To improve a control characteristic of an air/fuel ratio during not only a normal driving operation, but also a transition driving operation,. (1) based upon an air-flow rate measured by an air-flow rate meter, a calculation is made of pressure at an air intake manifold, and also another calculation is made of an air-flow rate at a cylinder port with employment of the calculation result and an engine revolution number. PA0 (2) A throttle valve angle is calculated only from the calculated air flow rate and the engine revolution number without utilizing a throttle valve angle sensor.

The present invention generally relates to a method for controlling an engine of a vehicle. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a method for calculating an air flow rate at a cylinder port, which is useful for an A/F ratio control during acceleration/deceleration driving operations of a vehicle, and furthermore to a method for calculating a throttle valve opening angle employed in a transmission control, a suspension control and the like.
In principle, according to a basic idea for a fuel supply to an engine, the fuel is injected in such a manner that a target A(air)/F(fuel) ratio is achieved with respect to an air flow rate at a cylinder port. However, it is very difficult for the present engine control technique to correctly detect such an air flow rate at the port of the cylinder, especially, during a transition driving condition.
There are the below-mentioned reasons why the correct air-flow rate calculation cannot be achieved:
(a). An air-flow rate sensor for measuring an air flow rate, in principle, does not measure the air flow rate at the cylinder port, but measure the air flow rate which passes through a portion adjacent to a throttle valve. As a result, there is a difference between these air-flow rates during the transition driving operation of the vehicle. PA1 (b). There are a flap type sensor and a hot wire (H/W) sensor as the air-flow sensor, which own a measurement lag. Although the response characteristic of the H/W sensor is superior to that of the flap type sensor, there exists a slight delay due to a heat capacity. PA1 (c). Since the air flow rate measured by the H/W sensor contains pulsations produced by driving cylinders of an engine and also measuring noises, a lag filter is employed so as to eliminate these noises and pulsations. As a result of such a smoothing process, this smoothing process may cause a delay. PA1 (d). With respect to timings for performing a fuel injection, for instance, if the fuel injection would be performed based upon the air-flow rate when the measurement is made during the deceleration operation, the fuel injection by the injector would be completed, and therefore the air-flow rate at a time instance when air was mixed with the fuel and taken into the cylinder port would become greater than the air-flow rate at the measurement time instant. In other words, there is a difference between the air-flow rate at the measurement time instant and the air-flow rate at a time instant when an actual control is performed. PA1 (i). No method for precisely inferring or determining an air flow rate at a cylinder port has been established, and also been practically utilized. PA1 (ii). Even when such an air-flow rate at the cylinder port could be correctly grasped, the control characteristic of the air/fuel ratio is still deteriorated, because there are such problems that as described in the above-described problem (d), the air-flow rate is increased depending on the fuel injection timings, and also the fuel attached to the wall surface of the air intake manifold causes a delay in the fuel injected into the cylinder. PA1 (1). In an electronic engine controlling apparatus comprising means for detecting an engine revolution number, and means (air-flow rate meter) for detecting an air flow rate taken into the engine, there are provided means for calculating pressure at an air intake manifold and means for calculating an air-flow rate at a cylinder port; the pressure at the air intake manifold is calculated based upon the detected air-flow rate and the air-flow rate at the cylinder port which has been calculated by the means for calculating the air-flow rate at the cylinder port at one preceding measurement time instant; and an air-flow rate at the cylinder port at a present measurement time instant based on the engine revolution number and the calculated pressure at the air intake manifold. PA1 (2). In an electronic engine controlling apparatus comprising means for measuring a throttle valve opening angle, means for detecting an engine revolution number, and means for detecting an air-flow rate, there is provided means for predicting a value at a predetermined preceding time instant from a measured throttle valve angle; based upon the throttle valve angle predicted by the predicting means and also the engine revolution number detected by the engine revolution number detecting means, a shift between-the air-flow rate detected by the air-flow rate detecting means and the air-flow rate at the cylinder at said predetermined preceding time instant is inferred by way of a predetermined calculation; the detected air-flow rate is corrected by the shift; and the air-flow rate at the cylinder port at said predetermined preceding time instant is calculated.
As previously described, since there are problems in the control mechanism and measuring process at the engine control apparatus, the air-flow rate at the cylinder port could not be precisely detected during such a transition driving operation as the acceleration/deceleration.
To solve the above-described conventional problem (a), an air-flow rate Qe(n) at a cylinder port is calculated by the following equation (al): EQU Qe(n)=(1-K.sub.F)Qe(n-1)+K.sub.F Qa(n) (a1)
It has been proposed to calculate a fuel injection amount based upon the calculated air-flow rate so as to control the air/fuel ratio. It should be noted that symbol Qa(n) indicates an air-flow rate measured by an air-flow rate sensor and symbol "n" denotes a time instant in the above-described equation (al).
The above equation (al) has an aim to correct by way of a first order lag filter, a difference between an air-flow rate at a cylinder port and a measured air-flow rate when an air intake manifold is filled with air during, for instance, an acceleration operation. It should be noted that the coefficient "K.sub.F " of the equation (al) is determined by the engine revolution number and volume efficiency. Since several uncertified elements are involved when this coefficient K.sub.F is actually determined and furthermore the conventional problems (b) to (d) are still present, it is rather difficult to obtain such a coefficient K.sub.F for precisely and continuously controlling the air/fuel ratio even during the above-explained transition operation period. Also, there are similarly problems in the following equation (a2) where a fuel injection amount T.sub.p is subjected to the smoothing process: EQU T.sub.pe (n)=(1-K.sub.F)T.sub.pe (n-1)+K.sub.F T.sub.P (n) (a2)
where symbol "T.sub.pe indicates a fuel injection amount at a cylinder port.
On the other hand, with respect to the above-described problems (b) to (d), for instance, there has been proposed that the measured air-flow rate is subjection to a first order lead filter process so as to compensate these lags: EQU Qae(n)=Qa(n)+d{Qa(n)-Qa(n-1)} (a3)
In case that the measured lag in the air-flow rate as described in the above-described conventional problems (b) to (d) is compensated by performing the lead filtering process as defined in the equation (a3), the pulsations and measuring noises are contained in the measured air-flow rate. As a consequence, the noise application caused by the lead filtering process will be produced. When such a signal containing the noise is used as a fundamental signal for determining the fuel injection amount, there is another problem to cause fluctuation in the fuel injection. It should be noted that coefficient "d" expressed in the above equation (a3) may be determined by the sampling period and the like.
Furthermore, either the asynchronous injection amount, or the asynchronous injection pulse width is obtained, as described in the publication "Electronic Controlled Gasoline Injection" by Fujisawa et al., issued in July 1987 by Sankaido publisher, pages 116 to 117, by utilizing the throttle-valve-angle data and by retrieving the values of the memory map based upon the variation in the throttle valve opening angle data. According to this conventional technique, the variations in the throttle valve opening angles are subdivided into several levels, and thus the asynchronous injection amount is determined by recognizing to which acceleration level, the variations in the measured throttle value opening angle belong. However, this conventional technique does not correspond to a basic method for grasping a phenomenon, but rather to a so-called "symtomatic treatment", and has such a difficulty that a huge number of matching steps are necessarily required for the memory map.
Also, another conventional method for aiming prevention to these conventional problems (a) to (c) and of the air-flow rate sensor due to a cost reduction, has been described in, for example, JP-A-63-32144. In this conventional method, for normal or steady air-flow rate is obtained from the throttle valve angle and engine revolution number, and the lag processing operation is performed so as to detect the air-flow rate at the cylinder port. However, there are other problems with this conventional method in order to obtain the air-flow rate at the cylinder port in higher precision. That is to say, no only variations in pressure at the upper stream of the throttle valve must be considered, but also the temperature at the suction pressure, the air flow rate passing through the bypass tube, and EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation), namely air-flow rate while recirculating the exhaust gas must be taken into account. In addition thereto, the mounting precision of the throttle-valve-opening-angle sensor may give a great influence to the air/fuel ratio controlling characteristic, for instant, if the mounting positional error of the throttle valve angle sensor becomes 0.1.degree., then there are produced 4% errors in the air/fuel ratio.
As previously described, although many attempts have been made to correctly detect the air flow rate at the cylinder port, the conventional problems could not yet completely solved. It should also be noted that there is a change in a relationship between the air-flow rate passing through the throttle valve and the air-flow rate at the cylinder port in connection with variations in the ambient conditions.
Next, other conventional technical methods for solving the above-described problems (a)-(d), and their problems will now be described, in which the fuel injection amount has been corrected based upon the variations in the throttle valve opening angles, instead of correctly detecting the air flow rate at the cylinder port.
In prior art, since there are complex problems in the above described conventional problems (a) to (d) and the fuel supply delays caused when the injected fuel is attached to the air-intake wall surface, the corrections based upon the throttle valve angle capable of detecting the transition driving operation such as the acceleration/deceleration operations at first in order to correct the deterioration of the control characteristic for the air/fuel ratio. For instance, in the conventional fuel injection controlling method, when the engine is brought into the acceleration state, the fuel injection amount is corrected based upon the increase in the throttle valve opening angle. This correction is performed by increasing the fuel injection amount in response to the increase in the air-intake flow rate, depending upon the variations in the throttle valve opening angle, and by making the necessary adjustment on the basic fuel injection pulse width which is obtained by the air-intake flow rate or the pressure at the air intake manifold, and also the engine revolution number. Thus, the fuel is supplied in response to the fuel injection pulse to which other corrections have been added, based on other measurement data, e.g., water temperatures.
Then, the fuel supply is carried out in synchronism with the crank angle. As another method for correcting the acceleration operation, the asynchronous fuel injection in which the fuel is injected under the asynchronous condition with the crank angle has been performed. This asynchronous fuel injection can prevent the air/fuel ratio from becoming lean (e.g., condition that the fuel supply is not satisfied in order to allow the air-flow rate) in such a rapid acceleration mode that the sufficient fuel cannot be supplied in case of the synchronous fuel injection.
Another method for reducting a fuel injection amount based upon a variation in a throttle valve opening angle has been proposed during not only an acceleration state but also a deceleration state. This conventional correcting method is to prevent that the air/fuel ratio is enriched (i.e., condition that too much fuel is supplied for the air-flow rate) during the deceleration operation.
As previously described, the conventional techniques for correcting the fuel injection amount based upon the throttle valve opening angle, and also for matching various sorts of correction coefficients so as to improve the control characteristic of the air/fuel ratio, could be established under the recent exhaust gas controlling regulations.
It should be understood that in order to obtain the above-described throttle valve angle, there are many possibilities. That is to say, the throttle valve angle sensor is not employed, but either an acceleration pedal angle, or an acceleration pedal position may be detected to used as the throttle valve angle if the throttle is mechanically coupled to the acceleration pedal.
Furthermore, in accordance with the throttle controlling method in which the throttle is electronically coupled to the acceleration pedal, namely the acceleration pedal angles are employed as a major input, and then the throttle is controlled by the motor or the like, since the acceleration pedal angles have been measured, and the throttle valve angles may be easily calculated, this electronic throttle-valve-angle detecting method may be utilized.
Also, since the throttle-valve-angle signal has been utilized for various control apparatuses involving the engine control, as described below, this angle signal functions as an important control signal.
First, in the conventional engine control, the fuel injection control and injection timing control have been performed based upon the throttle-valve-angle signal. As a consequence, various correction methods have been established under such an initial condition that the throttle valve-opening-angle signal has been acquired.
Furthermore, in the automobile controls other than the engine control, there are transmission controls, traction controls and suspension controls as such controls for requiring the throttle valve opening angle. For instance, in the transmission control and the like a control is made in such a manner that a gear position is selected based upon the throttle valve angle and vehicle velocity, or the engine revolution number, and then the throttle-valve-angle signal per se functions as important information.
Originally, in order to improve the air/fuel ratio controlling characteristic, it has been understood that an air flow rate at a cylinder port during a transition driving condition should be detected or inferred. However, the following problems remain.
As previously described above, in accordance with the conventional fuel injection controlling methods, various corrections for the fuel injection amounts have been performed based on the throttle valve opening angle which corresponds to the most rapid information used when the transition driving operations, e.g., the acceleration/deceleration operations are carried out. There is another problem that the throttle valve angle sensor must be necessarily required in order to improve the air/fuel ratio controlling characteristic by way of the above explained conventional methods.
On the other hand, if such a throttle valve angle sensor is employed, the above-described other problems (i) and (ii) still remain.

Method for calculating air flow rate at cylinder port and throttle valve opening angle


According to the invention, in a method of drawing patterns by use of an energy beam, the amount of drawing data is reduced, the irregularity of an array of patterns is prevented, and the patterns are drawn with great accuracy. In a method of drawing a pattern including a plurality of patterns, the amount of drawing data is reduced and the pattern can be drawn enlarged or reduced at a given scale in X-axis direction and/or Y-axis direction. Furthermore, if the pattern includes patterns symmetrical with respect to a line, the amount of drawing data is reduced by use of the symmetry of the drawing data. In addition, in case where patterns are arrayed on a first curved line, the pattern can be drawn as being arrayed on a straight line by performing the shift of a table or deflection of the energy beam parallel to the curved on which patterns are arrayed or approximating it at a second curved line using partial approximate straight lines.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates a method and apparatus for drawing patterns with electromagnetic radiation such as a charged beam emitted from an electron gun or a laser beam produced by a semiconductor laser, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus which precisely and efficiently draws a plurality of arrayed patterns with an energy beam.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various methods of drawing a plurality of patterns with an energy beam are known. Among these are the raster scan method, the general method, the vector scan method, and the scaling method. In the raster scan method, a drawing region is divided into subregions of the same width, and the subregions are raster-scanned in sequence, thereby drawing patterns in these subregions. In the vector scan method, patterns (or characters) are drawn within drawing regions, respectively. In the general method, patterns are drawn either enlarged or reduced, by using data representing the enlarged or reduced patterns and also the data representing the region in which all patterns are to be drawn. In the scaling method, enlarged or reduced patterns are drawn by varying drawing parameters such as the diameter of the energy beam, the drawing-start position, the scan width, the scan spacing, and the speed of the drawing region, in accordance with only one piece of drawing data.
The methods described above are classified into two in accordance with the size of the energy beam used. The first is the sized beam method, in which an energy beam is used whose cross-sectional size remains unchanged. The second is the variable sized-beam method, in which an energy beam is used whose cross-sectional size and/or strength is changed.
In any method described above, patterns are drawn in accordance with drawing data including the data representing all patterns to be drawn in a region and the data representing the positions in the region where the patterns are to be drawn. Such position data need not be used to draw a plurality of identical patterns in a plurality of regions, respectively, as in the method which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,737. In this method, identical patterns are drawn on semiconductor chips, by repeatedly using the drawing data representing the unit pattern, and no data is required which shows the positions at which to draw the unit patterns.
In this regard it should be noted that much time is required to prepare drawing data representing large and complex patterns. Moreover, to store such drawing data, a data storage device of a great capacity, such as a magnetic disk device, is required. When the amount of drawing data is relatively large, two or more data storage devices must be used.
In the conventional raster scan method, the drawing data includes not only the pieces of data representing the patterns, but also the pieces of data representing the spaces among these patterns, and the unit determining the size of the subregions is the diameter of the energy beam used to drawn patterns in these subregions. When the patterns have a size defined by this unit each, they will be correctly aligned in the drawing region. However, if it is required to arrange some of the arrayed patterns to be indivisible by the minimum drawing dimensional unit (i.e., some of the arrayed patterns are misaligned with the minimum drawing dimensional unit in their edges) to form fractional portions, the resultant fractional portions must be rounded off, resulting in inaccurate array of patterns which appears as a striped pattern.
Though the minimum unit is controllable in enlarging or reducing each pattern, its controllability is restricted by the beam size. Therefore, precise control cannot be performed.
When the scaling method is used, it is possible to vary the size of patterns can be by a value less than the diameter of the beam. However, each pattern must have identical width (i.e., the X-axis dimension) and length (i.e., the Y-axis dimension), and patterns must have the same size. Thus it is impossible with the scaling method to draw patterns which differ very much in size. Further, this method requires much time to change the drawing parameters such as the diameter of the beam and the speed of the drawing region to desired values, and it is practically impossible to vary these parameters within a period between the completion of drawing one pattern and the start of drawing the next one. Hence, the drawing must be interrupted to change the scaling factor, and patterns cannot be continuously drawn in different scaling factors.
Moreover, even in drawing line-symmetric patterns, drawing data need to be prepared for all the pattern drawing regions, which would increase the storage capacity of a memory for storing drawing data.
In an array in which identical patterns are arranged along a curved line on the X and Y coordinates, for example, in an array of slits of the shadow mask of a TV cathode ray tube in which the above stripe areas to be drawn are divided linearly, the patterns are different from each other in position on their own X and Y coordinates and thus they have to be handled as separate patterns each of which requires drawing data including both pattern information and position data. Hence the drawing data would require a very long time for preparation thereof and moreover would be much large in amount. Furthermore, joints of the areas would be not completely aligned with respect to each other, resulting in some defects and protrusions. They would appear as stripes or lines on the resultant patterns, significantly degrading the quality of the sample.

Method and apparatus for drawing patterns using an energy beam


A dust collector includes a main housing, a dust inlet disposed on the main housing, an air outlet disposed on the main housing, and an inclined filter disposed within the main housing and between the dust inlet and the air outlet. Preferably, the filter is pleated. The dust collector may also include a removable bin disposed within the main housing and preferably disposed below the filter. A seal may be disposed between the bin and the main housing. Similarly, the dust collector may also include a removable liner disposed within the main housing and preferably disposed below the filter. A seal may be disposed between the liner and the main housing. A baffle may be disposed within the main housing and preferably disposed between the filter and the dust inlet. The main housing may comprise a bottom portion and a top portion pivotally attached to the bottom portion. The dust inlet is preferably disposed on the top portion. Similarly, the air outlet is preferably disposed on the top portion. The filter is also preferably disposed within the top portion.

Many commercial woodworking or cabinet shops have relatively effective dust collection systems. However, such systems are elaborate, with a significant cost for each work station being serviced. These systems tend to include a large centrifugal dust collector, which has a substantially cylindrical shape and is between 5 to 8 feet high. As such, a heavy-duty centrifugal dust collector is very heavy and thus not portable. Accordingly, each work station has a dust hose tube connected to the large centrifugal dust collector, as the dust collector cannot be moved between work stations.
Such systems are not readily available to an individual woodworker who has his equipment in a home basement or garage. Among the reasons are size, complexity and costs. Similarly, such systems are impractical for contractors building a house, for example, as the dust collector cannot be easily moved or carried to the jobsite. Also, such systems are not easily expanded to accommodate new equipment brought into the shop.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a heavy-duty portable dust collector.


A self-righting inflatable life raft including a raft body having inflatable sidewalls and an inflatable member extending from the raft body having a buoyant portion sufficient to provide lifting force to move the raft's center of gravity beyond its point of rotation on the surface of water such that the raft will topple by gravity to an upright position. The inflatable member may include a plurality of inflatable tube portions which extend from an upper edge of the raft sidewalls to a first predetermined position upwardly and outboard from the upper edge and which then extend inboard to centrally converge with one another at a second predetermined position above the raft body.

Coast Guard regulations in the United States and most foreign countries require vessels over a certain size or carrying a certain number of passengers to have life boats or life rafts on board in case of emergency. The presently more-popular alternative is to carry inflatable life rafts because of the relatively small amount of storage space required when the rafts are in a deflated condition. The presently-used life rafts come in a variety of sizes and shapes, including oblong, square, circular, or substantially circular multi-sided, depending upon the number of occupants they are designed to carry. These rafts are typically made of a rubber or rubberized flexible material and include air chambers which, when fully inflated, provide relatively rigid sidewalls. For protection against severe weather, most of these life rafts include a canopy cover which is supported by inflatable tubes which also become relatively rigid when fully inflated.
Typically, the inflatable life rafts include a compressed gas canister which may be manually or automatically activated to inflate the air chambers of the raft. Unfortunately, the rafts will not necessarily inflate in an upright position and, if overturned upon inflation, must be righted before they can be occupied.
Present Coast Guard requirements specify that approved life rafts must be capable of being uprighted by a single person in the water. While this can usually be accomplished by a healthy individual in calm water, this cannot necessarily be accomplished in rough or extremely cold water or by an person who is injured or fatigued. Such adverse conditions are not entirely unlikely to occur when a vessel is sinking on navigable waters.
The presently commonly-used type of inflatable life raft has not significantly changed in general design since about 1948. British Patent Specification No. 864,382, published Apr. 6, 1961, suggest making an inflatable canopy shaped substantially in the form of a sphere and to arrange the center of gravity to be below the geometric center so that the raft will be self-righting. Due to the large amount of material required to construct such a canopy, the cost of such a structure is considerable. Also, in order to cause the canopy to have buoyancy sufficient to overcome the mass of the raft, a canopy or canopy support of this shape is relatively massive itself. Furthermore, when subjected to rough seas and high winds, the significant surface area of such a structure can make it vulnerable to being tossed and rolled upon the water.


A power module includes a power conversion circuit, a fan, a controlling unit, a capacitor, a current-adjusting element and a soft start controlling unit. The power conversion circuit is used for outputting a DC voltage. The fan is connected with the power conversion circuit. The controlling unit is used for issuing a control signal to the fan, thereby controlling operation of the fan. The capacitor is connected with the fan in parallel. The current-adjusting element is connected with the capacitor in series for adjusting the magnitude of current flowing through the capacitor. The soft start controlling unit is connected with the current-adjusting element. When the power module is connected with a connector of a power supply system, the soft start controlling unit controls the magnitude of current flowing through the current-adjusting element to be gradually increased, so that the magnitude of current flowing through the capacitor is gradually increased.

With increasing development of electronic products, the manufacturers keep improving the power modules of the power supply systems of the electronic products. For example, hot-swappable power modules have been introduced to the market. During the operation of a power module, the heat generated from the power module should be exhausted to the ambient air by an active heat-dissipating mechanism (e.g. a fan) in order to maintain the performance of the power module.
FIG. 1A is a schematic circuit block diagram illustrating a conventional power module. As shown in FIG. 1A, the conventional power module 1 comprises a power conversion circuit 10, a controlling unit 11, a first fan 12 and a second fan 13. The power conversion circuit 10 is configured to convert an input voltage Vin into a DC voltage Vo. The first fan 12 and the second fan 13 are connected with the output terminal of the power conversion circuit 10 in parallel. The controlling unit 11 is electrically connected with the first fan 12 and the second fan 13. After the rotating speed signals Vrs1 and Vrs2 outputted from the first fan 12 and the second fan 13 are received, the controlling unit 11 issues corresponding control signals PWM to the first fan 12 and the second fan 13.
FIG. 1B is a schematic timing waveform diagram illustrating associated signals processed in the power module of FIG. 1A. As shown in FIG. 1B, the control signal PWM is a rectangular wave. In response to a high logic level of the control signal PWM, an output current is transmitted from the output terminal of the power conversion circuit 10 to the first fan 12 and the second fan 13, thereby driving rotations of the first fan 12 and the second fan 13. Whereas, in response to a low logic level of the control signal PWM, no current is inputted into the first fan 12 and the second fan 13. Since the first fan 12 and the second fan 13 are not driven, the first fan 12 and the second fan 13 are continuously rotated because of the inertial motion. Under this circumstance, the rotating speeds of the first fan 12 and the second fan 13 are slowly reduced. Since the rotating speeds of the first fan 12 and the second fan 13 are adjustable according to the control signal PWM, the first fan 12 and the second 13 are not necessarily operated at the maximum rotating speeds. In this situation, a power-saving purpose is achieved.
Please refer to FIG. 1B again. In response to the low logic level of the control signal PWM, the first fan 12 and the second fan 13 are not driven. Meanwhile, the DC voltage Vo is equal to the preset voltage (e.g. 12V). Whereas, in response to the high logic level of the control signal PWM, the first fan 12 and the second fan 13 are driven. Since the energy for rotating the first fan 12 and the second fan 13 is provided by the output terminal of the power conversion circuit 10, the magnitude of the DC voltage Vo decreases. That is, the DC voltage Vo is pulled down to be lower than 12V. Due to the surge effect of the DC voltage Vo, the output performance is impaired.
Please refer to FIG. 1A again. In a case that the control signal PWM fails to be transmitted to the first fan 12 and the second fan 13 (e.g. in a floating state), the first fan 12 and the second fan 13 are disabled. Consequently, the overall temperature of the power module 1 is increased. If the power module 1 is overheated, the power module 1 is possibly damaged.
For avoiding the surge effect of the DC voltage, another power module is disclosed. FIG. 2A is a schematic circuit block diagram illustrating another conventional power module. For avoiding the surge effect of the DC voltage Vo during operations of the first fan 12 and the second fan 13, a capacitor C is connected with the output terminal of the power conversion circuit 10 in parallel. The capacitor C has a large capacitance value for filtering the DC voltage Vo. In such way, regardless of whether, the first fan 12 and the second 13 are rotated or not, a stable DC voltage is outputted. Although the power module 21 of FIG. 2A is effective to avoid the surge effect of the DC voltage encountered from the power module 1 of FIG. 1A, there are still some drawbacks.
FIG. 2B is a schematic circuit block diagram illustrating a power supply system with the power module of FIG. 2A. The power supply system 2 is connected with a load 4. The power supply system 2 comprises plural power modules 21, plural connectors 22 and a power distribution circuit 23. For clarification, only two power modules 21 and two connectors 22 are shown. The power modules 21 are connected with the power distribution circuit 23 through corresponding connectors 22. These power modules 21 are hot-swappable. That is, during the operation of the power supply system 2, the power modules 21 may be directly removed from the connectors 22 or connected with the connectors 22. Since the capacitor C of the power module 21 has a large capacitance value, if the power module 21 has been disabled for a time period, no charge is stored in the capacitor C. If the power module 21 is connected to an enabling power supply system 2, the capacitor C with no charge is transiently in a short-circuited state. Meanwhile, since a large current is abruptly inputted into the connector 22 and the capacitor C, the possibility of burning out the connector 22 and the capacitor C will be increased.

Delta Electronics (Thailand) Public Co., Ltd.


A system is disclosed for providing a new panel antenna array with enhanced environmental protection, increased reliability and simplified assembly through the incorporation of new array structures. In one embodiment, a panel antenna array system comprises one or more linear arrays having one or more radiating elements for providing antenna transmission and reception; and one or more protection modules to be aligned vertically with each other in a parallel fashion, with each protection module providing protection to one linear array. A mounting bracket further provides a mounting surface to the protection modules.

This invention relates generally to antenna arrays, and more particularly to improved structures for panel antenna arrays.
Antennas of various types are used in modern communication systems, such as personal communications services (PCS) systems, cellular radiotelephone systems, etc. These antennas are typically mounted outdoors and are subject to harsh environmental conditions. Furthermore, these antennas must operate while exposed to direct sunlight, wind, rain, snow, ice, etc., for extended periods of time.
Conventional panel antenna arrays consist of multiple linear arrays, a metal backbone, and a radome, which is a non-metallic cover protecting one or more linear arrays from environmental conditions detrimental to the proper functioning thereof. A linear array consists of one or more radiating elements, as well as a contiguous ground plane. The metal backbone is commonly used as the ground plane for all radiating elements. Conventional panel antenna arrays must be environmentally sealed to protect the internal components from damage and corrosion that adversely affect their operational reliability. Therefore, a seal on the entire circumference between the array backbone and the array radome is generally required to prevent infiltration of undesired elemental contaminants, such as water, ice, sand, etc. These long seals present points of potential seal degradation and intrusion of unwanted contaminants.
A common desired characteristic for planar antenna arrays is its "high power", or "high gain" capability, which can be made possible by increasing the number of radiators in each linear array. This "high power" capability can also be derived by increasing the number of linear arrays in the panel antenna array, assuming that the correct radiator spacing is still maintained. However, this setup typically requires a disproportionate increase in overall antenna array size, weight, and assembly complexity. Another disadvantage is that as the size of the panel antenna array is increased, so is the increase in wind loading, which then requires heavier mounting brackets and structural changes that are both economically and spatially inefficient.
Therefore, desirable in the art of panel antenna array designs are improved structures for panel antenna arrays that provide enhanced environmental protection, increased reliability, simplified antenna array assembly, decreased weight, and reduced fabrication/assembly costs.


A control system for a subsurface safety valve (SSV) comprising of a control line from the surface in fluid communication with the top side of an actuating piston which moves a flow tube downwardly to open the SSV. A balance line runs from the surface to the bottom side of the same actuating piston to put the actuating piston in pressure balance. A buildup of pressure in the control line overcomes a return spring to open the valve, while removal of pressure from the control line allows the return spring to close the valve. Seals and leakpaths are provided through the actuating piston so that, depending on the hydrostatic pressure in the control line and the size of the return spring, the various failure modes of the actuating piston seals and control line or balance line will preferentially result in a fail-closed situation in the SSV.

Typically, production strings in wells have an SSV which is controlled from the surface. The SSV is typically a spring-loaded flapper which is pushed into the open position by downward movement of an open tube called the "flow tube." The flow tube is actuated by an actuating piston which is, in turn, a part of a control circuit for selective opening and closing of the SSV from the surface of the well. Many different designs have been used in the past to control the opening and closing of the SSV. Typically, a control line is run from the surface to the actuating piston and a return spring acts on the actuating piston in a direction opposite the hydrostatic force put on the piston by the column of fluid in the control line to the surface. The piston is typically an annular shape or it can have a cylindrical or rod shape. The spring is made sufficiently stiff so as to withstand the anticipated hydrostatic force for the depth to which the valve is to be installed. Yet other designs have included pressurized gas chambers which act on the backside of the actuating piston to resist the hydrostatic pressures anticipated in the control line. The pressurized gas chambers contain oil so that the actuating piston seals are lubricated.
Annularly shaped pistons have been waning in popularity due to the numerous seals required, all of which increase the prospects for leakage and malfunctioning of the valve. Another main concern of any design for a control system for an SSV is the failure mode if certain seals malfunction. It is important to have failsafe operation of the SSV and, thus, the fewer situations that can arise where the valve fails open, the more desirable is the control system design and the valve which goes with it.
Some designs in the past have used pressure-balancing between the top side and bottom side of the actuating piston, coupled with fairly complex shuttle valving to allow for normal operation of the valve between an open and closed position. While use of the concept of pressure-balancing has enabled a significant reduction in the size of the return spring, other complications introduced into the system to make such a design operable have created a new set of operational issues, detracting from the desirability of the equalizing-type designs which use a complex shuttle valve. What is yet to be developed and what is an object of this invention is to provide a simple design which has minimal possibilities for fail-open operation and which is simple to build and install and reliable to operate.
Some of the patents which illustrate the prior designs discussed above are U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,564,501 and 4,676,307. Also of general interest in the area of SSV control systems are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,252,197 and 4,448,254.
Accordingly, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a control system where the actuating piston, which is a rod type, is in pressure balance. In combination with this objective, which is accomplished by the provision of a balance line to the surface, the actuating piston is configured in such a way so as to meet the objective of the invention of minimizing, and in certain situations eliminating, fail-open modes of the valve. These and other objectives will become apparent to one skilled in the art from a review of the preferred embodiment described below.

Pressure-balanced rod piston control system for a subsurface safety valve


Apparatuses and methods for microscopic analysis of a sample using spatial light manipulation to increase signal to noise ratio are described herein.

This disclosure is related to infrared spectroscopy and imaging with spatial resolution down to the sub-micron scale using an optical photothermal detection technique. Some optical photothermal techniques have been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,091,594 and 9,841,324, for example. These references often refer to the technique by different names and acronyms. For the purposes of this application, we will refer to these techniques collectively and, in this application, as Optical Photothermal Infrared (OPTIR).
Several research groups have worked in this general field of OPTIR, including researchers at Naval Research Laboratory, Purdue University, Notre Dame University, Boston University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Instruments developed in these labs use visible light beams to probe the photothermal response of samples in response to absorption of infrared radiation. Potentially relevant background publications and patents include: (1) R. Furstenberg, C. Kendziora, N. D. Bassim, R. A. McGill, and V. K. Nguyen, U.S. Pat. No. 9,091,594 B2 (2015); (2) C. Li, D. Zhang, M. N. Slipchenko, and J.-X. Cheng, Anal. Chem., 89, 9, 4863-4867 (2017); (3) D. Zhang, C. Li, C. Zhang, M. N. Slipchenko, G. Eakins, and J.-X. Cheng, Science Advances, 2, 9, e1600521 (2016); (4) Z. Li, K. Aleshire, M. Kuno, and G. V. Hartland, The Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 121, 37, 8838-8846 (2017); (5) Z. Li, M. Kuno, and G. Hartland, "Super-resolution imaging with mid-IR photothermal microscopy on the single particle level", in SPIE Nanoscience+ Engineering (International Society for Optics and Photonics, 2015), p. 954912-954912-954918; (6) Z. Li, M. Kuno, and G. Hartland, "Super-resolution Mid-infrared Imaging using Photothermal Microscopy", in Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (Optical Society of America, San Jose, Calif., 2016), p. ATu3J.7.; (7) A. Mërtiri, A. Totachawattana, H. Liu, M. K. Hong, T. Gardner, M. Y. Sander, and S. Erramilli, "Label free mid-IR photothermal imaging of bird brain with quantum cascade laser", in CLEO: Applications and Technology (Optical Society of America, 2014), p. AF1B. 4; (8) M. Y. Sander, "Mid-infrared photothermal imaging", in Laser Science (Optical Society of America, 2015), p. LM1I. 2; (9) U.S. Pat. No. 9,091,594 B2, entitled "Chemical mapping using thermal microscopy at the micro and nano scales," assigned to the U.S. Secretary of Navy.
There are also devices that have been constructed using off axis illumination and camera sensors to detect photothermal modulation of laser speckle, as discussed, for example, in A. M. Stolyarov, R. M. Sullenberger, D. R. Crompton, T. H. Jeys, B. G. Saar, and W. D. Herzog, Opt. Lett., 40, 24, 5786-5789 (2015), as well as variations in light scattering, as discussed, for example, in R. M. Sullenberger, S. M. Redmond, D. Crompton, A. M. Stolyarov, and W. D. Herzog, Opt. Lett., 42, 2, 203-206 (2017). These approaches, however, are not suitable for microscopy applications for sub-micron dimensions because of focal length/numerical aperture limitations placed on sample imaging optics.
A key limitation in the prior art of photothermal imaging and spectroscopy is that the photothermal effect due to IR absorption can be quite small. For example, the total intensity modulation in collected probe light due to absorption of IR radiation by the sample can be three to six orders of magnitude less than the average intensity of the total collected probe light. Because of this, it can be a challenge to detect small absorptions of IR radiation, either from weakly absorbing samples, samples with weak photothermal responses, and/or microscopically small amounts of sample material. Increasing the measurement time to accomplish orders of magnitude increases in precision is often not practicable. Measurement precision increases proportional to the square root of the sampling time, however, and so increasing the precision of an OPTIR detector by increasing sampling time is limited as a practical matter because achieving, for example, one order of magnitude improvement in precision requires sampling times to be increased by a factor of 100.

Photothermal infrared spectroscopy utilizing spatial light manipulation


A circuit for data stream buffer management, lane alignment, and clock compensation of data transfers across a clock boundary using a first in first out (FIFO) buffer in each serial channel is described. A look ahead circuit is used to detect a clock compensation pattern early and generate a clock compensation indicator signal. Data and the clock compensation indicator signal are written in the FIFO in synchronism with the recovered clock. A read circuit using a second clock of a different frequency than the recovered clock reads data and clock compensation bits from the FIFO and generates an almost empty signal when appropriate. A multiplexer is used at the FIFO output to pad data to the system interface. A clock compensation control circuit generates a selection signal based on the almost empty signal and the clock compensation indicator bit read out of the FIFO to control the multiplexer selection signal.

Serial interfaces are typically used to conserve packaging and cable space as compared to parallel interfaces. Even though serial interfaces provide reduced board space, cable, and connection costs, they must still meet a system's performance requirements. In addition to providing high performance, the serial interfaces must also provide error detection and correction capabilities and minimize bus arbitration latencies, a component affecting the serial interface performance.
One such high performance serial interface is a serial RapidIO® interface which is a packet switched interconnect technology. (RapidIO® is a registered trademark of the RapidIO Trade Association.) The serial RapidIO® interface is an interconnect standard that allows a single lane (1×) or four lanes (4×) of serial data transfers, with each lane working at a multi-gigabit/second data rate. With the serial RapidIO® interface configured for four lanes, eight to ten cycles are typically needed to do lane alignment and clock compensation. The serial lanes are aligned to compensate for different serial interconnect delays going through the four serial lanes. Asynchronous first in first out memories (FIFOs) are use in the lane alignment process. Clock compensation is also used to compensate for clock frequency differences between two agents connected through a serial RapidIO® interconnect. A second asynchronous FIFO, working as an elastic buffer, is generally used for clock compensation. The reason for the eight to ten cycles of lane alignment latency is that lane alignment and clock compensation operations are done in two stages, with four to five cycles of latency in each stage. Consequently, there is a need to improve the lane alignment latency to improve the overall serial interface and system performance.

Methods and apparatus for interface buffer management and clock compensation in data transfers


A device and method for measuring a swimming pool and manufacturing a liner therefor are provided. The device includes a transducer that can be placed in the pool and configured to transmit sonic energy toward the inner surfaces of the pool. The transducer can determine relative positions of a plurality of coordinate points defined by the surfaces according to reflections of the sonic energy that are received from the surfaces. Coordinate data, which is characteristic of the positions of the coordinate points on the multiple surfaces of the pool, is stored in a memory device. The coordinate data can be used to control a liner cutting device to cut liner material to sizes corresponding to the multiple inner surfaces of the pool.

Conventional in-ground swimming pools are often constructed by fitting a liner to a hole in the ground. The liner, which is typically formed of vinyl such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), provides a waterproof barrier for retaining the water in the pool. Harsh conditions such as the variable acidity of the water, chlorine and other chemicals in the water, and exposure to sunlight can degrade the liner, and the liner can be otherwise worn or damaged. Therefore, such liners are typically replaced periodically, thereby requiring a new liner to be fitted to the pool. Vinyl liners can also be fitted to existing concrete swimming pools to stop water from leaking through the concrete. In addition, pool liners are available in a variety of colors and decorative patterns and are sometimes replaced to improve the aesthetic appeal of the pool.
Each swimming pool is typically at least slightly different in size or shape. Therefore, in order to achieve a good fit of the liner to the pool, the liner is typically custom manufactured to the dimensions of the particular pool. According to one method of measuring a pool in order to fit a liner, a contractor undertakes the time-consuming chore of measuring the length, width, and depth of the various portions of the swimming pool with a measuring tape. The dimensions are recorded and later entered into a computer that three-dimensionally models the shape of the pool and determines the shape of the various pieces of liner that are needed to correspond to the pool. Pieces of liner are cut accordingly and welded to form the custom liner. Typically the liner is made slightly smaller than the actual size of the pool so that the liner can be vacuum fitted to the walls and bottom of the pool and stretched slightly to achieve a wrinkle-free fit. However, if the liner is too small or too large, it will not fit properly in the pool and a new liner may need to be made. Thus, the measurement of the pool, which is limited by the skill and care of the contractor and the precision of the measuring tape, can lead to expensive mistakes if not carefully conducted.
Thus, there exists a need for an improved device and method for measuring a swimming pool in connection with the manufacture of a fitted liner therefor. The device and method should minimize inaccuracies that are caused by human error, such as those resulting from improper measurement by the contractor measuring the pool.

Device and method for sonar measurement of a swimming pool


A method and apparatus for interfacing a personal digital assistant (PDA) with a communications appliance is provided. The method comprising a communication station receiving semi-structured data from a personal digital assistant (PDA) in a format native to the PDA, and parsing the semi-structured data to identify a type of the semi-structured data. If the semi-structured data is destination data, sending a job to a destination indicated by the semi-structured data.

Communication appliances, such as copy machines, fax machines, and telephones, are becoming more user friendly. Communication appliances now often combine the functionalities of copying and faxing. As more functionality is added to communications appliances, the user interface becomes more and more difficult to implement without using cumbersome keyboards.
In the prior art, if a user wished to fax a document, he or she would go to the fax machine, prepare a cover letter by hand or on another device such as a computer, type in the destination telephone number for the fax, and send the fax. This is cumbersome, especially if the fax was to be sent to multiple destinations.
In the prior art, if a user wished to e-mail a document from a communication appliance, the destination e-mail address would have to be entered on a keyboard. Thus, the prior art requires a keyboard for the communication appliance. Adding such a keyboard is cumbersome and inconvenient.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for using a personal digital assistant to interface with a communication station


An apparatus and a method for packaging articles in bags is proposed, where a packaging magazine is used for receiving and guiding an article to be packaged. An article to be packaged is slid by a slider into the packaging magazine. The packaging magazine then moves together therewith into an opened bag, which is removed from a bag stack. With the bag, which surrounds the packaging magazine, the latter is then slid into the transfer magazine from where further conveying takes place.

The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for the packaging of articles in bags.
In a known apparatus for the packaging of articles (EP 816 225) alternately acting sliders are present, which are moved backwards and forwards. During the rearwards movement in each case one slider is moved out of the path of the other slider. The slider movement is freely programmable (slider insertion and removal positions, slider strokes, movement profiles).
The articles to be packaged can in many cases be stacks of flat objects. As a result of the nature of the packaging with laterally inserted side folds, with respect to the packaging cross-section one is bound to specific geometrical conditions. The pack cannot be higher than it is wide. This circumstance exists with products having a limited content.
The flat objects are supplied vertically as a result of the design of the apparatuses with which said flat individual objects are finished. If there is a drop below the height/width ratio in the pack, the articles must be placed horizontally. The objects are frequently compressed articles, e.g. slip inserts, cleaning cloths or other fleecy or fluffy products.
For reducing the packaging volume and for improving the appearance of the finished pack, said formations have to be compressed.
The problem of the invention is to propose a method and an apparatus for the packaging of articles in bags, which operates with considerable reliability and provides the possibility of reducing the effects of disturbances.
To solve this problem the invention proposes an apparatus and a method having the features described below.
The invention is incorporated in an apparatus that uses a slider, which as the upper slider is fixed to a revolving chain. Therefore, the slider is not moved backwards and forwards and instead moves along a closed path, the return path taking place at a different height. The product slider sliding path is fixed. The slider initially brings the article to be packed into the filling magazine, from where the article is brought into the bag station. From there it is brought to the sealing station with the aid of the accompanying magazine.
In the transfer station the filled bag can in this way be carefully conveyed, without the pack being influenceable by slots, slits or other projections.
According to a further development of the invention, the packaging magazine is arranged and constructed in such a way that the slider in the infeed position can slide an article to be packed into the magazine.
According to a further development, the packaging magazine is movable in such a way that it moves together with the article to be packed into an opened bag and is left standing there in the transfer position. Thus, the sliding in of the article to be packed takes place with it still located in the packaging magazine. Thus, also here the article can be guided and therefore protected by the packaging magazine. The packaging magazine can have smooth side walls, a smooth bottom and also a smooth top side with a slot for the slider. Optionally an air cushion can also be formed.
According to a further development of the invention, the movement path of both magazines can overlap. Therefore the transfer magazine can be moved to a point where the packaging magazine can also be located, but there is no need for a complete overlap of both magazines.
According to another further development of the invention, the two magazines can be simultaneously in the transfer position and can consequently also overlap. As a result there can be a careful transfer with a limited lateral clearance of the filled bag from the packaging magazine into the transfer magazine. In the position where both magazines are moved out of the transfer position, they have such a mutual spacing that the bag station can open a bag unhindered by the magazines.
The overlap can e.g. result from the fact that the transfer magazine has a somewhat greater width and height than the packaging magazine, so that the latter can partly move into the transfer magazine. This construction is preferred, even though a reverse construction is also possible.
According to another further development of the invention, in the sealing position the transfer magazine can be positioned in such a way that the slider has slid the packed article through the sealing jaws of a sealing station.
According to a further development of the invention, the transfer magazine can be constructed in such a way that it guides the filled bag during its movement to the sealing station. This guidance can take place through smooth side walls, a smooth, flat bottom and a smooth top side. It can in particular be provided that the bottom and the side walls, together with the magazine, are guided over and beyond any gaps, slots or other parts of the sealing station, so that the filled bag cannot stick or be held up at any point. The filled bag is then stopped at a point beyond any gaps, whereas the slider and the transfer magazine are then moved back. The bag with its content is then located on the opposite side of the sealing jaws. The joining of the still open bag can then take place with the aid of the welding jaws or dies. It is also possible to produce an air cushion, also on sliding the bag out of the transfer magazine, in order to simplify or aid the sliding out process.
According to another development of the invention, during its movement in the conveying direction, the transfer magazine is moved more slowly than the slider, so that during the entire transfer magazine movement it moves the filled bag through the magazine.
The invention is particularly advantageous if the article to be packaged is a compressible article, which is slid into the bag under a certain tension. This tension is to be maintained. It can in particular be a stack of objects, where also the gaps between the objects are to be compressed.
In the description up to now reference has been made to a single slider. It is obviously appropriate for there to be several sliders on the revolving mechanism in order to increase the output of the apparatus.
If the articles to be packed are stacks of fluffy objects, according to the invention a row of juxtaposed, vertically positioned objects is formed. As soon as the collecting magazine is filled, it is pivoted from the filling position into the emptying position, where the objects rest flat on one another. They are compressed by the compressing device, which constitutes a type of precompression. The air between the individual objects and the air within said objects is displaced. In said compressed position the stack can be removed from the rotary magazine.
According to a further development of the invention, the compressing device has a displaceable pressure wall, which is placed approximately parallel to the flat sides of the objects and is movable perpendicular to said flat sides. Thus, in the filling position the pressure wall is parallel to a side wall, whereas in the emptying position it is parallel to the bottom, because during pivoting the magazine changes its orientation in the same way, e.g. by 90xc2x0. What was originally a side wall, becomes the bottom or top in the emptying position.
In a further development of the invention compression takes place during the pivoting of the collecting magazine. This can e.g. take place in that the movement of the pressure wall takes place in forcibly controlled manner, e.g. by a cam, a curved guide or the like.
However, it is also possible for the movement of the pressure wall and therefore the compression of the flat objects to take place with the aid of a servomotor, which is then also preferably forcibly controlled, e.g. by an electronic control.
The drive for the pivoting device can preferably also have a servomotor, in order to precisely control the residence of the magazine in each of the two positions.
The invention more particularly proposes that the apparatus has several magazines. It can e.g. be the case that one of the several magazines is in the filling position and a second magazine is in the emptying position.
According to a further development of the invention, the emptying of one magazine and the filling of another magazine can take place simultaneously. For this purpose the positions can be so displaced from a line that the two positions do not interfere with one another.
According to the invention, the pivoting device can pivot in reciprocating manner the collecting magazine or the several collecting magazines.
It is also possible and is proposed by the invention, that the pivoting device is constructed in such a way that it gradually rotates in one direction the at least one collecting magazine.
The method proposed by the invention proceeds in the following way. An article to be packed is slid into a packaging magazine. The packaging magazine together with the article located therein is moved into an opened bag. During this movement optionally it is possible to displace the article with respect to the packaging magazine. The packaging magazine can e.g. be slid into the bag to such an extent that its front side in the conveying direction comes onto the bottom of the bag. The object is slid into the bag by the magazine. The filled bag is then transferred into the transfer magazine and the packaging magazine is extracted from the bag. In the transfer magazine the filled bag is slid to a sealing station where it is sealed.
According to a further development of the invention the packaging magazine is reciprocated between an infeed position and the transfer position.
A revolving slider is used for sliding the article and preferably several revolving sliders are arranged in succession.
The transfer magazine is moved backwards and forwards between the acceptance position and the sealing station.
According to a further development, the transfer magazine is moved more slowly in the conveying direction than the filled bag. As a result the filled bag is moved through the transfer magazine, i.e. is slid.
During the movement of the filled bag the latter is guided on all sides, so that at no point can it stick.
The packaging magazine and the transfer magazine can be simultaneously located at the acceptance position.
If the articles to be packed are stacks of fluffy, flat objects, which are delivered in the vertical position, the invention proposes that these vertical objects be arranged in juxtaposed form for forming a stack and after the formation of the stack pivoting takes place in such a way that the flat objects rest on one another. The stack is then compressed in that the flat sides of the outer objects are moved towards one another. The thus formed compressed and horizontally positioned stack can then undergo further packaging.
The invention proposes that the stack is compressed after the start of pivoting and prior to stack removal.
The invention more particularly proposes that the stack be compressed during pivoting and preferably during the entire pivoting process.
Compression can take place in that a pressure wall is located in the magazine, which at the start of compression is positioned laterally and during magazine pivoting changes its position together with the magazine, so that at the end of pivoting it forms the magazine bottom.
According to the invention simultaneously two stacks can be formed in each magazine.

Method and apparatus for the packaging of articles

Optima Filling and Packaging Machines GmbH


Disclosed is a computer-implemented method for providing photorealistic changes for a digital image. The method includes receiving a digital image of dressable model, receiving digital cutout garment textures that are indexed according to an outfitting layering order and aligned with body shape and pose of the dressable model, receiving binary silhouettes of the digital cutout garment textures, generating a garment layer index mask by compositing the binary silhouettes of the digital cutout garment textures indexed according to the outfitting layering order, receiving a composite image obtained by overlaying the digital cutout garment textures according to the indexed outfitting layering order on the digital image of the dressable model, inputting the composite image and the garment layer index mask into a machine learning system for providing photorealistic changes, and receiving from the machine learning system a digital file including photorealistic changes for application to the composite image.

In recent years, digital commerce of goods, facilitated by digital commerce platforms, has increased exponentially, owing to quick and easy access thereto at any time and from any place. Typically, the digital commerce platforms allow consumers to purchase goods at convenience of their doorstep. Notably, the digital commerce platforms provide high quality digital images of goods so as to attract consumers thereto. Such digital images capture essential features associated with the goods thereby increasing likelihood of purchase thereof, and enhancing profitability of the digital commerce platforms.
However, capturing essential features associated with the goods in digital images thereof is a labour-intensive task, and requires a lot of time, effort and human intervention. For example, a digital commerce platform providing clothing items for transaction requires skilled personnel (such as photographers, models, lighting directors) for producing digital images for the clothing items. Typically, a clothing item (namely, a garment) is photographed either on a mannequin using a custom photography rig or on a model in a photoshoot. However, the digital commerce platform providing clothing items have hundreds of clothing items that require photographing. Therefore, the process of photographing each of the clothing items and further making them suitable for online merchandising requires considerable time and expense.
Recently, the digital commerce platforms have adopted a process known as composed model photography (CP) for producing digital images of the clothing items. In such case, digital image for a clothing item worn on a model is created artificially, using manual or semi-manual photo editing softwares. Such artificially created digital image for the clothing item substantially reduces cost of production thereof. Specifically, in the composed model photography process, a composite photograph is produced for the clothing item. Typically, the composite photograph is produced by transforming and aligning a photograph of the clothing item on a mannequin with a photograph of a model. Subsequently, the generated composite photograph undergoes a process of photo-realism so as to reproduce the composite photograph realistically. Notably, said process of photo-realism includes processes such as shadow synthesis, retouching, style transfer, and so forth. However, processing of the composite image for the clothing item, realistically, is a very skill-demanding and labour-intensive process. Typically, the photo-realism process requires skilled personnel (such as artists or graphics designers) with considerable expertise, to work for extensive periods of time for reproducing the composite image realistically. As a result, producing the digital image leads to low throughput, owing to a number of processes involved in generation thereof and intensive manual intervention.
It will be appreciated that plurality of such skilled personnel are required for producing realistic digital images for each of the hundreds of clothing items offered by the digital commerce platform. Subsequently, digital images produced by each of the skilled personnel may have varying quality depending on individual skill and expertise. Consequently, such varying quality of the digital images may result in loss of revenue owing to high quality threshold in such competitive markets associated with online merchandising.
Therefore, in light of the foregoing discussion, there exists a need to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks associated with the conventional methods for producing digital images realistically for the digital commerce platforms.

Method and system for providing photorealistic changes for digital image


The present disclosure provides a system, method, and apparatus for distributing energy amongst at least one forward brake and at least one aft brake for a vehicle. The method involves determining, with at least one processor, an energy for at least one first brake and an energy for at least one second brake. Further, the method involves comparing, with at least one processor, the energy for at least one first brake with the energy for at least one second brake. Also, releasing at least one first brake, when at least one processor determines the energy of at least one first brake is greater than the energy for at least one second brake. Further, releasing at least one second brake, when at least one processor determines the energy of at least one second brake is greater than the energy for at least one first brake.

The present disclosure relates to taxi brake release. In particular, it relates to stopping energy based selection logic for taxi brake release.
Currently, a conventional brake selection method employs a simply alternating scheme where consecutive brake pedal applications switch back and forth the releasing of the forward and the aft brakes in vehicles, such as in aircraft. This method simply assumes that alternating the forward and the aft brakes with every application will evenly distribute the brake energy (i.e. the stopping energy). This method does not account for variations in brake pedal application by the pilot.
On a Boeing 777 aircraft, for example, this conventional alternating method performs adequately because the aircraft has a six-wheel truck and, as such, the method releases two wheels per truck, thereby distributing the brake energy over two-thirds (⅔) of the wheels. However, on a Boeing 787 aircraft, for example, this method does not perform adequately because the aircraft has a four-wheel truck and, thus, the method releases two wheels per truck, thereby distributing the brake energy over only one-half (½) of the wheels. Therefore, there is a need for a solution that provides selection logic for taxi brake release based on stopping energy.

Stopping energy based selection logic for taxi brake release


A multiple-cell insulated-gate-bipolar-transistor chip is disclosed which includes a semiconductor substrate having formed therein a p+-type collector region and an n−-type base region, with a pn junction therebetween. An annular trench is etched in the substrate so as to surround the array of IGBT cells. Received in the trench are a dielectric layer which is held against the base region, and an electroconductive layer which is held against the base region via the dielectric layer and which is electrically coupled to the collector region. When the pn junction between the collector and base regions is reverse biased, the electroconductive layer creates at the annular periphery of the base region a depletion layer which is joined to a depletion layer created in the base region by the pn junction, thereby preventing current leakage from the side surfaces of the IGBT chip.

This invention relates to semiconductor devices such as an insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), and concerns more specifically how to enable such semiconductor devices to withstand higher voltages, particularly reverse voltages, than heretofore.
The IGBT such as that disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-69509 lends itself to use as a solid-state switch capable of self-extinction of arc. It can be turned on or off at any point on a sinusoidal waveform. Typical applications of the IGBT include, therefore, the AC switching of the matrix converter for induction motor speed control and the switching of AC power supplies.
Being subjected to both positive and negative half cycles of an alternating wave, the IGBT when used as an AC switch must be capable of withstanding sufficiently high voltages in both forward and reverse directions. The IGBT is generally weaker to reverse, than to forward, voltage. For AC switching, therefore, two IGBTs have been connected in parallel with each other for separately handling positive and negative currents, and a reverse-blocking diode has so far been connected in series with each IGBT in order to circumvent the noted weakness thereof. Use of the reverse-blocking diodes is of course objectionable for the conduction losses introduced thereby, which indeed have caused a significant diminution of the efficiency of the device incorporating the AC switch.
Attempts have been made for making the IGBT strong enough against reverse voltages to do without the reverse-blocking diodes. One such attempt is based upon the discovery that the insufficient strength of the conventional IGBT against the reverse voltage is due largely to current leakage from the side surfaces of each IGBT chip which are created upon dicing of the semiconductor wafer into individual chips with a diamond cutter. A conventional remedy for this deficiency was the provision of an antileakage layer on the side surfaces of the IGBT chip. The antileakage layer is formed by diffusion of impurities into part of the IGBT chip substrate, causing that part to gain the same conductivity type (e.g., p+) as the collector region of the IGBT. The resulting antileakage layer is joined directly to the collector region. Surrounding the base (drift) region in combination with the collector region, the antileakage layer serves to prevent the peripheries of the pn junction between the collector and base regions from being exposed at the side surfaces of the IGBT chip. Current leakage from the side surfaces was thus reduced, and the IGBT became stronger against reverse voltages.
However, this conventional remedy proved to possess its own weakness when applied to IGBTs designed to withstand as high a voltage as, say, 1200 volts. Such an extremely high voltage IGBT must have a base region as thick as 130 micrometers and necessitates the creation of an antileakage layer of matching depth. The creation of an antileakage layer to such a depth by diffusion was not only time-consuming but prone to give rise to crystal defects within the semiconductor substrate. Additionally, as the antileakage layer became deeper, so it also grew wider as a result of lateral diffusion that unavoidably accompanied the desired diffusion in the depth direction of the substrate, making the IGBT chip greater in overall size.
The instant applicant is aware that it has been known to create trenches between the individual devices fabricated on the semiconductor wafer and to fill the trenches with an insulator. These insulator-filled trenches are se not conducive to making the peripheries of the pn junction more resistive to voltages.
The difficulties discussed above are not limited to IGBTs. Similar problems have been encountered with other semiconductor devices such as bidirectional thyristors.

IGBT or like semiconductor device of high voltage-withstanding capability


An apparatus for online partial discharge testing includes a split-core radio-frequency current transformer sensor, an actuation subassembly, and a biasing member. The current transformer sensor has a first portion, a second portion, and a sensor hinge operably engaged between the first portion and the second portion. The actuation subassembly includes an elongate first member secured to the first portion of the current transformer sensor, a second member secured to the second portion of the current transformer sensor and configured to be movable relative to the first member, and a third member engaged with the second member and configured to translate along a length of the first member. The biasing member is configured to pivotally bias the first portion and the second portion of the current transformer sensor toward each other relative to the sensor hinge, with the biasing member secured relative to the first member.

The present invention relates to assemblies and methods for online partial discharge testing, and more particularly to assemblies and methods of installing such assemblies for conducting online partial discharge testing.
Partial discharge sensing can be used to assess the condition of power cables. More particularly, partial discharge sensing can be used to detect deterioration of insulation of power cables by detecting high frequency currents that are created by small gaps, voids, cracks or other degradation in power cable insulation. Online partial discharge sensing refers to time domain and frequency domain testing conducted on objects that remain electrically energized during testing.
Typically, a partial discharge sensing system includes a partial discharge sensor, a signal analyzer, and a signal cable for carrying electrical signals between the sensor and the signal analyzer. In order to conduct a partial discharge test, an operator positions the sensor at a test location on a power cable. Known online partial discharge testing systems utilize split-core sensors, which require the operator to clamp the split core sensor around the energized power cable. Next, the operator manually conducts a partial discharge test using the signal analyzer.
In order to conduct testing on power cables using a known split-core sensor, the operator must be in close proximity to the energized power cables and other charge-carrying components, which may be located within an enclosure that limits operator access and maneuverability. This presents a safety hazard to operators, who risk electrical shock, electrocution, arc blast, and other serious injury from such electrically energized equipment. Operators typically wear protective coverings, such as protective gloves, etc. However, even with protective coverings, it is desired to keep operators as far away from energized equipment as possible to promote operator safety. Yet connecting online partial discharge testing equipment for a distance presents numerous difficulties, including ease of use for operators wearing protective coverings (e.g., thick protective gloves that restrict manual dexterity).
Thus, an alternative online partial discharge testing assembly is desired.

Manipulation assembly for online electrical system test probe installation


Embodiments of the claimed subject matter provide a method and apparatus for virtual sectorization using an active antenna array. Embodiments of the apparatus include a transmitter for providing signals to an active antenna array. The signals cause the active antenna array to transmit a first reference signal to a first sector indicated to user equipment within the first sector by a sector identifier. The signals also cause the active antenna array to transmit a plurality of second reference signals into a corresponding plurality of second virtual sectors that overlap the first sector. The apparatus also includes a scheduler for scheduling transmission to user equipment based on feedback generated by the user equipment using the first reference signal or the second reference signals.

This application relates generally to communication systems, and, more particularly, to wireless communication systems.
Wireless communication systems typically deploy numerous base stations (or other types of wireless access points such as eNodeBs) for providing wireless connectivity to user equipment such as mobile units or other wireless-enabled devices. Each base station is responsible for providing wireless connectivity to the user equipment located in a particular cell or sector served by the base station. The air interface between the base station and the user equipment supports downlink (or forward link) channels for carrying information from the base station to the user equipment and uplink (or reverse link) channels for carrying information from the user equipment to the base station. The uplink and/or downlink channels typically include data channels for carrying data traffic such as voice information and control channels for carrying control signal such as pilot signals, synchronization signals, acknowledgment signals, and the like.
Multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) techniques may be employed when the base station and, optionally, the user equipment include multiple antennas. For example, a base station that includes multiple antennas can transmit multiple independent and distinct signals to multiple user equipment concurrently and on the same frequency band. MIMO techniques are capable of increasing the spectral efficiency (e.g., the number of bits/second/Hertz) of the wireless communication system roughly in proportion to the number of antennas available at the base station. However, the base station also requires information about the state of the downlink channel(s) to each of the user equipment to select user equipment that have approximately orthogonal downlink channels for concurrent transmission. The channel feedback may be provided by the user equipment on the reverse link, but this increases overhead associated with the MIMO transmissions, which reduces the spectral efficiency of the wireless communication system.

Virtual sectorization using an active anntenna array


Named entities are disambiguated in search queries and other contexts using a disambiguation scoring model. The scoring model is developed using a knowledge base of articles, including articles about named entities. Various aspects of the knowledge base, including article titles, redirect pages, disambiguation pages, hyperlinks, and categories, are used to develop the scoring model.

The present invention relates to information retrieval systems generally, and more particularly to disambiguation of named entities within documents and queries.
Searches for named entities are among the most common searches on the Web. These types of searches include searches for persons, places (including geographical locations as well as cities, states, countries, etc.), businesses and other organizations, products, books, movies, and so forth. Generally, a named entity is anything that has a proper noun (or noun phrase) or proper name associated with it. A search for a named entity typically returns a set of search results that have relevant information about any entity with the same name (or even a portion thereof) as the query. Thus, a query for "Long Beach" is likely to return documents about the coastal city in Long Island, N.Y. as well as documents about the coastal city in Southern California, as well as documents that are relevant to the terms "long" and "beach". Similarly, a query for "John Williams" will return documents about the composer as well as documents about the wrestler, and the venture capitalist, all of whom share this name; a query for "Python" will return documents pertaining to the programming language, as well as to the snake, and the movie. The underlying problem then is that queries for named entities are typically ambiguous, and may refer to different instances of the same class (e.g., different people with the same name), or to things in different classes (e.g., a type of snake, a programming language or a movie).
Search results for a named entity are typically ordered according to the frequency of the query terms, page rank, or other factors, without consideration of the different senses of the query (e.g., the different entities to which the name refers). The search results pertaining to the different entities tend to be mixed together. Further, even though the user is typically searching for a document (page) that best describes the named entity (or the different entities of the same name), the search results may not necessarily include or rank such a document very highly, again because the search system did not identify the different senses of the name.


The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. When a trench of a STI structure is formed, a portion of a pad nitride film on an active region is removed . Thus, formation of a moat around an upper corner portion of the trench of the STI structure is prevented. Also, the upper corner portion of the trench is rounded. Therefore, a parasitic effect, degradation in gate oxide integrity, an inverse narrow effect and a sub-threshold hump phenomenon can be prevented. Further, a breakdown phenomenon, a gate bridge phenomenon and difference in the coupling ratio between gate electrodes can be prevented.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. More particularly, the invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device capable of improving a characteristic of the device and reducing the manufacture cost, by preventing formation of a moat generating around the top corner of a trench having a STI (shallow trench isolation) structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, in order to isolate between-semiconductor devices, the semiconductor substrate is defined into an active region and a field region. Next, a semiconductor device is formed in the active region and a device isolation film for isolation the devices is formed in the field region.
A method for forming the device isolation film of the semiconductor device includes one by which a trench of a STI (shallow trench isolation) structure is formed and the device isolation film for isolating the devices is them. The method by which the trench of the STI structure is formed to isolate the devices will be described in short. A silicon substrate in the field region is etched by a depth of about 3500 xc3x85 to form the trench. A high-density plasma (HDP) oxide film is then deposited. Next, the oxide film is polished by a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process.
FIG. 1 is a TEM (transmission electron microscope) photography of the semiconductor device in which the device isolation film is formed according to a prior art.
Referring now to FIG. 1, in the conventional technology of forming the device isolation film having the STI structure, a moat (see portion xe2x80x98Mxe2x80x99 in FIG. 1) is formed at a field oxide film where the active region and the field region meet by means of a pre-cleaning process for forming a gate oxide film, a subsequent cleaning process and an etch process for the oxide film. Due to this, a parasitic effect, degradation in gate oxide integrity (GOI), an inverse narrow effect and a sub-threshold hump phenomenon occur.
Further, there are many problems in proceeding subsequent processes. If the gate oxide film is deposited, the gate oxide film at the top corner of the trench is made thin by the moat of the HDP oxide film. This may cause a breakdown when the voltage is applied to the device.
Also, after a polysilicon layer is deposited, the moat that is concaved is formed even at the polysilicon layer at the boundary of the active region and the field region. It makes it difficult to remove polysilicon at this portion. Thus, a gate bridge may be caused due to remaining polysilicon.
In addition, if the CMP process is performed with polysilicon concaved, CMP could not be performed uniformly due to the step of polysilicon. Thus, it makes it difficult to form the gate electrodes of the same shape. In case of the flash device, there is difference in the coupling ratio between the gate electrodes. Due to this, there is a problem that the characteristic of the semiconductor device is degraded.
The present invention is contrived to solve the above problems and an object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device capable of preventing generation of a moat, in such a way that a thickness of a pad oxide film is formed by minimum to an extent that stress between a semiconductor substrate and a pad nitride film is mitigated and before a HDP oxide film is deposited, a portion of the pad nitride film is etched to compensate for a portion recessed in a cleaning process.
In order to accomplish the above object, the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention, is characterized in that it comprises the steps of sequentially forming a pad oxide film, a pad nitride film and a screen oxide film on a semiconductor substrate in which an active region and a field region are defined, removing the screen oxide film and the pad nitride film formed in the field region, performing a wet etch process to remove the pad nitride film exposed at the boundary of the active region and the field region, in a lateral direction by a given width, performing a dry etch process using the screen oxide film and an etch mask to remove portions of the pad oxide film and the semiconductor substrate formed in the field region, thus forming a trench, removing the screen oxide film and the pad nitride film in the lateral direction by a given width and simultaneously removing the exposed portion of the pad oxide film, performing an oxidization process to form a rounding oxide film in the exposed portion of the semiconductor substrate, depositing a field oxide film of a thickness by which the trench is sufficiently buried and then polishing the field oxide film, and removing the pad nitride film and the pad oxide film in the active region.

Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device