A randomization unit for use in a vibrational control system for generating a series of randomized drive terms where the magnitude of each randomized drive term is the convolution of a psuedo-random sequence of bistable signals and a drive data sequence characterized by a drive power spectral density (PSD). The randomization unit does not required multipliers to perform the convolution operation.

It is often required to test a particular piece of equipment to determine whether it will properly function in an intended environment. One important factor is the vibrational energy generated in the intended environment. For example, the piece of equipment may be utilized in a space craft and therefore must survive the intense vibrational energy generated during lift off.
The actual vibrational energy experienced is the response to many independent vibrational sources and thus the distribution function of the amplitude over time is represented by a Gaussian distribution. Being Gaussian, this vibrational energy is completely specified by the amplitude distribution and the spectral power density function (PSD)(the first and second order statistics). In practice this reference PSD is often determined by recording the actual environmental vibrational energy and determining the PSD.
A well known system for subjecting a device under test (DUT) to vibrational energy is illustrated in FIG. 1. The DUT 10 is mounted on a shaker table 12 which receives a drive signal, y(t), from a driver 14. It would appear, at first glance, that the drive signal should be characterized by the reference PSD. However, the drive signal is applied to the shaker/DUT system which modifies the actual PSD of the energy applied to the DUT because of their combined transfer function. Accordingly, the drive PSD must be modified so that the PSD characterizing the actual motion of the sample is equal to the reference PSD.
A feedback system for generating a drive signal for subjecting the DUT to vibrational energy characterized by the reference PSD is depicted in the remainder of FIG. 1. A transducer 16 is coupled to the DUT 10 to convert the vibrations of the DUT 10 into an electrical signal. The output of the transducer is coupled to an analog to digital unit (ADC) 18 subsystem that may include signal conditioning such as filters, which has its output coupled to PSD estimation unit (S(.omega.)) 2020. An equalization unit 22 has one input coupled to the output of the PSD estimator (S(.omega.)) 20 and the second input connected to a reference spectrum, S(.omega.), and its output coupled to the input of a frequency domain randomization unit 24. An inverse Fourier transform unit (IFT) 26 has its input coupled to the output of the frequency domain randomization unit 24 and its output coupled to a window function unit 27. The output of the window function unit 27 is coupled to the input of a time domain randomization unit 28. The output of the time domain randomization unit 28 is coupled to the input of the driver 14 which includes a DAC, power amplifier, and may include additional signal conditioning. In practice, a given system may omit the time domain randomization unit 28, the frequency domain randomization unit 24, the window function unit 27, or some combination thereof.
The basic purpose of the Random Vibration Control System is to have the device under test (DUT) experience a prescribed vibration as sensed at one or more points on the DUT by an appropriate transducer (accelerometer, typically). Said prescribed vibration is usually required to be Gaussian (normal) which implies that the first and second order statistics are necessary and sufficient for complete specification. The first order statistic is simply the amplitude probability density function ##EQU1## where .sigma. is the RMS value of the random process. The second order statistic describes the frequency content or spectrum of the normally distributed signal which controls the correlation (or covariance) between successive values of the random signal. Either, the PSD, S(.omega.), or its Fourier transform, the auto correlation function, .phi.(t), are usually used to specify this statistic because these two functions constitute a Fourier transform pair EQU S(.omega.) .rarw..fwdarw..phi.(t)
Because digital signal processing techniques are used in these control systems, uniformly sampled time domain and frequency domain functions are used in the control loop: analog to digital converters and discrete Fourier transform usually providing the means for obtaining sampled functions.
It is important to recognize that an essential feature of these normal random signals is that the discrete Fourier transform X(k) of a sample segment of x(n), consisting of N samples duration given by ##EQU2## is a complex function of the frequency index, k, such that EQU X(k)=P.sub.x (k)+jQ.sub.x (k)
where N-1 ##EQU3## Note that if the set of values {x(n)} are randomly distributed, the real part P.sub.x (k) and the imaginary part, Q.sub.x (k), being weighted sums of these randomly distributed samples must also be random. Further, if x(n) is normally distributed, P.sub.x (k) and C.sub.x (k) will be, for certain, normally distributed. Thus, the Fourier transform of a normally distributed signal is a complex random function with normally distributed real and imaginary parts. P.sub.x (k) and Q.sub.x (k) are, also, uncorrelated because the weights in cos 2.pi.kn/N and sin 2.pi.kn/N used to obtain each part are orthogonal (uncorrelated).
If the complex function, X(k), is expressed in polar coordinate form, EQU X(k)=.vertline.X(k).vertline.e.sup.j.theta.(k)
where ##EQU4## then .theta.(k) can be shown to be uniformly distributed on the interval 0.ltoreq..theta..ltoreq.2.pi., while .vertline.X(k).vertline. is Rayleigh distributed.
In order to establish control of the vibrations, the spectrum of the vibrations must be estimated and compared with the desired spectrum so that the spectral content of the drive signal may be appropriately tailored to produce the desired result. Conceptually, it is a straightforward problem: estimate the transfer function by estimating the transfer function between the input to the DAC 14 and the output of the ADC 18 from which the necessary drive signal may be determined. In practice, problems may arise because the vibrations are random, the system may be noisy and may also be nonlinear.
Because the sensed response, z(n) is random, the Fourier transform, in accordance with the previous discussion, is also random. This means that each of the individual estimated spectrums or periodograms will be a random function. Specifically, the spectral estimator of the response signal that we desire is ##EQU5## where ##EQU6## or EQU Z.sub.m (k)=P.sub.zm (k)+jQ.sub.zm (k),
.pi. is the sampling interval and z.sub.m (n) is the m.sup.th response data frame. Hence ##EQU7## where p.sub.zm.sup.2 (k) and Q.sub.zm.sup.2 (k) are each squared Gaussian variables that are, therefore, chi-squared distributed with one degree of freedom each. The sum of the terms ##EQU8## known as the "raw" spectral estimates or periodograms, is also chi-squared distributed but with two degrees of freedom, and has a relative variance of unity with respect to its true mean value. The purpose for averaging over an infinite ensemble of such terms is to estimate S.sub.z (k) by reducing these variances. In practice a finite weighted sum of "raw" spectral estimates, S.sub.zm (k), are used as a basis of control. For example EQU S.sub.z,m+l (k)+.alpha.S.sub.z,m (k)+(l-.alpha.) S.sub.z,m+l (k)
where
S.sub.z,m (k) is the m.sup.th spectral estimate; ##EQU9## .alpha. is a "discount" averaging factor (0 <.alpha.<1). Thus, this spectral estimate will have errors (variance) because of the finite number of degrees of freedom used in the estimate. The variance decreases inversely with m. Additional variance may be introduced by such non-linear PSD estimating techniques as windowing of the sampled response data, z(n), for purposes of reducing leakage in the spectral estimate. PA0 1. Dynamic range is limited because of the windowing constraint. PA0 2. True phase and frequency randomization are lacking. PA0 3. Even under the best circumstances, the second order statistics are non-stationary because the overlap and windowing operations result in a correlation function that is a function of two times, .phi.(t.sub.1,t.sub.2), rather than the stationary function which is only dependent on the time difference T=t.sub.1 -t.sub.2, or .phi.(t.sub.1 -t.sub.2)=.phi.(T).
Because the system may also be noisy and non-linear, a stochastic approximation algorithm is used that introduces less than the total correction implied by the latest average response spectrum. Thus, a typical correction for the drive Fourier transform magnitude may take on the form ##EQU10## where 0<.epsilon.<1/2 is the stochastic weighting factor. This procedure results in a deterministic magnitude function whereas what we desire is EQU X.sub.m+1 (k)=.vertline.X.sub.m+1 (k).vertline.e.sup.j.sup..theta. m+l.sup.(k) =P.sub.x,m+1 (k)+jQ.sub.x,m+l (k)
where .vertline.X.sub.m+l (k).vertline. is Rayleigh distributed, .theta..sub.m+1 (k) is uniformly distributed or equivalently P.sub.x,m+1 and Q.sub.x,m+1 are independently normally distributed in order to produce a proper Gaussian distributed drive function, x.sub.m+1 (n) after taking the inverse Fourier transform of X.sub.m+1 (k).
Prior art has established that an acceptable approximation to the normal drive signal may be achieved by only randomizing X(k) by introducing a random phase function .theta.(k). See U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,082. Because the central limit theorem asserts that the sum of a large number of random variables tends to be Gaussian, almost independent of their particular distributions, the inverse Fourier transform, x.sub.m+1 (n), will also be approximately Gaussian. This procedure has been dubbed "frequency domain" randomization even though only the phase is randomized and not the amplitude also.
A further variant was also introduced by Sloane et al., see U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,115 that has been popularly referred to as time domain randomization that is based on randomizing phase only by random circular rotation of x(n). This procedure also only randomizes phase, and not both phase and amplitude.
The time domain function, x.sub.m (n), is a finite length array of N data points that could be concatenated with other such arrays to produce a continuous stream, x(m,n) such that ##EQU11## where 0<n<N-1. However, it was found in Sloane et al. that the uniform weighting implied by construction of x(m,n) introduced unacceptable spectral leakage that limited the ability to control systems exhibiting large sharp resonances or being able to control when the desired reference spectrum, S(k), had large dynamic range characteristics. As a result, non-uniform windowing of x.sub.m (n) was introduced in order to control this spectrum.
FIG. 2A and 2B depict systems utilizing phase domain and time domain randomization, respectively, followed by windowing and overlap and add.
From a practical point of view, non-uniform windowing by itself could not be arbitrarily applied to each segment, x.sub.m (n), because concatenation of such a sequence, ##EQU12## where w(n) is the window function, would produce a non-stationary output sequence whose instantaneous power was a periodic function proportional to s.sup.2 (n) in violation of the usual requirement that, at steady-state or at convergence of control to the proper spectrum, the drive function must also be a stationary normal process. This led to the introduction of overlapping in addition to windowing. A further implicit constraint was thus established on the choice of window functions because, for example, a 50% overlap of windowed arrays required that where c is a constant. For the 50% overlap case, this restricted the choice of window to the half-sine window ##EQU13## Unfortunately, this constraint on the window function restricted the choice to one of the least effective of all window function. Thus, we conclude that the state of the art is deficient on several


A method for calibrating a multi-bit Delta-Sigma modulator is disclosed herein. The method includes at least one main multi-bit digital-analogue converter in a return loop for generating a return signal subtracted from an input of the modulator. The main converter includes a plurality of elementary source cells at least some of which, referred to as active cells, are associated with the various input bits of the converter for generating the return signal. The output level of these active source cells is adjustable under the action of a matching signal that comes from a calibration circuit receiving an output signal from the modulator at its input. The calibration circuit includes a generator of a calibration sequence.

A Delta-Sigma modulator conventionally comprises an analogue loop filter, which may notably be low-pass, high-pass or bandpass, followed by an analogue-digital converter. The modulator also comprises at least one return digital-analogue converter. This converter comprises, in the case of a multi-bit modulator, several current or voltage sources, having mismatch errors, where these errors may vary depending on the environmental conditions: temperature, power supply voltage, or aging of the components.
The interest of a Delta-Sigma modulator resides in its high output resolution possible (up to 16, 24, 32 bits, or even more) for input signals with a moderate bandwidth. However, in a multi-bit Delta-Sigma modulator, the performance characteristics are limited by the mismatch errors of the return digital-analogue converter.
Various techniques are known for improving the linearity of the return digital-analogue converter.
The IEEE article by Bolatkale et al., entitled "A 4 GHz Continuous-Time ΔΣ ADC with 70 dB DR and −74 dBFS THD in 125 MHz BW", provides a multi-bit return digital-analogue converter whose unit cells are dimensioned so as to minimize the mismatch error. Since the matching precision is reduced in proportion to the square root of the surface area of the unit cells, such an implementation leads to circuits with a large size, reduced speed and high power consumption.
Another known solution is to use mixing techniques, notably the DEM (Dynamic Element Matching) technique, in the multi-bit return digital-analogue converter. This technique consists in dynamically interchanging the selection of the unit cells of the converter in order to average the mismatch error noise. The DEM technique is not efficient at low over-sampling factors. Moreover, the digital circuit required for implementing the DEM technique adds latency on the path between the analogue-digital converter and the return digital-analogue converter, increasing the time constant of the loop and thus adversely affecting the speed of the clock and the bandwidth of the signal. Lastly, the DEM technique increases the number of switching operations of the unit cells which renders the digital-analogue converter of the return loop more vulnerable to transient errors.
Another solution for improving the linearity of the return digital-analogue converter is to calibrate its unit cells at start-up, as is the case in the IEEE article by Y. Dong et al., entitled "A 72 dB-DR 465 MHz-BW Continuous-Time 1-2 MASH ADC in 28 nm CMOS". This solution is not very robust because the environmental conditions, together with the characteristics of the unit cells, vary over time. This correction technique furthermore imposes that the modulator be in standby mode during the calibration.
In the IEEE articles by P. Witte et al., entitled "Background DAC Error Estimation Using a Pseudo Random Noise Based Correlation Technique for Sigma-Delta Analog-to-Digital Converters" and J. G. Kauffman et al., entitled "An 8.5 mW Continuous-Time ΔΣ Modulator With 25 MHz Bandwidth Using Digital Background DAC Linearization to Achieve 63.5 dB SNDR and 81 dB SFDR", an online correction circuit for the unit cells of the multi-bit return digital-analogue converter is provided. A test unit cell is added and controlled by a pseudo-random binary sequence. The mismatch error is detected by a crossed correlation between the output of the modulator and the pseudo-random binary sequence. The precision of the correction is limited because the mismatch errors are not addressed at the source but in the digital domain. Furthermore, the pseudo-random signal is not perfectly subtracted in the digital domain and hence adds noise to the useful signal. The dynamic range of the modulator is also reduced due to the added pseudo-random signal, and the correction circuit consumes a significant amount of power degrading the energy efficiency of the modulator.
In the IEEE article by Kauffman et al. "A 72 dB DR, CT ΔΣ Modulator Using Digitally Estimated, Auxiliary DAC Linearization Achieving 88 fJ/conv-step in a 25 MHz BW", the authors add to the return digital-analogue converter an auxiliary digital-analogue converter which compensates the non-linearity of the main converter. However, since the compensation is applied for each mismatch error of the unit cells, this raises several difficulties:                the precision of the correction depends on the linearity of the auxiliary converter,        a fast LUT (Look Up Table) is required,        the auxiliary converter operates at a fraction of the dynamic range of the main converter and the mismatch error between the two is non-negligible.
In the IEEE article by K. Falakshahi et al., entitled "A 14-bit, 10-Msamples/s D/A Converter Using Multibit ΣΔ Modulation", the idea of the authors is to calibrate the unit cells of the return digital-analogue converter by storing a reference voltage in a capacitor. Owing to the leakage currents at the drain-substrate junctions, the calibration needs to be continually refreshed. In addition, the injection of charges due to the switching of the calibration selector switches degrades the precision of the voltage across the terminals of the capacitor. Furthermore, a three-channel selector switch is needed, the third channel being allocated to the calibration, complicating the implementation of the circuit and limiting its performance.
There exists a need to further improve Delta-Sigma modulators for correcting the mismatch errors, while at the same time maintaining good performance characteristics, notably in terms of precision, of speed and of energy consumption.

Correction of mismatch errors in a multi-bit delta-sigma modulator


It would be desirable to replace nitric acid based solutions for surface treating steels and like materials with a sulphuric acid based solution containing hydrogen peroxide, but such replacement solutions lose hydrogen peroxide rapidly through mainly iron-induced decomposition.. A surface treatment solution that is based on sulphuric acid and hydrogen peroxide, but has improved stability, contains an effective amount in combination of hydrofluoric acid, are hydroxybenzoic acid and an N-alkoxyphenyl-acetamide. Preferably, the hydroxybenzoic acid is para-hydroxybenzoic acid and the N-alkoxyphenyl-acetamide is N-(4-ethoxyphenyl)-acetamide. It is preferable to employ a saturated solution of each of the two latter components, and this can achieved practically and simply by adding the solid components in the shape of a block or blocks which maintain the saturated solution over an extended period of time.

One of the many uses for hydrogen peroxide solutions, and especially aqueous acidic hydrogen peroxide solutions, comprises the treatment of metal surfaces so as to alter their appearance and to impart chemically to the surface a desired sheen or polish. This is often referred to simply as pickling or polishing. Conventionally, solutions for that use contain one or more strong acids, which, is normally a mineral acid, as well as the hydrogen peroxide. In the course of the metal surface treatment, there is a tendency for the solution to dissolve metal or impurities from the metal surface and to strip away particulate particles that had adhered to the metal surface before the treatment commenced. The metals that are pickled or polished usually comprise or contain at least a proportion of transition metals, such as iron or copper, which catalyse the wasteful decomposition of hydrogen peroxide in aqueous solution into oxygen and water.
In view of its decomposition in situ, hydrogen peroxide often represents the major consumable cost in a pickling or polishing process. In consequence, the industry continues to seek ever more effective ways of reducing the rate and/or extent of the decomposition. In many instances, it has been sought by introducing into solution one or more substances that are often called stabilisers, which interact with the metal ions and/or metal surface and/or the hydrogen peroxide itself in such a way as to reduce the rate or extent or modify the manner of the interactions between the metal ions and hydrogen peroxide causing decomposition.
There have been many different chemical types of stabilisers proposed or employed. The literature directed to peroxide stabilisation during metal surface treatment processes includes many organic compounds as stabilisers such as a range of organic acids or unsaturated aliphatic acids in U.S. Pat. No. 3,537,895 by L. E. Lancy, aromatic alcohols or unsaturated aliphatic alcohols in U.S. Pat. No. 3,869,401 by R. E. Ernst, saturated alcohols in U.S. Pat. No. 3,556,883 by A. Naito et al, amines, amides and imines in U.S. Pat. No. 3,756,957 by S. Shiga, aryl sulphonic or sulphamic acids or related compounds in U.S. Pat. No. 3,801,512 by J. C. Solenberger et al and solid poorly soluble stabilisers like hydroxybenzoic acid in U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,808 by C. F. McDonogh et al. Many other stabilisers have been suggested for peroxide solutions including substances that chelate the metal ions or precipitate them out of solution, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,059,678 to D. C. Winkley. The literature also includes references to inorganic substances, such as phosphoric acid in U.S. Pat. No. 3,373,113 to Achenback. Accordingly there is a wide pool of stabilisers from which the user can select.
Despite the foregoing, the present inventors found that there remains a significant problem of stabilising hydrogen peroxide during the metal surface treatment of steel with aqueous sulphuric acid solutions of hydrogen peroxide. This is because the greater part of the literature was directed to the treatment of copper surfaces and the authors extrapolated to the treatment of other metals without adequate experimental support. To some extent, this is demonstrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,407,141 to R. S. Banush et al, which seeks to etch copper with acidic hydrogen peroxide solutions of long storage life that contain certain urea and aromatic acid compounds. The specification suggests that the treatment can be applied to certain other metals but also that the solutions are less effective on certain other metals such as . . . stainless steel . . . . Since the patent disclosed results solely with copper, comments regarding other metals may be regarded simply as speculation.
In the course of the present research to identify, if possible, a suitable stabiliser system for acidic hydrogen peroxide solutions which are severely contaminated with dissolved iron, resulting for example from the surface treatment of steels, a large number of comparative stability trials were conducted. Each trial employed a stock solution containing 180 g/l sulphuric acid and 50 g/l hydrogen peroxide and 1% w/w "stabiliser" which was contaminated with 25 g/l dissolved iron from ferric sulphate, and stored at 30.degree. C. or 50.degree. C. Many of the substances tested fell within the classes of stabilisers identified in the above-mentioned patent specifications.
The trials indicated that many substances which had been described in the past as stabilisers for hydrogen peroxide in solutions containing only small amounts of catalytic ions, were unable to prevent rapid decomposition if substantial iron contamination was present, including chelating stabilisers like ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, dipicolinic acid, nitrilotriacetic acid and ethylidene-1-hydroxy-1,1-diphosphonic acid. Moreover, it was found that some substances that acted quite well as stabilisers when employed separately, acted no better or even less well when employed in cogitation under the conditions of the trial. Other combinations of substances demonstrated strictly additive stabiliser properties. Accordingly, the trials demonstrated that a disclosure in a published patent specification that a substance had stabiliser properties towards hydrogen peroxide under much less extreme conditions or in the presence of copper as the main catalytic contaminant was no guarantee that it was capable of performing adequately in the presence of a substantial concentration of dissolved iron. The trials also demonstrated that there was no guarantee that substances that had been suggested individually as stabilisers, possibly guarding against other sources of decomposition, would combine together even additively when employed in combination.


A preceding vehicle selection apparatus detects an object ahead of the own vehicle, and determines a relative position and a relative speed in relation to the own vehicle for each object ahead. Based on detection results of the object ahead, a lateral movement speed of the object ahead is determined. Based on the calculated lateral movement speed, the lateral position of the object ahead with reference to a traveling direction of the own vehicle is corrected. Based on the relative position of the object ahead of which the lateral position has been corrected, an own vehicle lane probability for each object ahead is calculated. Based on the calculated probability, a preceding vehicle from the objects ahead is selected. Based on a distance to the object ahead, the lateral position of the object ahead is corrected such that an amount of correction in the lateral position decreases as the distance increases.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a technology for selecting a vehicle (preceding vehicle) that is traveling ahead of an own vehicle.
2. Related Art
As a technology for reducing operating load placed on a driver who is driving a vehicle, an inter-vehicle control apparatus is known. The inter-vehicle control apparatus detects a vehicle (preceding vehicle) that is traveling ahead of the own vehicle. The inter-vehicle control apparatus controls the vehicle speed and the like to maintain a certain distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle, enabling the own vehicle to automatically track the preceding vehicle.
In this type of apparatus, a radar or the like is used to detect objects that are present ahead of the own vehicle. The preceding vehicle that should be tracked by the own vehicle is selected from among the detected objects. In addition, to enable selection of the preceding vehicle to be determined at an early stage, a predicted lateral position is calculated from a lateral movement speed of the object present ahead of the own vehicle. The predicted lateral position is also used to select the preceding vehicle (for example, refer to JP-B-4229189). The predicted lateral position information can also be considered position information in which the lateral position is corrected based on the lateral movement speed.
The lateral position information detected using a radar or the like is determined based on the position at which the radar wave is reflected. Therefore, the lateral position information does not accurately indicate a specific position (such as the center of a vehicle). As a result of the effect of the lateral position information, the predicted lateral position information also varies. In addition, an estimated path on which the own vehicle travels has significant error over long distances and on curved roads. Therefore, when the predicted lateral position information is used to select and cancel a preceding vehicle, a problem occurs in that erroneous selection easily occurs.


A flight management assembly of an aircraft and method of monitoring the flight management assembly. The assembly includes two flight management systems, and a monitoring and backup unit, each of the flight management systems configured for generating data including a trajectory and a prediction of a parameter of the aircraft, one of the flight management systems being active and the other being passive, the monitoring and backup unit configured for carrying out monitoring of at least one of the items of data generated by the active flight management system in order to verify if the item of data is valid, the flight management assembly carrying out, in case of validation of the monitored item of data, a synchronization of the monitoring and backup unit and of the passive flight management system, with data called synchronization data of the active flight management system, namely a flight plan and/or a flight trajectory.

The disclosure herein applies to a flight management assembly comprising two flight management systems, of the FMS type ("FMS" standing for "Flight Management System" in English).
The items of hardware installed on board an aircraft and notably the flight management assembly must make it possible to attain the required level of safety, in particular if the aircraft must implement RNP AR operations ("RNP AR" standing for "Required Navigation Performance with Authorization Required" in English). These RNP AR operations are based on area navigation of the RNAV type ("RNAV" standing for "aRea NAVigation" in English) and on operations of the RNP type ("RNP" standing for "Required Navigation Performance" in English).
Now, in order that an aircraft may have the capability of flying according to such RNP AR procedures, it is notably necessary to be able to eliminate an erroneous source of computation of guidance commands (or instructions) from the guidance loop in order to counter its possible effects on the trajectory of the aircraft. With a flight management assembly having two flight management systems, in the case of a disagreement between the two flight management systems, the assembly is not capable of identifying which one of them is defective, and the aircraft can therefore no longer be guided in automatic mode and is not capable of implementing such RNP operations.
In such a flight management assembly having two flight management systems, it is therefore necessary to be able to carry out processings and/or verifications allowing the aircraft to use accurate data in order to overcome the aforementioned disadvantage.

Flight management assembly of an aircraft, of a transport aircraft in particular, and to a method of monitoring such a flight management assembly


A saw includes a planar body having at least one cutting edge with serrated teeth. The planar body has cutout portions displaced from the outer cutting edges that include first and second sets of secondary teeth, which are positioned along first and second arcs concentric with the outer cutting edge or edges, at first and second radial distances from the center of the saw blade.

This invention relates to saw blades of the type generally used for cutting wood and other products. Such products may include lumber, layered wood products such as plywood or logs or posts, and non-wood products such as plastic, masonry and nonferrous metals.
The typical construction of a saw blade is a planar piece of metal with an outer cutting edge. The cutting edge typically contains serrations arranged as forwardly inclined teeth. In circular saw blades that operate at very high speeds and with industrial bandsaws, the serrations may have hardened carbide tips.
Saw blades are planar but the serrations and teeth making up the working edge of the saw blade generally protrude to either side of the plane of the blade. This defines the width of the cut of the blade or "kerf." The cutting action of the teeth produces chips and sawdust. These chips may become lodged in the kerf. It would be more efficient if there were some way to expel the chips as the blade advanced because the presence of chips in the kerf means that the saw is working less efficiently and requires more horsepower.
In addition, as the saw progresses deeper into the cut, more energy is expended. There is more cutting product in the cut and consequently more friction for the saw blade. Friction, in turn, creates heat and possibly vibration. If the workpiece happens to vibrate at the correct frequency, there can even be breakage of carbide saw tooth tips.
Also, depending upon the number of teeth per inch, the pitch of the teeth and their overall size, the actual cut itself may be rough or smooth. In some applications, it is desirable to have a very smooth surface where the cut is made. In general however, in order to have a smooth surface, the teeth must be smaller and more numerous per lineal length, but this choice may require sacrificing both speed and efficiency.
In the past, circular saw blades have been designed which included cutout squares placed along an interior diameter one hundred-eighty degrees apart with inserted carbide tips. This design was an attempt to provide a means for clearing sawdust from the kerf but such designs have proved unsatisfactory.

Saw blade with multiple interior secondary saw teeth


A method for controlling the temperature gradient on the side surface of a silicon single crystal, the height of a solid-liquid interface, and the oxygen concentration in the longitudinal direction of the silicon single crystal is provided in order to manufacture a defect-free silicon single crystal whose oxygen concentration is controlled to a predetermined value rapidly and stably. By disposing a cylindrical cooler around the silicon single crystal, and adjusting the pulling speed of the silicon single crystal, the rotation speed of a crucible that stores molten silicon and the rotation speed of the silicon single crystal, and the output ratio of a multi-heater separated into at least two in the longitudinal direction of the silicon single crystal disposed around the crucible, the temperature gradient on the side surface, the height of the solid-liquid interface, and the oxygen concentration in the longitudinal direction of the silicon single crystal are controlled.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a defect-free silicon single crystal by pulling up the silicon single crystal from molten silicon by the CZ method.
2. Related Art
A high-purity silicon single crystal (hereinafter abbreviated as "crystal" in some cases) is used in general for semiconductor device substrates, and the most widely-employed method for manufacturing it is the Czochralski method (hereinafter, CZ method). In an apparatus for manufacturing a silicon single crystal by the CZ method (silicon single crystal pulling apparatus, CZ furnace), a self-rotating crucible 108 is installed at the center of a chamber 102 so that it can freely go up and down as shown in FIG. 19. The crucible 108 consists of a quartz crucible 108b housed in a graphite crucible 108a. Bulk polycrystalline silicon is loaded into the quartz crucible 108b, and the raw material is heated and melted by a cylindrical heater 105 provided surrounding the crucible 108 to produce molten silicon 103. Subsequently, a seed crystal attached to a seed holder 109 is dipped into the molten silicon 103, and the seed holder 109 is pulled upward while the seed holder 109 and the crucible 108 are rotated in the same or opposite directions from each other to let a silicon single crystal 107 grow so as to have a predetermined diameter and length.
In the process of manufacturing the silicon single crystal by the above CZ method, crystal defects that may cause degradation of device characteristics occur in some cases during the growth of the silicon single crystal. These crystal defects become obvious in the process of manufacturing the device, which results in degradation of the device's performance.
It is generally thought that crystal defects include the following three kinds of defects.    (1) Void defects that are thought to occur as a result of aggregation of vacancies    (2) Oxidation Induced Stacking Faults (OSF)    (3) Dislocation cluster defect that are thought to occur as a result of aggregation of interstitial silicon
It is known that the manner in which these crystal defects occur varies as follows depending on the growth conditions.    (1) When the growth speed is high, the silicon single crystal will have excessive vacancies, and only void defects will occur.    (2) When the growth speed gets lower than that in the above case (1), ring-like OSF's will occur in the vicinity of the outer rim of the silicon single crystal, and void defects will occur on the internal side of the OSF portion.    (3) When the growth speed gets further lower than that in the above (2), the radius of the ring-like OSF's will be reduced, dislocation clusters will occur on the external side of the ring-like OSF portion, and void defects will occur on the internal side of the OSF portion.    (4) When the growth speed gets still further lower than that in the above (3), dislocation cluster defects will occur throughout the entire silicon single crystal.
It is thought that the above phenomena occur because the silicon single crystal changes its state from a state of excessive vacancies to a state of excessive interstitial silicon along with a decrease in the growth speed, and it is understood that the change starts at the outer rim side of the silicon single crystal.
OSF's degrade the electrical characteristics, for example, they increase leak currents, and ring-like OSF's contain defects that cause such degradations of the characteristics in a high-density manner. Thus, in a normal process of manufacturing a silicon single crystal, the silicon single crystal is developed with a relatively high pulling speed so that the ring-like OSF's are distributed at the outermost rim of the silicon single crystal. By this method, the majority of the silicon single crystal resides on the internal side of the ring-like OSF, which makes it possible to avoid the dislocation cluster defects. Another reason for locating the majority of the silicon single crystal on the internal side of the ring-like OSF is that the gettering effect against heavy-metal contamination occurring in the device manufacturing process is more significant on the internal side portion of the ring-like OSF than on the external side.
On the other hand, there has recently been a trend towards an increased degree of LSI integration, and as a result of this trend, since gate oxide films are becoming thinner, and the temperature in the device manufacturing process is lower, OSF's which readily occur in high-temperature processes tend to occur less frequently. In addition, there is a trend towards reduced oxygen in the crystal. Thus, OSF's such as ring-like OSF's has been less problematic as a factor which degrades device characteristics.
However, it is apparent that void defects occurring mainly in single crystals growing at high speed significantly degrade the pressure resistance characteristics of thinner gate oxide films. This impact is greater especially as device patterns become more precise, which will make it difficult to attempt a high degree of integration.
Accordingly, in the recent manufacture of silicon single crystals, it has become more important to avoid void defects and dislocation cluster defects (hereinafter, defects including these defects shall be referred to as "grown-in defects").
However, even if a silicon single crystal with no grown-in defects (hereinafter referred to as a "defect-free silicon single crystal", which specifically means a silicon single crystal with no grown-in defects when the silicon single crystal is cut in a horizontal direction including the radius direction of the silicon single crystal) is manufactured successfully, the production efficiency is lowered when the pulling speed of the silicon single crystal is low. Thus, it is also an important goal in the silicon single crystal manufacturing process to increase the pulling speed of the single crystal as much as possible. It is further important to extend the allowable range of the pulling speed of the silicon single crystal since the wider the allowable range of the pulling speed of the silicon single crystal is, the more stably defect-free silicon single crystals can be manufactured. Meanwhile, the allowable range of the pulling speed of the silicon single crystal means a range of pulling speeds of the silicon single crystal over which a defect-free silicon single crystal can be produced under predetermined conditions.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-261495 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1) discloses that conditions for increasing the pulling speed of silicon single crystals and manufacturing defect-free silicon single crystals stably are "to enlarge the temperature gradient in the longitudinal direction of the side surface of the silicon single crystal (temperature gradient on the side surface of the silicon single crystal in the longitudinal direction of the silicon single crystal, temperature gradient on the side surface of the crystal) and to raise the height of the solid-liquid interface". Meanwhile, "the height of the solid-liquid interface" is defined as the height h of a solid-liquid interface 114 at a crystal center line 107a of the silicon single crystal 107 (that is, the height h of the solid-liquid interface at the crystal center) as shown in FIG. 20. Also, "the temperature gradient on the side surface of the crystal" means the temperature gradient in the longitudinal direction on a side surface 107b of the silicon single crystal 107, and conditions in which this "temperature gradient on the side surface of the crystal" is enlarged is hereinafter referred to as a "large temperature gradient condition".
However, prior art documents do not disclose specifically the means or conditions under which the silicon single crystal may be pulled up in order to "enlarge the temperature gradient on the side surface of the crystal and to raise the height of the solid-liquid interface".
For example, Japanese Patent No. 3573045 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 2) discloses an invention using a cooling member (cooler) to enlarge the temperature gradient on the side surface of the crystal in manufacturing a high-quality silicon single crystal. More specifically, it proposes an invention defining the arrangement and dimensions of a cooling member (cooler) 120 (refer to FIG. 19), the extent (high/low) of the temperature at the central part and at the circumferential part (side surface of the crystal) of the silicon single crystal within the temperature range from the solidifying point to 1250 degrees C., and the extent (large/small) of the temperature gradient at the central part and at the circumferential part of the silicon single crystal, as an invention of a method for enabling the stable manufacture of defect-free silicon single crystals.
However, Patent Document 2 discloses nothing about the height of the solid-liquid interface. As will be described hereinbelow, since the height of the solid-liquid interface varies depending on the conditions of pulling up the silicon single crystal, defect-free silicon single crystals may not be obtained even when the silicon single crystal is pulled up under the same conditions as in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2. That is, since the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2 does not define anything about the height of the solid-liquid interface, defect-free silicon single crystals can be manufactured in some cases and cannot be manufactured in other cases depending on the conditions of pulling up the silicon single crystal when the invention is practiced.
Further, Patent Document 2 does not disclose specifically how to embody the configuration of the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2, for example, the extent (high/low) of the temperature at the central part and at the circumferential part of the silicon single crystal, the extent (large/small) of the temperature gradient at the central part and at the circumferential part of the silicon single crystal, and so on.
Also, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-72590 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 3) proposes an invention of a method for developing defect-free silicon single crystals by controlling the number of rotations of a crucible per unit time (rotation speed of the crucible) and the number of rotations of the silicon single crystal per unit time (rotation speed of the silicon single crystal). Specifically, as conditions of pulling up the silicon single crystal for minimizing grown-in defects, the number of rotations of the silicon single crystal per unit time is set to 13 rotations/min or more, and the number of rotations of the crucible per unit time is set to 5 rotations/min or less. An object of this invention is to obtain defect-free silicon single crystals by reducing the pulling speed of the silicon single crystal so that the ring-like OSF is located at the central side of the silicon wafer and making the shape of the solid-liquid interface flat or upward-projecting convex.
However, the invention disclosed in Patent Document 3 does not show if the height of the solid-liquid interface can be raised sufficiently even in the case of the large temperature gradient condition using a cooling member. Meanwhile, the oxygen concentration is an important quality management issue in manufacturing silicon wafers. This is because silicon wafers cut out from a portion of a silicon single crystal where the oxygen concentration is high tend to have surface defects as the oxygen in the crystal is precipitated during a heat treatment. Thus, it is at least desired that the oxygen concentration in the silicon single crystal should be constant in the longitudinal direction of the crystal. However, if the rotation speed of the crucible is changed, the oxygen concentration in the silicon single crystal may be changed in the longitudinal direction of the crystal. Therefore, the invention disclosed in Patent Document 3 is not practical.
Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-261482 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 4) discloses an invention of a method for restricting the occurrence of dislocation cluster defects by adjusting the output (heater power ratio) of a multi-heater separated in the up and down directions, instead of the heater 105 shown in FIG. 19, to result in different heating distributions for the molten silicon in a crucible in the up and down directions.
However, the invention disclosed in Patent Document 4 does not show if the height of the solid-liquid interface can be raised sufficiently even in the case of a large temperature gradient condition using a cooling member. Also, the oxygen concentration in the silicon single crystal is determined by the amount of oxygen eluted into the molten silicon from the inner wall at the bottom portion of the crucible. When the heater power ratio is adjusted, the amount of oxygen eluted into the molten silicon is changed as a matter of course. Thus, if the heater power ratio is adjusted, the oxygen concentration in the longitudinal direction in the silicon single crystal needs to be controlled to maintain the specifications. However, Patent Document 4 makes no mention of this.
As described above, various proposals are provided about how to raise the height of the solid-liquid interface under a large temperature gradient in order to manufacture a defect-free silicon single crystal rapidly and stably, but specific means and conditions have not always been disclosed. Also, even if the height of the solid-liquid interface were raised sufficiently under the conditions of a large temperature gradient by the aforementioned methods, no specific manufacturing conditions are provided, and the aforementioned proposes are problematic in that the oxygen concentration in the silicon single crystal, which is an important quality management issue in manufacturing silicon single crystals, is not controlled.

Method for manufacturing defect-free silicon single crystal


A slip ring device for the electrical connection of two mutually rotatable parts includes one or more slideways each with at least one V-groove. At least two wire brushes are provided which run in (are configured to extend into) the V-grooves. The wire brushes are electrically connected to each other and are mounted on at least two different brush blocks which are mechanically decoupled from one another. Increased insensitivity to vibrations and mechanical impacts can be achieved in this way.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a slip ring device for transmitting electrical signals by means of sliding contacts between mutually rotatable parts. At least one sliding contact which is made of an electrically conductive material and is also known as the brush slides on a slideway which is also made of an electrically conductive material. Electric current is transmitted by galvanic contact between the slideways and the contact.
2. Description of Relevant Art
A slip ring device in which a brush runs with at least two slide wires in a slideway with a V-groove is disclosed in DE 10 2008 001 361 A1. The slide wires have different diameters and touch the slideway at different angular positions. This leads to increased tolerance over mechanical vibrations and impacts and to reduced contact resistance.
EP 0662736 A discloses a slip ring device in which an individual brush includes several wires which run in a V-groove. This leads to a low contact resistance by switching several contacts in parallel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,113 A discloses a further slip ring device with brushes which include a plurality of ultrafine wires. A relatively low contact resistant is obtained in this case too as a result of the multiple contacts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,124,606 discloses a low noise slipring assembly, where a pair of brushes running at a sliding track is held by a single brush holder. The brushes are arranged and opposing sides of the sliding track.
It is disadvantageous in the state of the art that none of these slip ring devices allow reliable electrical contact at high shock and impact loads. Brief contact interruptions occur from the lifting of the brushes from the slideway in the event of brief strong impacts or vibrations. Similarly, interruptions can also occur by vibrations which are produced at different rotational speeds.


A method of recording data to and reproducing data from a recording medium. Recording medium user identification data read from a recording medium upon which are recorded main data to be recorded and reproduced and the user identification data is compared with recorder and player user identification data read from a data recorder and player for recording and reproducing the main data and the main data are recorded to and reproduced from the recording medium when the recording medium user identification data are coincident with the recorder and player user identification data.

As the digital contents have become prevalent, the infringement on their copyrights by illicit copying has given birth to a social problem. In analog recording to a tape medium, audio or video data are recorded in an analog manner and so copying of the data will result in a lower quality. In digital data recording or reproduction, however, a digital data recorder/player can be used to repeatedly copy audio or video data many times with no quality degradation, in principle.
Thus, the loss due to such illicit copying has become greater in the field of digital recording/reproduction than in the analog field, and thus it has become very important to prevent illicit copying with any digital recording/players.
To solve the above problem, it has been proposed to add copy-control information to digital contents and use the added information in order to prevent illicit copying of the digital contents.
For example, the copyright protection method employing a generation-limiting copy control called "SCMS (serial copy management system) is applied to digital data recorder/players for CD (compact disc), MD (mini disc; registered trademark), DAT (digital audio tape), etc. The SCMS copy-control method is to authorize to copy an audio content once but inhibit any further copying of the thus once copied audio content.
The SCMS copy-control method will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 1.
For example, it is assumed here that a disc 1 has original-source audio signals digitally recorded therein. The digital audio signals are recorded in a predetermined recording format in the disc 1, and there is recorded in a specific area in the digital signals additional information indicating that the SCMS copy-control method permits to copy the digital audio signals only once.
A disc player 2 plays back the disc 1 to reproduce the digital audio signals from signals read from the disc 1, and sends the digital audio signals along with the additional copy-control information to a disc recorder 3. For sending the digital audio signals to the disc recorder 3, the disc player 2 will normally take a length of time equal to the time taken for reading the signals from the disc 1 (at the same speed).
Receiving the digital audio signals, the disc recorder 3 recognizes, when the information added to the audio signals indicates that the received digital audio signals may be copied only once, that the input digital signals can be copied. The disc recorder 3 will record the digital signals as a copy to another recordable disc 4. In this case, the disc recorder 3 rewrites the additional information from "one copy allowed" to "further copy inhibited". Thus, the digital signals as the copy and also the additional information "further copy inhibited" are recorded or copied to the disc 4.
In case the digital audio signals thus recorded as the copy in the disc 4 (first-generation disc) are read from the disc 4 played in another disc player 5 and supplied to another disc recorder 6, however, since the disc recorder 6 will detect that the additional information included in the digital signals is "further copy inhibited", the digital audio signals cannot further be recorded to any recordable disc 7.
In this case, the copying speed is equal to that at which the audio signals have been sent from the disc player 2. That is, if a standard playback time is taken for reproduction of the audio signals, the copying speed will be equal to a normal playback speed.
The "standard playback time" is a real-time playback speed for audio signals, namely, it is a playback speed at which audio signals can be perceived by the person having the ordinary ability of hearing. For example, the standard speed for reproduction of data depends upon each player and is independent of the human perception.
As above, the SCMS copy-control method protects the copyright of data by permitting a first-generation copying in a recorder while inhibiting a second-generation copying from the first-generation copy.
The SCMS method is intrinsically intended to prevent copyrighted data from being copied in a large amount for unauthorized commercial distribution, rather than to inhibit such a second-generation copying. Therefore, it is not negative against the currently prevailing copyright concept that "free copying within a range of private use".
Recently, a variety of recording/reproducing media such as an MD (mini disc; registered trademark) player, card-type memory player incorporating a semiconductor memory, etc. have been commercially available. Thus, users can selectively use the MD player, card-type memory player or the like as a playing medium as they currently like. In these circumstances, copying is frequently done by the use of any of the above players, and the SCMS copy-control method allowing to copy data only from an original medium will be inconvenient even for copying of the data only for private use.
Many of the recent personal computers are provided each with a CD playing function to store (copy) musical information distributed via a CD into a hard disc in a hard disc drive built in the personal computer and reproduce the musical information from the hard disc. Copying to the card-type memory player can be effected at such a high speed that copying from the hard disc in the personal computer will be more convenient. More precisely, copying from the hard disc to the card-type memory player provides a second-generation copy while musical information stored in the hard disc cannot be copied to the card-type memory player.

Method and apparatus for recording and/or reproducing data and record medium


The present invention relates to a lithium secondary battery comprising a battery cell formed by stacking a plurality of full cells having a structure of cathode/separator/anode or bicells having a structure of cathode(anode)/separator/anode(cathode)/separator/cathode (anode), as a unit electrode assembly, wherein (i) a cathode active material or (ii) an anode active material or (iii) a cathode active material and an anode active material in two or more unit electrode assemblies are configured to have a different composition to induce a voltage difference and separate electrode terminals are installed in a battery case according to the voltage difference to thereby simultaneously provide two or more voltages by a single battery.

Technological development and increased demand for mobile equipment have led to a rapid increase in the demand for secondary batteries as an energy source. Among these secondary batteries, a great deal of research and study has been focused on lithium secondary batteries having a high-energy density and a high-discharge voltage and consequently some of such lithium secondary batteries are commercially available and widely used.
The lithium secondary battery refers to a battery comprising an electrode assembly composed of a cathode containing a cathode active material capable of undergoing intercalation/deintercalation of lithium ions, an anode containing an anode active material capable of undergoing intercalation/deintercalation of lithium ions, and a microporous separator disposed between the cathode and anode, in conjunction with a lithium ion-containing non-aqueous electrolyte.
For example, as the cathode active material for the lithium secondary battery, mention may be made of primarily transition metal oxides such as lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2), lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O4), lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO2), or composite oxides wherein a portion of such a transition metal in the oxide is substituted with other transition metals. In addition, as the anode active material, amorphous carbon-based materials and crystalline carbon-based materials are largely used with recently active investigation on utilization of silicon-based materials as the anode active material.
Such a secondary battery is broadly divided into a jelly-roll (winding) type and an overlap (stacking) type, depending upon a construction form of the electrode assembly composed of cathode/separator/anode. The jelly-roll type electrode assembly is fabricated by coating an electrode active material on metal foil as a current collector, pressing and cutting the resulting structure into a band form having a desired width and length, and isolating the cathode and the anode using a separator, followed by spiral winding. The jelly-roll type electrode assembly is suitable for cylindrical batteries, but suffers from various problems such as separation of the electrode active materials from electrodes and poor spatial utilization and efficiency, upon application thereof to a prismatic or pouch-type battery.
The more advanced stacked-type electrode assembly, which is capable of solving the aforementioned disadvantages and problems, as detailed in Korean Patent Application Publication Nos. 2001-82058 A1, 2001-82059 A1 and 2001-82060 A1, assigned to the present applicant, is configured to have a structure in which full cells of cathode/separator/anode having a given size or bicells of cathode(anode)/separator/anode(cathode)/separator/cathode(anode) having a given size are sequentially stacked such that the cathode and the anode are arranged opposite to each other with a separator therebetween.
Generally, the secondary battery is fabricated by putting the electrode assemblies, having various configurations as described above, into a cylindrical or prismatic metal can or a pouch-type sheet case, and sealing the resulting structure with exposure of an electrode terminal pair of the cathode and anode to the outside of the battery case. Therefore, one battery cell is configured to supply only a specific voltage within a given range. Some of conventional prior arts provide a structure having formation of two or more electrode terminals on the outside of the battery case so as to enhance power output efficiency, but the voltage provided from the overall battery cell is still constant.
Whereas, as electric/electronic devices are developed into highly various forms, there may also be necessary devices having a configuration requiring one or more operation voltages depending upon desired operation modes. For implementation of such a device requiring two or more operation voltages, a currently available technique is only a method involving a combined use of two or more secondary batteries having different operation voltages set to each other.
As an attempt to provide two operation voltages from one battery, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-331813 discloses a battery having two battery cells (A, B) within one battery case in an isolated state from one another, wherein electrode terminals for each battery cell (A, B) are exposed to the outside. The aforesaid Japanese Patent is characterized in that the battery is configured, for example, by divisional arrangement of a 1.5 V-power battery cell (A) and another 1.5 V-power battery cell (B) within one battery case, and connection of a cathode terminal and an anode terminal to each of the battery cells (A, B), such that a desired voltage can be achieved using the aforementioned single battery without a need for a series connection of two 1.5 V batteries, upon use of the battery in the device operating at 3.0 V.
However, the battery of the above-mentioned Japanese Patent has an effect of using no members necessary for construction of a battery module, such as a spacer, by simple installation of two battery cells inside the battery case, but provides substantially no different voltages between two battery cells. Based on the disclosure of the above Japanese Patent, there may be considered to configure the battery such that the battery cell (A) and the battery cell (B′) provide different voltages therebetween. For this purpose, there are, however, fundamental problems such as a need for a separate structure for divisional arrangement of the battery cells (A, B′) inside the battery case.
Consequently, there is a need for the development of a technology that is capable of providing a plurality of voltages from one battery without a significant modification of the structure in a conventional secondary battery.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Stacking-type secondary battery providing two or more operation voltages


According to some aspects, an information processing device is provided. The information processing device includes circuitry configured to set at least one region of an image of a biological sample and select a motion compensation parameter calculated based at least on a motion of the at least one region. The circuitry is further configured to control display of a result of performing a process on the at least one region using the selected motion compensation parameter.

In the fields of medicine and life science, motions of many types of biological samples are observed, and changes in their forms are evaluated. Changes in forms of biological samples are motions that reflect their life activities or life states, and are closely related to evaluation of states and the like of the biological samples. Such a change in a form of a biological sample is often distorted by various motions such as autonomous locomotion of the biological sample, vibration of an observation device, or drifting of a culture, and thus there are few occasions on which only changes in forms of biological samples can be observed with no influence. Thus, identifying a change in a form of a biological sample from various motions of the biological sample with high accuracy is important for analyzing the change in its form exactly. Consequently, an image processing technology for identifying a change in a form of a biological sample from various motions carried out by the biological sample and for observing and analyzing the change in the form of the biological sample has been demanded.
For example, PTL 1 discloses a technology of estimating motions of consecutive frame images and stabilizing an image space using the result of the estimation and an initial frame image. With this technology, disturbances in a dynamic image caused by an external factor such as a shake in camera work can be corrected.

Information processing device, information processing method, program, and information processing system


A putter guide device and method for improving the putting stroke of a golfer. The device includes a flat mat having an opening at one end and a pair of perpendicular lines forming a xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d intersection. A pair of guide walls are magnetically held on the flat mat to enable a golfer to stroke a putter along a horizontal line between the pair of guide walls to repeatedly and accurately hit a golf ball held in the opening with the putter sweet spot. The method includes the use of the teaching device first without the guide walls and a golf ball, then with one guide wall and a golf ball and then with both guide walls. The guide walls may be adjusted to allow more or less space for a putter head being stroked therebetween.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to teaching aids, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for improving the mechanics of a putting stroke of a golfer.
2. Description of Related Art
As is well known to golfers, the holding of a golf club, body alignment and stroke, together with club face alignment when hitting a golf ball are important in playing a good game of golf, and particularly, in putting. In this connection, numerous devices and methods have been adopted, and many patents obtained on devices and methods for improving golf strokes. Examples of such known devices and methods are set forth in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,919,099 5,797,804 5,467,992 5,437,458 5,362,057 5,282,627 4,805,912 4,423,875 4,244,576 3,885,796 3,471,155 3,246,898 U.S. Des. Pat. No. 380,518
While the known devices and methods aid in allowing a golfer to improve their swing in some circumstances, the known devices and methods do not work for all golfers, nor do they provide the correct, continuous, repetitive motion necessary to create xe2x80x9cmuscle memoryxe2x80x9d required for consistent putter strokes.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for an improved and simplified device and method that permits a golfer to improve their putter strokes, by teaching the proper placement and stroking of a putter, and the steps required for creating consistency of stroking the ball during the putting process.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved and simplified training device for aiding a golfer in putting. It is a particular object of the present invention to provide an improved and simplified putter guide device for use in teaching good putting stroke technique. It is another particular object of the present invention to provide an improved putter guide device for placement on a surface in front of a golfer in a putting stance to aid the golfer to visualize and practice good putter strokes. It is yet another particular object of the present invention to provide an improved and simplified putter guide device for use in teaching proper golf putting technique. It is yet a further particular object of the present invention to provide an improved putter guide device having a pad and movable walls for guiding a putter. It is yet another particular object of the present invention to provide an improved golf putter guide device having a mat and movable walls, held to the mat by magnets to allow easy adjustability of the walls. And, it is a still further particular object of the present invention to provide a process to improve the consistency of a golfer""s putting stroke, by allowing the golfer to practice and visualize putting strokes using a flat mat having an opening formed at one end and horizontal/perpendicular reference and guide lines marked thereon, with a pair of movable walls, whereby the golfer may practice putting so as to create good muscle memory and consistent putting strokes.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by providing a flat mat having an opening formed at one end and horizontal/perpendicular reference and guide lines thereon, as well as a pair of movable guide walls removably secured to the flat mat by magnetic means so that the walls may be incrementally adjusted to aid a golfer""s putting technique. Also, the present invention involves the process of practicing putting using the flat mat alone and/or with either or both guide walls to create consistency in putting technique.

Method and apparatus for improving a golfer""s putting stroke


A method for forming a shielded gate field effect transistor includes the following steps. Trenches extending into a silicon region are formed using a mask that includes a protective layer. A shield dielectric layer lining sidewalls and bottom of each trench is formed. A shield electrode is formed in a bottom portion of each trench. Protective spacers are formed along upper sidewalls of each trench. An inter-electrode dielectric is formed over the shield electrode. The protective spacers and the protective layer of the mask prevent formation of inter-electrode dielectric along the upper sidewalls of each trench and over mesa surfaces adjacent each trench. A gate electrode is formed in each trench over the inter-electrode dielectric.

The present invention relates to semiconductor power devices, and more particularly to improved trench-gate power devices and methods of manufacturing the same.
FIG. 1 is a cross section view of a conventional trench-gate MOSFET 100 which has known physical and performance characteristics and limitations such as cell pitch, break down voltage capability, on-resistance (Rdson), transistor ruggedness. Trench gate 105 extends through P-well 106 and terminates in N-epi region 104. Trench gate 105 includes a gate dielectric 114 lining the trench sidewalls and bottom, and a recessed gate electrode 112. Dielectric layers 116 and 118 insulate gate electrode 112 from overlying source interconnect (not shown).
FIG. 2 is a cross section view of a conventional dual gate trench MOSFET 200 (also referred to as shielded gate trench MOSFET) which improves on certain characteristics of trench-gate trench MOSFET 100 in FIG. 1. The trench 205 includes a shield electrode 220 insulated from the drift region 204 by a shield dielectric layer 222. Trench 205 also includes gate electrode 212 over and insulated from shield electrode 220 by an inter-poly dielectric layer 224. Shield electrode 220 reduces the gate-drain capacitance (Cgd) and improves the breakdown voltage. One drawback of both the single gate transistor 100 and dual gate transistor 200, however, is that the drift region contributes up to about 40% of the total Rdson, significantly limiting improvements in Rdson. For the dual gate trench structure, the deeper trenches exacerbate this problem by requiring even a thicker drift region. Another drawback of trench-gate transistors 100 and 200 is that the high electric field at the bottom of the trench due to the bottom trench curvature, limits improving several performance parameters such as breakdown voltage and transistor ruggedness. Some applications require integration of Schottky diode with power MOSFET. However, such integration typically requires a complex process technology with many process and mask steps.
Thus, there is a need for cost effective structures and methods for forming trench-gate FETs, monolithically integrated diode and MOSFET structures, and termination structures which eliminate or minimize the drawbacks associated with prior art techniques, thus allowing substantial improvements in the physical and performance characteristics of trench-gate FETs.

Trench-gate field effect transistors and methods of forming the same


A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, comprising: a MRI scanner; a signal processing system in communication with the magnetic resonance imaging scanner to receive magnetic resonance (MR) signals for forming magnetic resonance images of a subject under observations; a data storage unit in communication with the signal processing system, wherein the data storage unit contains database data corresponding to a soft tissue region of the subject under observation. The database data includes information identifying at least one soft tissue substructure encompassed by the soft tissue region of the subject under observation. The signal processing system is adapted to process MR signals received from the MRI scanner to automatically identify at least one soft tissue substructure encompassed by the soft tissue region of the subject under observation.

1. Field of Invention
The current invention relates to automated identification of soft tissue substructures in a soft tissue region of a human or animal subject in a non-invasive manner.
2. Discussion of Related Art
It is highly desirable to have automated identification of soft tissue substructures in soft tissue regions of a human and possibly animal subject in a non-invasive manner. For example, diagnosing brain pathologies associated with white matter brain tissue can benefit from such automated identification. Three dimensional white matter fiber tract reconstruction based on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is becoming a useful tool in research and clinical studies. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,539,310 and 6,526,305.) Currently, it is the only method to reconstruct trajectories of white matter fiber tracts non-invasively. However, existing methods of fiber reconstruction require a substantial amount of anatomical knowledge of the brain white matter in order to extract only the tract regions of interest. Because a straightforward reconstruction of all white matter yields a huge amount of fiber tracts entangled inside the brain, it does not have practical value in such an unprocessed form. An operator must have a substantial amount of anatomical knowledge of the brain white matter in order to extract a specific tract from the entangled reconstructed fiber tracts or to prune the regions being reconstructed beforehand. However, experienced operators with detailed knowledge of brain white matter anatomy may not be readily available, which may present a bottleneck in the application of fiber reconstruction technology in research and clinical studies. Further, suboptimal quality of diffusion tensor imaging data may hamper the ability of even the experienced operators in using existing methods. Suboptimal quality may result from, for example, breathing motion of the subject during data acquisition. Therefore, there is thus a need for a system and method for automated tracking of fiber tracts in human brain white matter using diffusion tensor imaging.

Automated fiber tracking of human brain white matter using diffusion tensor imaging


Nucleotide sequences encoding the variable heavy and light chains of the murine monoclonal antibody 1F7 are disclosed. The 1F7 antibody is an effective immune modulator that has anti-idiotypic binding affinity for anti-HIV antibodies. Polypeptides containing at least one complementarity-determining region (CDR) or framework-determining region (FR) of the variable heavy or variable light chains of 1F7, as well as the polynucleotides encoding them, can be used to modulate the immune response to HIV infection. Unnecessary, and potentially adverse, murine segments of the variable chains falling outside the CDRs can be replaced with human sequences to afford humanized chimeric antibodies and antibody fragments.

The present invention relates to nucleotide sequences that encode the complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) and framework regions (FR) of antibodies. The invention particularly relates to CDRs and FRs of anti-idiotypic antibodies that recognize the idiotopes of anti-HIV antibodies. The nucleotide sequences are pertinent to modulation of the immune response to HIV in HIV-1 infected individuals, as by therapeutic vaccination with the anti-idiotypic antibodies or antibody fragments they encode, as well as by direct therapeutic administration as DNA molecules.
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has claimed the lives of millions of people worldwide and continues to be a leading cause of death, particularly in under-developed countries. The primary etiologic agent of AIDS is widely accepted to be one or more strains of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The most studied strain of HIV is the type 1 strain (HIV-1), which is also referred to as HTLV-III. An intact HIV-1 virion is roughly spherical and presents an outer glycoprotein membrane covered with distinctive knobs and spikes.
Following initial infection with HIV is an asymptomatic stage during which the host harbors the virus and tests seropositive for HIV-1 antibodies. This stage can last as long as five years or more. This stage is followed by an AIDS-related complex stage (ARC) and, finally, AIDS. The final stage of AIDS is characterized by a variety of opportunistic infections due to the reduced vitality of the immune system. Although several drugs and drug combinations have been shown to alleviate the symptoms of AIDS and evidently reduce the viral load, to date, no effective prophylactic or therapeutic vaccine against HIV infection has been approved.
One approach proposed for the development of novel therapeutic antibodies or therapeutic vaccines, as well as prophylactic co-vaccines, employs so-called anti-idiotypic antibodies, and fragments thereof. A second strategy for modulation of immune response against viral infection involves direct inoculation of tissues in vivo with DNA encoding the VH and/or VL chains of an anti-idiotypic antibody as a therapeutic DNA vaccine.
Previously, an anti-idiotypic antibody has been shown to induce immune modulation in HIV infection. A murine anti-idiotypic antibody (designated 1F7 and produced by hybridoma ATCC Accession No. HB 11286) has been raised against pooled human anti-HIV-1 antibodies. [Mueller, S., et al., J. Immunol. (1991), 147:933-941]. The 1F7 idiotype is shared by human anti-HIV-1 antibodies having specificity for different proteins (envelope, core, and reverse transcriptase) of HIV-1, and the idiotype is shared by more than 70% of HIV-infected individuals. [Wang, H. et al., Eur. J. Immunol. (1992), 22:1749-1755]. The 1F7 idiotype occurs in high levels among patients with HIV lymphoma; however, this is shown to be due to HIV infection rather than B-cell neoplasia or abnormal B-cell proliferation. [Herndier, B., et al., Hybridoma (1993), 12: 529-537]. Findings suggest that the 1F7 idiotype is a marker for B-cell clones induced during the primary immune response to HIV and maintained throughout life. [Mueller, S., et al., Hybridoma (1997), 16: 17-21].
The potential for Mab 1F7 as a therapeutic antibody (therapeutic vaccine) has recently been demonstrated in rhesus macaques infected with a simian variant of HIV (SHIV-IIIB). [S. Mueller, et al., PNAS (1998) 95: 276-281; U.S. Pat. No. 6,057,421]. In these studies, a series of intravenous injections of purified 1F7 antibody enhanced and broadened the macaques"" virus neutralizing antibody response to the simian virus. This result suggests the potential of beneficially modulating the immune response of chronically HIV-1 infected individuals without clinical side effects in addition to, or during breaks in, antiviral drug therapy.
The functionality of the anti-idiotypic antibody 1F7 may be exploited directly according to the following approaches:
(1) 1F7 can be applied as a post-exposure therapy to modulate the locked-in immune response and thereby facilitate an effective immune response to virus variants. Thus, a deceptive, locked-in immune response to HIV antigens is modified by applying 1F7 as therapeutic vaccine in chronically HIV-infected individuals and AIDS patients in order to achieve an immune response able to overcome virus variants that had escaped the previous, locked-in immune response set by HIV infection. (Kohler, H., et al, Immunology Today (1994)]. Deceptive imprinting has been described in a review as an immune reaction in HIV and parasitic infections, i.e., it is based on xe2x80x9cOriginal Antigenic Sinxe2x80x9d (OAS) of an immune response. [Veljkovic, V., et al., Vaccine (2001), in press]. OAS is defined for infectious pathogenic organisms such as influenza, dengue, malaria, and HIV, as imprinting or B cell dominance of the host""s immune response by the antigenic make-up of the virus or parasite at first encountered during infection. The imprinting leads to an insufficient or xe2x80x9cdeceptivexe2x80x9d immune response due to B cell dominance that prevents an adequate immune response to the challenge by a rapidly mutating virus or parasite within the host.
(2) 1F7 can be used as a prophylactic co-vaccine when applying gp120-based and other HIV protein-based prophylactic subunit vaccines in HIV seronegative individuals at risk of HIV infection. In this approach, deceptive imprinting by HIV potentially induced by subunit vaccines as recombinant gp120 (Veljkovic, et al., 2001) can be counteracted by co-administration of 1F7.
(3) 1F7 can be used during xe2x80x9cstructured therapy interruptionxe2x80x9d (STI) in HIV-infected patients treated early on with antiviral drugs. [Rosenberg, E., Nature (2000) 407: 523]. STI has been reported to restore a short-term immune response on T cell levels being able to fight virus variants. Co-application of the 1F7 antibody can be helpful to prolong a diversified immune response to HIV induced by STI.
In view of the demonstrated therapeutic potential of Mab 1F7 in a suitable primate model, the immunoreactive fragments of 1F7 can also be employed for therapeutic benefit. Thus, recombinant DNA techniques can be employed to isolate and manipulate the nucleotide sequences encoding the variable heavy (VH) and variable light (VL) regions of the 1F7 antibody. For instance, the variable chains of the murine antibody can be fused to the constant gamma or kappa/lambda regions of human immunoglobulins (Igs) to afford human/murine chimeras, which display the complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) and/or framework-determining regions (FRs) of 1F7. Such human/murine chimeric antibodies are expected to reduce the human anti-murine antibody (HAMA) response often encountered in passive immunization therapy, thereby affording better-tolerated vaccines. In general, such chimeric antibodies show an increase in biological half-life in vivo. They also are capable of efficiently mediating the antibody-dependent complement cascade (ADCC), antibody-dependent macrophage cytotoxicity (ADMC), and complement fixation.
Chimeric antibodies often, however, remain immunogenic in primates due to the presence of murine variable regions. Another approach to reducing the immunogenicity of murine variable regions is to mutate the VH and VL chains of the 1F7 antibody to homologous human sequences, while retaining the murine CDRs and/or FRs, i.e., the variable chains are xe2x80x9chumanizedxe2x80x9d [Mateo, C, et al., Immunotech., (1997), 3: 71-81]. Linking the modified murine variable regions to human constant regions can afford chimeric antibodies in which the HAMA response is nullified.
The development of humanized murine antibodies has afforded exciting new therapeutics in recent years for a variety of illnesses, notably, non-Hodgkin""s lymphoma, breast cancer, among others. Antibody products now account for the single largest group of biotechnology-derived molecules in clinical trials; to date, however, no antibody product has been approved for the treatment of HIV infection.
The present invention is directed to one or more isolated polynucleotides containing at least one nucleotide sequence encoding a complementarity-determining region (CDR) and/or a framework-determining region (FR) of an anti-idiotypic antibody that binds to the idiotopes of anti-HIV-1 antibodies. The aforementioned anti-idiotypic antibody is preferably Mab 1F7 produced by the hybridoma having American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) Accession No. HB 11286. Depending upon the precise nature of the polynucleotide, a single CDR, a single FR, combinations of these, or an entire variable heavy (VH) or variable light (VL) chain of the anti-idiotypic antibody can be encoded. Moreover, murine regions outside the CDRs can be mutated or replaced with human immunoglobulin sequences in order to humanize the antibody or fragment thereof.
Typically, a DNA molecule of the invention is used to obtain a polypeptide containing more than one CDR and/or FR of the 1F7 antibody. For instance, the DNA molecule can be used to transform a suitable non-human host to express a VH and/or VL chain peptide of 1F7. The VH and VL chain peptide can be fused to the corresponding constant heavy and light chain peptides for mice or humans by covalently linking the DNA molecules to the appropriate segments of the immunoglobulin genes. Whenever the complete heavy and light chains are co-expressed, an assembled murine 1F7 or human/murine chimeric analog of 1F7 is provided, which can be used in a passive immunization protocol. Alternatively, a DNA molecule encoding the at least one CDR and/or FR of the 1F7 antibody can be used directly as a DNA vaccine, e.g., by injection of muscle cells with xe2x80x9cnaked DNAxe2x80x9d. The afforded antibody product is thus: (i) a xe2x80x9chumanizedxe2x80x9d antibody; (ii) a CDR/FR grafted antibody; or (iii) a xe2x80x9cde-immunizedxe2x80x9d antibody with removed or altered murine antigenic residues. The therapeutic effect of such an antibody is a broadening and increase of virus neutralization.
A particularly preferred aspect of the invention employs murine nucleotide sequences encoding the CDRs of the VH and VL chains of Mab 1F7, which have the amino acid sequences shown in SEQ ID NOS: 11, 15, 19, 28, 32 and 36. Also preferred are those murine nucleotide sequences encoding the FRs of the VH and VL chains of 1F7 having the amino acid sequences shown in SEQ ID NOS: 9, 13, 17, 21, 26, 30, 34 and 38. It is to be appreciated that the present invention contemplates and includes all nucleotide sequences equivalently encoding the aforementioned murine amino acid sequences by virtue of the degeneracy of the genetic code.

Nucleotide sequences encoding variable regions of heavy and light chains of monoclonal antibody 1F7, an anti-idiotypic antibody reactive with anti-HIV antibodies


A biochar and electric power generator that receives carbonaceous material and outputs variable amounts of electrical energy and char, including a pyrolysis module, a reaction module, and a char removal mechanism arranged between the pyrolysis module and the reaction module, an engine module including an engine and an alternator, configured to convert gaseous fuel produced by the reaction module into electric power and to provide waste heat to the pyrolysis module, and a flare configured to burn tar gas and to provide waste heat to the pyrolysis module.

Biochar (terra preta) is a charcoal created from biomass under controlled conditions to optimize its performance as a soil amendment. Char is widely believed to improve plant growth and general soil health via increases in soil microbial activity, increased water and mineral retention, increased soil organic matter, reduced need for fossil fertilizers, increased resistance to disease, and other potential mechanisms. Furthermore, the introduction of charcoal to soils is believed to reduce atmospheric green house gases by preventing CH4 and N2O release from decaying biomass, as well as through long-term removal of carbon from the carbon cycle via underground sequestration as stable charcoal. When charcoal production is combined with energy generation (e.g., through biomass gasification), the total energy and soil cycle is carbon negative. Power is generated and soils are improved, while simultaneously drawing down atmospheric GHG levels.
Pyrolysis, the method used to create charcoal, is currently heavily used in industrial plants to produce a variety of products. However, consumers, particularly those consumers who can both produce biomass and utilize char, rarely utilize these industrial plants to convert their biomass to char. This is due to access, transportation, and convenience issues. Furthermore, the large size and expense of running a pyrolysis plant generally prevents consumers from building or purchasing one of their own. Instead, the consumers dispose of the biomass in other ways, such as burning, that do not reclaim the energy stored within the biomass, nor the minerals or carbonaceous matter that would otherwise be of benefit to soils.
Gasifiers present an appealing solution to this issue, as gasifiers utilize pyrolization in the production of syngas, and produce charcoal as an intermediary to syngas. Furthermore, gasifiers (such as that described in U.S. application Ser. No. 12/846,807, incorporated herein in its entirety) can be scaled down for consumer use. However, consumer gasifiers currently do not have an effective means of interrupting the gasification process to remove charcoal with characteristics appropriate for use as biochar. While typical downdraft gasifiers do have a charcoal and ash byproduct that remains after combustion and reduction, this charcoal is not ideal for use as biochar. More specifically charcoal collected post downdraft gasification has passed through the high temperatures of combustion and reduction in the hearth, which completely devolatilizes the charcoal. Biochar is typically believed to benefit from a lower temperature pyrolysis, so as to leave a portion of the volatiles in the char, which is useful nutrition for soil microbes. Furthermore, very little charcoal is typically left post hearth, as most has usually been consumed during reduction to produce gas, so post hearth collection does not produce the high volumes of charcoal usually desired.
Thus, there is a need in the biochar field to create a new and useful gasifier from which biochar can be removed. Moreover, there is a need in the biomass generator field to create a new and useful generator from which electrical power and biochar can be extracted simultaneously, and in variable ratios.

Gasifier with controlled biochar removal mechanism