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Articulated coupling arrangements and slackless drawbar assemblies have been generally well known in the railroad industry for several years, prior to the development of the present invention, as a means to connect together the adjacently disposed ends of a pair of railway type freight cars in a substantially semi-permanent fashion. In other words, these railway freight cars generally will not require frequent separation during service. Normally they will only be separated during a required repair and/or routinely scheduled maintenance being performed on one or more of them.
These railway cars are particularly adapted for what is most commonly referred to, in the railroad industry, as piggyback service and/or dedicated service wherein the cars may be joined in a semi-permanent fashion. The railroad cars which are joined in such semi-permanent fashion are also commonly referred to in the railroad industry as either a "5-pack" or "10-pack" unit.
These 5-pack or 10-pack units do not require the use of a standard coupler, except between units. The primary reason such standard couplers are not required is because these units are only broken periodically. Normally, this occurs when maintenance of an individual component must be carried out. Obviously, considerable cost-savings are achieved by the use of this semi-permanent coupling arrangement. These cost savings are mainly derived from lower car weight, fewer railway trucks, reduced maintenance and generally lower equipment cost. Such lower equipment cost being achieved by elimination of draft gears and a reduction in the number of trucks required.
With the use of these semi-permanent coupling arrangements and with the higher loads presently being carried by modern railway trains, it is of the utmost importance that a close-buttoned relationship be maintained between the numerous coupler draft components. Such a close-buttoned relationship is required in order to reduce the detrimental effects of the impact forces which are encountered by a car under buff conditions of train operations.
One prior type of articulated coupling device used for the purpose of connecting adjacent ends of a pair of railway cars, in a semi-permanent manner, is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,819, the teachings of such patent hereby being incorporated into the present application by reference thereto.
This particular articulated coupling device includes a male connection member secured to one end of a first railway car body and a female connection member secured to an adjacent end of a second railway car body. The male connection member includes an aperture therein. A bearing assembly, including a substantially spherical member, is positioned within this aperture for joining such male connection member with the female connection member.
A race assembly, formed by at least two members, is provided within the aperture and is positioned around a predetermined portion of the substantially spherical member. The race assembly enables requisite movement of the male connection member in relation to the female connection member in each of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction over a predetermined range of angles measured from each of a centerline of the spherical member disposed in a vertical direction and a longitudinal axis of the articulated coupling arrangement disposed in a horizontal direction. A securing means is provided which is engageable with each of the race assembly and the male connection member for securing the race assembly and the spherical member to the male connection member.
One generally well known slackless type drawbar assembly using a ball and race type connection includes the following elements: a car connection member, or female connection member, engageable within the center sill portion of a railway vehicle, a spherical member securable within the car connection member, a male connection member having a curved butt end and an aperture which is disposed around the spherical member secured within the car connection member, a two piece race assembly secured within the aperture of the male connection member and disposed between the spherical member and such aperture and a drawbar connected to such male connection member.
A disadvantage of the articulated coupling arrangements and slackless drawbar assemblies discussed above is the provision of at least two separate members to form the race assembly and the care which must be taken to secure these two separate members within the aperture of the male connection member around a predetermined portion of the spherical member. These factors add additional materials cost, assembling time and labor to the manufacture of the articulated coupling arrangement and/or slackless drawbar assembly. | {
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A fold and roll platform assembly has a pair of platform panels movable from a collapsed position with the panels closely adjacent each other to an operative position in a common plane. In accordance with this invention, the panels are carried on a supporting frame by support units having retractable locator pins. Each locator pin is preferably supported for pivotal movement from a retracted position to an upwardly extending position to engage and locate a platform panel. As provided in the embodiments of the invention disclosed, a recess is provided for receiving the locator pin when retracted. The locator pin projects above the recess when in its upwardly extending position.
One object of this invention is to provide locator pins for the panels of a fold and roll platform assembly which are retractable and have the features described above.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent in the following specification and claims in which the invention is described together with details to enable persons skilled in the art to practice the invention, all in connection with the best mode presently contemplated for the invention. | {
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The present invention relates to content-aware dynamic network resource allocation in a network such as the Internet and in one embodiment to content-aware dynamic optical bandwidth allocation.
The Internet is a data transport network including legacy networks and optical networks. The legacy networks exist at the outer edge of the Internet and use copper wires to connect client systems and electronic routers/switches. The optical networks form the backbone of the Internet and use fibers to connect optical cross connects or switches. Between the legacy networks and optical networks are edge devices, which are electro-optic.
Well-developed optical transport technology brings an ever-increasing amount of bandwidth to the Internet. However, with conventional network technology, end clients have little ability to exploit optical network resources for their own purposes. As a result, there is abundant bandwidth available in the backbone of the Internet. In fact, a number of emerging Internet applications such as storage area network and streaming media intend to take greater advantage of the abundant bandwidth. These applications are dynamically initiated and provide a variety of content data over the IP protocol.
More specifically, conventional network technology has the following drawbacks.
1. Static Provisioning of Optical Links
Conventional network resource provisioning establishes fixed links to connect customer networks. For example, the optical provisioning is static, fixed bandwidth, and usually takes a long time, e.g., on the order of a month, because it involves inter-network-provider service negotiations and is accomplished manually.
2. Cost of the Optical Link Bandwidth is not Divided Among Many Users and Provisioning Bandwidth is not Flexible
Conventionally, provisioning an optical link (e.g., OC-48) means that a customer owns the full link bandwidth (i.e., 2.5 Gbps). This customer is fully responsible for the cost of the optical link. The cost is significant and the optical link bandwidth use is often inefficient. On the other hand, a number of users can share an optical link but they are not guaranteed a specified portion of the bandwidth.
3. Existing Signaling Protocols not Supported by Optical Gear
Applications can send their bandwidth requirements to the network using existing Internet signaling protocols such as Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP). These protocols are at the Internet protocol (IP) layer, i.e., the layer 3 (L3), of the ISO Open System Interconnection reference model and require hardware support at network devices. However, optical devices perform data transport at the physical (L1) or the link (L2) layer and thus application signals are not processed in optical networks.
4. Optical Bandwidth Provisioning is not Aware of the Content of Application Traffic
Conventional bandwidth provisioning is based on the TCP/IP characteristics of traffic flow, which include IP protocol types, source and destination IP addresses, and TCP/UDP source and destination port numbers of traffic packets. Such provisioning is limited for L4 or higher-layer content differentiation because a client may use applications that deal with multiple content traffic streams at the same time. For example, audio and video applications employ different types of content and have different bandwidth requirements. On the other hand, optical networks do not support content differentiation because optical devices do not process IP packets.
Prior attempts to solve the problems described above include the following.
1. Intserv/RSVP
RSVP is the Intserv ReSerVation Protocol under the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and is used by applications to signal the network for bandwidth reservations for IP traffic. However, RSVP is thought to be not scalable because backbone routers cannot maintain the flow status for all reserved traffic passing by. In addition, optical gear does not accept RSVP signals from end applications because RSVP is an L3 IP protocol.
2. ATM
Within an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network, applications can invoke the ATM user-network interface (UNI) to establish virtual circuits with particular bandwidth assignments. However, the ATM UNI is not applicable for non-ATM applications.
3. GMPLS
GMPLS (Generalized MultiProtocol Label Switching) is a known protocol of traffic path establishment for next-generation optical network. GMPLS is applied with the emerging ASTN (Automatic Switch Transport Network) technology. However, GMPLS does not support granular bandwidth requests from individual clients nor does it allocate bandwidth based on the content of application traffic.
Thus, there remains a need to more fully and effectively exploit the abundant bandwidth existing at optical networks. | {
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Limitations of Current Consumer Photography Technology
Communication between the camera user and the dealer or photofinisher typically requires written forms which are filled out by the user, usually well after a given scene has been photographed. Thus, in addition to the inconvenience of filling out such a form, scene-related information is typically lost or forgotten. Such information may include the user's desire to not have a particular frame printed or to have several prints made from a given frame, for example. Such information may also include the photographic parameters of the scene, observed by the user or by a sensor, which would have aided the photofinisher's classification of the scene to increase the quality of the prints made from the film.
Several factors reduce the efficiency of the overall photofinishing process. For example, in a large photofinishing laboratory not operating on a 24 hour per day basis, the film processing equipment must lie dormant for a period of time at the beginning of each work day until enough incoming customer film has been sorted to form one batch of a minimum number (e.g. 70) of film strips of the same type (such as color negative 35 mm film) to justify running the film printing equipment. Of course, undeveloped film (regular customer orders) must be separated from developed film (print re-orders).
More significant sources of inefficiency in the photofinishing process include the mechanical steps required to maintain proper correspondence between each film strip and the prints made from it, as well as the customer's identity. These mechanical steps include the sorting and handling of each form or envelope originally filled out by the customer so that the envelope follows the customer's film strip throughout the photofinishing process and winds up with the corresponding set of prints.
One of the most significant sources of inefficiency in the photofinishing process arises from the necessity of re-printing an image from a particular frame on a customer's film strip whenever inspection reveals that the corresponding original print was incorrectly made (usually by an incorrect exposure of the photosensitive print paper to the developed film negative image). In order to replace the original print with a better (so-called "makeover") print, the exposure conditions ("classification") used to make the original print from the negative film image must first be corrected. The particular film negative frame in question must be re-classified and then re-printed while preserving the original prints of the other frames. The mechanical steps involved here include notching the prints to indicate the boundaries between adjacent prints on a roll of prints and the boundaries between adjacent orders on the roll, as well as marking any original print requiring a makeover in a labor intensive procedure which insures that proper correspondence between each film strip and the corresponding original prints, makeover prints and customer order form (envelope) is never lost. | {
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Typical multi-layered vacuum super insulated cryogenic tanks utilize a pair of cylindrical inner and outer tanks that are arranged concentrically with the inner tank residing in an interior of the outer tank. There are multiple radiant heat shields (insulation layers), approximately 30-80, coiled around the inner tank between the inner and outer tanks. A high vacuum exists between the inner and outer tanks to further prevent heat transfer. This type of thermal insulation is called a multi-layered vacuum super insulation. These storage tanks are capable of storing fluids at cryogenic temperatures.
The inner tank is positioned within the outer tank so that the inner tank does not contact the outer tank and so that thermal conduction paths between the inner and outer tanks are minimized. The fluid is supplied to and removed from the inner tank through a plurality of discrete fluid lines that extend through the outer tank, the vacuum between the inner and outer tanks, and into the inner tank at separate locations. Each of these fluid lines is a conductive heat path that can result in parasitic heat leaks into the inner tank.
The fluid lines are typically of a double wall construction inside the inner tank with a vacuum insulation therebetween to reduce the parasitic heat leaks into the inner tank. The double wall vacuum insulation shares the vacuum with the gap between the inner and outer tanks. The double wall fluid lines inside the inner tank typically have long horizontal runs and one or more bends or changes in direction. This construction has various drawbacks. The bending of the multiple double wall fluid lines is difficult and time consuming. Additionally, the use of discrete double wall fluid lines results in multiple obstructions in the wrapping of the insulation layers around the exterior of the inner tank. The insulation layers need to be cut for each of these obstructions. Each of these cuts/breaks in the insulation layers results in a potential thermal shortcut for a parasitic heat leak into the inner tank. Furthermore, the cutting of the insulation layers is time consuming and makes automated production difficult. Moreover, the long horizontal runs may develop a homogenous temperature profile and lead to additional parasitic heat leaks through natural convection. Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a storage tank that reduces or minimizes these drawbacks. | {
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Conventionally, in general, a material having relatively high water-absorptive property, such as a material having a water content of at least 40% by weight has the advantage of being imparted flexibility by water even if its own flexibility is, as usual, not so high. However, oxygen permeability of the above material is insufficient and when water content in the material is increased, there generates a problem that bacteria widely breed and safety of the material is lowered.
Then, there is proposed a material comprising a copolymer which is prepared by combining a monomer or macromonomer capable of imparting excellent oxygen permeability to the material, such as a silicon and/or fluorine-containing monomer or macromonomer with a hydrophilic monomer capable of imparting excellent wettability (hydrophilic property) to the material, such as a hydroxyl group-containing monomer so that water content of the material becomes low, and then, by copolymerizing these together with. Although the material is surely excellent in oxygen permeability, the material is poor in flexibility, and furthermore, because compatibility of the silicon and/or fluorine-containing monomer or macromonomer with the hydrophilic monomer is remarkably poor, when these components are mixed together with, sometimes phase separation is generated and only an opaque polymer is obtained by the copolymerization. Therefore, there occurs a problem that it is difficult to use the above material as a contact lens or an intraocular lens.
Then, in order to solve the above problem, there is proposed a process for producing a soft contact lens, comprising desilylating the copolymer prepared by copolymerizing a hydroxyl group-containing hydrophilic monomer of which hydroxyl group is previously silylated with a polyorganosiloxane having a polymerizable group and a hydrophilic group on the same side chain of the molecule (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 295216/1989).
By the above process, a soft contact lens which is excellent in transparency can be produced. However, because there is necessitated a complicated step such that hydroxyl group of a hydroxyl group-containing hydrophilic monomer is previously silylated and then, the obtained copolymer is desilylated, it is desired that the step in the process is more simplified.
Also, in addition to the above process, there are proposed a process for producing a contact lens, comprising mixing a monomer composition containing a crosslinking agent with a solvent having high compatibility with the monomer composition to give a mixture, producing a formed article of polymer by molding the mixture by the static casting and removing the solvent from the formed article of polymer (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 225913/1989), a process comprising using a monomer composition containing a silicone-containing monomer and a hydrophilic monomer in the above process for producing a contact lens (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 501504/1996) and a process comprising evaporating and removing the solvent at the specific temperature in the above process for producing a contact lens (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No 503173/1996).
By these processes, a contact lens which is relatively good in transparency can be produced. However, when these processes are employed, there is a fear that the solvent and non-reacted monomer composition which have been used during the static casting are not completely removed, so that these remain in a contact lens.
In the meantime, as an intraocular lens material, there is proposed a material prepared by polymerizing a silicon-containing monomer capable of imparting flexibility to the material.
However, the above material has a problem that a lens from the material becomes cloud in white owing to stain such as lipid after inserting the lens into an eye because the material has a high affinity for lipid, so that optical properties are lost. Then; in order to solve the problem, it is tried to develop various processes for producing an intraocular lens material. However, a process by which the desired intraocular lens can be easily produced has not been provided yet.
As aforementioned, there has not yet been provided a process for easily producing a contact lens material and an intraocular lens material which are, in particular, excellent in transparency and furthermore have flexibility, high oxygen permeability, stain resistance, wettability, safety and the like at the same time.
The present invention has been accomplished in consideration of the above prior art, and aims at providing a process for extremely easily producing an ocular lens such as a contact lens, which is, in particular, remarkably excellent in transparency, has flexibility and high oxygen permeability, is excellent in stain resistance and wettability, and furthermore has high safety, and providing an ocular lens represented by a contact lens, which is produced by the process. | {
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Apparatuses for emptying rail cars loaded with coal or similar flowables are known in the prior art in several configurations. A common drawback of the prior art devices has been exceedingly high cost of installation and operation due to the massive nature of the structures and the necessity for manufacturing gear or gear sectors having huge diameters. In one class of prior art car emptying apparatus, the car is moved inside of a large wheel-like device, where it is gripped and held while the device is bodily rotated by gearing or cable means toward and away from a car emptying position. This form of apparatus is very costly to manufacture and difficult and expensive to install.
A second form of prior art rail car emptying apparatus involves the entry of each car into a gripping device whose jaws are moved by one group of power cylinders, followed by lifting of each car as it is held by a second group of power cylinders to an intermediate position, in turn followed by rotation of the car and gripping device to an emptying position by a third group of power cylinders. This latter prior art system requires up to sixteen hydraulic cylinders in three different groups of varying sizes to effect the desired manipulation of the rail car. The system is complex, very costly and requires relatively complicated controls and substantial maintenance.
Accordingly, it is a prime object of this invention to substantially improve on the known prior art through the provision of a rail car emptying apparatus which is more simplified and practical, considerably less expensive to build and install, requires less maintenance and possesses a simpler mode of operation with the utilization of substantially fewer power cylinders compared to known devices.
Another object of the invention is to provide a car emptying apparatus which is an integral part of a complete system, including a car advancing and positioning means, and a receiver for the material emptied from the car including a regulated feeder to control delivery of the material onto a conveyer.
Another object of the invention is to provide a rail car emptying system adapted for control by a microprocessor, so as to achieve substantially complete automation of operation of the system.
Still another object is to provide a more simplified car emptying apparatus and a material receiver which are compatible in use with a commercial car positioning mechanism. | {
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Delay lines are commonly used in the electronics art to provide predetermined amounts of delay for signals. The delay facilitates the implementation of many functions and features. For example, in the field of audio signal processing, digital audio delay lines are used to provide echo effects, reverberation effects, distortion effects, three-dimensional (3-D) audio, and environmental modeling.
A digital delay line is conventionally implemented with a block of memory that is accessed using two pointers, a read pointer and a write pointer. The memory block contains data samples. The read and write pointers point to the locations in the delay line containing the current read and write samples, respectively. As a data sample is written to the current location in the delay line, the write pointer is advanced to the next location. Similarly, as a data sample is retrieved from the delay line, the read pointer is advanced to the next data sample. The difference between the read and write pointers represents the signal delay, in sample periods. By adjusting the location of either the read or write pointer, or both, different amounts of delay can be obtained.
Many digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms that use digital delay lines require access to the delay lines with minimal latency (or low or near-zero access delay). Typically, a relatively large number of delay lines are needed to support these algorithms. Further, a read and a write access are typically performed for each delay line and for each sample period. | {
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Microlithography (also called photolithography or simply lithography) is a technology for the fabrication of integrated circuits, liquid crystal displays and other microstructured devices. More particularly, the process of microlithography, in conjunction with the process of etching, is used to pattern features in thin film stacks that have been formed on a substrate, for example a silicon wafer. At each layer of the fabrication, the wafer is first coated with a photoresist which is a material that is sensitive to radiation, such as deep ultraviolet (DUV) light. Next, the wafer with the photoresist on top is exposed to projection light in a projection exposure apparatus. The apparatus projects a mask containing a pattern onto the photoresist so that the latter is only exposed at certain locations which are determined by the mask pattern. After the exposure the photoresist is developed to produce an image corresponding to the mask pattern. Then an etch process transfers the pattern into the thin film stacks on the wafer. Finally, the photoresist is removed. Repetition of this process with different masks results in a multi-layered microstructured component.
A projection exposure apparatus typically includes an illumination system for illuminating the mask, a mask stage for aligning the mask, a projection objective and a wafer alignment stage for aligning the wafer coated with the photoresist. The illumination system illuminates a field on the mask that may have the shape of an elongated rectangular slit, for example.
In current projection exposure apparatus a distinction can be made between two different types of apparatus. In one type each target portion on the wafer is irradiated by exposing the entire mask pattern onto the target portion in one go; such an apparatus is commonly referred to as a wafer stepper. In the other type of apparatus, which is commonly referred to as a step-and-scan apparatus or scanner, each target portion is irradiated by progressively scanning the mask pattern under the projection beam in a given reference direction while synchronously scanning the substrate table parallel or anti-parallel to this direction. The ratio of the velocity of the wafer and the velocity of the mask is equal to the magnification of the projection objective, which is usually smaller than 1, for example 1:4.
It is to be understood that the term “mask” (or reticle) is to be interpreted broadly as a patterning device. Commonly used masks contain transmissive or reflective patterns and may be of the binary, alternating phase-shift, attenuated phase-shift or various hybrid mask type, for example. However, there are also active masks, e.g. masks realized as a programmable mirror array. An example of such a device is a matrix-addressable surface having a viscoelastic control layer and a reflective surface. More information on such mirror arrays can be gleaned, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 5,296,891, U.S. Pat. No. 5,523,193, U.S. Pat. No. 6,285,488 B1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,515,257 B1 and WO 2005/096098 A2. Also programmable LCD arrays may be used as active masks, as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,872. For the sake of simplicity, the rest of this text may specifically relate to apparatus including a mask and a mask stage; however, the general principles discussed in such apparatus should be seen in the broader context of the patterning device as hereabove set forth.
As the technology for manufacturing microstructured devices advances, there are ever increasing demands also on the illumination system. Ideally, the illumination system illuminates each point of the illuminated field on the mask with projection light having a well defined intensity and angular distribution. The term angular distribution describes how the total light energy of a light bundle, which converges towards a particular point in the mask plane, is distributed among the various directions along which the rays constituting the light bundle propagate.
The angular distribution of the projection light impinging on the mask is usually adapted to the kind of pattern to be projected onto the photoresist. For example, relatively large sized features may involve a different angular distribution than small sized features. The most commonly used angular distributions of projection light are referred to as conventional, annular, dipole and quadrupole illumination settings. These terms refer to the intensity distribution in a pupil surface of the illumination system. With an annular illumination setting, for example, only an annular region is illuminated in the pupil surface. Thus there is only a small range of angles present in the angular distribution of the projection light, and thus all light rays impinge obliquely with similar angles onto the mask.
Different approaches are known in the art to modify the angular distribution of the projection light in the mask plane so as to achieve the desired illumination setting. In the simplest case a stop (diaphragm) including one or more apertures is positioned in a pupil surface of the illumination system. Since locations in a pupil surface translate into angles in a Fourier related field plane such as the mask plane, the size, shape and location of the aperture(s) in the pupil surface determines the angular distributions in the mask plane. However, any change of the illumination setting involves a replacement of the stop. This makes it difficult to finally adjust the illumination setting, because this would involve a very large number of stops that have aperture(s) with slightly different sizes, shapes or locations.
Many common illumination systems therefore include adjustable elements that make it possible, at least to a certain extent, to continuously vary the illumination of the pupil surface. Conventionally, a zoom axicon system including a zoom objective and a pair of axicon elements are used for this purpose. An axicon element is a refractive lens that has a conical surface on one side and is usually plane on the opposite side. By providing a pair of such elements, one having a convex conical surface and the other a complementary concave conical surface, it is possible to radially shift light energy. The shift is a function of the distance between the axicon elements. The zoom objective makes it possible to alter the size of the illuminated area in the pupil surface.
However, generally, with such a zoom axicon system only conventional and annular illumination settings can be produced. For other illumination settings, for example dipole or quadrupole illumination settings, additional stops or optical raster elements are involved. An optical raster element produces, for each point on its surface, an angular distribution which corresponds in the far field to certain illuminated areas. Often such optical raster elements are realized as diffractive optical elements, and in particular as computer generated holograms (CGH). By positioning such an element in front of the pupil surface and placing a condenser lens in between, it is possible to produce almost any arbitrary intensity distribution in the pupil surface. An additional zoom-axicon system makes it possible to vary, at least to a limited extent, the illumination distribution produced by the optical raster element.
However, the zoom axicon system often provides only limited adjustability of the illumination setting. For example, it is not possible to dislocate only one of the four poles of a quadrupole illumination setting along an arbitrary direction. To this end another optical raster element has to be used that is specifically designed for this particular intensity distribution in the pupil surface. The design, production and shipping of such optical raster elements is a time consuming and costly process, and thus there is little flexibility to adapt the light intensity distribution in the pupil surface to the needs of the operator of the projection exposure apparatus.
For increasing the flexibility in producing different angular distribution in the mask plane, it has been proposed to use mirror arrays that illuminate the pupil surface.
In EP 1 262 836 A1 the mirror array is realized as a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) including more than 1000 microscopic mirrors. Each of the mirrors can be tilted in two different planes perpendicular to each other. Thus radiation incident on such a mirror device can be reflected into (substantially) any desired direction of a hemisphere. A condenser lens arranged between the mirror array and the pupil surface translates the reflection angles produced by the mirrors into locations in the pupil surface. This known illumination system makes it possible to illuminate the pupil surface with a plurality of circular spots, wherein each spot is associated with one particular microscopic mirror and is freely movable across the pupil surface by tilting this mirror.
Systems are known from other patent documents such as US 2006/0087634 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 7,061,582 B2 and WO 2005/026843 A2.
However, also with the use of pupil shaping optical raster elements, in particular diffractive optical elements and mirror arrays, it can still be difficult to obtain the desired intensity distribution in the system pupil plane. In the case of diffractive optical elements the far field intensity distribution produced by a specific element is usually not obtained in the system pupil plane, because zoom lenses and axicon elements vary the far field intensity distribution. It has been shown, for example, that axicon elements have not only the desired influence on the position of illuminated areas in the system pupil plane, but also on the energy distribution within theses areas.
In the case of mirror arrays it has been found that the adjustment of the mirrors is very difficult if a specific angular distribution of the light impinging on mask is desired. | {
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Generally, a socket for ICs (Integrated Circuits) is loaded in a test board or a burn-in board. The socket is connected to measuring devices for measuring the properties of a burn-in chamber or peripheral devices and an IC, thus being used in a system for testing a series of ICs. In this case, the burn-in chamber is used to input and output power and an electric signal, which are required to drive the IC, through an I/O terminal (input and output terminal) formed on the board (test board, burn-in board).
Among the ICs that have been widely used, a BGA (Ball Grid Array) type of IC is shaped as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Terminals of the IC, that is, balls, are arranged throughout the bottom of the IC, thus dramatically reducing the size and thickness of the IC.
Generally, the pitch between the balls of the BGA-type IC is 0.5 mm, 0.75 mm, 0.8 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.27 mm, 1.6 mm, etc. Each ball has a diameter from 0.3 mm to 0.9 mm. The height from the lower surface of the BGA-type IC to each ball is set to 0.2 mm to 0.6 mm. As the pitch between the balls is reduced, the diameter and height of the ball is reduced.
Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an LGA-type IC is an IC which removes balls from the BGA-type IC. A socket for loading the LGA-type IC is provided with a plurality of contacts having a predetermined elastic forte in a vertical direction. The lower terminal of each contact is connected to a PCB (Printed Circuit Board).
In this case, the upper terminal of each contact is formed to contact the land of the LGA-type IC which is loaded in the socket. Thus, a device for pressing down the LGA-type IC so as to provide stable electrical contact must be provided on the socket.
When a physical force acting on the LGA-type IC by the pressing device is divided by the number of contacts, a physical force applied to one contact is calculated. The physical force applied to the contacts is about 15 gf per contact. Assuming that the LGA-type IC has 1000 lands, strong physical force of about 15 Kgf is required. Thus, the socket in which the LGA-type IC is loaded must be provided with a latch so as to efficiently apply strong physical force to the IC. The socket must be also provided with reliable contacts which may stably transmit additional power or signals.
A conventional representative socket for loading an LGA-type IC is provided with contacts 16 which are bent in an arc shape, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Further, the socket is provided with a lever 13 which presses the LGA-type IC with a strong physical force. The contacts 16 are elastically deformed downwards by the lever 13.
As described above, the conventional socket for the LGA-type IC is problematic in that the contacts are arranged and assembled using additional parts for assembling the contacts having the arc-shaped bent parts, so that a greater number of components is required, assembly is difficult, and the lever for applying strong physical force and the socket for operating the lever have complicated constructions. The conventional socket has another problem in that the cost thereof is increased and the quality thereof is deteriorated due to the complicated construction of the socket. | {
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1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a server.
2. Description of Related Art
Power modules are often mounted at sides of storage devices, thus, hot air of the power modules is easily blown toward the storage devices, and meanwhile, hot air of the storage devices is easily blown toward the power modules. As a result, the power modules may be heated up by the hot air of the storage devices, and the storage devices may be heated up by the hot air of the power modules. | {
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The present invention relates in general to a communication system for carrying out a hand-over which is requested from a radio base station due to the movement of a mobile station, and more particularly to a packet communication system for managing packet signals and an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) system for managing cell signals.
In recent years, high reliability has been required for a public communication network for transmitting data relating to voice and images. Nowadays having entered the multimedia era, data is transmitted, for example, utilizing mobile communications. Hence for mobile communications, high reliability has been required when carrying out the hand-over of calls.
A discussion of the hand-over of call is provided, for example, by the reference xe2x80x9cMobile Communication Network, the 12th series of Information Networkxe2x80x9d, by Mitsuo Yokoyama, Shokoudou.
In the light of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a communication system which is capable of realizing hand-over of calls in such a way that during the hand-over resulting from the movement of a mobile station, interruption of communication does not occur.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a communication system which is capable of realizing hand-over in such a way that interruption of communication can be prevented from occurring only by adding a trunk function thereto without changing the circuit configuration of the existing communication system.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a communication system which can be used as an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) exchange system for managing cell signals as well as a packet exchange system for managing packet signals.
In order to attain the above-mentioned objects, the present invention provides a communication system which includes a plurality of interface circuits through which communication signals are transmitted between a mobile station and a plurality of radio base stations via transmission paths. A switch is provided for assigning the communication signals to the interface circuits in such a way that the communication signals from the interface circuits are distributed in accordance with header information included in each communication signal indicating how the communication signal is to be transmitted from the radio base stations to the mobile station via the transmission paths. A control unit, connected to both the interface circuits and the switch, receives a hand-over instruction, which has been issued from the radio base station in accordance with the movement of the mobile station, from the associated interface circuit. A diversity hand-over processing unit, connected to both the control unit and the switch, receives both a first communication signal received from the radio base station, as a source of hand-over, which has output a hand-over instruction, and a second communication signal received from the radio base station as the destination of hand-over, which will be handed-over, in accordance with the hand-over instruction to output one of the first and second communication signals to the associated interface circuit. The diversity hand-over processing unit also transmits the communication signal which has been received from the mobile station on the reception side for communication via the radio base station to both the interface circuit associated with the radio base station as source of hand-over and the interface circuit associated with the radio base station as destination of hand-over.
The above-mentioned switch can be used in both an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) switch for managing cell signals and a packet switch for managing packet signals.
The above-mentioned diversity hand-over processing unit includes an instruction processing unit which operates in accordance with an instruction outputted from the control unit, a synchronous selection unit, and a signal duplicating unit.
The asynchronous selection unit receives, via the switch, when a service area is changed from the radio-base station as source of hand-over to the radio base station as destination of hand-over, both the communication signal from the interface circuit associated with the transmission path extending to the radio base station as source of hand-over and the communication signal from another interface circuit associated with the transmission path extending to the radio base station as destination of hand-over, in accordance with an instruction issued from the instruction processing unit. The synchronous selection unit also synchronizes both the two communication signals with each other, and outputs one of the two communication signals which is more excellent in quality to the interface circuit associated with the radio base station which communicates with the mobile station on the reception side for communication.
The signal duplicating unit receives a communication signal from the interface circuit associated with the transmission path extending to the radio base station which communicates with the mobile station on the reception side for communication via the switch, and transmits the communication signal thus received to both the interface circuit associated with the radio base station as a source of hand-over and the interface circuit associated with the radio base station as destination of hand-over. The signal duplicating unit also transmits the communication signal from the interface circuit associated with the radio base station which communicates with the mobile station on the reception-side for communication to the radio base station as destination of hand-over through that interface circuit.
The synchronous selection unit includes a first switch interface circuit for receiving, through an input port, both the communication signal from the radio base station as source of hand-over and the communication signal from the radio base station as destination of hand-over. A first selector is provided for receiving the communication signals to distribute, and in response to the communication signals, distributing these communication signals in accordance with the header information which the respective communication signals have, and a plurality of buffers are provided for temporarily storing both the communication signal from the radio base station as source of hand-over and the communication signal from the radio base station as destination of hand-over which communication signals have been outputted from the first selector. A synchronous circuit synchronizes the communication signals with each other which have been stored temporarily in the plurality of buffers. A selection circuit orders the respective communication signals in accordance with a predetermined algorithm. A header conversion circuit, having a header conversion table, converts the header conversion table, in accordance with the header information which the communication signals have, in such a way that the communication signals are directed from the switch to the mobile station on the reception side for communication through the interface circuit. A second selector selects among the communication signals from the header conversion circuit, and a second switch interface circuit outputs the communication signal from the second selector to the switch through an output port.
The signal duplicating unit includes a third switch interface circuit for receiving through an output port the communication signal output from the mobile station on the reception side for communication from the switch and a first signal processing unit, having a header conversion table, for changing the header conversion table in such a way that the communication signal of interest is directed to the radio base station as source of hand-over. A second signal processing unit, having a header conversion table, is provided for changing the header conversion table in such a way that the communication signal of interest is directed to the radio base station as destination of hand-over and first and second buffers are provided for temporarily storing the respective communication signals from the first and second signal processing units. A selector selects among the communication signals from the first and second buffers, and a fourth switch interface circuit outputs through an output port the communication signal from the selector to the switch.
By adopting the above-mentioned circuit configuration, during the hand-over, the diversity hand-over processing unit receives both the communication signals from the radio base station as source of hand-over and the radio base station as destination of hand-over which radio base stations are associated with the mobile station on the transmission side for communication, and then one of the two communication signals which is more excellent in quality is transmitted from the switch to the mobile station on the reception side for communication. In addition, the diversity hand-over processing unit transmits the communication signal from the mobile station on the reception side for communication to both the radio base station on the origin of hand-over and the radio base station on the destination of hand-over, and in accordance with the completion of the hand-over, the communication is established between the mobile station on the transmission side for communication and the mobile station which will receive the hand-over instruction and which will receive the communication signal. Therefore, during the hand-over, no interruption of the communication occurs at all. | {
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The present invention relates to a new and improved apparatus for cleaning a textile machine, such as by way of example and not limitation a spinning machine, containing a plurality of operating positions, in that exemplary case a plurality of spinning positions.
As to the inventive cleaning apparatus for the cleaning of a plurality of typically similar operating positions of a textile machine, such cleaning apparatus comprises a movable or mobile cleaning device which is movable on rails or the like between the different operating positions and such movable or mobile cleaning device is provided with at least one suction trunk or nozzle.
A heretofore known cleaning apparatus of this general type is shown and described in German Pat. No. 1,510,728. In that case, elements of the individual spinning positions are freed of fiber particles deposited thereon by means of pressure jets of a cleaning device travelling on rails along the spinning machine. These fiber particles then pass in free flight onto the floor upon which the spinning machine is mounted or supported and from that location they are sucked away by a suction trunk also forming part of the cleaning device.
Other cleaning devices, operating in accordance with substantially the same technique or method, are known, for example, from U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,754,992 and 3,908,346. An important disadvantage of this prior art blow-suction technique or method resides in the fact that the fiber particles can be caught or entrained only indirectly by the suction nozzle, that is to say, by means of a transfer function This undesirably results in the possibility that the fiber particles blown away by the pressure jets, while on their way or during their flight to the floor or machine supporting structure, can remain entrapped or caught at machine parts or elements located above floor level yet outside the operating range or effective region of the pressure jets. Consequently, at least to some degree there is only effected a displacement of the impurities or contaminants which should be removed from the area of the textile machine.
Furthermore, the known cleaning devices constitute rather limited or non-versatile designs or constructions which are devoid of operational flexibility and adaptability to varying contours of the objects to be cleaned, in this case the parts or elements of the associated textile machine which is to be cleaned. | {
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Digital scanners are used to digitize the graphic content, be it color or black and white photographs, artwork, text, and other graphics, from reflective and/or transmissive original documents. This capability is useful in digital document storage, digital content generation, and in more industrial pre-process environments. In this latter application, chemical film-based photographs, for example, can be digitally scanned for pre-print review, followed by production printing.
One of the most common scanner configurations is the flatbed scanner. A transmissive or reflective original document is placed face down on a bed having a glass plate or in a slide tray. A carriage, under the glass plate having a slit aperture facing the document, is then scanned over the original document. A relay optical system in the carriage successively picks-off scan-lines. In the one configuration, a single fold mirror is used in a high-resolution mode, and a series of larger fold mirrors are used in a low-resolution mode. In either case, the fold mirror(s) relay the scanned lines to high/low resolution in the optical imaging system, which images the scan-lines onto a linear or two dimensional image detector, such as a trilinear charge-coupled device (CCD) array or CMOS-based image detector.
Although speed of scanning, for example, is an important capability, one of the major factors in distinguishing scanners is resolution, or the fineness of the detail that the scanner can digitize. Consumer-grade scanners are offered with optical resolutions approaching 600 dots per inch (dpi). Currently, commercial-grade scanners are offered with resolutions of greater than 1,000 dpi, in standard resolution modes. Generally, the increases in resolution are related to the size and levels of integration in the image detectors.
Optical resolution, however, is not increased simply by increasing the density of or number of elements in the image detector since a precision optical imaging system is required to form the image of a scan-line, for example, from the document on the image detector, and its focus must be correct. In the prior art, the scanner's optical imaging system was calibrated in the factory or during a hardware setup procedure associated with a particular document holding device, such as a slide tray for example. A predetermined image was sent through the optical imaging system and received by the image detector. The data from the image detector was then analyzed while adjusting the optical imaging system to obtain the best focus. This best focus position was then stored for all subsequent scanning operations. | {
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The section headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and should not to be construed as limiting the subject matter described in the present application.
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for achieving optical signaling near baseband limits. The term “optical signal” as used herein is equivalent to the term “optical modulation.” The original low frequency components of a signal before modulation are often referred to as the baseband signal. A signal's “baseband bandwidth” is defined herein as its bandwidth before modulation and multiplexing or after demuliplexing and demodulation. | {
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Microelectronic devices are typically comprised of one or more silicon die/dice having, at least in material part, a multitude of die bond pads on a front surface, a chip body, an interconnection scheme to connect the pads on the die to a supporting substrate and an encapsulant to ensure that the die is protected from contaminants. The combination of these elements is generally referred to as a chip package. The specific function of this package is to protect the die from mechanical, electrostatic and environmental stresses while at the same time providing a thermal path for the heat dissipated from the at least one die during use.
More specifically, chip packages must be able to accommodate for many inherent microelectronic device problems, such as die power dissipation, mismatches in the thermal coefficients of expansion between the chip and its supporting substrate, and increasingly smaller die bond pad pitch, which ultimately allows smaller dies to be used and thus has the potential to produce either smaller packages or more densely packed multi-die packages so long as the interconnection scheme chosen can accommodate the fineness of the pad pitch.
Microelectomic devices are typically connected to external circuitry through contacts on a surface of the chip. The device contacts are generally either disposed in regular grid-like patterns, substantially covering the front surface of the chip (commonly referred to as an "area array") or in elongated rows extending parallel to and adjacent each edge of the chip front surface. The various prior art processes for making the interconnections between such microelectronic devices and their supporting substrates use prefabricated arrays or rows of leads, discrete wires, solder bumps or combinations thereof. For example, in a wirebonding process, the chip may be physically mounted on a supporting substrate. A fine wire is fed through a bonding tool. The tool is brought into engagement with the contact on the chip so as to bond the wire to the contact. The tool is then moved to a connection point of the circuit on the substrate, so that a small piece of wire is dispensed and formed into a lead, and connected to the substrate. This process is repeated for every contact on the chip. The wire bonding process may also be used to connect the die bond pads to lead frame fingers which are then connected to the supporting substrate.
In a tape automated bonding ("TAB") process, a dielectric supporting tape, such as a thin foil of polyimide is provided with a hole slightly larger than the chip. An array of metallic leads is provided on one surface of the dielectric film. These leads extend inwardly from around the hole towards the edges of the hole. Each lead has an innermost end projecting inwardly, beyond the edge of the hole. The innermost ends of the leads are arranged side by side at spacing corresponding to the spacing of the contacts on the chip. The dielectric film is juxtaposed with the chip so that the hole is aligned with the chip and so that the innermost ends of the leads will extend over the front or contact bearing surface on the chip. The innermost ends of the leads are then bonded to the contacts of the chip, typically using ultrasonic or thermocompression bonding. The outer ends of the leads are connected to external circuitry.
In a "beam lead" process, the chip is provided with individual leads extending from contacts on the front surface of the chip outwardly beyond the edges of the chip. The chip is positioned on a substrate with the outermost ends of the individual leads protruding over contacts on the substrate. The leads are then engaged with the contacts and bonded thereto so as to connect the contacts on the chip with contacts on the substrate.
More recently, flip chip configurations have been used. In flip chip configurations, a solder ball is deposited on top of each of the chip contacts and then abutted against respective substrate contacts. The solder balls are then reflowed to provide an electrical connection between the chip and the substrate.
The rapid evolution of semiconductor art in recent years has created a continued demand for progressively greater numbers of contacts and leads in a given amount of space. An individual chip may require hundreds or even thousands of contacts, all within a very small area and many times within the area of the front surface of the chip package. For example, a complex semiconductor chip package in current practice may have a row of contact pads spaced apart from one another at center-to-center distances of 0.15 mm or less and, in some cases, 0.10 mm or less. These distances are expected to decrease progressively with continued progress in the art of semiconductor fabrication. Wire bonding can currently only accommodate a die pad pitch of approximately 100 .mu.m and TAB bonding allows only a pad pitch or about 70-80 .mu.m. If a smaller pad pitch were possible in production, it would allow the die size to be reduced for "pad limited" designs where the die perimeter is required to be large enough to fit all of the bond pads.
Further, with such closely-spaced contacts, the leads connected to the chip contacts, must be extremely fine structures, typically less than 50 .mu.m wide. Such fine structures are susceptible to damage and deformation. With closely spaced contacts, even minor deviation of a lead from its normal position will result in misalignment of the leads and contacts. Thus, a given lead may be out of alignment with the proper contact on the chip or substrate, or else it may be erroneously aligned with an adjacent contact. Either condition can yield a defective chip assembly. Errors of this nature materially reduce the yield of good devices and introduce defects into the product stream. These problems are particularly acute with those chips having relatively fine contact spacing and small distances between adjacent contacts.
Many of the prior art techniques for attachment further run into problems because of the thermal expansion mismatch between the material comprising the microelectronic device and the material comprising the supporting substrate. In other words, when heat is applied to the microelectronic device/substrate combination, they both expand; and when the heat is removed, the device and the substrate both contract. The problem that arises is that the device and the substrate expand and contract at different rates and at different times, thereby stressing the interconnections between them. This directly affects the reliability of these connection schemes.
It has been proposed to provide a pressure damped TAB structure where the outer leads have bumps which can be pressure damped to respective contacts on the supporting substrate. A compliant pad is then placed over the TAB leads to help hold each of the bumps into electrical contact with corresponding lead contacts on the substrate. However, the compliant pad will eventually take a permanent set, thereby reducing the reliability of the contact force over time. An alternate TAB solution put forth involves replacing the outer lead bond pads of the TAB chip carrier, which connects to the substrate, with an area array of solder balls. The die is then connected to the carrier by means of solder bumps, wire bonds, or TAB inner lead bond pads. The problem here is that the solder balls undergo mechanical stress due to differential thermal expansion of the TAB chip carrier relative to the supporting substrate thereby causing cracking of the solder balls reducing their reliability.
Thermal mismatch issues will be more significant as multiple chip modules grow in popularity. Typically, as more dice are packaged together, more heat will be dissipated by each package which, in turn, means the package will expand to a greater extent thereby further stressing the interconnections. Effective package heat dissipation schemes have thus become increasing important. Typical package cooling schemes include heat sinks and small air fans which are applied or affixed to the back side of the chip body, which is further typically made of ceramic or plastic. One problem with these solutions is that the back layer of the chip package body, to varying degrees, acts as a thermal barrier between the die and the thermal cooling device inhibiting good thermal conduction to the exterior surface of the package.
Further, impedance, inductance and capacitance problems begin to seriously degrade a chip package's performance as the pad pitch becomes finer and the clock speed of a chip is increased. Factors such as the length of interconnection wires and the crosstalk between the chip's interconnections also need to be addressed when a chip package is being designed for the same reason.
To be commercially viable, the aforementioned problems must be solved in a manner which respects the small package size, multichip constraints, fine die bond pad pitch, thermal problems, compliancy problems, electrical problems and in addition must be a cost effective IC package.
Thus, despite the substantial time and effort devoted heretofore to the problems associated with mounting and connecting of microelectronic devices, there are still been unmet needs for improvements in such processes and in the equipment and components used to practice them. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, and particularly to a semiconductor device capable of efficiently releasing the heat generated in operation.
2. Description of the Background Art
In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for rapid operation of integrated circuits (ICs) to process mass information. Accordingly, the number of signal pins provided in ICs is also increased for inputting and outputting predetermined signals. Furthermore, increasing electricity consumption of ICs results in increasing the number of power supply pins for supplying power.
Also, there has been a demand for a package sealing a semiconductor chip that is closer in size to the semiconductor chip so as to achieve mounting at high density.
As a first prior art, as an exemplary semiconductor device including a package which seals a semiconductor chip will now be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 shows the structure of a fine-pitch ball grid array (referred to as "a fine-pitch BGA" hereinafter). Referring to FIG. 7, a semiconductor chip 102 is die-bonded on one surface of a glass sheet (referred to as a "tape" hereinafter) 106 impregnated with epoxy resin with an adhesion layer interposed therebetween. Formed near a periphery of tape 106 are a plurality of pad electrodes 107, each electrically connected to a predetermined region of semiconductor chip 102 via a gold wire 104.
Formed on another surface of tape 106 are a plurality of solder balls 108 each electrically connected to pad electrode 107 via a predetermined wiring formed at tape 106. Semiconductor chip 102 is sealed on tape 106 by molded resin 110.
Fine-pitch BGA, allowing solder balls as electrode pins to be arranged in an array, is advantageous in forming more pins in a small package.
An another exemplary semiconductor device as a second prior art will now be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 8 shows the configuration of a chip-scale package (referred to as a CSP hereinafter). Referring to FIG. 8, provided at a surface of semiconductor chip 102 are a plurality of external electrodes 109 each electrically connected to a predetermined region of semiconductor chip 102 via a metal wiring 111 and a pad electrode 107. Semiconductor chip 102 is sealed by molded resin 110.
The CSP, having approximately the same size as semiconductor chip 102, allows more pins to be formed. The CSP also allows mounting at high density since a relatively small area is required for mounting it on a substrate.
In the fine-pitch BGA and CSP described above, however, a relatively large amount of electricity is consumed and the semiconductor chip disadvantageously generates heat. Accordingly, various approaches have been taken for releasing such heat.
As a third prior art, an exemplary semiconductor device effectively releasing such heat will now be described based on a semiconductor device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 7-50368. FIG. 9 is a cross section of the semiconductor device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 7-50368. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the semiconductor device excluding a cap. Referring to FIG. 9, semiconductor chip 120 has a back surface fixed to a package 125 and is sealed in a space formed by a cap 123 and package 125. A gap is formed between an upper surface of semiconductor chip 120 and an inner surface of cap 123.
A power supply on semiconductor chip 120 is supplied from an external circuit via a pin 129, a wiring 127, an electrode for power supply 124, solder 132 and a pad for power supply 122. Signals between the external circuit and semiconductor chip 120 are communicated via a pin 130, a wiring 128, a lead 126, a bonding wire 131 and a bonding pad 121. Pad for power supply 122, formed at a surface of semiconductor chip 120, can be increased in area, as shown in FIG. 10.
In operation, the semiconductor device allows the heat generated at semiconductor chip 120 to be transferred to package 125 via the back surface of semiconductor chip 120 and also to cap 123 via pad for power supply 122, solder 132 and electrode for power supply 124. Thus, both package 125 and cap 123 can release heat, and the heat generated at semiconductor chip 120 can be sufficiently released to the environment.
Furthermore, the provision of electrode for power supply 124 and pad for power supply 122 allows reduction of the power supply to semiconductor chip 120 via bonding pad 121. Accordingly, bonding pad 121 can be used for signal communication between semiconductor chip 120 and the external circuit by the reduction. Thus, more bonding pads 121 can be used for signal communication than conventional.
However, the semiconductor device of the third prior art example described above has the disadvantages described below. Firstly, since the power for semiconductor chip 120 is supplied via electrode for power supply 124, semiconductor chip 120 does not require a bonding pad for power supply and can thus be provided with more bonding pads for signal communication instead. However, since the power is supplied to semiconductor chip 102 via pin 129 provided at package 125, the total number of pins 129 provided at a predetermined region of package 125 does not vary, which makes it difficult to provide any additional pin for signal communication in that region.
Secondly, while the heat transferred to cap 123 is more effectively released to the external when cap 123 and package 125 have larger surface area, it can fail to be sufficiently released with relatively small cap 123 and package 125. | {
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(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an electric brake device, and more particularly to an electric brake device in which a brake motor is electrically driven in a forward direction so as to exert a braking force on a vehicular wheel, and the brake motor is electrically driven in a reverse direction so as to cancel the braking force on the vehicular wheel.
(2) Description of the Related Art
As disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No.7-291120, an electric brake device is known. The brake device of the above publication includes a brake motor, a disc rotor, and a pair of friction pads. The disc rotor is attached to a vehicular wheel, and the disc rotor is rotatable together with the vehicular wheel. The disc rotor is interposed between the friction pads. The disc rotor is pinched by the friction pads by rotation of the brake motor so that a braking force is exerted on the vehicular wheel via the disc rotor.
In the electric brake device of the above publication, the brake motor is connected through a mechanical clutch to a brake caliper. In the brake caliper, an internal cylinder is formed and a piston which is slidable on the cylinder is provided in the brake caliper. The piston is movably supported on a reversible screw shaft. The piston is secured to one of the friction pads. A movement of the piston in the axial direction of the cylinder, which causes the braking force of the friction pads to be exerted on the disc rotor, is derived from a rotation of the reversible screw shaft.
An output shaft of the brake motor is connected to the reversible screw shaft via the mechanical clutch. When a brake pedal is depressed by a vehicle operator, the brake motor rotates in the forward direction by a power supplied to the brake motor in response to the brake pedal depression. As the reversible screw shaft is rotated in the forward direction by the brake motor, the piston is moved to push the friction pads on the disc rotor. By the friction between the friction pads and the disc rotor, the braking force is exerted on the vehicular wheel. When the brake pedal is released from the brake pedal, the brake motor rotates in the reverse direction so as to separate the friction pads from the disc rotor. The mechanical clutch acts to cut off the transmission of the torque from the brake motor to the reversible screw shaft. By the separation of the friction pads from the disc rotor, the braking force on the vehicular wheel is canceled.
In the electric brake device of the above publication, by electrically driving the brake motor in a controlled manner, the electric brake device can generate an appropriate braking force to be exerted on the vehicular wheel.
However, there may be a case in which the output shaft of the brake motor is subjected to excessive reverse rotation when the brake motor rotates in the reverse direction. In such a condition, the excessive reverse rotation of the brake motor is detrimental to the related parts which are connected to the output shaft of the brake motor. It is necessary to reliably prevent the excessive reverse rotation of the brake motor in order to avoid the failure of the related parts connected to the output shaft of the brake motor.
In the electric brake device of the above publication, the mechanical clutch is provided to cut off the transmission of the torque from the brake motor to the reversible screw shaft. When the reversible screw shaft is separated from the brake motor by the mechanical clutch, the reversible screw shaft is not rotated regardless of whether the brake motor excessively rotates in the reverse direction. The mechanical clutch enables the electric brake device of the above publication to prevent the excessive reverse rotation of the brake motor so as to avoid the failure of the related parts connected to the output shaft of the brake motor.
However, the electric brake device of the above publication requires a complicated structure and a relatively high cost due to the use of the mechanical clutch. According to the above publication, it is difficult to construct a simple, inexpensive electric brake device which is reliable in preventing the excessive reverse rotation of the brake motor. | {
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The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to techniques for providing power from battery and system power sources commonly used in portable information handling system devices such as notebook computers, personal digital assistants, cellular phones and gaming consoles.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
A battery converts chemical energy within its material constituents into electrical energy in the process of discharging. A rechargeable battery is generally returned to its original charged state (or substantially close to it) by passing an electrical current in the opposite direction to that of the discharge. Presently well known rechargeable battery technologies include Lithium Ion (LiON), Nickel Cadmium (NiCd), and Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH). In the past, the rechargeable batteries (also known as “dumb” batteries) provided an unpredictable source of power for the portable devices, since typically, a user of the device powered by the battery had no reliable advance warning that the energy supplied by the rechargeable battery was about to run out.
In absence of an AC power source, a battery ‘pack’ typically powers the portable information handling system device. The battery ‘pack’ typically includes a plurality of rechargeable battery cells arranged in a convenient, modular package. The battery pack is generally housed within the portable device in a detachable way. The plurality of battery cells are collectively referred to as a ‘stack’ and the voltage measured across the stack is referred to as a stack voltage.
Today, through the development of “smart” or “intelligent” battery packs, batteries have become a more reliable source of power by providing information to the information handling system and eventually to a user as to the state of charge, as well as a wealth of other information. The “smart rechargeable battery”, which is well known, is typically equipped with electronic circuitry to monitor and control the operation of the battery.
It is desirable to maximize the amount of time a portable device may be used in a battery-operated mode. Various well-known power management tools and methods of extending the time of use of batteries exist. For example, one technique uses dual smart batteries in the portable devices as a means to extend the battery life. The following U.S. patents describe various aspects of using “dual” smart batteries and are incorporated herein by reference: Selection Circuit For Dual Batteries In A Battery Powered Electronic Device (U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,007), Dual Smart Battery Detection System And Method For Portable Computers (U.S. Pat. No. 5,818,200), and Increased Battery Capacity Utilizing Multiple Smart Batteries (U.S. Pat. No. 6,262,562), and Smart Battery Selector Offering Power Conversion Internally Within A Portable Device (U.S. Pat. No. 5,903,764).
In some dual smart battery systems, a removable media peripheral device such as a 3.5″ floppy or an optical disk drive may be removed from a removable bay and replaced with a secondary or backup smart battery. The form factors of the primary and secondary primary batteries may vary. The secondary battery is capable of providing power to the portable device. In dual battery systems, problems may arise when the characteristics of two smart batteries used are different. For example, differences in number and types of cells and voltage per cell between two battery packs often result in a difference of output voltage level. Dell Computer Corporation (Round Rock, Tex., USA) provides 4 Series & 3 Series smart batteries for use in notebook computers. The 4SXP smart battery having a stack voltage of (12V-16.8V) and the 3SXP smart battery having a stack voltage of (9V-12.6V) are examples of a primary and secondary smart battery that may be used to power a device such as a Dell Lattitude™ D-Series dual battery notebook computer.
Typically when the stack voltages are dissimilar, the higher voltage pack will discharge first until it reaches approximately 0.4V above the other at which time the two battery packs will discharge in parallel via diodes. A problem arises when 4SXP smart battery having a stack voltage of (12V-16.8V) and the 3SXP smart battery having a stack voltage of (9V-12.6V) are selected as the primary and secondary smart batteries. In this case, the ‘primary’ smart battery will be selected for discharge first since it has the higher stack voltage. The primary smart battery continues to discharge to depletion. Upon depletion, the secondary smart battery having the lower stack voltage is switched on to continue to provide the power to the portable device. While operating in this mode, the user typically has limited visibility to the power available from the dual battery system. The visibility may be in the form of a battery icon displayed on a task bar of the device. The battery icon typically shows combined available power of the dual battery system and not the individual power for each of the smart batteries. The user is unaware that the primary smart battery has been critically discharged and the portable device is operating on the secondary smart battery. The user continues to observe the battery icon on a display of the portable device indicating that sufficient battery capacity is available to power the portable device even though the primary smart battery has been critically discharged. If the user elects to swap out the secondary smart battery with the removable media, the portable device experiences an immediate shutdown with possible loss of critical data.
Thus, the simultaneous presence of two or more batteries, especially smart batteries having different voltages, imposes certain difficulties in the operation of the dual battery system. Failure to deploy certain techniques may result in sudden loss of power and data, and hence in reduced reliability.
Therefore, a need exists to develop tools and techniques for providing more reliable power from battery and system power sources used in portable devices. More specifically, a need exists to develop tools and techniques for selectively discharging a dual battery system that is less expensive and more reliable than such systems and methods heretofore available. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide tools and techniques for selectively discharging a dual battery system included in an information handling system absent the disadvantages found in the prior methods discussed above. | {
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The present invention is directed to a method for the production of adiponitrile from acrylonitrile. In particular, the present invention is directed to a method of producing adiponitrile from acrylonitrile utilizing a first row transition metal catalyst such as cobalt.
Cobalt mediated acrylonitrile hydrodimerization to adiponitrile was reported in the literature in the late 1960's. The reaction was a two-step process broadly involving (1) mixing acrylonitrile, cobalt chloride and a reducing agent such as manganese powder in dimethylformamide and heating the solution and (2) adding a quenching reagent such as water or hydrogen sulfide to the solution. It was postulated that the first step involved the reduction of cobalt.sup.2+ to a lower oxidation state. This reduced cobalt metal then coordinated with two molecules of acrylonitrile, forming an intermediate complex. In the second step, the quenching (terminating) of the intermediate occurred with either water or hydrogen sulfide. The two-step process is best illustrated by the two equations appearing below: ##STR1##
As shown in the above equations, this method resulted in the desired dimer, adiponitrile (ADP), and either cobalt hydroxide or cobalt sulfide, depending on which quench agent was used. The disadvantage of this procedure is that these cobalt species are unreactive toward further acrylonitrile dimerization. That is, these reactions produce inactive cobalt species thereby limiting the reaction to one that, at best, yields only a stoichiometric amount of dimer when compared to cobalt.
Subsequent investigators attempted to study the cobalt metal mediated acrylonitrile dimerization process in more detail. Alternate reducing agents (manganese, magnesium, or zinc), solvents (dimethylformamide, acetonitrile, ethanol, or benzene) and quenching reagents were tested. In all cases the selectivity to adiponitrile was generally high (over 90%), however, the turnover number (# molecule ADP produced/# molecules cobalt used) never went above 1. That is, the reaction was stoichiometric in the cobalt (one molecule) used compared to the amount of adiponitrile produced (one molecule). Finally, investigators discovered that the slow addition of a quench solution comprising an ammonium chloride/methanol solution produced a system which was catalytic. That is, the turnover number (ADP/cobalt) increased from 1 to the range of about 3.5 to 4.5 with an adiponitrile selectivity in the range of 30 percent. As can be readily seen, the selectivity to adiponitrile was lowered dramatically when the reaction was made catalytic to cobalt.
In summary, the linear hydrodimerization of acrylonitrile to adiponitrile by cobalt-based systems has been reported in the literature. Moreover, the reaction can be made catalytic in cobalt by slow addition of a quench solution comprising ammonium chloride and methanol. This quench method has resulted in ADP/cobalt turnover numbers of approximately 4 with selectivity to ADP of about 30 percent. The present invention is directed to the development of a cobalt promoted dimerization process for the production of adiponitrile from acrylonitrile which substantially improves the ADP/cobalt turnover number while simultaneously increasing the selectivity of the reaction to adiponitrile. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk file apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a typical conventional disk file apparatus, a multiplicity of cartridges are accommodated in an accommodating shelf, each cartridge receiving a disk both sides of which are able to be subjected to recording an reproducing, and a selected one of the cartridges is loaded into a coder by means of a carrier, thereby subjecting the downward side of the disk to recording or reproducing.
In the above-described prior art, a judgement as to whether the downward side of the disk is the side A or B is made in such manner that a reflecting marker is attached to one end face of each cartridge, while a pair of reflection type sensors are provided on the carrier, and a judgement is made as to whether the downward side of the disk is the side A or B on the basis of which one of the sensors has detected the reflecting marker. If it is found that the designated side does not face downward, the carrier turns the cartridge through 180 degrees and then loads it into the coder.
The prior art suffers, however, from the problem that, since the judgement as to which side of the disk accommodated in a selected cartridge faces downward is made between the selection of a cartridge and the loading of the selected cartridge into the coder, the access time is increased correspondingly. | {
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Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation can be associated with a variety of health conditions. Risks for some of the health conditions can correspond to a person's natural sensitivity to UV exposure and the lifetime UV exposure from both sunlight and artificial sources (e.g., tanning beds and tanning lamps). In addition, physical characteristics (e.g., hair color, eye color, and/or skin color) can be correlated with the risk of skin-related health conditions. Protective measures (e.g., staying indoors or in the shade during peak times during the day, and use of protective clothing) can be taken to reduce the risks of UV overexposure to the skin. Protective measures can also include the application of sunscreen to potentially exposed areas of skin. Although sunscreen can be characterized based on sun protection factor (SPF), the efficacy of the sunscreen as applied to the user's skin may differ based on, for example, the breakdown of one or more active ingredients in the sunscreen can break down, the user's skin sensitivity, the sunscreen's water-resistance. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The field invention of the invention is related to sanitation and disposal of sewage. The sewage can originate in the household, in office buildings and manufacturing facilities as well as recreational facilities, to name a few of the places of origin. Many households have a septic system and are not connected to an urban sewage treatment plant. After a period of time, sludge accumulates in the septic tank. It is necessary to call a septic cleaning system to remove the sludge from the septic tank. The sludge can be spread on the ground and can be worked into the ground over a period of time. Or, the sludge can be incinerated.
This invention is directed to the lessening of the accumulation of sludge. It is possible to use the subject matter of this invention to lessen the accumulation of sludge and thereby lessen the number of times it is necessary to remove sludge from the septic tank. Further, this invention is beneficial to sewage treatment systems in addition to septic systems. A septic system is usually used in an isolated situation such as by a person residing in a low-density population area. A sewage treatment system is used in a high-density population area and treats the sewage so as to render it innocuous. With this invention, the accumulation of sewage sludge is lessened and, therefore, it is not necessary to spread sewage sludge as often as before this invention was made or to incinerate as much sewage sludge as before this invention was made.
With this invention there is an inherent control on the introduction of enzymes into a septic tank or sewage treatment facility. The number of cores of bathroom tissue and the quantity of enzymes is proportional to the number of people using the sewage facilities. With more people there is more sewage and there is used more bathroom tissue and there is available more cores of bathroom tissue resulting in more enzymes introduced into the sewage sludge. The converse is also true.
It is the understanding of the inventors that a large part of the sewage sludge is other than human waste such as food wastes like fat and meat and vegetables; soap and detergents and cleaning agents; paper and cellulose products; and, the like. Human wastes can be efficiently treated by sewage treatment factors. The above enumerated items, other than human waste, are not readily treated by sewage treatment facilities. Therefore, enzymes are added to decompose these components of sewage. An easy and efficient and inexpensive way to add enzymes to sewage sludge is by dissolving a core of bathroom tissue or a deodorant and/or coloring agent containing enzymes in the sewage sludge.
It is the understanding of the inventor that truckloads of sewage are transported each day from the sewage treatment plant in the city of Seattle, Wash. to the farmland of eastern Washington and spread on the farmland to get rid of the sludge. With this invention, it may be possible to lessen the number of truckloads of sewage sludge transported from an urban area to a less populated farm area.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A patent search was made at the Engineering Library at the University of Washington in Seattle, Wash. and no prior art was found directed to the same subject matter as the subject matter of this invention. This invention teaches the adding of bacteria and enzymes to sewage sludge in a unique manner so as to reduce the quantity of sewage sludge. Sewage sludge comprises solidified mixtures of human waste, fat, protein, starch and paper. With the addition of certain enzymes, the amount of human waste, fat, protein, starch and paper is transformed into liquids and gases and, therefore, the quantity of sewage sludge is lessened. | {
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This invention relates generally to electric propulsion systems for traction vehicles, and it relates more particularly to the detection of electrical overloads in such a system.
Propulsion systems for traction vehicles such as locomotives commonly use a diesel engine prime movor to drive electric generating means for supplying energy to traction motors. The power output of the generating means is regulated or varied by suitably controlling the strength of its field excitation and the speed of the prime mover. In systems such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,105,186--Zelina and in patent application Ser. No. 355,800--McSparran filed Apr. 30, 1973, and assigned to the General Electric Company (U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,400), the generator excitation means comprises a field winding connected for energization to an electric current supply in circuit with an intermittently conductive switch (e.g., a controllable semiconductor device), whereby the average level of excitation can be varied as desired by appropriately varying the on-off duty cycle of the field switch. This form of regulation is popularly known as time ratio control (TRC) or pulse width modulation (PWM), and its advantages are explained in earlier Zelina patents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,861,237 and 2,866,944. Preferably the parameters are chosen so that under normal conditions the field switch always operates in a pulsing mode, with its per cycle proportion of "on" time being varied by the associated controls so as effectively to vary the level of excitation between predetermined maximum and minimum limits.
Such a propulsion system can be electrically overloaded if, due to a malfunction of the field switch or of its controls, full excitation current is supplied continuously to the field. In this abnormal event, the field excitation will exceed the aforesaid normal maximum limit, and as a result the dynamoelectric machines are overstressed and the diesel engine speed is undesirably reduced below that called for. If such a condition persists very long, the main components of the system will be exposed to a serious risk of damage. Accordingly, prompt and effective protective action is desired in response to abnormal overloads.
One approach to providing protection against a hazardous overload involves detecting its occurrence by sensing abnormally high values of generator current or voltage or their product. However, the hardware for doing this tends to be relatively large and cumbersome and expensive, and often its ability to perform reliably under a variety of failure modes is undesirably limited.
Another method of overload protection is to connect the intermittently conductive field switch in parallel with the field winding of the excitation means. (See the above-referenced McSparran patent.) Consequently, in the event of a fault or failure of the field switch or of its controls of a nature that causes a continuous short circuit across the field winding, all current will be diverted from the field winding, thereby unloading rather than overloading the system. While this arrangement is relatively "failsafe" and has been generally satisfactory in practice, it has several recognizable shortcomings. The person operating the propulsion system may have difficulty perceiving a loss of power caused by the described abnormality, and therefore he may fail to initiate timely corrective action. If inadvertently the field switch were continuously turned "off" as a result of a malfunction or a misoperation of its control, thereby permitting abnormally high excitation current to flow in the parallel field winding, there is no means for detecting this potentially harmful condition. Furthermore, no means is provided for differentiating between a hazardous overload caused by a continuously turned-off switch and a relatively harmless condition which may exist if the switch is only temporarily off. | {
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Wavelength selective switches (WSS) are widely used for dynamic routing wavelength channels in optical communications networks. WSS devices are deployed in optical switching nodes of long-haul, regional, and metro optical communications networks. Referring to FIG. 1A, a typical WSS 100 includes a front end 101 having a single fiber array unit (FAU) 102, containing, for example, one input and four output optical fibers, a concave, usually spherical, mirror 104 to expand and steer an input optical beam 105 emitted by the input fiber of the FAU 102 onto a diffraction grating 106 for wavelength dispersion, further imaging onto a dispersed focal plane 108 containing a MEMS array 110 for selectively steering wavelength channels back through the WSS 100 to the outputs fibers of the FAU 102. Such wavelength-selective switching devices have been disclosed, for example, by Bouevitch et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,498,872, and by Ducellier et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,707,959. The MEMS array 110 can be replaced by a digital light processor (DLP), liquid crystal (LC), or a liquid-crystal-on-silicon (LCoS) phased array. In the latter two cases, due to polarization sensitivity of the MEMS array 110, the optical beam 105 is split into two orthogonally polarized sub-beams at the front end 101, with one sub-beam being rotated so that the optical sub-beams in a single polarization state are propagated through the WSS 100.
Presently available WSS are highly integrated devices. Keyworth et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 7,725,027 disclose a twin WSS device, in which two WSS share common optical elements. Referring to FIGS. 1B and 1C with further reference to FIG. 1A, a prior-art twin WSS 120 is shown in schematic elevation and plan views, respectively. The twin WSS 120 includes two independently operable WSS units sharing the following common optical elements: a collimator 104-1, the diffraction grating 106, a focusing element 104-2, and the MEMS 110. The collimator 104-1 and the focusing element 104-2 can be replaced by the single spherical mirror 104 of FIG. 1A, resulting in a practical 4f configuration. The 4f configuration for a WSS has been described in detail in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,498,872.
Referring specifically to FIG. 1B, a first WSS unit includes a first front end 101A having a first FAU 102A and a first lens 121A. A light beam 105A is collimated by the collimator 104-1, dispersed into individual wavelength channels 107A (FIG. 1C) by the diffraction grating 106, and is focused by the focusing element 104-2 onto a first row 110A of tiltable micromirrors of the MEMS array 110, which redirect individual wavelength channels 107A to propagate back and couple in a wavelength-selective manner into output fibers of the first FAU 102A. Similarly, a second WSS unit includes a second front end 101B having a second FAU 102B and a second lens 121B. A light beam 105B is collimated by the collimator 104-1, dispersed into individual wavelength channels 107B (FIG. 1C) by the diffraction grating 106, and is focused the focusing element 104-2 onto a second row 110B of tiltable micromirrors of the MEMS 110, which redirect individual wavelength channels 107B to propagate back and couple in a wavelength-selective manner into output fibers of the second FAU 102B. In the view of FIG. 1C, the wavelength channels 107A and 107B are overlapped.
The twin WSS 120 of FIGS. 1B and 1C is a more economical and space-efficient unit than two single-unit WSS 100 of FIG. 1A. Future networks will require higher-degree network nodes having higher port count, and “colorless” add/drop ports, that is, add/drop ports allowing any wavelength channel to be added or dropped. The twin WSS 120 operates over a single spectral band of communication, either C-band or L-band.
Increasing data throughput in WSS networks has typically been achieved through a combination of increased number of multiplexed wavelengths within the C or L-band, and increased bit rates within each wavelength channel. When combined, these increases lead to improved spectral efficiency within the finite optical bandwidth of the optical amplifiers. However, each subsequent increase requires an improved optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR), which typically requires that optical power levels in the fiber are increased. It is anticipated that within the next 5 years, one will reach fundamental limits due to fiber optical nonlinearity, preventing further increases in OSNR. At this point, it is likely that the next path forward would either be C+L band WSS networks, or “spatially multiplexed” networks, consisting of overlayed “planes” of WSS networks. Demand is expected for both solutions, depending on the existing infrastructure of network operators; to support this future demand of compact, economical WSS devices, a more densely packed WSS devices are required. | {
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As power using equipment which uses a portable power source system, there are for example electric tools such as electric screwdrivers for use in the screw fastening work. The use of electric tools can significantly improve work efficiency. While electric tools have recently been available at home improvement centers and the like and come to be used for do-it-yourself, they have been mainly used in construction sites and the like for business purpose.
There are however some cases where a construction site or the like is not wired. Further, the presence of cords or the like may negatively affect working performance. For this reason, a battery pack is employed in electric tools which operate at relatively low voltage, such as screwdrivers. A typical battery pack accommodates plural secondary batteries therein as a power source. Such a battery pack is detachable and, for conducting charging, it is inserted into a charger specific to the battery pack. On a construction site or the like, even when a battery is run down halfway through the work, preparation of a spare battery pack allows replacement of the battery pack and continuation of the work.
The battery pack (Model No. EZ9025) for the electric tool (DRILL & DRIVER, Model No. EZ6225) manufactured by Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd., one of the examples of the conventional battery packs, is described by reference to FIGS. 15 to 17.
FIG. 15 is an oblique view of the battery pack (EZ9025), and FIG. 16 is a top plan view thereof. At the time of insertion of the battery pack into the electric tool, the battery pack is positioned by a guide 1 to be inserted, and then fixed to the electric tool with a latch 2. On the upper end of the battery pack disposed while being exposed to the outside are a positive electrode terminal 3 both for charging and discharging, a charge negative electrode terminal 4 specifically for charging, a discharge negative electrode terminal 5 specifically for discharging, and a thermistor terminal 6.
FIG. 17 shows a circuit diagram of the battery pack (EZ9025). A discharge circuit comprising the positive electrode terminal 3, a secondary battery 7 and the discharge negative electrode terminal 5 is not provided with a current regulating device, whereas a charge circuit comprising the positive electrode terminal 3, the secondary battery 7 and the charge negative electrode 4 is provided with a control circuit 8 and a thermal protector 9, securing safety during charging. Further, a thermistor 10 is connected to the thermistor terminal 6. During charging, the temperature of the battery pack is monitored with resistance values of the thermistor 10 to control charging according to the monitored temperatures.
As thus described, the conventional battery pack comprises the current regulating device in the charge circuit. The current regulating device will prevent a current from continuing to flow in the battery pack if the charger should suffer a breakdown. However, the discharge circuit is not provided with a current regulating device because there are cases where a heavy current temporarily flows and a total amount of the discharge current is regulated by the capacity of the secondary battery.
In the conventional battery pack, it is possible to charge the battery pack by connection between the discharge terminal and a large-sized battery such as a battery for automobiles, since the discharge terminal is in a state of exposure to the outside. There however is a safety problem in charging by the use of the discharge terminal because of the absence of the current regulating device in the discharge circuit.
For the purpose of protecting terminals of a battery pack from shock caused by dropping and the like, there has been proposed a structure where an external terminal is provided on the inner circumferential side of a lid of a loop-shaped battery pack (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-135287). Also in this structure, however, the discharge terminal is in a state of exposure to the outside and the connection between the discharge terminal and the large-sized battery is therefore possible. | {
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Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) is a technique for delivering voice information using an internet protocol (IP) network, such as the Internet. Generally, VoIP is not a traditional protocol based on a link, as in a public switched telephone network (PSTN), but rather is a protocol that transmits voice information in a digital form within discrete packets. In conventional VoIP devices, audio data may be mixed, encoded, and transmitted from one VoIP device to another VoIP device, such as in a VoIP conferencing application. For situations in which the microphone elements and the speaker elements do not align on a point-to-point basis, the sound field produced in a remote room may lose the effect of the location of the sound source within the local room. This problem also occurs when using non-IP networks such as Asynchronous Transfer Mode networks or InfiniBand networks.
This application is related to U.S. application Ser. No. 13/398,662, filed 16 Feb. 2012, which claims the benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 61/443,471, filed 16 Feb. 2011, both of which are incorporated by reference for all purposes into this disclosure. | {
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Attempts at introducing economies into baling material such as hay or the like has resulted in various proposals for combining the raking function and baling function into a single operation. In some instances the rake is mounted on the tractor that tows the baler and by way of example of the same reference maybe had to the following: U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,428 Granted Jul. 29, 1980 Inventor Robert O Caraway entitled “Raking and Baling Machine” U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,189 Granted Mar. 7, 1978 Inventor Walton C. Hering entitled “Front Mounted Adjustable Twin Rakes”
In other instances the rake is located between the tractor and the baler and by of example of the same reference maybe had to the following: U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,354 Granted Aug. 22, 2000 Inventor Harold R Luhn et at entitled “Rake apparatus” U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,702 Granted Apr. 11, 1995 Inventor Johnny M Lewis entitled “Retrofitable Wide Windrow Apparatus”.
In these references an elongate draw bar connects the tractor to the baler and a rake is mounted on the draw bar.
Where the raking and baling are two separate operations the operator, during the baling operation, is able to drive along a zig-zag path to distribute the windrow to where needed across the width of the bale to provide, or caused to be formed, a suitable bale. In this operation the windrow is normally narrower in width than the width of the baler pick-up. Driving a zig-zag path virtually little or no affect in a single raking and baling operation in which the windrow discharges from the rake at a position in proximity to the baler intake.
It is known to have side delivery rake means at the infeed end of a pick-up and operative to sweep cut material beyond the width of the pick-up into a path in alignment with the pick-up and by way of example of same reference maybe had to the following: U.S. patents
U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,578 Granted Mar. 28, 1995 Inventor Marcello B. Galanti entitled “Apparatus for Raking and Baling Cut Material”
U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,217 Granted Jul. 7, 1992 Inventor Ferol S Fell et al entitled “Round Baler Having Wide Windrow Converging Mechanism”
U.S. Pat. No. 3,125,845 Granted Mar. 24, 1964 Inventor M. A. Lee entitled “Swath Gathering Mechanism”
U.S. Pat. No. 2,783,606 Granted Mar. 5, 1957 Inventor E. I. Wilson entitled “Windrow Divider and Bale Pickup Extension”
U.S. Pat. No. 2,756,557 Granted Jul. 31, 1956 Inventor J. H. Bornzin et al entitled “Pick-up Device with Driven Sweeping Rakes” PCT International Application publication No WO 94/10828 Published May 25, 1994 entitled “An Improved Round Baler” Inventor Brian Taeg
These references disclose converging rake mechanisms that extend laterally beyond the pick-up of the baler and move the material within the swept area into a windrow corresponding to the width of the baler pickup. The rake mechanisms are allowed to move up and down to overcome obstacles and the like but not laterally relative to the path of travel except for U.S. Pat. No. 2,756,557 and the PCT publication. In the '557 patent the lateral movement changes only the width of sweep. The PCT published application discloses a rake having raking reels that are power driven and mounted on arms attached to a draw bar by a telescopic connection capable of being moved in a direction toward and away from the path of travel. The PCT disclosed apparatus is simply a raking and baling operation.
None of the forgoing references disclose means to rake material into a windrow followed by apparatus to shift at least one marginal edge portion of such windrow to reduce the width of the windrow. The forging references fail to disclose or even remotely suggest apparatus for reducing the width of the windrow during baling to be less than that of the baler pick-up and divert that narrower windrow to various positions as maybe desired in a direction laterally across the width of the bale being formed.
Rakes with tined raking wheels in rolling engagement with the ground are known and by way of example reference maybe had to the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,428. The tined wheels perform a raking function by being rotated through frictional engagement with the ground. The tined wheels rotate in vertical planes appropriately angled relative to the direction of travel such that the plurality of tine wheels in series move the material into a windrow.
The aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,578 discloses rake members that are power driven and rotate in horizontal planes. The aforementioned PCT published application discloses tined wheels that are power driven and is silent on the orientation of the same. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pH adjusting apparatus and a method of adjusting the pH of a fluid using the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a pH adjusting apparatus for adjusting the pH of a solution accurately and easily, and a method of adjusting the pH of a solution using the pH adjusting apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, molecular diagnosis of specific pathogenic species consists of four steps: cell lysis, DNA separation, DNA amplification, and DNA detection.
Efficient extraction of DNAs from cells is needed for many applications and essential for molecular diagnosis, in particular, isolation and quantification of pathogenic species. Generally, molecular diagnosis involves DNA amplification after DNA extraction. Examples of DNA amplification are polymerase chain reaction (“PCR”) amplification, ligase chain reaction (“LCR”) amplification, stranded-displacement amplification, nucleic acid-based amplification, repair chain reaction (“RCR”) amplification, helicase-dependent amplification, Qβ replicase amplification, or ligation activated transcription (“LAT”) amplification.
DNA separation from cells is performed using a material capable of binding with DNA. A material that can be used for DNA separation may be silica, glass fiber, an anion exchange resin, or a magnetic bead. Generally, cell lysis can be performed using a mechanical method, a chemical method, a thermal method, an electrical method, an ultrasonic method, or a microwave method.
In various biological assays including molecular diagnosis of specific pathogenic species, individual steps may be performed at different pH values.
Conventionally, pH adjustment in biological assays is achieved by adding or removing a pH-adjusting solution, e.g., an acidic solution, a basic solution, a neutral solution, or a buffer solution, to or from a sample solution. However, the addition or removal of the pH-adjusting solution requires a separate apparatus and process and causes the dilution of the sample solution.
Such an additional process and apparatus for the addition or removal of the pH-adjusting solution may seriously affect micro-volume biological sample assays, and the dilution of the sample solution may adversely affect acquisition or amplification of desired samples. Furthermore, the added pH-adjusting solution may act as an inhibitor in subsequent biological assays. In this case, it is necessary to remove the pH-adjusting solution after use.
In biological assays, an electrolysis method is used as another method for adjusting the pH of a solution. For example, the pH of a solution can be adjusted using H+ and OH− ions respectively generated from an anode and a cathode by electrolysis of water. In the pH adjustment method using electrolysis, a current difference may be caused by a salt or cell concentration variation between samples or a resistance change due to gas generation. Thus, in the electrolysis method, it is important to constantly maintain a current, since current is the major factor for pH adjustment.
However, a pH adjusting apparatus using constant current electrolysis has not yet been reported. Furthermore, the use of a constant current-generating condenser increases the size and weight of a pH adjusting apparatus, thereby making it difficult to make the apparatus portable. | {
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1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a novel multiprocessor distributed memory system providing high-speed deterministic system connectivity, a novel PCI-based printed circuit board and methods therefor.
2. State of the Prior Art
Multiprocessor distributed memory systems are known and currently in wide use in the art. Such systems are characterized by certain deficiencies and can be substantially improved. For example, present systems essentially arbitrate resources in software and are slow in this respect. Since such systems are configured as loops or rings, if it is necessary to remove one of the processors, or as it is commonly referred to a node, from the loop or ring, this can only be effected by powering down the entire ring. In current systems, DMA transfers need to be sent around the entire ring thereby wasting bandwidth by transmitting past the targeted receiving node. Further, with the adoption of the PCI bus standards in PC technology, there exists a need in the art to support an effective distributed memory system. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) technique. More particularly, the invention relates to a CMP method and a CMP apparatus which are preferably used for the planarization processes for substrates or wafer in semiconductor device fabrication.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, the CMP process has been attracting our attention as one of the planarization techniques in semiconductor device fabrication field. This is because the CMP process makes it possible to planarize globally a deposited film of films over a whole semiconductor wafer or substrate, which has been difficult to be realized with the use of any other conventional planarization techniques, such as the etch back process. The planarization of deposited film(s) is an essential process to enhance the integration scale (i.e., density) and miniaturization of semiconductor integrated circuit devices. Thus, it is said that the CMP process is one of the most important techniques.
FIG. 1 shows schematically a prior-art polishing apparatus for the CMP process.
The apparatus of FIG. 1 comprises a circular rotating platen 101 having a polishing pad 102 on its surface. The bottom of the platen 101 is fixed to a vertical rotating shaft 105. The shaft 105 is rotatable around its axis with a first driving mechanism (not shown). Thus, the platen 101 is rotatable in a horizontal plane by way of the shaft 105. The pad 102 is rotatable along with the platen 101.
A slurry supply tube 103 is mounted at a specific position over the platen 101 in such a way that the outlet of the tube 103 is oriented toward the pad 102. The tube 103 is used to supply a polishing slurry 104 onto the pad 102 in the form of drops.
A substrate holder 110 is movably provided over the platen 101 to hold or carry a substrate (e.g., a semiconductor wafer) 106 having a target film (not shown) to be polished on its surface. The holder 110 has a cylindrical body 111 with an inverted U-shaped cross section. The body 111 has a cylindrical inner space.
A vertical spindle 112 is fixed to the top of the substrate holder 111. The spindle 112 is rotatable around its axis with a second driving mechanism (not shown). Thus, the holder 101 is rotatable in a horizontal plane and movable vertically and horizontally by way of the spindle 112.
A circular plate 113 is fixed horizontally in the inner wall of the holder body 111. The plate 113 is located at an elevated position from the bottom end of the body 111 by a specific distance. A backing film 114, which is made of a resin, is attached to the lower surface of the plate 113.
The holder 110 holds or carries the substrate 106 by way of the backing film 114 and the plate 113. The holder 110 is horizontally rotatable and vertically movable with the second driving mechanism while holding the substrate 106.
Next, the operation of the prior-art polishing apparatus of FIG. 1 (i.e., the CMP process with the apparatus) is explained below.
First, a substrate 106 having a target film on its surface is held with the substrate holder 110 in such a way that the target film is oriented to the lower side. This is performed in the state where the holder 110 is sufficiently apart from the platen 101.
Next, a polishing slurry 104 is supplied onto the surface of the polishing pad 102 by way of the slurry supply tube 103 in the form of drops while rotating the platen 101 in a horizontal plane, as shown in FIG. 1. Due to the rotation of the platen 101, the slurry 104 supplied onto the pad 102 is automatically distributed uniformly on the surface of the pad 102.
Thereafter, the holder 110 is moved toward the pad 102 while rotating the holder 110 in the same direction as the rotating platen 101 until the target film (not shown) of the substrate 106 is attached to the surface of the pad 102. In this state, the surface area of the target film reacts chemically with potassium hydroxide (KOH) contained in the slurry 104, thereby forming a soft layer (not shown) on the target film. The soft layer thus formed is mechanically polished with grains contained in the slurry 104. As a result, the CMP process advances.
In this way, with the CMP process, the target film on the substrate 106 is polished by both a chemical action (formation of a soft layer) and a mechanical action (polishing with grains).
In general, the polishing rate (i.e., polishing speed) in the CMP process varies dependent upon various factors, such as the temperature of the polishing surface, the pressing force against the polishing pad 102, the backing pressure against the plate 113, the rotation speeds of the platen 101 and the holder 110, the surface roughness of the pad 102, the distribution status of the slurry 104, and the density of the grains in the slurry 104.
With the prior-art apparatus of FIG. 1, there is a problem that the polishing rate is likely to be non-uniform due to the above-describe factors in the polishing plane. For example, if the desired or designed polishing rate is 500xc2x150 nm/min, the actual polishing rate tends to have a dispersion as much as 50 to 100 nm/min over the whole substrate 106. To avoid this problem, a variety of improvements has been made so far.
For example, the Japanese Non-Examined Patent Publication No. 11-33897 published in 1999 discloses a polishing apparatus for CMP. This apparatus comprises temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of a substrate and substrate heating means for heating a substrate, which are located in substrate holding means for holding a substrate. The substrate is heated with the substrate heating means in such a way that the in-plane temperature of the substrate is uniform. This apparatus makes it possible to uniformize the temperature as one of the factors affecting the polishing rate over the whole substrate.
The Japanese Non-Examined Patent Publication No. 11-121409 published in 1999 discloses another polishing apparatus for CMP. This apparatus comprises heaters arranged concentrically in a top ring (i.e., substrate holding means). The heat quantities from the respective heaters are adjusted to control the in-plane temperature distribution of the substrate in the radial directions. This apparatus makes it possible to control the in-plane polishing rate of a substrate.
With the prior-art apparatus of FIG. 1, as explained above, the polishing rate (i.e., the polishing speed) is likely to be non-uniform within the polishing surface. Therefore, there is a problem that a satisfactory or sufficient flatness is difficult to be realized over the whole substrate. The insufficient flatness will cause exposure error due to discrepancy in depth of focus in the lithography process and/or reliability degradation of wiring lines formed over uneven surfaces.
With the polishing apparatus disclosed by the Publication No. 11-33897, the temperature may be uniformized over the whole substrate. However, any other factors affect the polishing rate. Thus, there is a problem that satisfactory flatness of the substrate is not always formed over the whole substrate.
With the polishing apparatus disclosed by the Publication No. 11-121409, there is a problem as follows.
In general, heat is generated by friction within the polishing period to thereby raise (or fluctuate) the temperature of the polishing surface. Like this, with the apparatus of the Publication No. 11-121409, there is a possibility that temperature fluctuation of the polishing surface occurs due to friction heat within the polishing period and as a result, a desired polishing rate or speed is unable to be generated. Therefore, a problem that satisfactory flatness of the substrate is not always formed over the whole substrate occurs.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a polishing method and a polishing apparatus for CMP that uniformize substantially the polishing rate or speed within the polishing surface of a substrate.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a polishing method and a polishing apparatus for CMP that facilitate the generation of satisfactory or improved flatness over a whole substrate.
The above objects together with others not specifically mentioned will become clear to those skilled in the art from the following description.
According to a first aspect of the invention, a polishing apparatus for CMP is provided, which comprises:
a polishing platen rotatable around its axis, on which a polishing pad is placed on operation;
a substrate holder for holding a substrate to be polished, the holder being rotatable around its axis and the substrate having a target film to be polished;
heating means for heating the substrate held by the holder;
temperature detecting means for detecting temperature of the heating means;
temperature compensating means for setting a temperature compensation value in such a way that a polishing rate is approximately uniform over a whole polishing surface of the target film; and
a controller for controlling the heating means in such a way that the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means corresponds to the temperature compensation value;
wherein the substrate is heated by the heating means while controlling the heating means with the controller within a polishing period of the target film.
With the apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, there are provided with the heating means for heating the substrate held by the holder, the temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the heating means, the temperature compensating means for setting the temperature compensation value in such a way that the polishing rate is approximately uniform over the whole polishing surface of the target film, and the controller for controlling the heating means in such a way that the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means corresponds to the temperature compensation value. The substrate is heated by the heating means while controlling the heating means with the controller with the controller within a polishing period of the target film.
Thus, the polishing rate or speed can be substantially uniformized within the polishing surface of the substrate.
Moreover, the heating means is controlled by the controller in such a way that the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means corresponds to the temperature compensation value. Therefore, the generation of satisfactory or improved flatness can be facilitated over the whole substrate.
In a preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, the temperature compensating means sets the temperature compensation value based on post-polish thickness distribution of the target film. In this embodiment, there is an additional advantage that the polishing rate can be uniformized more surely.
In another preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, the heating means comprises heaters arranged to cover the substrate. The heaters are controlled by the controller.
In still another preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, the temperature detecting means comprises temperature sensors arranged to cover the substrate. Each of the sensors detects a temperature of a corresponding one of the heaters.
According to a second aspect of the invention, a polishing method for CMP is provided, which comprises:
providing a polishing platen rotatable around its axis, on which a polishing pad is placed on operation;
providing a substrate holder for holding a substrate to be polished, the holder being rotatable around its axis and the substrate having a target film to be polished;
setting a temperature compensation value in such a way that a polishing rate is approximately uniform over a whole polishing surface of the target film of the substrate; and
pressing the substrate held by the rotating holder against the rotating pad to polish the film while heating the substrate with heating means;
wherein the temperature of the heating means is detected by temperature detecting means;
and wherein the heating means is controlled in such a way that the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means corresponds to the temperature compensation value.
With the method according to the second aspect of the invention, due to the same reason as described for the apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, the same advantages as those of the apparatus of the first aspect are obtainable.
In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the second aspect of the invention, a post-polishing thickness of the target film is measured. The temperature compensation value is determined based on the post-polishing thickness thus measured.
In another preferred embodiment of the method according to the second aspect of the invention, the heating means comprises heaters arranged to cover the substrate. The heaters are controlled by a controller.
In still another preferred embodiment of the method according to the second aspect of the invention, the temperature detecting means comprises temperature sensors arranged to cover the substrate. Each of the sensors detects a temperature of a corresponding one of the heaters. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a novel catalyst system for the polymerization of alpha-olefins, a novel titanium halide containing catalyst component used in said system, a process for producing said component and a process for the polymerization of alpha-olefins using such catalyst system.
2. Prior Art
The polymerization of alpha-olefins in the presence of a catalyst system comprising: (a) an organoaluminum containing component, and (b) a titanium halide containing component is well known in the art and the polymers produced utilizing such catalyst systems have found numerous uses. The resulting crystalline polymers have associated therewith, to a greater or lesser degree, a low molecular weight amorphous polymer. The production of polymers having a low concentration of such amorphous polymers results in a polymer having highly desirable properties. The production of highly stereoregular crystalline polymers is thus a desirable objective for a catalyst system and polymerization process.
It is also desirable that high amounts of polymer be produced per unit of time per unit of catalyst employed, i.e. the catalyst system have a high activity. Ideally, it is highly desirable to simultaneously improve the stereospecificity and activity of a catalyst system.
Various approaches to achieving the aforementioned objectives have been proposed in the art.
South African Pat. No. 78/1023 to Toyota et al. describes producing a titanium halide containing component by reacting a mechanically pulverized product of an organic acid ester and a halogen containing magnesium compound, with an active hydrogen containing organic compound in the absence of mechanical pulverization. The resulting reaction product is then reacted with an organometallic compound of a metal of Groups I to III of the Periodic Table in the absence of mechanical pulverization. The resulting solid reaction product is then washed with an inert organic solvent, and the resultant solid reacted with a titanium compound in the absence of mechanical pulverization. The resultant solids are then separated from the reaction system. This reference, however, does not teach reacting with an organic phosphite and requires an active hydrogen containing organic compound and an organometallic compound.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,143,223 to Toyota et al. describes reacting a mechanically co-pulverized solid component of, for example, magnesium chloride, an organic acid ester and an active hydrogen containing compound, e.g. phenol, with a tetravalent titanium compound, e.g. TiCl.sub.4. This reference does not teach reacting with an organic phosphite.
Japanese Tokkyo Koho 79 34,429 to Kuroda et al. (as reported in CA 92:129640n) polymerizes ethylene using a mixture of trialkylaluminum, alkylhaloaluminum, and a ball milled solid product of Mg halide, phosphite esters, Ti(IV) compounds and Ti(III) compounds. This titanium halide containing component is produced by a different process using different ingredients than the invention described herein.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,130,503 to Fodor describes a catalyst component comprising a magnesium chloride support, a titanium trichloride, an aluminum trichloride and an organic phosphite. Exemplary of such a component is an MgCl.sub.2 supported TiCl.sub.3.1/3AlCl.sub.3 plus triphenyl phosphite catalyst component. This reference, however, does not describe the use of an electron-donor compound or TiCl.sub.4 and generally relates to a different class of catalyst components with respect to the activity thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,953,414 to Galli et al. describes the use of triphenyl phosphine and tri-isobutyl aluminum in conjunction with a titanium halide containing catalyst component prepared in a specific manner from MgCl.sub.2 and TiCl.sub.4. This reference does not describe producing the titanium halide containing catalyst component by co-pulverizing the magnesium compound and an electron-donor compound and then subsequently reacting this with an organic phosphite and then reacting with a titanium halide. | {
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The present invention generally relates to a cutting papers machine for cutting into pieces such as those documents to be discarded of or disposed and, more particularly, to a shredding machine.
There has been known a shredding mechanism provided with a pair of cutting rollers oppositely rotating with respect to each other, and a shredding mechanism provided with a rotary cutter and a fixed cutter combined with the rotary cutter. The latter is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 51-45585. According to the Japanese Utility Model, the mechanism includes the rotary cutter having spiral edges and the fixed cutter arranged to contact with the edges of the rotary cutter under pressure. The rotary cutter has plural spiral edges and is rotatably supported by bearings through column parts of which are formed at both ends of the rotary cutter and have the outer diameters smaller than the outer diameters of the edges thereof. The fixed cutter is supported by a supporting member to contact with the rotary cutter under pressure by a spring. The rotary cutter is so constructed that the column parts and a cutter part with the spiral edges are separately manufactured and then are assembled to each other to form one rotary cutter.
Since according to the conventional mechanism, the cutter part of the rotary cutter must be manufactured separately from the column parts as holding parts for rotatably holding the rotary cutter, it results in complicated construction and lower productivity. Since the cutter part is separated from the column parts, each section at which the cutter part is connected with each of the column parts often suffers some damage when applying any force to the section. The requirement of holding means for holding both ends of the column parts of the rotary cutter in the arrangement causes the holding means to become complicated in construction.
Furthermore, in the conventional machine, the papers transporting direction in which paper such as those documents to be discarded or disposed of are fed into the machine is not shown. The shredding capability of the mechanism depends on the direction of feed in a shredding machine with the mechanism constructed by a combination of between the fixed cutter and the rotary cutter. For example, when the papers are fed in the same direction as a direction in which the rotary cutter moves rotates, the direction for shredding the papers is the same as the direction for feeding the papers, thereby causing shredding capability to decrease or a shredding operation to be impossible.
Moreover, in the conventional shredding mechanism, the rotary cutter contacts with the fixed cutter under pressure and rotation of the rotary cutter causes sheets of the papers to cut into pieces. In this case, almost the same hardness of the cutters by a hardening process results in heat evolution by friction therebetween in rotation of the rotary cutter, occurrence of a metal sound by partial contact therebetween based on any error in manufacturing and assembling, and an insufficient shredding operation. For preventing these disadvantageous, various kinds of members including the cutters and the holding means for holding the cutters must be manufactured and assembled with high accuracy to result in higher manufacturing and assembling cost and very troublesome assemblage. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention is directed to a tool that enables all lug nuts holding a wheel to an axle to be simultaneously removed.
In stock car racing, the automobile may not be significantly modified from the "off the floor" condition which is sold in show rooms. So unlike the Indy car where a single nut can be used for attachment, the wheels must be attached with all lug nuts (sometimes 4 or more typically, 5). Accordingly, in racing stock cars, the removal and replacement of the wheels become a key rate-determinative factor in completion of a pit stop. One way pit crews attempt to reduce the turn around time is to cement the lug nuts to the replacement wheel to eliminate handling the lug nuts during replacement. In addition, 1/4" to 1/2" of the threads are ground off the lead end of the studs so that the cemented lugs can seat on the stud and not simply be knocked loose as the replacement wheel is mounted.
Still, in an industry where winning and losing can be determined by tenths of a second spent in the pit, it would be of significant benefit to be able to remove multiple lug nuts, preferably, all five, at the same time. A racing team which had such a tool might save 2-4 seconds each pit stop, a tremendous advantage in an arena where races are frequently decided by tenths of a second.
The present invention provides such a removal tool enabling all five lug nuts to be simultaneously removed. The tools comprises multiple individual socket assemblies for simultaneously engaging each lug nut that attaches a wheel to a vehicle, each socket including a nut-engaging socket and a satellite gear attached to each of said individual nut-engaging sockets for rotationally driving said individual nut-engaging socket in both rotational directions; a universal drive gear engaging each of said satellite gears for simultaneously rotating all of said individual socket assemblies in either of said rotational directions; a housing including an inner plate, an outer plate and a peripheral wall extending between said inner plate and said outer plate, said housing encasing said satellite gears and said universal gear; a drive surface attached to said universal drive gear; whereby a pneumatic wrench may engage said drive surface and simultaneously remove and replace all lug nuts securing the wheel.
Each socket includes a locator pin that is received in an aperture in the outer plate. The housing is generally pentagonal to accommodate the five lug nuts, providing adequate structure to support the five sockets without adding excessive additional weight. The sockets preferably are 12 or 24 point in order to facilitate positioning on the lug nuts. The drive surface may be either a recess or an integral shaft which can be engaged by a pneumatic wrench. The wrench will be operated in the reverse direction from normal since the universal gear will rotate the satellite gears in the opposite rotational direction from the direction the wrench operates.
Various other features, advantages and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after a reading of the following specification. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to an electronic system and an operating method thereof, and particularly to a technique effective in compensating for non-linearity of an AD conversion unit and non-linearity of a DA conversion unit in an electronic system including the DA conversion unit and the AD conversion unit.
The following Patent Document 1 describes an A/D converter called a background digital correction type A/D converter. The background digital correction type A/D converter includes a main A/D conversion unit which performs a high-speed A/D conversion operation with low precision, a reference A/D conversion unit which performs high-resolution A/D conversion at low speed, and a digital correction unit which generates a final digital output signal from a digital signal of the main A/D conversion unit and a digital signal of the reference A/D conversion unit.
The following Patent Document 2 and Non-patent Document 1 describe an A/D converter called a foreground digital correction type A/D converter. The foreground digital correction type A/D converter includes a main A/D conversion unit, a reference D/A conversion unit, a switch, a foreground calibration unit, and a digital output generation unit. During a calibration operation period, a calibration digital signal is converted into a calibration analog signal by the reference D/A conversion unit, and the calibration analog signal is supplied to an input terminal of the main A/D conversion unit via the switch. A digital signal generated from an output terminal of the main A/D conversion unit is supplied to an input terminal of the digital output generation unit, the calibration digital signal and a final digital output signal of the digital output generation unit are supplied to the foreground calibration unit, and an output signal of the foreground calibration unit is supplied to a control input terminal of the digital output generation unit. As a result, the digital output generation unit is controlled by the output signal of the foreground calibration unit so that the calibration digital signal supplied to the foreground calibration unit and the final digital output signal of the digital output generation unit agree with each other.
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-130444[Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-159415[Non-Patent Document 1] Takashi Oshima et al, “23 mW 50-MS/s 10-bit Pipeline A/D Converter with Nonlinear LMS Foreground Calibration”, 2009 International Symposium on Circuits and Systems, PP. 960-063 | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The invention concerns an unbalance-compensating device for a weapons system, especially a heavy weapon, with an assembly that has the tube mounted on it, that pivots in the direction of elevation, and that is mounted on a trunnion in a stationary base, whereby the center of gravity of the pivoting assembly is outside the axis of rotation of the trunnion and wherein a torque that opposes the moment of unbalance is generated by at least one suspension mechanism.
An unbalance-compensating device of this type is the object of a pending U.S. patent application 402,275. The device disclosed in that application is intended to be very simple, weigh little, occupy very little space, and provide satisfactory compensation of the unbalance moment even at wide aiming angles.
That object was attained by the improvement wherein the suspension system consisted of at least one torsion-bar suspension mechanism, one end of which is non-rotationally secured to the base and the other end of which is secured to the weapon's pivoting assembly by way of a transmission mechanism. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention relates to ski poles and more particularly to a ski pole with a handle and detachable handstrap.
Conventional ski poles conventionally contain a handle to which a handstrap is firmly attached. If the ski pole is improperly used by the skier, the skier falls, etc., it is possible that the skier's wrist may incur injury. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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As is well known, thinning of glass sheets to be used in flat panel displays (FPD) such as a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, and an OLED display, glass sheets to be used in OLED illumination, glass sheets to be used for manufacturing a tempered glass that is a component of a touch panel, and the like, and glass sheets to be used in panels of solar cells, and the like has been promoted in the current circumstances.
In order to address such current circumstances, in recent years, those glass sheets have been developed so as to be used as glass films having a thickness of 300 μm or less or 200 μm or less. To manufacture this type of glass films, as examples, a down-draw method typified by an overflow down-draw method, a slot down-draw method, and a re-draw method, and a float method have been used.
Those methods involve forming a glass film ribbon by a forming unit through use of a molten glass as a material, drawing the glass film ribbon from the forming unit, and then removing an unnecessary portion of the glass film ribbon by cleaving while conveying the glass film ribbon in a transverse direction by a transverse conveyance unit, to thereby form a glass roll. Specifically, the glass film ribbon is cleaved along a preset cleaving line extending in a longitudinal direction in such a manner that each unnecessary portion including a thick selvage portion both end portions in a width direction of the glass film ribbon that is being conveyed in the transverse direction by the transverse conveyance unit is removed by cleaving with a cleaving unit from the glass film ribbon, and then, one or a plurality of glass film ribbons serving as effective portions are taken up into one or a plurality of glass rolls (see Patent Literature 1 regarding the down-draw method).
Further, in addition to the foregoing, in the case where the glass film ribbon is taken up into a glass roll without removing the unnecessary portion including the selvage portion by cleaving, or in the case where the glass film ribbon is taken up into a glass roll after the unnecessary portion including the selvage portion is removed by cleaving, the glass film ribbon may be conveyed in the transverse direction by the transverse conveyance unit while being taken out from one glass roll and taken up into the other glass roll in a roll-to-roll process.
Also in this type of roll-to-roll process, the glass film ribbon is cleaved along the preset cleaving line extending in the longitudinal direction in such a manner that an unnecessary portion in each of both end portions in the width direction of the glass film ribbon is removed by cleaving with the cleaving unit while the glass film ribbon is being conveyed in the transverse direction by the transverse conveyance unit, and then one or a plurality of glass film ribbons serving as effective portions are taken up into one or a plurality of glass rolls. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The invention relates to an apparatus for generating acoustic shock waves with a single shock wave tube and for focusing them onto a focus region. The invention particularly relates to the fragmentation of concrements (e.g. kidney stones) in a living being.
Shock wave tubes for generating acoustic shock waves are known. As indicated in German Offenlegungsschrift No. 33 12 014, shock wave tubes can be employed for the fragmentation of concrements in the body of a patient. This publication discloses a shock wave tube whose coil is curved, so that the emitted shock wave converges in a focus. In front of the coil, an insulating foil and a metal diaphragm are arranged. A voltage pulse is applied to the coil by means of a capacitor, and as a result the metal diaphragm is repelled from the coil. In this way the shock wave treatment is generated.
A shock-wave tube of the type considered herein is also described in commonly owned patent application Ser. No. 634,021, filed 07/24/1984 and entitled "Apparatus for the Contact-Free Desintegration of Calculi", the disclosure of which application is incorporated herein by reference.
Before the next shock wave is triggered, the capacitor must be recharged, which requires time.
For the fragmentation of, e.g. kidney stone in a adult person, a plurality (e.g. 500) of such shock waves (and hence a corresponding treatment time) is necessary. The effect of the shock waves can be improved if they are so closely spaced in time that they overlap in their action on the concrement. It has been proposed to provide several shock wave tubes in parallel and to activate them at short intervals in sequence. This procedure is relatively costly, because essential parts of the arrangement, such as the capacitor, spark gag and the shock wave tube itself, must be multiplied.
One object of the present invention is to develop an apparatus in which despite the existence of only one shock wave tube, time-staggered shock waves can be directed to the concrement. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink composition suitably used for inkjet recording, an inkjet recording method and, furthermore, a lithographic printing plate obtained by employing the ink composition and a process for producing a lithographic printing plate. More particularly, it relates to an ink composition suitable for inkjet recording that cures with high sensitivity upon exposure to actinic radiation, and gives a cured material having sufficient flexibility even after the ink composition has been cured; an inkjet recording method; and a lithographic printing plate obtained by employing the ink composition and a process for producing a lithographic printing plate.
2. Description of the Related Art
With regard to an image recording method for forming an image on a recording medium such as paper based on an image data signal, there are an electrophotographic system, sublimation type and melt type thermal transfer systems, an inkjet system, etc. In the electrophotographic system, a process of forming an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive drum by electrically charging and exposing is required, and the system is complicated; as a result, there is the problem that the production cost is high. With regard to the thermal transfer system, although the equipment is inexpensive, due to the use of an ink ribbon there is the problem that the running cost is high and waste material is generated.
On the other hand, with regard to the inkjet system, the equipment is inexpensive and, since an image is formed directly on a recording medium by discharging an ink composition only on a required image area, the ink composition can be used efficiently and the running cost is low. Furthermore, there is little noise and it is excellent as an image recording system.
With regard to an ink composition that can be cured by irradiation with actinic radiation such as ultraviolet rays (radiation curing type ink composition), as an ink composition for inkjet recording, for example, there is a desire for one that cures with high sensitivity and forms an image with high image quality. By achieving higher sensitivity, high curability upon exposure to actinic radiation can be imparted, and there are therefore provided various benefits such as a reduction in power consumption, longer lifetime of an actinic radiation generator due to a decrease in the load thereon and, as a result of adequate curing being achieved, suppression of evaporation of uncured low molecular weight material and of a reduction in the strength of an image formed. Furthermore, improvement in the image strength due to higher sensitivity imparts high plate life to an image when the ink composition is used for the formation of an image of a lithographic printing plate.
With regard to a UV curing type ink composition, for example, an ink composition employing in combination a plurality of monomers having different levels of functional groups has been proposed (ref. e.g. JP-A-5-214280; JP-A denotes a Japanese unexamined patent application publication). However, in such an ink composition, in order to maintain the curing speed, it is necessary to use a large amount of polyfunctional monomer, and in this case an image obtained after curing the ink composition has a problem with flexibility.
Conventionally, when a lithographic printing plate is produced, a so-called PS plate having a constitution in which a lipophilic photosensitive resin layer is provided on a hydrophilic support is used; this photosensitive resin layer is imagewise exposed to light to thus improve or degrade the solubility of the exposed area toward an alkaline developer and form an image, and the non-image area is then dissolved and removed. However, in recent years, a digitization technique of electronically processing, storing, and outputting image information using a computer has become widespread, and a new image output method that matches the above technique has been desired. In particular, a method that can produce a printing plate without a treatment employing a developer has been examined, and a process for directly producing a lithographic printing plate using an inkjet recording ink composition has been investigated. In this process, an ink composition is discharged imagewise on the surface of a preferably hydrophilic support by an inkjet method, etc., and this is then cured by irradiation with actinic radiation, thereby giving a printing plate having a desired image (preferably a hydrophobic image). In order to form an image area of a lithographic printing plate, it is desirable that ink composition droplets discharged onto a support cure quickly without spreading, the cured image area has excellent strength and adhesion to the support, and the image area follows flexure of the support well when the lithographic printing plate is set in a printer to thus prevent any occurrence of damage such as cracking, and there is currently a desire for an ink composition that is suitable for such an application. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention relates to systems which sense spatial relationships and to the individual sensors used in the systems. The system is capable of producing a decision based on the values of one or more sensors. The system finds application in a variety of gesture recognition applications, exemplified by communication devices for nonvocal deaf or deaf-blind individuals. The system also finds application providing information on complex animate and inanimate motion which can be stored and/or processed immediately to construct a true or transformed model of the original motion. The model may be used to analyze the original motion or used as a control input to a second application.
There are various methods of sensing spatial relationships of interrelated parts, such as human and robotic joints and other moveable parts. In particular, there is a strong interest in improving on and developing new goniometric, i.e., angle measuring, devices. Commonly used goniometers, such as optical encoders, resolvers, potentiometers, Hall-effect sensors, and the like, are based on optical, electrical, mechanical and electromechanical technologies, etc. Most available goniometers are housed in bulky mechanical structures which can be difficult to mount and of ten interfere with the motion they are intended to track. The devices can be expensive, have limited resolution and can be difficult to use in a case where the bend axis is not rigidly defined and varies during flexure (e.g., a finger joint).
There is therefore a need for a low-profile, high resolution goniometer which is easily and unobtrusively mounted to a surface to monitor angles between two or more moveable structures associated with that surface (e.g., to monitor the bending of a joint or hinge, or the interrelation between the angles of a number of joints or hinges). The output of such a goniometer may be used to control the movement of computer generated objects or figures on a computer monitor, as well as to control the operation of physical machinery, and the like. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The search for subsurface hydrocarbon deposits typically involves a sequence of data acquisition, analysis, and interpretation procedures. The data acquisition phase involves use of an energy source to generate signals that propagate into the earth and reflect from various subsurface geologic structures. The reflected signals are recorded by a multitude of receivers on or near the surface of the earth, or in an overlying body of water. The received signals, which are often referred to as seismic traces, consist of amplitudes of acoustic energy which vary as a function of time, receiver position, and source position and, most importantly, vary as a function of the physical properties of the structures from which the signals reflect. The data analyst uses these traces along with a geophysical model to develop an image of the subsurface geologic structures.
The analysis phase involves procedures that vary depending on the nature of the geological structure being investigated, and on the characteristics of the dataset itself. In general, however, the purpose of a typical seismic data processing effort is to produce an image of the geologic structure from the recorded data. That image is developed using theoretical and empirical models of the manner in which the signals are transmitted into the earth, attenuated by the subsurface strata, and reflected from the geologic structures. The quality of the final product of the data processing sequence is heavily dependent on the accuracy of these analysis procedures.
The final phase is the interpretation of the analytic results. Specifically, the interpreter's task is to assess the extent to which subsurface hydrocarbon deposits are present, thereby aiding such decisions as whether additional exploratory drilling is warranted or what an optimum hydrocarbon recovery scenario may be. In that assessment, the interpretation of the image involves a variety of different efforts. For example, the interpreter often studies the imaged results to obtain an understanding of the regional subsurface geology. This may involve marking main structural features, such as faults, synclines and anticlines. Thereafter, a preliminary contouring of horizons may be performed. A subsequent step of continuously tracking horizons across the various vertical sections, with correlations of the interpreted faults, may also occur. As is clearly understood in the art, the quality and accuracy of the results of the data analysis step of the seismic sequence have a significant impact on the accuracy and usefulness of the results of this interpretation phase.
In principle, the seismic image can be developed using a three-dimensional geophysical model of seismic wave propagation, thereby facilitating accurate depth and azimuthal scaling of all reflections in the data. Accurately specified reflections greatly simplify data interpretation, since the interpretational focus can be on the nature of the geologic structure involved and not on the accuracy of the image. Unfortunately, three dimensional geophysical models frequently require intolerably long computation times, and seismic analysts are forced to simplify the data processing effort as much as possible to reduce the burdens of both analysis time and cost.
In addition to the 3-D computation challenge, the analyst faces a processing volume challenge. For example, a typical data acquisition exercise may involve hundreds to hundreds of thousands of source locations, with each source location having hundreds of receiver locations. Because each source-receiver pair may make a valuable contribution to the desired output image, the data handling load (i.e., the input/output data transfer demand) can be a burden in itself, independent of the computation burden.
FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a region 20 of the earth for which a geophysical image is desired. On the surface 18 of the earth are shown a number of shot lines 2 along which the seismic data are acquired. As shown in FIG. 1A, shot lines 2 consist of a sequence of positions at which a seismic source 3 is placed and from which seismic signals 5 are transmitted into the earth. Receivers 4 placed along each line receive the signals from each source position after reflection from various subsurface reflectors 6.
A first method of managing the seismic data burdens discussed above involves careful definition of the region over which the data are acquired. Specifically, use of any available preliminary geologic and geophysical information may facilitate the minimization of the surface area over which seismic data may need to be acquired. Such a minimization will directly reduce the amount of data that is ultimately acquired. Furthermore, similarly careful planning of the spacing between shot lines will optimize the analysis effort by reducing data volume. Finally, optimization of the number of sources and receivers that are used, and of the spacing between adjacent source and receiver positions, will also benefit the data analyst.
None of these efforts can be accomplished without a penalty. For example, relatively wide spacing between shot lines, or between sources and receivers, reduce the resolution of the computed seismic image, thus making interpretation more difficult. In addition, complex geologic features may not be resolvable without relatively close spacing. And finally, certain data acquisition exercises, such as in relatively unexplored areas, do not allow optimization of the surface area over which data is to be acquired. As a result, the data handling burden cannot be entirely eliminated through data acquisition planning.
The recent availability of massively parallel processors offers a significant opportunity to seismic data analysts. Massively parallel processors (MPPs) have multiple central processing units (CPUs) which can perform simultaneous computations. By efficient use of these CPUs, the weeks or months previously required for complex analyses can be reduced to a few days, or perhaps a few hours. However, this significant advantage can only be realized if efficient computational algorithms are encoded in the MPP software. Thus, the opportunity MPPs offer seismic data analysts also creates a challenge for the development of suitable computational algorithms that take advantage of the multiple CPUs.
This challenge can be easily discussed by considering the manner in which computational algorithms have most commonly been written for existing seismic analysis routines. Until recently, computers relied on a mode of operation referred to as sequential computing. Sequential computing involves use of analytic routines that perform only a single procedure, or perhaps focus on a single subset of the data or image, at any given time. This is a direct result of a computer having only one CPU. For that reason, the only optimization procedures that can be employed on single CPU computers are those which increase the efficiency of the processing as to the procedure or subset. Because all calculations must ultimately be performed by that single CPU, however, the options for obtaining high performance are innately limited.
On the other hand, the multiple CPU capability of MPPs offers an obvious simultaneous computation advantage. This advantage is that the total time required to solve a computational problem can be reduced by subdividing the work to be done among the various CPUs, provided that the subdivision allows each CPU to perform useful work while the other CPUs are also performing work. Unfortunately, the disadvantage of multiple CPU hardware is that the sequential processing methods that have long been used in software development must be replaced by more appropriate parallelized computing methods. Simply stated, MPPs require that processing methods be developed which make efficient use of the multiple CPU hardware. Ideally, these methods should organize the distribution of work relatively evenly among the processors, and ensure that all processors are performing necessary computations all of the time, rather than awaiting intermediate results from other processors.
The challenge of defining parallelized processing methods, and of optimizing those parallelized methods once defined, is particularly acute in the seismic data processing arena. Seismic data consists generally of a large number of individual traces, each recorded somewhat independently of the other traces. Logically enough, sequential computing methods that require the analytic focus to be placed on a single calculation at a time adapt well to analysis of these independent traces. This is true even though computational bottlenecks may exist. For example, portions of the analytic sequence may require relatively more computation time than other portions, must be completed before other calculations may proceed, or may rely on similar input data as other traces, for example traveltimes. Since no simultaneous computations occur in sequential processing, none of these bottlenecks lead to a reduction in computational efficiency with a single CPU, except as to the total processing time that is required. Except as to that total time requirement, the existence of such computational bottlenecks does not otherwise pose problems for the analyst. To take full advantage of MPP computing capabilities, however, where the goal is to perform simultaneous processing in all CPUs, methods for optimizing the seismic analysis phase by eliminating such bottlenecks must be developed.
This advantage of an MPP becomes clear by considering the limitation which calculation time places on image region size in single CPU computers. Increasing the size of the image, e.g., by expanding the size of cube 20 in FIG. 1, or increasing the amount of data to be processed, e.g., by adding additional sources 3 and receivers 4 to shotlines 2, increase the total computation. That direct impact on calculation time places a heavy burden on seismic analysts to optimize image size, especially since even small image regions may require weeks of computation time on even the highest speed sequential processing computers. In contrast, efficient processing on MPPS, which may have as many as or more than 256 individual CPUs, should only involve minimally lengthened computation times, since each CPU would assume just a fraction, for example 1/256, of the additional work required by the larger region. This potential for scalability of the image region and the work load required in image generation is a principal benefit of MPPs, a benefit that can only be realized if parallelized seismic processing methods allowing such workload scalability are developed.
Basic considerations for determining efficient parallelized seismic processing methods become evident by reconsidering the above review of the seismic analysis process. As noted, the purpose of seismic analysis is to analyze measured seismic data using geophysical models to develop images of the subsurface. Therefore, each of three principal processing components--data, model, and image--may be considered to be a candidate for distributing computational work among the various processors in an MPP. One option for distributing work among the processors would be to assign different groups of the input seismic trace data to different processors. For example, traces may be grouped by source locations, with different processors being assigned different groups. Similarly, the output image could be subdivided and assigned to different processors. Finally, it may also be possible to subdivide the geophysical model used to generate the output image into groupings that can be assigned to the various processors. (That model is generally considered to be embodied in the arithmetic operations required by the mathematical model that is the subject of the processing effort. For example, in seismic analysis the mathematical model is often based on the wave equation). For example, the data may be transformed into the frequency domain, with individual frequencies assigned to individual processors. It may also be possible to develop combinations of these approaches. For example, groups of processors may be assigned collective responsibility for specific frequencies in the model and all depths in the image, while having individual responsibility for specific horizontal locations in the image. The challenge to the seismic data analyst is to determine methods of subdividing the seismic data, model, and image into components that can be assigned to individual processors in the MPP, thus allowing calculations to be performed in each processor independently of other processors. This subdivision of seismic data analysis into individual components is commonly referred to as seismic decomposition.
In a Single Instruction, Multiple Data stream (SIMD) MPP, the processing elements typically perform the same operation on multiple data streams. An example is the CM2, a product of the Thinking Machines Corporation. These kinds of machines typically lack shared memory, i.e., each processor has its own separate memory unit and the information in the memory cannot be directly accessed by other processors. The individual processors typically have limited computing capability and memory. Because of the large number of processing elements and a lack of shared memory, data transfer between the processing elements is a major bottleneck in efficient utilization of the capability of the machines. Even with sophisticated interconnection techniques, such as in a hypercube arrangement, transfer of data between processors is a major factor in the running time of programs.
Other computers have much more powerful elements in arrays of tens or hundreds. The T3D, a product of Cray Research Corporation, is an example of this kind of machine. Besides having individual processing elements that are much more powerful than those in the CM2, the T3D has fewer of the elements and a physically distributed, logically shared memory. This Multiple Instruction Multiple Data stream (MIMD) machine has different elements performing different operations on different parts of the data at the same time. The reduced number of processing elements means that data does not have to be transferred to as many elements as in a SIMD machine. Because of the increased sophistication and cost of the individual elements and because of their fewer numbers, efficient utilization requires that the load on the processing elements be balanced. An additional factor is that each processing element must accommodate a larger subset of the overall data volume; computations that involve sorting of the data could become more complicated.
As would be familiar to those knowledgeable in the art, prestack migration processes are computationally very demanding. As an alternative to prestack migration, a prestack partial migration could be done followed by a poststack time or depth migration. In many cases, this leads to a significant reduction in computation time without a serious loss in accuracy. One common method of prestack partial migration is the dip moveout (DMO) process. The process of DMO correction is discussed at length in Deregowski, S. M. and Rocca, F., "Geometrical Optics and Wave Theory of Constant Offset Sections in Layered Media", 29 Geoph. Prosp. 374 (1981). The DMO operator can be visualized as the result of two steps. The first step is to find the isochron for a given source and receiver position. The term isochron means the set of points such that the traveltime from the source to each of the points and back to the receiver is equal to the observed travel time. Those knowledgeable in the art would recognize that, for a constant velocity medium, the isochron is an ellipsoid with foci at the shot and the receiver. The normal to any point on this ellipsoid defines both a position on the surface of the earth and a zero-offset travel time corresponding to the ray defined by the normal. The DMO operation consists of moving data from an original observation point to a set of such possible surface positions and determining the corresponding zero-offset travel times. For a constant velocity medium, the surface positions fall along the major axis of the traveltime ellipsoid. The Kirchhoff DMO procedure consists of 1) for each input trace the generation of a set of replacement traces at a number of output surface positions followed by 2) the summation, at each output location, of the replacement traces from each input location, resulting in 3) a partially migrated image.
Deregowski and Rocca showed that a velocity independent DMO operator for a common offset section can be expressed as: ##EQU1## where t.sub.0 is zero-offset time, t.sub.n is the normal moveout (NMO) corrected time, h is half the source-receiver offset and x is the migration distance from the midpoint, i.e., the distance between the midpoint of the source-receiver pair and the position of the equivalent zero-offset replacement trace. Zero-offset time is time measured along the replacement trace. The NMO corrected time is obtained by the usual NMO procedure using the root mean square (rms) velocity.
As is known to those familiar with the art, conventional stacking of common midpoint (CDP) gathers that uses a dip corrected rms velocity is unable to deal with reflectors of different dips. The zero offset section obtained by DMO, on the other hand, correctly represents reflections from different dips. Equation 1 defines a 2-D DMO operator that moves energy into a vertical plane through the source and receiver and produces an image that can be processed by post-stack, zero-offset migration methods at a significant saving in computation time.
When the medium does not have constant velocity, the DMO operator is more complicated. A partial solution for the problem of a medium with constant vertical velocity gradient is given in Artley, C., and Hale, D., "Dip-Moveout Processing for Depth Variable Velocity", 59 Geophysics 610 (April 1994). However, Artley and Hale considered only the inline component of the DMO operator. In fact, for the case of a medium with a vertical velocity gradient, the DMO operator, which is generally referred to as the Migration to Zero Offset (MZO) operator, is no longer limited to a vertical plane passing through the shot and receiver positions. A detailed analysis of the problem of MZO for a constant velocity gradient is given by Dietrich, M., and s Cohen, J. K., "Migration to Zero Offset (DMO) for a Constant Vertical Velocity Gradient: An Analytical Formulation", 41 Geophysical Prospecting 621, (1993). The isochron in this case is a quartic polynomial in x, y and z, and the migration to zero offset (MZO) operator is multivalued. One branch of the operator is a saddle-shaped operator related to smaller dips and approximately corresponds to the conventional DMO operator for the case of no velocity gradient. The second branch of the operator is produced from larger dips or overturned reflectors. Both of these branches of the DMO operator have crossline components. Dietrich and Cohen's work has several limitations. First, their operator is based on ray-theoretical considerations. As a result, where the two branches of the operator come together there is an abrupt termination, with rather strong amplitude, of the primary branch of the operator. In addition, even away from the cusp termination, the amplitudes given by Dietrich and Cohen are inconsistent with the amplitudes given by prior art references relating to the problem of amplitudes for the DMO operator.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,422 issued to Gonzalez et. al. teaches a method for performing a 3-D DMO in the presence of a vertical velocity variation in the subsurface. In this method, the DMO operator for constant velocity is applied, and followed by the application of a residual operator that has the effect of squeezing the ellipsoid from the first step. However, the method only addresses the primary branch of the multivalued operator. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,212, Scheiman deals with the problem of smearing caused by the operation of forcing the output location into a discrete set of bins on an areal grid. However, that method does not address the problem of vertical inhomogeneities. In addition to these limitations both Gonzalez et. al. and Sheiman both are single CPU-oriented methods and cannot be efficiently implemented on an MPP.
The implementation of a 3-D DMO process on a shared memory parallel computer is discussed by Lu, L., Bell, L., and Lim, K., "Parallel Implementation of 3-D DMO on Shared Memory Systems", 64 SEG Extended Abstracts 214, (1994). Lu et. Al. implement a parallelization of tasks over input shot gathers only, but not in the output phase of the DMO calculations. However, the disclosure is limited to DMO of single offset data, and in addition has several limitations that reduce the efficiency of the overall process. Specifically, because multiple processors may be attempting to write (or add) their output to the same memory location of the MPP, a "memory locking" procedure is incorporated in the process. This memory locking procedure results in a slowdown of the process, since processors will often be delayed in accessing the desired memory locations. In addition, after processing of each group of shots is completed, the disk file is updated using an analogous "file locking". This too is a bottleneck in the efficiency of the method.
An MPP implementation for a 3-D DMO process on a CM2 (or on the Thinking Machine CM5 computer) is discussed by Biondi, B. and Moorhead, W. D., "Data Parallel Algorithm for Kirchhoff 3-D DMO", 62 SEG Extended Abstracts 330, (1992). The implementation has parallelism over input shot gathers and also over output swaths. Successive shot gathers are loaded onto consecutive processors until all the processors are full, each processor having one or more gathers as part of its input. Each processor is also responsible for a number of output locations. During the computation phase, each processor first computes the DMO replacement traces for its input traces and only for the locations for which it also has the output task. Once all the processors have completed calculations for the initial input traces, each processor sends its input traces to the next processor and the DMO operations are repeated. This "pipelining" is repeated, as many times as necessary, until output traces have been computed for all output locations. The pipelining is necessary because of the limited memory available on the individual processors of a CM-2 or CM-5. The processors also drop input traces incrementally, beginning with the nearest offset, to reduce the data transfer. This method requires that the shot gathers be contiguous and in physical order, or the load balancing between the processors will be poor. In addition, since each processor is responsible for contiguous portions of the output, bottlenecks may occur in certain portions of the model where, because of complicated velocity models, more computations are needed. Finally, the load balancing in such a scheme will deteriorate when, as is commonly the case, certain traces are missing from the input data set.
Gonzalez et. Al., Lu et. al. and Biondi and Moorhead deal only with the kinematics of the DMO operation, i.e., the DMO calculation involves a straightforward summation of the generated replacement traces. They do not properly handle the amplitude and phase information in the seismic reflections. The problem of preserving amplitudes and phase information as part of the DMO process is discussed by Black, J. L., Schleicher, K. L. and Zhang, L., "True-Amplitude Imaging and Dip Moveout", 58 Geophysics 47 (January 1993). Black et. al. point out that merely summing the contributions, at the appropriate times, from various input traces can give a misleading image of the subsurface. In particular, the amplitudes of steeply dipping reflectors would be attenuated with respect to horizontal reflectors. Those knowledgeable in the art would recognize that amplitude and phase information play an important role in interpretation of subsurface lithology and fluid content and would hence recognize the desirability of preserving amplitude and phase information. Black et. al. also discuss the problem of aliasing wherein, due to too large a distance between input trace positions, steep dips are improperly imaged. Black et. al. do not, however, suggest a solution to that problem.
Thus, there is a need for an invention that implements an MZO process on an MPP which efficiently load balances the DMO calculations, parallelizes on input and output, is able to handle multiple offsets, is able to handle vertical velocity variations, produces accurate images using both branches of the MZO operator, and does not require the data to be contiguous. In addition, the invention should more accurately preserve amplitude and phase information in the seismic data than does the prior art, and should also avoid aliasing errors. The present invention satisfies this need. | {
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Typically the high voltage driver systems in use to drive capacitive actuators for deformable mirrors are based on analog technology. A microprocessor delivers a digital input command to a digital to analog converter (DAC) which drives an amplifier to supply drive current to the capacitive actuator. The amplifier typically has a totem pole output stage using bipolar transistors. To keep control over the output stage a bias current must be maintained. With even a small bias current at the 100 volts required by the actuator the power drain is considerable e.g., 2 watts. Considering that many deformable mirrors require 1000 channels (actuators) or more the power loss e.g. 2000 w can build up quickly. Add to this that analog amplifiers are generally only about 40% efficient and power supplies are only typically 50-75% efficient the amount of power required can become a major factor. Further, large amounts of power require large heat sinks which mean heavier and larger packages which translates into overall larger and more robust packages to contain the additional weight and size, all of which further increases cost as well. Another shortcoming of analog systems is that the voltage must be monitored at the load. This means monitoring an analog voltage of, for example, 100 volts. This must be scaled down and then converted to digital form through an analog to digital converter (ADC) for feedback to the digital microprocessor. And all of this scaling and conversion introduces more inefficiency to the system. Another disadvantage of the analog approach is that typically the best accuracy obtainable with the DAC and ADC are 16 bits which translates for a 100 volt supply to approximately 1.5 mv/lsb. Analog systems also produce overshoot and ringing as a result of driving a reactive load with a voltage. And the ringing can be at a frequency that is low enough for the actuator to physically respond yet high enough so that the amplifier cannot quickly correct. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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It is well known that as the cost of crude oil increases, numerous efforts have been made to find and develop alternative fuels, particularly fuels that have a renewable, rather than a limited, source. Considerable effort has been expended researching potential fuels from regenerable biological sources, or biofuels. Biofuels, in the context herein, include biodiesel and renewable diesel, which are diesel fuel-equivalents, processed fuel derived from biological source feedstocks (such as plant seed oils, vegetable oils and animal fats), and which may be used in unmodified diesel engine vehicles. Such fuels are viewed as more environmentally friendly, renewable alternative or supplement fuels to and with conventional petroleum-based diesel. Biofuels are also seen as having the advantage of reducing dependence on foreign-sourced petroleum based oil. Characteristically, the biodiesel has a high flash point for safe handling, has good lubricity, is biodegradable, has reduced emissions (lower particulate matter, carbon oxides and unburned hydrocarbons), and its use fits with existing infrastructure. Alternatively, the renewable diesel is not hygroscopic, has improved cold flow properties for low-temperature handling, has reduced emissions, has higher cetane values to improve the combustion quality, and its use also fits with existing infrastructure.
In the context herein, biodiesel fuels include, but are not necessarily limited to, alkyl esters of a fatty acid, typically either the ethyl ester or methyl ester of a fatty acid. Thus, many biodiesel fuels may be understood to contain fatty acid methyl esters (FAME). The FAMEs or blends thereof are typically referred to as biodiesel. For instance, blends of FAME with No. 2 fuel oil may be referred to as biodiesel. Most biodiesel fuel is presently made by the transesterification of fatty acids. Biodiesel fuel may also be made from free fatty acids using an acid catalyst. There are other processes that use an ion-exchange resin catalyst.
In more detail, most biodiesel fuels are made from vegetable oils, including, but not necessarily limited to rapeseed, soybean, cotton seed, corn, jotropha and the like oils. Some biodiesel is made from animal fats, including, but not limited to beef and pig tallow, chicken fat, fry grease, restaurant trap grease, fish oil, and the like. Efforts are also being made to blend FAME compounds to modify properties such as low temperature handling, for instance esters from palm and soybean oils or soybean and tallow oils (e.g. beef). The mixtures may be complex. All of these fall within the definition of biofuels herein.
Non-esterified or straight vegetable oils (SVO) or straight waste vegetable oil (WVO) are examples of typical biomass feedstocks for the production of biodiesel or renewable diesel. However, biodiesel and renewable diesel fuels as defined herein may include these non-esterified SVOs or WVOs in minor proportions (less than 50 volume %, and in another embodiment less than about 1%). In the context herein, renewable diesel fuels include, but are not necessarily limited to, the hydrocarbon products resulting from the reactions of plant or animal oils under various conditions, not to include esterification. In more detail, renewable diesel fuels can be prepared from the direct hydrotreating of the plant or animal oil feedstocks, through the Fischer-Tropsch process (coal-to-liquid or gas-to-liquid catalyzed reactions), direct pyrolysis of biomass, or through an algae (or other biological organism) production system. As with biodiesel, efforts are being made to blend renewable diesel with petroleum-based fuels to modify properties such as decreased emissions. The mixtures may be complex. All of these fall within the definition of biofuels herein.
The biodiesel fuel B100 has a particular definition, including, among other parameters, a minimum ester content of 96.5 wt %. It may be made by transesterifying triglycerides from plant or animal-based fatty acid oils with alcohol in the presence of a catalyst.
Biofuel instability occurs due to higher levels of unsaturated compounds, which are sites for oxidation reaction over time, and which are accelerated at elevated temperatures and by the presence of contaminants including metals and sulfides. This instability due to oxidative degradation is greater than that associated with conventional petroleum diesel. During transportation and storage, biofuel may be subjected to conditions that promote oxidation of their unsaturated components subsequently degrading quality and performance with undesirable characteristics of residue, acidity, odor and discoloration.
There is a need to improve the stability of biofuels and feedstocks. It is desirable to discover a method and/or composition for improving the stability of biofuel, feedstocks and biofuel blends. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Secondary batteries such as non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries, nickel-metal hydride secondary batteries, and nickel-cadmium secondary batteries are used as a power source for driving a variety of apparatus. Secondary batteries have various uses from consumer apparatus exemplified by cellular phones to electric vehicles, electric tools and the like. Above all, non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries attract a great attention because they are small-sized, light-weight, and have a high energy density. In recent years, development of the secondary batteries having a higher energy density and a higher output has been increased.
A secondary battery used for consumer apparatus, for example a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes in general a metallic battery case having a bottom for housing an electrode group and an electrolyte, and a sealing plate for sealing an opening of the battery case. The sealing plate includes a metallic filter serving as an internal terminal and a metallic cap serving as an external terminal, and a safety valve and a PTC element are usually interposed between these. The safety valve is composed of a metal thin film and an explosion-proof valve, for example. The sealing plate is formed by caulking the periphery of the metallic filter on the periphery of the metallic cap, the PTC element, and the safety valve with an inner gasket made of resin interposed therebetween.
The metal thin film and the explosion-proof valve constituting the safety valve are welded at respective central portions and are electrically connected. In the case where a battery is erroneously overcharged and an internal pressure of the battery is abnormally increased, the metal thin film breaks to block the current path. At this time, gas inside the battery is discharged outside. For high output purposes requiring discharging at a large current, it is necessary to secure such a safety function and generate a large current efficiently by inhibiting change in internal resistance associated with change over time and change of temperature.
As a technique for efficiently generating a large current in a large-sized lithium ion secondary battery, PTL 1 proposes to form a current collector portion by sandwiching a tap portion (end portion) of a metal material (core member) constituting an electrode by a conductive member and welding the end portion to the conductive member.
On the other hand, PTL 2 proposes a battery in which an end portion of an electrode core member is made to protrude from an electrode group and the protruding portion is connected to a current collector plate. The current collector plate has a cutaway groove portion, and the current collector plate and a tip of the protruding portion are connected to each other on the periphery of the groove portion. According to this proposition, it seems that the connection area of the current collector plate with the protruding portion can be set smaller and the strength of the connection portion can be increased.
[Citation List]
[Patent Literature]
[PTL 1] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 7-263029 [PTL 2] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-36834 | {
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Absorbent articles such as diapers, training pants, incontinence garments, and the like conventionally include a liquid permeable body-facing liner, a liquid impermeable outer cover, and an absorbent core (also referred to as an absorbent body or absorbent structure) formed separate from the outer cover and liner and disposed therebetween for taking in and retaining liquid (e.g., urine) exuded by the wearer.
Absorbent articles may be designed with extensible or elastic components that improve donning, fit during wear, and removal of the article from the wearer. In some of these absorbent articles, the outer cover and/or the liner may be stretchable to permit some expansion of the article when necessary to provide a better fit on the wearer. For example, a child pulling on a pair of training pants typically pulls both upward on the pants and outward on the pants (e.g., at the waist) to widen the waist opening and pull the pants up over the buttocks and hips to the child's waist. Thus an expansion force is applied to the article to increase the dimensions thereof.
Typically, the absorbent structure of these articles is attached to the outer cover and/or liner to form an attachment zone of the article over which the stretchability of the outer cover and/or liner is inhibited by the less stretchable absorbent structure. The portion of the outer cover and liner that is not attached to the absorbent structure, the non-attachment zone, has a higher amount of stretchability than the attachment zone of the article.
The lateral stretch distribution of the absorbent article is the distribution of stretch across the lateral width of the absorbent article that is needed to expand the waist opening of the article. The distribution of stretch in the circumference of existing articles includes areas with little or no amount of stretch (e.g., the attachment zone) and areas with a relatively higher amount of stretch (e.g., the non-attachment zone) resulting in an uneven lateral stretch distribution in the article. The extension energy of an absorbent article (or a portion of an absorbent article) is defined as the amount of resistance to stretching in the article. The extension energy is inversely proportional to the amount of lateral stretch in the article so that a larger amount of extension energy means that the article will have increased resistance to stretching. An absorbent article having ideal lateral stretch distribution would have an equal lateral stretch distribution and equal extension energy in both the attachment zone and non-attachment zone of the article.
Each layer of material of the absorbent article adds extension energy and resistance to stretching to the outer cover and/or the liner and contributes to the expansion force required to expand the waist opening during donning. The uneven lateral stretch distribution across the circumference of the article requires that the article be made such that substantially all of the stretch needed to increase the circumference of the pant during donning occurs in the portions of the article having a high amount of stretch, typically the non-attachment zone. In existing absorbent articles, the absorbent structure must be reduced in size or made of reduced basis weight in order to reduce the size of the attachment zone, or increase the stretchability of the absorbent structure so as to improve the lateral stretch distribution across the lateral width of the article.
FIG. 32 shows a graph comparing the extension energy of a complete training pant, a stretchable outer cover and liner of the training pant (e.g., without the absorbent structure therebetween), and a stretchable absorbent structure of the training pant. The graph of FIG. 32 illustrates that the complete pant has significantly higher extension energy than both the outer cover and liner and the absorbent structure of the pant. Also, the results indicate that, as expected, the less stretchable absorbent structure contributes a larger amount of extension energy to the entire pant than the outer cover and liner. An ideal training pant design would include an extension energy that is as low as possible to allow elongation of the training pant at a decreased donning force of the article. Further, an ideal pant design would have equal lateral stretch distribution across the attachment zone and the non-attachment zone of the article.
There is a need, therefore, to improve the construction of the absorbent structure of the stretchable absorbent article to decrease the extension energy and the required donning force of the article and to improve the lateral stretch distribution of the article so that the absorbent article may be more easily donned, while maintaining the performance of the article. | {
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Cardiac arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation, are irregularities in the normal beating pattern of the heart and can originate in either the atria or the ventricles. Atrial fibrillation is characterized by rapid randomized contractions of the atrial myocardium, causing an irregular, often-rapid ventricular rate, and can give rise to other forms of cardiovascular disease, including congestive heart failure, rheumatic heart disease, coronary artery disease, left ventricular hypertrophy, cardiomyopathy or hypertension.
Treatments for atrial fibrillation have focused on the pulmonary veins, which have been identified as one of the origins of errant electrical signals responsible for activating atrial fibrillation. In one known approach, tissue is ablated in a circumferential pattern at locations such as the within the pulmonary veins, at the ostia of the pulmonary veins, or surrounding the pulmonary veins. By ablating the heart tissue at these locations, the electrical conductivity from one segment to another can be blocked such that the resulting segments become too small to sustain the fibrillatory process on their own.
In order to reach locations within or surrounding the heart, guide catheters are commonly used. Most guide catheters have proximal and distal ends connected by a long, tubular body having one or more lumens formed therein. The proximal end of the catheter usually includes a handle for control of the catheter by the operator and various ports for introduction of fluids and instruments through the catheter lumen, and the distal end includes a tip which is inserted into the patient. For example, in vascular applications, the tip of the catheter can be inserted into a major vein, artery, or other body cavity. The catheter is then further inserted and guided to the area of concern. Moreover, the catheter can also function as a “sheath” or “guide catheter” in that it can be used a delivery conduit for other tools, such as balloons and/or stents for performing angioplasty or other instruments mapping electrodes and ablation devices for conducting procedures within the heart.
Current methods for inserting and guiding a catheter include the use of a guide wire where the guide wire is fed into position within the patient and then the catheter is passed over the guide wire. However, one drawback associated with this method, when the target ablation sites are in or near the pulmonary veins on the posterior surface of the heart, is that it is often difficult, if not impossible, to advance the guide wire all the way to the ultimate target site due to the shape of the heart muscle.
Alternatively, a steerable catheter can be used. Steerable catheters require an ability to selectively deflect the distal tip of the catheter in a desired direction by permitting an operator to adjust the direction of advancement of the distal end of the catheter, as well as to position the distal portion of the catheter. The deflection of the distal tip is typically provided by one or more pull wires that are attached at the distal end of the catheter and extend to a control handle such that the surgeon can selectively deflect the tip and/or rotate the catheter shaft to navigate into the correct position.
When designing such steerable catheters for access into the heart, it is important to have sufficient flexibility in the catheter shaft so that when the catheter is advanced through a blood vessel or heart chamber it can follow the inherent curvature of the biological structures without puncturing them. However, achieving a balance between the “pushability” of the catheter (that is, the ability to direct the tip of the catheter to the target location without buckling or kinking) and the necessary stiffness to allow the catheter to access the heart, especially when navigating the sharp turns necessary to access locations in the left atrium of the heart, can be difficult.
Prior art deflectable catheters typically have a single stiffness value, or at best, one stiffness value for the catheter body and one stiffness value for the deflectable tip. As a result, these catheters often require large spatial volumes in which to bend and are unable to make tight turns that are sometimes necessary to reach a target region without causing trauma to a patient. Particularly, access to the left atrium for the treatment of atrial fibrillation is particularly difficult when the ultimate target region is in the vicinity of the right inferior pulmonary vein, as this vein is usually the closest to the transseptal puncture, requiring the catheter to turn 180° in direction in order to achieve proper orientation.
Currently methods to address this issue include using a set of sheath catheters with different curves and removing one catheter and replacing it with another, several times. However, this exchange is time consuming and can present additional risks, such as accidental entrainment of air embolisms.
More difficulties arise when the catheter includes an ablation instrument having a balloon, as additional maneuvering can be required to properly orient the balloon within or at the mouth of the vein. Further, axial force may be required in order to occlude the pulmonary vein at the ostium and the lack of stiffness of most catheters renders the application of sufficient force to successfully seal the vein prior to ablation problematic.
Accordingly, there exists a need for deflectable sheath catheters that can navigate and access narrow and limited spaces leading into, and within the heart, especially the left atrium. There also exists a need for improved methods of treating atrial fibrillation that provide better and/or more precise location of ablation instruments within the heart. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The application applies for unique systems and methods for locking lacing-type footwear.
Lacing-type footwear is an important part of our life, but adjusting, tying, and untying a lace are time-consuming and frustrating. Plus, a bow knot is snagging and cumbersome. Accordingly, there are ever-increasing demands for a convenient, safe, and aesthetic system, which could fasten a footwear quickly and easily, and is affordable, compact, and simple without exposing a bow knot.
Prior arts heretofore have snagging and poking problem of either a bow knot or a cumbersome, hazardous device. A number of cumbersome, hazardous devices have been introduced in:
the U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,439 filed Sep. 29, 1981; the U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,998 filed May. 06, 1980; the U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,119 filed Aug. 27, 1991; the U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,787 filed Nov. 14, 1989; the U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,297 filed Sep. 19, 1978; the U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,682 filed Aug. 30, 1988; the U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,856 filed Feb. 25, 1986; the U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,437 filed Aug. 21, 1990; the U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,094 filed Dec. 29, 1987; the U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,238 filed Sep. 30, 1975; and the U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,854 filed Apr. 22, 1983. These patents teach that to fasten a footwear onto a foot, a user ties lace ends of a lace together, fastens them to a cumbersome, hazardous, expensive device, and exposes them, causing snagging, poking, abrading problem and, therefore, inevitable personal injury. Therefore, all prior arts heretofore teach away from the invention.
Having many advantages over all the prior arts heretofore, the unique system of the invention:
hides lace ends and lace-end fastener inside a footwear tongue and prevent them from moving;
fastens the tongue of a footwear in place when fastening the footwear onto a foot;
only needs to be assembled once to set predetermined lace tensions, which can be reset any time;
eliminates the needs for adjusting, tying a lace every time a footwear is fastened onto a foot;
eliminates the needs for adjusting, untying a lace every time a footwear is unfastened from a foot;
is inexpensive, compact, safe, and simple. Thus, it can be used by people of almost any age;
applies interlock method. Thus, the harder it is pulled, the more securely it fastens a footwear;
only needs to be assembled once; only needs one finger to be operated; and can also serve as a safety system when, for example, partially or entirely made of light-reflecting material.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the ensuing specification and drawings.
A unique system comprises a tongue of a footwear, a lace, a lace-end fastener, and a lace-section fastener. The footwear has two opposite sides and lace-receivers disposed thereon. To assemble the unique system, the footwear is laced with the lace to define opposite lace sections, each of which extends between two of the lace receivers on the same side. The tongue has at least one opening. The lace is threaded through the at least one opening. Then, the lace ends are fastened by the lace-end fastener and are hidden inside the tongue and prevented from moving. The lace-section fastener is for the opposite lace sections to be fastened thereon and to be unfastened therefrom, to fasten the footwear onto and to unfasten the footwear from a foot, respectively. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention refers to the field of the motor-driven manual labour devices. It concerns a chain medium pump for a motor-driven chain saw which sucks the chain medium over a suction pipe from a tank and which delivers it over a pressure pipe to a sawing device of a motor-driven chain saw. Such chain medium pumps are known, for example, from previous applications of the applicant, particularly from U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,440 and EP-BI-0 560 201.
Furthermore, the invention relates to a motor-driven chain saw with a chain medium pump.
For motor-driven chain saws, it is usual, for the lubrification of the chain with a chain medium, especially oil, to provide a special chain medium pump which is driven by the motor of the chain saw and which continuously sucks, during the operation of the saw, a lubrifying chain medium from a store container (tank) and delivers it to the chain where it is brought into contact at an appropriate place with the circulating chain saw.
According to the prior art, most of the time a piston pump is used as a chain medium pump for which a piston working in a cylinder is set into rotation around the piston axle by the motor of the chain saw over a worm gear pair and this rotation is converted into a periodical lifting movement of the piston by appropriate guiding means (for example by a surface being obliquely to the piston axle which which the rotating piston which is prestressed by a spring runs on a guiding pin). Examples of such piston pumps are known from the documents mentioned at the beginning but, for example, also from U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,622, U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,314 or U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,253.
When the chain medium pump is fixedly connected with the motor over the worm gear pair (for example with the crankshaft of a high-speed two-cycle internal combustion engine), it also delivers chain medium to the saw chainxe2x80x94if other measures are not takenxe2x80x94when the saw chain is disconnected from the running motor and stands. However, such a delivery is not wished if the chain is standing. Basically, it would be possible to also disconnect the chain medium pump from the motor through appropriate mechanical devices, when the saw chain is uncoupled. However, such a coupling device is not only complicated and expensive to manufacture but would also require a considerable supplementary space on the chain saw which is constructed as compact as possible and subsequently could not be easily integrated into already existing motor chain saws.
Therefore, the aim of the invention is to create a chain medium pump with which a disconnecting function of the pump can be realized in an easy and space-saving way, the chain being standing, and which only requires slight modifications on existing pump models.
This aim is achieved for a chain medium pump of the type mentioned in the introduction by the fact that, for disconnecting the supply of the sawing device with the chain medium controllable means exist with which the pressure pipe is interrupted, the chain medium pump being running, and simultaneously the chain medium delivered by the chain medium pump can be returned into the suction pipe. Due to the interruption of the pressure pipe and the simultaneous returning of the delivered chain medium to the suction side, the chain medium pump can run further without any impediment, the chain saw being standing, without the chain medium being delivered up to the chain. The chain medium pump over the chain medium in a closed circuit without being exposed to additional loads.
A first preferred embodiment of the chain medium pump according to the invention is characterized in that the controllable means comprise a reverse valve placed in the pressure pipe and a bypass guided by the reverse valve to the suction pipe. Through the reverse valve, an easily operatable space-saving control function with one-valued ON/OFF character is realized. The bypass can easily be integrated into the pump by a few additional elements.
A particularly robust and compact structure of the arrangement is achieved if, according to a second preferred embodiment of the chain medium pump according to the invention, the chain medium pump is placed in a pump case and that the reverse valve and the bypass are integrated into the pump case. Preferably, the reverse valve is configured as a swivelling piston valve to simply and to assure functional safety.
A further preferred embodiment of the chain medium pump according to the invention is characterized in that the chain medium pump comprises a pump piston axially movable in a cylinder bore in the pump case, that, for constituting the reverse valve, a valve bore which is connected with the cylinder bore over a pressure channel is placed in the pump case on the delivery side, valve bore in which a substantially cylindrical valve body with a swivelling piston is placed and swivellably positioned and that the bypass is formed by two through bore holes which discharge within the pump case starting from the valve bore or from the suction pipe at the same level into the cylinder bore and which are connected with each other by a ring groove placed on the pump piston. This type of recirculation can be particularly easily integrated into existing pump concepts if - as described in the documents U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,440 and EP-BI-0 560 201 of the applicant - a pump piston with a ring groove and a through bore are already existing in the pump concepts, because of other reasons, between the pressure pipe and the ring groove.
The swivelling piston preferably has a recess in the form of an axially extending segment of a circle which connects, in a first position of the swivelling piston, the pressure channel with the axially outgoing pressure pipe ; furthermore, the swivelling piston has a connecting groove which connects, in a second position of the swivelling piston, the pressure channel and the first through bore the one with the other.
The motor chain saw according to the invention with a chain medium pump according to the invention is characterized in that the motor chain saw comprises a safety key with which, the motor being running, the sawing device can be activated and desactivated and that the safety key and the controllable means or the reverse valve are operationally connected with each other over actuating means, so that, when releasing the safety key, the pressure pipe is automatically interrupted and, when actuating the safety key, the interruption of the pressure pipe is automatically suppressed. Through the coupling of the disconnectable chain medium pump with the safety key, a triggering function is realized which guarantees a single-valued ON/OFF function and which works practically insensitive to errors and tolerances.
The disconnecting function is triggered by the release of the rear handle of the chain saw, whereby the saw chain still does not have to stand but is, depending on the operator""s habits, still drifting. The effect of this xe2x80x9cadvancedxe2x80x9d disconnection of the delivery of the chain medium is that excess chain medium in the rail connecting area of the chain rail is transported by the drifting chain into the rail. Thus, a draining of the chain medium out of the chain intake area and thus an additional dirt accumulation in the machine is advantageously reduced.
The particular advantage of this triggering consists in that the chain lubrification already begins by actuating the safety key. It is thus assured that the chain medium is already delivered a few seconds before the start running of the saw chain and that the chain is sufficiently lubricated before the operator begins to cut. Furthermore, the use of the safety key offers the advantage that the necessary actuation forces for the valve are practically not perceived by the operator, since they are negligible with respect to the retention force of the machine or to the applied manual force. For the actuation of the valve, a force of, for example, 2 to 5 N is necessary, depending on the lever transmission which is carried out.
According to a preferred embodiment of the motor chain saw according to the invention, the actuating means comprise a Bowden cable which is simple and cheap.
Further embodiments result from the depending claims. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Snowmobiles are propelled using an endless track mounted about a track suspension system. To reduce friction between the travelling track and the suspension system, the latter is typically provided with one or more slide bars made from low friction materials such as polymeric materials (e.g. UHMW polyethylene).
However, slide bars are subjected to substantial wear and tear and need to be replaced regularly.
Still, it is difficult of the snowmobile operators to know exactly when the slide bars need to be replaced.
Some slide bars are provided with grooves or ridges extending along the length of the side walls thereof and providing an indication of the wear thereof. However, due to the harsh environments in which snowmobiles are used and operated, these grooves or ridges often fade and become difficult to discern with the passage of time. Also, these grooves or ridges, being the same color, are difficult to discern from a standing position on the side of the snowmobile. These grooves or ridges thus fail to provide a clear and trustworthy indication of the need the replace the slide bars. Hence, slide bars with wear indicating grooves or ridges are not satisfactory.
Slide bars are also used in track systems used to replace wheels on generally wheeled vehicles such as ATVs and UTVs. Still, these slide bars suffer the same problems as the slide bars used on snowmobiles.
Hence, there is a need for a slide bar with improved wear indicating marks. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and device for producing short fibers by converting thermoplastics into short fibers through the use of centrifugal force.
The short fibers produced in accordance with the present invention are intended for use in forming fused molded products as set forth in applicant""s prior application Ser. No. 09/331,199, hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.
2. Prior Art
Conventionally, extrusion molding is generally used as a processing technique for obtaining fiber wool, and mechanical and forceful dispersion or fragmentation of plastic particles has been attained by a kneading screw built in an extruder or the like, obtaining fiber wool by eluting a plastic through a tip nozzle under the extrusion pressure of the screw. However, in the case where such melt spinning method is used to apply melt kneading to a variety of plastics which are in incompatible relationship, forceful shearing of dispersed particle and fragmentation of polymer are repeated by the screw, so that the polymer obtained by the kneading of incompatible polymers is a low polymer, which has failed to provide extensible fiber wool.
Japanese Patent Kokai Publication Sho 59-179811, Japanese Patent Kokai Publication Hei 6-322606, etc, propose fiberizing devices utilizing centrifugal force, but any of these devices is destined for fiberizing thermosetting resins, such as phenol resin. That is, such device is a fiberizing device for obtaining a catalytic reaction by rotating a phenol solution, with emphasis placed on catalytic reactions in solidification and cooling action after delivery.
Conventionally, the fiberization technique for obtaining fiber wool from thermoplastic has generally been extrusion spinning. Extrusion spinning comprises the steps of melting a plastic by a kneading screw built in a extruder in combination with heat radiation from the outside of the cylinder, and mechanically and forcefully extruding the plastic for melt-spinning through a delivery nozzle, thereby stably providing plastic fibers.
With such mechanical and forceful melt spinning method, however, when a variety of plastics consisting of composite raw materials or the like are simultaneously melted, this results in the built-in screw mechanically and forcefully applying dispersion or shearing, during which time individually polymers are subjected to repetitive fragmentation and mixing, so that the resulting plastic fiber is a plastic fiber composed of embrittled low polymers; it has been impossible to spin a plastic fiber which possesses extensibility and viscoelastic function, which are originally required and which are characteristic of high polymers.
As for centrifugal spinning devices, Japanese Patent Kokai Publication Sho 62-104908, Japanese Patent Kokai Publication Sho 62-17052, Japanese patent Kokai Publication 2000-50511, etc. disclose fiberizing devices which utilizes centrifugal force. However, any of the centrifugal spinning device is a rotational centrifugal spinning machine or the like additionally using glass or carbonaceous pitch fibers or an extruder, and any other disclosed centrifugal spinning devices are based on the precondition that the centrifugal device be fed after preprocessing is effected for molten or liquidized raw material; it has been impossible to feed crushed pieces of plastic or a composite raw material directly as a raw material. As a trial, a composite raw material was charged into an existing centrifugal spinning device, and the plastic was melted and gelled by the furnished heater or the like and then delivered for spinning plastic fibers; it was found that under the action of heat dissipation from the surrounding heat such as the heat from the heater installed in a rotational spinning dish, the polymers were subjected to the influence of heat history in the melting, shaping and solidifying processes, so that a phenomenon of deterioration such as carbonization or oxidation occurred. Therefore, the delivered plastic was spun into an embrittled fiber resembling a needle or bar, failing to attain the spinning of plastic fiber.
Along with development of new commodities, composition of plastic raw materials is under way and when these composited plastic products are once disposed of as waste, separation or classification of plastic raw materials become very difficult.
For example, in the case where a composite plastic consisting of 50:50 of crystalline plastic PP (polypropylene) and noncrystalline plastic PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is crushed and subjected as a trial to melt-spinning by a mechanical kneader (2-axis extruder), the individual polymers were repetitively dispersed and bonded by the screw built in the kneader, during which time the polymers of PP and the PVC react with each other, leading to a decrease in molecular weight, failing to provide a fiber wood which possesses extensibility. Therefore, perfect separation or classification to be attained as by finding a melt spinning method for PP alone after perfect separation of plastic have heretofore been considered to be the minimum processing condition for reclamation of waste plastic.
The inventor has found that pre-application of a process for a short fiber possessing extensibility is effective for reclamation of waste plastics, and on the basis of this finding, it is a technical problem to provide a short fiber wool possessing extensibility by conversion of individual plastics by applying a process to a variety of waste plastics in their mixed state without separation or classification even in the case of a waste of different kinds of plastics or composited plastic products of incompatible system.
Plastic wastes exist in a state in which varieties including PVC (polyvinyl chloride), PE (polyethylene), and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) are mixed. To proceed plastic recycle for these plastic wastes, according to the conventional recycle processing method, after plastic raw materials have once been identified, carefully selected raw materials alone are melted and then molded; thus, it has been considered difficult to process a variety of mixed plastic raw materials to provide recycled products possessing physical strength. With the conventional melt molding method, when it is desired to obtain a recycled article from PVC/PE mixed resin having PE, which is a different resin, incorporated therein with PVC used as a matrix, thermal strain, peeling, cracking or the like occurs in the PVC/PE interface; it has been quite impossible to obtain a product having values and physical strength.
The present invention is intended to provide a short fiber producing device wherein when melt molding is applied to a variety of mixed plastic raw materials for the purpose of effective utilization of resources, the polymer cohesive energy which is a cause of thermal strain, peeling or cracking occurring in recycled products is suppressed by melting the plastics in advance and finding molecular arrangement, thereby forming a single fiber composed of chained high polymer, and spinning plastic fibers possessing viscoelasticity and extensibility.
The invention provides short fiber production for obtaining plastic fibers possessing viscoelasticity and extensibility by using as a raw material a plastic composite raw material in the form of a mixture of a variety of kinds, such as PP (polypropylene), PE (polyethylene) and PET (polyethylene terephthalate). If the conventional melt spinning method, centrifugal spinning method or the like is used to try spinning on the basis of a composite material consisting of variety of kinds, the resulting plastic fibers are embrittled or deteriorated fibers resembling a needle or bar, failing to provide a plastic fiber possessing viscoelasticity and extensibility which are characteristic of plastic. The reasons and causes thereof have been investigated and the following main causes have been found.
(1) For a mixture of molten composite raw materials, when fragmentation and dispersion of polymer particles are simultaneously effected, the resulting plastic fiber changes into an embrittled fiber like a bar.
(2) If, for the melting process, an evolution from melting to shaping and then to solidifying is allowed to take a longer time than is necessary, the resulting plastic fiber changes into a fiber deteriorated like charcoal under the influence of heat history.
(3) Unless the cohesive energy of each polymer is suppressed for a melt mixture of composite raw materials, it is impossible to suppress the influence of thermal strain or phase separation on the mixture.
In the present invention, it has been found that quickly finding the molecular arrangement of each polymer from the raw material state of solids in the form of crushed plastic pieces, composite raw material or the like with respect to the cause of embrittlement or deterioration said to be due to plastic composite raw material and then effecting melt spinning makes it possible to spin a plastic fiber possessing viscoelasticity and extensibility.
Accordingly, the present invention is characterized by employing high frequency induction heating to accurately control and manage the melting temperature of plastic and additionally using centrifugal force concomitant with high speed rotation to quickly find the molecular arrangement of each polymer, thereby spinning a fiber possessing viscoelasticity.
In the present invention, the raw material receiving chamber for receiving a raw material is in the form of a rotor, and an inductor is disposed in the vicinity of the rotor. Passing a high frequency electric current through the inductor generates alternating magnetic flux in the rotor itself. On this occasion, by changing the resistance to and the frequency of the high frequency current flowing through the inductor, etc. the generation of Joule heat concomitant with the generation of the alternating magnetic flux is found from the surface of the rotor without contacting the latter, and the heating action of the rotor is locally obtained.
Unlike the outside heating action provided with heat dissipation from the outside, such as heater heat or hot wind disclosed in Japanese Patent Kokai Publication Sho 62-238807, Japanese Patent Kokai Publication Sho 62-104908, Japanese patent Kokai Publication 2000-50511, etc., this makes it possible to construct the rotor itself as a heat dissipation body. Generating alternating magnetic flux and applying heat generated by electromagnetic induction to a resin reservoir tank in the form of a local portion minimizes the influence of heat history. Quick spinning by centrifugal force concomitant with high speed rotation makes it possible to find the molecular arrangement of each polymer used as a composite raw material, thus making possible the melt spinning of a short plastic fiber possessing both extensibility and viscoelasticity at the same time.
According to an embodiment of the invention, a short fiber producing device comprises a rotor having a raw material receiving chamber having an outlet disposed in the outer periphery, it being arranged that the centrifugal force concomitant with the rotation of said rotor causes a fluidized body of plastic to be delivered from said outlet to provide short fibers, wherein a resin reservoir tank is provided inside said outlet. When melting and kneading are to be effected by crushing or by polymer dispersion in the conventional processing method, it has been impossible to treat the problem of polymer cohesive energy produced in the molded body. In the present invention, however, heated and melted plastic is fiberized by utilizing centrifugal force, whereby even for incompatible plastics in their mixed molten state, individual polymer molecular arrangements are found, so as to provide a short fiber of chained high polymer. Most of the plastic products which are wastes are composited plastic products made of incompatible plastic raw materials; thus, for recycling of plastics, melting of individual plastics must be effected in the mixed state of different kinds of these incompatible plastics, and attainment of this makes it necessary to secure an arrangement for a fiber possessing extensibility without involving a reaction between plastics which leads to lower molecular weight. To this end, rather than causing polymer dispersion and plastic particle breakage to occur as by mechanical kneading, a heat source is obtained in the outside to lead plastics in their high molecular state to a molten state, while subjecting the molten polymers themselves to a pressing force corresponding to the screw extrusion pressure by using centrifugal force concomitant with rotation of the rotor and change (increase) in flow pressure due to a resin reservoir tank, whereby a short fiber possessing extensibility can be obtained.
The cross sectional area of the resin reservoir tank may advantageously decrease as the outer diameter side of the rotor is approached. The decrease in cross sectional area means an increase in delivery pressure. For example, the resin reservoir tank may be a side wall positioned on the advance side as seen in the direction of rotation of the rotor and a side wall positioned on the delay side, and the side walls on the advance and delay sides form an angle therebetween. In this case, the side walls on the advance and delay sides may be symmetrical. Besides this, the side wall on the delay side may extend radially of the rotor and the side wall on the advance side forms an angle with respect to the side wall on the delay side. This arrangement ensures that the side wall on the delay side extending radially of the rotor acts as a pressure wall perpendicular to the direction of rotation, thus enhancing the pressure increasing effect. Further, in this case, since the side wall on the advance side is inclined with respect to the direction of rotation, it performs the role of introducing the molten plastic into the resin reservoir tank. The angle of inclination of the side wall on the advance side can be referred to as plastic inflow angle.
Thus, the cross sectional area or volume of the resin reservoir tank is sharply decreased by the plastic inflow angle while storing the molten plastic once in the resin reservoir tank, resulting in the plastic flow pressure being amplified. Additionally, concentrating the centrifugal action of the rotor on the outlet makes it possible to find the arrangement of molecules with respect to the direction of flow of the plastic and to obtain a fiber further possessing extensibility by means of centrifugal force.
The cross sectional area of the raw material receiving chamber may advantageously decrease as the outer diameter side of the rotor is approached. In other words, the cross sectional shape may narrow toward the front as seen in the direction of flow of raw material plastic. The shape narrowing toward the front may be in the form of a taper or a gradient. Such arrangement amplifies the pressure on the raw material plastic as the outer diameter side, or the outlet, of the rotor is approached.
A heating device may be provided adjacent the rotor. This heating device heats and melts the raw material plastic in the raw material receiving chamber. The plastic heated and melted not by mechanical kneading but by an outside heat source flows, in the form of chained high polymer, into the resin reservoir tank under the action of centrifugal force without polymer dispersion. The heating device is disposed on the upper surface and/or the lower surface of the rotor. As for the heating device, electric type, infrared type, heat medium type and other suitable type heaters may be employed selectively or in combination. High frequency heating may be employed.
A plurality of temperature regions may be provided radially of the rotor, the temperature in each region being adjustable. This ensures that different kinds of plastics fed into the raw material receiving chamber melt in separate positions according to their melting points.
The rotor may be composed of separable upper and lower halves. Such arrangement facilitates not only the processing of the outlet and resin reservoir tank but also cleaning, maintenance and inspection thereof. For example, provision of a groove of semicircular cross section in the mating surface of each of the upper and lower halves forms an outlet in the form of a hole of circular cross section when the two are put together. Alternatively, it is possible to interpose an outer peripheral ring between the upper and lower halves and provide a delivery port in the outer peripheral ring. A delivery metal gadget having a delivery port may be removably attached to the outer peripheral ring. Further, the inner wall of the delivery port may be shaped to have a concave or convex cross section to suppress the flow of plastic.
The upper half of the rotor may be centrally provided with a hollow cylindrical portion for feeding raw material. This makes continuous feeding of raw material possible. For example, inserting the discharge port of a loading hopper or, if a heater, dryer or any other pre-processing device is installed, the discharge port thereof into the hollow cylindrical portion, makes it possible to feed raw material without stopping the rotation of the rotor. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Arrhythmia is a variation from the normal rhythm of the heart beat and generally represents the end product of abnormal ion-channel structure, number or function. Both atrial arrhythmias and ventricular arrhythmias are known. The major cause of fatalities resulting from cardiac arrhythmias is the subtype of ventricular arrhythmias known as ventricular fibrillation (VF). Conservative estimates indicate that, in the U.S. alone, each year over one million Americans will have a new or recurrent coronary attack (defined as myocardial infarction or fatal coronary heart disease). About 650,000 of these individuals will be first heart attacks and 450,000 of these will be recurrent attacks. About one-third of the people experiencing these attacks will die as a result. At least 250,000 individuals a year die of coronary heart disease within 1 hour of the onset of symptoms and before they reach adequate medical aid. These are sudden deaths caused by cardiac arrest, usually resulting from ventricular fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia seen in clinical practice and is a cause of morbidity in many individuals (Pritchett E. L., N. Engl. J. Med. 327(14):1031 Oct. 1, 1992, discussion 1031-2; Kannel and Wolf, Am. Heart J. 123(1):264-7 Jan. 1992). Its prevalence is likely to increase as the population ages and it is estimated that 3-5% of patients over the age of 60 years have AF (Kannel W. B., Abbot R. D., Savage D. D., McNamara P. M., N. Engl. J. Med. 306(17):1018-22, 1982; Wolf P. A., Abbot R. D., Kannel W. B. Stroke. 22(8):983-8, 1991). While AF is rarely fatal, it can impair cardiac function and is a major cause of stroke (Hinton R. C., Kistler J. P., Fallon J. T., Friedlich A. L., Fisher C. M., American Journal of Cardiology 40(4):509-13, 1977; Wolf P. A., Abbot R. D., Kannel W. B., Archives of Internal Medicine 147(9):1561-4, 1987; Wolf P. A., Abbot R. D., Kannel W. B. Stroke. 22(8):983-8, 1991; Cabin H. S., Clubb K. S., Hall C., Perlmutter R. A., Feinstein A. R., American Journal of Cardiology 65(16):1112-6, 1990).
PCT Published Patent Applications WO 99/50225 and WO 2004/099137 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,057,053 disclose aminocyclohexylether compounds as being useful in the treatment of arrhythmias. Some of the compounds disclosed therein have been found to be particularly effective in the treatment and/or prevention of AF. However, the synthetic methods described in these patent applications and patent and elsewhere were non-stereoselective and led to mixture of stereoisomers. As active pharmaceutical compounds, it is often desirable that drug molecules are in stereoisomerically substantially pure form. It may not be feasible or cost effective if the correct stereoisomer has to be isolated from a mixture of stereoisomers after a multi-step synthesis. Therefore, there remains a need in the art to develop method for the preparation of stereoisomerically substantially pure trans-aminocyclohexyl ether compounds. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a xe2x80x9csolutionxe2x80x9d method for preparing indium tin oxide (ITO) fine powders, and more particularly, to a method for preparing ITO nanometer grade powders using different starting material sources.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The mixture of indium oxide powder and tin oxide powders, or indium tin oxide powders, i.e., the ITO powders are used as raw materials for ITO sputtering targets. To obtain high quality and high density ITO sputtering targets, nanometer grade ITO powders with uniform composition are required.
ITO is known as an N-type semiconductor material that is composed of indium oxide incorporated with tin. When a indium ion is replaced by a tin ion in the lattice, a free electron is released to preserve charge neutrality and therefore the electrical conductivity of ITO is enhanced.
ITO sputtering targets are typically used in the formation of transparent, conductive ITO films. Since ITO films have the properties of high transmittance to visible light and high infrared (IR) reflectivity, they are widely applied in the fields such as solar cells, flat panel displays, photo-detectors, transparent heating devices, anti-static coatings, electromagnetic protection coatings, and transparent electrodes for liquid crystal displays (LCD).
Various methods have been developed to manufacture ITO films. Some of these well-known methods include vacuum coating, magnetic sputtering, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and dip coating. The sputtering method is most frequently used due to the fact that it is suitable for large area coating and that it has some environmental merits such as low energy consumption and free of toxic substances during sputtering processes.
In a sputtering process, atoms are sputtered by bombarding the target with high-energy ion beams. These sputtered atoms are then deposited or coated on a substrate in a vacuum environment. The properties of the target such as purity, composition, density, microstructure, diameter distribution, etc. will thus determine the quality of the coated films.
ITO targets are manufactured by pressing and molding the ITO powders to a predetermined shape. The solid-state pressing process may be hot isostatic or cold isostatic pressing. After pressing and molding, the green bodies are sintered to produce ITO targets. The ITO powders are manufactured by mechanically mixing indium oxide powders with a predetermined composition ratio by such a method as ball milling known in the art, the mixture powders are then dried and calcined to form ITO powders.
A problem with the above prior art is that the homogeneity of the mixture of the target is limited and hard to control due to such factors as impurities in the starting materials, composition of the starting materials and their particle size distribution. Therefore, ITO thin film properties such as conductivity, transmittance, and adhesion ability to the substrate are affected.
A proposal of forming high-purity ITO ultrafine powders for sputtering targets is known as xe2x80x9csolutionxe2x80x9d method. According to a prior art of solution method, selected metallic compounds are dissolved in water. After some proper treatments known in the art, the dissolved metallic compounds react and polymerize into particles with higher molecular weight and finally form a stably suspended aqueous solution. After removing the solvent of the suspended aqueous solution by heat, high-purity ITO ultrafine powders are obtained.
However, the xe2x80x9csolutionxe2x80x9d method, like the solid-state process mentioned above, still suffers from the inability to precisely control the powder composition. Consequently, there is a strong need to develope an improved method to solve the above-mentioned problems. The fabrication method described in this invention is much simplified and suitable for different starting material sources and industrial mass production.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an improved xe2x80x9csolutionxe2x80x9d method for preparing ITO fine powders used to produce sputtering targets.
According to the claimed invention, a solution method for preparing ITO fine powders is provided. The solution method comprises the following steps:
a. Dissolution: dissolve indium compounds and tin compounds in water respectively to form two solution bodies;
b. Mixing: Mix the two solution bodies by stirring;
c. Precipitation: adding proper amount of alkaline reagents to adjust pH value of the admixed solution in step b to an extent that the precipitation completes;
d. Water washing and filtration: Water in the solution processed by step a through c is removed by using filtration method, a white filter cake is then obtained after filtration, wherein the white filter cake is re-dispersed in de-ionized(DI) by stirring, and wherein step d is repeated at least two times;
e. Peptization: the suspended solution after treated by water wash step is then mixed with proper amount of acids to control the pH value of the solution in a proper range, and then stirring to peptize the solution for a determined time period;
f. Drying: the peptized solution in step e is then dried up to obtain white powders of indium tin hydroxide (ITH); and
g. Calcination: the dry ITH powders are then placed into a high temperature oven, wherein under proper clacining conditions such as temperature heating rate, calcination temperature and calcination time, ITO powders are obtained.
It is to be understood that both the forgoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. Other advantages and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description, drawings and claims. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates generally to automotive vehicles, and more particularly to a fuel tank lock for use with a fuel system operating with unleaded fuel.
In recent years pollution control laws have required the provision of automotive vehicle fuel systems, operating solely with unleaded fuel. To this end, such fuel systems have included a filler neck which inhibits filling of a fuel tank with leaded fuel delivered from a large diameter nozzle, but permits filling of the fuel tank with unleaded fuel delivered from a smaller diameter nozzle. The filler neck is provided with a baffle plate having a constricted passage, normally closed by a biased-shut valve carried by the baffle plate, with such valve being forced open when engaged by an unleaded fuel nozzle of smaller diameter than the constricted passage. The upper end of the filler neck is provided with a conventional original equipment cap. Such original equipment filler neck caps are generally of the non-locking type. These original equipment caps must meet rigid safety and emissions specifications in order to be approved. Accordingly, it is undesirable that such original equipment non-locking caps be replaced by non-approved locking caps. Replacement of original caps also involves cost consideration. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a radar apparatus to measure the distance to a target object and the relative speed thereto, a signal processing method and a program, and more particularly to a radar apparatus capable of accurately measuring a plurality of objects that are present in proximity, a signal processing method and a program.
2. Description of the Related Arts
In recent years, an ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) system to control the accelerator or brake of a vehicle running on an expressway has being thought about, in the field of ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems). What is indispensable to this ACC system is a sensor to measure the distance of the vehicle running in the front and relative speed. As this sensor, millimeter wave radar of a FM-CW (Frequency-Modulated Continuous Waves) type holds great promise. The FM-CW millimeter wave radar generates beat signal from the difference between the frequency modulated sending wave and wave received from the target object (hereinafter to be referred to as xe2x80x9ctargetxe2x80x9d), performs FFT processing (Fast Fourier Transform processing), separating the rise zone and the fall zone of FM frequency, and extracts individual beat frequency of both of the two zones to be peak level. And from the two beat frequencies extracted from the individual zones, the radar determines beat frequency of the target by pairing processing, so as to find the distance and relative speed of the target. Also, as the distance and relative speed of the target can be acquired for every antenna angle, when a radar antenna is allowed to scan in a horizontal direction, the target can be detected two-dimensionally.
However, the FM-CW millimeter wave radar has a problem that the separation of a plurality of targets in proximity would be difficult. In order to separate targets in distance direction, frequency contained in beat signal must be separated and extracted. When a plurality of targets present in proximity, a plurality of signals may appear in nearby beat frequency. To separate a plurality of beat frequencies, the separation can be made with a condition that there is a valley between peak-to-peak of the frequency spectrum acquired by the FFT processing. However, when beat frequencies are in close positions, as peaks of the frequency spectrum are synthesized, overlaid a peak on another peak, peaks cannot be separated. The limitation of separating peaks is determined depending on the number of points of the FFT or window function, but especially at the boundary between availability and unavailability of separation, the boundary between availability and unavailability can become unstable caused by phase difference of signals. When difference in frequencies of a plurality of beat signals becomes the boundary between availability and unavailability of separation, the reflected waves from a plurality of targets cause a synthesizing method of signals to change corresponding to the difference in the individual phases, and the level of the valley between peak-to-peak significantly changes. Therefore, the boundary between availability and unavailability of peak separation can change depending on phase difference, thereby leading up to unstable separation or likely resulting in erroneous pairing to pair beat frequencies of different targets together. Similarly, when the antenna is scanning in a horizontal direction, there is a problem that can lead to erroneous pairing, if an attempt is made to separate targets located at the same distance and at nearby angles, because the boundary between availability and unavailability of separation would change depending on the difference in the individual phases.
According to the present invention there are provided a radar apparatus, a signal processing method and a program, ensuring that the separation of a plurality of targets present in proximity is made more securely.
(Antenna Non-Scanning Type Radar Apparatus)
A first aspect of the present invention provides a radar apparatus comprising a sending/receiving unit which sends from its antenna a sending signal which has been frequency modulated (FM) by a triangular wave signal, the sending/receiving unit mixing a signal received from the antenna and a local signal branched off from the sending signal, to thereby generate a beat signal; a frequency analyzing unit which analyzes (by FFT) the frequency of the beat signal for each rise zone and each fall zone of the frequency modulated by the triangular wave signal; an accumulation unit which accumulates a plurality of frequency spectra by frequency analysis at least for each the rise zone; a judgment unit which judges a valley (characteristic section) from the plurality of frequency spectra accumulated in the accumulation unit; a peak frequency extraction unit which acquires, as beat frequencies of different targets, respective beat frequencies of peak sections located at both sides of the characteristic section judged by the judgment unit; and an operation unit which calculates the distance to a target and the relative speed thereto, based on the beat frequencies.
According to considerations of the inventor of the present invention, each of the reflected waves from a plurality of targets has different phase, and if the radar or the target is traveling, phase will change at random, in the light of the wavelength of millimeter wave. Also, as to the reflected waves from the plurality of targets, the synthesizing method of signals would change depending on the individual phase difference, so, if beat frequencies to form a plurality of peaks are close, the level between peak-to-peak will change considerably. Therefore, the present invention is intending to perform the separation of targets present in proximity more securely, accumulating the distribution of frequency spectrum, that is the result of analyzing frequencies where the overlapping state of peak-to-peak changes caused by phase changing at random, performing the accumulation work a plurality of times repeatedly in time sequence, and from these accumulated distributions, judging the frequency of dropping sections with large level difference to be a featuring section, and setting each of two peaks at the front and back of the featuring section as beat frequency of the target. Here, an accumulation unit, judgment unit and a peak frequency extraction unit can be designed to perform processing of both of the FM rise zone and FM fall zone, so as to further make sure the separation of targets.
A second aspect of the present invention provides a signal processing method for the FM=CW radar. The method comprises a sending/receiving step which includes sending from an antenna a sending signal which has been frequency modulated by a triangular wave signal, and mixing a signal received from the antenna and a local signal branched off from the sending signal, to thereby generate a beat signal; a frequency analysis step which includes analyzing (by FFT) the frequency of the beat signal for each rise zone and each fall zone of the frequency modulated by the triangular wave signal; an accumulation step which includes accumulating a plurality of frequency spectra by analyzing the frequency at least for each the rise zone; a judgment step which includes judging a characteristic section from the plurality of frequency spectra accumulated; a peak frequency extraction step which includes acquiring, as beat frequencies of different targets, respective beat frequencies of peak sections located at the both sides of the characteristic section judged; and an operation step which includes calculating the distance to a target and the relative speed thereto, based on the beat frequencies. Here, the accumulation step, judgment step and the peak frequency extraction step may be executed as to both of the rise zone and the fall zone.
A third aspect of the present invention provides a program executed by a computer (e.g., DSP) mounted on the radar apparatus. The program causes a computer mounted on a radar apparatus to execute a frequency analysis step which includes inputting a beat signal acquired by sending from an antenna a sending signal which has been frequency modulated by a triangular wave signal, and by mixing a signal received from the antenna and a local signal branched off from the sending signal, and analyzing (by FFT) the frequency of the beat signal for each rise zone and each fall zone of the frequency modulated by the triangular wave signal; an accumulation step which includes accumulating a plurality of frequency spectra by analyzing the frequency at least for each the rise zone; a judgment step which includes judging a characteristic section from the plurality of frequency spectra accumulated; a peak frequency extraction step which includes acquiring, as beat frequencies of different targets, respective beat frequencies of peak sections located at the both sides of the characteristic section judged; and an operation step which includes calculating the distance to a target and the relative speed thereto, based on the beat frequencies.
(Antenna Scanning Type Radar Apparatus)
According to considerations of the inventor of the present invention, in the radar apparatus scanning an antenna in a horizontal direction, when a plurality of targets at the same distance are located at near angles viewed from the antenna, there is the angular range where availability or unavailability of separation would be unstable depending on phase differences of a plurality of received waves, and phase would change at random, if the radar or the target is traveling.
Thus, a fourth aspect of the present invention provides a radar apparatus comprising an antenna which is mechanically scanned within a predetermined angular range; a sending/receiving unit which sends from the antenna a sending signal which has been frequency modulated by a sending triangular wave signal, the sending/receiving unit mixing a signal received from the antenna and a local signal branched off from the sending signal, to thereby generate a beat signal; a frequency analyzing unit which analyzes the frequency of the beat signal for each rise zone and each fall zone of the frequency modulated by the triangular wave signal; an accumulation unit which accumulates a plurality of changes in spectral value of a specific beat frequency acquired by the frequency analyzing unit, corresponding to changes in the antenna scanning angle, for each different antenna scanning angle within a predetermined angular range; a judgment unit which judges a characteristic section from changes in spectral value corresponding to a plurality of antenna scanning angles accumulated in the accumulation unit; a peak frequency extraction unit which acquires, as beat frequencies of targets present in different directions of scanning angle, spectral values of peak sections located at both sides of the characteristic section judged by the judgment unit; and an operation unit which calculates the distance to a target and the relative speed thereto correlated with the antenna angle, based on the beat frequencies. In this manner, as to the spectral value of the beat frequencies extracted from a plurality of targets located at the same distance and in different directions, the present invention accumulates distributions showing changes in the peak-to-peak overlapping state in the directions of the individual target caused by phase changing at random, a plurality of times in time sequence, and judges the frequency of falling section from these, where level difference is large, as a valley section. And, the present invention intends to separate a plurality of targets located at the same distance and in proximity more securely, recognizing two peak directions at the front and back of the valley section as individual targets.
Herein, the antenna scanning type radar apparatus performs the processing at a specified antenna scanning position, with its frequency analyzing unit further including a second accumulation unit which accumulates a plurality of frequency spectra by analyzing the frequency at least for each the rise zone; a second judgment unit which judges a characteristic section from the plurality of frequency spectra accumulated in the second accumulation unit; and a second peak frequency extraction unit which acquires, as beat frequencies of different targets, respective beat frequencies of peak sections located at both sides of the characteristic section judged by the second judgment unit. The second accumulation unit, the second judgment unit and the second peak frequency extraction unit may process both the rise zone and the fall zone.
A fifth aspect of the present invention provides a signal processing method of an FM-CW radar. The signal processing method comprises a sending/receiving step which includes sending a sending signal which has been frequency modulated by a triangular wave signal, from an antenna which is mechanically scanned within a predetermined angular range, and mixing a signal received from the antenna and a local signal branched off from the sending signal, to thereby generate a beat signal; a frequency analysis step which includes analyzing the frequency of the beat signal for each rise zone and each fall zone of the frequency modulated by the triangular wave signal; an accumulation step which includes accumulating a plurality of changes in spectral value of a specific beat frequency acquired by the frequency analysis, corresponding to changes in the antenna scanning angle, for each different antenna scanning angle within a predetermined angular range; a judgment step which includes judging a characteristic section from changes in spectral value corresponding to a plurality of antenna scanning angles accumulated; a peak frequency extraction step which includes acquiring, as beat frequencies of targets present in different directions of scanning angle, spectral values of peak sections located at both sides of the characteristic section judged; and an operation step which includes which calculates the distance to a target and the relative speed thereto correlated with the antenna angle, based on the beat frequencies.
Herein, the frequency analysis step further includes a second accumulation step which includes accumulating a plurality of frequency spectra by analyzing the frequency at least for each the rise zone; a second judgment step which includes judging a characteristic section from the plurality of frequency spectra accumulated; and a second peak frequency extraction unit which acquires, as beat frequencies of different targets, respective beat frequencies of peak sections located at both sides of the characteristic section judged.
The second accumulation step, the second judgment step and the second peak frequency extraction step may include processing both the rise zone and the fall zone.
A sixth aspect of the present invention provides a program executed by a computer (DSP) mounted on an FM-CW radar. The program causes the computer to execute a frequency analysis step which includes inputting a beat signal acquired by sending a sending signal which has been frequency modulated by a triangular wave signal, from an antenna which is mechanically scanned within a predetermined angular range, and by mixing a signal received from the antenna and a local signal branched off from the sending signal, and analyzing the frequency of the beat signal for each rise zone and each fall zone of the frequency modulated by the triangular wave signal; an accumulation step which includes accumulating a plurality of changes in spectral value of a specific beat frequency acquired by the frequency analysis, corresponding to changes in the antenna scanning angle, for each different antenna scanning angle within a predetermined angular range; a judgment step which includes judging a characteristic section from changes in spectral value corresponding to a plurality of antenna scanning angles accumulated; a peak frequency extraction step which includes acquiring, as beat frequencies of targets present in different directions of scanning angle, spectral values of peak sections located at both sides of the characteristic section judged; and an operation step which includes which calculates the distance to a target and the relative speed thereto correlated with the antenna angle, based on the beat frequencies.
(Fixedly Installed Type Radar Apparatus)
A seventh aspect of the present invention provides a radar apparatus which is fixedly installed in a road structure for, e.g. monitoring the traffic. The radar apparatus comprises an antenna securely installed on a structure; a sending/receiving unit which sends from its antenna a sending signal which has been frequency modulated by a triangular wave signal, the sending/receiving unit mixing a signal received from the antenna and a local signal branched off from the sending signal, to thereby generate a beat signal; a frequency analyzing unit which analyzes the frequency of the beat signal for each rise zone and each fall zone of the frequency modulated by the triangular wave signal; an accumulation unit which accumulates a plurality of frequency spectra by frequency analysis at least for each the rise zone; a judgment unit which judges a characteristic section from the plurality of frequency spectra accumulated in the accumulation unit; a peak frequency extraction unit which acquires, as beat frequencies of different targets, respective beat frequencies of peak sections located at both sides of the characteristic section judged by the judgment unit; an operation unit which calculates the distance to a target and the relative speed thereto, based on the beat frequencies; and an antenna drive unit which periodically moves the installation position of the antenna within a specified range conforming to the wavelength used. In the fixedly installed type radar apparatus, phase of the received wave will not change at random, unlike the radar apparatus mounted on a vehicle or other mobile bodies, but phase will be fixed. So, the present invention intends to securely separate a plurality of targets present in proximity in a specified antenna direction, forcibly creating phase change at random, only by moving the position of the antenna. Herein, the accumulation unit, the judgment unit and the peak frequency extraction unit may process both the rise zone and the fall zone.
An eighth aspect of the present invention provides a signal processing method of a scanning type radar apparatus. The signal processing method comprises an antenna drive step which periodically moves the installation position of an antenna which is fixedly installed in a structure, within a minute range corresponding to the wavelength used; a sending/receiving step which includes sending from the antenna a sending signal which has been frequency modulated by a triangular wave signal, and mixing a signal received from the antenna and a local signal branched off from the sending signal, to thereby generate a beat signal; a frequency analyzing step which includes analyzing (by FFT) the frequency of the beat signal for each rise zone and each fall zone of the frequency modulated by the triangular wave signal; an accumulation step which includes accumulating a plurality of frequency spectra by frequency analysis at least for each FM rise zone; a judgment step which includes judging a characteristic section from the plurality of frequency spectra accumulated; a peak frequency extraction step which includes acquiring, as beat frequencies of different targets, respective beat frequencies of peak sections located at both sides of the characteristic section judged; and an operation step which includes calculating the distance to a target and the relative speed thereto, based on the beat frequencies. Herein, the accumulation step, the judgment step and the peak frequency extraction step may be effected of both the FM rise zone and the FM fall zone.
The above and other objects, aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjugation with the accompanying drawings. | {
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Mobile streaming media refer to a technology or an application of receiving streaming media programs during movement. As a type of brand new mass media, mobile streaming media plays and receives programs using a method of transmitting a wireless digital signal and receiving it by a terrestrial digital device, and the streaming media programs can be watched in a fast-moving state by using terminals such as mobile phones, streaming media systems installed on means of transport like buses, taxis, or subways, mobile multimedia players, and personal computers.
In a currently existing mobile streaming media solution, broadcasting is always performed on a macro network side. As shown in FIG. 1, because a macro network covers a larger area and bears many users, too many communication resources are occupied, and as a result, most users have to watch a same program. | {
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The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring the basis weight, and more particularly, to an apparatus for measuring the basis weight of a web-shaped material under test.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,681,595 describes an arrangement of a radioactive radiation source on one side of a material under test and a radiation detector responsive to the radioactive radiation on the opposite side of the material under test for the on-line measurement of the basis weight of a web-shaped material under test. The material under test described therein is paper. As radioactive radiation sources, a .beta. emitter (e.g., Promethium 147, Krypton 85 and Strontium 90) may be used. The radiation detector may consist of an ionization chamber or of a semiconductor detector, respectively. By measuring the transmission of the electrons emitted by the radioactive .beta. radiation source, the basis weight of the material under test may be evaluated. In order to achieve a satisfactory signal-to-noise ratio, the radioactive radiation source must show a certain activity. On the other hand there is a desire to use a source having an activity as small as possible because of the radioactive radiation.
Also, from German patent DE-A-2800925, the measurement of the basis weight can be achieved by arranging a .beta. radiation source and a .beta. radiation detector side by side on the same side of the material under test and to take care by the provision of a magnetic field which extends in the plane of the material under test that the .beta. particles emitted from the radiation source reach the radiation detector on curved trajectories. Thus, the .beta. particles pass twice through the material under test.
The present invention improves the signal-to-noise ratio at a predetermined activity level of the radiation source. The present invention has in view a focusing of the electrons emitted by the .beta. radiation source due to a magnetic field and due to the Lorentz force exerted by this magnetic field onto the electrons. By focusing of the emitted electrons within the lower half space in a direction versus the material under test, more .beta. particles are available for the measuring of the transmission without changing the activity of the radiation source. | {
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Compounds such as 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropane (i.e., HFC-236fa) have found uses as refrigerants, fire extinguishants, heat transfer media, gaseous dielectrics, sterilant carries, polymerization media, particulate removal fluids, carrier fluids, buffing abrasive agents, displacement drying agents and power cycle working fluids. More particularly, HFC-236fa itself is a highly effective and environmentally acceptable fire extinguishant and refrigerant.
Canadian Patent No. 2,073,533 discloses a liquid phase process for the manufacture of HFC-236fa by contacting HCC-230fa with HF in the presence of a liquid phase catalyst (e.g., tin and antimony compounds). All of the 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexachloropropane is converted to 1-chloro-1,1,3,3,3-pentafluoropropane (i.e., HCFC-235fa) and HFC-236fa with a selectivity of greater than 45 mole % with respect to HFC-236fa. The separation of pure HFC-236fa is complicated by the presence of HCFC-235fa. Moreover, vapor processes are often preferred because operational advantages (e.g., HF corrosivity problems ware typically exacerbated in the liquid phase).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,165 discloses a vapor phase process for the manufacture of HFC-236fa by contacting HCC-230fa (and sufficient haloprecursors of HFC-236fa) with HF in the presence of a trivalent chromium catalyst.
CCl.sub.3 CH.sub.2 CCl.sub.3 (HCC-230fa) is a high boiling liquid (b.p. 206.degree. C. at 101.3 kPa). Efficient use of a catalytic vapor phase reactor requires that HCC-230fa be fed to the reactor as a vapor. Feeding liquid directly to a catalyst bed is well known in the art to cause deactivation of the catalyst. Evaporation of HCC-230fa in a vaporizer of standard design can cause substantial degradation to HCl, CCl.sub.3 CH.dbd.CCl.sub.2, and in particular, undesirable higher boiling materials such as chlorinated six-carbon compounds and tars. Furthermore, the fluorine-chlorine exchange reaction is typically highly exothermic. Replacing all six chlorines of HCC-230fa with fluorine to produce HFC-236fa in the catalytic reactor can cause heat management problems. | {
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This invention relates generally to road construction and asphalt paving machines, and relates more particularly to non-contacting sensing and control devices for controlling the position of a grading implement relative to a datum. Further, this invention particularly relates to controlling the rotational velocity of an auger and the position of a gate to a hopper relative to the profile of asphalt on the ground.
As described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,359, motor graders, bulldozers, pavers and other road construction earth moving vehicles have been used for controlling the position of a grading implement relative to a datum. The grading implement of these vehicles are usually positioned by hydraulic cylinders that are coupled to mechanisms that support the grading implements. As the paving machine moves along the road bed, a mechanical sensing device or range sensing device senses the position of the datum relative to the implement, and a control device then signals the hydraulic cylinders to reposition the implement accordingly.
As is known in the art, an implement used with a paving machine to level the asphalt is a screed. The screed is positioned by a hydraulic cylinder responding to a signal from a control and sensing device. Two types of sensing devices for adjusting the position of a screed include a contacting wand and a non-contacting sonic sensor. The wand drags along the ground and swings upward or downward depending on the level of the datum. This wand may go off the line of the datum and also may become jammed. An improvement to the contacting wand is a non-contacting sonic device as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,355. The non-contacting sonic device has been found to be more reliable than the contacting sensing device as there are few movable parts and is less susceptible to errors due to mechanical failures.
Sonic devices have a reference wire located a known fixed distance down from the sonic sensor. The sonic sensor transmits a sonic signal which reflects from the reference wire. This time between transmission and receipt of the sonic signal from the reference wire is used to adjust the position of the screed.
When using a non-contacting sonar device with a reference wire, it is possible to have a screed that levels pavement to a target level with an accuracy of less than one-tenth of an inch. Consequently, the screed placement is more precise, resulting in instantaneous screed movement which may cause small ripples in the road surface. It is therefore necessary to have a screed that travels along the road that provides a smooth road surface without ripples. Another drawback of the non-contacting sonic device with a reference wire is that during operation as air temperature varies, the screed position also varies. This may lead to the position of the screed deviating from the target level which may result in an uneven road surface. A third drawback of using a more accurate sonic sensor is that due to the instantaneous response to the changes in the road condition, the screed is apt to move up or down and miss the target level. A fourth drawback is that the sonic device may cause the screed to position itself in response to detection of a pot hole.
When using a paving machine, the asphalt is typically deposited into a hopper from which the asphalt is carried on a conveyer belt to the back of the paving machine. The asphalt then exits through the back of a paving machine into the center of an auger. The auger rotates and distributes the asphalt uniformly to the sides of the road bank where the asphalt is then flattened by the screed.
The auger typically runs at a variable rate or alternately may rotate at a fixed speed. The speed of the auger is controlled by a wand or sonic sensor device that resides near the outer ends of the auger. The wand senses the height of the asphalt by rotating upward as the asphalt level gets higher. The sonic sensor device senses the height of the asphalt by transmitting a sonic signal and noting the reflection time. The wand and sonic sensor device are connected to a potentiometer which changes its resistance as the wand extends outward or the reflection time becomes lower in response to a rise in the level of the asphalt. This resistance change causes the speed of the auger to change, resulting in an even level of asphalt being distributed laterally by the auger.
A first drawback of the mechanical control wand is that the arm resides in the asphalt and accordingly, asphalt sticks to the wand, thereby changing its center of gravity. This change of wand center of gravity may cause the arm to be stuck at a particular angle, thereby clogging and resulting in an inaccurate auger speed. This inaccurate speed results in the asphalt being distributed unevenly to the screed resulting in a build-up or a depletion of asphalt along the sides of the road bed. Further, because the arm is mechanical, the auger control does not respond to a change in the auger height at a fast enough rate, compounding the unevenness of the pavement to the screed. A second drawback of the mechanical wand and auger sonic sensor is that they may cause the auger rotational speed to fluctuate continuously because the height of of the asphalt within the auger is uneven. This unevenness results in a separation in the pavement material and a poor quality road. A third drawback to using a mechanical wand and an auger sonic sensor is that an inaccurate auger speed may result due to improper placement of the wand or the sonic sensor. A fourth drawback is that the auger may break down and jam due to continuous contact with the pavement material.
A paving device typically has a hopper gate to control the flow of the asphalt being distributed to the auger. This gate is currently regulated manually by the operator. The height of the hopper gate is important, as it further controls the amount of asphalt being distributed to the auger. When too much asphalt is delivered to the auger, a peak will form in the center of the paving machine, causing an uneven flow to the screed. If the gate is lowered, resulting in too little asphalt being distributed to the auger, the result is a trough in the center of the paving machine and excess asphalt being delivered to the screed along the sides of the road bed. To correct this problem, the operator must manually adjust the gate height; however, this still results in inaccuracies along the road bed, as the operator is not always able to react to changing road conditions.
A further drawback of using a wand or sonic device as screed sensing devices is that substantial time is required for set up and adjustment. Typically, a wand or sonic sensor is positioned on the paving machine at a predetermined height above the ground relative to the target level that the grader is to be positioned above the ground. Often between days of operation, these sensor devices are moved or bumped. Accordingly, the following day these control devices must be checked and reset again. Further, in operation, it is often required to change the height of the asphalt relative to the level of the grader, thereby requiring that the sensing device be moved to another position. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Field
The present disclosure generally relates to gas compressors and, in particular, to a centrifugal air blower.
Description of the Related Art
Patients with respiratory injury, such as chronic respiratory failure, may be provided with a respirator to assist with their breathing or, in severe cases, take over the breathing function entirely. Respirators typically provide a flow of air, or other breathing gases, at an elevated pressure during an inhalation interval, followed by an exhalation interval where the pressurized air is diverted so that the air within the patient's lungs can be naturally expelled. The inhalation interval may be initiated upon detection of a patient's natural inhalation or by the respirator
Respirators are available in a variety of sizes with different ranges of air flows and pressures that can be provided. For example, a neonatal patient will require a much lower pressure and volume of air per breath than an adult, and many conventional respirators cannot provide accurate delivery of pressurized air over this range of volumes and pressures.
In conventional respirators that use a blower to pressurize the gas provided to the patient, the blowers that are used are loud and the noise level in the patient's room is commonly 65 dB or more. This level of noise may disrupt the patient's rest and sleep as well as cause fatigue for the caregiver and may further obstruct diagnosis and monitoring of the patient by masking the natural breathing noises that provide an indication of the patient's condition. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Mobile devices with various methods of connectivity are now for many people becoming the primary gateway to the internet and also a major storage point for personal information. This is in addition to the normal range of personal computers and furthermore sensor devices plus internet based providers. Combining these devices together and lately the applications (e.g., including user interface elements of these applications) and the information stored by those applications is a major challenge of interoperability. This can be achieved through numerous, individual and personal information spaces in which persons, groups of persons, etc. can place, share, interact and manipulate webs of information with their own locally agreed semantics without necessarily conforming to an unobtainable, global whole. These information spaces, often referred to as smart spaces, are extensions of the ‘Giant Global Graph’ in which one can apply semantics and reasoning at a local level. More specifically, information spaces are working spaces embedded within distributed infrastructures that can span multiple computers, information appliances, sensors, and the like. In some instances, computing processes (e.g., granular reflective processes) associated with the information spaces may also be distributed over the infrastructures. Accordingly, service providers and device manufacturers face significant technical challenges in presenting a user interface that reflects the distributed nature of information spaces and associated processes. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to optical scanning systems, and more particularly, to an automatic bar code symbol reading system in which an automatic optical scanner can be interchangeably utilized as either a portable optical scanner in an automatic xe2x80x9chands-onxe2x80x9d mode of operation, or as a stationary optical projection scanner in an automatic xe2x80x9chands-freexe2x80x9d mode of operation.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Bar code symbols are widely utilized in many commercial environments such as, for example, point-of-sale (POS) stations in retail stores and supermarkets, inventory and document tracking, and diverse data control applications. To meet the growing demands of this recent technological innovation, bar code symbol readers of various types have been developed for scanning and decoding bar code symbol patterns and producing symbol character data for use as input in automated data processing systems.
In general, prior art hand-held bar code symbol readers using laser scanning mechanisms can be classified into two major categories.
The first category of hand-held laser-based bar code symbol readers includes manually-actuated, trigger-operated systems having lightweight laser scanners which can be supported in the hand of the user. The user positions the laser scanner at a specified distance from the object bearing the bar code symbol, manually activates the scanner to initiate reading and then moves the scanner over other objects bearing bar code symbols to be read. Prior art bar code symbol readers illustrative of this first category are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,297 to Swartz; U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,625 to Knowles; U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,349 to Cherry; U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,057 to Swartz, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,848 to Knowles; U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,100 to Shepard, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,456 to Katz, et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,047,617 to Shepard, et al.
The second category of hand-held laser-based bar code symbol readers includes automatically actuated systems having lightweight triggerless laser scanners which can be supported in the hand of the user. The user positions the laser scanner at a specified distance from the object bearing the bar code, the presence of the object is automatically detected, the presence of the bar code symbol on the object is detected, and thereafter the detected bar code symbol automatically read. Prior art illustrative of this second category of laser-based bar code symbol reading systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,606 to Boles, et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,538 to Heiman, et al.
While prior art hand-held and stationary laser scanners have played an important role in the development of the bar code symbol industry, these devices have suffered from a number of shortcomings and drawbacks. For example, hand-held laser scanners, although portable and lightweight, are not always convenient to use in assembly-line applications where the user processes bar coded objects over an extended period of time, or where the user requires the use of both hands in order to manipulate the objects. In some applications, hand-held laser scanners are difficult to manipulate while simultaneously moving objects or performing other tasks at a point-of-sale terminal. Stationary laser scanners, on the other hand, provide a desired degree of flexibility in many applications by allowing the user to manipulate bar coded objects with both hands. However, by their very nature, stationary laser scanners render scanning large, heavy objects a difficult task, as such objects must be manually moved into or through the laser scan field.
Attempting to eliminate the problems associated with the use of hand-held and stationary laser scanners, U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,297 to McMillan discloses a bar code symbol scanning system which combines the advantages of hand-held and stationary fixed laser scanners into a single scanning system which can be used in either a hands-on or hands-free mode of operation. The bar code symbol scanning system in U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,297 includes a portable hand-held laser scanning device for generating electrical signals descriptive of a scanned bar code symbol. In the xe2x80x9chands-onxe2x80x9d mode of operation, a trigger on the hand-held laser scanning device is manually actuated each time a bar code symbol on an object is to be read. The system further includes a fixture having a head portion for receiving and supporting the hand-held laser scanning device, and a base portion above which the head portion is supported at a predetermined distance. In the hands-free mode of operation, the laser scanning device is supported by the fixture head portion above the fixture base portion in order to allow objects bearing bar code symbols to pass between the head and base portions of the fixture. In order to detect the presence of an object between the head and base portions of the fixture, the fixture also includes an object sensor operably connected to the hand-held laser scanning device. When the object sensor senses an object between the head portion and the base portion, the object sensor automatically initiates the hand-held laser scanning device supported in the fixture to read the bar code symbol on the detected object.
While the bar code symbol scanning system of U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,297 permits reading of printed bar code information using either a portable xe2x80x9chands-onxe2x80x9d or stationary xe2x80x9chands-freexe2x80x9d mode of operation, this system suffers from several significant shortcomings and drawbacks as well. In particular, in the hands-on mode of operation, scanning bar code symbols requires manually actuating a trigger each time a bar code symbol is to be read. In the hands-free mode of operation, scanning bar code symbols requires passing the object bearing the bar code between the head and base portions of the fixture. However, in many instances where both hands are required to manipulate a bar coded object, the object is too large to be passed between the head and base portions of the fixture and thus scanning of the bar code symbol is not possible.
In an attempt to address such problems, several hand-held projection laser scanners have been developed for omni-directional code symbol scanning. Examples of such systems include the NCR 7890 presentation scanner from the NCR Corporation and the LS9100 omni-directional laser scanner from Symbol Technologies, Inc. While each of these systems produces an omni-directional laser scan pattern from a hand-supportable housing and have hands-free and hands-on modes of operation, each of these scanning devices suffer from a number of shortcomings and drawbacks. In particular, the spatial extent of the laser scan pattern produced from each of these scanners frequently results in the inadvertent scanning of code symbols on products placed near the scanner during its hands-free mode of operation. In the hands-on mode of operation, it is virtually impossible to use the scanners to read bar code symbol menus provided in diverse application environments. Moreover, in each of these scanner designs, the scanner is tethered to its base unit by a power/signal cord. In the hands-on operational mode, the user is required to handle the scanner housing in an awkward manner, resulting in strain and fatigue and thus a decrease in productivity. In addition, the control structure provided in each of these hand-held projection scanners operates the scanner components in a manner which involves inefficient consumption of electrical power, and prevents diverse modes of automatic code symbol reading which would be desired in portable scanning environments.
Thus, there is a great need in the bar code symbol reading art for a bar code symbol reading system which overcomes the above described shortcomings and drawbacks of prior art devices and techniques, while providing greater versatility in its use.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an automatic bar code symbol reading system having an automatic optical scanning device which can be used at a point-of-sale (POS) station as either a portable hand-supported scanner when operated in its automatic hands-on mode of operation, or as a stationary projection scanner when operated in its automatic hands-free mode of operation.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an automatic bar code symbol reading system, wherein a collimated scanning pattern is projected from the hand-supportable device about a projection axis, and intersects within a narrowly confined scanning volume so that bar code symbols disposed within the scanning volume can be read omnidirectionally, while inadvertent scanning of bar code symbols outside of the scanning volume is prevented.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an automatic bar code symbol reading system, wherein the projection axis about which the narrowly confined scanning volume extends is substantially coplanar with the longitudinal axes of the head and handle portions of the hand-supportable housing.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an automatic bar code symbol reading system, wherein the center-of-mass of the device is located within the hand-supportable portion to provide easy handling consistent with ergonomic design principles.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an automatic bar code symbol reading system, in which one or more bar code symbols on an object can be automatically read in a consecutive manner.
A further object is to provide such an automatic bar code symbol reading device, in which the automatic hand-supportable bar code (symbol) reading device has an infrared light object detection field which spatially encompasses at least a portion of its visible laser light scan field along the operative scanning range of the device, thereby improving the laser beam pointing efficiency of the during the automatic bar code reading process of the present invention.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such an automatic bar code reading system in which a support frame is provided for supporting the housing of the device in a selected mounting position, and permitting gripping of the handle portion of the hand-supportable housing prior to removing it from the support frame.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an automatic bar code reading device which has both long and short-range modes of bar code symbol reading automatically selectable by placing the device within its support stand and removing it therefrom. With this particular embodiment of the present invention, the automatic bar code symbol reading system can be used in various bar code symbol reading applications, such as, for example, charge coupled device (CCD) scanner emulation and bar code xe2x80x9cmenuxe2x80x9d reading in the hands-on short-range mode of operation, and counter-top projection scanning in the hands-free long-range mode of operation.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic bar code reading device which prevents multiple reading of the same bar code symbol due to dwelling of the laser scanning beam upon a bar code symbol for an extended period of time.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a point-of-sale station incorporating the automatic bar code symbol reading system of the present invention.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automatic bar code reading device having a control system which has a finite number of states through which the device may pass during its automatic operation, in response to diverse conditions automatically detected within the object detection and scan fields of the device.
Another object of the present invention to provide a portable, automatic bar code symbol reading device, wherein the laser beam scanning motor is operated at a lower angular velocity during its object detection state of operation in order to conserve power consumption and facilitate rapid steady-state response when the device is induced to its bar code symbol detection and bar code symbol reading states of operation.
Another object of the present invention to provide a portable, automatic bar code symbol reading device, wherein the laser beam scanning motor is not energized during its object detection state of operation in order to conserve power consumption, and is momentarily overdriven to facilitate rapid steady-state response when the device undergoes a transition from the object detection state to the bar code symbol detection state of operation.
Another object of the present invention to provide a novel mechanism for mounting a laser scanning platform within the head portion of an automatic hand-supportable projection laser scanning device.
Another object of the present invention to provide a novel laser scanning platform for use within an automatic portable projection laser scanning device.
Another object of the present invention to provide a bar code symbol reading system having at least one bar code symbol reading device which, after each successful reading of a code symbol, automatically synthesizes and then transmits a data packet to a base unit positioned within the data transmission range of the bar code symbol reading device, and upon the successful receipt of the transmitted data packet and recovery of symbol character data therefrom, the base unit transmits an acoustical acknowledgement signal that is perceptible to the user of the bar code symbol reading device situated within the data transmission range.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a system with one or more automatic (i.e., triggerless) hand-supportable laser-based bar code symbol reading devices, each of which is capable of automatically transmitting data packets to its base unit after each successful reading of a bar code symbol.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a bar code symbol reading system in which the bar code symbol reading device can be used as either a portable hand-supported laser scanner in an automatic hands-on mode of operation, or as a stationary laser projection scanner in an automatic hands-free mode of operation.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a bar code symbol system in which the base unit contains a battery recharging device that automatically recharges batteries contained in the device when the device is supported within the base unit.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an automatic bar code symbol reading system with a mode of operation that permits the user to automatically read one or more bar code symbols on an object in a consecutive manner.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such an automatic bar code symbol reading system, in which a plurality of automatic bar code symbol reading devices are used in conjunction with a plurality of base units, each of which is mated to a particular bar code symbol reading device.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such an automatic bar code symbol reading system, in which radio frequency (RF) carrier signals of the same frequency are used by each bar code symbol reading device to transmit data packets to respective base units.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such an automatic bar code symbol reading system, in which a novel data packet transmission and reception scheme is used to minimize the occurrence of data packet interference at each base unit during data packet reception.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such an automatic bar code symbol reading system, in which the novel data packet transmission and reception scheme enables each base unit to distinguish data packets associated with consecutively different bar code symbols read by a particular bar code symbol reading device, without the transmission of electromagnetically-modulated data packet acknowledgment signals after receiving each data packet at the base unit.
A further object is to provide such an automatic bar code symbol reading device, in which the automatic bar code reading device has an infrared (IR) based object detection field which spatially encompasses at least a portion of its visible laser light scan field along the operative scanning range of the device, thereby improving the laser beam pointing efficiency of the device during the automatic bar code reading process of the present invention.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such an automatic bar code symbol reading system, in which the base unit has a support frame that supports the housing of the device in a selected mounting position, wherein the device is also supportable in the hand of a user, and wherein the support frame permits hand gripping of the handle portion of the hand-supportable housing prior to removing it from the support frame.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic bar code reading device which prevents multiple reading of the same bar code symbol due to dwelling of the laser scanning beam upon a bar code symbol for an extended period of time.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automatic bar code reading device having a control system which has a finite number of states through which the device may pass during its automatic operation, in response to diverse conditions automatically detected within the object detection and scan fields of the device.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a portable, fully automatic bar code symbol reading system which is compact, simple to use and versatile.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a novel method of reading bar code symbols using an automatic laser scanning device.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a point-of-sale station incorporating the automatic bar code symbol reading system of the present invention.
These and further objects of the present invention may be realized in any of various forms, many of which are described below in conjunction with the Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments and set forth in the appended Claims. | {
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Conventionally, as a method that cleans the surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor substrate, a scrubbing cleaning method is used that rubs a substrate surface with a cleaning member having a brush, a sponge or the like while supplying deionized water to the substrate surface in order to clean the substrate surface. However, in this kind of scrubbing and cleaning, because the cleaning member is directly brought into contact with a substrate to clean the substrate, deformation and wear occurs in the cleaning member due to long time use, and as a result, the contact state of the cleaning member with the substrate changes and cleaning effectiveness is decreased.
Therefore, conventionally, a method of checking the contact state of a cleaning member has been proposed that uses a workpiece for checking to determine the contact state of the cleaning member from a contact trace of the cleaning member transferred to the workpiece for checking. For example, Japanese Patent Laid Open No. 2006-7054, Japanese Patent Laid Open No. 2010-74191 and Japanese Patent No. 4511591 describe such a technology. In such a manner, the contact state of the cleaning member is grasped and maintenance (for example, replacement of the cleaning member) is performed only when necessary.
However, in the conventional method, it is necessary to use a workpiece for checking to determine a replacement time of a cleaning member, which accordingly costs time and money by that amount, resulting in problems such as reduction of throughput and a cost increase.
It is desired to provide a substrate cleaning apparatus capable of appropriately determining a replacement time of a cleaning member with a high throughput and a decreased cost compared to the conventional substrate cleaning apparatus.
A substrate cleaning apparatus of one aspect includes a cleaning member that abuts on a substrate to scrub and clean the substrate, a holding means that holds the cleaning member, a pressing means that is provided in the holding means and generates force to press the cleaning member against the substrate, a position measuring means that is provided in the holding means and measures a position of the holding means and a replacement time determining means that determines a replacement time of the cleaning member based on the position of the holding means, in which the position of the holding means includes a cleaning position at which the cleaning member abuts on the substrate and a non-cleaning position where the cleaning member stays away from the substrate, and the replacement time determining means determines the replacement time of the cleaning member from change in the cleaning position while a plurality of substrates are continuously scrubbed and cleaned.
A substrate cleaning apparatus of another aspect includes a cleaning member that abuts on a substrate to scrub and clean the substrate, a holding means that holds the cleaning member, a pressing means that is provided in the holding means and generates force to press the cleaning member against the substrate, a position measuring means that is provided in the holding means and measures a position of the holding means and an abnormality detecting means that detects presence/absence of abnormality in the cleaning member based on the position of the holding means, in which the position of the holding means includes a cleaning position at which the cleaning member abuts on the substrate and a non-cleaning position where the cleaning member stays away from the substrate, and the abnormality detecting means detects presence/absence of abnormality in the cleaning member from change in the cleaning position while a single substrate is scrubbed and cleaned.
A replacement time determining method of another aspect is a replacement time determining method of a cleaning member in a substrate cleaning apparatus that scrubs and cleans a substrate, the replacement time determining method including a measuring step that measures a position of a holding means that holds the cleaning member and a determining step that determines a replacement time of the cleaning member based on the position of the holding means, in which the position of the holding means that holds the cleaning member includes a cleaning position at which the cleaning member abuts on the substrate and a non-cleaning position where the cleaning member stays away from the substrate, and the determining step determines the replacement time of the cleaning member from change in the cleaning position while a plurality of substrates are continuously scrubbed and cleaned.
An abnormality detecting method of yet another aspect is an abnormality detecting method in a cleaning member of a substrate cleaning apparatus that scrubs and cleans a substrate, the abnormality detecting method including a measuring step that measures a position of a holding means that holds the cleaning member and a detecting step that detects presence/absence of abnormality in the cleaning member based on the position of the holding means, in which the position of the holding means that holds the cleaning member includes a cleaning position at which the cleaning member abuts on the substrate and a non-cleaning position where the cleaning member stays away from the substrate, and the detecting step detects presence/absence of abnormality in the cleaning member from change in the cleaning position while a single substrate is scrubbed and cleaned. | {
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Humans generally find it useful or entertaining to view images or projections of visual representations of real or imaginary things. Therefore, we have developed technologies to enable us to place visual representations, such as still images and moving images, onto surfaces or screens so that we can enjoy or benefit from such visual displays. The content of such information represented on display screens is typically generated by a computer or by a recording and broadcast of the recording.
Screens and displays in common use include television (TV) screens and computer monitors (collectively “displays”). These types of displays have evolved with technological advancements. Early types were illuminated by electron beams from electron guns, the beams sweeping charged particles across a generally-rectangular display screen that was coated with a phosphorescent material. The material would then glow or emit visible light corresponding to the image caused by the electron source and magnetic fields in the orthogonal dimensions of the display screen. The result was a visible intensity map (black and white) viewable image. Further advancements brought color displays, which themselves evolved in time to include cathode ray tubes (CRTs), liquid crystal displays (LCD), plasma displays, light emitting diode (LED) displays, and others.
These displays are generally two-dimensional as far as their viewable surface design. That is, present displays of this type are basically flat or almost flat. Accordingly, persons viewing these displays see substantially the same view of the object being displayed no matter where the viewers are situated with respect to the two-dimensional displays. This makes viewing such displays equivalent to viewing a flat two-dimensional photo, painting, or similar object, with the addition of dynamic imagery (video) in some cases. Therefore, even when depicting what is in reality a three-dimensional object (e.g., a soccer ball or a planet) these displays flatten the three-dimensional object completely for presentation on the two-dimensional displays. Most of us have come to accept this as normal, but it is an abstraction that is not natural. The fact that some displays have a gentle curvature to their face does not cure this simplification or abstraction.
It is therefore interesting and/or useful to consider alternative displays that provide either a more natural sensation of viewing a two- or three-dimensional scene. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a honeycomb structure and an exhaust gas converter.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, the SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) system, which reduces NOx to nitrogen and water using ammonia, is known as one of the systems for converting automobile exhaust gas.
Further, zeolite is known as a material that adsorbs ammonia in the SCR system.
JP2006-51499A discloses, as a method of treating exhaust gas generated by a stationary combustion source equipped with an SCR system, subjecting ammonia emissions to a noble metal catalyst on the downstream side of the SCR system, thereby causing unreacted gaseous ammonia to react with oxygen on the noble metal catalyst to produce reaction products having a higher oxidation state of nitrogen.
Further, WO 06/137149 A1 discloses a honeycomb structure having a honeycomb unit containing inorganic particles and inorganic fibers and/or whiskers, the inorganic particles being one or more of alumina, silica, zirconia, titania, ceria, mullite, and zeolite.
The entire contents of JP2006-51499A and WO 06/137149 A1 are incorporated herein by reference. | {
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In recent years, in optical pickup apparatuses, the wavelength of the laser light is becoming progressively shorter in the laser light source used as the light source for reproducing the information recorded in optical disks or for recording information in optical disks, and for example, laser light sources of wavelengths of 400 nm to 420 nm are being realized such as blue-violet semiconductor lasers, blue SHG laser using wavelength conversion of infrared laser source using the second harmonic wave, etc.
If these blue-violet laser light sources are used, in the case in which an objective lens with the same numerical aperture (NA) as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), for an optical disk with a diameter of 12 cm, recording of 5 GB to 20 GB of information is possible, and when the NA of the objective lens is increased to 0.85, for an optical disk with a diameter of 12 cm, recording of 23 GB to 25 GB of information becomes possible. In the following, in the present patent specification, optical disks and magneto-optical disks using a blue-violet laser light source are collectively called “High Density Optical Disks”.
By the way, two standards have been proposed for high density optical disks at present. One is the Blu-ray disk (hereinafter abbreviated as BD) which uses an objective lens of an NA of 0.85 and has a protective substrate thickness of 0.1 mm, and the other is the HD DVD (hereinafter abbreviated as HD) which uses an objective lens of an NA of 0.65 to 0.67 and has a protective substrate thickness of 0.6 mm. Further, at present, DVDs or CDs with various types of information recorded in them are being marketed. In view of this current state of affairs, optical pickup apparatuses that carry out recording and/or reproduction of information for different optical disks have been proposed in Patents Documents 1 and 2.
Patent Document 1: International disclosure No. 03/91764 pamphlet
Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-209299 | {
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The present invention relates to a screen printer, and more particularly, to a screen printer equipped with a mask cleaning device which serves to remove ink dregs adhered to one surface of a mask and holes formed in the mask. Although not limitative, the screen printer of this kind is suitable to form a film on an electronic circuit board or substrate.
Repetition of the film formation on the substrate due to the screen printing process causes ink to remain on a mask surface adjacent to the substrate and in holes of the mask. If the printing is further continued, the remaining ink will bring about defective printing such as blot, blur, discontinuity of line or the like of an ink pattern printed on the substrate. For this reason, it is necessary to wipe the adhered ink dregs by cleaning the mask each time the printing has been repeated a predetermined number of times.
On the other hand, with the development of electronics, a mask is required to obtain high definition. That is, the area of hole pattern on the mask and the space between adjacent holes tend to be reduced. As a result, the ink remains in the holes of the mask as well as adhere to the lower surface of the mask. To cope with this, it is necessary to increase the frequency of mask cleaning.
Heretofore, cleaning of the mask has been performed by hand. However, the operation by hand alone cannot cope with the increase of the frequency of mask cleaning so that not only the printing efficiency is deteriorated but also defective printing is increased.
Recently, devices for automatically performing the cleaning have been proposed. These automatic cleaning devices are disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication Nos. 62-152853, 63-173643 and 63-296942 as well as in Japanese Utility Model Unexamined Publication Nos. 60-85931 and 62-178145, for example.
However, the proposed devices including the cleaning by hand are not satisfactory in terms of the cleaning efficiency and the ability to remove the ink dregs. | {
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Gas turbine engines used to propel today's subsonic commercial aircraft are typically surrounded by a nacelle structure having a drooped or angled inlet opening aligned relative to the direction of the surrounding airflow. This is particularly true for those engines mounted under the wings of an aircraft, wherein the influence of the surrounding aircraft structure, airfoil angle of attack, and other aerodynamic factors result in a nacelle inlet droop angle of approximately 3-5 degrees with respect to the engine centerline.
Prior art nacelle structures include a double wall intake portion extending upstream of the gas turbine engine air inlet and having internal and external surfaces defined by the end points of radii drawn perpendicular to a linear centerline parallel to the encountered airflow. The nacelle opening divides the free airstream into an internal portion which is directed into the gas turbine engine air inlet and an external portion which flows around the nacelle structure. The external surface configuration is defined so as to reduce the occurrence of shock waves or separation, thereby avoiding the creation of undesirable drag forces.
The interior surface, also symmetrical about the linear drooped centerline, forms a duct for directing internal flow in a direction generally parallel to the drooped nacelle centerline, but abruptly turning at the engine inlet to the direction of the engine centerline. Experience has shown that this turn introduces a circumferential static pressure gradient in the engine inlet region which decreases engine efficiency as well as increases generated noise.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,171 issued Sept. 2, 1980, to Ruehr et al. recognized this deficiency in the prior art nacelle structure and discloses the improvement wherein the internal and external nacelle surfaces are defined by the end points of radii drawn perpendicular to a curved centerline. The curved centerline is parallel to the free airstream flow at the nacelle inlet opening and parallel to the engine centerline at the engine air inlet opening. The structure of Ruehr et al. thus smoothly turns the internal airflow prior to entering the engine inlet, increasing engine efficiency by reducing internal static pressure loss and noise generation.
The curved external nacelle surface of Ruehr et al., however, has been found not to produce the same benefit. By forming the exterior surface about a curved centerline, the Ruehr et al. nacelle increases the local air velocity along the upper forward portion of the nacelle, increasing the likelihood of forming local shock waves and/or boundary layer separation. As noted above, such phenomena increase the undesirable surface drag on the nacelle structure resulting in higher aircraft operating costs. What is needed is a nacelle structure which provides reduced external aerodynamic drag while simultaneously avoiding the creation of internal static pressure losses. Disclosure of the Invention
It is an object of the present invention to provide a nacelle structure internally configured to efficiently conduct a flow of air into a gas turbine engine mounted on an aircraft.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a nacelle structure externally configured to reduce external aerodynamic drag and/or shock wave formation.
It is still further an object of the present invention to receive a flow of air at an angle with respect to the centerline of the gas turbine engine and to redirect the received air into the engine parallel to the engine centerline.
According to the present invention, an annular nacelle structure for a gas turbine engine disposed within a free flow of air extends upstream of the engine and has an inlet opening oriented perpendicularly with respect to the free airflow direction. Air received within the nacelle inlet opening is conducted through the nacelle and into the gas turbine engine by a duct formed by the nacelle internal surface. The internal surface is defined by the end points of radii extending perpendicularly outward from a curved centerline, the curved centerline further being colinear with the flow direction of the received air at the nacelle inlet and colinear with the gas turbine engine centerline at the engine air inlet.
The invention further provides an external nacelle surface defined by the end points of radii extending perpendicularly from a linear centerline, the linear centerline further being colinear with the flow direction of the received air at the nacelle inlet.
By providing separately developed internal and external aerodynamic surfaces for interacting with the respective internal and external airflow, the nacelle structure according to the present invention achieves efficient engine operation without the creation of external airflow shock waves. Each surface is thus shaped to perform its particular task without compromise, resulting in an overall fuel savings due to increased engine efficiency over prior art canted nacelle structures.
Both these and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following description and appended claims and drawing figures. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to antimicrobial compositions containing a C.sub.3 -C.sub.6 alcohol and particularly oral compositions, such as but not limited to liquids, pastes and gels for the prevention and elimination of bad breath as well as for the reduction of oral microorganisms responsible for the development of dental plaque, gingivitis, and tooth decay. A preferred embodiment of the present invention relates to a C.sub.3 -C.sub.6 alcohol-containing, reduced ethanol or ethanol-free mouthwash that is effective in preventing those problems.
2. Description of Related Art
The effectiveness of an antimicrobial composition is dependent upon the ability of the composition to deliver the antimicrobial agent(s) contained therein to the desired microbial target(s). This is particularly so for antimicrobial oral compositions where the exposure time of the target microbes to the antimicrobial agent is generally of a short duration.
Oral compositions, such as mouthwashes, have been used by people for many years for the prevention of bad breath and for the elimination of bacteria and other oral microorganisms that are responsible not only for bad breath but also tooth decay, plaque and gum diseases such as gingivitis and periodontitis. To this end, antiseptic mouthwashes in the past have been designed to clean the oral cavity, provide fresh breath and kill these pathogenic microbes.
The leading antiseptic mouthwash has always contained ethanol at a level of 26.9% by volume, based on the total mouthwash volume (hereinafter referred to as "% v/v"). Ethanol is used both as a delivery vehicle and as a solvent in which the active ingredients, and additives such as astringents, color additives, flavor oils, and the like, can be dissolved and then dispersed into solution. Ethanol also enhances the flavor oil organoleptic cues.
However, the use of high levels of ethanol in consumer health products has been recently challenged from an overall health standpoint. Merely reducing the levels of ethanol in these mouthwash compositions has significant disadvantages. It has been found that lower ethanol levels result not only in a loss in the solubility of the actives and other ingredients in the composition, but there is also a noticeable decrease in the ability of the composition to kill the oral microorganisms responsible for bad breath, plaque and gum disease. This loss in antimicrobial activity is believed to be a result of less favorable antimicrobial agent kinetics due to the reduction of ethanol as a vehicle. Antimicrobial agent kinetics affects the rate at which an antimicrobial agent will diffuse from the delivery system and penetrate the dental plaque matrix. Thus, the delivery system of an antimicrobial composition should provide favorable antimicrobial agent kinetics to enhance efficacy, particularly when a composition, e.g. a mouthwash composition, is only applied for a short duration. Heretofore, fairly high levels of ethanol have been required to provide the desired antimicrobial kinetics, particularly for compositions containing antimicrobially effective amounts of essential oils.
There is a substantial need for the development of oral compositions, such as a mouthwash, having a reduced ethanol delivery system with favorable antimicrobial agent kinetics and in which the antimicrobial agents are completely dissolved so that the composition continues to be effective in the prevention of bad breath, the killing of oral microbes and the resultant penetration, reduction or elimination of plaque and gingivitis. Thymol is a well known antiseptic agent, also known as an essential oil, which is utilized for its antimicrobial activity in a variety of mouthwash preparations. In particular, thymol can be utilized in oral hygiene compositions such as mouth rinses in sufficient quantities to provide desired beneficial therapeutic effects. LISTERINE.RTM.-brand mouthwash is a well-known antiseptic mouthwash that has been used by millions of people for over one hundred years and has been proven effective in killing microbes in the oral cavity that are responsible for plaque, gingivitis and bad breath. Thymol and other essential oils, such as methyl salicylate, menthol and eucalyptol, are active ingredients (e., antimicrobial agents) in antiseptic mouth rinses such as LISTERINE.RTM.. These oils achieve their efficacy although present in small amounts. Without being restricted to any specific theory, it is now believed that the efficacy and taste of antiseptic mouthwashes such as Listerine.RTM. may be due to the dissolution and delivery kinetics of these four active ingredients. Dissolution is also important from an aesthetic point of view since a clear mouthwash solution is certainly preferred by consumers to one that is cloudy, turbid or heterogeneous.
Mouthwash compositions containing ethanol or isopropanol or a mixture of both are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,570 discloses a mouthwash composition having 0.01 to about 1% by weight, based on the total weight of the composition (hereinafter referred to as "% w/w"), of lemon oil flavoring, 0 to about 25, preferably 5 to 24% w/w of a nontoxic alcohol such as isopropanol and ethanol, about 0.1 to 5% w/w of a non-ionic surfactant and 60 to 95% w/w water. The alcohol may be denatured with flavoring agents, generally in an amount between about 1 and 2 percent of the total amount of alcohol in the composition. The disclosed flavoring agents include anethole, anise oil, bay oil, benzaldehyde, bergamot oil, bitter almond, camphor, cedar leaf oil, chlorothymol, cinnamic aldehyde, cinnamon oil, citronella oil, clove oil, coal tar, eucalyptol, eucalyptus oil, eugenol, guaiacol, lavender oil, menthol, mustard oil, peppermint oil, phenol, phenyl salicylate, pine oil, pine needle oil, rosemary oil, sassafras oil, spearmint oil, spike lavender oil, storax, thyme oil, thymol, tolu balsam, turpentine oil, wintergreen oil and boric acid.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,528 is directed to an oral composition containing 0.001% to 50% w/w of an organosilicone-type quaternary ammonium salt immobilized in a water insoluble solid cairier and at least one surfactant of either 0.01% to 15% w/w polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene block copolymer or 0.001% to 50% w/w of alkoxyamide. The composition may also contain 0.01% to 20% w/w of a thickening agent and preferably at least one alcohol selected fiom the group consisting of ethanol, propanol and isopropanol in an amount of about 0.01% to 60% w/w. This reference exemplifies a composition containing an immobilized quaternary ammonium salt, chlorohexidine gluconate and a mixture of ethanol and isopropanol. The reference also discloses that flavoring agents, such as various essential oils, may be used if desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,132,770 discloses a mouthwash composition containing about 3 to 9% w/w baking soda, 0 to about 20%, preferably about 5 to 15% w/w of a nontoxic cosmetic alcohol such as ethanol or isopropanol, about 0.5 to 4.0% w/w of a non-ionic surfactant and 60 to 95% w/w water. The alcohol preferably contains a flavor oil, such as those listed above, in an amount of about 0.05-0.4% w/w.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,302,373 describes a concentrated mouthwash formula having 5 to 50% w/w ethanol, 2 to 30% w/w alkali metal bicarbonate, 0.5 to 30% w/w humectant and 5 to 35% w/w water. The composition may also contain up to about 3% w/w hydrophilic polymer and up to about 5% w/w surfactant. This reference discloses that part or all of the ethanol can be substituted by a nontoxic cosmetic monohydric alcohol, such as isopropanol. Other optional components that may be present in the composition include, among others, thymol, as a bactericide, and flavorants such as oils of spearmint, peppermint, wintergreen, sassafras, clove, sage, eucalyptus, cinnamon, lemon, orange and methyl salicylate. These references do not exemplify or suggest the advantage of employing a C.sub.3 to C.sub.6 aliphatic alcohol with an antimicrobial effective amount of one or more essential oils.
Other prior art references have broadly disclosed, but not exemplified, substituting lower alkyl mono- or dihydric- alcohols for ethanol in various mouthwash formulations. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,256,401 describes a mouthwash composition having a water-alcohol mixture with a weight ratio in excess of 10:1 and about 0.01 to about 0.9% w/w of a noncationic antibacterial agent, such as triclosan. The alcohol may be a non-toxic alkyl mono- or dihydric alcohol, such as ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol or propylene glycol, although only ethanol is exemplified. The prefelTed antimicrobial agents include triclosan, phenol, thymol, eugenol, 2,2-methylene bis (4-chloro-6-bromophenol), nerolidol and bisabolol. The use of the phenolic compounds, however, is not exemplified. It is also disclosed that surface active agents are desirable and that flavor oils may be employed, The antimicrobial is solubilized in a low amount of alcohol by using low concentrations of the antimicrobial in the composition.
Clearly, there is still a need for an antimicrobial composition having a delivery system capable of enhanced antimicrobial agent kinetics so as to provide effective antimicrobial treatment even when the duration of the treatment is short. Moreover, there is a particular need for a reduced ethanol or ethanol-free composition that is highly efficacious in the prevention of bad breath, plaque and gum disease. In addition, there is a need for such oral compositions that both kill the oral microflora responsible for these problems and clean the oral cavity leaving a finesh, lubricous mouthfeel. | {
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This invention relates to glass-ceramic articles, especially glass-ceramic burner surfaces, decorated with a ceramic color and to a process for removing halos from glass-ceramic articles decorated with a ceramic color.
Glass-ceramic articles are widely used, for example, as kitchenware resistant to thermal shock and, especially, as cooking surfaces for stoves. These articles are, in general, provided with a decoration, either purely for reasons of appearance or, for example, to identify the hot cooking zones on the cooking surfaces. The colors used for the decorations are enamel-based ceramic colors applied by conventional techniques, such as, for example, burnt in (German Offenlegungsschrift 3,433,880; German Patent Specification 3,505,922; and German Patent Specification 3,600,109). As is known, glass-ceramics are produced from devitrifiable glass by heat treatment according to a defined temperature/time program (ceramization), temperatures of up to about 1100.degree. C. being reached. For production-engineering reasons and for the purpose of saving energy, efforts are made to carry out the burning-in of the decorative colors simultaneously with the ceramization, even though the ceramization temperatures are unusually high compared with conventional burning-in temperatures (German Patent Specification 3,505,922).
Because of the high burning-in temperatures, numerous ceramic colors are unsuitable for decoration. With the remaining colors, halos often form in the shape of bleeding, blurred contours of the burnt-in decoration (hereafter called "halozation"). The resultant glass-ceramic articles cannot be used as high quality products and represent was or heavily discounted products.
German Patent 3,936,654 C1 has disclosed a process for producing a decorated glass-ceramic article, wherein the occurrence of halozation is avoided. This process comprises providing, before the decoration, an interlayer of SiO.sub.2 on the surface of the glass-ceramic article which is to be decorated. The decoration is printed onto the interlayer and no longer shows any tendency to form a halo. Even though the formation of a halo can be reliably avoided by this process, it nevertheless still has some disadvantages. For example, all of the glass-ceramic articles to be decorated must, in fact, be coated with a layer of SiO.sub.2 before decorating, even though the formation of a halo may occur only sporadically. | {
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Priority is claimed to Japanese Patent Application Numbers JP2003-342082, filed on Sep. 30, 2003, and JP2004-251364, filed on Aug. 31, 2004, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entireties.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a circuit device and a manufacturing method thereof, more particularly to a circuit device having conductive patterns which are equally spaced apart and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, circuit devices set in electronic equipment have been required to be made smaller, thinner and lighter since the circuit devices are adopted in portable telephones, portable computers and the like.
For example, as the circuit device, a semiconductor device will be described as an example. A wafer-scale CSP having the same size as a chip, which is called a CSP (chip size package), has been recently developed.
FIG. 11 shows a CSP 66 which is slightly larger than chip size. In the CSP 66, a glass epoxy board 65 is adopted as a supporting board. Here, the CSP 66 will be described assuming that a transistor chip T is mounted on the glass epoxy board 65.
On a surface of this glass epoxy board 65, a first electrode 67, a second electrode 68 and a die pad 69 are formed. On a back of the glass epoxy board 65, a first back electrode 70 and a second back electrode 71 are formed. Accordingly, through a through hole TH, the first electrode 67 and the first back electrode 70 are connected to each other. Furthermore, through a through hole TH, the second electrode 68 and the second back electrode 71 are electrically connected to each other. Moreover, the bare transistor chip T is die bonded to the die pad 69 and an emitter electrode of the transistor and the first electrode 67 are connected to each other through a thin metal wire 72. Furthermore, a base electrode of the transistor and the second electrode 68 are connected to each other through a thin metal wire 72. A resin layer 73 is provided on the glass epoxy board 65 so as to cover the transistor chip T.
In the CSP 66, the glass epoxy board 65 is adopted, which leads to an advantage that, unlike the wafer-scale CSP, an extension structure from the chip T to the back electrodes 70 and 71 for external connection can be easily formed and the CSP 66 is manufactured at low cost.
However, in the CSP 66 described above, the glass epoxy board 65 is used as an interposer. Thus, miniaturization and thinning of the CSP 66 had limitations. Consequently, a circuit device 80 requiring no package board, as shown in FIG. 12, was developed (for example, see patent document 1).
With reference to FIG. 12, in the circuit device 80, a circuit element 82 is die bonded to a conductive pattern 81. The circuit element 82 and the conductive pattern 81 are connected to each other through a thin metal wiring 84. A sealing resin 83 covers the circuit element 82, the thin metal wiring 84 and the conductive pattern 81 while exposing a back of the conductive pattern 81. Therefore, the circuit device 80 is configured to require no package board and is formed to be thinner and smaller than the CSP 66.
The conductive pattern 81 in the circuit device 80 is formed by etching a conductive foil. To be more specific, first, a surface of the conductive foil is half etched to form an isolation trench 87. By forming the isolation trench 87, a convex conductive pattern 81 is formed in the surface of the conductive foil. Next, the circuit element 82 is electrically connected to the conductive pattern 81. Thereafter, the sealing resin 83 is formed so as to cover the circuit element and to be filled in the isolation trench 87. Furthermore, the conductive foil is removed from its back until the sealing resin 83 filled in the isolation trench 87 is exposed. Thus, respective conductive patterns 81 are separated. By performing the steps described above, the conductive patterns 81 having a desired shape are formed.
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-076246 (Page 7, FIG. 1) | {
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The present invention relates to a method and an installation for the utilization of residual heat in pulp mills, where spent cooking liquor is evaporated with vapour in a multi-stage evaporator.
In pulp mills with highly advanced recovery, including combustion of spent cooking liquor, and electric generation in a counter-pressure turbine, a considerable surplus of hot water is given at temperatures in the range of 50.degree.-60.degree. C.
It has been proposed to utilize this hot water in district heat distribution networks but, on one hand, a condition therefor is a certain geographical location of the mill in relation to prospective consumers and, on the other hand, the piping always entails a heavy cost. Moreover, in district heating plants the temperature of available water is lower than what is normally the case. Finally, the demand for district heating is least in summer when the supply of surplus heat in the mill is at its highest.
A large heat consumer in the process is the evaporation plant for the above-mentioned liquor, which becomes an essential producer of 50.degree.-60.degree. C. water.
The desire for saving heat energy has since long resulted in arranging the evaporation in several successive stages or so-called effects. Usually five, but also four or six effects may be provided. At an initial temperature of about 140.degree. C. of the vapour discharged from the counter-pressure turbine, the temperature on the liquor side of the last effect will be in the range of 55.degree.-60.degree. C.
The lower limit is, for one thing, due to difficulties with pulsations which physically depend on the course of the vapour pressure curve and the heights of the liquid columns in the evaporation apparatuses. Thus, the drop in temperature between about 60.degree. C. and ambient temperature cannot be used for evaporation. The hot water produced during the condensation of the outlet vapour contributes to the low-temperature surplus in the mill.
A steam turbine is actually the only machine element that can utilize the drop in heat between 60.degree. C. and ambient temperature in a rational manner. To allow the vapour after the evaporation plant to pass a vacuum turbine for final expansion is theoretically possible and also right but it meets with certain practical difficulties. It will be a matter of extremely heavy pipelines and particularly expensive turbines and to this should be added the risk of deposits on the turbine blades from pulp particles coming from the liquor and entrained with the vapour, and problems with the compression of uncondensable gases introduced with the liquor. | {
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A prior art suspension front fork is shown in FIG. 6 and generally includes a lower tube 81 and an end of an upper tube 82 which is movably inserted into the lower tube 81. Hydraulic oil is filled in the lower tube 81 and a chamber 85 is defined above the oil level in the upper tube 82. A valve assembly 84 seals a top of the upper tube 82 so as to keep the pressure in the chamber 85 higher than the atmosphere. A damper assembly 86 is fixed to a lower end of the upper tube 82 and located in the lower tube 81. The damper assembly 86 is submerged in the hydraulic oil and includes a passage 861. A piston 862 is received in the damper assembly 86 and an outlet 863 is defined through a top of the damper assembly 86. A spring 864 is received in the damper assembly 86 and pushes the piston 862 to be located at a lower position in the damper assembly 86. When the bicycle rides on terrain roads, to absorb shocks and vibrations the upper tube 82 is moved toward the lower tube 81 and oil in volume 83a is displaced and passes through damper assembly 86 to volume 83 to absorb a terrain bump. As the bump passes, upper tube 82 moves away from lower tube 81 and oil from volume 83 passes through passage 861 driven by air pressure in volume 85 returning to volume 83a. The action of the fork is dependent on several factors including the viscosity of the hydraulic oil, temperature, pressure in the chamber 85, size of the orifice in passage 861, etc. Additionally, there are rider preferences for the action of the fork and the prior art suspension fork allows only pressure adjustment as an external rider adjustment of the fork action.
The present invention intends to provide an additional means for adjustment of the suspension wherein the damping forces can be modified by rotating an adjusting ring on top of the front fork. This, along with the pressure adjustments, allows the rider to “tune” the suspension to a desired action and compensate for external factors like temperature. | {
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Conventional anti-virus programs running on a conventional personal computer (PC)-type operating system (OS) generally run in the background and see all of the processes running and programs installed on the PC. Computer operating systems for mobile devices are unlike PC-type operating systems in that mobile operating systems, such as for example the APPLE iOS and the mobile OS for smartphones running WINDOWS 8, are much more closed or ‘sandboxed’. For this reason a conventional PC-type anti-virus program will not be very effective for a mobile OS. It is the more limited nature of the mobile OSs rather than the fact that it is installed on a portable device, and so sometimes mobile OSs are referred to as restricted Oss. What is needed in the art is anti-virus functionality for smartphones and other computing devices running a restricted OS, by implementing systems and methods that do not require installing anti-virus software on the device itself. Optionally the system may have a light application on the restricted OS to display system actions, or it may use existing communication channels, such as SMS messages to communicate with the user. Even though the benefits are clearer in restricted OSs, the same system and methods are applicable also for open, PC-type operating systems, in case software installation is performed through a remote virtual application store or virtual social networking site. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a storage medium.
Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there has been a known function of transmitting image data generated on a client computer to a facsimile (fax) machine via a local area network (LAN) and executing a fax transmission from the fax machine. In this case, a fax transmission destination can be specified by a user on the client computer.
There has also been a known function of notifying the fax machine only of a destination specified by the user and transmitting, via fax, image data generated by reading a document on the fax machine to the specified destination, without preparing image data on the client computer (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-288625).
However, in the technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-288625, when a scanner unit of the fax machine is in use or when the fax machine is executing a document reading-and-transmission job according to an instruction from another client computer, the fax machine does not receive a new document reading-and-transmission job. More specifically, in the technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-288625, there has been a problem of user-unfriendliness because whether a new document reading-and-transmission job is executable is determined by a use state of the fax machine by another user.
Further, in the technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-288625, when the fax machine almost simultaneously receives document reading-and-transmission jobs from different client computers, the fax machine transmits image data generated by reading a document to the destination specified by the job received first. Therefore, the image data may be transmitted to a destination not intended by the user, i.e., a destination specified by a document reading-and-transmission job input by another client computer, causing a security problem. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a compressor, and more particularly, to an apparatus for controlling a driving of a reciprocating compressor and a method thereof.
2. Description of the Background Art
Generally, a reciprocating compressor is not provided with a crankshaft for converting a rotary motion into a linear motion thus to have a less frictional loss. Therefore, the reciprocating compressor has more increased compression efficiency than a general compressor.
When the reciprocating compressor is applied to a refrigerator or an air conditioner, a cooling capacity thereof is controlled by varying a compression ratio by varying a stroke voltage inputted thereto. Herein, the stroke denotes a distance between an upper dead point of a piston and a lower dead point.
The conventional reciprocating compressor will be explained with reference to FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a construction of an apparatus for controlling a driving of a reciprocating compressor in accordance with the conventional art.
As shown, the conventional apparatus for controlling a driving of a reciprocating compressor comprises a current detector 4 for detecting a current applied to a motor (not shown) of a reciprocating compressor 6, a voltage detector 3 for detecting a voltage applied to the motor, a stroke calculator 5 for calculating a stroke estimation value of the compressor according to the detected current and voltage and a parameter of the motor, a comparator 1 for comparing the calculated stroke estimation value with a preset stroke command value and thus outputting a difference value therebetween, and a stroke controller 2 for controlling a stroke of the compressor 6 by varying a voltage applied to the motor by controlling a turn-on cycle of a triac (not shown) connected to the motor in serial according to the difference value.
Hereinafter, an operation of the apparatus for controlling a driving of the reciprocating compressor according to the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. 1.
The current detector 4 detects a current applied to a motor (not shown) of the compressor 6, and outputs the detected current value to the stroke calculator 5. The voltage detector 3 detects a voltage applied to the motor, and outputs the detected voltage value to the stroke calculator 5.
The stroke calculator 5 calculates a stroke estimation value (X) of the compressor by substituting the detected current value, the detected voltage value, and a parameter of the motor into the following formula 1, and then applies the calculated stroke estimation value (X) to the comparator 1.
X = 1 α ∫ ( V m - Ri - Li ) ⅆ t formula 1
Herein, the R denotes a resistance value, the L denotes a motor inductance value, the α denotes a motor constant, the Vm denotes a voltage applied to the motor, the i denotes a current applied to the motor, and the ī denotes a variation ratio of a current applied to the motor according to time. That is, the ī denotes a differential value of the i (di/dt).
Then, the comparator 1 compares the stroke estimation value with the stroke command value, and applies a difference value therebetween to the stroke controller 2.
The stroke controller 2 varies a voltage applied to the motor of the compressor 6 according to the difference value, thereby controlling a stroke of the compressor 6.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a method for controlling a driving of a reciprocating compressor in accordance with the conventional art.
When a stroke estimation value obtained by the stroke calculator 5 is applied to the comparator 1 (S1), the comparator 1 compares the stroke estimation value with a preset stroke command value thereby to obtain a difference value therebetween (S2). Then, the comparator 1 outputs the difference value to the stroke controller 2.
When the stroke estimation value is less than the stroke command value, the stroke controller 2 increases a voltage to be applied to the motor in order to control a stroke of the compressor (S3). On the contrary, when the stroke estimation value is greater than the stroke command value, the stroke controller 2 decreases a voltage to be applied to the motor (S4). Herein, the stroke controller 2 increases or decreases a voltage to be applied to the motor by controlling a turn-on cycle of a triac (not shown) electrically connected to the motor.
The stroke command value is varied according to a size of a load of the reciprocating compressor. That is, when the load of the reciprocating compressor is large, the stroke command value is increased not to decrease a stroke of a piston thereby to prevent a cooling capacity from being decreased. On the contrary, when the load of the reciprocating compressor is small, the stroke command value is decreased not to increase a stroke of a piston thereby to prevent a cooling capacity from being increased and to prevent a collision between the piston and a cylinder due to an over stroke.
The conventional linear compressor using a stroke voltage has a decreased efficiency when a stroke of a piston is decreased into a certain level, thereby having a limitation in implementing a capacity variation.
The conventional rotary compressor using a rotation motor implements a capacity variation of a wide range by varying a frequency. When a frequency is varied within a range of a small capacity variation, the efficiency of the rotary compressor is not drastically decreased. On the contrary, when a stroke of a piston is small, the efficiency of the reciprocating compressor is decreased. | {
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Biological testing for the presence and/or concentration of an analyte may be conducted for a variety of reasons including, amongst other applications, preliminary diagnosis, screening samples for presence of controlled substances and management of long term health conditions.
Lateral flow devices (also known as “lateral flow immunoassays”) are one variety of biological testing. Lateral flow devices may be used to test a liquid sample such as saliva, blood or urine, for the presence of an analyte. Examples of lateral flow devices include home pregnancy tests, home ovulation tests, tests for other hormones, tests for specific pathogens and tests for specific drugs. For example, EP 0 291 194 A1 describes a lateral flow device for performing a pregnancy test.
In a typical lateral flow testing strip, a liquid sample is introduced at one end of a porous strip which is then drawn along the strip by capillary action (or “wicking”). A portion of the lateral flow strip is pre-treated with labelling particles that have been activated with a reagent which binds to the analyte to form a complex (if the analyte is present in the sample). The bound complexes and any unreacted labelling particles continue to propagate along the strip before reaching a testing region which is pre-treated with an immobilised binding reagent that binds bound complexes of analyte and labelling particles and does not bind unreacted labelling particles. The labelling particles have a distinctive colour, or other detectable optical property such as fluorescence. The development of a concentration of labelling particles in the test regions provides an observable indication that the analyte has been detected. Lateral flow test strips may be based on, for example, colorimetric labelling using gold or latex nanoparticles. Fluorescent colorimetry employs marker molecules which fluoresce a specific colour.
Another variety of biological testing involves assays conducted in liquids held in a container such as a vial, a PCR well or plate, a cuvette or a microfluidic cell. Liquid assays may be measured based on colorimetric measurements in reflection, transmission or fluorescence arrangements. An advantage of some liquid based assays is that they may allow tests to be conducted using very small (e.g. picolitre) volumes. However, in such small volumes, the desired colour change or fluorescence may be difficult to detect.
Sometimes, merely determining the presence or absence of an analyte is desired, i.e. a qualitative colorimetric test. In other applications, an accurate concentration of the analyte may be desired, i.e. a quantitative colorimetric test. Mobile devices including cameras, for example smart phones, have been widely adopted. It has been suggested to employ such mobile devices to perform quantitative analysis of the results of colorimetric lateral flow tests. | {
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Power actuators are motor/gear driven assemblies that pull cables which typically unlock and release locking mechanisms, and thereby allow a portion of a seat system to move/rotate. The actuators are mechanically back-driven to their initial starting positions, typically with a spring. A drawback to this approach is that the back-drive spring makes the motor and gears rotate quickly in reverse direction, producing a whining sound during return and a noticeably loud click when the gears reach their travel stop. More significantly perhaps is that the gear train is subjected to very high impact loading, and the gear teeth are vulnerable to fracture. To protect the gear train and minimize the clicking sound, rubber bumper stops are sometimes used. But the reverse whining sound is still present, and the bumpers are added expense. Return time is typically ½ second. A standard solution which places a diode across the motor terminals eliminates motor whine and gear tooth impact loading results in an undesirably long return time (˜5 seconds).
Accordingly, there is a need for improved vehicle seat actuators with improved sound and time performance. | {
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Wafer inspection systems help a semiconductor manufacturer increase and maintain integrated circuit (IC) chip yields by detecting defects that occur during the manufacturing process. One purpose of inspection systems is to monitor whether a manufacturing process meets specifications. The inspection system indicates the problem and/or the source of the problem if the manufacturing process is outside the scope of established norms, which the semiconductor manufacturer can then address.
Evolution of the semiconductor manufacturing industry is placing ever greater demands on yield management and, in particular, on metrology and inspection systems. Critical dimensions are shrinking while wafer size is increasing. Economics is driving the industry to decrease the time for achieving high-yield, high-value production. Thus, minimizing the total time from detecting a yield problem to fixing it determines the return-on-investment for the semiconductor manufacturer.
Detecting that a defect is in a test image can be important to a semiconductor manufacturer. Defects can be detected by comparing an image of a wafer to a reference image. For example, “double detection” can be used to detect defects. Using this double detection technique, the defect needs to be detected in two difference images. Each of these two difference images subtracts the test image from one of a first reference image or a second reference image. However, if one of the reference images is influenced by wafer noise, then the defect may not be flagged even if it is detected when comparing the test image to the other reference image.
Therefore, improved systems and techniques for defect detection are needed. | {
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The present invention relates to a biological heart pacemaker, and more importantly to an implantation in the heart of a biological pacemaker that is molecularly determined.
Throughout this application, various publications are referenced to by numbers. Full citations for these publications may be found at the end of the specification immediately preceding the claims. The disclosures of these publications in their entireties are hereby incorporated by reference into this application in order to more fully describe the state of the art to those skilled therein as of the date of the invention described and claimed herein.
The pacemaker current, If, is present in both automatic (1) and non-automatic (2-6) regions of the heart. Further, the threshold voltage of activation varies widely among cardiac regions, being least negative in the sinus node (e.g. in rabbit sinus node it is −40 mV (7)) and most negative in the ventricle (−108 mV or more negative, depending on species (5,8,9). Interestingly, the current activates at less negative voltages in the newborn ventricle (approximately −70 mV in rat (8,10)) and the diseased adult ventricle (approximately −70 mV threshold in aged hypertensive rat(11), −55 mV in failing human ventricle (12)) The molecular and cellular bases for the regional variability of activation voltages in the normal adult heart and the regulation of ventricular activation voltage by development and disease remain to be determined, but such understanding is critical to any future therapeutic application of the expressed current in myocardium. | {
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The present invention relates to a camera capable of soft focus photographing using a camera hand correction unit and applicable to a digital camera, a silver salt film camera or the other various types of cameras.
Varied techniques which give a soft focus effect to a picked-up image while picking up an image with a camera focused on a subject have been proposed and put to practical use. The invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-19613 is one of these techniques. According to this invention, a camera includes, a conversion lens arranged to be movable between an insertion position at which the conversion lens is inserted into a photographing optical system and a retreat position at which the conversion lens is retreated to the outside of the photographing optical system, and a photographing lens the focal distance of which differs between a state in which the conversion lens is inserted into the photographing optical system and a state in which the conversion lens is retreated to the outside of the photographing optical system. If a driving section drives and vibrates the conversion lens while the conversion lens is inserted into the photographing optical system and during photographing and exposure, a soft focus effect is given to a picked-up image.
There are also proposed techniques which give a soft focus effect to a picked-up image by mechanically, slightly vibrating an optical component of a varied type.
Further, techniques which give a soft focus effect while using an image processing technique in a digital camera have been proposed. The invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-243493 is one of these techniques. According to this invention, a digital camera includes, a gain adjustment unit which adjusts the gain of at least one of an intermediate frequency component and a high frequency component of an original image signal, a unit which generates amount-of-focus image signal from an original image signal, and an addition unit which adds the image signal gain-adjusted by the gain adjustment unit and the out-of-focus image signal together. The digital camera generates a soft focus image signal from the digital original image.
The invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-275350 is also one of these techniques which obtain a soft focus effect by applying an image processing technique. According to this invention, by setting a mode in advance while using a technique which suppresses a grain form if a film original is an under negative film or a highly sensitive negative film, an image processing for grain form suppression can be changed to a soft focus processing.
In case of obtaining a soft focus effect by mechanically, slightly vibrating an optical component as described in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-19613, it is necessary to provide a dedicated mechanism which obtains the soft focus effect and, in some cases, to add an optical component. As a result, the configuration of the digital camera is disadvantageously complicated and the cost thereof is disadvantageously pushed up.
Furthermore, in case of obtaining a soft focus effect by applying the image processing technique as described in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-243493 or 11-275350, it is necessary to carry out an image processing operation and take time to carry out this operation. It is not, therefore, possible to easily, freely obtain a soft focus image. Besides, available cameras are normally limited to digital cameras.
The present invention has been achieved in order to solve the above conventional problems. It is an object of this invention to provide a camera capable of obtaining a soft focus image without providing a dedicated mechanism or optical component which obtains a soft focus effect and capable of obtaining the soft focus image without carrying out any complicated image processing.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera capable of soft focus photographing with a blurring correction unit, the blurring correction unit comprising, a displacement sensor attached to the camera and capable of measuring a displacement of the camera, and driving mechanisms capable of independently moving an optical component or a photographic member including a lens in two directions, respectively, the driving mechanisms actuated according to a detection signal of the displacement sensor, the blurring correction unit capable of correcting a disturbance in a picked-up image due to blurring, wherein by forcedly actuating the driving mechanisms of the blurring correction unit by selection of a photographer, soft focus is attained.
A second aspect of the present invention provides the camera capable of soft focus photographing according to the first aspect, wherein the driving mechanisms allow the optical component or the photographic member to make a circular motion by independently moving the optical component or the photographic member in the two orthogonal directions, respectively, in accordance with driving waves each in a form of one of a sine wave and a cosine wave while a shutter is opened.
A third aspect of the present invention provides the camera capable of soft focus photographing according to the first aspect, wherein the driving mechanisms independently move the optical component or the photographic member in two orthogonal directions, respectively, according to driving waves each in a form of one of a sine wave and a cosine wave while a shutter is opened, the driving waves in the two directions are alternately changing periodic waves, and the driving mechanisms move the optical component or the photographic member by the periodic waves, respectively.
A fourth aspect of the present invention provides the camera capable of soft focus photographing according to the second or third aspect, wherein while the shutter is opened, each of the driving mechanisms has a combination of an operation state and an inoperative state.
A fifth aspect of the present invention provides the camera capable of soft focus photographing according to the second aspect, wherein each of the driving waves has a frequency of a natural number having at least one cycle.
A sixth aspect of the present invention provides the camera capable of soft focus photographing according to the second aspect, wherein amplitudes of the driving waves are adjustable.
A seventh aspect of the present invention provides the camera capable of soft focus photographing according to the fourth aspect, wherein operative time and inoperative time of each of the driving mechanisms while the shutter is opened are adjustable.
An eighth aspect of the present invention provides the camera capable of soft focus photographing according to the sixth or seventh aspect, wherein amplitude levels of the driving waves or operation time levels and inoperative time levels of the driving mechanisms are set in interlock with operation of an operation member provided at the camera, to thereby allow the photographer to select a soft focus level.
A ninth aspect of the present invention provides the camera capable of soft focus photographing according to the sixth or seventh aspect, wherein amplitude levels of the driving waves or operation time levels and inoperative time levels of the driving mechanisms are set in interlock with a change in a focal length of a photographic lens.
A tenth aspect of the present invention provides the camera capable of soft focus photographing according to the sixth or seventh aspect, wherein amplitude levels of the driving waves or operation time levels and inoperative time levels of the driving mechanisms are set in interlock with a change in a photographic distance.
An eleventh aspect of the present invention provides the camera capable of soft focus photographing according to the sixth or seventh aspect, wherein amplitude levels of the driving waves or operation time levels and inoperative time levels of the driving mechanisms are set in interlock with a change in aperture of a diaphragm of a photographic lens.
A twelfth aspect of the present invention provides the camera capable of soft focus photographing according to the sixth or seventh aspect, wherein amplitude levels of the driving waves or operation time levels and inoperative time levels of the driving mechanisms are set in interlock with an automatic exposure control state.
A thirteen aspect of the present invention provides the camera capable of soft focus photographing according to the first aspect, wherein blurring prevention photographing conducted by operation of the blurring correction unit and soft focus photographing conducted by forcedly actuating the blurring correction unit can be combined.
A fourteenth aspect of the present invention provides the camera capable of soft focus photographing according to the first aspect, comprising, a selection unit capable of selecting one of normal photographing with the blurring correction unit set in an inoperative state, blurring correction photographing with the blurring correction unit set in an operative state, soft focus photographing by forcedly operating the driving mechanisms of the blurring correction unit and blurring correction-added soft focus photographing.
Other objects and features of this invention will become understood from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Outpatient prescription medication treatments are relied upon heavily for increased quality of life and lower lifetime healthcare costs. Medical experts have long held that taking at least 80% of a prescribed drug is required to achieve desired therapeutic outcomes and lower lifetime healthcare costs. For example, a patient who faithfully takes cholesterol-reducing medicine significantly reduces the likelihood of a coronary event that has attendant cost-intensive medical procedures and diminished quality of life. Outpatients strongly desire to avoid such events and hospital stays, yet only 20% of all outpatients take their prescription medicines according to doctor's instructions.
Increased medication adherence, also known as patient adherence, medication compliance, or patient compliance, benefits the healthcare system by vastly reducing patients' lifetime medical costs while increasing their therapeutic outcomes. Further, market research suggests that patients have a desire to comply, but will not take on the burden of any additional actions or otherwise change their behavior. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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In general, a Base Station (BS) receives information on intensities of signals, intensities of interference signals from adjacent cells, and a data rate from User Equipments (UEs) located at cell edges and controls transmission power of each cell based on the received information.
By using a transmission power control technology, throughput of the UEs located at the cell edges currently in an in-service state can be improved. However, since a conventional transmission power control technology does not consider a cell outage detection and a cell outage compensation at all, a cell coverage in an out-of-service state cannot be controlled.
Meanwhile, in order to guarantee service quality, a network operator performs a process of optimizing a coverage to resolve the cell outage when installing a system. The cell outage occurs when an intensity of a received signal from a serving cell is low or intensities of interference signals from adjacent cells are high. Accordingly, by controlling transmission power of the cell, a problem of the cell outage can be solved. To solve the problem, at present, cell outage related information such as a position where the cell outage is generated and an intensity of a received signal is collected in a passive manner such as a drive test and transmission power of cells located at an area where the cell outage is generated based on the collected information. The process of optimizing the cell coverage is passively performed, thereby requiring a lot of time and human resources. Accordingly, the process is inefficient and its capability is also unsatisfactory. Therefore, a method is needed in which the system automatically controls the transmission power of the cell by detecting and compensating for the cell outage. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a transmission and a power transmitting system, and in particular to a transmission having a rotating member and a support member that supports the rotating member such that the rotating member is not able to rotate, and a power transmitting system including the transmission.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, in a hybrid vehicle provided with a power transmitting system that transmits power from an internal combustion engine to driving wheels through engagement of gears, the internal combustion engine, a first motor generator, and a second motor generator connected to the driving wheels via a reduction gear are respectively connected to three rotating elements of a power distribution mechanism. In this type of hybrid vehicle, power of the second motor generator is transmitted to the driving wheels via the reduction gear, so that large power is generated while the size of the second motor generator is reduced.
A known example of the power transmitting system of the related art having the reduction gear is illustrated in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8. In FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, a second motor generator MG2 includes a stator (not shown) that forms a rotating magnetic field, and a rotor 1 disposed inside the stator and having a plurality of permanent magnets embedded therein.
A stator core of the stator of the second motor generator MG2 is formed by, for example, laminating magnetic steel sheets together, and is fixed to an inner circumferential wall of a case 2 as a support member of the power transmitting system.
The reduction gear is constructed such that a carrier as a rotating member that is one of rotating elements of a planetary gearset is fixed to the case 2, so as to reduce the speed of rotation of the second motor generator MG2. More specifically, the reduction gear includes a sun gear 3 coupled to a rotor shaft 1a formed integrally with the rotor 1, a ring gear 4 that transmits power to driveshafts (as an output portion) of driving wheels (not shown) via a gear mechanism, pinion gears 5 that mesh with the ring gear 4 and the sun gear 3 and transmit rotation of the sun gear 3 to the ring gear 4, and the carrier 6 as the rotating member that rotatably supports the pinion gears 5, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-308094 (JP-A-2005-308094). The ring gear 4 is formed integrally with a ring gear of a power distribution mechanism (not shown), and is operable to transmit power to the driveshafts when power of the internal combustion engine is transmitted to the ring gear of the power distribution mechanism.
Also, a plurality of protrusions 6a are formed at a radially outer portion of the carrier 6, and a plurality of recesses 2a are formed in the inner circumferential surface of the case 2. Through engagement of the protrusions 6a of the carrier 6 with the recesses 2a of the case 2, the carrier 6 is mounted in the case 2 such that the carrier 6 is not able to rotate relative to the case 2.
In the power transmitting system having the reduction gear as described above, power of the second motor generator MG2 is transmitted to the ring gear 4 via the sun gear 3 and the pinion gears 4, and then transmitted from the ring gear 4 to the driving wheels, so that the speed of rotation of the second motor generator MG2 (i.e., rotor 1) can be reduced by the reduction gear.
In the reduction gear as described above, however, the width of each of the recesses 2a is required to be larger than the width of each of the protrusions 6a, so that the carrier 6 can be reliably mounted in the case 2. As a result, gaps are formed between the protrusions 6a and the recesses 2a when the carrier 6 is mounted in the case 2.
With the gaps thus formed between the protrusions 6a and the recesses 2a, when torque variations of the internal combustion engine are transmitted from the ring gear 4 to the pinion gears 5, or when torque produced during rotation of the second motor generator MG2 in forward and reverse directions is transmitted to the pinion gears 5 via the sun gear 3, torque may be applied to the carrier 6 that supports the pinion gears 5. As a result, unpleasant sound or noise may occur due to collisions between the protrusions 6a of the carrier 6 and the walls of the recesses 2a of the case 2. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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A large variability in the cooking quality of pulses or dhals has been observed among different pulses and even among different varieties of the same pulse. It has always been a difficult task to precisely assess the cooking quality of dhals. Current methods are very subjective. Generally, cooking quality of dhals is a function of cooking time i.e., time of boiling the dhal in excess water until it attains desired soft texture and is ready for consumption. Cooking quality has been shown as a function of water uptake, increase in volume after cooking, dispersibility of solids into water and textural softening during cooking and some of these could be used as indices of cooking. Textural softening and end point of cooking is judged by pressing the cooked dhal between two glass slides and taken as time at which ‘there are no hard-centres’. Obviously this is quite subjective and varies from analyst to analyst and also cannot be easily quantified. Similarly the end point of cooking of rice is normally judged by pressing the cooked rice between two glass slides and the time at which there is disappearance of white core is taken as its cooking time. However, these are quite subjective and do not provide a quantitative method for direct measurement of texture of cooked grains (dhals/rice). Literature available for this and their limitations are reviewed here.
Reference may be made to the publication by Subba Rao et al (1964) who studied the effect of cooking conditions and chemicals on the cooking quality of several dhals. They have described a method for evaluating the cooking quality in terms of cooking time. A suggestion was also made that quantity of solids dispersed during cooking could be used as a measure of cookability of pulses when cooked as dhals. They showed that different dhals dispersed to different extents during cooking and hence could be used as a method for comparing the cookability of different dhals. However, this does not provide a method for measuring the cooked grain texture.
Narasimha and Desikachar (1978) made a study on the cooking quality of dhals from sixteen varieties of tur pulse (Cajanus cajan) in comparison with that of dhals from green gram and horse gram and showed that percent dispersed solids (% DS) during cooking correlated well with cooking time of the dhals. It was suggested that this could be used as an objective measure of cooking quality of tur when cooked as dhal and showed that a measurement of dispersed solids at a particular time of cooking of the dhals could be used for comparing the cookability of different pulses since % DS correlated very well with the cooking time of dhal being cooked. Though this provided a method for comparing the cookability of different pulses when cooked as dhals, it did not provide a method for a direct measurement of this attribute.
Reference may be made to the publication by Yusuf and Tabey (1981) where different methods for measuring cooking quality of faba beans (Vicia faba) were surveyed; They included subjective methods, use of tenderometer, penetrometer and correlate the values measured to cookability. However all these were applicable only for whole grains, based on compression or penetration of cooked grains and correlating the force required to texture in terms of 50% compression of cooked grains. These are not applicable to dhals because of small thickness and difference in the pattern of cooking between whole grains and their Pals.
Reference may be made to a method suggested by Pratape and Narasimha (1994) where the Chopin—INRA viscoelastograph was used to determine firmness of cooked dhal from soya bean. However, this method is more suitable for dhals, which do not loose shape (non-dispersible type) during cooking and hence can be applied to dhals at a stage earlier to full cooking. Moreover the instrument is rather sophisticated, expensive, and not easily affordable for all laboratories in a country like ours and needs expertise to handle. Hence it may not be very much suitable for routine use. In addition, it is based on resistance to compression and elastic recovery on release of the force applied on cooked grains and hence more suitable for whole grains rather than dhals.
Reference may be made to the publication by Matson (1946) wherein a device, named ‘Bean cooker’, for measuring cookability of yellow cowpeas was described. This device consisted of one hundred plunger-based unit wherein one rod was placed on each of the bean sample being cooked and the entire device was kept in a boiling water bath. Number of beans penetrated with progressive cooking was counted and the time at which 50% of the grains were penetrated was taken as cooking time. Limitations of this unit is that many dhals and whole pulses become soft even due to hydration alone and hence even though they had not attained cooked texture, they were easily penetrated. This resulted in wrong judgment of cooking time and hence does not very well meet the requirements of measuring the cooked cotyledon/dhal texture. Chinnan (1985) modified this unit for evaluating the degree of hardness in cooked beans, by introducing an electronic measuring device. However the drawbacks mentioned earlier are still associated with this modified unit also.
Rice is another cereal grain that is extremely used in the grain form after cooking to soft texture. A few attempts have been made for judging the textural softness of cooked rice and these are reviewed here. Reference may be made to the publication by Ranghino, (1966) who has suggested the pressing of cooked rice between two glass slides and observing the time at which there is disappearance of the white core and this is taken as its cooking time. However, this is very subjective (varies from person to person) and does not give a quantitative measure of the texture of cooked rice.
Reference may be made to the publication by Pillaiyar and Mohandoss (1981), who have described an impact-pressing device. Here a mild steel shaft is momentarily dropped from a pre-determined height (10 or 15 cm) on to a glass plate where the cooked rice is kept and the resulting pressed area is measured using a planimeter. Pressed area was determined for differently prepared parboiled rice sample and correlated to their sensory characteristics. They showed a relationship between the pressed areas of cooked rice to L/B ratio of the corresponding raw grains and suggested that this method could be used for differentiating differently processed parboiled rice samples. These authors, however did not suggest a method for an objective measurement of cooking time of rice being cooked. Moreover the impact system used here caused extensive mechanical damage to the cooked grains and could not be applied for judging the end point of cooking.
Sowbhagya and Ali (1990) have suggested that cooked rice attains final moisture of around 72% (wb) and could be well correlated with firmness (% F) and expansion ratio measured in a viscoelastogram. It was suggested that the grain could be considered “cooked” when it attains an F value of around 70%. This method was shown to be applicable to measure the firmness of cooked soya bean by Pratape and Narasimha, (1994). However the tests are sophisticated and may not be suitable for routine use due to non-availability of the instrument.
Need for the invention of a simple device and an objective method for judging the end point of cooking of grains like rice and dhals that could be used for routine evaluation therefore exists. Most of the methods described earlier do not give an objective and direct method for measuring the textural softness (doneness or end point of cooking) of cooked grains (dhals and rice) and current invention fulfills this gap. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid developer-preparing apparatus.
2. Related Art
As developers used for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on a latent image carrier, there are a dry toner which refers to a toner used in a dry state and constituted with materials including a colorant such as a pigment and a binder resin, and a liquid developer which is obtained by dispersing a toner in a carrier liquid having electrical insulation properties.
The dry toner is prepared by a dry pulverizing method that pulverizes materials including a colorant and a binder resin in a dry state. On the other hand, for the liquid developer, an insulating liquid is used as a medium, and toner particles in the liquid developer are pulverized in a wet state. Accordingly, a developer containing toner particles having a volume average particle size smaller than that of the above dry toner is obtained. Compared to the dry toner, the liquid developer obtained by the wet pulverizing method described above shows superior reproducibility of fine line images, gradation reproducibility, and color reproducibility and is more optimal for a high-speed image forming method.
In recent years, as resolution has been increased in forming images, yet smaller toner particles compared to the volume average particle size of toner particles in the related art have been required. However, in a method of preparing a liquid developer used in the related art, it takes a long time for pulverizing toner particles to obtain a volume average particle size required for high resolution, and large pulverizing energy is required. In addition, in the wet pulverizing method used in the related art, when the dispersibility of toner particles in a liquid developer is insufficient, sedimentation of the toner particles is caused when the developer is left as is for a long time, and the toner particles in the liquid developer aggregate in some cases.
In order to obtain a liquid developer in which small-sized toner particles suitable for high resolution are stably dispersed, several methods have been proposed. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The invention relates to an apparatus and method for dewatering the suspension of comminuted fiber material and a liquid. There are many existing prior art structures for a suspension of comminuted fiber material and a liquid, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,579,420 and 3,348,390. While such prior art devices are generally successful, there usually is a passageway that is movable with respect to a container through which a suspension to be dewatered flows associated therewith. This means that there is a potential for leakage of fluid from the container, which leakage, of course, is undesirable. Also, such prior art devices are relatively complicated, and rely on an outside pressure source or the like for movement of a dewatering screen, while the present invention utilizes the liquid of the suspension, and/or liquid that is removed from the suspension, for movement of a relatively simple screen moving mechanism.
According to the present invention, a dewatering apparatus is provided which includes a generally circular cross-section container through which a suspension to be dewatered flows in a given direction, a hydraulic piston mounted substantially concentrically in the container and having an interior chamber therein for transporting liquid removed from the container to an area remote from the container (i.e., reservoir), screen means mounted on the piston for allowing the passage of liquid removed from the suspension through the interior chamber of the piston to the remote area, while not allowing removal of material suspended in the suspension therethrough, means responsive to the fluid pressure of liquid from the suspension for moving the hydraulic piston relative to the container in either a first direction, corresponding to the direction of flow of fluid in the container, or a second direction opposite to the first direction, the means including a first and a second piston faces, and means for forcing liquid removed from the suspension through the piston chamber to the second piston face to move the piston in the second direction, so that no substantially dewatering takes place during movement of the piston in the second direction and so that the piston is moved to a position wherein it again may be moved in the first direction. Preferably, means are provided to insure that the piston moves more quickly in the second direction than in the first direction, so that unclogging of the screen means is facilitated during movement of the screen means in the second direction. The screen means may comprise a plurality of annular screen members having an internal chamber thereof operatively connected to a plurality of supporting arms radially extending from the piston.
According to the method of dewatering of a suspension of comminuted fiber material in a liquid, according to the present invention, the following method steps are effected: a suspension to be dewatered is passed through a container in a first direction, and a portion of the liquid from the suspension is separated out with screen means, and the separated liquid is removed from the container. A piston supporting the screen means is moved in a first direction -- the direction of suspension flow -- under the pressure of liquid of the suspension while separating out of a portion of the liquid from the suspension takes place, and then the separating out of liquid from the suspension is substantially terminated while the piston is moved in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, under the influence of liquid which has been separated from the suspension. Preferably, backflushing of the screen means also takes place during movement of the piston in the second direction in order to further facilitate unclogging of the screen means.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide improved apparatus and an improved method for dewatering of a suspension of comminuted fiber material and a liquid. This and other objects of the present invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to integrated circuits, and more particularly to radiofrequency integrated circuits intended to operate at frequencies greater than or equal to 1 GHz.
2. Description of the Related Art
At the present time, radiofrequency integrated circuits incorporate, within the same substrate, various separate, analog or digital, functional blocks such as, for example, LNAs (low-noise amplifiers), local oscillators, power amplifiers, digital demodulators or even phase-locked loops.
However, the production of integrated circuits is constrained by the need to equip them with electrostatic discharge protection means that protect them from the electrostatic discharges that could damage the electronic components of the integrated circuit.
Conventionally, these electrostatic discharge protection means comprise, in addition to the diodes and conventional protection circuits better known as clamps, several discharge (or metallization) rails respectively connected to the various functional blocks and forming a ground reference for the electrostatic discharges. To ensure continuous electrical continuity between these various discharge rails, provision is made in particular to place back-to-back diodes between the said rails.
However, such a construction induces coupling capacitances between the discharge rails, and consequently potential noise transmission between these rails.
Now, the transmission of noise may hamper, in particular in the radio frequency field, certain particularly sensitive functional blocks such as low-noise amplifiers.
Accordingly, there exists a need for overcoming the disadvantages of the prior art as discussed above. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for compressing body tissue to prevent hemorrhaging at a surgical site within a patient""s body. More specifically, the invention provides a clip and a system for delivering the clip to the surgical site. The present invention could be utilized for any of a variety of procedures, including to close an organ perforation from inside a lumen by approximating and compressing the wound edges of the perforated tissue.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bleeding Peptic Ulcer Disease can be a critical event since there is internal hemorrhaging associated with the ulcer. Patients that are suspected of having bleeding peptic ulcer disease can be diagnosed and treated endoscopically in emergency rooms of medical centers, intensive care units, or, in a Gastro-Intestinal (GI) suite, although personnel and equipment may need to be transported to the patient. Surgery, either laparoscopic or open, is an option. For example, if the diseased tissue is beyond repair, a surgical gastric resection may have to be performed. However, surgery is not preferred unless there is no endoscopic alternative or if previous endoscopic efforts have not succeeded. Surgical intervention is not preferred for at least the reasons that it has associated with it greater morbidity and mortality, and also, significantly higher costs than other procedures.
Ulcers are classified from clean ulcer to active spurting bleeding. The most worrisome are active bleeders and visible vessels. Untreated visible vessels are likely to bleed. For the GI endoscopist, hemorrhaging is the most worrisome procedure. It is his/her only unplanned, emergency procedure where time is critical in determining the success or failure of the procedure. It is the one problem the endoscopist faces that is generally not an outpatient procedure.
The endoscopist generally has a primary success rate of about 90% in treating bleeding ulcers; the balance are usually referred to surgery. All identified ulcers may re-bleed at a later time, whether endoscopically treated or untreated, but the re-bleed rate for endoscopically treated active bleeds and visible vessels is generally 10-30%. These rates have not improved significantly in decades.
The long-term probability of success of surgery in treating a bleeding ulcer, i.e., no re-bleed of the ulcer or permanent hemostasis, is virtually 100%. The reason that surgery has a higher success rate is because the bleeding site is compressed mechanically. Using either sutures or staples, the bleeding vessel is ligated, or tissue around the bleed site is compressed, ligating all of the surrounding vessels.
At present, the endoscopist has two widely used, and some lesser used (or experimental) therapeutic modalities for hemostasis. The most widely used are thermal and injection therapy. Some of the lesser used options are a mechanical clip, a loop, lasers and argon plasma cautery. However, drawbacks exist with these known procedures for the endoscopist. A brief description of these procedures are provided below.
In thermal therapy, a catheter with a rigid, heating element tip is passed through a working channel of an endoscope after the bleed is visualized and diagnosed. After the rigid catheter tip has exited the endoscope, the endoscope is manipulated to press the tip against the bleed site. Thermal power is then applied which desiccates and cauterizes the tissue. The combination of the tip compressing the tissue/vessel during thermal application essentially (theoretically) welds the vessel closed. Thermal generation is accomplished by either a resistive element within the tip or by applying RF energy through the tissue. However, both methods require a specialized power generator.
For injection therapy, a catheter with a distally extendible hypo-needle is passed through a working channel of an endoscope after the bleed is visualized and diagnosed. After the catheter tip has exited the endoscope, the endoscope is manipulated to the bleed site, the needle is extended remotely and inserted into the bleed site. A xe2x80x9cvasoconstrictingxe2x80x9d, liquefied drug is remotely injected through the needle. The drug constricts the vessels to stop the bleeding. The most common drug is saline diluted epinephrine; alcohol is another option. This procedure usually requires that multiple injections be performed in, and peripherally around, the bleeding site until hemostasis is observed.
Of the above two modalities, the preferred modality is dependent, generally, upon the geographic region in which it is performed. Different modalities are preferred in different geographic regions. In some areas and institutions, both therapies are combined in an attempt to improve the outcome of the procedure.
For mechanical compression, loops and mechanical clips are known for use, however, problems exist with each. A known loop is a snare-like loop that is passed through an endoscope""s working channel via a flexible delivery catheter. The loop is placed around the bleeding site and retracted into the delivery catheter similar to the closing of a snare. The loop has a sliding member with a friction interface against the loop that acts like a draw string lock. After the loop is closed and locked around the site, the assembly is unattached from the delivery catheter. Whereas the loop is an endoscopically delivered compression device, its primary use is for bleeding polyp stalks, and thus, it is not designed for, nor appropriate for use in, ulcer treatment procedures.
A mechanical clip is known, however, the known mechanical clip has drawbacks. The known clip is a two legged clip that is passed through an endoscope""s working channel via a flexible delivery catheter. The jaws of the clip are remotely opened, pushed into the bleeding site, closed and detached. Because of the requirement to pass the clip through the endoscope, the clip""s size must be limited which prevents the clip from being able to clamp off all of the vessels in the tissue around the wound. Additionally, the clip is not able to provide sufficient clamping force because of its structural design. Thus, these clips require multiple applications and are not effective for definitive hemostasis. An additional problem with these clips is that when delivering these clips to the wound site, good visualization of the bleeding vessel cannot be obtained. The endoscopist may be required to blindly attach the clip, resulting in an imprecisely preformed procedure that may require guess work on the part of the endoscopist.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an improved system and method for endoscopically treating bleeding ulcers which could bring the initial hemostasis success rate for the endoscopic procedure in-line with the success rate achievable in surgical procedures. This system and method would provide for an improved capability to mechanically compress the bleeding site to achieve an effect which is commensurate with that obtainable in a surgical procedure.
A system and method for delivering a surgical clip to a surgical site within a patient""s body to compress body tissue is provided. In one embodiment for the system of the present invention, the system includes an endoscopic device that has an endoscope cap disposed on a distal end of the endoscopic device. A surgical clip is removably disposed on an outside surface of the endoscope cap. A deployment device is associated with the surgical clip for deploying the surgical clip from the endoscope cap to the body tissue that is to be compressed.
In an embodiment for the method of the present invention, the method includes the steps of disposing a surgical clip on the outside surface of the endoscope cap where the endoscope cap is disposed on the distal end of an endoscopic device. The endoscopic device is deployed to the site within the patient""s body such that the surgical clip is positioned proximate to the body tissue that is to be compressed. The body tissue is drawn within the endoscope cap and the surgical clip is deployed from the outside surface of the endoscope cap.
In an embodiment for a surgical clip in accordance with the present invention, the clip includes a first elongated tissue grasping surface having a first end and a second end and a second elongated tissue grasping surface having a first end and a second end. A first joint is connected at a first end to the first end of the first tissue grasping surface and is connected at a second end to the first end of the second tissue grasping surface. A second joint is connected at a first end to the second end of the first tissue grasping surface and is connected at a second end to the second end of the second tissue grasping surface. The first grasping portion and the second grasping portion are movable between a tissue receiving position and a tissue grasping position. When the first and second grasping portions are in the tissue receiving position, the first and second grasping portions are adapted to be received on the outer surface of the endoscopic device. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Some software compilers provide built-in versions of certain functions in a corresponding software library. For example, the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC), wherein the name “GNU” is a recursive acronym for “GNU's Not Unix!”, provides built-in versions of functions in the high level C software programming language standard library. That is, the implementations of the functions are written into a compiled object file, or executable file, and the program calls the built-in versions of the functions when it is executed.
A compiler may use a built-in version of a library to provide the functionality included in the high-level language source code program being compiled when there is no corresponding set of machine instructions supported by the CPU for which the program is being compiled for execution. For example, floating point operations and 64-bit integer operations may not be supported on many mobile devices. As a specific example, an ARMv5 processor, developed by ARM Holdings plc, does not include hardware floating point operations in its instruction set architecture (ISA), so compiler built-in helper functions are provided by the compiler to support floating point operations. However, another CPU, for example, the ARMv7 processor, also developed by ARM Holding plc, may include hardware floating point operations in its instruction set architecture.
An important consideration is how to migrate an application software program compiled to run on one processor that lacks the machine instructions needed to implement certain of the application's operations, and that relies on compiler built-in helper functions to provide support for such functionality, to run as efficiently as possible on another, different, processor that includes machine instructions needed to implement these certain operations.
One prior art way to migrate the application software program is to recompile the source code for the application program for a different, target ISA to replace or remove the compiler built-in helper functions, but doing so necessarily requires access to the source code for the application program, and recompiling the program every time it is migrated to a different computing platform.
Another prior art way to migrate the application software program is using binary translation. Binary translation involves emulating one instruction set by another instruction set through translation of the object code for the application software program. Object code is also commonly referred to as binary code, or executable code, or a combination of the above. In binary translation, sequences of machine language instructions are translated from a source instruction set to a target instruction set. Translation can occur at static-time, that is, the entire sequence of machine language instructions in an executable file can be converted from the source instruction set into a target instruction set without having to first run, or execute, the code. Dynamic translation involves converting short sequences, or blocks, of machine language instructions in an executable file from the source instruction set into a target instruction set, as the blocks are encountered during run time.
If a source instruction set architecture (source ISA) does not include machine instructions that support a particular functionality provided in an application program, those portions of the application program that relate to the particular functionality may be converted into appropriate compiler built-in helper functions when the application program is compiled. If the target instruction set architecture (target ISA) does include machine instructions that support the particular functionality provided in the application program, it would be beneficial when performing a binary translation of the program from the source ISA to the target ISA to convert the compiler built-in helper functions to a sequence of one or more machine instructions based on the target ISA that support the particular functionality. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is related to therapeutic methods of treating diseases in a human subject with a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antagonist such that side effects, such as an increase in blood pressure, are minimized. The patient population to be treated is a population in which it is desirable to minimize an increase in blood pressure.
2. Description of Related Art
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been recognized as a primary stimulus of angiogenesis in pathological conditions. Approaches to methods of blocking VEGF include soluble receptor constructs, antisense molecules, RNA aptamers, and antibodies. See, for example, PCT WO/0075319, for a description of VEGF-receptor based trap antagonists.
Hypertension has been reported at increased frequency and severity in subjects receiving the anti-VEGF humanized monoclonal antibody, bevacizumab (Hurwitz, et al, (2004) N. Engl. J. Med. 350:2335-42). | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a piezoelectric element used in a piezoelectric actuator such as a piezoelectric vibrator and a liquid ejecting device, a semiconductor recording device, and a pyroelectric infrared detecting device, an ink jet head using the piezoelectric element, and an ink jet recording device having the ink jet head.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a piezoelectric element, generally, a layered piezoelectric body (such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT)) is disposed between two electrodes (referred to as lower electrode and upper electrode in the following description). The piezoelectric body serves to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy or to convert electrical energy into mechanical energy. The piezoelectric element with such a function is used for various devices.
Piezoelectric ceramics such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT) is used as a material of the piezoelectric body. Lead-based piezoelectric ceramics represented by PZT has various excellent characteristics such as a high piezoelectric constant and is used for various electronic components such as a piezoelectric actuator, a pyroelectric infrared detecting device, and a nonvolatile memory device.
As a configuration of a piezoelectric element, JP-A-2001-284671 discloses a diaphragm-type piezoelectric element in which a vibrating plate is formed on a substrate having a pressure chamber hole formed therein so as to cover the pressure chamber hole and a lower electrode, a piezoelectric body, and an upper electrode are formed on the vibrating plate.
For example, JP-A-05-286131 suggests a technology of forming a homogeneous piezoelectric body in a layered structure on the whole surface of a vibrating plate by the use of a film forming method, dividing the piezoelectric body to correspond to individual pressure chambers by the use of a lithography method, and forming independent piezoelectric elements by pressure chambers.
For example, JP-A-2005-210887 suggests a structure in which an upper electrode of a piezoelectric element is drawn and a lead electrode is patterned from a peripheral edge of the upper electrode to the outside of a peripheral wall of a pressure chamber.
However, in the above-mentioned conventional structures, when the upper electrode, the piezoelectric body, and the lower electrode are stacked and a portion (hereinafter, referred to as piezoelectric active region) for substantially generating pressure in the pressure chamber protrudes from the pressure chamber region to the outside of the peripheral wall of the pressure chamber (that is, to the outside of the edge portion of the pressure chamber), the pressure generated from the piezoelectric active region cannot be effectively transmitted to ink, thereby causing the non-uniform pressure generation from the pressure chamber region.
In addition, cracks can occur in the lead electrode at the boundary between the pressure chamber and the peripheral wall. When cracks occur in the lead electrode, the lead electrode may be short-circuited or leak current may flow in the piezoelectric body. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention relates to a rolling bearing for longitudinal movement between a shaft and a housing or the like, wherein a plurality of endless rows of rolling elements are distributed about the circumference of the bearing, and wherein the bearing has separate rails for receiving the loads of each of the rolling elements rows.
Rolling bearings of the above type are disclosed, for example, in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 821,472 filed Aug. 3, 1977, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,167. In this type of bearing one side of the rails have convex curvature in the lengthwise direction, and the opposite sides of the rails are straight in the lengthwise direction. The rails are arranged in the rolling bearing with either their straight side, or with their convex curved side, directed radially outward in the cage shell. The straight sides are directed radially outwardly for use in a precision machine, so that the straight sides closely engage the inner surface of the bore of the housing throughout their extent, to prevent tilting movement of the rails. Alternatively, the convex curved sides of the rails may be directed radially outwardly to engage the inner bore of the housing for use in a less accurate machine, wherein a determined adjustability or tiltability of the rail is desired between the rails and the housing. In this type of bearing, in the event of wear or the appearance of fatigue (i.e. damage due to fatigue of the materials), the rail in use must be substituted by a new unused rail, for continued use of the bearing. This results in a limit on a useful life of the bearing and the useful life of the rail. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to a contrarotating propeller type propulsion system used on aircraft particularly concerned with a planetary drive design wherein a planetary gear is interposed between a sun gear fixed to a driving shaft and a ring gear concentrically surrounding and rotating on its axis around the sun gear. A first output rotary cylinder for driving a first propeller is coupled to the ring gear and a second output rotary cylinder for driving a second propeller is coupled to a support shaft for the planetary gear. Such a contrarotating propeller type propulsion system is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 139598/1985 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,563,129 and 4,842,484.
In the construction of such a propulsion system, usually the output rotary cylinder is supported on a stationary support structure which is used to carry thereon another output rotary cylinder through bearing means. A large relative rotational speed is generated between the first and second output rotary cylinders rotating in opposite directions which affects the bearing means, thus accelerating wear on the bearing means.
Moreover, in a contrarotating propeller type propulsion system of this type in which the driving shaft is driven by a turbine supplied with hot exhaust gases from a gas propulsion apparatus, the hot exhaust gases are circulated in close proximity to the planetary drive system and may further accelerate the wear on the various components. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to liquid chemical agent detectors and more particularly to test provisions for a detector attached to the clothing worn by a person and to a paint and a conductor for use in detectors for detecting selected chemical agents.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, difficulties have arisen from the use of small devices, such as a radio pager, which are attached to the clothing worn by a person. When the device is attached to the clothing worn by a person, the device must be turned on or activated and when the device is removed from the person, the device must be turned off. Typically, the device has a battery which will be discharged, if not turned off when not in use. A further problem is to test the device to assure its proper operation after long periods of storage prior to use and periodically during the life of the device. Prior devices included switches and knobs which are switched or turned in a predetermined sequence to turn on and test the device.
In the prior art, certain non-electric liquid chemical agent detectors included paper impregnated or covered with certain chemicals which, when exposed to certain chemical agents, exhibited a change in color of the paper in the region wetted. The paper coated with predetermined chemicals provided a visual indication of certain desired chemical agents, such as: GB, GD, VX and HD. The paper was supplied by Knowlton Brothers identified by National Stock No. 6665-00-050-8529.
It is therefore desirable to provide a personal liquid agent detector which does not require switches or knobs to activate the detector when a user attaches it to his clothing.
It is further desirable to provide a liquid chemical agent detector which includes means for testing the detector prior to use by engaging and opening switches which also serve to attach the detector to personal clothing.
It is further desirable to provide a personal liquid chemical agent detector having a battery which, when attached to clothing, is operating i.e. the battery is connected, and when detached from personal clothing, the detector is deactivated i.e. by opening the battery circuit.
It is further desirable to provide a personal liquid chemical agent detector providing both electrical and visual means for indicating the presence of certain chemical agents.
It is further desirable to provide a conductor which is formulated to respond to the presence of a chemical agent by a change in its electrical resistance and by a change in its appearance, for example its color.
It is further desirable to provide a conductor having a predetermined solubility constant to match certain chemical agents which will be readily absorbed by the conductor causing the conductor to swell, wherein conductive particles within the conductor are separated from one another by the swelling.
It is further desirable to provide a conductor having certain chemical crystals therein, which when wetted by a certain chemical agent or agents is dissolved into the liquid whereby the appearance of the liquid is changed, for example in color. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Heat packs utilizing supercooled aqueous salt solutions have been used for some time for the treatment of soreness of muscles of athletes and sportsman in localized areas. From the simple hot water bottle we have progressed upward to the use of supercooled aqueous salt solutions wherein the temperatures can be controlled as well as the duration of the heat given off. Various solutions such as sodium acetate and calcium nitrate tetrahydrate are examples of such solutions.
Various techniques of initiating crystallization have been recommended, including inserting a crystal of material into the supercooled solution, and scraping some metal inside the container to introduce impurities into the supercooled solution. Examples of these techniques are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,433,010; 2,289,425; 2,220,777; 3,093,308; 4,077,390; and 4,572,158. U.S. Pat. No. 1,915,523 discloses the introduction of air into the solution by means of a valve. This complicated method involves the use of both hands to manipulate the valve.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,733 discloses a trigger for a heat pack. The trigger pierces a flexible container filled with a supercooled salt solution, wherein the trigger has a piercing means and a sealing means. The trigger allows air to be admitted, initiating precipitation and causing the pack to exotherm.
A variety of techniques have also been directed to the problem of saddlebagging when the heat pack is in use. U.S. Pat. No. 3,301,250 discloses a heat pack that uses vermiculite, iron particles, ammonium chloride, wetting agent and water to provide such a pack. When air is admitted to the mixture, the iron filings oxidize and thereby produce heat. This fairly complicated mixture provides a lumpy heat pack.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,127 discloses a flexible heating pack that contains a foam insulation as an external layer to the exotherming chemicals. The foam does not come in contact with the supercooled salt solution.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,477 discloses a water activated therapeutic moist heat pad having outer porous water retaining layers which enclose an inner layer of distributed heat generating cells and an associated water retaining absorbent inner porous layer. The inner layers are covered by an outer sponge-like layer to form a composite pad structure capable of retaining a sufficient amount of water for the transfer of heat. The device described is an that of a heat pack using electrochemical cells provided with discrete electrically located shorts to generate internal heating of the cell when it is activated by the addition of water. This device is far more complicated than that claim in the present application. It fails to address the problem of saddlebagging that is remedied in the present invention.
The present invention provides a simple device that is easily manufactured and the trigger is easily activated. Of particular advantage is that the heat pack of the present invention can be initiated using one hand. Of further advantage is that a temperature indicator can be attached to the heat pack to indicate the appropriate temperature. A final advantage is that the heat pack optionally contains a foam rubber pad inside the flexible container which provides additional support, and prevents saddlebagging when the pack is in use. This option is particularly useful in larger heat packs which can be used to place premature babies on and to warm them. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Conventionally boats are transported and stored in their normal keel side down position. This applies usually to boats in the length of 4-8 meters. For storage and maintenance purpose on land, smaller light weighted boats are turned around their longitudinal axis by hand, thus the boats are stored keel side up. Boats longer than 7 to 8 meters are usually so heavy that heavy duty equipment are needed for handling the boat in connection with lifting the boat from water and launching the boat to water.
Some solutions to the problem of lifting to and launching a boat from upside down position are known from patent literature, but they are typically limited in boat sizes and include major remodeling of the transporting device or the boat.
It is thus an aim of the present invention to provide a device for launching and lifting of a boat, that overcomes the prior art problems. An aim is to provide a device that allows an easy handling of the boat, without the need for excessive force, thus allowing it to be handled also by a single person.
The present description relates to a device for launching and lifting a boat, comprising a frame comprising at least a first frame part having a first end and a second end, at least a first cross-structure coupled with the first frame part essentially perpendicular to it and at a distance B1 from the first end of the first frame part, at least a first boat guide coupled with the first frame part at a distance C1 from the first end of the first frame part, at least a first actuator arranged to be coupled with the first frame part at a distance D from the first end of the first frame part, at least one counterpart, means for attaching the frame to the counterpart, wherein the first actuator is arranged to be coupled with the counterpart for enabling movement of the frame between a first position and a second position.
The present description also relates to a system comprising a device for launching and lifting a boat according to the present description, a boat arranged along the first frame part, a storing device for the boat selected from the group consisting of a dock, a shore docking station and a boat trailer,wherein the counterpart of the device for launching and lifting the boat is arranged on the storing device. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Machine Type Communication (MTC) is being discussed in various wireless communication standards bodies as a new trend of wireless technology of communication network applications which typically do not require human interaction.
A broad definition of MTC is an automated communication network to and from machines. One major category of MTC devices are expected to have the characteristics of very low power consumption, very small data transmissions and a very large number of terminals. An example MTC application that fits within this category may for example be energy consumption monitoring of home appliances for smart grid systems.
Uplink-only relaying is a network topology which may be used to address the issue of transmit power limitation in low-cost Machine Type Communication (MTC) devices when deployed, for instance, in macro cellular Long-Term-Evolution (LTE) networks. In general there is sufficient system gain on the downlink (base station to terminal device) to support MTC devices (or User Equipment UE) (MTC-UE) at the cell edge of the macrocell of the eNodeB (eNB) but with the low output power of the MTC devices the uplink (terminal device to base station) system gain is significantly reduced compared with the downlink. The use of a single hop uplink-only relay node (MTC-RN) can be used to address this issue and close the link budget for MTC-UE. A single hop may be assumed provided that the MTC-RN can be expected to have similar characteristics to an LTE UE. In a network where relay nodes (also referred to herein as relay devices) are utilised to relay uplink data from the terminal devices to the eNodeB, the eNodeB may be referred to as a donor eNodeB (DeNB).
An uplink only single-hop relay is described in US2008/0285499. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Many studies have identified oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes as markers of cellular transformation in several tissue types, such as colon, pancreas and lung, whereas comparable studies in breast cancer have met with limited success (West et al., 2001, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 98, 11462). This reflects the difficulty in finding genetic and epigenetic alterations in a significant proportion of breast cancers, and also underscores the phenotypic heterogeneity of breast cancer. The identification of molecular targets for early diagnosis of breast cancer could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment based on a molecular diagnosis.
Most mammary carcinomas contain estrogen receptors (ER), which are important factors for diagnosis and prognosis of breast cancer, and for determining therapeutic choices (Osborne, 1998, Breast Cancer Res. Treat., 51, 227). Estrogens are direct mitogens for hormone-responsive human breast cancer cells, where they promote cell cycle progression and induce the transcriptional activation of “immediate early” and cyclin genes. The estrogen receptor alpha (ER-α) and its ligand (17β-estradiol) play a crucial role in normal breast development, and have also been linked to mammary carcinogenesis and clinical outcome in breast cancer patients. However, up to one third of breast cancers lack ER-α at the time of diagnosis, and a fraction of breast cancers that are initially ER-α-positive lose ER during tumor progression (Hortobagyi, 1998, New Engl. J. Med., 339, 974). In a significant fraction of breast cancers, the absence of ER-α gene expression has been associated with the aberrant methylation of its CpG islands (Hortobagyi, 1998; Weigel and Coninck, 1993, Cancer Res., 53, 3472).
There is abundant evidence that the structure and chemical composition of chromatin directly affects gene expression. Histones are the primary structural components of chromatin. The nucleosome is the basic repeating unit of chromatin; further compaction of nucleosomes, with the aid of the histone H1 and other non-histone proteins, leads to a condensed chromatin state (Hayes and Hansen, 2001, Curr. Opin. Genet. Dev., 11, 124). The chromatin is thus made inaccessible to the transcriptional machinery, resulting in gene silencing.
Chromatin structure and function are controlled, at least in part, through post-translational modifications of nucleosomal histones. The core histone tails are susceptible to a variety of covalent modifications, including acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation and ubiquitination. Different studies collectively support the “histone code hypothesis” of histone modification (Strahl and Allis, 2000, Nature, 403, 41), which suggests that the presence of a given modification on histone tails may dictate or prevent the presence of a second modification elsewhere on the same histone. Histone modifications may therefore serve as marks for the recruitment of different proteins or protein complexes, which regulate chromatin functions such as gene expression.
DNA methylation is also important for transcriptional silencing. Therefore, it has been proposed that DNA methylation and histone deacetylation might work together to establish a repressive chromatin environment and silence gene expression (Cameron et al., 1999, Nat. Genet., 21, 103). For example, the formation of transcriptional repression complexes such as DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1)/histone deacetylase (HDAC) is emerging as an important mechanism in gene expression regulation (Grunstein, 1997, Nature, 389, 349; Struhl, 1998, Genes & Dev. 12, 599; Lin et al., 1998, Nature, 391, 8311; Laird and Jaenisch, 1996, Annu. Rev. Genet. 30, 441). Aberrant recruitment of HDAC activity has also been associated with the development of certain human cancers (Nan et al., 1998, Nature, 393, 386) and changes in the patterns of CpG-methylation appear to be an intrinsic feature of human malignancy (Jones et al., 1998, Nat. Genet., 19, 187). However, the mechanisms of gene silencing by methylation remain poorly understood. Recent studies suggest that histone methylation, similar to histone deacetylation, might function in concert with DNA methylation (Bird and Wolffe, 1999, Cell, 99, 451), or that histone methylation on lysines by the histone methyl transferase SUV39H1 is important for transcriptional silencing. A specific chromatin structure involving methylated histones may also be necessary for DNA methylation to occur (Ng and Bird, 1999, Curr. Opin. Genet. Dev., 9, 158).
Several mechanisms have been proposed to account for transcriptional repression by the Rb proteins (Magnaghi-Jaulin et al., 1998, Nature, 391, 601; Dunaief et al., 1994, Cell, 79, 119, Trouche et al., 1997, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 94, 11268). Some of the proposed models stress the importance of chromatin structure in regulating transcriptional activity. Active repression by Rb family members could involve a mechanism by which condensed chromatin structure is enhanced through histone deacetylation and methylation. Rb proteins have been shown to repress E2F-dependent transcription by recruiting HDAC1/2 (Iavarone and Massague, 1999, Mol. Cell Biol., 19, 916; Stiegler et al., 1998, Cancer Res., 58, 5049). Recent data show that pRb2/p130 and p107 are able to interact physically with HDAC1 through the A/B pocket domains (Magnaghi-Jaulin et al., 1998; Iavarone and Massague, 1999; Ferreira et al., 1998, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 95, 10493).
Repression of E2F-responsive promoters in quiescent cells is associated with E2F-4 and pRb2/p130 recruitment and low histone acetylation levels. Recently, different studies have shown that SUV39H1 is involved in transcriptional repression by the retinoblastoma protein Rb1/p105 (Vandel et al., 2001, Mol. Cell. Biol., 21, 6484).
Chromatin inactivation mediated by histone deacetylation and DNA methylation are critical components of ER-α silencing in human breast cancer cells. In vitro studies have shown that DNMT1 interacts physically with either HDAC1 or 2, and that co-treatment with DNMT1 and HDAC inhibitors can synergistically induce ER-α gene expression in ER-α-negative breast cancer cells (Rountree et al., 2000, Nat. Genet., 25, 269; Robertson et al., 2000, Nat. Genet., 25, 338; Yang et al., 2001, Cancer Res., 60, 6890). However, the molecular factors which promote DNMT1 and HDAC interaction and otherwise regulate the ER-α gene expression have not heretofore been identified.
The ability to identify breast cancer patients with more aggressive diseases is crucial to an accurate prognosis and the planning of an adequate treatment. For example, those breast cancers which are estrogen-receptor negative (also called estrogen-insensitive breast cancers) have a higher malignant potential. Typically, metastatic potential is determined by considering a range of pathologic tumor features, including histologic type, grade of differentiation, depth of invasion, and extent of lymph nodal metastases. Unfortunately, these factors do not always allow a sufficiently accurate determination of metastatic potential of breast cancer. Such parameters also have questionable reproducibility. Estrogen-receptor negative breast cancers are also less susceptible to treatment with anticancer drugs such as tamoxifen.
What is needed, therefore, is a method of detecting and regulating the molecular factors which control ER-α gene expression, particularly in estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer cells. The detection and regulation of such factors would allow estrogen-insensitive breast cancer cells to be identified, so that an accurate prognosis can be obtained and an appropriate course of treatment administered. Also, detecting and regulating the molecular factors which control ER-α gene expression would allow estrogen-insensitive cells to be converted to estrogen-sensitive cells, which are generally more susceptible to current anti-cancer treatments. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to an optical connector for connecting a pair of optical fibers together with some gap between their ends.
When a screen or shelter is placed between opposed ends of a pair of optical fibers so as to intermittently interrupt the light transmitted thereby, the transmission of light through the two optical fibers is intermittent, depending on the frequency of interruption. In more detail, a pair of optical fibers are placed in alignment with each other with a gap left between their ends and a rotating disc with a hole or a slit is placed between the opposed ends of the optical fibers with the hole or slit aligned with the optical fibers. The light transmitted from one optical fiber passes through the hole or slit in the rotating disc to the other optical fiber. Thus, optical pulses whose number depends on the revolutions of the disc are produced. This can be utilized to measure the speed of rotation, etc.
In such an arrangement, the light from one of the optical fibers diverges from its end surface so that only part of the light is incident on the end surface of the other optical fiber, because of the difference between the refractive index of air and that of the optical fiber.
An object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector with a gap which obviates such a shortcoming and can transmit light with a minimum of loss.
In accordance with the present invention, an optical connector comprising a body having a pair of walls opposed with a gap therebetween and each having a hole for supporting an optical fiber therein, a pair of sleeves mounted in said holes, a pair of lenses mounted in said sleeves, and a pair of plugs mounted in said sleeves and formed with a hole for holding the end of an optical fiber therein so that its end abuts the end surface of the lens.
The transmission of light with a minimum of loss is possible by means of a pair of rod lenses in spite of the presence of a gap. The plugs each holding an optical fiber can be mounted and removed easily without the need of any particular attention.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
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