In manufacturing a multilayered gas sensor element which includes a sensor cell for measuring a specific gas concentration in a measured gas, a main body portion including a plurality of laminated ceramic substrates, and a plate heater portion generating heat in response to supply of electric power, which are integrally laminated in a predetermined order, a multilayered body of green sheets forming the main body portion and the heater portion is sintered into a multilayered gas sensor element, and then at least both side surfaces of the multilayered gas sensor element extending in a longitudinal direction are processed by grinding, so as to remove surface defects.

The present invention relates to a manufacturing method for a multilayered gas sensor element to be incorporated in an exhaust gas system for an internal combustion engine to control the combustion of the engine.
Multilayered gas sensing elements are preferably installed in exhaust gas systems of automotive engines to measure various gas concentrations and control the combustion of the engines, and are arranged in the following manner.
For example, as disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-66280, a conventional gas sensing element includes a solid electrolytic substance. A measured gas side electrode is provided on one surface of this solid electrolytic substance so as to be exposed to a measured gas. A porous diffusion resistance layer covers the outer surface of the measured gas side electrode. And, a dense protection layer covers the outer surface of the diffusion resistance layer. Furthermore, a reference electrode is provided on the other surface of the solid electrolytic substance so as to be exposed to a reference gas.
The above-described reference electrode is provided in a reference gas chamber into which the reference gas is introduced. The reference gas chamber is defined by laminating a spacer on the solid electrolytic substance. A heater portion is integrally laminated with the spacer. The heater portion consists of a heat generating element which generates heat in response to supply of electric power and a heater substrate provided with lead portions and terminal portions which are electrically connected to the heat generating element.
The multilayered gas sensor element, as described later in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, can be manufactured by sintering a laminated body of green sheets being appropriately laminated to constitute a diffusion resistance layer, a protection layer, a solid electrolytic substance, a spacer, and a heater substrate. However, as shown in FIG. 4, surface defects 195 such as chips and cracks tend to appear on side surfaces 193 and 194 and element surfaces 191 and 192 of a multilayered gas sensor element 1 as a result of sintering operation. Furthermore, there is the possibility that warpage appears on the side surfaces 191 and 192 of the multilayered gas sensor element 1 (refer to FIG. 4). Undesirable differences in altitudinal level may also be caused due to lamination error.
The above-described surface defects 195 may be not so large to give adverse influence to the operation of multilayered gas sensor element 1, for example, immediately after finishing the sintering operation. However, as shown in FIG. 5, this kind of surface defects 195 possibly grow into larger defects when electric power is supplied to a heater portion 18 and will stretch into the inner portion of the of the multilayered gas sensor element 1.
Accordingly, reducing such undesirable surface defects as much as possible is very important to improve the production yield in the manufacturing of the multilayered gas sensor elements.

Manufacturing method for a multilayered gas sensor element


A communication terminal apparatus is connected to a single telephone line and is configured to be selectively connected either to a telephone set or to a facsimile machine. A pseudo ring back tone generator generates a repetitive pseudo ring back tone transmitted to a calling party in response to an incoming call. A pseudo ring signal generator generates a pseudo ring signal for driving a ringer of the telephone set to ring in response to the incoming call. A tone detector detects a CNG signal indicative that the incoming call is a facsimile. A controller controls at least the pseudo ring back tone generator and the pseudo ring signal generator. A table correlates a plurality of ring back tones with corresponding countries. If a ring back tone for a country meets a predetermined condition, the controller sets a predetermined pseudo ring back tone to the pseudo ring back tone generator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication terminal apparatus that is connected a single telephone subscriber line or a private branch exchange (PBX), and that is capable of automatically switching the telephone subscriber line or the PBX to either a telephone set or to a facsimile machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Communication terminal apparatuses have been widespread which are connected either to an analog telephone line or to a PBX, and which are capable of sending and receiving facsimile messages. Such communication terminal apparatuses are designed to be connected to a telephone apparatus, and are capable of automatically identifying whether an incoming call is a voice call or a facsimile call so that a single input telephone line maybe shared between voice calls and facsimile calls.
A check may be made to determine whether the incoming call is a voice call or a facsimile call. Upon detection of a CNG signal (Calling Tone, the ITU-T Recommendation) having a frequency of 1100 Hz, which is on for one half of a second and off for three seconds, the apparatus enters a facsimile mode. If the CNG signal is not received, a ringer in the communication terminal apparatus or a ringer in the telephone rings to prompt the user to initiate a voice communication.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-281265 discloses the following technology for preventing an erroneous identification of the CNG signal or for alleviating a calling party's frustration.
(a) The apparatus of a called party sends a pseudo ring back tone which is a dummy ring back tone during the period in which an incoming CNG is watched for. Upon receiving a CNG signal components, the apparatus stops sending the pseudo ring back tone.
(b) If the apparatus does not receive a CNG signal within a predetermined time frame after having stopped sending the pseudo ring back tone in response to the detection of the CNG signal components, then the apparatus resumes sending the pseudo ring back tone.
(c) The period of time during which generation of the pseudo ring back tone is stopped may be selectable.
(d) The conditions under which the CNG signal components are detected may be selectable.
The aforementioned conventional communication terminal apparatus suffers from the following problems. If the called apparatus fails to receive the CNG signal after having stopped sending the pseudo ring back tone in response to the initial CNG signal components, the called apparatus resumes sending the pseudo ring back tone. Therefore, the pseudo ring back tone may not be sent at regular intervals, causing the caller to concern.
Additionally, the pseudo ring back tone may not be generated by the called apparatus in synchronism with the CNG signal. Therefore, the receiving apparatus may fail to detect the CNG signal for a while after it has begun to send out the pseudo ring back tone. Meanwhile, the calling party begins to be charged shortly after the called apparatus has established the dc loop of the called party's telephone line, so that the calling party is charged for a period during which the CNG signal is being watched for. As a result, the longer the CNG signal verification time, the more uneconomical to the caller's apparatus.


A leash module including a retention opening configured to receive and retain a used pet waste bag that has been closed via a tied knot, and a bowl portion configured to receive and retain water for drinking by a pet. The leash module is configured to be removably coupled to a leash assembly. The retention opening includes a bag receipt opening sized and dimensioned to allow for insertion of the tied knot of the used pet waste bag, and a bag retention opening extending from the bag receipt opening, the bag retention opening being narrower than the bag receipt opening and being sized and dimensioned to prevent passage of the tied knot of the used pet waste bag.

The present invention generally relates to systems, methods, and apparatus for pet owners.
The rapid increase of urban populations along with the increasing popularity of dogs and other pets has created, in at least some areas, a serious sanitary problem regarding the disposal of animal litter, and, in particular, canine litter. It is believed that the willingness of pet owners to retrieve and properly dispose of animal litter is related, in at least some cases, to the ease and convenience with which the litter may be handled in a clean and sanitary manner. While a number of devices have been proposed for disposing of animal litter, they have suffered from various shortcomings.
One commonly accepted method for collecting and storing animal litter until a proper disposal site can be found involves the use of a disposable plastic bag. Some pet owners simply place a plastic bag, such as a plastic grocery bag, in a clothing pocket for retrieval when needed. This method of collecting animal litter presupposes, however, that a pet owner will always have access to, and remember to grab, a plastic bag prior to walking his or her pet.
Pet owners commonly walk their pets utilizing pet leashes. Numerous types of pet leashes, e.g. retractable pet leashes, are known in the art. Exemplary such leashes are disclosed in: U.S. Pat. No. 2,222,409 to Gottlieb; U.S. Pat. No. 2,314,504 to Lifchultz; U.S. Pat. No. 2,919,676 to Schneider; U.S. Pat. No. 3,693,596 to Croce et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,776,198 to Gehrke; U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,283 to Croce et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,018,189 to Umphries et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,713 to Brawner et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,817 to Crutchfield; U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,510 to Stanish; U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,150 to McCarthy; U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,230 to Talo; U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,566 to Daniels; U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,551 to Musetti; U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,626 to Kilsby; U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,494 to Kondo; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,044,080 to Rabello. Each of these patents is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Some have recognized the desirability of providing an easy way to carry pet waste bags when going for a walk utilizing a leash, e.g. a retractable leash. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,881 (which is hereby incorporated herein by reference) discloses a pet refuse bag dispenser integrally formed with, or removably connected to, a leash handle that provides access to a roll of plastic pet refuse bags. It is believed, however, that such a device does not provide a convenient way to transport pet waste once it is contained within a pet waste bag.
A need exists for improvement in pet waste disposal. This, and other needs, are addressed by one or more aspects of the present invention.

Systems, methods, and apparatus for pet waste disposal


Online installation systems and methods are provided for online installations of ultrasonic steam measurement devices in steam pipes. In one embodiment, a tool is provided and includes a transducer assembly configured to be coupled to a distal end of an isolation valve installed on a pressurized steam pipe. An ultrasonic transducer can be movably disposed within the transducer assembly, and the ultrasonic transducer can extend through a proximal opening of the transducer assembly and through a distal opening of the transducer assembly. The tool can also include an insertion mechanism configured to be coupled to a distal end of the transducer assembly and having a cylindrical housing at least partially enclosing the ultrasonic transducer. The insertion mechanism can include a linear actuator assembly configured to linearly actuate the ultrasonic transducer.

Measuring the flow rate within steam pipes can be challenging due to the harsh environment inside the pipes. Steam flows at high temperatures and under high levels of pressure, creating a risk of injury whenever measurement devices are introduced to the pipes. For this reason, introducing a steam measurement device into the steam line without emptying or otherwise interrupting the line, a process known as "hot tapping," can be difficult, and at times, dangerous.
Conventionally, inserting a steam measurement device into a steam line can require shutting down and disassembling the piping in order to reduce the pressure and temperature inside the pipe. However, such a procedure can be time consuming and tedious.
Accordingly, there remains a need for improved methods and devices for installation of steam measurement devices in live, pressurized steam pipes.

Online installation system of ultrasonic steam measurement device


The present invention is directed to a system and method employing a static logical identifier. In an aspect of the present invention, an input/output interface suitable for communicatively coupling a host with a target device may include at least one port communicatively coupling the input/output interface with a host and at least one port communicatively coupling the input/output interface with a target. A controller is communicatively coupled to the ports. When the controller receives an identifier from the host, the controller generates a logical identifier from the identifier, the logical identifier suitable for being utilized in conjunction with a look-up table to provide access to the target.

The present invention generally relates to the field of fibre channel devices, and particularly to an apparatus, system and method for enabling access and transfer of data.
The access, transfer and storage of electronic data is one of the most important aspects of modern life. From business to personal use, electronic data is utilized to make lives easier, as information representing transactions, personal data, business, and the like is stored and transferred quickly and accurately. By communicatively linking systems, data may be transferred to provide this functionality.
To provide consistent and persistent access to data, a variety of paths to the data, as well as data saving schemes may be employed. However, these schemes may require high data bandwidth, may be resource intensive, and may be incompatible across a variety of architectures. Further, such methods may result in complications to future development of products, devices and systems.
Further, a variety of host configurations may be encountered, each of which may cause complications in the use of an input/output interface. For example, hosts may utilize different operating systems, implement different applications, and the like, which have different communication requirements. Therefore, to provide connectivity to a target device, the host was configured for the type of interface supported by the target device. Such support may require extensive re-writing of host software, and may require extensive changes to an input/output device.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a system and method for employing a static logical identifier. The present invention provides an efficient methodology that may map a host""s view of a target""s address, such as a bus/id, to a protocol chip""s view. For instance, a look-up table may be utilized in conjunction with a logical identifier of the present invention to improve chip performance. In a first aspect of the present invention, an input/output interface suitable for communicatively coupling a host with a target device includes at least one port communicatively coupling the input/output interface with a host and at least one port communicatively coupling the input/output interface with a target. A controller is communicatively coupled to the ports. When the controller receives an identifier from the host, the identifier indicating the target""s address, the controller generates a logical identifier from the identifier, the logical identifier suitable for being utilized in conjunction with a look-up table to provide access to the target.
In a second aspect of the present invention, a method for providing data transfer between a host with a target utilizing an input/output interface includes receiving an identifier including a bus field and an ID field from the host, generating a logical identifier from the received identifier, and referencing a look-up table utilizing the logical identifier, the look-up table providing access to the target.
In a third aspect of the present invention, an input/output interface suitable for communicatively coupling a host with a target device includes at least one port communicatively coupling the input/output interface with a host and at least one port communicatively coupling the input/output interface with a target. A controller is communicatively coupled to the ports. When the controller receives an identifier including a bus field and an ID field from the host, the controller shifts at least one of the bus field and the ID field into a linear value to generate a logical identifier, the logical identifier suitable for being utilized in conjunction with a look-up table to provide access to the target.
It is to be understood that both the forgoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the general description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

System and method employing a static logical identifier in conjuction with a look up table to provide access to a target


A liquid cooling jacket with first and second heat receivers and a biasing spring. The first heat receiver having a first refrigerant pipe through which a refrigerant flow and a first heat conductive sheet that receives heat by being in contact with a cooling target. The second heat receiver is configured to approach and separate from the first heat receiver while facing the first heat conductive sheet. The spring biases the first heat receiver and the second heat receiver in an approaching direction.

There is a double-sided cooling semiconductor device of a refrigerant-cooling type having a structure in which a flat surface of a refrigerant tube is in close contact with the outer main surface of a heat sink mass, and the inner main surface of the heat sink mass is in close contact with the outer main surface of an electrode terminal member of a semiconductor module through an insulating plate. In the double-sided cooling semiconductor device of a refrigerant-cooling type, a through-bolt is inserted through the upper end portion and the lower end portion of a pressing plate abutted on each of the left and right outermost flat surfaces of the refrigerant tube, and is fastened by a nut, so that there is a function of setting a clamping pressure force of the refrigerant tube on the semiconductor module.
There is a liquid cooling module including a heat sink for the front surface, a heat sink for the back surface, and a flexible tube that connects a pipe inlet of the front surface heat sink to a pipe outlet of the back surface heat sink. In the liquid cooling module, a base member of the front surface heat sink and a base member of the back surface heat sink are fixed to a printed board by a plurality of screws penetrating the base members and the printed board.
Further, there is a semiconductor module cooling device including cooling pipes provided on the inner facing surfaces of a housing and configured to cool a semiconductor module, and heat dissipation members provided between each of the cooling pipes and the semiconductor module and configured to dissipate the heat of the semiconductor module to the cooling pipe. In the semiconductor module cooling device, the semiconductor module and the heat dissipation members provided on both sides of the semiconductor module are integrally fixed by a mold member made of resin.
Related techniques are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. 2001-308245, 2009-218299 and 2011-228430.

Liquid cooling jacket, liquid cooling system, and electronic device


A telephone line interface or data access arrangement (DAA) is provided which draws power for the customer premises equipment from the telephone line. The DAA includes a shunt regulator as the power source drawing power from the telephone line, and a line modulator in series with the shunt regulator. A sense resistor is placed in series between the line modulator and shunt regulator to sense the line current. Accordingly, DC termination and AC modulation characteristics as presented by the DM to the telephone line can be adjusted by variation of an AC signal with DC offset input to the amplifier driving the line modulator without requiring a different DAA for use in regions or countries having various DC termination and AC modulation requirements. The differential feedback from a sense resistor reduces the noise induced in the circuit from the shunt regulator.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a low noise telephone line interface for data access arrangements (DAA). More particularly, it relates to a line powered DAA having controllable DC termination and AC modulation.
2. Background of Related Art
Many portable computer devices utilize modems and other data devices for communicating over a telephone line. In such devices, battery size and weight is an important consideration. A balance must be reached between the size and weight of the overall device, which is dictated largely by the choice of battery, and an acceptable length of operation between charges.
Unfortunately, although operating an acceptable length of time when running typical application programs, the modems and other data communication devices of a portable computer utilize a large amount of power when communicating over a telephone line. The battery source which powers both the portable computer device and its modem is typically sized for general computing applications, and runs out of power quickly when actively communicating over a telephone line through a modem. Portable computer devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), hand held PCs (HPC), PCMCIA modems, and portable data terminals are designed to operate up to several hours on a single battery charge, but operate only fractions of an hour on a single battery charge when communicating via modem. Thus, although portable computer devices operate a sufficient length of time for quick data transfers over a modem powered completely by a battery, they typically require that external AC power be applied to allow for longer uses of the modem. It is therefore desirable for battery powered computer devices including a modem to draw power, in addition to the inherent battery, from a secondary power source.
The DC power inherent in a telephone line provides a convenient source of power, but there are often limitations and restrictions which limit the ability of a modem to derive power from the telephone line. For instance, present regulations in the United States are such that significant current may only be drawn from the telephone line when the telephone or modem is in an off-hook or active condition. In order to hold the telephone line in an off-hook condition, current in the approximate range of 20 milliamps (mA) to 150 mA must be drawn. Thus, the maximum amount of current drawn from the telephone line is limited.
Modems which are designed to be powered entirely from the telephone line are known, but these designs either suffer from an extremely constrained power budget, or are wasteful of the available current. Moreover, modems in general are also subject to government constraints, e.g., FCC Part 68 requirements for telephones in the U.S., and limitations on effects and noise which may be placed back on the telephone line, placing further restrictions on the use of power from the telephone line.
A Data Access Arrangement (DM) provides the physical interface between a data source such as a modem, and a telephone line. The DAA is responsible for presenting the proper DC termination and AC modulation characteristics to the telephone line. For instance, the DAA must draw a minimum amount of DC current when in the off-hook condition to hold the telephone line in an off-hook condition, but at the same time must draw no more than a maximum amount of current while in the off-hook condition. Thus, the DC termination or load must be within prescribed limits corresponding to the pertinent telephone standards of the country in which the DAA is being used. Accordingly, the modem must operate with no more than the prescribed maximum current available from a telephone line in the particular country in which the DAA is being used.
In today""s global economy, it is desirable to design and manufacture products for use in any of a plurality of different countries, not just for a single country. However, the regulations with respect to the available amount of power on a telephone line in the different countries varies greatly, as does the minimum amount of current the customer premises equipment must draw (i.e., the DC load) to guarantee an off-hook condition. Thus, a DAA used in one country must provide DC termination and AC modulation characteristics to a telephone line which may be and often are entirely different from the DC termination and AC modulation characteristics presented by a DAA used in another country. Accordingly, manufacturers conventionally manufacture different DAAs including different physical components for each of the varying countries.
FIG. 1 shows a typical DM including a parallel combination of an AC line modulator 102 and a DC termination circuit 103. A modem or other data device including the DAA shown in FIG. 1 provides an AC modulation signal 108 to drive the AC line modulator 102. When used in countries with differing standards, many of the components in the DC termination circuitry 103 and/or in the AC line modulator 102 are changed to conform to the telephone company standards in the particular country in which the DAA is being used. This unfortunately requires products incorporating the DMs to be manufactured and packaged separately for each of a plurality of varying countries.
There is a need for a DM which provides low noise line power for a modem or other data device, and which is software customizable for each of a plurality of varying countries without requiring different hardware components to be in conformance with the different DC termination and AC modulation requirements of those particular countries.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a telephone line interface comprises a shunt regulator. A line modulator is in series with the shunt regulator. An amplifier, powered by the shunt regulator, drives the line modulator. The telephone line interface further includes a feedback loop from the line modulator to the amplifier.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a telephone line interface includes a shunt regulator to draw power from a telephone line. A sense resistor is connected in series with the shunt regulator. A line modulator is in series with the sense resistor and the shunt regulator. A differential feedback path is also provided from opposite terminals of the sense resistor to the line modulator.
A method of powering customer premises equipment from a telephone line is also provided, comprising drawing power from the telephone line with a shunt regulator. A line modulator is provided in series with the shunt regulator. An amplifier is powered with power drawn from the telephone line. The line modulator is driven with the line powered amplifier, and a signal is fed back from the line modulator to an input of the line powered amplifier.

Low noise line powered DAA with differential feedback


Improved methods and structures are provided that are lateral to surfaces with a (110) crystal plane orientation such that an electrical current of such structures is conducted in the <110> direction. Advantageously, improvements in hole carrier mobility of approximately 50% can be obtained by orienting the structure's channel in a (110) plane such that the electrical current flow is in the <110> direction. Moreover, these improved methods and structures can be used in conjunction with existing fabrication and processing techniques with minimal or no added complexity.

In general, the standard silicon wafer crystal orientation for VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) is the (100) orientation. This surface orientation was chosen over the previously used (111) crystal orientation because of its comparatively low surface state density on thermally oxidized surfaces. In particular, a (111) crystal orientation has a surface state charge density of approximately 5×1011 e/centimeters2 (cm2) in comparison with a (100) crystal orientation which has a surface state charge density of approximately 9×1010 e/cm2.
Surface state density was a particularly important consideration for n-channel Metal Oxide Semiconductor (NMOS) technologies because the higher this surface state density level the more difficult the controlling of active and parasitic device threshold voltages for devices using such technologies. For (110) surfaces, the surface state charge density is approximately 2×1011 e/cm2 which is approximately twice the density level for (100) surfaces. In present day technology, this difference in density levels translates into less than 0.09 volts offset in active device threshold voltage and is readily compensated by a surface threshold voltage ion implant. A further benefit to a lower surface state charge density for NMOS devices is that the electron mobility in inversion layers is greater on the (100) surface than on other lower order planes.
However, for modern day complimentary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology involving sub-micron devices, a different set of trade-offs are involved. For such short channel devices, the NMOS devices operate largely in velocity saturation resulting in a source to drain current which is independent of crystal orientation.
In contrast as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, p-channel Metal Oxide Semiconductor (PMOS) devices are less likely to operate in velocity saturation, and therefore are more dependent on the choice of crystal orientation around inversion layer hole mobility. In particular, FIG. 1 includes a transistor 100, which can be either an NMOS or PMOS transistor. Transistor 100 is comprised of a silicon wafer 102, a source region 104, a drain region 106, a gate 108, an oxide layer 110, a body region 111 and a channel region 112 between the source region 104 and the drain region 106. As is well-known in the art, a voltage differential between the source region 104 and the drain region 106 induces an electric field across the channel region 112. A gate potential applied to the gate 108 can create an inversion layer in the body region 111 allowing the channel region 112 to form between the source region 104 and the drain region 106. This electric field is expressed in terms of the voltage differential between the source region 104 and the drain region 106 per the length of the channel region 112.
FIG. 2 illustrates a graph of the drift velocity for carriers (i.e., either holes or electrons) across the channel region 112, expressed in cm/second (sec), versus an average source-to-drain electric field, expressed in volts/cm. In particular, a plot 202 is the graphical plot of the drift velocity of electrons in the channel of an NMOS versus the electric field generated by the voltage differential between the source region 104 and the drain region 106. Additionally, a plot 204 is the graphical plot of the drift velocity of holes in the channel of a PMOS versus the electric field generated by the voltage differential between the source region 104 and the drain region 106. As illustrated, the plot 202 reaches velocity saturation at approximately 104 V/cm (i.e., the point in which the graphical plot flattens). In contrast in the graph of FIG. 2, the plot 204 has not reached the point of velocity saturation, even at 105 V/cm. Thus, a PMOS device that uses holes as carriers is more dependent on the choice of crystal orientation for inversion hole mobility.
Currently, surfaces with a (110) crystal plane orientation have been explored in the planar bulk and Silicon On Insulator (SOI) technologies by using (110) substrate wafers or causing the recrystallization of the surface of a substrate wafer to have a (110) crystal orientation. However, these structures and methods require re-tooling of crystal growth mechanisms used in conjunction with the standard (100) crystalline plane orientation and/or otherwise introduce costly, additional processing steps and procedures.
Thus, there is a need for structures and methods which improve carrier mobility in semiconductor devices and which do so without the introduction of costly additional processing steps or which require any re-tooling of standard crystal growth mechanisms. For these and other reasons there is a need for the present invention.

Method and apparatus on (110) surfaces of silicon structures with conduction in the <110> direction


A valve drive may include a sliding cam element that is held on a carrier shaft so as to be axially displaceable along an axis of rotation of the carrier shaft. The sliding cam element may include at least one cam profile group with cam profile sections of mutually different form. The valve drive may further include a pick-off element by way of which a control movement can be picked off from the cam profile sections and transmitted to a valve. The sliding cam element may also include a second cam profile group that is similar or identical to the first cam profile group and, which for the joint control of one valve, may interact with the pick-off element.

DE 10 2007 010 155 A1 presents a valve drive having a sliding cam element arranged on a carrier shaft, and the sliding cam element can be displaced axially in the axis of rotation of the carrier shaft. On the sliding cam element there is mounted a cam profile group which has different cam profile sections. Depending on the axial position of the sliding cam element, a pick-off element, illustrated as a roller-type rocker lever, can interact with differently contoured cam profile sections of the cam profile group, such that the valve is actuated in a manner dependent on the selected cam profile section. For example, the cam profile sections can be differently contoured such that the valve can perform opening strokes of different magnitude or different length. The roller-type rocker lever has a roller, and on the side averted from the valve, the roller-type rocker lever is supported by way of a valve play compensation element.
The contact between the roller of the roller-type rocker lever and the cam profile section necessitates a minimum width owing to the actuation forces of the valve, and linear contact is formed between the roller and the cam profile section, which linear contact must thus have a minimum length. If the roller is selected to be too narrow, the Hertzian stresses on the surface of the cam profile section become too high, and premature fatigue or surface wear of the valve drive can occur. It is thus disadvantageously necessary for the sliding cam element to be formed with a minimum width which is determined at least by the required width of the cam profile sections, such that a minimum displacement length of the sliding cam element also becomes necessary in order to change over the cam profile section in contact with the roller. However, a sliding element of wide form lengthens the switching times for switching between different cam profile sections in operative connection with the pick-off element, wherein it is basically sought to provide a valve drive in which the fastest possible changeover of the cam profile sections in contact with the pick-off element is possible. In particular in the case of high rotational speeds of an internal combustion engine, the sliding cam element must be moved axially between two positions in very short times, such that a design of a sliding cam element of narrow construction would be expedient.
DE 10 2007 020 128 A1 presents a pick-off element having two rollers which are in contact with a single cam element. Here, the two rollers, which are arranged spaced apart from one another, effect guidance of a receiving rocker which lies in a cam follower and which permits tilting compensation of the cam follower relative to the cam element.

Valve train having a sliding cam element


A rotating bearing assembly having a stationary housing, a rotating shaft, and a rolling bearing radially arranged between the stationary housing and a shaft end of the rotating shaft. The rolling bearing provides a seal that includes a stiffening insert and a sealing gasket disposed between the inner ring and the outer ring on an axial side of rolling bearing. The rolling bearing is open on the opposite axial direction to the shaft end. A cage includes an annular heel oriented towards the axial side of the shaft end, two circumferentially adjacent pockets being separated by a projected portion that axially extends from the heel towards the open axial side of rolling bearing.

An internal combustion engine is provided with at least one cylinder, and a cylinder end having a face closing the cylinder and defining a combustion chamber. A motor may comprise for example three, four, six or eight cylinders which are arranged in line, in V, or flat at 180°. Pistons are disposed in each of the cylinders in which they can move in translation back and forth. Pistons are each connected to a rod, itself connected to a crankshaft. The assembly of rods crankshafts permits to convert the alternate movement of pistons into a rotating movement.
Internal combustion engine further includes valves whose opening and closing are controlled directly or indirectly by a push upon rotation of a camshaft, so as to permit the admission or discharge of gas within the combustion chamber. Camshaft is driven by the crankshaft through a toothed belt, a chain, or a cascade of gears. Camshaft is supported in rotation in the engine block by rolling bearings arranged at ends of the camshaft.
In the particular application with a dry belt, camshaft has to be sealed on ends to prevent leaks of lubricant or oil towards the dry belt. Generally a sealing ring is fit within a housing of engine block, the sealing ring comprising a sealing lip in sliding contact with the outer surface of the rotating camshaft.
However, such arrangement of rotating bearing assembly requires an additional part to ensure the sealing function, and an adapted housing design to integrate the additional part. It increases the number of assembly steps and the assembly time.

Rotating bearing assembly, in particular for a camshaft


A computer system and method to assist engineers in the design of dimming or non-dimming electronic ballasts for lamps based around lighting control ICs. The system and method reduces the design time dramatically by performing the complex iterative procedure required to optimize the operating points and component values of the circuit. The system and method produces a schematic, a bill of materials (listing all component values) and winding specifications for the inductors. The system contains a database of operating parameters for different types of lamps with the ability to add new lamps. The system also supports different configurations for one or two lamp ballast configurations.

The present invention refers generally to designing components and circuits using a computer, and more particularly, is directed to a computer application for designing electronic ballasts that, among other things, outputs circuit diagrams, bills of materials, and inductor specifications for manufacturing electronic ballast circuits.
Computer applications for designing high frequency electronic ballasts are currently available. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,150,773 discloses a method for designing the output stage of an electronic ballast using computer software, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. As disclosed therein, a user first specifies a plurality of parameters relating to the operation of a fluorescent lamp, including running power, running voltage and maximum pre-heating voltage for the lamp. The user also selects a minimum running frequency for the lamp and selects an input voltage for the ballast. The system thereafter calculates the value for the inductor of the output stage, and also calculates the pre-heat frequency, the ignition frequency, the running frequency, the pre-heat voltage, and the ignition current. Furthermore, the program calculates a value for the capacitor of the output stage such that the pre-heat frequency is greater than the ignition frequency, the ignition frequency is greater than or equal to the running frequency, the pre-heat voltage is less than the maximum pre-heat voltage, and the difference between the pre-heat frequency and the ignition frequency is greater than about 5 kHz.
The present invention simplifies the process of designing a ballast and outputs specifications directed to one or more inductors needed for the ballast circuit. The invention further receives specifications directed to a selected one of a plurality of ballast control integrated circuits (ICs). The invention develops a circuit diagram and bill of materials for the ballast using the selected control IC.
In order to provide such a ballast design system, the invention comprises a system operating on a digital computer that includes a plurality of modules. These modules include: a line input module receiving a line input voltage for the ballast; a lamp input module receiving a type of lamp for the ballast; a control IC module receiving a ballast integrated circuit chip for the ballast; and a lamp configuration module receiving a configuration for one or more lamps for the ballast.

System and method for electronic ballast design


A nut feeding apparatus which can surely and easily feed nuts and the like, temporarily supported in a conductor cylinder, to an underlying support member one by one, without scratching them by the downward stress or the like of a plunger. A feeder opening 2 through which nuts and the like are continuously fed from a feeding chute, support bar guide holes 3 and ball recesses 4 are provided at a lower side wall of a conductor cylinder 1 in which a plunger 21 having guide grooves 22 formed in the opposite sides of its lower portion is inserted slidably up and down. Balls 5 having a diameter slightly larger than the thickness of the wall of the conductor cylinder 1 and fitted in the respective ball recesses 4. A pair of support bars 11 are inserted slidably in the support bar guide holes 3, and have their outer ends detachably attached to associated leaf springs attached to the outer surface of the conductor cylinder 1.

The present invention relates to a feeding apparatus for continuously feeding nuts and the like, such as weld nuts or clinch nuts, onto a workpiece to which the nuts are installed.
A nut feeding apparatus comprising a conductor cylinder having a feeder opening provided at a lower side wall of the cylinder to which nuts and the like are continuously fed from a feeding chute, a plunger fitted in the conductor cylinder slidably up and down having a free end for ejecting nuts and the like fed from the feeder opening, and a temporary support member for temporarily supporting nuts and the like which are fed one by one into the conductor cylinder from the feeder opening is known as disclosed in Examined Japanese Patent Publication No. 52-22718 and 52-57486. However, the conventional nut feeding apparatus is designed to release the temporary support member by the action of nuts and the like ejected by the plunger, giving rise to various problems, such as nuts and the like being scratched by direct contact with the temporary support member or being unable to be held horizontal.


An annular blowout preventer includes a housing, an annular piston positioned within the housing, and an annular packer positioned within the housing. The annular blowout preventer also includes at least one radially-extending conduit disposed in the annular piston, the annular packer, or a plate positioned axially between the annular piston and the annular packer. The radially-extending conduit is configured to enable a fluid to flow from a central bore to an annular space between the annular packer and the housing when the annular blowout preventer is in a closed position.

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
An annular blowout preventer (BOP) is installed on a wellhead to seal and control an oil and gas well during drilling operations. A drill string may be suspended inside an oil and gas well from a rig through the annular BOP into the well bore. During drilling operations, a drilling fluid is delivered through the drill string and returned up through an annulus between the drill string and a casing that lines the well bore. In the event of a rapid invasion of formation fluid in the annulus, commonly known as a "kick," the annular BOP may be actuated to seal the annulus and to control fluid pressure in the wellbore, thereby protecting well equipment disposed above the annular BOP. The construction of the annular BOP can affect the ability of the annular BOP to effectively seal the annulus. Therefore, it would be desirable to improve the construction of the annular BOP.


A drill bit is used for drilling through earthen formations and forming a wellbore. The drill bit includes a bit body having a bit axis, and at least a first cone and a second cone coupled to the bit body. Each of the first and the second cones has a backface, a nose opposite the backface, and a cone axis of rotation. An array of cutting elements coupled to the first or second cones is in a band that lies between the backface and the nose. The cutting elements in the band are arranged at radial positions with respect to the bit axis and at least two adjacent cutting elements are at a same radial position within the array, and the remaining cutting elements are at different radial positions within the array.

An earth-boring drill bit can be mounted on the lower end of a drill string and rotated by rotating the drill string at the surface, actuation of downhole motors or turbines, or both. With weight applied to the drill string, the rotating drill bit engages the earthen formation and proceeds to form a wellbore along a predetermined path toward a target zone. The wellbore thus created will have a diameter generally equal to the diameter or "gage" of the drill bit.
An earth-boring bit in common use today includes one or more rotatable cutters that perform a cutting function due to the rolling movement of cutting elements of the cutters acting against the formation material. The cutters roll and slide upon the bottom of the wellbore as the bit is rotated, the cutting elements thereby engaging and disintegrating the formation material in its path. The rotatable cutters may be generally conical in shape and are therefore sometimes referred to as roller cones or roller cone cutters. The wellbore is formed as the action of the cones remove chips of formation material that are carried upward and out of the wellbore by drilling fluid that is pumped downwardly through the drill pipe and out of the bit.
The earth disintegrating action of the roller cones is enhanced by providing a plurality of cutting elements on the cutters. Cutting elements may include teeth integrally formed with the cone, or inserts attached to the cone. In each instance, the cutting elements on the rotating cutters break up the formation to form the new wellbore by a combination of gouging and scraping or chipping and crushing.

Roller cone drill bit with evenly loaded cutting elements


A pressure gauge broadly comprising a conduit, a pressure indicator, and a tip assembly. The tip assembly extends from the distal end of the conduit and includes an inner shaft, an annular seat, and an outer tip. The inner shaft engages a valve stem core of a valve. The annular seat cradles and provides support to the outer tip. The outer tip forms a seal against a valve stem tube of the valve and has an outer surface having a semi-spherical, dome, or frusto-conical shape for ensuring that the seal is formed regardless of the angle at which the tip engages the valve.

Pressure gauges are often used for determining internal pressure of tires, inflatable bladders, tanks, canisters, and other pressurized containers. The tips of conventional pressure gauges include a cylindrical cup and a center post. The cylindrical cup is configured to be placed over and pressed against the end of a valve stem tube of a valve to form an airtight seal between the pressure gauge and the valve. The center post is configured to depress a valve stem core of the valve to release pressurized air or gas into the pressure gauge.
If the cylindrical cup and the valve stem tube are not perfectly aligned, some of the released air or gas escapes. This causes a significant pressure drop as the remainder of the released air enters the pressure gauge and thus results in inaccurate pressure readings. Furthermore, the center post may not fully depress the valve stem core if the pressure gauge is not aligned with the valve. A reduced amount of air or gas is released, which further contributes to inaccurate pressure readings. The center post may also impart a side force onto the valve stem core if misaligned, which may damage the valve stem core and may prevent the valve from fully closing.
Another challenge with conventional pressure gauges is that the cylindrical cup is configured to overlap the valve stem tube, which makes it difficult to visually determine whether a proper seal has been formed. Users also cannot tell whether an initial seal has been broken and thus may erroneously assume the initial seal remains for the duration of the pressure test.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


During software development for embedded systems, it is very common to use a remote debugger to debug the software applications. In such a debugging environment, the debugger will be running on a remote computer and the application under development will be running on the embedded system. The debugger will be connected to the embedded system via a software link or a hardware emulator. During the debug process, it is desirable to access various memory blocks in the embedded system in different ways. An example would be to enable or disable CPU cache during memory access for a specific address range. Another example would be the ability to designate a memory block as a flash memory to allow the use of a programming algorithm. This feature is addressed by adding a Memory Access Table (MAT) from a configuration file or compiler output to the debugger, emulator or debug monitor.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to software debuggers used to debug applications running on remote computers and, more particularly, to the way these debuggers manage, access and view memory regains used by the software applications on the remote computers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Embedded computers are being used in a variety of applications ranging from home appliances to aircraft control. Since these computers are mainly used to control a variety of equipment, they do not have a keyboard or a video display such as used with personal computers. In most cases these computers would have a limited number of keys or sensors for inputs and some light indicators (LED) or a small display screen for outputs. During the development of software or firmware applications for these computers, the developers tend to use a host computer, which is normally a PC or a work station, to run the software debugger to develop the applications. This concept is normally called software remote debugging since the debugger is running on the host computer and the application is running on the embedded computer which is also referred to as the target system. During the debug process, the debugger that is running on the host computer would be connected via a debug link to the application that is running on the embedded computer. This debug link is normally used to download the application, read and write memory locations and CPU register information on the remote computer. It is also very common to use an emulator to make the connection between the host computer and the target system. The emulator would normally connect to the host computer via a USB, Ethernet or similar connection and to the embedded computer via a JTAG or a similar type of debug ports. The emulator would use the debug port to control the application execution and access the target system resources.
During the software development process, it is very useful to have the ability to access the application memory space in different ways. One example is the way to handle the CPU cache system during memory access. In such example, the debugger can view the memory as it is stored in the CPU cache or as it is stored in the system memory outside the CPU. Another example is the way data gets written into the memory space. The debugger can request the data to be written directly to the memory after switching the CPU data cache off or written first to the CPU cache and then forwarded to the main memory.
The target system would normally have a memory management system (MMU) to manage cache support but target application cache setup does not always match the debugger requirements.
Another situation is when writing FLASH memory. Unlike random access memory, the system has to use an algorithm to write the FLASH memory. In the prior art, the user has to engage a FALSH programmer to program the FLASH memory during application download and then engage the debugger. If the debugger has the FLASH address information, it can engage the FALSH writing algorithm when it needs to write the flash memory during a debug session.
Providing the debugger with such information is very helpful during debugging. This will allow the user to access different blocks of memory in the target system in different ways. This helps the user of the debugger to view and get the information needed without having to call multiple applications or adjust the MMU unit in the target system to access specific memory reigns in different ways and then readjust the MMU parameters for the system to continue execution after accessing the data.

Memory management for remote software debuggers and methods


A dual or multi port memory device including a first group of bit lines associated with the first port a second group of bit lines associated with the second port, wherein the bit lines are arranged in different metalization layers and separated horizontally to reduce one or both of stray and coupling capacitance associated with the bit lines. In one exemplary embodiment, the bit lines from each port that are in closer proximity to the bit lines of the other (or another) port are disposed in different metallization layers to reduce coupling capacitance therebetween. One or more further embodiments can include VSS or VDD line(s) located horizontally between the bit lines and metal to substrate contacts for the bit lines can be formed in opposite corners of the memory device to further reduce capacitance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to dual- or multi-port memories and, in particular, to bit-line layouts within such memory arrays.
2. Background of the Invention
One problem with dual and multi port memories is the capacitance that occurs between or as a result of the bit lines. For example, current dual or multi port memory devices have long bit lines that produce greater amounts of stray and cross coupling capacitances between the bit lines. Such increased capacitance can produce increased delay times related to access to the memory system and otherwise impact device speed and performance. Additionally, executing of simultaneous read and write operations in a cell in the same column can further exaggerate these capacitance problems. Moreover, capacitively induced cross-talk can occur between bit lines. In sum, all of these factors can significantly decrease the performance of the memory system.
Accordingly, there is a need for dual port memory systems that reduce or minimize the capacitive coupling between and other capacitance associated with bit lines.

Dual port memory cell with reduced coupling capacitance and small cell size


An embedded memory and methods thereof are provided. The example embedded memory may include a first memory block configured to output data, selected by a first column select signal, on a first scan output line if the first memory block is determined to be non-defective and a second memory block configured to output data, selected by a second column select signal on a second scan output line if the first memory block is determined to be non-defective, the second memory block further configured to output data, selected by the first column select signal, on the first scan output line if the first memory block is determined to be defective. A first example method may include performing a memory scan on a plurality of cell arrays, determining whether at least one of a plurality of cell arrays is defective based on the results of the memory scan, receiving data to be stored in a first cell array of the plurality of cell arrays, storing the received data in the first cell array if the determining determines the first cell array not to be defective and storing the received data in a second cell array, if the determining determines the first cell array to be defective. A second example method may include retrieving data from an embedded memory, including receiving data on a first scan output line from a first cell array, included among a plurality of cell arrays, if the first cell array is not defective and receiving data on the first scan line from a second cell array if the first cell array is defective.

1. Field of the Invention
Example embodiments of the present invention relate generally to an embedded memory and methods thereof, and more particularly to an embedded memory, a method of repairing the embedded memory and a method of retrieving data from the embedded memory.
2. Description of the Related Art
A plurality of function blocks for controlling a display panel and a memory (e.g., which may be accessible to the plurality function blocks and/or a processor controlling the plurality of function blocks) may be embedded in a display driving integrated circuit (DDI). A conventional display panel may display a quarter video graphic array (QVGA) with a resolution of 640×480 pixels and 16 k colors, or alternatively a video graphic array (VGA) with a resolution of 320×200 pixels and 256 k colors. Memory requirements for QVGA may be larger than that of VGA.
Two types of conventional memory may include static random access memory (SRAM) and dynamic random access memory (DRAM). Generally, SRAM may occupy a larger area, per bit, than DRAM. Conventionally, SRAM may be used as the embedded memory in the DDI. However, because higher storage per area may be achieved with DRAM, DRAM may be used within DDIs to increase storage capacity while maintaining a relatively small size.
In SRAM, row failure may be relatively high, and accordingly a redundancy may be allocated to row blocks. In contrast, in DRAM, column failure may be relatively high, and accordingly a redundancy may be allocated to column blocks. Because the memory may be embedded in a single system, a memory scan may be performed by a scan block to facilitate the examination and repair of defective blocks within the memory. In addition, in order to reduce the power dissipation of the system, the scan block may be arranged over the memory region and directly connected to the memory region.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating memory including scan blocks, column redundancy blocks, and a column redundancy repair function performed by a conventional memory.
Referring to FIG. 1, on the left side of the arrow, a layout of the memory including scan blocks and a column redundancy block may be shown, and on the right side of the arrow, a redundancy repair process may be shown.
Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional memory may include column selection line regions CSL<0> to CSL<n−1> to which a plurality of column selection signals may be applied, and cell arrays C/A<0> to C/A<n−1> in which data recorded in memory cells may be selected based on the column selection signals. Data selected within the cell arrays C/A<0> to C/A<n−1> may be transferred to corresponding scan blocks SCAN<0> to SCAN<n−1>, respectively. A redundancy cell array RC/A<0> may be arranged in parallel with the cell arrays C/A<0> to C/A<n−1>, and a redundancy column selection line region RCSL<0> may be arranged in parallel with the column selection line regions CSL<0> to CSL<n−1>. The redundancy column selection signals may be applied to the redundancy cell array RC/A<0> through the redundancy column selection line regions CSL<0> to CSL<n−1>.
Referring to FIG. 1, a column selection line region and a plurality of column selection signals passing through the column selection line region may use the same reference label. For example, a first column selection signal and a first column selection line region may use the same reference label CSL<0>.
Referring to FIG. 1, on the right side of the arrow, a redundancy repair may be performed by replacing an entire second cell array C/A<1> with a redundancy cell array RC/A<0> if at least one memory cell in the second cell array C/A<1> is defective. The second cell array C/A<1> may be replaced with the redundancy cell array RC/A<0> by controlling the second column selection signal CSL<1> and the redundancy column selection signal RCSL<0>.
Although not shown in FIG. 1, each output of the serially connected scan blocks may be directly connected to a corresponding peripheral circuit, and the corresponding peripheral circuit may examine the function of the cell array by analyzing received serial data.
Referring to FIG. 1, if a memory cell array and a scan block corresponding to the memory cell are directly connected to each other through a conductive (e.g., metallic) line, in the redundancy cell array RC/A<0>, a corresponding scan block may not be arranged. Therefore, data of the redundancy cell array RC/A<0> may not be read when a scan is performed. In order to reduce this problem, the corresponding scan block may be arranged in the redundancy cell array RC/A<0>. However, because the output data of the scan blocks may be serially transmitted, an additional circuit for correctly inserting information of the replaced cell array and an output of the scan block corresponding to the redundancy cell array into the serially transmitted data may be required to attain correct operation. An additional memory peripheral circuit may also be included. Therefore, a layout or size of the conventional memory may increase, as well as a design and/or fabrication time for the conventional memory.


A publish/subscribe messaging network in which a distributed set of publish/subscribe brokers comprises a first subset of publish/subscribe brokers, each arranged to store proxy subscription information for the whole of the distributed set of brokers; and a second subset of publish/subscribe brokers, each configured to send subscription information for local subscribers to one or more brokers within the first subset of publish/subscribe brokers, and configured to request, from a broker within the first subset of brokers, proxy subscription information following receipt of a message.

Within a messaging network, messages may be sent from one data processing system to other systems via one or more message brokers that handle routing and, in many cases, formatting and other services in relation to the messages. The brokers may be located at intermediate network locations between the message senders and receivers, for example running on powerful systems at communication hubs, or at various points within a distributed multi-broker network.
Many message brokers support the publish/subscribe communication paradigm. This involves publishers sending publications to a message broker, and the broker forwarding the publications to a set of subscribers who have registered their interest in receiving communications of that type. Typically, publish/subscribe brokers route publications to subscribers without the publishers needing to know which subscribers are interested. The publish/subscribe paradigm allows subscribers to receive the latest information relating to a subject area of interest (for example, stock prices or events such as news flashes or store special offers) without having to proactively and repeatedly request that information from each of the publishers.
A typical publish/subscribe environment has a number of publisher applications sending messages via a broker to a potentially large number of subscriber applications located on remote computers across a network. The subscribers register with the broker and identify the message types they wish to receive, and this information is stored at the broker. In many publish/subscribe implementations, subscribers specify one or more topic names which represent the message types they wish to receive. When publishers send their messages to the broker, the publishers assign topic names to the messages and the broker uses a matching engine to compare the topics of received messages with stored subscription information for its registered subscribers. This comparison determines to which subscribers the message should be forwarded. Topics are often specified hierarchically, for example using a character string format such as "root/topicLevel1/topicLevel2", and topics specified within received messages are compared with subscriptions using a matching algorithm that iteratively steps through the topic hierarchy.
Although subscription matching often involves checking topic fields within message headers, the matching process may additionally or alternatively involve checking other message header fields and/or checking message content and/or filtering messages based on some additional information. For example, a message broker implementing the Java Message Service (JMS) (Java and all Java-based trademarks are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both), typically allows filtering based on message properties, but not based on the application data that is the message content or "payload". A message broker may perform additional functions, such as formatting or otherwise processing received messages before forwarding them to subscribers.
A commercially available example of a message broker product that supports the publish/subscribe paradigm is IBM Corporation's WebSphere Message Broker, as described in the documents "IBM WebSphere Message Broker Version 6 Release 0—Introduction", IBM Corporation, July 2006, and "IBM WebSphere Message Broker Version 6 Release 0—Publish/Subscribe", IBM Corporation, July 2006. A message broker may be associated with an underlying messaging product that handles the complexity of providing assured message delivery over a heterogeneous network. For example, IBM Corporation's WebSphere MQ messaging products provide such messaging functions, and are described in a number of publications from IBM Corporation including IBM publication reference No. GC34-6590-01 "WebSphere MQ Clients", June 2005, (IBM and WebSphere are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation).
One known publish/subscribe messaging architecture implements a publish/subscribe matching engine on the same data processing system as a subscriber application. Publishers send publications to this system (and other systems, via multicasting) and the publish/subscribe matching engine determines which publications are of interest to the local subscriber application program and should be passed to that application program. Any publications that are not of interest to the local subscriber application program are discarded, and in many cases a matching engine will discard the vast majority of received publications.
This transmission of large numbers of unwanted publications, and the processing required to discard them at each receiving system, is wasteful of communication bandwidth and of the data processing resources of the subscriber's system. Such known solutions will not satisfy the needs of many businesses for increased message throughput with high performance (scalability), despite efforts by the solution providers to design matching algorithms that efficiently discard unwanted publications.
FIG. 1 shows a known prior art messaging network 10, which comprises a plurality of message brokers 12. These brokers 12 are assumed to be connected together loosely in a network, such as internal Intranet within a business organization. The message brokers 12 together form a collective, which provide a publish/subscribe messaging network to publishers and subscribers. Each publisher and subscriber is connected to a local message broker 12. For each subscriber who subscribes to a topic for the first time, a proxy subscription 14 has to be sent out to the other brokers 12 within the network 10. For example, a subscriber at message broker "A" causes proxy subscriptions 14 to be sent out to all brokers 12 in the collective.
A proxy subscription 14 is sent by the specific message broker "A" to all of the other message brokers 12 within the network 10. If there were many subscribers and many topics then each broker 12 will end up having to hold a large number of the proxy subscriptions 14. This creates a relatively large storage requirement on each and every message broker 12. In addition, every time a subscriber unsubscribes from a topic, then a message has to be sent to each message broker to cancel the proxy subscription 14.
In the prior art system, every time a subscriber subscribes to a new topic, then a proxy subscription 14 is transferred to all of the brokers 12 in the network 10. When a publisher that is connected to the message broker "B" (shown in FIG. 2), publishes a message to the same topic, then that broker 12 already has a proxy subscription 14 for the subscriber connected to the node "A", so a message 16 is delivered directly to the subscriber's broker 12. The broker "A" formats that message 14 in a conventional manner and transmits it onwards to all of the subscribes connected to the node "A" that are subscribed to the relevant topic.

Scalable publish/subscribe messaging systems and methods


An assembly for mated dual support stands is presented. The assembly comprises two support stands. Each support stand includes three or more legs operable between a closed conformation and an open conformation, such that in the closed conformation, the two support stands reversibly mate with each other. A support interface is positioned opposite the legs so that the support interface is reversibly attachable to an elongated tube via attachment components. A center adaptor is positioned connected to the support interface on one end and the three or more legs on the opposite end. The center adaptor and support interface are rotatably coupled.

The handlebars of a bicycle offer a convenient location to mount gear that enhances and improves the cycling experience. In some situations, the gear is critical to operation of the bicycle. For example, electric bicycles (or E-bikes) augment the traditional cycling experience with an integrated electric motor that assists the user's pedal power, typically employing a handlebar mounted console that monitors and provides control over the motor. E-bikes still encounter many of the same problems as traditional bicycles, such as chain drop, wheel misalignment, flat tires, broken chains, etc. Often, these problems must be addressed in the field to allow the rider to proceed.


An image display apparatus includes a data acquisition unit configured to acquire pieces of LF image data in which a corresponding focus position being an in-focus position in a depth direction is changeable after image capturing, and pieces of added data each of which is associated with a position in the depth direction, a group identification unit configured to identify a group to which at least one of the pieces of added data belongs, an image generation unit configured to generate, from pieces of image data associated with one or more pieces of added data belonging to an identified group, each of a plurality of refocused images with a corresponding focus position set to a position associated with one or more pieces of added data belonging to the group, and a display control unit configured to display the plurality of refocused images on a screen.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic apparatuses for displaying images and display control methods.
Description of the Related Art
In recent years, image capturing apparatuses called light field (hereinafter, sometimes abbreviated to "LF") cameras have been put into practical use. In the image capturing apparatuses, a microlens array is placed on an image sensor, and light beams having entered the image capturing apparatus are divided by the microlenses, whereby LF image data is generated that contains light beam information and direction information. The light beam information indicates the intensities of the light beams arriving from a plurality of directions, and the direction information indicates incident directions. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-220598 discusses an image processing apparatus configured to perform computation processing based on light beam information and direction information to sequentially display a plurality of refocused images with different in-focus positions (hereinafter, "focus positions") in a depth direction so that the user can search for a desired image with ease.
Further, a method is known in which an image is displayed together with added data (hereinafter, "annotation") containing a description about the image. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-133849 discusses an information processing apparatus configured to display an annotation together with an image captured by a microscope.
Meanwhile, a user viewing the images has needs to preferentially view an image to which an annotation containing a description of concern is attached. For example, a doctor diagnosing an illness by examining medical images has needs to increase efficiency in diagnostic work by selectively viewing an image to which an annotation containing a description of useful information for the diagnosis is added.
However, in the cases where a plurality of refocused images is sequentially displayed as in the conventional image processing apparatuses, there has been a problem that it takes a long time for a user to find an image to which an annotation of interest to the user is added.

Electronic apparatus and display control method


The present inventors have recognized that an electrical switch for opening doors in buildings, calling elevators, and the like can be improved to require less physical contact, larger activation area, and multiple activation methods, with increased reliability, by utilizing a piezoelectric sensor specifically arranged between rigid, parallel mounting plates in which one of the plates (an inner plate) is rigidly fixed to prevent movement while the other plate (an outer plate) is accessible for receiving physical contact. By rigidly fixing the inner plate, such as by mounting to a wall or bollard, the sensor can react with sensitivity upon an application of less pressure on the outer plate. Such pressure compresses the sensor between the plates to produce an electrical signal. A controller receiving the signal can, in turn, execute to open a door, call an elevator and/or activate a light or sound to provide feedback.

Commercial and residential buildings have long relied upon electrical switches made accessible to disabled persons for opening doors in buildings, calling elevators, and the like. These switches often include a spring-loaded touch portion which must be physically pressed by a person in order to close an electrical contact beneath the touch portion that is sufficient to activate a circuit, such as for opening a motorized door. Although such switches are useful in this capacity, they have several drawbacks, including stiffness in the spring requiring a strong physical contact with the touch portion to activate the circuit (which may be difficult for some to achieve), and/or mechanical wear of components leading to decreased sensitivity and/or failure of the switch over time. In addition, the activation area is typically limited in size, which may make it difficult for someone to reach, see or otherwise be aware that an activation has occurred. What is needed is an improved system for opening doors in buildings, calling elevators, and the like, that eliminates one or more of the foregoing disadvantages.

Electrical switch assembly comprising a piezoelectric sensor disposed between parallel mounting plates


This thin-film transistor includes adhesive strength enhancing films between a barrier film and electrode films. Each of the adhesive strength enhancing film is composed of two zones including (a) a pure copper zone that is formed on the electrode film side, and (b) a component concentrated zone that is formed in an interface portion contact with the barrier film, and that includes Cu, Ca, oxygen, and Si as constituents. In concentration distributions of Ca and oxygen in a thickness direction of the component concentrated zone, a maximum content of Ca of a Ca-containing peak is in a range of 5 to 20 at %, and a maximum content of oxygen of an oxygen-containing peak is in a range of 30 to 50 at %, respectively.

As flat-panel displays in which thin-film transistors driven by an active matrix method are used, a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, an organic EL display, an inorganic EL display and the like are known. In these flat-panel displays in which the thin-film transistors are used, wirings made of a metal film are formed to adhere to the surface of a glass substrate in a grid pattern, and thin-film transistors are provided at the intersections of the grid wirings made of the metal film.
As shown in a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, it is well known that a thin-film transistor 110 includes a gate electrode film 2 of a pure copper film, a silicon nitride film 3, a Si semiconductor film 4, barrier films 5 of silicon oxide films, and electrode films 6 of pure copper films which are laminated in series on a surface of a glass substrate 1, and it is also known that the electrode films 6 consist of a drain electrode film of the pure copper film and a source electrode film of the pure copper film (both are indicated by "electrode films 6" in FIG. 3) which are partitioned by an isolation trench 8.
In a process of manufacturing the thin-film transistor 110 having such a laminated film structure, the isolation trench 8 that partitions the drain electrode film and the source electrode film is formed by wet etching and plasma etching. The surface of the Si semiconductor film 4 which is exposed at the bottom of the isolation trench 8 is in an extremely unstable state, and dangling bonds are increased therein. These dangling bonds become surface defects. The surface defects increase an off-current of the thin-film transistor. As a result, problems such as a decrease in the contrast of an LCD or a reduction in a viewing angle occur. In this manner, the surface of the Si semiconductor film 4 which is exposed at the bottom of the isolation trench 8 is in an unstable state where the occurrence of the above-mentioned problems cannot be avoided.
For this reason, it is known that hydrogen plasma processing is performed on the exposed surface of the Si semiconductor film 4 under the conditions where 100% of hydrogen gas is used, a hydrogen gas flow rate is in a range of 10 to 1000 SCCM, a hydrogen gas pressure is in a range of 10 to 500 Pa, an RF current density is in a range of 0.005 to 0.5 W/cm2, and a processing time is in a range of 1 to 60 minutes; and thereby, the dangling bonds of the surface of the Si semiconductor film 4 are bound to hydrogen atoms to stabilize the surface thereof (see Patent Document 1).
On the other hand, large-sized screens and high integration of various types of flat-panel displays have been developed remarkably in recent years, and with this development, much higher adhesive strength tends to be required between each of the laminated films included in the thin-film transistor 110. In the above-mentioned conventional thin-film transistor 110, high adhesive strength capable of sufficiently satisfying the above-mentioned requirement is secured between the glass substrate 1 and the gate electrode film 2 of the pure copper film, between the gate electrode film 2 and the silicon nitride film 3, between the silicon nitride film 3 and the Si semiconductor film 4, and between the Si semiconductor film 4 and the barrier film 5 of the silicon oxide film. However, the adhesive strength between the barrier film 5 of the silicon oxide film and the electrode films 6 of the pure copper films (the drain electrode film and the source electrode film which are partitioned by the isolation trench 8) is relatively low, and the adhesive strength therebetween is not high enough to satisfy the above-mentioned requirement.

Thin-film transistor having high adhesive strength between barrier film and drain electrode and source electrode films


An inline apparatus and method for processing an unworked masonry article to produce a decorative masonry article having pitched face edges located in a non-parallel relationship to each other. The inline apparatus includes a conveyor line for carrying the masonry article, a pitching machine for pitching at least one of the frontal face edges of the masonry article, a flipping machine for repositioning the masonry article while the masonry article is in the conveying line and a second pitching machine for processing at least one additional face edge which is located in a non-parallel condition to the face edge of masonry article that has been pitched.

This invention relates generally to creating decorative faces on masonry articles and more particularly to an inline system that pitches the edges of masonry articles in one continuous operation.
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In order to provide a decorative face to a masonry articles such as a concrete, stone or clay block the four frontal face edges of the masonry article can be removed with a hammer and chisel or with a machine operated hammer head. Done properly, with either a machine or by a stone mason, the result is a masonry article with a hand chiseled masonry appearance that is pleasing to the eye. The process of removing the face edges of a masonry article to produce a decorative effect is known in the art as xe2x80x9cpitchingxe2x80x9d. Typically, the masonry articles that are pitched can vary in size from hand placeable rectangular bricks to huge stone blocks that require machines to lift and place the stone blocks in place.
In order to more quickly chisel the face edges of a masonry article it is preferred to use a pitching machine having a pair of rotating hammer heads that strikingly remove the face edge of the masonry article by repeatedly striking the face edges of the masonry articles along the entire length of the face edge. The swinging hammer heads can quickly chip away the rectangular shaped face edge producing a decorative hand chiseled effect.
In machine pitching the masonry article is placed in a pitching machine where two parallel face edges on the masonry article are struck sufficiently hard to chip away the frontal edge to produce a decorative frontal face on the masonry article. The result is a decorative frontal edge along two opposite but parallel face edges of the masonry article. Oftentimes an architect wants to have all four frontal face edges of the masonry article removed to produce the desired decorative effect. In order to pitch all four face edges where two of the edges are perpendicularly to the others requires the masonry article to be removed from the pitching machine and the pitching process repeated on the remaining face edges of the masonry articles that are perpendicular to the pitched parallel face edges.
The present invention comprises a method and apparatus for inline processing a masonry article so that a masonry article having no pitched edges can be placed on one end of a conveyor and when the masonry article emerges from the opposite end of the conveyor all four of the face edges of the masonry article are pitched to thereby prove a masonry article with an elegant hand chiseled appearance that is in a condition ready to be transported to a work site.
An inline apparatus and method for processing a masonry article to produce a masonry article having pitched edges along face edges located in a non-parallel relationship to each other. The inline apparatus includes a conveyor line for carrying the masonry article, a pitching machine for pitching at least one of the frontal face edges of the masonry article, a flipping machine for repositioning the masonry article while the masonry article is in the conveying line and a second pitching machine for processing at least one additional face edge, which is located in a non-parallel condition to the face edge of masonry article that has been pitched.


A turret-type spray nozzle assembly having a rotatable turret which carries a plurality of spray nozzles and which is rotatable on the nozzle body for locating a selected one of the turret nozzles in an operative spray position. The spray nozzle assembly further includes an auxiliary spray nozzle adapted for directing a higher volume liquid spray than any one of the turret spray nozzles. The spray nozzle assembly includes a body which defines a more direct liquid flow passage, with fewer turns and lesser pressure losses, to the auxiliary nozzle than to a turret spray nozzle. An adaptor also is disclosed for convenient field conversion of a conventional turret spray nozzle into a nozzle assembly according to the invention.

The present invention relates generally to spray nozzle assemblies, and more particularly, to spray nozzle assemblies having a rotatable turret carrying a multiplicity of different spray tips for selected indexing to an operative position.
Known turret-type spray nozzles commonly comprise a nozzle body, typically mounted in dependent fashion from a liquid supply boom or the like, having a transversely extending generally cylindrical turret mounting section, and a turret rotatably mounted on the cylindrical body section carrying a plurality of circumferentially spaced radially extending spray nozzles such that a selected spray nozzle may be brought into a position for discharging a desired liquid spray pattern, typically in a downward direction, for the specific spray application. A problem with such turret type spray nozzle assemblies is that by reason of the multiplicity of turns, the length of travel, and the various flow restrictions for the supply liquid from a liquid inlet to the selected spray nozzle, significant pressure losses can occur that limit the flow capacity, namely liquid flow volume, for any nozzle indexed to the operative spray position for a given liquid inlet pressure. Hence, while such turret type spray nozzles permit the discharge of different spray patterns, the flow rate through any one of the indexed nozzles is limited.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a turret-type spray nozzle assembly which enables the selective direction of a relatively higher volume of liquid spray for a given liquid inlet pressure.
Another object is to provide a spray nozzle assembly as characterized above which is adapted to selectively direct a liquid spray pattern having at least twice the liquid volume of any one of the plurality of turret-mounted spray nozzles for a given inlet pressure.
A further object is to provide a spray nozzle assembly of the foregoing type which includes a multiplicity of spray nozzles that can be selectively used in spraying and in which a substantially greater volume of liquid may be directed from at least one of the nozzles for a given liquid inlet pressure than from any of the other nozzles of the assembly.
Another object is to provide a spray nozzle assembly of the foregoing type which is relatively simple in construction and which lends itself to economical manufacture.
Still another object is to provide a nozzle adaptor which permits easy field conversion of conventional nozzles to a nozzle according to the present invention.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings, in which:

Spray nozzle assembly with auxiliary high volume spray nozzle


An apparatus for filling a container with a fluid comprising a fluid supply source having a pump fluidly coupled thereto and electrically interfaced to a controller. Fluidly coupled to the pump is a nozzle valve which is also electrically interfaced to the controller. During the operation of the apparatus, the container is positioned under the nozzle valve, with the controller being operable to fill the container with the first volume of the fluid from the supply source at a first flow rate, and fill the container with the second volume of the fluid at a second flow rate which is lower than the first flow rate.

In the prior art, many devices have been developed for filling containers with desired fluids. One of the greatest obstacles encountered in designing such devices pertains to maintaining a high level of accuracy in the volume of fluid dispensed into the container. Such volume control usually necessitates taking weight measurements of the container prior to, during and subsequent to the filling thereof with the fluid, and/or measuring the flow rate of the fluid as it is being dispensed into the container.
The problems typically associated with achieving a high accuracy level in the volume of fluid dispensed into the container are magnified when precise volume control is desired for viscus, quickly curing fluids such as paints. In most prior art paint dispensing devices, residual quantities of paint remain within the pumps, dispensing nozzles, flow lines and other components of the device when the device is deactivated. While the device is inactive, this residual paint typically dries, thus resulting in an accumulation of dried paint in the aforementioned components which steadily increases over time. Due to this increasing accumulation, the precise volume of the paint dispensed into the container is slightly altered with every fill cycle of the device. The present invention overcomes these and other problems associated with prior art paint dispensing devices by providing an apparatus which is adapted to fill a container with a precise volume of paint and continuously maintain a high accuracy level in the volume of paint dispensed into the container.

Method and apparatus for filling a container with a fluid


A method and apparatus are used to continuously convert a plurality of analog signals on a corresponding plurality of physical channels using a circuit having analog to digital converter (ADC) components, a serial port interface, and a serial port controller. Logical channel information for one or more logical channels is stored in a register on the serial port controller. Each logical channel specifies one of the physical channels and conversion information for controlling the ADC components to produce a digital sample of the analog signal on the specified physical channel. At least one looping bit and at least one depth bit are also stored in a register on the serial port. The depth bit indicates a number of logical channels in one data scan. At least that number of logical channels are stored in the register. In response to a command bit indicating conversion mode, a quantity of data scans is output on a serial output pin of the serial port interface. Each data scan includes a number of data words equal to the number of logical channels in a scan. Each data word includes one digital sample specified by a corresponding one of the number of logical channels. The quantity of scans is responsive to the value stored in the looping bit or bits.

Techniques for sampling an analog signal, converting the sampled signal to digital and processing that signal using digital techniques are known in the art. An example of an analog signal source is that provided by a measurement sensor, such as a thermocouple or a strain gauge. Some techniques for sampling an analog signal use a rough buffer to precharge the sampling capacitor followed by a period of fine adjustment. The sampled analog signal is converted to digital. Conversion to digital may produce a digital stream of one or more bits.
Filters for doing such processing, such as FIR filters and FIR sinc filters are known. Some such filters use coefficients for multiplying digital values. Others, such as Hogenauer filters, described in an article by Eugene B. Hogenauer, entitled "AN ECONOMICAL CLASS OF DIGITAL FILTERS FOR DECIMATION AND INTERPOLATION," published in IEEE Transactions on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing, Volume ASSP-29, No. 2, April 1981, perform the filtering without coefficients.
Digital filters such as sinc filters can be implemented using digital circuits for performing a variety of mathematical operation. Multipliers are known which use 2's complement addition to perform multiplication. However, such multipliers require a fair amount of power, machine cycles and silicon real estate to implement.
Some signal processing circuits handle a plurality of channels. Parameters for one or more of such channels may be adjusted using gain and offset registers dedicated for that channel. Some measurement circuits such as those used for weigh scales require an adjustment so that a maximum digital output level corresponds to a calibrated full scale input signal value.
Some integrated circuits use signal processing circuits that can be programmed to set selectable characteristics, such as sampling rate and maximum input voltage. These properties are selected by issuing command signals that are applied to terminals connected to the circuit. Typically, such commands are issued to the circuit every time one of the selectable properties changes. During operation, the number and complexity of such commands issued can become significant.
It would be desirable to have a programmable analog to digital converter (ADC) which could handle a plurality of channels in a flexible way so that high volume conversion can be sustained. It would be further desirable for this flexibility to extend to sampling and converting a plurality of channels in any order, including more repetitions of one channel than another, the ability to sample the same channel at different times with different conversion characteristics, and the ability to skip converting some channels altogether. It would be particularly desirable if conversion properties could be selected flexibility and changed rapidly using fewer and simpler commands than in other signal processing circuits.

Techniques for converting a plurality of channels continuously in an A/D converter


According to various embodiments of the disclosure, an electronic device may include a display, a communication circuit transmitting and receiving data with an external server, a memory storing data received through the communication circuit, and a processor controlling the display, the communication circuit, and the memory. The processor may be configured to receive a first portion of content capable of being displayed through the display, and index information of the content from the external server, to display at least part of the first portion in a first region of the display, to display a user interface for content movement based on the index information, in a second region of the display, to make a request for a second portion of the content corresponding to the user input to the external server when a specified user input occurs in the user interface, and to display at least part of the second portion in the first region of the display.

An electronic device such as a smartphone, a tablet PC, a laptop PC, or a desktop PC may provide users with various pieces of information through a display. For example, the electronic device may execute various types of applications and may display an execution screen of an application on the display.
The electronic device may also receive data from an external server and may display the data on the display. The electronic device may display content such as texts, still images, or videos on the display based on the data received from the external server.
For example, when an SNS application is executed, the electronic device may receive and display a part of SNS messages including recently-uploaded text, image, and video. When a user generates a swipe input to scroll down a screen, or when the user touches and moves a scroll box of a scroll bar, the previously-uploaded SNS message may be displayed on the display.

Electronic device and content display method