Sand consolidation is a well known term applying to procedures routinely practiced in the commercial production of petroleum, whereby wells are treated in order to reduce a problem generally referred to as unconsolidated sand production. When wells are completed in petroleum-containing formations which also contain unconsolidated granular mineral material such as sand or gravel, production of fluids from the formation causes the flow of the particulate matter into the wellbore, which often leads to any of several difficult and expensive problems. Sometimes a well is said to "sand up", meaning the lower portion of the production well becomes filled with sand, after which further production of fluid from the formation becomes difficult or impossible. In other instances, sand production along with the fluid results in passage of granular mineral material into the pump and associated hardware of the producing well, which causes accelerated wear of the mechanical components of the producing oil well. Sustained production of sand sometimes forms a cavity in the formation which collapses and destroys the well. All of these problems are known to exist and many methods have been disclosed in the prior art and applied in oil fields in order to reduce or eliminate production of unconsolidated sand from a petroleum formation during the course of oil production.
The above-described problem and potential solutions to the problem have been the subject of extensive research by the petroleum industry in the hope of developing techniques which minimize or eliminate the movement of sand particles into the producing well and associated equipment during the course of producing fluids from the formation. One such general approach suggested in the prior art involves treating the porous, unconsolidated sand mass around the wellbore in order to cement the loose sand grains together, thereby forming a permeable consolidated sand mass which will allow production of fluids but which will restrain the movement of sand particles into the wellbore. The objective of such procedures is to create a permeable barrier or sieve adjacent to the perforations or other openings in the well casing which establish communication between the production formation and the production tubing, which restrains the flow of loose particulate mineral matter such as sand. Another approach involves removing a portion of the formation around the well and packing specially prepared resin-coated granular material into the formation around the wellbore which is subsequently caused to become cemented together.
It is a primary objective of any operable sand consolidation method to form a barrier around the wellbore which restrains the movement of sand particles into the well while offering little or no restriction to the flow of fluids, particularly oil, from the formation into the wellbore where it can be pumped to the surface of the earth.
Another very important quality of a satisfactory sand consolidation method is durability of the permeable barrier formed around the wellbore. Once the barrier is formed and the well is placed on production, there will be a substantial continuing flow of fluids through the flow channels within the permeable barrier, and it is important that the barrier last for a significant period of time, e.g. several months and preferably years, without excessive abrasive wear or other deterioration of the consolidation matrix which would allow the particulate matter to once again flow into the wellbore. This is a particularly difficult objective to accomplish in the instance of sand consolidation procedures applied to wells completed in formations subjected to steam flooding or other thermal recovery methods. The production of fluids in steam flooding operations involve higher temperatures and higher pH fluids than are normally encountered in ordinary primary production, and this greatly aggravates the stability problem of sand consolidation procedures.
It is also important that the material injected into the formation should be essentially unreactive during the period it is inside the wellbore, i.e. while it is being pumped down the well and positioned where it is desired adjacent to the perforations of the production casing. It is this desire to delay the consolidation reaction that has led to multi-step procedures in which first a catalyst is injected into the formation, after which the polymerizable resin-containing fluid is injected separately. While this reduces the propensity for the fluid to polymerize in the injection string, it does give rise to several problems which constitute inherent weaknesses in many prior art methods for accomplishing sand consolidation. First, each separate injection step increases the time and cost of the well treatment by which sand consolidation is accomplished. Second, when the only catalyst employed is injected into the formation in advance of the polymerizable fluid, uniform mixing of catalyst with all of the subsequently-injected polymerizable fluid is not achieved to the degree necessary to ensure optimum polymerization of the resin, and thus often fails to achieve maximum, uniform strength and durability of the consolidated mass.
Many materials have been utilized for consolidating sand in the formation adjacent to production of wellbores. One of the more successful agents utilized for this purpose are fluids comprising monomers or oligomers of furfuryl alcohol which can be polymerized in situ to form a solid matrix which binds the sand grains together, while at the same time offering superior resistance to high temperatures and to caustic substances which may be encountered in steam flood operations. One of the problems in utilizing furfuryl alcohol oligomers to polymerize in the formation for the purpose of consolidating sand grains is failing to achieve uniform catalysis of the polymerization. Many catalysts that are effective for polymerizing furfuryl alcohol resins cannot be admixed with the furfuryl alcohol to permit a single fluid containing both the resin and the catalyst to be injected into the formation, because the time of polymerization is so short or unpredictable that there is excessive danger that the resin will polymerize in the injection wellbore.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,069 there is disclosed a procedure for consolidating sand in a formation adjacent to a wellbore using an oligomer of furfuryl alcohol, in which the catalyst used is a water soluble acidic salt, preferably zirconyl chloride, which is injected in an aqueous solution into the formation prior to injection of the resin-containing fluid. The salt absorbs on the sand grains, and sufficient acidic salt remains adsorbed on the sand grain during the subsequent resin fluid injection stage that adequate polymerization occurs. Although this has been very effective in difficult situations where sand consolidation procedures are utilized, particularly in connection with thermal flooding such as steam injection procedures, the procedure nevertheless requires a multi-fluid injection procedure which requires more time and is more expensive than is desired. Usually a preliminary sand cleaning step is required before injecting the aqueous-catalyst solution in order to remove the naturally-occurring oil film from the sand grains to ensure good catalyst adsorption on the sand. Also, although catalyst mixes with the subsequently injected polymer to a limited degree, usually sufficient to cause polymerization, it is believed that superior performance would result if the catalyst resin mixture can be made more homogenous prior to polymerization, in order to achieve a dense, strong, durable consolidation mass.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,543 which issued June 2, 1987, there is described a method for consolidating sand using an acid curable resin and utilizing as a catalyst, the reaction product of an acid and an alkyl metal or ammonium molybdate. In that instance, the catalyst is incorporated in an aqueous carrier fluid which comprises the continuous phase of an emulsion in which the polymerizable resin is the dispersed or discontinuous phase. Thus this process requires that the emulsion be resolved or broken after it is located in the portion of the formation where the permeable consolidating mass is desired, which is difficult to achieve the degree of completion and accuracy of timing necessary to accomplish the desired strong durable consolidating matrix necessary for a long lasting sand consolidation process.
In our U.S. Pat. No. 4,482,072 for "SAND CONSOLIDATION METHODS" we disclosed a particularly effective method for consolidating sand utilizing a mixture of a polymerizable resin such as an oligomer of furfuryl alcohol and a diluent such as butyl acetate and an oil soluble, slightly water soluble acid catalyst such as orthonitrobenzoic acid is injected followed by injection of salt water to reestablish permeability.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,770 for "SAND CONSOLIDATION" we disclosed a preferred process which is more easily removed after a period of use and which is quite inexpensive. The process employs a fluid comprising a polymerizable monomer such as furfuryl alcohol and as a diluent, a polar organic solvent such as methanol and a strong, non-volatile acid catalyst such as sulfuric acid, mixed with steam to form a multiphase or aerosol treating fluid, and injected into the formation to be consolidated. An ester such as ethyl or butyl acetate is incorporated in the fluid when the steam quality is less than 80 percent.
Both of the above methods have produced excellent results in many field applications including several viscous oil-containing formations being stimulated by steam flooding. In some applications, however, results are adversely affected by a slight shrinkage of the porous, polymerized mass which can cause cracks in the polymerized mass which causes leaks. There is a need for an inexpensive modification to the sand control treatment using monomers or oligomers of furfuryl alcohol to reduce or eliminate shrinkage of the polymerized polymer-sand mass.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to a parallel cipher text scrambler, and more particularly to cipher text scrambler and method for scrambling multiple, parallel data streams so that the data streams are uncorrelated and have a fixed delay therebetween.
2. Description of Related Art
Communication information encryption is performed in digital data communications to provide security. Furthermore, communication applications require the sequence of data bits transmitted over a communication channel to be statistically random. In order to achieve the required degree of randomness, the data can be scrambled using a Maximal Length Pseudo Random Sequence. Maximal Length Pseudo Random Sequences are known to have the lowest possible auto-correlation, and are therefore the optimal choice for scrambling.
Two techniques have been generally used in the prior art to perform the scrambling operation: block scrambling and stream scrambling. Both techniques take advantage of the fact that when a first sequence of bits is exclusively OR'ed with a second sequence of bits and is then again exclusively OR'ed with the second sequence of bits identically aligned, the output is the first sequence just as it was before any exclusive OR operations were performed.
Block scrambling uses a framing pattern or other known means to provide the bits into some definable blocks of information. These bits are then exclusively OR'ed with a fixed pattern of bits synchronized to the boundaries of the block. Since a pattern of scrambling bits is fixed with respect to the block, the same pattern can be used at the receiver end to unscramble the bits. Any bit error occurring in the transmission channel between the transmitter and receiver will cause an error in that particular bit, but will not cause other bits to be in error, provided only that the receivers remain synchronized with the transmitters to the block boundaries. However, the longest framing pattern is not usually equal to the 2.sup.n-1 length of the pseudo random pattern desired, so that only part of the pattern is used repetitively, introducing undesirable correlations in the data.
Stream scrambling of the known prior art generally operates on a continuous stream of bits. In typical implementation, the bits at the transmitting end of a communication channel to be scrambled are passed through one input of a two input exclusive OR gate. The output of the gate is the output of the scrambler and also the input to an N-stage shift register. This shift register is tapped at the Nth stage and one or more other stages, and the outputs of these taps are exclusively OR'ed together. The result of this exclusive OR operation is applied to the other input of the exclusive OR gate that has the data to be scrambled, as the first input. The tap positions are chosen so that a Galois polynomial represented by the tap weight is irreducible, and if the input data were all zeros and the shift register started out at any state other than all zeros, a Maximal Length Pseudo Random Sequence would be produced.
As mentioned, pulse patterns can have an energy component which is particularly high at certain discrete frequencies. In order to avoid these pulse patterns, the digital signal to be transmitted must be scrambled at the transmitting side with a pseudo random sequence. The descrambling occurs at the receiving side with the pseudo random sequence which was employed at the transmitting side. The synchronization of the pseudo random generators employed at the transmitting receiving sides which is thereby necessary, can be avoided by employing freewheeling and, therefore, self synchronizing scrambler and descrambler arrangements. In order to achieve high bit rates, modulating signals having a high clock frequency are often scrambled in a plurality of parallel channels having a lower bit repetition frequency. However, the bit streams must be synchronized in order to reconstruct the original signal.
Thus it can be seen that there is a need for a cipher text scrambler which enables multiple data streams to be scrambled in parallel in such a way that the data streams are uncorrelated with respect to each other.
It can also be seen that there is a need for a cipher text scrambler that provides a large fixed delay relationship between the scrambler bits over the multiple streams.
It can also be seen that there is a need to provide a cipher text scrambler that can correctly identify the ordering of the multiple data streams with the respect to each other, correct for any polarity or wore swap misconnections and align the received multiple data streams despite differential delays between the data streams.


A user equipment (UE) may connect to a network via an access point, such as a base station, an eNodeB, a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (e.g., a Wi-Fi access point), or the like. The UE may experience degraded network performance and/or may disconnect from the network when network congestion associated with a connection to the access point satisfies a network congestion threshold. The network congestion threshold may be satisfied when a threshold quantity of UEs attempt to utilize the same access point for network connectivity.


Autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), myasthenia gravis (MG) and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), among others, remain clinically important diseases in humans. As the name implies, autoimmune diseases wreak their havoc through the body""s own immune system. While the pathological mechanisms differ between individual types of autoimmune diseases, one general mechanism involves the binding of certain antibodies (referred to herein as self-reactive antibodies or autoantibodies) present in the sera of patients to self nuclear or cellular antigens.
SLE has an incidence of about 1 in 700 women between the ages of 20 and 60. SLE can affect any organ system and can cause severe tissue damage. Numerous autoantibodies of differing specificity are present in SLE. SLE patients often produce autoantibodies having anti-DNA, anti-Ro, and anti-platelet specificity and which are capable of initiating clinical features of the disease, such as glomerulonephritis, arthritis, serositis, complete heart block in newborns, and hematologic abnormalities. These autoantibodies are also possibly related to central nervous system disturbances. Kidney damage, measured by the amount of proteinuria in the urine, is one of the most acute areas of damage associated with pathogenicity in SLE, and accounts for at least 50% of the mortality and morbidity of the disease. The presence of antibodies immunoreactive with double-stranded native DNA is used as a diagnostic marker for SLE.
Antibodies are composed of heavy and light polypeptide chains which are joined by disulfide bridges. Antibodies are divided into different classes according to their heavy chain structure; antibodies belonging to the same class are referred to as isotypes of each other. In addition, antibodies of a given isotype can be divided into subtypes. Antigenic determinants on antibodies that differ among animals that have inherited different alleles are referred to as allotopes; antibodies that share an allotope are referred to as members of the same allotype. Another type of antigenic determinant present on antibody molecules are those found primarily in the hypervariable region of the antigen binding site of the antibody. These determinants are referred to as idiotopes; antibodies that share an idiotope are referred to as members of the same idiotype. Idiotypic determinants are controlled by both genetic and antigenic influences. Antibodies having common or shared idiotypes generally exhibit the same antigenic specificity. However, antibodies from genetically different individuals which share a common antigenic specificity may exhibit idiotypic heterogeneity but, in some instances, show a major cross-reactive antigenic determinant. Thus, antibodies which bind the same antigen may have distinct idiotypic determinants, but also may share cross-reacting properties.
Currently, there are no really curative treatments for patients that have been diagnosed with SLE. From a practical standpoint, physicians generally employ a number of powerful immunosuppressive drugs such as high-dose corticosteroids, azathioprine or cyclophosphamidexe2x80x94many of which have potentially harmful side effects to the patients being treated. In addition, these immunosuppressive drugs interfere with the person""s ability to produce all antibodies, not just the self-reactive anti-DNA antibodies. Immunosuppressants also weaken the body""s defense against other potential pathogens thereby making the patient extremely susceptible to infection and other potentially fatal diseases, such as cancer. In some of these instances, the side effects of current treatment modalities can be fatal.
One method of treatment for SLE, described in Diamond et al. (U.S. Pat No. 4,690,905), consists of generating monoclonal antibodies against anti-DNA antibodies (the monoclonal antibodies being referred to therein as anti-idiotypic antibodies) and then using these anti-idiotypic antibodies to remove the pathogenic anti-DNA antibodies from the patient""s system. However, there are several drawbacks to this approach. For example, the removal of large quantities of blood for treatment can be a dangerous, complicated process. Essentially, blood is removed from a patient, treated to remove the anti-DNA antibodies, and then the treated blood returned to the patient. Such a removal technique would be similar to that used for hemodialysis, i.e., via an arterial passage. This type of treatment would be inconvenient (a qualified professional would be required to conduct treatment regularly), expensive, painful, and in some instances might subject the patient to a risk of infection and/or hemorrhaging, as well as depletion of effective blood volume inducing circulatory collapse, acute left ventricular failure or acute renal failure. One treatment session may take hours to complete. It also could present certain other risks: heart failure caused by the rapid transfer of blood, blood loss, acute kidney failure due to temporary major depletion of effective circulating plasma volume, and/or the possible spreading of dangerous diseases such as HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. The therapeutic method of the present invention avoids these problems. It merely requires an injection, or other equivalent mode of administration, of an antibody composition to the patient.
High dose intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) infusions have also been used in treating certain autoimmune diseases. Previous studies have indicated that IVIG may contain anti-idiotype activity against anti-DNA antibodies, as well as many other autoantibodies (Jordan, S. C., 1989; Silvestris et al., 1994; Mouthon et al., 1996; Silvestris et al., 1996). The effects of IVIG infusions are apparently related to changes in the repertoire of autoantibodies expressed in the patient. This modulation of pathogenic Id antibodies is thought to depend on their specific interaction with the regulatory anti-idiotype molecules that occur naturally in healthy donors. Production of anti-idiotypic antibodies inhibiting the potentially harmful autoimmune repertoire may result from activation of the Id network committed to controlling the secretion of natural autoantibodies by CD5-positive B cells.
Up until the present time, treatment of SLE with IVIG has provided mixed results, including both resolution of lupus nephritis (Akashi et al., 1990), and in a few instances, exacerbation of proteinuria and kidney damage (Jordan et al., 1989). The cause of this increase is not clear but it is believed that there is increased glomerular deposition of immune-complexed, polyreactive, non-Id-specific IgG antibodies.
As can be understood from the above, although there are several treatments for autoimmune disease such as systemic lupus erythematosus, all possess serious disadvantages. Thus, persons afflicted with SLE who show clinical evidence for SLE nephritis need a cost-efficient and safe treatment that will help prevent or ameliorate the tissue damage that leads ultimately to kidney failure and the need for chronic hemodialysis and/or renal transplantation caused by their condition.
The subject invention concerns novel compositions and methods for the treatment of antibody-based autoimmune diseases, and in particular, SLE. One aspect of the present invention concerns a therapeutic method for treating patients suffering from, or predisposed to, autoimmune disorders such as SLE nephritis. The method comprises administering an anti-idiotypic antibody composition to a patient afflicted with an autoimmune disease, wherein the anti-idiotypic antibodies selectively immunoreact with autoantibodies bearing the appropriate idiotype, thereby inhibiting the autoantibodies and their destructive autoimmune responses without inducing generalized immunosuppression. The novel anti-idiotypic antibody compositions, prepared in accordance with the procedures of the subject invention, comprise anti-idiotypic antibodies having specificity for pathogenic self-reactive antibodies in a patient""s body, thereby modulating the potential of the self-reactive antibodies to form immune complexes with self antigens and cause harm to normal cells and tissues, particularly within the patient""s kidney filtering systems. One embodiment of the present invention is a method for treating SLE using anti-DNA anti-idiotypic antibody compositions prepared from pooled human intravenous gamma globulin (IVIG). The potential risks and negative side effects associated with other current autoimmune disease therapies are avoided with the present method.
Another aspect of the subject invention concerns novel compositions comprising purified human anti-idiotypic antibodies which have binding specificity for self-reactive antibodies that are associated with clinical pathogenesis of certain autoimmune diseases. The antibody compositions are capable of modulating the deleterious effect of the self-reactive autoantibodies on cells and tissues of the affected patient. Specifically exemplified in the present invention is a purified anti-DNA anti-idiotypic antibody composition that can be used to treat patients afflicted with SLE nephritis.
In a further aspect, the subject invention is directed toward a method of producing the novel anti-idiotypic antibody compositions which can be used in the therapeutic method of the present invention. The subject antibodies can be produced by adsorbing pooled normal human gamma globulin with a solid phase substrate having antibody molecules attached thereto that selectively bind with anti-idiotypic antibodies present in the human gamma globulin, whereby an antibody/anti-id antibody complex is formed on the solid phase. The anti-idiotypic antibodies from the intravenous gamma globulin preparations are then eluted from the solid phase substrate. The procedure allows for the isolation and enrichment of anti-idiotypic antibodies from the other antibodies present in the pooled gamma globulin preparation.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for forming an image and outputting an image signal, and a light source unit used with the image forming apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
As one of conventional image forming apparatus, a light source switching type color image sensor is known which reads a color image by applying light beams having three different spectral characteristics to the same color image and outputting image signals. FIGS. 1 to 4 show an example of such an image forming apparatus. This image forming apparatus is constituted by LEDs of red, green, and blue (hereinafter abbreviated as R, G, and B) colors, a short focal point focussing element array, and a sensor array with a plurality of line sensors being disposed in line.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the image forming apparatus. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in the fundamental structure of the image forming apparatus, a light beam 212 outputted from an LED array 211 on an LED substrate 210 mounted on a frame 200 is applied to an original which is in contact with a transparent glass plate 201 mounted on the upper area of the frame 200, and a light beam 213 reflected from the original is applied via an optical system 209 to a sensor array 1 on a sensor substrate 19.
As shown in FIG. 3, the LED array 211 has a plurality set of LED chips 211R, 211G, and 211B alternately disposed in line on the LED substrate 210. The LED chips 211R, 211G, and 211B emit RGB light beams, and light of each color of RGB can be independently turned on and off. The optical system uses a short focal point focussing element array, for example, a product name "Selfoc Lens Array" manufactured by Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd.
As shown in FIG. 4, the sensor array 1 has a plurality of line sensors 2-1, 2-2, . . . , 2-15 disposed in line on the sensor substrate 19, the line sensors being covered with a protection film 206. A tight contact type multi-chip image sensor fundamentally reads an image by applying a light beam reflected from an original to a sensor array and focussing an image of the same size as an original. Therefore, the length of the sensor array 1 is required to be equal to or longer than the width of an original.
The length of the sensor array 1 changes with the size of an original to be read, and the number of line sensors of the sensor array 1 changes. For example, for reading of an A3 size original, the sensor array has fifteen line sensors assuming that the length of each line sensor is 20 mm.
The sensor substrate 19 is coupled via a flexible substrate 208 to another substrate 203 on which a connector 202 for input/output of a power source and control signals is mounted. The substrate 203 is fixedly mounted on the frame 200 by means of screws 207.
Next, the read operation of the image forming apparatus will be described. First, data for correcting shading error is read, the shading error being generated by a variation of line sensor sensitivities and a variation of emission of a light source. In reading shading correction data, LED chips 211R, 211G, and 211B are sequentially turned on to read a white reference plate built in the image forming apparatus, and the output signals of the image sensor are temporarily stored in memories provided for respective colors.
By reading the sensor output signals r1 for LED 211R, g1 for LED 211G, and b1 for LED 211G obtained by independent emission of RGB light sources and stored in the memories, the gain of each color is adjusted to satisfy the condition of r=g=b where r, g and b are sensor output signals for RGB colors obtained when the white reference plate is again read.
In reading an original with a light source switching color image sensor, it is necessary to independently apply RGB light beams to the original in order to obtain three RGB signals. To this end, a frame sequential method and a line sequential method are used. With the frame sequential method, LEDs of one color among RGB colors are turned on to sub-scan the whole frame of the original, this operation being repeated for the other two colors. With the line sequential method, LEDs of three colors are sequentially turned on for each line of an original to sub-scan the whole frame. Both the methods can obtain RGB signals of the whole area of an original to reproduce a color image.
The ideal spectral characteristics of RGB light sources for a light source switching color image sensor will next be described. A G light source is used by way of example. As shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that an original image is read by using three G light sources each having a different spectral characteristic. A light source G6 does not contain light in the wavelength ranges from near 480 to near 500 nm and from near 570 to near 590 nm, as compared to the light source G7.
Therefore, if colors a and b shown in FIG. 6 having different spectral characteristics only in the wavelength range near 500 nm are read by using the light source G6, a difference of the spectral characteristics between the colors a and b cannot be discriminated and generally a same G signal is obtained for the colors a and b.
If the B light source having a shorter wavelength than the G light source does not contain light in the same wavelength range as the light source G6, then the colors a and b cannot be discriminated. In order to improve color discrimination between various colors contained in a color original, the spectral characteristics of the RGB light sources are required to cover the whole visible light range.
Next, a difference of color reproduction between the light sources G7 and G8 will be described. Light of the light sources G7 and G8 covers the same wavelength range, and only the energy distribution in the wavelength range is different. Color spaces of a light source switching color image sensor using the light sources G7 and G8 are shown in FIG. 7.
The diagram shown in FIG. 7 is called a CIE-xy chromaticity diagram. In FIG. 7, all colors are contained in an area surrounded by a solid curve line representative of a spectrum locus or reddish-purple line. Triangles in this area represent color spaces of the color image sensor. An output G.sub.OUT of an image sensor when an original is applied with light from the light source G7 or G8 is given by the following equation. EQU G.sub.OUT =.intg.G7(.lambda.)(or G8(.lambda.))S(.lambda.)d.lambda.
where G7(.lambda.) represents a spectral emission characteristic of LED G7, G8(.lambda.) represents a spectral emission characteristic of LED G8, and S(.lambda.) represents a spectral sensitivity characteristic of a line sensor.
Color reproduction is made not by measuring the detailed spectral reflection characteristic of an original, but by using RGB signals. As seen from FIG. 7, the color image sensor using the light source G7 has a broader color space than the light source G8. The spectral characteristic of the light source G7 for a light source switching color image sensor is more desirable than the light source G8.
The ideal spectral characteristics of RGB light sources for a light source switching color image sensor are therefore required to have as broad color spaces as possible and cover the whole wavelength range. An LED light source has many advantages such as compact size, high response speed, and good reliability, over other tubular type light sources. Therefore, it is suitable for use with a light source switching color image sensor.
Color reproduction using RGB signals of an LED light source switching color image sensor is, however, associated with some problems. FIG. 8 shows an example of a color space of a conventional LED light source switching color image sensor. As seen from FIG. 8, the color space of the image sensor is rather narrow as compared to various colors in a natural world. This results from that the spectral characteristic of an LED of G color is positioned too near the long wavelength side and that there is a wavelength range having too small light emission. There are LEDs for three colors having the spectral characteristics which can solve the above problems and realize ideal color reproduction. However, such LEDs are very expensive and the manufacturing cost of an image forming apparatus becomes too high. In contrast, general LEDs used for display devices or other devices are mass-produced and relatively cheap. If such display LEDs are used as light sources of an image sensor, the cost can be reduced considerably.
However, the display LED has a sharp spectral characteristic with a small full width at half-maximum. It is necessary for a light source of a light source switching color image sensor to cover the whole visible light range by using LEDs of three RGB colors. Therefore, if display LEDs are used as the light sources for an image sensor, they are associated with the above problems such as a wavelength range with an extremely small emission amount and poor color reproduction, because the display LEDs have too narrow full width at half-maximum.
In a conventional image forming apparatus, LED chips of three RGB colors are disposed at an equal pitch. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, an incident angle of light from an LED for each color is different for each color at an arbitrary point on an original. As a result, the optical information of an original supplied to a sensor pixel train, i.e., the intensity of vertical components of a reflected light beam, is different at each point on the original. From these reasons, even if an original having a uniform density is read, the color component ratio is different at each point of the original to thereby result in color shade. As shown in FIG. 10, the size of shadow at the corner of a convex portion of an uneven original such as an original with a pasted sheet changes with the color component, coloring the shadow at the corner.


The invention relates to a weft stop motion, or detector, for looms in which the sensor element responds or is sensitive to an electric charging of the weft thread without contact and also to looms in which the weft break stop motion of the present invention is used.
A concept for thread detection is known from German Patent Specification 3,758,403, for example. Various embodiments of electrostatic transformers are disclosed therein. These sensors are mainly used in air-jet looms. The weft thread is electrically charged during its removal from the weft thread supply because of the resultant friction and also during the weft insertion because of friction with the air. The electrostatic detection registers the presence of a textile fiber which is moving past and is electrically charged in this way, and the passage of the tip of an inserted weft thread in particular can also be detected. Weft break stop motions are used in the weft channel of the loom. The known embodiments are relatively large and heavy and are frequently constructed in the form of a confusor drop wire. The high-speed air-jet looms having a correspondingly high beat-up speed of the reed which are commonly used nowadays produce high vibration and acceleration loads on the known weft break stop motions, so that the known embodiments are no longer suitable for use on air-jet looms or the resultant electrical signals are very noisy.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to molding compositions and forming processes for normally rust-prone iron-based metal alloy powders, and articles produced therefrom. Metal alloy systems that can be successfully formed using the processes of the invention, include elemental iron and iron alloys, including low and medium alloy steels, tool steels, and a number of specialty iron-base alloys.
2. Description of the Related Art
A widely used process for forming metal powders into complex three dimensional shapes is Metal Injection Molding (MIM). The steps of fabrication of metal or ceramic-metallic (CERMET) parts are the following:                i. Metal and/or ceramic powders are blended with a thermoplastic binder material to create an injection molding feedstock with thermoplastic properties.        ii. The thermoplastic feedstock is injection molded in a fluid state using methods and tools typical of conventional plastic injection molding, and removed from the mold in a solid state.        iii. The “green” state as-molded parts are subjected to thermal and/or chemical processes to remove the binder phase.        iv. The resulting “brown” state metal or CERMET parts are sintered at higher temperatures to effect consolidation and densification of the molded object.
Several methods, processes, and binder systems have previously been described for fabrication of rust prone iron-based metal alloys and CERMET materials containing them. Each of these processes has one or more disadvantages that prevent important applications.
For example, commonly utilized polymer or wax binder MIM processes, such as the methods described by Achikita et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,250,254, while they work well with rusting iron alloys, are limited to small parts, weighing no more than a few hundred grams, and with maximum section thickness of less than 10 millimeters. These limitations are imposed by the difficulties associated with binder removal prior to sintering. The manufacture of larger parts is prevented or rendered uneconomical by dimensional instability, cracking, or simply the long times needed for binder removal from larger and thicker sections. In addition, great care must by taken when using wax or resin binders to avoid an undesirable out-of-specification increase in the carbon content of the alloy as a result of incomplete removal of the hydrocarbon binder phase.
Fanelli et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,734,237, disclose agaroid-based aqueous binders for molding of metal and ceramic powders. The development of aqueous-binder molding compositions, including those disclosed by Fanelli et al., has largely removed the part size restrictions imposed by wax and polymer binders, since the binder phase in these largely consists of water which is easily removed by evaporation under ambient conditions. In the special case of agar-based binders, the carbon content problem associated with wax and polymer binders is also reduced since the agar component of the binder is largely gasified at relatively low temperatures during the early stages of the sintering cycle. Further reduction in carbon content is easily achieved by employing an oxidizing atmosphere in the early stages of the sintering heat treatment as taught by Zedalis in U.S. Pat. No. 5,985,208. Carbon content can also be reduced by heat treatment in hydrogen as taught by Wu et al., “Effects of residual carbon content on sintering shrinkage, microstructure and mechanical properties of injection molded 17-4 PH stainless steel,: Journal of Materials Science, 37 (2002) pp. 3573–3583.
Zedalis et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,268,412, incorporated herein by reference to the extent not incompatible herewith, disclose molding compositions and processing steps for injection molding of non-rust-prone stainless steel articles using water-base agaroid binder systems. Stainless steels, a family of iron-based alloys containing between 10.5 and 28 atomic % chromium, are compatible with water-based binder systems, since the high chromium content confers great resistance to oxidation in the presence of water.
When rust-prone iron-base alloy powders are substituted for the stainless steel powders in the process taught by Zedalis, the resulting molding feedstock is chemically unstable and must be molded and dried within hours, or the water will react with the iron-base alloy powder to form rust, thereby substantially altering and degrading the Theological properties, as-molded strength, sintering, and shrinkage behavior of the feedstock.
It is commonly observed that ferrous alloys progressively oxidize or rust in the presence of air and moisture. The essential chemistry of rust formation, as described in The Metals Handbook, Volume 1, 8th Edition, published by the American Society for Metals (1961) p257, follows. In the first step of the reaction, iron reacts with water to form ferrous and hydroxyl ions and hydrogen:Fe+2H2O═Fe+++2OH−+H2  (1)
In a second step, oxygen, if present, reacts with the ferrous ions to produce ferric ions which precipitate out of solution as insoluble ferric hydroxide FeO(OH), otherwise known as rust. Since the rust deposit does not form a protective layer, reaction 1 is free to proceed until the metallic iron is consumed or equilibrium is reached.
The equilibrium constant for reaction 1 is:K=[Fe++][OH−]2PH2  (2)where the square brackets indicate the concentration of the species and PH2 is the partial pressure of hydrogen.
Equation 2 suggests that the equilibrium concentration of Fe++ can be suppressed by increasing the hydroxyl ion concentration, equivalent to increasing the pH, and/or increasing the hydrogen partial pressure.
Rusting can be further inhibited by passivation of the exposed ferrous alloy surface. Typically, passivation involves a thin but impervious layer of iron oxide formed, in-situ, by reaction of the iron with oxidizing ions. Pourbaix, in Atlas of Electrochemical Equilibria in Aqueous Solutions, Pergamon Press, New York (1966) p. 312 states that passivation of iron is difficult at a pH below 8, relatively easy at a pH above 8 and very easy between pH 10 and 12. Above pH 13, according to Pourbaix, iron will corrode by hyperferrate ion formation. Passivation of ferrous alloy surfaces is typically effected by the addition of oxidizers to aqueous environments. For example, nitrite and nitrate salts have been used in this manner as rust-inhibiting additives in cooling water and other process water applications. pH buffers, salt solutions formed by reaction of weak acids with strong bases, are frequently employed with nitrites and nitrates to maintain pH in the proper range. The Metals Handbook, Vol. 1, 8th Ed., American Society for Metals, P. 279, 1961 states that sodium nitrate-borate combinations have been used to inhibit corrosion in diesel engine cooling systems and in low pressure, hot water recirculating systems. In this case, sodium borate, a salt formed by reaction of the weak acid H3BO3 with the strong base NaOH, supposedly functions as a pH buffer. In a similar fashion, calcium nitrite is frequently added to concrete formulations to inhibit rusting of embedded steel reinforcing bars. In this case, the desired alkaline environment is synergistically provided by the calcium oxide component of the Portland cement concrete.
Interestingly, various metal borate additives to enhance the gel strength and viscosity of polysacharide-based aqueous binders for molding have been disclosed by Sekido et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,258,155, and Fanelli et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,957. Anions of boric acid, acting in concert with metal cations are thought to induce crosslinking of the agar polysaccharide molecules, thereby substantially increasing the viscosity of the agar-water sol and the strength of the gel. Fanelli et al. teaches that calcium borate, magnesium borate, zinc borate, ammonium borate, tetraethyl ammonium borate, tetramethyl ammonium borate, and boric acid are preferred gel strengthening additives for agaroid binder powder injection molding of ceramic and/or metal powders.
Sekido et al., broadly teach the use of sodium borate for gel strengthening but, Sekido does not define sodium borate in useful chemical terms. That is, neither the preferred concentration range nor the preferred stoichiometry range (i.e., the preferred atomic fractions of sodium and boron) are specified.
For the purposes of the present invention, it is important to clearly distinguish between the different borate salts of sodium and potassium. According to the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics 56th edition, CRC Press, Cleveland Ohio (1974), two crystalline sodium borate salts are known, sodium tetraborate (Na2B4O7) and sodium metaborate (NaBO2). Moreover, both of these may occur as anhydrous or hydrated salts. The most familiar sodium borate salt is the mineral borax, or sodium tetraborate decahydrate (Na2B4O7.10H2O). In aqueous sodium borate solutions, of course, one is not limited to these fixed stoichiometry compounds and a continuous range of boron to sodium ratios can be obtained between the endpoints NaOH and H3BO3. Similarly, potassium tetraborate, potassium tetraborate tetrahydrate, potassium metaborate and other fixed stoichiometry crystalline potassium borate compounds are known, but any boron to potassium ratio can be obtained in solution. The various sodium and potassium borate salts are formed by reaction of the weak acid H3BO3 with the strong bases NaOH and KOH. For example:H3BO3+NaOH═NaBO2+2H2O  (3)
For clarity in describing various borate salts herein, the molar ratio of H3BO3 to NaOH will be used to specify the stoichiometry of sodium borate salt solutions, and the molar ratio of H3BO3 to KOH will be used to specify the stoichiometry of potassium borate salt solutions. These ratios are the same as the atomic ratios of boron to sodium and boron to potassium. Thus, Na2B4O7 has a B:Na ratio of 2:1 while NaBO2 has a B:Na ratio of 1:1. We will also at times use the mole fraction of H3BO3 used to make the salt solution, defined as (moles H3BO3)/(moles H3BO3+moles (Na,K)OH). Thus, a solution of NaBO2 has a mole fraction of H3BO3 of 0.5 or 50%, and a solution of Na2B4O7 has a mole fraction of H3BO3 of 0.66 or 66%. These conventions are convenient for the synthesis of various sodium and potassium borate salt solutions from boric acid (H3BO3), which is available as a crystalline solid, and the respective sodium and potassium hydroxides, which are readily available as solutions of specified molar concentration.
Thus, the concentration and stoichiometry of a solution of any sodium or potassium borate salt can be fully described by specifying the equivalent molar concentrations of H3BO3 and NaOH or KOH in the solution.
For example, Sekido, in his Example 1, used a combination of agar and an aqueous solution of sodium borate as a binder for 316 stainless steel powder. The concentration of sodium borate in the water was about 0.3 wt. %. Presumably the sodium borate used was common borax (sodium tetraborate decahydrate). The molar concentration of Na2B4O7.10H2O was therefore 0.0079 moles/liter, the equivalent molar concentration of H3BO3 was four times this or 0.0316, and the equivalent molar concentration of NaOH was twice that of Na2B4O7.10H2O or 0.0158.
Behi et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,261,336, specifically addressed the problem of rust formation in aqueous agar binder injection molding feedstocks containing rust-prone ferrous alloy powders, and taught that these materials can be stabilized against rust formation by the addition of alkaline sodium silicate to the aqueous binder. It was shown by Behi that carbonyl iron powder feedstocks containing appropriate amounts of sodium silicate are somewhat stable against rust formation and attendant hydrogen evolution, and that the stability is further enhanced by the addition of potassium borate. The sodium silicate is thought to function by reacting with the iron surface to form a barrier layer of iron silicate and the potassium borate in this application apparently serves as a pH buffer similar to the use of the sodium borate/nitrite combination discussed above. Behi cites potassium tetraborate and potassium tetraborate tetrahydrate as preferred potassium borate compounds and gives a preferred borate concentration range of from about 0.01 to about 0.2 weight % of the composition (which would correspond to about 0.125–2.5% weight % relative to the aqueous solvent at a typical moisture content of 8 wt. %). While Behi's sodium silicate/potassium borate stabilized feedstocks certainly represent an improvement over unstabilized iron-based aqueous binder feedstocks, experience with the sodium silicate stabilized feedstocks has revealed that the long term chemical stability is marginal, and that the sodium silicate addition renders the feedstock pellets somewhat tacky and difficult to feed through the hopper of an injection molding machine. Moreover, residual SiO2 and/or iron silicate inclusions, resulting from decomposition of higher loadings of the sodium silicate during sintering, may be undesirable for applications requiring maximum ductility and fatigue resistance in the final sintered steel part.
More recently, Morris, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,689,184, has disclosed stabilization of rusting iron aqueous molding feedstocks using a combination of borate and nitrate/nitrite salts. One disadvantage of this system is that the nitrate and nitrite salts serve as nutrients for a range of micro-organisms. Another disadvantage is that the nitrate and nitrite salts may tend to oxidize minor alloy components such as silicon and chromium during the elevated temperature sintering process.
Thus, a need remains for new materials and methods enabling molding of rust prone iron-based alloys that avoid the size limitations of the prior art wax and polymer based binders, and the processing and ductility limitations of sodium silicate and nitrite/nitrate stabilized aqueous binders.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable wireless terminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to an antenna device equipped in a portable wireless terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the electronic communication industry develops, portable wireless terminals are becoming lighter, slimmer, smaller, and more multi-functional. For example, a speaker device capable of realizing melodies of various harmonies is installed, and a color display device with millions of pixels is implemented. Also, in addition to a call function, a portable wireless terminal now typically provides a music listening function through a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) Audio Layer 3 (MP3) Player (MP3P). Furthermore, the portable wireless terminal provides not only various game contents using the display device but also a function of receiving a radio signal, a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) signal, etc.
In general, a portable wireless terminal uses an antenna that transmits and receives signals. If it is desired to provide the portable wireless terminal with greater radio wave transmission/reception, the antenna is designed to be large so as to have high directivity. In such a case, the spacing distances between other parts within the portable wireless terminal decrease in order to maintain the lightness and smallness of the portable wireless terminal. Therefore, it is difficult to secure the space for the larger antenna and improve the transmission/reception performance of the terminal. In addition, a Transmit (Tx) output of a designed antenna should not be allowed to exceed a reference value permitted in each country.
For example, an antenna for transmitting and receiving a signal in a Frequency Modulation (FM) frequency band may be implemented with a single antenna (e.g., an earphone connected to an external connector). In this case, a problem arises in that a Transmit (Tx) output of the antenna for transmitting and receiving the signal in the FM frequency band exceeds a reference value permitted in each country. FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating an antenna performance of a conventional antenna transmitting and receiving singles in the FM spectrum. FIG. 9 is a table illustrating an FM Tx output regulation specified by the USA and Europe. In a case where an earphone antenna is used, the Tx output is 98 dB which exceeds an output regulation specified by each country as shown in FIG. 9. Accordingly, a need exists for an antenna device that increases the reliability of communication while not exceeding output regulations of each country.


This invention relates to data communication systems for interconnecting an end user machine with a remote server (e.g., an Internet server) for the two-way transmission of data packets. More particularly, the invention relates to wireless communication links, such as cellular packet networks, in which mobile subscriber units may be switched between base stations.
A communication system of this type typically transports a sequence of data packets over a TCP connection or the like between an end user machine coupled to the subscriber unit and a server (e.g., an Internet server) coupled to the base stations through a fixed network. In the wireless portion of such system, data packets from the server flow to the subscriber unit through the base station that registers the strongest signal strength as measured, e.g., by a beacon or pilot signal received by the subscriber unit. If a subscriber unit that is initially serviced by a first base station roams through an area where the signal strength is stronger from a second base station, the subscriber unit typically requests a change of transmission path (e.g., a “handoff”) from the first base station to the second station.
Propagation delays, data bit errors and the like are normal on wireless communication links. Such phenomena can cause loss or delay of acknowledgment signals that are successively generated by the end user machine in response to successive bytes contained in data packets received by the end user machine from the server. Each acknowledgment signal contains a first identifying portion indicative of the corresponding byte received by the end user machine and a second portion advertising the then-current size of the receive window of the end user machine.
The loss or delay of acknowledgment signals is often interpreted as congestion on the network by the applicable TCP protocols which were designed primarily for end-to-end wired networks. As a result, the server may be switched into a so-called congestion avoidance or slow-start mode, which can drastically reduce throughput of data packets on the system even when no congestion is present.
While known techniques involving, e.g., modification of the network protocols, attempt to mitigate the effects of such loss of throughput in wireless systems, they frequently add complexity such as the splitting of the TCP connection between the end user machine and the server. More importantly, the effectiveness of such techniques is greatly diminished during periods of handoff.


The prior art is well documented with examples of extraction grip or retrieval devices. The purposes of such devices include their use and application for facilitating the removal of an ammunition holding magazine, such as which is secured to a projectile firing device.
A first example is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,748,689 and 6,883,261, both to Fitzpatrick, and which discloses integral extensions for aiding in the extraction of ammunition magazines from ammunition pouches. The sides of the ammunition magazine are extended, either by molding or affixing a handle directly to the sides of the magazine, to thereby provide a grasping handle.
Other examples include U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,634,131 and 6,212,815, also to Fitzpatrick, and which describes another type of magazine extraction grip including a sleeve of resilient material molded in the general shape of a magazine, however exhibiting a smaller inner circumference than that associated with the magazine to require the band to be stretched over the magazine. The top of the band exhibits a smaller inner circumference than the lower part of the band and extending from the top is a handle for permitting a users finger to wrap there-around to extract the magazine.
Yet further examples of integral magazine extraction extensions are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,207,131, 7,174,666 and 6,481,136, also to Fitzpatrick. A handle is permanently attached to an existing or modified floor plate of a magazine. In one example, a substitute floor plate is provided with a molded projecting handle. In another, a handle with a grip and a terminal end is provided with an attachment structure thereupon. Existing floor plates can also modified by cutting anchoring holes to allow for attachment of the handles, and without hindering use in an ammunition magazine or molded with the anchoring holes.


The present invention relates to handrests or maulsticks used by painters for resting a painter""s hand while painting. More particularly, the present invention relates to an adjustable handrest which is capable of removable attachment to a canvas frame to enable a painter to rest his or her brush hand while painting a design or picture on a canvas stretched on the canvas frame.
A common working medium for artists, sign painters, cartographers, delineators and the like is a sheet of canvas, cardboard or work surface of other material which is mounted on a hollow rectangular frame. The frame is supported in a generally vertical plane on an easel or other support to provide free and flexible access of the artist to the work surface and to orient the work surface in a position for viewing. The artist typically applies the paint or other medium by freehand to the work surface using a brush.
Throughout the course of preparing a painting or other work of art on canvas, it is often necessary to apply various colors contiguously to previously-applied, but still wet, colors. This, as well as the occasional requirement of drawing straight lines on the canvas, requires the artist to maintain great steadiness of hand while applying the medium to the canvas. Furthermore, freedom of movement of the artist""s hand, which is facilitated by steadiness while applying the medium to the canvas, provides to the artist full expression of his or her theme.
Various devices are known in the art for assisting an artist in steadying his or her hand while applying a medium to a work surface. Patents of interest in this regard include U.S. Pat. Nos. 289,700; 518,761; 1,422,641; 2,496,276; 2,814,142; 3,101,568; 3,815,856; 4,188,006; 3,972,133; 4,088,290; 4,685,644; 5,141,198; 5,172,883; 5,193,772; 5,299,772; and 5,765,791.
The present invention includes an adjustable handrest for artists which is capable of attachment to a frame for supporting a worksurface on which a painting or other work of art may be applied. The handrest includes an elongated hand support which spans the work surface and each end of which is independently vertically adjustable with respect to the other. The handrest is equally well-adapted for use by left-or right-handed users.


This invention relates to a method for building a wall or a part thereof in the ground, a system for carrying out the method, and a wall building device for use in the method and system.
Known tunnel wall building devices are e.g. described in the xe2x80x9cHandbook of Mining and Tunnel Machineryxe2x80x9d, Barbara Stack, 1982, published by John Wiley and Sons, pages 415-417. These known tunnel wall building devices comprise a cutting face at the front of a cylindrical shield. The tunnel wall building device is pushed in the direction of the advance of the shield by hydraulic cylinders acting between the rear side of the shield and the constructed tunnel wall.
A first drawback of the use of such tunnel wall building devices is the criticality of the control over the stabilization of the ground in front of the cutting face. Too much excavation will cause local collapse of the ground, while too great a push force will cause undesirable settlements of the ground.
A second drawback is the required axial support of the tunnel wall building device on the tunnel wall. In case of the use of prefabricated elements the axial support force might be a governing load case.
In other methods the tunnel wall is made of extruded concrete. In this respect reference is made here to EP-A-0 354 335 describing axially supporting a boring shield by the extruded concrete tunnel wall through formwork elements used for forming the inner side of the tunnel wall. The tunnel wall building method according to this publication is discontinuous, taking away formwork elements where the concrete has hardened, and adding the formwork elements, after cleaning thereof, directly behind the boring shield. This method is expensive and time-consuming as a result of the use of the formwork elements, which need to be handled behind the boring shield, and can only be removed when the concrete they are supporting has hardened sufficiently, which may take considerable time.
EP-A-0 483 445 describes a continuous tunnel wall building method, extruding concrete to form a tunnel wall, and using a sliding formwork arrangement requiring additional means to transfer the axial boring forces to the hardened part of the tunnel wall and to facilitate continuity.
In all previous methods the management of the ground water level during the fabrication of the tunnel wall may present serious problems.
The object of the present invention is to provide a method, system, and device for building a wall or a part thereof in general, and a tunnel wall in particular which avoid the risk of collapse or undesirable settlement of the ground in front of the wall building area.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a wall building method, system, and device which do not rely on the wall for providing an axial support for the wall building activities.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a wall building method, system, and device which can be continuous and do not use formwork elements.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a wall building method, system, and device which are virtually unaffected by the ground water level.
To reach the above objects, in the method according to the invention a wall building device having cross-sectional dimensions which are substantially equal to the dimensions of at least a part of the cross-section of the wall is pulled through the ground, at least a part of the wall being formed by injecting a hardenable material behind the wall building device. In the process of making the wall, the wall is supported on all sides by the ground surrounding the wall (and, in the case of a tunnel wall, by the ground filling the tunnel wall). Consequently, the wall requires no direct strength, and can e.g. be made from fiber concrete with a normal hardening time. The excavation of the ground at one side of the wall can be done after the completion of the tunnel wall, and the stability of the excavation presents no problem at all. Different shapes of wall cross-sections are possible, but not limited to: (semi-)circular, elliptical, rectangular, triangular, flat. Since the wall building device is advanced by pulling, no reaction force is applied on the constructed wall. The advance of the wall building device is therefore independent from the structural strength of the wall at any given moment.
In a preferred embodiment of the wall building method according to the invention, the following steps are performed: drilling one or more holes in the ground, on or parallel to the projected path of the wall, each of the one or more holes being drilled by means of a drill string; connecting one end of each drill string at the end of the drilling operation to the wall building device; and pulling the wall building device through the ground by retracting the one or more drill strings. Alternatively, the wall building method may comprise the steps of: drilling one or more holes in the ground, on or parallel to the projected path of the wall, each of the one or more holes being drilled by means of a drill string; connecting one end of each drill string at the end of the drilling operation to one end of a casing string; pulling each casing string through the ground by retracting the drill string connected thereto; disconnecting each casing string from the corresponding drill string; connecting one end of each casing string to the wall building device; and pulling the wall building device through the ground by retracting the one or more casing strings. Accordingly, depending on the kind of wall to be built, in particular its cross-sectional area and its length, one or more drill strings and or one or more casing strings are used to pull the wall building device through the ground, using standard directional drilling techniques to bring the drill and casing strings into the ground. The directional drilling techniques are capable of very accurately following the projected path of the wall. The accuracy of the paths of the casing strings can be further improved by using a single drill string and by means of a connecting assembly connecting the ends of several casing strings to one end of the drill string and transversely spaced therefrom, which drill string is then pulled through the ground at the other end thereof.
In a preferred embodiment each casing string comprises an inner string and an outer string enclosing the inner string, the inner string being adapted to transfer the pulling force required by the wall building device, and the outer string being adapted to provide low friction forces when moving the inner string relative to the outer string. The outer string serves as a guide for the inner string when pulling the wall building device through the ground by the inner string. The friction forces between the inner string and the outer string can be still further reduced by supplying a fluid to the space between the inner string and the outer string.
Preferably, the inner string of the casing string is made of steel providing the strength needed, while the outer string is made of plastics, e.g. polyethylene providing an excellent low cost and low friction separation wall between the inner string and the ground.
When moving the wall building device through the ground, a hardenable material is injected behind it to form the wall. The wall material preferably is supplied to the wall building device through at least one of the one or more drill strings/casing strings used for pulling the wall building device through the ground. Additionally, at least one of the one or more drill strings/casing strings may contain at least one line for supplying energy, at least one line for controlling and/or monitoring the wall building device, at least one duct for supplying a drilling fluid to the wall building device, and/or at least one duct for discharging ground removed by the wall building device. Alternatively, or in addition thereto, the wall material and the drilling fluid may be supplied to the wall building device through ducts extruded in the wall. Such ducts can also be used for accommodating lines for supplying energy to the wall building device, or for controlling and/or monitoring the wall building device. Further, such ducts can be used for discharging ground removed by the wall building device.
For an improved positioning accuracy of different wall parts relative to each other, preferably the wall building device is adapted to build a wall or wall part provided with wall guide means, the or a further wall building device being provided with means for engaging the wall guide means. In this way the latter wall building device is allowed to exactly follow the path of the wall or wall part already in place in the ground. The wall guide means preferably comprise a guide slit, which may have an essentially L-shaped cross-section. More generally, in a preferred embodiment at least one guide member is provided in the ground, the wall building device is adapted to be guided along the guide member through the ground.
When a wall building device is used in a multi-pass mode, i.e. for subsequently passing through the ground along adjacent paths for building a wall from a plurality of separately built wall sections, preferably the wall building device is adapted to be connected to the leading end of a pulling string for pulling the pulling string into the ground simultaneously with pulling the wall building device through the ground. The pulling string is used for pulling the or a further wall building device through the ground in a next passage. For this purpose, the wall building device preferably has an essentially Z-shaped cross-section.
An essentially flat wall can be built in the ground by at least two wall building devices which at at least one side thereof are adapted to be coupled to another, which wall building devices further are adapted to be pulled through the ground in a forward direction, and in a direction at an angle to the forward direction.
For improving the quality of the wall, the wall material preferably is injected between one or more membranes defining one or more sides of the wall or wall part formed by the wall building device. The membrane or membranes can be stored in the wall building device in a folded or rolled-up form, and be unfolded or unrolled when injecting the wall material.
The friction between the wall building device and the surrounding ground, and the resistance the ground offers to the wall building device when pulling the wall building device through the ground is preferably reduced by vibrating, lubrication, jetting and/or removing the ground area adjacent to the front part of the wall building device.
The claims and advantages will be more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description and considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference symbols relate to the same parts or parts having the same function. Arrows without reference numerals indicate normal directions of movement.


Augmented reality (AR) technology augments an image of a real-world environment (that is, reality) by superimposing supplemental information (such as, pictures, videos, three-dimensional (3D) models, and other sensory enhancements) onto the real-word environment. The AR technology overlays virtual objects onto the image of the real world, enhancing a user's perception of reality and providing a user with an immersive, interactive experience.


An integrated circuit comprises a substrate on the surface of which and/or inside of which are produced electronic components to form one or more electronic chips.
These integrated circuits are produced by using collective fabrication methods often called “microelectronics” methods. For example, these methods implement a machining of the substrate or layer by photolithography and etching (for example DRIE (Deep Reactive Ion Etching)) and/or a structuring by epitaxial growth and deposition of conductive material. By virtue of these microelectronics methods, the fabricated electronic components are small. In many cases, these components have dimensions of a micrometric or nanometric order. The dimension of micrometric or nanometric order is generally less than 10 μm and, typically, less than 1 μm.
The substrate can be homogeneous, such as a block. Or, the substrate can be heterogeneous, such as a plurality of stacked thin layers. In this case, the electronic components are produced on the surface and/or inside this substrate and the electronic chip or chips are arranged at least partly on the surface of this substrate.
The substrate can also be a “multilayer” substrate. Such a substrate is made of up of a stack of substrates assembled one on top of the other. The stacked substrates can themselves be homogeneous or heterogeneous. Here, to distinguish this substrate from the stacked substrates of which it is composed, the stacked substrates are called “layers.” In the case of a multilayer substrate, the stacked layers are not thin layers. In particular, each stacked layer exhibits a sufficient rigidity in itself to be handled without being bonded onto another substrate. To this end, typically, the stacked layers have a thickness at least 10 or 100 times greater than the thickness of the thin layers. For example, the thin layers have a thickness of less than 1 μm or 0.1 μm, whereas the stacked layers have a thickness greater than 5 or 10 or 100 μm. Several of these layers can include electronic components on the level of the assembly interface between two successive layers of the substrate. These electronic components produced on the surface of the stacked layers constitute one or more electronic chips. The integrated circuit then comprises a stack of electronic chips, stacked one on top of the other. These integrated circuits in which a plurality of electronic chips are stacked one on top of the other are often called “3D integrated circuits.”
One of the main limitations on performance of integrated circuits is the quantity of heat that they produce and which has to be removed. This problem is even greater in 3D integrated circuits.
In order to evaluate, as correctly as possible, the heat from an integrated circuit, it is useful to know the places inside this integrated circuit where the heat is concentrated and reaches a maximum. These places are called “hot spots.” It is also important to know the diffusion from these hot spots inside the circuit.
One of the difficulties commonly encountered is that of knowing both the positions of these hot spots and the diffusion from these hot spots. This difficulty is exacerbated when the hots spots are inside the substrate, especially if they are more than 5 μm away from an outer face of the substrate.
It is known to measure temperature on the surface of the substrate, but now how to directly measure temperature inside the substrate. Thus, currently, to estimate the temperature of a hot spot situated inside the substrate, simulation software is used. Such software is based on mathematical models that make it possible to predict the flow of the heat fluxes inside the substrate. To improve the estimation of this software, the latter can also use, as input data, the temperatures measured on the surface of the substrate. However, these models can prove imprecise, notably in estimating the dynamic aspects of certain thermal phenomena.
The prior art is also known from: FR2878077A1, DE102010029526A1 and US2010/219525A1.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) type of magnetic recording disk drive, and more particularly to a HAMR disk drive with a sensor for measuring laser power.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR), sometimes also called thermally-assisted recording (TAR), has been proposed. In HAMR disk drives, an optical waveguide with a near-field transducer (NFT) directs heat from a radiation source, such as a laser, to heat localized regions of the magnetic recording layer on the disk. The radiation heats the magnetic material locally to near or above its Curie temperature to lower the coercivity enough for writing to occur by the write head. HAMR disk drives have been proposed for conventional magnetic recording disks where the magnetic recording layer on the disk is a continuous layer of magnetic recording material. HAMR disk drives have also been proposed for bit-patterned media (BPM) where the magnetic recording layer is patterned into small isolated data islands, each island containing a single magnetic “bit” and separated from neighboring islands by nonmagnetic spaces.
It is important during writing that the output power at the NFT be within a predetermined range. If the laser power setting is too low and thus the NFT output power too low, the desired data bit will not be magnetized. If the laser power setting is too high and thus the NFT output power too high, bits adjacent to the desired data bit will also be magnetized. While a photo-detector can be used to monitor the laser power, the additional cost makes this an unattractive solution. An electrically conductive thermal sensor has been proposed, but the response time is so slow that accurate laser power monitoring at each data sector is not possible.
What is needed is a HAMR disk drive that can use a thermal sensor to accurately measure laser power during writing.


Running boards for vehicles are generally known, and are a popular accessory to attach to a vehicle because running boards both have functionality and can enhance the aesthetic appearance of a vehicle. Many types of running boards are designed specifically for trucks and sport-utility vehicles because these types of vehicles have a higher ride height compared to a car. However, the length of the wheel base for trucks and sport utility vehicles may vary. Trucks are manufactured with two conventional doors (commonly referred to as a “regular cab” design), two conventional doors and two second row half-doors (commonly referred to as an “extended cab” design), and four conventional doors (commonly referred to as a “quad cab” or “crew cab” design).
Vehicles having wheel bases of different lengths require running boards of different lengths to allow passengers entering and exiting the vehicle through the various doors to use the running boards. However, most conventional running boards having a tubular or flat shape are manufactured to be suitable for one particular wheel base.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a running board which is suitable for use with different vehicles having wheel bases of different lengths.


Needleless access port valves are widely used in the medical industry for accessing an IV line and/or the internals of a patient or subject. Exemplary patents or publications that describe needleless access port valves are disclosed in Pub. Nos. 2002/0133124 A1 to Leinsing et al., Publication No. U.S. 2007/0191786 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,871,838, both to Raines et al. The contents of each of the foregoing references are expressly incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in full. Generally speaking, prior art valves utilize a valve housing in combination with a moveable internal plug or piston to control the flow of fluid through a valve. The plug or piston may be moved by a syringe or a medical implement to open the inlet of the valve for accessing the interior cavity of the valve. When a fluid is delivered through the valve, fluid flow typically flows around the outside of the plug or piston in the direction towards the outlet. Upon removal of the syringe or medical implement, the plug or piston returns to its original position, either un-aided or aided by a biasing means, such as a spring or a diaphragm.
In some prior art valves, when the syringe or medical implement pushes the plug or piston, the plug or piston is pierced by an internal piercing device, such as a spike. The spike typically incorporates one or more fluid channels for fluid flow flowing through the pierced piston and then through the fluid channels in the spike. In yet other prior art valves, a self-flushing or positive flush feature is incorporated to push residual fluids confined inside the interior cavity of the valve to flow out the outlet when the syringe or medical implement is removed.
Concerns with prior art valves include microbial colonization and sterilization. The former has to do with bacteria growth within the valve housing and the latter with the ability to clean the inlet of bacteria growth, such as wiping the inlet and/or the piston with a swab. Pub No. 2002/0133124 A1 to Leinsing et al., previously incorporated by reference, teaches the use of an antimicrobial agents, such as silver, silver oxide, or silver sulfadiazine, that “maybe included in the material forming the flex-tube piston or may be added to the outer surface of the piston as a coating” to minimize or eliminate bacteria growth. However, no information was provided on the effectiveness of the antimicrobial agents on bacterial growth when added as an admixture and cured within a piston. Nor was there information provided on how the antimicrobial agents kill the bacterium when the agents are cured or confined within the piston walls. Presumably, when cured within the piston, at most, only metals trapped along the outer surfaces of the piston are active agents.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reproducing control device and a reproducing control program that transmit a contents reproducing instruction to a contents reproducing device. Further, the present invention relates to the contents reproducing device that reproduces contents.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable players (contents reproducing devices), which have HDD (hard disc drive) or flash memories for storing a plurality of contents (for example, music (tune) data) therein, are used. In the case where users reproduce contents stored in portable players and listen to music in their rooms, the portable players are connected to battery chargers (reproducing control devices) connected to amplifiers. The battery chargers have a function for supplying a power supply voltage to batteries of the portable players, and a function for transmitting audio signals from the portable players to the amplifiers. The audio signals reproduced in the portable players are transmitted via the battery chargers to the amplifiers, and the music is reproduced in the amplifiers. The portable players are normally provided with a resume function. The resume function is such that when a certain tune A which is being reproduced is stopped based on a users operation or when the power supply of the portable player is turned off, the tune A and its stop position (these are called resume information) are stored in a table in a RAM of the portable player, and when the user inputs a reproducing instruction into the portable player at the next time, the tune A whose reproduction is stopped at the last time is started to be played from the stop position.
The above type of portable player has the following problems. When the reproduction of the tune A is stopped with the portable player being connected to the battery charger, the portable player stores the resume information about the tune A in the table. When the portable player is removed from the battery charger and another tune B is played in the disconnected state, the resume information about the tune A stored in the table is deleted. When the reproduction of the tune B is stopped in the disconnected state, the resume information about the tune B is stored in the table. When the portable player is connected to the battery charger again and the reproduction is started, the resume information about the stopped tune B is stored in the table in the disconnected state. For this reason, the portable player starts the reproduction of the tune B. Even in the case where the user reproduces another tune B with the battery charger being disconnected from the portable player, when they are connected again, the tune A which was reproduced in the connected state at the last time is demanded to be automatically started to be reproduced. This demand is created due to such a circumstance that a tune to which the user listens in the disconnected state (namely, outside of the room) is different from a tune to which the user listens in the connected state (namely, in the room) depending on user's mood. In a conventional manner, however, since the resume information about the tune A is deleted at the time when the tune B is reproduced in the disconnected state, this demand cannot be realized.


New construction light pans that securely mount light fixtures and/or light trim modules are generally secured to ceiling joists or rafters located behind and supporting interior surface panels, also known in the industry as sheetrock, gypsum board and drywall. The pans are installed either before the ceiling panel is installed, or while access is still readily available from the back side of the panel. In contrast, when remodeling, a ceiling or wall panel is already in place and access from the back side of the panel is generally no longer available; therefore, all installation steps must be completed from the front side of the ceiling panel, generally through a cutout having a raw unfinished edge through which the remodel light fixture is installed. Additionally, a remodel light fixture usually must be secured to the panel cutout. The cutout in the panel, often lacks enough integrity and strength at the periphery of a cutout to support engagement of typical hardware such as formed spring steel clips used to secure the light fixture to the ceiling panel.
Prior art remodel light fixtures include light fixtures having a can housing with a flange that projects radially from a lower end of the can and hardware to secure the can housing to the ceiling panel. For example, typical hardware includes jackscrew and flag combinations located peripherally around the can at a distance from the flange that allows the ceiling panel to be captured between the flange and flags. To install, the flags are swung inwardly tangential to the surface of the can, the distal end of the can is inserted into the hole through the ceiling panel, then the flange is held flush against the front side of the ceiling panel. Held in this position, the flags are located around the outer circumference of the can at a depth from the flange so that they are just above the back side of the ceiling panel. While the flange is held flush against the ceiling panel, each jackscrew is actuated and the associated flag swings radially outward and the flag is drawn toward the back side of the ceiling panel, capturing and compressing the panel between the flag and the flange. The light trim is then secured to the can housing. In some cases, the light receptacle coupled to the housing must be secured to the trim before the trim is secured to the housing.
Such a prior art remodel light fixture can be cumbersome to hold in place while securing and also requires separate installation of the light housing and trim module. Additionally, the raw, unfinished circumference of the cutout from a front side surface of a ceiling panel is often uneven, imperfect, and not structurally sound, requiring care that the diameter is proper and any crumbled areas or other imperfections do not prevent a flag from catching a solid portion of the back side of the panel or from crumbling a portion of the periphery of the cutout as the flag is swung out and drawn toward the flange.
Another prior art remodel light fixture includes a housing can and spring clips that can be manually actuated from the interior of the can and that extend radially outward from the outer diameter of the can. To install, the can is positioned within the hole in the ceiling panel so that the bottom edge of the can is flush with the front side of the ceiling panel. While the can is held in this position, the spring clips are manually actuated from the interior of the can so that the clips press into the panel thickness between the front and back side surfaces, securing the can in place. Next the light trim is secured to the housing can. In some fixtures, the light receptacle coupled to the housing must be secured to a trim module before the trim module is secured to the housing.
Installation of such remodel light fixtures can be cumbersome, requiring portions of the light assembly be held in place while securing and performing additional assembly of the housing, light receptacle, and trim. Additionally, the raw, unfinished circumference of the cutout from a front side surface of a ceiling panel such as drywall may crumble, give way, or be imperfect in opening size so as to prevent secure engagement by the spring clips that press into it.
It is therefore desirable to provide a remodel light assembly that installs easily, quickly, and securely in panels such as drywall, even when imperfections in the cutouts are present.


In recent years, sales for essential oils have exploded. Essential oils are usually oils which are derived from, or include certain essential components or essences of different plant substances. Such oils are generally ingested, topically applied, or are breathed in through various methods of diffusion or atomization.
Essential oils, known as nature's living energy, are the natural, aromatic volatile liquids found in shrubs, flowers, trees, resins, fruit peels, rhizomes, roots, bushes, and seeds. The distinctive components in essential oils defend plants against insects, environmental conditions, and disease. They are also vital for a plant to grow, live, evolve, and adapt to its surroundings. Essential oils are extracted from aromatic plant sources via steam distillation, cold pressing, and other types of extraction and/or distillation. Essential oils are highly concentrated and far more potent than dry herbs. Other topically applied oils may include olive oil, almond oil, coconut oil, fatty acid oils, etc., and oils high in esters, such as jojoba oil, and waxes such as beeswax.
While essential oils often have a pleasant aroma, their chemical makeup is complex and their benefits vast—which makes them much more than something that simply smells good. Historically, essential oils have played a prominent role in everyday life. With more than 200 references to aromatics, incense, and ointments throughout the Bible, essential oils are said to be used for anointing and healing the sick. Today, essential oils are used for aromatherapy, massage therapy, emotional health, personal care, nutritional supplements, household solutions, and much more.
Diffusers for essential oils have been used to disperse the essential oils for breathing or to create a pleasant fragrance in a room or area. However, available diffusers for use with most essential oils are almost always unreliable with short service lives and high failure rate, and have to be refilled often. Additionally, most diffusers only operate for limited durations of a few hours before depleting the aromatic compounds. Many problems can be mitigated with meticulous care in maintaining the diffuser, which is beyond the capacity and patience of the average user.
Many types of available diffusers use a piezo-electric ultrasonic transducer to agitate the water's surface, where essential oils reside, into water and essential vapor. The water has essential oils mixed in, some of which is transported along with the water into the air with a blower or fan. One of the greatest complaints with these types of diffusers is the low intensity of the essential oil aromas produced. The piezo transducer is located within the water and oil reservoir. When the water runs out, or is left to sit and evaporate, residual oils tend to collect on the piezo transducer. Accumulations of the oils on the piezo transducer reduce the effectiveness, and eventually cause failure of the diffuser, often in very short order. Users are instructed to carefully clean the diffuser after each use, including cleaning the transducer with a detergent. However, users often neglect this task or clean too vigorously, damaging or destroying the sensitive piezo transducer.
Other diffusers use small fans or microblowers using traditional rotating fans. In small or micro fans, such microblowers are fairly inefficient, only supplying between about 5.5 and 60 Pa of pressure with a power consumption of between about 0.1 and 1.1 Watts with dimensions less than 25×25 mm. Any larger fans are not really microfans or microblowers. Such microfans also tend to have fairly short lives making diffusers run with such fans undesirable and inefficient. Additionally, such microfans are also unable to generate enough pressure through a small tube in order to push air through oil to create air saturated with oil for dispersion, but instead only generates sufficient air pressure to move air across the surface of oil, such as is shown in US Patent Pub. 2007/0138326.


A conventional sound absorbing material for an automobile comprising a felt material and a flame-resistant resin layer is known (for example, refer to Japanese Patent No. 3568936, (pages 3-5, FIG. 2), (Patent document 1)).
This sound absorbing material is obtained by applying a highly-viscous latex made of a flame-resistant resin as a coating to a felt material 2 so that a flame-resistant resin layer is formed on the surface of the felt material 2 and an independent fabric layer 8 remains whereby high sound absorbing properties are realized at medium and high sound ranges.
Another material including non-woven fabrics and a water-resistant film is known as a sound absorbing material as vehicle exterior equipment (for example, refer to Japanese Patent No. 3675359, (pages 2-4, FIG. 1) (Patent document 2)).
The sound absorbing material 11 as vehicle exterior equipment described in Patent Document 2 applies press molding in a state in which the water-resistant film 22 is closely attached to the surface of a fabric web 21 having a sheet shape and the two are mutually adhered.
A material as vehicle exterior equipment including a non-woven fabric with one surface of a predetermined surface roughness and friction coefficient is known in other conventional technologies (for example, refer to JP2004-359066A, (page 9-10, FIG. 3) (Patent document 3)).
According to Patent document 3, a first fiber aggregate and a second fiber aggregate are superimposed, heated and press molded. Thereby a material as vehicle exterior equipment including a layer 23 of the tire house side and a layer 22 of the tire side is manufactured.
By the way, it is desirable that foreign substances such as water, dust and dirt or the like do not adhere to a sound absorbing material used as vehicle exterior equipment. In particular, when a fender liner disposed in a tire house is used in a snowy area, once water, dirt, snow and ice or the like are adhered to the fender liner, it is not preferable that snow be further attached to the adhered substances or ice grows in the periphery of the adhered substances.
In the case of manufacturing a sound absorbing material described in Patent document 1, a highly-viscous fire-retarding material (latex) is coated on the felt member 2 to be heated and press molded. However, such a fire-retarding resin layer 5 hardly transmits heat when heated. Therefore, there is a problem in that molding by hot pressing is difficult.
A sound absorbing material described in Patent document 2 applies press molding in a state in which the water-resistant film 22 is closely attached to the surface of the fiber web 21 having a sheet shape so that the water-resistant film 22 is adhered to the surface of the fiber web 21. The sound absorbing material is hereby press molded into a shape fitting in a vehicle body, but because the water-resistant film 22 hardly transmits heat, there is a problem in that moldability is poor. Furthermore, ready-made water-resistant films are expensive so that the manufacturing cost is increased.
In a material as vehicle exterior equipment described in Patent document 3, a first fabric aggregate and a second fabric aggregate are superimposed, heated and press molded. The average deviation of surface roughness and friction coefficient of one surface are limited to below the predetermined values. However, in this material as vehicle exterior equipment, the outward facing portion is comprised from a fiber aggregate so that there are limitations to reducing the fluff of the fabric.


Conventionally, there is an image pickup device such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor in which a plurality of A/D converters (ADCs (Analog Digital Converters)) are connected to each output line to which pixels are connected for each column and high-speed data reading is achieved by using the plurality of ADCs (for example, see Patent Document 1).
Further, there is an image pickup device in which a plurality of comparators and counters are mounted on each output line, a voltage of a D/A converter (DAC (Digital Analog Converter)) is shifted by an arbitrary value, and a signal of high bit accuracy is read at high speed (for example, see Patent Document 2).
Further, there is an image pickup device in which noise is reduced and dynamic range is improved by performing A/D conversion twice on a read-out signal (for example, see Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4).