An ultrasound device including an asynchronous successive approximation analog-to-digital converter and method are provided. The device includes at least one ultrasonic transducer, a plurality of asynchronous successive-approximation-register (SAR) analog-to-digital converters (ADC) coupled to the at least one ultrasonic transducer, at least one asynchronous SAR in the plurality having a sample and hold stage, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a comparator, and control circuitry, wherein a DAC update event following at least one bit conversion is synchronized to a corresponding DAC update event of at least one other ADC in the plurality of ADCs.

A hybrid SAR-ADC that uses a combination of voltage-based signal processing and time-based signal processing to convert an analog input signal to a digital output signal is disclosed. In some embodiments, the hybrid SAR-ADC has a voltage-based signal processing element configured to convert an analog input signal to a first digital signal having a plurality of MSBs and to generate a residue voltage from an input voltage and the first digital signal. A voltage-to-time conversion element is configured to convert the residue voltage to a time domain representation. A time-based signal processing element is configured to convert the time domain representation to a second digital signal comprising a plurality of LSBs. By determining the plurality of MSBs using voltage-based signal processing and determining the plurality of LSBs using time-based signal processing, the hybrid SAR-ADC is able to achieve low power and compact area.

A current source device having a current source array includes a plurality of current source units, a plurality of least significant bits, and a plurality of most significant bits. The current source units are arranged along a plurality rows and columns of a current source array. Each of the least significant bits includes a first amount of current source units is placed at the geometric center of the current source array. Each of the most significant bits includes a second amount of current source units. The second amount is the first amount multiplied by a positive integer. The two adjacent bits in the most significant bits are centrally symmetrical to the geometric center.

An electronic apparatus and a method for detecting status of keys thereof are provided. The electronic apparatus comprises a key module, a key control circuit, a conversion circuit with calibration mechanism and a processor. The key control circuit detects whether any of keys in the key module is pressed. If the detection result is affirmative, the press status of each of the keys is scanned by the key control circuit to obtain a coarse scan result. The conversion circuit with calibration mechanism is configured to perform the other system function of the electronic apparatus. When the processor determines that at least one of the keys is not pressed according the coarse scan result, the conversion circuit with calibration mechanism is switched to assist a re-scan operation of the press status of the at least one of the keys.

Modifying a digital data stream that includes immediately consecutive code words of different length by segmenting, based on a certain block grid, the digital data stream. Each block of the block grid includes a fixed number of bits. It is determined whether all bits of the last block associated with the digital data stream are occupied by data of the digital data stream. If not all bits of the last block are occupied, the unoccupied bits of the last block are padded with bits of an end-of-record (EOR) indicator. If all bits of the last block are occupied, attaching an EOR indicator to the digital data stream is skipped.

The present invention relates to a modular photoelectric-switch keyboard key, including modular photoelectric switch, base, keymodule and elastic element, the said modular photoelectric switch is mounted in the said base, the said keymodule is slideably placed in the sliding cavity of the said base and the said elastic element is placed between the said base and the said keymodule; the said modular photoelectric switch comprises transmitting tube, receiving tube and distance piece, the said transmitting tube and the said receiving tube are placed oppositely and are electrically connected with the circuit board; the said distance piece is connected with the said keymodule and located between the said transmitting tube and the said receiving tube.

An analog to digital converter includes an error integration circuit configured to receive an input charge from a detector and to integrate a difference between the input charge and one or more feedback charge pulses to create an error voltage. A quantizer is in operable communication with the error integration circuit and is responsive to the created error voltage. An accumulator having a mantissa component and a radix component is in operable communication with the quantizer. A charge feedback device in operable communication with the quantizer and the radix component of the accumulator. The charge feedback device is configured to generate the one or more feedback charge pulses proportional to the radix component of the accumulator and an output of the quantizer. Digital focal plane read out integrated circuits including the analog to digital converter are also disclosed.

A liquid separator system having a gas phase zone, an aqueous phase zone and a denser liquid zone is used to separate mixtures of fluids. The separator can be used for separating molten sulfur from liquid redox solution or reslurry water. The system includes a vessel with a top part and a bottom part. The vessel has a larger diameter at the top part than at the bottom part. The system also includes an inlet for introducing a redox solution or reslurry water and molten sulfur, which is denser than redox solution or reslurry water, into the vessel. An outlet near the bottom part of the vessel allows a flow of the molten sulfur from the vessel. An interface control structure senses an interface level between the redox solution or reslurry water and the molten sulfur, and the interface control structure controls the flow of molten sulfur from the outlet. The interface control structure is adjusted to optimally alter the vertical height of the interface level within the vessel so that the residence time of the molten sulfur in the vessel does not decrease as the sulfur production throughput decreases, and so that the interface area of the molten sulfur and the redox solution is reduced as the sulfur throughput decreases. A pressure controller monitors the pressure in the vessel and adds or removes gas from a gas phase zone in the vessel to maintain a predetermined pressure regardless of the vertical height of the interface.

Method for producing a uranium concentrate in the form of solid particles, by precipitation from a uranium-containing solution using a precipitating agent, in a vertical reactor comprising a base, a top, a central part, an upper part, and a lower part, the solid particles of the uranium concentrate forming a fluidized bed under the action of a rising liquid current which circulates from the base towards the top of the reactor successively passing through the lower part, the central part and the upper part of the reactor, and which is created by introducing a liquid recycling current (flow) at the base of the reactor, said liquid recycling current being tapped at a first determined level (A) in the upper part of the reactor and sent back without settling to the base of the reactor, excess liquid being also evacuated via an overflow located at a second determined level (B) in the upper part of the reactor; a method in which the upper limit (C) of the fluidized bed of solid particles is controlled so that it is positioned at a level below the first and second determined levels.

The present invention relates to means and methods for producing crystals or crystalline substances. In particular, crystals or crystalline substances which are useful as pharmaceutical ingredients can be manufactured.

Method for the production of a coarse-grained ammonium sulphate product by crystallization and installation for carrying out the method from an ammonium sulphate solution in a DTB type crystallizer having an internal suspension circuit and a clarifying zone, from which a clarified partial flow of solution is constantly drawn off into an external circuit, is heated in a heat exchanger to dissolve the solids contained therein and is guided back as a clear solution into the lower region of the crystallizer. A fine crystal suspension flow is drawn off from the clarifying zone as a further partial flow and guided back into the internal circuit of the crystallization stage without any previous dissolution of the solid proportion contained therein.

A method of producing a titanium dioxide pigment is provided. Also provided is a method of improving the processability of titanium dioxide particles without adversely affecting the rheological properties of the titanium dioxide particles.

A method of processing bundles of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Bundles of CNTs are put into a solution and unbundled using sonication and one or more surfactants that break apart and disperse at least some of the bundles into the solution such that it contains individual semiconducting CNTs, individual metallic CNTs, and remaining CNT bundles. The individual CNTs are separated from each other using agarose bead column separation using sodium dodecyl sulfate as a surfactant. Remaining CNT bundles are then separated out by performing density-gradient ultracentrifugation.

Mineral, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, agricultural, nutraceutical, and other compositions are produced using a mineral composition containing minimal concentrations of cadmium, lead, arsenic, and mercury and containing relatively high concentrations of micro and macro mineral elements, of rare earth elements, of calcium, and of silica. The mineral concentrations are produced by processing naturally occurring clay soil to concentrate mineral elements naturally occurring in the soil.

Highly compactable granulations and methods for preparing highly compactable granulations are disclosed. More particularly, highly compactable calcium carbonate granulations are disclosed. The granulations comprise powdered materials such as calcium carbonate that have small median particle sizes. The disclosed granulations are useful in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical tableting and provide smaller tablet sizes upon compression than previously available.

A method of producing a surface-treated carbon black powder dispersion includes subjecting carbon black fine particles having a volume average particle size of 100 nm to 20 μm to wet granulation and drying by heating to obtain granulated carbon black having a hardness of 12 cN or less and a pH of less than 7, grinding the granulated carbon black to obtain a ground product having a volume average particle size of 20 nm to 20 μm, and subjecting the ground product to wet oxidization in an aqueous medium. The resulting surface-treated carbon black powder dispersion exhibits excellent print density, print quality, discharge stability, and storage stability when used as an inkjet printer aqueous black ink.

The invention provides a process for increasing the crystallinity of at least one solid material which is less than 100% crystalline, comprising applying ultrasound to the substantially dry solid material.

A reaction-crystallization apparatus for carrying out reaction and/or solvent extraction and/or crystallization of soluble salts has an upper section having a top and a decanter. The decanter has a vertical vessel having a horizontal weir at the top of the upper section. The top of the upper section has an outlet for removing a light phase at the top of the decanter. The apparatus has a lower section, including a crystallizer. The crystallizer includes: a coaxial draft tube; a feed pipe; an agitator inside the draft tube; and at least one outlet at the bottom for crystal slurry removal. The apparatus has an intermediate section sandwiched between the lower section and the upper section such that the sections are in fluid communication and includes at least one coaxial vertical baffle with a gap between the draft tube and the coaxial vertical baffle and is adjustable by moving the baffle.

A process for the production of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate out of trona, comprising crushing trona ore and dissolving it in a leaching tank containing a solution comprising sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate, and an additive selected from the group consisting of: phosphates, phospholipids, carboxylates, carboxilic acids, and combinations thereof, saturated in sodium bicarbonate, in order to produce solid particles suspended in a production solution comprising sodium carbonate, the solid particles containing insoluble impurities and at least 65% by weight of sodium bicarbonate. The solid particles are separated from the production solution containing sodium carbonate. At least part of the production solution containing sodium carbonate is taken out of the leaching tank.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing composite carbon fibers in which two or more carbon fibers are dispersed in a nearly homogenous state, the composite carbon fibers capable of being easily dispersed in a matrix such as a resin without leaving aggregate, and imparting low resistance. Disclosed is a method for producing composite carbon fibers, which comprises imparting a cavitation effect to slurry containing 6% by mass or less of two or more carbon fibers each having a different average fiber diameter under a pressure of 100 MPa or more and less than 245 MPa thereby to form a composite.

The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of articles of manufacture made of or based on sulphur, which comprises cooling of liquid sulphur in a volume of containment until the sulphur mass solidifies and forming of the product, characterized in that elastic pressure waves are applied to the cooling mass of liquid sulphur to produce a crystalline suspension of solid sulphur in liquid sulphur.

A floating salt farm in which its purpose is to produce crystallized salt and bittern at offshore locations through the evaporation process using extracted seawater. The floating salt farm components can be consisted of a seawater tank, an evaporator tank, a heating tank, a deposit tank, a storage tank, and photovoltaic panels, which these components are installed onto the buoyant foundation. The evaporator tank component can consist of an evaporator plate and an evaporator bin. The evaporator plate, which captures the produced crystallized salt during the evaporation process, has a sieve surface. The contents inside the evaporator bin can affect the properties of the produced crystallized salt and bittern, such as their mineral compositions, during the evaporation process. The seawater can be extracted from desired water depths and/or in the proximity of volcanic sites, in which the seawater can have affected mineral compositions due to volcanic activity.

Titanium dioxide which includes particles having a large major-axis length in a large proportion and comprises columnar particles having a satisfactory particle size distribution. A titanium compound, an alkali metal compound, and an oxyphosphorus compound are heated/fired in the presence of titanium dioxide nucleus crystals having an aspect ratio of 2 or higher to grow the titanium dioxide nucleus crystals. Subsequently, a titanium compound, an alkali metal compound, and an oxyphosphorus compound are further added and heated/fired in the presence of the grown titanium dioxide nucleus crystals. Thus, titanium dioxide is produced which comprises columnar particles having a weight-average major-axis length of 7.0-15.0 μm and in which particles having a major-axis length of 10 μm or longer account for 15 wt. % or more of all the particles.

Provided is a method and an apparatus for purifying potassium nitrate from the solid waste produced by a chemical glass-strengthening process. In the method, the solid waste is melted into a liquid waste at first. Potassium nitrate of various purity grades can be obtained by batch processing the liquid waste through stepwise cooling processes of cooling the liquid waste to a first temperature facilitating the potassium nitrate contained in the liquid waste to be crystallized at a first rate and then cooling the liquid waste to a second temperature close to the freezing point of the potassium nitrate at a second rate that is slower than the first rate. The recovered potassium nitrate from the solid waste can be recycled and reused.

An object of the present invention is to provide a fine crystal particle production method and device that are excellent in mixing efficiency. This object is achieved by a method for producing fine crystal particles, comprising: a swirl flow producing step at which a swirl flow of liquid a comprising reactant A is supplied into a cylinder having a circumferential surface partially or wholly composed of a porous membrane; and a reaction step at which liquid b comprising reactant B which is reactive with the reactant A is supplied through the porous membrane to the swirl flow to effect mixing, whereby the reactants A and B are reacted to precipitate fine crystal particles.

An application of carbon nanotubes on agglomerates of ore fines to increase the mechanical strength is provided. A process for the preparation of ore agglomerates having enhanced mechanical strength by the application of the carbon nanotubes is also provided.

The present invention relates generally to processes for preparing agglomerated particulate low-rank coal feedstocks of a particle size suitable for reaction in certain gasification reactors and, in particular, for coal gasification. The present invention also relates to integrated coal gasification processes including preparing and utilizing such agglomerated particulate low-rank coal feedstocks.

Fremont high school student Araav Patel has got you covered. Plus, union says whistblower fired, and governor plans for the end of lockdown. Araav Patel lives in a household containing several people at greater risk from COVID-19. The Fremont high school student lives with his parents and grandparents, and suffers personally from a heart condition.…

Lockdown may be all that's keeping city from getting a taste of public anger. The Saturday afternoon shooting by San Leandro Police of Steven Taylor, a 33-year-old African-American man with a history of mental-health issues, is quickly attracting strong criticism from the community, and police accountability activists from across the country.  The blowback from the shooting, which was captured on a cell phone video at the Walmart on Hesperian Boulevard, threatens to hit a city government and police department ill-equipped to handle the barrage of criticism and protest about to come its way. San Leandro Police arrived at the Walmart store in response to reports of a man swinging a baseball bat, the department said.…

More than a month since officials closed schools due to Covid-19, California leaders said a two-week blitz led by First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom has brought in 70,000 computers and other devices that will be distributed to needy students this week. Gov. Gavin Newsom has stressed the importance of distance learning and education multiple times during the past month—even talking about helping his own children with school work.…

It might just be a distinction without a difference. Is cannabis really an "essential" business? The food business obviously is. But the legal cannabis industry didn't exist a few years ago, while gathering and making food — contrary to the popular cliché about prostitution — is the world's oldest profession.…

An energy harvesting device includes: a first nanoporous electrode and a second nanoporous electrode, each of which is configured to which store electrical charge; a first current collector connected to the first nanoporous electrode and a second current collector connected to the second nanoporous electrode; and an enclosure that contains the first and second nanoporous electrodes and the first and second current collectors and transfers a force applied from the outside to the first nanoporous electrode and the second nanoporous electrode, wherein at least one of the first nanoporous electrode and the second nanoporous electrode comprises an ion conductive polymer.

An acoustic resonator structure comprises: a substrate having a cavity, which has a plurality of sides; a first electrode disposed over the cavity; a piezoelectric layer disposed over a portion of the first electrode and extending over at least one of the sides; and a second electrode disposed over the piezoelectric layer, an overlap of the first electrode, the piezoelectric layer and the second electrode forming an active area of the FBAR. The active area of the FBAR is completely suspended over the cavity.

Provided is a garment generating electricity which transforms kinematic energy generated when a user wearing the garment walks and/or swings arms past torso to an electric energy, and has a simple structure and is produced at low cost, and realizes excellent electricity generation efficiency. A garment generating electricity from ambulation or aim swinging past torso or both includes a magnet member arranged on a first part of a garment to generate magnetic field, a coil member provided on a second part of the garment which reciprocally moves with the first part of the garment while walking or swinging aims past torso, the coil member generating electricity from the magnetic field of the magnet member, and a storage battery charged with the electricity generated by the coil member.

Apparatus and methods are provided for activity accessory including an energy harvester or generator. In an example, an activity accessory can include a first enclosure and an energy generator enclosed within the first enclosure. The energy generator can include a second enclosure. The energy generator can include a spherical magnet housed within the second enclosure and windings surrounding the second enclosure. Movement of the spherical magnet within the second enclosure can induce charge movement in the windings.

An electric motor includes a stator operable to produce a magnetic field and defining an opening, and a rotor at least partially disposed within the opening. The rotor includes a shaft extending along a rotational axis, a first rotor magnetic core portion including a plurality of laminations stacked contiguously on the shaft, and a second rotor magnetic core portion coupled to the plurality of laminations. The first rotor magnetic core portion and the second rotor magnetic core portion cooperate to define the rotor magnetic core. A plurality of windings is coupled to the rotor magnetic core and an air flow path is formed as part of the second rotor magnetic core portion. The air flow path includes an axial portion that passes through the shaft axially along the rotational axis and a radial portion that extends radially outward through the second rotor magnetic core portion.

A vibration motor includes a base portion arranged to extend perpendicularly to a central axis extending in a vertical direction; a shaft having a lower end fixed to the base portion, and arranged to project upward along the central axis; a circuit board; a coil portion; a bearing portion; a rotor holder; a magnet portion; an eccentric weight; a cover portion; and a motor electrode portion electrically connected to the circuit board, and arranged to project downward below a lower surface of the base portion. The entire base portion and the entire circuit board are arranged inside of an outer circumferential edge of a lower end of the cover portion.

The invention includes a stator disposed inside a yoke, an armature supported inside the stator, a commutator connected to the armature and having a sliding surface in an outer peripheral portion, and a brush disposed opposing the commutator and having a sliding contact surface that comes into sliding contact with the sliding surface of the commutator, wherein the brush has a first member, and a second member with an electrical resistance value higher than that of the first member, the first member is disposed on an entrance side and the second member on an exit side with respect to a direction of rotation of the commutator, and the sliding contact surface of the brush is such that an inclined portion that inclines toward the entrance side with respect to the direction of rotation of the commutator is formed in the first member.

Methods and systems for using the Earth's magnetic field to power a machine having a motor, the system including a computer, a plurality of wires, a plurality of energy storing devices, all in controlled electrical communication with each other, wherein the plurality of wires can collect electrical energy from the Earth's magnetic field while the machine is put in motion by a power source powering the motor, wherein the collected electrical energy is stored in the plurality of energy storing devices or used to power the motor.

The present invention relates to a triboelectric energy harvesting device and a method for manufacturing the same. The triboelectric energy harvesting device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first frictional layer provided with a first surface having first electron affinity, and a second frictional layer facing the first surface and having second electron affinity, wherein at least one of the first and second frictional layers is formed of an elastic material and is provided in an elastic structure.

A modular garment system includes an attachment system for attaching multiple garments together. In one embodiment, the garment system includes an upper body garment that is attachable to a lower body garment. The upper body garment includes a plurality of connectors that are aligned with a plurality of retaining members on the lower body garment. The retaining members on the lower body garment, for instance, may be placed on top of existing belt loops. The retaining members may include a flap, while the connectors may have a loop-like structure. In order to connect the upper body garment to the lower body garment, the flap may be inserted into the loop-like structure and secured to the lower body garment. The upper body garment can also include a draw cord that can be used to further secure the upper body garment against the lower body garment.

A pair of notches or slits in a collar can prevent the formation of bulky crests or wrinkling when the collar is arranged in an outer open ‘continental style’ under a jacket, however there is also a propensity for such a collar to curl up at the notches. The invention herein discloses the use of a fastening means to prevent the slit borders, forming the edge surfaces of each back section of the collar, from curling up from the shirt surface. The fastener means are located on each side of the collar, such that one member is located on the inner surface of the back collar where the outside edge meets the base of the slit edge and the other member is located on the outer surface of the collar band.

A multi-layered garment may comprise components that are affixed using integrated belt loops. In particular, shorts belt loops of a shorts component may pass through an opening created when single-layer skirt belt loops of a skirt component are oriented outwards. Both the skirt belt loops and the shorts belt loops may be fully functional and aesthetically pleasing belt loops. Additionally, the shorts belt loops may be combined with the skirt belt loops to form integrated belt loops, thereby allowing a belt to pass beneath both sets of belt loops simultaneously to affix the shorts component to the skirt component.

Body armor includes a panel having a front, an opposed back, left and right sides, top and bottom, and a vertical axis extending through the panel at a location intermediate between the right and left sides. Opposed right and left shoulder cuts are formed in the panel between the right side and the top and between the left side and the top, and the right and left shoulder cuts are asymmetric to each other about the vertical axis. The right and left shoulder cuts are linear edges formed diagonally between the left and right sides and the top, and the right shoulder cut extends further inboard into the panel toward the vertical axis than the left shoulder cut.

Provided is activewear with hidden pockets. More particularly, athletic garments such as pants comprising one or more waistband pocket, preferably concealable, are included. In embodiments, athletic garments with an interior concealed pocket in the fold-over portion of a fold down waistband are provided. The waistband pocket enables the wearer to store items such as car keys, hotel room keys and/or smart phones relatively inconspicuously and securely in the waistband of the garment. A purpose of the concealment includes minimizing attention from the items stored within the pocket and allowing the wearer to participate in a variety of athletic sports or events while carrying personal items in a secure manner. Preferred embodiments include athletic pants comprising (i) a fold down waistband, (ii) an annular storage pocket capable of retaining items without any additional material added to the pant, and (iii) one or more slits for the opening for the pocket.

Protective gear is provided, such as, for example, protective headgear that includes a rigid helmet structure, an engagement system configured to engage a user's head, and a plurality of tethering devices coupled between the engagement system and the rigid helmet structure to suspend the rigid helmet structure from the user's head when the protective headgear is worn. The protective headgear further includes at least one damper coupled to one or more of the plurality of tethering devices to resist motion of the rigid helmet structure relative to the engagement system when the rigid structure is impacted during an impact event.

Eye wear (10) that may be employed in the health industry. The eye wear (10) includes a shield (11) that is formed of a sheet of flexible material, such as plastic. A seal (19) is secured to a major face of the shield (11) and is formed of a strip of flexible plastics material such as foam, with the seal (19) extending beyond the shield (11) so as to provide the loops (23) that engage a user's ears to aid in securing the eye wear to the user's face.

A fabric assembly attachable to the front side of a men's underwear and a men's underwear having such a fabric assembly are described. The fabric assembly has layers of fabrics having linear slots perpendicular to each other so that the wearer can take his genital organ out through the intersection of the linear slots. The peripheries of the fabric layers are elastically stitched together to make a fabric assembly. The fabric layers have sufficient rigidity such that the linear slots do not open under the pressure of the genital organ, unless the wearer uses his hands to open the slots. The fabric assembly may also have a flap on the inside or outside of the fabric layers. One or two sides of the flap may be attached to the men's underwear and the other sides may not be attached to permit easy opening of the flap by hand.

An article of apparel may include a base layer and a cover layer. The cover layer may be stitchlessly-secured to an exterior surface of the base layer and positioned to extend along a side area and from a pelvic region to a leg region of the base layer. A width of the cover layer may be greater in the pelvic region than the first leg region. In some configurations, a frictional resistance of the exterior surface of the base layer may be greater than a frictional resistance of a surface of the cover layer.

A personal protection device for protecting a user is described. The personal protection device can have an inflatable member having an internal chamber that can be inflated or deflated according to predetermined conditions.