Author: claimsbot

1. A gas flow regulating apparatus comprising a series of components disposed along a gas flow path, the components comprising:
a gas inlet;
an inlet gas filter communicatively coupled to the gas inlet;
a high-pressure regulation system connected to the inlet gas filter;
a relief valve coupled to the gas flow downstream of the high pressure regulation system;
a low-pressure regulation system following the high pressure regulation system;
a reset relay connected to the low-pressure regulation system;
an electromechanically operated valve connected to the low-pressure regulation system;
a low select relay connected to the electromechanically operated valve and the reset relay;
a differential pressure pneumatic relay coupled to in parallel the low-pressure regulation system and to the reset relay;
a first manual multi-way valve connected to the low-pressure regulation system;
a second manual multi-way valve connected to the first manual multi-way valve;
a multi-way universal relay coupled to the gas flow path between the high-pressure regulation system and the low-pressure regulation system and connected to the second manual multi-way valve;
a high calibration valve connected to the differential pressure pneumatic relay;
a low calibration valve connected to the differential pressure pneumatic relay;
a differential pressure measurement system coupled to the gas flow path; and
a filter connected between the high calibration valve and the differential pressure measurement system.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the relief valve is installed at the outlet of the high-pressure regulation system, and relieves pressure from the system when pressure at the relief valve reaches approximately 150 psig.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the low-pressure regulation system is a 67CFR-type low-pressure regulator.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electromechanically operated valve is a 24-volt DC solenoid coil.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reset relay has an automatic setting and a manual setting.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the high-pressure regulation system further comprises a 1301G-type pressure regulator and a 1301F-type pressure regulator linked in series.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the 1301G-type pressure regulator reduces the pressure from a maximum pressure input of approximately 1440 psig to approximately 200 psig, and the 1301F-type pressure regulator further reduces the pressure to approximately 90 psig.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the differential pressure pneumatic relay is set to trigger when a differential gas pressure reaches a predetermined value across a plurality of adjustable set points.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein measurement of the differential gas pressure takes place across at least one of a flow meter, a flow conditioner, an orifice plate, or a valve within the apparatus.
10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the predetermined value for the differential pressure pneumatic relay to trigger is between approximately 0.5 psig and approximately 135 psig.
11. A method of regulating a flow of gas comprising the steps of:
providing a gas flow regulation apparatus comprising:
an inlet gas filter communicatively coupled in series with a gas inlet by a tube,
a high-pressure regulation system connected to the inlet gas filter,
a relief valve coupled to the circuit after the high pressure regulation system,
a low-pressure regulation system connected to the high pressure regulation system by a tube,
a reset relay connected to the low-pressure regulation system,
an electromechanically operated valve connected to the low-pressure regulation system,
a low select relay connected to the electromechanically operated valve and the reset relay,
a differential pressure pneumatic relay coupled to the low-pressure regulation system and to the reset relay,
a first manual multi-way valve connected to the low-pressure regulation system,
a second manual multi-way valve connected to the first multi-way valve,
a multi-way universal relay coupled to the circuit between the high-pressure regulation system and the low-pressure regulation system and connected to the second manual multi-way valve,
a high calibration valve connected to the differential pressure pneumatic relay,
a low calibration valve connected to the differential pressure pneumatic relay,
a differential pressure measurement system coupled to the natural gas flow, and
a filter connected between the high calibration valve and the differential pressure measurement system;
allowing high pressure gas to enter the inlet gas filter;
allowing the gas flow through the high pressure regulation system;
allowing the gas flow through the low pressure regulation system;
allowing the gas flow through the differential pressure pneumatic relay;
allowing the gas to power the reset relay;
providing gas flow to the electromechanically operated valve;
providing gas flow to the reset relay;
allowing the low select relay to select the lower of the two pressure signals from the reset relay and the electromechanically operated valve and pass the gas flow along to the first manual multi-way valve;
providing gas flow to the second manual multi-way valve; and
releasing the gas flow to the multi-way universal relay through the multi-way valve.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein the relief valve is installed at the outlet of the high-pressure regulation system, and relieves pressure from the system when pressure at the relief valve reaches approximately 150 psig.
13. The method of claim 11 wherein the low-pressure regulation system is a 67CFR-type low-pressure regulator.
14. The method of claim 11 wherein in the electromechanically operated valve is a 24-volt DC solenoid coil.
15. The method of claim 11 wherein the reset relay has an automatic setting and a manual setting.
16. The method of claim 11, the high-pressure regulation system further comprising a 1301G-type pressure regulator and a 1301F-type pressure regulator linked in series.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the first pressure regulator reduces the pressure from a maximum pressure input of approximately 1440 psig to a pressure input of approximately 200 psig, and the second pressure regulator further reduces the pressure to approximately 90 psig.
18. The method of claim 11 wherein the differential pressure pneumatic relay is set to trigger when a differential gas pressure reaches a predetermined value across a plurality of adjustable set points.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein measurement of the differential gas pressure takes place across at least one of a flow meter, a flow conditioner, an orifice plate, or a valve within the apparatus.
20. The method of claim 18 wherein the predetermined value for the differential pressure pneumatic relay to trigger is between approximately 0.5 psig and approximately 135 psig.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:
continuous imaging mode setting means for setting a continuous imaging mode in which a plurality of captured images including first and second captured images are continuously acquired; and
diaphragm control means for controlling a diaphragm in an imaging optical system,
wherein in the continuous imaging mode, the diaphragm control means does not drive the diaphragm during a first period from the time of exposure for the first captured image to the time of exposure for the second captured image but maintains the state of the diaphragm at the time of exposure for the first captured image until the time of exposure for the second captured image.
2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,
further comprising distance measurement means for detecting information on the distance to a subject,
wherein the exposure for the first captured image and the exposure for the second captured image are carried out by using, among a plurality of diaphragm apertures, a diaphragm aperture that falls within a distance measurement enabling range, which is a range of diaphragm apertures that allow the distance measurement means to carry out distance measurement, and
the distance measurement means detects information on the distance to the subject in the first period with the diaphragm aperture of the diaphragm set to be equal to the diaphragm aperture used at the time of exposure for the first captured image.
3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,
further comprising distance measurement means for detecting information on the distance to a subject,
wherein the distance measurement means selects, among a plurality of diaphragm apertures, a diaphragm aperture that falls within a distance measurement enabling range, which is a range of diaphragm apertures that allow the distance measurement means to carry out distance measurement, determines the selected diaphragm aperture as a diaphragm aperture for imaging, sets a diaphragm aperture used at the time of exposure for the first captured image to be equal to the diaphragm aperture for imaging, and sets a diaphragm aperture used at the exposure for the second captured image to be the diaphragm aperture for imaging as well without driving the diaphragm during the first period.
4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3,
wherein the diaphragm control means selects a predetermined value within the distance measurement enabling range and determines the selected value as the diaphragm aperture for imaging.
5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3,
further comprising means for accepting an imaging start instruction,
wherein the diaphragm control means determines the diaphragm aperture for imaging in advance during a composition finalizing period before the imaging start instruction is accepted and drives the diaphragm in advance to the state corresponding to the diaphragm aperture for imaging.
6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3,
wherein when a first diaphragm aperture determined based on a photometric value measured during the composition finalizing period falls within the distance measurement enabling range, the diaphragm control means determines the first diaphragm aperture as the diaphragm aperture for imaging without any modification.
7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6,
wherein when the first diaphragm aperture does not fall within the distance measurement enabling range, the diaphragm control means selects a second diaphragm aperture that falls within the distance measurement enabling range and determines the second diaphragm aperture as the diaphragm aperture for imaging.
8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6,
wherein when the first diaphragm aperture does not fall within the distance measurement enabling range, the diaphragm control means selects the value closest to the first diaphragm aperture among the values within the distance measurement enabling range and determines the selected value as the diaphragm aperture for imaging.
9. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,
further comprising distance measurement means for detecting information on the distance to a subject,
wherein provided that a diaphragm aperture determined by the diaphragm control means as the diaphragm aperture used at the time of exposure for the first captured image falls within, among a plurality of diaphragm apertures, a range that allows the distance measurement means to carry out distance measurement, the diaphragm control means does not drive the diaphragm during the first period but sets the diaphragm aperture used at the time of exposure for the second captured image to be equal to the diaphragm aperture used at the time of exposure for the first captured image.
10. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,
further comprising an imaging device that produces a captured image of a subject,
distance measurement means for detecting information on the distance to the subject, and
a semi-transparent mirror that transmits part of the components forming an optical image of the subject so that the transmitted light reaches the imaging device and reflects the remainder of the components forming the optical image so that the reflected light reaches the distance measurement means,
wherein the imaging device acquires the plurality of captured images in the continuous imaging mode based on the optical image having passed through the semi-transparent mirror.
11. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2,
further comprising information storage means for storing information on the distance measurement enabling range.
12. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2,
further comprising communication means for communicating with an imaging lens unit including the imaging optical system to acquire information on the distance measurement enabling range stored in information storage means in the imaging lens unit.
13. An imaging lens unit comprising:
information storage means for storing information on a distance measurement enabling range, which is a range of diaphragm apertures corresponding to the states of a diaphragm in which a light flux used in distance measurement means disposed in an imaging apparatus body to which the imaging lens unit is attached is not blocked; and
communication means for transmitting the information stored in the information storage means to the imaging apparatus body.
14. An imaging apparatus comprising:
an imaging apparatus body; and
an imaging lens unit,
the imaging apparatus body including
continuous imaging mode setting means for setting a continuous imaging mode in which a plurality of captured images including first and second captured images are continuously acquired, and
diaphragm control means for controlling a diaphragm in the imaging lens unit,
wherein in the continuous imaging mode, the diaphragm control means does not drive the diaphragm during a first period from the time of exposure for the first captured image to the time of exposure for the second captured image but maintains the state of the diaphragm at the time of exposure for the first captured image until the time of exposure for the second captured image.
15. An imaging apparatus comprising:
a continuous imaging mode setting unit configured to set a continuous imaging mode in which a plurality of captured images including first and second captured images are continuously acquired; and
a diaphragm control unit configured to control a diaphragm in an imaging optical system,
wherein in the continuous imaging mode, the diaphragm control unit does not drive the diaphragm during a first period from the time of exposure for the first captured image to the time of exposure for the second captured image but maintains the state of the diaphragm at the time of exposure for the first captured image until the time of exposure for the second captured image.
16. An imaging lens unit comprising:
an information storage unit configured to store information on a distance measurement enabling range, which is a range of diaphragm apertures corresponding to the states of a diaphragm in which a light flux used in distance measurement unit disposed in an imaging apparatus body to which the imaging lens unit is attached is not blocked; and
a communication unit configured to transmit the information stored in the information storage unit to the imaging apparatus body.
17. An imaging apparatus comprising:
an imaging apparatus body; and
an imaging lens unit,
the imaging apparatus body including
a continuous imaging mode setting unit configured to set a continuous imaging mode in which a plurality of captured images including first and second captured images are continuously acquired, and
a diaphragm control unit configured to control a diaphragm in the imaging lens unit,
wherein in the continuous imaging mode, the diaphragm control unit does not drive the diaphragm during a first period from the time of exposure for the first captured image to the time of exposure for the second captured image but maintains the state of the diaphragm at the time of exposure for the first captured image until the time of exposure for the second captured image.

1. A buoyant rope including at least two strands, wherein
each strand comprises synthetic fibers;
the synthetic fibers comprise a component A) and a component B),
the component A) is at least one monofilament, wherein the at least one monofilament is not hollow and has a diameter in the range from 0.5 mm to 7.0 mm, and
the component B) is at least one multifilament yarn, the filaments of which are hollow-fiber filaments.
2. The buoyant rope according to claim 1, wherein the weight ratio of the component A) to the component B) is in the range from 20:80 to 80:20.
3. The buoyant rope according to claim 1, wherein the at least one monofilament consists of a fiber-forming polymer that is selected from the group consisting of polyamides, polyesters, polyethylenes, polypropylenes, polylactic acids, and polyphenylene sulfides.
4. The buoyant rope according to claim 1, wherein the hollow-fiber filaments of the multifilament yam consist of a fiber-forming polymer that is selected from the group consisting of polyamides.
5. The buoyant rope according to claim 1, wherein the at least one monofilament has an elongation at rupture in the range from 10% to 30%.
6. The buoyant rope according to claim 1, wherein the hollow-fiber filaments have a breaking tenacity in the range from 43 cNtex to 80 cNtex.
7. The buoyant rope according to claim 1, wherein the hollow-fiber filaments have an elongation at rupture in the range from 9% to 35%.
8. The buoyant rope according to claim 1, wherein the hollow-fiber filaments have a lumen cross-sectional area proportion in the range from 5 to 35% relative to the total cross-sectional area.
9. The buoyant rope according to claim 1, wherein
the at least one multifilament yam consists of hollow fibers, and
the at least one multifilament yarn contains 2 to 840 hollow fibers.
10. The buoyant rope according to claim 1, wherein the rope includes 6 strands,
each strand consists of
9 monofilaments made from polyamide 6 (PA 6) having a diameter in the range from 3 mm to 4.75 mm, and
multifilament yarns, each made from 150 to 300 hollow fibers made from polyamide 6 (PA 6),

each hollow fiber has a lumen cross-sectional area proportion in the range from 16% to 35% relative to the total cross-sectional area, and
the weight proportion of the multifilament yams is 65% relative to the rope weight.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A method comprising:
reading the state of a phase change threshold switching memory cell using a capacitor coupled in parallel with the cell; and
charging said capacitor to a voltage intermediate between two cell states to be distinguished upon reading the cell.
2. The method of claim 1 including determining the charge on the capacitor after coupling said cell across said capacitor.
3. The method of claim 2 including coupling a node of said capacitor to a voltage comparator and comparing a voltage on the node to a reference voltage.
4. The method of claim 3 including making said comparison after a time period has elapsed since coupling said capacitor to said cell.
5. The method of claim 1 including distinguishing between set and reset phase change memory states.
6. The method of claim 1 including distinguishing between levels of a multilevel cell.
7. The method of claim 1 including using parasitic capacitance as said capacitor.
8. A threshold switching memory comprising:
a phase change memory cell;
a capacitor selectively connectable across said cell;
a comparator to compare a voltage across said capacitor to a reference voltage to determine the state of said cell; and
a charging circuit to charge said capacitor to a level intermediate between two cell states to be distinguished upon reading the cell.
9. The memory of claim 8, said comparator to compare a voltage on said capacitor to a reference voltage after coupling said cell across said capacitor.
10. The memory of claim 9, said comparator to allow a time period to elapse after connecting said capacitor across said cell before comparing said voltage across said capacitor to said reference voltage.
11. The memory of claim 8 including a comparator to compare a reference voltage intermediate between the states to be distinguished upon reading the cell to a voltage on said capacitor.
12. The memory of claim 8, said control to distinguish between levels of a multilevel cell.
13. The memory of claim 8, said control to distinguish between set and reset phase change memory states.
14. The memory of claim 8 wherein said capacitor is parasitic capacitance from the memory itself.
15. The memory of claim 8, said control to latch the value of the comparison between the voltage on the capacitor and the reference voltage.
16. A memory comprising:
a phase change memory cell;
a switch;
a controller to control said switch;
a capacitor selectively connectable by said switch across said memory cell; and
a charging circuit to charge said capacitor to a level intermediate between two cell states to be distinguished upon reading a cell.
17. The memory of claim 16 including a comparator to compare a voltage across said capacitor to a reference voltage.
18. The memory of claim 16 wherein said capacitor is parasitic capacitance from the memory itself.
19. The memory of claim 8 including a control to control the state of a first switch to couple said capacitor to said cell and a second switch to couple a voltage source to said capacitor.