GPR38 is a 7-transmembrane, G-protein coupled receptor, with high affinity for the peptide motilin [Feighner et al., Science 1999, 284, 2184], suggesting that endogenous motilin exerts all or most of its activity via this receptor.
Motilin is a 22 amino acid peptide found in large amounts within endocrine-like cells of the gastrointestinal tract, and especially in the duodenum-jejunum areas. During fasting, the peptide is known to be associated with the onset of Phase III migrating complex activity within the stomach [Boivin et al., Dig. Dis. Sci. 1992, 37, 1562], suggesting a role in the mechanisms of prokinetic activity. Motilin is also released from the gut during feeding, sham feeding, gastric distension or by oral or intravenous nutrient application [Christofides et al., Gut 1979, 20, 102; Bormans et al., Scand. J. Gastroenterol. 1987, 22, 781], suggesting additional roles for this peptide in the modulation of motility patterns during feeding.
In animals or in man, motilin has long been known to increase gastrointestinal motility, and promote gastric emptying and intestinal propulsion in an anal direction, during both fasting and fed conditions. This activity is thought to be primarily due to a facilitation of at least the cholinergic excitatory function of the gut [Van Assche et al., Eur. J. Pharmacol. 1997, 337, 267], perhaps also involving the activation of the vagus nerve [Mathis & Malbert, Am. J. Physiol. 1998, 274, G80]. In addition, higher concentrations of motilin directly evoke a small contraction of the muscle [Van Assche et al., Eur. J. Pharmacol. 1997, 337, 267].
The antibiotic erythromycin was shown to mimic the gastrointestinal activity of motilin, in addition to its previously-described antibiotic properties [see Peeters, in Problems of the Gastrointestinal Tract in Anaesthesia Ed., Herbert M K et al. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg 1999, pp 39-51]. More recently, erythromycin has been shown to activate the GPR38 receptor, confirming its ability to mimic the function of motilin [Carreras et al., Analyt. Biochem. 2002, 300, 146]. In addition, the availability of this non-peptide motilin receptor agonist has allowed at least some clinical studies to be undertaken in order to examine the clinical potential of motilin receptor agonists. These studies have consistently demonstrated an ability to increase gastric emptying in various conditions associated with gastroparesis, such as functional dyspepsia and diabetic gastroparesis. Further, erythromycin has been shown to increase lower esophageal sphincter pressure in man, which together with the increase in gastric emptying, suggests a role in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disorders (GERD). Finally, erythromycin has been used to promote intestinal propulsive activity, finding clinical utility in the treatment of pseudo-obstruction and in conditions with impaired colonic motility [Peeters, in Problems of the Gastrointestinal Tract in Anaesthesia Ed., Herbert M K et al. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg 1999, pp 39-51].
Consequently it is expected that agonists at the GPR38 receptor will mimic the activity of motilin or of other substances acting at this receptor, such as erythromycin, and find clinical utility in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders associated with hypomotility, especially the functional bowel disorders such as GERD, functional dyspepsia (FD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The compounds will also be useful for the treatment of other GI conditions where the cause is known and in which GI motility is reduced. Such conditions include constipation, caused by various diseases such as those associated with neuropathy, and/or by the administration of other drugs, intestinal pseudo-obstruction, paralytic ileus following surgery or some other manipulation, gastric stasis or hypomotility caused by various diseases such as diabetes and/or by the administration of other drugs, or in enterally fed patients. Interestingly, the ability of motilin or erythromycin to activate the vagus nerve, the association of this nerve with changes in feeding behaviour [e.g. Furness et al., Auton. Neurosci. 2001, 92, 28] and the chromosomal location of GPR38 [based on Ensembl: 13q21.1 (58.46-59.46 Mb)] within the markers (D13S257-13q14.11 to D13S258 at 13q21.33) of a locus associated with obesity [Feitosa et al, Am. J. Hum. Genet. 2002, 70, 72] also suggests that agonists active at the GPR38 receptor will, in addition to promoting gastrointestinal motility, facilitate eating behaviours in at least those patients in which some degree of appetite suppression or cachexia is present. Such activity indicates that agonists at this receptor will find clinical utility in the treatment of symptoms associated with—for example—the treatment of cancer or by the presence of the cancer itself.
In addition to the ability of motilin receptor agonists to promote gastrointestinal motility, the association of motilin gene polymorphism with Crohn's disease [Annese et al., Dig. Dis. Sci. 1998, 43, 715-710] and the changes in motilin receptor density during colitis [Depoortere et al., Neurogastroenterol. Motil. 2001, 13, 55] suggests a utility for agonists at the motilin receptor for the treatment of inflammatory bowel conditions in general.
Finally, GPR38 is also found in regions outside the gastrointestinal tract. These areas include the pituitary, adipose tissue, urinary bladder and certain areas of the brain. The former suggests clinical utility in the promotion of pituitary function, such as the release of growth hormone secretagogues, the presence within adipose tissue again suggests a role in the control of body weight, and the presence within the urinary bladder suggests a role for agonists at this receptor in the treatment of incontinence. The presence of GPR38 within the brain supports the gastrointestinal and feeding utilities already mentioned, but in addition, suggests an involvement of the receptor in a greater spectrum of vagal-hypothalamic functions.
WO9410185, EP838469, WO9823629, DE19805822, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,165,985 claim erythromycin derivatives targeting GPR38 for use in disorders relating to gastrointestinal motility. WO9921846, WO0185694, WO0168620, WO0168621, and WO0168622 disclose a series of small molecule antagonists of the GPR38 receptor. JP07138284 and EP807639 disclose peptide agonists. JP09249620, WO02092592, WO05027637, US2005065156 and Li et al., (2004, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 47(7) p 1704-1708) disclose series of small molecule agonists. WO 05012331 and WO 05012332 disclose macrocyclic compounds which are agonists or antagonists of mammalian motilin or ghrelin receptors. WO 06127252 discloses erythromycin derivatives.
WO07/007,018 describes compounds of formula (A), which have activity as agonists of the GPR38 receptor

WO07/012,479 describes compounds of formula (B), which have activity as agonists of the GPR38 receptor

A structurally novel class of compounds has now been found which provides agonists of the GPR38 receptor.


1. Field of the invention
This invention relates in general to wellhead equipment for oil and gas wells, and in particular to an emergency casing hanger seal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a well of the type concerned herein, a wellhead housing has a landing profile or shoulder within its bore. When running casing conventionally, a casing hanger is installed on the upper end of the string of casing. The casing hanger lands on the landing shoulder in the bore of the wellhead housing.
After cementing, a seal is positioned between the casing and the wellhead housing. The seal locates between machined surfaces on the wellhead housing and the casing hanger. A tubing hanger may be installed over the uppermost casing hanger. The tubing hanger is normally held by lockdown screws if the wellhead housing is located at the surface. The tubing hanger secures to the tubing which extends into the well. A tubing hanger seal locates between the tubing hanger and the wellhead housing.
Occasionally, the casing will not proceed smoothly to the bottom of the well. When this occurs, the casing hanger will not be properly positioned to land in the wellhead housing. Generally, when this happens, the casing cannot be retrieved to the surface and becomes stuck. In that case, the casing must be cut above the landing shoulder after cementing. In the prior art, the casing is supported by slips in the wellhead housing.
A problem exists in sealing against the casing stub, because the casing does not have a smooth machined surface for receiving a seal. The casing outer diameter has a high dimensional variation. The outer diameter may be slightly oval shaped. The surface of the casing may have many defects, such as rust, pock marks and tong marks. Various seals have proposed for sealing against the casing stub. However, improvements in locking the seal in the wellhead housing are desired.
Another desirable feature would be a means that would prevent the casing from moving upward due to temperature increase in the well during production. Movement of the casing could have damaging effects on the seal. Also, it would be desired to have a tubing hanger lockdown that did not employ lockdown screws, and would allow the seal to be removed without removing the lockdown.


This invention relates to a variable-speed pulley and clutch adapted for use in snowmobiles and other small vehicles. Such pulleys are connected to the engine shaft and may operate at high speeds which subject the rotating parts to high centrifugal forces. The parts must be designed and constructed to withstand high centrifugal forces, and the pulley must be smooth and reliable in its response to operator-controlled changes in the engine shaft speed and to variations in operating conditions. The present invention relates especially to pulleys of the type in which centrifugal weights between the movable pulley flange and a reaction cone connected to the fixed pulley flange force the flange together and provide torque drive between the cone and the movable flange.
In accordance with the present invention, the fixed pulley flange is mounted on a pulley hub which has a cylindrical primary bearing surface at the opposite side of the pulley groove from the flange and has a hub extension of reduced diameter extending therebeyond and providing an elongated outboard bearing surface. The movable pulley flange is carried by a sleeve hub slidably and rotatably mounted on the pulley hub and its extension by means of an inboard bearing surface engaged with the primary bearing and an outboard bearing spaced therefrom and engaged with the bearing surface of the hub extension. The two hubs are counterbored at the inner diameter of the sleeve hub to define a spring chamber about the hub extension which contains a spring that acts on the hubs to urge the flanges apart. To prevent metal-to-metal contact between the two pulley flanges and consequent wear from relative rotation of such flanges, the two hubs are formed with axially-facing thrust faces, radially inward of the primary bearing sleeve and radially outward of the spring, which come together to limit closing movement of the pulley flanges.
The movable pulley flange is urged toward the fixed flange by a selected number of symmetrically disposed plate-like centrifugal weights mounted between the movable flange and a reaction cone fixed to the outer end of the hub extension. The weights are desirably molded plastic disks disposed in radial channels on the face of either the reaction cone or preferably the movable pulley flange, and frictionally engage a surface of revolution on the other of such cone and flange. The limit of opening movement of the flanges is determined by the engagement of the retracted centrifugal weights with the cone and flange, and in consequence the opening-limit position is fixed by the position of the reaction cone which is fixed on the hub extension. The spring applies a preload to the centrifugal weights so as to produce an initial frictional drive between the driven reaction cone and the rotatably mounted movable flange. The movable flange thus has a limited throw, between the closing-limit position determined by engagement of the thrust faces on the hubs and the opening-limit position determined by the position of the reaction cone.
Selective insertion of one or more spacers between the hub thrust faces will shift the closing limit position and thereby open the spacing between the flanges to suit wider belts. Corresponding selective insertion of spacers between the hub extension and the pulley hub, or otherwise in the connection between the reaction cone and the fixed pulley flange, will correspondingly shift the position of the opening limit of the movable flange, by moving the position of the reaction cone. Suitable selection of spacers will maintain the same or secure a different throw of the movable flange in response to action of the centrifugal weights.
Desirably, the hub extension is connected to the main hub by a threaded joint at which axially-facing faces on the two parts come together and which permits the insertion of the spacers between such faces so as to axially adjust the extension (and the reaction cone it carries) relative to the main hub and its fixed pulley flange. This joint is desirably at the end of the spring chamber and the spacers extend under the end of the spring. This has the effect of maintaining the same effective spring length, and the same preload on the centrifugal weights.
The pulley is adaptable to various applications, as by changing the number or mass of centrifugal weights, by shifting the opening limit or the closing limit or both limits of movement of the movable flange, by varying the shape of the reaction cone, etc. In one illustrated modification, the reaction cone is formed with an annular groove which restrains the centrifugal weights until a desired engine speed is attained.


Large networks can include thousands of routers to transfer data among multiple neighboring networks, sub-networks and/or network devices. Each router typically includes multiple ports, each of which corresponds to one or more interfaces and subinterfaces. Configuration data is used to define characteristics to be associated with each router interface and subinterface including, for example, a speed at which the router interface will transfer data, a data encapsulation technique to be used by the router interface, one or more network devices to which the router interface is to transfer data, etc.
The figures are not to scale. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawing(s) and accompanying written description to refer to the same or like parts.


A variety of industrial controllers (or industrial computers) are available for performing a wide variety of commercial and industrial processes including, for example, programmable logic controllers (PLCs). Generally, an industrial controller is a specialized computer having input/output (I/O) circuitry by which the controller is in communication with sensors and actuators on the machines of the industrial process. The industrial controller executes a control program to read inputs from sensors on the machines implementing the process, and based on the values of those inputs and control logic of the control program, produces outputs to actuators to control the process. Industrial controllers are frequently modular in construction, so that the number of input and output circuits and the processor power can be tailored to the demands of the particular process.
Industrial controllers can be implemented using centralized or distributed schemes. In many traditional centralized approaches, a single controller is employed for a variety of purposes, including production control, planning and scheduling and supply chain management. However, the use of such centralized control schemes has become more difficult and inefficient with respect to controlling many modern industrial systems and processes. Many modern industrial systems and processes not only involve high levels of complexity but also need to be highly flexible and dynamically reconfigurable in terms of their organization and manners of operation. Yet it is often difficult to program a single centralized controller so as to achieve effective control over such complex systems and to allow for such flexibility and dynamic reconfigurability of operation by such complex systems.
While centralized control schemes face these limitations, over the past several years it has been recognized that distributed systems technologies, such as service oriented architectures (SOA) or multi-agent systems (MAS), offer powerful methods and techniques for implementing a new generation of flexible and reconfigurable industrial control solutions. In general, such distributed systems employ multiple independent or semi-independent intelligent decision making components (e.g., “intelligent agents,” simply “agents” or sometimes simply “services”) that are each capable of knowledge gathering, reasoning, information exchange, and cooperation with one another based on service matchmaking and negotiation. By way of information and knowledge sharing that occurs among these components, cooperation and coordination among the components can be achieved. At the same time, because the control responsibilities are spread among, and can be shifted among, the different control components, greater flexibility and dynamic reconfigurability is afforded.
Despite the aforementioned advantages of such distributed control systems, it should be recognized that the control components of those systems are still tightly coupled (rather than loosely coupled) with one another in terms of the automated gathering and integration of data, information and knowledge. In particular, specific groups of control components are often configured (or even dedicated) for handling particular tasks associated with different portions or levels of an industrial process. For example, a given group of control components may deal exclusively with the manufacture of a given portion of an overall product being manufactured, deal exclusively with transportation of materials/components between different portions of an assembly line, or deal exclusively with the overall “enterprise management” of a factory while not dealing with more specialized aspects of factory operation.
While the control components within a particular group may have well-developed communication protocols or formats by which the control components of that group can communicate with one another, communications among different groups often is more limited, is far from being open and, indeed, can require human intervention to take place. This is the case because, among other reasons, the distributed systems tend to be programmed with a focus on performing particular tasks rather than on interoperability. Notwithstanding these limitations associated with conventional distributed control systems, there remains a desire to achieve better integration of different portions or operational segments of industrial systems, including different levels of components associated with industrial systems (e.g., those associated with the shop floor level up to those associated with enterprise management).
Accordingly, it would be advantageous if an open system that enabled and facilitated communication and cooperation among distributed control components and groups of such components at a larger scale with less (or without any) human intervention could be developed.


Phase locked loops (PLUs) are circuits well known in the communication arts for synchronizing a variable local oscillator with the phase and/or frequency of a component of a transmitted signal. Typically such circuitry includes a phase detector which is responsive to the transmitted signal and the output of a local oscillator for generating a phase error signal proportional to a difference between a component of the transmitted signal and the oscillator output. The phase error signal is subjected to smoothing and coupled to control the oscillation rate of the variable oscillator thus forming a self-regulating closed loop system. In order to enhance the operation of the PLL, some systems include a second loop which generates an error signal proportional to the difference between the frequency of the variable oscillator and the frequency of the component of the transmitted signal. The frequency error signal is added to the phase error signal for controlling the rate of the oscillator. Nominally, the variable oscillator will achieve the desired frequency before phase lock is achieved, at which time the frequency error signal is substantially zero and the PLL is controlled by only the phase error signal.
An example of a frequency/phase responsive PLL is described by Canfield et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,292 entitled ADAPTIVE PHASE LOCKED LOOP. In the Canfield system an unlock detector is used to a switch in the frequency error signal path which actively disconnects the frequency error term when the system approaches phase lock. The active disconnection of the frequency term precludes noise in the frequency error signal from causing jitter in the phase of the signal provided by the variable oscillator. In order to detect the frequency unlock condition of the loop, the Canfield system includes a quadrature phase detector that accumulates samples of in-phase and quadrature components of the input signal and the unlock condition is determined by counting the number of times the accumulated in-phase samples change polarity during an interval (e.g., a field) and comparing this count value to a threshold value. In order to prevent the combined frequency and phase error signal from excessively altering the oscillator frequency when unlocked, the combined error signal is applied to a limiter before being low pass filtered and applied to the oscillator.


This invention relates broadly to the field of consumer absorbent paper products and other washroom products, which includes, among other products, toilet tissue, paper towels and liquid products such as soap. More specifically, this invention involves an improved system and method for collecting data on individual and aggregate usage of washroom products in a manner that is not detectable to persons who are using the product.
A great deal of technical and market research is invested by manufacturers of high quality absorbent paper products, such as Kimberly-Clark Corporation, in designing and manufacturing products that are consistent as possible with consumer needs and preferences.
Unfortunately, for reasons both cultural and logistical, consumer habit information for certain products such as toilet tissue has been notoriously difficult to obtain. For example, data relating to factors as the total amount of paper used, the duration of time over which paper is used, the number of discrete pulls on the paper taken by a user and the amount of paper taken by a user per discrete pull would be very helpful for both marketing and engineering purposes. However, there has heretofore been no efficient way of compiling such data.
When collecting this type of information, it is important that consumers not know their activities are being monitored, since this may change their behavior. In addition, some consumers might become apprehensive at the thought of being monitored in this manner.
It is clear there has existed a long and unfilled need for a system and method for obtaining information on consumer tissue preferences and habits that is accurate, efficient and substantially undetectable by consumers.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a system and method for obtaining information on consumer tissue preferences and habits that is accurate, efficient and substantially undetectable by consumers.
In order to achieve the above and other objects of the invention, a system for collecting data on toilet tissue use at a particular location, includes, according to a first aspect of the invention, a sensor for sensing one or more characteristics of toilet tissue use at a particular dispensing location; and a recorder, in communication with the sensor, for receiving and recording data from the sensor, whereby toilet tissue use at the dispensing location can be monitored and studied.
According to a second aspect of the invention, a system for analyzing individual and aggregate usage of toilet tissue use at a particular toilet stall, includes a determining system for determining whether a person is present in a toilet stall; a sensor for sensing one or more characteristics of toilet tissue use at the toilet stall; an analyzer for analyzing data that is supplied by the sensor; and a recorder for recording data from at least one of the sensor and the analyzer, the determining system, the sensor, the analyzer and the recorder being configured and positioned so as to be substantially undetectable to a user, whereby toilet tissue use at the toilet stall can be accurately monitored and studied.
According to a third aspect of the invention, a system for collecting data on the use of a roll form absorbent commercial paper product at a particular location includes a sensor for sensing one or more characteristics of paper use at a particular dispensing location; and a recorder, in communication with the sensor, for receiving and recording data from the sensor, whereby paper use at the dispensing location can be monitored and studied.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a method for collecting data relevant to an individual""s use of an absorbent roll type paper product in a communal area includes steps of: (a) determining when a person enters an area that is adjacent to a paper product dispenser; (b) monitoring the person""s use of the paper product in such a manner that the person is not aware of such monitoring; and (c) recording data obtained from the monitoring.
A still further aspect of the invention involves a system for monitoring product usage at a particular location. The system comprises a product dispenser in which a sensor device is positioned to detect removal of the product. A local transmission unit is in operative communication with the sensor. The local transmission unit generates a data signal of predetermined format representative of at least product usage, and wirelessly broadcasts the data signal. A data collection unit located remote from the dispenser is operative to receive the data signal and store usage information representative thereof.
Additional aspects of the invention are achieved by a system for monitoring product usage at a plurality of locations. The system comprises a plurality of product dispensers, each of which includes a sensor device positioned therein to detect removal of the product. A plurality of local transmission units are also provided, each associated with a respective dispenser to receive usage information from the respective sensor. The local transmission unit responsively generates a data signal of predetermined format. A data collection unit located remote from the dispenser is operative to receive data signals from all of the local transmitters and store usage information representative thereof.
A roll web product dispenser constructed according to the invention comprises a dispenser housing having a roll support mechanism located therein. A sensor element is operative to rotate as the roll web product is withdrawn by a user. The dispenser also includes a detector positioned to sense rotation of the sensor element. A local transmission unit in operative communication with the detector is positioned in the dispenser housing.
A liquid product dispenser constructed according to the invention comprises a dispenser housing having a liquid product reservoir located therein. An actuator mechanism is also provided for dispensing a quantity of product from the liquid product reservoir. A sensor is operative to detect that the quantity of product has been dispensed.
A folded web product dispenser constructed according to the invention comprises a dispenser housing adapted to maintain the folded web product in a stack. A sensor is positioned to detect removal of individual product sheets from the stack.
These and various other advantages and features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, its advantages, and the objects obtained by its use, reference should be made to the drawings which form a further part hereof, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.


Installing flooring can be a very time consuming and labor intensive process. This is especially true when the flooring being installed is a wood floor which has to be installed using individual boards which typically interlock with one another and are secured to a subfloor. Typically, the panels of wood floors have a groove extending longitudinally along a side of the board and groove extending longitudinally along the opposite side of the board so that the tongue of one board is accepted by the groove of an adjacent board.
Further, when installing a wood floor, it is undesirable to have any marks on the top surface of the floor from the component securing the floor to the subfloor. Thus, nailer devices are used to drive a nail or staple at an angle through the side of the floorboard so that the floorboard can be adequately secured to the subfloor without having any blemishes on the top surface of the floorboard. Again, this is a time consuming process where the nailer device must be placed along the edge of the floorboard so that the securing component can be driven through the floorboard at the desired angle.
There are devices which are used to move along a floorboard being secured to a subfloor which aligns the nailer device to the floorboard. Typically, nailers which are used with these devices and nailers which are used independently of the devices, have a pad which rests on the top of the floorboard being secured to the subfloor so that the nailer is properly aligned with the side of the floorboard. However, as the device moves along the floorboard, in some instances, the pad of the nailer may create friction which may cause the device to pivot and become misaligned with the floorboard being secured to the subfloor.
In addition, floorboards typically come in different heights. When the floorboards are being secured manually, the operator can adjust the nailer device accordingly by aligning the nailer with the floorboard in the desired manner. However, when the nailer device is automated, the nailer may not be properly aligned so that the fastener extends through the side of the board in the desired manner.
Therefore, it is desirable to develop a nailer device which is motorized so that the device moves along the floorboard and aligns the floorboard in order to secure the floorboard to the subfloor. It is also desirable to develop a nailer device that is adjustable in height in which the pad of the nailer does not contact the floorboard so that the nailer device does not become misaligned with the floorboard, and can function properly with floorboards having different heights.


A photocurable filling restoration material called a composite resin is generally widely used for restoration of a tooth damaged by caries from an aesthetic viewpoint. Such composite resin (dental curable composition) is a material containing a polymerizable monomer (monomer), a filling material (filler), and a photopolymerization initiator as main components and having further added thereto a pigment, an additive, and the like as necessary. In this case, a radically polymerizable monomer having radical polymerizability is generally used as the polymerizable monomer. Therefore, polymerization shrinkage inevitably occurs upon curing of the dental curable composition, that is, a polymerization reaction of the radically polymerizable monomer.
Hence, when the dental curable composition is filled into a cavity of a tooth that requires restoration and then subjected to polymerization curing, a gap is liable to be formed between the cured dental curable composition and an inner wall of the cavity. When such gap is formed, plaque is liable to be accumulated in the gap, and hence secondary caries is liable to develop. Further, the cured dental curable composition is liable to be detached out of the cavity. Accordingly, it is preferred that the polymerization shrinkage of the composite resin upon curing be as small as possible.
As a method of suppressing the polymerization shrinkage of the dental curable composition upon curing, there are given: a method involving using a radically polymerizable monomer having a high molecular weight; and a method involving using a cationically polymerizable monomer having a smaller polymerization shrinkage than that of the radically polymerizable monomer and subjecting the polymerizable monomer to polymerization curing through cationic ring-opening polymerization. Further, in addition to the foregoing, there are also proposals concerning methods involving using dendritic polymers having dendritically branched molecular chains, such as a hyperbranched polymer and dendrimer (see Patent Literatures 1 to 3).
The dendritic polymers are broadly divided into, for example, a hyperbranched polymer and dendrimer. A conventional polymer generally has a linear shape, while such dendritic polymer has actively introduced branches. Therefore, as compared to the conventional polymer having a linear shape, the dendritic polymer has, for example, the following features: 1) having a unique molecular structure; 2) having a size on a nanometer order; 3) being capable of forming a surface retaining a large number of functional groups; 4) being capable of being reduced in viscosity as compared to the linear polymer; 5) exhibiting a fine particle-like behavior because of less entanglement of molecules; and 6) having voids in the molecule. In this case, the hyperbranched polymer has an advantage in terms of its ease of synthesis as compared to the dendrimer, and thus is particularly advantageous in industrial production. In general, the dendrimer is synthesized by repeating protection and deprotection, while the hyperbranched polymer can be synthesized in one stage and can be synthesized simply.
For example, in Patent Literature 1, there is a proposal of a technology involving using a (meth)acryloyl terminated hyperbranched polyester having at least one ethylenically unsaturated moiety as a polymerizable resin for forming a dental material for the purpose of, for example, reducing a polymerization shrinkage of the dental material. Further, in Patent Literature 2, there is a proposal of a technology involving using a dendritic polymer as a polymerizable composition that may be utilized as a dental material and is low in shrinkage. For example, in Patent Literature 2, there is a disclosure of an example using a hyperbranched polyesteramide as a hyperbranched polymer. In addition, in Patent Literature 3, there is a proposal of a technology involving using, as a dental material, a dendritic compound in which a core, first shell, and second shell for forming a molecule are bonded via a polyurethane group and the second shell is modified by a reaction with a (meth)acrylate. According to the patent literature, undesired polymerization shrinkage is advantageously affected by this technology.
Further, in addition to Patent Literatures 1 to 3, there is a proposal of a technology involving using, as a crystal component for forming a dental material, one having a dendritic, hyperbranched, or star-shaped structure (Patent Literature 4). According to the patent literature, the crystal component to be used for the dental material preferably has a hydroxyl group at the end.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a chip mounter, and more particularly to a method for recognizing corners of an angular component such as a square component in the chip mounter to be mounted on the printed circuit board (PCB).
2. Prior Art
In general, PCBs are boards on which several electronic components are integrated. The dense wiring of the electronic components on the PCBs can be accomplished through a printing method. Recently, single pattern PCBs are being miniaturized with high density double faces or multiple layers so that the single patten PCBs can be manufactured in large quantities at one time. Moreover, an industrial robot equipped with an apparatus which can perform a sight function that is highly adaptable and efficient has been proposed.
A chip mounter includes an image recognition device constituted by a cognitive camera, an image signal processor, and a microprocessor. The chip mounter recognizes a posting of chip components which adhere to a nozzle and controls corners and an angle of the chip components at the next station according to the recognition result. In order to exactly recognize and correct the location and the angle of the square component 104 which adhere to the nozzle, the chip mounter controls the image recognition device to take a picture with respect to an image of the square component 104. The chip mounter judges a posting of chip components through the image thereof and corrects the chip component to an accurate posture by using the judged posting thereof. Accordingly, an operation for recognizing the posting of the chip components which are adherent to the nozzle should be performed. A performance of the chip mounter is influenced by how precisely and quickly the recognition process is performed. If the recognition operation is carried out in an abnormal state, the chip mounter cannot mount the chip components at the corresponding position by component data which are stored therein, resulting in a deterioration of the quality of the produced goods.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,869 issued to Timothy R. Pryor et al. discloses a method and apparatus for electro-optically determining dimension, location, and altitude of objects. A first embodiment of the method and apparatus describes optical triangulation based coordinate measurement of complex surfaces, such as gear teeth and turbine blades. Another embodiment provides highly useful sensors for robot guidance and related purposes. However, the patent of Timothy R. Pryor et al. does not disclose a method for recognizing corners of a square component.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the production of stable cockroach aggregation pheromone products, active extracts thereof, and insect traps utilizing them. These products are useful in the control of cockroach infestation.
2. Description of the Background
Because of their exposure to unsanitary areas, such as sewers, cockroaches are generally associated with the arousal of many health related problems. Over one hundred different species of disease-causing pathogenic bacteria have been found to be carried by cockroaches. Cockroaches have also been found to carry, in addition, other microorganisms such as viruses, protozoa, and parasitic worms (Cornwell, The Cockroach, vol. 1, (1968)).
The use of certain chemical and food attractants for cockroaches is known. Among them are starch, sugar, and fatty acids, such as myristic acid, and palmitic acid and esters of these fatty acids (Japanese Patent Publication No. 44-320). Other chemicals, such as derivatives of naphthalene (Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-69701 and 61-72702); alkylphenol or alkylphenylamine (U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,907), which are specific for male cockroaches, and furanose derivatives (U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,107) have been suggested. Most of the substances, however, have been shown to have low activity and had to be used in extremely high concentrations. In addition, a method for controlling cockroach infestation has also been proposed, which relies on exposing the cockroaches to irradiation with ultraviolet rays. For example, ultraviolet light of longer wavelengths and below 291 nm were utilized in an on and off manner for 15 min. each, for a total time of 9 to 96 hours. This method is said to also inhibit the formation of ootheca. However, this method of controlling cockroaches is expensive and difficult to implement except in specific instances.
Several cockroach traps are now commercially available. Most of these traps, however, are rather ineffective because they do not contain effective cockroach attractants. Such is the case of sticky traps and traps containing boric acid bait.
Aggregation pheromones are produced by many cockroaches, such as the American cockroach or Periplaneta americana, the oriental cockroach or Blattela orientalis, and the German cockroach or Blattela germanica, among others. The production of these pheromones induces the cockroaches to aggregate locally (Bell et al, J. Kans. Entomol. Soc. 45: 414 (1972). The aggregation pheromone composition produced by the German cockroach has been reported to contain over 150 different chemical compounds (Fuchs et al, Z. Angew. Entomol. 99: 499 (1985)). Several components of the aggregation pheromone composition produced by the American cockroach have also been identified (Koehler, et al, Handbook of Pest Control, Franzak and Foster Co., Cleveland, Ohio (1990)). However, they were found to be very volatile and extremely expensive to produce. Thus, no method for producing large quantities of stable aggregation pheromones is currently unavailable.
Aggregation pheromones had previously been extracted from the feces of German cockroaches (Blattella germanica) using Freon 11 as a solvent (Fuchs et al., Z. Angew. Entomol. 99: 499 (1985)). The use of fecal materials from cockroaches not only poses logistical problems, but is also uneconomical. The Freon 11 extracts of cockroach feces have been characterized. They contain chemicals which can be roughly classified in two groups. The first group comprises volatile substances that attract cockroaches while the other group comprises non-volatile substances having arresting activity, e.g., act to aggregate the cockroaches.
An ideal attractant should not only attract cockroaches in low concentrations but, once cockroaches are attracted to the site, should have a prolonged stationary effect on the insects. However, up to the present time, even though aggregation pheromones were known to be present in the feces of cockroaches, the extraction of these pheromones has been impractical and uneconomical because it requires large amounts of fecal material and poses sanitary problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,592 to Hasegawa discloses the extermination of cockroaches with ultraviolet radiation. In addition, the prior patent describes the elimination of aggregation pheromone activity by ultraviolet irradiation of insect feces and pheromones extracts from P. americana, P. fuliginosa, P. austrasiae, B. germanica, and N. cinerea. In the prior art patent, pheromones were obtained by extraction from cockroach excrement with methanol, and then irradiated with a holder type ultraviolet germicidal lamp.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,774 to Sherman discloses a gravity operated cockroach trap having a rectangular funnel-like interior chute, with walls arranged at an angle greater than 10.degree. and preferably 44.degree. to 45.degree. so that the insect on the incline will be drawn by gravity into the receptacle. In one of the embodiments, the prior patent contemplates coating the chute's surfaces with silicone or vaseline. These are solid lubricants which are rendered less and less useful as the angle of the receptacle walls increases. When the inclination of the walls is much greater than 45.degree., the insects are able to scratch the surface of the solid coating and grip onto the solid wall material.
The complex nature of cockroach aggregation pheromone compositions, their instability, and an inability to mass-produce them in large quantities have precluded the manufacture and availability of effective cockroach lure or trap products containing them.
Thus, there exists a need for a low cost, reliable method of manufacturing formulations containing cockroach aggregation pheromones which preserve their ability to attract and arrest cockroaches.


1. Field of the Invention
Absorption refrigeration systems having means for automatically controlling the energizing medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,895,499 issued to N. E. Hopkins on July 22, 1975, there is described an absorption refrigeration system in which the cooling tower water is essentially uncontrolled and allowed to vary as influenced by the temperature of the ambient air flowing through the cooling tower in contact with the water spray devices. In the Hopkins system, the heat input to the generator is controlled in response to the entering or leaving chilled water temperature as is conventional in absorption machines. The basic concept embodied in the Hopkins system is a means for transferring solution from one point to another to prevent a dangerous operating condition.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,128 issued to A. B. Newton on Aug. 14, 1979, there is described an absorption refrigeration system which is adapted to be powered by solar energy or a source of relatively low temperature waste heat. A control system automatically adjusts the maximum energizing temperature as the temperature of the cooling water and the temperature of chilled water supplied to the load vary from time to time.
An article by A. B. Newton entitled "Optimizing Solar Cooling Systems", ASHRAE Journal, November 1976, pp. 26-31, suggests that plural compartments for the storage of heated medium at different temperatures may be used in a solar powered absorption system. No specific means are described for controlling the selection of the storage compartments.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to powerline communications and in particular, powerline communication devices, and systems of use therefore.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the growing need for the exchange of digital content (e.g. MP3 audio, MPEG4 video and digital photographs) there is a widely recognized need to improve digital communication systems. Powerline communication (PLC) is a technology that encodes data in a signal and transmits the signal on existing electricity powerlines in a band of frequencies that are not used for supplying electricity. Accordingly, PLC leverages the ubiquity of existing electricity networks to provide extensive network coverage. Furthermore, since PLC enables data to be accessed from conventional power-outlets, no new wiring needs to be installed in a building (or different parts of a building). Accordingly, PLC offers the additional advantage of reduced installation costs.
Referring to FIG. 1, a household 100 typically has a distributed mains wiring system (not shown) consisting of one or more ring mains, several stubs and some distribution back to a junction box 112. In other constructs the distributed mains wiring system has a breaker box with circuits routed there from in a star configuration. For the sake of example, the household 100 has four rooms 104, 106, 108, and 120. Each room 104, 106, 108, and 120 may have a different number of outlets and other mains connections. For example, room 104 may have only one connection 122, room 106 may have two connections 124, 126, room 108 may have three connections 128, 130, 132 and room 120 may have six connections 134, 136, 138, 140, 142, 144.
Accordingly, there are a variety of distances and paths between different power outlets in the household 100. In particular, the outlets most closely located to each other are those on multi-plug strips, and the outlets furthest away from each other are those on the ends of stubs of different ring mains (e.g. power outlets in the garden shed and the attic). Communication between these furthest outlets typically passes through the junction box 112. Nonetheless, the majority of outlets associated with a particular application (e.g. Home Cinema) are normally located relatively close together.
Because the channel capacity of a powerline and connectors attenuates according to, amongst other features, the frequency of a transmitted signal, current generation PLC systems have been developed to transmit signals at relatively low frequencies (i.e. below 30 MHz) and thereby obtain suitable transmission distances. However, the use of such low transmission frequencies limits the maximum data throughput obtainable by PLC systems. Only recently have powerline systems extended beyond 30 MHz, which causes problems due to regulations that require lower injected power above 30 MHz. This requirement places additional demands on the dynamic range of transceivers servicing PLC communications in these higher frequency ranges.
The processes of receiving analog signals and injecting modulated signals are treated differently by different PLC communication standards. A number of powerline communication standards have been defined. These include the Homeplug 1.0/1.1 standards, the Homeplug AV standard, the CEPCA standard, the Digital Home Standard, IEEE 1901, and ITU-T G.9960. Current PLC approaches often include some analog conditioning to the signal-path (e.g., low-pass filtering for anti-aliasing or smoothing, or AC coupling to remove the low-frequency [<<1 KHz] high voltage content of the electricity mains). However, because differing PLC communication standards support differing communication bands, differing modulations, channel bandwidths, etc., PLC devices typically service only a single PLC communication standard. In common with most communication systems, one of the main problems with prior art PLC systems is obtaining high throughput and wide coverage at reasonable implementation cost, whilst maintaining compatibility with existing technologies. There is, therefore, a need for improved PLC systems that overcome the above and other problems.
Communications within the household 100 or within other premises may also be serviced by a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a cellular network, millimeter wave communications, e.g., 60 GHz, Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN), Cable Modem Network, Local Area Network (LAN), and other communication techniques. Each of these communication types has its respective benefits and shortcomings. None of these communication types is typically able to provide a full coverage solution within the household 100 (or other premises). The shortcoming of all wired technologies is the lack of mobility thereof. Shortcomings of all wireless technologies are coverage holes, which are typical, interference from other wireless devices, including competing wireless devices, Radar, etc., and bandwidth limitations.


This invention is directed to an improved bathtub which includes an apron panel holding member located in a lip on the rim of the tub allowing an apron panel to be attached to either or both sides of the tub. Further, the tub is suspended from a supporting surface by one or more runners allowing the plumbing pipes associated with the tub to be located directly underneath a tub above a supporting surface.
With the advent of indoor plumbing, bathtubs were developed which included integrally formed drain holes allowing the tub to be conveniently drained. These tubs were generally supported on legs and were free-standing in their location. Further modifications of the tub yielded the built-in bathtub wherein the tub fit within a space or alcove within the bathroom. Because, however, the plumbing for draining the tub is located at one end or the other of the alcove it was necessary to supply both right and left hand tubs for proper location of the drain and the outwardly facing side in these built-in applications.
Generally most tubs are constructed of steel with enamel overlays. This resulted in a fixture which is quite heavy. With the recent boom in the mobile home market wherein weight is a factor to be considered in designing a mobile home, the use of extremely heavy fixtures is precluded. In a mobile home the plumbing cannot be located below the floor of the mobile home since this would place it on the bottom of the mobile home and therefore susceptible to road hazards when the mobile home is moved. This thus requires designers and builders of mobile homes to place the tub in a position in a mobile home dictated solely on where they can place the plumbing pipes and not dictated by design principles which allow for maximum utilization of living space and convenience of location of the tub for the owner of the mobile home.
Aside from the normal three-sided alcove placement of tubs many people prefer a sunken tub, a free-standing tub or possibly a tub only bordered against two or even just one wall. Each of these different locations of a tub presently require an individual tub which is solely designed only for that specific location, i.e., a sunken tub will be designed differently than a tub that is used against one wall, etc. This requires not only the manufacture of many different shapes and designs of tubs, but also requires a plumbing supply house to maintain a large inventory of diferent tubs each only utilizable in one particular construction. Because of the different shapes of these tubs shipping of these tubs is more costly because they cannot be orderly stacked and shipped within a small space but each almost requires its own separate packing container.
In view of the above discussion it is considered that there exists a need for an improved bathtub which can be utilized for a variety of installations including mobile home installations without regard to whether it will be placed against three walls, two walls, one wall, be a sunken tub or be a right or left handed tub. Further, there exists a need for a tub for mobile home installations which does not require the placement of a drain pipe below the structural support but which allows placement of the drain pipe between the structural support and the tub.


A conventional prior art hydraulic damper or shock absorber comprises a cylinder defining a working chamber having a piston slidably disposed in the working chamber with the piston separating the interior of the cylinder into an upper and a lower working chamber. A piston rod is connected to the piston and extends out of one end of the cylinder. A first valving system is incorporated for generating damping force during the extension stroke of the hydraulic damper and a second valving system is incorporated for generating damping force during the compression stroke of the hydraulic damper.
Various types of damping force generating devices have been developed to generate desired damping forces in relation to the speed and/or the displacement of the piston within the cylinder. These multi-force damping force generating devices have been developed to provide a relatively small or low damping force during the normal running of the vehicle and a relatively large or high damping force during maneuvers requiring extended suspension movements. The normal running of the vehicle is accompanied by small or fine vibrations of the un-sprung mass of the vehicle and thus the need for a soft ride or low damping characteristic of the suspension system to isolate the sprung mass from these small or fine vibrations. During a turning or braking maneuver, as an example, the sprung mass of the vehicle will attempt to undergo a relatively slow and/or large vibration which then requires a firm ride or high damping characteristics of the suspension system to support the sprung mass and provide stable handling characteristics to the vehicle. Thus, these multi-force damping force generating devices offer the advantage of a smooth steady state ride by eliminating the high frequency/small excitations from the sprung mass while still providing the necessary damping or firm ride for the suspension system during vehicle maneuvers causing larger excitations of the sprung mass.
The continued development of hydraulic dampers includes the development of multi-force damping force generating devices which are simpler to manufacture, can be manufactured at a lower cost and which improve the desired force generating characteristics.


The market for real estate information analysis is in its infancy. Traditionally, the real estate model has been broker-centric. The local real estate broker controls much of the localized information about a property becoming a necessary middle man for projects ranging from buying a house to selling a shopping center. With the advent of the Internet and its efficient method for disseminating information, more and more real estate information has become publicly available. This information, however, is spread out in multiple formats on various websites, databases, and other sources. This makes it very difficult, time consuming and expensive to compile sufficient information to make real estate purchase decisions. Real estate opportunities are often missed because of the time it takes to get actionable information on a site.
Traditionally, real estate brokers and site selectors find potential commercial real estate sites for developers and tenants. One conventional method used by site selectors to find potential sites in a new area involves driving around the area and noting the location and quality of the different neighborhoods, and the location and quality of the existing commercial corridors. Thus the site selector will try to derive a potential store location's quality based on his observed quality of the surrounding area. The significant amount of time required to become familiar with an area is a reason why many developers and tenants turn to local real estate brokers for help. Another conventional method used by site selectors is to mark locations of existing retail stores on a map. This conventional method helps the site selector determine how far away a potential site is located relative to an existing retail store. One known approach used by commercial real estate site selectors makes use of paper maps with stickers to indicate store locations. Another known approach is to disseminate copies of books with hand marked store locations.
Once a developer or tenant's site selector finds a potential site, a conventional method involves ordering a demographic report from an in-house specialty team or outside consultant service. The demographic data for the potential site is then compared to a tenant's stated demographic requirements to determine demographic viability of a site. Additionally, tenants will often state how close they are willing to place stores together. This stated distance is compared to the distance the site selector marked for the site on his paper map to the known store locations. If the demographics and closest store distance meet the stated requirements for a particular retailer, then the developer will often move forward with plans to acquire and present the site to a tenant for development. These conventional methods must be repeated for each potential site, creating significant time and cost inefficiencies.
The problem with this conventional method of determining site viability is that there is a significant information and time gap between the site selector's first observation of a site and the developer's acquisition decision.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need to overcome the limitations of the conventional methods for finding site locations and determining site viability. There is a need to efficiently inform a site selector of the quality and location of the neighborhoods and commercial corridors without the site selector having to drive throughout the area or depend on a local broker. There is a further need to inform the site selector of a retailer's demographic and closest store distance requirements in a localized region, not just a generalized stated requirement. There is a further need to inform the site selector at the time of first observation whether the site's demographics and location to the nearest existing retail store meet the requirements of a particular retailer in a particular region. There is a further need to create a standard unified model to collect and disseminate site information throughout a commercial development organization to facilitate efficient site acquisition decisions.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to various power supply apparatuses used in automobiles, electric vehicles, construction machinery, various public welfare devices (such as video devices, television sets, and audio devices), various industrial devices (such as personal computers, communication devices, and FA control devices), and so on. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a power supply circuit and a large current load control apparatus of switching power supply using GaN-FETs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, power semiconductor devices such as diodes, thyristors, triacs, GTO (Gate Turn Off) thyristors, bipolar transistors, MOS-FETs, and IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors) are used in various power supply apparatuses. In these power semiconductor devices, a main current that flows through the power semiconductor device is controlled by switching control or analog control. These power semiconductor devices are devices serving as nuclei for implementing stabilized power supply apparatuses, such as switching regulators and linear regulators, and inverters for performing conversion to power having an arbitrary frequency and an arbitrary output voltage.
In these power semiconductor devices, there are switching loss caused by superposition of transient voltage and current at the time of switching and conduction loss caused at the time of conduction. These losses are converted mainly to heat. By the way, the conduction loss has such a characteristic as to become small as the on-resistance is decreased. This on-resistance corresponds to composite resistance of the channel resistance, bulk resistance, and so on existing within the semiconductor except contact resistance between electrodes and semiconductor layer interfaces in the power semiconductor device. Heat generated by the power semiconductor device causes a temperature rise of the power semiconductor device itself. Due to this temperature rise, the power semiconductor device operates at high temperature. Due to this high temperature operation, heat generation of the power semiconductor device is promoted. Such positive feedback is caused. As a result, thermal destruction of the power semiconductor device is caused by thermal runaway.
Usually in the power supply apparatus, therefore, the power semiconductor device itself is provided with a radiation mechanism and in addition, with a radiator such as radiation fins for radiating heat generated by the power semiconductor device. Furthermore, a radiation fan is provided in order to improve the radiation effect in some cases. Furthermore, there is provided a fail safe mechanism that senses the temperature of the power semiconductor device and stops operation of the power semiconductor device when the temperature rises to such a value as to cause thermal runaway.
However, the radiator is formed of a good thermal conductive material, such as aluminum, in order to provide the radiator with a function of heat sink as well. This results in a problem that the whole power supply apparatus becomes large in weight and capacity. Especially as for mobile power supply apparatuses for vehicles or portable power supply apparatuses, emergence of power supply apparatuses reduced in size and weight is demanded strongly.
For example, in a conventional power supply apparatus shown in FIG. 16, a radiator 302 having a large weight and a large capacity is needed. The power supply apparatus shown in FIG. 16 is a DC-DC converter power supply apparatus of a vehicle. A MOS-FET using a Si semiconductor material is incorporated in the power supply apparatus as a switching element. The apparatus main body 301 encloses all the elements forming the power supply apparatus. On the top of the apparatus main body 301, a radiator 302 formed of aluminum is provided. On a junction interface between the radiator 302 and the apparatus main body 301, a MOS-FET, which is not illustrated, stick to the radiator 302. Heat generated by the MOS-FET is absorbed by the radiator 302, and radiated by fins disposed on the top of the radiator 302. Because of installation of the radiator 302, the weight and volume of the whole power supply apparatus become excessively large.
Furthermore, the radiator needs to stick to the power semiconductor device in order to favorably transfer the heat from the power semiconductor device. This brings about limitation on design that the radiator needs to be disposed with due regard to the outer periphery of the casing of the power supply apparatus and the radiation path. This results in a problem that the degree of freedom of the power supply apparatus is reduced. In addition, as for devices such as vehicles using the power supply apparatus, design of the whole device must be changed according to the disposition position of the power supply apparatus. Thus, there is also a problem that the design of the whole device is largely affected.
In addition, in designing the radiator, it is necessary to conduct sufficient radiation design with due regard to the ambient environment of the power supply apparatus. In addition, it is necessary to prevent the power semiconductor device, which is a heat source, from affecting other circuit elements having low heat-resisting property. This results in a problem that much time and labor are required for radiation design and arrangement design of other circuit elements included in the power supply apparatus.
Furthermore, a heat protection circuit for preventing thermal runaway of the power supply apparatus is needed. This heat protection circuit monitors the temperature changes of important components, such as the power semiconductor device, included in the power supply apparatus. When the temperature has risen to a predetermined value, the heat protection circuit conducts fail safe control, such as stopping the power supply apparatus and causing shift to a low dissipation mode. This heat protection circuit is a complicated circuit that senses the temperature, output current, and so on and conducts a shift to fail safe control by using a logic processing circuit. Thus, there is a problem that the power supply apparatus must have a heat protection circuit having such a complicated circuit.
Recently as semiconductor devices having high heat-resisting property, high breakdown voltage, high operation rate and low conduction loss, GaN (gallium nitride) FETs (Field Effect Transistors) have been developed.
Heretofore, such power supply circuits have been applied to, for example, automobiles, various public welfare devices (such as video, television and audio devices), and industrial devices (such as personal computers, communication devices, and FA control devices).
The above described power supply circuit includes a transformer. A transistor made of, for example, a power MOS element turns on and off according to a gate signal. As a result, an output voltage is generated on a secondary winding side.
In the above described power supply circuit, however, the power MOS element used as the transistor, such as a power MOS-FET (2SK2313) generates much heat. Therefore, it is necessary to perform the radiation design accurately. A channel temperature Tch-max of the power MOS-FET itself at an ambient temperature of 85° C. is calculated as
                              T          ch_max                =                              T            a_max                    +                                    P              total                        ×                          R                              th                                                  (                                      ch                    -                    a                                    )                                                                                =                  85                    °                                                                          C            .                                                                            +                                                                        2                                                                                W          ×          50                    °                                                                          C            .                          /                                          W                                        =                  185                    °                                                                          C            .                              where Ta—max: ambient temperature
Ptotal: total loss
Rth(ch-a): thermal resistance between channel and environment.
The temperature rises up to the channel temperature or higher. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a radiation plate. Supposing derating of 50° C. for a channel temperature of 150° C., the radiation plate design is represented as
                                          θ            f                    <                                    θ                              ch                                                  -                                                a                                      -                          (                                                θ                  i                                +                                  (                                                            θ                      c                                        +                                          θ                      s                                                        )                                            )                                      =                              7.5                        °                                                                                C              .                              /                                                  W                    -                      (                                          0.833                                °                                                                                C                  .                                      /                                                                  W                            +                              0.8                                °                                                                                C                  .                                      /                                                                  W                                      )                                                  =                  5.9                    °                                                                          C            .                          /                                          W                    where θf: thermal resistance of radiator
θch-a: total thermal resistance between channel and environment
θi: thermal resistance between junction portion and case (internal thermal resistance)
θc+θs: thermal resistance between case and radiator From the foregoing description, it is necessary to select a radiator having a thermal resistance of 5.9° C./W or less. For example, therefore, a radiation plate made of an aluminum plate of 100 cm2 having a thickness of 1 mm becomes necessary. As a result, the conventional power supply circuit has a problem that the circuit configuration becomes large and heavy because of the radiation plate.
Furthermore, heretofore, such a large current load control apparatus is applied to, for example, lighting control of head lamps of automobiles.
In the above described large current load control apparatus, lighting control of a head lamp is conducted by turning on and off a power MOS-FET formed of, for example, an on/off control switching element provided on a power supply line, which connects a battery to the lamp, under the control of a microcomputer.
In this control apparatus, however, the power MOS-FET used as the switching element of on/off control generates much heat. Therefore, it is necessary to perform the radiation design accurately. A channel temperature Tch—max of the power MOS-FET is calculated as
                              T          ch_max                =                                              (                          T              a_max                        )                    +                                    (                              R                on_max                            )                        ×                          (                              l                o_max                            )                        ×                          (                              l                o_max                            )                        ×                          R                              th                                                  (                                      ch                    -                    a                                    )                                                                                =                                  85                    °                                                                          C            .                                                                            +                                                                        0.013                                                                                Ω          ×          10                                                              A          ×          10                                                              A          ×          50                    °                                                                          C            .                          /                                          W                                        =                                  150                    °                                                                          C            .                              where Ta—max: ambient temperature
Ron—max: on-resistance
lo—max: current value
Rth(ch-a): thermal resistance between channel and environment.
The temperature rises up to the channel temperature. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a radiation plate. Supposing derating of 50° C. for a channel temperature of 150° C., the radiation plate design is represented as
                                          θ            f                    <                                    θ                              j                -                a                                      -                          (                                                θ                  i                                +                                  (                                                            θ                      c                                        +                                          θ                      s                                                        )                                            )                                      =                                              11.5                        °                                                                                C              .                              /                                                  W                    -                      (                                          0.833                                °                                                                                C                                    .                                      /                                                                  W                            +                              0.8                                °                                                                                C                  .                                      /                                                                  W                                      )                                                  =                                  9.9                    °                                                                          C            .                          /                                          W                    where θf: thermal resistance of radiator
θj-a: total thermal resistance between channel junction portion and the outside air
θi: thermal resistance between junction portion and case (internal thermal resistance)
θc+θs: thermal resistance between case and radiator
From the foregoing description, it is necessary to select a radiator having a thermal resistance of 9.9° C./W or less. For example, therefore, a radiation plate made of an aluminum plate of 6 cm2 having a thickness of 1 mm and a weight of approximately 10 g becomes necessary. As a result, the conventional large load control apparatus has a problem that the circuit configuration becomes large and heavy because of the radiation plate.
Therefore, it is one object of the present invention is to provide a power supply apparatus capable of implementing reduction of the size and weight, conducting flexibly design including the radiation design, and remarkably reducing the time and labor required for the design.
Furthermore, it is an another object of the present invention is to provide a power supply circuit capable of reducing the heat generated by the transistor, thereby making the radiation plate unnecessary, and implementing reduction of the size and weight of the circuit.
Furthermore, it is still another object of the present invention is to provide a large current load control apparatus capable of reducing the heat generated by the on/off control switching element, thereby making the radiation plate unnecessary, and implementing reduction of the size and weight of the circuit.


1. Field
Embodiments of the disclosure relate generally to the field of control surface actuation systems and more particularly to embodiments for a shape memory alloy actuator with dual collinear shape memory alloy tubes having antagonistic reaction about a control temperature point.
2. Background
Wind tunnel models typically require movable control surfaces to allow simulation of various control aspects of the vehicle being modeled. Unmotorized surfaces are often used due to their simplicity. However, such surfaces must be positioned by hand requiring interruption of testing to position the surfaces at desired control angles. Models are typically of reduced scale and therefore full size actuators which would be employed in actual vehicles are not readily adaptable for use. Various actuation systems have been employed in wind tunnel models including electromechanical actuators and shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators using wires for hinge moment actuation using differential pull from SMA wires. However, electromechanical actuation is relatively bulky because of low power densities and the need for complex electric motor/gear assemblies. As such, the amount of space required in the supporting structure (for example in a vertical tail) may limit the amount of instrumentation such as pressure sensors that can be installed in the model and may reduce the structural strength which tends to limit their use to lower pressure tunnels having lower loads. Lower pressure tunnels do not match the aerodynamic characteristics of a full scale airplane as well which limits their fidelity as design tools for testing aircraft configurations. SMA wire actuation has limited power and strength, and therefore is similarly suitable for low pressure wind tunnel testing only.
It is therefore desirable to provide actuators for use in models, or other space constrained applications, to improve wind tunnel test efficiency by reducing the number of times the wind tunnel has to be opened to complete model changes while providing an actuator with sufficient force capability for higher pressure wind tunnels. It is also desirable to provide an actuator having power density much greater than traditional solutions for actuated control surfaces allowing its implementation into applications requiring higher forces and into more restrictive spaces. It is further desirable to provide an actuator with the ability to place the actuating elements on the hinge line of a control surface.


In facilities for production of metal sheet materials, in particular steel-sheet-making process lines, when making a conveying roll rotate at a high speed to feed steel sheet, the phenomena of slipping and snake motion of the steel sheet, deposition and buildup of dirt on the surface of the conveying roll etc. occur.
In particular, in a continuous annealing furnace, the hearth rolls convey steel sheet in a high temperature state, so buildup easily occurs on the hearth roll surfaces. When such buildup occurs, the shapes of the buildup are transferred to the steel sheet surface whereby the surface quality is impaired and the grade of the steel sheet deteriorates. Not only this, at the time of periodic repair, it is necessary to clean the hearth rolls to remove foreign matter deposited on their surfaces, so this becomes one cause of a drop in productivity.
The buildup on the hearth roll surfaces is the phenomenon of the iron, manganese oxide, etc. on the steel sheet surface sticking to and building up on the hearth roll surfaces. To prevent this, it is effective to suppress the reaction of the sources of buildup, that is, iron, manganese oxide, etc. with the hearth roll surfaces or facilitate removal of reaction products.
As a measure for suppressing buildup on a hearth roll surface, a coating obtained by providing a flame sprayed alloy layer comprised of only a heat resistant alloy on a hearth roll, flame spraying particles of a carbide or a mixture of a carbide and oxide on the sprayed alloy layer, and depositing metal oxides comprised of Cr2O3 and Al2O3 on the outermost layer of the surface to give a chemically converted layer has been proposed (for example, see Japanese Patent Publication (B2) No. 8-19535).
However, the Cr2O3 and Al2O3 provided at the outermost layer of the surface easily react with manganese oxide, so the coating has the problem of easy generation of buildup due to manganese oxide.
Further, a coating containing, by wt %, chrome carbides: 10 to 25% and Ni: 5 to 15% and having a balance of one or more of a carbide and boride of tungsten and unavoidable impurities has been proposed (for example, see Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 3-86306).
However, with this coating, WC oxidizes at a high temperature and the coating peels off, so there is the problem that use for a long time in an annealing furnace is not possible.
Furthermore, a coating comprising a cermet material of a particle structure comprised of, by wt %, 50 to 90% of chrome carbides and a balance of unavoidable impurities and a nickel-chrome alloy, at least 70% of the carbide particles enclosed by the alloy, and having an average particle size of 5 to 100 μm has been proposed (for example, see Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 6-116703).
Further, a cermet coating containing at least one of CrB2, ZrB2, WB, TiB2, and other borides in 1 to 60 vol %, containing at least one of Cr3C2, TaC, WC, ZrC, TiC, NbC, and other carbides in 5 to 50 vol %, and having a balance of substantially metal is provided (for example, see Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 7-11420).
However, these coatings contain chrome carbides resistant to buildup at a high temperature, but if used for a long time in a continuous annealing furnace, the metal ingredients and chrome carbides in the coatings react resulting in the coatings become brittle and the coatings peeling off.
That is, in the past, various coatings have been proposed, but none of these coatings have been able to completely prevent buildup on hearth roll surfaces.


Providing defense mechanisms against computer hackers and attacks on computing infrastructure has been an increasingly significant concern with the growing importance of network-based computing. With the growth of network-based computing over the Internet and the growing reliance on cloud computing services, protecting computers and servers connected to a network from malicious network-based attacks has become a significant issue for businesses and organizations. For example, hackers may attack a computing service over a network using denial-of-service attacks. SYN flooding is a particularly popular denial-of-service tactic. In a SYN flood attack, an attacker sends a succession of SYN requests to a target system in an attempt to overwhelm the target system's resources so that it becomes unresponsive to legitimate requests. Computing service providers must account for and protect against such attacks while maintaining an effective level of service to their customers.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention'relates to a method and apparatus for optimally recording or transmitting geographical position and events. In particular the present invention provides apparatus to determine position, time and speed of an object such as a vehicle and log data in accordance with changes in pre-determined parameters.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recording or transmitting the position (latitude, longitude and possibly altitude) and events that occur for an object is a useful exercise in many scenarios in business. There are many examples of systems that today record and or transmit positional data, but they all suffer from the same problems. They do not correctly choose the positions that are to be stored or transmitted, so as to maximize the level of useful detail on a map but at the same time minimize the number of actual positions used to do this. Many systems currently base their logging on an interval (eg. every 60 seconds) or a distance (eg. every 200 m). When looking at this data on a map, very often these points don't show any new useful additional information or, which is worse they miss out a significant event like a turn or a big drop in speed.
The present invention is used to optimize exactly when these pieces of information are recorded or transmitted. This then minimizes the memory requirements if these points are stored, or it minimizes time or cost if the information is transmitted. In addition, the usefulness of the information is maximized by making sure that any significant events are caught, like turning a corner or a large change in speed.


A combined power generation system based on geothermal energy and solar energy in the prior art employs carbon dioxide as a working fluid and improves thermal efficiency of the system by extraction, recompression and regeneration, because the specific heat of carbon dioxide varies greatly with pressure. For example, within 200 degrees centigrade, the specific heat of carbon dioxide at a pressure of 15 MPa is greatly different from that of carbon dioxide at a pressure of 8 MPa. Consequently, the temperature difference of heat transfer in regenerator increases and thus the irreversibility of heat transfer of the system increases, since the heat capacity (a product of mass flow rate and specific heat) of the high-pressure and low-temperature carbon dioxide is different from that of the low-pressure and high-temperature carbon dioxide in a simple regenerative cycle. The heat capacity at the high-pressure side may be reduced to match the heat capacity of the carbon dioxide at the low-pressure side by recompression and partial cooling. The temperature difference of heat transfer can decrease in the regenerator, so as to make full recover of the heat energy in the exhaust gas at a turbine outlet.
However, a compressor operating efficiently under high-temperature and high-pressure is needed to ensure the recompression and partial cooling cycle implement. Specifically, the working circumstance of the compressor used for supercritical CO2 recompression Brayton cycleis adverse. Although the pressure ratio is not great, the ratio of specific heat of carbon dioxide is large, and the carbon dioxide at the final state of recompression may have a temperature up to 200 degrees centigrade and an operation pressure over 20 MPa, which will cause many problems for compressor designing and manufacturing.
Currently, the compressor operating efficiently under high-temperature and high-pressure has not been commercialized yet, so the method for improving thermal efficiency of the existing combined power generation system based on geothermal energy and solar energy by recompression and partial cooling still remains in the test program. Even though the compressor operating efficiently under high-temperature and high-pressure can be created in future, the manufacture difficulty, the manufacture cost and the operation cost of the combined power generation system based on geothermal energy and solar energy will be increased considerably.


Vehicles are often provided with a plurality of seats for supporting users. Conventional seats are often provided with an ability to adjust a horizontal position of the seat to accommodate users of various heights and various comfort preferences. However, additional solutions are needed for seats in vehicles that enable greater degrees of customization to the user.


The present invention relates to hot water heaters, and relates more particularly to such a hot water heater which has heat exchanging devices connected in series to recycle heat energy for pre-heating water permitting water to be quickly heated to the desired temperature.
Conventional hot water heaters commonly comprise a single heat exchanging device to carry water, and a gas burner to heat the flat bottom of the heat exchanging device. During the operation of a hot water heater, hot air from the heat exchanging device is directly drawn away from the housing of the hot water heater into the air, causing the air polluted. Because cold water is not pre-heated before it is guided into the heat exchanging device, it takes a lot of time and consumes a lot of energy to heat water to the desired temperature. Furthermore, when the heat source is operated to heat the heat exchanging device, heat is transmitted to water from the bottom, therefore heat cannot be evenly distributed through the inside of the hot water heater. Because different parts of the hot water heater bear different temperatures, their structural strength will be differently affected, causing the service life of the hot water heater shortened.


A hard-disk drive (HDD) is a non-volatile storage device that is housed in a protective enclosure and stores digitally encoded data on one or more circular disk having magnetic surfaces. When an HDD is in operation, each magnetic-recording disk is rapidly rotated by a spindle system. Data is read from and written to a magnetic-recording disk using a read/write head that is positioned over a specific location of a disk by an actuator. A read/write head uses a magnetic field to read data from and write data to the surface of a magnetic-recording disk. A write head makes use of the electricity flowing through a coil, which produces a magnetic field. Electrical pulses are sent to the write head, with different patterns of positive and negative currents. The current in the coil of the head induces a magnetic field across the gap between the head and the magnetic disk, which in turn magnetizes a small area on the recording medium.
Many HDDs are configured to include a ramp (also referred to as a load/unload ramp). Ramp load/unload technology involves a mechanism that moves the head stack assembly (HSA), including the sliders, away from and off the disks and safely positions them onto a cam-like structure. The cam typically includes a shallow ramp on the side closest to the disk. During a power-on sequence, for example, the read/write heads are loaded by moving the sliders off the ramp and over the disk surfaces when the disks reach the appropriate rotational speed. Thus, the terminology used is that the sliders or HSA are “loaded” to or over the disk (i.e., off the ramp) into an operational position, and “unloaded” from the disk (i.e., “parked” onto the ramp) such as in an idle position.
Furthermore, many HDDs are configured with a latch mechanism to secure the HSA, or at least the suspension/slider portion of the HSA, on the ramp (or perhaps on a landing zone of the disk for HDD's absent a ramp) when not operating. Thus, the head slider is prevented from dislodging from the ramp and moving over the disk when the actuator rotates due to external vibration or shock events. In light of the customer demand and industry move toward thinner and thinner HDD's, internal space constraints present challenges for sub-system design and development.
Any approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic circuits and systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to electronic sensor systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
For systems having unknown delay variables in the control and/or data paths, data-capture clocks are often used to compensate for the variable delays. For instance, in a video imaging system having a detector and a signal processor, the signal coming into the processor from the detector may not be aligned with the system clock of the processor. A data-capture clock, which is typically a phase shifted version of the signal-processing clock, is used to capture the detector data at its optimum sampling time. However, this can result in data path uncertainty if the sampling edge of the data-capture clock causes the captured data to change during the setup and hold time region of the signal-processing clock. The relative position of the data-capture clock also causes undesirable timing shifts to the signal processing module. These shortcomings limit the adjustment range of the data-capture clock, which, for some applications (especially high speed applications), is critical to the system.
Moreover, signal processing modules in a digital system are often synchronized to a common system clock. This implies that the optimum data-sampling time of all data entry paths all must fall within a certain region of the signal-processing clock. Costly custom tailored add-ons (i.e. delay lines) for an individual system may be needed to guarantee this timing condition.
One prior art solution to these data path uncertainty and timing shift issues includes separating the signal processing module into control and processing sections, each running its own tailored timing. This assumes that there cannot be much correlation between the two sections within the module because of possible clock alignment in the forbidden zone. For multi-module systems, it is hard to pass data among different sections because the processing sections in each module may have a different clock phase.
A second prior art solution delays the detector controls to align the detector video with the signal-processing clock. This approach requires expensive, power hungry, and space consuming variable delay lines to obtain the desired delay adjustment resolution.
Another solution includes adding an intermediate data buffer stage to allow independent access to the data at pixel level timing. This requires large memory buffers, and the signal processing may not start at a dedicated clock cycle due to clock phasing issues. For systems having multiple parallel signal processing modules, signal processing can only begin when all the buffers are not empty because the clock phasing may not be the same for all modules.
Another prior art approach involves supplying the detector with fixed controls and having the detector electronics provide the data clock associated with its outputs. Sections in the signal processing module must run its own tailored timing. Data exchanges and communications among sections may be difficult, especially for multi-module systems, due to clock phasing issues.
Hence, there is a need in the art for an improved system or method for aligning an input data signal with the system clock of a signal processor, which overcomes the shortcomings of prior systems.