This specification relates to robots and audio processing in robots. In general, one innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in a robot that includes: a body and one or more physically moveable components; a plurality of microphones and one or more other sensor subsystems; one or more processors; and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more processors, to cause the robot to perform operations. The operations can include: receiving one or more sensor inputs from the one or more other sensor subsystems; determining a predicted direction of a detected sound emitter based on the one or more sensor inputs of the one or more other sensor subsystems; calculating a spatial filter based on the predicted direction; obtaining, by the plurality of microphones, respective audio inputs; and processing the respective audio inputs according to the calculated spatial filter.

This specification relates generally to robots, and more particularly to audio processing for consumer robots.
A robot is a physical machine configured to perform physical actions autonomously or semi-autonomously. Robots have one or more integrated control subsystems that effectuate the physical movement of one or more robotic components in response to particular inputs. Robots can also have one or more integrated sensors that allow them to detect particular characteristics of the robot's environment. Modern day robots are typically electronically controlled by dedicated electronic circuitry, programmable special-purpose or general-purpose processors, or some combination of these. Robots can also have integrated networking hardware that allows the robot to communicate over one or more communications networks, e.g., over Bluetooth, NFC, or Wi-Fi.
A number of devices rely on microphones to detect the presence of a nearby sound, and have a need to localize the source of that sound so that they can focus on and process that particular sound versus other ambient noise, e.g. because that sound is a voice command coming from a user seeking to interact with the device. In many cases, these devices have no indication of the direction from which to expect an audio input, and that audio input can come from any location or multiple locations in the environment. Thus, these devices often initially listen in all directions, for example, by making use of an array of omnidirectional microphones. Doing so, allows a device to determine the correct direction of a sound source so the device can, for example, best isolate it. One method of determining a direction of an emitter is to compare the arrival times of a signal across a microphone array. If a microphone A detects a sound wave before a microphone B, it can be extrapolated that the emitter of the sound wave is physically closer to microphone A than it is to microphone B.
After determining a likely direction of the emitter, some devices proceed to focus their microphones in the determined direction of the emitter to reduce the effects of ambient noise on the sound signal. Spatial filtering refers generally to signal processing techniques for this task, and can be performed on a system that includes a processor and a microphone array. Each microphone in the array receives a version of the emitted signal that is different from that received by its neighbors, due to each microphone's unique position relative to the emitter. A device can then generate a spatial filter by applying weighted and time-shifted summations of the different versions of the signal generated by the microphones. This allows the device to strengthen signals received in the direction of the emitter, e.g., by using constructive interference. Similarly, the system can also reduce the effects of noise, e.g., by using destructive interference.
Devices can also use acoustic transfer functions (hereafter, "transfer functions") to improve the signal quality of received audio signals. A transfer function represents how an audio signal is transformed between two locations in a particular environment, e.g., due to the acoustic properties of its medium. A device receiving an audio signal can apply an inverse transfer function to recover the original audio signal, e.g., removing distortion and noise.
Computing spatial filters is most practical for devices that do not move (such as smart speakers) or that move slowly. But for mobile robots that are capable of rapid movements, even spatial filters computed in real time are often ineffective. In other words, by the time a robot has performed the computations to generate a spatial filter, the location of the emitter relative to the robot can have already changed dramatically based on the movement of the robot itself (even assuming the emitter is stationary).

Spatial acoustic filtering by a mobile robot


A dry etching method for anisotropic etching of target material layers at low temperature without using CFC-based gases whereby excessive sidewall protection effects are inhibited and etching reproducibility is improved. In dry etching using S.sub.2 F.sub.2, sidewalls are protected by depositing sulfur (S) dissociated in plasma on the sidewalls. However, the sulfur thus formed will also deposit on the inside wall of an etching chamber, increasing with time the S/F ratio of an etching reaction system. To prevent this, a first heater is used to heat the lower inside wall of a bell jar of an magnetically-enhanced microwave plasma etching apparatus during etching. Then, a second heater and a third heater are used to heat the outer periphery of a wafer supporting electrode and the exposed portion of a cooling pipe, respectively, so that the atmosphere in the bell jar is kept clean with an appropriate S/F ratio. Thus, the present invention uses sulfur deposition to allow highly reproducible etching of Si-based material layers, silicon compound material layers, and aluminum-based material layers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dry etching method employed in such applications as production of semiconductor devices. More particularly, it relates to a dry etching method whereby sulfur may be prevented from accumulating in an etching chamber to improve etching reproducibility in a sidewall protection process using sulfur deposition.
2. Description of the Related Art
The recent trend toward higher integration and performance of such semiconductor devices as VLSIs and ULSIs requires dry etching technologies to achieve correspondingly higher anisotropy, higher etchrate, higher selectivity, lower pollution, and less damage with no compromise in these requirements.
Conventionally, CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) gases typified by CFC 113 (C.sub.2 Cl.sub.3 F) or mixed gas of CFC 113 and SF.sub.6 with SF.sub.6 added to improve etchrate have been widely used to etch layers of material based on such silicons (Si) as single crystal silicon, polysilicon, refractory metal silicide, and polycide. Particularly, CFC-based gases, whose molecule contains F and Cl, allow etching using both a radical reaction and an ion-assisted reaction and sidewall protection using carbonaceous polymers deposited from the gaseous phase.
Meanwhile, CHF.sub.3 gas, mixed gas of CF.sub.4 and H.sub.2, mixed gas of C.sub.2 F.sub.6 and CHF.sub.3, and C.sub.3 F.sub.8 have been typically used to etch silicon oxide (SiO.sub.2)-based material layers. The common functions of these gases include: (a) forming a C--O bond from a constituent element C on the surface of a SiO.sub.2 layer and dissociating or weakening an Si--O bond, (b) forming CF.sub.x.sup.+ as an etchant for SiO.sub.2, and (c) generating relatively carbon-rich plasma and thereby removing oxygen from the SiO.sub.2 in the form of CO or CO.sub.2 while reducing the etchrate through carbonaceous polymers deposited on the Si and thereby achieving high selectivity for the Si.
However, CFC-based gases are commonly known to contribute to destruction of the earth's ozone layer and the production and use thereof are likely to be prohibited in the near future. In these circumstances, there is pressing need to find some appropriate substitutes for CFC-based gases for use in dry etching and establish the efficient application methods thereof.
Fluorocarbon-based gases, which are also used to etch SiO.sub.2 -based material layers, are not categorized as CFC at present but the use thereof will be restricted in the future.
In any case, the future trend toward more strict design rules for semiconductor devices may permit carbonaceous polymers deposited from the gaseous phase to become particle pollutants. In this light, too, there is pressing need to establish CFC-free etching methods.
One promising CFC-free etching method is low temperature etching, in which a radical reaction on a pattern sidewall is frozen or inhibited to avoid such etching defects as undercut with a target substrate (wafer) maintained at a temperature of 0.degree. C. or less and the vertical etchrate kept at a practical level through an ion-assisted reaction. The low temperature etching is publicized in e.g. the Extended Abstract of the 35th Spring Meeting (1988) of the Japan Society of Applied Physics and Related Societies, p.495, 28a-G-2. In this instance, a silicon trench and a n.sup.+ type polysilicon layer are etched with a wafer cooled to -130.degree. C.
However, the low temperature etching, which attempts to achieve high anisotropy only by freezing or inhibiting a radical reaction, requires considerably low temperature and may considerably reduce both economy and throughput. A more practical etching method might be to combine radical reaction inhibition with sidewall protection in low temperature to perform etching in a temperature zone close to room temperature.
The present inventor has proposed a great number of sidewall protection methods using sulfur deposition. Sulfur (S) will be deposited by etching gas when the gas is composed mainly of sulfur halides with a relatively high S/X ratio, i.e. the ratio of the number of sulfur (X) atoms to that of halogen (X) atoms.
For instance, such sulfur fluorides as S.sub.2 F.sub.2, SF.sub.2, SF.sub.4, and S.sub.2 F.sub.10 will form sulfur in the gaseous phase from dissociation thereof through electric discharge unlike more well-known sulfur fluoride SF.sub.6. When a substrate is cooled to low temperature, the sulfur thus formed will deposit on the surface thereof, producing sidewall protection effects. When the substrate is heated after completion of etching, the sulfur deposits will sublime immediately, avoiding the danger of inducing particle pollution. Noting that the above mentioned sulfur halides form a smaller amount of sulfur radical (F*) than SF.sub.6 and that SF.sub.x.sup.+ serves for an ion assisted reaction, the present inventor has proposed a method of applying these sulfur halides to etch SiO.sub.2 -based material layers to achieve high selectivity for Si underlying layer.
Thus, the present assignee has first proposed sulfur fluoride with a relatively high S/F ratio as a sulfur halide for etching SiO.sub.2 -based material layers. Further, the present assignee has later proposed various methods of applying sulfur halides to etch Si-based material layers.
An example of such etching methods is to etch Si-based material layers by using gas containing such sulfur chlorides as S.sub.2 Cl.sub.2 or such sulfur bromides as S.sub.2 Br.sub.2 with a target substrate cooled to 0.degree. C. or less. This etching method aims at reducing the effects of radicals and achieving higher anisotropy by using gas unlikely to form highly reactive F*.
The above mentioned etching method using sulfur halides is an epoch-making CFC-free etching method in that it allows clean anisotropic etching in practical temperature zones. However, the subsequent study by the present assignee has shown that practical application of the etching method requires more strict control over the S/X ratio of an etching reaction system.
In the above mentioned etching method, sulfur formed in the gaseous phase is used for sidewall protection and deposits on the inside wall of an etching chamber and the surface of various members. It has proved, however, that the sulfur thus formed will continue to deposit in a single-slice etching apparatus not at a constant rate but at widely varying rates depending on whether the number of etched wafers is large or small. Therefore, the S/X ratio of the etching reaction system will vary slightly with the number of etched wafers and then increase sharply under the strong influence of sulfur deposited on other members than the wafers when the deposition rate of the sulfur reaches an almost saturated point. In this event, the sulfur will deposit excessively on the wafers and cause such problems as pattern tapering and etchrate reduction.


In a fluidized bed incinerator for burning matter to be incinerated charged into a furance by causing fluidization of a fluidizing medium with the assistance of air fed from the lower portion of a fluidized bed, a combustion control method is arranged such that: the combustion rate of matter for incineration in the furnace is detected by a combustion rate detecting means, and, when the combustion rate exceeds a predetermined level the amount of air fed from the lower portion of the fluidized bed is reduced; and, simultaneously, the amount of air blown into a space above the fluidized bed is increased so as to control and maintain the combustion rate of the matter to be burnt in the furnace at the predetermined level and to suppress fluctuations in the amount of combustion air, the amount of exhaust gas, the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas and the amount of gas remaining unburnt or the like. The combustion control method is also applicable to a fluidized bed incinerator constructed to include a plurality of air chambers formed at the lower portion of the fluidized bed, through which chambers the air is fed into the incinerator and the combustion rate of matter for incineration is controlled by regulating the amount of air fed from the air chamber disposed at the portion where the matter charged is dropped.

Fluidized bed incinerators have heretofore been used for incinerating municipal refuse. Where municipal refuse is burnt in a fluidized bed incinerator, refuse is consecutively charged into it. In the great majority of cases, a tremendous amount of trash is charged in one mass with different articles entangled with each other and forced into an agglomerated mass. Fluidized bed incinerators have a rather higher rate of combustion than other types of incinerators, and also exhibit the advantage of providing in some cases a condition in which matter is well burnt. Paradoxically, this causes the drawback that, once the matter to be incinerated has been charged into the fluidized bed, it may be burnt within a few seconds because of the high combustion performance. For this reason, if the feeder used to feed the matter to be incinerated into the furnace is inferior in terms of maintaining a constant feed rate, there will be a problem in that any variation in the amount of matter to be incinerated which is charged into the furnace will directly lead to fluctuations in the concentration of oxygen contained in the combustion gas.
If the concentration of oxygen contained in the discharged combustion gas is approximately 5% or less, the critical amount depending on the type of fluidized bed incinerator, carbon monoxide and carbon hydrides such as methane, ethylene, propylene, acetylene and benzene will be discharged without being completely burnt. Thus, materials such as ammonium chloride and ammonium hydroxide will be generated, which lead to the emission of white smoke from the stack. Because fluidized bed incinerators exhibit high combustion performance, combustion can be effected so long as the superficial velocity of the fluidizing air is adequate for fluidization even if the theoretical air ratio of the fluidizing air blown into the fluidizing medium is smaller than 1. In order to inhibit the generation of unburnt gases such as carbon monoxide, however, the air ratio is increased. In some cases, extra air is fed beforehand so as not to reduce the concentration of oxygen even if the supply of the matter to be incinerated is increased to cope with the risk that the ability of the feeder to provide a constant feed rate will deteriorate.
The amount of air blown into the furnace is, at the maximum, twice as much as the theoretical quantity of air, depending on the ability of the feeder to ensure a constant feed rate. Even in this case, however, the various items of refuse are entangled with each other to form large agglomerated lumps, particularly when dealing with the municipal trash. Finally, a so-called massive drop takes place, leading momentarily to a lack of oxygen, and thus unburnt gas (not yet burnt) like carbon monoxide is sometimes discharged from the stack.
In prior art methods of inhibiting the discharge of unburnt gas, it has been necessary to improve the capability of the feeder to provide a constant feed rate. In addition, as disclosed in, e.g., Japanese patent application No. 223198/1984 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 100612/1986), a measuring means may be provided for the purpose of measuring the amount of matter for incineration actually charged, allowing that amount to be reduced by lowering the rotational speed of the feeder when it is sensed that the amount of matter for incineration charged was increased.
Another method has been adopted whereby secondary fresh air is blown, into the incenerator when it is sensed that there has been an increase in the amount of matter charged or a shortage of oxygen has occurred.
Where a feeder is utilized in the conventional mode of inhibiting the discharge of unburnt gas, the potential for improvements in its ability to provide a constant feed rate is limited, with the result that expensive feeders have to be used.
The method disclosed in Japanese patent application No. 223198/1984 involves the use of a device for measuring the amount of matter charged. Use of this device, however, results in a shortage of oxygen, because the matter for incineration dropped into the furnace is immediately burnt. Secondary fresh air is blown into the furnace to compensate for this shortage, at which time the volume of exhaust gas is increased because of the introduction of the secondary air as well as the increase in exhaust gas resulting from the intensive combustion. Thus the pressure within the furnace becomes positive. When this positive pressure is sensed, an inlet damper of an induction fan is opened to normalize the furnace pressure. Therefore, if a good deal of matter for incineration is charged, the furnace pressure fluctuates, gas is injected through a exhaust gas duct flange and an ash-discharging rotary valve because of the positive pressure within the furnace, and this results in powdery dust contained in the exhaust gas being scattered which leads to a dusty environment in the plant.
Methods of controlling secondary fresh air to maintain the concentration of oxygen contained in exhaust gas at a certain level also involve the following inherent problems. Since the combustion rate of a fluidized bed incinerator is quite high, any fluctuation in the rate at which matter for incineration is fed into the furnace is directly reflected as unevenness in the rate at which gas is discharged, and hence the drawback mentioned above will also be encountered. A further problem is that the presence of a large amount of combustion air involves the provision of a large combustion fan and a large gas discharge inducing fan, which in turn requires that much power is consumed in driving these fans. Moreover, as the volume of gas discharged fluctuates the processing equipment installed for handling this gas which includes an exhaust duct, a gas cooler and an electric dust collector needs to have a large capacity to deal with the maximum possible flow of gas. This means that both the size of the incineration equipment and the total cost of construction are excessive.
In a conventional fluidized bed boiler, particularly in a fluidized bed boiler used for power generation, the quantity of coal fed into the boiler is varied to accord with any fluctuation in load, as is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 1912/1984. Whenever the quantity of fuel being supplied is increased the rate of combustion is controlled by a method of regulating the feed rate of fluidizing air fed from the lower portion of the fluidized bed so that the temperature of the fluidizing medium in the fluidized bed is not in excess of a predetermined value. Even with use of this combustion control method, it has been impossible to inhibit the discharge of unburnt gas without causing fluctuations in the respective amounts of combustion air and exhaust gas while at the same time restraining sudden fluctuations in combustion rate, especially when the amount of matter to be incinerated charged into the furnace varies in a fluidized bed incinerator for incinerating such matter as municipal refuse, since such refuse comprises a mixture of various constituents differing from each other in bulk, configuration, combustibility and calorific value.
It is to be noted that the combustion rate is herein given by: calorific value (kcal/kg) x volume of material for incineration (amount of matter for incineration) (kg/time).
The present invention has been conceived in the light of these circumstances and it is a primary object of the present invention to obviate the above-mentioned problems incidental to the prior art by providing a combustion control method for application to a fluidized bed incinerator which is capable of inhibiting the discharge of unburnt gas without increasing the respective amounts of combustion air and exhaust gas and without any need for an expensive feeder having a high capability to ensure a constant feed rate even if matter to be incinerated such as coal, municipal refuse, industrial scraps or mixtures thereof with differing calorific values, rates of combustibility, configurations and bulk volumes is charged into the incinerator and the amount of matter so charged fluctuates.

Method of controlling combustion in fluidized bed incinerator


The invention relates to a transmission system comprising a transmitter (100) which includes a coder for coding an information signal (11) into a digital signal (11, 12) constituted by the information signal (11) and a redundancy signal (12), the redundancy signal (12) being generated by way of a cyclic code from the information signal (11 ), and comprising a receiver (101) which includes a decoder with a storage unit (2) for storing the information signal (11) and with an error correction means which has an optionally feedback shift register (3) for processing the digital signal (11, 12). The transmission system is to make both the correction of burst errors as well as the correction of random errors possible in a single error correction means. There is proposed that the error correction means of the decoder comprises a burst error detection means (4) for producing a first error information signal (B) from predeterminable storage contents (S.sub.0 . . . S.sub.11) of the shift register (3) and a random error detection means (5) for producing a second error information signal (E) from the aggregate storage contents (S.sub.0 . . . S.sub.11) of the shift register (3), and that a control means (8) is provided for evaluating the first error information signal (B) and second error information signal (E) and combining means (E1) are provided for combining the storage contents (S.sub.0 . . . S.sub.17) of the shift register (3) with the storage contents of the storage unit (2). The transmission system may be used for example, in video communication systems.

The invention relates to a transmission system comprising a transmitter which includes a coder for coding an information signal to be transmitted into a digital signal constituted by the information signal and a redundancy signal, the redundancy signal being generated by way of a cyclic code from the information signal to be transmitted, and comprising a receiver which includes a decoder with a storage unit for storing a received information signal and with an error correction means which comprises a feedback shift register for processing the received digital signal.
The invention also relates to a receiver, a decoder and a videophone comprising such a decoder.
A transmission system of this type is used, for example, in video communication for videophones. In the receiver a decoder is then necessary, for example, for decoding a digital signal coded with the what is commonly referred to as BCH code (Bose-Chandhuri-Hocquenghem). A digital signal coded in this manner is used, for example, for video communication. During the coding procedure, an information signal to be transmitted is converted by means of a coding circuit into a digital signal that comprises the information signal as well as a redundancy signal. The redundancy signal is then generated by means of a cyclic code from the information signal to be transmitted.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,054 has disclosed a decoder in which a cyclically coded digital signal constituted by an information signal and a redundancy signal is applied to a random error as well as a burst error detection means which operate in parallel and independently. With the aid of a decision means either the output signal of the random error detection means or the output signal of the burst error detection means is switched to the output of the decoder.

Transmission system with random error and burst error correction for a cyclically coded digital signal


A system for caching and retrieving information comprises a server having an information repository, a cache manager, and a server software module. The information repository receives and stores data that is to be served by the server, where such data is regularly updated from at least one external source. The server software module performs server functions including responding to at least some requests for a document from a requestor by retrieving data currently stored in the repository, rendering the document to include the retrieved data, and forwarding the rendered document to the requestor. The cache manager requests a document from the server software module, receives the requested document as rendered by the server software module to include the retrieved data currently stored in the repository, and caches the received document on a regular basis.

The present invention relates to a system and method for caching and retrieving information such as Internet data, More specifically, the present invention relates to such a system and method for increasing system efficiency by periodically caching frequently requested information such that the information need not be reconstructed in response to each request therefor.
A system that delivers electronic information to a requester upon request therefrom is known. As but one example, an Internet content provider delivers Internet information to an Internet user upon request therefromxe2x80x94that is, when the user xe2x80x98visits the sitexe2x80x99 of such content provider. Such Internet content providers are, of course, ubiquitous in this day and age. In such an Internet system, in particular, a requester has a computing device and an appropriate Internet connection with the content provider, and thus sends an HTTP request for the information to the content provider at an Internet web site. The provider responds to the HTTP request by constructing an HTML web page having the requested information and returning such HTML page to the requester. Such HTML page may of course then be rendered by way of an appropriate browsing device on the computing device of the requester.
Types of content providers that provide such information are many and varied. In one type of particular interest, the content provider presents a page of general information to the user. For example, a user visiting a site such as www.msn.comxe2x80x94the MICROSOFT NETWORK home web, an Internet-based product of MICROSOFT Corporation of Redmond, Wash.xe2x80x94is automatically presented with a variety of information including: news articles, a search engine, advertisers, weather information, sports information, map information, telephone directories, financial information, and/or the like; and/or links to news articles, a search engine, advertisers, weather information, sports information, map information, telephone directories, financial information, and/or the like.
Typically, such a site such as an Internet site is implemented by way of one or more servers appropriately coupled to the a network such as the Internet for responding to the aforementioned user requests. In particular, each server is provided with all information necessary to construct the requested page. Thus, in response to a particular request, the server does so construct the requested page with the provided information and then communicates the constructed page to the requesting user. Typically, the provided information is updated from external sources on a timely and/or regular basis, which may be on the order of every 15 seconds, every 15 minutes, or the like, depending on the type of information and other factors.
Importantly, because the provided information may have been updated since a previous request was serviced, the server preferably newly construct the page for each and every received request in order that the constructed page has the latest, newest, and/or most current information. As should be understood, the server typically constructs the page according to a pre-defined script.
Of course, if the page is served by the server many times before information therein is updated (for example, 10 times per second), the process becomes inefficient in that the exact same page is being constructed multiple times. Accordingly, a need exists for a system and method that caches such a page in a manner such that the process of page construction by the server is more efficient, while at the same time ensures that the information in the constructed and cached page is current.
As should be appreciated, in some situations the aforementioned server constructs different variations of the page depending on who the user is and/or what hardware and/or software the user is employing in connection with the computing device thereof, among other things. In one case, the user may have pre-defined information that is to appear in the constructed page, such predefined information for example being specified in a xe2x80x98cookiexe2x80x99 or the like sent with the page request. As an example, the user may have requested that the constructed page as provided by the server include local weather and stock quotes for particular stocks. In another case, the user may be employing a computing device having a particular browser, a particular processor, a particular graphics card, etc., such particulars for example being specified in a user agent string sent with the page request. While perhaps not absolutely necessary, such user agent string information may be employed by the server during page construction to customize the constructed page for rendering on the user""s computer device.
Accordingly, in the aforementioned cases and perhaps others, the server constructing the page in response to a page request could conceivably construct many variations of the served page, with the result being that the relative efficiency is higher. Nevertheless, there are at least some variations of the served page that are constructed frequently enough to merit caching. Thus, a need exists for a system and method that caches multiple page variations in a manner such that the process of page construction by the server is more efficient, while at the same time ensures that the information in the constructed and cached pages are current.
In the present invention a system for caching and retrieving information comprises a server having an information repository, a cache manager, and a server software module. The information repository receives and stores data that is to be served by the server, where such data is regularly updated from at least one external source. The server software module performs server functions including responding to at least some requests for a document from a requestor by retrieving data currently stored in the repository, rendering the document to include the retrieved data, and forwarding the rendered document to the requestor. The cache manager requests a document from the server software module, receives the requested document as rendered by the server software module to include the retrieved data currently stored in the repository, and caches the received document on a regular basis. The cached document is expected to be requested by a user. The server software module responds to such a request by retrieving the cached document and forwarding the retrieved cache document to the user.

System and method for caching and retrieving information


The apparatus comprises a barrel (1), a plunger (4) movable in the barrel for driving a fixing element (6), a plunger return catch (9), an element guide (21) mounted pivotably at the front of the barrel in order to load an element (6) therein from the rear to the front. The guide (21) is movable in axial translation relative to the barrel (1) and can move back into the firing position towards the barrel (1) and cover the front end of the recess (13) of the plunger (4), in order to then cover the head (14) of a fixing element (6) previously introduced into the guide (21).. The apparatus of the invention is well adapted to the application of plugs in steel or concrete materials.

In most apparatus for applying or sealing fixing elements or plugs, particularly in steel or concrete substrate materials, loading of the plugs is carried out from the front or the muzzle of the apparatus and it is not always satisfactory. Just before firing, the plugs are in fact already in contact with the substrate material, and not with the plunger or piston of the firing or driving apparatus, so that at the moment of firing, no initial speed is imparted to the plugs.
Apparatus have already been proposed which reduce this drawback, with loading of the plugs from the rear to the front, through means of an opening formed in the barrel. But this solution does not offer sufficient guidance and safety.
The best solutions proposed up to now are those of apparatus provided with a tilting plug guide, like those of FR-A-1531056, U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,141, FR-A-2409826.
The apparatus of FR-A-2409826, which is in fact an indirectly fired apparatus with a plunger and a plunger return catch, comprises a plug guide mounted on a cap screwed into the barrel and pivoting automatically under the action of a sleeve, for operating, opening, and closing the barrel, slidably mounted on the cap.
The apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,141, which is in fact also an indirectly fired apparatus with a plunger, but not with a plunger return catch, comprises a plug guide mounted for pivoting automatically in a sleeve, for operating, opening, and closing the barrel, slidably mounted on the barrel. It is the plug guide which, during closure, returns the plunger to the firing position.
The apparatus of FR-A-1531056 is also an indirectly fired apparatus with a plunger, with a plug guide mounted for pivoting on a sleeve mounted slidingly on the barrel, and without a return catch, the plunger being returned to the firing position during closure by means of the fixing elements themselves.
These last types of apparatus are well suited to fixing so-called "rivet head" plugs, which can be driven at a non-zero initial speed by means of a plunger of large rod cross-section, the same as that of the plug heads, which is favourable to proper fixing. But they are much less well adapted to plugs provided with a screw thread, or with a threaded head, and particularly with a threaded head of small cross-section. In this case, the plugs must be raised by a guide cap which does not always fully fulfil its role and which is often difficult to withdraw after fixing. Alternatively, the throughput cross-section of the plug guide as well as the cross-section of the plunger rod can be reduced correspondingly, but with the risk of the plunger rod then twisting at the moment of firing.
FR-A-2336216 is arranged so as to provide a solution to the problem of propulsion of threaded plugs, in so far as it comprises a plunger rod of which the front end is hollowed out to receive the threaded heads of the plugs and thus ensure, at the time of firing, guidance and initial speed.
But the supply of a fixing element in the apparatus of FR-A-2336216 is carried out by means of its muzzle with the aid of a tiltably mounted thruster, which requires a manual operation on the part of the operator.

Apparatus for applying fixing elements, with plunger, plunger return catch and pivoting plug guide

Societe de Prospection et d'Inventions Techniques (S.P.I.T.)


A power transmission device 1 includes a variable stiffness unit 41, which has variable stiffness, receives a torque from a motor A2, and transmits the torque to an output unit B, a variable viscosity coefficient unit 42, which has variable viscosity, receives the torque from the motor A2, and transmits the torque to the output unit B, and a controller A4 which modifies the stiffness of the variable stiffness unit 41 and the viscosity of the variable viscosity coefficient unit 42.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power transmission device which transmits motive power transmitted from a driving element to a driven element.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, as in the case where a robot comes in contact with an obstacle, it is desired that a joint disposed between links of the robot is flexible as a power transmission element in order to prevent the robot from being damaged even in the case where an impact is applied to the robot.
In view of the above circumstances, there is known an actuator with an elastic member disposed between a driving element and a driven element of a robot (U.S. Pat. No. 5,650,704). This actuator prevents an impact from being directly transmitted to the driven element or the driving element by the elasticity of the elastic member even in the case where the impact occurs in the driving element or the driven element. In the case where a joint has flexibility in this manner, a controlled object (for example, the motion of a joint or the like) oscillates more easily by improving a control response. Therefore, the oscillation of the controlled object is suppressed by a feedback control on the basis of information detected by various sensors or the like.
In the case where various sensors or the like are placed in an abnormal state, however, an appropriate feedback control might not be able to be performed and by extension the oscillation might not be able to be suppressed appropriately. Accordingly, it is conceivable to suppress the oscillation by giving viscosity to the joint even in the case where it is impossible to suppress the oscillation by the feedback control.
Meanwhile, in such a case where a precise operation is required, it is preferable that a joint is stiff in some cases. Specifically, if the stiffness of a joint is able to be varied, appropriate control can be performed in various situations. In order to satisfy this requirement, it is conceivable to use a member whose stiffness is variable such as a nonlinear spring as an elastic member.
Generally, however, the following relational expression is already known in a spring-damper system:
                    [                  MATH                                                              1                ]                                                                                h            ·            ω                    =                      c                          2                            m                                                                                h            ·                                          k                m                                              =                      c                          2                            m                                                          (        1        )            where h is a damping constant, ω is an angular frequency, k is an elastic coefficient, m is the mass of a load, and C is a viscosity coefficient.
According to the expression (1), supposing that the mass m of a load and the viscosity coefficient C are constant, the damping constant h varies if the elastic coefficient (stiffness) k representing the elasticity of the elastic member is varied. The damping constant h represents a damping rate of vibration in a process in which a vibrating load converges.
The control processing is performed for each previously-determined period. Therefore, the control processing is able to be easily performed if the vibration of a load in a control period at the present time is able to be predicted from the vibration of the load in the previous control period. In other words, the control processing is able to be easily performed when the damping rate (and by extension the damping constant h) is constant than when it is variable. Accordingly, when the damping constant h is constant in the expression (1), the mass m of the load is constant, and therefore it is necessary to vary the viscosity coefficient C according to a change in stiffness k.
In the case where a joint has viscosity as well as elasticity as described above, it is desirable to vary the viscosity coefficient C as well as the stiffness k. Additionally, there is no problem even if the value of the damping constant h fluctuates as long as within the range where the control is able to be easily performed.


Provided are a semiconductor device including an active area which is defined as high and low mobility areas and a thin film transistor having the semiconductor device. The mobility of the active area can be lowered to a level enough to satisfy the requirement of the semiconductor device. The lowering of the mobility of the active area can contribute to reducing mobility deviation between semiconductor devices. As a result, the quality of a flat panel display adopting a large-scale semiconductor device can be greatly improved.

Priority is claimed to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2003-0100494, filed on Dec. 30, 2003, 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 polycrystalline silicon device and a thin film transistor (TFT) having the same, and more particularly, to a polycrystalline silicon device with uniform mobility and a TFT having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) has higher mobility and better light stability than amorphous silicon. Such poly-Si is used widely in various application fields, particularly, in TFTs or memory devices. A poly-Si TFT is used, for example, as a switching device of a display. Examples of a display device using an active element such as a TFT include a TFT-liquid crystal display (LCD), a TFT-organic light emitting diode (OLED), or the like.
The TFT-LCD or the TFT-OLED has a structure in which a TFT is disposed on each pixel among pixels arranged on an X-Y matrix. The performance of an LCD, an OLED, or the like in which a plurality of TFTs are arranged greatly depends on the electric characteristics of the TFTs. One of major characteristics a TFT requires is higher mobility of a Si active layer. Crystallization is necessary for increasing the mobility of the Si active layer. The development of poly-Si approaching single crystalline is one of the important study tasks to crystalline silicon. U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,625 discloses a method of manufacturing high-quality silicon crystalline. Many studies on the crystallization of silicon have contributed to obtaining a crystalline structure approaching single crystalline.
However, the improvement of the uniformity of polycrystalline is a problem to be still solved and a subject to be presently studied. For example, in a case of the TFT-OLED, desired mobility is 5 to 30 cm2/Vs, which is satisfied with a technique for manufacturing poly-Si capable of realizing the mobility of about 100 cm2/Vs.
However, the uniformity of mobility is less than several percentages, while according to the results of present studies, the mobility is about 80 to 20 cm2Ns, and thus the mobility deviation is about 20%. The mobility deviation of this degree deteriorates the quality of a display device.

Semiconductor device with modified mobility and thin film transistor having the same


Disclosed are cosmetic and dermatological compositions containing hydrocortisone or a derivative thereof, a glycol and a thickening or gelling agent, and methods of making and using them.

Hydrocortisone is used in many topical preparations as a treatment for temporary relief of itching associated with minor skin irritation, inflammation and rashes due to eczema, insect bites, poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, soaps, detergents, cosmetics, seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis and itching in the genital and anal areas of the body. Hydrocortisone has limited solubility in water. Thus, it is necessary to add co-solvents, surfactants, and/or complexing agents to obtain an aqueous solution of hydrocortisone in sufficient concentration to be therapeutically efficacious.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,880,130 discloses the use of polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate (Tween 80®) in amounts of from 2-25 percent of the vehicle to obtain clear aqueous solutions containing up to 0.2% of hydrocortisone. U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,764 describes formulations containing 0.025 to 0.4% hydrocortisone in an aqueous solution of 15-50% propylene glycol that is acidified to pH 2.7-3.3 with a non-toxic organic acid such as citric acid. U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,936 provides for a 0.005-2.5% hydrocortisone clear liquid formulation containing 1-4% by weight of a glyceryl ester of fatty acids having 6-22 carbon atoms, 1-3% by weight of the hydrocortisone of a betaine surfactant, and 10-50% of an alkanol co-solvent, preferably ethanol. U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,060 describes a 0.5% hydrocortisone aqueous solution for use as a douche and for impregnating towelettes for wipes. The solution also contains caprylic/capric triglycerides (5-20%), sorbitan stearate (2-4%), Polysorbate 60® (1-3%), preservatives and citric acid.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,992 discloses an aqueous solution of an inclusion complex of unbranched beta-cyclodextrin and hydrocortisone and reveals that the inclusion complex must dissociate before the hydrocortisone is physiologically active. U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,370 discloses an aqueous solution on an inclusion complex composed of a branched beta-cyclodextrin and hydrocortisone. U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,379 teaches hydrocortisone compositions containing a mixture of solvents which are an aliphatic alcohol, propylene glycol and dimethyl coco-benzylammoniurn chloride. U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,789 teaches various ionic polyethers as solubilizers for pharmaceuticals such as hydrocortisone. U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,936 teaches compositions containing hydrocortisone and a lipid phase of nonionic amphiphilic lipid vesicles. GB 2,131,693 teaches hydrocortisone compositions containing a solvent mixture of (i) a caprolactam and (ii) 2-isostearyl-1-hyroxylethyl-1-benzylimidazolinium chloride or an alkylphenol polyglycerol. WO 96/20712 teaches aqueous solutions of hydrocortisone free of lower alcohols that contain sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate in mixtures of glycerin, propylene glycol and polyethylene glycol.

Compositions containing topical-active agents and pentyleneglycol


The present invention illustrates a method of manufacturing a surgical implant guide to increase the precision, safety and reliability of the surgery. First the present invention plans an invasive position for implanting an implant, and then, plans an invasive path for the implant to invade from the invasive position of an affected tissue, and finally, produces an implant guide based on the invasive position, the invasive path, and the shapes of the implant and the affected tissue. The surgical implant guide includes a coupling portion matching the shape the affected tissue, and a guiding portion matching the shape of the implant, the invasive position, and the invasive path. When the coupling portion is disposed on the affected tissue, the guiding portion is aligned with the invasive position, so that the implant is implanted in the affected tissue under guidance of the invasive path.

Before performing a conventional orthopedic surgery, the surgeon would first observe images of the patient's affected bones obtained through X-ray photography or computerized tomography (CT), and then determines the manner of performing the surgery according to the surgeon's personal knowledge in anatomy and expertise in clinical surgery. Since lack of a precision guide as an aid for the surgery, it is difficult for the surgeon to precisely follow the preoperative planning and to perform the surgery. Therefore, the following four problems are found in the conventional orthopedic surgeries:
(1) the preoperative diagnosis and surgical path planning is less precise. In the event tissues nearby the affected part or the invasive path are injured, the patient is subject to serious impairment and complication caused by such imprecise diagnosis and surgical path planning. Further, if the surgeon fails to precisely indicate a relative position of the affected part, invasive path, and the surrounding tissues, the surgeon is frequently compelled to abandon the surgery.
(2) Due to the imprecise surgical path planning, a larger incision is usually made on the affected part of the patient's body to allow possible errors in the incision or to allow possible errors in the planned position at where an implant is to be implanted. Besides, the surgical instrument is invaded into the affected part via the incision. However, such errors would bring injury or impairment to the patient and even cause uncompensated serious injury. In recent years, the concept of minimal invasive surgery has been gradually adopted to various kinds of clinical surgeries. When the surgical incision or wound becomes smaller and smaller, the allowable errors in the invasive position and the surgical path are also reduced to further limit the use of the conventional surgical instruments.
(3) Experienced orthopedic surgeons are required to plan the invasive position and invasive path before the operations. Therefore, it would be difficult to control the surgical quality, such as the precision, safety and reliability of the surgery, when the surgery is performed by a surgeon with less experience.
(4) There are insufficient patient defect-related teaching models to serve as a learning aid in surgical teaching. Conventionally, since the performance of surgical procedures mostly relies on doctors' personal experiences, the surgical teaching can only be implemented through clinical teaching without assistance from related models of patients' deficiencies.
In brief, the conventional orthopedic operations mostly rely on surgeons' clinical experiences and suffer from imprecise, unsafe, and unreliable problems thereof. Further, there is no useful tool for determining the relation between the affected part and nearby tissues, rendering the whole surgical process to high uncertainty. It is therefore long felt need to develop a technique that can increase the precision, safety, and reliability of surgical operations and to reduce the surgical failure rate without highly relying on surgeons' personal clinical experience, such that the pressure of the surgeons in the clinical surgery can be relieved.

Surgical implant guide and method of manufacturing the same


A trailer hitch includes a cylindrical receiver perpendicularly mounted on a horizontal laterally extending tube attached to a vehicle. The receiver carries a slider movable between a first, retracted position substantially entirely disposed beneath the vehicle bumper and a second, extended position wherein the slider projects rearwardly of the vehicle bumper and carries a hitch ball for attachment to a towed object. A cam slot and cam follower are cooperatingly formed on the slider and the receiver, with the cam slot having angularly disposed ends for rotation of the slider between first and second angularly disposed position simultaneous with translation of the slider between first and second retracted and extended positions. A decorative cover overlays the exposed portions of the horizontal tube and the slider when the slider is in the retracted position. A movable member or members carried on the cover are movable to a position exposing access to the slider for movement of the slider between the extended and retracted positions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to towing or trailer hitches.
2. Description of the Art
Trailer hitches typically include a rigid frame work with a coupling structure having a hitch ball mounted therein for attachment to a mating ball socket on a trailer, mating hitch, etc. The hitch is usually semi-permanently attached to the rear of a towing vehicle by means of a horizontal tube which is secured by bolts, welds, etc., to the vehicle bumper or vehicle body structure. Aligned apertures are formed in the horizontal bar, typically centered on the longitudinal axis of the vehicle when the horizontal bar is mounted on the vehicle, to receive a longitudinally extending bar carrying the hitch ball at one end. A safety chain and a lock pin are typically associated with the longitudinal bar for releasibly mounting the bar to the horizontal tube.
When not attached to a towed vehicle, the hitch ball projects rearwardly from the vehicle bumper. This creates a potentially hazardous obstacle which can cause painful injury to an individual walking behind the vehicle in close proximity to the bumper.
To illuminate this problem, as well as during lengthy time periods where the hitch is not expected to be used, the slide bar and the hitch ball are removed from the horizontal tube on the vehicle. However, due to the relatively small size of the slide bar and the hitch ball, it is common for the user to forget where he or she placed the slide bar when the hitch is to be used again.
In order to circumvent these problems, trailer hitches have been devised in which the slide bar and hitch ball are permanently attached to the horizontal tube; but are movable between an extended use position rearward of the vehicle bumper and a storage position under the vehicle body or bumper and not extending outward a significant distance beyond the vehicle bumper. Such so-called "retractable trailer hitches" are constructed to move the slide bar and hitch ball in a horizontal, longitudinal direction between the storage and extended, use positions, laterally through a horizontal plane in which the slide bar may be disposed at any angle with respect to the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle, as well as vertically pivotal about a horizontal, laterally extending axis parallel to the horizontal tube in which the slide bar pivots 180.degree. between the extended position and a storage position underlying the vehicle underbody.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,838,327 discloses a retractable trailer hitch having a tubular housing welded to a transverse bar secured to a trailer or vehicle, such as by a bracket, to or below the vehicle bumper. A tubular hitch bar is telescopingly, slidably mounted within the tubular housing and carries a hitch ball at an outer end. The slidable hitch bar is rotatable 90.degree. from a first position in which the hitch ball projects vertically upward to a storage position wherein the hitch ball extends laterally to the side of the tubular housing and the slidable hitch bar is telescoped within the tubular housing. In this retracted, storage position, the hitch ball engages an open ended recess formed on one end of the tubular housing. A spring loaded bolt is carried in the tubular housing and is engageable with one of two spaced apertures in the tubular housing and the slidable member to lock the slidable member in either of the first or second positions.
During such slidable extension and retraction, the slidable bar is freely rotatable in any direction about its longitudinal axis. Thus, care must be taken in properly rotating the slide bar in the proper direction and to the proper angular position for alignment of the lock bolt with the aligned apertures in the slide bar and the tubular housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,671,674 discloses a similar retractable trailer hitch. In this hitch, a strap bar is secured longitudinally to the vehicle and carries a tubular casting. A draft bar or shaft is telescopingly mounted within the tubular casting and has one flattened end carrying a ball hitch. Longitudinal extension and retraction of the shaft between two positions is stopped at end limits by the ball hitch and a washer carried on the other end of the draft bar.
A pair of lugs extend from one side of the casting and pivotally carry the elongated rod which is pivoted at a center position to the lugs. One end of the rod is pivotally connected to one end of a pin which passes through an opening in the casting and enters a hole in the draft bar to lock the draft bar against movement. In this position, the ball hitch is disposed in a vertical position spaced rearwardly of the bumper.
The opposite end of the rod is pressed away from the casting by a coil spring. Another aperture is formed in the draft bar at right angles to the first aperture and is spaced therefrom. In this manner, when the rod is pressed inward toward the casting against the resilience of the spring, the pin is withdrawn from the first aperture in the draft bar to free the draft bar for sliding movement. The draft bar can then be rotated 90.degree. to bring the ball hitch horizontal and below the bumper so that the draft bar can be pushed ahead allowing the ball to pass under the bumper to a storage position. When the flattened part on the draft bar contacts one end of the casting, one of the apertures in the draft bar will be aligned with the pin for engagement of the pin with the aperture as pressure on the rod is released to lock the rod 24 in the draft bar against further movement.
While this latter hitch provides a retractable and extendable slide bar, with positive locking in both of the extended and retracted positions, the lock mechanism is complicated with respect to the number of separate parts employed in the complete trailer hitch assembly.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a retractable trailer hitch which enables the ball hitch to be maintained on the slide bar in both the extended and retracted positions without requiring the ball hitch to be removed from the vehicle when the trailer hitch slide bar is moved to the storage, retracted position. It would also be desirable to provide a retractable trailer hitch which is simple in construction with a minimal number of components.

Transportation Design & Manufacturing Co.


An image processing system includes plural intermediate data generators, a first memory, and plural drawing data generators. Each of the plural intermediate data generators interprets an assigned data portion of document data, written in a page description language, to generate intermediate data. The first memory stores the intermediate data generated by each of the plural intermediate data generators. Each of the plural drawing data generators reads out the intermediate data from the first memory and generates drawing data in accordance with the read out intermediate data. The drawing data includes information about each pixel included in a printed image. Once an amount of intermediate data stored in the first memory exceeds a first threshold that is set in advance, the plural drawing data generators start reading out the intermediate data from the first memory.

(i) Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image processing system, an image processing method, and a computer readable medium storing a program.
(ii) Related Art
Techniques for processing print data in parallel using plural raster image processors (RIPS) in order to increase the printing speed are available. A RIP is hardware that renders data written in a page description language (PDL), such as PostScript (registered trademark), into printable or displayable raster data. For example, when a large amount of print data is printed at high speed by a continuous paper printer (or a continuous feed printer) that performs printing on a continuous sheet, processing for rendering print data into raster data restricts the printing speed. For this reason, improving the speed of the processing for rendering print data into raster data is attempted by processing the print data in parallel using plural RIPs.

Technique for processing print data in parallel using plural raster image processors in order to increase printing speed


Hyperbranched, water-soluble polymers, obtainable by Michael polyaddition of α-, β-, or γ-cyclodextrins and amines to bisacrylamides.

The problem of the administration of taxanes (paclitaxel or docetaxel), camptothecin and derivatives thereof, etoposide and poorly water-soluble antiviral compounds (such as acyclovir), has still to be satisfactorily solved notwithstanding the many efforts described in literature. All the drugs mentioned above induce serious side effects in the patients, e.g. peripheral neuropathies, bradicardia, toxicity on mucus membranes and venous system.
By way of example, paclitaxel is at present formulated at a concentration of 2 mg/ml with the castor oil polyethoxylated derivative Cremophor EL®, containing 50% ethanol. The preparation is administered by injection. A serious hypersensitivity to paclitaxel is usually related to Cremophor EL®, used for its administration. As a consequence, the patients receive a pre-treatment either orally with Desametasone or intravenously with Diphenhydramine and Ranitidine before administration of Paclitaxel, to reduce the risk of hypersensitivity. This pre-treatment and the connected risks for the patient would not be necessary avoiding the use of Cremophor®. Moreover, the cost of paclitaxel treatment would be significantly lowered.
Many efforts to improve the administration of taxanes to patients are being described in literature, but to date none of them has apparently provided definitive improvements. Among said efforts, the following can be mentioned:                Nanospheres of block copolymers loaded with paclitaxel, e.g. biodegradable compounds of methoxy-PEG-polycaprolacton (S. Yeon Kim, et al. Biomaterials 22 (2001 1697-1704) or methoxy-PEG-polylactic-co-glycolic (PLGA) (Ji-Heung Kim et al. Polymers for advanced technologies, 10 649, 1999) or hydrophobized poly(L-lysine citramide imide) (M. Veil et al. Journal of Bioactive and compatible polymers, Vol. 15 No. 2, 99-114 (2000).        Polymers conjugated with such water-soluble polymers as polyglutamic acid, polyaspartic acid or polylisine (U.S. Pat. No. 6,441,025), or prodrugs conjugated with polyethylene glycol derivatives.        Inclusion complexes of paclitaxel with cyclodextrins. Cyclodextrins are cyclic oligosaccharides with 6-8 glycosidic units linked by an α-1-4 bond and characterized by a hydrophobic cavity in their structures, able to solubilize water-insoluble drugs. By way of example, 2-6-dimethyl-β-cyclodextrin is known as it forms inclusion compounds with paclitaxel, with solubility of 2.3 mmoles/l (about 3 g/l) (H. Hamahada et al., Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering, 2006, 102, 369-371). The main drawback of inclusion complexes of taxanes with modified cyclodextrins is their poor solubility in aqueous media. In practice, the formation of complexes by mixing paclitaxel solutions in water-soluble solvents, e.g. alcohols, with aqueous solutions of cyclodextrin derivatives is at first apparently promising. However, the resulting clear solutions in time release again insoluble paclitaxel, which is subtracted from the complex as it crystallizes separately. Freeze-drying of the paclitaxel solution followed by redissolution of the residue in water also fails, as even in this case paclitaxel crystallizes off. This problem is solved only to some extent using cyclodextrin dimers. Furthermore, the individual cyclodextrins are mutually linked in these dimers by amino bridges, giving the molecule some toxicity.        Cyclodextrin straight polymers in which cyclodextrin groups have random distribution along the polymeric chain. These polymers suffer, in the formation of complexes with paclitaxel or similar drugs, from the same restrictions as free cyclodextrins, as cooperation of the different cyclodextrin units present in the polymer is hindered in that they are distributed along the polymeric chain and thus distant when the polymer in solution acquires a comparatively distended conformation.
As regards camptothecin, to overcome its stability (opening of the lactone ring to the carboxylate form) and solubility problems several approaches have been investigated. In particular, the complexation with α-cyclodextrins increases the stability of captothecin, thus ameliorating the solubility and cytotoxicity profile (Kang et al. Eur. J. Pharm. Biopharm. 2002, 15, 163-170).
Acyclovir has short half-life (about 2 h) and its absorption is not complete (bioavailability about 15-30%). Due to its limited oral bioavailability Acyclovir must be taken orally five times a day (200 mg every 4 h), while intravenous formulations (5 mg/kg) must be administered every 8 hours for at least 5 days. Moreover, the intravenous dose of Acyclovir should be administered slowly over 1 hour to prevent precipitation in renal tubules.
To increase the efficacy of antiviral drugs various delivery approaches have been proposed, like encapsulation in poly(iso-butylcyanoacrylate) nanocapsules (Hillaireau er al. Int, J, Pharm. 2006, 324, 37-42. Particulate delivery systems could be able to promote sustained delivery of the antiviral drug. PLGA microparticles containing acyclovir for topical administration have been developed (de Jalon, 2001, 226, 181, 184) and acyclovir-loaded nanoparticles showed increased efficacy against herpex simplex virus type I in cell culture (de Jelon et al. Europ. J. Pharm. Biopharm. (2003) 56, 183-187). Semi-interpenetrating polymer network microspheres of acrylamide grafted on dextran or chitosan carrying up to 79% of acyclovir were prepared by emulsion-cross-linking method (Rokhade et al. Carbohydrate Polym. (2007) 605-607).
To enhance the oral bioavailability of acyclovir prodrugs have also been designed (Eur. J. Pharmac. Sci. 2004, 23, 319-325).
A poly(amidoamine) (PAA) copolymer with β-cyclodextrin can solubilise by complexation up to 11% w/w of the drug and the Acyclovir complex exhibits a higher antiviral activity than the free drug against herpes simplex virus type I in cell cultures (Bencini et al. J. Control. Release 2008, 126, 17-25).

Hyperbranched polymers based on cyclodextrins and poly (amidoamines) for the controlled release of insoluble drugs

L'Urederra Fundacion Para el Desarrollo Tecnologico y Social


A lockable quick-release mechanism for preventing theft of a bicycle wheel or seat from a bicycle frame. The lockable quick-release mechanism includes a rotatable lever having an eccentric cam rotating within a piston head. As the eccentric cam rotates within the casing, the piston head moves in relation to the casing. For tightening, the piston head is brought from its outermost to innermost position relative to its casing. Conversely, for loosening, the piston head is brought from its innermost to outermost position relative to its casing. Flat abutment surfaces are formed on the lever adjacent to the eccentric cam. A locking disc is disposed within the casing and includes a pair of extension arms engaging the abutment surfaces to prevent rotation of the lever. A spindle, which is disposed within the casing and extends through an aperture in the locking disc, rotates the locking disc from a locked to an unlocked condition. The spindle and locking disc are retained in the locked condition by a lock means.

The present invention relates to a lockable quickrelease mechanism for securing removable parts, in particular a wheel or seat to a bicycle frame, so as to prevent theft.
Bicycles manufactured and sold today commonly employ traditional quick-release mechanisms for easily attaching, detaching and adjusting desired components for connection to the bicycle frame. These components may include the wheels and seat. Typically, a lever having a cam is rotated within a piston head disposed on the end of an axle for selectively tightening and loosening the component. Such quick-release mechanisms prove extremely useful when repairing flat tires, adjusting seat height, and for transporting the cycles, for example, in cars. However, accidents may occur from inadvertent loosening of the traditional quick-release mechanism resulting in injury to the cyclist or damage to the bicycle. Additionally, traditional quick-release mechanisms, by the very nature of their ease of removal, actually facilitate theft of the expensive components held to the frame.
Therefore, several cumbersome methods are currently employed for securing the bicycle and its removable components. A first securing method employs two U-locks and one cable. One U-lock is secured around one wheel, the frame, and an immovable object. The other U-lock secures the other wheel to the bicycle frame. A cable attached to either of the U-locks and the seat secures the seat. The entire bicycle is thus anchored to a fixed structure to prevent theft of the bicycle or its component parts. The difficulty of carrying and the cost in procuring these two U-locks and cable make this method undesirable. A second securing method employing multiple independent locks requires removal of the front wheel from the frame. The front wheel is then placed side by side with the rear wheel. A single U-lock is placed around both wheels, the frame and a fixed structure. Furthermore, a cable attached to the seat prevents theft of the seat. Removal of the front wheel results in the front fork resting on the ground. This practice is likely to cause deformation or damage to the fork, resulting in unsafe riding practices and expensive bicycle repairs. The above first and second methods of securing bicycles are also undesirable because of additional weight due to carrying each of the locks and because of and the considerable locking time involved. A third alternative is to employ only one lock securing the frame to a stationary structure. Although locking time and carrying weight is minimal, there is a likelihood that the seat and/or wheels will be stolen. Therefore, because none of these securing methods is effective or practical, it has become necessary to develop a lockable quick-release mechanism to overcome the problems discussed above. U.S. Pat. No. 4,028,915 to Stahl, U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,409 to Scire and U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,873 to Weinstein et al. each disclose a lock for a quick release mechanism. However, none of these mechanisms is commercially practical, as is the present invention.


A metered dose dispensing dabber device includes a dabber main housing having a container attachment for affixing the device to a container, a metered dosage reservoir, a hollow dip tube, a metered dosage reservoir outlet, and a valve. The main housing has a base divider wall, this base divider wall having an underside and top side. Further, the base divider wail is closed to prevent liquid from passing from the underside to the top side. The metered dosage reservoir has enclosed walls and is located above the top side of the divider wall. The hollow dip tube passes through the base divider wall and extends downwardly therefrom for insertion into a container. The dip tube also extends upwardly to a predetermined height in the metered dosage reservoir to establish a fill level. The metered dosage reservoir outlet is located on a metered dosage reservoir wall opposite the dip tube. The valve is located in the reservoir outlet, in proximity to the dip tube. The valve has a first position wherein the reservoir outlet is closed and the dip tube is open, and has a second position wherein the reservoir outlet is open and the dip tube is closed. The device is attached to a container. A user squeezes a container to fill the reservoir to the dip tube height, inverts and presses to release (dab) the metered dosage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dabber devices, and, more particularly to such devices that will apply a predetermined amount of fluid for each dab (application). Hence, the present invention pertains to metered dosage applicators that may be used to limit the amount of fluid dispensed, or control it so that a specific required amount is dispensed, as in the case of fixed dosage, externally applied medication. Thus, while the present invention device is particularly useful is medication delivery, it could also be used for no-medicinal purposes, e.g. moisturizing labels or applying degreaser to a chemical etching, as in delicate, intricate electronics work. However, the present invention is most advantageous for applying a prescribed dosage to a surface, e.g., skin, by dabbing (pressing an applicator).
2. Information Disclosure Statement
The following patents are representative of applicator devices:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,663,113 describes a fluid applicator assembly including a retainer ring adapted to be snugly fitted within the open end of a container, the ring having at one end an inwardly extending peripheral web member having value opening therein, a cover means secured to the forward end of the retainer, a value stem extending through the value opening and having an abutment at one end lying against a cover means for the assembly and a valve head at its other end lying against the underside of the web, and a coil spring urging the valve stem in a forward direction, the wall of the web opening being inclined forwardly so as to define a value seat and the wall of the web opening being further inclined inwardly so as to permit easy snap-in insertion of the value stem through the opening.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,541,552 describes a device for metering and dispensing liquid or semiliquid mediums, such as adhesives, paints, lacquers, oils, and anaerobic plastics, comprising a tube having a discharge port and a first valve seat with a conical taper thereto inside of the tube adjacent the discharge port, and a valve body slideable within the tube between open and closed positions with the first valve seal. The valve body has a conical tapered end portion, which complements the conical taper of the first valve seat of the tube. At least one spring nominally biases the valve body to closed position against the first valve seat and a tip is formed on the end of the valve body, which extends through the discharge port of the tube and closes it when the valve body is in closed position against the first valve seat. A cylindrical inner wall of the tube connects with the conical taper of the first valve seat and further extends to form a flared storage chamber at the end thereof. The valve body has a cylindrical portion slideable within the cylindrical inner wall of the tube to form a second valve seat between the flared storage chamber and a metering chamber formed between the ends of the valve body with the cylindrical inner wall of the tube for the purpose of controlling the amount of medium dispensed during use of the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,808 describes applicator device comprising a receptacle, which is closed by a tearable cover, and a deformable applicator element, in which, between the applicator element and the cover, is a rounded body retained by a retaining device. Under the effect of pressure exerted on the applicator element, which is transmitted to the rounded body, said rounded body tears the cover and falls into the receptacle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,990 describes a liquid applicator providing for a self-sealing feature, which applicator comprises a housing, a valve ember and a spring member. The housing has an aperture through its top wall and an annular sleeve projecting inwardly from an edge of the top wall in a surrounding relation with the aperture, the annular sleeve having an end portion. The valve member includes an actuating part that is slideable received by the annular sleeve and a sealing part that is shaped to form a releasable seal with the end portion of the annular sleeve. The valve and spring members are disposed in an axially displaceable relation such that the actuating part of the valve member is resiliently urged into the annular sleeve; that a part of the actuating part protrudes from the top wall of the housing; and that the sealing part of the valve member sealably engages with the end portion of the annular sleeve.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,624 describes a fluid dispensing valve used for printing and marking, having a valve body with an end wall which defines an aperture and a spring biased valve element disposed, within the valve body to open and close the aperture. A spring element is coupled to the tubular body adjacent the circular wall, the spring element and the wall defining a chamber for receiving a fluid metered through the aperture of the valve body when the aperture is opened, the spring element having at least one aperture communicating with the chamber. A porous member is affixed to the spring element such that the porous member covers the aperture in the spring element. The porous member transfers the fluid received in the chamber to a surface in the form of a printed geometric image. In operation, a printing force applied to the porous member causes the spring element to compress and engage the portion of the valve element thereby pushing a portion of the valve element partially back through the aperture in the open position to allow the passage of a marking fluid therethrough to the chamber to wet the porous member. The porous member has a predetermined rigidity, which substantially prevents the porous member from distorting from its predetermined geometric shape under the printing force. The fluid dispensing valve is typically affixed to the open end of a container that contains the fluid to be dispensed. A removable cap is provided for covering the valve when it is not being used.
Notwithstanding the prior art, the present invention is neither taught nor rendered obvious thereby.
The present invention relates to a metered dose dispensing dabber device. This device includes a dabber main housing having a container attachment means for affixing the device to a container, a metered dosage reservoir, a hollow dip tube, a metered dosage reservoir outlet, and a valve. The main housing has a base divider wall, this base divider wall having an underside and top side. Further, the base divider wall is closed to prevent liquid from passing from the underside to the top side. The metered dosage reservoir has enclosed walls and is located above the top side of the divider wall. The hollow dip tube passes through the base divider wall and extends downwardly therefrom for insertion into a container. The dip tube also extends upwardly to a predetermined height in the metered dosage reservoir to establish a fill level. The metered dosage reservoir outlet is located on a metered dosage reservoir wall opposite the dip tube. The valve is located in the reservoir outlet, in proximity to the dip tube. The valve has a first position wherein the reservoir outlet is closed and the dip tube is open, and has a second position wherein the reservoir outlet is open and the dip tube is closed.
Because ease of fabrication is an important factor in effectively producing the present invention metered dose dispensing dabber device, in some preferred embodiments, the dip tube and the base divider wall are a single unitary component of the device, and may be formed in a single mold.
In other preferred embodiments, the metered dose dispensing dabber device has enclosed walls of the metered dosage reservoir that include a top wall, wherein the reservoir outlet is located on this top wall. In some embodiments, the metered dose dispensing dabber device reservoir top wall is a domed top wall.
Also, in preferred embodiments of the present invention metered dose dispensing dabber device, the valve is connected to a flexible spring member such that the valve is movably connected to the outlet. Thus, for example, the metered dose dispensing dabber device flexible spring member may be connected to the top wall of the reservoir so as to move relative thereto. The flexible spring member may include a plurality of orifices thereon positioned for dispensing and dispersing of liquid exiting said reservoir outlet. Alternatively, the spring and a dispersing manifold may be separate from one another.
In some cases of the present invention, the spring member and/or separate dispersing manifold may be a domed spring member and/or manifold. The present invention metered dose dispensing dabber device may further include a dispersion means located in proximity to the metered dosage reservoir outlet. This could be a sponge, felt or porous pad adjacent the spring member when it also functions as a manifold (has dispersion orifices), or adjacent a manifold separate from the spring,
The present invention metered dose dispensing dabber device container attachment means may be a snap-on mechanism, a keyway mechanism, or a threaded attachment means.


A thin film transistor array substrate includes a thin film transistor on a substrate, the thin film transistor including an active layer, a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode; a capacitor including a lower electrode in a same layer as the active layer and an upper electrode in a same layer as the gate electrode; a pixel electrode in a same layer as the gate electrode and the upper electrode; a first insulation layer between the active layer and the gate electrode and between the lower electrode and the upper electrode; a second insulation layer on the first insulation layer, a protection layer extending along side surfaces of the lower electrode, and a third insulation layer on the protection layer and exposing the pixel electrode.

1. Field
Embodiments relate to a thin film transistor array substrate, an organic light emitting display device including the same, and a manufacturing method of the thin film transistor array substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Flat panel display devices such as organic light emitting display devices or liquid crystal display devices include a thin film transistor (TFT), a capacitor, and wiring connecting the parts. In general, a flat panel display device is manufactured on a substrate. To form a fine pattern including a TFT, the pattern is transferred to the substrate by using a mask on which the fine pattern is drawn.
The process of transferring a pattern using a mask generally uses a photolithography process. According to the photolithography process, photoresist is uniformly coated on a substrate on which a pattern is to be formed. The photoresist is exposed to the light by exposure equipment such as a stepper. In case of a positive photoresist, the exposed photoresist is developed. Also, after the photoresist is developed, the pattern is etched using a remaining photoresist as a mask. Then, unnecessary photoresist is removed.
In the process of transferring a pattern using a mask, a mask on which a necessary pattern is formed, is prepared. Thus, manufacturing costs for preparing a mask rise as the number of the processes using a mask increase. Also, since the above-described complicated processes are needed, a manufacturing process is complicated, a manufacturing time increases, and manufacturing costs increase.

Thin film transistor array substrate, organic light emitting display device including the same, and manufacturing method of the thin film transistor array substrate


A method and system for checking data gathering conditions or image capturing conditions associated with images during AI based visual-inspection process. The method comprises generating a first representative (FR1) image for a first group of images and a second representative image (FR2) for a second group of images. A difference image data is generated between FR1 image and the FR2 image based on calculating difference between luminance values of pixels with same coordinate values. Thereafter, one or more of a plurality of white pixels or intensity-values are determined within the difference image based on acquiring difference image data formed of luminance difference-values of pixels. An index representing difference of data-capturing conditions across the FR1 image and the FR2 image is determined, said index having been determined at least based on the plurality of white pixels or intensity-values, for example, based on application of a plurality of AI or ML techniques.

Automatic Visual Inspection of defects using Machine Learning has been into existence for some time. Example architectures include artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, deep-learning architectures to accomplish the automatic visual-inspection of various materials as a part of quality control process. Further examples include semi-automatic A.I. enabled visual inspection processes wherein a part of visual inspection may be rendered by human being by providing user inputs to facilitate the operation of the A.I. enabled visual inspection process.
At least an expectation from the state of the art aforesaid A.I. models is to recognize the actual-defects rather than capturing false-defects as emanating from different data collection conditions. At least a reason behind such different data capturing conditions is that the data collected for inspection by the AI model may come from different lines of production and the lighting condition also varies across a period. However, the state of the art AI models tend to ignore such disparities.
Accordingly, if the presence of variance in the data capturing conditions is left unchecked, it can lead to misleading model performance. In other words, the A.I. enabled visual inspection model misidentifies resulting aberrations due to lightening-condition as defects and tends to pick-up false defects apart from the actual-defects.
Overall, in case of non-similarity of the data collection conditions across different classes, e.g. lighting condition, mis-focus, camera alignment, blur and so on, the conventional techniques fail to automatically adjust the images to compensate for the different conditions such as lightings. State of the art mechanisms fail to enable the A.I. model to only focus upon the actual defects within a given dataset.
There lies a need for a long-term system maintenance mechanism that can detect changes in capturing conditions and automatically raise a flag or apply compensation/correction techniques when such conditions are detected.
There lies a need to ensure that A.I. models are not biased by different capturing conditions, and to work on the training data set and on the long term maintenance of the A.I. enabled visual inspection systems.

Method and system for checking data gathering conditions associated with image-data during AI enabled visual-inspection process

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


A method and apparatus for establishing communication between a plurality of communication devices and a communication network using a single subscription is provided. The method receives a first request from a second communication device to get a subscription identity and capabilities of subscription for accessing the communication network using subscription of the first communication device. The method then sends the first request to a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) associated with the first communication device. Thereafter, the method receives a response from the USIM including subscription identity, access protection keys and capabilities of the subscription. Then the method generates unique key for the second communication device based on the response received from the USIM. The method then sends the response along with the generated unique key to the second communication device to establish communication between the second communication device and the communication network using the subscription of first communication device.

Today, UE are equipped with various hardware and software that enables users of the UEs to access various services such as multimedia services, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) services and the Internet services from their UEs. For example, the users may use a UE to access 3GPP services. The UEs may be separate mobile communication devices or embedded in the household devices. Examples of the UEs include but are not limited to, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) televisions, LED televisions, Digital Cameras (DC), Personal Computer (PC), mobile communication devices and Personal Digital Assistants (PDA). The UEs are associated with appropriate client software, radio protocols, a separate module containing radio protocols and other elements that enables the UEs to access 3GPP services.
For accessing 3GPP service, the user of the UE can subscribe with the 3GPP network and thereafter the 3GPP network provides with necessary information like subscription identity, master key for further key generation, and module to derive unique keys to access 3GPP services. Hence, the UE for example a LCD television with necessary subscription information can initially register itself with the 3GPP network and can thereafter use the 3GPP network to watch High Definition (HD) video which is provided by the 3GPP services.
However, the use of the 3GPP services in such UEs are very minimal and not very often. For example, a user of the LCD television may want to view only a few football matches in HD using the 3GPP services. Thus, for watching few matches in HD, the users have to unnecessarily register and subscribe the UEs with network and then use the services. Further, there may be a case where the user may also have a mobile communication device that is already subscribed with the 3GPP network. Hence, the user has to subscribe and register each UE separately with the 3GPP network to access the 3GPP services on the 3GPP enabled devices.
Generally, the UEs are subscribed to handle security issues in accessing the 3GPP services but this leads to unnecessary subscriptions information storage and huge amount of money wasted as each subscription is associated with specific amount of money and hardware modules. Currently, there is no mechanism available to share single subscription between different UEs to obtain 3GPP access so as to reduce the additional cost associated with the 3GPP access and reduce the usage of communication resources.

Method and apparatus for creating security context and managing communication in mobile communication network


A composition for formation of upper layer film, which is used for forming an upper layer film on the surface of a photoresist film and which comprises                a resin (A) having a repeating unit represented by the following general formula (1-1) and not having a repeating unit represented by the following general formula (1-2), and        a resin (B) having a repeating unit represented by the following general formula (1-2) and not having a repeating unit represented by the following general formula (1-1).

In producing a semiconductor element, etc., there is used a projection aligner of stepper type or step and scan type, which can transfer a reticle (a photomask) pattern onto the to-be-irradiated areas of a wafer having thereon a photoresist film (hereinafter referred to as "photoresist" in some cases) formed by coating, via a projection optical system. The projection optical system of projection aligner gives a higher resolution as the wavelength of the exposure ray used is shorter and the numerical aperture of the projection optical system is larger. Therefore, as the integrated circuit has become finer, the wavelength of exposure ray (which is the wavelength of the radiation used in projection aligner) has become shorter year by year and the numerical aperture of the projection optical system has become larger.
In conducting exposure, not only the resolution of projection optical system but also its depth of focus are important. The resolution R and the depth of focus δ are represented by the following formulas, respectively. In order to obtain a certain resolution R, use of a radiation of shorter wavelength can give a larger depth of focus δ.R=k1·λ/NA  (i)δ=k2·λ/NA2  (ii)(In the above formulas, λ is a wavelength of exposure ray; NA is a numerical aperture of projection optical system; and k1 and k2 are each a process coefficient.)
A photoresist film is formed on the wafer to be irradiated and a pattern is transferred onto this photoresist film. In conventional projection aligners, the space in which the wafer is placed, is filled with air or nitrogen. When the space between the wafer and the lens of projection aligner is filled with a medium of refractive index n, the above-shown resolution R and depth of focus δ are represented by the following formulas.R=k1·(λ/n)/NA  (iii)δ=k2·nλ/NA2  (iv)
For example, in an ArF process, when water is used as the above medium and there is used n=1.44 (the refractive index of water in a ray of wavelength of 193 nm), the resolution R becomes 69.4% [R=k1·(λ/1.44)/NA] and the depth of focus becomes 144% (δ=k2-1.44λ/NA2), as compared with the exposure case of using air or nitrogen as a medium.
Such a projection exposure method in which the wavelength of a radiation to be applied is made shorter and a finer pattern can be transferred, is called liquid immersion exposure; and this liquid immersion exposure is considered to be an essential technique in conducting finer lithography, particularly lithography of several tens nm unit, and a projection aligner therefor is known (see Patent Document 1).
In the method of liquid immersion exposure using water as the medium, both the photoresist film formed on a wafer by coating and the lens of projection aligner come into contact with water. As a result, water penetrates into the photoresist film, which may lower the resolution of the photoresist. Further, components constituting the photoresist dissolve out into the water, which may stain the surface of the lens of the projection aligner.
In order to prevent the contact between the photoresist film and the medium (e.g. water), there is a method of forming an upper layer film (a protective film) on the photoresist film. However, this upper layer film is required to have properties such as mentioned below.    (1) It has sufficient transmission for the wavelength of the radiation used.    (2) It can be formed on a photoresist film while causing substantially no intermixing with the photoresist film.    (3) In liquid immersion exposure, it does not dissolve in the medium (e.g. water) used and can maintain a stable film state.    (4) It is easily soluble in a developing solution (e.g. an alkali solution).As conventional relevant technical documents disclosed, there are Patent Document 2, Patent Document 3, etc.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-1999-176727
Patent Document 2: JP-A-2005-264131
Patent Document 3: JP-A-2006-64711

Composition for formation of upper layer film, and method for formation of photoresist pattern

Abstract: [In the general formulas (1-1) and (1-2), R1 is hydrogen or the like; R2 is single bonds or the like; and R3 is a fluorine-substituted, linear or branched alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, or the like.] The composition can form an upper layer film giving a sufficiently high receded contact angle.