The present invention relates to a series of dimethicone copolyol compounds that contain both methoxy capped groups and hydroxyl groups that are esterified with fatty acids or triglycerides. The resulting products are outstanding emulsifiers and conditioners.

For many years, there has been an industry desire to develop products that provide effective lubrication of fibers. These fibers include hair and a variety of textile fibers including cotton, rayon, nylon, and polyester. The need for an effective lubricant has grown recently with the popularity of microfibers, a very low denier fiber. The smaller the fiber, the greater the need for lubrication to prevent breakage during processing. As will become clear, the ability to provide effective lubrication was limited first by the chemistry of the lubrication compounds and then by the limitations of formulating these compounds into compositions.
By lubrication and conditioning, we mean the alteration of the fiber surface to provide a softer more appealing feel to the touch and at the same time provide lower friction values when the fibers pass over each other or when they pass over other objects, like metal parts or combs. In general, lubrication is the alteration of the surface to effect these changes. Conditioning is a type of lubrication in which the aesthetics of the lubricant are appealing. Hair is conditioned, fibers are generally lubricated, but both are related concepts.
Very early products aimed at lubricating and conditioning of fibers were simply oil or silicone emulsions. These composition included an oil phase (hydrocarbon, triglyceride or silicone oil), one of more emulsifiers and water. The difficulty with this approach was two fold. The first was that emulsions are metastable materials, and given enough time will separate. In addition, these emulsions are very sensitive to addition of additional surface active materials since the addition would alter the surfactant balance of the original emulsion and lead to splitting of the emulsion. That splitting would manifest itself by the formation of a water phase and an oil phase from a product that was homogeneous milk like liquid. This inability to add other ingredients limits the use of such products.
More recently, there has been a desire to make a soluble molecule that contains both silicone soluble groups and water soluble groups. These products are called silicone glycols. The products overcame the limitations related to emulsification, but in order to obtain a suitable level of water solubility, the lubrication and conditioning properties were significantly lessened. The compromised conditioning and lubrication properties, their inability to provide emulsification properties and their high cost limited the usefulness of such materials.
Several attempts were made to combine in one molecule water soluble groups, silicone soluble groups and oil soluble groups to make a truly functional lubricant for use in aqueous systems. One class of compounds are the silicone esters. Silicone esters have been known for years. U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,248 issued February 1988 to Dexter et al is the first patent to disclose silicone fatty esters, primarily for use in electrical systems. O'Lenick et al in U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,063 issued Aug. 4, 1992 later expanded the field. Still later, these materials were modified using specific triglycerides to maintain properties of the oil. These include U.S. Pat. No. 6,646,144 to Klein discloses cranberry based silicone esters and U.S. Pat. No. 6,630,180 to Klein discloses raspberry silicone esters.
While functional as skin care materials, these materials do not have the necessary properties to make a truly functional highly efficacious conditioner/lubricant. In fact, the recent approaches listed above indicate the desirability of making a compound that will provide the necessary functionality, rather than a specifically targeted composition. In other words, the recent trends in the art teach away from the use compositions.
Providing conditioning and lubrication to fiber is a complicated process, particularly when it is attempted with one compound. The process of conditioning or lubricating the fiber from aqueous solution includes several often-competitive processes including wetting of the fiber, and the deposition of the lubricant or conditioner onto the fiber. For example if one uses the silicone esters disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,063, the specific ester chosen must have (a) water solubility, (b) wetting properties to allow for the uniform distribution of the molecule on the fiber, (c) ability to deposit rather than to wash off and (d) outstanding conditioning effects. Unfortunately, the selection of a molecule that has all properties has been elusive. This is because the optimization of one property is achieved at the expense of another. If one wants to improve water solubility one can add a lager water soluble group. This would decrease wetting, minimize deposition, increase wash off and lower conditioning effectiveness.
In order to attempt to overcome these problems, we looked at making compositions, containing one silicone molecule and an added surface active agent. The concept was to make a composition that would allow various processes to go on simultaneously, with minimal interferences one to the other. Many approaches simply did not work due to interactions between the compounds and interferences in the various processes.


A liquid crystal display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: a substrate; a partition formed on the substrate and defining a pixel; a plurality of protrusion members formed with the same material as the partition on the substrate, and disposed with a linear plane shape inside the pixel defined by the partition; and a color filter filled inside the pixel defined by the partition. Accordingly, in the liquid crystal display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of transparent protrusion members are formed in the pixel defined by the partition such that movement of color filter ink dripped through an Inkjet method is controlled such that a color filter may be planarized on the whole surface of the pixel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display.
2. Discussion of the Background
Currently, various flat panel displays are being developed. Among them, a liquid crystal display is widely used as a flat panel display.
The liquid crystal display (LCD) is one of the most commonly used flat panel displays, and it includes two substrates with electrodes formed thereon and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the two substrates. In the LCD, a voltage is applied to the electrodes to realign liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer to thereby regulate the transmittance of light passing through the liquid crystal layer.
The liquid crystal display also may include a color filter displaying a color by using the light transmitted through the liquid crystal layer, and the color filter is generally disposed in a display panel formed with a common electrode.
The color filter commonly includes red, green, and blue colors such that each color filter must be aligned to face a corresponding pixel when aligning the two display panels. However, because the area of a light blocking member defining openings corresponding to the pixels must be sufficiently wide considering a misalignment margin, the size of the openings is decreased such that the aperture ratio of the pixels may be reduced.
To solve the problem, techniques in which the color filters are formed through an inkjet method have been provided. Forming the color filters through the inkjet method also simplifies the manufacturing process, because a light exposer is not used.
However, the inkjet method uses ink of a liquid state such that the thickness of the color filter is different between the edge and the center of the color filter in one pixel, and thereby the surface of the color filter is not flat in one pixel. Accordingly, light leakage is generated at the edge of the color filter such that the color is different between the edge and the center of the color filter, thereby decreasing color reproducibility.
An organic layer or an overcoat is formed on the color filter for the planarization of the pixel surface, however it may not prevent generation of the light leakage due to the height difference of the color filter inside the pixel.

Liquid crystal display with opposing protrusions in a pixel


A system and method for a software defined Internet of Things (IoT) Network Controller/Server including Network Controller Instances, a Network Controller Cluster, Application Controller Instances, Northbound and Southbound APIs, Uplink and Downlink Processor instances, and a Network Database. The invention leverages web-oriented technologies for a large horizontally scalable and highly available system. Horizontal scaling is accomplished by Network Controller instances which dynamically increases throughput for uplink and downlink processing. The event-driven architecture is coordinated through a distributed cache. Only Critical events are persisted as part of event processing; all others are stored in a cache and scheduled for persistence.

The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the network of physical objects with Internet connectivity (connected devices), and the communication between them. These Internet-enabled devices and systems collect and exchange data. IoT has been defined as "the infrastructure of the information society". IoT extends Internet connectivity beyond traditional devices such as desktop and laptop computers and smart phones to a range of devices and everyday things that use embedded technology to communicate and interact with the external environment via the Internet.
There are great challenges to connecting such devices, as their numbers are in the billions, and many operate in critical systems. Scalability, security, and availability are critical attributes. Without these, delays can make applications unusable, and security breaches can risk data and much worse. Availability particularly can require devices to operate reliably, without intervention, over multiple years. Power consumption can be critical to support multi-year operation. Particularly, Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) devices are expected to operate for ten or more years. Given the large numbers, cost can also be a critical factor. If costs per device are too high, entire fields of applications can be out of reach.
What is needed is a system and method for a dynamically scalable infrastructure that provides secure, low-cost, low-power, highly available communications between connected devices.


In a manufacturing method of a foreign object detection apparatus, an elastic insulator including an attaching section and an inner peripheral portion, on which a plurality of electrodes is disposed in such a manner that each of the electrodes is away from the others, is formed, a predetermined portion of the attaching section is removed, a feeding member is coupled with the electrodes, and a coupling portion of the electrodes and the feeding member and a portion of the elastic insulator are covered with a covering part.

A conventional automatic sliding door is attached with a foreign object detection apparatus. For example, JP-A-11-271154 discloses a foreign object detection apparatus that includes a pressure-sensitive sensor having a cord shape with a circular cross-section. The pressure-sensitive sensor is inserted in a holding portion of a protector having a cylindrical shape. The protector has an attaching leg, and the attaching leg is bonded between a pinching portion and a pinching plate disposed at a front end of a door panel. Accordingly, the pressure-sensitive sensor is attached to the door panel.

Manufacturing method of foreign object detection apparatus


The disclosure relates to a redundant electric machine for driving a propulsion means with increased operational safety. The machine may include two systems, with each system including a stator winding system and a rotor assigned thereto with permanent magnets, wherein the rotors are fastened on a common shaft for driving the propulsion means. If a fault occurs in one of the stator winding systems, the rotor, which continues to rotate, has to be prevented from inducing electric voltages in the stator winding system because this may lead to a fire in the machine. A demagnetization apparatus is therefore provided which, in a targeted manner, demagnetizes the permanent magnets of the rotor assigned to the faulty stator winding system such that the inducing of electric voltages is prevented.

Applications of electric machines, including electric motors and generators, may require increased protection and reliability against failure of the machine. In particular, it is very substantially provided that a failure of the machine does not lead to severe overheating or fire, in addition to the loss of drive associated with the failure. In particular, in the case of aviation applications, a fire may very rapidly become a major hazard.
In electric machines, the insulation of the stator winding system of the machine may fail due to undetected or undetectable material faults or manufacturing errors, and also in the event of operational overloads, such as due to voltage and/or current peaks. Such fault situations may occur if a turn-to-turn fault, a winding short circuit, or a ground short circuit occurs in the stator winding system. Such a failure causes a functional failure as the damage propagates and, in the worst-case scenario, causes the electric machine to catch fire.
Such a development may constitute a hazardous situation because it results at least in failure of and possibly damage to the machine, which may have more or less serious consequences depending on how the machine is used. In particular, if the electric machine is used as part of the drive system of an electrically or hybrid-electrically powered aircraft, the failure of the electric machine may have fatal consequences. Accordingly, components or systems used in aviation have to have adequate protection against failure.
In order to reduce the probability of failure or to improve the protection against failure, electric machines for use in aircraft propulsion systems may be designed redundantly, so that the failure of a subsystem of the propulsion system does not lead to the failure of the entire propulsion system and to the aircraft crashing. Redundancy may be achieved by a multiple design, (e.g., doubling), of a complete drive train by providing a plurality of propellers including the corresponding motors, or by increasing the redundancy of components with an increased probability of failure. In the latter case, for example, a motor with a plurality of winding systems and, accordingly, a plurality of voltage sources and respective power electronics systems may be connected upstream of a propeller, or a plurality of motors with a plurality of power electronics systems are assigned to the propeller, the motors being arranged on the same shaft. Complete redundancy of all of the components may lead to a significantly increased space and cost for the drive train, which is why the aim is to distribute the redundancy to certain components.
In the case of an electric motor with, for example, two winding systems, the electric motor may normally continue to be operated, even if to a limited extent, if one of the two power electronics systems fails. In particular, however, if there is a failure in a permanently excited motor, for example in the event of a turn-to-turn fault, a phase short circuit or another short circuit, the corresponding fault location continues to be coupled to the magnetic circuit and the rotor rotating with the permanent magnets induces a voltage in the faulty winding system. Due to the short circuit, the induced voltage may drive a very high fault current, which may lead to severe overheating of the machine and even to a fire. This problem would not occur in the case of electrically excited synchronous or even asynchronous machines, because in these machines the excitation may be controlled directly by the rotor and may consequently be switched off. However, these types of machine deliver a significantly lower power density (kW/kg) and are therefore of less interest for aviation, which is why a permanently excited machine is taken as the starting point in the sphere under consideration here.
Owing to the permanent magnet excitation, the machine cannot therefore simply be switched off, as would be the case with an electrically excited machine, for example. In the fault situation mentioned, there is no longer any redundancy either because of the two or more winding systems. In addition, a fault may even be transmitted to the adjacent winding system. If the two winding systems are located on the same circumference, each system, for example, each in a half-shell, a fault in one winding system may also continue to the second winding system. A further problem with such a redundant system lies in an effect known as "windmilling", in which the propeller will continue to rotate the rotor during flight even when the defective drive train is switched off and an induced fault current will continue to flow as a result. The problem of windmilling may be solved by providing a mechanical brake, but this approach leads to increased complexity and mass of the entire drive train.
For safety reasons, as already indicated above, EP2896532A1 achieves redundancy with the aid of two stator winding systems, with a separate voltage source being provided for each of the two winding systems. The two separate winding systems work together with only one rotor equipped with permanent magnets. If a fault is detected in one of the two winding systems or in one of the two voltage sources, (e.g., an excess temperature, an overvoltage, or an overcurrent), the faulty winding system or the faulty voltage source is deactivated by switching off the associated voltage source while the second winding system may continue to be operated as normal.
Although the described redundant system allows the operation to continue, it cannot be ruled out in principle that an electric current will continue to flow through the faulty winding system, which may lead to overheating of the machine. One source of such a current flow may be the actual current source that normally supplies the stator winding system. Consequently, this is switched off immediately when a fault is detected. In addition, the currents that are induced in this winding system because of the continued rotation of the motor rotor with respect to the faulty stator winding system, which currents occur in particular in the case of permanently excited electric machines, are also taken into account. Due to the associated risk of fire, dangerous overheating therefore has to be prevented immediately after detection of the fault by a safe interruption of this current flow, which promotes the propagation of damage, in the winding system.
In the case of such safety-critical systems, in the event of a fault, (e.g., a short circuit in the stator winding system), it has to be possible to switch off the electric machine safely. If the rotor assigned to the faulty stator winding system or interacting electromagnetically therewith is rotated further, as described above, by external influences, (e.g., by a propeller or, as in EP2896532A1, by another electric machine in the same mechanical train), the rotor equipped with permanent magnets continues to induce power into the faulty winding system. As mentioned, this may lead to a fire in the machine and may thus endanger safety. In order to prevent this, the necessity would therefore consequently arise to switch off or to stop the entire train, but this would render the desired redundancy obsolete.
DE102016221304 describes a redundant electric machine which addresses this problem. The machine presented there has two subsystems, each including a rotor and a stator winding system. The rotors are seated on a common shaft and drive a propeller via this shaft. In the event of a fault in one of the winding systems, the associated rotor may be prevented from rotating further in order to prevent induction of power into the faulty winding system. This is achieved by using freewheels arranged between the respective rotor and the shaft in such a way that the rotor of a defective subsystem of the machine is no longer driven by a common shaft in the event of a fault. Although this solves the problem described, freewheels and, along with them the entire system, are comparatively vulnerable and the electric machines in the configuration presented may be operated only as motors, but not as generators. The generator operating mode is required, among other things, for fast speed control, (e.g., for quadrocopters or VTOL aircraft), and for recuperation.
DE102017209174 also describes a redundant system with a multiplicity of subsystems, each with a rotor and a stator. In the event of a fault, care is taken here to provide that the respective air gap between the mutually assigned rotor and stator is increased such that the electromagnetic interaction is greatly reduced, and induction is thus prevented. This also solves the problem mentioned in the introduction, but the overall system is comparatively complex and difficult.

Electric machine having increased operational safety


The present invention provides for flexibly configurable network diagnostic modules that can implement any of a plurality of network diagnostic functions. A network diagnostic module receives an indication that a selected network diagnostic function (e.g., network analyzer, jammer, generator, bit error rate tester, etc.) is to be implemented. The network diagnostic module receives a bit file with instructions or data for implementing the selected network diagnostic function at one or more ports. The network diagnostic module identifies a programmable logic module (e.g., a Field-Programmable Gate Array (“FPGA”)) that controls the one or ports. The network diagnostic module loads a portion of the bit file at the identified programmable logic module to cause the programmable logic module and the one or more ports to interoperate to implement the selected network diagnostic function. A plurality of network diagnostic modules can be included in a common computer system chassis.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to identifying the cause of performance deviations and other problems in high speed data transmission systems and components. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to configurable diagnostic modules that can perform a variety of different diagnostic tests suitable for use with various different network protocols and configurations.
2. Background and Relevant Art
Computer and data communications networks continue to proliferate due to declining costs, increasing performance of computer and networking equipment, and increasing demand for communication bandwidth. Communications networks—including wide area networks ("WANs"), local area networks ("LANs"), and storage area networks ("SANS")—allow increased productivity and utilization of distributed computers or stations through the sharing of resources, the transfer of voice and data, and the processing of voice, data and related information at the most efficient locations. Moreover, as organizations have recognized the economic benefits of using communications networks, network applications such as electronic mail, voice and data transfer, host access, and shared and distributed databases are increasingly used as a means to increase user productivity. This increased demand, together with the growing number of distributed computing resources, has resulted in a rapid expansion of the number of installed networks.
As the demand for networks has grown, network technology has developed to the point that many different physical configurations presently exist. Examples include Gigabit Ethernet ("GE"), 10 GE, Fiber Distributed Data Interface ("FDDI"), Fibre Channel ("FC"), Synchronous Optical Network ("SONET") and InfiniBand networks. These networks, and others, typically conform to one of a variety of established standards, or protocols, which set forth rules that govern network access as well as communications between and among the network resources. Typically, such networks utilize different cabling systems, have different characteristic bandwidths and typically transmit data at different speeds. Network bandwidth, in particular, has been the driving consideration behind many advancements in the area of high speed communication systems, methods and devices.
For example, the ever-increasing demand for network bandwidth has resulted in the development of technology that increases the amount of data that can be pushed through a single channel on a network. Advancements in modulation techniques, coding algorithms and error correction have vastly increased the rates at which data can be transmitted across networks. For example, a few years ago, the highest rate that data could travel across a network was at about one Gigabit per second. This rate has increased to the point where data can travel across Ethernet and SONET networks at rates as high as 10 gigabits per second, or faster.
As communication networks have increased in size, speed and complexity however, they have become increasingly likely to develop a variety of problems that, in practice, have proven difficult to diagnose and resolve. Such problems are of particular concern in light of the continuing demand for high levels of network operational reliability and for increased network capacity.
The problems generally experienced in network communications can take a variety of forms and may occur as a result of a variety of different circumstances. Examples of circumstances, conditions and events that may give rise to network communication problems include the transmission of unnecessarily small frames of information, inefficient or incorrect routing of information, improper network configuration and superfluous network traffic, to name just a few. Such problems are aggravated by the fact that networks are continually changing and evolving due to growth, reconfiguration and introduction of new network topologies and protocols. Moreover, new network interconnection devices and software applications are constantly being introduced and implemented. Circumstances such as these highlight the need for effective, reliable, and flexible diagnostic mechanisms.
Consequently, as high speed data communications systems, processes and devices mature, many designs have increasingly focused on reliability and performance issues. Accordingly, a number of diagnostic devices and tests can be utilized to aid a network administrator in both identifying existing network conditions that are causing a network to deviate from expected performance and proactively identifying network conditions that may cause a network to deviate from expected performance in the future.
One device that is used to identifying network conditions is a protocol analyzer, also called a network analyzer. Generally, a protocol analyzer runs in the background of a network, capturing, examining and logging packet traffic. Protocol analyzers can, for example, be configured to watch for unusual IP addresses, time stamps and data packets, and most have a user interface for enabling the network administrator to have access to information representing the analysis performed by the protocol analyzers. Protocol analyzers are thus a fundamental and highly useful tool for testing and debugging various types of communications networks, including computing and computer storage networks.
A protocol analyzer operates by capturing selected portions of data from a data stream that is transmitted via the communications network. The captured information may then be analyzed in greater detail by the protocol analyzer to extract desired information. For example, data transmission faults or errors, or performance errors, known generally as problem conditions, may be diagnosed by examining the captured data that is related to the problem.
Another device that is used to identify network conditions is a generator. Generally, generators generate network traffic to simulate various network conditions. For example, a generator can generate network traffic that simulates a data stream between two nodes on a network. The behavior of the two nodes, as well as other nodes of the network, can be evaluated to determine how the network responds to the simulated data stream. Thus, a network administrator may be able to identify performance deviations and take appropriate measures to prevent the performance deviations from occurring in the future.
Another device that is used to identify network conditions is a bit error rate tester. Generally, bit error rate testers operate by transmitting a predetermined bit sequence onto the data transmission path, and then analyze the predetermined bit sequence when it returns to the bit error rate tester. Typically, such analyses involve comparing the received bit sequence to a copy of the bit sequence that was initially transmitted onto the data transmission path. This comparison permits errors within the sequence to be identified and counted. After the errors in the bit sequence are counted, that information is used to calculate an overall bit error rate. If the bit error rate is too high, the data transmission path and its physical layer should be inspected. Some protocol's specifications expect the bit error rate to be less than a specific value.
Another device that is used to identify network conditions is a jammer. Generally, jammers provide the ability to selectively alter channel data, including the introduction of errors into channel data paths. Thus, jammers permit monitoring of the response of the communications system to the altered data, and help determine whether the communications system is capable of responding without experiencing adverse effects in performance such as loss of data or network traffic interruption. For example, a network system designer can perform any one of a number of different diagnostic tests to make determinations such as whether a system responded appropriately to incomplete, misplaced or missing tasks or sequences, how misdirected or confusing frames are treated, and how misplaced ordered sets are treated.
Protocol analyzers, generators, bit error rate testers, and jammers (and possibly other devices that test for network conditions) can be implemented on printed circuit boards (often referred to as "cards" or "blades") that are inserted into a computer system test chassis. Depending on the desired functionality, an administrator can insert a particular type of card into a computer system test chassis. For example, when an administrator desires to test a bit error rate for a network, the administrator can insert a bit error rate tester card into computer system test chassis. Subsequently, when the administrator desires to analyze network traffic, the administrator can remove the bit error rate test card from the computer system test chassis and insert a network analyzer card into the computer system test chassis.
Some computer system test chassis even include multiple card receptacles such that the computer system test chassis can receive a number of cards. Thus, an administrator may have some flexibility to simultaneously test a network for a variety of network conditions. For example, an administrator may include a generator card and a jammer card in a multi-receptacle computer system test chassis to simultaneously utilize both generator and jammer functionality. Unfortunately, as a network expands and/or is reconfigured, the requirements for testing the network can change. Expansion and/or reconfiguration of a network can result in an administrator having to, at least from time-to-time, remove and replace cards in a computer system test chassis. If the computer system test chassis lacks a sufficient number of receptacles, the administrator may be required to change cards with increased frequency or even obtain an additional test chassis.
There is always some chance that an administrator lacks a card for performing a particular diagnostic function. Thus, an administrator may be required to obtain a separate card for each desired diagnostic function, even if one or more diagnostic functions are performed infrequently. For example, to utilize jammer functionality even once a month, an administrator would still be required to use a jammer card. An administrator may also be required to obtain separate cards for each desired protocol, even if one or more protocols are used infrequently. For example, to diagnose a problem in a Fibre Channel network, the administrator would be required to use a Fibre Channel protocol analyzer and to diagnose a problem in a Gigabit Ethernet network, would be required to use a different Gigabit Ethernet protocol analyzer.
Also, when a card manufactured for a particular diagnostic function malfunctions, an administrator is typically required to purchase a replacement card. Further, there are limited, if any, mechanisms for modifying the functionality of a card. For example, it is typically quite difficult to alter a jammer card to perform the function of a bit error rate tester card. Therefore systems, methods, and computer program products for providing the functionality of a number of diagnostic devices and for several different protocols in a single card would be advantageous.

Multi-purpose network diagnostic modules


Particles, compositions, and methods that aid particle transport in mucus are provided. The particles, compositions, and methods may be used, in some instances, for ophthalmic and/or other applications. In some embodiments, the compositions and methods may involve modifying the surface coatings of particles, such as particles of pharmaceutical agents that have a low aqueous solubility. Such compositions and methods can be used to achieve efficient transport of particles of pharmaceutical agents though mucus barriers in the body for a wide spectrum of applications, including drug delivery, imaging, and diagnostic applications. In certain embodiments, a pharmaceutical composition including such particles is well-suited for ophthalmic applications, and may be used for delivering pharmaceutical agents to the front of the eye and/or the back of the eye.

A mucus layer present at various points of entry into the body, including the eyes, nose, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and female reproductive tract, is naturally adhesive and serves to protect the body against pathogens, allergens, and debris by effectively trapping and quickly removing them via mucus turnover. For effective delivery of therapeutic, diagnostic, or imaging particles via mucus membranes, the particles must be able to readily penetrate the mucus layer to avoid mucus adhesion and rapid mucus clearance. Particles (including microparticles and nanoparticles) that incorporate pharmaceutical agents are particularly useful for ophthalmic applications. However, often it is difficult for administered particles to be delivered to an eye tissue in effective amounts due to rapid clearance and/or other reasons. Accordingly, new methods and compositions for administration (e.g., topical application or direct injection) of pharmaceutical agents to the eye would be beneficial.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Compositions and methods for ophthalmic and/or other applications


Solving Means: A field coil current and a stator current are controlled by a controller. The stator current is controlled under vector control and is controlled so that the phase keeps an efficient motor zone. In a case of rated power generation, when the motor speed is low, the phase current and field coil current are increased to reserve the generated power. And, as the speed is increased, the phase current is decreased to reduce the copper loss, while in place of decreasing the phase current, the field coil current is kept high to reserve the generated power. Thereafter, as the speed is increased more, the field coil current is decreased to reduce the iron loss, while in place of decreasing the field coil current, the phase current is increased to reserve the generated power.

In recent years, in a mobile body, for example, an electrical power train system of a car, to realize various functions such as engine start, booster acceleration, movement start, brake regeneration, and mobile device driving at the time of idle stop, a field wound-rotor type AC rotating electric machine has been used. As such an AC rotating electric machine, conventionally, for example, the one described in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2004-7964 is known.

AC rotating electric machine control method and electrical power train system


A disk drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk and a fly height actuator operable to control a fly height of the head in response to a fly height control signal. A touchdown operation is executed to set an operating fly height control signal by adjusting the fly height control signal until the head contacts the disk. A fly height calibration track is then read to set a fly height reference. When calibrating the operating fly height control signal, the fly height calibration track is read and the operating fly height control signal is adjusted in response to the fly height reference. When the adjusted operating fly height control signal is invalid, the touchdown operation is re-executed to reset the operating fly height control signal and then the fly height calibration track is read to reset the fly height reference.

Disk drives comprise a disk and a head connected to a distal end of an actuator arm which is rotated about a pivot by a voice coil motor (VCM) to position the head radially over the disk. The disk comprises a plurality of radially spaced, concentric tracks for recording user data sectors and embedded servo sectors. The embedded servo sectors comprise head positioning information (e.g., a track address) which is read by the head and processed by a servo control system to control the velocity of the actuator arm as it seeks from track to track.
During a write operation, a current is applied to a write element of the head (e.g., a write coil) to create a magnetic field which magnetizes the surface of the disk by orienting the direction of magnetic grains (e.g., horizontally in longitudinal magnetic recording, or vertically in perpendicular magnetic recording). The orientation of the grains exhibits hysteresis thereby generating their own magnetic field when the write magnetic field is removed. During a read operation, a read element of the head (e.g., a magnetoresistive element) transduces the magnetic field emanating from the disk surface into a read signal that is demodulated into an estimated data sequence.
The hysteresis of the magnetic grains is not permanent meaning that over time the grains will orientate into random directions (magnetic entropy) until the magnetic field is no longer sensed reliably (leading to data errors during reproduction). Magnetic entropy may also be precipitated by various factors, such as increasing ambient temperature. That is, at higher temperatures the uniform alignment of the grains will degrade faster. Another factor that precipitates magnetic entropy is a phenomenon referred to as adjacent track interference (ATI) wherein when writing data to a target track, the fringe field from the write element degrades the uniform alignment of the grains recorded in an adjacent track. The fringe field from the write element may also adversely affect a wider range of tracks with respect to the written track, a phenomena referred to as wide area track erasure or WATER. The degrading effect of ATI on the adjacent tracks as well as WATER on the near adjacent tracks compounds over time with each write operation to the target track. Eventually, the magnetic field emanating from the disk surface will deteriorate to the point that the data is no longer recoverable.
FIG. 1 shows a prior art disk format 2 comprising a number of data tracks 4 defined by concentric servo sectors 60-6N recorded around the circumference of each data track. Each servo sector 6, comprises a preamble 8 for storing a periodic pattern, which allows proper gain adjustment and timing synchronization of the read signal, and a sync mark 10 for storing a special pattern used to synchronize to a servo data field 12. The servo data field 12 stores coarse head positioning information, such as a servo track address, used to position the head over a target data track during a seek operation. Each servo sector 6, further comprises groups of servo bursts 14 (e.g., A, B, C and D bursts), which comprise a number of consecutive transitions recorded at precise intervals and offsets with respect to a data track centerline. The groups of servo bursts 14 provide fine head position information used for centerline tracking while accessing a data track during write/read operations.

Disk drive resetting fly height reference generated from a degrading calibration track


A method for determining the location of mobile devices, comprising providing at least one mobile device and at least two access points distributed over two or more locations; noting the identity of access points the device is connected to over time; noting transitions between access points a device is connected to and identifying two or more access points as belonging to the same location if the mobile device transitions between connecting to said access points within a certain time period; allocating a first location to a group of access points to which a device transitions within said certain period of time and a second or further location to access points to which a device does not transition to from the first set of access points within said certain period of time; thereby associating groups of one or more access points with one or more locations, and determining the location of the device when it is subsequently connected to one of the located access points.

When a workforce or group of people are issued with mobile devices it is important to avoid or reduce the chance of devices getting lost, stolen or drifting between different locations. Many users of such devices may have a home location that they generally work at or in the vicinity of. A means for alerting when devices leave their home location, in a timely manner, is desirable. The reason may be that the user deliberately, whether authorised or unauthorised, removes the device from the home location, that the device may have been stolen, or that the device may have been unintentionally shipped outside of the home location, for example if dropped into a customer shipment accidentally. Making sure that devices are in their intended location allows the enterprise to run their operations with less buffer stock and therefore to operate more efficiently.
Such mobile devices are often connected by wireless networking such as Wi-Fi to local wireless access points.
Devices might not have a GPS location as GPS might be turned off or may not be available at an indoor location.
Additional methods to determine if a device is at the expected location are therefore required. In most indoors locations devices will be connected to a wireless data network via wireless access points which can be uniquely identified by their ID, eg their BSSID. If an operator knows the location of each access point and to which access point a device is connected, they can determine an approximate location of a device. If they detect that a device is connected to an unknown access point or to a known access point at a different location an alert can be generated accordingly.
Many businesses and other operators of groups of mobile devices which can connect to a plurality of access points do not record the location of each of the access points and thereby are unable to determine a device's location even if the device can report which access point it is connected to at a particular time.


An electrostatic discharge protection system for use in connection with a pulley or sprocket of the type having a central hub portion and opposite side portions. The hub portion is electrically non-conductive and is rotatably carried on a conductive shaft. The side portions are provided with conductive portions or members. A zener diode is connected between each conductive portion and the conductive shaft to enable electrostatic charges on each side of the pulley or sprocket to be safely drained off. Electrostatic charges present on strip material drawn over a pulley, sprocket or guide are also drained with the protection system. The system is also useful in connection with fixed guides which do not rotate.

It is common in the electronic industry to secure various electronic components (e.g., semiconductor chips or devices) to flexible plastic strips or tape for handling and testing prior to eventual packaging of such components in the ultimate product (e.g., calculator or other product utilizing electronic components). For example, individual electronic components such as semiconductor chips or integrated circuit chips (sometimes referred to as dies) are commonly secured to lead frames comprising a plurality of conductive metal leads bonded to an insulating plastic substrate (such as polyimide).
The flexible plastic substrate is in strip form (sometimes referred to as a tape) and may vary in width from less than one inch to several inches wide depending upon both the size of the individual dies to be mounted and the desired size of the lead frame. The plastic strip may be many feet long, with many replications of the lead frames thereon.
Because the plastic strip is thin and quite flexible, it may be easily and conveniently wound upon reels for storage and handling For example, the strip is drawn off from a reel to enable the individual dies to be secured to successive lead frame patterns on the strip in accordance with known techniques. Then the strip is again wound onto a reel (normally with a plastic liner fed onto the reel also to prevent contact of the dies on the strip from the other adjacent layers of the strip).
In the processing and testing of the dies on the strip or tape, the tape normally must be passed over various idler pulleys, sprockets and guides in order to achieve proper movement, alignment, direction and tension on the tape. Unfortunately, as the tape passes over such pulleys an electrostatic charge can build up on the tape and pulleys, sprockets or guides. This is undesirable. If the electrostatic charge reaches too high a level it poses a serious risk to the dies which are mounted on the tape. In the event that the electrostatic charge on the tape, pulley, sprocket or guide reaches a level of about 100 volts there is the danger of the charge damaging or destroying one or more dies on the tape if the charge should be drained rapidly through the tape
Although electrostatic charge build-up on the tape could be prevented by using electrically conductive pulleys, sprockets, and guides which are connected to ground, this would interfere or prevent testing of the electronic components (i.e., dies) mounted on the tape. The opposite edges of the tape may include special purpose voltage or ground rails. They must not be grounded or connected to each other because this would skew test results. In order for proper testing of the dies to be done, therefore, the opposite sides of the tape must be electrically isolated from each other. The presence of an electrically conductive pulley, sprocket or guide is inconsistent with the required electrical isolation. A directly grounded conductive pulley, sprocket, or guide might also cause the electrostatic charge to be discharged too rapidly, thereby causing damage to the die.
There has not heretofore been provided an electrostatic discharge protection system of the type described in connection with the present invention.

Electrostatic discharge protection system


The present invention relates to thermoforming food packaging methods and to dual ovenable thermoformed food packages suitable for cooking food products directly in the package in microwave, conventional and convection ovens. These packages are characterized by good hermeticity, clean peelability, self-venting, very good optics and, if shrunk, a very appealing appearance.

Cook-in packaging, namely packaging in which food products can be cooked directly in the package, in microwave or conventional ovens, in boiling water or water steam, is becoming increasingly popular since it reduces the time spent in preparing meals, is efficient, does not require cooking skills and allows better portion control.
Additionally, if cooking is done in the intact package, cooking times are generally reduced, the oven remains clean, unpleasant smells are not released and the flavor of the product is retained.
Cook-in methods are particularly desirable in certain specific applications, such as for instance, for cooking fresh fish products since they avoid handling raw fish and reduce the risk of contamination. There are few plastic materials suitable for the most demanding dual ovenable cook-in applications, namely materials that are:                transparent to microwaves for cooking in microwave oven (microwaveable),        resistant to temperatures higher than 205° C. and up to 220° C. for high temperature cooking in conventional oven (ovenable),        able to seal strongly enough to prevent leakage from the package during storage and transportation but at the same time easily peelable, for smooth opening, and self-venting to allow vapors to escape the package during cooking,        able to provide the food with a sufficiently high core temperature throughout the cooking to kill pathogens and bacteria,        clear and not whitening during cooking to allow inspection,        approved by Regulatory Authorities for food contact use, namely not releasing contaminants throughout the processing cycle, including any pre-cooking, packaging, heat-sealing, storage and cooking step.
Materials which in practice, have been mostly developed and used for manufacturing dual ovenable packages, are mainly based on polyesters.
Dual-ovenable packages, disclosed in prior art documents, for instance in WO2007093495, WO2009013284 and WO2012160142 in the name of Cryovac or available in the market, typically include a plastic tray closed with a lidding oriented heat shrinkable polyester film sealed around the flange of the tray (dual ovenable tray lidded packages).
Other dual ovenable packages may comprise a bag or a pouch enclosing a food product, in which said bag or pouch is pre-made according to conventional bag making processes or manufactured in-line, in form-fill-seal processes, from dual ovenable polyester films.
Further dual ovenable packages may comprise a thermoformed flexible container with an opening (e.g. a pouch), manufactured from a dual ovenable polyester film by thermoforming, which encloses a food item and which is closed either by self-sealing the same film at the opening or by sealing a flexible dual ovenable lid all around the opening.
Thermoforming is a manufacturing process where a plastic film is heated to a forming temperature, formed to a specific shape in a mold, cooled and trimmed to create containers, lids, trays, blisters and other products for food, medical and general packaging applications.
Thermoforming is widely applied to the packaging of foodstuff because of the flexibility of the process, the packaging speed and the ease of automation.
Thermoformed containers, such as pouches or trays, may be pre-made before the packaging process or, in alternative, made in-line in a continuous manner in a thermoforming packaging method.
Typically, in a continuous thermoforming packaging method of high-volume, thin-gauge products, a plastic film (bottom web) is fed from a roll into an oven for heating to a forming temperature. The heated film is then brought into a forming station where a mold and a pressure chamber close on the film.
Vacuum is then applied, to remove trapped air and to pull the material into or onto the mold, along with pressurized air to form the plastic to the detailed shape of the mold, thereby forming a plurality of concave containers. Once the containers have been formed from a bottom web, the product to be packaged is loaded in the containers, air is evacuated from the inside and the packages may be then closed by thermal sealing of the upper peripheral portion of each container with a lid (top web), which may be e.g. anon thermoformed film, another thermoformed flexible container, or a stretch film, to thereby produce a plurality of vacuum-packaged products in a continuous manner.
The continuous web containing the closed packages is then transferred into a cutting station, where a die cuts the packages from the remaining web.
The remaining web is typically wound onto a take-up reel or fed into an inline granulator for recycling.
"Deep-drawing" is a particularly demanding thermoforming application, named after the considerably high final depth of the formed container, which is used to shape trays, pouches and similar products.
The film used in deep-drawing must have several attributes to be fit-for-use.
First, it has to be endowed with an exceptionally high formability as the material is subjected to drawings much higher than those of conventional thermoforming.
In fact, in thermoforming a deep cavity, a flat sheet of a definite surface must be able to provide for the much higher surface of the cavity. When the sheet is heated and forced into a deep mold, it is subjected to a significant stretching to conform to the cavity shape. As the sheet stretches, it thins out and it may break.
Further, the film must conform closely to all the details of the mold, keeping a high definition. At the same time, the thermoformed film should not give the so-called "shrink back" effect, namely the formed container, when removed from the mold, should maintain the shape and size given by the mold as much as possible.
The film must also have good mechanical properties so that the end package, where the thickness of the packaging material is reduced by the forming step, still has the necessary abuse resistance.
Known films for deep-drawing are generally characterized by the presence of strengthening layers, preferably polyamide layers such as for instance the laminates shown in WO2005/063483 in the name of Du Pont. These laminates are not suitable for dual-ovenable applications.
Also WO2012027043A1 in the name of Cryovac, discloses a thermoforming process in which the thermoformed films are polyamide-based films.
The resulting packages according to the definition given therein (page 1, lines 17-23), would withstand exposure to both microwaves and conventional heating in oven at temperatures of 375° F. or 400° F. (i.e. 190 or 204° C.). However, due to the presence of lower melting resins especially in the outer abuse layer of the films, they would not be suitable for cooking in oven at temperatures higher than 205° C. and up to 220° C.
A variant of the thermoforming packaging method often used in food packaging is the so-called thermoform-shrink or roll-shrink packaging method. In this application, a thermoplastic heat shrinkable film unwound from a roll is thermoformed in line, loaded with a product, closed and then heat shrunk around the product.
A thermoform-shrink packaging method typically comprises:                heating a bottom web and, with the help of positive or negative air pressure, forcing it to take the shape of the mold;        placing the food to be packaged inside the formed web;        applying vacuum and heat-sealing a top web on the bottom web, so that the package is fully sealed and finally        heat shrinking the package for a better, more appealing presentation.
The top web may be heat shrinkable or not.
The shrinkage of the packaging material of the bottom, of the top or of both the bottom and the top webs induced by a heat-treatment, provides for the desired tight appearance to the end vacuum package. Examples of these packages are those described for instance in EP2030784 in the name of Cryovac, U.S. Pat. No. 8,424,273, US2008/0152772 in the name of CSF and US20050173289 in the name of Multivac. The multilayer heat shrinkable films used therein are not polyester based and are not suitable for dual ovenable applications.
In thermoform-shrink applications, the film is required to have optimal shrink properties, not only before but especially after thermoforming, in order to get a tight package.
Accordingly, once thermoformed, the film must retain a certain free heat shrink in both LD and TD directions and a certain shrink tension to guarantee that, after the shrinking step, the package appearance is as tight as desired.
Additionally, the film should have good optical properties after drawing and shrinkage, not only for purely aesthetical reasons but also to allow the visual inspection of the packaged product.
There are packaging processes known in the literature and recently applied in food industry, that combine deep-drawing followed by shrinking, namely that involve the deep-drawing of an oriented heat-shrinkable film to form a flexible shrinkable container with a deep cavity.
These deep drawing thermoform-shrink packaging methods differ from the conventional deep-drawing methods, in the use of a heat-shrinkable flexible film, instead of a standard, non-heat-shrinkable generally thicker laminate. The main advantages offered by deep drawn thermoform-shrink packaging with heat-shrinkable films reside in the reduced amount of packaging material employed and in the improved pack appearance that makes the product more appealing.
Standard dual ovenable oriented PET materials, which are generally used as lids for tray-lidding or as non-thermoformed pouches, are not suitable as forming webs in thermoforming, especially in deep-drawing, as they are endowed with scarce formability. Furthermore, they are also unsuitable for shrink applications as they have very poor shrink properties.
In the Applicant's knowledge, there are few examples of use of dual ovenable polyester films in standard (i.e. shallow) thermoforming packaging for dual ovenable applications.
For instance, the document WO2015/189351 in the name of Cryovac discloses the use of polyester films in packaging perishable food (e.g. fish) under modified atmosphere to increase the product shelf life and to allow cook-in in the same package. A possible package includes both top and bottom polyester films sealed together and enclosing a food product. The bottom polyester film may be thermoformed. In the examples, the bottom Film 1—which is heat set and no longer shrinkable—is formed at the maximum depth of 1 cm (see Examples 5 and 6, at draw ratios of 1.24 and 1.26 respectively). The packages of these examples do not include any product and are not shrunk.
The document WO2006/002263 in the name of DuPont describes thermoformed pouches for cook-in applications made under standard thermoforming conditions from polyester—polyamide films comprising particular sulfur-containing polyesters. In the Applicant's knowledge, there are even fewer examples of use of polyester films in deep-drawing food packaging for dual ovenable applications.
The document WO2007/054698 in the name of Du Pont describes a method of packaging fish or meat, which comprises thermoforming a dual-ovenable thermoformable polyester receiving film to provide a cavity, placing the product in the cavity and closing the package with a dual ovenable covering film by heat-sealing the two films all around the product.
The co-polyesters used in the thermoformable films have an intrinsic viscosity lower than 0.75 dl/g (see pages 20-21 of the description).
In the examples 1 to 4, dual ovenable polyester films of unknown composition (named Mylar® P25, HFF—FT, HFF—FT3 and HFF—FT7 respectively) are drawn at the depth of 50 mm. These examples provide no information on the shape, the measures of the mold and on draw ratios. The final packages are not subjected to heat shrinking.
These films, compared with the films of the present invention, are less formable as resulted from the comparative Example 1 of the present description.
Furthermore, according to the technical data sheet of Mylar®P25, this film shows a free shrink percentage at 150° C. of 2.5% in LD and 1.5% in TD (ASTM E794), which would not be ideal for thermoform-shrink packaging applications. Accordingly, as shown in the present Example 4, the commercial film named Mylar®0L25 does not perform very well in thermoform-shrink applications, resulting in creased shrunk packages (FIG. 5B)
US20050074598 describes coextruded biaxially oriented polyester films for use in tray lidding comprising a base layer (B) and a heat-sealable top layer (A), those films being characterized by the peculiar composition of the layer (A) that confers heat-sealability and peelability when sealed onto APET/CPET trays. This document does not disclose the use of those films in any thermoforming application. In the Applicant's knowledge, there are no examples of use of polyester films in thermoform-shrink packaging methods for dual ovenable applications.
In conclusion, there is still the need for dual ovenable highly formable polyester films, which are suitable for deep drawing and/or for thermoform-shrink packaging, namely dual ovenable films which form well and withstand high draw ratios in thermoforming, do not shrink back when released from the mold and, when heat-shrinkable, are highly shrinkable after thermoforming, thus providing very tight, appealing shrunk packages.

Use of dual ovenable polyester films in thermoforming packaging applications and dual ovenable thermoformed packages obtained therefrom


Methods and devices for implementing repeaters in integrated circuit wire buses having a pre-determined wire pitch, such as a minimum wire pitch, are described. In one embodiment, a parameterized bus repeater circuit cell of variable length having a width of three times the wire pitch of the bus to be repeated is described. In another embodiment, a bus repeater circuit block having a plurality of individual bus repeater circuit cells is described. The embodiments of the present invention are readily adaptable to design implementations using computer-aided design tools to provide automated placement and array of the bus repeater circuit cells and bus repeater circuit blocks.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to integrated circuits, and more particularly to repeater structures implemented in integrated circuits.
2. Description of Related Art
Integrated circuits are widely manufactured on semiconductor chips to process signals. Semiconductor chips are typically formed of various layers that contain a multitude of circuit components and interconnecting structures that route the signals between the various circuit components on a layer and between layers. It can be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the terms chip, integrated circuit and I.C. can have the same meaning.
One structure used for routing signals between circuit components is a wire bus. Wire buses are typically formed on metal layers of a semiconductor chip and are composed of individual signal wires. To aid in maintaining the signal integrity of a signal carried on a signal wire, shielding wires are often routed to each side of a signal wire to prevent interference from other signals or charges. As there are only a limited number of layers on each semiconductor chip, it is important that circuit designers make the most efficient use of the available routing space on each metal layer.
When the integrated circuit design and mask topology is created for a metal layer, the signal wires of a wire bus are conventionally designed to a particular wire pitch defined by a specified fabrication process or design parameter. In this instance, the term wire pitch refers to a distance between center lines of two signal wires. Thus, the wire pitch establishes the spacing of adjacent signal wires of the bus for a given metal layer. A minimum wire pitch is typically used in designing the wire bus topology so that as much of the metal layer as possible is utilized for routing signals and wasted space is minimized. The term minimum wire pitch refers to the minimum distance between the center lines of two signal wires on the same metal layer required to prevent a short and/or interference.
Relatively speaking, wire buses often span long distances on a semiconductor to interconnect the various circuit components. If the signal wires become too long, a signal conducted on the signal wire can degrade and slow. If the signal degrades too much, the performance of the circuit can be impaired, for example, by the timing of the signal to a receiving circuit drifting out of specification or the signal amplitude degrading to an unusable level. Thus, repeaters that amplify the signal are often placed on the individual signal wires of the bus to reduce signal degradation and prevent reduced performance. Some examples of repeater structures are inverters, buffers, flip-flops and logic gates. Similar to signal wires, repeaters typically contain some conductive metal, and thus, repeaters are placed in conformance with the minimum wire pitch constraints of a design so that a short does not occur.
FIG. 1 illustrates a generalized integrated circuit wire bus in the prior art interconnecting two circuits on a metal layer of an integrated circuit. On metal layer 110, circuit components 112 and 114 are interconnected by a wire bus 116 composed of individual signal wires 118 separated by a wire pitch 130, such as a minimum wire pitch. In the illustration, shielding wires 120 are also present to each side of an individual signal wire 118.
If the length of wire bus 116 is such that the parasitic resistance, capacitance and inductance, or other physical properties associated with wire bus 116, causes signal degradation to occur, repeaters can be introduced into the wire bus to amplify the signals. One prior art technique used to introduce repeaters on an integrated circuit wire bus is to place a repeater structure on each signal wire of the bus.
FIG. 2 illustrates a generalized integrated circuit wire bus in the prior art in which individual repeaters are located on each signal wire in the bus. In the illustration, circuit components 212 and 214 are interconnected by a integrated circuit wire bus in which individual repeaters 222 are placed on each signal wire 218 of the wire bus and coupled with the signal wire 218 at points 218A and 218B. Shielding wires 220 typically terminate at the boundaries of repeaters 222.
Currently, conventional repeaters are typically much larger than the minimum wire pitch constraints of an integrated circuit bus. For example, a minimum wire pitch constraint on signal wires of a bus can be 0.18 microns, but a typical repeater can be approximately 5.0 microns by 5.0 microns. Thus, to accommodate the repeaters 222, some or all of individual signal wires 218 of the bus are vertically spread out to maintain at least the minimum wire pitch 230 between signal wires 218 and a minimum spacing 228 between repeaters 222 as required by the manufacturing process. Where spacing 228 refers to a dimension between repeaters.
To spread out the signal wires 218 and the shielding wires 220, one or more xe2x80x9cwire jogsxe2x80x9d 224 are inserted. In the presently illustrated prior art technique, the vertical and horizontal segments of the signal wires 218 and shielding wires 220 used to create wire jogs 224 are located on the same metal layer. However, no horizontal routing on this metal layer can pass through the area above or below circuit component 212 and 214 where the horizontal routing is blocked by the vertical segment of the wire jog as this would create a short. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a horizontal routing (shown in dashed lines) would not be allowed as it would create a short where it is blocked by the vertical segments of the wire jogs.
As illustrated, this technique increases the width of the overall bus and results in increased use of area on the metal layer by the bus. Put another way, this technique increases the footprint of the bus over that of the bus without the repeaters. Further, the increased footprint is contributed to, but not limited to, having to maintain the minimum spacing between the repeaters as required by the manufacturing process.
Routing of the signal wires and shielding wires to accommodate the repeater circuits and the placement of wire jogs in each signal wire of the bus requires tool and/or designer intervention. Thus, using this technique to insert repeaters into a bus increases the complexity of the integrated circuit design, increases expenditure of tool work and/or design time, increases the footprint of the bus on the metal layer and, typically, results in higher production costs.
Another prior art technique, uses different metal layers on which to route the vertical segments and horizontal segments of the wires and interconnects the vertical and horizontal segments using vias between the metal layers. FIG. 3 illustrates a generalized view of an integrated circuit wire bus in the prior art having vertical wire segments routed on a metal layer different from that on which the horizontal wire segments are routed.
Conventionally, adjacent metal layers are routed orthogonal to each other by most semiconductor manufacturing processes and integrated circuit design teams. In FIG. 3, the horizontal segments of the signal and shielding wires are routed on a first metal layer 310, designated as M1, and the vertical segments are routed on a different, second metal layer, designated M2, not shown. The vertical and horizontal segments of the wires 318 and 320 are interconnected using vias (not shown) between the metal layers. This prior art technique solves the problem of the blocked routing on the original metal layer, but in turn reduces the amount of routing resources available on the layer on which the wire jog was introduced. With this technique, tool and design intervention are needed to route the vias between the vertical and horizontal segments on the different metal layers. Thus, this technique increases the complexity of the overall semiconductor design across different layers and requires further expenditure of design time. Further, fabrication of vias is typically very expensive, and thus, this second technique usually results in higher production costs.
In view of the above, it would be desirable to have a method and/or device that permits repeaters to be easily implemented in a wire bus within pre-determined wire pitch constraints. Further, it would be desirable that the method and/or device not significantly increase the design complexity of the wire bus or integrated circuit design.
According to the principles of this invention, there are provided methods and devices for implementing repeater circuits in an integrated circuit wire bus. In one embodiment, the present invention includes a parameterized bus repeater circuit cell of variable horizontal length having a vertical width of three (3) times the wire pitch of the bus to be repeated.
The present invention can be implemented in an integrated circuit bus as separate bus repeater circuit cells, or in another embodiment, as a bus repeater circuit block having a plurality of individual bus repeater circuit cells. The embodiments of the present invention are readily adaptable to design implementations using computer-aided design tools to provide automated placement and array of the bus repeater circuit cells and bus repeater circuit blocks.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a bus repeater circuit block includes: a first signal path, having a first repeater circuit; and a second signal path adjacent the first signal path having a second repeater circuit, where the second repeater circuit is horizontally staggered with respect to the first repeater circuit.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a bus repeater circuit cell for conductive coupling to an integrated circuit bus including a plurality of individual signal wires spaced according to a pre-determined wire pitch includes: a first signal path for conductively coupling to a first signal wire, the first signal path further including a repeater circuit for amplifying a signal carried on the first signal path; a second signal path for conductive coupling to a second signal wire; and a third signal path for conductive coupling to a third signal wire, where the bus repeater circuit cell has a width three times the pre-determined wire pitch.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, a bus repeater circuit block for conductive coupling to an integrated circuit bus including a plurality of individual signal wires spaced according to a pre-determined wire pitch includes: a plurality of bus repeater circuit cells, where each of the plurality of bus repeater circuit cells has a width three times the pre-determined wire pitch, each of the plurality of bus repeater circuit cells further including: a first signal path for conductively coupling to a first signal wire, the first signal path further including a repeater circuit for amplifying a signal carried on the first signal path, the repeater circuit having a horizontal length; a second signal path for conductive coupling to a second signal wire; and a third signal path for conductive coupling to a third signal wire; where each of the repeater circuits of the plurality of bus repeater circuit cells is horizontally staggered from adjacent repeater circuits by at least the horizontal length.
As a result of these and other features discussed in more detail below, methods and devices designed according to the principles of the present invention allow repeater placement within a integrated circuit bus to be implemented without significant increases in design complexity, tool intervention, or production costs when compared to the prior art techniques earlier described.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are intended only to exemplify and explain the invention as claimed.

Repeater methods for constrained pitch wire buses on integrated circuits


A process for making a carbonaceous material and a carbonous residue from scrap tires is disclosed. Tires are digested in an oil product. Steel and glass fibers are separated. A product enhancing additive comprising halogen based organic or inorganic compounds is added. The resulting carbonaceous material is then cured to create the final product. The produced carbonous residue is well suited for capture of mercury. The present invention has the benefits of providing a use for scrap tires that would otherwise require disposal in a landfill, and also produces a product useful for capturing a harmful element, thereby providing multiple environmental and economic benefits.

Each year approximately 300 million used tires are discarded. Many of these used tires are put into landfills or, all too often, are disposed of illegally. Such disposal of scrap tires in landfills is becoming increasingly undesirable as significant environmental and social problems are associated with such activity. The availability of landfill space is diminishing, and there has been a national trend toward more stringent regulatory requirements on landfills. Hence, a considerable amount of attention has been devoted recently toward finding alternative uses for and methods of reclaiming scrap tires.
Some research and commercial efforts have been directed toward the development of new uses for old tires. Unprocessed used tires have been used in playgrounds, flower planters, and shoe soles, and tire pieces have been used as gaskets, shims, dock bumpers and shock absorbers. Processed wasted tires are used as fuel in paper plants and cement kilns and as filler in road construction. Paving materials made from a combination of crumb rubber and asphalt may last up to three times as long as customary paving materials. However, because of the high costs associated with the use of scrap tires for roads, this approach has not gained wide acceptance. Studies continue to explore this use of scrap tires in addition to the somewhat more conventional use of tires as crash barriers and impact absorbers around highway and bridge abutments. However, these new applications for used tires or their constituents consume only a minor portion of the annual accumulation of scrap tires.
Another approach to tire recycling is the generation of solid carbonous residues inside a screw reactor system. Here, "carbonous" represents a state-of-the-art term employed in the field of asphalt materials to indicate largely-carbon-containing molecular structures or particulate entities. Systems and methods for producing carbonous residues from recycled tires are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,389,691 to Cha, et al. discloses such a system and method. It is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety to the extent it is not inconsistent with the present disclosure. There are some differences between the present invention and U.S. Pat. No. 5,389,691, hereinafter referred to as '691, that will be evident from the following description.
The carbonous residues may have a variety of uses, including being used as an additive in certain types of concrete. However, the carbonous residues produced by the aforementioned processes have a limited and specific application range. For example, they are not suitable for various environmental applications, due to low surface area, small pore size and chemical composition. Therefore, what is desired is a carbonous residue and process for making the residue from recycled tires that is suitable for environmental applications.

Tire recycling method generating carbonous reside


A work machine includes: a multi-joint type work implement; a plurality of hydraulic actuators driving the work implement; an operation device outputting an operation signal to the plurality of hydraulic actuators; a storage section storing a target configuration defined by connecting a plurality of target surfaces; a control object surface selection section that in the case where a control point set at a claw tip of a bucket is under the target configuration, uses a target surface closest to the control point on the target configuration as a control object surface; and a target operation control section that controls the plurality of hydraulic actuators such that the operational range of the control point is limited to the control object surface and a region above the same in the case where an excavation operation is input from an operator via the operation device.

In a hydraulic excavator included in a work machine, in the case where an excavation operation (for example, arm crowding operation) is input from the operator via an operation lever, a boom raising operation is forcibly added by a computer (controller) in accordance with the distance between the forward end of a front work implement and a previously set target surface, whereby the operational range of the front work implement is limited to the target surface or a region above the same. This control is sometimes referred to as an area limiting control, operation limiting control, or machine control.
To prevent an abrupt operation in boom raising due to the area limiting control (operation limiting control) in the case where the target surface (design surface) is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction by a predetermined angle or more, Patent Document 1, for example, discloses a technique in which in the case where the target surface (design surface) is a slope inclined with respect to the horizontal direction by a predetermined angle or more, an operation limiting section performs control such that an area limiting control (operation limiting control) is not executed, whereby it is possible to prevent an abrupt operation of the boom in the case where the target surface (design surface) is a steep slope.

HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.


A light installer can be utilized to improve the installation process of a client-side application. A light installer can be an installer containing only the necessary information to initiate the installation process, such as information necessary for prompting the user for required data and authorizations, communicating with the content management system, downloading additional resources, and installing the client-side application. The light installer can minimize user interaction time by obtaining all necessary user authorizations early in the installation process, thereby enabling the light installer to install all components of the client-side application without further authorization from the user. Further, the light installer can be tagged with data identifying a user account associated with the client device that can be used for reporting, pre-populating data during the installation process, customizing the installation process, pre-authorizing the client-side application, etc.

Many cloud services can be accessed from a client device using a web browser or a client-side application associated with the cloud service. While a client-side application can provide additional functionality, users often choose to use the web browser because the client-side application must be downloaded and installed on their client device, whereas a web browser application is often already available to the user. Downloading the client-side application can be burdensome for the user. For example, the download and installation process can be lengthy and require the user to remain at their client device to provide periodic input for the download and installation process to continue.
As a result, many users will not complete the download and installation process because the process takes too long. Users may exit the download and installation process prematurely, lose interest, or forget that the download and installation is being performed. An additional problem that can occur is that, in some instances, a user will create a new account when installing the client-side application, rather than using the account credentials used when accessing the service through the web browser.
In addition to these potential problems associated with downloading and installing a client-side application, data identifying the problems faced by the users is often unavailable. For example, the download process is often initiated prior to receiving any user login information, and thus it may not be possible to tell which users are having issues. Further, data indicating that the user reached a predetermined milestone in the download and installation process may also not be available. Accordingly, an improved system is needed.

System and method for installing a client application using a light installer


A hybrid cell line is developed which produces a monoclonal antibody which binds to a unique antigenic site expressed on the surface of phagocytic cells. The monoclonal antibody binds to and activates a specific domain of the CD11b glycoprotein so as to inhibit adhesion dependent functions of the phagocytic cell, but it does not affect other phagocytic functions. This monoclonal antibody can be used as a reactant in an in vitro diagnostic immunoassay for detecting the unique antigenic site on the surface of normal human neutrophils.

Peripheral blood in the circulatory system of a human is comprised principally of red blood cells, platelets, and white blood cells or leukocytes. The family of white blood cells is comprised of lymphocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils. Lymphocytes are of T cell or B cell subtypes primarily; additional subsets of lymphocytes are known also. The variety of functions of leukocytes and their clinical relevance has generated great interest in the scientific community.
Neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils are identified as "granulocytes" because of their content of cytoplasmic granules. Granulocytes and monocytes are identified as "phagocytes" because of their ability to phagocytose or ingest bacteria, other micro-organisms and other types of foreign materials referred to generally as "antigens". This phagocytic function is important in defending the host against a variety of infections and further, is important in various types of inflammatory disorders. Phagocytes are produced from common progenitor cells in the bone marrow circulate in the peripheral blood and finally, enter tissues as necessary for control of infection or for participating in an inflammatory reaction. Such response functions are found in human, and animal phagocytes, i.e., in primates and canines.
The neutrophil is the most common leukocyte in human and animal peripheral blood. One microliter of normal human whole blood includes, on average, 5 .times. 10.sup.3 leukocytes, of which 3,975 are neutrophils, 150 are eosinophils, 25 are basophils, 250 are monocytes, and 1,500 are lymphocytes.
In the immunological response of granulocytes or monocytes to any type of infection or inflammation, these cells are first activated to migrate to the appropriate area in response to "chemo-attractant factors" such as certain bacterial products, complement components, etc. This attraction process is termed "chemotaxis". Once in an area of inflammation or infection, granulocytes and monocytes then undertake to establish a firm attachment to their targets. For this purpose, these cells possess a number of specific cell surface receptor glycoproteins that promote this interaction, such as complement, Fc, and fibronectin receptors.
One of the most important family of cell surface receptor glycoproteins involved in phagocyte adhesion is the leukocyte cell adhesion molecule family identified as LEU-CAM or CD11/CD18. This family is comprised of at least three (3) cell surface proteins which have two (2) subunits each. They share a common beta subunit, CD18, of 94,000 daltons molecular weight and have different alpha subunits. The known members of this family are termed LFA-1 (CD11a/CD18), Mol (CD11b/CD18), and P150,94 (CD11c/CD18). These glycoproteins have alpha subunits of 180,000, 155,000 and 150,000 dalton molecular weight, respectively. Each of these cell surface proteins have been specifically identified through the use of monoclonal antibodies. The biological importance of this family of surface glycoproteins has been recognized through the identification of a human disease in which leukocytes are genetically deficient in this family of antigens. The disease is characterized by recurrent severe bacterial infections and deficiencies in adhesion-dependent functions, such as, phagocytosis, chemotaxis, leukoaggregation, and neutrophil spreading on plastic.
Mol is a cell surface glycoprotein present on granulocytes, mononuclear phagocytes and null cells (Todd, R.F. III, Nadler, L.M., and Schlossman, S.F., Antigens on human monocytes, Journal of Immunology. 126:1435-1442, 1981). In humans, this molecule consists of two non-covalently linked proteins of 155,000 and 94,000 daltons (Todd, R.F. III, van Agthoven, A., Schlossman, S.F., and Terhorst, D., Structure analysis of differentiation antigens Mol and Mo2 on human monocytes, Hybridoma 1:329-337, 1982). This complex has been shown to mediate cell adhesion to a variety of surfaces, including other granulocytes, endothelium, and inert substrates. Genetic deficiencies in these molecules result in recurrent bacterial infections due to the inability of granulocytes to mediate an anti-microbial inflammatory response. Patients who are deficient in these molecules are characterized by an elevated leukocyte count (called "leukocytosis") and functional defects in phagocyte activity as measured in vitro by reduced or absence of aggregation adhesion to substrates, chemotaxis, and phagocytosis of opsonized particles. Activation of granulocytes and monocytes by soluble inflammatory mediators increases expression of these molecules (Todd. R.F. III, Arnaout, M.A., Rosin, R.E., Crowley, C.A., Peters, W.A., and Babior, B.M. The subcellular localization of Mol (Mol alpha; formerly gp .sup.110), a surface of glycoprotein associated with neutrophil adhesion, J. Clin. Invest., 74:1280-1290, 1984; Arnaout, M.A., Hakim, R.M. Todd, R.F., Dana, N. and Colten, H.R. Increased expression of an adhesion-promotion surface glycoprotein in the granulocytopenia of hemodialysis. New Engl. J. Med., 312:457-462, 1985). Monoclonal antibodies directed against the Mol glycoprotein effectively prevent neutrophil aggregation in vitro as well as prevent phagocytosis.
The Mol glycoprotein has been of particular interest because its molecular structure has the capacity to bind a component termed "iC3b", a fragment of the third component of complement (Arnaout, M.A., Todd, R.F. III, Dana N., Melamed, J., Schlossman, S.F., and Colten, H.R. Inhibition of phagocytosis of complement C3 or IgG-coated particles and of iC3b binding by monoclonal antibodies to a monocyte-granulocyte membrane glycoprotein (Mol), J. Clin. Invest., 72:171-179, 1983. Also, the Mol glycoprotein is critically important in all of the adhesion-dependent phagocyte functions. Different monoclonal antibodies have been shown to inhibit the functions of the Mol glycoprotein.
The monoclonal antibody derived from the novel hybrid cell line embodying the invention is capable of inhibiting the adhesion-dependent function of, but does not bind the iC3b fragment of the third component of complement. This monoclonal antibody is identified by the designation "MY904". It binds to specific antigenic sites of neutrophils, i.e. to the antigenic site on the CD11b/CD phagocyte surface protein which is specifically involved in granulocyte adhesion. The addition of the MY904 monoclonal antibody to phagocytes will thus inhibit adhesion-dependent phagocyte functions; but it does not inhibit other functions of either the CD11b/CD18 molecule, such as binding of complement component iC3b, or other types of neutrophil or monocyte functions, such as Fc receptor activation, activation of the respiratory burst by chemotactic peptide or phorbol diester and others.
The utility for such a site specific monoclonal antibody is very diversified. The binding of the MYg04 monoclonal antibody to the adhesion dependent domain of neutrophils could specifically inhibit neutrophil migration to an area of inflammation or infection. In addition, such binding to neutrophils could inhibit adhesion and spreading of activated neutrophils already within such an inflammatory or infected site, thus blocking the release of toxic substances by the neutrophils. The monoclonal antibody MY904 could be labelled with a suitable marker for immunoassay of the CD11b/CD18 molecule or be conjugated to a suitable substrate for depletion of bound cells by fluorescence activated cell sorting or magnetic bead separation. The ability of the MY904 monoclonal antibody to block certain phagocyte functions would have special utility for in depth studY of phagocyte function, especially where excess or harmful phagocyte function is involved in clinical disorder. Further, this monoclonal antibody is useful for quantitating surface expression of CD11b/CD18 and thereby can be applied to diagnose the Mol deficiency disease described herein.

Monoclonal antibody specific for the adhesion function domain of a phagocyte cell surface protein


A guide that can be included as part of a pretensioner for a motor vehicle belt restraint system. The pretensioner includes a frame having walls that define an interior compartment. Located within the interior compartment is a piston assembly having a gas generator in communication with a piston. The gas generator creates an expanding gas that causes movement of the piston and applies tension to a seatbelt of the belt restraint system. The guide includes an opening through which the seatbelt passes and that causes the seatbelt to form a reduced width configuration upon exiting the guide.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to seatbelt restraint systems for motor vehicles. More particularly, the present invention relates to a linear pretensioner of a seatbelt restraint system in a motor vehicle.
2. Related Technology
Seatbelt restraint systems used for restraining occupants in motor vehicle seats play an important role in reducing injury to the occupants in the unfortunate event of a vehicle crash. While there are several varieties of seatbelt restraint systems, the conventional "3-point" variety commonly has a lap belt section extending across the pelvis and a shoulder belt section crossing the upper torso of a seated occupant. The lap and shoulder belt sections are each connected to the vehicle structure by anchorages and may be further fastened to each other or formed as portions of a continuous length of seatbelt webbing. Seatbelt restraint systems that are manually secured by the occupant ("active" types) also typically include a latch plate attached to the belt webbing. Such a system further includes a seatbelt buckle attached to the vehicle body structure by another anchorage. The latch plate is received by the buckle thereby allowing the seatbelt restraint system to be fastened, enabling restraint, and unfastened, allowing entrance and exit from the vehicle. Of the anchorages securing the lap and shoulder belt sections, one anchorage typically includes a belt retractor to store the belt webbing. This belt retractor may further act to manage belt tension loads during a crash situation. Seatbelt restraint systems, when deployed, effectively restrain the occupant during a collision.
OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) vehicle manufacturers often provide seatbelt restraint systems with pretensioning devices (usually referred to just as a "pretensioner"). These devices induce tension in the seatbelt, either prior to impact of the vehicle during a collision or at an early stage of a sensed impact/collision, so as to enhance occupant restraint performance. This pretensioning takes slack out of the webbing and permits the seatbelt restraint system to engage the occupant earlier in the crash sequence.
One class of pretensioning devices is a pyrotechnic linear pretensioner (PLP). A PLP can be implemented as a pyrotechnic buckle pretensioner (PBP) that is attached to and activated through the seatbelt buckle. In other implementations, the PLP can be attached to a webbing guide loop, either anchorage connected to the opposing ends of the seatbelt webbing or directly to the webbing itself. Since all of the above types of pretensioners linearly pull a seatbelt system component to induce tension in the seatbelt webbing, they are collectively referred to as PLPs.
When a collision occurs, a pyrotechnic charge in the PLP is fired, producing an expanding gas that pressurizes a gas chamber. This pressure forces a piston to move. The piston is connected with the belt system by a cable, a strap or the webbing of the restrain system, and the stroking of the piston tightens or "pretensions" the belt against the occupant. Various examples of PLP and PBP designs are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,068,664 and 7,823,924, which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Designers of automotive components are constantly striving to reduce the mass of the components as part of the overall goal of providing higher fuel efficiency for motor vehicles. Additionally, these same designers are also constantly striving to reduce costs in automotive components. One way to achieve the above is to reduce packaging or sizing of components.
In accordance with one known design approach, the PLP includes a machined or die cast piston that is coupled to a tubular combustion cylinder. When activated, the piston is sealingly guided along the combustion cylinder. The belt webbing is wound around an actuating profile of the piston such that the length of the belt webbing is shortened by a distance corresponding to twice the distance of the piston stroke. This doubling of the effect of the piston stroke on the belt webbing enables the overall length of the PLP packaging to be shortened. The ability to reduce the width of the packaging would also aid in reducing dimensional sizing of the PLP.

Reduced width linear pretensioner for motor vehicle seatbelt restraint systems


According to one embodiment, an antenna mounted on a portable apparatus having a hinge structure includes: a radiating element formed in a disk shape and configured to radiate a radio wave; a power feeding element exciting the radiating element; and a ground plate including a bottom surface arranged in parallel to the radiating element and the power feeding element and a side surface configured to allow a power feeding path feeding electric power to the power feeding element to pass in an area different from an area opposed to the hinge structure.

There is a structure in which a power feeding unit (a coaxial connector) is provided on the rear surface of an antenna. There is also a structure in which a power feeding unit is provided on a side surface of an antenna.
When it is attempted to mount an antenna on a portable apparatus including a hinge structure, if a power feeding unit for the antenna is present in a position where the power feeding unit interferes with the hinge structure, the portable apparatus is increased in size. In order to reduce the size of the portable apparatus, it is necessary to prevent the interference between the power feeding unit and the hinge structure.


A receiving circuit, use, and method for receiving an encoded and modulated radio signal is provided. The circuit comprise a demodulator and a digital filter connected downstream of the demodulator for moving averaging. The filter has at least two FIFO registers and subtractors. Whereby for subtracting an output value of the FIFO register from an input value of the FIFO register a subtractor is connected to each FIFO register. Wherein the filter has a weighting unit, which is connected downstream of each FIFO register, and wherein the filter has an integrator, which is connected downstream of the subtractors for integration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a receiving circuit, to a method for receiving an encoded and modulated radio signal, and to a use thereof.
2. Description of the Background Art
A radio system for communication of information over an air interface by means of radio is supplied in more recent applications with a battery as the energy source. Locking and access systems for motor vehicles are an example of this. It is also possible to transmit measured data by means of radio, for example, from a battery-operated weather station. An energy-saving operation enables a long operating time without replacement of the battery.

Receiving circuit, use, and method for receiving an encoded and modulated radio signal