The invention relates to an illumination module for illuminating an object to be examined, which module comprises an exit window for radiation generated in the module, a module axis which extends perpendicularly to the central part of the exit window, and a number of radiation-generating elements which are arranged in at least two illumination rings, which illumination rings have a midpoint, which is situated on the module axis, and are individually switchable, the radiations of the different illumination rings passing through the exit window at different angles with respect to the module axis.
The invention also relates to an optical device for the observation of an object, which device is provided with such an illumination module, and to an apparatus for placing electronic components on a support, which apparatus is provided with at least one such optical device.
At present, said apparatus is often used to automatically, very accurately and very rapidly place electronic components on a support, such as a printed circuit board (PCB). Said apparatus comprises one or more robots, provided with a suction pipette, and an equally large number of placement stations associated with the relevant robots. The suction pipette receives a component to be placed from a component input device, whereafter the associated robot transports the suction pipette and the component to a position on a support which, at that instant, is situated in the placement station. Before the component can be placed on the support, it has to be identified and inspected for irregularities, and it must be checked whether the component is correctly oriented with respect to, for example, a system of coordinates of the robot. To this end, the placement station is provided with an optical observation device for observing the component held by the suction pipette, which observation device is alternatively referred to as vision module. This device comprises a camera by means of which an image of the component is converted into electric signals which are electronically processed. A good observation device should meet the following requirements: the image must be free of distortion, the observation device should also be capable of imaging large components, the aperture angle of the beam with which the component is illuminated must be relatively small, and, for specific applications, the angle of incidence of the illumination beam on the component must be as large as possible. To properly observe the component, it is necessary for this component to be illuminated in the right way. To achieve this, the observation device comprises an illumination module.
Such an illumination module is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,223. The known illumination module comprises a large number of light-emitting diodes, also referred to as LEDs, which are mounted on the inner surface of a concave plate and arranged in rings or angle sectors. Since the components to be placed by means of the placement machine may demonstrate different shapes and different surface conditions, the illumination module should preferably be programmable, i.e. it should be possible for groups of LEDs, such as the LEDs of a ring or the LEDs of a comer sector, to be switched on individually, so that the angle at which the object is illuminated and/or the part of the object that is illuminated can be adjusted. The illumination module described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,223 is used to illuminate the free end, which is provided with a solder ball, of the connection pins of a component, which is commonly referred to as surface mounted device (SMD). The observation device wherein this illumination module is employed, makes it possible to inspect only the end of one pin of the SMD. To inspect a subsequent pin, the observation device and the SMD are moved with respect to each other. Thus, the illumination module described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,223 has a small illumination field, and the angle between the beam of the LEDs and the normal to the surface of the SMD is relatively small. The beams supplied by the LEDs have a relatively small aperture angle, of the order of 10xc2x0. The illumination module in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,223 is difficult to manufacture because all LEDs must be accurately aligned to make sure that they all illuminate the same small area.
It is an object of the invention to provide a programmable illumination module having a wide range of applications, which can be readily manufactured and has minimal dimensions, and which, in addition, can be adjusted for a large illumination field, and which is capable of supplying a very oblique illumination beam. This illumination module is characterized in that all the radiation-generating elements are provided on a flat plate which extends parallel to the central part of the exit window, and the principal rays of all radiation beams emitted by the radiation-generating elements extend parallel to the module axis.
The fact that this module is capable of supplying a very oblique illumination beam means that selected radiation, originating, for example, from the outermost illumination ring, includes a very small angle, of for example at least 6xc2x0, with the illuminated surface of the object.
The provision, with great accuracy, of the radiation-generating elements on a flat plate is simpler than the provision, with the same accuracy, of said elements on a concave plate. The flat plate may be embodied so as to be a printed circuit board with electric conductors via which the radiation-generating elements are fed.
A preferred embodiment of the illumination module is further characterized in that opposite each illumination ring there is provided a radiation guide which, in a plane at right angles to the module axis, is ring-shaped in section, the entrance plane of said radiation guide being situated opposite the associated illumination ring, and the shape of the light guide is exit plane situated opposite the entrance plane being adapted to the desired direction of the radiation to be supplied by the associated illumination ring.
The use of these radiation guides enables the optimum illumination direction for a specific application to be achieved. The radiation guide associated with a certain illumination ring also makes sure that the radiation from said ring is not mixed with radiation from other illumination rings. Since the radiation from an illumination ring is confined to the associated radiation guide until it exits via the exit plane of this guide, the beams of the radiation-generating elements can have a relatively large aperture angle, for example in the range from 20xc2x0 to 30xc2x0. In addition, the radiation guide ensures, via total internal reflections, that the radiation beam leaving the radiation guide demonstrates a certain degree of homogeneity. In this regard, the length of the radiation guide and the aperture angle of the LEDs of the associated illumination ring play a part.
To further increase the homogeneity, the illumination module is preferably further characterized in that the exit surface of all radiation guides, with the exception of the outermost radiation guide, is provided with a diffuse body the surface of which facing away from the radiation guides has such a shape that the radiation beam exiting from a radiation guide through this surface has a desired direction.
The radiation guides may be filled with air. Preferably, however, the illumination module is characterized in that the radiation guides, possibly with the exception of the innermost radiation guide, are filled with a transparent synthetic resin.
In accordance with a further characteristic, the synthetic resin is polycarbonate or polymethyl methacrylate. These synthetic resins, which are also known by the abbreviations PC and PMMA, respectively, are highly transparent and of good optical quality.
Preferably, the illumination module is characterized in that scattering particles are integrated in the synthetic resins.
If so, these synthetic resins have a diffuse effect, and the relevant radiation guides can contribute to rendering the radiation leaving the illumination module uniform. The different radiation guides may exhibit different degrees of diffusion.
Under certain conditions it may be attractive to also fill the innermost radiation guide with a synthetic resin.
In accordance with a further characteristic of the illumination module, the outermost radiation guide has a reflective surface for reflecting radiation towards the exit plane of this radiation guide, which reflective surface consists of two parts which enclose an obtuse angle with each other.
Said reflective surface divides the radiation beam, which propagates through the radiation guide and which has a certain intensity distribution, into two sub-beams which are positioned at the location of the object such that the original intensity distribution is lost and a more uniform distribution is obtained. In this manner, also the radiation beam supplied by the outermost radiation guide obtains a sufficiently uniform distribution.
An embodiment of the illumination module which is attractive for the observation device of a component placement machine is characterized in that it comprises three illumination rings.
This illumination module is still compact enough to be fitted in the placement machine, and it also enables good illumination, with sufficient intensity and at different angles, of the components to be achieved.
For the radiation-generating elements use can be made of different elements. For example, use can be made of diode lasers. Diode lasers emit a relatively narrow beam of high intensity and the radiation thereof can be readily oriented in the desired direction. For the radiation-generating elements use can also be made of luminescing diodes, provided the elements do not have to be switched rapidly. A preferred embodiment of the illumination module is however characterized in that the radiation-generating elements are formed by LEDs.
These LEDs are inexpensive and available in different versions as regards radiation intensity, dimension and aperture angle.
Dependent upon the application of the illumination module, one or more illumination rings may comprise diode lasers and the other illumination rings may comprise LEDs. It is alternatively possible that one and the same illumination ring comprises a number of diode lasers as well as a number of LEDs.
The illumination module is preferably further characterized in that at least one of the illumination rings comprises at least two types of LEDs, which emit radiation of different wavelengths, and LEDs of the first type alternating with LEDs of the second type in said illumination ring.
For example, all illumination rings may comprise alternately red, green and blue LEDs which can be switched on in different combinations. As a result, the color of the illumination can be optimally adapted to the color of the object to be examined and/or the background thereof. The contrast of the observation device can thus be improved considerably, also if the camera of the observation device is a monochrome camera. It is alternatively possible to use LEDs of only two different colors, or provide LEDs of different colors in only one illumination ring, or provide only one type of LED in one and the same illumination ring; however, the LEDs of the different illumination rings are of a different kind.
An illumination module which is particularly suited for use in a component placement machine may further be characterized in that, within the central illumination ring, a transparent plate is provided which encloses an acute angle with the module axis.
By means of this plate, it can be precluded that a component which has fallen from the suction pipette situated above the illumination module can fall on the camera situated below the module.
This illumination module may be further characterized in that an optical filter is provided on the plate.
As a result, this plate may fulfill a second function. The filter may be a color filter by means of which it is precluded that ambient radiation, i.e. radiation not originating from the illumination module, can reach the camera. The filter may also be a grey filter by means of which the intensity of the illumination radiation originating from the component can be adapted to the sensitivity of the camera. This enables the illumination module to be used in combination with different cameras, or to further increase the intensity of the illumination radiation to a level above that of the ambient light so as to reduce the influence of the ambient light on the observation.
Another embodiment of the illumination module is characterized in that, within the central illumination ring, a semi-transparent plate is provided at an angle of, in principle, 45xc2x0 with respect to the module axis, and in that an additional radiation source is provided which is arranged such that radiation from this source is incident on the semi-transparent plate and reflected thereby towards the exit window of the illumination module.
As the rays of the additional radiation source enclose angles in the range from 0xc2x0 to, for example 20xc2x0 with the module axis, the module can now provide a bright-field illumination for the object in addition to the dark-field illumination which is supplied by the radiation-generating elements of the illumination rings. In the case of a bright-field, or normal, illumination, radiation which is specularly reflected by the object is captured by the imaging optics and the camera, and the object is imaged as a bright object. Details of the object which scatter the illumination radiation, or reflect it outside the imaging optics, can now be observed against a bright background. In the case of a dark field, or oblique, illumination, the object reflects the illumination radiation outside the imaging optics. The scattering details of the object reflect the radiation in the imaging optics and the camera and are brightly imaged against a dark background.
The last-mentioned embodiment is preferably further characterized in that the additional radiation source is formed by a number of additional radiation-generating elements arranged along at least one row, in combination with a radiation-conducting plate the entrance face of which is directed towards the additional radiation-generating elements, and the exit face of which is directed towards the semi-transparent plate.
Preferably, the additional radiation-generating elements are arranged in at least one circle segment at one side of the semi-transparent plate.
In this case, the bright radiation field is shaped so as to be in the form of a ring segment the length of which is determined by the position of the midpoint of the semi-circle with respect to the center of the transparent plate.
In order to obtain a more two-dimensional foreground illumination, the illumination module is preferably further characterized in that a second radiation-guiding plate is arranged against the exit face of the first radiation-guiding plate at an angle of, in principle, 90xc2x0 with respect to the first radiation-guiding plate, and in that a reflecting roof prism is situated at the location of the transition from the first radiation-guiding plate to the second radiation-guiding plate, so as to reflect, in two opposite directions in said plate, two halves of radiation exiting from the first radiation-guiding plate.
As said radiation halves are subject to total internal reflection in the second radiation guide, the beam incident on the semi-transparent plate is elongated in a direction transverse to the direction of the row of additional radiation-generating elements, and this beam additionally demonstrates a more uniform intensity distribution. The roof prism is embodied in such a manner, i.e. the angles thereof are chosen to be such that a part of the radiation leaving the first radiation guide is passed by the prism, so that radiation also exits through that, central, part of the exit plane of the second radiation-guiding plate, which is situated at the level of the roof prism.
In accordance with a further characteristic of this illumination module, the roof prism is provided in the second radiation-guiding plate.
Preferably, however, the illumination module is alternatively characterized in that the roof prism forms part of the first radiation-guiding plate.
If so, the prism can be more readily provided and, in addition, the optical properties of the second radiation-guiding plate are not adversely affected.
Preferably, this illumination module is further characterized in that the second radiation-guiding plate takes the form of a cylinder segment whose cylinder axis extends parallel to the module axis.
The outer ray of the second radiation-guiding plate can then be chosen to be such that the upper part of this plate can be slid into the innermost illumination ring, so that, also if the additional radiation-generating elements for the bright-field illumination are employed, the illumination module can remain compact.
The additional, radiation-generating elements can alternatively be formed by at least two kinds of elements which emit radiation of different wavelengths, whereby, in a row, elements of the first kind alternate with elements of the other kind(s). In this case, also the color of the bright-field illumination can be adjusted, which may yield a higher contrast.
The invention also relates to an observation device for observing an object, which observation device is provided with an illumination system for illuminating the object, and with a camera for receiving an image of the object. The observation device in accordance with the invention is characterized in that the illumination system is an illumination module as described hereinabove.
Finally, the invention also relates to a component-placement machine for placing electronic components on a support, which machine is provided with:
a frame;
at least one robot;
a transport system for transporting supports;
a placement head for each robot for placing components on a support, which placement head is secured to an arm of the robot, and
component-positioning means for each robot for positioning a component which is held by the placement head associated with the robot.
This placement machine is characterized in that the observation device is a device as described hereinabove.


In the area of electrical power, a bushing is an insulated device that allows an electrical conductor to pass safely through an (usually) earthed conducting barrier such as the wall of a transformer, circuit breaker or reactor. A condenser bushing is a bushing in which metallic or nonmetallic conducting layers are arranged within the insulating material for the purpose of controlling the distribution of the electric field of the bushing, both axially and radially by capacitive grading. In many cases, bushings may be used with very high voltages such that a failure in the bushing may lead to arcing and a catastrophic failure of the attached device. Accordingly, testing and monitoring of the bushing is very advantageous.
The current solutions for on-line transformer monitoring are passive systems that can only provide bushing capacitance and power factor values for the inner condenser section of energized bushings. The capacitance and power factor values for both the transformer and for the outer condenser section of an energized bushing cannot be measured. The embodiments described herein are a significant improvement in the art that address, or at least ameliorate, some of the shortcomings of the current art.
FIG. 1 illustrates a current design of a bushing monitoring system comprising a condenser-type bushing 10, a passive sensor 20, and a monitor processor 30. High voltage condenser-type bushings 10 may be designed in a wide variety of constructions, and the description herein is not intended to describe all of the possible types of designs. However, the majority of high-voltage condenser-type bushings 10 currently manufactured are constructed with an inner capacitive condenser section 12 referred to as C1, and, an outer capacitive condenser section 14, referred to as C2. These bushing sections C1 and C2 are wound radially around the bushing's central conductor 11. The inner C1 section 12 comprises the bulk of the total condenser 13. The outer C2 section 14 of the condenser 13 normally contains only 5% to 10% of the total number of layers in the complete condenser 13. This type of bushing 10 is normally equipped with an external tap connection 16, which is coupled to a foil layer between the inner C1 section 12 and the outer C2 section 14. The tap 16 may be referred to by several different names such as a test tap, capacitance tap, voltage tap, power factor tap or other designations. For the purposes of this document, we will refer to the tap 16 as a test tap.
The inner C1 section 12 of the bushing condenser 13 provides a capacitive structure, which is intended to provide a consistent voltage stress gradient from the energized inner conductor 11 to the outer layer of the inner C1 section 12. The outer layer of the inner C1 section 12 is normally connected to an earth ground 18 when the bushing 10 is in-service. Grounding of the inner C1 section 12 is normally accomplished by attaching a cover onto the test tap 16. The cover electrically connects the test tap 16 to the grounded metal flange of the bushing.
In many condenser designs, the outer layer of the outer C2 section 14 is also grounded. In such embodiments, the outer layer of the outer C2 section 14 of the bushing 10 may be comprised of a conductive foil which is connected to the grounded metal flange of the bushing 10. When this type of bushing 10 is in-service and the test tap cover is installed, the C2 condenser section 14 is either directly or effectively earth grounded on the inner and outer layers. However, in some bushings, normally in bushings designed for lower voltages, the outer layer may be ungrounded and separated from the grounded metal flange of the bushing 10 by an insulating fluid or dielectric.
Typically, the C1 and C2 bushing condenser sections 12 and 14 have capacitance values in the pico-farad range which result in high impedances and low leakage currents through the condenser 13. Typically, the C1 and C2 condenser sections 12 and 14 also have low power factor values that are normally in the 0.2% to 0.5% range as a result of the low power losses in the condenser 13.
During the normal manufacturing process, the C1 and C2 bushing sections 12 and 14 are tested for capacitance and power factor. This ensures the bushings sections 12 and 14 are manufactured without defects. In addition, field tests can be performed after the bushings are installed to detect deterioration or damage to the condenser 10. If the condenser 10 deteriorates sufficiently, the bushing 13 can fail catastrophically, which can cause consequential equipment damage or unsafe conditions for workers in the area. Often, off-line tests and on-line monitoring are performed with the goal to detect such deterioration before a failure occurs.
Bushings are commonly used with transformers or reactors. The transformer or reactor windings have self and mutual capacitances that represent the quality of the insulation for each winding to the grounded parts of the transformer, or between the different windings inside the transformer. Each winding has a capacitance to ground that is a function of the physical dimensions and clearances of the windings as well as the condition of the insulation. For the high voltage (“HV”) winding, this has traditionally been referred to as CH. For the low voltage (“LV”) winding, this has traditionally been referred to as CL. And the capacitance between the HV and LV windings has traditionally been referred to as CHL. Similar designations can be made for three-winding transformers with HV, LV and tertiary voltage (TV) windings to provide CH, CL, CT, CHL, CHT and CLT values.
Off-line tests, when the equipment is not in-service, have been performed on transformers, reactors and bushings for several years. In order to test a condenser-type bushing's inner C1 section 12, the bushing's test tap cover is removed and test voltages are applied to the center conductor 11 and the resulting current magnitude and relative phase angle are measured from the test tap 16. In order to test the outer C2 section 14, the test tap 16 is energized and the resulting current from the grounded metal flange of the bushing is measured for amplitude and relative phase angle. Off-line tests on higher voltage bushings are normally performed at significantly reduced voltage levels since it is not practical to produce the rated bushing voltages with portable field test equipment. Off-line transformer tests are performed at the same reduced test voltage levels with the voltage applied to the top terminals of the bushings and the resulting current magnitude and phase angle shift are measured to calculate capacitance and power factor values for each winding.
On-line bushing monitoring, when the equipment is energized and in-service, has been performed for a shorter time. The current art connects a passive sensor 20 to the test tap 16 and measures the resulting test tap current magnitude and phase angle when the bushing 10 is energized by the power system. As may be seen in FIG. 1, the typical passive sensor 20 included a shunt resistor or capacitor 22 (labelled “A”) and a voltage arrestor 24 (labelled “B”). This method only measures the power frequency current 26 (labelled “IP”) through the inner C1 section 12 of the condenser 13 so only the C1 capacitance and power factor can be determined. Neither the outer C2 section 14 of the condenser 13 nor the transformer winding capacitances can be monitored with the current method.
Additionally, transformers with wye winding connections may have neutral bushings that are connected to earth ground either directly or through an impedance, to stabilize the three-phase voltages and limit the phase-ground voltages to safe levels. These neutral bushings can be tested with off-line testing equipment, but neither the inner C1 section 12 nor the outer C2 section 14 of the bushing 10 can be monitored on-line with the current art since the center conductor 11 is effectively grounded and no voltage nor current are produced at the test tap 16.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma welding method for a golf club head. Particularly, the present invention relates to the plasma welding method of tilting a plasma nozzle a predetermined angle with respect to the golf club head for avoiding obstruction of a neck portion or a hosel of the golf club head. More particularly, the present invention relates to the plasma welding method for welding on a connection line, within a predetermined section, between a striking plate and a club head body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional golf club head includes a club head body 91 and a striking plate 92 mounted to the club head body 91, as disclosed in TWN Patent Pub. No. 585,792, entitled “golf club head and manufacturing method therefor (II),” TWN Patent Pub. No. I225,421, entitled “golf club head structure,” TWN Patent Pub. No. I226,251, entitled “connecting structure for a striking plate with a golf club head,” and U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,414, entitled “golf club head and method for producing the same” etc. A connection line 93 exists between the club head body 91 and the striking plate 92 which are welded by a suitable welding method. In welding operation, a variety of welding methods, such as tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, laser welding, plasma welding or other suitable welding methods, may be selectively used.
The above plasma welding may be selected to weld the club head body 91 and the striking plate 92, which carries out advantages of high-energy, high-accuracy, high-speed and high-quality welding, and further minimizes or attenuates a heat affected zone of material in a welding process.
In plasma welding operation, a movable plasma nozzle 94 is disposed on a slide track (not shown) and aligned with the connection line 93 existing between the club head body 91 and the striking plate 92. Subsequently, the plasma nozzle 94 is moved downward to an operating level above the connection line 93, and welded along the connection line 93 by an automatic welding process. The club head body 91 has a neck portion 91 and a hosel 912 connected thereto. It should be noted that the neck portion 911, however, is located between the hosel 912 and the club head body 91 and extended upward from a level of the striking plate 92. The neck portion 911 may unavoidably obstruct or interfere in a runway of the plasma nozzle 94 in the plasma welding since the neck portion 911, to a certain extent, is too close to the connection line 93. Consequently, the plasma nozzle 94 running at the operating level cannot pass through above a section of the connection line 93 adjacent to the neck portion 911 of the club head body 91 due to interference with the neck portion 911.
As explained above, the automatic plasma welding process is only suitable for welding the other section of the connection line 93 away from the neck portion 911 of the club head body 91. Meanwhile, other suitable welding methods, a TIG welding method for example, may be used to manually weld the section of the connection line 93 adjacent to the neck portion 911 of the club head body 91. Such welding method may cause poor quality, increased deformation and low efficiency of welding on the connection line 93 adjacent to the neck portion 911 of the club head body 91. Accordingly, such practice, however, may limit the welding process to carry out to be a complete automatic welding process. Hence, there is a need for improving the plasma welding process for the golf club head.
The present invention intends to provide the plasma welding method of tilting a plasma nozzle a predetermined angle with respect to a golf club head for avoiding obstruction of a neck portion or a hosel of the golf club head in such a way to mitigate and overcome the above problem. This permits the plasma nozzle passing through a connection line adjacent to the neck portion of the golf club head in the plasma welding process. Accordingly, the plasma welding method carries out a complete automatic plasma welding process so as to improve the welding efficiency and quality.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to internal combustion engines and, more particularly, to an engine power enhancement/pollution control system utilizing vortex separation to enrich the air input with oxygen.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of oxygen enriched air to reduce the content of toxic compounds from exhaust gases of automotive engines is known in the prior art. Nakajima et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,232, for example, discloses the delivery of denitrified air, containing oxygen in a major proportion to a carburetor of an internal combustion engine. The disclosed apparatus, however, is applicable to an internal combustion engine only after major modifications in the engine structure. Moreover, the patented structure requires the use of two pumps, forming an integral part of the air intake system for the engine, along with an air denitrifying unit. The latter operates by using a nitrogen impermeable membrane, for example, or a specified molecular sieve formed of pulverized zeolite.
Such a structure is complex, expensive, requires major engine modification, and is thus now easily adaptable for use with older cars, subsequent to production and sale. McKerahan, U.S. Pat. No. 1,339,211, discloses the use of a rotary concentrator for delivering oxygenated air at its output, in order to obtain a fuel saving by more complete combustion in smelting furnaces, blacksmith fires, steam boilers, gas engines and the like.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,302, issued to D. H. Brettler, discloses an oxygen concentrator which utilizes a frustoconical structure for reducing the nitrogen content and enriching the oxygen content of air provided for use in an internal combustion engine. The Brettler device utilizes density differences, i.e. separation of heavier from lighter components of the incoming air, to separate the oxygen and nitrogen components thereof. Essentially, the Brettler device serves as a centrifuge. Its separation efficiency is quite low.
Separation processes are one of the most widely used industrial processes, especially in chemical and petrochemical industries. Such separation processes are also one of the most expensive industrial processes. They require costly capital investments such as distillation columns and high utility expenditures for both heating and cooling. Currently, the fractional distillation process is almost exclusively used for separation of species with high process rates. Other low flow rate processes, such as membrane, ion exchange, etc. are available with limited applications.
Separation of hot gases and cold gases by vortex separation methods is known. A single phase (gas) and single component (pure nitrogen, for example) vortex tube is known as the Ranqe-Hilsch tube illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 1b (Prior Art), designated generally as 1. In the tube, compressed gas is introduced through the nozzle 2 which is directed tangentially to the tube. The gas generates a vortex as it travels into the center of the tube and propagates through the tube.
As the gas travels into the center of the vortex, the velocity of the gas increases due to the pressure gradient. The velocity is eventually reduced as the gas travels further into the tube center because the viscosity of the gas slows the fluid.
When the gas slows down in the center of the vortex, the gas has to surrender its kinetic energy. Kinetic energy in the vortex tube is released by transferring the energy from the inner to outer vortex. Thus, the energy separation occurs between the inner and outer vortex causing the temperature differential between the cold inner and hot outer vortex. The result of such an energy separation is that the hot gas 3 is directed in a first direction and cold gas 4 is directed in an opposite second direction.
Although the use of this Ranqe-Hilsch tube 1 is useful for refrigeration applications, it is not useful for providing separation of chemical species.


The invention relates to a vaporization burner for a heating device operated by means of a liquid fuel, particularly for a motor vehicle heating device.
German Patent No. 32 33 321 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,658 disclose a vaporization burner, of the kind mentioned above, which has a combustion chamber within a combustion pipe. The combustion chamber contains an absorbent body disposed on a carrier to which a liquid fuel is supplied. At least part of the side of the carrier facing the combustion chamber is exposed. Furthermore, a combustion air inlet arrangement is provided to prepare a combustion mixture of fuel and air that is ignited by means of an ignition device and burned in the combustion chamber.
German Offenlegungsschrift No. 34 23 940 describes another variation of a vaporization burner for a heating device of the kind initially mentioned, in which the ignition device is an elongated glow plug which transverses the carrier and the absorbent body, projecting above it and extending into the combustion chamber. Still another vaporization burner is disclosed in German Patent No. 32 33 319 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,985, in which a glow ignition device is formed by an essentially flat glow heating body, made of heatable filaments, disposed parallel to the vaporizing surface, immediately in front of the vaporizing body or in the vaporizing body.
In all variations of the vaporization burners described above, the glow device extends into the combustion chamber, thereby exposing it to the high temperatures prevailing therein, causing a reduction in the service life of such a device. Moreover, the fact that the glow device extends into the combustion chamber makes it an impedance to the flow conditions within the combustion chamber itself.
It is, therefore, a primary objective of the invention to create a vaporization burner for a heating device operated with liquid fuel which overcomes the disadvantages described above, and which provides an extended service life for the ignition device, as well as an improvement with respect to the flow conditions in the combustion chamber.
In accordance with the preferred embodiments of the invention, a vaporization burner for a heating device operated with liquid fuel, especially a motor vehicle heating device having a combustion pipe, a combustion chamber in which an absorbent body is disposed on a carrier, to which liquid fuel is supplied and at least part of the side of the carrier facing the combustion chamber is exposed, a combustion air supply device, and an ignition device for the combustion mixture, is provided wherein the ignition device is arranged behind the carrier, i.e., at the side thereof facing away from the combustion chamber. Furthermore, the carrier has at least one opening extending through it that is covered by the absorbent body, in addition to at least one through-opening in the exposed part of the carrier.
Accordingly, in the vaporization burner of the invention, the ignition device is disposed outside of the actual combustion chamber, i.e., behind the carrier for the absorbent body which receives liquid fuel. As a result, the ignition device does not impede the flow conditions in the combustion chamber, thereby resulting in a more favorable combustion process. Moreover, such an arrangement prevents the ignition device from being directly exposed to the high temperatures in the combustion chamber and/or directly to the flame, resulting in a considerably longer service life for the ignition device than has been previously possible. In other words, a vaporization burner is obtained which operates with the utmost reliability, even over a long period of time.
The presence of at least one opening in the part of the carrier that is covered by the absorbent body permits fuel vaporized by the absorbent body to pass directly into the area of the ignition device so that, in combination with the combustion air supplied, an ignitable mixture can be prepared directly in the area surrounding the ignition device. When this mixture is ignited by means of the ignition device, a pilot flame is generated which extends through the through-opening in the exposed part of the carrier. This pilot flame then ignites the fuel-air mixture on the front side of the carrier and the absorbent body (i.e., at the side facing the combustion chamber), thereby initiating the combustion process in the combustion chamber. As is customary, the ignition device is turned off once the combustion is proceeding on its own in the combustion chamber.
Preferably, the ignition device is arranged in a chamber defined by an ignition housing at the rear of the carrier and such housing has at least one combustion air supply inlet which terminates in the ignition chamber formed thereby. It is also preferable that this combustion air supply inlet be opposite the opening in the carrier that is covered by the absorbent body so that the combustion air supplied to the ignition chamber is locally concentrated around the ignition device to promote mixing, in the ignition chamber, of the air with the fuel vaporized by the absorbent body, for the purpose of quickly obtaining a mixing ratio favorable to the ignition process.
Preferably, one housing wall of the ignition chamber is formed by the rear side of the carrier, resulting in a minimum space arrangement for the ignition device with the associated chamber. Further, such a construction facilitates placement of the ignition device in the closest possible proximity to the carrier supporting the absorbent body so that it can be rapidly heated when the ignition device is turned on, thereby promoting fuel vaporization.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the ignition device is surrounded by the housing from its free end up to its mounting thread. In this manner, cooling of the ignition device by the combustion air and passing of air into the chamber around the ignition device is prevented.
For reasons of functional efficiency, it has proven beneficial to divide the housing into an outer housing part, representing a separate component and containing the screw thread portion of the ignition device, and an inner housing part which is located in the vicinity of the carrier. Such a design aids in overcoming difficulties caused by variations in manufacturing tolerances, and, more particularly, facilitates direct contact of the outer housing with the ignition device, whereby the ignition device is threadingly engaged with this outer housing part. The inner housing part, on the other hand, has an enlarged interior space to accommodate the premixing of the fuel vapor and combustion air for generating the pilot flame. In order to ensure that the combustion air enters the ignition chamber only via the one combustion air inlet, and to further ensure that no so-called "false air" reaches the chamber, the upper and lower housing parts are sealed at their junction.
For the purpose of reducing sealing difficulties, the vaporization burner and the ignition device, in accordance with another advantageous variation of the invention, are enclosed by a cup-shaped housing part which is connected with the combustion pipe in the chamber by a single flange connection. Also, to avoid sealing problems, the flange is disposed in the plane of a ring of air openings for the supply of combustion air to the combustion pipe.
Appropriately, the flange of the combustion pipe defines a slot-shaped opening for the combustion air, which air is directed to the vaporization burner at a distance from the absorbent body on the carrier, in a direction into the combustion chamber.
In an advantageous manner, the ignition device forms an integrated unit with the cup-shaped housing part, which unit, appropriately, also includes the carrier with the vaporization element so that, if required, all of the elements essential to the functioning of the vaporization burner can be quickly and simply exchanged as a combined unit by removal and replacement of the cup-shaped housing part.
In a further aspect of the invention, the ignition device of the vaporization burner is arranged approximately parallel to the carrier surface. To this end, the ignition device, preferably, is formed by an elongated glow plug.
In accordance with an alternative variation of the invention, the housing surrounding the ignition device can form an integrated unit with the ignition device, and this unit can be removable in a radial direction without disassembly of the heating device. Such an arrangement has an advantage with respect to ease of maintenance.
These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, several embodiments in accordance with the present invention.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixing device that causes a toner image on a paper to be fixed to that paper at a nip area formed between a fixing member and a pressing member, and to an image forming apparatus comprising the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A fixing device of -an image forming apparatus generally includes a fixing roller, or a fixing belt (fixing member) wound onto the fixing roller, and a pressing roller (pressing member) that contacts the fixing member to form a nip area between itself and the fixing member. A toner image on a paper that is conveyed in is thermally fixed onto the paper in the nip area. With the fixing device, there are cases where a paper that has undergone the fixing process is discharged from the nip area while being stuck to the fixing member, and in these cases problems are caused such as paper jam.
To eliminate such problems, in a first technology for example, the fixing device is provided with a separation mechanism, which is configured so as to be capable of stripping from the fixing member the paper that has stuck to the fixing member after the fixing process. The separation mechanism has a single separation claw (separation member) that extends along the longitudinal direction of the fixing roller and that is arranged facing the fixing roller. A gap between the separation claw and the fixing roller is set to a predetermined magnitude and due to this the separation claw touches the paper that has stuck to the fixing roller and is able to strip the paper from the fixing roller.
In the first technology, a spacer that is installed near a leading edge of the separation claw is used a means for setting the gap to a predetermined magnitude. The spacer is set in position so as to abut the core of the fixing roller, and therefore a gap of the predetermined magnitude is formed between the leading edge of the separation claw and the peripheral surface of the fixing roller.
However, only a single separation claw is used in the separation mechanism of the first technology, and therefore due to unevenness in the dimensional precision of the separation claw itself, it is difficult to set the gap to the predetermined magnitude. As a result, it is difficult to strip away the paper that has stuck to the fixing roller and there is a risk that paper jam will occur.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for detecting abnormal execution of program, which detects abnormality in execution state of a program, and particularly to an apparatus for detecting abnormality in execution state of a control program in an electronic control unit for automobile.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the conventional structure of a door lock control system to which the present invention is applied. This control system is constructed so that a data processor (an electronic control unit 3 for automobile) controls an electric instrument (a door lock motor 5) to be controlled according to input from input means (a door lock switch 1), and a CPU 3a of the electronic control unit 3 controls the door lock motor 5 based on a predetermined control program.
In the control program, generally, a series of predetermined operations (predetermined process) is repeated to perform a control operation, as shown in FIG. 4. In the series of the operations, a plurality of sub-routines (sub-routines SR1 to SR4) are executed. Here, in the sub-routine SR1, reading of input from the door lock switch 1 is performed; in the sub-routine SR2, filtering is performed in which whether the input from the door lock switch 1 is not a noise but right is detected; in the sub-routine SR3, control determining operation for detetermining control of the door lock motor 5 in accordance with the input from the door lock switch 1 is performed; and in the sub-routine SR4, the detetermined control is output to the door lock motor 5 and an outputting operation for drive-controlling the door lock motor 5 is performed.
In this electronic control unit 3, as shown in FIG. 4, when the electronic control unit 3 is actuated and an initial operation is performed in step ST1, sequential steps ST2 to ST5 are repeated, whereby the sub-routines SR1 to SR4 are repeatedly executed. As a result, the control operation of the door lock motor 5 is performed based on the input from the door lock switch 1.
In the CPU 3a of the electronic control unit 3 for executing this control program, during execution of the control program, the memory of the program counter which indicates an executing position of the program (current position) is often disturbed by abnormality of a ROM or effects of noise, so that each of the sub-routines SR1 to SR4 is not normally completed and the executing position of the program can be moved to the unexpected wrong position. In this case, there is possibility that runaway of the CPU 3a (electronic control unit 3) is caused.
For example, as shown in FIG. 5, in a series of the operations, in case that step ST3 which must execute the sub-routine SR2 is not executed but step ST4 is executed after the sub-routine SR1 is completed in step ST2, as the sub-routine SR2 is not executed, difference occurs among the various data in the control program and a wrong operation or runaway can occur. Further, to the contrary, there is also a case that each of the sub-routines SR1 to SR4 is wrongly repeated and unnecessarily executed in a series of the operations, which may also cause the wrong operation or the like.
However, in the above-described conventional art, in case that any one of the sub-routines SR1 to SR4 to be executed is not executed or in case that any one of the sub-routines SR1 to SR4 is unnecessarily executed repeatedly in a series of the operations to be repeatedly executed of the control program, measures to meet the respective cases are not taken. Therefore, there is a problem that the wrong operation and runaway of the electronic control unit 3 caused by not suitably executing the predetermined sub-routines SR1 to SR4 to be executed thoroughly cannot be prevented.
In view of the above problem, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for detecting abnormal execution of program, which can previously prevent the wrong operation and runaway of a data processor caused by not suitably executing sub-routines to be executed thoroughly in a predetermined process of the control program.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the invention, there is provided an apparatus for detecting abnormal execution of program, which detects abnormality in execution state of program in a data processor that performs a predetermined data processing by executing a program having a plurality of sub-routines to be executed in a predetermined process, comprising: memory means which is provided in the data processor and stores a set value representing the number of the sub-routines to be executed in the process of the program; counting means which is provided in the data processor and counts the number of the sub-routines that have been actually executed in the process of the program; and detecting means which is provided in the data processor, compares the set value stored in the memory means with a count value of the counting means in the last step of the process and then detects that the execution state of the program is abnormal in case that the two values are different from each other.


1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to the field of indexable cutting inserts. More particularly, the invention pertains to an indexable, double sided, nonagon cutting insert.
2. Description of Related Art
Modern high-performance cutting tools use replaceable and typically indexable inserts owing to the high cutting speeds and feeds supported by the superior insert materials. Common materials for inserts include tungsten carbide, polycrystalline diamond and cubic boron nitride.
Indexable inserts use a symmetrical polygonal shape, such that when the first cutting edge is blunt they can be rotated or flipped over, presenting a fresh cutting edge which is accurately located at the same geometrical position. Geometrical repeatability saves time in manufacturing by allowing periodical cutting edge renewal without the need for tool grinding, setup changes, or entering of new values into a CNC program.
Common shapes of indexable inserts include square, triangular and rhombus (diamond) providing four, three and two cutting edges, respectively, on each side of the insert. A double-sided or invertible square insert, for example, can be flipped over to provide eight cutting edges.
The number of cutting edges is directly related to the cost per edge of the cutting insert. The more cutting edges that are available, the more the cutting insert has value. Thus, it is desirable to provide a cutting insert with multiple cutting edges.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing system and more specifically to a configuration of obtaining the status of a printing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there is known a printing system with a printer driver which controls printing and a printer utility which controls printer maintenance, both of which are installed in a host computer. In this type of printing system, a user generates printing data by a printer driver and sends the printing data to a printer. On the other hand, there is known a printer utility which performs maintenance such as cleaning of the head of an inkjet printer or adjustment of the head's position, as well as checking the remaining amount of ink or battery in the printer (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-301728). The printer utility is executed by the host computer.
There are cases in which a printer utility and printer driver are or are not installed in a coupled manner in a printer system. For example, in certain operating systems such as operating systems of a Macintosh (Registered Trademark), the printer utility and printer driver are installed in the host computer as different modules. In such a case, when a user starts a printer utility and selects a desired function, the printer utility directly performs sending and receiving of data, and executes each type of process.
In the case that the printer utility and printer driver are installed as separate modules in the host computer, the printer driver opens the printer interface upon starting print processing, and performs sending and receiving of data with the printer. When print processing is finished, the interface is closed. During the time between the opening and closing of the interface, the interface is in an occupied state by the printer driver, and other processes cannot access the printer. Therefore, when the printer driver is executing print processing, the printer utility cannot communicate with a printer, and, for example, cannot obtain the status of the printer. For this reason, the user cannot check the remaining amount of ink or battery of the printer while in the middle of printing, nor the printer's operation mode.


The claimed subject matter relates generally to computer communication and, more specifically, to techniques that provide legacy applications with access to a cluster infrastructure.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to video encoding, and more specifically to a scalable rate control system for a video encoder.
2. Description of the Related Art
Video standards are continuously being improved or otherwise replaced to improve performance and quality for a variety of applications. For example, the Advanced Video Coding (AVC) standard, Part 10 of MPEG4 (Motion Picture Experts Group), otherwise known as H.264, includes advanced compression techniques that were developed to enable transmission of video signals at a lower bit rate or to enable improved video quality at a given transmission rate. The H.264 standard is used for exemplary embodiments of the present invention although it is understood that the present invention is not limited to H.264 and is applicable to other video standards. The newer standard outperforms video compression techniques of prior standards in order to support higher quality streaming video at lower bit rates and to enable internet-based video and wireless applications and the like. The standard defines the syntax of the encoded video bit stream along with a method of decoding the bit stream. Each video frame is subdivided into one or more slices and encoded at the macroblock (MB) level, where each MB is a 16×16 block of pixels. The size of each slice is arbitrary and may range between a single MB up to all of the MBs in the frame. Each frame is also subdivided according to a rate control interval, specified as a number of MBs per interval, where the rate control interval also ranges between a single MB up to all of the MBs in the frame. The slice size and rate control interval size may be, but are not necessarily, the same.
Furthermore, newer video and image codec standards are being developed to enable video systems having a wide range of computational capabilities to seamlessly process various frame rates, image resolutions, system bandwidth and bit rates in a heterogeneous environment. Scalable Video Coding (SVC), for example, is an extension of the H.264 main profile which addresses coding schemes for reliably delivery of video to diverse clients over heterogeneous networks using available system resources, particularly in scenarios where the downstream client capabilities, system resources, and network conditions are not known in advance, or dynamically changing from time to time. SVC achieves scalability by using a base- and an enhance-layer concept, where the enhanced layer is scalable from the base layer, and the rate control interval of base layer is scaled up too for spatial scalability. The base layer should be the simplest form in quality, spatial- and temporal-resolution. Whereas H.264 has relatively limited scalability, SVC provides multiple levels of scalability including temporal scalability, spatial scalability, complexity scalability and quality scalability. Temporal scalability generally refers to the number of frames per second (fps) of the video stream, such as 7.5 fps, 15 fps, 30 fps, etc. Spatial scalability refers to the resolution of each frame, such as common interface format (CIF) with 352 by 288 pixels per frame, or quarter CIF (QCIF) with 176 by 144 pixels per frame, although other spatial resolutions are contemplated, such as QVGA, VGA, SVGA, D1, HDTV, etc. Complexity scalability generally refers to the various computational capabilities and processing power of the devices processing the video information. Quality scalability is generally measured with a peak signal-to-noise (PSNR) metric defining the relative quality of a reconstructed image compared with an original image. Quality scalability is varied with the applicable bit rate, such as 64 kilobits per second (kbps), 128 kbps, 256 kbps, 512 kbps, etc.
One of the primary functional blocks within a video encoder for addressing scalability is the rate controller. It is desired to provide an efficient rate controller which is capable of generating a quality image in a heterogeneous and seamless environment in which devices with various processing capabilities demand scalable bit rates, image resolutions, and frame rates.


As a conventional technique, a configuration of a self discharge-type circuit closer is disclosed in which when the voltage between a pair of electrodes reaches a dielectric breakdown voltage in a circuit including a charged capacitor or the like, the electrodes are short-circuited to close the circuit (e.g., see Patent Document 1).
Another configuration is disclosed in which the contact elements of a pair of electrodes disposed in a vacuum vessel are brought into contact with each other to bring the electrodes into a conduction state (e.g., see Patent Document 2).
Further, as a circuit closer using a vacuum interrupter as with the aforementioned configuration, a configuration of a pulse-type circuit closer is disclosed in which: a pair of main electrodes is oppositely disposed in a vacuum vessel; a high voltage is applied to a trigger electrode provided in proximity to one or both of the main electrodes, to cause a micro-discharge between the trigger electrode and the electrode(s); and the plasma generated by the micro-discharge is injected into the main electrode(s) to break down the insulation between the main electrodes and to generate an arc, thus bringing the main electrodes into a conduction state (e.g., see Patent Document 3).
In addition, vacuum gap breakdown characteristics in the case of using oxygen-free copper as the electrode material are disclosed (Non-Patent Document 1, cited as FIG. 6 in the accompanying drawings of the present application). Dielectric breakdown voltages in the case of using different electrode materials are also disclosed (Non-Patent Document 2, cited as FIG. 7 in the accompanying drawings of the present application).


In surgical procedures, sutures are commonly used to close incisions and to reunite damaged tissue. Typically, the sutures are maneuvered and passed through the affected tissue and the free ends of the sutures are individually tied together by the surgeon. In some surgical procedures, the surgical site area is sufficiently exposed to permit the surgeon to access and tie the suture manually with a surgical knot. In other surgical procedures, such as endoscopic procedures, laparoscopic procedures, arthroscopic procedures and the like, or when robotic surgical procedures occur, the surgical site is inaccessible to the surgeon's hands. As a result, the surgeon must tie each of the suture ends into a knot at a location remote from the surgical site, and then manipulate suitably configured instruments for sliding the surgical knot to the site of the incision. Further, surgeons may tie surgical knots intracorporeally (inside of the body) using surgical tools to tie the knot down to the tissue. In general, suture knot tying is cumbersome and is one of the more time-consuming steps in the suturing process of the surgical procedure. In the foregoing circumstances, it is desirable to replace knot tying during surgical procedures in order to significantly reduce the duration of surgical operations with a device or method that is simple for the surgeon to utilize. This is especially true with regard to minimally invasive surgical procedures where the tying of surgical knots within confined spaces is extremely difficult and time consuming.
Additionally, it is noted that knots create weak points in a suture. That is to say, when a failure load is applied to a knotted suture, assuming the suture is otherwise free from imperfections, the suture will break at the knot. Therefore, elimination of surgical knots in the suture would also eliminate the weak stress points created in the suture by the surgical knot.
Suture locking and suture anchoring devices such as suture clips, surgical fasteners, hinged clips, suture terminating devices, hemostatic clips, and suture fixation devices of various configurations, designs, structures, and materials of construction are well known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,075,508 discloses a suture retainer whereby a suture may be fixed relative to a surgical button. The suture is received and wedged between the button and a clamping plate in order to securely clamp the suture. There are a number of shortcomings to this retainer. First, due to the suture manipulation required to use this retainer, a laparoscopic applicator device would be extremely difficult to produce profitably. Furthermore, the wedging and clamping action will induce stress concentrations in the suture, which likely lead to reduced failure loads.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,066,160 to Colvin, et al. discloses a suture terminator device for use in minimally invasive surgery. The suture terminator device includes a pair of locking apertures with teeth for engaging a portion of a suture at the locking apertures' threaded ends. Not only does this device require laparoscopically guiding two strands of suture between two very small apertures, it also requires that the sutures be squeezed tightly by these teethed apertures, thereby diminishing the integrity of the suture and significantly reducing the maximum tension the suture can withstand.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,545 to Egan discloses a suture tensioning and fixation device, which includes a retaining element for frictionally engaging a suture that may subsequently be melted to bond to the suture for a permanent fixation. This melting and bonding action will compromise the integrity of the suture and therefore, because suture strength is of utmost concern in most surgeries, this method of fixation of the retaining element to the suture is not suitable for most surgeries.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,572 to Hayhurst and U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,553 to Kolesa et al. disclose the use of a hinged clip that snaps closed after the suture threads are placed within the holding members. The hinge clip is snapped into place such that the suture is held transversely across the holding members, thus locking the suture in place. There is a possibility of improperly actuating or inadvertently releasing the snap, which could lead to an insecure fixation of the suture. In addition, weak stress points are created where the suture is held within the clip.
In view of the deficiencies of the prior art discussed hereinabove, there remains a need for a suture anchoring device that is simple to use, particularly during laparoscopic surgery, in order to eliminate manual knot tying by the surgeon performing the surgical procedure, while not compromising the integrity of the suture.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a suture anchoring device that is at least as strong as conventional surgical knots.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a suture anchoring device that is easy and cost effective to manufacture in bulk.
Another object of the present invention is provide a suture anchoring device that is suitable for a wide variety of sutures (i.e., such as monofilament and braided sutures).


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to products made from recycled materials, in particular to a process for making stronger products from recycled materials in a municipal waste stream specifically using a venturi extrusion methodology,
2. Description of the Related Art
Municipal waste has become a serious problem in western society. Large fleets of trucks are used to transport the waste products of modern living to landfills on the edge of every modern city. The requirement for landfills is eating up increasingly large sections of land that could be used for other purposes. There is also the tremendous amount of recyclable material that is not being recycled. There is a very critical need to utilize this vast resource and at the same time save the “waste” land that is now being used as landfills.
There have been numerous attempts to create useful products from recycled materials. The main components in the majority of them have been waste wood and plastics. The methodologies utilized include injection molding and extrusion.
In current processes for making products from recycled materials the main problem has been the lack of strength of the final product. If the products are to be used for such applications as railroad ties, where immense pressures are applied, then the strength of the final product must be very high. However with the current methodologies most recycled building products lack sufficient tensile strength to be used for load bearing purposes.
Recycled products that have not been strengthened usually can only be used for decorative purposes due to lack of tensile strength. The exceptions are typically recycled wood based products. Without sufficient tensile strength the products will shear or bend easily. Therefore most current recycled products cannot be uses for construction beams, unsupported spans, railroad ties, etc, where greater strength is necessary.
What is needed is some method for improving the strength of recycled products that solves one or more of the problems described herein.


Switching Mode Power Supplies (SMPS) are used in a variety of portable electronic devices including laptop computers, cellular phones, personal digital assistants, video games, video cameras, etc. They may convert a dc signal at one voltage level to a dc signal at a different voltage level (this is a dc-dc converter), an Alternating Current (ac) signal to a dc signal (this is a an ac-dc converter), a dc signal to an ac signal (this is a dc-ac converter), or an ac signal to an ac signal (this is an ac-ac converter). Generally, switching mode power supplies have included switching power supply controllers or converters that operate in a continuous mode under heavy load conditions, i.e., a load that draws a large current, and under a skip mode or pulse skip mode under light loading conditions, i.e., a load that draws a small current. In the past, semiconductor manufacturers used various methods and structures to form the switching power supply controllers, such as Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) power supply controllers that regulated the value of a voltage supplied by a power supply system. In some cases, the switching power supply controllers were capable of operating in a fixed frequency or continuous operating mode during normal operation. When the current drawn by the load that was receiving power from the power supply system decreased, some of the prior switching power supply controllers operated in a light load mode that skipped some of the PWM cycles. The light load operating mode has been referred to as a skip mode or a burst mode. When the load again required a higher current, the switching regulator circuit exited the skip mode and returned to normal operation.
Usually the converters include a compensation network that is connected to an error amplifier to stabilize the system and to optimize the transient response based on a small signal behavior model. However, when a large signal transient event occurs such as a step load transient from a light load condition to a full load condition, the converter is unable to achieve the desired response due to saturation recovery of the compensation network and the slew rate limitation of an error amplifier.
FIG. 1 is a prior art schematic diagram of a portion of a power supply system 10 that includes a switching power supply controller 12. System 10 receives power between a power input terminal 14 and a power return terminal 16 and forms an output voltage (VOUT) between output 18 and terminal 16. Controller 12 is configured to regulate output voltage VOUT to a desired value or target value within a range of values around the target value. For example, the target value may be five volts (5 v) and the range of values may be plus or minus five percent (5%) around the five volts. System 10 usually includes a power switch such as a power transistor 20 and a rectifier 22 that are connected to control an inductor current I24 that flows through an inductor 24. Rectifier 22 may be a synchronous Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor, a diode, or the like. A capacitor 26 is connected between output 18 and terminal 16 in order to assist in forming output voltage VOUT. A voltage sense network 28 may be coupled to output 18 to provide a voltage sense signal VS at node 30 that is representative of the instantaneous value of output voltage VOUT. By way of example, voltage sense network 28 is comprised of resistors 32 and 34 having terminals that are commonly connected together to form node 30. In addition resistor 32 has a terminal connected to output 18 and resistor 34 has a terminal connected to power return terminal 16. Voltage sensing network 28 may be any type of sensing network that provides sense signal VS at node 30 that is representative of the value of output voltage VOUT. A load 36 is generally connected between output 18 and terminal 16 in order to receive output voltage VOUT and to receive a load current ILOAD. It should be noted that load current ILOAD is the sum of current I24 and a current I26 that may flow from capacitor 26.
Switching power supply controller 12 receives operating power from a regulator 35 that is connected between a voltage input 38 and a voltage return 40. Input 38 and return 40 typically are connected to respective terminals 14 and 16. It should be noted that regulator 40 may provide reference voltage VREF. Controller 12 is configured to form a switching drive signal on an output 42 that is suitable for driving and operating transistor 20 to regulate the value of output voltage VOUT. Voltage sense signal VS from voltage sense network 28 is received by controller 12 on a voltage sense input 44.
Controller 12 includes a PWM control module 50 suitable for generating a PWM switching signal that is input into a buffer driver or buffer 52. Buffer 52 has an output terminal connected to a gate terminal of power transistor 20. Controller 12 further includes a feedback network 54 that comprises an operational amplifier 56 and a compensation network 58. By way of example, compensation network 58 is a passive voltage compensation network. More particularly, operational amplifier 56 serves as an error amplifier that has an inverting input terminal, a non-inverting input terminal, and an output terminal, where the non-inverting input terminal is coupled for receiving a reference voltage VREF, the inverting input terminal is coupled to its output terminal and to voltage sense node 44 through compensation network 58. By way of example, compensation network 58 is composed of a resistor 60 connected between the inverting input terminal of operational amplifier 56 and voltage sense node 44, and a resistor capacitor network 62 coupled between the inverting input terminal and the output terminal of operational amplifier 56. Resistor capacitor network 62 is comprised of a capacitor 64 coupled in parallel with a resistor 66 and a capacitor 68 which are connected in series. The output terminal of operational amplifier 56 is directly connected to an input terminal of PWM control module 50.
In operation, power supply system 10 typically operates in one of two operating modes: a continuous operating mode or a pulse skip (or burst) operating mode. Under a heavy or non-light load condition, PWM control module 50 operates at its nominal or full operating frequency and inductor current I24 is continuous. Under a light load or a no load condition, load current ILOAD decreases and inductor current I24 becomes discontinuous. If the pulse skip mode is enabled, the operating frequency or switching frequency at the output terminal of PWM control module 50 is reduced in response to the decrease in the loading current, thereby reducing power dissipation.
FIGS. 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d are plots that illustrate various signals that are generated by controller 12 when it operates in a continuous operating mode. The abscissas of plots 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d indicate time and the ordinates of plots 2a, 2b, and 2c indicate voltage, whereas the ordinate of plot 2d indicates current. More particularly, plot 2a illustrates the voltage VCOMP transmitted from the output terminal of operational amplifier 56 to the input terminal of PWM control module 50; plot 2b illustrates output voltage VOUT that appears between output 18 and terminal 16; plot 2c illustrates the voltage VSWN appearing at node 25; and plot 2d illustrates inductor current I24. In FIG. 2, controller 12 operates in the continuously pulsing PWM mode, thus inductor current I24 is continuous. Under this condition, operational amplifier 56 does not operate in saturation and there is little change in the DC bias of the capacitors of resistor capacitor network 62, i.e., capacitors 64 and 68. More particularly, in the steady state continuously pulsing mode of operation the DC bias across capacitor 68 is substantially equal to the difference between the average voltage level at the output terminal of error amplifier 56 during the continuously pulsing mode of operation and reference voltage VREF that appears at the non-inverting input terminal of error amplifier 56, i.e., VC68=VCOMP—AVG−VREF. In the pulse skipping mode, when output voltage VOUT is higher than reference voltage VREF, voltage VCOMP remains at its minimum level. Under this condition, the DC bias voltage across capacitor 68 is substantially equal to the difference between the minimum voltage value of voltage VCOMP and reference voltage VREF, i.e., VC68=VCOMP—MIN−VREF.
When there is a step-up load transience, voltage VCOMP increases to a value that is substantially equal to the average voltage level at the output terminal of error amplifier 56. Because the DC bias voltage across capacitor 68 cannot change instantaneously, a voltage difference substantially equal to VCOMP−VC68−VREF is added across resistor 66, which causes a droop current to be injected into node 59 and through resistor 60. Voltage VC68 is the voltage across capacitor 68. The additional droop current results in an additional voltage droop and a longer time for output voltage VOUT to recover.
FIGS. 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d are plots that illustrate various signals that are generated by controller 12 when there is a step-up load transience, the skip mode is enabled, and controller 12 has been operating in the skip mode. The abscissas of plots 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d indicate time and the ordinates of plots 3a, 3b, and 3c indicate voltage, whereas the ordinate of plot 3d indicates current. More particularly, plot 3a illustrates the voltage VCOMP transmitted from the output terminal of operational amplifier 56 to the input terminal of PWM control module 50; plot 3b illustrates the output voltage VOUT appearing between output 18 and terminal 16; plot 3c illustrates the voltage VSWN appearing at node 25; and plot 3d illustrates inductor current I24 and load current ILOAD.
Because controller 12 went into the skip mode of operation, the system transient response is degraded due to the DC level deviation in feedback network 54.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have a method and a power supply controller with a fast transient response under heavy and light loading conditions. It would be of further advantage for the circuit and method to be cost efficient to implement.


Various kinds of inhaler are known for delivering metered doses of medicament for inhalation. Typically, pressurized liquid systems and dry powder systems are used to deliver medicament to a patient. In one pressurized liquid system a liquid containing medicament is stored in a pressurized container and a metered dose is delivered as an aerosol by a pressurized metered dose inhaler. In dry powder systems powder containing medicament is stored in individual blisters, on tape or in bulk in a chamber and a metered dose is provided by a dry powder inhaler.
All such inhalers include parts which come into contact with medicament and parts, some in common with the parts which come into contact with medicament, which come into contact with the mouth or nose of a user. It will be appreciated that it is important to ensure that those parts do not have any adverse effect on either the medicament or the user.
It is an aim of the present invention to provide an improved inhaler and a method of manufacturing a housing of the same in view of this requirement.


Poly(vinyl chloride) (“PVC”) is commonly utilized as a material of construction for consumer and industrial goods. PVC possesses the advantageous features of low cost, durability, moisture resistance, tailored stiffness, dimensional stability, and flame retardancy. Virgin PVC is readily processed into sheet, tubes, and other forms using conventional processing equipment such as extruders and thermal compression bonding equipment. The reported density of poly(vinyl chloride) is 1.45 g/cm3.
Plasticizers can be added to PVC, which is known to be rigid in the absence of such additives, to make it more flexible and more suitable for an even broader range of applications, including but not limited to applications such as plumbing and electrical cable insulation. The addition of plasticizers and other such flexibilizing agents will lower the modulus and the density of the PVC.
The use of chemical and physical inert gas blowing agents can also be used to lower the density of PVC substrates.
While PVC is attractive for many first life commercial uses, the opportunities to reclaim and reuse PVC for subsequent future life applications are limited. The recycling of reclaimed PVC possesses inherent challenges due both to the processing difficulties caused by the various and often unknown additives and fillers that may have been used during the first life and to the sorting and separation of reclaimed PVC to generate a more homogenous raw material for use in future applications. Specifically, a significant amount of reclaimed PVC sources incorporate mixtures of other materials or components, for example pigments, colorants, fillers, plasticizers and the like, that limit PVC's potential reuse in future applications. Reclaimed PVC materials introduce feedstock variability for which conventional melt processing may be ill-suited and which limits the commercial utility for future life applications of PVC. This challenge becomes more acute as one tries to use a high fraction of reclaimed PVC within conventional processing methods.


Disposable capsules are known since time of the type comprising a container having an plane openable or punchable base for the introduction of water and a closed plane base from a plane filter, protected by a peelable film before use, through which the beverage produced by infusion of water with the aromatic substance present in the container is delivered.
It is known that such capsules, due to their conformation, can negatively affect the correct execution of the infusion, with a consequent penalization of the organoleptic characteristics of the produced beverage.
This is often due to the characteristics of the filter, having a surface extension sometimes insufficient, being substantially equal to that of the plane base of the container to which it is applied.
With particular reference to capsules for American coffee, which require an extraction procedure of the aroma purely by percolation, the filter, if having an insufficient surface, tends to obstruct and form a non desired overpressure inside the container. The provision of a greater filtering surface in a known disposable capsule would require a more bulky container in a transversal direction, which in turn would require specifically dimensioning also the infusion chamber in which the capsule is housed.