A double clutch transmission with two clutches having input sides connected to a drive shaft and the output sides connected to one of two transmission input shafts which are coaxially arranged, at least two countershafts on which toothed idler gearwheels are supported, toothed fixed gearwheels are arranged in a rotationally fixed manner on both of the transmission input shafts and mesh with at least one of the idler gearwheels. A plurality of coupling devices, each connecting one idler gearwheels to a countershaft in a rotationally fixed manner, and one power take-off gear provided on each of the two countershafts, each of which gearwheels is coupled with gearing of an output shaft, such that a plurality of power shift forward gears and at least one reverse gear can be shifted.

From the published patent DE 103 05 241 A1, a six or seven-geared double clutch transmission is known. The double clutch transmission comprises two clutches, each of which has an input side connected to the drive shaft and an output side connected to one of the two transmission input shafts. The two transmission input shafts are arranged coaxially to each other. In addition, two countershafts are arranged parallel to the axis of the two transmission input shafts which have idler gears meshed with fixed gears of the transmission input shafts. Furthermore, coupling devices are held in a rotationally fixed manner and axially adjustable on the countershafts in order to be able to shift each toothed gearwheel. Each selected transmission ratio is transmitted over the power take-off gears to a differential. To achieve the desired transmission ratio steps with the known double clutch transmission, a multiplicity of gear planes are necessary, which results in the need for a not insignificant construction space during assembly.
Furthermore, a spur-gear multi-speed transmission is known from published patent DE 38 22 330 A1. The spur-gear multi-speed transmission comprises a double clutch which can be power-shifted, of which one part is connected to a drive shaft and another part is connected to a hollow drive shaft that is rotatably fixed on the drive shaft. For certain transmission ratios, the drive shaft can be coupled with the hollow drive shaft via a shift element.
From published patent DE 10 2004 001 961 A1, a power-shift transmission with two clutches is known, each assigned to a subtransmission. The transmission input shafts of the two subtransmissions are arranged coaxially to each other and mesh, via fixed gears, with idler gears of the assigned countershafts. Each of the idler gears of the countershafts can be connected to each countershaft by the assigned shift elements in a rotationally fixed manner. This published patent makes known, among other things, a seven-geared transmission, in which an additional shift element for coupling the two transmission input shafts is provided for the realization of a further transmission ratio step. The seven-geared transmission requires at least six gear planes in both subtransmissions in this embodiment to attain the transmission ratio steps. This leads to an undesirable lengthening of the construction length in the axial direction, limiting the possibility of mounting into a vehicle.
Furthermore, published patent DE 10 2005 028 532 A1 makes known an additional power-shift transmission, which comprises two input shafts and only one countershaft. The seven-geared transmission requires at least five gear planes in this embodiment to be able to realize the transmission ratio steps, which leads to an undesirable lengthening of the construction length in the axial direction. Moreover, an additional shaft with one gear plane is necessary, which comprises one shift element and two gears for the attainment of the reverse motion transmission ratios. Another disadvantage of the known power-shift transmission is that power-shifting is only possible between the first and second gears.


A system for picking and placing glass articles from a first location to a second location, the second location including a thermal reforming apparatus for transforming the glass articles from 2D glass articles to 3D glass articles includes a robot having an end effector, the end effector including a compliance assembly having at least six degrees of freedom. The compliance assembly is in fluid communication with both an open pneumatic system and a closed pneumatic system, the open pneumatic system providing a partial vacuum to a portion of the compliance assembly for grabbing the glass article, and the closed pneumatic system for activating a centering function for a portion of the compliance assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to manufacture of three-dimensional (3D) glass articles by thermal reforming of two-dimensional (2D) glass sheets.
2. Technical Background
There is a large demand for 3D glass covers for portable electronic devices such as laptops, tablets, and smart phones. A particularly desirable 3D glass cover has a combination of a 2D surface, for interaction with a display of a portable electronic device, and a 3D surface, for wrapping around the edge of the display. The 3D surface may be an undevelopable surface, i.e., a surface that cannot be unfolded or unrolled onto a plane without distortion, and may include any combination of bends, corners, and curves. The bends may be tight and steep. The curves may be irregular. Such 3D glass covers are complex and difficult to make with precision using machining processes such as grinding and milling. On the other hand, thermal reforming has been used to form 3D glass articles from 2D glass sheets in other types of applications. The present disclosure relates to a system, apparatus and method of picking and placing the glass articles, before thermal reforming and after thermal reforming in such manner so as not to damage the glass articles that enables use of thermal reforming to make 3D glass covers such as described above.

Device and methods for picking and placing hot 3D glass


The present disclosure provides a display panel and a manufacturing method thereof. The display panel includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a cathode layer, a plurality of spacer columns, and an encapsulation layer. The spacer columns are disposed as at least a one-circle structure surrounding an opening hole on the second substrate, and heights of the spacer columns are gradually increased from a center of the opening hole to edges thereof. The spacer columns having different heights can reflect light again, thereby improving light extraction efficiency, luminous brightness of sub-pixels adjacent to the opening hole area, and display effect.

Compared to liquid crystal display devices, organic light-emitting display devices (OLEDs) have advantages of self-illumination, fast responses, lightness, and thinness, and have become an emerging technology in the display field.
With development of portable OLED products, a larger screen ratio has become a trend. To reach a more extreme full screen, mobile phone manufacturers use a variety of different designs, such as a currently designed notch screen, a pop-up camera, and a sliding screen. Although they can improve a screen ratio of mobile phones to a certain extent, appearances of mobile phones are affected, integration progress of mobile phones are hindered, and three-proof property of mobile phones are limited. In current full screen technical solutions, no matter what screen opening solutions are used, a front camera in a full screen and opening areas of each device can only render empty black picture, and the opening areas cannot display normally, which not only seriously damages integrity of pictures shown in display screens, but also becomes a key factor which restricts screen ratio to be further improved.
Therefore, it is necessary to provide a solution for the problems in current technology.
Technical problem: in summary, in current OLED display panels, images in an opening hole area corresponding to a camera on a display screen cannot display normally, which reduces display effect of the screen, and meanwhile a structure design of the opening hole area hinders the display panel from developing toward a full screen.

Display panel and manufacturing method thereof

WUHAN CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS SEMICONDUCTOR DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A system and method for autonomic extensions to wake on LAN are presented. An access point detects wake on LAN (WOL) requests that are targeted for unassociated clients. When the access point detects a WOL request for an unassociated client, the access point stores the WOL request in a table for a predefined amount of time. A client queries the access point periodically to see if the access point is storing a WOL request which is targeted for the client. When the access point receives the query, the access point compares the client's identifier, such as its MAC address, with targeted client identifiers corresponding to pending WOL requests. When the access point detects a match, the access point sends the WOL request to the client for the client to process.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to a system and method for autonomic extensions to wake on wireless network. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for implementing a wake on LAN mode into a wireless network such that a wireless client conserves power consumption.
2. Description of the Related Art
Within the past two decades, the development of raw computing power coupled with the proliferation of computer devices has grown at exponential rates. This phenomenal growth, along with the advent of the Internet, has led to a new age of accessibility to other people, other systems, and to information.
The simultaneous explosion of information and integration of technology into everyday life has brought on new demands for how people manage and maintain computer systems. The demand for information technology professionals is already outpacing supply when it comes to finding support for someone to manage complex, and even simple computer systems. As access to information becomes omnipresent through personal computers, hand-held devices, and wireless devices, the stability of current infrastructure, systems, and data is at an increasingly greater risk to suffer outages. This increasing complexity, in conjunction with a shortage of skilled information technology professionals, points towards an inevitable need to automate many of the functions associated with computing today.
Autonomic computing is one proposal to solve this technological challenge. Autonomic computing is a concept to build a computer system that regulates itself much in the same way that a person's autonomic nervous system regulates and protects the person's body. One enabling technology of autonomic computing is wake on LAN (WOL). In a wired network, WOL mode enables an Ethernet controller to check directed and broadcast packets to determine if the packets include a WOL packet. The physical layer wakes a computer system once it receives a WOL packet that is intended for the computer system.
A challenge found, however, is extending the WOL mode into a wireless network. Extending the current implementation in a wireless environment requires a wireless device to continually be in "receive" mode, checking for data packets. Receive mode, however, consumes a significant amount of power which is not desirable in a wireless environment where a majority of clients are operating off of battery power.
In addition, by having each wireless client receive packets that may eventually be discarded, the wireless network is inundated with meaningless data packets which result in a reduction of bandwidth for other users that are sending and receiving important data packets. What is needed, therefore, is a system and method for implementing a wake on LAN mode in a wireless network environment while conserving power consumption and reducing wireless network traffic.

System and method for autonomic extensions to wake on wireless networks


Disclosed is a high pressure processing method for subjecting a processing object to a high pressure processing using a high pressure fluid. In this method, the high pressure fluid is brought into collision with the surface of the processing object placed in a high pressure processing chamber, and then distributed along the surface of the processing object in an outward direction beyond the processing object.

The present invention relates to a high pressure processing method and apparatus applicable to a development, cleaning, etch, rinse, displacement or drying process for a sample or processing object, such as semiconductor wafers or liquid-crystal substrates, having a super-microstructure.
As well known, in the field of semiconductor chip design, structural minimization is being carried out with great speed. While the wire size in a chip was about 1 μm decade ago, it is currently reduced down to about 0.18 μm. Further, a device with a wire size of 0.13 μm is close to practical use, and various technical developments have already started with a specific goal of 0.10 to 0.07 μm or stretched to 0.05 μm.
On the other hand, such progressive structural minimization involves some new technical problems which are unsolvable with conventional techniques. By way of example, one of currently concerned major technical problems is the collapse or breakdown of the microstructure due to capillary force. Specifically, most of semiconductor chips are produced by subjecting a silicon wafer to a number of wet processing, that is, processing using liquid. For example, in a photoresist development process, a liquid developer or alkaline aqueous solution is rinsed using pure water, and then dried. In the drying process, the wafer soaked with the water is exposed to the interface between liquid (pure water) and gas, and a high surface tension generated in the interface acts on adjacent wall-like developed photoresist layers, which stand on the silicon wafer substrate in parallel with each other, to pull them close to each other. Finally, the surface tension leads to the collapse phenomenon of the photoresist layers.
Such a phenomenon also occurs in manufacturing of electromechanical devices, so-called MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System), having a low-rigidity structure such as a micro-cantilever structure. In a typical production process of this type of devices, after removing a sacrifice layer on a substrate by an etch process using a hydrofluoric acid solution or the like, the substrate with cantilever structures is rinsed out using rinse liquid, and then dried. In this case, it is also known that a capillary force arising during evaporation of the rinse liquid causes undesirable sticking between the cantilever structures or between the cantilever structure and the substrate.
Among various techniques developed for solving the above problem, a drying technique using a high pressure fluid, particularly so-called "supercritical fluid", is recently regarded as one of noteworthy technologies. This drying technique using the supercritical fluid allows a microstructure to be dried without formation of any gas-liquid interface or under the condition that the action of capillary force is effectively suppressed. Typically, carbon dioxide is used as the supercritical fluid, because it is excellent in handleability by virtue of the fact that it has a critical temperature of 31° C. and a critical pressure of 7.3 MPa, and is a noncombustible, nonpoisonous and inexpensive substance.
In this connection, it is recently reported that the pressure of carbon dioxide serving as the supercritical fluid is preferably 7.4 MPa.
In addition to the use in a drying process, the potential of applying supercritical carbon dioxide to a cleaning process for semiconductor wafers or the like draws high attention of researchers. While a wet processing is used in a conventional cleaning process, a serious problem has been turning up in connection with introduction of the structural minimization in the level of 0.1 μm or less, and new materials. That is, the conventional cleaning technique using liquid hardly allows the liquid to be fed into a microstructure, and thus an intended cleaning effect cannot be adequately obtained. Particularly in a new-generation insulation film having a porous structure for providing a lower dielectric constant thereto, a liquid introduced in micropores during a wet processing cannot be fully removed therefrom, and the remaining liquid would have a serious adverse effect on characteristics of a device to be obtained. In contrast, a cleaning process using supercritical carbon dioxide (supercritical fluid) having an excellent permeability close to that of gas allows the supercritical carbon dioxide to be readily infiltrated into a microstructure, without any problem of residual liquid in the microstructure as in the wet processing (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication H09-232266).

High pressure processing method and apparatus


An embodiment provides a method, including: accepting, at a touch input component, touch input; rendering, on a display device, the touch input; determining, using a processor, multi-touch controlling input for controlling the touch input; mapping, using the processor, the multi-touch controlling input to a predetermined control action; and applying the control action to the touch input. Other aspects are described and claimed.

Information handling devices ("devices"), for example laptop computers, tablets, smart phones, e-readers, etc., may be used to accept user inputs in various formats. Among the formats of user inputs currently utilized are drawing inputs and handwriting inputs. Often such inputs are provided for by a user input component, such as a touch screen (for direct input) or digitizer (for indirect or separate input from a display), that accepts the inputs, e.g., as provided by a writing implement such as a pen or stylus or even finger input. Various touch input components require the writing or drawing implement to actually touch the component, while other user input components may not require actual contact.
In conventional touch input interfaces, a user input, e.g., a drawing or handwriting input, is accepted via the input component (e.g., touch pad) and input to an application, e.g., an email application. Depending on the underlying application, the user input provided, e.g., handwriting input, may translated into another format, e.g., machine text for input into the underlying application. For example, a user may provide handwriting input that is converted to machine text for entry into an email application, a word processing application, an Internet search application or web browser, etc.

Multi-touch inputs for input interface control


A headset includes: a body; an upper wing extended from the body; a lower wing extended from the body; a speaker capsule coupled to the upper wing so that the speaker capsule can be positioned near an ear; and an ear bud coupled to the upper wing so as to be positioned on an opening of the concha of the ear. The lower wing is movable up and down pivotally on an interface between the body and the lower wing and the lower wing is rotatable about a longitudinal axis running from a first end to a second end of the lower wing. The rotation allows a first surface of the lower wing to accommodate one type of ear, and a second surface of the lower wing to accommodate another type of ear. The upper wing is further extendable from the body so as to position the ear bud on the opening of the concha of the user""s ear. The headset further includes a microphone embedded in the upper wing, a voice tube extended from the upper wing, and an on-line indicator. Instead of the embedded microphone, an external microphone can be attached to the upper wing. The ear bud may float to be positioned on the opening of the concha and can be integrated into the speaker capsule.

The present invention relates to telecommunication headsets and in particular, to a UTE (under-the-ear) headset, which is held to the ear of an operator, for telephone call type environments and individual voice communication.
A conventional OTE (over-the-ear) headset usually requires a retaining device, typically referred to as an ear-hook, to be fitted over the apex of the ear to secure the headset when an operator is wearing the headset. This OTE headset has several structural limitations that may cause the operator discomfort when he or she wears it.
First, the OTE headset generally requires a large clamping force over the operator""s ear to keep the headset from falling from the operator""s ear. In the OTE headset, the weight of the headset is largely suspended from the sensitive apex of the ear, which may also bear the additional weight of the user""s eyewear. Thus, this strong clamping force at the apex of the ear may, especially after an extended period of use, cause discomfort and/or pain for the user. Secondly, the ear-hook of the OTE headset often requires the ability to be moved in a complex manner in several directions so as to be capable of being worn comfortably by users who have different ear shapes. The mechanisms required to permit these complex movements or adjustments are quite costly to manufacture and quite cumbersome for the users to manipulate into a comfortable fit. The difficulty inherent to the adjustment of these mechanisms can easily lead to frustration and dissatisfaction on the part of the users.
Therefore, a headset that is comfortable on the operator""s ear after an extended wearing of the headset is in demand. Further, the headset must be easy for various users to adjust-on their ears.
An aspect of the present invention provides a headset for communication. The headset includes: an upper wing having a first end and a second end; a lower wing having a first end and a second end; a speaker capsule coupled to the upper wing so that the speaker capsule can be positioned near an ear; and an ear bud coupled to the upper wing so as to be capable of being. positioned on an opening of the concha of the ear. The second end of the lower wing is connected to the second end of the upper wing so that the lower wing pivotally moves up and down relative to the upper wing. The lower wing contacts the behind surface of the ear""s outside pinna when the lower end moves up.
The lower wing rotates around an axis extending from the first end to the second end of the lower wing. In addition, a first surface of the lower wing is shaped to accommodate one type of ear, and a second surface of the lower wing is shaped to accommodate another type of ear. The first surface is separated from the second surface by a 180 degree rotation of the lower wing.
In one embodiment, the headset further includes a Ad microphone embedded in the upper wing, a voice tube extended from the upper wing, and an on-line indicator. Instead of the embedded microphone, an external microphone can be attached to the upper wing. The upper wing is extendable so that when the ear bud is positioned on the opening of the concha of the ear, the location of the microphone can be adjusted by the user. The ear bud may float to position on the opening of the concha and can be integrated into the speaker capsule.
Another embodiment of the headset includes: a body; an upper wing extended from the body; a lower wing extended from the body; a speaker capsule coupled to the upper wing so that the speaker capsule can be positioned near an ear; and an ear bud coupled to the upper wing so as to be capable of being positioned on an opening of a concha of the ear.
In still another embodiment, the lower wing moves up and down pivotally on an interface between the body and the lower wing and rotates. The rotation allows a first surface of the lower wing to accommodate one type of ear, and a second surface of the lower wing to accommodate another type of ear. The first surface is rotated from the second surface about 180 degrees about an axis extending from a first end to a second end of the lower wing. The upper wing is extendable from the body so that when the ear bud is positioned on the opening of the concha of the ear, the location of the microphone can be adjusted by the user.
The headset further includes a microphone embedded in the upper wing, a voice tube extended from the upper wing, and an on-line indicator. Instead of the embedded microphone, an external microphone can be attached to the upper wing. The ear bud, when integrated into the speaker capsule, may float within the speaker capsule""s boundary to a comfortable position within the opening of the concha.


An optical scanning device includes a light source for emitting a laser beam; a deflection body for deflecting the laser beam; a scanning lens for scanning the deflected laser beam on the surface of a photosensitive body; a reflection body having a reflection surface for reflecting the deflected laser beam towards the photosensitive body and having passed through the scanning lens; and a synchronizing sensor for receiving the reflected laser beam to send out a detection signal. The reflection surface has a curved arc surface depressed from both edges toward a center in a main-scanning direction equivalent to a scanning direction of the laser beam. The reflection body has a center of the reflection surface in the main-scanning direction displaced by a predetermined range in the direction of travel of the laser beam along the main-scanning direction from a center of the reflection body in the main-scanning direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical scanning device which scans the surface of photosensitive body by deflecting laser light towards a predetermined direction at a constant speed, and to an image forming apparatus utilizing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional technique has been known relating to an optical scanning device for laser printers and copiers in which a laser beam emitted from a light source is deflected by rotation of a polygon mirror for scanning, a portion of the laser beam having passed through an imaging lens is reflected by a fold mirror, a BD (Beam Detect) sensor sends out a detection signal when it receives the portion of the laser beam at its light receiving surface, and timing of the initiation of writing to a photosensitive body is provided based on the detection signal.
According to the conventional art, for example, the fold mirror is composed of a concave mirror in order to guide a light beam (laser beam) having passed through a scan lens (imaging lens) to a BD sensor. The concave mirror is attached to an L-shaped mounting bracket, and an adjusting screw comes into contact with the back side of the concave mirror, allowing adjustment of slope of the concave mirror by changing the protruding amount of the screw.
However, the above conventional art has problems of not only an increased cost due to necessity of an extra member for attaching a concave mirror such as the L-shaped mounting bracket, but also of difficulties in assembly such that the detection accuracy of a BD sensor may be affected due to damages on the surface of the concave mirror caused by contact between the member and the mirror upon mounting.
When the concave mirror is attached so as to make an angle as big as possible between a laser beam received by a light receiving surface of a BD sensor previously reflected by the concave mirror and a laser beam thereafter initiating scanning the surface of a photosensitive body previously deflected by a polygon mirror, it is necessary to increase the duration for deflecting a laser beam for scanning on one surface of the polygon mirror, causing a problem such that the optical scanning device may be enlarged.

Optical scanning device and image forming apparatus


A preference learning apparatus includes a content attribute information database, action information database, time information correlation table, area information correlation table, user""s preference information database, user action detection section, and preference information management section. The preference information management section generates preference analysis data using time zone information, area name, attribute and its weight, and attribute value related to a user""s preference and updates the weight contained in preference information in the user""s preference information database, which is specified by time zone information, area name, attribute/attribute value, and user ID, with the weight contained in the generated preference analysis data. A preference learning system, preference learning method, and recording medium are also disclosed.

The present invention relates of a preference learning apparatus, preference learning system, preference learning method, and recording medium for collecting and learning preference information considering time and place from a portable information terminal that a user is carrying.
Conventionally, examinations have been done about an information filtering technique for selecting information corresponding to the user""s preference from an enormous quantity of digitized information (contents) published on the Internet or an information navigation technique using the information filtering. In the information filtering technique, to quantify the degree of user""s interest and process it by a computer, a vector expressing what kind of content is a user""s interest is often used.
In such a technique, the user""s preference must be properly learned. To learn a user""s preference, a user""s preference is estimated from the user""s log of access to contents. One of such methods is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-15840 in which information following the preference of a user, that changes along with the elapse of time, is automatically selected without requiring any explicit setting and evaluation from the user himself/herself. Another method has also been proposed in which the movement pattern of a user who uses a portable information terminal is monitored, and the user""s preference information is automatically learned on the basis of information related to a place where the user stayed.
In these conventional preference learning methods, however, user""s preference information is learned without taking any time zone and place into consideration. For this reason, under circumstances unique to a mobile environment where the preference changes in accordance with the user""s situation, a content that is optimum for the time zone and place where the user is present cannot be provided in response to a browsing request from the user. In the mobile environment, when a user searches for POI (Point Of Interest) information such as restaurant information or sightseeing spot information using a portable information terminal or a car navigation system with an information search function, the user""s preference information changes depending on the time zone and place.
For example, a user who often uses a fast-food restaurant at lunch time may not go to a fast-food restaurant but to an exclusive restaurant at suppertime. A user who often goes to an Italian restaurant in Tokyo may rather be fond of a local meal at a tour.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a preference learning apparatus, preference learning system, preference learning method, and recording medium which can learn preference information of a user who uses a portable information terminal in accordance with the time zone and place in which the user behaves.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a preference learning apparatus, preference learning system, preference learning method, and recording medium which can extract and manage user""s preference information that changes.
In order to achieve the above objects, according to the present invention, there is provided a preference learning apparatus for detecting a user""s action from a portable information terminal to which various kinds of contents are provided through a communication channel and learning a user""s preference on the basis of a detected action log, comprising a content attribute information database for storing, for each content, an attribute as an object of the learning contained in each of various kinds of contents, and an attribute value, a action information database for storing, for each action, an attribute as an object of the learning estimated from the user""s action and a weight for the attribute, a time information correlation table for storing a name and time range of a time zone in correspondence with each other, an area information correlation table for storing each area name and area range in correspondence with each other for each of a plurality of areas which classify position information of the user, a user""s preference information database for storing, for each user""s preference information containing an attribute/attribute value as objects of the learning, a weight for the attribute, a time zone when the weight is valid, and a place where the weight is valid, user action detection means for detecting the user""s action on the basis of information obtained from the portable information terminal and acquiring detection data containing a user ID indicating the user, a action name indicating the action, a content ID indicating a content related to an object of the action, and a measurement time and position information at which the action has been detected, and preference information management means for updating the user""s preference information database on the basis of preference analysis data obtained by analyzing the user""s preference on the basis of the detection data output from the user action detection means, wherein the preference information management means generates the preference analysis data using time zone information acquired from the time information correlation table on the basis of the measurement time contained in the detection data output from the user action detection means, the area name acquired from the area information correlation table on the basis of the position information contained in the detection data, the attribute and weight contained in the action which are acquired from the action information database on the basis of the action name contained in the detection data, and the attribute value acquired from the content attribute information database on the basis of the attribute related to the preference and the content ID contained in the detection data, and updates, with the weight contained in the generated preference analysis data, the weight contained in the preference information in the user""s preference information database, which is specified by the time zone information, area name, and attribute/attribute value as objects of the learning, which are contained in the generated preference analysis data, and the user ID contained in the detection data.

Preference learning apparatus, preference learning system, preference learning method, and recording medium


The invention relates to a method for a follower vehicle (2) following a lead vehicle, comprising—determining a position (PL) and a heading (HL) of the lead vehicle (1), —determining a position (PF) and a heading (HF) of the follower vehicle (2), —subsequently establishing a path for the follower vehicle (2) by fitting a curve (C1) to said positions (PL, PF) and said headings (HL, HF), —and controlling the follower vehicle (2) so as to move along the established path.

A follower vehicle following, e.g. by means of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, a lead vehicle, may in some cases be referred to as autonomous vehicle following, or auto-following. Such following could be applied to a string of vehicles, comprising the lead vehicle and the follower vehicle following the lead vehicle, e.g. by means of V2V communication. V2V communication involves information sent between a vehicle, and one or more surrounding vehicles, over a wireless communication channel. In addition to V2V communication, the follower vehicle could follow the lead vehicle by means of sensors.
Autonomous vehicle following allows the removal of the driver from the follower vehicles and have the vehicles follow the lead vehicle fully automatically. Thereby, in addition to longitudinal follower vehicle control, an automatic lateral follower vehicle control is used. For example, in a string, there may be a control of the longitudinal movements of the follower vehicle, as well as the lateral movements of the follower vehicle. A follower vehicle following the lead vehicle in a string, may in some cases be referred to as driver-less platooning. Driverless follower vehicles allow for cost reductions, and the removal of the "human factor" which may provide increased safety.
The longitudinal control of the follower vehicle could be provided by means of Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC). In platooning, e.g. by means of CACC, vehicle convoys are driven with short distances between the vehicles, whereby the vehicles form a string.
The string may be formed of a row of vehicles, one following another. To achieve this with a high safety, a control unit of each vehicle may receive information from surrounding vehicles via V2V communication. For example, such shared information may include brake pressure, engine torque, engine RPM, accelerator pedal position, engine manifold pressure, vehicle speed, and/or radar/lidar data. Thus, it is understood that the V2V communication may provide for controlling the velocity and/or acceleration of a vehicle the string in dependence on the signals received from another vehicle in the string.
Alternatively, the longitudinal control of the follower vehicle could be provided by means of Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). More generally, a string does not necessarily have to involve CACC, but can involve some other technology for longitudinal control of the follower vehicle(s).
Benefits with platooning include increased fuel efficiency, provided by a reduced air-drag due to short distances between vehicles, and provided by improved vehicle control due to more accurate information about the preceding vehicle. A further benefit is an improved traffic flow due to the small delay of the V2V data.
The lateral control of the follower vehicle could be provided by means of position coordinates received from the lead vehicle. The position coordinates may be sent by V2V communication. The lateral control of the follower vehicle could also be provided by means of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), e.g. using the Global Positioning System (GPS). In some cases, the lateral control may be provided by means of sensors, e.g. by finding the rear-most part of the vehicle ahead and tracking it.
US2013090802 describes path estimation for autonomous vehicle following based on the acquisition of waypoints associated with a leader. The acquired waypoints may be pre-processed, including for example filtering, interpolation and cropping, to improve accuracy and then spline fitted to define a following path that is calculated to estimate the traversed path of the leader. The autonomous following vehicle may then be driven along the calculated path.
Notwithstanding said benefits, there is still room for improvement of known autonomous vehicle following strategies.

Method for establishing a path for a vehicle


There is disclosed a vehicle air conditioner of a heat pump system in which there is prevented or inhibited frosting to an outdoor heat exchanger when heating in a vehicle interior is beforehand performed during plug-in, thereby achieving comfortable heating in the vehicle interior during running and also extending a running distance. The vehicle air conditioner includes an injection circuit 40 which distributes a refrigerant flowing out from a radiator 4 to return the refrigerant to the middle of compression by a compressor 2, a controller has frosting estimation means for estimating the frosting to an outdoor heat exchanger 7, and when a heating mode is executed in a state where a power is supplied from an external power source to the compressor 2 or to a battery which supplies the power to drive the compressor 2, the injection circuit 40 performs gas injection to the compressor 2 in a case where the frosting to the outdoor heat exchanger 7 is predicted.

Due to actualization of environmental problems in recent years, hybrid cars and electric cars have spread. Furthermore, as an air conditioner which is applicable to such a vehicle, there has been developed an air conditioner which includes a compressor to compress and discharge a refrigerant, a radiator (a condenser) disposed on a vehicle interior side to let the refrigerant radiate heat, a heat absorber (an evaporator) disposed on the vehicle interior side to let the refrigerant absorb heat, and an outdoor heat exchanger disposed outside the vehicle interior to let the refrigerant radiate or absorb heat, and which changes and executes respective modes such as a heating mode in which the refrigerant discharged from the compressor radiates heat in the radiator and the refrigerant by which heat has been radiated in this radiator absorbs heat in the outdoor heat exchanger, a dehumidifying mode in which the refrigerant discharged from the compressor radiates heat in the radiator and the refrigerant by which heat has been radiated in the radiator absorbs heat in the heat absorber, and a cooling mode in which the refrigerant discharged from the compressor radiates heat in the outdoor heat exchanger and absorbs heat in the heat absorber (e.g., see Patent Document 1).
Additionally, an electric car or part of hybrid cars is connected to an external power source (a charger) installed at home or in a power supply facility (a power supply point), whereby a battery can be charged (so-called plug-in). When the battery is charged by such plug-in, the present invention can contribute to fuel efficiency improvement especially in the hybrid car.


A surgical instrument specifically designed to facilitate the separation of the Ligamentum Flavum from its vertebral attachments is disclosed. The instrument has an angulated semispherical solid ovoid tip with sharp edges along its top flat surface.

By far performed spinal surgery is a lumbar laminectomy, which is frequently combined with a discectomy, fusion, or both. A laminectomy entails the removal of a portion of bone from the lamina from the posterior aspect of the spine to gain entrance into the spinal canal which contains the neural elements, and to provide access to the disc.
It is therefore necessary to separate the flavum from the lamina prior to removal of the bone. However, this task is complicated by the fact that the inferior laminar surface is neither straight nor flat. Therefore, if an attempt is made to separate the flavum from the bone with a flat edged instrument, such an instrument will get into the substance of the ligament causing delamination within the ligament, and without achieving the desired separation of the ligament from the lamina. This problem is compounded by the fact that while the Ligamentum Flavum is very fibrous and strong, immediately beneath it is the extremely delicate and vulnerable dural sac and the nerve roots. Surgeons have, while attempting to separate the flavum from the lamina, inadvertently plunged through into the spinal canal, rupturing the dural sac and causing neural injury.
The laminar bone is usually removed by using an up biting rongeur. However, the Ligamentum Flavum (literally yellow ligament) is extremely thick and is a firmly attached sheet of fibrous tissue running from the underside of one lamina to the underside of the next. The flavum acts as a significant impediment to the placement of the foot portion of the rongeur beneath the laminar bone to be removed.
The problem with this approach is that the rongeur foot has not been configured for this purpose and so significant force is required making that maneuver dangerous. Since the tip of the rongeur disappears from view as it is pushed under the lamina, one cannot tell if the rongeur, when closed, will bite bone alone, bone plus flavum, or if the tip has gone beyond the attachment of the flavum thus grasping the bone plus dural sac and nerve roots.
Another way to separate the flavum, presently in use, is by dissectors. Dissectors are strips of metal with edges that may be sharp or dull and whose overall configurations can be relatively straight along the longitudinal axes or which may have anywhere from a slight to a more pronounced curve or even be acutely angled such as a dental tool. As per the previous discussion, as these instruments have not been specifically designed for this specific purpose, they tend to either dig into the substance of the Ligamentum Flavum or to risk perforating the dural sac beneath.
Another group of instruments that are used are currettes. These surgical instruments have a handle and a shaft and terminate in an tip resembling a small cup. These instruments are primarily intended to be used for scooping out material, e.g. disc, or bone and are therefore sharpened along the inner wall of a cup so as to facilitate the cup's being filled as it passes through the tissue. As currettes are designed to have cups and to be sharpened in such a manner so as to facilitate the filling of those cups, they are really not appropriate for removing the flavum as the flavum is most effectively and safely removed as a sheet rather than in small cupful bits. Some surgeons attempt to use various currettes as side cutting knives beneath the lamina. This is ineffective because they are not capable of being sharpened in such a way as to facilitate this maneuver, and more importantly, because they are designed to hold tissue the cups have considerable depth in relation to their other dimensions such that if a curette were large enough to correspond to the extent of the flaval attachment, then its overall thickness would potentially pose a threat to the underlying nerves and dural sac which would be compressed or crushed.
There is therefore a need for an instrument specifically designed for the task of removing this flavum from the lamina and the use of which would be in such a manner as to safeguard the sanctity of the underlying neural contents.


A new and distinct cultivar of peach tree plant named ‘UFRuby’. This new cultivar has a moderate winter chilling requirement estimated at 200 chill units (cu). The tree is medium size, moderately vigorous, and semi-spreading in growth habit. It bears showy, pink flowers, and leaves have reniform glands. Trees of ‘UFRuby’ are self-fertile and regularly bear heavy annual crops of early season fruit that are of medium size (approximately 118 g) for its ripening season. Fruit are clingstone, uniformly firm with non-melting white and smooth-textured flesh. Fruit are nearly round, and uniform with a substantially symmetrical shape, have an attractive 60%-70% red skin, ripen evenly, and are of high eating quality. The fruit of ‘UFRuby’ usually ripen in late April in Gainesville, Fla.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of peach (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch) tree adapted to a subtropical (moderate chill) winter climate. This new tree, hereinafter referred to by the name 'UFRuby', produces fruit that are highly colored, of good eating quality, and that have white and non-melting flesh, for fresh market in late April in Gainesville, Fla. The new peach cultivar 'UFRuby' is a promising candidate for commercial success in that it has attractive red skin and sweet fruit that ripen evenly.
'UFRuby' peach tree (genotype) originated in a cultivated area of the fruit breeding program at the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Fla., where it was tested. 'UFRuby' was selected in 2009 because it exhibited white, non-melting flesh, in a medium size fruit with a bright red skin. 'UFRuby' was asexually propagated by budding onto 'Flordaguard' (unpatented) seedling rootstock (for root-knot nematode control) and determined to have unique tree and fruit characteristics making it worthy for commercial fresh fruit production. There are no known effects of this standard rootstock on this scion cultivar. Asexually propagated plants remained true to the original tree and all characteristics of the tree and the fruit have transmitted for two generations.
Plant Breeder's Rights for this cultivar have not been applied for. The new peach cultivar 'UFRuby' has not been made publicly available more than one year prior to the filing of this application.


The present invention provides methods for forming SOI wafers having internal gettering layers for sequestering metallic impurities. More particularly, in one embodiment of the invention, a plurality of sites for sequestering metallic impurities are formed in a silicon substrate by implanting a selected dose of oxygen ions therein. In one embodiment, an epitaxial layer of crystalline silicon is formed over the substrate, and a buried continuous oxide layer is generated in the epitaxial layer, for example, by employing a SIMOX process.

This invention relates generally to methods for forming silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates, and more particularly, to methods for forming such substrates having internal sites for sequestering metallic impurities present in the substrate.
SOI wafers have become increasingly common starting substrates for generating a variety of semiconductor electronic devices. SOI wafers typically contain a device layer formed in a silicon substrate above a buried continuous silicon oxide layer that separates the device layer from the remainder of the substrate. The buried oxide layer can be generated, for example, by employing techniques generally known by the acronym SIMOX (Separation by Implantation of Oxygen). A variety of integrated circuits can be fabricated in the device layer. Such integrated circuits typically include thousands, or even millions, of devices, such as transistors or logic gates.
Silicon wafers, however, typically contain metallic impurities, such as, copper, nickel, iron, gold, chromium, or silver, among others. Trace amounts of such metallic impurities can be present in a silicon ingot from which the wafer is cut. Additionally, subsequent processing of the wafers in ion implanters, high temperature furnaces, or other wafer processing tools, employed during manufacturing of SOI wafers or in later IC processing of the wafers, can expose the wafers to metallic impurities that can originate from metallic components of these tools and/or from contaminants present in process gases and/or other chemicals.
At elevated temperatures that are routinely utilized in semiconductor IC fabrication, these metallic impurities can rapidly diffuse through the silicon substrate, and can be trapped in the device layer. Concentrations of such metallic impurities in the device layer beyond certain thresholds can adversely affect critical characteristics of semiconductor devices formed in this layer, such as, leakage current and breakdown voltage of p-n junctions, integrity of gate dielectric in MOS transistors and current gain in bipolar devices.
One method utilized in the art for lowering the concentration of metallic impurities in a wafer is to form a polycrystalline silicon layer on a back surface of the wafer. Such a polycrystalline layer functions as a precipitation region for the mobile metallic impurities. However, wafers formed with such polycrystalline layers, often referred to as "poly-back" wafers, have several limitations that make them undesirable to integrated circuit device manufacturers. For example, polycrystalline silicon surfaces are inherently rough and more likely to trap particulate contaminants from the processing environment during IC manufacturing. Further, the uneven topography of the polycrystalline layer renders measurement of particulate contamination on the poly-back layer impractical. When such wafers are stacked during processing, particles trapped by the polyback layer can also be shed to the front surfaces of adjacent wafers where active devices are formed. Many conventional wafer manufacturers, as well as some SOI wafer fabricators, have abandoned the polyback approach altogether in favor of "double-polished" wafers that include both a polished top surface as well as a polished back surface.
Another disadvantage of a poly-back wafer is that the rough surface topography of the polycrystalline surface can render precise positioning of the wafer for lithographical applications impractical.
The undesirable properties of polyback wafers thus require new approaches to achieving reduction of metallic contamination in the wafer device region, especially in SIMOX wafer manufacturing.
Hence, there is a need for enhanced methods for generating SOI wafers having low concentration of metallic impurities in the device layer.

Internal gettering in SIMOX SOI silicon substrates


The present application describes a vertical light-emitting diode (VLED) and its manufacture method that use the combination of a reflective layer, a transparent conducting layer and transparent dielectric layer as structural layers for promoting uniform current distribution and increasing light extraction. In the VLED, a transparent conducting layer is formed on a first outer surface of a stack of multiple group III nitride semiconductor layers. A transparent dielectric layer is then formed on a side of the transparent conducting layer opposite the side of the multi-layer structure. A first electrode structure is then formed on the transparent dielectric layer in electrical contact with the transparent conducting layer via a plurality of contact windows patterned through the transparent dielectric layer. The transparent conducting layer and the transparent dielectric layer are used as structural layers for improving light extraction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to light-emitting diodes and manufacture methods thereof, and more particularly to group III nitride semiconductor vertical type light-emitting diodes (VLED) and its manufacture methods.
2. Description of the Related Art
Light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor component part that can emit visible light produced as a result of the recombination of electrons and holes in the semiconductor structure. A different wavelength of light can be emitted by adjusting the band gap of the semiconductor layer structure.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a conventional vertical-type light-emitting diode 100. The VLED 100 mainly comprises a n-type semiconductor layer 106, a light-emitting layer 108, and a p-type semiconductor layer 110, mainly made of group III-nitride semiconductor compounds. Such layer structure is grown on a substrate (not shown), which is then removed from the final VLED 100.
During operation, light emitted from the light-emitting layer 108 spreads in all directions. For improving light extraction, a reflective layer 111 is usually formed below the p-type semiconductor layer 110 for redirecting light emitted by the light-emitting layer 108. In addition, the conventional VLED 100 may also incorporate a metal layer 112 for increasing current distribution during operation and enhance heat dissipation.
Further, a p-type electrode 114 is formed under the metal layer 112, and a n-type electrode 116 is formed above the n-type semiconductor layer 116. Operation of VLED 100 is performed by generating a current flow between the two electrodes.
Even with the reflective layer 111, some of the light from the light-emitting layer 108 still cannot exit the VLED 100 owing to inner absorption, refraction or interference. To improve light extraction, Taiwan Patent Application Publication No. 200847462 entitled "Vertical light emitting diode device structure", the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, proposes a layer structure in which a "spacer" is interposed between the light-emitting layer 108 and the p-type semiconductor layer 110. The material of the spacer is a compound having chemical formula AlxGayInzN, wherein 0≦x, y, z≦1. Such approach requires to modify the epitaxy deposition of the group III-nitride semiconductor compounds, which may adversely affect the active layers of the VLED 100.
Therefore, there is a need for a VLED structure and manufacture method that can increase extraction efficiency and address the foregoing issues.


The variable transconductance circuit includes: a voltage-current conversion circuit for outputting a current signal linear with an input voltage signal; first and second MOS transistors for converting the current signal received to a square-root compressed voltage signal; and third and fourth MOS transistors for converting the square-root compressed voltage signal to a linear current signal. A bias current at the first and second MOS transistors and a bias current at the third and fourth MOS transistors are varied to control transconductance.

The present invention relates to a differential amplifier circuit, and more particularly, to a variable transconductance circuit formed on a semiconductor integrated circuit, and an optical disk device having such a variable transconductance circuit placed on a signal processing path.
A conventional transconductance circuit disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 11-68477 will be described with reference to FIG. 15.
MOS transistors M50 and M51 constitute an input differential pair biased with a current Io. When a voltage signal Vi is input, MOS transistors M56 and M57 respectively drive gate voltages of MOS transistors M52 and M53 so that the gate-source voltages thereof are constant. At this time, the input voltage signal Vi is converted to a current ΔI1 with a resistance R connected between the sources of the MOS transistors M50 and M51, and the current ΔI1 flows to the MOS transistors M52 and M53. This relationship is represented by Expression (1) below. The current ΔI1 is output from the drains of MOS transistors M54 and M55.
                              Δ                                |                              1                =                  Vi          R                                    (        1        )
The output current ΔI1 is input into the drains of MOS transistors M58 and M59. The gate and drain of each of the MOS transistors M58 and M59 are connected to each other via a resistance Rg, and the gates thereof are common-connected. At this time, since the equal current flows to the MOS transistors M58 and M59, the current ΔI1 of Expression (1) flows to the resistances Rg, generating a voltage (V+-V−) at both ends of the resistances Rg. With this voltage (V+-V−), the gates of MOS transistors M60 and M61 are driven. A drain current difference ΔI2 between the MOS transistors M60 and M61 at this time is represented by Expression (2):
                                                                        Δ                                                  |                                                2                            =                              k                                                                                β                                                        [                                                                                (                                                                                V                              +                                                        -                            Vth                                                    )                                                2                                            -                                                                        (                                                                                V                              -                                                        -                            Vth                                                    )                                                2                                                              ]                                                                                =                              4                                k                                                                                β                      ·                      Io                                                        ·                  Rg                  ·                  Δ                                                                  |                                                1                                                                                =                              4                                k                                                                                β                      ·                      Io                                                        ·                                      Rg                    R                                    ·                  Vi                                                                                (        2        )            where β=charge mobility×capacity of gate oxide film/2, k=(transistor size of MOS transistors M60 and M61)/(transistor size of MOS transistors M58 and M59), and Vth is a transistor threshold voltage.
From Expression (2), the transconductance (gm) is represented by Expression (3):
                    gm        =                  4                    k                                                              β                ·                Io                                      ·                          Rg              R                                                          (        3        )            which indicates that gm is allowed to vary sequentially by varying Io.
Gm is proportional to the square root of Io according to Expression (3). Therefore, to allow gm to vary up to 10 times its minimum value, it is necessary to vary Io up to 100 times its minimum value. In general, the gate-source voltage Vgs and the operating current Io of a MOS transistor have a relationship (Vgs-Vth)∝√{square root over ( )}Io, in which if Io is increased by 100 times, Vgs-Vth will increase by 10 times. Since Vgs-Vth must be about 0.2 V at minimum to operate the MOS transistor in the saturation region, Vgs-Vth will be 2V at maximum. Low power supply voltage operation is therefore difficult, and also the 100-fold current variation will increase current consumption. Thus, wide-range gm variation and low power consumption are in a trade-off relationship.
To solve the problem described above, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-292051 discloses a configuration of connecting a plurality of transconductors in parallel to enable wide-range gm variation and low power supply voltage operation. However, this configuration still has problems in current consumption and on-board circuit area.
In optical disk devices such as DVDs, for example, a filter circuit used for signal processing must respond to a wide range of signals including a high-speed signal about 100 times as fast as the lowest-speed signal. Also, a variable gain amplifier, which normalizes a variation in signal amplitude caused by a medium and an optical pickup before performing signal processing, is required to provide a wide range of gains including a gain 10 to 20 times as large as the smallest gain. To achieve such a filter circuit and variable gain amplifier, a variable gm circuit serves as an important component. However, with a power supply voltage as low as just about 3V, the conventional variable gm circuit can only secure a variable range up to about five times the gm lowest value for one circuit. Therefore, a plurality of such variable gm circuits are connected in parallel or in series to achieve a filter circuit and variable gain amplifier. This causes the problems of increase in power consumption and on-board circuit area.


The object of the present invention is to provide a current source which is capable of suppressing an increase in circuit size and by which a highly accurate constant current extremely stable to manufacturing variations or temperature fluctuations can be obtained. A current source circuit is provided with a nonvolatile storage element having a control gate region and a source region and operating as a field-effect transistor, and is configured to output a current in a state where a bias is applied between the control gate region and the source region.

FIG. 21 is a circuit diagram illustrating the configuration of a conventional constant current source generation circuit 100 using a field effect transistor (MOSFET). The constant current source generation circuit 100 is provided with a current source 101 operating in a saturated region by short-circuiting a gate and a source of a depression MOSFET 101a. The constant current source generation circuit 100 is provided with a so-called current mirror circuit 102 in which gates and sources of two enhancement MOSFETs 102a and 102b having the same electric characteristics are short-circuited. The constant current source generation circuit 100 multiplies a reference current Iref flowing into the current source 101 by a constant (n) in the current mirror circuit 102 to generate a constant current Icc which is an output current. In the case of the constant current source generation circuit 100, a current value of the constant current Icc is a square-law characteristic of the reference current Iref flowing into the depression MOSFET 101a provided in the current source 101 as expressed by the following expression (1).
                    [                  Expression                                                              1                ]                                                                                I                cc                            =                              n                ×                Iref                                                                                =                              n                ×                Kd                ×                                  (                                      Wd                    Ld                                    )                                ×                                                                          Vtnd                                                        2                                                                                (        1        )
In Expression (1), Vtnd, Kd, Wd, and Ld indicate a threshold voltage, an electrical conduction coefficient, an effective value of a channel width, and an effective value of a channel length, respectively, of the depression MOSFET 101a.
In general, variations in a wafer manufacturing process are large, and therefore variations in the threshold voltage Vtnd of the depression MOSFET are large, and thus variations in a current value of the constant current Icc and the temperature characteristic ∂Icc/∂T of the constant current Icc expressed by the following expression (2) are also large.
                    [                  Expression                                                              2                ]                                                                                (                                                      ∂                                          I                      cc                                                                            ∂                    T                                                  )                            =                                                                            ∂                                      {                                          Ke                      ×                                              (                                                  We                          Le                                                )                                            ×                                                                                                  Vtnd                                                                          2                                                              }                                                                    ∂                  T                                                                                =                                                                            (                                      We                    Le                                    )                                ×                                                                                [                                                      {                                                                                                          Vtnd                                                                          2                                            ×                                              (                                                                              ∂                            Ke                                                                                ∂                            T                                                                          )                                                              }                                    +                                      {                                                                                          Vtnd                                                                    ×                      Ke                      ×                                              (                                                                              ∂                                                                                        Vtnd                                                                                                              ∂                            T                                                                          )                                                              }                                                  ]                                                                        (        2        )
PTL 1 discloses a constant current source with reduced variations in a manufacturing process and temperature dependency. As illustrated in FIG. 22, a constant current source 300 disclosed in PTL 1 is provided with a current setting code generation circuit 301 correcting a current value of an output current generated by a constant current circuit 302 even when the temperature dependency and the variations of the current value in the manufacturing process are large. Thus, the constant current circuit 302 makes it possible to obtain a highly accurate current value.

Current source with nonvolatile storage element


An outdoor water management system including at least one reservoir configured to receive highly concentrated contaminated water, a weather proof cover, covering the reservoir to define at least one chamber and water vapour removal means, configured to remove evaporated water from the at least one chamber wherein the at least one chamber is configured to further concentrate the contaminated water while providing long-term weatherproof storage thereof.

In many areas of Australia, groundwater in traditional agricultural/pastoral as well as coal seam gas, coal mining and other mineral mining has a saline content that is sub-optimal or unsuitable for crop irrigation. Different crops have different salinity tolerance thresholds, and when salinity exceeds these thresholds, crop yield and crop quality is generally reduced. Certain high value crops, such as lettuce and beans, have low water salinity thresholds.
When only supra-optimal salinity irrigation water is available, farmers must either choose to limit themselves to crops that tolerate salinity, or attempt to grow salinity sensitive crops at lower yields, as traditional desalination of such water is cost prohibitive. As such, in many of these regions, high value fruit and vegetables cannot be reasonably grown and must be imported.
Furthermore, the mining of coal and other minerals and the production of coal seam gas is usually associated with waste waters of varying levels of salinity and contaminants, which must be managed in an environmentally safe manner. As the pH of mine tailings may be very low (e.g. pH 2) or very high (eg pH 11), tailings must often be neutralised prior to membrane based filtration and dewatering/desalination, which is very costly. Even when neutralised, the treatment of such saline water to meet environmental compliance conditions is generally very costly.
Major environmental hazards are also often associated with mines, particularly when abandoned. As the cost of treating mine tailings is high, such tailings are often held in pits and dams until another entity takes over responsibility of the mine, which poses risks relating to overflowing in case of extreme weather events.
Certain attempts have been made to reduce costs associated with processing such mine tailings through natural rates of evaporation. However, as evaporation is slow, and such pits are exposed (and thus receive rainwater), evaporation may need to be enhanced. Currently the only commercially available option to enhance the evaporation of large water surfaces is to use high energy input cannon misting systems.
A problem with such systems is that saline aerosol material is generally blown off the water treatment site which results in unacceptable environmental contamination. System such as these are extremely energy intensive ie at its most efficient level using 270 litres of diesel/ML versus 25-30 litres of diesel for irrigation of within limit irrigation water.
As such, there is clearly a need for improved renewable energy driven, more cost-effective, simple enhanced waste water management systems.
It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication is referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art in Australia or in any other country.


Methods and systems for object detection using multiple sensors are described herein. In an example embodiment, a vehicle's computing device may receive sensor data frames indicative of an environment at different rates from multiple sensors. Based on a first frame from a first sensor indicative of the environment at a first time period and a portion of a first frame that corresponds to the first time period from a second sensor, the computing device may estimate parameters of objects in the vehicle's environment. The computing device may modify the parameters in response to receiving subsequent frames or subsequent portions of frame of sensor data from the sensors even if the frames arrive at the computing device out of order. The computing device may provide the parameters of the objects to systems of the vehicle for object detection and obstacle avoidance.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
A vehicle may navigate a path of travel using information gathered about the environment by sensors of the vehicle. As such, a computing device of the vehicle may receive and process information provided by vehicle sensors in order to navigate paths of travel in accordance with traffic regulations and avoid obstacles. An autonomous vehicle may operate using sensors, such as lasers, sonar, RADAR, cameras, and other devices to scan and record data from surroundings of the vehicle.


A method for monitoring a rotation rate sensor comprising a vibration gyroscope that represents a band-pass filter and that is part of at least one control circuit, wherein the control circuit comprises a digital and analog components and excites the vibration gyroscope to vibrate with its natural frequency by supplying it with an excitation signal. An output signal can be gathered from the vibration gyroscope from which the excitation signal and the rotation rate signal can be derived by filtering and amplification. Redundant analog components and at least one analog to digital converter are used to measure analog signals and read characteristic values within the digital components and compare the measured characteristic values with limiting values.

The invention relates to a method for monitoring a rotation rate sensor having a vibration gyro, which represents a bandpass filter and is part of at least one control loop which comprises digital and analog components and excites the vibration gyro by supplying an excitation signal at its natural frequency, in which case an output signal can be tapped off from the vibration gyro, from which the excitation signal and a rotation rate signal are derived by filtering and amplification.
By way of example, EP 0 461 761 B1 discloses rotation rate sensors in which a vibration gyro is excited on two radially aligned axes, for which purpose a primary and a secondary control loop are provided, with appropriate transducers on the vibration gyro. When rotation rate sensors such as these are used to stabilize the vehicle movement in vehicles, then dangers can occur as a result of failure or a malfunction. In order to prevent this, functional monitoring must be provided for the rotation rate sensor.

Method for monitoring a rotating rate sensor


There is provided a method of preparing nano scale nickel powders by wet reducing process. An embodiment of the method of preparing nickel powders comprises preparing the first solution formed by mixing water and a base, preparing the second solution formed by mixing a polyol and a nickel compound, preparing a mixture by mixing the first solution and the second solution, heating the mixture, and separating the nickel powders generated during heating.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of preparing nano scale nickel powders by wet reducing process, and more particularly, a method of preparing nickel powders having minute and uniform particle sizes with a low production cost and high productivity.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nickel powders can be used as an inner electrode material of MLCC (multi layer ceramic capacitor) and an inner electrode material or a wiring material of other electric apparatuses.
The MLCC is an electrical apparatus transiently storing charges. Such MLCC has a structure that has many ceramic dielectric layer and flat electrode layers laminated on the ceramic dielectric layer.
The MLCC having such a structure is widely used in electronic devices, such as a computer and a mobile communication device, since it can obtain high capacitance with only a small volume.
Recently, there is a tendency to replace palladium (Pd) which was used as an electrode material of MLCC with nickel (Ni), which is inexpensive, to lower the cost of the MLCC. Thus, the inner electrode layer of the MLCC is formed with an electrode paste, which comprises nickel powders, by screen-printing.
To minimize the size of the MLCC and increase capacitance, the inner electrode layers having a thin thickness, i.e., a thickness less than 0.5 μm must be formed, and the techniques of preparing the electrode paste therefore are required. Further, in order to prepare a paste to form a thin electrode layer, nickel powders that are nano-scale and good in dispersity are required.
Research on the preparation of nano-scale nickel powders has been performed for a long time. The preparation method thereof includes a gas-state method and a liquid-state method.
The gas-state method is widely used since the shape of nickel powders, and impurities are relatively easily controllable. However, the method has disadvantages in the minimization of particles and the mass production. Meanwhile, the liquid-state method has advantages in that it is useful in mass production, the initial investment cost is low, and the process cost is low.
The representative example of the liquid-state method is a method of preparing a metal powder using a polyol. The method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,041.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,041 proposes a method of preparing a metal powder comprising dispersing a metal element, such as gold, platinum, silver, nickel, etc., in the form of a hydroxide, an oxide or a salt, into a liquid-state polyol reducing agent to prepare a mixture, and heating the mixture.
Experimentally, it was found that the pH range of the mixture, in which the metal compound is most easily reduced by a polyol, is about 9 to 11.
Thus, in the method of preparing nickel powders according to the prior art polyol method, an inorganic base, such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH), potassium hydroxide (KOH), etc. was added to the mixture of a polyol and a nickel compound to maximize the reduction effect of the polyol, and the polyol was used as a solvent for the inorganic base. That is, the major function of the inorganic base is to control the pH of the mixture to a proper level.
However, since a polyol is expensive and its solubility is low, when the polyol was used as a solvent for the inorganic base, it contributed to the rise in the cost of preparing nickel powders.
Further, since the method of preparing nickel powders according to the prior art polyol method has problems of low yield, low degree of spheres and large particle size due to the non-uniform distribution of particle size, an improvement in the method is desired.
Accordingly, a method of preparing nickel powders having minute and uniform particle sizes with a low production cost and high productivity is desired.

Method of preparing nano scale nickel powders by wet reducing process


The apparatus of the present invention detects the resonant frequency of a vibratory member in contact with a fluid. The detection of the resonant frequency enables the device to be used to detect the density of a fluid which it is in contact with and thereby calculate the flow rate of the fluid. The vibratory member is mounted in a housing in such a way that the chambers on either side of the vibratory member have equal volumes. The fluid enters the device through a conduit and then divides into two equal tubes on either side of an extension of a vibratory member extending down these tubes. The apparatus for measuring the resonant frequency of the vibratory member is mounted on the vibratory member and is comprised of a piezoelectric element coupled to a driver circuit in a feedback loop.

The present invention generally relates to a vibration type transducer for measuring a density or a pressure of a fluid brought into contact with a mechanical vibratory member by detecting a resonant frequency of a vibration system including the mechanical vibratory member, and more particularly, to a structure of a transducer suitable for measuring the density or the pressure of the fluid flowing through a conduit line.
The present applicant has proposed a type of transducer (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 239228/1985) composed of a vibratory member, a cavity formed above at least one surface of the vibratory member so as to be opposite this surface and a tube for leading a fluid to be measured into this cavity, this transducer serving to measure the mass, i.e., the density, of the fluid within the tube on the basis of a variation in resonant frequency of a mechanical/acoustic vibration system consisting of the vibratory member, the cavity and the fluid existing in the tube.
The vibration type transducer of this kind is, however, attended with the following characteristics. In the case of measuring the density of the fluid flowing in the conduit line or the like, exciting forces with a wide range of frequencies act on the vibratory member due to deviation of a flow or disturbances of pressure such as a swirl or the like generated in the tube. As a result of this, an oscillation frequency loses stability, and the error in measurement is thereby increased. For this reason, a measuring limit of the above-described transducer comes to a flow-velocity of several m/sec at the most. The measurement is impossible in a range of higher flow-velocities beyond the foregoing limit.


This is directed to systems and methods for shielding circuitry from interference with a shield assembly. In some embodiments, a shield assembly may include a shield fence having a fence body, at least one fence finger extending from the bottom of the fence body for coupling to a circuit board, and a tab extending from the fence body. The tab is configured to be removed from the shield fence after the shield fence is coupled to the circuit board.

Electromagnetic interference ("EMI") and radio frequency interference ("RFI") are two of the various types of unwanted disturbances that may interrupt, obstruct, or otherwise affect or limit the effective performance of electronic circuitry due to electromagnetic conduction or electromagnetic radiation from an external source. One way to reduce such interference for electronic circuitry is to place electrically conducting metal around the circuitry. For example, an electronic circuit component on a circuit board is sometimes placed under a metal cover or can. A possible problem with the foregoing approach is that the metal shielding is typically soldered or otherwise fixed to the circuit board about the circuit component, such that, once the shielding is mounted to the circuit board, the circuit component cannot be physically accessed without removing the shielding from the circuit board.

Systems and methods for shielding circuitry from interference with a shield assembly having a removable tab


Disclosed in some examples are systems, machine readable mediums and methods which automate testing of web-based application code by automatically generating test harnesses based on a specified configuration and test script, hosting the test harness, causing the test harness to be run to test the code, and delivering the test results to the user. In some examples, the specified conditions may specify one or more test environments corresponding to an execution environment. This allows users greater flexibility in support of testing libraries and support of testing environments. The end users of the software under test will be provided software that is better tested for many different environments.

JavaScript is a popular web programming computer language. JavaScript is often used by interactive web pages to allow client-side scripts to interact with the user, control the browser, communicate asynchronously, and alter the document content that is displayed.
The inherent complexities of computer programming require developers to test code to ensure it functions correctly. Typically, developers test code using test cases which test the functionality of the code. A test case may be a set of conditions or variables under which a tester will determine whether a computer program or one of its features is working as it was originally designed. The test cases may be executed from the perspective of the user, called black-box testing, or executed with knowledge of the underlying code, called white-box testing.


An integrated valve assembly and apparatus. The assembly has a main body that includes (1) an internal gas passage for conveying gas between a gas inlet and a gas outlet; (2) a gas expansion means placed in the internal gas passage between the gas inlet and the gas outlet; (3) and a locking valve that is used for controlling the release of the gas. Also included is a rotary actuator that can be operated by the user. This rotary actuator includes a blocking means that acts on the rotary actuator to prevent rotation of the rotary actuator. The integrated valve assembly may be used in a portable equipment unit that includes a compressed-oxygen bottle on which the valve assembly is mounted, and may optionally include a protective shroud for protecting the assembly and a demand valve connected to oxygen therapy nose clips, to a flowmeter or to any other similar device.

The present invention relates to an integrated valve assembly and to ambulatory equipment that comprises such an integrated valve assembly mounted on a small compressed-gas bottle, which can be opened and used only if a use device for delivering gas, such as a flowmeter, a breathing valve, an opening tool for purging the bottle, or any other device using the gas, is connected thereto via a specific connection interface for releasing a lock which prevents rotation of the operating device for opening the valve and releasing the gas.
Ambulatory equipment using compressed gas or liquid oxygen sources currently exists.
Liquid oxygen sources are generally smaller and provide greater autonomy, which is often overly long for patients moving about over short distances.
However, the use of liquid oxygen is not ideal as evaporation of the liquid causes gas losses and having to use liquid oxygen is not advantageous, owing to its cost, when the patient is walking about for only a short time.
Moreover, the various types of equipment that exist using a compressed-gas source are somewhat impractical, bulky and often too heavy for patients receiving this type of treatment since they are often elderly or feeble.
In addition, the use of such equipment requires the use of pressure regulators whose interface with the bottle is exposed to very high pressures, i.e. of the order of 200 bar, which requires laborious and tricky operation for the user and is not without danger, in particular should there be a poor connection, insufficient maintenance or the unintentional presence of grease particles in the regions under high pressure.
Furthermore, these sources are generally used either with flowmeters or electronically controlled demand valves or pneumatically controlled valves.
Now, electronically controlled valves require an additional energy supply provided by a cell or batteries, which must be available at the time of use, something which is not always the case.
As regards pneumatically controlled valves, these use the energy of the stored gas for the main opening and the inspiration of the user as initiating command. Consequently, they are often more practical, more compact and lighter than valves requiring electrical energy.
The object of the present invention is to provide, on the one hand, equipment for delivering gas, particularly medical oxygen, which is lightweight, practical, very suitable for patients to carry around with them and of compact design, making it possible to optimize the total weight of the assembly, to minimize the connection forces as far as possible, to eliminate any intervention on those parts exposed to the high pressure and therefore to limit the associated risks, and also to provide, on the other hand, an integrated valve assembly which is safer than existing valve assemblies and can form part of such an ambulatory equipment when it is mounted on a small gas bottle, in particular a medical oxygen bottle.

Integrated valve assembly with means for blocking the actuator


A rigid and aerodynamic device for external protection for motorcycle and bicycle vehicles with 2 to 4 wheels. This removable dome type device is formed by multiple overlapping panels that form an oval shell type structure, which protects both the vehicle and the pilot from external weather conditions and physical damage in the event of a collision.

In the field of transport, it has been necessary to develop elements that allow the user to protect a motorcycle and bicycle type vehicle with 2 to 4 wheels from external weather conditions and physical damage in the event of a collision. Initially, the development of the structures was oriented towards the protection of the skull of motorcyclists and cyclists by means of rigid protective helmets and, subsequently, towards the integral protection of the pilot by means of devices that allow him to protect against physical damages in the event of a collision and in addition to external weather conditions.
In fact, in the state of the art related to the protection structures of motorcycle and 2 to 4-wheel vehicles, there are publications such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,979,147 which teaches a rigid, transparent, thermoplastic and semicircular cover that is coupled and uncoupled by a connection clip on the rear of the vehicle that seeks to protect the pilot from external weather conditions and U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,718 that teaches a protection device that includes a windshield frame, rigid frame and a flexible transparent cover that includes side sections that allow the entrance and exit of the pilot.
Other developments, such as the FR2768389 patent, reveal a 2-wheeled motorcycle that has a retractable cover and removable doors to form a compartment and a two-sectional floor in the form of side fins that can be raised to allow the driver to put his feet on top the ground and keep your balance when you stop, and the U.S. Pat. No. 8,360,084 that teaches a protective structure that includes a cover with a central frame, an upper and lower U-shaped frame, all fixed and transverse pivoting belts that give stability to the main frame.
More recently, protective structures have been proposed to prevent or minimize damage to the pilot in the event of an accident, such as document U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,388 that it comprises a body that incorporates a lower part in which the lower torso and legs of the driver are housed and an upper part that includes a windshield and an open or removable cover that allows the driver to drive the motorcycle, where said body incorporates windows or panels operable or removable for ventilation and access, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,322,749 describing a modular structure of mountable and detachable protection of the vehicle comprising a plurality of longitudinal, transverse and diagonal bars that define an ovoid configuration incorporating fixed and/or removable cover panels capable of guaranteeing high impact resistance.
Although the state of the art shows the development of different structures for the protection of motorcyclists and cyclists from 2 to 4 wheels, it is necessary to design a structure for easy installation and removal of motorcycle vehicles and type 2 bicycle 4-Wheel, with an aerodynamic design that reduces the resistance of the air during the movement of the vehicle and protects both the vehicle and the driver from external environmental conditions (rain, wind, light, for example) and physical damage in case of collision or aggression by abrupt blows or blunt elements.
The object of this invention overcomes the limitations inherent to existing elements, since it provides a rigid device consisting of multiple overlapping panels that form an oval shell-like structure for motorcycle and bicycle type vehicles with 2 to 4 wheels for quick installation in the vehicle chassis and easily removable that ensures the decrease of resistance to air in motion and the protection of the pilot and the vehicle from external conditions.

External protection device for vehicles and heads