In a display device, light emitting areas and colored areas each have a predetermined planar shape having no rotational symmetry so that rotation of the area by an angle greater than or equal to 0° but smaller than 360° does not produce an initial shape of the area and are so arranged as to have different types of rotation angle. The colored areas are grouped based on a set of the colored areas of colors different from one another to forma plurality of full-color pixels. The full-color pixels are so arranged that the rotation angle of the colored areas of the same color have different types. In the full-color pixels of the same type, the colored areas of the same color have the same rotation angle. In the full-color pixels of different types, the colored areas of the same color have different rotation angles.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a display device using a light emitting element, such as an organic EL (electro luminescence) element, the light emitting element is controlled by using thin film transistors. Further, it is known that the light emitting element emits white light and a color filter is used to perform full-color display (JP 2008-511100 A). The color filter typically includes a black matrix.
The pixel electrodes of the light emitting element are connected via contact holes to the thin film transistors below the co holes. Since each of the contact holes is a void, no light emitting element is allowed to be formed on the contact hole. A light emitting area therefore often has a shape that avoids the corresponding contact hole, for example, a rectangular shape with part thereof cut off. In this case, when all light emitting areas, each of which has long sides and short sides, are arranged in the same orientation, the long sides, where light intensity is higher, are undesirably aligned with one another, resulting in degradation in display characteristics. JP 2015-108751 A discloses that a plurality of light emitting areas are so arranged as to be oriented differently.
A light emitting element is formed of a plurality of layers, and in a case where any of the layers is made of a metal, external light is reflected off the surface of the metal layer or the interface between the metal layer and a layer adjacent thereto. In a case where these reflection surfaces incline or have irregularities, the reflected light is visible when the screen of a display device using the light emitting element is viewed in an oblique direction. In a case where each light emitting area of the light emitting element has a shape having horizontal and vertical lengths different from each other, the intensity of the reflected light varies depending on the direction in which the reflected light is viewed. In a case where the light emitting areas are shifted from the openings of the black matrix, the portions of the black matrix that block the light emitting areas appear to be large or small depending on the viewing direction. The external light incident on the light emitting element is reflected off the contact holes, and the direction in which intense reflected light is visible varies depending on the positions of the contact holes relative to the light emitting areas.
In particular, light emitting areas oriented differently on a color basis cause the intensity of the reflected light to vary on a color basis, resulting in a problem of different luminance and tint to be viewed depending on the viewing direction.


N-Methoxy derivatives of the sterically hindered amines 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine and 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidone are prepared from the corresponding N-oxyl hindered amine by combining hydrogen peroxide and a peroxide-decomposing transition metal salt in the presence of dimethyl sulfoxide.

When Fenton's reagent (hydrogen peroxide and a ferrous salt) is used in conjunction with a sulfoxide, .alpha.-cleavage of the sulfoxide occurs to produce carbon-centered radicals and a sulfinic acid.
The combination of H.sub.2 O.sub.2 -Fe(II) and dimethyl sulfoxide is one of the most efficient sources of the methyl radical (P. Bruni et al., Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on Organic Free Radicals; H. Fischer, H. Heimgartner, Eds., Springer-Verlag: Berlin, 1988; p. 73).
The formation of 2-methoxy- 1,1,3,3-tetramethylisoindoline from the reaction of 2-oxyl-1,1,3,3-tetramethylisoindoline with ferrous sulfate, hydrogen peroxide, and dimethyl sulfoxide has been reported (E. Rizzardo et al., Aust. J. Chem. 1982, 35, 2013).

Process for preparing N-methoxy derivatives of 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine and 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidone


A generator of time-variable magnetic fields generator for a magnetic resonance apparatus has a primary gradient coil unit for generating of a gradient magnetic field in an examination region of the magnetic resonance apparatus. The primary gradient coil unit, for accommodating at least one gradient coil conductor, has a central region, an outer region and at least one connecting region connecting the two regions. The outer region surrounds the central region. At least one intervening space is disposed between the central region and the outer region. The intervening space is free of the gradient coil conductors of the primary gradient coil unit and a radio frequency antenna element is disposed therein. Such a generator enables an effective gradient field and RF field generation in a compact design combining a gradient coil and a radio-frequency antenna.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a time-variable magnetic fields generator with a primary gradient coil unit for generation of a gradient magnetic field in an examination region of a magnetic resonance apparatus. Furthermore, the invention concerns a magnetic resonance apparatus with at least one such generator.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Magnetic resonance technology is a known technology to, among other things, acquire images of the inside of a body of an examination subject. Rapidly switched gradient magnetic fields generated by gradient coils are superimposed on an existing static basic magnetic field B0 that is generated by a basic field magnet in an examination region of the magnetic resonance apparatus (MR apparatus). To excite magnetic resonance signals, the magnetic resonance apparatus also has a radio frequency antenna (RF antenna) that radiates RF signals (known as the B1 field) into the examination subject. The resulting magnetic resonance signals can be acquired using this antenna or further local antennas and are processed into magnetic resonance images. The B1 field generally is generated by currents through a conductor.
For example, an open magnetic resonance apparatus with a C-shaped basic field magnet is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,433,550. A patient volume of the magnetic resonance apparatus, in which the basic magnetic field of the magnetic resonance apparatus is generated in an optimally homogeneous manner, is disposed in the opening of the C-shaped basic field magnet. Furthermore, two pole plates are disposed at the two ends of the C-structure on which are disposed parts of a gradient coil system fashioned essentially planar in the direction towards the patient volume. As disposed at these locations are parts of an antenna system of the magnetic resonance apparatus, which are likewise fashioned essentially planar. Gradient coils for the aforementioned gradient coil system are described in detail in German OS 40 37 894 and German OS 19544779. Actively shielded gradient coils for MR apparatuses are, for example, known from German PS 44 22 781 and German PS 44 22 782.
An antenna arrangement for a magnetic resonance apparatus in which a basic magnetic field is established between two pole plates is also known from German OS 42 32 884. A sub-antenna into which a radio frequency signal is fed is arranged at each pole plate. Each sub-antennas is formed by a closed, grounded shield facing the respective pole plate and a laminar (think, flat) conductor structure disposed at a distance from the shield and essentially parallel thereto. Furthermore, from German OS 42 32 884 ills known that with basic field magnets formed by pole plates it is attempted to keep the pole plate separation optimally small so that the weight of the basic field magnet remains small and a better basic magnetic field homogeneity is achieved. For this reason, it is advantageous to keep all internal components between the pole plates (such as the gradient coil system, the radio frequency shield and the antenna arrangement) as thin as possible. This competes with the fact that an optimally large separation of the antenna arrangement from the radio frequency shield is advantageous for a higher degree of efficiency of the specified antenna arrangement. This is particularly true given the use of the antenna arrangement to receive magnetic resonance signals.
A circular, planar radio frequency antenna for open magnetic resonance apparatuses is known from German OS 101 24 737. It has two separated systems made of planar conductors arranged on a carrier plate for intercrossing currents. For tuning to the desired resolution frequency, the conductors are capacitively shorted on at least one end by tuning capacitors connected to ground. Only one planar metal layer is arranged on each carrier plate, into which metal layer both currents, phase-offset by 90°, are fed. Tuning capacitors are arranged at the feed location and the opposite side.
Generally in magnetic resonance systems the dimension of the volume within which the homogeneous basic magnetic field B0 is homocieneous, i.e. the pole plate separation, are a primary factor in the overall apparatus cost and therefore this volume is not made any larger than necessary. Thus measures to minimally occupy the available space with internal components or to maximally use the available space for the patient for comfortable examination are advantageous.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Time-variable magnetic fields generator and magnetic resonance apparatus embodying same


An apparatus for focusing a light beam onto an object includes a directing element for directing the light beam onto the object, a first detector for detecting the light beam from the object so as to generate a focus signal representing a distance of the directing element with respect to the object. The apparatus further includes a generator for generating a reproduced signal representing the data from the focal signal generated by the first detector. An adjuster adjusts the location of the directing element with respect to the object in accordance with the envelope of the reproduced signal generated by the generator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical apparatus and, more particularly, to a data recording/reproducing apparatus for recording data on or reproducing data from an optical recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
As one type of data recording/reproducing apparatus, optical disk apparatus have been developed. A conventional optical disk apparatus records data in the form of pits along a spiral track of an optical disk by means of an optical head and reproduces the data from the pits recorded on the disk. The area between the pits is called a land portion. The optical head comprises a light source for directing a light beam to the optical disk, an objective lens and a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements for detecting reflected light from the optical disk. An output current for each of the conversion elements detected by a corresponding photoelectric element is converted to a voltage by a corresponding current-to-voltage converter. Output voltages of the current-to-voltage converters are subjected to arithmetic operations, such as addition and subtraction, to produce a focus signal, a tracking signal and a reproduced signal for recorded data. The focus signal is used for focus control which keeps the distance between the disk and the objective lens constant to correct a focus error resulting from vertical movement of the surface of the disk. The tracking signal is used for radial tracking which controls the light beam not to deviate from a track during recording or reproducing. The focus signal and tracking signal cover a frequency range of DC--20 KHz, while the reproduced signal for recorded data covers a wide range of frequencies of DC--several MHz.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,897 discloses such an optical disk apparatus.
The conventional optical disk apparatus described above has the following drawbacks.
First, irrespective of the focus control, a focus error might be caused because of an external shock or the like. Conventionally, to detect this type of focus error, a special sensor is used or an average value of output currents of the photoelectric elements is calculated. The average value of the output currents is lowered when the focus error occurs. When the special sensor is used, however, the number of parts used increases, complicating the construction of the disk device. During reproduction the average amount of the reflected light from pits of the optical disk also lowers as is the case with the focus error. Hence, the average value of the output currents of the photoelectric elements will make it difficult to discriminate between the recorded data and the focus error. As a result, the focus error cannot be detected accurately and thus the reproduction cannot be performed accurately.
To produce the focus control signal, the tracking signal and the reproduced signal, operational amplifiers are usually used as current-to-voltage converters. The use of a plurality of relatively wideband operational amplifiers would raise the total cost of the disk device.
A semiconductor laser is used as the light source of the optical head. The output level of the semiconductor laser during recording is set higher than that during reproducing. Thus, at a time of recording, a photodiode, which receives reflected light from the optical disk, will produce a larger output current. Where the output current is applied to a division circuit for normalization, therefore, the division circuit is required to have a greater dynamic range in order to perform an accurate arithmetic operation. As a result, the cost of parts will be raised.
For recording or reproducing, a desired track must be accessed by moving the light beam. To determine a distance traveled by the light beam, a track counting circuit is conventionally used to count the number of tracks which are crossed by the light beam. A narrowband tracking signal is used for counting the tracks. When the light beam crosses a track at high speed, therefore, the amplitude of the tracking signal becomes small, failing to obtain the correct count. As a result, the access operation becomes inaccurate and thus the accurate recording or reproduction cannot be attained.
In view of the foregoing an optical apparatus is desired which is low in the cost of parts and can record or reproduce data accurately.

Optical recording/reproducing focusing apparatus


The present invention is a method and apparatus to aggregate or bundle packets to optimize the resource utilization and improve the transport efficiency of packets which are transferred between various protocol layers in a communications network. One embodiment of the invention sets forth a method of aggregating packets of a first size to packets of a second size for transmission in a wireless communications network between, for example, a base station controller and base transmitting station. The method includes the steps of calculating a maximum bundling factor represented by (an IP packet MTU size at a first location minus protocol overhead) divided by an application layer packet size and determining a most efficient bundling factor in terms of packet fragments, where the most efficient bundling factor is determined by a largest packet per fragment ratio. If the number of packets to be bundled is less than or equal to the maximum bundling factor then all packets are bundled together for a next step in the transmission. If the number of packets to be bundled is greater than the maximum bundling factor, then packets are bundled according to the most efficient bundling factor for the next step in the transmission. If there are multiple bundling factors having a same bundling efficiency, a larger of the multiple bundling factors having the same bundling efficiency is selected as the most efficient bundling factor.

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary network 100 including multiple nodes is shown. The exemplary network 100 may be, for example, a radio access network for high speed wireless data applications. Typical radio access networks, like that shown in FIG. 1 include one or more Access Terminals 102 (AT), Base Stations 104 (BTS), and Base Station Controllers 106 (BSC). A PDSN 108 interfaces between the IP network and the radio access network. The BSC 106 receives data from the core network 110 and passes the data to the BTS 104 so that the BTS can transmit the data to the AT 102 over the wireless link 120. Data is communicated through the reverse direction as well and passed from AT 102 to the core network 110. In general, each node consists of multiple functional components or units, where for example, each component is responsible for providing different functions or services. For example, at a Base Station, there may be a cell radio control unit, modem card unit and radio/amplifier unit to fulfill the overall function of a base station.
To further describe the information transmission between BSC and BTS, the protocol stacks 200 between the BSC and the BTS are shown in FIG. 2. As can be seen, there are multiple layers of protocols on each node to handle the peer-to-peer communications. As shown in FIG. 2, a Traffic Processor (TP) in the BSC receives packets from core networks via the Packet data service node (PDSN). The packets entering the BSC are IP packets encapsulated with GRE (Generic Routing Encapsulation) packets. The BSC processes the GRE packets and forms RLP (Radio Link Protocol) frames. RLP frames will be further passed to lower layers of RMI, UDP or TCP, and finally be formed into an IP packet that is sent over to the cell site.
Each layer of a protocol usually defines a Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU), which is the largest frame size that can be transmitted over the physical network. Messages longer than the MTU must be divided or fragmented into smaller frames. This operation is called fragmentation. The layer 3 protocol, which is IP in this example, extracts the MTU from the layer 2 protocol (e.g., Ethernet, etc.), fragments the messages into that frame size and makes them available to the lower layer for transmission.
In the illustrated radio access network scenario of FIGS. 1 and 2, the MTU size of the IP layer at the TP is 1500-bytes. The RLP frame size, however, is only 128-bytes. To improve the transport efficiency, i.e., to transport more data with the fixed protocol header, the RMI (Remote Method Innovation) protocol can aggregate or bundle the RLP frames together to form a large RMI message. The maximum bundling factor in this example is 11 so that the RMI message can be encapsulated in an IP packet fitting in the 1500-byte size after passing through the UDP or TCP layer.
Although larger size packets are generally preferred for better transport efficiency, there are implications on other network nodes and resources when always selecting larger size packets. In the radio access network example, the Cell Radio Control (CRC) unit at a BTS, which receives IP packets from the BSC is connected to the modem cards through a bus, which is generally a high-speed serial bus transporting data between multiple devices. The MTU size of the bus is only 460-bytes. When a 1500-byte IP packet arrives at the CRC, the IP layer at the CRC has to fragment the IP packet into IP fragments of 460-bytes before sending them to the bus. Fragmentation at the CRC requires extra processing power and increases the processor occupancy. Thus, it is not always preferable to choose the largest bundling factor at the BSC in the view of processing power. Accordingly, there is a need to improve packet aggregation, so as to better utilize processing resources.

Methods and apparatus for optimum packet aggregation in a communication network


A network device may receive a request to connect to a network from a user equipment device and perform a first admission control procedure to determine whether to temporarily allow the user equipment device to connect to the network. The network device may receive information identifying a slice associated with the user equipment device in response to determining to temporarily allow the user equipment device to connect to the network. The network device may perform a second admission control procedure to determine whether to allow the user equipment device to connect to the network. The second admission control procedure is based on the slice associated with the user equipment device. The network device may allocate network resources to the user equipment device in response to determining to allow the user equipment device to connect to the network.

Admission control is performed when a device requests to join a network to ensure that network resources are sufficient before the new connection to the network is established. In some situations, it may be important to differentiate between different priorities associated with Internet of Things (IoT) devices when performing admission control. It may be necessary to differentiate types of IoT devices when performing admission control when sharing radio resources.

Service aware admission control for IoT applications


A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor layer structure that includes silicon carbide, a gate dielectric layer on the semiconductor layer structure, and a gate electrode on the gate dielectric layer opposite the semiconductor layer structure. In some embodiments, a periphery of a portion of the gate dielectric layer that underlies the gate electrode is thicker than a central portion of the gate dielectric layer, and a lower surface of the gate electrode has recessed outer edges such as rounded and/or beveled outer edges.

The Metal Insulating Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor ("MISFET") is a well-known type of semiconductor transistor that may be used as a switching device. A MISFET is a three terminal device that has gate, drain and source terminals and a semiconductor body. A source region and a drain region are formed in the semiconductor body that are separated by a channel region, and a gate electrode (which may act as the gate terminal or be electrically connected to the gate terminal) is disposed adjacent the channel region. A MISFET may be turned on or off by applying a bias voltage to the gate electrode. When a MISFET is turned on (i.e., it is in its "on-state"), current is conducted through the channel region of the MISFET between the source region and drain regions. When the bias voltage is removed from the gate electrode (or reduced below a threshold level), the current ceases to conduct through the channel region. By way of example, an n-type MISFET has n-type source and drain regions and a p-type channel. An n-type MISFET thus has an "n-p-n" design. An n-type MISFET turns on when a gate bias voltage is applied to the gate electrode that is sufficient to create a conductive n-type inversion layer in the p-type channel region that electrically connects the n-type source and drain regions, thereby allowing for majority carrier conduction therebetween.
The gate electrode of a power MISFET is typically separated from the channel region by a thin gate dielectric layer. In most cases, the gate dielectric layer is an oxide layer (e.g., a silicon oxide layer). A MISFET that has an oxide gate dielectric layer is referred to as a Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor ("MOSFET"). As oxide gate dielectric layers are almost always used due to their superior properties, the discussion herein will focus on MOSFETs as opposed to MISFETs, but it will be appreciated that the techniques according to embodiments of the present invention that are described herein are equally applicable to devices having gate dielectric layers formed with materials other than oxides.
Because the gate electrode of the MOSFET is insulated from the channel region by the gate dielectric layer, minimal gate current is required to maintain the MOSFET in its on-state or to switch a MOSFET between its on-state and its off-state. The gate current is kept small during switching because the gate forms a capacitor with the channel region. Thus, only minimal charging and discharging current is required during switching, allowing for less complex gate drive circuitry and faster switching speeds. MOSFETs may be stand-alone devices or may be combined with other circuit devices. For example, an Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor ("IGBT") is a semiconductor device that includes both a MOSFET and a Bipolar Junction Transistor ("BJT") that combines the high impedance gate electrode of the MOSFET with small on-state conduction losses that may be provided by a BJT. An IGBT may be implemented, for example, as a Darlington pair that includes a high voltage n-channel MOSFET at the input and a BJT at the output. The base current of the BJT is supplied through the channel of the MOSFET, thereby allowing a simplified external drive circuit (since the drive circuit only charges and discharges the gate electrode of the MOSFET).
There is an increasing demand for high power semiconductor switching devices that can pass large currents in their "on" state and block large voltages (e.g., thousands of volts) in their reverse blocking state. In order to support high current densities and block such high voltages, power MOSFETs and IGBTs typically have a vertical structure with the source and drain on opposite sides of a thick semiconductor layer structure in order to block higher voltage levels. In very high power applications, the semiconductor switching devices are typically formed in wide band-gap semiconductor material systems (herein, the term "wide band-gap semiconductor" encompasses any semiconductor having a band-gap of at least 1.4 eV) such as, for example, silicon carbide ("SiC"), which has a number of advantageous characteristics including, for example, a high electric field breakdown strength, high thermal conductivity, high electron mobility, high melting point and high-saturated electron drift velocity. Relative to devices formed using other semiconductor materials such as, for example, silicon, electronic devices formed using silicon carbide may have the capability of operating at higher temperatures, at high power densities, at higher speeds, at higher power levels and/or under high radiation densities.
One failure mechanism for a power MOSFET is so-called "breakdown" of the gate oxide layer. When power MOSFETs are in their conducting or "on" state, the gate oxide layer is subjected to high electric fields. The stress on the gate oxide layer caused by these electric fields generates defects in the oxide material that build up over time. When the concentration of defects reaches a critical value, a so-called "percolation path" may be created through the gate oxide layer that electrically connects the gate electrode to the source region underlying semiconductor layer structure, thereby short-circuiting the gate electrode and the source region, which can destroy the device. The "lifetime" of a gate oxide layer (i.e., how long the device can be operated before breakdown occurs) is a function of, among other things, the magnitude of the electric field that the gate oxide layer is subjected to and the length of time for which the electric field is applied. FIG. 1 is a schematic graph illustrating the relationship between the operating time until breakdown occurs (the "gate oxide lifetime") and the level of the electric field applied to the gate oxide layer. This graph assumes that the same electric field is always applied (which is not necessarily the case), and assumes a gate oxide layer having a certain thickness. As shown in FIG. 1, the relationship may, in some cases, be generally linear when the gate oxide lifetime is plotted on a logarithmic scale. The important point to take from FIG. 1 is that as the electric field level is increased, the lifetime of the gate oxide layer decreases exponentially. The lifetime of the gate oxide layer may be increased by increasing the thickness of the gate oxide layer, but the performance of the MOSFET also is a function of the thickness of the gate oxide layer and thus increasing the thickness of the gate oxide layer is typically not an acceptable way of increasing the lifetime of the gate oxide layer.
FIG. 2A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a conventional silicon power MOSFET 100. As shown in FIG. 2A, the MOSFET 100 includes an n-type silicon substrate 110. A lightly-doped n-type (n−) silicon drift layer 120 is provided on the silicon substrate 110. Regions referred to as "wells" or "p-wells" 130 that have p-type conductivity are formed in upper portions of the n-type silicon drift layer 120. The p-wells 130 may be formed, for example, by counter-doping portions of the n-type silicon drift layer 120 with p-type dopants. Heavily-doped (n+) n-type silicon source regions 140 are provided in upper portions of the p-wells 130. The n-type source regions 140 may be formed by counter-doping portions of the p-wells 130 with n-type dopants. The drift layer 120 and the substrate 110 together act as a common drain region for the device 100. The substrate 110, drift layer 120, p-wells 130, and source regions 140 together comprise a semiconductor layer structure 150 of the MOSFET 100. A silicon dioxide (SiO2) gate oxide layer 160 is provided on the upper surface of the semiconductor layer structure 150. A gate electrode 170 is provided on the gate oxide layer 160 opposite the semiconductor layer structure 150. A dielectric isolation pattern 180 is formed on the gate electrode 170, and source metallization 190 is formed on the dielectric isolation pattern 180 and on the exposed source regions 140. A drain contact (not shown) is typically provided on the lower surface of the substrate 110, opposite the drift layer 120.
FIG. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view of another conventional silicon MOSFET 100′ in which an oxidation anneal is performed after a gate electrode layer is patterned to form the gate electrode (the gate dielectric layer 160 may or may not also be patterned). Prior to the oxidation anneal, MOSFET 100′ has source regions 140, a gate oxide layer 160 and a gate electrode 170 that are identical to the source regions 140, gate oxide layer 160 and gate electrode 170 of MOSFET 100. The gate oxidation anneal converts the source regions 140, gate oxide layer 160 and gate electrode 170 into source regions 140′, a gate oxide layer 160′ and a gate electrode 170′, as explained below.
The oxidation anneal is performed after the gate oxide layer 160 and the gate electrode 170 (see FIG. 2A) are formed but prior to formation of the dielectric isolation pattern 180. The oxidation anneal oxidizes exposed silicon surfaces, and hence converts exposed regions of the silicon gate electrode 170 to silicon oxide, converting the gate electrode 170 into a gate electrode 170′. The gate electrode 170′ is smaller in size than gate electrode 170 (since a portion of gate electrode 170 is converted to silicon oxide) and the conversion forms a silicon oxide pattern 172 on the top surface and sidewalls of gate electrode 170′. Note that the heaviest oxidation occurs at the top corner regions since at the corners two sides are exposed allowing for increased oxidation. As can also be seen in FIG. 2B, the interface between the gate oxide layer 160 and the gate electrode 170 also provides a favorable oxidation path, so that the lower surface of the gate electrode 170′ is also oxidized around its periphery, with the amount of the lower surface that is oxidized decreasing with increasing distance from the lower corners of the gate electrode 170′. The portion of the lower surface of gate electrode 170 that is converted to silicon oxide effectively becomes part of the gate oxide layer 160 to provide the gate oxide layer 160′. Thus, the oxidation acts to reduce the size of the gate electrode 170 (thereby forming gate electrode 170′) and increases the thickness of the outer portion of the gate oxide layer 160 (thereby forming gate oxide layer 160′).
A similar phenomenon occurs at the interface between the lower surface of the gate oxide layer 160 and the source regions 140, where the silicon source regions 140 are oxidized so that the gate oxide layer 160 effectively "grows" into the semiconductor layer structure 150 to form source regions 140′). Once again, the amount that the source regions 140 oxidize decreases with increasing distance from the outer edges of gate oxide layer 160. The result is that the outer portions of gate oxide layer 160′ are thicker than a central portion of gate oxide layer 160′, with the thickness tapering from each end toward the central portion. The central portion has a constant thickness. The thickened outer regions of the gate oxide layer 160′ may improve the breakdown performance of MOSFET 100′.

Semiconductor power devices having gate dielectric layers with improved breakdown characteristics and methods of forming such devices


A wind park and operating method thereof. The wind park includes at least two wind energy systems each comprising a generator and converter for generating electrical energy and a control system, a park master designed for active and idle power control that transmits a control signal for idle power via a communications network to the wind energy systems, and a connection network feeding generated electrical energy into a grid. The wind energy system can include an idle power regulator and a supplementary regulator, the control signals of each of which are linked together. Thus, a combination of idle power and voltage regulation is achieved that combines the advantages of each. Accordingly, the wind park can have high dynamic and stability notwithstanding erratic changes in the grid.

The behavior of wind farms when connected to the electrical grid system is becoming increasingly important for operation of wind farms. Because of the increasing number and size of the wind farms, they can and must make their contribution to ensuring the stability of the grid system. The important factors from the point of view of the grid system operators are not only the compensated feeding of real power, but there are additionally also requirements relating to the feeding of wattless component, in order to make it possible to comply with specific tolerance limits for the emitted voltage. The latter is particularly important in the case of wind farms which are connected to the medium-voltage grid system. This is because, in these grid systems, changes in the voltage level of individual points, such as the feed point of a large wind farm, due to the network structure, can lead to influences on the primary routes and directions in which the electrical power flows. It is also known for it to be highly important to feed in wattless components in order to support the voltage level. This is the case in particular in the event of a voltage dip.
The capability of wind farms with modern wind energy installations fitted with converters to feed both real power and a wattless component is therefore of major importance. One requirement is that specific nominal-value requirements must be complied with for the wattless component (irrespective of whether this relates to a direct requirement for the wattless component or the power factor), and frequently for the nominal voltage as well, with respect to a junction point between the wind farm and the grid system. The farm master uses these nominal value requirements to determine appropriate control signals for the individual wind energy installations in the wind farm. In doing so, it is necessary to remember that the wind energy installations in a wind farm do not necessarily all need to be identical, and that, particularly in spatially extended wind farms, they are frequently also connected via long lines with different capacitance and resistance characteristics. In order to counteract the delay effect associated with this, attempts have been made to transmit requirements for the voltage to be emitted by the wind energy installations, rather than wattless-component nominal values, to the wind energy installations, in which case the wind energy installations regulate this in accordance with the requirement by means of a local voltage regulator (DE-A-102004048339). This concept offers the advantage of rapid transmission, even when the transmission speed in the communication network is limited. However, it has disadvantageously been found that implementation can be difficult, particularly in the case of wind farms having wind energy installations of a different type or from different manufacturers. This applies in particular to retrofitting. It is also known for a dedicated wattless-component nominal value to be preset for each of the individual wind energy installations (WO-A-01/73518). One disadvantage of this concept is that, when the wattless component (or the power factor or the angle) of the individual wind energy installations is preset directly by the farm master, the limited transmission speeds in the communication network for the wind farm can result in delays, leading to delayed readjustment and thus to a poor response to rapid changes.

Wind park with voltage regulation of the wind energy systems and operating method


Described are passenger seats comprising a seat back support and a neck support structure comprising a headrest coupled to the seat back support and at least one wing pivotally coupled to the headrest, wherein the at least one wing is configured to rotate downwardly from a stowed position to a first deployed position and the at least one wing is also configured to rotate laterally from the stowed position to a second deployed position. The neck support structure may comprise a first wing and a second wing. A cover may be removably coupled to the at least one wing. The at least one wing may be formed from a flexible material.

In various modes of transportation, a passenger may be subjected to a passenger seat for various lengths of time. In airline travel, for example, it is not uncommon for a passenger to be seated in a passenger seat for multiple hours. During such time, it is beneficial to the passenger's overall health if the passenger's neck and head are properly supported.
Traditional passenger seats, with fixed orientation positions, cannot be adequately adjusted to provide each passenger with the head or neck support (or comfort level) that he or she requires. As a result, passengers typically bring personal items, such as pillows and blankets, on board to achieve such support. These items may be quite cumbersome, however, and typically intrude into the personal space of another passenger.
Thus, it may be desirable to provide passenger seats with easily adjustable structures to support each passenger's neck and/or head, while eliminating the need of personal items to achieve a similar result.


A hybrid driving force transmission device is provided with a multiple-plate dry clutch, a piston, a piston arm, a return spring, bellows elastic seal components and an arm fixing plate. The return spring applies biasing force to the piston arm in the release direction of the clutch, during the release period of the multiple-plate dry clutch. The bellows elastic seal member is secured or maintained in a position on the side wall of a clutch drum and seals a through hole and arm distal end from the clutch chamber, and undergoes an elastic deformation following the stroke movement of the arm distal end. The arm fixing plate is integrally provided with the bellows elastic seal member, is fixed to the arm distal end, and when the multiple-plate dry clutch is engaged, is configured to contact the clutch plate for transferring the clutch engagement force.

Conventionally, in a hybrid drive force transmission device in which a dry clutch for selectively connecting and disconnecting driving force transmission is arranged in a clutch chamber that is partitioned by a partitioning seal, the partitioning seal structure with a resilient or elastic seal member and a transfer plate is known. See, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2010-151313.
The elastic seal member is positioned and fixed to a side wall of the clutch drum and is deformed to follow the stroke motion of the distal end portion of a piston arm. A transfer plate is provided integrally with the elastic sealing member, and at the engagement of the dry clutch, the transfer plate is brought into contact with a clutch plate to transmit clutch engagement force.
However, the conventional hybrid drive force transmission device of the prior art is configured to allow the transfer plate to make a surface contact with a front end surface of the front end of piston arm with the transfer plate and give the biasing force of a return spring to the piston arm only. Therefore, in the transition period of clutch release in which the dry clutch shifts from the engagement state to the release or open state, when the transfer plate is being in close contact with the clutch plate, the piston arm may be urged to retreat for a backward stroke prior to the transfer plate by the urging force of the return spring. In this instance, until the transfer plate has left the clutch plate, the problem of delay in clutch release response was encountered.
Further, in the open state of the dry clutch, the biasing force by the return spring is applied only to the piston arm, and the transfer plate is only elastically supported by the elastic seal member. Therefore, there is a problem that, when there is vibration input and the like to the transfer plate, the transfer plates vibrates along the input direction to contact the clutch plate thereby reducing the gap between clutch plates with causing the occurrence of drag between the clutch plates.


Solid freeform fabrication (SFF) systems for producing a three-dimensional object and methods of producing three-dimensional objects are disclosed. The SFF system includes a dispensing system and a curing system. The dispensing system is adapted to dispense a radiation initiator and a build material. The radiation initiator and the build material are stored separately in the dispensing system and are dispensed separately. The curing system cures the radiation initiator and the build material after each has been dispensed.

Solid freeform fabrication (SFF) or layer manufacturing (LM) is a fabrication technology that builds an object of any complex shape layer by layer or point by point without using a pre-shaped tool (die or mold). This process begins with creating a Computer Aided Design (CAD) file to represent the geometry of a desired object. SFF technology enables direct translation of the CAD image data into a three-dimensional object. SFF technology can be used in applications such as verifying CAD database, evaluating design feasibility, testing part functionality, assessing aesthetics, checking ergonomics of design, aiding in tool and fixture design, creating conceptual models and sales/marketing tools, generating patterns for investment casting, reducing or eliminating engineering changes in production, and providing small production runs.
One SFF technique involves adding or depositing a build composition to form predetermined areas of a layer essentially point-by-point; but a multiplicity of points may be deposited at the same time in some techniques (e.g., ink-jet technology). These predetermined areas together constitute a thin section of a three-dimensional object as defined by a CAD geometry. Successive layers are then deposited in a predetermined sequence with a layer being affixed to its adjacent layers forming an integral three dimensional, multi-layer object.
Typically, an SFF system includes a dispensing system such as an ink-jet dispensing system, a curing system, and a build platform. The build composition is stored within a compartment of the ink-jet dispensing system as a mixture of an initiator and a build material. The build composition is dispensed (i.e., jetted) onto the build platform from an ink-jet printhead of the ink-jet dispensing system.
Currently, the build compositions used in the SFF processes are limited to low viscosity materials (i.e., typically lower than 20 centipoise (cps) for good jetting) so that the build composition can be accurately dispensed. Viscosity is an important parameter for dispensing materials because materials having a high viscosity are difficult to dispense. One way to overcome problems associated with viscosity is to increase the dispensing temperature of the material. However, some of these build compositions degrade at the higher temperatures. In addition, heating the build compositions may initiate polymerization of the build composition prior to being dispensed. Therefore, build compositions with high viscosities that are unstable at higher jetting temperatures cannot be used.

Systems and methods for using multi-part curable materials

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A method, an apparatus, and a system for cross-platform conference convergence are disclosed in embodiments of the present invention, where implementation of the method includes: receiving, after attending a first conference, an INVITE request sent by a first application server, where the INVITE request is a request for inviting a second terminal served by a second application server to attend a first conference; sending an invitation call to the second application server to request creating a second conference; and sending, after receiving conference creation success information sent by the second application server, an invitation to the second application server to invite the second terminal to attend the second conference. Usage of a private line between an enterprise and an operator can be eliminated in the entire implementation process.

Conference services exist in multiple topologies. Different topologies, that is, different networks, may be called a heterogeneous network to each other, such as a local area network inside an enterprise, and a telephony network on the side of an operator. Generally, an enterprise constructs a conference system in an Internet Protocol (IP) network environment of the enterprise. IP terminals of the enterprise, for example, personal computer (PC) terminals, may directly access a conference platform in an IP network of the enterprise. A conference system constructed by an operator, however, may provide conference services toward all network forms, allowing access of terminals in a circuit switched domain, such as mobile phones and fixed-line phones.
The demands for access to the conference system of the enterprise still exist, when an employee of the enterprise is out of the enterprise, for example, on a business trip. Usually, the employee of the enterprise accesses the conference system of the enterprise by means of a mobile phone, a fixed-line phone, and the like. Using this means requires that the enterprise lease a private line from the operator, so as to support access of terminals (mobile phones and fixed-line phones). When the enterprise initiates an outgoing call to the mobile phone or the fixed-line phone of the employee by leasing a private line from the operator, the conference system of the enterprise directly initiates a call to the mobile phone or the fixed-line phone of the employee, the call from the conference system of the enterprise to the mobile phone is routed to a circuit switched domain network of the operator by using the private line, and then the circuit switched domain network calls the mobile phone. When the employee actively attends a conference by using the mobile phone, the operator needs to configure a number for the private line of the enterprise. When the mobile phone calls the conference system of the enterprise, the circuit switched domain network routes the call of the mobile phone to the conference system by using the private line leased by the enterprise.
In the conventional art, however, access of each terminal requires a private line channel, resulting in high cost for maintaining private lines between the enterprise and the operator, thereby unfavorable to popularization. Furthermore, resources of private lines are wasted because diversified types of terminals require that a private line provides a function of routing to the networks of all operators.

Method, apparatus, and system for cross-platform conference convergence


The present invention is a method for manufacturing inflatable bladders for use in articles of manufacture. The method includes the steps of providing a first polymer film, applying a curable release coating to the polymer film in a pattern that corresponds to the configuration of the inflatable bladder, curing the release coating to the first polymer film, providing a second polymer film with the first polymer film to form a layered element such that the release coating is disposed between the polymer films, positioning the layered element between two plies of material, applying heat and pressure to adhere the polymer films together except in the area where the release coating has been applied to form an inflatable compartment surrounded by a sealed perimeter, and removing the plies of material from the adhered first and second polymer films.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods for manufacturing inflatable bladders and also to inflatable bladders and footwear and other articles of manufacture which include such inflatable bladders.
2. Background Art
Inflatable articles of manufacture or bladders for use in inflatable articles of manufacture have been known for decades. Such articles of manufacture include inflatable air mattresses and pillows, inflatable life preservers and rafts, and athletic equipment. In the field of athletic equipment, inflatable bladders have been incorporated in the interior of balls (e.g., basketballs, footballs, soccer balls, etc.), as well as in apparel and protective equipment such as baseball and boxing gloves, helmets, chest protectors and footwear. When utilized in footwear, an inflatable bladder may be used to provide customized cushioning to the wearer's foot and to enhance fit. In some instances, an inflatable bladder may take the place of a lacing system to secure the shoe to the foot of the wearer. Inflatable bladders may also be used in the sole of a shoe to provide cushioning to the bottom of the wearer's foot and to absorb impact forces from walking, running and jumping.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,278,445 discloses a Shoe Having an Inflatable Bladder, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,599 to Cohen et al. (the '599 patent) discloses an athletic shoe having an inflatable bladder. This patent discloses a variety of inflatable bladder configurations for use in the tongue, on lateral and medial sides, around the ankles, beneath the foot, or in the entirety of the shoe. The bladder of the patent is formed from a first thermoplastic urethane (TPU) film and a co-extensive second TPU film. The first and second films are attached to each other along pre-defined weld or pattern lines. A peripheral weld line of the bladder creates a sealed bladder compartment or chamber and prevents air from escaping from the bladder. The first and second films are further attached to each other at a number of circular points or interior weld lines to control the thickness of the bladder to prevent undesired "bulging", which could cause discomfort to the wearer or inhibit proper fit.
The first and second films of the bladder of the '599 patent are welded together using radio frequency (RF) or dielectric welding. RF or dielectric welding uses high frequency radio energy to agitate the molecules of thermoplastic materials to a point where they melt and weld together to form a strong bond. To weld the bladder of the '599 patent, the coextensive films are placed between a brass die (having raised areas representing the desired peripheral, circular and interior weld lines) and a platten on an RF machine. After bringing the brass die and RF platten into contact with each other, the RF machine is activated and the first and second films are bonded to each other only at the raised areas on the brass die to form the peripheral, circular and interior weld lines. Upon completion of the welding step, the inflatable bladder is die-cut from the remainder of the coextensive first and second films and assembled into the shoe as appropriate by adhesives, conventional stitching or other fastening means. The first and second films of the '599 patent may also be adhered to each other by conventionally heated and appropriately patterned brass dies or by application of chemical adhesives or bonding agents suitable for use with thermoplastic films.
The patent further discloses inflation of the bladder by a pump permanently affixed to the bladder using the RF welding technique described above or any other sealing method appropriate for use with the films thereof. Alternatively, the bladder may be inflated by an off-board pump connectable to an inflation/deflation valve, also affixed to the bladder in a location easily accessed by the wearer. Other pumps and valves, suitable for use with inflatable bladders for footwear, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,074,765 and 5,144,708.
While manufacture of an inflatable bladder using RF welding requires no adhesives or additional materials and has the advantages of precise patterning, decreased heat-degradation in areas of the film adjacent to weld lines and strength of seal, it is costly and time consuming to machine or chemically etch the brass dies for the inflatable bladder patterns, particularly where an article of manufacture is produced in a large range of sizes and in multiple configurations. Conventionally heated brass dies are also expensive to machine, while chemical adhesion is messy and requires cure time in controlled environments. Moreover, RF welding techniques are extremely sensitive, require that the films be sufficiently thick to prevent excessive melting of the film (which could cause a breach of the bladder), and often result in finished bladders that "curl" along their edges (which can complicate their assembly into articles of manufacture such as footwear).
Thus, it is desirable to provide a method for manufacturing inflatable bladders for use in footwear and other articles which is relatively inexpensive, time efficient and allows for the manufacture of a variety of bladder configurations and sizes, utilizing a process and materials resulting in little to no interruption or delay in the manufacturing process.

Method for manufacturing inflatable bladders for use in footwear and other articles of manufacture


A gas supply apparatus of the present invention includes a gas discharge line of a first electromagnetic valve having s a switching valve placed therein, and a second electromagnetic valve placed between the switching valve and a gas supply source. The switching valve switches between a gas discharge from the first electromagnetic valve and a gas supply to the first electromagnetic valve. At the time of a normal operation, the second electromagnetic valve opens a gas discharge line side and closes a switching valve side, and when the power source is lost, the second electromagnetic valve opens the switching valve side and closes the gas discharge line side. In this way, even when the power source is lost, an operating valve can not only be operated remotely but also be operated safely by a remote operator.

(Field of the Invention)
The present invention relates to a gas supply apparatus and an air or nitrogen supply apparatus of a nuclear plant. The present invention relates to a gas supply apparatus suitable for a part provided with an electromagnetic valve placed in the middle of a piping so as to switch between an operation of opening a valve and an operation of closing the valve, for example, an air-operated valve placed in the nuclear plant and an air or nitrogen supply apparatus of a nuclear plant.
(Description of Related Art)
Various kinds of plants including a nuclear power plant are installed with piping for letting gas such as air, nitrogen, or steam and liquid such as water flow. The piping is provided with electrically operated valves and air or nitrogen operated valves which are operated by electricity or compressed air or compressed nitrogen activated by an opening operation for letting fluid in the piping flow or a closing operation for stopping the flow or by an electric signal or an air pressure signal to thereby control flow and pressure.
In particular, as to the air or nitrogen operated valve placed in the nuclear plant, in order to switch between an operation of opening a valve and an operation of closing the valve, an electromagnetic valve is placed in the middle of an air or nitrogen piping system. For example, when a station blackout (SBO) is caused, the coil of the electromagnetic valve is non-excited and air or nitrogen from an air or nitrogen supply source is reduced in pressure to thereby perform a failsafe operation. However, after that, electricity cannot be supplied from a power source and the air or nitrogen cannot be supplied from the air or nitrogen supply source, so that the air or nitrogen operated valve cannot be operated, which is likely to produce a trouble in operating the air or nitrogen operated valve thereafter.
In this way, because the electricity cannot be supplied from the power source and the air or nitrogen cannot be supplied from the air or nitrogen supply source, there is a possibility that the air or nitrogen operated valve cannot be operated. Hence, it is required to provide an apparatus that can be safely operated remotely even at the time of an emergency (for example, when the SBO is caused) and that does not perform an incorrect operation (an unintended operation) at the time of a normal operation (when the power source is secured and a normal operation is performed or during a normal standby).
On the other hand, a technique that can safely process hydrogen to prevent hydrogen explosion and prevent a nuclear reactor building from being broken even in a case in which the SBO is caused and in which the hydrogen generated in a reactor pressure vessel leaks to the inside of the nuclear reactor building is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-230058 (Patent Document 1).

Gas supply apparatus and air or nitrogen supply apparatus of nuclear plant


This invention discloses improved single antenna interference cancellation (SAIC) receivers utilizing joint channel estimation for suppression of interference of co-channel signals. This invention describes the technique to perform joint channel estimation for either synchronous or asynchronous co-channel signals without a prior knowledge of the interfering training sequence or its timing position. The invented joint channel estimation can require initial detection of the desired signal and can be implemented as a multistage equalization structure.

Mobile terminals using cellular networks often experience interference from various sources or due to various causes, such as interference caused by the same signal arriving at the mobile terminal at slightly different times after having propagated along different paths, i.e. so-called multi-path interference. As well-known, it is often possible to cancel interfering signals at a receiver, and the prior art teaches various methods of interference cancellation (IC), both at mobile terminals and at base stations. Mobile terminals often implement so-called single antenna interference cancellation (SAIC) algorithms, since physical constraints make it difficult to use more than one antenna in providing IC.
According to the prior art, conventional single signal channel estimation methods in SAIC receivers suffer significantly in the presence of co-channel interference. It is known that the joint channel estimation technique provides much better estimates since it also takes the interfering signal into account. However, it requires known overlapping bit sequences of the desired and interfering signals. This can be guaranteed by synchronized base stations so that the delay offset at the mobile receiver is no more than a few symbols. Moreover, separate known training sequences for the co-channel signals are required. Thus the prior art does not teach how to use joint channel estimation if the interfering training sequences are unknown or if the co-channel signals are asynchronous. Using joint channel estimation with these types of signals is needed for improving interfering signal suppression and for expanding SAIC receivers to multistage equalization structures.

Joint channel estimator for synchronous and asynchronous interference suppression in SAIC receiver


Image sensing devices are disclosed. An image sensing device includes a first pixel group including a plurality of first image sensing pixels to convert light into electrical charges and a first conversion gain transistor coupled to the plurality of first image sensing pixels, a second pixel group including a plurality of second image sensing pixels to convert light into electrical charges and a second conversion gain transistor coupled to the plurality of second image sensing pixels, the second pixel group disposed adjacent to the first pixel group, and a conversion gain capacitor to electrically couple the first conversion gain transistor to the second conversion gain transistor to provide a capacitance to the first and second image sensing pixels. The conversion gain capacitor comprises a first conductive line to include a region having a ring type shape and a second conductive line disposed adjacent to the first conductive line.

An image sensing device is a device for converting an optical image into an electrical signal. As the computer and communication industries are recently advanced, a demand for an image sensing device having improved performance is increasing in fields, such as a smartphone, a digital camera, a camcorder, a personal communication system (PCS), a game machine, a camera for security, a medical micro camera, a robot industry and an infrared sensing device.
CMOS image sensing device has advantages in that the sensing device can be easily reduced in size because it can be driven in a simple way and integrated in a single chip and that the sensing device has very low consumption power due to a high degree of integration thereof. Furthermore, the CMOS image sensing device is recently widely used because it can be fabricated using the CMOS process technology and has a low manufacturing unit cost.

Image sensing device including conversion gain capacitor


A vehicle body has an underbody structure and an auxiliary frame fastened thereto, which supports components of a wheel axis of the vehicle. The auxiliary frame is connected to the underbody structure without interposition of elastomer bearings or the like by use of several adhesive beads. The adhesive beads are configured not only with regard to a connection that meets mechanical requirements, but in particular with regard to the thickness the adhesive beads are also configured for acoustic insulation. The auxiliary frame is additionally supported on a securing structure provided below the auxiliary frame with the interposition of an acoustic insulation layer. The securing structure is connected to the underbody structure in a force-fit or material fit manner. In the receiving area of the auxiliary frame, the underbody structure can be configured with a trough-shape having lead-in chamfers for the auxiliary frame, wherein, in a way, the securing structure constitutes a cover for the receiving trough of the underbody structure.

The invention relates to a vehicle body having an underbody structure and an auxiliary frame which is fastened to the latter and bears components of a wheel axle of the vehicle. With regard to the prior art, reference is made by way of example to DE 10 2011 051 481 A1, in addition to WO 00/66417.
Two-track motor vehicles customarily have axle supports (=auxiliary frame), to which the wheel-guiding links and/or further elements of the respective vehicle axle are fastened. A precise and defined guidance of the wheels with realization of special kinematic and elastokinematic variables is crucial here for a good driving performance of the vehicle. In the case of modern and high-quality axles, a large portion of the development work is focused on the optimum resolution of the conflict of objectives between traveling comfort and precise wheel guidance. An essential step here is the acoustic insulation of the structure-borne sound transmission between the wheels or a transmission mounted in the axle support and the body via rubber bearings (=elastomer bearings), preferably via a multiply elastic mounting. In physical terms, the jump from a structure, for example the underbody structure, to the elastomer material of the rubber bearing constitutes a massive jump in rigidity, and this large jump in impedance causes structure-borne sound reflection and therefore only a small portion of the sound energy is transmitted. The wheel-guiding links are mounted elastically with coordinated elastokinematics on the auxiliary frame and the auxiliary frame is customarily mounted elastically on the underbody structure of the vehicle in order to reduce the structure-borne sound transmission or to obtain a defined load introduction. According to the prior art, the rubber bearing/elastomer bearings are mostly screwed or pressed in in the form of rubber/metal connections.
In recent times, use has increasingly been made of fiber composite materials. Even in the case of such auxiliary frames for example of CFRP, the above-described function of the rubber bearings is required. The joining of rubber bearings (for example via screwing or pressing in) causes a punctiform introduction of force into the structure or underbody structure and direct screwing to or on a fiber composite matrix is mostly not possible because of the settling behavior. Use is therefore customarily made of inserts made from metal in order to realize screw connections and to permit force to be introduced into the fibers; the joining or connecting technique for the rubber bearings results in technically complicated constructions.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a measure for remedying the above described problems.
The achievement of this object, for a vehicle body having an underbody structure and an auxiliary frame which is fastened to the latter and bears components of a wheel axle of the vehicle, is characterized in that the auxiliary frame is connected to the underbody structure without the interconnection of elastomer bearings or the like via a plurality of adhesive beads. The adhesive beads are configured not only in respect of a connection which satisfies the mechanical requirements, but, in particular in respect of the thickness thereof, also with regard to acoustic insulation. The auxiliary frame is supported, with the interposition of an acoustic insulating layer, on a securing structure provided below the auxiliary frame, which securing structure is connected to the underbody structure non-positively or in an integrally bonded manner. Advantageous embodiments and developments are further described herein.
It is therefore proposed no longer to fasten a chassis auxiliary frame to the vehicle body or to the underbody structure thereof as customary via rubber bearings or the like by means of screws, but rather to adhesively bond the auxiliary frame to the underbody structure, wherein adhesive beads which are suitable and are sufficiently thick or high—in respect of a joining gap between the auxiliary frame and the underbody structure—are provided as an accumulation of a suitable adhesive. These adhesive beads not only produce the mechanical connection, but also represent the acoustic insulating function of the hitherto customary rubber bearings. Such adhesive beads can be designed in a similar manner to the adhesive beads for adhesively bonding windows in vehicle bodies, wherein use may be made of a similar adhesive material as in the adhesive bonding of windows, or of other suitable adhesive materials. The adhesive material which is used in the Applicant's production vehicle with the model designation "i3" for the adhesive bonding of the "drive module" (="undercarriage") to the "life module" (="vehicle body") may be mentioned as an example of another such adhesive material. However, according to the invention, the auxiliary frame is not fastened solely by use of adhesive beads between the auxiliary frame and the underbody structure, but rather an additional securing structure is provided, on which the auxiliary frame is downwardly supported, i.e. in proportion with the gravity thereof—namely in addition to the previously mentioned adhesive beads—with the interposition of an acoustic insulating layer which, furthermore, can likewise be designed in the form of one or more such adhesive beads. For safety reasons, the securing structure is fastened to the underbody structure of the vehicle body in an integrally bonded manner (for example by welding) and/or non-positively (preferably via screw connections).
In this connection, it should be expressly emphasized that the present invention is in no way restricted to the use of fiber-reinforced plastics for the body or underbody structure and/or the auxiliary frame; on the contrary, each of the components or parts can also be formed by suitable metallic materials. A mixed construction of the individual parts is optionally also possible in such a manner that at least one of the contact surfaces of the auxiliary frame or of the underbody structure is formed by fiber-reinforced plastic with an adhesive bead.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Vehicle body having an underbody structure and an auxiliary frame fastened thereto

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


A pneumatic tire for passenger cars comprises bead cores, a carcass layer, a tread portion, and side wall portions, wherein a rubber reinforcing layer having a crescent-shaped cross-section and at least one sheet of a rubber-filament fiber composite having a thickness measured under a pressure of 20 g/cm.sup.2 of 0.05 to 2.0 mm which is formed from a rubber component and filaments having a diameter or a maximum cross-sectional dimension of 0.0001 to 0.1 mm and a length of 8 mm or more are disposed in said side wall portions. Reinforcing cords of carcass plies are made of an aliphatic polyamide fiber having a melting point of 250.degree. C. or higher.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire for passenger cars, and more particularly to a pneumatic tire for passenger cars which has excellent durability and can be safely used even when the internal pressure of the tire is reduced.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cords of aliphatic polyamide fibers such as nylon 66 fiber are frequently used as reinforcing cords for tires because of their high strength and excellent resistance to wear. However, these cords do not always give satisfactory results when they are used for pneumatic tires as passenger cars.
Pneumatic tires for passenger cars have been improved remarkably in recent years by the use of cords of polyester fibers which show excellent dimensional stability and have high strength in place of the above fibers for reinforcement of the tires.
Among the polyester fibers, polyethylene terephthalate fibers (PET) are generally used as the reinforcing material for rubber such as tire cords because PET has a Young's modulus higher than that of nylon 66 fiber and about the same as that of rayon and shows a better balance of physical properties than other fiber materials.
However, PET exhibits inferior dimensional stability under heating because of a decrease in the Young's modulus although PET has a relatively high Young's modulus at room temperature. Therefore, in spite of the high Young's modulus, PET manufactured to suit industrial applications such as the reinforcement of rubber has a drawback in that the Young's modulus decreases under heating to about the same value as that of general use PET used for clothing.
Polyethylene naphthalate fibers (PEN) stretched sufficiently by a heat treatment show a Young's modulus almost twice that of PET at room temperature. Moreover, PEN has a Young's modulus as high as 100 g/d or more at 100.degree. C. or higher and exhibits excellent dimensional stability under heating such as a dry heat shrinkage of 2% or less at 150.degree. C. Therefore, the application of PEN as the reinforcing material of rubber such as tire cords has been attempted.
However, heat buildup inside a tire is extremely large when the tire is used with a lower internal pressure, i.e., under so-called run-flat conditions. Therefore, adhesion at high temperatures is not sufficient even when PET or PEN is used. The main cause of failure of a tire during use in a run-flat condition is separation at the interface of the PET or PEN and the adhesive layers.

Pneumatic tire for passenger cars with sidewall portions having a rubber reinforcing layer and a rubber-filament fiber composite


Provided are a method, system, and program for allocating call stack frame entries at different memory levels to functions in a program. Functions in a program accessing state information stored in call stack frame entries are processed. Call stack frame entries are allocated to the state information for each function, wherein the call stack frame entries span multiple memory levels, and wherein one function is capable of being allocated stack entries in multiple memory levels.

A program call stack provides a representation of entries in a memory device in which data may be stored. Each function in a program is associated with a frame in a call stack, where the frame designates sequential entries in the call stack to store state information for the function, such as local variables, arguments, caller/callee saved registers, register spills, spilled function arguments, return values, etc. Each thread of execution has its own call stack, where a thread is an independent flow of control execution. The frame in a call stack maps to call stack frame entries in one memory device. When a function is invoked, its frame is allocated at the top of the call stack. When the function returns, the frame is de-allocated. In this way, the memory locations represented by the stack are allocated per process and generally grow down in memory. When a function is called, the state information of the calling function is preserved so that when the called function returns, the calling function can resume execution. The compiler generates code to increase the size of the stack upon entry to a function, and decreases the size of the stack upon exit from a function, as well as saving and restoring the values of registers.
Function frames are typically allocated as a single call stack frame entry (as opposed to a fixed memory location for each function frame). Furthermore, the call stack along with calling convention provides the function scope for the compiler to operate.
Certain processing devices, such as network processors, include multiple packet processors, also known as packet engines, that may reuse and execute the same code. Network processors also utilize multiple memory devices, such as a local memory, scratch memory, Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), etc. In such devices using a multi-level memory hierarchy, each memory level, i.e., device, is accessed with its own set of instructions, registers, and address space. In such network processor devices, a call stack is not used, and state information for the functions called by the different packet processors are allocated to static locations in the different memory devices.

Allocating call stack frame entries at different memory levels to functions in a program


A field effect transistor is provided. The field effect transistor includes a first source/drain on a substrate, a second source/drain on the substrate, and a channel region between the first source/drain and the second source/drain. The field effect transistor further includes a metal liner on at least three sides of the first source/drain and/or the second source/drain, wherein the metal liner covers less than the full length of a sidewall of the first source/drain and/or the second source/drain. The field effect transistor further includes a metal-silicide between the metal liner and the first source/drain and/or the second source/drain, and a conductive contact on the metal liner on the first source/drain and/or the second source/drain, wherein the conductive contact is a conductive material different from the conductive material of the metal liner.

The present invention generally relates to a semiconductor contact, and more particularly to a low capacitance wrap-around contact for a source/drain.
A Field Effect Transistor (FET) typically has a source, a channel, and a drain, where current flows from the source to the drain, and a gate that controls the flow of current through the device channel. Field Effect Transistors (FETs) can have a variety of different structures, for example, FETs have been fabricated with the source, channel, and drain formed in the substrate material itself, where the current flows horizontally (i.e., in the plane of the substrate), and FinFETs have been formed with the channel extending outward from the substrate, but where the current also flows horizontally from a source to a drain. The channel for the FinFET can be an upright slab of thin rectangular silicon (Si), commonly referred to as the fin with a gate on the fin, as compared to a metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) with a single gate parallel with the plane of the substrate. Depending on the doping of the source and drain, an NFET or a PFET can be formed. Two FETs also can be coupled to form a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuit, where a p-type MOSFET and n-type MOSFET are coupled together.

Low capacitance low RC wrap-around-contact

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A power amplifying unit implemented with a power amplifying module and connectable to a transmitter/receiver of a mobile radio telephone apparatus. A DC current amplifier is connected to a control voltage terminal included in the PA module. Different voltages generated by individual power source circuits are selectively applied to the DC current amplifier. The unit is operable with any of one of various PA modules, each requiring a particular voltage to be applied to a control voltage terminal thereof.

The present invention relates to a power amplifying unit implemented with a power amplifying module and, more particularly, to a power amplifying unit connectable to a transmitter/receiver of a mobile radio telephone apparatus.
Today, a mobile radio telephone apparatus is available in a variety of configurations and has a transmitter/receiver therein. A power amplifying unit, or booster, is connected to the transmitter/receiver in order to amplify a transmission output to a desired power before radiating it via an antenna or to amplify a signal coming in through the antenna before feeding it to the receiver. In many boosters for such an application, an amplifier for amplifying a transmission output is implemented with a power amplifying module (sometimes referred to as a PA module hereinafter). A PA module contributes a great deal to the miniaturization and mass production of boosters as well as to the simplification of a heat radiation structure. Various types of PA modules are commercially available, and each has at least a control voltage terminal for receiving a control voltage from a DC current amplifier which is a control element included in the booster. Generally, the maximum control voltage that may be applied to the control voltage terminal differs from one PA module to another, depending on the circuit design and the kind of transistors and other elements used. On the other hand, a power source voltage applied to the DC current amplifier is usually a fixed voltage. Hence, the PA module usable with the power amplifying unit or booster is limited to a particular type which allows the fixed voltage to coincide with the maximum control voltage.

Power amplifying unit using a power amplifying module


A histogram is prepared using the heights of characters in an input alphanumeric character image data set. Based on this histogram, reference line characters are detected from the character row. The upper and lower extracting ordinates of each character in the character row are obtained. Then, the average of each of the upper and lower extracting ordinates in the character row is determined as the ordinate of a reference line for the character row. Thus obtained reference line is used for character recognition.

1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to an optical character recognition system, and also to a method of setting reference lines which are useful in character recognition by an apparatus such as an OCR (Optical Character Reader) for recognizing printed alphanumeric characters.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
When alphanumeric characters printed on a paper sheet are to be recognized using an OCR, image data of the characters are first input to the OCR, and a string of character image data is isolated from the input data. Hereinafter, such a string of character image data is referred to as "a character row". Then, reference lines (generally, two reference lines) are formed in the character row.
Reference lines are virtual or assumed lines which are set in the direction of the character row so as to respectively elongate along the upper and lower extracting ordinates (or upper and lower extracting lines) of characters having neither upward projecting portions nor downward projecting portions, i.e., characters such as "a", "c", "e", "m", "n", "o", "r", "s", "u", "v" and "w". These characters are hereinafter referred to as "reference line characters".
Such reference lines are used for character recognition in order to differentiate similar characters (e.g., capital and small letters such as "S" and "s", "C and "c", etc.) or marks in the same shape but in different positions (e.g., "'" and ",", "." and ".", etc.). These similar characters or same-shaped marks can be recognized by detecting their positions relative to the reference lines.
In a conventional system of setting reference lines from a character row, coordinates of pixels which constitute the character images are first detected. Then, a histogram is prepared to obtain the frequency distribution, i.e., the number of the pixels existing along each horizontal direction. From the resulting histogram, two points at which the frequency distribution exhibits the greatest change along the vertical axis are detected. Two horizontal lines which respectively intersect these two points are determined as reference lines. In other conventional systems of setting reference lines, a histogram prepared from horizontal line segments alone (Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 64-29986) is used; a weighted histogram prepared along the horizontal axis is used; or the results of character recognition are utilized (Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 63-216189).
The conventional system utilizing a histogram prepared from the number of pixels in each horizontal direction has a drawback that, when a paper sheet is not appropriately placed in the OCR, character strings printed on the sheet are inclined with respect to a reading unit of the OCR, so that the OCR cannot detect areas between adjacent character strings. More specifically, no significant change appears along the vertical axis of the resulting histogram. Thus, reference lines cannot be accurately set.
In the conventional system utilizing the results of character recognition, the accuracy in setting reference lines depends on the accuracy in the character recognition. Thus, when characters cannot be accurately recognized, reference lines cannot be set with accuracy.


Multi-hop architectures of a wireless mesh network (WMN) compatible with the existing WiFi devices and potentially offering a much larger total capacity than a single-hop WiFi cell. The proposed architectures are scalable and do not have the hidden-terminal and the exposed-terminal problems intrinsic in a multi-hop environment that limited the space reuse efficiency of a WMN. The various disclosed architectures also support a fast and efficient location tracking scheme and can overcome the low space reuse efficiency in many of the existing WMN architectures.

The present application relates to a network architectures design, and more particularly to infrastructure wireless mesh networks with location tracking.
Background: Wireless Mesh Networks
There are two types of Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs): infrastructure and ad hoc. This application focuses on infrastructure WMNs, which most enterprise applications will be based on. FIG. 2 shows an infrastructure WMN which consists of meshed access points (APs) and clients. APs' locations are fixed (not moving), but clients are mobile. The goal of a multi-hop WMN is to extend the 802.11 wireless LAN services to a much larger area without installing LAN cabling and other network infrastructures.
Unfortunately, a WMN has an intrinsic hidden- and exposed-terminal problem in a multi-hop environment which limits the scalability of the network. The RTS (Request-To-Send)/CTS (Clear-To-Send) collision avoidance method adopted by the 802 is believed to be ineffective in a multi-hop environment. It leads to a very low space reuse factor in a multi-hop environment.
The RTS/CTS efficiency is dominated by the following parameters.                Rt; Transmission range.        Ri: Interference range: the range within which stations in receive mode will be interfered by other transmitters and thus suffer a loss.        Rs: Carrier sense range: the range within which the power from the transmitter can be sensed, indicating the busy state of the medium.
The relationship among these parameters is very complicated in real applications. For example, Ri depends on the distance between the sender and the receiver and its value varies for each transmission. The complicated relationship among these parameters explains why the RTS/CTS handshake cannot solve the hidden-terminal problem, nor the exposed-terminal problem.
FIG. 3A shows the Hidden-terminal Problem. In this example, A sends a packet to B, and C is outside the transmission range of B, but within the interference range. RTS/CTS cannot prevent a collision caused by transmissions from A and C. FIG. 3B shows the Exposed-Terminal Problem. In this example, B sends a packet to A, and later C intends to send a packet to D. Because B sends out a RTS and C receives it. So C will defer its transmission even though C can sends a packet to D which will not cause a collision (C is exposed from B—Inefficiency).
Several approaches have been proposed to improve the space re-use efficiency of the RTS/CTS scheme. One is to add two tones to the scheme—one controls transmission and one controls receiving The RTS/CTS controls both transmission and receiving channels). Another approach involves the use of power control. Yet another approach uses directional antennas, where every wireless node uses multiple antennas, each "tuned" to a specific portion (cone) of the three-dimensional space. Others have been proposed to dynamically adjust the Rs (sensing range) or Rt (transmission range). All these schemes share some common problems: (1) they add a significant complexity to the protocol, (2) it is difficult to make them compatible with 802.11 existing devices, and (3) it is unclear how effective they are in a real implementation because of the complicated relationship between Rt (transmission range), Ri (interference range) and Rs (sensing range).
Scalable Wireless Mesh Networks
The present application provides new methods to design scalable WMN networks. In various embodiments, a frequency planning scheme deploys orthogonal frequencies indefinitely for adjacent cells and consequently no interference occurs. Also, the proposed mobility tracking scheme requires no central database and can easily locate a mobile user in a network.
The disclosed inventions, in various embodiments, can provide some or all of the following advantages, among other:                Wireless Mesh Networks can avoid most of the hidden and exposed terminal problems of 802.11-based WMN networks, and offer a much higher capacity;        Wireless Mesh networks networks are compatible with existing WiFi devices.        A frequency planning scheme which generates no interference among adjacent cells.        A mobility tracking scheme does not require a central database and therefore is scalable.        The proposed architectures will not interrupt on-going flows in a network.        The proposed architectures offer transparent layer-2 interconnects and handoffs.        The proposed architectures support both unicast and broadcast, and        The proposed architectures make no assumptions about higher layers and can work with any layer-3 protocols.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology


An apparatus and method of effecting hand-off of a mobile station in a first wireless communication system, which has a first mobile switching node operable with a first base station and a second mobile switching node operable with a second base station, and a second wireless communication system, is claimed. A handoff required message is received at the first mobile switching node, and sent to a second mobile switching node. A message from the second mobile switching node is sent to request allocation for a handoff. In an embodiment, this message is sent to the VLR of the second wireless communication system. In response, a handoff request acknowledge message is received by the second mobile switching node and sent to the first mobile switching node. An initial address message is sent to initiate a circuit connection between the first mobile switching node and the second mobile switching node. Then, the call is received from the first mobile switching node.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to wireless communications. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for providing continuous connectivity as a handset moves from one base station to another.
II. Description of Related Art
Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) modulation is but one of several techniques for facilitating communications in which a large number of system user are present. Although other techniques, such as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), AM modulation schemes, such as Amplitude Companded Single Side Band (ACSSB), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and Integrated Dispatch Enhanced Network (iDEN) are also available, CDMA has significant advantages over these other modulation techniques. The use of CDMA techniques in a multiple access communication system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,307, entitled "Spread Spectrum Multiple Access Communication System Using Satellite or Terrestrial Repeaters," assigned to the present assignee, which is incorporated by reference herein. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,307, a multiple access technique is described in which a large number of mobile telephone system users, each having a transceiver, communicates through satellite repeaters or terrestrial base stations (also known as cell base stations or cell sites) using CDMA spread spectrum communication signals. In using CDMA communications, the frequency spectrum can be reused multiple times, thus preventing an increase in system user capacity. The use of CDMA techniques results in a much higher spectral efficiency than can be achieved using other multiple access techniques.
In conventional cellular telephone systems, the available frequency band is divided into channels, typically 30 KHz in bandwidth, while analog FM modulation techniques are used. The system service area is divided geographically into cells of varying size. The available frequency channels are divided into sets with each set usually containing an equal number of channels. The frequency sets are assigned to cells in such a way as to minimize the possibility of co-channel interference. For example, consider a system in which there are seven frequency sets and the cells are equal size hexagons. A frequency set used in one cell will not be used in the six nearest or surrounding neighbors of that cell. Furthermore, the frequency set in one cell will not be used in the twelve next nearest neighbors on that cell.
A more difficult situation is presented by movement of the mobile station into a cell serviced by a base station from another cellular system. A complicating factor in such intersystem handoffs is that the neighboring cellular system often has dissimilar characteristics and requirements. For example, adjacent cellular systems may often operate at different frequencies, and maintain different levels of base station output power, pilot strength, or capacity. Further, adjacent cellular systems may require different messaging structures, even for similar types of messages or the functionalities thereof. For example, the so-called the GSM standard does not have a mechanism for soft handoff. There is, therefore, a problem in handing off a call using the error interface from a CDMA network to a GSM network, or vice-versa.
One way of addressing this problem is to modify GSM to enable it to effect handoff to a non-GSM system, that is, a CDMA system. Another way of dealing with this problem is to modify CDMA to handle mechanisms that are standard in a GSM system. However, both CDMA and GSM are well-established systems, and operators and equipment providers are reluctant to make expensive modifications to existing equipment in order to accommodate a neighboring incompatible system. If new messages are added to the error interface in support of dual mode mobile stations, then modifications must be made to support these new messages using existing hardware. Plainly, this is undesirable from the perspective of the operator and the equipment provider.

Handover in a hybrid communications network


A method and apparatus for determining a communication path over a network are provided. The method involves generating a spanning tree having connection devices over a network as vertices and having links among the connection devices as edges; allotting predetermined vertex information to each vertex on the spanning tree; detecting all circuits having a plurality of communication paths among the connection devices over the network corresponding to the spanning tree; and applying rapid ring spanning tree protocol (RRSTP) to links corresponding to the detected circuits and applying rapid spanning tree protocol (RSTP) to links not corresponding to the detected circuits.

This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 2002-69412, filed on Nov. 9, 2002, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer network, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for determining a communication path over a network by using a spanning tree and circuit detection.
2. Description of the Related Art
Among a variety of methods of determining communication paths among a plurality of devices over a network, spanning tree protocol (STP) has been suggested as IEEE standard 802.1D in order to solve a problem of traffic loops generated by interconnecting different local area networks (LANs). STP has been generally used for solving the problem of looping using bridges over a network. In accordance with the advent of communication markets, demands for networks connecting main offices and their branch offices, customers and businesses, and businesses and businesses have been steadily growing. In this regard, STP is no longer considered effective or efficient because it cannot successfully meet those demands.
In the meantime, a spanning tree algorithm used in STP solves the problem of traffic looping by removing links that generate loops. However, this type of spanning tree algorithm has been denounced as having poor performance and being inefficient. In addition, in a network with communication paths generated by the spanning tree algorithm, some links are forced to be blocked even though they are usable, which leads to waste or, at least, inefficient use of bandwidths.
Moreover, if an error occurs on a predetermined link on a spanning tree, a communication path should be reestablished. In this case, convergence time, which generally amounts to about 30 seconds in the prior art, could be a serious setback for metropolitan area networks.

Method and apparatus for determining communication path over network by using spanning tree and circuit detection

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute