frequency signal components. If the filtering frequency is thus increased, however, the signal indicative of a decrease in the rotational speed caused by a misfire per se diminishes, and moreover vibration caused by the reactionary motion is not made smaller relative to the degree of diminution of the signal, which results in the possibility that a decrease in the rotational speed caused by the reactionary motion is erroneously taken for one caused by a misfire.
The reactionary motion is liable to occur when the engine rotational speed is low, whereas when the engine rotational speed is high, the signal indicative of the crankshaft rotational speed used for detecting variation in the crankshaft rotational speed is liable to contain noise produced by torsional vibration of the crankshaft or vibration thereof due to so-called "shaky movement" of journals, which also makes it difficult to accurately detect a misfire. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Electrical feedthroughs may provide an electrical pathway between an interior of a hermetically-sealed housing of an electronics device to a point outside the housing. For example, implantable medical devices (IMDs), such as implantable stimulation devices, implantable sensing devices, cardiac pacemakers, implantable cardioverter/defibrillators (ICDs) and neuromodulators, may use one or more electrical feedthroughs to make electrical connections between electrical circuitry within the implantable medical device and leads, electrodes, or sensors external to the device within a patient. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing anode foil for aluminium electrolytic capacitors, and more specifically, to a method of manufacturing anode foil for aluminium electrolytic capacitors by which the leakage current characteristics of the anode foil at medium and high voltages are improved.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, as electronic appliance sets are miniaturized and their reliability is increased, the requirements for the miniaturization and improvement of reliability of aluminium electrolytic capacitors are rapidly increasing. Therefore, the capacitance and leakage current characteristics of anode foil for aluminium electrolytic capacitors (hereinafter, referred to as anode foil) must be improved.
Conventionally, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Sho 59-89796, there is proposed a method of manufacturing aluminium foil for electrolytic capacitors as a method of manufacturing anode foil for medium and high voltage usage and this method comprises a first step for boiling aluminium foil with pure water, a second step for dipping the aluminium foil into a weak acid solution after the first step and a third step for subjecting the aluminium foil to a forming treatment after the second step.
Nevertheless, this conventional method of manufacturing anode foil is disadvantageous in that since weak acid is bonded with a hydrated film produced by the boiling with the pure water as well as the weak acid dissolves the hydrated film, the forming film formed at the next step is made more defective and leakage current characteristics are made insufficient by it. | {
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As one of the most successful technical innovations in history, mobile communication develops extremely rapidly. With gradual increase of mobile users, mobile applications, and mobile services, a requirement of large-capacity, low-delay, and more reliable mobile communication also gradually increases. In recent years, the foregoing requirement is partly met by using more advanced communications technologies, allocating more spectrums, and deploying denser base stations. However, mobile data services are to present an explosive growth trend in the next decade according to a forecast, which poses a more severe challenge to design of a next generation mobile communications network. Currently, most of low-band spectrum resources (for example, bands below 3 GHz) that are applicable to mobile communication are already allocated. However, a large quantity of spectrum resources in a band between 3 GHz and 300 GHz are still not allocated or used. According to a definition from ITU, a band between 3 GHz and 30 GHz is referred to as a super high frequency (SHF) band, and a band between 30 GHz and 300 GHz is referred to as an extremely high frequency (EHF) band. The SHF band and the EHF band have a similar propagation characteristic (a relatively large propagation loss) and a wavelength range between 1 millimeter and 100 millimeters, and therefore a band between 3 GHz and 300 GHz is collectively referred to as a millimeter-wave band.
However, research on using the millimeter-wave band in cellular mobile communication is still in an initial stage, and a technology is still not mature. When accessing a millimeter-wave band network, user equipment needs to acquire a PSS in a PSS (English: Primary Synchronization Signal) synchronization window that slides in the millimeter-wave band for a long time, and synchronization in the millimeter-wave band cannot be accelerated. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, in an actual transmission process, when a user receives a cellular band frame and a millimeter-wave band frame, a delay is to be generated between start locations of the cellular band frame and the millimeter-wave band frame. The delay is caused by various factors, for example, a transmit delay difference in a cellular band and the millimeter-wave band on a base station side, a delay difference caused by a millimeter-wave band RF (English: Radio Frequency) channel device and a cellular band RF channel device, and a delay difference caused by different space propagation paths of different band signals. | {
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Telecommunications services provided over an IP Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) can be subject to charging and policy control mechanisms. This includes Quality of Service (QoS) control. Accordingly, some telecommunications systems incorporate Policy and Charging Control (PCC) architectures to provide this control. 3GPP TS 23.203 V8.1.1 describes such a PCC architecture in respect of packet flows in an IP-CAN session established by a user terminal through an Evolved 3GPP telecommunications system, including both 3GPP accesses (GERAN/UTRAN/E-UTRAN) and Non-3GPP accesses. FIG. 1 illustrates schematically an example of the PCC architecture described in 3GPP TS 23.203 that comprises a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF), a Bearer Binding and Event Reporting Function (BBERF), a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), an Application Function (AF), an Online Charging System (OCS), an Offline Charging System (OFCS) and the Subscription Profile Repository (SPR).
The PCEF is a functional entity that behaves as a Policy Enforcing Point (PEP) for enforcing decisions instructed by the PCRF and the OCS. The PCEF captures any user and signalling traffic, and analyzes that traffic to identify the user and to capture details of the service(s) being used. The PCEF can then communicate this information to the PCRF over the Gx interface, to the OCS over the Gy interface and to the OFCS over the Gz interface. The PCEF is preferably co-located within the gateway node implementing the IP access to the PDN. As such, in a GPRS core network the PCEF is located within the GPRS Gateway Support Node (GGSN), whilst in the case of a CDMA2000 network the PCEF may be located in a Packet Data Serving Node (PDSN).
The OCS provides authorization for the usage of network resources based on the provisioned data and the user activity information it receives from PCEF. This authorization must be granted by the OCS prior to the actual resource usage. When receiving a network resource usage request, the network assembles the relevant charging information and generates a charging event towards the OCS in real-time. The OCS then returns an appropriate resource usage authorization over the Gy interface. The resource usage authorization may be limited in its scope (e.g. volume of data or duration) therefore this authorization may have to be renewed from time to time as long as the user's resource usage persists. The OCS can support time, volume and event-based charging.
The AF is an element offering applications that require policy and/or charging control of the IP-CAN user plane behaviour. The AF communicates with the PCRF over the Rx interface to transfer dynamic session information, required for PCRF decisions as well as to receive IP-CAN specific information and notifications about IP-CAN bearer level events. One example of an AF is the P-CSCF of the IP Multimedia Core Network (IM CN) subsystem. In the case of a P-CSCF, the information communicated over the Rx interface is derived from the P-CSCF session information (e.g. SDP when SIP is used for signalling) and it mainly includes media components. A media component comprises a set of IP flows, each of which is described by a 5-tuple, the media type and required bandwidth.
The PCRF can be implemented as a standalone node and behaves as a Policy Decision Point (PDP), or Policy Server (PS), that stores user data related to QoS enforcement, access control lists, etc. The PCRF provides policy and charging control for the media components negotiated between the user terminal and the AF. The PCRF provides network control regarding the service data flow detection, gating, QoS and flow based charging (except credit management) towards the PCEF. The QoS information that PCRF downloads to the PCEF includes the QoS class identifier (authorized QoS class for the service data flow), the Allocation and Retention Priority (ARP) and authorized bitrates for uplink and downlink. Once a decision is taken in PCRF, this decision is indicated to the PCEF by means of the Gx interface.
The SPR contains all subscriber/subscription related information needed for subscription-based policies and IP-CAN bearer level charging rules by the PCRF. The Sp interface allows the PCRF to request subscription information related to the IP-CAN transport level policies from the SPR based on a subscriber ID and other IP-CAN session attributes.
Network operators offer a variety of different types of subscription to users, each of which can have a different QoS and/or usage limits. For example, one subscription type may provide the user with a bandwidth limit of 1 Mbps for the first 1 Gb of data, after which the bandwidth is then downgraded to 128 Kbps. An alternative subscription type may provide a bandwidth limit of 3 Mbps for the first 5 Gb of data, after which there is no access to any services other than the operators portal. Therefore the QoS level received by the user will depend on what he/she is willing to pay. Although the examples above only define the bandwidth limit QoS parameter, the user's subscription type can also define other QoS parameters, such as the QoS Class Identifier (QCI), traffic delay, etc.
For certain types of services there may be a preferred or required minimum QoS. For example in a video conference it is essential to provide a sufficiently high bandwidth to all the participating users. FIG. 2 is an example signalling flow diagram of a video conference negotiation in an IM CN subsystem. In this example, two users are negotiating a video conference. The subscription of one of the users provides a bandwidth restricted below the QoS required for the video conference, such that the negotiation fails and the session is aborted. The steps performed are as follows: A1. A SIP INVITE is sent from the originating user terminal (UE A) to a terminating user terminal (UE B). The SIP INVITE is routed via P-CSCF A associated with UE A to a Telephony Application Server (TAS) and onto P-CSCF B associated with UE B. A2. UE B returns a 183 Session Progress message to P-CSCF B. A3. P-CSCF B then sends an Authenticate and Authorize Request (AAR) message to PCRF B to authorize the required QoS. A4. In this example, PCRF B does not authorise the QoS because the subscription of user B of UE B does not allow the QoS required for the session (e.g. if the user's maximum bandwidth=1 Mbps and the video conference requested bandwidth=2 Mbps). PCRF B sends the rejection to P-CSCF B in an Authenticate and Authorize Answer (AAA) message. A5. The P-CSCF B sends a BYE message to the UE A and UE B to inform them that the session has been terminated.
Alternatively, it could be the case that, despite the restricted bandwidth, the service is allowed. However, without the desired QoS, it is likely that the service experienced by both users will be poor. In a further alternative, both users may initially negotiate and agree a certain QoS. However, during the session one of the users may be downgraded to a lower QoS, for example, the user may have exceeded their usage limit. In this case, whilst the session is not interrupted, the service will be degraded and this degradation will be perceived by both users.
In summary, whilst the limitations on the QoS available to a user, due to the restrictions of their subscription, will limit the services available to that user, they may also limit the services or QoS available to other users who wish to communicate with that user. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Hardware-assisted virtualization is a way of improving the efficiency of virtualizing a guest platform on a host device. This involves employing specially designed central processing units (CPUs) and hardware components that help improve the performance of a guest platform environment. Virtualization consists of two principal classes of software, which are the VMM (Virtual-Machine Monitor) and the guest software. The VMM acts as a host and has control of physical processors and other platform hardware. The VMM presents the guest software with an abstraction of a virtual processor and allows it to execute directly on a logical processor. In addition, the VMM is able to retain selective control of processor resources and other hardware. The Virtual Machine (VM) is a guest software environment that runs independently with reduced privilege, so that the VMM can retain control of the platform.
One problem in the control of a VM by a VMM is that an instruction of a processor running in the guest VM may attempt to modify protected or privileged data of the VM, where the protected or privileged data are stored in read-only memory. To determine if this instruction has access to the range of data the instruction wishes to modify, the VMM would need to fetch and decode that instruction, which is a costly process for the VMM. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pattern input apparatus which is used for the input of patterns, such as characters and drawings, into an information processing apparatus.
2. Description of Background Information
An image scanner which reads characters and patterns and the like drawn on a paper is well known as a pattern input apparatus. Also known are an apparatus which has a panel with a plurality of pressure sensors arranged on the same surface, and detects the locus of a pen-like equipment when a user moves the equipment while in contact with the panel, and an apparatus which has a liquid crystal panel and detects the locus of a light pen when a user moves the pen in contact with the panel.
The above-described type conventional apparatuses, however, have a problem of poor operational easiness because characters and patterns have to be drawn on a paper at least once, and a pen-like equipment or a light pen is required. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention relates generally to plasma etch reactors and, more particularly to techniques for controlling micro-contamination and the scavenging effect in such reactors. In a dry etching process typically used in the fabrication of integrated semiconductor devices, process gases are supplied to a reactor chamber and radio-frequency (rf) energy generates and sustains a plasma cloud within the chamber. Ions in the plasma cloud bombard a workpiece, which is usually a semiconductor wafer located in the chamber immediately adjacent to the plasma, or in a separate processing chamber into which ions from the plasma are drawn. The ions either etch the workpiece or assist the etching, and the etching process may be made selective by patterning a protective coating applied to the workpiece prior to etching. Selective etching requires the etch process to proceed at different rates for different materials, such as when a substrate material is etched in preference to a masking material. Some plasma particles, such as fluorine atoms, are notoriously non-preferential and spontaneously react with silicon and silicon dioxide, which is a common masking material. One solution to this difficulty is to use silicon as a scavenging electrode material, to absorb free fluorine in the plasma and thereby improve selectivity. However, an inherent difficulty with this process is that the scavenging effect is progressively reduced as the surface of the silicon electrode becomes coated with polymer materials or with by-products of the reaction with fluorine.
In general, there are three types of plasma generation approaches: capacitive, inductive, and microwave. In the more conventional capacitive plasma approach, the plasma is formed between a pair of parallel plate electrodes, to which radio-frequency (rf) power is applied, to one or both plates. A variant of the parallel plate approach is the magnetically enhanced reactive ion etch (MERIE) plasma generation apparatus, in which a magnetic field enhances the formation of ions in the plasma. Inductive plasma generators use an inductive coil, either a planar coil, a cylindrical coil or any of various other types of coils to deliver rf power into the plasma chamber. A separate rf generator supplies energy to at least one plate electrode in the chamber, to control ion energy and direction.
In a reactor chamber having a grounded upper electrode, referred to as the anode, the surface of the anode, including the exposed surface of the chamber, which is also grounded, is usually much larger than the surface of the lower electrode, the cathode. This results in a large direct current (dc) bias on the cathode and improves the plasma energy and the etch rate. However, the anode surface collects a polymer deposit during etching and the deposit can be a significant source and/or root cause of particle contamination. The deposit could also significantly affect the process conditions since the accumulated polymer alters the rf return impedance. In some reactors, this deposit could change the reaction chemistry, particularly the etch reaction, which depends upon the material of the top electrode. The mechanism resulting in particle contamination is not completely understood but may be explained as follows. As the polymer layer gets thicker, return rf current, which is normally distributed uniformly over the entire anode surface, flows instead through regions that are not coated with polymer. The only areas that have no polymer depositions are gas inlet holes in the anode, which serve to introduce process gases into the chamber. Increased current density around the gas holes provides a "current crowding effect" in those areas and electrical arcing may take place. The arcing produces molten aluminum particles. Particle contamination, either in the form of these aluminum particles or in the form of polymer flakes, is a likely result if the polymer layer becomes thick enough between cleanings. In configurations in which the top electrode has no gas inlet holes, the polymer deposition could significantly change the electrode surface chemistry reaction rate. As a result, the etch performance, such as selectivity or etch rates, may drift and cause production problems.
The conventional solution to this problem is to perform an in-situ dry cleaning process periodically, such as after processing each wafer or twenty-five wafers. For an oxide etching process, such dry cleaning is effective in controlling polymer deposition, eliminating gas hole arcing, controlling particle contamination and stabilizing etch performance, but is not without cost. Dry cleaning reduces processing through-put, increases the difficulty of automating processing, and shortens the useful life of "process kits," i.e., replaceable components installed in the chamber.
A similar problem arises in relation to an existing power-splitting version of a reactive ion etch chamber. In this device, the upper and lower electrodes are placed relatively close together and rf power from a single source is split equally between the electrodes, and applied with a phase difference of 180.degree.. This arrangement confines the resulting plasma between the electrodes but also results in erosion of the upper electrode, and consequently a shortened useful life of the electrode.
It will be appreciated from the foregoing that there is still a need for improvement in plasma etch techniques. Ideally, what is needed is a plasma etch system that avoids the problems outlined above and, in particular, a system that minimizes or avoids off-line dry cleaning to remove deposits from the top electrode, but does not result in substantial erosion of the electrode. The present invention satisfies this need. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Typically enterprise applications or the applications that rely and work on dynamic data mostly use eXtensible Markup Language (XML) for storing and retrieving such data, as XML is a widely accepted form for data storage and retrieval. While building applications there is a need to debug the application or programs, which interact with the XML files specifically to read the data. Therefore, while debugging such programs there is always a missing link of how to debug the XML files that are encounter on the way of proceeding with the program flow. Currently, the development environment tools that provide the debugging facility don't provide an option to set the debug points in the XML files through which the program flow might take us. A missing link at this place would cause the debugging work to go mostly with assumptions which might lead to misleading results at times.
Conventional solutions to this typically incorporate the debug statements in code, i.e., the software code, that print out the values obtained after parsing the XML document. This method is quite strenuous and any changes or addition to debug statements that is included will demand re-compiling and re-running the new binaries obtained. In case of relatively large software applications this becomes increasingly tedious, gruesome and time consuming. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Due to the ever-increasing popularity and accessibility of the Internet as a medium of communication, the number of business transactions conducted using the Internet is also increasing, as are the numbers of buyers and sellers participating in electronic marketplaces providing a forum for these transactions. The majority of electronic commerce (“e-commerce”) transactions occur when a buyer determines a need for a product, identifies a seller that provides that product, and accesses the seller's web site to arrange a purchase of the product. If the buyer does not have a preferred seller or if the buyer is purchasing the product for the first time, the buyer will often perform a search for a number of sellers that offer the product and then access numerous seller web sites to determine which seller offers certain desired product features at the best price and under the best terms for the buyer. The matching phase of e-commerce transactions (matching the buyer with a particular seller) is often inefficient because of the large amount of searching involved in finding a product and because once a particular product is found, the various offerings of that product by different sellers may not be easily compared. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Currently, in order to mount a front or rear door hinge to a vehicle body, in a vehicle assembly line, the door hinges are mounted with a manual mounting jig. Such a manual mounting jig is suitable for a low speed assembly line or a two-model assembly line, however, it becomes difficult to apply the manual mounting jig to a high speed assembly line. Furthermore, in order to use the manual mounting jig for a multi-model assembly line the structure of the manual mounting jig becomes very complicated. Therefore, it is also difficult to use the manual mounting jig for a multi-model assembly line.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement or understanding of the background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art as already known to a person skilled in the art. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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In for example laundries, garments are conveyed on garment hangers with hooks. In connection with transport of the garment hangers, separators are used to separate the garment hangers from each other and convey separate garment hangers forward. Such a separator can take the form of a feeding device that picks a separate garment hanger from a plurality of garment hangers and feeds the garment hanger forward. As the separate garment hangers are fed forward, a distance can be created between individual garment hangers. Typically, the separator or feeding device engages the hooks of the garment hangers. A problem for such a feeding device is that different garment hangers may have hooks of varying dimensions. The hooks are often formed from a circular cylindrical metal wire and different hooks can be formed from metal wires of different diameter. Therefore, the feeding device must be able to engage hooks of varying dimensions/different diameter. In the Danish patent publication 162932 B, a separator device is disclosed that is said to be able to accommodate hooks of different thickness. In the device according to the above-mentioned publication, one hook at the time is fed forward while the next hook to be fed forward is held in place.
It is an object of the current invention to provide a separator device for threadlike objects such as hooks for garment hangers. It is an additional object of the invention to provide a separator device that can feed threadlike objects forward one at the time and that is able to accommodate threadlike objects of varying dimension, in particular such hooks for garment hangers that are made of metal wire of different diameter. It is also an object of the invention to provide a system for conveying and feeding garment hangers. Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide a method for feeding threadlike objects such as hooks for garment hangers. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a color filter to be patterned on a cathode ray tube (CRT) so as to enhance the brightness and contrast characteristics of the CRT, and more particularly, to a suitable color filter solution for a color filter and a method for pattering a color filter therewith.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typically, a cathode ray tube(CRT) is a device for forming an image by excitation light emission of a phosphor of red, green, and blue of a phosphor screen by landing an electron emitted from an electron gun and accelerated by high voltage on the phosphor.
Various characteristics are required to the phosphor screen of the CRT, but the most important characteristics are brightness and a contrast.
Generally, a dark-tint glass panel with 40-50% transmittance, a semi-tint glass panel with 50-60% transmittance and a clear panel with 80-90% transmittance which are classified in accordance with its light transmittance have been used to improve the contrast in the CRT.
However, there are a wide difference in the light-transmittance among the above panels and more particularly, the contrast and brightness characteristics are appeared contrary to each other. In the dark-tint glass panel, rays of the light incident thereon from the outside thereof are considerably absorbed by the dark-tint glass panel to improve contrast, but rays of the light exited by the phosphor are also absorbed to decrease brightness.
Conversely, in the clear panel, the rays of the light exited by the phosphor are mostly passed through the clear panel thereby to increase the brightness but the rays of the light from the outside are reflected to decrease the contrast.
Accordingly, the contrast and brightness are contrary to each other, so that it is very difficult to increase the both characteristics.
Applying of a pigment to the phosphor to absorb the rays of the light from the outside is also known. That is, a CRT, in which a layer including a opaque pigment of uniformly sized particles is provided between a face glass and phosphor screen, is disclosed. However, a part of the rays of the light exited by the phosphor is absorbed in the pigment, so that the 10-15% decrease of brightness is estimated.
Another type CRT is disclosed to solve the problem that the increasing of the contrast in the CRT carries the decreasing of the brightness. The CRT comprises a glass panel of which the inner side is provided with the patterned color filters of a green, a blue and a red, respectively, so that the rays of the light with the corresponding wavelength are transmitted and the rays of the light with other wavelength are filtered when the exited rays of the light are passed through the filter, thereby cause to improve the brightness, contrast, and color producing capacity in the CRT.
If the above technique is employed in the clear panel with a high transmitance of light, the contrast can be enhanced with the outside rays of the light absorbed in the color filter together with the enhancement of the brightness by the characteristics of the clear panel.
To obtain the above CRT, a black matrix should be deposited on the glass panel and the color filters are patterned correspondingly to the green, blue and red phosphor to be patterned, respectively followed by patterning the corresponding phosphor to be multi-layered.
However, such techniques would cause to decrease the production efficiency because it needs a number of processes that the respective color filters of three kinds have to be patterned by a separate process. Further a rate of loss of a slurry for the color filters is increased and the cost is risen together with a decrease of the yield because of the difficulties of the management of the processes.
Furthermore, in the case of a red filter, Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 as a filter material, has a property absorbing the violet ray upon its exposure, and thus the patterning by a normal photoresist method is difficult. Thus, the red filter patterning should be processed with the both photoresist and etching methods, which cause increase the steps together with a pollutant discharge.
On the other hand, some conditions are required to apply color filter slurry on the black matrix. At first, a well-dispersed and stable color filter solution is required which has a good transmission characteristic and has no reactions with a photoresist (e.g., polyvinyl alcohol and sodium dichromate) added therein and with a black matrix upon applying.
In the typical dispersion method of color filter, a pigment of super fine particles, citric acid as a dispersion agent and a glycol solvent have been used.
However, such method provides another problem together with a light transmitrance. That is, when the polyvinyl alcohol is added, the color filter solution is gelatinized thereby causing the black matrix to be contaminated or to be fallen off. The color filter solution is so sensitive to pH. It is stable under pH 5.0 but when the pH becomes lower, the particles in the solution are cohered because the potential of zeta is lowered. It is thus difficult to obtain the desired transmittance characteristic of the color filter and a cloudy screen is obtained.
Accordingly, it has been required to provide a slurry preparing process and an easier red filter patterning process for obtaining a desired transmittance and exposing conditions of a color filter by means of a photoresist techniques with a slurry sensitive to light in the CRT with a color filter. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates in general to a programmable device and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly to a programmable device with improved coupling ratio and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Reduction of feature size, improvements of the rate, the efficiency, the density and the cost per integrated circuit unit are the important goals in the semiconductor technology. With the development of semiconductor technology, multiple time programmable (MTP) memories have been provided for beneficial use in many applications. It is desired to increase the programming speed and erasing speed of the MTP cell under the conditions of maintaining the recent size or preferably decreasing the size of the device. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to short circuit protection in hydrocarbon exploration and production electrical systems and, more particularly, short circuit protection for such electrical systems comprising serially connected nodes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Short circuit protection systems are familiar protections for electrical systems. A short circuit may create dangerous conditions. For example, a short circuit may cause dangerous electrical loads for equipment that may damage electrical/electronic components of equipment, thereby rendering them inoperable. Dangerous electrical loads arising from short circuit conditions may also cause fires and other dangerous situations. The ubiquity of electricity in modern life has therefore led to much interest in short circuit protections.
The standard way of solving short circuit situations is to implement a hierarchy of automatic fuses. Each fuse has a certain current rating. The fuse trips when the current exceeds its rating. For example in a house, the main fuse has a higher current rating than the fuse for each individual power domain. In addition electrical devices like radios or personal computers (“PCs”) may have an internal fuse as well, with lower current rating than the power domain it draws power from. The point with such a hierarchy is to reduce as much as possible the area that the short affects. This makes it easier to locate the problem and fix it while ensuring safety in the overall system. It also limits the area affected by the short.
These kinds of considerations take on more importance in some circumstances. A seismic survey system is typically laid out with a series of units connected together by a seismic cable in between. Cables, connectors and units transferring or relaying electrical power in a seismic survey system are subject to short circuit situations. There can be several hundred units in each power domain and 10 s of meters of cable between them, making the whole power domain span several kilometers. Thus, not only may there be a very large number of places in which a short circuit condition might occur, but they may be spread out over large distances. Locating and fixing a short circuit can therefore be a time consuming and difficult task.
In a seismic survey system, a hierarchy of automatic fuses such as that described above means that the power supply needs to include a fuse which will trip if there is a short anywhere on the line of sensors. The negative side of this solution is that the whole line of sensors loses power as long as there is a short anywhere on the line. It also is not possible to automatically know where on the line the short is, meaning it will take a long time to repair.
The present invention is directed to resolving, or at least reducing, one or all of the problems mentioned above. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Wireless, radio frequency (rf) receivers are well known. Such receivers are constructed to receive and demodulate information signals modulated onto an rf carrier wave. Modulation methods include such alternatives as frequency shift keying (FSK), quadrature phase shift modulation (QPSK), or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM).
Within a receiver, the information signal is recovered by mixing the received signal to a zero-rf state and comparing the remaining signal against known standards. In a FSK system 1s and 0s may be detected by the presence or absence of frequency shifts detected at the zero-rf state. In QPSK or QAM systems the received signal is mixed to a zero-rf state and the remaining signal compared to constellations of known symbols. The known symbols are multidimensional, using amplitude and phase as encoding parameters. The use of multidimensional symbols allows QPSK and QAM systems to transmit multiple bits within each symbol, considerably increasing data throughput within such communication systems.
A key element of decoding symbols lies in being able to sense the timing of transmitted symbols. One method of acquiring proper timing in a receiver is provided by transmitting known pilot symbols at regular intervals. The transmission of known pilots not only provides an indication of the start and end of data frames but can also be used to determine a complex channel vector, .PSI., operating on the known pilot, P, to produce a received vector, R.
The complex channel vector is calculated by dividing the received vector, R, by the known transmitted pilot vector, P. The quotient is a complex value that may then be used to provide a better estimate of symbols received between pilots by dividing the received symbols by the complex channel vector.
As a further aid to reliability in decoding information, convolutional coding may be used to improve the noise resistance of a communicated signal. A convolutional coder with constraint length K=3 and code rate k/n=1/2 may be used to encode a signal with a high degree of reliability over a channel with convolutional coding.
Decoding of a channel using convolutional coding is typically based upon maximum likelihood (Viterbi) decoding (see Digital Communications Fundamentals and Applications, by Bernard Sklar, Prentice Hall, 1988, pgs. 315-374). Under Viterbi decoding, state transitions (t.sub.1 t.sub.n) of a convolutionally coded signal are plotted in a trellis diagram in a series of possible paths defining a received signal at a time, t.sub.i. Under the Viterbi algorithm a metric is calculated defining a measure of similarity, or distance, between a received signal at time t.sub.i, and all the trellis paths entering each state at time t.sub.i. The metric is then used to eliminate those trellis paths that could not possibly be candidate paths. The best metric path (most likely answer) under the Viterbi algorithm is the path with the lowest cumulative metric.
In general, in a system where R={r.sub.1 . . . r.sub.L } is a received signal vector, .PSI. is a constant channel estimate, X={x.sub.1 . . . x.sub.L } is a transmitted signal vector, N is a noise vector, and .sigma..sub.n.sup.2 is a noise variance, a log-likelihood function of the received vector R, given that X is transmitted, has the form as follows: ##EQU1## Such a function can be used to describe the likelihood of reception of the vector, R, for a binary communications channel with time-varying channel gain and additive white Gaussian noise and zero mean signal level.
While the Viterbi algorithm has worked well, the success of the Viterbi algorithm is based upon a white Gaussian noise source. In slow frequency hopping, code division multiple access (SFH-CDMA) communication systems noise, due to interference, may not be Gaussian where interfering communication units transmit in synchronism. A need exists for a method of extending maximum likelihood decoding to SFH-CDMA systems. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to an inkjet printing system and method of printing. More particularly, the present invention relates to an inkjet transaction printing device and a method of printing transaction receipts with a disposable printhead and wiper debris collector.
A typical inkjet printing device generally include a traveling carriage unit for supporting one or more printheads in a desired orientation relative to a ink receiving surface. In this regard, as the carriage unit travels along a rectilinear path of travel adjacent to the ink-receiving surface, the printheads eject ink on to the ink-receiving surface to form desired indicia.
Such printheads typically have an orifice plate with a plurality of small nozzles for ejecting the ink toward the ink-receiving surface. Because of residue build up on and around these small nozzles or opening, many inkjet printing devices include a service station module that caps, wipes and catches spit ink droplets that facilitates keeping the printhead clean. A necessary operation in servicing such a printhead is to make certain that the wiper utilized to remove residue is also cleaned periodically.
A prior solution for cleaning such a wiper included providing a wiper cleaning station within the service station module. In this regard, not only is a wiper cleaning station required but also special wiper cleaning fluids are necessary to clean the wiper. Thus, while such wiper cleaning stations are satisfactory for their intended purpose, the wiper cleaning station parts are nevertheless expected to last for the life of the printing device and adds to the cost of operating the printer because of the special cleaning fluids that must be provided. Therefore it would be highly desirable to have a new and improved inkjet printing device that does not require a wiper cleaning station that is expected to last the life of the printing device nor require special cleaning fluids.
The present invention provides a disposable printhead cartridge having an integrated inkjet printhead and wiper debris collector for printing and servicing a transaction printing device. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
In the art of making tires, it is desirable to employ rubber vulcanizates that demonstrate reduced hysteresis loss, i.e., less loss of mechanical energy to heat. Hysteresis loss is often attributed to polymer free ends within the cross-linked rubber network, as well as the disassociation of filler agglomerates. The degree of dispersion of filler within the vulcanizate is also important, as increased dispersion provides better wear resistance.
Functionalized polymers have been employed to reduce hysteresis loss and increase bound rubber. The functional group of the functionalized polymer is believed to reduce the number of polymer free ends by interacting or reacting with filler particles. Also, the interaction between the functional group and the filler particles reduces filler agglomeration, which thereby reduces hysteretic losses attributable to the disassociation of filler agglomerates (i.e., Payne effect).
Conjugated diene monomers are often anionically polymerized by using alkyllithium compounds as initiators. Selection of certain alkyllithium compounds can provide a polymer product having functionality at the head of the polymer chain. A functional group can also be attached to the tail end of an anionically-polymerized polymer by terminating a living polymer with a functionalized compound.
For example, trialkyltin chlorides, such as tributyl tin chloride, have been employed to terminate the polymerization of conjugated dienes, as well as the copolymerization of conjugated dienes and vinyl aromatic monomers, to produce polymers having a trialkyltin functionality at the tail end of the polymer. These polymers have proven to be technologically useful in the manufacture of tire treads that are characterized by improved traction, low rolling resistance, and improved wear.
Because functionalized polymers are advantageous, especially in the preparation of tire compositions, there exists a need for additional functionalized polymers. Moreover, because precipitated silica has been increasingly used as reinforcing particulate filler in tires, functionalized elastomers having affinity to silica filler are needed. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Acute allergic reaction including anaphylaxis, is a systemic, immediate hypersensitivity reaction caused by exposure to a specific antigen. The immune system activates immunoglobulin E (IgE), which reacts with effector cells (mast cells and basophils). These cells, in turn, release histamine, serotonin, leukotrienes, and prostaglandins, and induce a range of signs and symptoms, such as facial flushing, urticaria (hives), edema, pruritus, broncho-constriction, cough, cardiac arrhythmias, hypotension, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Cutaneous manifestations are most common, with urticaria and angioedema present in 88% or more of patients experiencing acute allergic reactions. Swelling in the airway is the most life-threatening symptom, commonly causing dyspnea, wheezing, stridor, and upper airway obstruction from severe edema. Cardiovascular symptoms include dizziness, hypotension, and syncope related to third-spacing of intravascular fluid. Common gastrointestinal manifestations include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pains or cramps, and diarrhea. Although symptoms vary between acute allergy patients, onset generally occurs seconds to minutes after exposure to an antigen and requires prompt treatment.
The true incidence of acute allergic reactions including anaphylaxis is unknown, partly because of the lack of a precise definition of the syndrome. Some clinicians reserve the term anaphylaxis for the full-blown syndrome, while others use it to describe milder cases. Fatal anaphylaxis is relatively rare; milder forms occur much more frequently. The frequency of acute allergic reaction is increasing, and this has been attributed to the increased number of potential allergens to which people are exposed, such as increased varieties of food and medications. A recent review concluded that the lifetime prevalence of acute allergic reactions including anaphylaxis is ˜5% of the population with higher prevalence in developed countries than developing countries.
Approximately 1 in 5000 exposures to a parenteral dose of a penicillin or cephalosporin antibiotic causes anaphylaxis. More than 100 deaths per year are reported in the United States due to antibiotic induced allergies. Fewer than 100 fatal reactions to Hymenoptera stings are reported each year in the United States but this is considered to be an underestimate. One to 2% of people receiving IV radiocontrast experience some sort of reaction. The majority of these reactions are minor, and fatalities are rare. Low molecular weight contrast causes fewer and less severe reactions. Narcotics also induce acute allergic reactions.
Acute allergic reactions occur in all age groups. Food allergies are more common in the young, whereas more drug reactions occur in adults, possibly due to greater exposure to medications, including narcotics, aspirin/NSAIDs, antibiotics, IV contrast media, anesthesia, muscle relaxants, etc. Although prior exposure is essential for the development of true anaphylaxis, reactions occur even when no documented prior exposure exists. Thus, patients may react to a first exposure to an antibiotic or insect sting. Elderly persons have the greatest risk of mortality from acute allergic reactions due to the presence of preexisting disease.
Emergency treatment includes airway protection, alpha-agonists, antihistamines, steroids, and beta agonists. Medications currently used in the treatment of acute allergic reactions include epinephrine, diphenhydramine injection, corticosteroids, albuterol, and glucagon. Epinephrine is the first-line drug to be given to a patient having an acute allergic reaction. An alpha-receptor agonist, epinephrine reverses hypotension. It also has beta-receptor activity, which dilates the airways, increases the force of myocardial contraction, and suppresses histamine and leukotriene release, reducing inflammatory responses. Diphenhydramine injection is the second—line drug to be given to a patient having an acute allergic reaction as an adjunct therapy to epinephrine for the relief of peripheral symptoms such as pruritus, engioedema, hives, erythema, etc.
What is needed are additional treatments for severe allergic reactions including anaphylaxis. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to systems and methods for rewarding players for gaming at casino establishments, and in particular to providing players with real-time incentives while a player is playing at a gaming machine in the casino.
2. Background of the Invention
Commercial enterprises use various methodologies to reward and provide incentives for their customers. Rewarding customers often takes into account the value of the customers to the business. For example, an enterprise may value its customers based on the amount of revenue the enterprise is likely to make from the customer's commercial activity. Identifying customers that generate more revenue for the enterprise allows the enterprise to identify and target those customers for fostering close relationships with them. Enterprises seek to retain these valued customers by keeping them loyal to the enterprise, which is often accomplished through special offers and deals. Many enterprises offer promotions or other programs in which patrons earn value that can be redeemed for goods or services. Such systems are found in many industries, including frequent flyer miles offered by airlines and points offered by many credit card companies.
Complimentaries (commonly referred to as “comps”) and other types of incentives are commonly used in casino environments to increase customer traffic and stimulate specific customer behavior. From a casino's perspective, the value of the casino's patrons, or players, is often based on each player's gaming activity. Gaming activity may include, for example, time gambling, average and total bets, coin in, and other measures of gaming volume or rate of play or a value thereof. The casino benefits from the player loyalty that such a comps promotion creates. Casinos typically use various combinations of comps and other incentives that are believed to reward players for their gaming activity most appropriately. One such program gives players rewards players by granting credits (called “points”) that can be redeemed for cash or cash equivalents.
Determining which players were the “high rollers” and were worth giving comps and other incentives to used to be essentially ad hoc and entirely up the judgment of the casino manager, without any significant element of technological support. As a result, awarding of incentives was typically limited to players of table games (e.g., blackjack, craps, or baccarat), where the player's betting could be observed by a table or pit boss who “rated” the player based on the boss's estimate of the amount of time the player gambled and their average bet. Later-developed slot tracking programs offered the capability to track player betting in slot machines, and in some cases during table play. These slot tracking programs enabled casinos to determine more precisely how much a particular player had gambled in a particular period of time on one or more slot machines. As a result, casinos became able to offer incentives to slot players, who were also valuable to the casino, not only to the high roller table players.
The incentives offered by casinos include items such as free or discounted rooms, vouchers for meals or shows, and coupons for services and the like. Typically, comps are distributed by mailing the player a voucher as well as by providing vouchers at distribution locations in the casino. Some casinos allow players to use a kiosk located on the casino floor to check their ratings and comp level, print vouchers for comps, and/or redeem vouchers.
But the problem with existing comp systems is that they still require the player to leave the gaming machine in order to obtain a comp. That is, existing comp systems do not provide incentives in real-time, while a player is playing at a gaming machine. Because of this limitation, existing systems cannot provide an incentive to a player to continue gaming, since the player will have left the gaming machine, and possibly the casino, before the incentive can be delivered. Moreover, systems that provide offers and other incentives to players after the players have stopped playing miss out on the opportunity to communicate with the player at the most relevant moment—when the player is gaming at a machine in the casino. Offers and incentives delivered after the player is done playing, received perhaps in the mail long after a player's trip is over, are not as effective as they would be if provided while the player is at a gaming machine. If received after a player has left the casino, an incentive cannot affect behavior of the player at the gaming machine.
Accordingly, what are needed are automated techniques and systems that allow a casino to direct marketing incentives toward a player while the player is at a gaming machine. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Many vehicles today include onboard camera systems that provide an occupant of a vehicle a more detailed view of the areas outside the vehicle. Such areas outside of the vehicle may be difficult or impossible for the occupant to see from his normal seated position (usually, the driver seat). One such onboard camera system might employ a back-up camera, allowing a driver of the vehicle to view an area behind the vehicle that is much larger in scope than the area that can be seen by the driver through the rear window of the vehicle. Generally, these onboard camera systems are limited to a single, non-configurable, wired camera that is built into the vehicle hardware. This type of camera is commonly a back-up camera, providing only a view of the area directly behind a vehicle.
Accordingly, it is desirable to configure and use multiple wireless cameras onboard a vehicle, and to view their output on an in-vehicle display. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present disclosure relates generally to the field of power supplies for information handling systems, and more particularly to techniques for efficiently providing power to drive a discharge lamp, such as a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL).
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to acquire, process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system (IHS) generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Liquid crystal display (LCD) panel based display devices have been commonly utilized in many IHS systems due to their compact size, and low power consumption. Although there are different types of backlights (e.g., light sources including a discharge lamp), which are currently used for backlighting the latest LCD panels, the CCFL (also known as cold cathode fluorescent tube (CCFT)) is most commonly used. Circuits for supplying power to CCFL's generally require a controllable alternating current (AC) power supply and a feedback loop to accurately monitor the current in the lamp in order to maintain operating stability of the circuit and to have an ability to vary the lamp brightness. Such circuits typically generate a high voltage to initially turn on the CCFL and then lower the voltage when current begins to flow through the lamp.
Such circuits also typically include an inverter circuit to convert a direct current (DC) voltage received as an input to a regulated AC current generated as an output. Inverter circuits typically include a controller component, such as a pulse width modulator (PWM) based controller. Various well-known inverter circuit configurations or “topologies” include a Royeroscillator, full-bridge or half-bridge inverters.
The CCFL power consumption may account for a significant portion (e.g., up to 50% in some cases) of the IHS system power requirement, especially for portable systems. Therefore, there is a considerable amount of interest to achieve advantages in extending battery life and reducing re-charge frequency by improving the efficiency of power supplies configured to provide power to the CCFL.
Traditional inverter circuits may use a single stage or two stage inverter. FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram for a commercially available two stage inverter 100, such as model INVC638 LCD backlight inverter manufactured by Hitachi Media Electronics. In such inverters, the output of a first stage DC-DC booster, which is provided as an input to a second stage inverter, is held substantially constant. The second stage includes a resonant push-pull inverter. The traditional two stage inverter regulates the output (current provided to the CCFL load) by varying the duty cycle to the first stage. The second stage operates at a fixed frequency and duty cycle, independently of the first stage duty cycle.
Presently, many single stage and two stage inverters do not maintain high efficiency over wide variations in input voltage. In traditional inverter based power circuits, a wider input voltage range, and/or a larger difference between the input and output voltages typically causes a decrease in power conversion efficiency.
Historically, the battery cell stacks and cell technology have determined the range of input voltage provided to the first stage. Presently, a voltage range for battery cell stacks working in combination with AC/DC adaptors typically varies from 9V-22V. With the trend towards lowering battery cell stack voltages, in the near term, maturing battery technology may extend this range to 6V-22V. Further advances in battery technology may cause the low end of the voltage range to drop even further. This typically results in generating more heat in the inverter thereby reducing battery run time.
Therefore, a need exists for improved efficiency of the power circuits providing power to the CCFL. More specifically, a need exists to develop tools and techniques for improving the efficiency of inverters under changing input voltage. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide tools and techniques for an improved inverter of an IHS absent the disadvantages found in the prior methods discussed above. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
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