Regeneration of a lesioned CNS axon of a mature neuron, determined to be subject to regeneration inhibition by Smad2/3 signaling, is promoted by contacting the neuron with an inhibitor of Smad2/3 signaling sufficient to promote regeneration of the axon.

The field of the invention is inhibition of Smad2/3 signaling to promote regeneration of a lesioned CNS axon of a mature neuron.
The regeneration failure following injury to the adult mammalian CNS has been attributed to both the inhibitory extrinsic environment of the adult CNS, as well as the diminished intrinsic ability of mature axons to regenerate. Recent progress in examining the molecular mechanisms of inhibitory molecules associated with both CNS myelin and the glial scar has led to the development of various genetic and pharmacological means to block these inhibitory activities (Filbin, 2003; Harel and Strittmatter, 2006; Yiu and He, 2006; Schwab and Bartholdi, 1996; Silver and Miller, 2004). When applied to different in vivo injury models, however, these treatments have resulted in limited to no regeneration of lesioned axons (Case and Tessier-Lavigne, 2005; Thuret et al., 2006, Yiu and He, 2006). While it is possible that more comprehensive combinatorial treatments may further enhance the extent of axonal regeneration, a more likely possibility is that strategies that only target inhibitory signals are not sufficient to promote a significant level of regeneration. In fact, even a permissive environment, such as a sciatic nerve graft transplanted to the lesion site, only allows a small percentage of injured adult axons to regenerate into the graft (Aguayo et al., 1990; Schwab and Bartholdi, 1996). These results indicate that other mechanisms, such as those controlling the intrinsic axonal growth potential of neurons, may play important roles in axon regeneration.
Primary sensory neurons with cell bodies in trigeminal and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) have often been used as a model to study the mechanisms controlling the intrinsic growth ability of axons. These neurons possess two major branches stemming from a unipolar axon: a peripheral axon that innervates peripheral targets such as skin, viscera, and muscles, and a central axon that relays the information to the spinal cord or brain stem. In the adult, the peripheral and central branches differ dramatically with regard to their ability to regenerate after axotomy. While peripheral axons can readily regrow after lesioning, the injured central branch from the same DRG neuron may only sprout abortively but cannot regenerate. Interestingly, a conditioning lesion first made in the peripheral branch can dramatically increase the ability of the central axons to regenerate in the dorsal columns (Richardson and Issa, 1984; Richardson and Verge, 1986; Chong et al., 1996; Oudega et al., 1994; Neumann and Woolf, 1999; Neumann et al., 2005). In other words, the exuberant sprouting pattern of naive DRG neurons can be converted to efficient regenerative elongation by a priming peripheral nerve lesion (known as a "preconditioning lesion"). Importantly, these different regenerative competence states (before and after pre-conditioning lesion) can also be recapitulated in vitro. During the first day in culture, naive adult DRG neurons usually elaborate an "arborizing" growth pattern with compact, highly-branched arbors, while pre-conditioned cells exhibit an "elongating" phenotype with rapid extension of long, sparsely-branched axons (Smith and Skene, 1997; Bomze et al., 2001; Lankford et al., 1998; Liu and Snider, 2001; Neumann et al., 2005; Neumann and Woolf, 1999;). However, the molecular mechanism that triggers the loss of regenerative ability in mature neurons and how that may be reversed in pre-conditioned neurons remain unclear.
A possible clue to understanding the mechanisms controlling the regenerative ability of axons can be traced to the establishment of axonal connections during development. In general, when axons reach their targets, the motile growth cones of the developing axons progressively cease growing and transform over time into mature synaptic terminals with new functions and a distinct set of proteins (Hall and Sanes, 1993). For most neurons, this transformation involves the decreased expression of growth cone components (Basi et al., 1987; Caroni and Becker, 1992; Chu and Klymkowsky, 1989; Hoffman, 1989; Maness et al., 1988; Miller et al., 1989; Skene et al., 1986). It is conceivable then that the signals derived from presynaptic terminals and/or postsynaptic targets may instruct the neuronal somas to reprogram their growth states, thus leading to the loss of axonal regenerative ability in mature neurons. In this respect, it has been shown that a contact-dependent signal from amacrine cells innervating neonatal retinal ganglion neurons could trigger a loss of axonal growth ability (Goldberg et al., 2002). However, it remains unknown whether this mechanism may also apply to other types of neurons, and the identity of the molecular signal(s) that switch off the intrinsic regenerative capacity remains elusive.
In sensory neurons from DRGs, the time when axons reach their respective targets differs in different sub-groups. Cutaneous afferents appear in rat proximal hindlimb on embryonic days 14-15 (E14-15) and in the skin of toes at E16-17 (Mimics and Koerber, 1995a; Mimics and Koerber, 1995b). These fibers are functional soon afterwards, beginning at E18-19 (Fitzgerald, 1991; Saito, 1979). This is temporally correlated with the expression of different neurotransmitters such as calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) in DRG neurons innervating skin and viscera (Gibson et al., 1984; Hall et al., 1997; Lee et al., 1985a; Lee et al., 1985b), suggesting that target derived factors could act as retrograde signals to alter the program of neuronal differentiation. Interestingly, interruption of retrograde transport in the peripheral axons by transection, ligation, or local application of the microtubule-depolymerizing agent colchicine to the sciatic nerve, can enhance axonal growth ability when these neurons are cultured in vitro (Bomze et al., 2001; Lankford et al., 1998; Neumann and Woolf, 1999; Smith and Skene, 1997), consistent with the idea that signals emanating from peripheral targets also regulate the axonal growth ability of DRG neurons.
Several classes of molecules, such as neurotrophins, Wnts and TGFβ family members, have been implicated in regulating different aspects of neuronal differentiation and function via retrograde transport (reviewed by Ginty and Segal, 2002; Hippenmeyer et al., 2004; Howe and Mobley, 2005; Zweifel et al., 2005). A well-established example is the control of neuronal survival by the presence of limiting amounts of target-derived neurotrophic factors (Bibel and Barde, 2000; Campenot and MacInnis, 2004; Ginty and Segal, 2002; Zweifel et al., 2005). In addition, studies both in cell culture and in vivo have implicated TGFβ family members produced in skin, notably activin A, as inducers of CGRP expression in DRG neurons (Ai et al., 1999; Hall et al., 1997; Hall et al., 2001 McMahon et al., 1989). TGFβ family members, which include activins, TGFβs, and BMPs among others, bind to type I and type II cell surface receptors (Shi and Massague, 2003). A major class of downstream mediators known as the Smad family of signal transducing proteins could then relay the activated signal from the cell membrane of axonal terminals to the nucleus via retrograde transport. In the nucleus, Smads collaborate with other co-activators and repressors to trigger transcriptional responses that are specific for different biological processes (Attisano and Wrana, 2002; Derynck and Zhang, 2003; Massague et al., 2005).
TGFβ members and their receptors are expressed in peripheral targets and sensory neurons not only during development but also in adulthood (Ai et al., 1999; Rogister et al., 1993; Stark et al., 2001). Moon and Fawcett (Eur J Neurosci. (2001) 14:1667-77) report a reduction in CNS scar formation without concomitant increase in axon regeneration following treatment of adult rat brain with a combination of antibodies to TGFβ1 and TGFβ2.
In studies with embryonic Xenopus explants, both truncated activin type II receptor and follistatin (a protein derived from the embryonic Spemann Organizer) block activin signaling and neuralize cells that would otherwise become epidermal cells (Hemmati-Brivanlou et al. Cell (1994) 77:273-281; Cell (1994) 77:283-295). These Hemmati-Brivanlou et al. papers only address differentiation of embryonic cells, and do not mention, discuss, nor have any relevance to differentiated, adult cell types, such as post-mitotic, differentiated adult neurons.
Hemmati-Brivanlou et al. submitted these same data in a patent application (now, U.S. Pat. No. 6,686,198) which they accurately abstract as relating to differentiation of embryonic cells: "The subject method stems from the unexpected finding that, contrary to traditional understanding of neural induction, the default fate of ectodermal tissue is neuronal rather than mesodermal and/or epidermal. In particular, it has been discovered that preventing or antagonizing a signaling pathway in a cell for a growth factor of the TGFβ. family can result in neuronal differentiation of that cell."
However, unlike their teachings to their peers skilled in the art (Hemmati-Brivanlou et al, supra), their patent disclosure erects a remarkable proposal: "The ability of follistatin to regulate neuronal differentiation not only during development of the nervous system but also presumably in the adult state . . . indicates that NAs can be reasonably expected to facilitate control of adult neurons with regard to maintenance, functional performance, and aging of normal cells." (U.S. Pat. No. 6,686,198; Col. 13, lines 35-10). Other than a "presumably" the patent offers no support whatsoever for this scientifically untenable proposal. As noted above, the only documentation presented relates to differentiation of embryonic Xenopus cells, which evidence those skilled in this art recognize as not probative of any effect on post-mitotic, terminally-differentiated cells like adult neurons.

Inhibiting Smad2/3 signaling promotes neurite outgrowth in dorsal root ganglia


An operational amplifier includes a first stage with a first differential transistor pair inputting a differential input signal at their gates, a first tail current source transistor connected to sources of the first differential transistor pair, and a load transistor pair connected in series with the drain of first differential transistor pair. An input stage includes a second differential transistor pair connected to respective drains of the first differential transistor pair at their gates, and a second tail current transistor connected to sources of the differential transistor pair. An output stage outputs a signal corresponding to the differential input signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to operational amplifiers, and more particularly, to operational amplifiers with increased common mode input range.
2. Related Art
Standard NTSC color video systems have been commonplace since 1970 and continue to be used widely today. The baseband NTSC video signal is an analog signal with an amplitude of approximately 1.3 Volt-peak-to-peak (Vpp) and has remained largely unchanged since the technology""s inception. Early video systems had relatively large supply voltages where the difference in the positive and negative supply voltage would often be 30 volts. Processing a 1.3 Vpp signal using analog circuits with 30 V across the supplies means that issues of headroom were rarely a problem. Problems with headroom occur when the input voltage comes too close to the circuit""s power supply voltages such that the circuits cannot operate properly. Given a specific supply voltage, a common-mode input range (CMIR) is defined as the range of input voltages over which the circuit can operate correctly.
The desire to integrate many circuits, both analog and digital, onto a single IC means using CMOS technologies with very small geometries. As transistor sizes shrink, more circuits can be integrated using the same amount of silicon area. However, as the transistor size shrinks, so does the maximum voltage across which the devices can safely operate. As the supply voltage approaches the signal amplitude, the challenges in circuit design increase dramatically. The required CMIR may include much of the available supply voltage. Attenuation of the NTSC signal is usually undesirable, because the NTSC signal is single-ended, and such an attenuation will result in a serious noise problem.
Many operational amplifiers (op amps) use rail-to-rail circuit techniques which allows the CMIR to include the entire supply voltage. These topologies often employ two input stages, one for operation near each supply voltage. One input stage will use a PMOS differential pair and the other will use a NMOS differential pair. Because the transconductances of these two input pairs are not matched and will not track each other over process variations, the linearity of the overall amplifier is degraded, and high performance is difficult to achieve.
Another op amp topology often chosen for it""s high CMIR is the folded-cascode topology (See xe2x80x9cAnalysis and Design of Analog Integrated Circuitsxe2x80x9d, Gray, Hurst, Lewis and Meyer, John Wiley and Sons, 4th ed. 2001, pp. 446-450). Defining the MOS threshold voltage as Vt and the overdrive voltage VGT=VGSxe2x88x92Vt, in FIG. 6.28 of Gray et al., maximum input common-mode voltage VCMI(max)=VDDxe2x88x92Vt5xe2x88x92VGT5xe2x88x92VGT1 (assume matched transistor pairs M1-M2, M11-M12, M1A-M2A in FIG. 6.28 of Grey et al., with the numeric subscript referring to the transistor number). Also the Vt""s and VGT""s are assumed to be positive whether the transistor is NMOS or PMOS. Voltages greater than VCMI(max) will cause M5 to leave saturation and it""s current will drop. The folded-cascode circuit often allows the VCMI to reach the negative supply, usually ground in low supply voltage circuits, without any problems. However, in unity gain buffer configurations, where the inverting op amp input is tied to the output, it is the output which will limit the voltage swing.
Although the linearity of the folded-cascode op amp is better than the typical rail-to-rail designs, it still has linearity problems due to the finite output impedance of M5 in FIG. 6.28 of Gray et al. As the common mode input voltage VCMI changes, the tail current ID5 will change, which will in turn change the gain of the stage. The stage gain varies as a function of the input stage transconductance gm times the output resistance R0. The gain goes down as the tail current increases. To overcome this problem, the tail current source could be cascoded, however this would further reduce VCMI(max) by an additional VGT term.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an operational amplifier with increased common mode input range that substantially obviates, one or more of the disadvantages of the related art.
There is provided an operational amplifier including a first stage with a first differential transistor pair receiving a differential input signal at their gates, a first tail current source transistor connected to sources of the first differential transistor pair, and a load transistor pair connected in series with drains of the first differential transistor pair. An input stage includes a second differential transistor pair connected to respective drains of the first differential transistor pair at their gates, and a second tail current transistor connected to sources of the differential transistor pair. An output stage outputs a signal corresponding to the differential input signal.
In another aspect there is provided an operational amplifier including a first stage inputting a differential input signal. An input stage includes a second differential transistor pair connected to the first stage, and a tail current transistor connected to sources of the differential transistor pair. An output stage outputs a signal corresponding to the differential input signal. The first stage expands a common mode input range of the input stage.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

Operational amplifier with increased common mode input range


The present invention provides a measuring apparatus comprising a load receiving plate, a frame member enclosing the load receiving plate, and at least four beams coupling the load receiving plate and the frame member to each other, thereby supporting the load receiving plate. The beams are so formed as to deflect at predetermined portions thereof in response to X-, Y- and Z-axial components of a force applied to the load receiving plate under the assumption that a direction perpendicular to the load receiving plate is taken as the Z-axial direction and directions perpendicular to each other in the horizontal plane of the load receiving plate are taken as the X- and Y-axial directions, respectively, and strain gauges are provided at predetermined portions of the beams.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a measuring apparatus capable of measuring not only the weight of a vehicle or the like (in the Z-axial direction) but also, a force which moves an automobile under test within a wind tunnel, nemely, a horizontal load (in the X-axial direction), as well as at least a third component of a load, namely in a direction perpendicular to the X-axial direction (Y-axial direction).
2. Description of the Prior Art
A measuring apparatus using strain gauges instead of load cells is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,436. However, this conventional measuring apparatus cannot measure simultaneously forces in two different directions perpendicular to each other in a horizontal plane, that is, in the X- and Y-directions.
Recently, it has become increasingly necessary to measure the vector of a force (direction of input and magnitude . . . components X, Y and Z), not a force in a single direction, for measurement and control of forces in precision machine tools such as NC milling cutters, robots and so forth.


A portable terminal, handheld computer and handle are provided. The portable terminal includes a handheld computer operable as a stand-alone device, including operational components having a display and a scanner, and an expansion connector capable of detachably coupling to a peripheral. The peripheral includes at least a handle held by an operator of the portable terminal. The handheld computer is electrically and mechanically coupled to the handle so that the angle between the viewing area of the display and a scanner beam from the scanner is optimized without tilting the viewing area of the display. The portable terminal includes: a handheld device operable as a stand-alone device, including: one or more operational components; and an expansion connector being capable of detachably coupling to a peripheral directly or via an external device connectable to the peripheral, the handheld device being electrically coupled to the peripheral via the expansion connector and identifies the peripheral. The handle for a handheld device, includes: a housing including a grip held by an operator of a handheld device, the handheld device being operable as a stand alone device; a coupling assembly being capable of mechanically and operationally coupling to the handheld device directly or via an external device connectable to the handheld device; and an actuator coupling to the coupling assembly for actuating at least one function of the handheld device, the actuator being configured so that the user operates the actuator while holding the grip.

Handheld data capture devices (e.g., Radio frequency identification (RFID) readers, scanners, imagers) are used in a variety of applications (e.g., tracking items, inventory management). For example, an RFID reader collects information on an item by reading an RFID tag attached on the item, and an imager captures the image of the item itself and/or analyzes the data stored in a barcode.
A handheld data capture device has a display by which an operator of the handheld data capture device knows that the capture operation (e.g., scan) has been registered successfully. The operator manually holds the handheld data capture device close to the item or a marker attached to the item, when capturing desired data. The operator then tilts the handheld data capture device to see the display and confirm whether or not a scan has been registered. Thus, the operator needs to constantly adjust the handheld data capture device in order for capturing data and visual confirmation on whether the data capture is done.
In addition, the conventional handheld data capture devices have limited capabilities with respect to data capturing.
Therefore, there is a need to provide a handheld device that can be easily operated. There is a need to provide a handheld device that can easily expand its functionalities without compromising the sealing integrity of the device or causing unnecessary loss-of-use due to the complexity of the typical upgrade process (i.e., return to authorized Service Depots for upgrade).

Portable terminal and pistol grip sled with optimized scan angle


The disclosed embodiments provide a distributed transaction system including a group of validator nodes that are known to each other in a network but are indistinguishable to other network nodes. The validator nodes form a Committee including a Leader node and one or more Associate nodes configured to receive and process transaction requests and candidate requests, for example, to add new blocks to one or more blockchains. The Committee may be dynamically changed, such that new network nodes may be added to the Committee or may replace existing validator nodes. The Associate nodes also may coordinate with each other to select a new Leader node. The system may allow multiple request-fulfillment process to run simultaneously, thereby enhance the efficiency of the system. The disclosed embodiments reduce the distributed system's reliance on the stability of any particular node(s) in the network, as the validator nodes in the Committee may be changed at a sufficient frequency to remove unreliable, unavailable, or otherwise untrusted nodes. Further, the disclosed embodiments provide a scheme that helps ensure the Leader node, as well as the other Committee members, functions properly.

A network is a collection of interconnected nodes that exchange information. The nodes can include computers, servers, mobile devices, or any other device that can be configured to communicate with other nodes in the network. The network may be configured as a centralized system, such as a client-server system having one or more central servers in communication with one or more client devices, or may be configured as a decentralized system, such as a peer-to-peer (P2P) network. A P2P network is a system in which each network node, sometimes called a "peer," may be directly connected to one or more other nodes in the network. Peers typically have similar privileges and may share a portion of their resources with other peers in the network without coordination by any centralized servers or hosts. P2P networks have been implemented using various technologies, including for example file-sharing systems, such as Napster, and blockchain technologies, such as Bitcoin.
A transaction-based system is a system that processes data in units of "transactions," which may have different contents, formats, or other characteristics depending on the system. An example of a conventional transaction-based system is Sabre, which is a system used by travel agents and companies to process transactions that are used to book airline tickets. A transaction may be a message, event, or process initiated or invoked by a user or computer program, and may provide a single unit of work in the system. For example, a transaction may contain data corresponding to an electronic funds transfer between different bank accounts. A transaction could also correspond to an event when two or more parties enter into an agreement, such as a legal contract. In this example, the action of entering into the agreement is processed and recorded as a single transaction, and the transaction data may correspond to the agreement itself and/or any other information relating to the agreement. In another example, each transaction may correspond to the identity of the party or parties that have signed an agreement, in which case the signing of the agreement by each party is processed and recorded as one transaction. A transaction, alone or combined with other transactions, may be represented or transmitted as a unit of data. In a Bitcoin setting, a transaction usually is defined as the transfer of a certain amount of Bitcoin cryptocurrency from one Bitcoin account to another.
To facilitate a demand for higher speed processing and convenience in transaction-based systems, some transaction-based systems have been built on network infrastructures. Originally and conventionally, such systems have been implemented in centralized networks: all of the transactions were processed by centralized servers and the related transaction data was stored in centralized databases. The system reliability thus depended solely on the reliability of the centralized system. A failure of the centralized server could cause catastrophic results to the transaction-based system.
A decentralized transaction-based system, sometimes referred to as a distributed transaction-based system, is desirable because the system depends less on centralized servers and, thus, may be more reliable. Implementing such a distributed system on a P2P network is often preferred because the necessity of using a centralized host server is eliminated and the system is reliable until many network nodes fail at the same time, which is typically unlikely. However, implementing such a distributed transaction-based system is challenging because the lack of a centralized host may result in complicated and dynamic component interdependencies. Several critical issues must be solved: for example, how is transaction data organized and stored in the system; how is a consensus reached by the network nodes to confirm or reject a new transaction request; and how are network nodes in the system authenticated and/or their authentication verified.
Unlike in a centralized system, data in a distributed P2P system may be stored as many copies, for example, by one or more of the network nodes. For example, each node may have a copy of the entire data set in a transaction-based system or it may store only a portion of the data. Many schemes have been designed to ensure that each network node may effectively store and verify the system data through cooperation with the other nodes.
One exemplary scheme uses blockchain technology, which is widely known as the technology behind the popular cryptocurrency Bitcoin. In a blockchain scheme, transaction data can be organized into discrete "blocks," each of which may be linked with a predecessor ("parent") block by storing a cryptographic hash value of the parent block, or by using other techniques such as using hash values and/or digital signatures of one or more preceding blocks. The contents in each block can be verified against its cryptographic hash value stored in a subsequent adjacent ("child") block. Therefore, once the accuracy of the current block of the blockchain is verified, a network node can verify every preceding block contained in the blockchain without having to contact any of the other nodes.
The Bitcoin system is one of the most well-known implementations of blockchain technologies in distributed transaction-based systems. In Bitcoin, each network node competes for the privilege of storing a set of one or more transactions in a new block of the blockchain by solving a complex computational math problem, sometimes referred to as a mining proof-of-work (POW). Under current conditions, a set of transactions is typically stored in a new block of the Bitcoin blockchain at a rate of about one new block every 10 minutes, and each block has an approximate size of one megabyte (MB). Accordingly, the Bitcoin system is subject to an impending scalability problem: only 3 to 7 transactions can be processed per second, which is far below the number of transactions processed in other transaction-based systems, such as the approximately 30,000 transactions per second in the Visa™ transaction system.
Bitcoin-NG, or the Bitcoin Next Generation system, attempts to solve this scalability problem by introducing a network node in the P2P system that acts as a leader node that processes transactions and adds new blocks to the Bitcoin blockchain. This system includes two separate blockchains: a Transaction blockchain for storing the transaction data and a Keyblock blockchain for publishing a public key, which may be a temporary "epoch" public key assigned to the current leader node. In Bitcoin-NG, the Keyblock blocks are generated in the same way as transaction blocks are generated in the conventional Bitcoin network, except the Keyblock blocks contain only the public key that the leader node will use to sign new blocks added to the Transaction blockchain. Thus, the leader node is the node that generated the latest block in the Keyblock blockchain and that digitally signs new blocks added to the Transaction blockchain using a private key corresponding to its published epoch public key.
While Bitcoin-NG does solve conventional Bitcoin's scalability problem, as the leader node in Bitcoin-NG can process new transaction blocks more efficiently than using the POW approach of conventional Bitcoin, it somewhat reverts Bitcoin from a distributed system to a system by having a single leader node at any given time. As such, the reliability and the security of the Bitcoin-NG system depends, at least partially, on the reliability and security of that leader node. The failure of the leader node may cause a catastrophic failure of the system. The Bitcoin-NG system is described, for example, in the paper by Ittay Eyal et al., "Bitcoin-NG: A Scalable Blockchain Protocol," 13th USENIX Symposium on Networked System Design and Implementation (NSDI '16), pp. 45-59 (2016), which is incorporated by reference herein.
Another issue rooted in a conventional distributed system is the Byzantine fault problem, which addresses how a system of multiple nodes can reach a consensus for agreeing when to change the system's state. The Byzantine fault problem requires that nodes must agree on a concrete strategy to reach a consensus to avoid a system failure, even where some of the nodes may be unreliable. Castro et al., "Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance," Proceedings of the Third Symposium on Operating System Design and Implementation, New Orleans, USA (February 1999), which is incorporated by reference herein, introduced a two-round peer-to-peer message exchange technique to achieve a consensus. Initially, a leader node sends a system state-transition request to each of the other nodes in the network. In the first round, each node communicates with each of the other nodes to confirm that enough nodes have received the state-transition request, and then the nodes validate the request after confirming a first threshold number of nodes received it. In the second round, each node communicates with each of the other nodes to confirm that a second threshold number of nodes were able to validate the request. If the second threshold is satisfied, the nodes finalize the requested system state-transition based on the second round of confirmation. Because each node communicates with each of the other nodes in the system to reach a consensus, such a system is referred as a mesh communication network. Because only a threshold number of nodes are required to reach a consensus, a fault tolerance that permits a certain number of faulty nodes can be achieved in the Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT) system. However, PBFT's solution is not efficient when the system is scaled up. The communication costs necessary to form a consensus in the mesh network increases exponentially as the number of nodes increases in the PBFT system, again resulting in a scalability problem. Further, the identities of the nodes are known to other nodes in the network, exposing all the nodes to potential attacks from other nodes in or out of the network. Given the nodes in PBFT are not reconfigurable, the failure of sufficient number of nodes may also cause catastrophic failure of the system.
In the PBFT system, a "view" refers to a period of time that a node serves as the leader node. When a node in the PBFT system discovers that the leader node has failed, it broadcasts a request to each of the other nodes in the system to change the leader node, which is a "view change" request. When a node receives enough view-change requests, it first determines a new leader node based on predefined rules and sends a view-change confirmation to the new leader node. The next "view" starts when the new leader node receives enough view-change confirmations from the other nodes in the PBFT system.
As a recent development, "HotStuff" introduced a protocol that modifies the mesh communication network in the PBFT system, merging the view-change process for changing a leader node with generation of transaction blocks, resulting a three-phase protocol. HotStuff is described, for example, by Maofan Yin et al., "HotStuff: BFT Consensus in the Lens of Blockchain," document no. arXiv:1803.05069 (March 2018), which is incorporated by reference herein. Because each node communicates all of its messages (including transaction requests) directly to the leader node instead of indirectly sending them to the leader node via one or more other nodes, the communication complexity of the HotStuff system is greatly reduced. However, even with such reduced communications, the HotStuff network still faces scalability issues. For example, the number of nodes is limited to the capability of the leader node to process transaction requests from a large number of nodes. In addition, as the number of nodes grows, the system slows because of the time and resources consumed while processing and waiting for digital signatures for messages requiring multiple cosigners. Further, because the identity of the leader node is public to all of the nodes in the network, the leader node may be subject to attacks by malicious third parties, which also may decrease the reliability of the system.
Tendermint and Casper, two blockchains that rose to prominence in 2018, brought to public view two new variants of PBFT that simplify a traditional aspect of the consensus mechanism. These projects retrofitted PBFT's leader-replacement protocol with linearity, meaning only linear communication cost would be levied on network participants. However, in order to add this economic aspect to their networks, the two projects sacrificed a cornerstone of practical consensus called responsiveness. In brief and plain terms, responsiveness refers to a dynamic wherein appointed leaders of a PBFT consensus may generate after receiving a fixed number of communications, instead of waiting for a mandatory fixed delay. Tendermint and Casper, in this way, brought to the PBFT space a trade-off between linearity and responsiveness. The HotStuff algorithm, which has been adopted by Facebook's Libra, as well as some other recent blockchains, have resolved this trade-off. Cypherium's CypherBFT, which also utilizes HotStuff, does not need to choose between responsiveness and linearity.
There are a number of new distributed ledger technologies that do not use traditional blockchain data structures, favoring instead direct acyclic graphs (DAGs), which allow blocks to be authored and accepted simultaneously, instead of through a single, total-ordered chain. Hashgraph and Conflux might be two of the most notable examples of such projects. However, these graphs are not without their weaknesses. One particularly notable shortcoming of DAGs is the recovery of data. If a network participant loses connection to the network for whatever reasons, it is much harder to recover the graph information than it is to retrace the history of a true blockchain. Cypherium's dual blockchain structure includes the speeds of a dag, but its recall for users can happen much simpler and faster, which adds to the availability of information and makes the information more decentralized.
Another issue with conventional distributed transaction-based systems relates to authentication of the nodes using digital signatures. In a typical distributed system, for example, each node must confirm that each information it receives is actually originated from the node that appears to have sent the information. Digital signatures are typically used to verify the authenticity of the sender of the information. Conventionally, digital signatures require each node to store a pair of keys: a public key and a private key. Each node keeps its own private key confidential, and does not share it with other nodes in the network, whereas the node publishes its public key to all of the other nodes in the network. The node digitally signs information using its private key and the other nodes may verify the signature using the signer's public key, which must be made available by the signing node. However, as the number of nodes in the network grows, each being capable of digitally signing information communicated in the network, the communicated information may be accompanied with several different digital signatures. In this case, each node has to verify each digital signature individually, resulting in another bottleneck of scalability for the distributed system.
A multi-signature scheme can be implemented where a group of signers, each having their own cryptographic public/private key pair, collaboratively digitally sign a single message m. The resulting signature can be verified using a set of public keys corresponding to the signers or, in other multi-signature schemes, using a common public key.
In a 2016 paper, Ewa Syta et al., "Keeping authorities 'honest or bust' with decentralized witness cosigning," 2016 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, pp. 526-545, (May 2016), Ewa Syta et al. published their "CoSi" protocol, which allows a group of cosigners to sign a message collaboratively, through two rounds of communication. CoSi makes scalable the use of cryptographic multi-sig methods, which can endow a network with thousands of witnesses by implementing communication trees that serve to aggregate the witnesses' signatures. Ewa Syta et al., describe in their paper the "CoSi" protocol's ability to keep authorities accountable through their decentralized witness cosigning. However, the two-round communication protocol is not efficient and the tree structure is not stable. Once an intermediate node has gone off-line, become compromised (e.g., hacked), failed (e.g., due to hardware malfunction), or otherwise is unavailable or no longer trusted, the signatures from all of its child nodes no long work. CypherBFT applies Boneh-Lynn-Shacham (BLS) signature scheme based on Barreto-Naehrig elliptic curves. This enables CypherBFT to accomplish aggregate signature by just one-round communication.
EOS's delegated Proof-of-Stake (DPoS) consensus involves a three-tiered process. The first tier has EOS token holders hold a referendum to choose 21 Block Producers (BPs). Those elected Block Producers are then delegated to perform the second tier of the consensus by generating blocks. Lastly, the third tier consists of the 21 BPs conducting Byzantine Fault Tolerant consensus, wherein approved blocks can be irreversibly admitted to the blockchain history. The block my be considered truly confirmed having completed this process.
EOS boasts that it can produce a new block every half-second. However, the true confirmation of these blocks cannot be considered final until their BFT consensus has been performed, and that process takes roughly three minutes. To propose and proliferate new, unconfirmed blocks has little bearing on the health of the blockchain itself.
Cypherium, on the other hand, runs its proprietary CypherBFT consensus, anchored by the HotStuff algorithm, and can authentically offer instant finality for its network users. With its HotStuff-based design, the CypherBFT's runtime lasts only 20-30 milliseconds (ms). Two-to-three confirmations are all that is required to permanently accept a proposed block into the blockchain, and it only takes 90 ms for these confirmations to transpire, making the process significantly faster than the two-minutes required by EOS.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Systems and methods for selecting and utilizing a committee of validator nodes in a distributed system


Devices and methods for enabling the use of legacy-equipment in light of evolving and conflicting standards used by new-equipment are provided. When a standard for transmission on a network conflicts with an existing standard, legacy-equipment, which uses the existing standard, may prevent the implementation of new-equipment, which uses a new or updated standard, on the network. Although many standards strive for backwards compatibility or interoperability with other standards, not all standards are compatible, or they achieve backwards compatibility by disabling features of new-equipment until legacy-equipment has been upgraded or removed from the network. Devices and methods therefore are provided to isolate legacy-equipment and new-equipment so that the new features of evolving standards may be implemented for new-equipment without materially impacting the operation of legacy-equipment.

Hardware devices installed to provide cable network services to consumers (e.g., modems, set top boxes, DVRs, etc.) conform to various industry standards, which are constantly evolving. As these standards evolve, new features may be added to the standards that currently deployed devices are incapable of providing or are incompatible with. For example, a new feature offered by a new standard may use a frequency band for signal transmission that interferes or conflicts with signals transmitted or received by legacy-equipment. To accommodate these legacy devices, new features may be disabled on new-equipment until the legacy-equipment sharing a network with the new-equipment is updated, upgraded, or replaced. The costs and logistical difficulties in updating, upgrading, or replacing the deployed devices may be considerable, and, as a result, many consumers are left with services that do not incorporate the new standard for long periods of time, even when some of their equipment is capable of using these new features. Additionally, because equipment conforming to the new standard may interfere with legacy-equipment, new features may be disabled so long as legacy-equipment is deployed, delaying a service provider's upgrades and updates to its facilities.

Active device to enable the use of legacy-equipment in higher return band splits


An information processing apparatus comprises a first display device which displays a pointer, a second display device which displays a virtual screen including a screen of the first display device, and a display controller which moves the pointer to a pointed position in the virtual screen of the second display device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus which uses a pointing device and is capable of an input operation, and to a method of operating the pointing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable personal computers of a notebook type or laptop type have recently been provided with a pointing device which enables, for example, a mouse pointing operation and a numeric key input operation (e.g., refer to Japanese Patent KOKAI Publication No. 2000-339097).
In this prior art, an LCD is disposed behind a touch pad made of a transparent material. The touch pad is used as the pointing device to designate a position on an LCD screen, thereby inputting a trajectory of a point. The pointing device is used to input a trajectory of an index (pointer) which is displayed on the display screen of the LCD and moved in response to an input operation.
In the pointing device of this kind, moving a mouse pointer to a desired position in an actual display area or on a virtual screen has been accomplished by a sliding operation of the pointing device on the touch pad, a moving operation of a mouse, a rolling operation of a track ball, a cursor key operation on a keyboard and the like.
A size of the touch pad is naturally smaller than a screen size of a main display device, so that the above-mentioned operations need to be repeated for a plurality of times to move the mouse pointer for a long distance in a state where a fine pitch is set for a movement amount of the pointer of the pointing device, which is a problem in operability. To avoid this, if a greater pitch is set for the movement amount of the pointer of the pointing device, a movement speed of the mouse pointer can be higher and thus the number of repeating operations can be reduced. This, however, makes it difficult to finely adjust the position of the mouse pointer, and again forces poor operability.
Furthermore, in a state where the virtual screen (desktop) larger than the actual display area is set, and only part of the desktop is displayed on the main display device and a movement end of the mouse pointer is not displayed on the main display device, a panning operation is required to move the display area within the virtual screen, which poses a problem that the operability becomes worse.

Information processing apparatus and method of operating pointing device


An information processing system automatically identifies the page of a book, notebook, flip chart, writing pad, or the like. The system uses an optical sensor to read an identification code printed on each page (and the cover) of the book and processes the code to determine identifying information (e.g., page number) for the page. The optical sensor and related components are adjacent to the book and operate unobtrusively, yet reliability, at a distance therefrom. The system, which uses ambient light and selectively activates its own light source, is capable of operating under variable lighting conditions and requires no manual intervention by the user. In addition, the system is reliable and robust in that it allows standard printing techniques to be used to print the identification code on each page of the book.

The invention relates generally to information processing devices and processes. In particular, the invention relates to information processing devices and processes that automatically recognize an identification code printed on one or more pages within a collection of pages (e.g., a book, notebook, writing pad, flip chart, stack of sheets of paper, etc.) (hereinafter a xe2x80x9cbookxe2x80x9d), on a book cover, and surface below the book.
Bar code readers are known in the art and generally come in one of two forms: (1) a scanning laser or charge coupled device (CCD) that is pointed at a bar code while depressing a trigger; and (2) a wand that is swept over a bar code. These devices suffer from a number of limitations for solving the problems addressed by the present invention (e.g., the ability to automatically recognize an identification code printed on one or more pages within a collection of pages). First, known bar code readers require manual input from the user such as pointing, or swiping the instrument over the code. Second, known devices require moving parts which increase the cost and complexity of manufacture, while decreasing reliability. Third, these known devices are designed to identify a bar code in a variety of orientations, making them an overly complex solution for identifying a code in a relatively fixed position with respect to the reader. Fourth, such devices use a visible light source which can disturb the user, or others in the vicinity. Fifth, these device use a scanning laser or a much larger and more expensive sensor array (e.g., 2048xc3x971) than needed for some of the applications addressed by the present invention.
Other known page identification systems use black-and-white or colored squares or stripes (hereinafter xe2x80x9cblocksxe2x80x9d) as the printed codes rather than bar codes, as described in L. J. Stifelman, Augmenting Real World Objects: A Paper-Based Audio Notebook, In the Proceedings of CHI ""96, ACM-SIGCHI, 1996 (xe2x80x9cStifelman 1996xe2x80x9d); L. J. Stifelman, The Audio Notebook: Paper and Pen Interaction with Structured Speech, Doctoral Dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, September 1997 (xe2x80x9cStifelman 1997xe2x80x9d); and U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,974 to DeSmet (xe2x80x9cDeSmetxe2x80x9d).
These systems, however, have also suffered from a number of limitations. First, the systems do not scale well because of the space required for the blocks representing the codes. Each block represents only one bit of information. Thus, in Stifelman 1997, eleven printed code bits required five inches in width along the bottom of a notebook page. Second, the system is composed of discrete sensors and therefore requires one sensor for every bit of information. This requirement limits the amount of information that can be encoded, and makes the system expensive. Third, the sensor mechanism impedes a user""s handwriting movements causing a portion of the page to be unusable. Fourth, the sensors must be precisely aligned with the code on a page to perform properly.
Additional limitations of Stifelman 1996 and DeSmet include the following. First, the systems rely on ambient light, so performance is degraded under dark conditions. Performance is also degraded under very bright conditions since the sensors can be saturated. Second, the sensors can be blocked or shadowed by the user""s hand or pen, degrading the performance of the detector.
Additional limitations of Stifelman 1997 include the following. First, each discrete sensor must be activated and read one at a time to conserve power. Second, the system cannot be exposed to any ambient light. Ambient light (e.g., bright sunlight) would saturate the sensors and cause false readings. Third, the sensors need to be positioned directly over the page code. The sensors are embedded inside of a ledge that is positioned over the bottom of a notebook. This causes several problems: (1) a book must be slid in and out under the ledge to turn pages; (2) a user cannot rest his/her hand on the notebook or table while writing. Since the ledge was placed over the bottom portion of the notebook, the user must place his/her hand over the ledge. This makes writing in the book, particularly on the lower portion of the page closest to the ledge, difficult and uncomfortable.
Limitations of a system described in J. Rekimoto and K. Nagao, The World through the Computer: Computer Augmented Interaction with Real World Environments, ACM User Interface Software Technology (UIST) Conference Proceedings, 1995 (xe2x80x9cRekimotoxe2x80x9d) include the following. First, Rekimoto requires manual operation by a user. A user must point a camera at the code, and a video camera is an expensive solution. Second, color codes are more expensive to print than a black-and-white bar code and require the availability of a color printer. Third, as stated above, the codes do not scale well. The number of detectable identification codes is limited by the size of the codes. Also, each code stripe represents only one bit of information (stripes are one of two colors, and of equal size).
Another related area known in the art includes electronic books, which modify book pages for identification purposes by putting tabs on pages, cutting out notches, or other similar means. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,497 to Seto et al (xe2x80x9cSetoxe2x80x9d); U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,176 to Ohara et al. (xe2x80x9cOharaxe2x80x9d); and U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,246 to Jeng (xe2x80x9cJengxe2x80x9d) use photo sensors to sense the presence or absence of a tab on the edge of each page. Similarly, Ohara uses notches instead of tabs, and Jeng additionally requires a button to be pushed whenever a page is turned. The systems described in these patent have several limitations. First, tabs or notches must be cut into pages, and the pages must be rigid or stiff. Second, one sensor is needed for each page. This limits the number of pages that can be coded. With more pages, additional sensors are required, and more space needed for them. Also, each additional sensor adds an additional cost. Third, the tabs must be reflective (white or metal) or opaque.
Other electronic books have used magnets or switches embedded in book pages for page identification. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,575 to McTaggart (xe2x80x9cMcTaggartxe2x80x9d); U.S. Pat. No. 5,631,883 to Li (xe2x80x9cLixe2x80x9d); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,240 to Haas et al. (xe2x80x9cHaasxe2x80x9d). McTaggart uses electronics embedded in laminated pages. Electromagnetic switches on pages are used to detect which page is open. Li uses conductive stripes on pages and electromechanical contacts which are prone to failure (e.g., due to dirt on contacts) and require manual operation (i.e., the user touches a button to open/close the contact mechanism). The conductive stripes also have to be exactly aligned with the contacts. Also, turning pages can be difficult since the contacts come down over the page. Haas detects the position of pages using magnets embedded in the page. In each of these systems, the book must be specially produced (i.e., it cannot be printed using standard book printing techniques) and can be expensive to manufacture.
Another area known in the art includes devices for capturing writing on forms. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,629,499 to Flickinger et al. (xe2x80x9cFlickingerxe2x80x9d); U.S. Pat. No. 5,734,129 to Belville et al. (xe2x80x9cBelvillexe2x80x9d); U.S. Pat. No. 5,627,349 to Shetye et al. (xe2x80x9cShetyexe2x80x9d); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,149 to Comerford et al. (xe2x80x9cComerfordxe2x80x9d). Flickinger and Shetye describe a device which secures a form to the device using a clip at the top or bottom. Flickinger suggests that a bar code reader could be embedded in the clip that could automatically read a code on the form. However, the design of this component is not disclosed, and it appears that such a design would be limited because the clip would have to be positioned directly over a form to identify it. Thus, the user would have to lift the clip manually and insert a sheet. It also appears that this design would not generalize for use with a book or notebook, where a user is accustomed to turning pages freely without clipping them in and out. Comerford describes a device where documents are read into the system using a scanner that is slid over the page. The scanner must be manually operated by the user, requires contact with the paper, and is expensive.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,636,881 to Brefka et al. (xe2x80x9cBrefkaxe2x80x9d) uses infrared sensors to detect when a page is turned. This is limited to detecting only relative movement of pages (i.e., previous page, next page) and cannot identify an exact page number. If two or more pages are turned at once, this approach does not work properly.
The invention offers several advantages over the art. The objects and advantages of the invention include the following. One object of the invention is to provide an apparatus that does not require manual operation by a user (e.g., button pushing, pointing an instrument at a code, swiping an instrument over a code). Another object is to provide an apparatus with no moving parts and a minimal number of components, making it inexpensive and simple to manufacture. Yet another object is to provide an apparatus that operates reliably under variable lighting conditions, i.e., from bright light to complete darkness. Still another object is to provide an apparatus that automatically adapts to various light levels.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus that allows multiple pages to be turned at once and does not require sequential page turning. Yet another object is to provide an apparatus that includes an optical sensor and related components that can operate unobtrusively at a distance from the book, and that do not need to be directly looking down over a page and do not require physical contact with the book. Still another object is to provide an apparatus that does not impede the user""s hand movements when writing or gesturing in the book.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus that does not impede page turning by the user. Yet another object is to provide an apparatus that allows book pages to be turned without removal of the book from the receiving surface of the apparatus. Still another object is to provide an apparatus that does not generate false readings when an external object, such as a pen or a finger, partially obscures the optical sensor. Another object is to provide an apparatus that allows minor misalignments of the book in relation to the optical sensor. Yet another object is for the printed code to take up minimal space on the book pages (e.g., only a small corner of a page as opposed to a whole edge of a page). Still another object is to provide an apparatus that only requires a single sensor chip to read a code containing multiple bits of data Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus that reads identification codes from a relatively fixed position in relation to the optical sensor. Yet another object is to provide an apparatus that uses an invisible light source so as not to disturb a user or others in the vicinity of the apparatus. Still another object is to provide an apparatus with a rapid response time for recognizing the code on a book page with minimal delay following a page turn.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus with identification codes that have built-in redundancy for greater reliability. Yet another object is to provide an apparatus that can operate with a low resolution optical sensor. Still another object is to provide an apparatus that uses identification codes that can be printed on commonly available computer printers (e.g., laser printer, ink jet printer, etc.) or through standard printing techniques (e.g., offset printing).
Another object of the invention is a book with coded pages to identify the pages, or information about a page. Yet another object is a book coded with a width-modulated bar code to ease reading of the code. Still another object is that the codes can identify individual books uniquely, or identify a specific page within a specific book. Yet another object is a code in an upper quadrant of a book so it is out of the way of reading or writing on the page. Another object of the invention is a code along the edge of the book. Yet another object is a code on the cover of the book to identify the cover or uniquely identify an entire book. Still another object is a code on the background area where the book is placed to identify when a book is not present. Still another object is a book using a non-spiral binding to prevent vertical misalignment of pages. Yet another object is a book using round holes for binding to ease page turning.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus that does not require holes, tabs, or notches to be cut in the paper. Yet another object is to provide an apparatus that does not require thick or rigid pages. Still another object is to provide an apparatus that uses a bar code symbology with minimal or no start and stop codes. Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.
The present invention is a system and method for automatically identifying information (e.g., page numbers) in a book by reading an identification code (e.g., a bar code) printed on each page, on the book cover, and on a surface below the book. The codes on the cover and surface below the book can be used to signal that the book is closed or removed from the system. In addition, the code on the cover can be used to uniquely identify the book, and the codes on the pages can uniquely identify the book and each individual page. Hereafter, the term xe2x80x9cpagexe2x80x9d generically refers to planar surfaces such each side of a leaf in a book, the book cover, a surface below the book, a touch sensitive surface, etc.
In some embodiments, the invention uses an optical sensing technique that allows an optical sensor and related components to be located adjacent to and at a distance from the book so as to not impede the user when turning the pages of the book. The system operates automatically to identify the book and its pages (i.e., no manual operation by a user is required).
The system can operate using ambient light. If, however, ambient light conditions are inadequate for the optical sensor to properly read the codes, the system selectively activates a light source that artificially illuminates the code area. The light source can be non-visible, so that it cannot be seen to anyone looking at, or writing on, the page.
More particularly, the system includes a holder for receiving the book and for keeping it in a substantially fixed position relative to the rest of the system. Once the book is in place, the optical assembly that is located adjacent to the book (such that it does not impede page turning or book insertion and removal) detects the identification code on the page and converts this optical image information into electrical signals for further processing. The optical assembly includes, for example, a reflecting element (e.g. a mirror), a focusing element (e.g. a lens), and an optical sensor. The reflecting element directs light reflected from the identification code onto the focusing element which focuses the light onto the optical sensor so that the optical image can be converted into electrical signals for further processing.
The processor operates on the electrical signals in order to decode them into book and page number information. If the ambient light conditions are insufficient to detect the code, the processor can automatically activate a light source to improve the illumination of the code area on the book. The reflecting element of the optical assembly can direct the light received from the light source onto the identification code on the page.
The identification code can be in the form of a width modulated bar code. The bar code can be a standard bar code or it can be a custom bar code containing for example a single-bar stop code or no start and stop codes whatever. The system is capable of accepting these simplified bar codes, thereby enabling a higher signal-to-noise ratio in the resultant image.


A multiflow pump for fluids, having an electromagnetic translator drive, a displacement piston unit, a pump head, and at least one outlet valve device. The displacement piston contains a bearing journal with a spring receptacle, a carrier plate, and a plurality of pump pistons, wherein the displacement piston unit is configured in one piece.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Multiflow pumps are known and are used for fuel injection and for lubricant supply. It is usually the case that considerably more cost-effective multiflow pumps are used for lubricant supply than for fuel injection; however, the former have a considerably lower metering accuracy and are generally not diagnosable.
It is an object to further develop a multiflow pump for lubricant supply while maintaining the low costs in the direction of better metering accuracy and higher reliability.


A tool that allows three dimensional chip circuit designs to be checked subsequent to 3D design layer mirroring. The 3D chip design is converted to a corresponding 2D chip design by mirroring one or more design layers from the mirrored side of a 3D design and merging those design layers with unmirrored design layers from the unmirrored side of a 3D design. The converted circuit design can be processed by standard verification checks. The tool may also receive design layers corresponding to an integrated circuit that will pass through multiple semiconductor chips. Each design cell is examined to determine if it corresponds to a mirrored or unmirrored side of its respective semiconductor chip. If the respective design cell corresponds to the mirrored side, the design cell is mirrored. All mirrored cells are then merged with the unmirrored design cells in the correct order. The merged design is processed by standard verification checks. The tool also has the capability to create terminal metal abstracts for two adjoining chips. One of the abstracts is mirrored and then merged with the other for connectivity and alignment checking.

This disclosure relates generally to three-dimensional integrated circuit design, and more specifically, to converting 3D integrated circuit design images to an equivalent two-dimensional technology design to perform design checks validating intra-chip and inter-chip connections of the original 3D design.
An integrated circuit (IC) is a semiconductor device that includes many electronic components (transistors for example). These components may be interconnected to form multiple circuit components such as gate cells, decoders, and controllers on the IC.
Design engineers design IC's by transforming circuit descriptions of an IC into geometric descriptions called a circuit layout. More specifically, a circuit designer begins by creating a functional block diagram depicting the logic design of the circuit (typically shown as inputs intersecting at "AND", "OR", and "NOR" gates). The functional block diagram is then translated into a schematic. The schematic contains the number and type of various circuit components, represented by distinct symbols, necessary to perform the logic design. The schematic is also typically accompanied by the necessary electrical parameters (i.e., voltage, current, resistance). It is from the schematic that the circuit layout may be designed, for example, by using a computer automated design (CAD) program or other electronic design automation (EDA) applications. In the circuit layout, each circuit component from the schematic is translated into a physical shape and size to form a composite picture of the circuit. A circuit layout may also be referred to as a cell or a design cell. The circuit layout is analogous to a blue print for the circuit. Not every cell needs to be designed from scratch. Many EDA applications have access to Cell Libraries, which have descriptions and layouts that can be used to accomplish various logic designs.
The composite picture shows the circuit in three dimensions as the interconnections of the circuit may traverse multiple layers (this is distinguishable from a three dimensional chip, which will be discussed subsequently). As the building of the three dimensional circuit on a chip takes place one layer at a time, the composite picture is separated into individual layers in the circuit. Each individual layer drawing is then digitized and plotted on an x-y plotting table. Each digitized layer pattern may be used to produce a mask or reticle, or series of masks and/or reticles, to etch and print the layers and corresponding circuit components on semiconductor wafers. The constructed circuit duplicates the circuit layout (design cell). The completed semiconductor devices are now known as chips which may be joined to a carrier on the I/O chip surface. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a "chip" may refer to either a die or a wafer.
The broadly discussed steps of the IC design process may entail various operations. Some of the physical design operations that an EDA tool performs to obtain IC layouts include: (1) floorplanning, which finds the alignment and relative orientation of circuit components; (2) circuit placement; and (3) routing, which completes component interconnects. A completed layout is subject to verification processes, which check the layout to ensure design and functional requirements. Common verification processes include design rule checking (DRC) which determines if the layout satisfies a series of recommended parameters, and layout versus schematic (LVS) which determines whether the layout corresponds to the original schematic. These verification processes may be performed both to the entire composite picture of the circuit layout and to the separated individual layers.
It is upon the completion of the verification processes that the separated individual layer drawings are digitized, plotted, and used for mask creation.
Computer-based tools for creating, editing, analyzing, and checking IC design layouts are based on two dimensional chip technology. "Two-dimensional chip technology" refers to chip fabrication having design shapes (circuits and layers) on only one wafer surface. The circuits on a 2D chip are still in three dimensions.
Three dimensional (3D) chip technologies, on the other hand, incorporate a through silicon via (TSV) that passes through the substrate of an integrated circuit chip. The TSV allows for circuit designs to expand to the front and back wafer surface. Designs on both silicon wafer surfaces allow for one IC chip to join with another IC chip, introducing the concept of stacked chips (hence 3D chip technology). In 3D, the first chip may connect to a carrier at one surface and connect to another chip at the second surface. IC chips may be stacked connecting to chips above and below, and the last chip of such a stack may connect to a heat sink.
Fundamental to 3D technology is that in order to connect a circuit design on one side of a chip to a circuit design on the other side of the chip, one of the circuit designs must be mirrored. Furthermore, as stacked chips may be connected face-to-face, face-to-back, and even back-to-back, where two separate chips connect, one of the connecting sides must mirror the other. Design tools for creating and checking multi-layer designs assume that all designs are on a single surface of a wafer. A typical checking environment provides the designer a top down design view and, again, assumes a single surface design. In current 3D technology, after the circuit layout is designed and verified, the design layers (the separated individual layers of a circuit layout) are mirrored to create new design layers (and ultimately a mirrored circuit layout/design cell). The new design layers are also digitized and turned into masks and/or reticles to create mirrored surfaces on 3D chips. These new design layers are not amenable to verification processes of existing design tools.

Circuit design checking for three dimensional chip technology

International Business Machines Corporation


A protective sleeve disposed around a cable and a connector which are connected includes a cable sleeve and a plurality of resilient elements. The cable sleeve includes a bushing, a first ring, and a second ring. The front of the bushing is connected to the connector. The first ring and the second ring are disposed around the cable. The resilient elements are formed by extending the second ring and spaced apart from each other to form an opening for penetration by the cable. The caliber of the opening is less than the caliber of the second ring. Accordingly, the resilient elements are conducive to the positioning of the cable while the cable is penetrating the rings.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to protective sleeves for electrical connectors, and more particularly, to a protective sleeve applicable to an electrical connector for a network cable.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional network cable comprises a cable which is usually a multi-core structure, and a process of manufacturing a network cable locking device entails engaging the cable and a connector of a network by means of a specific engaging tool, wherein the point of connection of the connector and the cable is usually protected by a protective sleeve. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 7,540,667 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,080,001 disclose protective sleeves of different structures, respectively.
At present, diameter specifications of a network cable abound. Referring to FIG. 9, there is shown a schematic view of a conventional network cable assembly 4. As shown in FIG. 9, the network cable assembly 4 comprises a connector 40, a network cable 41 connected to the connector 40, and a protective sleeve 42 disposed around the connector 40 and the network cable 41. As shown in FIG. 6, the diameter of the network cable 41 is less than that of the end of the protective sleeve 42, and in consequence the network cable 41 is not held in place by the protective sleeve 42. Hence, the network cable 41 is likely to swing relative to the connector 40 and thereby increases the risk of disconnecting the network cable 41 from the connector 40.

Network cable assembly and protective sleeve thereof


The present disclosure discloses a camera lens group including, sequentially from an object side to an image side of the camera lens group along an optical axis, a first lens, a second lens, a third lens, a fourth lens and a fifth lens. The first lens has a negative refractive power; the second lens has a negative refractive power; the third lens has a refractive power, and an object-side surface of the third lens is concave; the fourth lens has a positive refractive power, an object-side surface of the fourth lens is convex, and an image-side surface of the fourth lens is convex; and the fifth lens has a refractive power. A half of a maximum field of view HFOV of the camera lens group satisfies 0.8<tan(HFOV/2)<1.2.

In recent years, the three-dimensional depth recognition technology has been developed rapidly. The camera equipped with the three-dimensional depth recognition technology can easily obtain a spatial position and three-dimensional size information of a photographed object, which is of great significance in technical applications such as human-computer interaction and augmented reality. TOF technology is one of the important three-dimensional detection solutions currently in common use.
TOF technology, also known as Time of Flight, refers to such a technology that locates a target object by detecting the flight (round trip) time of a light pulse. Unlike traditional single-point laser ranging, the TOF technology uses an array-type detector to simultaneously acquire three-dimensional spatial information of the entire object. Generally, a lens configured with a TOF camera needs to have a large relative aperture and a small chief ray incident angle (CRA). At the same time, in order to meet the working requirements at different temperatures, it is also required for some TOF lenses to have a characteristic of temperature drift.


A liner for an appliance is formed by a plastic sheet formed into a three dimensional shape corresponding to at least a portion of a compartment of the appliance. A plurality of electrically conductive ink pathways are applied on a surface of the plastic sheet, and a sealer material is applied to the plastic sheet to cover said pathways

The present invention relates generally to an appliance liner, and to a method of manufacturing such liners.
Typically appliance components, such as refrigeration liners, contain or support electronic components that need to be supplied with electrical current. Usually a plurality of wires are used to supply the necessary electrical current to the various electronic components, which requires not only an assembly of the wires to the appliance, such as in wire harnesses, or as individual wires, but also the wires need to be individually connected to connectors or to connection points on the electronic components. Such an arrangement adds to the complexity and cost of the manufacturing process. Also, human error may cause the improper connection of individual wires during the manufacturing process.
Use of conductive ink for transmitting electrical current is known. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,369,369, 6,266,969, 5,993,698 and 5,899,078 disclose the use of resistive inks in a refrigeration appliance to selectively heat certain areas of the appliance. U.S. Pat. No. 6,451,364 discloses an electrode that may be formed of conductive ink and that may be used in a refrigerator to protect the user from electric shock.
It would be an improvement in the art if appliance liners were provided with a means of transmitting electrical current between points in the appliance without the use of individual wires for such transmission.

Method of forming a liner for an appliance


A conductor portion (3) and an insulating sheath (4) of a wire (2) are inserted in a generally-cylindrical wire connection portion (32) of a terminal, and in this condition the wire connection portion (32) is compressively pressed radially uniformly over an entire periphery thereof, so that the conductor portion and the insulating sheath are held in intimate contact with an inner peripheral surface of the wire connection portion. The wire connection portion (32) has a smaller-diameter insertion hole for the conductor portion (3), and a larger-diameter insertion hole for the insulating sheath (4), the insertion holes being disposed in coaxial relation to each other.

This invention relates to a structure and a method of waterproofing a terminal-wire connecting portion, in which an end portion of a wire is inserted into a generally cylindrical terminal, and the terminal is compressively pressed over an entire periphery thereof to be connected to the wire end portion, and at the same time the end portion of the wire is waterproofed.
FIGS. 11A and 11B show one form of related terminal-wire connecting portion waterproofing structure and method (See JP-A-2-12680U).
As shown in FIG. 11A, a wire connection portion 45, provided at a rear half portion of a terminal 44, is press-fastened to an end portion of an insulating sheathed wire 41, and a conductor portion 42 of the wire 41 is held and connected between an insulating sheath 43 of the wire 41 and the terminal 44, and a waterproof seal material 46 is filled between the terminal 44 and the insulating sheath 43, and the conductor portion 42 of the wire 41 is embedded in the waterproof seal material 46, and is waterproofed as shown in FIG. 11B.
The insulating sheath 43 of the wire 41 is made of a soft vinyl resin or the like, and the wire 41 can be flexed to a certain degree. In this example, the conductor portion 42 comprises one copper wire or aluminum wire for high voltage purposes, and this conductor portion is folded back into a generally U-shape at the distal end portion of the insulating sheath 43, and is disposed between the outer peripheral surface of the insulating sheath 43 and a bottom plate portion 47 of the terminal 44, and is pressed against the bottom plate portion 44 by a resilient force of the insulating sheath 43, and is connected thereto.
The wire connection portion 45 includes two (front and rear) pairs of press-clamping piece portions 48, and each pair of press-clamping piece portions extend upwardly respectively from opposite side edges of the bottom plate portion 47, and each press-clamping piece portion 48 is pressed into a curved shape around the outer periphery of the insulating sheath 43 as shown in FIG. 11B. The waterproof seal material 46 is filled at the inner surface of each press-clamping piece portion 48 and the inner surface of the bottom plate portion 47. For example, a hot-melt resin material or a soft resin material, such as rubber, is used as the waterproof seal material 46. The hot-melt resin material has such a nature that it is melt upon heating, and then is solidified by natural cooling. The waterproof seal material 46 prevents water from intruding into the portion of contact between the conductor portion 42 and the terminal 44.
The pressing of each pair of press-clamping piece portions 48 can be effected using, for example, a pair of upper and lower dies (not shown) having arcuate inner surfaces, respectively. The insulating sheath 43 is removed from the end portion of the wire 41, thereby exposing the conductor portion 42, and this conductor portion 42 is bent and folded back into a generally U-shape to extend along the insulating sheath 43, and the end portion of the wire 41 is inserted and set in the wire connection portion 45 of the terminal 44, and the waterproof seal material 46 is filled in the inside of the wire connection portion 45, and the press-clamping piece portions 48 are simultaneously pressed into a curved shape by the pair of upper and lower dies of a clamping machine (not shown). As a result, the portion of connection between the conductor portion 42 and the terminal 44 is covered with the waterproof seal material 46, and is protected, and also the conductor portion 42 is resiliently held between the insulating sheath 43 and the bottom plate portion 47 of the terminal 44, and is connected thereto.
A front half portion of the terminal 44 is formed into a female-type electrical contact portion 49 for a mating terminal (not shown). In this example, the electrical contact portion 49 includes a tubular portion 50 for receiving a male terminal (electrode) of high-voltage part, such as a spark plug and a secondary coil, and a resilient contact portion (not shown) provided within the tubular portion 50 so as to hold the mating male terminal (not shown). For example, a secondary current of high voltage is fed from the conductor portion 42 of the wire 41 to the electrical contact portion 49 of the terminal 44, and is further fed from the electrical contact portion 49, for example, to a spark plug.
In the above related terminal-wire connecting portion waterproofing structure and method, however, the conductor portion 42 is exposed at a front end 43a of the insulating sheath 43, and therefore there has been encountered a problem that this exposed portion is liable to be oxidized. Even if the exposed portion of the conductor portion 42 is covered with the waterproof seal material 46 at the front end of the insulating sheath 43, the waterproof seal material 46 does not exist between each pair of right and left press-clamping piece portions 48, and when a strong force, such as a bending force, a pulling force and a twisting force, acted on the wire 41, there was a fear that a gap was liable to develop between the outer peripheral surface of the insulating sheath 43 and the waterproof seal material 46, so that the waterproof performance could be lowered.
And besides, when the waterproof seal material 46 intruded between the conductor portion 42 and the bottom plate portion 47 of the terminal 44 before the pressing operation, there was a fear that the conducting performance after the pressing operation was deteriorated. In addition, when the conductor portion 42 bit into the soft insulating sheath 43, there was a fear that the pressure of contact between the terminal 44 and the conductor portion 42 decreased with the lapse of time, so that the contact performance was deteriorated. Furthermore, the conductor portion 42 is press-fastened between the terminal and the insulating sheath 43 by the front pair of press-clamping piece portions 48, and the press-clamping piece portions 48 do not exist at a position (upper side in FIG. 11B) disposed in symmetrical relation to the conductor portion 42, and therefore there was a fear that the press-fastening force was less liable to become uniform, so that the pressure of contact between the conductor portion 42 and the terminal 44 was liable to be varied.
With the foregoing in view, it is an object of this invention to provide a structure and a method of waterproofing a terminal-wire connecting portion, in which the performance of contact between a wire conductor portion and a terminal can be enhanced, and besides a waterproof performance of a portion of connection between the conductor portion and the terminal can be enhanced.
In order to solve the aforesaid object, the invention is characterized by having the following arrangement.
(1) A waterproofing structure for a terminal-wire connecting portion comprising:
a wire including a conductor portion and an insulating sheath; and
a terminal including a substantially cylindrical wire connection portion,
wherein the conductor portion and the insulating sheath are inserted in the wire connection portion, and the wire connection portion is pressed radially uniformly over an entire periphery thereof so that the conductor portion and the insulating sheath are held in intimate contact with an inner peripheral surface of the wire connection portion.
(2) The waterproofing structure according to (1), wherein
the wire connection portion includes a smaller-diameter insertion hole for the conductor portion and a larger-diameter insertion hole for the insulating sheath, the smaller-diameter and larger-diameter insertion holes being disposed in coaxial relation to each other.
(3) The waterproofing structure according to (1), wherein
one of a waterproof seal material and a waterproof seal member is arranged in an annular shape within the wire connection portion, and
an outer peripheral surface of the insulating sheath is held in intimate contact with the one of the waterproof seal material and the waterproof seal member.
(4) The waterproofing structure according to (3), wherein
the wire connection portion includes a peripheral groove for receiving the elastic waterproof seal member, and
the waterproof seal member is compressed in the peripheral groove.
(5) Method of waterproofing a terminal-wire connecting portion comprising the steps of:
simultaneously inserting a conductor portion and an insulating sheath of a wire into a substantially cylindrical wire connection portion of a terminal; and
pressing radially uniformly the wire connection portion over an entire periphery thereof to be compressively plastically deformed.
(6) The method according to (5), wherein
the conductor portion is inserted into a smaller-diameter insertion hole formed in the wire connection portion,
the insulating sheath is inserted into a larger-diameter insertion hole formed in the wire connection portion in coaxial relation to the smaller-diameter insertion hole, and
the smaller-diameter and larger-diameter insertion holes are pressed radially.
(7) The method according to (5), wherein
the pressing step is performed under a state in which one of a waterproof seal material and a waterproof seal member is arranged in an annular shape with respect to an outer peripheral surface of the insulating sheath within the wire connection portion.
(8) The method according to (7), wherein the pressing step is performed under a state in which a peripheral groove for receiving the elastic waterproof seal member is formed in an inner surface of the wire connection portion, and the waterproof seal member is mounted in the peripheral groove.
(9) The method according to (5), wherein the pressing is effected by a rotary swaging machine.

Structure for waterproofing terminal-wire connecting portion and method of waterproofing the same


A surface acoustic wave device (100) having a tunable output includes a piezoelectric substrate (120) having a surface wave propagation structure, and a mechanism (130), mechanically coupled to the substrate (120), for mechanically deforming the substrate (120) in order to modify the output (114) of the surface acoustic wave device (100).

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices use surface waves propagated on the surface of an elastic solid for electronic signal processing. A typical SAW device uses a transducer to convert electromagnetic signal waves, which travel at the speed of light, to acoustic signal waves traveling at speeds on the order of 10.sup.5 less than the speed of light. This substantial reduction in wavelength allows designers to implement certain complex signaling processing functions in a significantly smaller space than would be needed for traditional circuit designs. Thus, a SAW device designed to handle complex signal processing functions can offer considerable cost and size advantages over competing technologies. SAW technology is increasingly found in applications such as filters, resonators, oscillators, delay lines, and other similar devices.
SAW devices are typically implemented on a piezoelectric substrate and usually employ interdigitated transducers (IDTs) located on the surface of the piezoelectric substrate to generate and detect acoustic waves. The geometry of the IDTs on the piezoelectric substrate plays a significant role in the signal processing and frequency response characteristics of a SAW device. Changes in temperature may also affect the operation of the device. SAW device designers generally achieve the desired frequency response of the device by focusing on the geometry of the IDTs, and by the choice of materials used for the piezoelectric substrate.
Once the design parameters are chosen for a SAW device, the device may operate satisfactorily under certain conditions, but may fail to properly perform as the operating environment changes. For example, a SAW device may fail to operate because of adverse effects of temperature on the material of the device. To compensate for the operating environment dependency of the SAW devices, designers have tended towards more complex designs. SAW device performance is also affected in other ways. For example, variations in the process used to manufacture a SAW device may affect its operating characteristics, and depending on the application, compensating adjustments to the device may be needed.
Performance degradation of SAW devices as a result of varying operating conditions in the field can lead to poor performance and even field failures. Designs which focused on more complex IDT geometries can improve performance, but may result in an increase in manufacturing cost and complexity. The ability to tune SAW devices to account for operating conditions or for manufacturing variations is rather limited in the art. Consequently, there exists a need in the art to address manufacturing variations and operating conditions dependency of SAW devices.

Mechanically tuned SAW device and method of tuning same