121results about How to "Minimize size" patented technology

A method and device for the treatment of a patient with heart disease and particularly a heart chamber having a myocardial rupture or characteristics of an incipient myocardial rupture. The heart chamber is partitioned so as to isolate a non-productive portion having a rupture or a region of an incipient rupture from a productive portion. The heart chamber is preferably partitioned with a reinforced membrane which has a pressure receiving surface that defines part of the productive portion of the heart chamber. The peripheral base of the reinforced membrane may have an eccentric configuration.

A laser dazzler device and method. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention provide laser dazzling devices power by one or more green laser diodes characterized by a wavelength of about 500 nm to 540 nm. In various embodiments, laser dazzling devices according to the present invention include non-polar and / or semi-polar green laser diodes. In a specific embodiment, a single laser dazzling device includes a plurality of green laser diodes. There are other embodiments as well.

An apparatus and corresponding method of use extracts, cools, and transports effluents from subterranean, sub-sea oil formations to distant shore based processing facilities. The effluents, mostly crude oil, are conveyed rapidly to a cold flow generator near the oil wellhead on the sea bottom using the cold seawater to chill the effluents to a dispersed mixture including generated solids. The mixture is transported close to sea bottom temperatures, slowly, with small pressure drops, in low-cost submerged bare pipes over long distances to on or near shore processing facilities that can produce useful hydrocarbon products more cost effectively than at sea processing facilities. The apparatus eliminates or minimizes the need for heated or insulated pipe, the need for large floating processing structures, the need for sub-sea processing equipment, and / or the need for chemical additions to production flow.

The light directed from a light source to a concave mirror and the light directed from a display device to an eyepiece optical system are intersected by each other in a layout. This allows the light source, the concave mirror, and the display device to be arranged in compactness adjacent to the eyepiece optical system without increasing the optical power of an illumination optical system. As the result, the apparatus can easily be minimized in the thickness or the overall size. A hologram optical element is provided where the relationship between the wavelength range Δλ1 at half of the diffraction efficiency of each of the three primary colors of the light in the hologram optical element and the wavelength range Δλ2 at half of the intensity of each of the three primary colors of the light emitted from the light source is defined by Δλ1<Δλ2. Accordingly, a component at desired wavelengths of each of the R, G, and B colors of the light emitted from the light source can be diffracted by the action of the hologram optical element and then directed to the pupil of the viewer. This allows the image to be increased in the color reproduction area and improved in the quality regardless of the display device actuated in a time-division mode.

The present invention provides meta-materials with an actively controllable mechanical property. The meta-material includes a deformable structure and a set of activation elements. The activation elements are controllable between multiple states. The meta-material includes a first value for a mechanical property when one or more of the activation elements is in the first activation state and includes a second value for the mechanical property when the activation elements have been activated to the second activation state. In one aspect, the meta-material resembles a composite material where the connectivity between the component materials or shape and arrangement of the component materials is dynamically controllable so as to affect a mechanical property of the meta-material.

In dynamic voltage sag correctors and other power conversion equipment having a DC bus that is subject to over-voltage conditions due to power being fed back by a regenerative load, a bus discharge switching device and a discharge resistor are connected in series across the DC bus lines. The discharge switching devices are switched on to discharge the energy storage device connected to the bus, or to separately discharge the two capacitors of a split capacitor DC bus, to eliminate the over-voltage conditions. The discharge switching devices may be switched on and off periodically with a selected duty cycle to discharge energy from the energy storage capacitor or other energy storage device through the discharge resistor at a rate which does not exceed the power rating of the discharge resistor. The discharge switching device may be switched with a fixed duty cycle or with a variable duty cycle that is based on the dynamic power dissipation characteristics of the discharge resistor.

A hand held dispenser system with associated dispensed material supply assembly as in separate source chemical foam precursor feeding into, for example, streamlined chemical passageways preferably each comprised of, in series, a castellated swivel hose filter, a valve assembly housing, a wing extensions of a manifold, which manifold supports a high efficiency drive system and is supported by a handle that provides for a compact assembly and receives a rugged trigger assembly. The manifold design provides for elongated filter and, temperature controlled cartridge heater insertion. There is further provided in a preferred embodiment a readily releasable electric source feed line plug connection at the butt end of the dispenser. The dispenser is well suited for the dispensing of methane foam as in a product packaging setting.

The light directed from a light source to a concave mirror and the light directed from a display device to an eyepiece optical system are intersected by each other in a layout. This allows the light source, the concave mirror, and the display device to be arranged in compactness adjacent to the eyepiece optical system without increasing the optical power of an illumination optical system. As the result, the apparatus can easily be minimized in the thickness or the overall size. A hologram optical element is provided where the relationship between the wavelength range Δλ1 at half of the diffraction efficiency of each of the three primary colors of the light in the hologram optical element and the wavelength range Δλ2 at half of the intensity of each of the three primary colors of the light emitted from the light source is defined by Δλ1<Δλ2. Accordingly, a component at desired wavelengths of each of the R, G, and B colors of the light emitted from the light source can be diffracted by the action of the hologram optical element and then directed to the pupil of the viewer. This allows the image to be increased in the color reproduction area and improved in the quality regardless of the display device actuated in a time-division mode.

An apparatus and corresponding method of use extracts, cools, and transports effluents from subterranean, sub-sea oil formations to distant shore based processing facilities. The effluents, mostly crude oil, are conveyed rapidly to a cold flow generator near the oil wellhead on the sea bottom using the cold seawater to chill the effluents to a dispersed mixture including generated solids. The mixture is transported close to sea bottom temperatures, slowly, with small pressure drops, in low-cost submerged bare pipes over long distances to on or near shore processing facilities that can produce useful hydrocarbon products more cost effectively than at sea processing facilities. The apparatus eliminates or minimizes the need for heated or insulated pipe, the need for large floating processing structures, the need for sub-sea processing equipment, and / or the need for chemical additions to production flow.

A drip irrigation emitter includes a disc shaped body having a pressure reducing labyrinth between a water inlet area and an outlet hole, and a pressure regulating diaphragm changing flow through the outlet hole in response to water pressure fluctuations in the water conduit where the emitter is mounted. The water filtering inlet of the emitter is located entirely at the sides of the disc shaped body.

In dynamic voltage sag correctors and other power conversion equipment having a DC bus that is subject to over-voltage conditions due to power being fed back by a regenerative load, a bus discharge switching device and a discharge resistor are connected in series across the DC bus lines. The discharge switching devices are switched on to discharge the energy storage device connected to the bus, or to separately discharge the two capacitors of a split capacitor DC bus, to eliminate the over-voltage conditions. The discharge switching devices may be switched on and off periodically with a selected duty cycle to discharge energy from the energy storage capacitor or other energy storage device through the discharge resistor at a rate which does not exceed the power rating of the discharge resistor. The discharge switching device may be switched with a fixed duty cycle or with a variable duty cycle that is based on the dynamic power dissipation characteristics of the discharge resistor.

A plasma processing apparatus includes a worktable in a process chamber to horizontally place a target substrate thereon. A plasma generation space is defined above and around the worktable within the process chamber. The plasma generation space includes a peripheral plasma region and a main plasma region respectively located outside and inside an outer edge of the target substrate placed on the worktable. The apparatus further includes a magnetic field forming mechanism configured to form a magnetic field within the peripheral plasma region. The magnetic field includes magnetic force lines extending through the peripheral plasma region between a start position and an end position, at least one of which is located radially inside a sidewall of the process chamber.

Cephalad and caudal vertebral facet joint prostheses and methods of use are provided. The cephalad prostheses are adapted and configured to be attached to a lamina portion of a vertebra without blocking a pedicle portion of the cephalad vertebra.

A method and an apparatus for optimizing the combustion air system in a power boiler or chemical recovery boiler by improving fluid flow and gas mixing are disclosed, whereby one can increase boiler capacity and combustion uniformity and reduce particulate and gaseous emissions. The method involves interlacing of the secondary and, where applicable, the tertiary air supply through opposing air ports on all four walls of the boiler, and is implemented by alternately opening wide or partially closing a port damper on one side, while partially closing or opening wide a port damper on the opposite side, such that a 70-100% open damper on one side opposes a partially closed (10-40% open) damper on the other and vice versa in an alternating fashion, along opposing walls. In a preferred embodiment, the optimization is further enhanced by balancing primary air flow, achieved by adjusting port dampers and windbox pressures so that the primary air flow is evenly distributed between opposite walls, between all four walls of the boiler and between individual airports on each wall. Windbox pressure and other key measurements of boiler operation ensure proper balancing and an adequate interlacing of air flows at the primary, secondary and tertiary elevations, respectively.

Provided is a detergent supplying apparatus of a washing machine. The apparatus includes a drawer and drawer caps. The drawer has bleach supplying parts provided with bleach siphon tubes, and softener supplying parts provided with softener siphon tubes. The drawer caps are provided with bleach siphon caps covering the bleach siphon tubes together with softener siphon caps covering the softener siphon tubes.

This invention relates to methods and apparatus for performing microanalytic and microsynthetic analyses and procedures. The invention specifically provides devices and methods for performing miniaturized in vitro assays on biological samples, such as the polymerase chain reaction and Sanger sequencing reactions. Methods specific for the apparatus of the invention for performing PCR are provided.

A multi-level gas inflator for an air bag or other safety device, comprising an elongated pressure vessel having a primary gas generant portion with a first open end and a secondary portion with a second open end. The primary gas generant portion has a primary ignition device and primary gas generating energetics disposed therein. The primary ignition device is mounted on and closes the pressure vessel at the first open end thereof. The secondary portion may have a secondary ignition device and secondary gas generating energetics disposed therein. The secondary ignition device may be mounted on the pressure vessel at the second open end thereof. A suitable gas under a predetermined pressure is present in the primary and secondary portions. One or more separate dividers or divider walls are disposed within the midportion of the pressure vessel to separate the primary and secondary portions. The pressure vessel may have a primary exit orifice in the midportion thereof that is in communication with the primary gas generant portion, and a secondary exit orifice in the midportion thereof that is in communication with the secondary portion. A primary rupture disk is disposed over the primary exit orifice, and a secondary rupture disk is disposed over the secondary exit orifice. A diffuser may be mounted on and surround the pressure vessel midportion and the primary and secondary exit orifices. Each divider or divider wall may have a communication port therethrough.

Improved performance, particularly gain in SNR, in high-bandwidth OFDM receivers, software and systems is achieved by compensating channel estimates not only for carrier frequency offset and phase noise, but also for interference caused by sample phase jitter. At high bandwidths, e.g. using 256 QAM symbol constellation, significant SNR improvement is gained by determining and applying a corresponding compensation to each data sub-carrier channel, the compensation preferably including a term that increases linearly with the sub-carrier index.

A control apparatus for a vehicular drive system including a differential mechanism including an electric motor. The drive system includes a switching clutch and switching brake to switch the transmission mechanism between a continuously-variable shifting state and a step-variable shifting state. A shifting control mechanism changes a manner of controlling shifting action of the transmission mechanism during shifting action of an automatic transmission portion, for reducing a shifting shock, depending upon whether a differential portion is placed in the continuously-variable shifting state in which engine speed is variable due to differential function irrespective of rotating speed of power transmitting member, or the non-continuously-variable shifting state in which the engine speed is more difficult to be variable than in the continuously-variable shifting state.

A wire / wireless Internet phone terminal using a wideband voice codec is provided. The wire / wireless Internet phone terminal using a wideband voice codec includes: a multimedia application processor for including a process core to perform a protocol according to a wire and wireless interface communication scheme and supporting wideband voice service; an Ethernet processing unit for connecting the multimedia application processor to the Ethernet to perform an Ethernet physical-layer function of and transforming a power input from the Ethernet to supply a driving power to the multimedia application processor; a PSTN (public switched telephone network) processing unit for connected to the multimedia application processor and a PSTN to emulate a telephone function; and a wireless processing unit for connecting the multimedia application processor to an AP (access point) in a wireless manner. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a wideband service without a limitation to wire / wireless implementation.

Battery cells are embedded in a device to control thermal management of the device. One embodiment includes an embedded battery arrangement that improves thermal management of a portable computer, such as heat transfer and dissipation from heat generating components of the portable computer (including, for example, central processing unit chips or graphics processing unit chips). In one specific embodiment, a printed circuit board is mounted to a battery pack to cause improved radiation of heat from heat generating components of the portable computer to outside of the portable computer housing. In another embodiment, battery cells are distributed within the housing of a portable computer that improves thermal management.

An improved waveguide circulator that eliminates the need for quarter-wave dielectric transformers or impedance steps in the interface waveguide for broadband operation is described. The circulator designs in the prior art all require impedance matching elements outside of the ferrite element in order to achieve acceptable performance. Through the use of this new invention, broadband circulator performance can be achieved without the addition of impedance matching elements in order to minimize the cost, size, mass, and loss of the circulator.

A panoramic scene storage device comprises a convex reflector mounted within a housing. The housing has photochromic properties, such that it darkens when exposed to ultraviolet light. A capture device, preferably a CCD camera, is used to capture the 360 degree images from the convex reflector. The photochromic housing improves the performance of the capture system, especially in situations when bright sunlight is present in the captured scene.

A method for correcting a time delay between at least two signals in ultrasound systems is provided. The ultrasound system comprises a beamformer processor comprising a summer coupled to the transducer array and configured for performing a complex operation on a first plurality of receive signals to generate a beamsum signal; wherein each of the receive signals comprise a corresponding beamforming delay and a complex filter coupled to the summer and configured to transform the beamsum signal to an analytical signal. The beamformer processor further comprises a plurality of correlator processors coupled to at least one respective transducer element and the complex filter, each correlator processor configured to calculate a correlation sum for at least one receive signal and at least one time delay estimator adapted to receive the correlation sum of at least one receive signal and configured to estimate the corresponding time delay using the correlation sum.

Apparatus and a method are described for prospecting for water ice on heavenly bodies with the apparatus consisting of site preparation tools and a water ice detector unit. The apparatus is attached at the end of any robotic arm equipped lander or rover spacecraft; for instance, lander designs such as Mars Phoenix or rover designs such as Mars Spirit and Opportunity. Supported on an internal, moveable carriage, the apparatus is also incorporated into smaller, dedicated water ice detection rover spacecraft. The water ice detection unit inserts electrodes into or against a potential water ice deposit and confirms the presence of water ice by making combination impedance and thermal conductivity measurements.

A laser illumination or dazzler device and method. More specifically, examples of the present invention provide laser illumination or dazzling devices power by one or more violet, blue, or green laser diodes characterized by a wavelength from about 390 nm to about 550 nm. In some examples the laser illumination or dazzling devices include a laser pumped phosphor wherein a laser beam with a first wavelength excites a phosphor member to emit electromagnetic at a second wavelength. In various examples, laser illumination or dazzling devices according to the present invention include polar, non-polar, or semi-polar laser diodes. In a specific example, a single laser illumination or dazzling device includes a plurality of violet, blue, or green laser diodes. There are other examples as well.

A steerable antenna architecture, or configuration, for optimal steering of transmitting and / or receiving beam over wide scan angles, is capable of steering the beam on a full hemisphere (2 π steradians), with no singularity or key-hole within a coverage area and with only one RF rotary joint. The architecture includes a dual-reflector assembly defining an antenna focal point located close to a main reflector surface and a signal feed chain having a signal source located adjacent to the antenna focal point and defining a feed axis substantially pointing towards a sub-reflector intersection point. A first actuator rotates the feed chain and the dual-reflector assembly about a first rotation axis generally perpendicular to the feed axis and not intersecting with the coverage area. A second actuator rotates one of the main reflector and the dual-reflector assembly about a second rotation axis aligned with the feed axis.

A multi-level gas inflator for an air bag or other safety device, comprising an elongated pressure vessel having a primary gas generant portion with a first open end and a secondary gas generant portion with a second open end. The primary gas generant portion has a primary ignition device and primary gas generating energetics disposed therein. The primary ignition device is mounted on and closes the pressure vessel at the first open end thereof. The secondary gas generant portion has a secondary ignition device and secondary gas generating energetics disposed therein. The secondary ignition device is mounted on and closes the pressure vessel at the second open end thereof. A suitable gas under a predetermined pressure is present in the primary and secondary gas generant portions. One or more dividers or divider walls are disposed within the midportion of the pressure vessel to separate the primary and secondary gas generant portions. The pressure vessel has a primary exit orifice in the midportion thereof that is in communication with the primary gas generant portion, and a secondary exit orifice in the midportion thereof that is in communication with the secondary gas generant portion. A primary rupture disk is disposed over the primary exit orifice, and a secondary rupture disk is disposed over the secondary exit orifice. A diffuser is mounted on and surrounds the pressure vessel midportion and the primary and secondary exit orifices. The diffuser is in communication with the air bag for the inflation thereof. The inflator can be easily converted to a single level output inflator by omitting the secondary ignition device and the secondary gas generating energetics.

A plasma processing apparatus includes a worktable in a process chamber to horizontally place a target substrate thereon. A plasma generation space is defined above and around the worktable within the process chamber. The plasma generation space includes a peripheral plasma region and a main plasma region respectively located outside and inside an outer edge of the target substrate placed on the worktable. The apparatus further includes a magnetic field forming mechanism configured to form a magnetic field within the peripheral plasma region. The magnetic field includes magnetic force lines extending through the peripheral plasma region between a start position and an end position, at least one of which is located radially inside a sidewall of the process chamber.