All The Claims

1. An air-fuel ratio imbalance among cylinders determining apparatus, applied to a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders comprising:
an air-fuel ratio sensor, disposed at an exhaust-gas-aggregated-portion of an exhaust gas passage to which exhaust gases discharged from at least two or more cylinders of said plurality of cylinders aggregate or at a position downstream of said exhaust-gas-aggregated-portion in said exhaust gas passage, having an air-fuel ratio detection section including a solid electrolyte layer, an exhaust-gas-side electrode layer formed on one of surfaces of said solid electrolyte layer, a diffusion resistance layer which said exhaust gases reach and which covers said exhaust-gas-side electrode layer, an atmosphere-side electrode layer formed on the other one of surfaces of said solid electrolyte layer so as to be exposed to an air in an atmosphere chamber, said air-fuel ratio sensor outputting an output value varying depending on an air-fuel ratio of said exhaust gases passing through a position at which said air-fuel ratio sensor is disposed, based on a limiting-current flowing through said solid electrolyte layer caused by applying a predetermined electrical voltage between said exhaust-gas-side electrode layer and said atmosphere-side electrode layer;
a plurality of fuel injectors, each of said injectors provided in accordance with each of at least said two or more cylinders and injecting a fuel whose amount is in accordance with an instructed fuel injection amount, said fuel being contained in a mixture supplied to each of combustion chambers of said at least two or more cylinders;
instructed fuel injection amount control means for controlling said instructed fuel injection amount in such a manner that an air-fuel ratio of said mixture supplied to said combustion chambers of said at least two or more cylinders coincides with a target air-fuel ratio;
imbalance determining means for obtaining a parameter for imbalance determination which becomes larger as a variation of said air-fuel ratio of an exhaust gas passing through said position at which said air-fuel ratio sensor is disposed becomes larger, for determining that an air-fuel ratio imbalance state among cylinders is occurring when said obtained parameter for imbalance determination is larger than a predetermined threshold value for imbalance determination, and for determining that said air-fuel ratio imbalance state among cylinders is not occurring when said obtained parameter for imbalance determination is smaller than said predetermined threshold value for imbalance determination; wherein,
said imbalance determining means is configured in such a manner that said imbalance determining means sets said target air-fuel ratio at a non-stoichiometric air-fuel ratio which is an air-fuel ratio other than a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio and obtains said parameter for imbalance determination in a period in which a predetermined condition for obtaining a parameter for imbalance determination is satisfied, and sets said target air-fuel ratio at said stoichiometric air-fuel ratio in a period in which said predetermined condition for obtaining a parameter for imbalance determination is not satisfied.
2. The air-fuel ratio imbalance among cylinders determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,
said imbalance determining means is configured in such a manner that said imbalance determining means,
maintains said target air-fuel ratio at said stoichiometric air-fuel ratio and obtains said parameter for imbalance determination as a tentative parameter based on the output value of the air-fuel ratio sensor before it sets said target air-fuel ratio at said non-stoichiometric air-fuel ratio in said period in which said predetermined condition for obtaining a parameter for imbalance determination is satisfied,
determines that said air-fuel ratio imbalance state among cylinders is occurring when said obtained tentative parameter is larger than a predetermined high side threshold value,
determines that said air-fuel ratio imbalance state among cylinders is not occurring when said obtained tentative parameter is smaller than a low side threshold value which is smaller than said high side threshold value by a predetermined amount,
defers a determination as to whether or not said air-fuel ratio imbalance state among cylinders is occurring when said obtained tentative parameter is smaller than said high side threshold value and larger than said low side threshold value,
sets said target air-fuel ratio at said non-stoichiometric air-fuel ratio and obtains said parameter for imbalance determination based on said output value of said air-fuel ratio sensor as a final parameter, in a period in which said predetermined condition for obtaining a parameter for imbalance determination is satisfied in a case in which said determination as to whether or not said air-fuel ratio imbalance state among cylinders is occurring is deferred, and
determines that said air-fuel ratio imbalance state among cylinders is occurring when said obtained final parameter is larger than said threshold value for imbalance determination, and determines that said air-fuel ratio imbalance state among cylinders is not occurring when said obtained final parameter is smaller than said threshold value for imbalance determination.
3. The air-fuel ratio imbalance among cylinders determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,
said air-fuel ratio detection section of said air-fuel ratio sensor includes a catalytic section which facilitates an oxidation-reduction reaction and has an oxygen storage function; and
said air-fuel sensor is configured in such a manner that said exhaust gas passing through said exhaust gas passage reaches said diffusion resistance layer via said catalytic section.
4. The air-fuel ratio imbalance among cylinders determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,
said air-fuel sensor further comprises a protective cover, which accommodate said air-fuel ratio detecting section in its inside so as to cover said air-fuel detecting section, said cover including inflow holes for said exhaust gas passing through said exhaust gas passage to flow into said inside of said cover and outflow holes for said exhaust gas flowed into said inside of said cover to flow out to said exhaust gas passage.
5. The air-fuel ratio imbalance among cylinders determining apparatus according to claim 4, wherein,
said imbalance determining means is configured in such a manner that it obtains, as a basic indicative value, a differential value with respect to time of said output value of said air-fuel ratio sensor or a detected air-fuel ratio which is an air-fuel ratio represented by said output value of said air-fuel ratio sensor, and obtains said parameter for imbalance determination based on said obtained basic indicative value.
6. The air-fuel ratio imbalance among cylinders determining apparatus according to claim 4, wherein,
said imbalance determining means is configured in such a manner that it obtains, as a basic indicative value, a second order differential value with respect to time of said output value of said air-fuel ratio sensor or a detected air-fuel ratio which is an air-fuel ratio represented by said output value of said air-fuel ratio sensor, and obtains said parameter for imbalance determination based on said obtained basic indicative value.

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 liquid ejection head, comprising:
a nozzle plate including plural nozzles to eject droplets of liquid;
a channel plate including individual liquid chambers communicated with the nozzles;
a common-liquid-chamber member including a common liquid chamber to supply the liquid to the individual liquid chambers; and
a deformable damper area forming a wall face of the common liquid chamber,
wherein the channel plate has an end portion disposed at an end of the channel plate, in a direction perpendicular to a nozzle array direction in which the nozzles are arrayed, and
an outer surface of the end portion of the channel plate is opposed to a portion of the damper area, and
said end portion of the channel plate has a relief at a side facing said portion of the damper area to permit deformation of the damper area.
2. The liquid ejection head of claim 1, wherein the relief has at least one of a stepwise shape, a tapered shape, a round shape, and a sawtooth shape in a cross section along a liquid supply direction in which the liquid is supplied from the common liquid chamber.
3. The liquid ejection head of claim 1, further comprising a diaphragm member forming a wall face of each of the individual liquid chambers,
wherein the damper area is formed of a portion of the diaphragm member.
4. An image forming apparatus, comprising the liquid ejection head of claim 1.
5. The liquid ejection head of claim 1, wherein the damper area is a section of a wall surface member forming the wall face of the common liquid chamber.
6. The liquid ejection head of claim 5, wherein the wall surface member includes plural damper areas along the nozzle array direction.
7. The liquid ejection head of claim 6, wherein a section of the channel plate opposes the wall surface member between adjacent damper areas, and said section of the channel plate does not have a relief and is bonded with adhesive to the wall surface member.

1. A satellite navigation receiver, comprising:
a radio frequency translator comprising two input channels for receiving navigation signals over one or more of a first carrier frequency and a second carrier frequency from one or more satellites, wherein said radio frequency translator conditions said navigation signals over said one or more of said first carrier frequency and said second carrier frequency;
one or more correlator blocks comprising a predetermined number of correlator channels configured for said first carrier frequency and said second carrier frequency, wherein said predetermined number of said correlator channels is divided for parallel collection of sub-frames of navigation data from said navigation signals across one or more operation service codes, wherein said parallel collection of said sub-frames of said navigation data comprises one of:
parallelly collecting said sub-frames of said navigation data across said one or more operation service codes and on one of said first carrier frequency and said second carrier frequency;
parallelly collecting said sub-frames of said navigation data across said first carrier frequency and said second carrier frequency and on one of said one or more operation service codes; and
parallelly collecting said sub-frames of said navigation data across said first carrier frequency and said second carrier frequency and across said one or more operation service codes; and

a navigation data processor for processing said parallelly collected sub-frames of said navigation data to estimate position of said satellite navigation receiver;
whereby said parallel collection of said sub-frames of said navigation data across said first carrier frequency and said second carrier frequency andor across said one or more operation service codes reduces a time to first fix parameter of said position of said satellite navigation receiver.
2. The satellite navigation receiver of claim 1, further comprising one or more down-converters for down-converting said conditioned navigation signals over one or more of said first carrier frequency and said second carrier frequency.
3. The satellite navigation receiver of claim 1, wherein said navigation data processor comprises:
an acquisition module for acquiring said navigation signals from visible satellites and estimating coarse code phase and carrier Doppler frequency of said visible satellites;
a tracking module for tracking each of said visible satellites based on said estimated coarse code phase and carrier Doppler frequency for data bit demodulation;
a satellite database manager for framing said navigation data based on said data bit demodulation; and
a position computation module for estimating said position of said satellite navigation receiver based on said navigation data.
4. The satellite navigation receiver of claim 1, wherein said one or more correlator blocks comprise parallel correlator buffers for performing one of:
correlating locally generated signals with said navigation signals across said one or more operation service codes and on one of said first carrier frequency and said second carrier frequency;
correlating locally generated signals with said navigation signals across said first carrier frequency and said second carrier frequency and on one of said one or more operation service codes; and
correlating locally generated signals with said navigation signals across said first carrier frequency and said second carrier frequency and across said one or more operation service codes.
5. The satellite navigation receiver of claim 1, wherein each of said correlator channels of said one or more correlator blocks collects said sub-frames of said navigation data in one or more predefined sequences, wherein said collection of said sub-frames of said navigation data in said one or more predefined sequences ensures that collection time of ephemeris data of said navigation data is reduced based on said collection of said sub-frames of said navigation data across one of said one or more operation service codes, said first carrier frequency and said second carrier frequency, and a combination thereof.
6. The satellite navigation receiver of claim 1, wherein said one or more operation service codes comprise navigation data encodings for a precise service and a special positioning service.
7. A satellite navigation receiver, comprising:
a radio frequency translator comprising a plurality of input channels for receiving navigation signals over M carrier frequencies from one or more satellites, wherein said radio frequency translator conditions said navigation signals over said M carrier frequencies;
one or more correlator blocks comprising a predetermined number of correlator channels configured for said M carrier frequencies, wherein said predetermined number of said correlator channels is divided for parallel collection of sub-frames of navigation data from said navigation signals across N operation service codes, wherein said parallel collection of said sub-frames of said navigation data comprises one of:
parallelly collecting said sub-frames of said navigation data across said N operation service codes and on one of said M carrier frequencies;
parallelly collecting said sub-frames of said navigation data across said M carrier frequencies and on one of said N operation service codes; and
parallelly collecting said sub-frames of said navigation data across said M carrier frequencies and across said N operation service codes; and

a navigation data processor for processing said parallely collected sub-frames of said navigation data to estimate position of said satellite navigation receiver;
whereby said parallel collection of said sub-frames of said navigation data across said M carrier frequencies reduces a time to first fix parameter of said position of said satellite navigation receiver by a factor of M, said parallel collection of said sub-frames of said navigation data across said N operation service codes reduces said time to first fix parameter by a factor of N, and said parallel collection of said sub-frames of said navigation data across both said M carrier frequencies and said N operation service codes reduces said time to first fix parameter by a factor of M\xd7N.
8. The satellite navigation receiver of claim 7, further comprising one or more down-converters for down-converting said conditioned navigation signals over said M carrier frequencies.
9. A method for reducing a time to first fix parameter in a satellite navigation receiver, comprising:
receiving navigation signals over one or more of a first carrier frequency and a second carrier frequency by a radio frequency translator of said satellite navigation receiver from one or more satellites, wherein said radio frequency translator conditions said navigation signals over said one or more of said first carrier frequency and said second carrier frequency;
parallelly collecting sub-frames of navigation data from said navigation signals using one or more correlator blocks of said satellite navigation receiver, wherein said one or more correlator blocks comprise a predetermined number of correlator channels configured for said first carrier frequency and said second carrier frequency, wherein said predetermined number of said correlator channels is divided for said parallel collection of said sub-frames of said navigation data across one or more operation service codes, wherein said parallel collection of said sub-frames of said navigation data comprises one of:
parallelly collecting said sub-frames of said navigation data across said one or more operation service codes and on one of said first carrier frequency and said second carrier frequency;
parallelly collecting said sub-frames of said navigation data across said first carrier frequency and said second carrier frequency and on one of said one or more operation service codes; and
parallelly collecting said sub-frames of said navigation data across said first carrier frequency and said second carrier frequency and across said one or more operation service codes; and

processing said parallely collected sub-frames of said navigation data by a navigation data processor of said satellite navigation receiver for estimating position of said satellite navigation receiver;
whereby said parallel collection of said sub-frames of said navigation data across said first carrier frequency and said second carrier frequency andor across said one or more operation service codes reduces said time to first fix parameter of said position of said satellite navigation receiver.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising down-converting said conditioned navigation signals over one or more of said first carrier frequency and said second carrier frequency by one or more down-converters of said satellite navigation receiver.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein said processing of said parallely collected sub-frames of said navigation data by said navigation data processor, comprises:
acquiring said navigation signals from visible satellites and estimating coarse code phase and carrier Doppler frequency of said visible satellites;
tracking each of said visible satellites based on said estimated coarse code phase and carrier Doppler frequency for data bit demodulation;
framing said navigation data based on said data bit demodulation; and
estimating said position of said satellite navigation receiver based on said navigation data.
12. The method of claim 9, wherein said parallel collection of said sub-frames of said navigation data using said one or more correlator blocks comprises one of:
correlating locally generated signals with said navigation signals across said one or more operation service codes and on one of said first carrier frequency and said second carrier frequency;
correlating locally generated signals with said navigation signals across said first carrier frequency and said second carrier frequency and on one of said one or more operation service codes; and
correlating locally generated signals with said navigation signals across said first carrier frequency and said second carrier frequency and across said one or more operation service codes.
13. The method of claim 9, wherein each of said correlator channels of said one or more correlator blocks collects said sub-frames of said navigation data in one or more predefined sequences, wherein said collection of said sub-frames of said navigation data in said one or more predefined sequences ensures that collection time of ephemeris data of said navigation data is reduced based on said collection of said sub-frames of said navigation data across one of said one or more operation service codes, said first carrier frequency and said second carrier frequency, and a combination thereof.
14. The method of claim 9, wherein said one or more operation service codes comprise navigation data encodings for a precise service and a special positioning service.
15. A system for generating navigation signals across one of multiple operation service codes, multiple carrier frequencies, and a combination thereof, said system comprising:
an intermediate frequency signal generator for generating intermediate frequency signals, wherein said intermediate frequency signal generator comprises:
one or more operation service code generators for generating one or more of said multiple operation service codes;
one or more intermediate frequency carrier generators for generating in-phase and quadrature phase intermediate frequency carrier signals corresponding to one or more of said multiple carrier frequencies;
one or more adders for adding sub-frames of navigation data with one or more of said multiple operation service codes for generating service code modulated navigation data; and
one or more modulators for modulating said service code modulated navigation data with said in-phase and quadrature phase intermediate frequency carrier signals corresponding to said one or more of said multiple carrier frequencies for generating said intermediate frequency signals; and

one or more radio frequency translators for up-converting said generated intermediate frequency signals to yield said navigation signals across said one of said multiple operation service codes, said multiple carrier frequencies, and said combination thereof.
16. A method for generating navigation signals across one of multiple operation service codes, multiple carrier frequencies, and a combination thereof, comprising:
generating intermediate frequency signals by an intermediate frequency signal generator, comprising:
generating one or more of said multiple operation service codes;
generating in-phase and quadrature phase intermediate frequency carrier signals corresponding to one or more of said multiple carrier frequencies;
adding sub-frames of navigation data with one or more of said multiple operation service codes for generating service code modulated navigation data; and
modulating said service code modulated navigation data with said in-phase and quadrature phase intermediate frequency carrier signals corresponding to said one or more of said multiple carrier frequencies for generating said intermediate frequency signals; and

up-converting said generated intermediate frequency signals to yield said navigation signals across said one of said multiple operation service codes, said multiple carrier frequencies, and said combination thereof.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising transmitting said navigation signals comprising sub-frames of said navigation data across said one of said multiple operation service codes, said multiple carrier frequencies, and said combination thereof, to a satellite navigation receiver, wherein said sub-frames of said navigation data are transmitted to said satellite navigation receiver in one or more predefined sequences across each of said multiple operation service codes andor across each of said multiple carrier frequencies, wherein said transmission of said sub-frames of said navigation data in said one or more predefined sequences to said satellite navigation receiver optimizes collection time of ephemeris data of said navigation data by said satellite navigation receiver.

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 insertable, adjustable, semi-flexible shelf and retaining apparatus for installing within a compartment comprising:
(a) a rectangular shelf body configured to be deployed and attached in a horizontal fashion within a compartment covering a predetermined section of the compartment space and mounted below a horizontal opening in the compartment thereby creating a horizontal shelf;
(b) an upright retaining wall formed by raising a portion of said rectangular shelf body, thereby forming a barrier on an open edge of a horizontal edge of a top surface of said rectangular shelf body, and attaching the upright retaining wall to adjacent inside walls of said compartment to keep items from falling off of or out of said horizontal shelf;
(c) a reinforced parametrical border attached on three remaining edges of said shelf incorporating mounted fastening elements for attachment to other fastening elements to be affixed to internal side of said compartment, and
(d) at least one adjustable fastener elements for mounting said shelf to the inside of said compartment and including respective anchor elements to be affixed by bonding to the inside of said compartment running the length and width on three sides of said compartment interior perimeter for attachment to said reinforced parametrical border of said shelf.
2. The insertable, adjustable, semi-flexible shelf and retaining apparatus of claim 1 wherein said shelf body and border are constructed of reinforced nylon material.
3. The insertable, adjustable, semi-flexible shelf and retaining apparatus of claim 1 wherein said shelf body and border are constructed of at least one of plastic material, PVC and nylon.
4. The insertable, adjustable, semi-flexible shelf and retaining apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one adjustable fastener elements that are attached to said shelf border are constructed of two-part hook and loop material and are constructed to allow adjustability of said shelf to span within different sized compartment interiors.
5. The insertable, adjustable, semi-flexible shelf and retaining apparatus of claim 1 wherein an upright center partition, acting as a divider, running the length of said shelf horizontally, is attached along its lower edge to the top horizontal center of said shelf horizontally, and attached on one horizontal end to the adjacent inside wall of said compartment, and on the other horizontal end to said retaining wall of said shelf.
6. The insertable, adjustable, semi-flexible shelf and retaining apparatus of claim 5 wherein said partition is constructed of nylon mesh andor plastic material.
7. The insertable, adjustable, semi-flexible shelf and retaining apparatus of claim 5 wherein said partition is attached to said shelf and to said compartment by means of hook and loop material.
8. The insertable, adjustable, semi-flexible shelf and retaining apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means of the attachment of said shelf to said compartment is provided by separate attachable flaps of predetermined width and length, incorporating fastening elements along the length of said flaps, and attached between said fastening elements mounted to said shelf border and the respective at least one adjustable fastener elements mounted to said compartment, for means of attaching said shelf to various sizes of compartments.
9. The insertable, adjustable, semi-flexible shelf and retaining apparatus of claim 8 wherein said flaps are constructed of nylon mesh or plastic material.
10. The insertable, adjustable, semi-flexible shelf and retaining apparatus of claim 8 wherein said fastening elements of said flaps are constructed of hook-and-loop material.
11. The insertable, adjustable, semi-flexible shelf and retaining apparatus of claim 1 that further includes a separate adjustable strap that spans across the compartment under the rectangular shelf body for further support of the shelf.
12. The insertable, adjustable, semi-flexible shelf and retaining apparatus of claim 1 wherein the reinforced parametrical border is reinforced with at least one stay that that maintains structural shape of the parametrical border.
13. The insertable, adjustable, semi-flexible shelf and retaining apparatus of claim 12 wherein the stays are made from plastic or metal.