By providing a hard mask layer stack including at least three different layers for patterning a gate electrode structure, constraints demanded by sophisticated lithography, as well as cap layer integrity, in a subsequent selective epitaxial growth process may be accomplished, thereby providing the potential for further device scaling of transistor devices requiring raised drain and source regions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the fabrication of integrated circuits, and, more particularly, to the formation of field effect transistors having epitaxially grown raised drain and source regions so as to provide extremely shallow PN junctions.
2. Description of the Related Art
The fabrication of integrated circuits requires the formation of a large number of circuit elements on a given chip area according to a specified circuit layout. Generally, a plurality of process technologies are currently practiced, wherein, for logic circuitry, such as microprocessors, storage chips and the like, CMOS technology is currently the most promising approach, due to the superior characteristics in view of operating speed and/or power consumption and/or cost efficiency. During the fabrication of complex integrated circuits using CMOS technology, millions of complementary transistors, i.e., N-channel transistors and P-channel transistors, are formed on an appropriate substrate.
Typically, a MOS transistor, irrespective of whether an N-channel transistor or a P-channel transistor is considered, comprises so-called PN junctions that are formed at an interface of highly doped drain and source regions with an inversely doped channel region disposed between the drain region and the source region. The conductivity of the channel region is controlled by a gate electrode formed above the channel region and separated therefrom by a thin insulating layer. The conductivity of the channel region depends on the dopant concentration, the mobility of the charge carriers, and, for a given extension of the channel region in the transistor width direction, on the distance between the source and drain regions, which is also referred to as channel length.
Hence, in combination with the capability of rapidly creating a conductive channel below the insulating layer upon application of a specified control voltage to the gate electrode, the conductivity of the channel region substantially determines the characteristics of the MOS transistors. For this reason, the channel length represents a dominant design criterion and a size reduction thereof provides increased operating speed of the integrated circuits. The shrinkage of the transistor dimensions, however, entails a plurality of issues associated therewith which have to be addressed so as to not unduly offset the advantages obtained by steadily decreasing the channel length of MOS transistors.
One problem in this respect is the requirement of extremely shallow PN junctions. That is, the depth of the source and drain regions with respect to an interface formed by the gate insulating layer and the channel region has to be decreased as the channel length is reduced to maintain the required controllability of the conductive channel. The depth of the source and drain regions substantially determines the sheet resistance thereof, which may not be arbitrarily reduced by correspondingly increasing the dopant concentration in the source and drain regions, since an extremely high dopant concentration may give rise to increased leakage currents. Furthermore, the dopants implanted into these regions at very high concentrations may not be completely activated by conventional rapid thermal anneal processes without negatively affecting the overall dopant profile within the source and drain regions. That is, for a desired channel length, defined by the PN junctions, an increased dopant concentration requires higher temperatures and/or a prolonged duration of the corresponding anneal cycles, thereby, however, influencing the dopant profile forming the PN junctions by the inevitable thermal diffusion of the dopants, which finally may lead to a non-acceptable variation of the finally achieved channel length.
In an attempt to further reduce the sheet resistance of the drain and source regions, the conductivity thereof is frequently increased by forming a metal silicide of superior conductivity compared to a highly doped silicon. However, since the penetration depth of the metal silicide is restricted by the depth of the PN junctions, the improvement in conductivity in these regions is therefore coupled to the depth of the corresponding PN junctions. Moreover, in many CMOS technologies, a corresponding metal silicide is simultaneously formed on the gate electrode, wherein a shallow junction depth therefore also creates a very shallow metal silicide in the gate electrode, thereby providing only limited improvement in gaining superior gate electrode conductivity.
In one promising approach, extremely shallow source and drain regions may be formed by raising the source and drain regions above the gate insulation layer/channel region interface and maintaining the drain/source dopant concentration at an acceptable level while providing the possibility of forming highly conductive metal silicide regions without being restricted by the actual depth of the PN junctions due to the increased size of the raised drain and source regions.
With reference to FIGS. 1a-1c, a typical conventional process flow for forming raised drain and source regions will now be described in more detail. FIG. 1a schematically shows a cross-sectional view of a field effect transistor 100 at an early manufacturing stage. The transistor 100 comprises the substrate 101, for instance a bulk silicon substrate or a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate including a buried insulating layer. Above the substrate 101, a substantially crystalline layer 102 is formed with a thickness that is appropriate for forming PN junctions and a channel region therein. For instance, the transistor 100 may represent an SOI transistor with a thickness of the silicon layer 102 in the range of approximately 20-100 nm.
A gate electrode 104, comprised of polysilicon, is formed above the silicon layer 102 and is separated therefrom by a gate insulation layer 103. The gate insulation layer 103 may be formed in sophisticated devices by a nitrogen-containing silicon dioxide layer with a thickness of approximately 0.6-4 nm. The residue 105 of an anti-reflective coating covers a top surface 104a of the gate electrode 104, while the sidewalls 104b thereof are covered by an oxide liner 106.
Moreover, adjacent to the liner 106 are formed sidewall spacer elements 107 comprised of a material, such as silicon nitride, that exhibits a moderately high etch selectivity with respect to the underlying oxide liner 106 so that the spacers 107 may be readily removed after a selective epitaxial growth process.
The transistor 100 as shown in FIG. 1a may be formed in accordance with the following process flow. The substrate 101 may be obtained by a manufacturer of respective substrates in the form of a silicon bulk substrate or in the form of an SOI substrate, wherein the SOI substrate may comprise a crystalline silicon layer as the layer 102 that may be formed in accordance with well-established wafer bonding techniques. Thereafter, an insulating layer is formed having a thickness and a composition that are appropriate for forming the gate insulation layer 103. To this end, sophisticated oxidation and/or deposition techniques may be used as are well established in the art.
Thereafter, a polysilicon layer of appropriate thickness is deposited by low pressure chemical vapor deposition. Next, an anti-reflective coating (ARC), for instance comprised of silicon oxynitride, and a resist layer are deposited and are patterned by sophisticated photolithography to form an etch mask for a subsequent anisotropic etch process for patterning the gate electrode 104 from the deposited polysilicon layer. After patterning the gate electrode 104, the residual ARC layer remains as the layer 105 on the top surface 104a of the gate electrode 104.
Thereafter, the gate insulation layer 103 may be patterned and subsequently the oxide liner 106 may be formed by an appropriately designed oxidation process. The sidewall spacers 107 may then be formed by well-established techniques, including the deposition, for instance by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, of a silicon nitride layer of a specified thickness and a subsequent anisotropic etch process, which reliably stops on and in the liner oxide 106, thereby leaving the spacers 107. A width 107a of the spacer 107 is readily controllable by appropriately adjusting the thickness of the silicon nitride layer. Hence, a lateral extension of epitaxial growth regions adjacent to the gate electrode 104 is substantially determined by the spacer width 107a. Finally, the liner 106 may be removed at exposed portions to provide a substantially crystalline surface of the layer 102 for an epitaxial growth process.
FIG. 1b schematically shows the device 100 with selectively grown silicon regions 108 above the silicon layer 102, wherein a lateral distance of the regions 108 from the gate electrode 104 substantially corresponds to the spacer width 107a (see FIG. 1a) plus the minimal thickness of the liner oxide 106. Moreover, the spacers 107, the liner 106 and the residual ARC layer 105 are removed. The process for forming the crystalline regions 108, which may contain a specified dopant material, typically involves a selective epitaxial growth technique. This growth technique of a semiconductor material is a deposition technique in which the deposited material layer forms a crystalline structure in conformity with the crystalline structure of the underlying material, acting as a template, as long as the deposited material is able to form a lattice that is sufficiently similar in structure and lattice spacing to the lattice of the underlying material. Furthermore, the deposition parameters are selected in such a manner that the semiconductor material adheres mainly to the atoms of the ordered crystalline surface of the layer 102 rather than to the dielectric non-crystalline surfaces of the spacers 107 and the residual ARC layer 105. Thereafter, the spacers 107, the liner 106 and the layer 105 are removed by well-established highly selective etch processes. Subsequently the device 100 may be subjected to an ion implantation sequence 120 including, for instance, a halo and extension implantation to form extension regions 113 in the layer 102 and also form implantation regions 113 in the regions 108. Following the implantation 120, an anneal process may be performed, thereby activating dopants and substantially re-crystallizing implantation-induced damage in the layer 102 and the regions 108.
FIG. 1c schematically shows the device 100 in a further advanced manufacturing stage. Here, the device 100 comprises a spacer 117 formed on a liner 116. The spacer 117 may be comprised of silicon nitride, while the liner 116 may be made of silicon dioxide. Moreover, metal silicide regions 118 are formed in the epitaxially grown regions 108 and form in combination source and drain regions 114. A further metal silicide region 115 is formed in the gate electrode 104. Typically, the spacer 117 and the liner 116 may be formed substantially in the same way as is previously described with respect to the spacer 107 and the liner 106. The silicide regions 115 and 118 may be formed commonly or separately in accordance with well-established silicidation regimes, wherein the spacer 117 prevents an undesired creation of a conductive path between the gate electrode 104 and the drain and source regions 114 during the formation of the metal silicide regions 115 and 118.
As a result, the above-described process flow enables the formation of required shallow PN junctions in the form of the extensions 113, while nevertheless providing a low contact resistance to the drain and source regions 114 by providing the additional selectively grown silicon regions 108, which may be used to receive a highly conductive metal silicide, wherein the silicidation process does not adversely affect the extensions 113, nor is the silicidation process restricted by the depth of the extensions 113 and the drain and source regions 114.
Although the process flow described above provides significant improvements in forming raised drain and source regions, in highly sophisticated applications requiring critical dimensions, i.e., a gate length 104l of the gate electrode 104 of approximately 50 nm and even less, the approach with removable spacers, i.e., the spacers 107, and with a reliable coverage of the gate electrode, renders it increasingly difficult to also appropriately pattern the gate electrode 104 by means of the residual ARC layer 105. In other words, since the residual ARC layer 105 is important for both the patterning of the gate electrode 104 and the reliable coverage thereof in the subsequent selective epitaxial growth process, the conventional ARC layer 105 may not suffice, as its integrity may suffer during the patterning process for the gate electrode 104 owing to, for instance, a resist mask of reduced thickness and other requirements as may be necessary in the advanced 193 nm lithography. Consequently, the coverage of the top surface 104a with an ARC layer meeting the strict requirements of the preceding lithography, resist trim and gate etch processes designed for highly scaled devices may not be reliably guaranteed.
In view of the above situation, a need therefore exists for an improved technique that enables the formation of raised source and drain regions by selective epitaxial growth while still offering the potential for device scaling.

Technique for forming a transistor having raised drain and source regions with a tri-layer hard mask for gate patterning


An apparatus is provided for binding a single printed sheet with top and bottom binders to form a single sheet calendar. The apparatus includes a binder feeding mechanism for positioning the top and bottom binders relative to the single printed sheet. The apparatus includes first and second spaced, parallel binding units for respectively securing the top and bottom binders to the single sheet, with the first binding unit having an upper member and a lower member to define a sheet-receiving channel there between. At least one of the upper member or the lower member is heated, and at least one of the upper member or the lower member is controllably movable relative to the other of the upper member or the lower member, to secure one of the binders to the single sheet.

Single-sheet calendars are known and typically include a printed sheet of paper or laminate material and a pair of binders at opposed edges of the sheet. The calendar may include a hanger that permits hanging of the calendar from a support such as hook, nail, or equivalent. It would be desirable to provide apparatus and related methods that facilitate making of such single-sheet calendars. Further, known binding methods rely on locking pages of a calendar into a metal binder with a double fold, which in turn requires relatively complex and expensive apparatus using cams and other structures. In known binding methods for binding the top and bottom edges of single sheet calendars, for example, each of the edges is bound in a separate operation, with each operation requiring folding of the binder and/or paper.

Calendar binding apparatus and related methods


A code reader for reading an optical code is provided that has a linear image sensor having a plurality of linear arrangements of light reception pixels for recording image data having the code and a control and evaluation unit that is configured to locate and read the code in the image data, wherein the light reception pixels have a different spectral sensitivity. Here, at least one linear arrangement is a white line whose reception pixels are sensitive to white light for recording a gray scale image and the other linear arrangements are color lines whose reception pixels are sensitive to light of only one respective color for recording a color image.

For the automation of logistics applications, for example the automatic sorting of objects, objects are provided with a code that is read by a code reader. Barcodes with corresponding barcode scanners represent a frequent practical application. However, other codes are also used for identification, for instance two-dimensional codes such as a MaxiCode or an Aztec Code, or texts that are decoded by optical character recognition (OCR). Images of the objects having the codes are recorded to read such codes.
In a reading device working in an automated manner, for instance in baggage handling at airports or in the automated sorting of packages in logistics centers, the objects are conveyed past the code reader and image data of the objects with the codes arranged thereon are acquired by linewise scanning. The individual image lines are assembled using the known or the measured belt speed. Line scan cameras achieve a high resolution and speed.
The line scan cameras typically record a monochrome image that is also called a gray scale image or a black and white image. The best photon yield and therefore the best signal-to-noise ratio are thus achieved and color detection is of no interest for the reading of codes that anyway only have light and dark zones.
If color information should nevertheless be acquired, matrix cameras are made use of as a rule. However, this particularly has disadvantages with fast belt applications since a high frame rate is required and the stitching of its individual frames is very processor intensive in contrast to a simple arrangement of image lines next to one another in rows. In addition, a matrix image sensor cannot reach the same pixel number in the line direction as a linear image sensor.
The most widespread manner of forming a matrix image sensor for color acquisition is the pixelwise provision of respectively two green filters, one red filter, and one blue filter in a Bayer pattern. There are, however, also alternative color patters that, for example, add a white channel (RGBW) or that use subtractive primary colors, for instance red, yellow, and blue (RYBY).
Color line scan cameras are also known. They have, for example, three lines in red, green, and blue (RGB), an alternating arrangement of these primary colors on a single line, or in imitation of the Bayer pattern, a line having alternating red and blue pixels and a second, purely green line.
It is disadvantageous with all of these color image sensors that received light is lost due to the color filters and a black and white image therefore remains superior for the code reading. The color information can therefore only be acquired at the cost of a worse performance during code reading.
DE 10 2015 116 568 A1 discloses a color detection by the combination of a monochrome camera with a tunable color filter. This would not solve the problem because light is still lost in every single color setting and ultimately at best said solutions having line scan cameras of a plurality of lines are emulated for different colors.
A dual line scan camera is described in EP 3 012 778 A2 that is operated with multispectral illumination. This is effectively also nothing else than a color filter that is now generated at a different point, but that does not prevent the light loss for code reading.

Code reader and method for reading optical codes


An ink jet printing system includes a printhead generating a plurality of continuous ink jets that are in a row and directed toward a print receiving medium. The printhead contains a drop generator and an orifice plate that includes a plurality of nozzles to form the continuous ink jets. The orifice plate includes a stimulating device to produce first and second synchronous drop breakoffs in a phased relationship and each ink jet in the drop breakoffs alternate producing plurality of drops in a phased relationship. A charge plate is placed opposite the drop generator and includes a plurality of drop charging electrodes adjacent the continuous ink jets. A controller is in communication with each drop charging electrode and supplies a plurality of synchronized controlled drop selection pulses to the drop charging electrodes.

In the current state of ink jet printers, a need exists to reduce cross talk between ink jet drops as the ink jet drops come from the orifice plate of the drop generator. In high resolution inkjet printers, drops are affected by the electronic fields produced from charging electrodes associated with nearby jets or adjacent jets, a phenomena known as crosstalk. Visible print defects occur from the cross talk. Further, printer versatility is highly reduced due to cross talk. U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,871, issued to the same inventor, which is incorporated by reference, teaches a current system for handling cross talk.
The present embodiments described herein were designed to meet these above needs.

Ink jet printing device with improved drop selection control


A smart card inlay and method for assembling the same are provided. The method includes attaching a first trace to a substrate, attaching a second trace to the substrate, attaching an antenna wire to the substrate, coupling a first end of the antenna wire to a first area of the first trace, and coupling a second end of the antenna wire to a first area of the second trace. A second area of the first trace and a second area of the second trace are configured to be coupled to an integrated circuit (IC) or IC module, and the first area of the first trace is located away from the second area of the first trace and the first area of the second trace is located away from the second area of the second trace.

Coil antennas are commonly used in contactless smart cards. Contactless smart card antennas can be manufactured with etched or printed antennas. Smart card antennas can also be formed using round wire using ultrasonics or thermal compression to embed the wire into a plastic substrate. Regardless of how the antennas are formed, the antennas need to be created high precision and/or be tuned to a specific inductance. The coil antenna is then attached to and integrated circuit (IC) module, e.g., via terminal areas on the IC module. Attaching the wire ends to a delicate IC module has proven to be a difficult task because the IC module can be damaged while the antenna coil is being attached to the terminal areas of the IC module. Different sized IC modules can also require redesign of the entire coil antenna due to the length of the antenna wire changing in order to be attached to a larger or smaller IC module.


A method of preventing the infection of a computer network 1 by a computer virus, where that virus can be spread by e-mail traffic. The method comprises installing at an e-mail gateway 7 of the network an anti-virus application 12, which application scans at least incoming e-mail traffic for known viruses. In the event that a new virus is detected by the provider of the anti-virus application 12, a notification of this event is sent from the provider to the anti-virus-application 12. At the anti-virus application 12, receipt of said notification results in the diversion of incoming e-mails or their attachments to a buffer 13 for safe storage.

Much damage has recently been caused by the creation and spread of software viruses. As well as the loss and corruption of data, viruses have been responsible for the shutting down of individual computers and even entire networks, leading to a great loss in productivity. The recent "success" of software viruses such as the "Love Letter" virus is due to the proliferation of e-mail as a means of communication between computer users coupled with a lack of knowledge of the potential problems amongst computer users (e.g. users will open e-mail attachments without regard to their origins).
In order to mitigate the potential damage caused by viruses, responsible computer users and network operators make use of anti-virus applications such as the F-Secure™ Anti-Virus product. For network operators, an optimal solution is to install an anti-virus application on individual client computers to scan data created and installed locally (e.g. from a floppy or CD-ROM drive, and an anti-virus application at the e-mail gateway to the network to scan e-mails and their attachments prior to their entry to (and possibly exit from) the network. Anti-virus applications may also be located at other locations. In the case of an anti-virus application located at an e-mail gateway, if a virus is detected in an e-mail and/or e-mail attachment, the e-mail and/or attachment may be disinfected if possible and forwarded to the recipient within the network or, if disinfection is not possible, the e-mail and/or e-mail attachment may be either quarantined or deleted and an appropriate notification sent to the recipient and network administrator.
Anti-virus applications typically make use of a database of virus signatures or fingerprints. Data is scanned by the application for the presence of these signatures. The providers of anti-virus applications are constantly seeking to identify new viruses and to create signatures for these. Following the discovery of a new virus and the generation of a signature for that virus, the damage caused by that virus can be reduced by getting the signature into the field as quickly as possible. The signatures are distributed to anti-virus applications in the field using a number of techniques. Originally, signature updates were provided by posting out floppy disks or CD-ROM disks. However, the most common techniques used today employ Internet based protocols.

Anti-virus protection at a network gateway


A machine accesses a query in a first natural language. The machine identifies an event corresponding to the query. The machine computes, using a cross-lingual information retrieval module, a ranked list of documents in a second natural language that are related to the event. At least a portion of documents in the ranked list are selected from a collection of documents in the second natural language that are not annotated with events. The cross-lingual information retrieval module is trained using a dataset comprising annotated documents in the first natural language and translations of the annotated documents into the second natural language. Each annotated document is annotated with one or more events. The machine provides an output representing at least a portion of the ranked list of documents in the second natural language. The second natural language is different from the first natural language.

In some situations, indicia of an event (e.g., a query) are received in a first natural language and documents related to the event may be in a second natural language. For example, a user may enter a query for "art auctions in China" in the English language, and there may be Chinese language documents that are relevant to event(s) in the query. As the foregoing illustrates, techniques to perform cross-lingual information retrieval and/or information extraction may be desirable.

Cross-lingual information retrieval and information extraction


A system and method is disclosed for providing an improved voltage monitor that is capable of determining that a value of an adjustable supply voltage is suitable for a requested performance level in an adaptive voltage scaling system. An integrator circuit of the voltage monitor integrates a slack time error signal from a hardware performance monitor. Control circuitry evaluates a suitability of the integrated slack time error signal for the requested performance level for a number of voltage evaluation time periods. The adjustable supply voltage is deemed to be stable when the integrated slack time error signal is within a predetermined range of limits for at least two voltage evaluation time periods.

Modern digital integrated circuits such as central processing units (CPUs) are typically capable of operating with several different clock frequencies. Assume that a CPU can reduce its clock frequency while still meeting the processing requirements of an application that is running on the CPU. As is well known, a reduction in the clock frequency of the CPU proportionally reduces the CPU power consumption. With a lower clock frequency less power is consumed because there are fewer signal level changes within a given time period.
As is also well known, the power consumption of a digital circuit is quadratrically proportional to the operating voltage. Therefore, decreasing the voltage level of the operating voltage (i.e., the supply voltage) and reducing the clock frequency can provide significant power savings in a digital circuit.
Dynamic Voltage Scaling (DVS) is a power management technique in which pre-determined voltage values (within a voltage table) are used for each requested operating clock frequency of a CPU. The voltage levels that are defined in the voltage table must be carefully selected in order to adequately cover all process and temperature corners so that the CPU will function correctly at each clock frequency.
Adaptive Voltage Scaling (AVS) is a power management technique in which the supply voltage of a digital integrated circuit is adjusted automatically. The supply voltage is adjusted (using closed loop feedback) to a minimum level that is required for the proper operation of the integrated circuit at a given clock frequency.
The major difference between Dynamic Voltage Scaling (DVS) and Adaptive Voltage Scaling (AVS) is that the Adaptive Voltage Scaling (AVS) includes automatic variation of the process and temperature in order to balance the supply voltage and system delay (digital cell delay) that is due to closed loop feedback. This means that the supply voltage in the AVS system is automatically reduced at lower temperatures and for faster silicon. As the supply voltage is reduced, the power consumption is also reduced.
FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an embodiment of an exemplary prior art Adaptive Voltage Scaling (AVS) System 100. AVS System 100 comprises a System-on-a-Chip (SoC) unit 110 and an Adaptive Voltage Scaling (AVS) Regulator 120. System-on-a-Chip (SoC) unit 110 comprises a Clock Management Unit (CMU) 130, a Variable Voltage Domain CPU System 140, a Hardware Performance Monitor (HPM) 150, and an Advanced Power Controller (APC) 160. The Hardware Performance Monitor (HPM) 150 is located within the Variable Voltage Domain CPU System 140.
The Clock Management Unit (CMU) 130 receives a system clock signal from a system clock unit (not shown). The Clock Management Unit (CMU) 130 provides clock frequencies for the central processing unit (CPU) (not separately shown) in the Variable Voltage Domain CPU System 140. The Clock Management Unit (CMU) 130 also provides clock frequencies for the Hardware Performance Monitor (HPM) 150. The clock frequencies that are provided to the Hardware Performance Monitor (HPM) 150 are represented by the designation "HPM CLOCK".
The Hardware Performance Monitor (HPM) 150 tracks gate delays in the current operational conditions. The Hardware Performance Monitor (HPM) 150 is in the Variable Voltage Domain CPU System 140. The Hardware Performance Monitor (HPM) outputs a performance code to the Advanced Power Controller (APC) 160. The performance code indicates the propagation delay of digital gate cells. The Advanced Power Controller (APC) 160 processes the delay data and requests appropriate changes to the supply voltage.
The Advanced Power Controller (APC) 160 is coupled to and communicates with the Adaptive Voltage Scaling (AVS) regulator 120. In one embodiment the coupling between the Advanced Power Controller (APC) 160 and the Adaptive Voltage Scaling (AVS) regulator 120 is a PowerWise™ interface (PWI). The mark PowerWise™ is a trademark of the National Semiconductor Corporation. The Advanced Power Controller (APC) 160 sends a request to the Adaptive Voltage Scaling (AVS) regulator 120 to change the supply voltage. The Adaptive Voltage (AVS) regulator 120 provides the requested supply voltage level to the SoC 110. The adjustable supply voltage from the Adaptive Voltage Scaling (AVS) regulator 120 is designated VAVS in FIG. 1.
The operating system of a modern central processing unit (CPU) may support a real time scheduling of performance levels. Each performance level has associated with it a specific value of operating clock frequency. The operating system is capable of selecting an operating clock frequency for which the CPU performance is minimized on a real time basis and for which the deadlines of a particular application are still met. For example, while an MPEG4 movie encoding application is running, a performance scheduling algorithm of the operating system may predict and change the performance level of the CPU in ten millisecond (10 ms) intervals.
The Hardware Performance Monitor (HPM) 150 tracks gate delays in the current operational conditions. The Hardware Performance Monitor (HPM) 150 outputs a performance code to the Advanced Power Controller 160. The performance code indicates the propagation delay of digital gate cells. In particular, Hardware Performance Monitor (HPM) 150 sends the performance code to the Advanced Power Controller 160. The Advanced Power Controller 160 then subtracts the performance code from a standard Reference Calibration Code (RCC) to obtain an error signal.
The error signal is referred to as "Slack Time". The Slack Time error signal comprises a digital error signal in a two's complement number format. If the Slack Time is positive an increase in voltage is required. If the Slack Time is negative a decrease in voltage is required. The Slack Time error signal is provided to a Compensation Unit (not shown) within the Advanced Power Controller 160. Based on the value of the Slack Time error signal, the Compensation Unit sends a signal to AVS Regulator 120 to cause AVS Regulator 120 to adjust the value of the adjustable output voltage (VAVS) of AVS Regulator 120.
As previously mentioned, the CPU in an adaptive voltage scaling (AVS) system may change clock frequency within very short time intervals. For this reason, there is a need in the art for a reliable, noise tolerant system and method to detect a suitable adjustable supply voltage for a newly requested CPU clock frequency in an adaptive voltage scaling (AVS) system.
Specifically, there is a need in the art for an improved voltage monitor for an adaptive voltage scaling (AVS) system that is capable of determining that a value of an adjustable supply voltage is suitable for a newly requested performance level in an adaptive voltage scaling (AVS) system.

System and method for providing an improved voltage monitor for an adjustable supply voltage in adaptive voltage scaling


A method for performing audible fast-forward or reverse of audio content represented in a compressed format, such as, but not limited to, MPEG-1 Layer 3 (MP3) or MPEG-2 Advance Audio Coding (AAC) employs a fast-forward controller which performs fast-forward or reverse by repeatedly skipping forward or reverse in the compressed audio data stream, retrieving a block of data, and then splicing these data blocks back together. A decoder is then used to decode each of these blocks, to detect when a block switch has occurred (a splice in the data stream), and to quickly resynchronize at each transition. Hierarchical or multiplexed data streams may be decoded using a cascade of decoders each employing this technique. The decoder uses a robust sync search for performing resynchronization and error recovery.

The present invention relates to method and apparatus for use of digital communications signals, and more particularly, to method and apparatus for audible fast-forward or reverse of compressed audio content.
Providing an audible fast-forward/reverse support for compressed audio formats is typically a challenge due to resynchronization issues associated with such formats. FIGS. 6 and 7 show the formats of a typical compressed audio data stream. The data stream is divided into units called frames. Each frame represents a segment of audio data which can be decoded. At the start of each frame is a header, which contains general information about the data stream, i.e., sampling rate, bit rate, profile, etc. The first word of the header is a syncword, which is a string of bits that identifies the xe2x80x9cstartxe2x80x9d of a frame.
For current generation personal, digital audio players, the fast-forward and reverse functions are silent. That is, the user only hears silence during the fast-forward (or reverse) operation. A simple fast-forward technique involves jumping forward in the data stream by an amount associated with the desired fast-forward rate, and then re-synchronizing based on the frame headers. To do this resynchronization, a search may be employed which searches the data stream for the string of bits which matches a syncword. When this syncword is found, the decoder can begin parsing the frame. In addition, a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) can be used to detect errors in the data stream.
However, even this simple technique has many practical problems associated with it. Many compressed audio file formats, such as MPEG-1 Layer 3 (MP3) or MPEG-2 AAC, utilize large amounts of variable length coding. Certain allowable sequences of these variable length codes can actually emulate the syncword, i.e., the syncword is not unique. It is a common occurrence to find a match to a xe2x80x9cfalsexe2x80x9d syncword when searching in such a data stream.
In addition, the CRC check is typically not required, and is therefore not always transmitted. When it is transmitted, significant parsing and/or computation may be required to determine the validity of the frame. In some audio transports, a 1-bit field is used to indicate whether the CRC is used. Parsing a faulty header which has this bit set to 0 (caused by faulty syncword detection) may, in fact, cause the CRC check to be disabled.
Because of the use of variable-length codes, parsing errors can occur (and be decoded/played) undetected, since even random noise can sometimes be a valid sequence of codewords. This results in the output of the decoder being badly distorted.
Furthermore, in some audio data streams, such as those associated with MP3, the data required to decode the frame actually occurs before the syncword and header. A field in the header tells the decoder where to look for data. This pointer will always point backwards, and in some cases will even point to a location before the previous frame hear. When a break or discontinuity in the data stream occurs, resynchronization is difficult because, even though the header has been found, the data may not be complete.
Synchronization of hierarchical or multiplexed data streams poses an additional problem. In such data streams, an outer bitstream which may be encrypted carries pieces of an inner data stream as payload. This multiplexed data stream may be decoded by an outer decoder that extracts the payload data and supplies it to an inner decoder. Following a splice in the data stream, the outer decoder/decryptor must first gain synchronization, followed by the inner decoder. This compounds the difficulty of problems such as resynchronization time and error robustness.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for audible fast-forward or reverse of compressed audio content.
The present invention provides a method for performing audible fast-forward/reverse of audio content represented in a compressed format, such as, but not limited to, MPEG-1 Layer 3 (MP3) or MPEG-2 Advance Audio Coding (AAC). A fast-forward controller is employed which performs fast-forward or reverse by repeatedly skipping forward or reverse in a stored compressed audio data stream, retrieves a chunk of data, and then stores these data chunks in an end-to-end fashion, such that they are spliced back together as a single data stream. A decoder is then used to decode each of these chunks, to detect when a chunk switch has occurred (a splice in the data stream), and to quickly resynchronize at each transition. Hierarchical or multiplexed data streams may be decrypted and decoded using a cascade of decoders each employing this technique. The decoder uses a novel and robust syncword search for performing resynchronization and error recovery.

Method and apparatus for audible fast-forward or reverse of compressed audio content


A fiber-optic scanner equipped with a light-guiding optical fiber; the fiber-optic scanner including a plurality of vibration generating units disposed circumferentially at equal intervals on an outer peripheral surface of the optical fiber located on a base end side thereof at a predetermined distance from the emission end of the optical fiber to vibrate an emission end of the optical fiber in a plurality of directions; and a vibration damping member disposed at least in a position between base end-side edges of the vibration generating units and the emission end of the optical fiber, wherein the vibration damping member has a uniform shape of a rotating body rotated around the axis line of the optical fiber.

Conventionally, there has been known a fiber-optic scanner for scanning emitted light by vibrating the emission end of an optical fiber (see, for example, PTL 1).
This fiber-optic scanner is equipped with a column-shaped piezoelectric device (PZT tube) the emission end of which is made to penetrate through the optical fiber to protrude from one end of the optical fiber, and an electrode disposed on a surface of the piezoelectric device. The base of the optical fiber protruding from the piezoelectric device is fixed to an edge of the piezoelectric device with an adhesive agent. In this fiber-optic scanner, the flexural vibration of the piezoelectric device is transferred to the optical fiber through the adhesive agent.

Fiber-optic scanner having vibration damping member and illuminating device and observation instrument having the fiber-optic scanner


A machine for converting sheet stock material into void fill material comprises an improved, angled inlet chute, an outlet chute, and an internal drive assembly comprising a motor and power transmission system for rotating a plurality of opposed crush wheels that pull the sheet stock from the inlet chute and push the void fill material to the outlet chute in a downstream direction. The internal drive assembly comprises a frame securing a motor and a first power transmission set to rotate a drive axle and a first set of crush wheels. The assembly comprises a subframe securing a driven axle and a second set of crush wheels that are rotated by a second power transmission set. The subframe is pivotably attached to the frame at a pivot point that allows the driven axle to pivot away from the drive axle at least partly in upstream and downstream directions.

The present invention relates generally to dunnage or packaging materials and, more specifically, to a machine and method for producing package void fill material from sheets of a selected substrate, such as paper.
Machines for producing void fill material from paper are well-known in the art. Such machines generally operate by pulling a web of paper from a roll or fanfold paper, manipulating the paper web in such a way as to convert the paper into void fill material, and then severing the converted material into cut sections of a desired length.
While such machines are widely used and have been commercially successful, in many applications, there is a need for improved functionality. For example, crush wheels and severing mechanisms in paper conversion machines produce the desired lengths of converted material, but these mechanisms present ongoing safety concerns, in both the design and operation of such machines. Thus, appropriate safeguards can make it safer for operators using the machine.
Another area requiring improved functionality is in the reduction of paper jams. In converting flat webs of a substrate into void fill material, the substrate material is pulled from a supply into a machine inlet, crushed to form a more dense material, and pushed out of a machine outlet. Paper jams can occur at or near the crush wheels and the machine outlet. Accordingly there is a need in the art for an improvement to sheet-fed void fill conversion machines that will reduce or prevent paper jams while still allowing higher-density void fill material to be produced.

Machine and method for producing void fill packaging material


In one embodiment, a computer network may include nodes and at least one root node. A first subset of the nodes may be located along a designated path (a directed acyclic graph (DAG)) through the computer network to the root node, where the first subset of nodes is configured to operate according to a first wake-up timer. A second subset of the nodes that are not along the designated path are in communication to at least one node of the first subset of nodes along the designated path, and operate according to a second wake-up timer that is longer than the first wake-up timer. In this manner, second subset of nodes may be awake less often, e.g., conserving energy.

Low power and Lossy Networks (LLNs), e.g., sensor networks, have a myriad of applications, such as Smart Grid and Smart Cities. Various challenges are presented with LLNs, such as lossy links, low bandwidth, battery operation, low memory and/or processing capability, etc. One example routing solution to LLN challenges is a protocol called Routing Protocol for LLNs or "RPL," which is a distance vector routing protocol that builds a Destination Oriented Directed Acyclic Graph (DODAG, or simply DAG) in addition to a set of features to bound the control traffic, support local (and slow) repair, is etc. The RPL architecture provides a flexible method by which each node performs DODAG discovery, construction, and maintenance.
Energy, in particular, is a relatively critical and scarce resource in LLNs, especially when nodes are battery powered. In such an environment, saving battery life in the network has a direct impact on battery replacement cycle length (i.e., battery life). Extending battery life also has a direct impact on the cost of operating an LLN, as it reduces the aggregated cost of replacing batteries in the field. Existing networks reduce the energy consumption of nodes by switching the nodes between "sleep" and "active" states, which are typically a manually pre-set length of time. The longer time the nodes spend in sleep mode, the less energy they consume. However, as the sleep duration increases, the delay through the network may also increase, as there may be fewer nodes active (awake) at any given time through which traffic may be relayed.

Dynamic wake-up time adjustment based on designated paths through a computer network


The present invention relates to a method for multi-layer classifier applying on a computer readable medium for classifying multiple image samples. The method at least comprising the following steps: (a) receiving a plurality of samples; (b) providing a plurality of attributes, and evaluating a significance of the attributes by a selection criterion; (c) selecting at least one cut-point to establish a discriminant analysis model; (d) proceeding a step of evaluating a performance of the discriminant analysis model by adding the attributes to the discriminant analysis model; and (e) providing a stop criterion. The present invention also provides a computer readable medium for classifying multiple image samples by using the method for multi-layer classifier.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for multi-layer classifier and, more particularly, to a method for classifier, which can be used to built a multi-layer discriminant analysis model, and determine attributes and cut-points.
2. Description of Related Art
Classification methods are widely applied in various fields. For example, in the financial industry, the classification method can be used for predicting the probability of exerting irrecoverable loans when examining on an applicant for credit cards. In the medical practice, the classification method can be used for determining whether the tissue is normal or not. Furthermore, in the marketing research, the classification method can determine whether the marketing strategy can attract consumers' attention and increase consumption of goods or not. Hence, the classification methods play an important role in the research on data mining.
Among all of the classification methods, proper attributes must be selected to build a classification model. During the process of classification model building, the data are classified into two groups, wherein one group consists of training samples, and the other group consists of independent test samples. In addition, the training samples are used to build a classification model, and the independent test samples are used to verify the robustness of the classification model.
Currently, there are two kinds of common classification methods. One method is Fisher linear discriminant analysis (FLD), and the other one is classification and regression trees (CART). However, since parts of attributes can only be used to determine specific classes, the accuracy of the aforementioned classification method is decreased. The accuracy is probably decreased because of different combination of attributes selection, and lacks of evaluating a performance of the discriminant analysis model.
Hence, it is desirable to provide a novel method for multi-layer classifier to solve the aforementioned problems.


Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) has become a popular transmission method for high speed wireless radio transmission, due to its potential for low complexity of transmitters and receivers. A method and apparatus are contemplated for cancelling additive sinusoidal disturbances of a known frequency in OFDM receivers which arise e.g. from clock signals that are present for frequency reference, mixer control, and A/D converter control, as well as harmonics and mixing products of those periodic signals, coupling into some point in the receiver chain and appearing as rotating complex exponentials superimposed to complex baseband receive signals. According to the inventive method and apparatus an estimation of an amplitude and phase of a disturbing superimposed tone with a known frequency is obtained and the amplitude and phase estimation is used to cancel the spurious tone preventing a degradation of receiver sensitivity while achieving low implementation complexity.

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) has become a popular transmission method for high-speed wireless radio transmission, due to its potential for low complexity of transmitters and receivers, paired with robustness under severe multi-path conditions. A more detailed discussion on OFDM in found in S. B. Weinstein and P. M. Ebert: Data transmission by frequency-division multiplexing using the discrete Fourier transform. IEEE Trans. Communication Technology, COM-19(5):628-634, October 1971. The wired counterpart, known as discrete multi-tone (DMT) employs similar techniques. The transmitter uses an inverse discrete Fourier transform (IDFT) to generate a multi-carrier signal, and the receiver applies the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) to demodulate the data.
Integrated radio receivers need a large gain and a low noise figure to achieve a high sensitivity. Clock signals which are present for frequency reference, mixer control, and A/D converter control, as well as harmonics and mixing products of these periodic signals, may couple into some point in the receiver chain and appear as rotating complex exponentials superimposed to the complex baseband receive signal. If the level of such tones becomes too high, they may degrade the receiver sensitivity. The frequencies of such disturbing tones originating from the RF receiver itself are directly related to the clock frequencies occurring in the receiver.
As stated above, unwanted tones superimposed to the received signal may reduce the receiver sensitivity. The safest approach to prevent this problem is to directly avoid the occurrence of such tones. Even the coupling mechanism may be known and a re-spin of the receiver design may be able to reduce the coupling. However, in highly integrated receiver systems the effort to achieve this can be quite high, possibly requiring detailed modelling, design modifications and additional verification.
A general object of the present invention, therefore, is to mitigate such additive disturbing tones in an OFDM baseband receiver, while achieving low implementation complexity.

Method and apparatus to cancel additive sinusoidal disturbances in OFDM receivers


A carrier bearing assembly includes a bracket, a mounting structure permitting the bracket to be mounted to a frame of a vehicle, an opening in the bracket extending through the bracket, from a first lateral side of the bracket to a second lateral side of the bracket, the opening substantially offset (e.g., an inch or more off center) in a direction; and a bearing fitted into the opening permitting a driveshaft of the vehicle to pass through and to substantially constrain movement of the driveshaft. Additionally, the opening can be formed as a non-straight hole allowing the driveshaft to pass through the bearing at a non-perpendicular angle. The carrier bearing assembly permits a substantial correction one more operating angle of the driveshaft by constraining the angle of a portion of the driveshaft.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a carrier bearing assembly useful for reducing driveshaft vibration, noise, and stress.
2. Description of the Related Art
A universal joint (U-joint) is a type of coupling in a shaft that allows the shaft to bend while transmitting torque and rotary motion between the shaft segments. FIG. 1 illustrates the concept of operating angles of a shaft having multiple U-joints. As shown in FIG. 1, a shaft segment 1 is coupled to a shaft segment 2 using U-joint A, and the shaft segment 2 is coupled to a shaft segment 3 using U-joint B. As illustrated, each shaft segment is coupled to another at an angle, called the operating angle. For instance, the operating angle between shaft segment 1 and shaft segment 2 is a degrees (a°) and the operating angle between shaft segment 2 and shaft segment 3 is b degrees (b°). It is well known that when the operating angles a° and b° are about the same, the rotational speed of the shaft segment 1 and the shaft segment 3 will be about the same, and if the shaft segment 1 is rotated at a constant rate so too will shaft segment 3. However, where the operating angles are significantly apart, the shaft segment 3 will tend to continually accelerate/deaccelerate while the entire shaft vibrates.
On vehicles where the engine is located on a different end from the drive wheels and on many 4-wheel drive vehicles, a driveshaft is used to transfer torque from the engine/transmission to the drive wheels. To permit variations in alignment, a driveshaft typically incorporates several universal joints (U-joints).
FIG. 2 illustrates a driveshaft with non-optimal operating angles. It is to be understood that while the driveshaft shown in FIG. 2 includes two U-joints, as a practical matter, it would likely have one or more additional U-joints. It is also to be realized that for illustrative purposes the operating angles shown are exaggerated. As depicted, segment 42 is attached to segment 40 via U-joint 42u, and segment 40 is attached to segment 44 via U-joint 44u. A carrier bearing 70 is mounted to the frame of the vehicle using bolts 73, and the segment 40 of the driveshaft passes through the carrier bearing 70. However, because the operating angles are markedly apart, the driveshaft will tend to vibrate excessively. In some universal task vehicles (UTV), the driveshaft will be able to move up or down an inch or more during driving, causing extreme vibration, loud noise and stress to the driveshaft. Additionally, the bearing 70 is formed as a straight 90° hole while the driveshaft passes through the bearing 70 non-linearly. Although the carrier bearing 70 constrains movement of the driveshaft somewhat, a sizeable gap 72 exists between the driveshaft and the bearing 71 to reduce stress on the driveshaft. To remedy these problems, a rubber ring is sometimes fitted onto the bearing, but this fails to reduce noise, vibration, and constant stress to the driveshaft sufficiently.


Systems and methods are provided for injecting one or more agents into tissue within a patient's body. In one embodiment, an injection device is provided that includes an outer tubular member comprising a proximal end, a distal end sized for introduction into a patient's body, and a lumen extending between the proximal and distal ends; a relatively small cross-section needle tip extending distally beyond the distal end, and an internal pressure release member slidably disposed within the lumen between a distal position and a proximal position to prevent viscous injectate from expressing from the distal tip.

While injection devices and needle systems have been in use for many years, recent developments in minimally invasive procedures require needle systems capable of accessing distant or difficult to access regions of the body, capable of delivering agents of high viscosity (e.g., chemo-embolization agents, depot drug formulations, fillers, etc.), capable of delivering agents with low shear (cells), and/or capable of delivering agents at high flow rates.
Injection devices may include a simple needle attached to a syringe, a needle assembly designed to pass through the working channel of an endoscope or catheter or other minimally invasive introduction device, and/or a needle incorporated into a more complicated device. In such cases, injecting viscous fluids into a body cavity, space, or tissue involves a number of unique challenges compared to injecting non-viscous fluids. These challenges/problems include, among others, efficient movement of the fluid with minimized pressure requirement and/or shear force, clog prevention, clog elimination/clearing, multiple sequential injections, injection of one or more additional, in some cases less viscous, fluids sequentially or intermittently without significant cross contamination, etc.
Further, the need for flexible catheter-based needle injection systems has increased in recent years given the proliferation of potential injectable materials (e.g., stem cells, ablative agents, chemotherapeutic agents, bio-polymers, other pharmaceuticals, etc.). The benefits of these materials frequently depend on the ability to precisely target their delivery to specific anatomical locations, which depends on many common catheter challenges most especially flexibility. Additionally, in the case of viscous fluids or high volume injections, the need arises for a design to balance two conflicting objectives—a small needle to minimize trauma, etc. and a large diameter to enable ease of injection, e.g., to maximize or permit adequate flow at a reasonable pressure, e.g., which can be easily generated by a handheld syringe.
In addition, due to the viscous nature of some injectates, the high pressure required to inject may not immediately be released from the needle or injection system upon removal of injection pressures. Additionally, the "static friction" of viscous injectates in the needle and needle body may be such that a full vacuum (e.g., −14.7 psi) does not move the injectate and, hence, the application of vacuum may not be sufficient to release the built-up high pressure inside the needle or over the full length of the injection device. Finally, because there is a capacitance/expansion/compression to the system (both in the injectate, which may have air or other gas bubbles suspended or dissolved therein, and/or otherwise compressible, and the needle, needle body, and/or injection path), the built-up high pressure may cause a slow but unacceptable expression of injectate over an extended period of time, e.g., two to eight (2-8) minutes, e.g., between multiple injections, which may result in the injectate being exposed within the patient's vasculature or other undesired location within the patient's body.
Therefore, apparatus and methods that facilitate injection of viscous materials would be useful.

Injection devices and systems and methods for using them


A system and method that reduces content selection cost, to commercialize the proper picture content quickly, and to reduce the cost required to research the detailed sales market. Content introduction information is sent to a contents polling apparatus, the content introduction information is displayed at a contents introduction information display. A pollee views the displayed content introduction information and enters the contents polling information for each picture content, the entered contents polling information is sent to a contents market research apparatus, which counts the sent contents polling information and generates a counted result as the output.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a contents market research system, a contents market research apparatus, a contents polling apparatus, a contents market research method that are used for contents market research, and a computer-readable recording medium that stores a program to be executed by use of a computer to perform the contents market research. More particularly, this invention relates to a contents market research system, a contents market research apparatus, a contents polling apparatus, a contents market research method that are used for market research of a picture content before commercialization, and a computer-readable recording medium that stores a program to be executed by use of a computer to perform the market research of a picture content before commercialization.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, with popularization of home digital video cameras and image editing apparatus or the like, anyone can take a high quality picture and edit it easily. Some picture content taken as described hereinabove are sufficiently usable commercially as movies, and it is expected that a contents creating company, who commercializes content, commercializes such picture content.
When the picture content is commercialized, it is desirable to grasp the market trend such as propensity of consumers, age group to be targeted, and timing in order to select the correct picture content that reflects the market trend. Heretofore, it has been usual for selecting the picture content to be commercialized that the selection is relied on a planning company, who is an expert in a field such as movie or television program. The planning company who received a request selects a picture content that is supposed to fit to the market trend based on the market research skill and experience, and the content producing company selects the picture content to be commercialized according to the judgment of the planning company, stores the selected picture content in a recording medium such as DVD or the like, and sells the recording medium or distributes the picture content with charge through the Internet.
As a method for grasping the market trend exactly as described hereinabove, for example, Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei 8-163538 is proposed for the case of digital television broadcast, in which the audience rating of a broadcasted program is returned through a telephone line in the form of the data that indicates the number of tuning times of a receiving apparatus, and the data is used for reference in preparation of the broadcast program in future. Furthermore, Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei 10-93950 discloses a method in which an audience who has gained the impression from a program among broadcasted programs polls a ballot for the program through a telephone line to form the data in the broadcast station, and the data is used for preparation of the program in future. However, in these methods, the comment of an audience on a commercialized picture content that has been delivered to the audience is collected for reflecting the comment in preparation of the program in future, but the comment of an audience on a picture content that is not yet commercialized is not collected.
Another example is described herein under. Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei 9-175504 proposes a method in which there is a membership group to which an artist can present the work on the Internet, the presented work is ranked based on the polling by audiences, and other audiences purchase the work with reference to the ranking. However, also in this case, the work that has been already commercialized is ranked based on polling, the rank is opened, and the opened work is sold. Therefore, it is not the case that the work that is not yet commercialized is presented. This method does not suggest whether the work that is not yet commercialized and only in planning will be a great hit or not, and does not indicate the commercial profitability of the business.
It is a problem that the commitment for selection of the picture content to the above-mentioned planning company or the like costs high.
It is another problem that the survey for selection takes a long time and the picture content cannot be commercialized promptly in the case of commitment for selection of the picture content to the above-mentioned planning company or the like.
Furthermore, it is another problem that whether the picture content is selected by the planning company exactly or not depends on the capability in market research and information collection, experience, and the talent of the personnel, and it is not easy to find a planning company who is suitable and skilled in the picture content field.
Furthermore, particularly in the recently years when the consumer preference changes quickly, the marketability of the picture content selected by the planning company can change in a short time, it is a problem that a suitable picture content cannot be commercialized in this case.
Furthermore, in the case of conventional methods, the detailed marketability of the picture content should be surveyed after commercialization separately from the selection of the picture content, and it is another problem that the additional survey costs high.
In the case of the above-mentioned Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei 10-93950, Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei 8-163538, and Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei 9-171504, the business profitability of the work cannot be estimated accurately before the work is commercialized.

Contents market research system, contents market research apparatus, contents polling apparatus, contents market research method, and recording medium


A self-advancing knee ascender comprising:

Various types of knee ascenders exist on the market today; these devices are used by arborists and contractors to scale trees and vertical objects quickly, safely, and efficiently. Additionally, hobbyists utilize these devices for recreational purposes. Knee ascenders containing auto-locking members are used to grip a rope during the climbing action, and as such they engage the rope while pressure is applied; then the ascender releases while the ascender is pulled upward by the climber. The knee ascender may be hooked by a fixed member to a loop located at a distance from the ascender to accommodate the climber's foot. The fixed member may be constructed from a web-like material that is of a construction strong enough to support the climber's weight.
However, knee ascenders have certain limitations in that the distance between the knee ascender, and any corresponding foot loop or foot stabilizing member was at a fixed location. Therefore, the distance between the knee and the foot was predetermined; or, at best, the length could be adjusted with tools or swapping out components. In any case, it was not convenient to modify any equipment for its first use, or swapping among users, in the field.
The knee ascender may be drawn upward, while the climber raises the knee associated with the device, by a bungee or similar elastic cord. In this type of device the ascender travels up the rope while the climber lifts his knee.
Additionally, there exists a need for an economical knee ascender with a high degree of bungee travel, such that the apparatus could be connected to the user's chest harness, for example, to have sufficient travel (i.e., bungee stretch) to allow a full range of motion for the climber. Current devices have a limited amount of travel, based upon the limited amount of bungee that would be held taught between the chest and the knee throughout the range of motion, and based upon the limited amount of stretch and elastic recoil inherent in the bungee cord itself.

Adjustable knee ascender climbing apparatus

Abstract: a piece of webbing having a first end and a second end, thereby defining a length;

Abstract: an adjusting mechanism arranged at a location on the webbing length;

Abstract: a webbing loop arranged at the second end of said webbing;

Abstract: a first linking mechanism removably attached to the webbing loop;

Abstract: a mechanical ascender attached to the first end of the webbing;

Abstract: a cord having a first end and a second end, constructed to have elastic properties, wherein the second end of the cord is attached to the mechanical ascender; and

Abstract: a second linking mechanism movably attached at a point along the cord.


A vehicle includes an engine, a first MG (motor generator), a second MG, a planetary gear mechanism provided among the engine, the first MG and the second MG, a battery, and an ECU. The ECU executes batteryless travel control when the battery is abnormal. The batteryless travel control includes engine F/B control for controlling a rotation speed of the engine to become a target rotation speed, and power balance control for controlling a requested driving force to be output and allowing a power generated by the first MG to become equal to a power discharged by the second MG. When the rotation speed of the engine is higher than a threshold speed higher by a prescribed value than the target rotation speed while the batteryless travel control is in execution, the ECU decreases the requested driving force.

Field
The present disclosure relates to a driving device for a vehicle, and particularly to a driving device for a vehicle that travels by using at least one of the motive power of an engine and the motive power of a rotating electric machine (motor generator).
Description of the Background Art
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2013-103514 discloses a hybrid vehicle including: an engine; a first rotating electric machine; a second rotating electric machine connected to a driving wheel; a planetary gear mechanism connecting the engine, the first rotating electric machine and the second rotating electric machine; and a battery configured to be connectable to the first rotating electric machine and the second rotating electric machine, wherein the battery is separated from the first rotating electric machine and the second rotating electric machine and batteryless travel control is executed when the battery fails.
During the batteryless travel control, the process for executing feedback control of an engine output such that a rotation speed of the engine becomes a target rotation speed (hereinafter also referred to as "engine F/B control") and the process for controlling the first rotating electric machine and the second rotating electric machine such that a driving force requested by a user is output to the driving wheel and the electric power generated by the first rotating electric machine becomes equal to the electric power consumed by the second rotating electric machine (hereinafter also referred to as "power balance control") are executed simultaneously.


According to the disclosed embodiment of the invention, a circuit and method for stabilizing an operating characteristic of a compact fluorescent lamp driven by a ballast circuit having an operating frequency controlled by a component value, may comprise a first circuit connected to said ballast circuit for applying the component value thereto; and a second circuit connected to the ballast circuit for changing the component value so as to stabilize the operating characteristic. The operating characteristic may be power, current, voltage or crest factor for example. The second circuit changes the component value in response to a bus voltage of the ballast circuit and includes a switching device such as a transistor responsive to the bus voltage. In the disclosed embodiment the component value is a resistance, the first circuit comprises a first resistor, the second circuit comprises a second resistor, and the switching device selectively connects the second resistor to said ballast circuit in response to the bus voltage exceeding a predetermined threshold.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) ballast with a passive valley fill configuration, and more particularly to such a ballast with an arrangement for limiting crest factor.
2. Related Art
A known CFL ballast circuit is based on a resonant topology driven by a MOSFET half bridge. The CFL ballast circuit may be controlled by the IR2520 Ballast Control IC from International Rectifier Corp., which is described in the above-mentioned Ser. No. 10/664,676 and provides lamp preheat, lamp ignition, running mode and fault protection (lamp fault, open filaments, failure to strike, deactivated lamp and low AC line). Of course, other ballast and control circuits are known as well and the present invention is not limited to the specific examples herein.
In some applications it is desirable to have a regulated and boosted DC bus voltage and a high power factor, but conventional solutions such as an additional inductor, IC or FET can be expensive. For example, in a low-cost CFL below about 25 W, PFC is not often used because of cost, but this causes very high THD, and cannot prevent light output from varying with the AC line voltage.
To achieve a high power factor, a passive valley fill configuration has been used in the input stage. A diode and a resistor have been added to the standard passive valley fill configuration to reduce THD. However, the lamp current intrinsically has a high crest factor in a passive valley fill configuration because of the bus voltage shape. The crest factor is very high because the bus voltage changes between two different values, very different from each other: about VACpk and ½ VACpk. The current at the minimum bus voltage will be more than double the current at the maximum bus voltage and the intrinsic crest factor will be higher than 2. This condition exists in the case of constant frequency. Using a resistor to limit the harmonics increases the crest factor even further, because the minimum bus voltage decreases.
FIG. 1 shows (A) the bus voltage shape, (B) the lamp current shape, and (C) the lamp voltage shape in a circuit with passive valley fill configuration using a 1K resistor to reduce the harmonics.

CFL ballast with passive valley fill and crest factor control


The present invention discloses a rotary grate for a solid fuel fired furnace which allows ash, cinders and clinkers to be removed from the burning fuel mass, without reducing or stopping the combustion process. A plurality of parallel water cooled rolls supports the burning fuel mass. The rolls are grouped into pairs of rolls, each pair of rolls having a drive roll and a driven roll. Each pair of rolls are geared together such that rotation of the drive roll simultaneously rotates the driven roll. Each roll has a plurality of protrusions about the circumference thereof, spaced down the length of the roll. The protrusions pass, during rotation of the rolls, the protrusions on adjacent rolls in non-contacting relationship to crush any cinders, clinkers or other tramp material. This action allows ash and the crushed material to pass between the rolls to an ash collection area beneath the rolls. Each of the drive rolls are rotated by a reversible drive mechanism which incrementally rotates the rolls.

In solid fuel fired furnaces, the fuel must be supported by a grate. The grate forms a means to support the burning fuel mass and to allow combustion air to be drawn up through the grate, to the burning mass, to aid combustion.
Several grates have been devised to perform this function. The simplest is a fixed grate which may be air or water cooled. Fixed grates, however, require that the firing rate of the solid mass be reduced or stopped to allow manual raking of the ash through the grates. Of course, while doing this, the boiler or heating system suffers, adversely affecting process and requiring much lost time in regaining operating temperatures once ash was removed. This also exposes the individual doing the raking to high temperature extremes from 20 minutes to an hour. Shutting down the system also allows cold air to contact refractory, creating a cold shocking condition which can cause spalling and checking of refractory which shortens operating life.
Traveling grates have been designed which move slowly across the furnace area picking up new fuel on one side and depositing the ash and other solid products of combustion on the far side of the furnace for removal. These grates are typically complicated, expensive and bulky. Traveling grates are also difficult to water cool.
Incline grates have also been used where the fuel enters the upper end, ignites, and burns while slowly sliding either by gravity or a mechanical means to an ash pit at the lower end.
Step grates combine several of the features of incline grates, wherein the burning fuel is jogged from one step to a lower step and eventually to an ash pit.
Still other grates have been devised which have hinged or pivoted portions which rotate or drop, thereby dropping the loose ash into a pit below the grate.
Another type of grate has built-in nozzles that are sequentially operated using air or steam to blast and direct the ash toward a lower ash pit for removal.
Many of the foregoing described grate systems have had limited success and are designed for very narrow usages. The grate design must take into account the way fuel is presented to the firing arrangement, how the firing affects the furnace, how the furnace configuration can rid itself of ash with interrupted or continuous firing and the type of solid fuel being fired and the amount of ash produced.
A need, therefore, exists for a grate for a solid fuel fired furnace which will support the burning fuel mass, allow air to circulate up through the burning fuel mass to support combustion, allow ash to fall through the grate to a collection area and crush or reduces the size of cinders, slag or clinkers which form beneath or within the burning fuel mass.


There is provided a wiper support device for a phase shifter including a substrate. The wiper support device may comprise a cover, which is provided opposite to the substrate. The wiper support device may further comprise a wiper support, which is located between the cover and the substrate. The wiper support has a first surface facing the cover and a second surface facing the substrate. The second surface may be fixed with a wiper. The wiper support device may further comprise a resilient element, which extends from the first surface of the wiper support toward the cover and abuts against the cover. The wiper support device may further comprise a fastening mechanism, which connects the cover to the substrate. The resilient element may be compressed between the cover and the wiper support.

A phase shifter is a device capable of adjusting a phase of a wave. There are wide applications in such fields as radar, missile attitude control, communication, instrument and even music. The phase shifter, which organically combines transformer phase shift technology and the digital measurement technology, presents a high-precision phase shift adjustment, an accurate and visual reading, an adjustable output voltage and current, a favorable output waveform, a reliable operation and a convenient operation, so that the phase shifter can satisfy testing and checking of such instruments as single-phase and three-phase AC power and phase with a high precision, and can also be used in a test device of a meter.
In general, the phase shifter includes a wiper that presses against a PCB (printed circuit board) and is movable relative to the PCB to change a phase. It is known that, in an existing phase shifter, one end of the wiper is fixed relative to the PCB to serve as a center of rotation and the other end is rotatable about the center of rotation, thereby enabling the wiper to rotate with respect to the PCB.
The cost of the PCB is proportional to the area of the PCB; that is, the greater the area of PCB is, the higher the cost will normally be. Thus, a smaller phase shifter presents a cost advantage over a larger phase shifter. However, for a phase shifter, the use of the above-described rotary operation principle normally results in a larger size of the phase shifter, thus causing an increase in the cost.

Wiper support device for a phase shifter comprising a wiper support resiliently compressed between a substrate and a cover


In order to compensate for the influence of magnetic fields on charged-particle beams, in particular in imaging devices provision is made for a coil constituted by a support plate of substantially constant thickness and by patterns deposited on the support in such a manner as to ensure that the absorption of electromagnetic energy is constant over the entire surface of the coil within a predetermined pass-band.. In a first embodiment, the patterns are transparent to the electromagnetic energy of a desired frequency band. In a second embodiment, complementary patterns are employed in order to obtain constant absorption over the entire surface of the coil.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention primarily relates to a coil, a method of construction of said coil and an imaging device equipped with a coil of this type.
The chief object of the invention is the construction of coils which are capable of compensating for the parasitic effects of a magnetic field on charged particles by generating a magnetic field at a desired location.
1. Description of the Prior Art
Many types of equipment utilize beams of charged particles such as electrons, for example. It is a known practice to make use of electron beams in display devices such as, for example, image intensifier tubes, television cameras, display cathode-ray tubes or electron microscopes.
However, charged particles such as electrons, for example, are deflected by electric and/or magnetic fields. If fields of this type are not controlled, they induce image distortions. Any visual display device is subjected at least to the terrestrial magnetic field.
It is known that attempts have already been made to eliminate the influence of the terrestrial magnetic field on the image obtained by providing a shield with a view to guiding the magnetic fields. However, this solution proves unsatisfactory inasmuch as there does not exist any efficient magnetic shielding material which is also transparent. Thus it is not possible to place an efficient shield in front of a television camera lens or the screen of a cathode-ray display tube without reducing the intensity of transmitted light to an excessive degree.
The device in accordance with the present invention compensates for the influence of the terrestrial magnetic field on the formed image by generating a magnetic field which has substantially the same intensity as the disturbing magnetic field and opposite polarization.
Compensating magnetic fields are generated by means of a coil comprising a support forming a plate of substantially constant thickness. On this support is deposited a conductor which constitutes the coil. The coil in accordance with the present invention is intended to be placed on the path of the electromagnetic radiations to be displayed and/or used for display. To this end, it is essential that the disturbance of the electromagnetic waves supplied by the coil should in any case be of lesser significance than the inconvenience caused by the distortions produced by the magnetic field. The support is chosen so as to ensure minimum absorption of electromagnetic radiations which form part of the pass-band of radiations to be displayed and/or used for display. In all cases, this absorption must be uniform over the entire surface of the coil which intercepts said radiation. For example, if the electromagnetic radiation forms part of the visible spectrum, it will be an advantage to make use of a support of glass or of plexiglas. Plastic materials will be employed, for example, in the case of radiation forming part of the x-rays. In a particularly advantageous alternative embodiment, a material marketed under the trade name KAPTON by the Dupont de Nemours Company can be employed.
The conductive tracks deposited on the support form patterns which serve to produce the desired magnetic field when they are supplied with electric current.
In a first example of construction of the device in accordance with the present invention, absorption due to the patterns of conductors is negligible since the conductor can be considered as transparent in view of the thickness of the tracks employed. In the case of electromagnetic radiation which forms part of the visible spectrum, the conductors employed are transparent to light such as, for example, those employed in certain photovoltaic panels or in transparent computers. In the event that the electromagnetic radiation forms part of the x-rays, it is possible for example to use beryllium or aluminum deposited in a thin film, or plastic conductors.
In a second example of construction of a coil in accordance with the present invention, use is made of conductors in which absorption of electromagnetic radiations is liable to disturb the image. In such a case, provision is made for patterns having substantially uniform absorption over substantially the entire surface of the coil. By way of example and in order to achieve this objective, a uniform layer of conductors is deposited, subject to the resolution of the display device. For example, conductive tracks are constructed by forming cut-out portions in the uniform surface of the conductor, for example by chemical ablation. The effect of said cut-out portions will be to delimit conductive tracks. However, these cut-out portions are too fine to have a detectable influence on the formed image.
In a particularly advantageous alternative embodiment of the device in accordance with the present invention, use is made of a plurality of superposed conductive patterns separated by insulating layers. Thus it is possible to form complementary patterns in which the total absorption by the radiation (x-rays, for example) is substantially constant over the entire surface of the coil. This accordingly prevents any parasitic spatial and temporal modulation of the signal to be transmitted.
It is clearly possible to associate the coil in accordance with the present invention with other means for limiting the effects of parasitic magnetic fields. For example, the faces of the imaging device through which the electromagnetic radiation is not intended to pass are covered with shielding material which guides the magnetic field lines.

Coil, a method of construction of said coil and an imaging device equipped with a coil of this type


The present invention discloses a flexible digital ureteroscope that is at least partially disposable. The ureteroscope comprises a single-use catheter and a handle. The catheter comprises a distal end, a bend portion, and a proximal portion. The distal end has a rigid or semi-rigid shell that houses a set of micro lenses, an image sensor microchip, and a plurality of LED light sources. A working channel extends along the entire catheter and is coupled to a working channel port on the handle to receive various medical devices and irrigation lines during an endoscopic procedure. In addition, the catheter includes one or more steering wires to control the distal end to bend towards a desired direction. The rigid or semi-rigid shell of the distal end is made of a mix of polymer composite material with graphene nano-filler for enhancing thermal dissipation. The handle may be a single-use handle or a reusable handle. In case the handle is a reusable handle, it includes a battery module and a wireless communication module for communicating with a host machine wirelessly. In case the handle is a single-use handle, to reduce cost, the handle does not include a battery module and/or a wireless communication module. Rather, the single-use handle includes a host interface for receiving power from the host machine and transmits image data to the host machine.

A urinary tract endoscope, such as a ureteroscope or a cystoscope, may be used for examining the inside of a urinary tract. Currently, many hospitals are still using optical-fiber-based endoscopes for urinary tract examinations. For clinical reasons, the optical fibers inside the endoscope's catheter must be thin enough so that the insertion part may pass through the unitary tract. As such, the resolution of the images captured and delivered by the optical fibers is relatively low. Furthermore, frequent angulations of the catheter may break the optical fibers inside, causing malfunctions.
Urinary tract endoscopes with digital imaging unit (e.g., digital camera) mounted on the tips of their catheters (hereinafter, "digital ureteroscopes") are becoming popular on the market. Such digital ureteroscopes often have fiber bundles on the tips and an external light source in an enclosure, which make these ureteroscopes expensive. In addition, sterilizing, reprocessing, or repairing these ureteroscopes are also costly and time consuming. And consecutive endoscopic procedures are often delayed because of reprocessing and repairs.
Thus, an inexpensive, partially disposable, and flexible digital ureteroscope that can solve the above problems is needed.

OTU Medical Inc., a California Corporation