The coal to ethylene glycol technology mainly includes three steps: a first step, catalytically elimination small amount of hydrogen gas in CO separated by pressure swing adsorption from coal-derived syngas; a second step, vapour-phase CO oxidative coupling to oxalate; and a third step, hydrogenation of oxalate to ethylene glycol. Among them, vapour-phase CO oxidative coupling to oxalate is the key step to realize the conversion of inorganic CO to organic chemical oxalate in coal to ethylene glycol. Oxalates are important organic chemical materials useful for preparing ethylene glycol, oxalic acid, oxalyl chloride, oxalic amide, some medicaments, dyes, and intermediates of the solvents. Currently, oxalates are produced by the process of esterifying dehydration from oxalic acid and alcohol employing toluene or benzene as the dehydrator. This production process has a high process cost, a large energy consumption, serious pollution, and unreasonable material utilization. In 1960s, American, Fenton reported a method for producing oxalates from CO and alcohol by direct coupling, opening a new synthesis routine of oxalates by C1 chemistry. However, this reaction needs to be carried out under the condition of high pressure. Patent JP 8242.656 published patent disclosure reports a process for synthesizing dimethyl oxalate from CO and methyl nitrite under normal pressure employing supported Pd catalyst. The process has good economic efficiency, mild reaction conditions, low energy consumption, no discharge of waste gas, waste liquid and waste solid, and good product quality. The space-time yield of catalyst reported by this patent is 432 g·L−1·h−1, which does not decrease after 480 hours of continuous reaction. However, the amount of the noble metal used is large, resulting in a high cost of the catalyst, and the space-time yield is low. After that, lots of patents subsequently report adding promoters such as Zr (CN95116136.9), Ce (CN02111624.5), Ti (CN200710061392.2), La (CN200810114383.X), Ir (CN200810035248.6), Ni (CN200910307543.7), Cu (CN200910060087.0), MOx (CN200910061854.X), and the like in the catalyst to improve the space-time yield of oxalate. After adding promoter, the space-time yield of oxalate increased to a certain degree, but the amount of the active component Pd is still relatively high. Currently, the actual loading amount of Pd in the industrial plant is about 2%. In addition, all the catalysts reported in the patents and literatures are produced by traditional wet impregnation process, involving steps of immersing, drying, calcinating, reducing at high temperature, and the like. It takes long duration time and high energy consumption. Moreover, it is impossible to conduct the exact control to the size and exposed crystal facet of the Pd particles. However, the size and exposed crystal facet of the Pd particles are two very important parameters influencing the catalytic activity. Therefore, it is especially economically valuable to develop a simple and fast process for producing nanocatalysts with low noble metal loading amount, controllable size and exposed crystal facet as well as high activity for vapour-phase CO oxidative coupling to oxalate.


Without limiting the general scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with computer graphics, as one example only.
In computer systems, a host computer can be programmed to perform general purpose tasks including graphics routines. Greater speed and additional features are often desirable, and so a graphics processor is added to supplement the capabilities of the host computer.
The graphics processor is also called a graphics system processor (GSP), examples of which are the Texas Instruments TMS34010 and TMS34020 GSPs. The addition of a graphics processor makes the computer system a multiprocessor system which can benefit from advances in the art of multiprocessor technology. Furthermore, several different kinds of memory such as ROM, DRAM (dynamic random access memory) and VRAM (video RAM) are useful with computers that have graphics capability, and are desirably accommodated.
In computer graphics systems the low cost of dynamic random access memories (DRAM and VRAM) has made it economical to provide a bit map or pixel map memory for the system. In such a bit map or pixel map memory a color code is stored in a memory location corresponding to each pixel to be displayed. A video system is provided which recalls the color codes for each pixel and generates a raster scan video signal corresponding to the recalled color codes. Thus, the data stored in the memory determines the display by determining the color generated for each pixel (picture element) of the display.
The desirability of a natural looking display and the minimization of memory are conflicting. In order to have a natural looking display it is generally desirable to have a large number of available colors. This implies a large number of bits for each pixel in order to specify the particular color from among a large number of possibilities. However, the provision of a large number of bits per pixel calls for a large amount of memory for storage. Since a number of bits must be provided for each pixel in the display, even a modest sized display would require a large memory. Thus, it is advantageous to provide some method to reduce the amount of memory needed to store the display while retaining the capability of choosing among a large number of colors.
The provision of a circuit called a color palette enables a compromise between these conflicting requirements. The color palette stores color data words that are longer in bit length than color codes that are stored in the pixel map memory instead of the actual color data words themselves. The color data words can specify colors to be displayed in a form that is ready for digital-to-analog conversion directly from the palette. The color codes stored in the memory for each pixel have a limited number of bits, thereby reducing the memory requirements. The color codes are employed to select one of a number of color registers or palette locations. Thus, the color codes do not themselves define colors but instead identify a selected palette location. These color registers or palette locations each store color data words which are longer than the color codes in the pixel map memory. The number of such color registers or palette locations provided in the color palette is equal to the number of selections provided by the color codes. For example a four-bit color code can be used to select 2-to-the-n or sixteen palette locations. The color data words can be redefined in the palette from frame to frame to provide many more colors in an ongoing sequence of frames than are present in any one frame.
Due to the advantages of the color palette devices, systems and methods, any improvements in their implementation are advantageous in computer color graphics technology. Indeed, any improvements in applicable circuits are desirable so that graphics and other computer and electronic systems can be made faster, more reliable and more convenient in commercial applications.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixed wireless terminal (FWT) which is constructed by a mobile phone, and more particularly to an apparatus and a method for limiting a communication range of a fixed wireless terminal, which interrupt communication through a mobile phone when the mobile phone is not within a predetermined range from a fixed device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the conventional art, in order to use a telephone in a mountainous region or an island, it is necessary to install a telephone line, which requires a significant expense.
In this consideration, recently, telecommunication through a fixed wireless terminal (FWT) has been disclosed in the art. The fixed wireless terminal is fixed indoors to serve only as a fixed device.
The FWT allows a mobile phone to be used in a room as if it were a wired telephone at a place where a telephone line is not installed or in a region where a call charge when using the FWT is cheaper than that when using a wired telephone. The FWT is one type of communication services, which is suggested by a communication service provider.
In the FWT, as shown in FIG. 1, a fixed device 100 can communicate with a base station 150 using an antenna 120 of a mobile phone. Power is supplied to the fixed device 100 using an adapter 110. The fixed device 100 and a handset 140 are connected to each other by a cord 130 to allow the FWT to perform the same function as a wired telephone.
FIG. 2 illustrates another conventional FWT. In this type of FWT, a battery of a mobile phone 130 is removed, and the mobile phone 130 is connected with a fixed device 100 by a cord 120. The fixed device 100 is connected with a power supply device 110 so that power can be supplied to the mobile phone 130 through the fixed device 100 and the mobile phone 130 can directly communicate with a base station 140 to perform the same function as a wired telephone.
However, in these types of FWTs, since communication is made possible only at a place where a fixed device is installed, mobility of the terminal in a room cannot but be limited to a certain extent. That is to say, it is possible to make and receive telephone calls only at a place where the fixed device is installed.
Therefore, because the FWT cannot be used as a cordless telephone and only can be used as if it were a wired telephone, it is inconvenient to use the FWT.


The present invention relates to fishing, and more particularly, to devices used to hold fishing poles or rods that free up a fisherman""s hands for accomplishing other tasks.
While fishing with a fishing pole, it is frequently necessary for a fisherman to use both hands for threading a line and attaching lures, hooks, leaders and other fishing tackle to the line. Other tasks requiring the use of both hands include baiting, cleaning fouled hooks and removing fish that have been caught. Freeing both hands from the fishing pole normally means that the fisherman must let go of the fishing pole, running the risk of losing it overboard or fouling the reel or line. When fishing from the shore, fishermen often lean the pole against a chair or pier railing, and the pole often falls down. On a vessel, fishermen often lean the pole over the gunwales, only to have it fall down as the vessel pitches from side to side. Besides the inconvenience of picking up a fishing pole, the fishing pole can be damaged when it falls. Furthermore, the fishing pole""s line can become tangled when the fishing pole falls over, especially when several adjacent fishing poles fall together into a pile.
On frequent occasions fishermen prefer to relax and fish xe2x80x9chands free.xe2x80x9d Some lakes allow fishing with a two pole license, Fishermen would therefore like to be able to take their hands off of the handle of the fishing pole and let the pole rest in an upwardly inclined orientation so they can attend to other tasks, like eating a snack or opening a canned beverage. In the absence of auxiliary equipment for holding the fishing pole, this requires that the pole be leaned against a railing or an object, or laid on the ground or vessel floor. Sometimes a fisherman will awkwardly try to hold the pole between his or her legs.
A number of fishing pole holders have been designed to alleviate the foregoing problems. Many have been patented in the United States beginning in the nineteenth century. One type of fishing pole holder that is used near the shoreline consists of a cup or other fishing pole handle receptacle attached to a spike which is driven into the dirt, mud or sand at an inclined angle. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,455,779 of Cosic granted Jun. 26, 1984. These spike-mounted fishing pole holders are often hard to drive into rocky soil, are not easily moved and are unsuitable for use on a pier or on a vessel. Many fishing pole holders in the form of free-standing frames have been developed for use on piers and shorelines, but they are bulky and immobile. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,295 of Hochberger granted Jul. 9, 1996. Numerous fishing pole holders have been developed in the form of brackets which attach to chairs, vessel gunwales and railings. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,620 of Reed et al. granted Jul. 5, 1994, U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,050 of Rosenau granted Apr. 12, 1977, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,438 of Arrow granted Jul. 28, 1987. They are often unduly complex and immobile. They also rust and are difficult to adjust. In many cases, they require permanent attachment with screws and the like.
Body-mounted fishing pole holders have been developed in an attempt to overcome the foregoing drawbacks. A body-mounted fishing pole holder is particularly attractive to fishermen who like to walk along the bank of a lake or stream so they can cast into a deep spot. Such fishermen often end up casting from rocks or steeply inclined bank areas that make it very difficult to bait their fishing pole and remove fish once caught because the pole cannot be easily stood on its end or laid down. Body-mounted fishing pole holders that have heretofore been developed have not experienced widespread adoption and use because they have not been designed to afford maximum comfort and convenience, they have been too expensive to manufacture and sell at low cost and/or they have lacked the required durability for the harsh conditions encountered by fishermen. Many of these devices have consisted of complicated harnesses. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,354 of Butts granted Aug. 22, 1989, U.S. Pat. No. 3,282,482 of Scharsu granted Nov. 1, 1966, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,312 of Maddox granted May 28, 1996. Others have consisted of handle receptacles mounted to a waist belt, which devices unduly restrict motion, are ill suited for sitting, do not adequately stabilize the fishing pole and place the tip of the pole too far away from the fisherman""s hands. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,174,319 of Hipwood granted Mar. 7, 1916, U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,573 of Fruscella et al. granted Apr. 1, 1975, U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,466 of Webber granted Feb. 11, 1986 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,932 of Gross granted Feb. 7, 1995.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,336 of Bishop granted Apr. 30, 1996 discloses a fishing pole holder having a hip plate made of thin, flexible plastic and a cylindrical tube attached to the hip plate. The hip plate is worn on a fisherman""s belt and the handle of the fishing pole is inserted into the tube. This holder places the tip of the fishing pole too far away from the fisherman""s hands. It is not comfortable to wear, and it does not allow the fisherman to easily sit with the pole mounted therein. Due to its molded plastic construction, a significant investment in tooling would be required to manufacture the patented fishing pole holder of Bishop.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,883 of Krouth et al. granted Sep. 28, 1999 discloses a fishing pole holder comprising a concave, convex frame attached to the fisherman""s lower leg. The frame has a boss with a polygonal pilot hole. A pole holding assembly including a swivel mechanism has a polygonal pin which is inserted into the pilot hole to allow for angular adjustment. The patented fishing pole holder of Krouth et al. is too complex and expensive to manufacture, and not readily adapted to support various pole sizes, particularly larger poles. In addition, all of the load of the fishing pole is transferred to a small region adjacent the boss which can lead to uncomfortable chafing against the fisherman""s lower leg. The pole holding assembly of Krouth et al. projects too far outward from the fisherman""s leg and can snag on branches and boat hardware.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,746 of Richardson granted Dec. 21, 1999 discloses a body-mounted, strap-on fishing pole holder including a stabilized vertical frame upon which is secured a rotatable rod receiving element which is adjustable to any desired vertical angle. Stabilization is achieved by the use of rigid U-shaped members that are attached at vertically spaced locations on the vertical frame and surround the waist and thigh of the fisherman. Belts are connected to the ends of the U-shaped members for encircling the corresponding body portion. The patented fishing pole holder of Richardson is overly complex and subject to mechanical failures. It also places the tip of the fishing pole too far away from the fisherman""s hands.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,138,976 of Fahringer, Sr. granted Oct. 21, 2000 discloses a fishing pole holder consisting of straps and snaps that connect the upper portion of the pole to the fisherman""s wrist and the lower handle portion of the fishing pole to the fisherman""s ankle. This design is not suited for sitting, and it is tedious to connect and disconnect the pole from the wrist and ankle each time the fisherman wants to bait, cast and unhook fish. The fishing pole holder of Fahringer, Sr. is not adapted to allow hands free fishing once the line has been cast.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,761,497 of Smith granted Jun. 3, 1930 discloses a fishing pole holder held to the fisherman""s thigh with a pair of adjustable straps. The holder comprises a flat metal plate with a lower socket device in which the butt-end of the pole is seated and an upper spring clasp device including a pair of resilient branched arms. A pair of semi-circular jaws are pivotally connected to the arms. The jaws may be closed about the fishing pole by pressing the rod against the pivot joint between the jaws. The patented fishing pole holder of Smith is overly complex from a mechanical standpoint, subject to rusting and breakage, and ill suited for holding a variety of fishing poles, particularly larger ones. The Smith holder does not conveniently place the tip of the pole in the best location and its metal plate would be very uncomfortable pressing against the fisherman""s thigh.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,872 of Ellington granted Feb. 29, 2000 discloses a plastic fishing pole holder with an upper end that clips over the waistband of a swimsuit, a lower end held by a strap to the fisherman""s thigh, and an intermediate flared and slotted tubular rod holder. This device would be expensive to mold, uncomfortable to wear, and would not support the weight of larger fishing poles. In addition, the patented fishing pole holder of Ellington does not conveniently position the upper free portion of the fishing pole.
It can be safely said that there has been a long felt need for an improved, versatile body-mounted fishing pole holder that is convenient, comfortable, inexpensive, lightweight and durable.
It is therefore object of the present invention to provide an improved body-mounted fishing pole holder that allows for more convenient stowage and retrieval of a fishing pole.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved body-mounted fishing pole holder that will place the tip of the pole in a more convenient location for baiting and fish removal.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved body-mounted fishing pole holder that is adapted for either standing or sitting.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved body-mounted fishing pole holder that is inexpensive to manufacture yet very durable.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved body-mounted fishing pole holder that is easy to don and remove and comfortable to wear.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved body-mounted fishing pole holder that is lightweight.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an improved body-mounted fishing pole holder that can also provide convenient storage for accessories such as a knife and fisherman""s pliers.
In accordance with the present invention a fishing pole holder comprises a holster sized to overlie an outer lower leg portion of a fisherman. The holster has a receptacle sized and configured for removably receiving a lower handle portion of a fishing pole. The receptacle provides the sole support for the fishing pole without requiring any auxiliary holder connected to any other part of the fishing pole or the use of a hand or an arm of the fisherman. Straps removably secure the holster to the lower leg portion of the fisherman. The holster is configured for inclining the lower handle portion of the fishing pole in a forward direction away from the outer lower leg portion of the fisherman so that an upper free portion of the fishing pole extends in a generally upright orientation. The upper free portion of the pole is therefore inclined in the forward direction away from the fisherman""s torso to position the tip of the pole for convenient two-handed baiting of a hook attached to a fishing line of the fishing pole and two-handed removal of a fish from the hook.
According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a fishing pole holder includes a holster sewn from durable waterproof synthetic woven fabric to provide a primary pocket. The holster is held to the outer side of a fisherman""s lower leg by upper and lower fabric straps stitched to the holster and wrapped around the lower leg. The straps are releasably secured with adjustable mating VELCRO(copyright) barb and loop fabric sections. A plastic tube is supported in the primary pocket of the holster. The tube is dimensioned to slidingly receive and removably the handle of a fishing pole and provide its sole support. The tube is forwardly inclined relative to the fisherman""s lower leg so that the upper free portion of the fishing pole extends in a forward direction away from the torso of the fisherman. A neoprene spacer block is secured to an upper end of the holster on its rear side for also inclining the tube laterally so that the upper free portion of the fishing pole also extends in a sideways direction away from the torso of the fisherman. The tip of the fishing pole is therefore positioned in front, and to the right, of the fisherman for convenient baiting of the hook and removal of fish that have been caught. The fishing pole holder is versatile in that it can be comfortably used in either a standing or sitting position. The holster is fabricated with a secondary pocket that forms a fishing knife sheath and a strap loop that holds a pair of fisherman""s pliers.
The present invention also provides a method of fishing which involves the steps of removably securing a holster around the fisherman""s lower leg, the holster having a forwardly inclined receptacle for removably receiving and supporting the lower handle portion of a fishing pole. The upper free portion of the fishing pole is inclined forwardly away from the fisherman""s torso. By inserting the pole into the receptacle, the fisherman can easily accomplish two-handed baiting of the hook and removal of fish therefrom between casting and reeling in catches.


1. Field
The present disclosure relates to an FET (field effect transistor) characteristic measurement method in which a pulse voltage output from a pulse generator is applied to the gate of an FET in order to measure drain current flowing through the FET. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a method for accurately measuring a voltage applied to the drain of the FET and the drain current.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, the IV (current-voltage) characteristics of an FET are determined by applying a predetermined DC voltage to the gate of the FET while a predetermined bias voltage is applied to the drain of the FET.
However, the known approach in which the DC voltage is applied to the gate has the following problems.
When the known measurement approach is used for measuring the IV characteristics of SOI (silicon on insulator) MOSFETs, strained-silicon MOSFETs, or the like, reliable measurement results of the IV characteristics may not be obtained due to a self-heating phenomenon of the FETs.
When the known measurement approach is used for measuring the IV characteristics of MOSFETs using high-k (high dielectric constant) gate insulators, reliable measurement results of the IV characteristics may not be obtained since electrons are trapped in defects in the insulator films, thus reducing the drain current driving force.
Accordingly, it has been proposed to apply a measuring method in which a short-duration pulse is applied to the gate of the FET (e.g., refer to K. A. Jenkins and J. Y-C. Sun, IEEE Electron Device Letters, Vol. 16, No. 4, April 1995, pp. 145 to 147). With such a measuring method, measurement results that are not affected by the self-heating can be obtained for MOSFETs employing SOI and strained silicon. Furthermore, with respect to MOSFETs using high-k gate insulators, IV characteristics that are close to these under actual operational conditions can be obtained (since microprocessors using the MOSFETs have internal circuits driven by pulses, not DC), without being affected by, for example, a reduction in a drain-current driving force caused by electron trapping in insulator defects.
When the measurement method using short-duration pulses is employed, a so-called bias tee is used. An DC (direct current) input of the bias tee is connected to a DC voltage source, a bias output of the bias tee is connected to the drain of an FET, and an AC output of the bias tee is connected to an input of a measuring apparatus, such as an oscilloscope. When the short-duration pulse is input to the gate of the FET, drain current generated in a pulsed manner is input to the measuring apparatus via the AC output of the bias tee and the current is then converted by the input impedance of the measuring apparatus into a voltage.
From a high-frequency point of view, the input impedance of the measuring apparatus acts as a shunt resistor interposed between the drain of the FET and the DC voltage source. Thus, when the drain current is generated, the drain bias voltage of the FET decreases because of a voltage drop caused by the input impedance. In a measuring system including the bias tee, the FET, and the measuring apparatus, a drop in the drain bias voltage can also occur because of impedance due to other elements, such as cables.
However, in the known measuring method, the value of the drain bias voltage corresponding to a measured drain current is regarded as the value of a voltage output from the DC voltage source during the measurement of the drain current (i.e., is regarded as the value of the bias output voltage of the bias tee), that is, a voltage drop caused by the input impedance of the measuring apparatus and so on is not taken into account. Therefore, the measured drain current is not based on an actual bias voltage of the drain terminal, thus causing a problem in that accurate measurement results of IV characteristics cannot be obtained.
In addition, in the known measuring method, the drain current may not be accurately detected because of current leaking from the bias tee and so on, thus making it difficult to obtain accurate measurements results of IV characteristics.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for adjusting an ink supply gap for an ink fountain apparatus of a printing press, and more particularly to a device for adjusting an ink supply gap adapted to move blade segments toward or away from an ink fountain roller so as to adjust the width of the ink supply gap.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an ink fountain apparatus for an inking arrangement of a printing press, ink is stored in an elongated space of a substantially V-shaped cross section, which is formed by the peripheral surface of an ink fountain roller, the bottom portion of the ink fountain apparatus having its forward edge located in proximity to the peripheral surface of the ink fountain roller with an appropriate gap therebetween, and a pair of side plates, each disposed at one lateral end of the bottom portion. When the ink fountain roller is rotated, the ink stored in the elongated space is withdrawn through an ink supply port, i.e., a gap between the peripheral surface of the ink fountain roller and the forward edge of the bottom portion of the ink fountain apparatus.
To control the amount of ink withdrawn through the ink supply port, i.e., the supply of ink, the ink fountain apparatus has a blade for adjusting ink supply located at its bottom portion and a device for adjusting an ink supply gap. The device for adjusting the ink supply gap causes the blade to advance or retract so that the forward edge of the blade moves toward or away from the peripheral surface of the ink fountain roller, thereby adjusting the opening of the ink supply port.
Such conventional devices for adjusting an ink supply gap are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) Nos. 7-246699 and 8-230161.
According to "Blade Adjusting Device for Ink Fountain of Printing Press" disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 7-246699, in order to adjust the width of a gap between an ink fountain roller provided in an ink fountain of a printing press and each of a plurality of blade segments, a gap adjust device is provided for each of the blade segments. The gap adjustment device includes pushing means for continuously urging a blade segment toward its base end by means of a compression coil spring; a push rod disposed in contact with the base end of the blade segment and adapted to move the blade segment; a front cam whose support shaft is disposed in parallel with the moving direction of the blade segment and whose face moves in parallel with the moving direction of the blade segment and is in contact with the base end of the push rod; position adjustment means for moving the support shaft of the front cam axially so as to adjust the axial position of the front cam; and drive means for rotating the front cam.
In order to adjust the initial position of each blade segment, the corresponding drive means is operated to rotate the corresponding front cam until the blade segment advances to a foremost position closest to the ink fountain roller. Then, the position adjustment means is operated to axially move the support shaft of the front cam, thereby adjusting the axial position of the front cam so as to bring the forward edge of the blade segment into contact with the ink fountain roller. In this state, the position adjustment means is locked to thereby set the blade segment to its initial position.
During printing, according to the amount of ink required at a widthwise position of a printing surface, the gap between a corresponding blade segment and the ink fountain roller is adjusted in the following manner. The drive means is operated to rotate the front cam in such a direction that the blade segment moves away from the ink fountain roller. Since the pushing means pushes the blade segment toward the front cam, the forward edge of the blade segment moves from the position of contact with the ink fountain roller to an appropriate position located away from the ink fountain roller.
According to "Regulating Device for Opening of Ink Key" disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 8-230161, in order to adjust a gap between an ink fountain roller provided in an ink fountain of a printing press and each of a plurality of ink keys (corresponding to blade segments in the present invention), a gap adjustment device is provided for each ink key. The gap adjustment device includes a first hydraulic cylinder equipped with a piston connected to an ink key; a second hydraulic cylinder connected to the first hydraulic cylinder via an oil line and serving as drive means; and a third hydraulic cylinder provided in an oil line branching from the oil line which connects the first hydraulic cylinder and the second hydraulic cylinder and serves as adjustment means.
In order to move the ink key to its initial position, where the upper forward edge of the ink key is in contact with the peripheral surface of the ink fountain roller, the second hydraulic cylinder serving as drive means is locked, and the piston of the third hydraulic cylinder serving as adjustment means is moved to thereby move the piston of the first hydraulic cylinder. As a result, the ink key connected to the piston of the first hydraulic cylinder is moved accordingly.
The third hydraulic cylinder serving as adjustment means is locked, and the piston of the second hydraulic cylinder serving as drive means is moved by a drive device to thereby move the piston of the first hydraulic cylinder by means of oil contained in the oil line. As a result, the ink key connected to the piston of the first hydraulic cylinder is moved accordingly.
Notably, the cross sectional area of the pistons increases in sequence of the piston of the third hydraulic cylinder, that of the second hydraulic cylinder, and that of the first hydraulic cylinder. According to Pascal's principle, the stroke of the piston of the first hydraulic cylinder connected to the ink key becomes very small as compared to that of the second hydraulic cylinder serving as drive means and that of the third hydraulic cylinder serving as adjustment means. Accordingly, the movement of the ink key can be finely adjusted.
The above-described conventional gap adjustment devices involve drawbacks.
Specifically, in "Blade Adjusting Device for Ink Fountain of Printing Press" disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-246699, a plurality of blade segments are each provided with a motor and a plurality of gears which constitute the drive means; shafts, a cam, and a push rod which constitute the position adjustment means; and a compression coil spring serving as the pushing means. Thus, a large number of parts are used, and the mechanism of the device is complex. As a result, the frequency of failure is high, and maintenance and inspection are time consuming.
Accuracy in adjusting the gap between the ink fountain roller and a blade segment cannot be improved due to the backlash between gears and the influence of machining accuracy of the cam face.
In "Regulating Device for Opening of Ink Key" disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-230161, each of a plurality of ink keys must be provided with hydraulic piping; thus, complex piping is involved. Further, each ink key must be provided with a plurality of hydraulic cylinders, including a cylinder for moving the ink key, a cylinder for driving the ink key, and a cylinder for adjusting the ink key. Thus, the device assumes a large-scaled configuration, resulting in an increased manufacturing cost. Also, use of hydraulic oil involves a potential for oil leakage.


The present invention is a new low-cost method of boosting the pressure of a gas from a lower level to a higher level, for any purpose, one of which may be to inject the gas into a higher-pressure receptacle for purposes of sale, or to carry out some mechanical function. More particularly, it relates to such method and system especially adapted to the economics of the equipment used to increase the pressure (to pressurize or compress) the gas from a marginally-profitable gas well to a level acceptable for insertion into a gas sales line.
The present invention relates to a new low-cost method of compressing natural gas from a gas well when the reservoir pressure of the producing zone has declined below the pressure of the gas sales line. The present invention takes low-cost standard oil-field equipment and combines them into a unit that will compress gas more economically than a conventional compressor. The present invention relates, specifically, to the use of a flexible bladder inside a steel vessel, to receive and temporarily store natural gas from a gas well. In order to increase the pressure of the temporarily-stored gas inside the bladder, a hydraulic fluid is pumped into the annulus between the outer walls of the bladder and the inner walls of the steel vessel. With continued pumping, the pressure of the hydraulic fluid will exceed the gas pressure inside the bladder and the bladder collapses in size which results in the gas inside the reduced-size container (the bladder) being elevated to a higher pressure. The higher-pressured gas is then transferred to a natural gas pipeline for sale, or to some other mechanical process served by the higher-pressured gas. In the absence of an indirect method of pressurizing the gas, a more-expensive mechanical compressor would have to be used which would increase the cost of recovering the natural gas and result in natural gas reserves being abandoned which could be recovered by using the less-costly indirect compressor.
The present invention is specifically-related to the recovery of economic gas reserves when well-head pressures decline below the minimum suction pressure for conventional mechanical compressors, however, other uses of the equipment may be to collect small amounts of gas produced with oil for which there is no gas pipeline connection, to pressurize it into storage and further pressurize it for disposition by truck transport to a pipeline. Other uses may be to pressurize low-pressure gas from a local utility pipeline (approx. 1 psig) to 1000-1500 psi for compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel in isolated areas.
The flexible bladder is a one-piece cylinder-liner, when filled with gas from a gas well, or other source of low-pressure gas, will inflate substantially to the interior walls of the steel cylinder. The steel cylinder is sized to accommodate a number of fill-empty cycles during a 24 hour period such that the total volume of gas processed in a 24 hour period is substantial and the revenues generated from the sale of such gas will return the investment therein in a short time. The bladder is made of rubberized nylon, or if by choice, some other member of the elastomer family of synthetic rubbers, compatible with natural gas, and certain other gases, and a hydraulic fluid composed of fresh water -antifreeze mix, or mineral hydraulic oil, sealed at one end and the other end open and attached (bonded) to the face of a flange attached to the steel cylinder for pressure containment.
The hydraulic fluid is a matter of choice and can be either a water-antifreeze mix or hydraulic mineral oil.
In the method and system of the invention, an Indirect Pressurization Facility (IPF), consists of gas loading and unloading conduits, gas control mechanisms, pressure and temperature measurement devices, a bladder-equipped steel cylinder pressurization unit and a hydraulic system (pump, prime mover and surge-reservoir tank). The prime mover will be a gas engine and the pressurizer will be a centrifugal pump. Fuel for the prime mover will be natural gas from the gas well or other supply.
Start-up operations will commence with an xe2x80x9con-offxe2x80x9d switch, when placed in the xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d position will enable the control panel to signal the valve on the gas supply line to open and gas to flow to the suction of the indirect pressurization facility, and from there to the interior of the bladder. When the amount of gas necessary to fill the bladder is confirmed by a sensor, the fill valve will close and a signal sent to the pressure pump on the hydraulic system to pump hydraulic fluid into the annulus between the outside of the bladder and the interior of the pressurization chamber. When the annulus pressure reaches the pre-set discharge pressure, pumping into the annulus will be discontinued. At this point, the bladder will have collapsed which will compress the gas trapped inside the bladder after which the pressurized gas will be transferred to the gas sales line, or to storage. Following discharge of the gas to sales, the pressurization chamber is de-pressurized by opening the annulus to a reservoir located beneath the steel cylinder which will receive all of the fluid from the annulus at atmospheric pressure and supply the fluid to the suction of the centrifugal pump to pressurize it to the maximum working pressure of the pump and have it ready to commence the next pressurization cycle as soon as the bladder fills with gas from the supply well. The cycle is then repeated as long as the gas well has sufficient producing capacity to load the bladder at atmospheric pressure.


The present invention relates to a hydraulic circuit control system for a construction machine in which an operating system of the construction machine, particularly a control lever device, comprises a joystick device of the type generating an electrical operational signal (electric signal) depending on an input amount upon shift of a control lever, and a flow control valve is controlled with the operational signal for controlling the operation of an actuator.
In recent construction machines, particularly in those machines that are employed for various kinds of works because of convenience in use as represented by hydraulic excavators, operability has become increasingly valued in making the machines adaptable for a variety of usages. Stated otherwise, taking a hydraulic excavator as an example, the machine must be able to operate a working device as intended by an operator over a wide range from work in which primary importance is put on the amount of work carried out by the machine, e.g., excavation, to work in which fine adjustment is required in operation, e.g., leveling. To that end, it has been proposed to employ a hydraulic circuit control system in which a control lever device comprises an electric joystick for generating an electrical operational signal depending on an input amount upon shift a control lever, and the operational signal is electrically processed to control a flow control valve with a processed signal. Several known examples of such a control system are as follows.
(1) Japanese Patent No. 2509311 entitled xe2x80x9cWorking Device Control Method for Construction Machinexe2x80x9d
This publication discloses a working device control method for a construction machine comprising a hydraulic control valve (operational valve), which is operated through a controller upon manipulation of an electrical lever, and a pump varying device. Modulation control is performed to absorb shocks caused upon operation of the operational valve and the pump varying device by setting a modulation pattern for rise/fall of a circuit pressure and increase/decrease of a pump delivery rate upon operation of the operational valve to restrict a maximum operating speed of the operational valve (maximum change rate of an operational signal) so that a rate of the rise/fall of the circuit pressure and increase/decrease of the pump delivery rate is gradually changed in multiple stages with a working time, and by operating the operational valve and the pump varying device so as not to move faster than the speeds set by the modulation pattern when the circuit pressure rises and falls at a constant rate with a working time. Furthermore, a cavitation is prevented from occurring upon operation of the pump varying device. This publication also discloses that a plurality of modulation patterns for the operational valve are prepared and one of the patterns is set depending on the working condition automatically or manually with selection by an operator.
(2) JP,B 7-107279 entitled xe2x80x9cWorking Device Control Method for Construction Machinexe2x80x9d
This publication discloses an improvement of the modulation control in the above-mentioned (1). At the time when an electrical lever is manipulated from a shift position on the side in one direction toward the side in an opposite direction in a continuous manner and an operational signal from the electrical lever enters the opposite direction side beyond a dead zone corresponding to a neutral position, the modulation pattern having been effective so far is released and another modulation pattern for the opposite direction side is made effective. The operation of a working device and an operating feeling in the lever-reversed operation are thereby matched with each other.
(3) JP,A 10-37247 entitled xe2x80x9cOperation Control Device and Operation Control methodxe2x80x9d
This publication discloses a hydraulic circuit controller for controlling the operation of a working device of a construction machine through a flow control valve, wherein a maximum change rate of an operational signal for the flow control valve is restrained to be not larger than a setting value, and the operation of the working device is controlled by changing the setting value depending on an input amount upon shift of a control lever.
Meanwhile, there is also known a hydraulic circuit control system in which an actuator speed is controlled by controlling a delivery rate of a hydraulic pump with an operational signal instead of controlling a flow control valve with the operational signal, and a maximum operating speed of a pump displacement varying mechanism is restrained. Several examples of such a hydraulic circuit control system are as follows.
(4) JP,B 62-13542 entitled xe2x80x9cController for Hydraulic Circuitxe2x80x9d
This publication discloses a hydraulic circuit controller for a closed circuit system wherein an actuator speed is controlled to a speed instructed by an operating device by controlling a delivery rate of a hydraulic pump (position of a pump displacement varying mechanism). When an operating speed of the pump displacement varying mechanism is restrained to be not larger a setting maximum speed, the setting maximum speed is changed depending on an input amount upon shift of a control lever, thereby controlling acceleration/deceleration of an actuator.
(5) JP,B 62-39295 entitled xe2x80x9cControl System for Hydraulic Circuit Apparatusxe2x80x9d
This publication discloses that the controller of the above-mentioned (4) is modified so as to detect a condition of the operating device (control lever) instructing the operation to be stopped or made in the reversed direction, and to set the setting maximum speed larger than that in acceleration.
The above-described prior art however has the following problems.
First problem: The setting value for restricting the maximum operating speed of the operational valve (flow control valve) (i.e., the maximum change rate of the operational signal) is not set corresponding to individual operating status, i.e., acceleration, deceleration/stop, and lever-reversed condition. Therefore, the operational valve cannot be always controlled at an optimum maximum change rate adapted for the operating status of a construction machine.
Second problem: In the lever-reversed operation, the dead zone in the vicinity of a neutral position of the flow control valve is not appropriately handled or not handled at all. When quickly reversing the control lever, therefore, the actuator undergoes a shock or stalls in the vicinity of the neutral position, causing the operator to feel a pause in the operation.
Third problem: Since the maximum change speed of the operational valve is just restrained to the fixed modulation pattern regardless of the input amount upon shift of the control lever, an appropriate acceleration/deceleration feeling corresponding to the lever shift amount cannot be provided.
More specifically, in Japanese Patent No. 2509311 and JP,B 7-107279, the modulation patterns are set for the maximum operating speed of the operational valve in acceleration and deceleration/stop, and in the lever-reversed operation, the maximum operating speed of the operational valve is restricted in accordance with the modulation pattern for deceleration/stop. However, the lever reversing is performed when it is required to quickly change the moving direction of the working device in the case of, e.g., dropping mud from a bucket, bumping a boom against a vertical surface, or avoiding a risk, and a rapid response is demanded until the working device changes the moving direction. Accordingly, restricting the maximum operating speed of the operational valve in the lever-reversed operation in accordance with the modulation pattern for deceleration/stop cannot be the as providing an optimum maximum operating speed for the lever-reversed operation, and hence cannot change the moving direction of the working device with a good response (first problem).
Also, according to JP,B 7-107279, as soon as the operational signal indicates a reversed direction, the modulation control performed so far is ceased and another modulation control adapted for the reversed direction is started for the purpose of improving response in the lever-reversed operation disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2509311. Taking into account a delay in the operation of the actuator responsive to the operational signal, therefore, the actuator is brought into an uncontrolled state at the moment when the operating direction is changed, which leads to a possibility that a substantial shock may occur until the moving direction of the actuator is completely changed (second problem).
Further, in Japanese Patent No. 2509311 and JP,B 7-107279, because the modulation pattern is fixed and the maximum operating speed of the operational valve is always restricted to the fixed modulation pattern regardless of the input amount upon shift of the control lever, an appropriate acceleration/deceleration feeling corresponding to the lever shift amount cannot be provided (third problem). In the case of returning the control lever, for example, when the control lever is manipulated so as to operate the operational valve at a speed higher than that set by the modulation pattern, the maximum operating speed of the operational valve is determined by the fixed modulation pattern regardless of a manner in which the control lever is returned, and therefore cannot be adjusted.
In JP,A 10-37247, since the maximum operating speed of the operational valve is not set depending on the operating status of the construction machine, the operational valve cannot be controlled at an optimum maximum change rate adapted for the operating status (first problem), and an appropriate acceleration/deceleration feeling corresponding to the lever shift amount cannot be provided (third problem). Furthermore, no consideration is paid on how to handle the lever-reversed operation (second problem).
In JP,B 62-13542 and JP,B 62-39295, the position of the pump displacement varying mechanism is controlled in response to an instruction from the operating device to control the pump delivery rate, thereby controlling the actuator speed. That is to say, these are not intended to control the operation of the working device of the construction machine through the flow control valve. Also, in the system of JP,B 62-39295, a plurality of maximum change rates of the operational signal are set as a function of the operational signal. However, because a control target of the control lever is the pump displacement varying mechanism, no consideration is paid to the dead zone in the vicinity of the neutral position of the flow control valve. Accordingly, if the disclosed arrangement is applied to a hydraulic circuit control system for controlling an actuator speed through a flow control valve, the maximum change rate of an operational signal is restrained in a similar manner even when the flow control valve is within the dead zone in the vicinity of its neutral position, whereby an actuator stalls for a certain period of time, causing the operator to feel a pause in the operation (second problem).
A first object of the present invention is to provide a hydraulic circuit control system for a construction machine of the type controlling a flow control valve with an electrical operational signal to control the operation of an actuator, the control system being able to control the flow control valve at an optimum maximum change rate in any operating status of acceleration, deceleration/stop, and lever-reversed condition with resulting characteristics cited below:
(a) in acceleration/deceleration, the machine undergoes a less shock and an operator feels no delay in the operation even with the operator manipulating a control lever quickly;
(b) in moderate acceleration/deceleration, the actuator is moved as intended by the operator;
(c) in stop operation, the machine undergoes a less shock and the operator feels no delay in motion toward stop even with the operator manipulating the control lever quickly; and
(d) in quick lever reversing, the actuator can be rapidly reversed in motion.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a hydraulic circuit control system for a construction machine, which carries out, in addition to the above, proper processing for a dead zone in the vicinity of a neutral position of the flow control valve in the lever-reversed operation, whereby the machine undergoes a less shock and the operator feels neither a delay in the operation nor a pause in the operation in the vicinity of the neutral position when the control lever is quickly reversed.
A third object of the present invention is to provide a hydraulic circuit control system for a construction machine, which can give the operator an appropriate feeling in acceleration and deceleration corresponding to an input amount upon shift of the control lever.
(1) To achieve the above first object, the present invention provides a hydraulic circuit control system for a construction machine comprising a hydraulic actuator for driving a working device, a hydraulic pump driven by a prime mover and producing a pressurized hydraulic fluid, a flow control valve disposed between the hydraulic actuator and the hydraulic pump and controlling a flow rate of the hydraulic fluid, and operational signal generating means for generating an electrical operational signal to instruct a flow rate of the hydraulic fluid flowing through the flow control valve, the system computing a control signal while restraining a change rate of the operational signal to be kept not more than a preset maximum change rate, and controlling the flow control valve in accordance with the computed control signal, wherein the system comprises first determining means for determining the operating status of the construction machine based on the operational signal; and first processing means for setting therein an optimum maximum change rate of the control signal for the flow control valve beforehand for each operating status of the construction machine, determining an optimum maximum change rate adapted for the operating status of the construction machine at that time based on a determination result of the first determining means, and setting the determined optimum maximum change rate as a maximum change rate of the control signal for the flow control valve.
Thus, since the first determining means determines the operating status of the construction machine and first processing means determines an optimum maximum change rate adapted for the operating status of the construction machine at that time based on a determination result of the first determining means and then sets the determined optimum maximum change rate as a maximum change rate of the control signal for the flow control valve, the change rate of the control signal for controlling the flow rate through the flow control valve is restrained to be kept not more than the determined optimum maximum change rate. Therefore, the flow control valve can be controlled at the optimum maximum change rate in any operating status of acceleration, deceleration/stop, and lever-reversed condition with such resulting characteristics as (a) in acceleration/deceleration, the machine undergoes a less shock and an operator feels no delay in the operation even with the operator manipulating a control lever quickly; (b) in moderate acceleration/deceleration, the actuator is moved as intended by the operator; (c) in operation for stop, the machine undergoes a less shock and the operator feels no delay in the motion toward stop even with the operator manipulating the control lever quickly; and (d) in quick lever reversing, the actuator can be rapidly reversed in motion, whereby working efficiency and safety are improved.
(2) To achieve the above second object, according to the present invention, in the hydraulic circuit control system for a construction machine of the above-mentioned (1), the system further comprises second determining means for determining whether a value of the control signal for the flow control valve is within a neutral zone; and second processing means for computing the control signal in accordance with the operational signal when the value of the control signal for the flow control valve is within the neutral zone, instead of executing the processing to restrain the change rate of the control signal in accordance with the maximum change rate.
With those features, proper processing for a dead zone in the vicinity of the neutral position of the flow control valve is executed in the lever-reversed operation so that, when the control lever is quickly reversed, the machine undergoes a less shock and the operation can be performed without causing the operator to feel neither a delay in the operation nor a pause in the operation in the vicinity of the neutral position. As a result, operability in the lever-reversed operation is greatly improved.
(3) In the above-mentioned (1), preferably, the first determining means determines, based on a state of the operational signal, in which one of acceleration, deceleration/stop, and lever-reversed condition the operating status of the hydraulic excavator is, and the first processing means determines the optimum maximum change rate adapted for the operating status of the construction machine at that time based on the optimum maximum change rate of the control signal set beforehand for each operating status of acceleration, deceleration/stop, or lever-reversed condition.
With those features, as with the above-mentioned (1), the flow control valve can be controlled at the optimum maximum change rate in any operating status of acceleration, deceleration/stop, and lever-reversed condition.
(4) Also, in the above-mentioned (1) or (3), preferably, the first determining means determines the operating status of the construction machine based on the operational signal and a previously outputted control signal for the flow control valve.
With that feature, the first determining means can determine the operating status of the construction machine including acceleration, deceleration/stop, and lever-reversed condition.
(5) To achieve the above third object, according to the present invention, in any one of the above-mentioned (1), (3) and (4), the optimum maximum change rate of the control signal for the flow control valve is set beforehand as a function of the operational signal for each operating status of the construction machine, and the first processing means computes the optimum maximum change rate based on the function of the operational signal corresponding to the operating status determined by the first determining means and the operational signal at that time.
With those features, the optimum maximum change rate of the control signal is set depending the value of the operational signal, and hence an appropriate feeling in acceleration and deceleration corresponding to the input amount upon shift of the control lever can be provided.
(6) In any one of the above-mentioned (1), (3) and (4), preferably, the optimum maximum change rate of the control signal for the flow control valve is set beforehand as a function of the operational signal or a function of the previously outputted control signal for the flow control valve for each operating status of the construction machine, and the first processing means computes the optimum maximum change rate based on the function of the operational signal corresponding to the operating status determined by the first determining means or the function of the previously outputted control signal for the flow control valve and the operational signal at that time or the previously outputted control signal for the flow control valve.
With those features, the optimum maximum change rate of the control signal is set depending both the value of the operational signal and the previously outputted control signal, and hence an appropriate feeling in acceleration and deceleration corresponding to the input amount upon shift of the control lever can be provided.


This invention is directed to a fiber optic bulkhead fitting wherein the optical fiber can be optically coupled through and soldered to a bulkhead.
Optical fibers are suitable for the transmission of digital information and are being increasingly used for that purpose. Optical fibers are superior to the employment of electrical conductors for a number of data transmission needs. However, there has been a problem in passing an optical fiber from one environment, through a bulkhead, to another environment because of the problems of reliably sealing the optical fiber to the bulkhead. Such sealing is necessary to provide sure separation between the spaces separated by the bulkhead. Accordingly, there is need for a bulkhead fitting which is compatible with both the optical fiber and the bulkhead to provide complete and reliable sealing.
Previous attempts at running an optical fiber through a bulkhead and sealing it with respect thereto have been unsatisfactory because of the microbending losses. When epoxy is used to seal an optical fiber with respect to a structure like a bulkhead, the forces on the optical fiber cause local changes in the index of refraction which is the microbending loss. With epoxy, the loss is about 1 decibel. This is a significant loss in such a system and cannot be tolerated in any but short, simple systems.


1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a system for controlling a paper machine, wherein a dryer is controlled by predicting the moisture percentage of a web at a dryer part inlet and also predicting the dryer's steam pressure according to the predicted moisture percentage.
2. Description of Prior Art
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a typical paper machine. In the figure, raw pulp is discharged from a stock inlet 81 to a wire part 82. The wire part 82 is moved in the direction of arrow A by means of rotating rolls 821. The raw pulp discharged onto the wire part 82 is subjected to drainage so as to form a web (that is paper). The web thus formed is transferred to a press part 83 for further water drainage.
The web subjected to water drainage at the press part 83 is transferred to a pre-dryer 84. A multitude of steam drums 841 are disposed in the pre-dryer 84 and heated by steam introduced thereinto. The web is wound around the steam drums as it is moved forward, so that the web is drived until a given moisture percentage is reached.
The dried web is subjected to a sizing process, such as application of a sizing agent (coating agent) at a size press 85; is further dried by an after-dryer 86; and is then take up as a product indicated by numeral 87. It should be noted that the after-dryer 86 is configured in the same way as the pre-dryer 84.
Numerals 88 and 89 denote BM systems, both of which detect the basis weight, moisture percentage, and other data items of the web as it comes out of the pre-dryer 84 and after-dryer 86, respectively. The values of data items thus detected are input to a control apparatus not shown in the figure. The control apparatus controls the amount of raw pulp discharged onto the wire part 82 or the amount of steam introduced into the steam drums of the pre-dryer 84 and after-dryer 86, as well as the machine speed and other parameters, so that the product in question complies with predetermined specifications. Grade change control whereby different types of product are produced is also practiced commonly.
In grade change control, any product obtained during the time of grade change, wherein a switch is made to another type of product, will be treated as broke, i.e., non-standard paper. Therefore, the duration of grade change must be minimized in order to increase operation efficiency. To solve this problem, an invention of a method of predicting a steam pressure setpoint after grade change by simulation is described in the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 3,094,798.
Now, the aforementioned invention is described briefly.
The invention described in the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 3,094,798 uses an iron model wherein the steam drums of the pre-dryer 84 and after-dryer 86 are simplified into a planar form. In the model, the state of contact among the steam drum, web, and canvas wound continuously round the steam drums is classified into five patterns. Then, the heat-transfer differential equation of each pattern is derived and converted to a difference equation, so that a steam pressure setpoint after grade change is predicted by solving the difference equation.
For convenience, the numbering of the equations in this specification are 5-13 and 18-23. The numbers 1-4 and 14-17 have been omitted.
The heat-transfer differential equations of a pattern wherein the steam drum, web and canvas are in contact with each other in this order are represented as equations 5 to 7 below.                                                         L              D                        ·                          ρ              D                        ·                          C              D                                                                    ⅆ                                                T                  1                                                                  (                  t                  )                                                                    ⅆ              t                                      =                                            h              S                        ·                          (                                                                    T                    S                                                                          (                    t                    )                                                  -                                                      T                    1                                                                          (                    t                    )                                                              )                                -                                    h              DW                        ·                          (                                                                    T                    1                                                                          (                    t                    )                                                  -                                                      T                    2                                                                          (                    t                    )                                                              )                                                          (        5        )                                                                                L                    W                                    ·                                      ρ                    W                                    ·                                      C                    W                                                                                ⅆ                                                                  T                        2                                                                                (                        t                        )                                                                                ⅆ                    t                                                              =                                                                                h                    DW                                    ·                                      (                                                                                T                          1                                                                                (                          t                          )                                                                    -                                                                        T                          2                                                                                (                          t                          )                                                                                )                                                  -                                                                                -                                          h                      WC                                                        ·                                      (                                                                                T                          2                                                                                (                          t                          )                                                                    -                                                                        T                          3                                                                                (                          t                          )                                                                                )                                                                                Evapo                                                        (                                                                  T                        2                                            ,                                              T                        W                                                              )                                                                                (        6        )                                                                    L              C                        ·                          ρ              C                        ·                          C              C                                                                    ⅆ                                                T                  3                                                                  (                  t                  )                                                                    ⅆ              t                                      =                                            h              WC                        ·                          (                                                                    T                    2                                                                          (                    t                    )                                                  -                                                      T                    3                                                                          (                    t                    )                                                              )                                -                                    h              a                        ·                          (                                                                    T                    3                                                                          (                    t                    )                                                  -                                                      T                    a                                                                          (                    t                    )                                                              )                                                          (        7        )
The meanings of the parameters included in equations 5 to 7 are as follows.
LD:Drum thickness (m)LW:Web thickness (m)LC:Canvas thickness (m)Ts:Steam temperature within drum (° C.)T1:Drum's surface temperature (° C.)T2:Web (paper) temperature (° C.)T3:Canvas temperature (° C.)Ta:Dry-bulb temperature of air within hood (° C.)CD:Drum's specific heat (kJ/(kg · ° C.))CW:Web's (paper's) specific heat (kJ/(kg · ° C.))CC:Canvas' specific heat (kJ/(kg · ° C.))ρD:Drum's density (kg/m3)ρW:Web's (paper's) density (kg/m3)ρC:Canvas' density (kg/m3)hS:Coefficient of heat transfer between steam within drum and drumsurface (kJ/(m2 · sec · ° C.))hDW:Coefficient of heat transfer between drum surface and web(kJ/(m2 · sec · ° C.))hWC:Coefficient of heat transfer between web surface and canvas(kJ/(m2 · sec · ° C.))ha:Coefficient of heat transfer between canvas and air within hood(kJ/(m · sec · ° C.))
FIG. 2 is a table that summarizes the above-listed parameters.
The term Evapo(T2, TW) in equation 6 is a function representing the amount of heat of evaporation removed from the web as the result of moisture evaporation, and is given by equation 8 below.
 Evapo(T2, Tw)=V(MPABS)·K·(P(T2)−P(Tw))·SB(T2)(kJ/(m2·sec))  (8)
where
    P(T)=Saturation vapor pressure (kPa) at temperature T (° C.)    SB(T)=Heat of evaporation (kJ/H2Okg) at temperature T (° C.)    TW=Wet-bulb temperature of air within hood (° C.)    V(MPABS)=Function representing moisture evaporation intensity at absolute moisture percentage MPABS, where 0.0≦V(MPABS)≦1.0 (dimensionless)    K=Drying rate coefficient (H2Okg/(m2·sec·kPa)).
Although heat-transfer differential equations for patterns of contact other than those mentioned above are also given by the invention described in the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 3,094,798, these equations are omitted here to avoid complication.
In differential equations 5 to 7 discussed earlier, a length of time is segmented into time intervals Δt, which is determined by the machine speed, circumference of a steam drum, and other data items, so that a difference equation is derived and the numeric solution thereof is obtained. Since the web moves from the upstream side to the downstream side of the paper machine as time elapses, it is possible to calculate the web temperature at the steam drum by numerically solving the difference equation.
From equation 8, EvapoMP(T2, TW)(H2Okg/(m2·sec)), which is the amount of moisture evaporated from the web per unit area and unit time, can be represented by equation 9 below.EvapoMP(T2, TW)=V(MPABS)·K·(P(T2)−P(Tw))(H2Okg/(m2·sec))  (9)
By using this equation, it is possible to calculate the absolute moisture percentage MPABS(j) (j=1, . . . , N) of the web after the lapse of the incremental time interval Δt as shown in equation 10 below.                                           MP            ABS                                          (                          j              +              1                        )                          =                                            MP              ABS                                                  (              j              )                                -                                                                      10                  3                                ·                                  EvapoMP                                                        (                                                                  T                        2                                            ,                                              T                        W                                                              )                                                  ·                Δ                                                                                t                        BD                                              (        10        )            where    BD=Bone-dry basis weight(g/m2)    Δt=Incremental time interval (sec)    MPABS(j) (j=1, . . . , N)=Absolute moisture percentage (%) at mesh division j
From this absolute moisture percentage, it is possible to calculate the (relative) moisture percentage MP(j) (j=1, . . . , N) ( %) as shown in equation 11 below.                               MP                                (            j            )                          =                              100            ·                                                            MP                  ABS                                                                  (                  j                  )                                                            1                +                                                      MP                    ABS                                                                          (                    j                    )                                                                                (            %            )                                              (        11        )            where    MP(j) (j=1, . . . , N)=Relative moisture percentage (%) at mesh division j
FIG. 3 is a flowchart representing the algorithm of a steady-state simulation using equations 5 to 11. In the first step, the current operation status data, such as the current machine speed (m/min), basis weight setpoint (g/m2), and moisture percentage setpoint (%), are acquired. In the second step, the incremental time interval Δt for differential calculations is determined from the machine speed, drum's circumference, and other data items. In the third step, the steam temperature Ts(j) (j=1, . . . , N) within the drum is calculated from the current dryer steam pressure setpoint by using a saturation vapor pressure curve. Note that N is the number of mesh divisions.
In a further step, equations 5 to 11 and the difference equations derived therefrom are used to calculate the drum temperature T1(j) (j=1, . . . , N), web temperature T2(j) (j=1, . . . , N), canvas temperature T3(j) (j=1, . . . , N), and web's final moisture percentage MP(j) (j=1, . . . , N). In yet a further step, a judgment is made on convergence between the web's relative moisture percentage MP(N) and actual measured value MPMEASURE provided by a moisture sensor at a final cylinder. Convergence has been reached if the absolute value of the difference between MP(N) and MPMEASURE is smaller than the given value EP.
If convergence has not yet been reached, the drying rate coefficient K is corrected by ΔK to calculate the drum temperature, web temperature, canvas temperature, and web's relative moisture percentage once again. When convergence has been reached, the drying rate coefficient K, drum temperature T1(j), web temperature T2(j), canvas temperature T3(j), and web's moisture percentage MP(j) are fixed to their values at that moment, and the steady-state simulation ends.
For a dryer part consisting of pre-dryer and after-dryer parts, it is also acceptable to calculate the moisture percentage at an after-dryer outlet as the final moisture percentage. Alternatively, moisture percentages at the pre-dryer and after-dryer outlets may be defined as the final moisture percentages. In the latter case, a convergence calculation should be made for each of the dryer parts.
In the steady-state simulation heretofore discussed, the drying rate coefficient K is adjusted so that the absolute moisture percentage at the final cylinder is approximated to the actual measured value. Next, a simulation of steam pressure prediction is carried out, in order to predict the optimum steam pressure setpoint in an operation status after grade change. The simulation of steam pressure prediction is explained by referring to FIG. 4.
In the first step in FIG. 4, operation status data after grade change, i.e., the machine speed (m/min), basis weight setpoint (g/m2), and moisture percentage setpoint (%), are acquired. In the second step, the incremental time interval Δt for differential calculations is determined from the machine speed, drum's circumference, and other data items. In the third step, the steam temperature Ts(j) (j=1, . . . , N) within the drum is calculated from the current dryer steam pressure setpoint P (kPa) by using a saturation vapor pressure curve. Note that N is the number of mesh divisions.
In a further step, the value of the drying rate coefficient K determined in the steady-state simulation, as well as the value before grade change used in the steady-state simulation, for example, as the pre-dryer part inlet moisture percentage, is used to find the numerical solutions of equations 5 to 11 and their difference equations, thereby calculating the drum temperature T1(j) (j=1, . . . , N), web temperature T2(j) (j=1, . . . , N), canvas temperature T3(j) (j=1, . . . , N), and web's moisture percentage MP(j) (j=1, . . . , N) as the initial values for the difference equations.
In yet a further step, the value of the web's moisture percentage MP(N) at the final cylinder and the moisture percentage setpoint after grade change are compared, in order to judge convergence in the same way as in the case of the steady-state simulation. If convergence has not yet been reached, the dryer steam pressure setpoint is corrected by the given value Δt, and the drum temperature, web temperature, canvas temperature, and web's relative moisture percentage are calculated once again. When convergence has been reached, the values of these data items at that moment are fixed and the simulation of steam pressure prediction ends.
In such a paper machine as discussed above, controlling the process of drying a product is an important factor in order to produce products of consistent quality. Drying at the after-dryer 86 is particularly important since the drying process directly affects product quality. For this reason, it is necessary to precisely know the moisture percentage of a product at the dryer inlet.
Traditionally, the moisture percentage of a product at the inlet of the after-dryer 86 has been calculated by using a measured value provided by the BM system 88 installed before the size press 85 and then applying, for example, equation 12 shown below. It should be noted that the absolute moisture percentage in the equation means the ratio of moisture weight to the bone-dry weight of a web which is a product.                               absMP          AFTIN                =                                                            BD                PRE                            ×                              absMP                PREEND                                      +                          CW              ·                                                100                  -                  S                                S                                                          BD            AFT                                              (        12        )            where    absMPAFTIN=Absolute moisture percentage (0.0 to 1.0) at after-dryer 86 inlet    absMPPREEND=Absolute moisture percentage (0.0 to 1.0) at pre-dryer 84 outlet (calculated by simulation)    BDPRE=Bone-dry basis weight (g/m2) at pre-dryer 84 outlet (measured with BM system)    BDAFT=Bone-dry basis weight (g/m2) at after-dryer 86 outlet (measured with BM system)    CW=Size's bone-dry coated weight (g/m2)    S=Moving average of size's (coating agent's) concentration (%).
The pre-dryer 84 outlet absolute moisture percentage absMPPREEND is evaluated as a solution given by simulating the steady state formed in the pre-dryer 84. However, a size with a concentration of 5 to 10% is coated at the size press 85 and therefore, the moisture percentage must be corrected by the amount of moisture produced by such coating.
More specifically, the first term BDPRE×absMPPREEND of the numerator on the right-hand side of equation 12 denotes a moisture weight (g/m2) per unit area at the outlet of the pre-dryer 84, whereas the second term CW·(100−S)/S denotes a moisture weight (g/m2) contained in the coated size per unit area. Since the sum of these two terms is the amount of moisture contained per unit area of a product at the inlet of the after-dryer 86, it is clear that the absolute moisture percentage is evaluated by dividing this amount by the bone-dry basis weight BDAFT measured with the BM system 89.
It should be noted that as the size's bone-dry coated weight CW, equation 12 uses the value calculated by equation 13 below, which is the difference between the bone-dry basis weights measured with the BM systems 88 and 89.CW=BDAFT−BDPRE  (13)


The clutch band of the present invention relates to the class of band clutch constructions and configurations as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,518,453, issued Aug. 15, 1950 to J. M. Dodwell and particularly in U.S. Pat. No. 3,731,773, issued May 8, 1973 to M. Austin and N. Boulton. The above identified patents disclose a band-type, free wheeling clutch embodying drive and driven clutch members, one of the members being provided with a V-groove into which the narrowed end of at least one clutch band is positioned. The wide end of at least one clutch band is anchored to the other of the clutch members such that upon rotation of the drive member in one direction, the driven member is driven in the same direction through the engagement of the side edges of the narrow end of at least one clutch band with the side walls of the V-groove. When the driven member rotates at a faster speed than the drive member, at least one clutch band permits the driven member to overrun the drive member.
In the development of band-type, free-wheeling clutch assemblies of the above type, one of the major problems was in providing an adequate anchor at one end of the clutch band. Various structural arrangements have been proposed wherein the clutch band is formed as an elongated structure having a wider, heavier end portion to provide an adequate anchor to engage one of the clutch members and a narrower, lighter end portion extending into the V-groove of the other clutch member. In the operation of the overrunning type clutch assemblies containing at least one band, during the overrunning condition, the wider portion, being heavier, flies radially outwardly with more force than the narrow portion, being lighter, such that the wider portion pulls the narrower portion into the V-groove of the inner member thus prematurely wearing out the narrower portion of the band. Such premature wear has severely reduced the number of clutching cycles obtainable with such clutch assemblies.


Magnetic random access memories (MRAMs) in which the magnetoresistive effect of a ferromagnetic material is used have recently attracted interest as next-generation solid-state nonvolatile memories capable of speeding up read/write operations, increasing capacity, and realizing low-power operation. In particular, magnetoresistive elements including a ferromagnetic tunnel junction have received a great deal of attention since the finding of the ability of exhibiting a high rate of magnetoresistive change. The ferromagnetic tunnel junction has a three-layer structure including a storage layer having a variable magnetization direction, an insulating layer, and a fixed layer that faces the storage layer and maintains a predetermined magnetization direction.
A magnetoresistive element having the ferromagnetic tunnel junction is also called a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) element. A write method (spin transfer torque writing) using spin-momentum transfer (SMT) has been proposed for this magnetoresistive element.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the oxidation of organic compounds. In one aspect, the invention relates to the oxidation of compounds having at least one activated methylene radical while in another aspect, the invention relates to oxidizing such a compound in a multiphase system employing a catalyst comprising a synergistic combination of elemental carbon and a phase-transfer catalyst.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hawthorne et al., "Base-Catalyzed Autoxidation of 9,10-dihydroanthracene and Related Compounds", Oxidation of Organic Compounds--I, Advances in Chemistry Series, 75, 14 (ACS 1968) teach the oxidation of 9,10-dihydroanthracene to anthraquinone by contacting the dihydroanthracene with oxygen and benzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide. Pyridine was used as a solvent.
Kang Yang, JOC, 42, 3754 (1977), teaches the oxidation of fluorene to fluorenone in the presence of charcoal and a base. The base is potassium t-butoxide in either a t-butyl alcohol or sodium hydroxide solution.
Alveri et al., "Autoxidation of Diarylene Methanes and Related Compounds in the Presence of Phase-Transfer Catalysts", Tetrahedron Letters, 24, 2117 (1977), teach the use of a phase-transfer catalyst, e.g., dicetyl diethylammonium chloride, in the autoxidation of diarylene methanes. Fluorene was converted to fluorenone in 100 percent yield after 24 hours at 30.degree. C. using the catalyst, oxygen and an aqueous sodium hydroxide/benzene biphasic reaction medium.
While all of the above teachings demonstrate utility, each suffers from one or more disadvantages. Principal among these disadvantages are undesirably slow reaction rates or the requirement of a neutralization step, the latter consuming starting reactants and generating a brine waste stream. Other disadvantages include the use of undesirable solvents, such as benzene, and the absence of catalyst and caustic recycle.


The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for the solidification of sludges by kneading sludges in soft ground layers with a hardener and solidifying the sludges.
As the conventional method for solidifying sludges deposited and accumulated in bottom portions of harbors, bays, rivers and lakes, there can be mentioned a method in which a hardener is added to sludge in situ and the hardener-incorporated sludge is kneaded. The reason why the sludge is solidified in situ in the deposited and accumulated state is that the amount of the water contained in the sludge is held to a minimum and the solidification treatment can be performed conveniently. If the sludge is dug out and placed on the land for solidification, the water content in the sludge is increased greatly compared with the sludge deposited naturally.
This known method, however, is defective in that when the deposited sludge is kneaded and agitated by a kneading machine or the sludge is dredged, sea water or the like is contaminated in a broad region to cause secondary pollutions such as the generation of bad odors. Moreover, when the sludge is agitated, water or untreated sludge flows from neighboring sludge layers into the sludge being treated, and therefore, a large quantity of a hardener must be added. In this case, the hardener supplied in such a large amount readily flows into neighboring sludge layers and is wasted. Agitation of the sludge or the like is performed by agitating blades of the kneading machine. Accordingly, the sludge being treated is not completely separated from the sludge present on or around the outer periphery of the rotation locus of the agitating blades and therefore, uniform kneading of the sludge and hardener is not attained, and it is difficult to perform the solidification treatment in good kneading conditions.


The present invention relates to a structure of the insulator--semiconductor type in which the semiconductor is a III-V compound and to processes for the production of said structure. It can be used on the one hand in microelectronics where it permits the production of high performance (speed, degree of integration, etc) components of the MIS type (metal--insulator--semiconductor) and on the other hand in optoelectronics where it permits the passivation of the surfaces of optoelectronic components, e.g. semiconducting lasers.
For some years now, an increasing importance and interest has been attached to composite semiconductors of the III-V type (e.g. GaAs or InP). These materials have in fact remarkable properties making them particularly suitable for the construction of integrated electronic components of the MIS type, where they lead to a considerable improvement in performance figures compared with conventional components based on silicon and germanium. Among these properties, particular reference is made to the high electronic mobility (approximately 10,000 cm/s for the GaAs and 5,000 for InP, as compared with only 1,200 for Si and 3,600 for Ge), the forbidden band width (approximately 1.4 eV compared with 1.1 eV for Si and 0.7 eV for Ge) and the high resistivity (approximately 10.sup.6 .OMEGA.cm).
However, hitherto the hopes set on III-V compounds have not been crowned with success due more particularly to the fact that it has proved very difficult to make a suitable interface between the insulator and the semiconductor. Attempts have been made to deposit insulators such as SiO.sub.2, Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, Si.sub.3 N.sub.4, Ge.sub.2 N, GaN, etc . . . , but the electrical characteristics (current--voltage, capacitance--voltage, interface charges) obtained for these insulator--semiconductor interfaces do not provide the necessary high quality for the construction of MIS components.