A drainage tester evaluates the reaction pattern of one or more reactions in a paper pulp furnish to predict behavior of the pulp on a paper line. The tester includes a mixing container in which an additive is mixed with the slurry under conditions that prolong the reactions in the container such that they take longer than the same reactions on a paper line. The mixer can also mimic the kinetic conditions (such as mixing by turbulence or passive diffusion) under which the additive is mixed with the furnish on the paper line. A test container has a screen bottom that separates furnish solid from slurry water by developing a pressure differential across the screen. An intermediate container is positioned between the mixing container and test container to provide a constant hydrostatic head on furnish transferred to the test container. A sensor above the screen in the test container monitors changes in the optical characteristics of a sheet formed on the screen to automatically determine the drainage time of the formed sheet. Sequential equal volume aliquots of furnish are withdrawn from the mixing container and sent to the test container at preselected time intervals after chemical additives are mixed with the furnish in the mixing container. Physical characteristics of the sheet, such as fines retention, drainage time and visual appearance, are recorded as a function of time from addition of additive to the mixing container. Behavior of the sheet on the paper line can be predicted in this manner to help an operator efficiently operate a paper machine system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a method and device for evaluating the behavior of a given papermaking furnish in response to addition of chemical additives.
2. General Discussion of the Background
Paper makers have several simple methods and devices for predicting behavior of pulp on a paper machine. An example of such a method is estimating the drainage time of a papermaking stock. The drainage time can be estimated by the TAPPI Standard Drain Time, which requires placing a standardized sample of the stock in a small laboratory sheet mold and visually estimating the elapsed time until sheet formation after a drain valve is opened. The values so obtained may or may not correlate well with the performance of the same stock at the paper machine wet end depending on such variables as the pattern of chemical addition. Visual estimations of drainage time alone are subjective and only marginally capable of standardization.
A more sophisticated method for measuring the drainage characteristics of a papermaking stock is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,406 to Gess. In this patent, a slurry on a screen is dewatered in a sheet mold using vacuum under a screen. The pressure differential across the screen is measured as a function of time as the sheet forms on the screen. When the data so obtained are plotted, the resulting curve shows four generally linear sections of different slopes. The first inflection point that occurs between the first two linear curves marks the transition point at which a random collection of fibers form a web as the stock is dewatered. This first inflection point is believed to correlate with the "wet line" on the forming section, which is the appearance of a flat, wet surface on the web. The second inflection point, which occurs between the second and third linear sections of the curve, indicates where the vacuum no longer compacts the web. This second inflection point is believed to correspond closely to the "dry line" on a forming section, which is the appearance of a dry surface on the web. Finally, a third inflection point occurs between the third and fourth linear portions of the curve, and indicates where the initial dewatering is essentially complete and air is first drawn completely through the web. The apparatus and method disclosed by Gess is described in Proceedings, TAPPI Papermaking Conference, Portland, Oreg., 185-189 (1983) and Notes, TAPPI Retention and Drainage Seminar, 75-81 (1983).
Additional information about the process of the Gess patent is provided by Gess in TAPPI, Advanced Topics in Wet End Chemistry Short Course, Memphis, Tenn. (1987). That paper analyzes a curve of sheet weight versus drainage time and discusses how this relationship predicts fines sensitivity of the forming system. The curve has two linear portions of differing slopes. The first linear portion of the plot is apparently related to the forming wire. In this portion of the plot, reaction is controlled by the pore size of the forming fabric, and the fines in the system pass through the pores of the forming fabric. The second linear portion is believed to reflect the fines retention characteristics of the sheet itself. The relationships between increasing sheet weight and drainage time are further analyzed by the same author in two more recent papers: TAPPI, Retention and Drainage Short Course, 49-52 (1989) and Preprints, TAPPI Annual Meeting, A27-A32 (1989).
A practical device that uses this relationship to predict performance of a stock on the forming section of a paper machine is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,351. Sequential samples of furnish from a container are supplied to a sheet mold that automatically measures drainage time of each sheet formed from the furnish. The volume of each sequential sample of furnish is incremental such that a linear plot of drainage time versus increasing basis weight of the forming sheet is obtained. These representative data points allow an operator to predict drainage time of a sheet having any basis weight within the linear range of the data. The disclosed apparatus rapidly forms a series of sheets of differing basis weights to give the operator a timely indication of factors, such as white water fines buildup, that can affect operation of the forming section.
The device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,351 is unable, however, to monitor progress of physical or chemical changes in the slurry over time. The sequential aliquots of slurry must have uniform physical and chemical characteristics (be in equilibrium) for the linear plot of increasing basis weight accurately to predict drainage time. Hence, the properties of the slurry cannot be varied, and the sequential aliquots must be of different volumes.
Other patents have disclosed devices for determining the behavior of fiber pulp. U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,011, for example, weighs sequential pulp cakes on a wire screen and measures the pressure differential and volume of air flowing through the cake. U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,754 measures the rate of flow of a liquid forced under pressure through wood fiber pulp to assess the drainability of the material. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 2,734,378 tests the filterability of a pulp mat on a screen by flowing water through the mat. In this patent, pulp is obtained at timed intervals from the refining end of a stock system and tested for filterability to provide an instantaneous running record of pulp freeness.
None of the aforementioned methods is able, however, to follow the effect of chemical additions of the elements of a papermaking furnish as a function of the time and mode of mixing the chemicals with the furnish. Prior systems also fail to provide a test system in which the reaction conditions of the test system mimic the kinetic conditions under which an additive is mixed with a pulp slurry in a papermaking line. Competing considerations of the free energy of reactants and collision kinetics are not addressed by the prior art systems that merely focus on the behavior of pulp at a specific point in time. Finally, some prior systems have the drawback of changing the physical and chemical characteristics of pulp slurry by unintentionally mixing the slurry with centrifugal pumps that transport the slurry within a test system.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved method for evaluating a chemical reaction in a paper pulp furnish that accurately predicts behavior of the pulp on and in a paper machine system.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved device that follows the effect of chemical additives as a function of mixing time on a papermaking furnish to help select process parameters for producing cellulosic sheets from the slurry.
Another object is to provide such a method and device that can help evaluate competing reaction kinetics, such as the effects of the free energies of the products that can be formed versus the collision kinetics of a reaction.
Yet another object is to provide an improved tester that more accurately reproduces the kinetic conditions under which additives react with the slurry in a paper making machine, and can help choose preferred kinetic conditions for the reaction.
Finally, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved tester that transports slurry through the test system without substantially affecting the reaction kinetics in the pulp.
These and other objects of the invention will be understood more clearly by reference to the following description and drawings.


Disclosed are devices, systems and methods for curb detection using light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors. One example of a method for curb detection includes acquiring, based on a scan of an area around a vehicle, a point-cloud frame that includes a description of an intensity of a reflection of the area around the vehicle, selecting a subset of points from the point-cloud frame, seeding each of a plurality of clusters based on the selected points, determining a criterion for each of the selected points, increasing a size of each of the plurality of clusters by including additional points from the point-cloud frame that meet the criterion for the corresponding cluster, identifying a largest cluster of the plurality of clusters upon completion of the increasing step, and detecting a curb based on a boundary of the largest cluster.

Autonomous vehicle navigation is a technology for sensing the position and movement of a vehicle and, based on the sensing, autonomously control the vehicle to navigate towards a destination. Autonomous vehicle navigation can have important applications in transportation of people, goods and services. One of the components of autonomous driving, which ensures the safety of the vehicle and its passengers, as well as people and property in the vicinity of the vehicle, is curb detection.

Curb detection by analysis of reflection images


A heat exchanger structure for a plurality of electrochemical storage cells has at least one duct component through which thermal control medium flows. The duct component has two material strips which are arranged parallel to one another and between which a heat exchanger duct is formed. The material strips have shaped portions adapted to the storage cells. The heat exchanger structure is useable, for example, for a motor vehicle battery.

This invention relates to a heat exchanger structure for a plurality of electrochemical storage cells, with at least one duct component through which thermal control medium flows.
German patent specification DE 198 49 491 C1 discloses a device for the thermal control of a plurality of electrochemical storage cells, in which heat exchanger ducts are arranged between a plurality of layers of parallelepipedic storage cells. The heat exchanger ducts issue into distributors and are connected to the distributors to form a rigid grid-like frame. The heat exchanger ducts are designed as tubular elements of rectangular cross section and support the storage cells. To fix the storage cells, spacers are provided, which, within a layer of storage cells, retain these at a predetermined distance from one another. Furthermore, German publication DE 90 02 249 U1 and European publication EP 0 917 230 A1 each disclose a heat exchanger structure for a plurality of electrochemical storage cells, with at least one duct component through which thermal control media flow. The duct component of the heat exchanger structure disclosed from EP 0 917 230 A1 has shaped portions adapted to the storage cells.
One object of this invention is to provide a heat exchanger structure for a plurality of electrochemical storage cells, which, along with a simple construction, allows a good thermal control of the individual storage cells.
For this purpose, according to the invention, a heat exchanger structure having the features claimed is provided. By a heat exchanger duct being formed between two parallel material strips which have shaped portions adapted to the storage cells, the storage cells are held by the duct component with a form fit. There is therefore no need for any additional spacer or holding elements in order to secure the storage cells against slipping out of place. By the material strips engaging on the storage cells with a form fit, a large contact surface and consequently a good thermal control of the storage cells are obtained. The shaped portions, adapted to the storage cells, of the material strips may in this case be produced simply by the bending of the material strips or even during the manufacturing process.
Advantageous developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.
Since the duct component has supporting members arranged at adjacent longitudinal edges of the material strips and each having a spacer web extending between the material strips, a particularly simple construction of the duct component from only four components, to be precise two material strips and two supporting members, is obtained. With the aid of the spacer web extending between the material strips, the distance between the material strips arranged parallel to one another and consequently the cross section of the heat exchanger duct are defined. A particularly simple mounting of the duct component is obtained when the supporting member has a fixing web which extends perpendicularly to the spacer web and which is adapted to the shaped portions of the material strips. The supporting member therefore merely has to be introduced between the material strips, until the longitudinal edges of the material strips butt against the fixing web. The supporting member may in this case be produced in one piece with the spacer web and with the fixing web, this being conducive to the simple construction of the heat exchanger structure.
A constant cross section of the heat exchanger duct can be ensured in a simple way by providing a spacer strip extending in the longitudinal direction of the material strips between the two material strips of the duct component in their middle region. In this way, for example, two heat exchanger ducts can also be produced in one duct component. The heat exchanger structure is suitable in a particular way for being arranged between two layers of storage cells when the duct component has two heat exchanger ducts between two material strips in each case, one heat exchanger duct lying on a top side and the other heat exchanger duct on an underside of the duct component. The cooling ducts may in this case be symmetrical to one another, as a result of which, along with a simple construction, a forward flow and the return flow of the thermal control medium between two layers of storage cells can be implemented. A contribution to a simple construction is made by the fact that two one-piece supporting members are provided, which connect the four material strips of the two heat exchanger ducts at their adjacent longitudinal edges in each case. Even when two heat exchanger ducts are provided for each duct component, the latter can be assembled in a simple way from four material strips and two supporting members.
One design of the heat exchanger structure is advantageous in that two duct components for receiving at least one storage cell are arranged opposite one another and in such a way that shaped portions extending in contra-directional directions are located opposite one another. This ensures not only a secure hold of a storage cell in the contra-directed shaped portions located opposite one another, but also the good thermal control, for example cooling, of the said storage cell due to a large contact surface between the heat exchanger ducts and the storage cell. Such a design also makes it possible to have a particularly space-saving arrangement of the storage cells in a plurality of layers, the individual layers of storage cells being capable of being offset to one another with the effect of a particularly compact arrangement.
When a plurality of duct components are arranged essentially in one plane and parallel to one another, adjacent end faces of the duct components being connected to a distributor, a planar module is obtained, which can be arranged between two layers of storage cells for the thermal control and fixing in position of the latter. The heat exchanger ducts are connected to distributor ducts in the distributors, and, when two heat exchanger ducts through which the flow passes contra-directionally are provided for each duct component, two distributors are likewise provided in the distributor component.
A particularly expedient modular configuration is obtained by the provision of at least two distributors which are connected by means of at least one fixing element running parallel to the duct components. A stable and flat module is thereby provided, in which the distributors in the storage cells are secured additionally by the fixing element. When three fixing elements are provided for each module, this results in a stable frame consisting of the distributors and of the fixing elements arranged at the ends and in the middle of the distributors. The duct components can consequently be of particularly lightweight design, since the frame is formed from the distributors and the fixing elements and the duct components therefore no longer have to assume a supporting function. The fixing element in this case also serves for securing the storage cells in the longitudinal and transverse directions of the frame. A plurality of such modules may be arranged one above the other in layers, in order, together with the storage cells, to form a stable composite structure.
For the thermal control of cylindrical storage cells, what are known as round cells, there is provision for the shaped portions of the material strips to have the form of cylinder segments. When, as seen in the longitudinal direction, the material strips have shaped portions with alternately contra-directional curvatures, a wavy shape of the material strips is obtained. When layers of storage cells are arranged in each case so as to be offset by the amount of half the wavelength of the wavy shape, a very high packing density of the storage cells, at the same time with good thermal control and good fixing in position of the storage cells, can be achieved. Particularly good thermal control of the storage cells by means of a large contact surface of the heat exchanger ducts with the storage cells is obtained when, as seen in the longitudinal direction, the material strips have shaped portions with co-directional curvatures. Such a design is particularly suitable for a non-offset arrangement of the individual layers of the storage cells in relation to one another.
The object mentioned above can also be achieved by means of an electrochemical energy store as claimed. In such an energy store, the storage cells are arranged in a plurality of parallel layers, thus resulting in a simple and compact construction of the energy store, along with a secure fixing and good thermal control of the storage cells.
A particularly compact construction of the energy store can be achieved when the thermal control medium between a first and a second layer of storage cells flows contra-directionally to the thermal control medium between the second and a third layer of storage cells. In such an arrangement, only one layer of heat exchanger ducts is necessary between two layers of storage cells, so that a flat construction of the energy store is obtained.
A particularly uniform thermal control of the storage cells of the energy store is obtained when the thermal control medium flows into two contra-directional directions between two layers of storage cells in heat exchanger ducts separated from one another. By virtue of the contra-flow of the thermal control medium between two layers, an insufficient cooling or thermal control of storage cells lying far downstream is avoided.
Further features and advantages of the invention are specified in the following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Heat exchanger structure for a plurality of electrochemical storage cells


A testing unit for testing a data transfer and/or an addressing scheme in a bus-based system comprises a data generator for generating an expected data pattern and a comparator for comparing the expected data pattern with a data pattern received from a sending unit within the system. The data generator generates the expected data pattern in a defined relationship with the data generation of the data pattern received from the sending unit. Preferably, the defined relationship is an algorithmic relationship and can be based on the testing unit address.

The present invention relates to a testing system for testing a bus-based system.
Modern data processing systems are often built up of a plurality of individual components interconnected by means of one or more internal or external busses. The individual components can be, for example, central processing units (CPUs), memories, RAID subsystems, cache system, NIC cards, mass storage devices, etc. Different internal or external busses (in the following only referred to as busses) are generally (inter-)connected using one or more bus interfaces. Each bus interface (also called bridge) is coupled between (at least) two busses or between one bus and e.g. a CPU subsystem, and only such information which is intended to pass to the xe2x80x98other sidexe2x80x99 of the bus interface will be routed thereto. For that purpose, each bus interface xe2x80x9cknowsxe2x80x9d the address(es) of component(s) connected to the respective bus and/or the types of transfers it has to route through (in case of a PCI bus, this information is configuration cycles, special cycles or interrupt acknowledge cycles).
FIG. 1 depicts an example of a typical structure of a bus-based system. The system comprises three busses 10, 20 and 30. A bus interface 40 is coupled between bus 10 and bus 20, and a bus interface 50 is coupled between bus 20 and bus 30. As examples for individual components within the bus-based system are components 52, 54 and 56, each coupled to bus 10, components 60 and 62, each coupled to bus 20, and components 70 and 72, each coupled to bus 30.
In operation, when, for example, component 52 wants or is requested to write an information to component 72, this information is first placed on bus 10. Bus interface 40, which xe2x80x9cknowsxe2x80x9d that component 72 is coupled xe2x80x9csomehowxe2x80x9d to bus 20, routes that information to bus 20. Accordingly, bus interface 50, which xe2x80x9cknowsxe2x80x9d that the component 72 is coupled to bus 30, routes that information to the bus 30. The component 72, connected to bus 30, can eventually receive and accept that information. In another example, when, for example, component 60 wants or is requested to read from component 70, component 60 initiates a read signal onto the bus 20. The bus interface 40 knowing that the component 70 is not coupled to bus 10 will not route that read signal onto bus 10. However, the bus interface 50 knowing that the component 70 is coupled to bus 30 will route the read signal to bus 30, and component 70 will thus receive the read signal from the bus 30.
In order to test (also referred to as verifying or validating) the structure of the bus-based system and also the functionality and accuracy thereof, in particular of the bus interfaces, tests are normally executed in the xe2x80x9cnakedxe2x80x9d system generally without or only with a reduced number of components which could possibly be applied within the system. For this purpose the system will usually completely be xe2x80x98populatedxe2x80x99 with test devices, e.g. inserted into each free slot for inserting components, so that every slot and every bus can participate in testing the system.
A test system known in the art is employed by the Hewlett-Packard HP E2920 PCI series and the HP E2976A System validation package and uses test cards coupled to individual busses for validating the bus-based system. In the. example of FIG. 1, a testing card 80 might be coupled to the bus 10, a testing card 85 might be coupled to the bus 20, and a testing card 90 might be coupled to the bus 30. For validating the structure of the bus-based system, each testing card can write information to any other testing card and eventually read that information again from that other testing card. If the information read out from the other testing card equals the information written thereto, it can be assumed that the transmission of the information has been executed without faults and thus that the structure insofar is without faults.
FIG. 2 depicts the principle structure of the testing card 80, as an example for all of the testing cards 80, 85 or 90. The 80 comprises a memory 100, a sender (which might also be referred to as data source or initiator) 110, a receiver (which might also be referred to as data target or completer) 120, and a comparator 130. For writing information onto the bus 10, the sender 110 reads out that information from the memory 100 and puts it on the bus 10. It is clear that the external address and the internal address do not need to have any relationship with each other.
For comparing the result of a writing action onto another testing card (direction of arrow I in FIG. 2) e.g. on the testing card 85 (as indicated in FIG. 2 as a connection of the testing card 85 to the bus 10), the sender 110 initiates a reading action (direction of arrow II in FIG. 2) onto the other testing card 85. The read-out information from the testing card 85 will eventually be available on bus 10 and the receiver 120 will place that information to the comparator 130 which compares that information with the information corresponding to that address AD as stored in the memory 100.
Although the testing cards as depicted in FIG. 2 already lead to a sophisticated validation and verification of bus-based systems, some structural faults are only hardly detectable. Such a fault could be, for example, when data bits are exchanged during the data transfer, so that e.g. the data is changed first in the first direction and then back again in the second direction of the transfer. In that case, the receiver receives an information different from the initial information from the sender. However, the changed information will be changed again (and thus might be corrected) when it is read out, so that the information eventually received by sender again might xe2x80x98accidentallyxe2x80x99 equal the initial information. In such a case, the fault will not be detected. Another error that cannot be found is an addressing fault. If e.g. the address on bus 20 is slightly off the address on bus 10 because of address miscalculations within the bridge 40, the test device might still be able to receive the data and give it back again. In a real life system, wherein it is crucial that the data arrives correct and at the right place, this would cause an error.
It is an object of the present invention to further improve the validation of bus-based systems. The object is solved by the independent claims. Preferred embodiments are shown by the dependent claims.
In contrast to the conventional bi-directional data transmission scheme over the bus system for verifying purposes (as depicted by arrows I and II in FIG. 2), the invention is based on a concept of a unidirectional test data transmission over the bus-based system to be validated.
An inventive testing system provides a sending unit and a receiving unit, both coupled to or by at least one bus within the bus-based system. For testing (verification or validation) purposes, a data generator of the sending unit sends a specified information to the receiving unit. The receiving unit (directly) compares the received information sent from the sending unit with an information generated by a data generator of the receiving unit, whereby the data generation of the receiving unit is in a defined relationship with the data generation of the sending unit. Thus, the (test) information only has to travel once through the bus-based system and can be assessed and validated directly at and by the receiving unit.
The defined relationship between the data (pattern) generation of the sending unit and the receiving unit can be provided in different (deterministic) ways. One way could be an algorithmic relationship in a way that the receiving unit generates a data pattern making use of common information or knowledge that is available to both units. Thus, both units can test the other unit""s data pattern for correctness.
Preferably, the algorithmic relationship is based on the address of the receiving unit because this is an information known to both units. It is noted that in almost all bus-based systems, a clear relationship between address and data is guaranteed. Using the address (as a xe2x80x98seedxe2x80x99)for generating data patterns also avoids problems, if the transfer gets interrupted or partitioned by systems, such as a bus interface, between the two units. Bus systems usually only guarantee that a certain data pattern arrives at a certain address. However, it normally does not guarantee that the sequence of transfers to be done is identical to the sequence originally provided by the initiator. An example for the address-based pattern generation is e.g. that the data pattern already is the address itself of the receiving unit, or somehow derived therefrom (e.g. negated or circulated).
The algorithmic relationship allows the computation of a data pattern without using expensive memory and allows bypassing the size limitations that are automatically given by the use of internal memory. Another advantage is the ability to calculate the appropriate data pattern even if the transfer got interrupted or the sequence of transfers is mixed up by the connecting system. This can be made clear be the following example: A card 1 (sender) sends out data a package A to an address A1 and a package B to an address B1, both addresses are within the same bus-based system or device. The connecting bus interface (or bridge) slices the transfer A into subtransfers Aa and Ab towards the addresses A1 and A1b (which is A1 plus the length of Aa). In between these two transfers, the transfer B is put. Looking to two busses, the sequence of transfers on bus 1 is A and B, on bus 2 would, in our example, be Aa, B and Ab. The result is the same, but the sequence changed. The receiving card 2 (receiver) must now have a way of determining the expected data pattern out of the address this pattern is written to. This would not be possible if a fixed or otherwise generated sequence of data pattern is expected without taking the address information into account. The hardware effort of such a solution is very low, no extra connection (which would result in a complex network, if several test cards in various busses are used).
Another solution could be a (direct) connection between the respective data generators outside the bus-based system. Such a connection could be a (hardware) connection e.g. over respective connection lines or a wireless communication between the data generators.
A further solution could be provided by sending a pre-information from the sending unit to the receiving unit, instructing the receiving unit to generate a defined data pattern to be compared later on with a data pattern sent successively from the sending unit.
A further way to establish a defined relationship between the respective data generation could be by employing only predefined information so that the receiving unit knows in advance which data pattern will be sent from the sending unit. This can be accomplished e.g. by always using the same data pattern or by using different data patterns, but with a defined relationship between them (e.g. data pattern 1 at time 1, data pattern 2 at time 2 and so on). Preferably, time relationships could be determined using the time elapsed e.g. from a boot or power up action, or from the amount of data transferred.
Yet a further solution could be providing a defined timing relationship between the data generation of the respective units. This can be accomplished e.g. by a fixed relationship used for the timing of the generation of the data patterns, so that it is clear for the receiving unit at a certain point in time which data pattern is expected from the sending unit.
The receiving unit compares the received data pattern sent from the sending unit with the data pattern generated by the receiving unit. Thus, the receiving unit can draw back conclusions whether the routing of the information within the bus-based system works accurately, or, in other words, whether information gets to the correct address. Furthermore, data failures within the bus-based structure can be evaluated, or, in other words, it can be validated whether information is changed within a bus-based system.
By providing unidirectional flow of the test data, the invention significantly reduces the testing time, which is in particular paramount in bus-based systems with a plurality of different addresses and tests to be performed. The invention further allows reducing the effort required for the entire testing system. The time required for testing is not only shorter (because of the data transfer only in one direction), but also two tests can be executed concurrently i.e. data accuracy and correct addressing.
In an example, a system with altogether twenty possible slots for inserting cards is to be tested. Each test card for verifying the system should be able to test each other of remaining nineteen test cards. In a conventional application, each card would have to be equipped with internal memory of at least 1 Mbyte reserving 64 Kbytes exclusively for each test card. For high-speed memories, this would sum up with currently about $50 per test card. totaling to $1000 for the entire test system. This memory space will not be required in the test systems according to the invention (and the $1000 could be saved in that example), since the test pattern do not have to be stored but can be independently generated based on common knowledge between sender and receiver.
Another significant improvement provided by the invention is that an almost unlimited address range can be tested because a data generator can easily represent e.g. a 32 or even 64 bit address space with unique data patterns behind each address which would be either extremely expensive or impossible to do with conventional memory. Thus, address ranges can be tested which could not have been tested in an economically reasonable manner with the testing methods as known in the art.
It is clear that the terms sending or receiving unit do not necessarily have to relate to individual, physically separated units, but also applies to units wherein the sending and/or receiving functionality in accordance with the present invention is embodied as a sub-function or sub-module. The invention allows that a data generation and/or data comparison unit in accordance with the invention can be implemented into parts or components of the system, e.g. into a bus interface, bridge, special chip, or a chip set which might be coupled with a system memory. Thus, any interface between this part or component and another test receiver can be tested even if it is normally not accessible by an outside card. This way, testing is not limited to externally accessible slots e.g. for test cards, but these units with (built-in) testing capability in accordance with the invention can actively access other devices as if they were e.g. specific test cards (because their behavior, generating or accepting data patterns of a certain kind is known).
The term xe2x80x98busxe2x80x99 as used herein is to be understood in the broadest possible sense of word and might mean any kind of connection (wired or wireless; electrically, optically, magnetically, acousticallyxe2x80x94in any wavelength range) whether in its simplest form or as a more or less combination of a plurality of individually units, devices or components. Typical examples of busses could be AGP Bus, PCI Bus, PCI-X Bus, EISA Bus, ISA Bus, Firewire etc. In this sense, even a serial connection between two or more units could represent a xe2x80x98busxe2x80x99.

Unidirectional verification of bus-based systems


A system (10) and method for cylindrically forming and quenching glass sheets includes a furnace (12), a bending station (16) at the exit end of the furnace for providing cylindrical bending, a roll bending station (18) located externally of the furnace downstream from its exit end and having a lower roll conveyor (20) and an upper roll former (21) with complementary cylindrical shapes to further cylindrically bend the glass sheet, and a quench station 24 to which the formed glass sheets are conveyed for rapid cooling to provide toughening.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system and a method for cylindrically forming and quenching glass sheets.
2. Background Art
Glass sheet press bending has previously been performed with a prebending that takes place after the glass sheets exit a furnace but before transfer to a press bending station where the press bending takes place. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,368,625 Mizusugi, 5,545,245 Mizusugi and 5,735,922 Woodward et al., which disclose a roll bending station located between the exit end of the associated furnace and a press bending station. The roll bending station disclosed by the above patents has horizontal rolls and laterally spaced sets of inclined bending rolls located downstream from the furnace with the inclined rolls provided in sets having progressively increasing inclination along the direction of conveyance to form each heated glass sheet during conveyance over the inclined rolls. See also PCT international application publication nos.: WO 02/102726 Bennett; WO 02/102727 Bennett et al.; and WO 03/010100 Bennett et al., which disclose a roll bending station located within the furnace adjacent its exit end. The roll bending station of these PCT applications has horizontal rolls and laterally spaced sets of inclined bending rolls located within the furnace adjacent its exit end with the inclined rolls provided in sets having progressively increasing inclination along the direction of conveyance to form each heated glass sheet during conveyance over the inclined rolls, and a press bending station located downstream from the furnace receives the formed glass sheet from the furnace for the press bending. Press bending of glass sheets is conventionally performed between a pair of full surface molds or between a full surface mold and a peripheral ring to provide the glass sheet bending.
As disclosed by French Patent 2221409 of inventor Maurice Nedelec, heated glass sheets have also previously been bent by conveyor rolls that are supported and rotatively driven outside of a furnace heating chamber with ends projecting inwardly into the furnace initially in a horizontal orientation. All of the rolls are subsequently simultaneously tilted to form the heated glass sheet within the heated chamber.

System and method for cylindrically forming glass sheets


A fixing device for an electronic card is disposed at the inside of the housing of a portable electronic product, and at least includes a sliding element, an elastic element and a blocking element. The sliding element pushes against the electronic card, and when the front end of the sliding element enters or is eject from the portable electronic product through a setting opening, it drives the electronic card to enter or be eject from the portable electronic product through the setting opening. The elastic element pushes the sliding element by its elastic action, and makes the front end of sliding element exposed outside the housing through the setting opening. The blocking element is adjacent to the setting opening. When the front end of the sliding element enters into the portable electronic product through the setting opening, the blocking element can push against the front end of the sliding element to prevent the sliding element from being exposed outside the housing because of the action of the elastic element.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a fixing device for an electronic card and, more particularly, to a fixing device for an electronic card, which is applied to a portable electronic product.
2. Description of the Related Art
Along with the rapid development of the electronic industry, a plurality of electronic products continuously weed through the old to bring forth the new. Especially, in the recent years, functions of various portable electronic products also become diverse day after day, and the portable electronic products are needful in the life of consumers. In numerous portable electronic products such as a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) and a notebook computer, the mobile phone is the most common portable electronic product.
To bring the personal communication function of the mobile phone into play, a subscriber identification module (SIM) card disposed in the mobile phone acts as an important role. The SIM card is a plastic card and has an integrated circuit (IC) chip to execute functions of recording the basic information of the personal number in the mobile phone, the contact list, the foundation of the user-to-user communication, the foundation for calculating the charge, and so on.
To effectively fix the above electronic card and to enable the above electronic card to effectively be electrically connected with the inner circuit of the portable electronic produce or to transmit data with the inner circuit of the portable electronic produce, the fixing device for an electronic card is very important. Please refer to FIG. 1A, and FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram showing the fixing device for a SIM card of a conventional mobile phone, and the SIM card 2 is provided in a recess 10 under the battery which is located at the back of a mobile phone. As shown in the FIG. 1A, a SIM card connector 11 is disposed in the recess 10, and includes a plurality of circuit terminals 111 and a plurality of fixing elastomers 112. The circuit terminals 111 are used as passages of the electrical connection between the SIM card 2 and the inner circuit of the mobile phone. The fixing elastomers 112 are used for fixing the inserted SIM card 2 to prevent the SIM card 2 from sliding and ensuring that the SIM card 2 can tightly contact with the circuit terminals 111 on the SIM card connector 11. However, the conventional technology has problems that the SIM card is exposed and the space for inserting the SIM card is limited, and therefore, when the battery or the SIM card is drawn out and changed, the abrasion of the SIM card is easy to be caused by the inappropriate force application.
To reduce the generation of the above problems and make the SIM card more easily installed and taken out, at present, the industry is gradually inclined to utilize the push-push type of the fixing device for an electronic card. Please refer to FIG. 2A, and FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram showing a conventional mobile phone which has a push-push type of fixing device for a SIM card. The fixing device for a SIM card 12 mostly includes a setting opening 121, an ejecting element 122 and a locking element 124.
The setting opening 121 is a passage for inserting the SIM card. The ejecting element 122 is disposed at the end which is opposite to the setting opening, and has an elastic structure for pushing against one end of the SIM card and applying elastic force. The locking element 124 is adjacent to the setting opening 121 and can be moved up and down by force, and the top surface of the locking element 124 further has a flange 124a.
Please refer to FIG. 2B. When the SIM card 2 is inserted into the fixing device 12 through the setting opening 121, the bottom surface of the SIM card can press the locking element 124 downward, and one end of the SIM card 2 can push against the elastic structure of the ejecting element 122 to make the elastic structure of the ejecting element 122 deformed inward. When the SIM card completely enters into the fixing device 12, the locking element 124 can be separated from the restriction of the bottom surface of the SIM card further to move upward, and the flange 124a of the locking element 124 can push against the other end of the SIM card 2, thereby preventing the SIM card 2 from being eject. Therefore, the ejecting element 122 and the locking element 124 can clamp the two ends of the SIM card 2 to enable the SIM card to be effectively fixed to a correct position.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 2B, the fixing device 12 further has two retaining elements 126 which are disposed at the upper edge of the fixing device 12 and are used for restricting the up and down movement of the SIM card, and the SIM card is effectively fixed in the fixing device 12. Next, when the user wants to withdraw the SIM card, he only needs to move the locking member 124 to make the other end of the SIM card separated from the push of the flange 124a, and then the SIM card can be pushed out of the fixing device by the outward elastic force of the ejecting element 122, and at this time, the user can easily take out the SIM card.
In the fixing device for the SIM card 12, the setting opening 121, the ejecting element 122, the retaining element 126 and the locking element 124 are soldered on the printed circuit board (PCB). Therefore, the device itself occupies a certain area of the circuit board.
However, the development trend of the mobile phone is to be light, thin, short and small, and although the above fixing device having a push-push function can effectively fix the SIM card and has the convenience of inserting or ejecting the card, the occupied space is larger, and the whole structural design is limited by the space factor, so that the bottleneck of the application of the space occurs.

Fixing device for subscriber identification module card


A stabilized power supply for X-ray tubes having a first rectifier circuit, an inverter circuit comprising main switches, a transformer, a second rectifier circuit an oscillation circuit and an inverter circuit. The power supply includes an auxiliary circuit that can be driven and is parallel-connected to the oscillation circuit. The auxiliary circuit duplicates changeover switching times of the switches of the inverter in order to limit an overlapping phenomenon that occurs for these switches during the changeover switching operations.

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a stabilized power supply and in particular for X-ray tubes. An embodiment of the invention can be applied but not exclusively in the field of medical imaging.
An X-ray tube generally comprises a cathode and an anode. The cathode has a filament through which there flows a current known as a heating current. An electrical signal at a high dc voltage of about 150 kV is applied between the anode and the cathode of the tube. The voltage of the signal gives rise to a stream of electrons flowing from the cathode to the anode. In general, an operating point of the tube is defined by the voltage applied between the anode and the cathode and the heating current crossing the filament. Thus, for a given voltage applied to its terminals and an intensity of current traveling through it set by the heating current, the X-ray tube may be considered to be a variable resistor.
To apply an electrical signal of high dc voltage between the anode and the cathode, a stabilized power supply is generally used. This stabilized power supply comprises especially two diode bridges, one inverter and one transformer. To chop a dc voltage electrical signal, the inverter comprises switches, each formed by one diode and one controlled element such as a transistor or a thyristor. Working in sets of two, these switches successively provide for the application of a dc voltage in one direction and then in another, at the terminals of an oscillating circuit in order to create positive and negative half-waves of the current therein. In one example of an embodiment, an electrical signal controls a transistor of the switch. When this signal turns the transistor on, the switch is closed. When the signal turns the transistor off, the switch is opened. When a switch is opened, an over-voltage associated with a variation of a current can be observed at the terminals of this switch. This phenomenon occurs at the instant, called the triggering instant when these diodes go off. During this triggering instant, an overlapping between the voltage at the terminals of this switch and the current crossing this switch causes unnecessary consumption of energy. This unnecessary energy dissipated by the switches is almost negligible for a low change-over switching frequency. However, this energy is not negligible for a high change-over switching frequency, as is the case with the inverter of the X-ray tube.
To attenuate the triggering over-voltage, there is a known resonance inverter. This inverter has a change-over switching frequency that is lower than a resonance frequency of a load. This resonance inverter works well but not as efficiently as desired. This is because the switches of this inverter are connected to a circuit comprising a coil that generates an over-voltage observable at the terminals of the switches. A damping system is furthermore necessary to protect switches during an overlapping of the diodes. This system can give rise to distortions in the electrical signals of the inverter and furthermore introduce energy losses that reduce the efficiency of this inverter.

GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC


An image receptor medium is disclosed as having a base medium, a hot melt layer adjacent to the base medium, and a porous imaging layer. An image may be imparted to the imaging layer, and heat and pressure may then be applied to the image receptor medium. A substantial number of the pores in the porous imaging layer are filled by the material of the hot melt layer, thereby fixing the image. The image receptor medium can be backed with an adhesive/release liner combination or mechanical fasteners to provide securing means or can be left without such means for xe2x80x9cdrop-inxe2x80x9d backlit or other nonadhesive uses.

This invention relates to image receptor media for thermal or piezo inkjet printing wherein the media comprises a hot melt material.
Image graphics are omnipresent in modem life. Images and data that warn, educate, entertain, advertise, etc. are applied on a variety of interior and exterior, vertical and horizontal surfaces. Nonlimiting examples of image graphics range from advertisements on walls or sides of trucks, posters that advertise the arrival of a new movie, warning signs near the edges of stairways.
The use of thermal and piezo inkjet inks have greatly increased in recent years with accelerated development of inexpensive and efficient inkjet printers, ink delivery systems, and the like.
Thermal inkjet hardware is commercially available from a number of multinational companies, including without limitation, Hewlett-Packard Corporation of Palo Alto, Calif., USA; Encad Corporation of San Diego, Calif., USA; Xerox Corporation of Rochester, N.Y., USA; LaserMaster Corporation of Eden Prairie, Minn., USA; and Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan. The number and variety of printers changes rapidly as printer makers are constantly improving their products for consumers. Printers are made both in desk-top size and wide format size depending on the size of the finished image graphic desired. Nonlimiting examples of popular commercial scale thermal inkjet printers are Encad""s NovaJet Pro printers and H-P""s 650C, 750C, and 2500CP printers. Nonlimiting examples of popular wide format thermal inkjet printers include H-P""s DesignJet printers, where the 2500CP is preferred because it has 600xc3x97600 dots/inch (dpi) resolution with a drop size in the vicinity of about 40 picoliters.
3M markets Graphic Maker Inkjet software useful in converting digital images from the Internet, ClipArt, or Digital Camera sources into signals to thermal inkjet printers to print such image graphics.
Inkjet inks are also commercially available from a number of multinational companies, particularly 3M which markets its Series 8551; 8552; 8553; and 8554 pigmented inkjet inks. The use of four principal colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (generally abbreviated xe2x80x9cCMYKxe2x80x9d) permit the formation of as many as 256 colors or more in the digital image.
Media for inkjet printers are also undergoing accelerated development. Because inkjet imaging techniques have become vastly popular in commercial and consumer applications, the ability to use a personal computer to digitally print a color image on paper or other receptor media has extended from dye-based inks to pigment-based inks. And the media must accommodate that change. Pigment-based inks provide more durable images because pigment particles are contained in a dispersion before being dispensed using a thermal inkjet print head.
Inkjet printers have come into general use for wide-format electronic printing for applications such as, engineering and architectural drawings. Because of the simplicity of operation and economy of inkjet printers, this image process holds a superior growth potential promise for the printing industry to produce wide format, image on demand, presentation quality graphics.
Therefore, the components of an inkjet system used for making graphics can be grouped into three major categories:
1 Computer, software, printer.
2 Ink.
3 Receptor medium.
The computer, software, and printer will control the size, number and placement of the ink drops and will transport the receptor medium through the printer. The ink will contain the colorant which forms the image and carrier for that colorant. The receptor medium provides the repository which accepts and holds the ink. The quality of the inkjet image is a function of the total system. However, the composition and interaction between the ink and receptor medium is most important in an inkjet system.
Image quality is what the viewing public and paying customers will want and demand to see. From the producer of the image graphic, many other obscure demands are also placed on the inkjet media/ink system from the print shop. Also, exposure to the environment can place additional demands on the media and ink (depending on the application of the graphic). Most common, durability of the image graphic is required in humid indoor or outdoor environments, especially locations capable of being soaked with rain or melting snow or ice.
Current inkjet receptor media are direct coated with a dual layer receptor medium according to the disclosure contained in U.S. Pat. No. 5,747,148 (Warner et al.) and are marketed by 3M under the brands 3M(trademark) Scotchcal(trademark) Opaque Imaging Media 3657-10 and 3M(trademark) Scotchcal(trademark) Translucent Imaging Media 3637-20. Other products marketed by 3M include Nos. 8522CP and 8544CP Imaging Media, the former having a coating on the imaging surface for controlling dot gain and the latter having a pigment management system and a fluid management system in pores of the membrane. With the rapid rise in usage of inkjet printing systems to create wide format graphics having digitally-produced images thereon, more and better inkjet receptor media are needed, especially those which rise to the level of precision and lighting requirements that are used for photographically-created image graphics.
These media have coatings provided by water-borne systems, either for entirely water-soluble or water-dispersible ingredients. Water-soluble ingredients are susceptible to loss of durability of the image graphic when encountering humid or wet environments. Most often, the image is created by printing of a water-based ink needs to be fixed to prevent ink migration and loss of precision of the image graphic. Water-dispersible ingredients are particularly difficult to handle during manufacturing to provide reproducible image receptive layers on substrates; working with emulsion-based delivery of coatings introduces a number of additional manufacturing factors that can affect efficiency and productivity.
An image receptor medium, comprising a base medium having a hot melt layer on one major surface. The hot melt layer has a melting temperature between 40 and 150xc2x0 C. An imaging layer lies atop the hot melt layer, wherein the imaging layer comprises a water-insoluble porous coating adapted to imbibe ink.
A method of preparing an imaging layer is also provided, a) applying a hot-melt layer to a base medium on one major surface thereon, b) applying a coating formulation to said hot-melt layer; and c) evaporating solvent to form the imaging layer.
A method of fixing an image graphic is also provided, which comprises providing the image receptor medium as described above, imparting an image to the medium by printing with an inkjet ink. Heat and pressure are then applied to the imaged graphic, thereby filling a substantial portion of pores in said porous coating with hot melt material.

Image receptor medium with hot melt layer, method of making and using same


An electrical connector arrangement for a piezoelectric actuator (10) having a stack (26) of one or more piezoelectric elements, the electrical connector arrangement including positive and negative terminals (30, 32) for connection with distribution electrodes (44a, 44b) of the piezoelectric stack (26). Each of the positive and negative terminals (30, 32) has a lower end face (30d, 32d) which locates adjacent to an upper end face of the stack (26), in use, and a radially outer contact face (30e, 32e) for contact with the distribution electrodes (44a, 44b). The terminals (30, 32) also connect with an external voltage supply, in use. A block (30c, 32c) of each terminal (30, 32) defines the radially outer contact face (30e, 32e) for the stack distribution electrodes (44a, 44b) and thus provides a robust terminal structure.

The present invention relates to an electrical connector arrangement for a piezoelectric actuator and, in particular, to an electrical connector arrangement for a piezoelectric actuator of the type suitable for use in a fuel injector for an internal combustion engine. The invention also relates to an actuator incorporating an electrical connector arrangement and methods of forming an electrical connector arrangement.


A data transmission system including a slave device (30) and a master device (10) is disclosed. Slave device (30) may include a slave side clock signal generator section (32) for generating a slave side clock signal (CLKSOUT), a phase adjusting circuit (40) for controlling a phase of a slave side clock signal (CLKSOUT), output sections (33-1 to 33-m) for outputting transmission data signals (SD1 to SDm) in response to slave side clock signal (CLKSOUT), and a timing reference signal generator section (34) for outputting a timing reference signal (SSPH) in response to slave side clock signal (CLKSOUT). Master device (10) may include a master side clock signal generator section (11) for generating master side clock signal (CLKM), input sections (12-1 to 12-m) for sampling data signals (SD1 to SDm) in response to master side clock signal (CLKM), and a phase compare circuit (19) for generating a phase adjustment instruction signal (SADJOUT) based upon timing reference signal (SSPH) and master side clock signal (CLKM). Phase adjusting circuit (40) may adjust a phase of slave side clock signal (CLKSOUT) in response to phase adjustment instruction signal (SADJOUT). In this way, data setup and/or hold times may be improved.

In a system, data transmission among a plurality of devices is achieved through data buses. It is important to provide adequate data setup time and hold time margins for sampling data when transferring data at high speeds.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. Hei 11-85667 discloses a high speed bus system designed to provide adequate data setup and hold times while allowing data to be transmitted at a high speed. Such a high speed bus system will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a conventional high speed bus system is set forth in a block schematic diagram. The conventional high speed bus system includes a master device 501-1 and a slave device 501-2. Master device 501-1 and slave device 501-2 are connected to clock buses (521 and 522) and data bus 523. Resistors (524 and 525) are respectively connected to an end of clock lines (521 and 522). A reference voltage 527 is connected to an end of data bus 523 through resistor 526. Clock signal tclkM is provided on clock bus 521 from master device 501-1 to slave device 501-2. Clock signal tclkS is provided on clock bus 522 from slave device 501-2 to master device 501-1. Data Data is provided on data bus 523 between master device 501-1 and slave device 501-2.
Referring now to FIG. 2, slave device 501-2 is set forth in a block schematic diagram. Slave device 501-2 includes a reception edge generator 502, data sampler 503, a transmission clock generator circuit 504, and a data output circuit 505. Reception edge generator circuit 502 converts a clock signal tclkM received on clock bus 521 to an internal clock signal RclkB. Internal clock signal RclkB is provided to data sampler 503. Data sampler 503 samples data Data in the same cycle as clock signal tclkM and in synchronism with a clock edge of internal clock signal RclkB.
The conventional high speed bus system provides data transmission between master device 501-1 ad slave device 501-2 as described below.
When data Data is transmitted from master device 501-1 to slave device 501-2, slave device 501-2 outputs clock signal tclkS to master device 501-1 through clock line 522. Slave device 501-2 outputs data Data to data line 522 in synchronism with clock signal tclkS. Master device 501-1 samples data Data based on clock signal tclkS.
In the conventional high speed bus system operating as described above, the device (master device 501-1 or slave device 501-2) providing the data transmission also provides a clock signal (tclkM or tclkS). The provided clock signal (tclkM or tclkS) is used by the device (slave device 501-2 or master device 501-2) that is receiving the transmitted data Data. In this way, an adequate data setup time and hold time is provided and data may be transferred at a high speed.
However, in a conventional high speed bus system having a plurality of slave devices 501-2, slave devices 501-2 may have varying characteristics which can lead to a reduced data setup time and/or hold time. For example, in a conventional high speed bus system having a plurality of slave devices 501-2 and data Data is transferred from master device 501-1 to slave device 501-2, reception edge generator circuit 502 within slave device 501-2 converts clock signal tclkm to internal clock signal RclkB. Internal clock signal RclkB is then used by data sampler 503 to sample data Data. However, in the plurality of slave devices 501-2, characteristics of reception edge generator circuit 502 may vary. Thus, the timing of sampling data Data among the plurality of slave devices 501-2 may also vary. Depending on the amount of variations, an adequate data setup time and/or hold time may only be provided in some of the plurality of slave devices 501-2 and data may not be transferred high speeds.
Also, in the conventional high speed bus system, characteristics of master device 501-1 and slave device 501-2 may vary due to changes in operating conditions, such as operating temperature and power supply voltage. Reduced margins of data setup time and/or hold time may result from such variations in characteristics. For example, when data Data is transferred from master device 501-2 to slave device 501-2 and the characteristics of reception edge generator circuit 502 are varied due to a change in the operating conditions, a rise time and/or a fall time of internal clock signal RclkB generated by reception edge generator circuit 502 may also vary. Reduced margins of data setup time and/or hold time during sampling of data Data may result from such variations in a rise time and/or a fall time of internal clock signal RclkB.
In light of the above discussion, it would be desirable to provide a data transmission system in which margins of a data setup time and/or hold time may be adequate when data is transferred between a master device and slave device. It would also be desirable to provide a data transmission system for transferring data between a master device and a slave device in which margins of a data setup time and/or hold time may not be reduced due to variations of characteristics of the slave device. It would also be desirable to provide a data transmission system for transferring data between a master device and slave device where margins of a data setup time and/or a data hold time may not be reduced due to a change in operating conditions.

Data transmission system and data transmission apparatus


A fused multiply-adder is disclosed. The fused multiply-adder includes a Booth encoder, a fraction multiplier, a carry corrector, and an adder. The Booth encoder initially encodes a first operand. The fraction multiplier multiplies the Booth-encoded first operand by a second operand to produce partial products, and then reduces the partial products into a set of redundant sum and carry vectors. The carry corrector then generates a carry correction factor for correcting the carry vectors. The adder adds the redundant sum and carry vectors and the carry correction factor to a third operand to yield a final result.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to digital arithmetic circuits in general, and, in particular, to fused multiply-adder circuits.
2. Description of Related Art
The institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard for floating-point arithmetic defines specific formats for representing floating-point numbers. According to the IEEE standard, a floating-point number includes a sign bit, an exponent, and a fraction. The value of a floating-point number X is represented by:X=(−1)Xs*(1.Xf)*2(Xe-bias) where Xs is a sign bit, 1.Xf is intended to represent the binary number created by prefixing Xf with an implicit leading 1 and a binary point, and Xe is the unsigned binary exponent. If Xe=0, X is considered a denormalized number, and its value is instead represented by:X=(−1)Xs*(0.Xf)*2(1-bias)
The IEEE standard also defines floating-point numbers in multiple levels of precisions. For example, a single-precision floating-point number has an 8-bit exponent and a 23-bit fraction, a double-precision floating-point number has an 11-bit exponent and a 52-bit fraction, and a quadruple-precision floating-point number has a 15-bit exponent and a 112-bit fraction.
Modern computer processors typically include a floating-point unit to perform mathematical operations on floating-point numbers according to the IEEE standard. One important floating-point instruction is the multiply-add instruction that implements the operationT=A*B+C in one step with only one rounding error (instead of two that would result from executing a multiply instruction followed by an add instruction). Two different approaches have been used for implementing the fused multiply-add instruction to support multiple precisions of floating-point numbers. The first approach uses separate data paths for each number precision, so instructions using single- and double-precision numbers, for example, can be executed at the same time, but at the expense of a larger chip area. The second approach uses only one data path capable of handling both single- and double-precision numbers, but only half the operand bandwidth is utilized when handling single-precision numbers.
Consequently, it would be desirable to provide an improved fused multiply-adder for performing multiply-add instructions.

Fused multiply-adder with booth-encoding

International Business Machines Corporation


Voice recording is initiated immediately upon pressing a record button on a digital computing device such as a palm computer. To enable an immediate response to the button being pressed without a delay that would be normally be incurred to load a user interface and a recording application, a stub program is continuously executed on the device, even when a main user interface program is not running. When the record button is pressed, the stub program immediately begins recording a digital signal corresponding to the sound waves incident on a microphone of the device in a compressed format. If the record button is depressed for more than a second, the recorded digital signal is stored in a file so that it can subsequently be played back, and if the record button was pressed for less than one second, the file is not retained. Sound recording can be initiated in an xe2x80x9ceyes freexe2x80x9d mode, e.g., while using the device under low ambient light conditions, or while engaged in another activity. Recording and playback are controlled by a user interface that is launched when the record button is initially pressed, if not already running. Sound files can be selected and played back at either a normal speed or at a substantially higher speed without any significant change in the frequency of the recorded sound, using control buttons provided on the hand held computing device or the user interface that is provided on a touch screen display.

The present invention generally relates to a portable digital computing device for use in storing and accessing data, and more specifically, to a digital computing device provided with an alternative to a user interface display screen to control applications executing on the device.
Portable computing devices ranging in size from credit card sized personal data assistants to laptop computers have become increasingly popular for use by business people and others who must travel about and thus cannot readily access information stored on their desktop computer or office network workstation. Although laptop computers are capable of running virtually all of the application programs that execute on desktop machines, they often weigh more than seven pounds and cannot be readily carried about in a pocket or purse. There is thus an increased demand for substantially smaller palm type computers that are able to run business applications of less complexity than those designed to run on a desktop computer and which enable a user to quickly access all types of personal and business related data, such as addresses, telephone numbers, scheduled appointment times, etc.
More recently, another type of portable computer has been developed that is intended to be used in automobiles, e.g., integrated with an entertainment sound system of the vehicle. Because of its use in an automobile, such devices are sometimes referred to as an xe2x80x9cAutoPC.xe2x80x9d Since a driver of a vehicle is not free to operate a conventional keyboard, touch screen, or other interface devices requiring substantial attention, these automotive portable computers are being provided with voice recognition control capability.
Computers are also being developed that are specifically adapted for installation in appliances. Compared to conventional firmware programmed controls or programmable logic devices, these new appliance computers will provide greater versatility and will interface with users in new ways that are currently not possible. For example, an appliance computer may allow a user to define a dishwashing cycle by speaking the options to the computer.
It will thus be apparent that newer types of portable computers, automobile computers, and appliance computers will not employ full conventional keyboards for control and entry of data into the computer. Although laptop computers usually include a keyboard sufficiently large to enable relatively efficient text entry, smaller palm type computers usually do not. If a keyboard is provided on such machines, it is typically too small to permit touch typing. Text entry may be available only through a touch screen that displays a reduced-size representation of a keyboard, permitting characters to be entered with a stylus, a carefully positioned finger, or another small diameter pointing object. As a further alternative, handwriting recognition can be used on a small computing device for entry of data and for control input. However, it would be preferable to provide an alternative technique to enter information that does not require the user to use a keyboard or a stylus to write on a screen. Voice recognition offers one such solution to this problem.
Even if a keyboard is provided on a computing device that is sufficiently large to enable a user to enter text efficiently by hand, the touch typing text entry process requires both hands and requires both eye/finger coordination, and substantial attention to the process. Thus, it is not possible to safely drive a vehicle while typing an entry on a computer keyboard, and regardless of the technique used, it would likely be safer to pull over and stop the car while the driver deals with the desired computing task. There are many other occasions when a person simply wants to enter a quick memo or reminder of some event, or make note of information. These occasions may occur, for example, while talking to someone on a phone. At such times, entry of the text on a small touch screen display keyboard or even on the relatively larger keyboard of a notebook computer may not be practical. Instead, it would be preferable to enable the user to make a recording of the verbal information, thereby eliminating the need to enter it as text, via a keyboard. Although portable, hand held analog or digital recorders are currently available, it would be preferable to provide the voice recording capability on a portable, automotive, or appliance computing device that also stores other types of data and is capable of running useful application programs, so the user need not carry about both a dedicated recorder and a digital computing device.
If a digital voice recording capability is provided in a hand held digital computing device, one potential problem or annoyance may be the time delay required to start recording a note. Hand held digital computing devices typically have a limited amount of memory and often use slower and less powerful processors than desktop computers. Accordingly, it is likely that the delay required to launch a user interface (UI) from which a voice recording application can be started would be unacceptable to most people. The time required to boot up a hand held computing device and select a voice recording option could easily be 5 seconds or more. An individual who wants to record a thought or make note of information that is being provided by another person would not want to wait that long before starting to record the data. Instead, it is important to enable the voice recording to start immediately, for example, so that the user need only push a button and begin speaking, even if the digital computing device has not previously been used and the UI is not available to execute a voice recording application.
Also, the user should be able to initiate the voice recording operation in an xe2x80x9ceyes freexe2x80x9d mode, by pushing a predefined control button on the device, which can be identified and actuated solely by feel and location on the computing device. The sound recording function will then be immediately usable at any time, will be operable with one hand, and will be usable under low light conditions and while engaging in other activities such as talking on the telephone or driving a vehicle. This feature would also be employed with other applications or functions that must be started immediately without requiring the user to first launch a UI on a display screen of the hand held computing device, and without requiring the user to see the device in order to run the application.
The present invention is directed to a digital computing device that immediately implements a predefined function in response to a user action, independent of whether a main user interface is currently running on the digital computing device. Included is a power supply for providing electrical power to energize the device. A memory is provided for storing machine instructions. Disposed on the housing for use in selectively causing the device to carry out a predefined function is a switch, so that the switch is readily actuated by the user. A processor is coupled to the memory and to the switch and executes the machine instructions to carry out a plurality of functions. A portion of the machine instructions comprises a stub program that typically runs continually (or at least until the power supply is de-energized), and another portion of the machine instructions comprises a main program that is substantially larger than the stub program. The main program is selectively executed by the processor to provide the main user interface, while the stub program is adapted to immediately respond to a user actuating the switch by implementing the predefined function, even when the main program is not currently running and the main user interface is thus not currently available.
If the main program is not yet running, the stub program is adapted to cause the processor to launch the main program in response to the user actuating the switch. In the preferred application of the present invention, a microphone that produces an analog signal corresponding to sound waves that are incident on the microphone is also included. An analog-to-digital (A/D) converter is coupled to the microphone and to the memory and is employed for converting the analog signal produced by the microphone into a digital signal that is stored in the memory. The predefined function then comprises storing the digital signal from the A/D converter in the memory to record the sound waves that are incident on the microphone.
The stub program is adapted to cause the processor to at least temporarily store the digital signal in the memory until the user stops actuating the switch. However, the stub program causes the processor not to save the digital signal if the user actuates the switch for less than a predefined interval. In this case, the stub program causes the processor to launch the main program and discards the digital signal that was held in the memory. In addition, the stub program preferably further compresses the digital signal and saves the digital signal in the memory in a compressed format, so that less memory is required for storing such data than would be required to stored the digital signal uncompressed.
Preferably, the hand held digital computing device also includes a sound transducer that produces audible sounds in response to an applied analog signal, and a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter that is coupled to the memory to receive the digital signal stored therein and produce the applied analog signal that is input to the sound transducer. The applied analog signal input to the sound transducer causes it to produce audible sounds corresponding to the digital signal to play back the sounds that were stored.
The main program (or an application program that runs under the main program) includes functions for controlling the playback of the digital signal stored in the memory. These functions are controlled using a plurality of controls adapted to be actuated by the user. Included is a control for initiating the playback of the digital signal stored in the memory to produce the sound waves that were incident on the microphone. Also, one of the plurality of controls is adapted to cause the playback of the digital signal at a speed substantially greater than a rate at which the digital signal was provided to the memory by the A/D converter, i.e., at a fast forward rate.
The digital signal stored in memory is preferably divided into discrete segments or notes. The control that causes the fast forward can be held closed in one position for less than a predefined time interval (i.e., tapped) while one segment is playing to immediately start playing the next segment or note of the stored digital signal. If the control is held depressed for longer than the predefined time interval, it causes the device to fast forward through the digital signal of the segment currently being played.
Still another of the plurality of controls is adapted to move back through the digital signal stored in the memory when continuously actuated by the user, in a manner analogous to selectively rewinding through the stored digital signal. The duration of the portion thus xe2x80x9crewoundxe2x80x9d is preferably greater than the time that the control is actuated during the rewind operation. During the rewind process, an audible tone is produced to indicate increments of time corresponding to an extent of reversing through the stored digital signal. The control that causes the fast rewind can be held closed for less than a predefined time interval (i.e., tapped) while one segment or note is playing to immediately start playing the previous segment or note of the stored digital signal.
Further, the machine instructions cause the processor to store the digital signal as a file, in a folder specified by the user. The user can preferably identify the folder by speaking its name into the microphone.
A data port adapted for transmitting the file to another computing device may also be included, so that the digital signal stored in a file can be transferred to the other computing device, e.g., to a personal computer. Further, the main program is preferably adapted to enable the user to record words spoken with the microphone, for inclusion in an e-mail message, or as part of a personal information management program xe2x80x9cnotexe2x80x9d entry, or in any appropriate application to which the user has set the xe2x80x9cfocus.xe2x80x9d
Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a method for immediately implementing a predefined function in response to a user action on a hand held digital computing device, independent of whether a main user interface is currently running on the hand held digital computing device. The steps of the method are generally consistent with the functions discussed above.

Fast start voice recording and playback on a digital device


A medium feeding device is adapted to be attached to a recording apparatus to feed a recording medium thereto or adapted to be attached to a liquid ejecting apparatus to feed a target medium thereto A first tray is provided with a hopper adapted to support the recording medium or the target medium which is to be automatically fed to the recording apparatus or the liquid ejecting apparatus by a feeding roller. A second tray is arranged above the first tray and adapted to support the recording medium or the target medium which is to be manually fed to the recording apparatus or the liquid ejecting apparatus. The second tray includes a tray body and an extensible member which is retractably extended from the tray body toward the feeding roller.

The present invention relates to a medium feeding device to be incorporated in a recording apparatus or a liquid ejecting apparatus to feed a recording medium or a target medium. More particularly, the present invention relates to a medium feeding device enabled to manually feed a recording medium or a target medium to the recording medium or the liquid ejecting apparatus.
There is an ink jet printer available as one of large-sized recording apparatuses enabled to print sheets of paper, whose size is a relatively large size, for example, from JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) A4 size to JIS A2 size. Such a large-sized ink jet printer handles heavy paper. Thus, it is difficult for this ink jet printer to supply paper from the rear side thereof and eject paper at the front side thereof similarly to a small-sized ink jet printer. Consequently, this large-sized ink jet printer is adapted to supply and eject paper at the Font side thereof. That is, a sheet supply cassette, which is enabled to accommodate sheets of paper (one example of the recording medium or the target medium) to be automatically fed, and a sheet feeder/ejector including a cover portion of the sheet supply cassette which is enabled to stack thereon sheets of paper having been automatically ejected and is enabled to manually supply sheets of paper therefrom. The sheet feeder/ejector is disposed at the front of this ink jet printer.
When sheets of paper are automatically fed by this sheet feeder/ejector, plural sheets of paper are accommodated in a stacked state in the sheet supply cassette. Then, a leading edge of the accommodated sheet of paper is lifted by a hopper, and is caused to abut against a sheet feeding roller. Thus, the sheets of paper are sequentially friction-fed from the top sheet thereof while guided by a sheet edge guide. Meanwhile, when the sheets of paper are manually fed, for example, the trailing end portion of one sheet of paper is put on the cover portion. Then, the leading end portion of this sheet of paper is set to be superposed on the leading end portion of each of the sheets of paper accommodated in the sheet supply cassette. Subsequently, the leading edge of the manually-fed sheet of paper is lifted by the hopper together with the sheets of paper accommodated in the sheet supply cassette, and is caused to abut against the sheet feeding roller. Then, the sheets of paper are friction-fed while the leading end portions of the sheets of paper are guided by the sheet edge guide (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-68535A).
In the aforementioned sheet feeder/ejector, in a case where the sheet of paper accommodated in the sheet supply cassette differs in kind of paper from that of paper put on the cover portion, adhesion sometimes occurs between these sheets of paper. In a case where such adhesion occurs, overlapped-sheet feeding easily occurs at the friction feed of a sheet of paper. This may preclude the subsequent conveyance and recording of a sheet of paper.
To solve this problem, it is advisable to form the cover portion of the sheet supply cassette in a size sufficient to put the whole of a sheet of paper, which is manually fed, on the cover portion. However, in the case of forming such a cover portion, there is the necessity for providing a space between the cover portion and the sheet edge guide to thereby prevent the cover portion from interfering with the sheet edge guide when the cover portion is lifted by the hopper. Thus, when the sheet of paper to be manually fed is set, an edge of the sheet of paper may enter the space and may be folded. This may preclude the manual feeding of the sheet of paper.

Medium feeding device and recording apparatus or liquid ejecting apparatus incorporating the same


A method for manufacturing an antenna printed circuit board includes the following steps: providing a flexible-rigid printed circuit board comprising a flexible region and a rigid region. The flexible region comprises at least one first connecting pad and at least one second connecting pad arranged opposite sides of the rigid region. At least one antenna module is attached to the first connecting pad through a conductive paste. The antenna module is fixed on the rigid region by a first reflow soldering process. At least one radio frequency integrated circuit structure is attached to the second connecting pad through a conductive paste. The radio frequency integrated circuit is fixed on the rigid region by a second reflow soldering process. A gap between the antenna module and the rigid region and a gap between the radio frequency integrated circuit structure and the rigid region are filled with dielectric materials and cured.

With the development of the 5th generation wireless systems, radio frequency integrated circuit structure and antenna module need to be integrated into the circuit board. This would result in an increase in a heat of the circuit board, and the heat of the circuit board is difficult to dissipate.
Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.

Method for manufacturing an antenna printed circuit board

QING DING PRECISION ELECTRONICS (HUAIAN) CO., LTD


The Sexual Aid Method and Appliance with Passageway for Intimate Massage enables individuals and/or couples to enjoy the vast array of health benefits of breast massage. This enables a penis to travel in a defined path over or in between breasts to massage the penis, breast tissue and/or the area in between the breasts. The movement of the penis within the defined path induces flexing of the appliance that further massages the surrounding breast tissue. At least one sternum passageway, tube passageway, breast passageway or passageway enhancer guides the penis. This versatile, economical, non-surgical, green-technology appliance creates at least one passageway that is independent of body contours to allow individuals to experience breast tissue massage, massage of the area in between the breasts and/or hands-free mammary coitus.

Field
This application relates generally to breast health, particularly to appliances used by individuals or couples to engage in massage of breast tissue and/or massage of the area in between the breasts.
Prior Art
There is little prior art that pertains to appliances used by individuals or couples to engage in massaging of breast tissue or massaging of the area in between the breasts using an artificial or real penis. The following prior art demonstrates the state of the art that is closest to the sexual aid method and appliance with passageway for intimate massage.
U.S. Pat. No. 407,341, issued Jul. 23, 1889 to Ferris, ABDOMINAL SUPPORTER, illustrates a breast and abdominal bandage. The breast bandage relieves the user of lacteal fluid and absorbs the fluid. It has cutouts for the nipples. The nipple strip and the liquid-absorbing material on the inner side of the cover are designed for liquid absorption. This breast and abdominal bandage does not provide a built-in passageway for breast tissue massage and/or massage of the area in between the breasts by an artificial or real penis.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,892, issued Jun. 4, 1996, to Lin, BREAST AUGMENTATION DEVICE, describes a breast augmentation device with a plurality of elongated grooves with vent holes and a plurality of elongated ribs. This breast falsie for padding a brassiere is used to give the impression of larger breasts. This breast augmentation device has grooves and ribs designed for ventilation in the hollow side of the device. The grooves and ribs of the breast augmentation device are not designed to allow an artificial or real penis to massage breast tissue and/or massage the area in between the breasts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,160, issued Sep. 15, 1998, to Wehmeyer, CLEAVAGE WRINKLE PROTECTOR, discloses a cleavage wrinkle protector constructed of satin or similar lingerie type fabric and stuffed with polyester fibre-fill. The protector is designed to be worn between the woman's breasts while sleeping to protect the cleavage skin from folding when she lies on her side. This protector overlies the cleavage area, therefore, does not provide a built-in passageway for an artificial or real penis to massage the area in between the breasts.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,331, issued Jan. 18, 2000, to Ioakim, NIGHTTIME NURSING TUBE BRA, discloses a nighttime nursing tube bra that is a tube-top like brassiere that has an absorbent liner and has a first elastomeric band along the top edge and a second elastomeric band along the bottom edge. This tube brassiere does not have a built-in passageway for an artificial or real penis to massage in between the breasts and/or massage breast tissue. In addition, the elastomeric bands inhibit access to the breasts and the cleavage area for an artificial or real penis to massage breast tissue and/or to massage the area in between the breasts.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,955, issued Aug. 4, 2004 to Fisher, ANTI-WRINKLE BRA FOR SLEEPING, illustrates a brassiere which comprises a soft tube-like bra with a centre breast support insert. This insert is positioned between the breasts and supports the breasts when the wearer is lying on her side. This support helps to prevent the formation of wrinkles in the skin of the upper chest. The insert is shaped with a thick midsection, a back surface adapted for conforming to the chest surface between the breasts of the wearer and a concave curved cavity on each side of the vertical section adapted for supporting either breast of the wearer while on their side to prevent the breast in the upper position from hanging down toward the breast in the lower position. As the centre insert conforms to the chest surface between the breasts, this insert does not provide a built-in passageway that allows an artificial or real penis to massage breast tissue and/or massage the area in between the breasts.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,192,409, issued Mar. 20, 2007, to Lorenzo, COMFORT BANDAGE, illustrates a tube top-like band made of stretchy fabric with a semi-cylindrical shaped bolster centrally placed over the sternum which prevents lateral breast shifting in a side-laying position. When this band is worn, the semi-cylindrically shaped bolster does not have a passageway for mammary coitus as it conforms to the breast bone. The embodiment with fenestrations can allow for nipple and breast stimulation, however, there is no built-in passageway provided for the massage of breast tissue and/or the massage of the area in between the breasts by an artificial or real penis.
Pub. No. US 2010/0159801 A1, filed Apr. 29, 2009, to Abbaszadeh, PUMPING/NURSING BRA, discloses a hands-free pumping and nursing bra which comprises at least one band of material encircling the woman's chest, the band of material provided with two openings corresponding to the woman's breasts. A centre panel is provided to adjust the fit of the band. The design of this pumping/nursing bra does not have a passageway for massaging in between the breasts and/or massaging breast tissue by an artificial or real penis.
U.S. Pat. D626,656 S, issued Nov. 2, 2010, to Jarry, MASSAGER, discloses a massager with a number of shaped geometric views. In accordance with sales literature for the commercially available massager, the massager has built-in electronics, is ergonomic, and fits in the palm of a human hand. The massager is made of rigid ABS plastic with a soft touch top coat. The massager being made of rigid material is not deformable by a human hand. The massager does not have shape geometry and/or the material properties to be comfortably worn on the chest of a human and be used for the massage of breast tissue and/or massage of the area in between the breasts by an artificial or real penis.
Bearing guides, cable guides, and raceways have guideways. These guideways are not designed or engineered to have a comfortable and ergonomic passageway for breast tissue massage or for massaging the area between the breasts. Using hardened steel bearing guides may not be deemed suitable for use by the wearer and/or the person performing the massage.
Peek-a-boo bras, or rubber fetish wear with cut outs for nipples is common prior art and although these do indeed expose breast tissue, they do not have a built-in passageway for the massage of breast tissue and/or the massage of the area in between the breasts by an artificial or real penis.
For many individuals, cleavage may not be possible or sufficient to experience mammary coitus with conventional methods. This may be due to natural breast size, the loss of breast tissue due to various conditions such as surgery, hormonal changes, or weight loss. An appliance and method to allow all individuals to experience the massage and stimulation of mammary coitus despite breast tissue size is needed. There is significant research substantiating the benefits of breast massage, this further emphasizes the need for an appliance that provides a passageway independent of body contours that allow individuals to experience breast tissue massage and/or massage of the area in between the breasts.

Sexual aid method and appliance with passageway for intimate massage