All The Claims

1. An electrical connector comprising:
a substantially cylindrical conducting front body having a central bore extending along a longitudinal axis thereof;
a conducting contact portion disposed within the central bore and longitudinally coaxial with the front body;
an annular insulator disposed within the front body and surrounding the contact portion, thereby electrically isolating the contact portion from the front body, wherein the insulator is formed from a material that maintains the insulator’s form and properties at temperatures above 275\xb0 C.;
an annular interface gasket disposed within the front body, wherein the interface gasket is formed from an elastomer material that maintains the interface gasket’s form and properties at temperatures above 275\xb0 C.;
a rear body with a threaded portion; and
a connecting body with a ring, wherein the connecting body is tapered so that, in operation, threading the connecting body onto the threaded portion causes the ring to close on a coaxial cable that includes an outer conductor, thereby clamping the outer conductor to the rear body.
2. An electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the insulator is formed from a ceramic or a glass suitable for use at temperatures above 275\xb0 C.
3. An electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the rear body has an opening configured to receive an end of a coaxial cable that includes a central conductor; and
the contact portion includes a front portion and a rear portion, the rear portion having a hole therein substantially coaxial with the opening and having a diameter configured to be less than that of the central conductor, and a slot intersecting the hole for making a connection to a central conductor of the cable, the slot separating a first section and a second section of the rear portion, so that, in operation, forcing the central conductor into the hole causes the slot to widen and the first section and the second section to resist being spread apart, thereby clamping the central conductor to the contact portion to form a solderless connection to the coaxial cable.
4. An electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the elastomer material is a material suitable for use at temperatures above 275\xb0 C.
5. The electrical connector of claim 3, wherein the central contact extends at a 90 degree angle from the central bore.
6. An electrical connector comprising:
a substantially cylindrical conducting outer body with a front body, the outer body having an opening for receiving an end of a cable that includes an inner conductor and an outer conductor;
a conducting contact portion coaxial with the outer body, the contact portion including a front portion and a rear portion, the rear portion having a hole therein substantially coaxial with the opening and a slot intersecting the hole for making a connection to a central conductor of the cable;
an annular insulator disposed within the outer body and surrounding the contact portion, thereby electrically isolating the contact portion from the outer body, wherein the insulator is formed from a ceramic or glass material;
a substantially cylindrical connecting body connecting to the outer body and coaxial with the opening; and
a ring interior to the connecting body and coaxial with said opening, the ring having a slot therein that extends entirely through the ring so as to provide a complete break in the ring, the ring being configured to be closable by narrowing the slot to make a connection to the outer conductor of the cable.
7. An electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein the insulator is formed from a ceramic material.
8. An electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein the slot in the rear portion separates a first section and a second section of the rear portion, and the hole in the rear portion has a diameter less than that of the central conductor, so that, in operation, forcing the central conductor into the hole causes the slot to widen and the first section and the second section to resist being spread apart, thereby clamping the central conductor to the contact portion.
9. An electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein the connecting body has a threaded connection to the outer body, and the connecting body is tapered so that, in operation, threading the connecting body onto the outer body causes the ring to close on the cable, thereby clamping the outer conductor to the outer body.
10. An electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein the annular insulator includes a first ceramic insulator surrounding the contact portion, a second ceramic insulator surrounding the contact portion, and a gasket disposed axially between the first ceramic insulator and the second ceramic insulator, the gasket being formed of an elastomer material.
11. An electrical connector according to claim 10, wherein the elastomer material is rated for use at a temperature of at least 315\xb0 C., and for continuous duty at 300\xb0 C.
12. An electrical connector according to claim 10, wherein the elastomer material is a perfluoroelastomer.
13. An electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein the elastomer material is rated for use at a temperature of at least 315\xb0 C., and for continuous duty at 300\xb0 C.
14. An electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein the connector is configured to provide a solderless connection to at least one of the central conductor and the outer conductor of the cable.

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 image processing apparatus comprising:
an image data obtaining circuit that obtains image data having first image data and second image data of a lower resolution than the first image data, the image data being capable of having a first number of grayscale values;
a sampling circuit that samples the image data;
a statistic value determining circuit that determines a statistic value based on statistic information of a histogram, the histogram being created by quantizing the sampled image data into a second number of grayscale values less than the first number of grayscale values and linearly interpolating the quantized data back into the first number of grayscale values;
a correction-amount determining circuit that determines a first correction amount to be used for image processing to the first image data and a second correction amount to be used for image processing to the second image data based on the statistic value; and
an image processing circuit that performs the image processing to the first image data according to the first correction amount and performs the image processing to the second image data according to the second correction amount.
2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction-amount determining circuit includes a correction-amount adjusting circuit that determines a ratio of pixels having a specific color in all pixels based on the sampled image data and that adjusts the correction amount according to the ratio of the pixels having the specific color.
3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an image defined by the image data is divided into a central area and a surrounding area surrounding the central area, and
the sampling circuit includes a divisional area sampling circuit that samples the image data in the central area and the surrounding area at a low resolution.
4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the correction-amount determining circuit includes a backlit-image determining circuit that determines whether or not the image data is backlit image data using the histogram and a statistic value that is determined based on sampled image data in the central area and the surrounding area.
5. An image processing method comprising:
obtaining image data having first image data and second image data of lower resolution than the first image data, the image data being capable of having a first number of grayscale values;
sampling the image data;
determining a statistic value based on statistic information of a histogram, the histogram being created by quantizing the sampled image data into a second number of grayscale values less than the first number of grayscale values and linearly interpolating the quantized data back into the first number of grayscale values;
determining a first correction amount to be used for image processing of the first image data and a second correction amount to be used for image processing of the second image data based on the statistic value; and
performing the image processing to the first image data according to the first correction amount and performing the image processing to the second image data according to the second correction amount,
wherein at least one of the above steps are performed by a processor.
6. A computer-readable storage medium storing an image processing program to be executed by an image processing apparatus including a control circuit to cause the image processing apparatus to function as:
an image data obtaining unit that obtains image data having first image data and second image data of lower resolution than the first image data, the image data being capable of having a first number of grayscale values;
a sampling unit that samples the image data;
a statistic value determining unit that determines a statistic value based on statistic information of a histogram, the histogram being created by quantizing the sampled image data into a second number of grayscale values less than the first number of grayscale values and linearly interpolating the quantized data back into the first number of grayscale values;
a correction-amount determining unit that determines a first correction amount to be used for image processing of the first image data and a second correction amount to be used for image processing of the second image data based on the statistic value; and
an image processing unit that performs the image processing to the first image data according to the first correction amount and performs image processing to the second image data according to the second correction amount.

1. A system for monitoring a thermal barrier coating, comprising:
a combustion turbine component coated with a thermal barrier coating, the coating comprising:
a thermal stimulatable substance adapted to function as a visual high-lighter, and
a mechanism to adhere the thermal stimulatable substance in the coating;

a detector to detect removed pieces of the thermal stimulatable substance; and
an analyzer to analyze the removed pieces of the thermal stimulatable substance to determine damages of the coating.
2. A system according claim 1, further comprising an output device to output a a damage readable form.
3. A system according claim 1, wherein the component is coated with a plurality of layers of thermal barrier coatings.
4. A system according claim 1, wherein a plurality of components are coated with a thermal barrier coating.
5. A system according claim 4, wherein a plurality of components are coated with thermal barrier coatings, the thermal barrier coating containing different thermal stimulatable substances.
6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the stimulatable substance is an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal.
7. A system according claim 1, wherein the combustion turbine component is a turbine blade or a turbine vane.
8. A system according claim 1, wherein the combustion turbine component is a combustion engine.
10. A system according claim 1, wherein the combustion turbine component is a heat shield.
11. A method for monitoring a thermal barrier coating, comprising:
providing a thermal stimulatable substance adapted to function as a visual high-lighter;
providing a mechanism to adhere the thermal stimulatable substance in the coating;
providing a detector to detect removed pieces of the thermal stimulatable substance; and
providing an analyzer to analyze the removed pieces of the thermal stimulatable substance to determine damages of the coating.
12. A method according claim 11, further comprising: providing an output device to output a damage readable form.
13. A method according claim 11, further comprising: providing a mechanism for remote monitoring.
14. A method according claim 11, further comprising: providing a mechanism for real-time monitoring.
15. A method according to claim 11, wherein the stimulatable substance is a alkali metal or a alkaline earth metal.
16. A component, comprising:
a thermal barrier coating with a thermal stimulatable substance adapted to function as a visual high-lighter, and a mechanism to adhere the thermal stimulatable substance in the coating;
a detector to detect removed pieces of the thermal stimulatable substance; and
an analyzer to analyze the removed pieces of the thermal stimulatable substance to determine damages of the coating.
17. A component according claim 16, wherein the component is a combustion turbine component.
18. A component according claim 16, wherein the component is coated with a plurality of layers of thermal barrier coatings.
19. A component according claim 16, wherein the thermal barrier coating containing different of thermal stimulatable substances.
20. A combustion turbine component according claim 16, wherein the stimulatable substance is an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal.
21. A component according claim 16, wherein the component is a metal or ceramic component.

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 apparatus, comprising:
a. a fabric drying unit containing a heater for heating air;
b. a blower that when actuated directs said air heated by said heater predominantly along a predetermined vector; and
c. a lint trap device, comprising:
i. a frame having a plurality of lint filter retaining members; and
ii. a plurality of lint filter members, wherein each of said plurality of lint filter members is securely positioned relative to a respective one of said plurality of lint filter retaining members, and further wherein said lint filter retaining members orient said plurality of lint filter members in respective planes that extend at oblique angles relative to the predetermined vector.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of lint filter members comprises upper and lower lint filter frame members.
3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said lint filter retaining members comprise respective sets of upper and lower channels adapted to receive respective ones of said upper and lower lint filter frame members.
4. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of lint filter joining members interconnecting adjacent ones of said plurality of lint filter members.
5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein each of said plurality of lint filter members comprise an elongated nose member that interconnects adjacent ones of said plurality of lint filter members at their vertex.