[System] You are an expert US patent attorney. Draft a set of independent and dependent claims based on the provided invention description. Use correct USPTO formatting.

[User]
Title: Method For Manufacturing Carbon Carrier-Metal Nanoparticle Composite And Carbon Carrier-Metal Nanoparticle Composite Manufactured Thereby

Technical Field and Background:
Nanoparticles are particles having a particle size of the nanoscale, and show optical, electrical and magnetic properties completely different from those of bulk materials due to a large specific surface area and the quantum confinement effect, in which energy required for electron transfer changes depending on the size of material. Accordingly, due to such properties, much interest has been concentrated on their applicability in the catalytic, electromagnetic, optical, medical fields, and the like. The nanoparticles may be referred to as intermediates between bulks and molecules, and may be synthesized in terms of an approach in two directions, that is, the “top-down” approach and the “bottom-up” approach. Examples of a method for synthesizing a metal nanoparticle include a method for reducing metal ions in a solution by using a reducing agent, a method for synthesizing a metal nanoparticle using gamma-rays, an electrochemical method, and the like, but in the existing methods, it is difficult to synthesize nanoparticles having a uniform size and shape, or it is difficult to economically mass-produce high-quality nanoparticles for various reasons such as problems of environmental contamination, high costs, and the like by using organic solvents. Further, since the metal nanoparticles become easily unstable by heat treatment temperature and the reaction temperature, there are many cases where the metal nanoparticles are dispersed in a carrier and used. Therefore, there is a need for developing a method which may efficiently support metal nanoparticles on a carrier.

Invention Disclosure:
The present application relates to a method for preparing a carbon carrier-metal nanoparticle composite and a carbon carrier-metal nanoparticle composite prepared thereby, and has an advantage in that it is possible to improve dispersibility and supporting ratio of metal nanoparticles with respect to a carbon carrier by efficiently supporting metal nanoparticles having a uniform size of several nanometers on evenly dispersed carbon carriers.

[Assistant]
1. A method for preparing a carbon carrier-metal nanoparticle composite, the method comprising:
forming a solution comprising a carbon carrier in which a hydrophilic functional group is induced on a surface of a carbon carrier by mixing the carbon carrier and a surfactant in a solvent;
mixing a first metal salt and a second metal salt by adding the first metal salt and the second metal salt to the solution; and
forming metal nanoparticles by adding a reducing agent to the solution,
wherein the solvent is water,
wherein the metal nanoparticles have a CV value of 30% or less, and the CV value is represented by the following Equation 1,
CV  ( % ) = Standard   deviation   of   particles Average   particle   diameter × 100,
and
wherein the first metal salt is represented by the following Chemical Formula 1 and the second metal salt is represented by the following Chemical Formula 2
XA m [Chemical Formula 1]
B p YC q [Chemical Formula 2]
wherein in Chemical Formula 1 and Chemical Formula 2,
X is an ion of nickel (Ni),
Y is an ion of platinum (Pt)
A and C are each independently selected from the group consisting of NO 3−, NO 2−, OH −, F −, Cl −, Br −, and I −, and
B is selected from the group consisting of K +, Na +, and NH 3+,
M is 2, p is 2, and q is 4 or 6.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal nanoparticles are an alloy of a first metal and a second metal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein in the mixing, a stabilizer is further added.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein in the forming of the solution, an ultrasonic wave is applied before or after the carbon carrier and the surfactant are mixed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a content of the surfactant is 1 to 40 times a weight of the carbon carrier.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the carbon carrier is a carbon carrier which is not subjected to pre-treatment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a molar ratio of the first metal salt and the second metal salt in the solution is 1:5 to 10:1.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal nanoparticles have an average particle diameter of 30 nm or less.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a supporting ratio of the metal nanoparticles with respect to the carbon carrier is 10 wt % to 70 wt %.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal nanoparticles comprise 80% or more of particles in which a distance between two adjacent particles among metal nanoparticles supported on the carbon carrier is 10 times or less the particle diameter.

11. A carbon carrier-metal nanoparticle composite comprising a carbon carrier in which a hydrophilic functional group is induced on the surface thereof and metal nanoparticles comprising nickel (Ni) and platinum (Pt),
wherein the metal nanoparticles have an average particle diameter of 30 nm or less,
the metal nanoparticles are supported on the carbon carrier, and
the metal nanoparticles have a CV value of 30% or less, and the CV value is represented by the following Equation 1:
CV  ( % ) = Standard   deviation   of   particles Average   particle   diameter × 100. [ Equation   1 ]

12. The carbon carrier-metal nanoparticle composite of claim 11, wherein a supporting ratio of the metal nanoparticles with respect to the carbon carrier is 10 wt % to 70 wt %.

13. The carbon carrier-metal nanoparticle composite of claim 11, wherein the metal nanoparticles comprise 80% or more of particles in which a distance between two adjacent particles among metal nanoparticles supported on the carbon carrier is 10 times or less the particle diameter.

14. The carbon carrier-metal nanoparticle composite of claim 11, wherein the metal nanoparticles have an average particle diameter of 10 nm or less.

15. The carbon carrier-metal nanoparticle composite of claim 11, wherein a specific surface area of the carbon carrier is 90% to 100% of a specific surface area of the carbon carrier before the hydrophilic functional group is induced.

16. The carbon carrier-metal nanoparticle composite of claim 11, wherein electrical conductivity of the carbon carrier is 90% to 120% of the electrical conductivity of the carbon carrier before the hydrophilic functional group is induced.


[System] You are an expert US patent attorney. Draft a set of independent and dependent claims based on the provided invention description. Use correct USPTO formatting.

[User]
Title: Laminated Sprocket Assembly

Technical Field and Background:
Laminated sprocket assemblies formed with a plurality of layers that are bonded or welded together are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,406 teaches such a laminated sprocket in which each of the layers includes a central opening for fitting onto a drive shaft. Teeth or other driving surfaces are formed around the periphery of the layers and the layers can be stacked with spacers located between the layers so that the teeth are spaced apart for example to carry a chain conveyor or belt conveyor having pockets in which the teeth of the laminated sprocket are engaged. In the field of automotive engines, sprockets are used in connection with timing chains and timing drives and for various other purposes. Generally such sprockets have been formed as a solid machined part or a sintered part due to the high speeds and loads with which such sprockets operate. However, such machined or sintered sprockets are associated with higher costs. It would be desirable to provide a laminated sprocket which would be suitable for use in connection with high speed equipment, and particularly for use as timing chain sprockets and/or other sprockets used in connection with internal combustion engines.

Invention Disclosure:
A laminated sprocket assembly is provided formed of a plurality of layers that are connected together. Each of the layers is a stamped sheet metal layer having a plurality of spaced apart teeth located around a periphery thereof. The teeth in the plurality of connected layers are aligned. At least one of voids, channels, openings, or recesses are located in or between at least some of the layers for receiving and holding lubricating oil. This reduces noise and wear.

[Assistant]
1. A laminated sprocket assembly, comprising:
a plurality of layers that are connected together, each of the layers being a stamped sheet metal layer having a plurality of spaced apart teeth located around a periphery thereof, and the teeth in the plurality of connected layers are aligned and in flat planar contact with each other around the periphery; and
recesses located in or between at least some of the layers for receiving lubricating oil, and the recesses are located on flanks of the teeth.

2. The laminated sprocket assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the layers includes a shaft opening.

3. The laminated sprocket assembly of claim 2, wherein aligned openings are defined in each of the layers in a position spaced apart from the shaft opening and the teeth.

4. The laminated sprocket assembly of claim 1, wherein the recesses are located in at least some of the layers in sides of at least some of the teeth.

5. A laminated sprocket assembly, comprising:
a plurality of layers that are connected together, each of the layers being a stamped sheet metal layer having a plurality of spaced apart teeth located around a periphery thereof, and the teeth in the plurality of connected layers are aligned; and
recesses located in or between at least some of the layers for receiving lubricating oil, the recesses are located in at least some of the layers in sides of at least some of the teeth, and the layers on either side of the layers with the recesses include teeth having side flanks without the recesses.

6. The laminated sprocket assembly of claim 5, wherein the recesses are formed by a radius.

7. The laminated sprocket assembly of claim 5, wherein each of the layers includes a shaft opening.

8. The laminated sprocket assembly of claim 7, wherein aligned openings are defined in each of the layers in a position spaced apart from the shaft opening and the teeth.


[System] You are an expert US patent attorney. Draft a set of independent and dependent claims based on the provided invention description. Use correct USPTO formatting.

[User]
Title: Channel Detection Method And System Thereof

Technical Field and Background:
1. Technical Field The present disclosure generally relates to a channel detection method and, more particularly, to a channel detection method for an echo canceller and a system using the channel detection method. 2. Description of Related Art In a cable communication system, channel detection helps the user to determine whether a channel is open, short, impedance mismatched or normal. If there is any problem of connection, service providers or users may use channel detection to confirm whether there is any problem in the channel to clarify if the problem of connection is attributed to the channel itself (for example, the cable) and/or to point out the part of the channel where the problem takes place. Conventionally, a pseudo-noise sequence (PN-sequence) is transmitted with auto-correlation to probe the channel conditions by determining the reflected signal in the channel and whether there is impedance mismatch in the channel Generally, in a cable communication system, additional hardware implementation is required for the calculation of auto-correlation. Moreover, with auto-correlation, each process only obtains one point in the reflected signal. Conventionally, it requires additional hardware implementation and longer testing time to realize channel detection by auto-correlation of a pseudo-noise sequence. However, if the communication devices (such as transceivers) at both ends of a channel perform channel detection at the same time, different pseudo-noise sequences are required to prevent cross-talk and to save time. In other words, additional hardware implementations are required for both communication devices so that the communication devices are provided with different pseudo-noise sequences. Such additional cost and testing time are not welcome to both the service providers and the users.

Invention Disclosure:
A channel detection method for an echo canceller of a communication device is provided. The method includes the following steps. A first detection signal is transmitted to an end of a channel coupled to the communication device. A plurality of taps corresponding to a reflected signal of the first detection signal are received by an echo canceller at the end of the channel. The taps corresponding to the reflected signal are compared with a reference value corresponding to each of the taps so as to determine whether each of the taps is larger than or equal to the corresponding reference value. When the tap is determined to be larger than or equal to the reference value corresponding to the tap, the tap and a position of the tap are recorded.

[Assistant]
1. A channel detection method for at least one echo canceller of a communication device, comprising:
transmitting a first detection signal to an end of a channel coupled to said communication device;
receiving, by said at least one echo canceller, a plurality of taps corresponding to a reflected signal of said first detection signal at said end of said channel;
comparing each of said plurality of taps corresponding to said reflected signal with a corresponding reference value so as to determine whether each of said plurality of taps is larger than or equal to said corresponding reference value;
recording one of said plurality of taps as a maximum coefficient and recording a position of said tap recorded as the maximum coefficient as a maximum coefficient position, when one of said plurality of taps is determined to be larger than or equal to said corresponding reference value;
determining whether a next tap of said reflected signal is larger than or equal to said maximum coefficient; and
determining whether said next tap is smaller than a predetermined value when said next tap is determined to be smaller than said maximum coefficient, wherein said predetermined value is half of said maximum coefficient.

2. The channel detection method of claim 1, further comprising:
switching to a next tap to repeat determining whether said next tap is larger than or equal to a next reference value corresponding to said next tap when said tap is determined to be smaller than said reference value corresponding to said tap.

3. The channel detection method of claim 1, further comprising:
updating said maximum coefficient to said next tap and updating said maximum coefficient position to a position of said next tap when said next tap is determined to be larger than or equal to said maximum coefficient.

4. The channel detection method of claim 1, further comprising:
outputting said maximum coefficient and said maximum coefficient position when said next tap is determined to be smaller than said predetermined value.

5. The channel detection method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining whether said channel detection method is in a dual-ended detection mode before transmitting said first detection signal.

6. The channel detection method of claim 5, further comprising:
activating a signal detection to continue detecting whether a second detection signal is received when said channel detection method is determined to be in said dual-ended detection mode.

7. A channel detection system, comprising:
a first communication device, comprising:
a transceiving module for transmitting a first detection signal to an end of a channel coupled to said transceiving module;
at least one echo canceller coupled to said transceiving module for receiving, through said transceiving module, a plurality of taps corresponding to a reflected signal of said first detection signal at said end of said channel; and
a calculation unit coupled to said at least one echo canceller for comparing each of said plurality of taps corresponding to said reflected signal with a corresponding reference value so as to determine whether each of said plurality of taps is larger than or equal to said corresponding reference value;
wherein when one of said plurality of taps is determined to be larger than or equal to said corresponding reference value, the calculation unit records said tap as a maximum coefficient and records a position of said tap recorded as the maximum coefficient as a maximum coefficient position, and further determines whether a next tap of said reflected signal is larger than or equal to said maximum coefficient;
wherein said calculation unit determines whether said next tap is smaller than a predetermined value when said calculation unit determines that said next tap is smaller than said maximum coefficient, said predetermined value being half of said maximum coefficient.

8. The channel detection system of claim 7, wherein said maximum coefficient is updated to said next tap and said maximum coefficient position is updated to a position of said next tap when said next tap is determined to be larger than or equal to said maximum coefficient.

9. The channel detection system of claim 7, wherein said maximum coefficient and said maximum coefficient position are outputted when said calculation unit determines that said next tap is smaller than said predetermined value.

10. The channel detection system of claim 7, further comprising:
a second communication device coupled to another end of said channel;
wherein whether said channel detection system is in a dual-ended detection mode is determined before said first communication device transmits said first detection signal.

11. The channel detection system of claim 10, wherein said at least one echo canceller activates a signal detection to continue detecting whether a second detection signal transmitted by said second communication device is received when said first communication device determines that said channel detection system is in said dual-ended detection mode.

12. The channel detection system of claim 11, wherein said first communication device and said second communication device are provided, respectively, with a first identification code and a second identification code having different delay times.

13. The channel detection system of claim 7, wherein said first communication device uses a second register in said at least one echo canceller to continue receiving remaining ones of said plurality of taps when a first register in said at least one echo canceller for receiving said plurality of taps is full.


[System] You are an expert US patent attorney. Draft a set of independent and dependent claims based on the provided invention description. Use correct USPTO formatting.

[User]
Title: Side Airbag Device For Vehicles

Technical Field and Background:
The present invention relates to a vehicular side airbag apparatus including chambers (bag areas partitioned by partitions) corresponding to an occupant's shoulder, lumbar, and chest regions and having three-dimensional shapes formed by installing baffles (partitions) formed from, for example, band-like members inside a side airbag and reasonably arranging the baffles to provide a thickness in a vehicular width direction. The vehicular side airbag apparatus allowing the side airbag to be configured at a high productivity using a small number of components.

Invention Disclosure:
A vehicular side airbag apparatus including chambers corresponding to an occupant's shoulder, lumbar, and chest and having three-dimensional shapes formed by baffles inside a side airbag and providing a thickness. The first baffle extends in a vehicular front-rear direction and is joined to a rear edge 103a of a side airbag 103 at a rear end 107b of the first baffle. The second baffle extends in a vehicular up-down direction and has an overlap portion 109 which is set at a longitudinally intermediate position of the second baffle and to which a longitudinally front end 107c of the first baffle is connected along with a vehicular interior panel 105 and a vehicular exterior panel 106. Longitudinal both ends 108b and 108c of the second baffle are joined to an outer peripheral edge of the side airbag 103.

[Assistant]
1. A vehicular side airbag apparatus in the form of a side airbag that is built into a seatback and that is deployed and inflated from a vehicular rear direction toward a vehicular front direction through a gap between an occupant and a vehicular side portion when an inflator gas is fed into the side airbag, the vehicular side airbag apparatus comprising:
the side airbag, which is formed by joining, along an outer peripheral seam line, outer peripheral edges of a vehicular interior panel and a vehicular exterior panel that face each other, the side airbag forming three chambers including a lumbar restraining chamber, a shoulder restraining chamber, and a chest restraining chamber inside the side airbag, and
an inflator that injects the inflator gas is provided in a vehicular rear portion inside the side airbag,
wherein a main portion of the side airbag is formed of at least one of the shoulder and lumbar restraining chambers,
wherein the side airbag is attached to the seatback such that a vehicular rear portion of the main portion is inflated inside the seatback,
wherein the three chambers are separated from one another by a first baffle and a second baffle,
wherein the first baffle is shaped like a band having a width in a vehicular width direction and extends in a vehicular front-rear direction inside the side airbag, and is joined, at a longitudinally rear end of the first baffle, to a rear edge of the side airbag, wherein the first baffle is formed using one panel material and is joined at both side edges of the first baffle, to the vehicular interior panel and the vehicular exterior panel, respectively, and is simultaneously joined, at the longitudinally rear end of the first baffle, to the outer peripheral seam line, and
wherein the second baffle is shaped like a band having a width in the vehicular width direction and extends in a vehicular up-down direction inside the side airbag, and has a baffle overlap area which is set at an intermediate position of the second baffle and to which a longitudinally front end of the first baffle is connected along with the vehicular interior panel and the vehicular exterior panel, and both ends of the second baffle are joined to an outer peripheral edge of the side airbag.

2. The vehicular side airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the baffle overlap area, an angle formed by the second baffle and the first baffle on a side facing the inflator is set to an acute angle.

3. The vehicular side airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second baffle is formed using one panel material and is joined, at both side edges of the second baffle, to the vehicular interior panel and the vehicular exterior panel, respectively, and is simultaneously joined to the outer peripheral seam line at a longitudinally upper end of the second baffle that extends at least from the baffle overlap area toward an upper side of the side airbag.

4. The vehicular side airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second baffle is formed using one panel material, is joined, at the both side edges of the second baffle, to the vehicular interior panel and the vehicular exterior panel, respectively, and is simultaneously joined to the outer peripheral seam line at a longitudinally lower end of the second baffle that extends at least from the baffle overlap area toward a lower side of the side airbag.

5. The vehicular side airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first baffle includes at least two panel pieces with substantially the same length and substantially the same width,
the first baffle is formed by joining together first side edges of the panel pieces in the longitudinal direction between the vehicular interior panel and the vehicular exterior panel,
second side edges of the panel pieces of the first baffle are joined to the vehicular interior panel and the vehicular exterior panel, respectively, and
the longitudinally rear end of the first baffle is simultaneously joined to the outer peripheral seam line.

6. The vehicular side airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second baffle includes at least two panel pieces with substantially the same length and substantially the same width,
the second baffle is formed by joining together first side edges of the panel pieces in the longitudinal direction between the vehicular interior panel and the vehicular exterior panel,
second side edges of the panel pieces of the second baffle are joined to the vehicular interior panel and the vehicular exterior panel, respectively, and
a longitudinally upper end of the second baffle that extends at least from the baffle overlap area toward an upper side of the side airbag is simultaneously joined to the outer peripheral seam line.

7. The vehicular side airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second baffle includes at least two panel pieces with substantially the same length and substantially the same width,
the second baffle is formed by joining together first side edges of the panel pieces in the longitudinal direction between the vehicular interior panel and the vehicular exterior panel,
second side edges of the panel pieces of the second baffle are joined to the vehicular interior panel and the vehicular exterior panel, respectively, and
a longitudinally lower end of the second baffle that extends at least from the baffle overlap area toward a lower side of the side airbag is simultaneously joined to the outer peripheral seam line.

8. The vehicular side airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a flexible sleeve having openings at both ends thereof is provided inside the side airbag so as to surround the inflator and to penetrate the first baffle, and
the flexible sleeve is deformed by the inflator gas flowing into one of the shoulder and lumbar restraining chambers partitioned from each other by the first baffle to inhibit the inflator gas from flowing out toward the other of the shoulder and lumbar restraining chambers.

9. The vehicular side airbag apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the inflator is shaped like a cylinder, has a plurality of gas injection holes arranged in a circumferential direction near one of longitudinal both ends of the inflator and has a connector for supply of an ignition signal provided at the other longitudinal end of the inflator,
an opening through which an interior and an exterior of the side airbag are connected together is formed in the vehicular rear portion of the side airbag such that the connector is exposed to the outside of the side airbag and the gas injection holes are arranged inside the side airbag, and
the inflator is installed so as to penetrate the opening.

10. The vehicular side airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein upon inflation of the side airbag the inflator gas is first supplied to inflate the shoulder restraining chamber and thereafter the lumbar restraining chamber is inflated.

11. A vehicular side airbag apparatus in the form of a side airbag that is built into a seatback and that is deployed and inflated from a vehicular rear direction toward a vehicular front direction through a gap between an occupant and a vehicular side portion when an inflator gas is fed into the side airbag, the vehicular side airbag apparatus comprising:
the side airbag, which is formed by joining, along an outer peripheral seam line, outer peripheral edges of a vehicular interior panel and a vehicular exterior panel that face each other, the side airbag forming three chambers including a lumbar restraining chamber, a shoulder restraining chamber, and a chest restraining chamber inside the side airbag, and
an inflator that injects the inflator gas is provided in a vehicular rear portion inside the side airbag,
wherein a main portion of the side airbag is formed of at least one of the shoulder and lumbar restraining chambers,
wherein the side airbag is attached to the seatback such that a vehicular rear portion of the main portion is inflated inside the seatback,
wherein the three chambers are separated from one another by a first baffle and a second baffle,
wherein the first baffle is shaped like a band having a width in a vehicular width direction and extends in a vehicular front-rear direction inside the side airbag, and is joined, at a longitudinally rear end of the first baffle, to a rear edge of the side airbag,
wherein the second baffle is shaped like a band having a width in the vehicular width direction and extends in a vehicular up-down direction inside the side airbag, and has a baffle overlap area which is set at an intermediate position of the second baffle and to which a longitudinally front end of the first baffle is connected along with the vehicular interior panel and the vehicular exterior panel, and both ends of the second baffle are joined to an outer peripheral edge of the side airbag, and
wherein a gap is formed between the longitudinally front end of the first baffle and the second baffle so as to form an internal vent hole.

12. A vehicular side airbag apparatus comprising a side airbag that includes a vehicular interior panel member and a vehicular exterior panel member and that is deployed and inflated from a vehicular rear direction toward a vehicular front direction between an occupant and a vehicular side portion when an inflator gas is fed into the side airbag,
the vehicular side airbag apparatus further comprising:
a front up-down partitioning portion formed inside the side airbag so as to extend in a vehicular front-rear direction from a front end toward a rear end of the side airbag to a point at a distance from the rear end of the side airbag;
a rear up-down partitioning portion formed inside the side airbag so as to extend in the vehicular front-rear direction from the rear end toward the front end of the side airbag to a point at a distance from the front end of the side airbag, the rear up-down partitioning portion including an overlap portion partially facing the front up-down partitioning portion in the up-down direction and extending along a portion of the front up-down partitioning portion;
an upper bag area defined in an internal upper portion of the side airbag by the front and rear up-down partitioning portions;
a lower bag area defined in an internal lower portion of the side airbag by the front and rear up-down partitioning portions; and
an inflator arranged on a rear side of the side airbag in the vehicular front-rear direction to feed the inflator gas into the upper bag area, and
between the overlap portion and the front up-down partitioning portion, a gas passage is formed through which the inflator gas flows from the upper bag area into the lower bag area and which is closed off by at least one of the overlap portion and the front up-down partitioning portion that are flexibly deformed by the inflator gas fed into the lower bag area.

13. The vehicular side airbag apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the front up-down partitioning portion includes an upper extension portion extending continuously from a rear end of the front up-down partitioning portion in the vehicular front-rear direction toward an upper side in a vehicular up-down direction and reaching an upper end of the side airbag, the upper bag area is partitioned into a front upper bag area and a rear upper bag area by the upper extension portion, and a gas introduction path for feeding the inflator gas from the rear upper bag area to the front upper bag area is formed in the upper extension portion.

14. The vehicular side airbag apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the front up-down partitioning portion is formed using a first band-shaped member, widthwise both ends of the first band-shaped member are integrally joined to the vehicular interior panel member and the vehicular exterior panel member, respectively, and a front end of the first band-shaped member is integrally joined to the vehicular interior panel member and the vehicular exterior panel member.

15. The vehicular side airbag apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the rear up-down partitioning portion is formed using a second band-shaped member, widthwise both ends of the second band-shaped member are integrally joined to the vehicular interior panel member and the vehicular exterior panel member, respectively, and a rear end of the second band-shaped member is integrally joined to the vehicular interior panel member and the vehicular exterior panel member.

16. The vehicular side airbag apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the vehicular interior panel member and the vehicular exterior panel member each include an upper panel portion and a lower panel portion, and the upper panel portion and the lower panel portion are joined together by laying a lower portion of the upper panel portion on top of an upper portion of the lower panel portion.

17. The vehicular side airbag apparatus according to claim 16, wherein both side edges of the first band-shaped member are joined to the lower panel portions included in the vehicular interior panel member and the vehicular exterior panel member such that the first band-shaped member bridges upper portions of the lower panel portions, and both side edges of the second band-shaped member are joined to the upper panel portions integrally with the lower panel portions and the first band-shaped member such that the second band-shaped member is sandwiched between the upper portions of the lower panel portions.

18. The vehicular side airbag apparatus according to claim 16, wherein a mountain fold portion is formed in the upper portion of the lower panel portion such that the lower panel portion curves upward, the first band-shaped member is laid on top of the lower panel portion so as to stride over the mountain fold portion, and both side edges of the second band-shaped member are joined to the upper panel portions integrally with the lower panel portion and the first band-shaped member such that the second band-shaped member is held by the mountain fold portion of the lower panel portion in a sandwiched manner.

19. The vehicular side airbag apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the first band-shaped member has a mountain fold portion formed by folding the first band-shaped member downward, both side edges of the second band-shaped member are joined to the vehicular interior panel member and the vehicular exterior panel member integrally with the first band-shaped member such that the second band-shaped member is held by the mountain fold portion of the first band-shaped member in a sandwiched manner.

20. The vehicular side airbag apparatus according to claim 15, wherein when the lower bag area is deployed and inflated and the inflator gas acts on the overlap portion and a gas pressure acts on the overlap portion, a portion of the second band-shaped member is pushed upward toward the first band-shaped member.

21. The vehicular side airbag apparatus according to claim 15, wherein upon activation of the side airbag, the lower bag area is filled with the inflator gas to increase the pressure in the lower bag area and when the pressure in the lower bag area reaches a set pressure the overlap portion is flexibly deformed and brought into contact with the front up-down partitioning portion and the gas passage is closed off, and the inflator gas is fed into the upper bag area to further deform the first band-shaped member so as to push the first band-shaped member down toward the portion of the second band-shaped member located at the overlap portion.

22. The vehicular side airbag apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the inflator gas is injected from the inflator to first inflate the upper bag area and thereafter the lower bag area.


[System] You are an expert US patent attorney. Draft a set of independent and dependent claims based on the provided invention description. Use correct USPTO formatting.

[User]
Title: Optical Communication System, Optical Receiver, Optical Receiver Control Method, And Non-Transitory Computer Readable Medium

Technical Field and Background:
Along with an increase in demand of data communication service in recent years, the introduction of a longer-distance, larger-volume high-density wavelength multiplexing optical fiber communication system with higher reliability is being promoted. On such a background, higher performance of an optical communication system that uses optical fibers is being demanded. As part thereof, the adoption of a digital coherent reception system in which a digital processing technique is introduced to an optical receiver is being promoted. In the digital coherent reception system, it is possible to correct, by digital processing, linear degradation of an optical waveform due to optical fiber transmission, and compensate transmission characteristic degradation due to a wavelength dispersion characteristic of an optical fiber as a transmission channel. However, due to the wavelength dispersion, an optical signal waveform collapses and expands in an amplitude direction, so in a digital conversion, a dynamic range for an analog/digital conversion becomes a problem. As a communication system that takes the wavelength dispersion characteristic into consideration, Patent Literature 1 discloses a method of changing a dynamic range at a time when an analog electric signal is converted into a digital electric signal by monitoring wavelength dispersion.

Invention Disclosure:
Present invention provides an optical communication system that controls reception sensitivity of an optical receiver. The communication system (100) according to the present invention comprising: an optical transmitter (1) to which an transmission signal is input, and which modulates the transmission signal to an optical signal and transmits the optical signal; and an optical receiver (2) that receives the optical signal and demodulates the optical signal to an transmission signal. And the optical receiver (2) includes a photoelectric conversion means (10) for converting the optical signal into an analog electric signal, a conversion and demodulation means (25) for converting the analog electric signal into a digital signal and demodulating the signal to the transmission signal, and an amplitude control means (102) for controlling amplitude of the analog electric signal, and the amplitude control means (102) controls the amplitude of the analog electric signal in accordance with wavelength dispersion of the optical signal.

[Assistant]
1. A communication system comprising:
an optical transmitter to which a transmission signal is input, and which modulates the transmission signal to an optical signal and transmits the optical signal; and
an optical receiver that receives the optical signal and demodulates the optical signal to a transmission signal, the optical receiver including:
a photo detector that converts the optical signal into an analog electric signal,
an analog digital converter that converts the analog electric signal into a digital signal and outputs monitoring information indicative of amplitude of the analog electric signal,
a digital signal processor that processes the digital signal and monitors a wavelength dispersion of the optical signal, and
a controller that identifies a reference amplitude of the analog electric signal, the reference amplitude corresponding to the monitored wavelength dispersion, and controls the amplitude of the analog electric signal based on the reference amplitude and the monitoring information.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the amplitude of the analog electric signal to become smaller, as the wavelength dispersion of the optical signal is increased.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein
the photo detector includes an amplifier that amplifies the analog electric signal input to the analog digital converter, and
the controller estimates a wavelength dispersion value of the optical signal and determines, on the basis of the estimated wavelength dispersion value, a reference value for controlling a gain of the amplifier.

4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the controller:
compares the reference amplitude and the monitoring information, and
controls the amplitude of the analog electric signal based on a result of the comparison.

5. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein a minimum value of the reference amplitude corresponds to a maximum value of the wavelength dispersion.

6. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein the minimum value of the reference amplitude is set as an initial value of the reference amplitude.

7. An optical receiver comprising:
a photo detector that converts an optical signal into an analog electric signal;
an analog digital converter that converts the analog electric signal into a digital signal and outputs monitoring information indicative of amplitude of the analog electric signal;
a digital signal processor that processes the digital signal and monitors a wavelength dispersion of the optical signal; and
a controller that identifies a reference amplitude of the analog electric signal, the reference amplitude corresponding to the monitored wavelength dispersion, and controls the amplitude of the analog electric signal based on the reference amplitude and the monitoring information.

8. The optical receiver according to claim 7, wherein the controller controls the amplitude of the analog electric signal to become smaller, as the wavelength dispersion of the optical signal is increased.

9. The optical receiver according to claim 7, wherein
the photo detector includes an amplifier that amplifies the analog electric signal input to the analog digital converter, and
the controller estimates a wavelength dispersion value of the optical signal and determines, on the basis of the estimated wavelength dispersion value, a reference value for controlling a gain of the amplifier.

10. The optical receiver according to claim 7, wherein the controller:
compares the reference amplitude and the monitoring information; and
controls the amplitude of the analog electric signal based on a result of the comparison.

11. The optical receiver according to claim 7, wherein a minimum value of the reference amplitude corresponds to a maximum value of the wavelength dispersion.

12. The optical receiver according to claim 11, wherein the minimum value of the reference amplitude is set as an initial value of the reference amplitude.

13. A method for controlling an optical receiver, wherein the optical receiver is configured to convert an optical signal into an analog electric signal, convert the analog electric signal into a digital signal, process the digital signal and monitor a wavelength dispersion of the optical signal, and output monitoring information indicative of amplitude of the analog electric signal, the control method comprising:
identifying a reference amplitude of the analog electric signal, the reference amplitude corresponding to the monitored wavelength dispersion, and
controlling the amplitude of the analog electric signal based on the reference amplitude and the monitoring information.

14. The optical receiver control method according to claim 13, wherein the controlling includes controlling the amplitude of the analog electric signal to become smaller, as the wavelength dispersion of the optical signal is increased.

15. The optical receiver control method according to claim 13, wherein
the optical receiver includes an amplifier that amplifies the analog electric signal input to an analog digital converter, and
the controlling includes estimating a wavelength dispersion value of the optical signal and determining, on the basis of the estimated wavelength dispersion value, a reference value for controlling a gain of the amplifier.

16. The optical receiver control method according to claim 13, wherein the controlling includes:
comparing the reference amplitude and the monitoring information; and
controlling the amplitude of the analog electric signal based on a result of the comparison.

17. The optical receiver control method according to claim 13, wherein a minimum value of the reference amplitude corresponds to a maximum value of the wavelength dispersion.

18. The optical receiver control method according to claim 17, wherein the minimum value of the reference amplitude is set as an initial value of the reference amplitude.


[System] You are an expert US patent attorney. Draft a set of independent and dependent claims based on the provided invention description. Use correct USPTO formatting.

[User]
Title: Tube Fitting Assembly

Technical Field and Background:
This invention relates generally to the sealing of fittings about tubes and, more particularly, though not exclusively, to the sealing of tubing using a single tube gripping member, such as a ferrule. Tube fittings are used to join or connect a tube end to another member, whether that other member be another tube end or a device in fluid communication with the tube end. Generally, tube fittings are designed to withstand operational conditions of the environment where the tube is located, such as pressure, vacuum, pull-out pressure, temperature, pulsation and/or vibration. Ideally, a tube fitting grips the tube end so as to prevent loss of seal between the tube and another member. A good tube fitting maintains a leak-free connection between the tube and another member. Some tube fittings are designed to be used with plastic tubes, while others—with metal tubing, such as stainless steel pipes/tubes. While the design criteria for these applications may differ, the basic concepts of this invention may be applicable to both. Typically, stainless steel and other metal tubing is used for high pressure applications in which the tubing wall thickness is substantial. Such heavy wall tubing is difficult to grip because it is not only hard but it is also resistive to deformation. Such physical characteristics make it more difficult to deform the tubing plastically so as to achieve a desired tube grip. Tube fittings usually include an assembly of a tube gripping device, which can be a single or double ferrule, and a pull-up member for causing the tube gripping device to be installed on a tube end so as to grip the tube end and create a leak-free seal. The pull-up member can be a threaded nut that is tightly engaged with the body of a member, to which the tubing is connected. The pull up mechanism most commonly used is a threaded connection of a female threaded nut and a male threaded body component, both of which act upon the ferrule as the nut and the body are threaded together. In such arrangement, the front end of the ferrule is sandwiched between the tube and the body to form a sealing member. Conventional single ferrule fittings are inserted into a space between an outer surface of the tubing and an inner surface of the body. The body is formed with a frustoconical camming surface, which a front end of the ferrule contacts. In many known fitting assemblies, the resulting seal is less than adequate, requiring one or more elastomeric seals to prevent leakage of the liquid or gas. The present invention contemplates elimination of drawbacks associated with convention tube fitting and provision of a single ferrule seal assembly that effectively seals the interface between the end of the tubing and a body.

Invention Disclosure:
A tube fitting for sealing an end of a tube uses a notch formed in the exterior surface of the tube as a sealing seat. An internally threaded body is configured to receive an externally threaded end of a nut, while the body and the nut are mounted in a surrounding relationship to the tube end. A ferrule mounted between the nut and the tube is forced to plastically deform and move into the notch to thereby seal the tube end.

[Assistant]
1. A tube fitting assembly comprising:
a cylindrical tube having a longitudinal wall, an exterior surface, a longitudinal axis, and a tube end;
a circumferential notch formed in the exterior surface of the longitudinal wall at a distance from the tube end;
a first tube fitting member having an inner bore and an internally threaded end, said first tube fitting member being configured to receive the tube within the inner bore;
a second tube fitting member having a central aperture extending through a length thereof, said second fitting member comprising an externally threaded end; and
a deformable tube gripping member mounted for sliding movement along said exterior surface of the tube between the tube and the second tube fitting member, said tube gripping member having a front end configured to fit into the notch, while plastically deforming, when the second tube fitting member is pulled up, and seal the tube end.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the tube gripping member is a single ring-shaped ferrule.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the internally threaded end of the first tube fitting member is configured to threadably engage with the externally threaded end of the second tube fitting member.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said tube gripping member has plasticity and resiliency sufficient to deform and partially fit into the notch when the first tube fitting member is tightened against the second tube fitting member.

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the second tube fitting member is provided with a drive shoulder configured to engage a back end of the tube gripping member.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the threaded end of the first tube fitting member is configured to receive the threaded end of the second tube fitting member when the second fitting member is pulled up.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the tube, the first tube fitting member, the first tube fitting member, and the tube gripping member are formed of metal or metal alloy.

8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the tube gripping member comprises a tapered front end configured to fit into the notch.

9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the second tube fitting member is a nut.

10. A tube fitting assembly comprising:
a cylindrical tube having an exterior longitudinal wall, a longitudinal axis, and a tube end;
a circumferential notch formed in the exterior longitudinal wall at a distance from the tube end;
a first tube fitting member having an inner bore and an internally threaded end, said first tube fitting member being configured to receive the tube within the inner bore;
a second tube fitting member having a central aperture extending through a length thereof, said second fitting member comprising an externally threaded end; and
a deformable tube gripping member mounted for sliding movement along said exterior surface of the tube between the tube and the second tube fitting member, said tube gripping member having a front end configured to fit into the notch, while plastically deforming, when the second tube fitting member is pulled up, and seal the tube end.


[System] You are an expert US patent attorney. Draft a set of independent and dependent claims based on the provided invention description. Use correct USPTO formatting.

[User]
Title: Hydrostatic Assembly

Technical Field and Background:
The present invention relates generally to a hydrostatic assembly. Hydrostatic modules or assemblies are hydraulic devices used in hydrostatic and power splitting transmissions to effect ratio changes between the transmission input and output. Such assemblies typically comprise two hydraulic piston drive units and may be of a bent axis or an axial piston drive design. The two drive units are in fluid communication with each other. One of the hydraulic piston drive units typically functions as a pump and the other typically functions as a motor. Depending on the transmission design, the role of the pump and motor may be permanently or alternately assigned depending on the transmission mode. The speed and torque ratios between the input and output shafts of the module are determined by the displacement ratio between the two hydraulic piston drive units. By making at least one of the drive units a variable displacement type, the speed and torque ratio of the module may be varied. The amount of power and torque to be transferred through the module will determine the size of the components. Generally, greater torque requires larger displacement drive units. With larger displacement drive units the allowable or permitted operating speed may be reduced as the mass of the rotating components is increased due to the increased size of the drive units. In a transmission where the drive units are permanently assigned as each of a pump and motor, a large motor and a small pump are typically used. However, if different size drive units are used, different rotating components for the pump and motor may be required. U.S. 2010/0212309 describes a dual hydrostatic assembly with a common shaft driving the two pumps where the two pumps are arranged opposite one another and the input shafts rotate about the same axis. Similarly, the two motors have a common shaft where the two motors are arranged opposite one another and the out shafts rotate about the same axis. Each of the pumps and motors are arranged in separate rotatable yokes. DE1064311 discloses a hydraulic module with two bent axis piston drive units, one functioning as pump and the other functioning as motor, where the pump and motor cylinder blocks rotate within a common yoke. However, the cylinder blocks are set at different angles and the angle between respective cylinder blocks and shafts of each bent axis piston drive unit is altered using the common yoke assembly. Despite advances in the art, there remains a continuing need for durable hydrostatic assemblies that can produce greater displacements and transfer greater power and torque, while remaining compact in size, smooth in operation, and simple in design. The present invention addresses this need and provides other advantages as discussed in more detail below.

Invention Disclosure:
A hydrostatic assembly employing a 1st hydraulic piston drive unit is described in which the output is increased without using additional servo assemblies by incorporating a 2nd hydraulic piston drive unit, coupling the drive shafts of both drive units together, and employing a common means to simultaneously adjust displacement of both the 1st and 2nd hydraulic piston drive units. In such embodiments, coupling the drive shafts together such that the 1st hydraulic piston drive unit is rotationally offset with respect to the 2nd hydraulic piston drive allows for a reduction in the amplitude of pressure pulsations associated with the hydrostatic assembly output, thereby smoothing out operation and improving durability.

[Assistant]
1. A hydrostatic assembly comprising:
a housing;
a pivot axis;
1 st and 2 nd hydraulic piston drive units, each drive unit comprising:
a cylinder block with ports,
pistons within the cylinders in the cylinder block, and
a drive shaft mounted to the housing, wherein the drive shafts of 1 st and 2 nd hydraulic piston drive units are coupled together;
common means for simultaneously adjusting displacement of the 1 st and 2 nd hydraulic piston drive units, the common means mounted on the pivot axis and capable of rotation;
a 3 rd hydraulic piston drive unit comprising:
a cylinder block with ports,
pistons within the cylinders in the cylinder block, and
a drive shaft mounted to the housing;
2 nd means for adjusting displacement of the 3 rd hydraulic piston drive unit, the 2 nd means mounted on the pivot axis and capable of rotation independently of the common means;
at least one fluid passage fluidly connecting the ports of the cylinder blocks in the 1 st and 2 nd hydraulic drive units to the ports of the cylinder block in the 3 rd hydraulic drive unit.

2. The hydrostatic assembly of claim 1 wherein:
the pivot axis is a yoke pivot axis and the housing comprises the yoke pivot axis;
the common means for adjusting displacement is a common yoke comprising at least one fluid passage therein;
the cylinder blocks and ports of the 1 st and 2 nd hydraulic drive units are mounted to the common yoke;
the 2 nd means for adjusting displacement is a 2 nd yoke mounted on the yoke pivot axis adjacent the common yoke, and the 2 nd yoke comprises at least one fluid passage therein;
the cylinder block and ports of the 3 rd hydraulic drive unit are mounted to the 2 nd yoke; and
the at least one fluid passage connects the ports of the cylinder blocks in the 1 st and 2 nd hydraulic drive units to a hydraulic rotary joint located between the common yoke and the 2 nd yoke, and further the at least one fluid passage fluidly connects the hydraulic rotary joint to the ports of the cylinder block in the 3 rd hydraulic drive unit.

3. The hydrostatic assembly of claim 2 wherein the 1 st, 2 nd, and 3 rd hydraulic piston drive units are bent axis piston drive units.

4. The hydrostatic assembly of claim 3 wherein the 1 st, 2 nd, and 3 rd bent axis piston drive units are essentially the same.

5. The hydrostatic assembly of claim 1 wherein:
the pivot axis is a swashplate pivot axis;
the common means for adjusting displacement is a common swashplate;
the cylinder blocks and ports of the 1 st and 2 nd hydraulic drive units are mounted to the housing;
the 2 nd means for adjusting displacement is a 2 nd swashplate mounted on the swashplate pivot axis adjacent the common swashplate;
the cylinder block and ports of the 3 rd hydraulic drive unit are mounted to the housing;
the housing comprises the least one fluid passage connecting the ports of the cylinder blocks in the 1 st and 2 nd hydraulic drive units to the ports of the cylinder block in the 3 rd hydraulic drive unit.

6. The hydrostatic assembly of claim 5 wherein the 1 st, 2 nd and 3 rd hydraulic piston drive units are axial piston drive units.

7. The hydrostatic assembly of claim 6 wherein the 1 st, 2 nd, and 3 rd axial piston drive units are essentially the same.

8. The hydrostatic assembly of claim 1 wherein the drive shafts of the 1 st and 2 nd hydraulic piston drive units are essentially parallel.

9. The hydrostatic assembly of claim 8 wherein the cylinder blocks of the 1 st and 2 nd hydraulic piston drive units are coupled together at the same angle with respect to their drive shafts.

10. The hydrostatic assembly of claim 8 wherein the drive shaft of the 3 rd hydraulic piston drive unit is essentially parallel to the drive shafts of the 1 st and 2 nd hydraulic piston drive units.

11. The hydrostatic assembly of claim 1 wherein the 1 st and 2 nd hydraulic piston drive units act as a motor and the 3 rd hydraulic piston drive unit acts as a pump.

12. The hydrostatic assembly of claim 1 wherein the drive shafts of the 1 st and 2 nd hydraulic piston drive units are coupled to drive at the same speed.

13. The hydrostatic assembly of claim 12 wherein the drive shafts are coupled such that the 1 st hydraulic piston drive unit is rotationally offset with respect to the 2 nd hydraulic piston drive unit.

14. The hydrostatic assembly of claim 13 wherein the drive shafts are coupled such that the 1 st hydraulic piston drive unit is rotationally offset at half the angle between two rotationally adjacent cylinders.

15. The hydrostatic assembly of claim 12 wherein the 1 st and 2 nd hydraulic piston drive units each comprise a plurality of ports and pistons.

16. The hydrostatic assembly of claim 14 wherein the 1 st and 2 nd hydraulic piston drive units each comprise nine pistons and the 1 st hydraulic piston drive unit is rotationally offset 20 degrees between two rotationally adjacent cylinders.

17. The hydrostatic assembly of claim 12 wherein the drive shafts of the 1 st and 2 nd hydraulic piston drive units are coupled using sprockets and a chain or using engaged gears.

18. The hydrostatic assembly of claim 1 comprising a 4 th fourth hydraulic piston drive unit comprising a cylinder block with ports, pistons within the cylinders in the cylinder block, and a drive shaft mounted to the housing, wherein the drive shafts of 3 rd and 4 th hydraulic piston drive units are coupled together.

19. A controllable hydrostatic assembly comprising the assembly of claim 1, a single servo assembly to control the angle of the displacement adjusting common means on the pivot axis, and a single servo assembly to control the angle of the 2 nd displacement adjusting means on the pivot axis.

20. A method of increasing an output associated with a 1 st hydraulic piston drive unit in a hydrostatic assembly without using additional servo assemblies, the hydrostatic assembly comprising:
a housing;
a pivot axis;
the 1 st hydraulic piston drive unit comprising:
a cylinder block with ports,
pistons within the cylinders in the cylinder block, and
a drive shaft mounted to the housing;
common means for adjusting displacement of the 1 st hydraulic piston drive unit, the common means mounted on the pivot axis and capable of rotation;
a 3 rd hydraulic piston drive unit comprising:
a cylinder block with ports,
pistons within the cylinders in the cylinder block, and
a drive shaft mounted to the housing;
2 nd means for adjusting displacement of the 3 rd hydraulic piston drive unit, the 2 nd means mounted on the pivot axis and capable of rotation independently of the common means;
at least one fluid passage connecting the ports of the cylinder block in the 1 st hydraulic drive unit to the ports of the cylinder block in the 3 rd hydraulic drive unit,
the method comprising:
providing a 2 nd hydraulic piston drive unit comprising:
a cylinder block with ports,
pistons within the cylinders in the cylinder block, and
a drive shaft mounted to the housing;
coupling the drive shaft of the 2 nd hydraulic piston drive unit to the drive shaft of the 1 st hydraulic piston drive unit; and
employing the common means to simultaneously adjust displacement of the 1 st and 2 nd hydraulic piston drive units.

21. A method of reducing the amplitude of pressure pulsations associated with increasing the output from a 1 st hydraulic piston drive unit in a hydrostatic assembly comprising:
increasing the output from the 1 st hydraulic drive unit according to the method of claim 19; and
coupling the drive shafts of the 1 st and 2 nd hydraulic piston drive units such that the 1 st hydraulic piston drive unit is rotationally offset with respect to the 2 nd hydraulic piston drive.


[System] You are an expert US patent attorney. Draft a set of independent and dependent claims based on the provided invention description. Use correct USPTO formatting.

[User]
Title: Driving Apparatus For High-Load Linear Actuator

Technical Field and Background:
As the economic development of our society advances and people eat high-nutrition high-calorie foods more often, our average body weight increases constantly, so that medical apparatus or electric chair related manufacturers keep designing and introducing improved linear actuators for the aforementioned equipments to meet market requirements. The conventional linear actuator mainly uses driving components such as a motor together with a worm shaft and a worm wheel to drive and rotate a lead screw, while driving a telescopic pipe screwed with the lead screw and extending or retracting the telescopic pipe linearly. The foregoing components are combined to constitute a linear actuator. Since the conventional linear actuator can be used for a low-load medical apparatus, it cannot satisfy incremental product requirements of a high-load linear actuator if safe load and lifespan are taken into consideration. Furthermore, a linear actuator applied to a high-load equipment has a telescopic pipe moving at a speed which will affect the comfort and safety of users. Therefore, the conventional linear actuator requires improvements. In view of the aforementioned shortcomings of the prior art, the inventor of the present invention based on years of experience in the related industry to conduct extensive researches and experiments, and finally developed a feasible solution in accordance with the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art.

Invention Disclosure:
A high-load linear actuator includes a driving mechanism, a worm shaft, a worm wheel assembly, a lead screw, a telescopic pipe and an outer pipe. The driving mechanism includes a base and a motor. The base has a supporting portion and an accommodating portion. The motor is fixed to the supporting portion. The worm shaft extends from the motor into the supporting portion. The worm wheel assembly includes a worm wheel and two bearings for supporting the worm wheel in the accommodating portion. The worm wheel is engaged with the worm shaft. The lead screw is disposed through the worm wheel and driven by the motor for rotation. The telescopic pipe slips on the lead screw to be threadedly connected therewith. The outer pipe slips on the telescopic pipe. The rotation of the lead screw drives the telescopic pipe to linearly extend or retract relative to the outer pipe.

[Assistant]
1. A driving apparatus for a high-load linear actuator, comprising:
a driving mechanism, having a base and a motor rotated clockwise and counterclockwise, and the base having a supporting portion and an accommodating portion, and the supporting portion having a seat and a hollow cylinder formed and extended from the seat, and the accommodating portion having a ring body coupled to the hollow cylinder, and the motor being mounted onto the seat, wherein the accommodating portion further includes a cover plate covering the ring body at an open side of the ring body, a rear step is formed on a surface of the ring body at an internal side opposite to the open side, and a front step is formed on a side of the cover plate and at a position corresponding to the rear step;
a worm shaft, protruding from the motor and passed into the hollow cylinder;
a worm wheel assembly, having a worm wheel and two bearings for jointly supporting the worm wheel installed inside the ring body, wherein the worm wheel has a circular tooth flank engaged and transmitted with the worm shaft, a hollow axle is coupled to the circular tooth flank and one end of the hollow axle protrudes out of the cover plate after the cover plate covers the ring body, a front containing groove and a rear containing groove are formed in the circular tooth flank to surround the hollow axle at two opposite sides of the circular tooth flank respectively, the circular tooth flank has a plurality of external gear teeth to surround the front containing groove and the rear containing groove, the two bearings are embedded in the front and the rear containing grooves and sheathed on opposite ends of the hollow axle respectively, one of the two bearings is installed and contained in between the front containing groove and the front step, and the other of the two bearings is installed and contained in between the rear containing groove and the rear step;
a lead screw, an end of the lead screw penetrating through the hollow axle, another end of the lead screw screwing into a telescopic pipe, the telescopic pipe including a pipe body and a nut fixed to a distal portion of the pipe body, a plurality of embedding lumps protruded from an external periphery of the nut;
an outer pipe sheathed onto an exterior of the pipe body and including a plurality of trenches formed in the interior surface thereof, wherein the plurality of embedding lumps are embedded into the plurality of trenches to limit the rotation of the telescopic pipe; and
a retardation transmission mechanism comprising a connector, a gripper ring, a driven bushing, a plurality of rolling needles, an intermediate ring and a torque spring, and the connector being partially inserted into the hollow axle and coupled to the worm wheel, and the gripper ring is sheathed and coupled to the connector for linking the worm wheel and the connector synchronously, and the driven bushing being passed and coupled into the gripper ring, and the rolling needles being passed and coupled between the driven bushing and the intermediate ring, and the torque spring being provided for binding the external periphery of the intermediate ring by an elastic force.

2. The driving apparatus for a high-load linear actuator of claim 1, wherein the ring body and the hollow cylinder are integrally formed.

3. The driving apparatus for a high-load linear actuator of claim 1, wherein the hollow axle of the worm wheel includes a plurality of internal ribs, and the connector includes a plurality of external ribs latched with the internal ribs respectively, and the gripper ring also includes a plurality of ratcheted grooves for latching the external ribs respectively.

4. The driving apparatus for a high-load linear actuator of claim 1, wherein the gripper ring includes a plurality of gripper arms and a separating slot formed between any two adjacent gripper arms, and the driven bushing includes a plurality of protruding stripes extended from the external periphery of the driven bushing and a ditch formed between any two adjacent protruding stripes, and the rolling needles are contained in a space enclosed by the separating slot and the ditch, and the rolling needles are installed and enclosed by the intermediate ring.

5. The driving apparatus for a high-load linear actuator of claim 1, further comprising a housing covered onto the exterior of the driving mechanism.


[System] You are an expert US patent attorney. Draft a set of independent and dependent claims based on the provided invention description. Use correct USPTO formatting.

[User]
Title: Thin Film Transistor Array Panel And Method Of Manufacturing The Same

Technical Field and Background:
(a) Field The present application relates to a thin film transistor array panel and a manufacturing method thereof. (b) Description of the Related Art Displays such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, an electrophoretic display, a plasma display, and the like include multiple pairs of electric field generating electrodes and an electro-optical active layer interposed therebetween. The liquid crystal display includes a liquid crystal layer as the electro-optical active layer, and the organic light emitting display includes an organic light emitting layer as the electro-optical active layer. Either one of a pair of electric field generating electrodes is generally connected to a switching element to receive an electrical signal, and the electro-optical active layer converts the electrical signal into an optical signal to display an image. The flat panel display may include a display panel having a thin film transistor. The thin film transistor array panel is patterned with multiple electrodes and semiconductors, and masks are generally used in the patterning process. The semiconductor is an important factor in determining the characteristics of the thin film transistor. The semiconductor is generally made of amorphous silicon, however the charge mobility thereof is low such that there is a limit in manufacturing a high performance thin film transistor. Further, when using polysilicon, the charge mobility is high such that manufacturing of the high performance thin film transistor is easy, however the cost is high and uniformity is low such that there is a limit in manufacturing a large-sized thin film transistor array panel. Accordingly, a thin film transistor using an oxide semiconductor having high charge mobility and a high ON/OFF ratio of current compared with amorphous silicon and having a low cost and high uniformity compared with polysilicon has been researched. A plasma pre-treatment is performed to stabilize a channel layer containing an oxide semiconductor. In this case, the channel layer is contaminated by reacting with a wiring material exposed to a surface thereof, thereby deteriorating a thin film transistor characteristic. The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Invention Disclosure:
An exemplary embodiment provides a thin film transistor array panel including: a substrate; a gate line; a semiconductor layer; a data wire layer; a first passivation layer; and a second passivation layer. The gate line is disposed on the substrate and includes a gate electrode. The semiconductor layer is disposed on the substrate. The data wire layer is configured to include a data line disposed on the substrate to cross the gate line, a source electrode connected to the data line, and a drain electrode disposed to face the source electrode. The first passivation layer is disposed on a channel region between the source electrode and the drain electrode. The second passivation layer is disposed on the first passivation layer, the source electrode, and the drain electrode. A width of the first passivation layer disposed on the channel region is equal to or smaller than a distance between the source electrode and the drain electrode.

[Assistant]
1. A manufacturing method of a thin film transistor array panel, the method comprising:
forming a gate line including a gate electrode on a substrate;
forming a gate insulating layer on the gate line;
forming a semiconductor material layer and a data wire material layer on the gate insulating layer;
forming a first photosensitive film pattern on the data wire material layer, the first photosensitive film pattern including a first region and a second region having a thickness which is thicker than that of the first region;
etching the data wire material layer and the semiconductor material layer by using the first photosensitive film pattern as a mask;
forming a second photosensitive film pattern by etching back the first photosensitive film pattern;
forming a data wire layer including a source electrode, a drain electrode, and a data line on the semiconductor material layer by using the second photosensitive film pattern as a mask;
forming a first passivation layer on the second photosensitive film pattern and a channel region between the source electrode and the drain electrode; and
removing the first passivation layer disposed on the second photosensitive film pattern by lifting off the second photosensitive film pattern.

2. The manufacturing method of claim 1, wherein the data wire layer is internally recessed in a horizontal direction from a lower end of the second photosensitive film pattern.

3. The manufacturing method of claim 2, further comprising
performing a plasma pre-treatment including oxygen, before the forming of the first passivation layer.

4. The manufacturing method of claim 3, wherein the performing of the plasma pre-treatment including oxygen is performed in a state in which the second photosensitive film pattern covers the data wire layer.

5. The manufacturing method of claim 4, wherein, in the forming of the first passivation layer, the first passivation layer is formed in a remaining portion other than a portion at which the channel region and the data wire layer are disposed.

6. The manufacturing method of claim 5, further comprising
forming a second passivation layer on the first passivation layer, the source electrode, and the drain electrode, after lifting off the second photosensitive film pattern.

7. The manufacturing method of claim 6, further comprising
forming a pixel electrode on the second passivation layer,
wherein a contact hole is formed in the second passivation layer, and the pixel electrode and the drain electrode are electrically connected to each other through the contact hole.

8. The manufacturing method of claim 4, wherein the data wire layer is formed to include a main wiring layer containing copper, and the main wiring layer is formed to come into contact with the second passivation layer.

9. The manufacturing method of claim 8, wherein the semiconductor material layer is formed of an oxide semiconductor, and the first passivation layer is made of an insulating material including an oxide.

10. The manufacturing method of claim 8, wherein the semiconductor material layer includes an amorphous semiconductor, and the first passivation layer is made of an insulating material including an oxide or an insulating material including a nitride.


[System] You are an expert US patent attorney. Draft a set of independent and dependent claims based on the provided invention description. Use correct USPTO formatting.

[User]
Title: Radiation Detector

Technical Field and Background:
In the related art, it has been known a radiation detector including: a scintillator including a first end surface and a second end surface opposite to in a predetermined direction; a first photodetector that detects light emitted from the first end surface of the scintillator; a second photodetector that detects light emitted from the second surface of the scintillator; and a position specifying unit that specifies a radiation incident position on which a radiation has been incident in the scintillator, based on each result detected by the first and second photodetectors (for example, referred to WO 2012/105292 and WO 2012/093526).

Invention Disclosure:
A radiation detector includes: a first scintillator including a first end surface and a second end surface; a second scintillator including a first end surface and a second end surface; a first photodetector detects light emitted from the first end surface of each of the first and second scintillators; a second photodetector c detects light emitted from the second end surface of each of the first and second scintillators; and a position specifying unit configured to specify each radiation incident position on which each radiation has been incident in each of the first and second scintillators, wherein an area of the first end surface of the first scintillator is smaller than an area of the second end surface of the first scintillator, and an area of the first end surface of the second scintillator is larger than an area of the second end surface of the second scintillator.

[Assistant]
1. A radiation detector comprising:
a first scintillator including a first end surface positioned on a side of a first end in a predetermined direction, and a second end surface opposite to the first end surface and positioned on a side of a second end in the predetermined direction;
a second scintillator disposed in parallel to the first scintillator in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction, and including a first end surface positioned on a side of a first end in the predetermined direction and a second end surface opposite to the first end surface and positioned on a side of a second end in the predetermined direction;
a first photodetector configured to detect light emitted from the first end surface of each of the first and second scintillators;
a second photodetector configured to detect light emitted from the second end surface of each of the first and second scintillators;
a position specifying unit configured to specify each radiation incident position on which each radiation has been incident in each of the first and second scintillators based on each result detected by the first and second photodetectors,
wherein an area of the first end surface of the first scintillator is smaller than an area of the second end surface of the first scintillator, and
an area of the first end surface of the second scintillator is larger than an area of the second end surface of the second scintillator; and
a third scintillator disposed in parallel between the first and second scintillators, and including a first end surface positioned on a side of a first end in the predetermined direction, and a second end surface opposite to the first end surface and positioned on a side of a second end in the predetermined direction,
wherein the first photodetector further detects light emitted from the first end surface of the third scintillator,
the second photodetector further detects light emitted from the second surface of the third scintillator,
the position specifying unit specifies each radiation incident position on which each radiation has been incident in the first, second, and third scintillators based on each result detected by the first and second photodetectors,
an area of the first end surface of the third scintillator is larger than the area of the first end surface of the first scintillator and is smaller than the area of the first end surface of the second scintillator, and
an area of the second end surface of the third scintillator is smaller than the area of the second end surface of the first scintillator and is larger than the area of the second end surface of the second scintillator.

2. The radiation detector according to claim 1,
wherein at least one of the first and second scintillators includes a side surface including an inclined surface inclining to a plane parallel to the predetermined direction.

3. The radiation detector according to claim 2,
wherein in a case where a sum of a first light quantity of the amount of the light incident on the first photodetector and a second light quantity of the amount of the light incident on the second photodetector is defined as a reference value, a distribution ratio regarding a ratio between the first light quantity and the second light quantity mutually differs between when an emission occurs at a first end portion on the side of the first end in the predetermined direction in the first scintillator and when an emission occurs at a second end portion on the side of the second end in the predetermined direction in the first scintillator,
the distribution ratio regarding the ratio between the first light quantity and the second light quantity mutually differs between when an emission occurs at a first end portion on the side of the first end in the predetermined direction in the second scintillator and when an emission occurs at a second end portion on the side of the second end in the predetermined direction in the second scintillator,
the distribution ratio regarding the ratio between the first light quantity and the second light quantity mutually differs between when an emission occurs at a first end portion on the side of the first end in the predetermined direction in the third scintillator and when an emission occurs at a second end portion on the side of the second end in the predetermined direction in the third scintillator,
in a case where the distribution ratio is defined as A:B when the emission occurs at the first end portion of the first scintillator, the distribution ratio is defined as C:D when the emission occurs at the second end portion of the second scintillator, the distribution ratio is defined as E:F when the emission occurs at the first end portion of the third scintillator, and the distribution ratio is defined as G:H when the emission occurs at the second end portion of the third scintillator, A<G<E<C and B>H>F>D are satisfied.

4. The radiation detector according to claim 1,
further comprising an optical reflector disposed between the first and second scintillators.

5. The radiation detector according to claim 4,
wherein in a case where a sum of a first light quantity of the amount of the light incident on the first photodetector and a second light quantity of the amount of the light incident on the second photodetector is defined as a reference value, a distribution ratio regarding a ratio between the first light quantity and the second light quantity mutually differs between when an emission occurs at a first end portion on the side of the first end in the predetermined direction in the first scintillator and when an emission occurs at a second end portion on the side of the second end in the predetermined direction in the first scintillator,
the distribution ratio regarding the ratio between the first light quantity and the second light quantity mutually differs between when an emission occurs at a first end portion on the side of the first end in the predetermined direction in the second scintillator and when an emission occurs at a second end portion on the side of the second end in the predetermined direction in the second scintillator,
the distribution ratio regarding the ratio between the first light quantity and the second light quantity mutually differs between when an emission occurs at a first end portion on the side of the first end in the predetermined direction in the third scintillator and when an emission occurs at a second end portion on the side of the second end in the predetermined direction in the third scintillator,
in a case where the distribution ratio is defined as A:B when the emission occurs at the first end portion of the first scintillator, the distribution ratio is defined as C:D when the emission occurs at the second end portion of the second scintillator, the distribution ratio is defined as E:F when the emission occurs at the first end portion of the third scintillator, and the distribution ratio is defined as G:H when the emission occurs at the second end portion of the third scintillator, A<G<E<C and B>H>F>D are satisfied.

6. The radiation detector according to claim 1,
wherein at least one of the first and second scintillators includes a side surface including an inclined surface inclining to a plane parallel to the predetermined direction, and
further comprising an optical reflector disposed between the first and second scintillators.

7. The radiation detector according to claim 6,
wherein in a case where a sum of a first light quantity of the amount of the light incident on the first photodetector and a second light quantity of the amount of the light incident on the second photodetector is defined as a reference value, a distribution ratio regarding a ratio between the first light quantity and the second light quantity mutually differs between when an emission occurs at a first end portion on the side of the first end in the predetermined direction in the first scintillator and when an emission occurs at a second end portion on the side of the second end in the predetermined direction in the first scintillator,
the distribution ratio regarding the ratio between the first light quantity and the second light quantity mutually differs between when an emission occurs at a first end portion on the side of the first end in the predetermined direction in the second scintillator and when an emission occurs at a second end portion on the side of the second end in the predetermined direction in the second scintillator,
the distribution ratio regarding the ratio between the first light quantity and the second light quantity mutually differs between when an emission occurs at a first end portion on the side of the first end in the predetermined direction in the third scintillator and when an emission occurs at a second end portion on the side of the second end in the predetermined direction in the third scintillator,
in a case where the distribution ratio is defined as A:B when the emission occurs at the first end portion of the first scintillator, the distribution ratio is defined as C:D when the emission occurs at the second end portion of the second scintillator, the distribution ratio is defined as E:F when the emission occurs at the first end portion of the third scintillator, and the distribution ratio is defined as G:H when the emission occurs at the second end portion of the third scintillator, A<G<E<C and B>H>F>D are satisfied.

8. The radiation detector according to claim 1,
wherein in a case where a sum of a first light quantity of the amount of the light incident on the first photodetector and a second light quantity of the amount of the light incident on the second photodetector is defined as a reference value, a distribution ratio regarding a ratio between the first light quantity and the second light quantity mutually differs between when an emission occurs at a first end portion on the side of the first end in the predetermined direction in the first scintillator and when an emission occurs at a second end portion on the side of the second end in the predetermined direction in the first scintillator,
the distribution ratio regarding the ratio between the first light quantity and the second light quantity mutually differs between when an emission occurs at a first end portion on the side of the first end in the predetermined direction in the second scintillator and when an emission occurs at a second end portion on the side of the second end in the predetermined direction in the second scintillator,
the distribution ratio regarding the ratio between the first light quantity and the second light quantity mutually differs between when an emission occurs at a first end portion on the side of the first end in the predetermined direction in the third scintillator and when an emission occurs at a second end portion on the side of the second end in the predetermined direction in the third scintillator,
in a case where the distribution ratio is defined as A:B when the emission occurs at the first end portion of the first scintillator, the distribution ratio is defined as C:D when the emission occurs at the second end portion of the second scintillator, the distribution ratio is defined as E:F when the emission occurs at the first end portion of the third scintillator, and the distribution ratio is defined as G:H when the emission occurs at the second end portion of the third scintillator, A<G<E<C and B>H>F>D are satisfied.


[System] You are an expert US patent attorney. Draft a set of independent and dependent claims based on the provided invention description. Use correct USPTO formatting.

[User]
Title: Panel With Connector And Secured Protective Cover

Technical Field and Background:
Electrical connectors are commonly secured to a housing, such as by securing to a panel of the housing. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 and particularly FIG. 3 , a housing panel 10 may have an opening through which the connector 12 extends, with the connector having a flange 14 (which can be a nut) abutting one side of the panel opening and a nut 16 secured to an outer thread 18 on the connector 12 and abutting the other side of the panel opening. During normal operation, the connector 12 would be connected to a mating connector terminal. However, during a typical life of such a connector 12 , the connector 12 will be periodically disconnected from the mating terminal, for example during service or when a change of design occurs. In order to protect the terminal portion of the connector 12 when it is disconnected and therefore exposed, a protective dust cap 20 has heretofore been placed over the exposed connector terminal end, with the cap 20 secured thereon by screwing its internal thread 22 onto the connector outer thread 18 . in order to ensure that such a protective cap 20 is available at all times when needed, in some instances the cap 20 has been secured to a lanyard 24 which is also secured to a ring 26 (see FIGS. 2 and 4 ) which is secured over the connector 12 , for example between the nut 16 and the front face of the flange 14 . Thus, cap 20 is secured in the location even when not being used (e.g., when the connector 12 is connected to the mating terminal) so that it can readily be secured over the connector terminal end when the connector 12 is disconnected, for example, during service. Such connectors 12 typically have just enough outer threads 18 to allow the ring 26 to be so mounted. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 4 , when the ring 26 is used, the portion of the outer thread 18 extending beyond the nut 16 of many connectors already in service is just enough to securely retain the cap 20 thereon. In many such installations, it is also necessary to ensure that the connector 12 will remain securely in place, without the nut 16 loosening. In order to ensure this, safety wires have been used. Such safety wires have been, for example, stainless steel wires which are on one end secured to the nut 16 and on the other end are secured to some structure to prevent rotation of the nut 16 . For example, the stainless steel wire is typically threaded through a hole in the nut 26 on its one end, and then looped and twisted around itself to close a loop. The wire other end has been secured to the panel or structure attached to the panel, or even threaded through the panel opening and secured to the flange or nut on the other side of the panel 10 . Installation of such safety wires is difficult and time consuming. For example, after it is installed, a second installer must inspect the installation to ensure, for example, that the wire is properly installed, including the proper number of twists per inch, installed in the proper direction (opposite of thread direction), and has no nicks on the wire which could cause breakage. Further, the ends of the wire are also supposed to be cut and twisted toward the panel, which can be difficult if not impossible in crowded blind areas which are difficult to access. Moreover, such cuts and twists put stress on the wire which can result in breakage, Still further, even when properly installed the wire cuts result in very sharp points on which the installer can cut himself and leave blood in the area, can snag on protective clothing and endanger workers requiring such clothing, cause mechanical problems such as jamming, and/or cause electrical shorting. As a result of such problems, most military applications will no longer allow such safety wires. The present improvement is intended to overcome such problems.

Invention Disclosure:
A connector secured to a panel and connectable to a circuit terminal. The connector extends through a panel opening with a flange abutting the panel rear and a front portion with a connecting terminal projecting from the panel front. A lock washer around the connector front portion includes a planar washer body and integral lock tabs radially outward of its central aperture. A securing tab extends radially from the washer body and is bent away from the panel front face. A nut is secured to the connector outer thread over the lock washer. A protective cover is selectively securable over the connector front portion by threading on the connector outer thread, and a lanyard secures the protective cover to the lock washer securing tab.

[Assistant]
1. A connector secured to a panel and connectable to a circuit terminal, comprising:
a panel having a front face and a rear face, said panel having an opening therethrough;
a connector extending through said panel opening with a flange abutting the panel rear face and a front portion projecting from said panel front face, said connector front portion having
an outer thread, and
at least one connecting terminal exposed at a front end and adapted to connect to the circuit terminal;
a lock washer around said connector front portion adjacent said panel front face, said lock washer including
a planar washer body formed of a sheet of resilient metal with a central aperture and a selected thickness between top and bottom surfaces,
first and second lock tabs integral with said body radially outward of said central aperture, and
a securing tab extending radially from the washer body and bent from the plane of the body away from said panel front face;
a nut secured to said connector outer thread with said lock washer between said nut and said panel front face;
a protective cover selectively securable over said connector front portion by threading on said connector outer thread; and
a lanyard securing said protective cover to said lock washer securing tab.

2. The connector of claim 1, wherein said nut has a maximum outer radius R MAX and said securing tab is bent at a radius greater than R MAX.

3. The connector of claim 1, wherein said lock washer includes:
a radially inward facing, straight, free edge transverse to a radius of said body; and
a spring bend biasing said tab to a displaced position in which the tab is bent to one side of the plane of said body to provide a selected spring force adapted to allow the lock tabs to be pushed down to a coplanar position with the washer body.

4. The connector of claim 1, wherein said lock tabs and free edge are defined by notches.