Author: claimsbot

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for obtaining local fluid properties along a fluid piping system comprising:
a primary pipe comprising an inlet, an outlet, and at least one sidewall that defines a conduit for passing fluid from the inlet to the outlet;
a protective shield disposed with the conduit;
a scraper disposed about at least a portion of the protective shield for removing buildup on the protective shield, the scraper being longitudinally movable along the protective shield between a first position and a second position by an external force; and
a measurement device mounted within the protective shield between the first position and the second position.
2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the scraper comprises a magnetic material.
3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the apparatus further comprises at least one solenoid or permanent magnet installed outside the primary pipe, wherein the at least one solenoid or permanent magnet generates an external electromagnetic force for longitudinally moving the scraper.
4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the apparatus comprises two solenoids installed outside the primary pipe.
5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the primary pipe has a circumference and each solenoid is mounted around the entire circumference of the primary pipe.
6. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the primary pipe has a circumference and each solenoid is mounted around a portion of the circumference of the primary pipe.
7. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the primary pipe is generally tubular and the apparatus further comprises:
a first solenoid mounted circumferentially around at least a portion of the primary pipe and polarized with an S-N polarity; and
a second solenoid mounted circumferentially around at least a portion of the primary pipe next to the first solenoid and polarized with an N-S polarity;
whereby the solenoids create an electromagnetic field that, when applied to the scraper, move the scraper longitudinally along the protective shield between the first position and the second position.
8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the scraper comprises:
a scraping element slidably disposed about at least a portion of the outer perimeter of the protective shield between the first and second positions; and
a magnetic core attached to the scraping element and positioned between the scraping element and the solenoids.
9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the magnetic core is generally tubular.
10. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the scraping element is generally tubular and is disposed about the entire outer perimeter of the protective shield.
11. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the magnetic core is generally cylindrical and is concentrically disposed about the scraping element.
12. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scraper comprises:
a scraping element slidably disposed about at least a portion of the outer perimeter of the protective shield between the first and second positions; and
a magnetic core attached to the scraping element and positioned between the scraping element and the sidewall of the primary pipe.
13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the magnetic core is generally tubular.
14. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the scraping element is generally tubular and is disposed about the entire outer perimeter of the protective shield.
15. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the magnetic core is generally cylindrical and is concentrically disposed about the scraping element.
16. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the primary pipe is generally tubular and the protective shield is mounted coaxially within the primary pipe.
17. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the primary pipe is generally tubular and the protective shield is mounted parallel to the axis of the primary pipe.
18. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measurement device comprises a temperature sensor.
19. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second pipe that is perpendicular to the primary pipe, the second pipe having a closed end, an open end in communication with the conduit of the primary pipe, and at least one sidewall defining a secondary conduit between the closed and open ends; wherein the protective shield is disposed parallel to the axis of the secondary conduit so that an end of the protective shield is positioned within the primary conduit.
20. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein at least a portion of the scraper is disposed within the secondary conduit.
21. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein at least a portion of the scraper comprises a magnetic material.
22. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the apparatus further comprises at least one solenoid or permanent magnet installed outside the primary pipe, wherein the at least one solenoid or permanent magnet generates an external electromagnetic force for longitudinally moving the scraper.
23. An apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the apparatus comprises two solenoids installed outside the primary and secondary pipes.
24. An apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the scraper comprises:
a scraping element slidably disposed about at least a portion of the outer perimeter of the protective shield between the first and second positions; and
a magnetic core attached to the scraping element and positioned between the scraping element and the solenoids.
25. An apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the scraping element is generally tubular and is disposed about the entire outer perimeter of the protective shield.
26. A method for cleaning a portion of a protective shield containing a measuring device, the method comprising:
providing a scraper disposed about at least a portion of the protective shield;
applying an external force to the scraper to move the scraper longitudinally along the protective shield between first and second positions to thereby clean the portion of the protective shield over which the scraper moves.
27. A method according to claim 26, wherein the measurement device comprises a temperature sensor.
28. A method according to claim 26, wherein at least a portion of the scraper comprises a magnetic material, whereby the external force comprises an electromagnetic force.
29. A method according to claim 26, wherein the protective shield is disposed within a pipe.
30. A method according to claim 29, wherein the external force is generated by at least one solenoid or permanent magnet installed outside the pipe.
31. A method according to claim 29, wherein the external force is generated by two solenoids installed outside the pipe.
32. A method according to claim 31, wherein the pipe has a circumference and each solenoid is mounted around the entire circumference of the pipe.
33. A method according to claim 29, wherein the pipe is generally tubular and the apparatus further comprises:
a first solenoid mounted circumferentially around at least a portion of the pipe and polarized with an S-N polarity; and
a second solenoid mounted circumferentially around at least a portion of the pipe next to the first solenoid and polarized with an N-S polarity;
whereby the solenoids create an electromagnetic field that move the scraper longitudinally along the protective shield between the first position and the second position.
34. A method according to claim 33, wherein the scraper comprises:
a scraping element slidably disposed about at least a portion of the outer perimeter of the protective shield between the first and second positions; and
a magnetic core attached to the scraping element and positioned between the scraping element and the solenoids.
35. A method according to claim 34, wherein the scraping element is generally tubular and is disposed about the entire outer perimeter of the protective shield.
36. A method according to claim 35, wherein the magnetic core is generally cylindrical and is concentrically disposed about the scraping element.
37. An apparatus for obtaining local fluid properties along a fluid piping system comprising:
a primary pipe comprising an inlet, an outlet, and at least one sidewall that defines a conduit for passing fluid from the inlet to the outlet;
a generally-tubular protective shield disposed with the conduit and having an end that is mounted in a hole in the sidewall of the primary pipe;
a measurement device mounted within the protective shield;
a wire extending through the protective shield and having a first end connected to the measurement device and a second end outside the primary pipe.
38. An apparatus according to claim 37, wherein the measurement device comprises a temperature sensor.

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 vehicle body action information system for a vehicle, comprising:
a condition detecting part configured to sense vehicle condition information of the vehicle;
an estimating part configured to estimate a vehicle body action of the vehicle based on the vehicle condition information sensed by the condition detecting part, the estimating part includes capabilities of estimating roll, pitch, yaw and tire angle; and
an informing device configured to provide, within the vehicle, a picture display representing the vehicle body action estimated by the estimating part.
2. The vehicle body action information system according to claim 1, wherein the picture display representing is a simulation picture of the vehicle body action.
3. The vehicle body action information system according to claim 1, wherein the condition detecting part includes a plurality of sensors.
4. The vehicle body action information system according to claim 1, further comprising;
a voice informing device configured to audibly output information representing the vehicle body action estimated by the estimating part.
5. The vehicle body action information system according to claim 1, further comprising:
a transmitting device configured to transmit information representing the vehicle body action estimated by the estimating part to an outside of the vehicle.
6. The vehicle body action information system according to claim 5, further comprising:
a receiving device provided outside of the vehicle for receiving information transmitted by the transmitting device; and
an external informing device configured to inform an outside object of the information received by the receiving device.
7. The vehicle body action information system according to claim 1, further comprising:
a picture selection device configured to select at least one of (i)a number of vehicle views provided by the informing device, (ii) a picture display location, (iii) a 2-dimensional picture display form, and (iv) a 3-dimensional picture display form,
wherein the informing device is further configured to provide a picture display based on a selection result of the picture selection device.
8. The vehicle body action information system according to claim 1, further comprising:
an information switching device configured to change the picture display provided by the informing device,
wherein the informing device provides a picture display based on a change result of the information switching device.
9. The vehicle body action information system according to claim 1, further comprising:
an automatic operating device for aiding in automatically operating a vehicle by aiding steering of the vehicle to an area selected by a user,
wherein the informing device is further configured to provide, during operation of the automatic operating device, a picture display representing information on steering the vehicle necessary for the automatically operating the vehicle during operation of the automatic operating device.
10. The vehicle body action information system according to claim 1, further comprising:
an operation supporting device configured to support an operation for aiding steering to reach an area selected by a user,
wherein the informing device is further configured to provide, during operation of the operation supporting device, a picture display representing information on steering of the vehicle necessary for automatically operating the vehicle during operation of the automatic operation device.
11. A method, comprising:
sensing vehicle condition information of a vehicle;
estimating a vehicle body action of the vehicle based on the sensed vehicle condition information, the estimating step includes capabilities of estimating roll, pitch, yaw and tire angle; and
providing, within the vehicle, a picture display representing the estimated vehicle body action.
12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the picture display is a simulation picture of the vehicle body action.
13. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:
selecting at least one of (i) a number of vehicle views for display, (ii) a picture display location, (iii) a 2-dimensional picture display form, and (iii) a 3-dimensional picture display form, wherein the picture display is based on a result of the selecting step.
14. The vehicle body action information system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle body action is an action of a whole vehicle body.
15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
outputting audio information representing the estimated vehicle body action.
16. The method claim 11, further comprising:
transmitting information representing the estimated vehicle body action to an outside of the vehicle.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:
receiving the information outside the vehicle from the transmitting step; and
informing an outside object of the information received by the receiving step.
18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
changing the picture display based on a change result.
19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
automatically operating the vehicle by aiding steering of the vehicle to an area selected by a user; and
providing, during the automatically operating step, a picture display representing information on steering of the vehicle necessary for the automatically operating of the vehicle.
20. A vehicle body action information system for a vehicle, comprising:
a condition detecting part configured to sense vehicle condition information of a the vehicle;
an estimating part configured to estimate a vehicle body action of the vehicle based on the vehicle condition information sensed by the condition detecting part; and
an informing device configured to provide, within the vehicle, a picture display representing only the vehicle body action estimated by the estimating part.
21. The vehicle body action information system according to claim 20, wherein the picture display representing is a simulation picture of the vehicle body action.
22. The vehicle body action information system according to claim 20, wherein the condition detecting part includes a plurality of sensors.
23. The vehicle body action information system according to claim 20, further comprising;
a voice informing device configured to audibly output information representing the vehicle body action estimated by the estimating part.
24. The vehicle body action information system according to claim 20, further comprising:
a transmitting device configured to transmit information representing the vehicle body action estimated by the estimating part to an outside of the vehicle.
25. The vehicle body action information system according to claim 24, further comprising:
a receiving device provided outside of the vehicle for receiving information transmitted by the transmitting device; and
an external informing device configured to inform an outside object of the information received by the receiving device.
26. The vehicle body action information system according to claim 20, further comprising:
a picture selection device configured to select at least one of (i) a number of vehicle views provided by the informing device, (ii) a picture display location, (iii) a 2-dimensional picture display form, and (iv) a 3-dimensional picture display form,
wherein the informing device is further configured to provide a picture display based on a selection result of the picture selection device.
27. The vehicle body action information system according to claim 20, further comprising:
an information switching device configured to change the picture display provided by the informing device,
wherein the informing device provides a picture display based on a change result of the information switching device.
28. The vehicle body action information system according to claim 20, further comprising:
an automatic operating device for aiding in automatically operating a vehicle by aiding steering of the vehicle to an area selected by a user,
wherein the informing device is further configured to provide, during operation of the automatic operating device, a picture display representing information on steering the vehicle necessary for the automatically operating the vehicle during operation of the automatic operating device.
29. The vehicle body action information system according to claim 20, further comprising:
an operation supporting device configured to support an operation for aiding steering to reach an area selected by a user,
wherein the informing device is further configured to provide, during operation of the operation supporting device, a picture display representing information on steering of the vehicle necessary for automatically operating the vehicle during operation of the automatic operation device.
30. The vehicle body action information system according to claim 20, wherein the estimating part estimates at least one of roll, pitch, yaw, and tire angle as the vehicle body action.
31. The vehicle body action information system according to claim 20, wherein the vehicle body action is an action of a whole vehicle body.

1. A process for converting silicon tetrachloride (STC) to trichlorosilane (TCS), comprising contacting a feed gas comprising STC and H2 with a catalyst in a converter under non-equilibrium operating conditions to provide a supra-equilibrium level of STC conversion to TCS.
2. The process of claim 1, where the catalyst is a metal catalyst.
3. The process of claim 2 where the metal catalyst comprises metal silicides, including without limitation chrome silicide, nickel silicide, and iron silicide.
4. The process of claim 2 wherein the metal catalyst is formed within the converter.
5. The process of claim 4 wherein the converter is charged with a self-supporting metal support, and the surface of the support is at least partially converted to metal catalyst.
6. The process of claim 5 wherein the converter is charged with a metal support, and the entirety of the metal support is converted to metal catalyst, the metal catalyst having sufficient mechanical integrity to maintain its morphology during operation of the converter.
7. The process of claim 6 wherein the process is conducted at a temperature of less than 700\xb0 C.
8. The process of claim 6 wherein the process is conducted at a temperature within the range of 400-600\xb0 C.
9. The process of claim 6 wherein a hold-up time of the feed gas in the converter ranges from 0.1 second to 30 seconds.
10. The process of claim 9 wherein the hold-up time of the feed gas in the converter is 1-5 seconds.
11. The process of claim 1 wherein the pressure in the converter is in the range of from 0.5 atmospheres absolute to 20 atmospheres absolute.
12. The process of claim 11 where the pressure in the converter is in the range of 2 to 10 atmospheres absolute.
13. The process of claim 1 wherein the feed gas comprises H2 and STC at a H2:STC molar ratio in the range of 1:1 to 5:1.
14. The process of claim 1 wherein the feed gas further comprises HCl.
15. The process of claim 1 wherein the supra-equilibrium level of STC conversion to TCS is at least 5% greater than an equilibrium level of STC conversion to TCS under otherwise identical reaction conditions.
16. The process of claim 1 where incoming STC is mixed with H2 and heated to within a few degrees centigrade of the exit temperature of the catalytic converter in a heat interchanger to provide pre-heated gases; these pre-heated gases are then heated to a few degrees above the exit temperature of the catalytic converter in a supplemental heater to provide hot gases; the supplemental heater is heated by means selected from direct fired gases and electrical heaters; the hot gases are fed to the catalytic converter where a reaction to form gaseous products comprising TCS and HCl occurs; the hot gases exiting the catalytic converter are used to preheat incoming STC and H2 vapor in the heat interchanger; cooled product gases exiting the heat interchanger are then separated into constituent parts (e.g., TCS, HCl, and STC) for reuse in a polysilicon plant; and STC separated from the catalytic converter off-gas is recycled back to the catalytic converter system until completely converted to TCS.
17. A system comprising a converter having catalyst therein, a feedstock inlet, a product outlet, a monitoring means to measure a concentration of STC in the feedstock, a monitoring means to measure a concentration of TCS in the product, a heating mechanism to maintain the converter within a desired temperature range, and a flow rate mechanism to maintain a desired holdup time of the feedstock within the reactor.
18. The system of claim 17 further comprising a feedback loop, whereby the measurements of STC and TCS concentrations are used to calculate an actual conversion of STC to TCS, and this conversion is compared to an equilibrium conversion for an operating temperature of the converter, and when the actual conversion is not within a pre-determined range or is below a pre-determined value in excess of the equilibrium conversion, then the system makes automatic adjustments to an operating condition parameter of the converter to achieve a conversion of STC to TCS that meets the pre-determined value in excess of the equilibrium conversion.

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

What is claimed is:

1. A method for downloading data from an auto-storage database, allowing a server to perform one-time data retrieval for transmitting data to terminal devices that request for data downloading; the method comprising the steps of:
(1) submitting a connection request via a terminal device to the server;
(2) determining via the server if to accept the connection request from the terminal device; wherein if the request is accepted, step (3) is proceeded; or else, the step (2) is returned;
(3) storing an IP (Internet protocol) address of the terminal device that submits the connection request via the server into an IP address temporary storage area;
(4) starting timing via the server and determining if counted time reaches a preset time value of data retrieval that is pre-stored in the server; wherein if the preset time value is reached, step (5) is proceeded; or else, the step (4) is returned;
(5) executing one-time data retrieval via the server for retrieving data from a database, and transmitting the retrieved data to the terminal device whose IP address is stored in the IP address temporary storage area; and
(6) requesting via the terminal device for terminating connection to the server upon receiving the retrieved data, allowing the server to stop transmitting data to the terminal device.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein in the step (1), the terminal device submits the connection request to the server through the use of transmission control protocol (TCP).
3. The method of claim 1, wherein in the step (5), the server transmits the retrieved data to the terminal device through the use of user datagram protocol (UDP).
4. The method of claim 1, wherein in the step (6), the terminal device requests for terminating the connection to the server through the use of TCP.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the database is established in an auto-controls device, for storing data generated during operation of the auto-control device.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method for downloading data from an auto-storage database is applicable to a data display system.
7. A system for downloading data from an auto-storage database, comprising:
at least a terminal device for allowing a client to input a connection request and outputting data to the client, the terminal device being provided with a unique IP (Internet protocol) address;
an auto-control device having a database for storing data generated during operation of the auto-control device; and
a server including an IP address temporary storage area, a timing module, a retrieving module and a downloading module, wherein, when the server receives the connection request from the terminal device, it stores the IP address of the terminal device into the IP address temporary storage area, and prompts the timing module to start timing, so as to determine if counted time reaches a preset time value of data retrieval that is pre-stored in the server; if the preset time value is reached, the retrieving module retrieves data from the database of the auto-control device; then, the downloading module transmits the retrieved data to the terminal device whose IP address is stored in the IP address temporary storage area; and the terminal device displays the retrieved data and requests for terminating connection to the server.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the terminal device submits the connection request to the server through the use of transmission control protocol (TCP).
9. The system of claim 7, wherein upon retrieving data from the database, the server transmits the retrieved data to the terminal device through the use of user datagram protocol (UDP).
10. The system of claim 7, wherein upon receiving the retrieved data from the server, the terminal device requests for terminating the connection to the server through the use of TCP.
11. The system of claim 7, wherein the system for downloading data from an auto-storage database is applicable to a data display system.