This invention allows both a plateless textile printer that makes process color expression, and a plate textile printer to achieve equivalent color expressions. For this purpose, image data that uses an RGB pallet is converted into YMCK image data using a correction table. An ink-jet textile printer (14) prints on textile on the basis of the converted image data. On the other hand, the image data that uses the RGB pallet is sent to a plate separation data generation unit (15), and is separated into binary plate data, the number of which is the same as the number of ink colors of the ink-jet textile printer, using an RGB/ink color tone correction table to realize the same color expression as that of screen textile printing. In this case, a plate data file name to be generated, the resolution of a plate to be output, the number of repetitions of an original design of plate data to be output in the horizontal direction, and the number of repetitions of the original design of the plate data to be output in the vertical direction are respectively input to boxes (61, 66, 71, 72) on a dialog. Also, an input conversion file, an output conversion file, a tone curve file used by retouch software, an original image resolution, an enlargement/reduction method, an ink table file, an output data type, and a repetition method are respectively selected using pull-down menus (62, 63, 64, 65, 67, 68, 69, 70) of the dialog. Using these parameters, a film plotter (18) prints images in units of plates (colors) on lith films, and the printed lith films are set in an exposure machine (19) to undergo exposure, thus obtaining all plates. Using the obtained plates, a screen textile printer (20) prints on textile using the same inks as those of the ink-jet textile printer.

The present invention relates to a textile printing system, and a plate separation apparatus and method.
Conventionally, textile printing using plates (to be referred to as plate textile printing hereinafter), and textile printing such as ink-jet textile printing expressed by process colors without using any plates (to be referred to as plateless textile printing hereinafter) are known.
In order to achieve identical color reproduction of prints obtained by such textile printing processes, conventionally, an ink-jet textile printer outputs color patches generated based on RGB or CMYK digital data, and an operator visually selects a patch which is similar to the color of a print obtained by plate textile printing. Based on the selected patch color, the operator retouches original data of the print. That is, the colors of plateless textile printing are adjusted to those of plate textile printing. This in part results from the fact that plate textile printing uses only spot color expression.
However, such processes are difficult unless the operator is skilled. On the other hand, when a plateless textile printing system is used as a sample forming machine, and a plate textile printing system is used as an actual production machine, a print with excellent grayscale reproduction that is obtainable by process colors often cannot be obtained by plate textile printing using spot color expression. Especially, it is difficult for plate textile printing to express a CG or photo-like illustration. Hence, it is hard to match color expressions of these textile printing systems, and color expression of a print obtained by a plate textile printing system has never been adjusted to that of a print output in process color expression by a plateless textile printing system.
Therefore, there is no plate separation method in which process color expression is realized by plate textile printing in correspondence with that of a print output from a plateless textile printer.
The present invention has been made to solve the conventional problems, and has as its object to provide a textile printing system which allows a plateless textile printer using process color expression and a plate textile printer to achieve equivalent color expression, and a plate separation apparatus and method.
A textile printing system comprises:
a first textile printer that makes process color expression;
plate separation means for performing a plate separation process for original image data; and
a second textile printer for performing textile printing using plates based on plate data output from the plate separation means,
wherein the plate separation means comprises:
input means for inputting a file name and resolution of plate data to be output, and the number of repetitions of original image data; and
selection means for selecting a conversion table file, a tone curve file, a resolution of original image data, a conversion ink table file, a resolution conversion method, the number of plate data, and a type of repetition of the original image data, and
the plate separation means performs plate separation on the basis of the inputs from the input means and the selections at the selection means.
Note that the selection means selects the conversion ink table file for each ink color.
Also, the number of ink colors of the first textile printer is eight, and the number of plates of the second textile printer is eight.
The plate separation means separates the image data into plates, the number of which is larger by one than the number of ink colors of the first textile printer.
A gray plate is generated in addition to plates corresponding to ink colors.
A textile printing system comprises:
a first textile printer which makes process color expression without using any plates;
plate separation means for performing a plate separation process for original image data; and
a second textile printer for performing textile printing using plates based on plate data output from the plate separation means,
wherein the plate separation means comprises:
input means for inputting a type of repetition of the original image data and a number of times of repetition; and
plate data generation means for generating plate data from the original image data on the basis of the inputs from the input means.
The input means can select one of four-way feed and half pitch as the type of repetition.
The second textile printer is a printer which uses one of a hand textile printing scheme, screen textile printing scheme, roll textile printing scheme, and rotary textile printing scheme.
A plate separation apparatus according to the present invention is a plate separation apparatus which receives image data which is the same as image data input to a first textile printer that makes process color expression without using any plates, generates plate data corresponding to ink colors used in the first textile printer, and outputs the plate data to a second textile printer that performs textile printing using plates, comprising:
input means for inputting a type of repetition of original image data and a number of times of repetition; and
plate data generation means for generating plate data from the original image data on the basis of the inputs from the input means.
A plate separation method according to the present invention is a plate separation method which receives image data which is the same as image data input to a first textile printer that makes process color expression without using any plates, generates plate data corresponding to ink colors used in the first textile printer, and outputs the plate data to a second textile printer that performs textile printing using plates, comprising:
the input step of inputting a type of repetition of original image data and a number of times of repetition; and
the plate data generation step of generating plate data from the original image data on the basis of the inputs in the input step.
A computer readable memory according to the present invention is a computer readable memory storing a plate separation program, which receives image data which is the same as image data input to a first textile printer that makes process color expression without using any plates, generates plate data corresponding to ink colors used in the first textile printer, and outputs the plate data to a second textile printer that performs textile printing using plates,
the plate separation program including:
an input program for inputting a type of repetition of original image data and a number of times of repetition; and
a plate data generation program for generating plate data from the original image data on the basis of the inputs in the input program.

Textile printing system, and plate separation apparatus and method


A parallel processor and an image processing system incorporating such processor are disclosed. Control signals in the parallel processor are generated by an instruction sequence control unit, and divided into two: global control signals supplied to a local signal generator of arbitrary selected processor element group; and local control signals buffered by the local control signal generator and then supplied exclusively to the processor elements included in arbitrary selected processor element group. This construction of the processor alleviates deterioration in device characteristics and undesirable increase in driving power requirements.

1. Field
This patent specification relates to a parallel processor and an image processing system using such processor in digital duplication machines, facsimile apparatuses, and other similar image processing systems.
2. Discussion of the Background
Recent developments in digital duplication machines, facsimile apparatuses, and other imaging systems, have focused attention on improvement of image quality with increasing the number of picture elements and adopting color. Such recent trends have brought about an increase in the image data to be processed.
The processing of image data is carried out, in general, by repeating a similar set of processing steps over image data of picture elements. A single instruction multiple data stream (SIMD) type processor, therefore, has been found suitable due to its parallel data processing capabilities such that processing of a plurality of image data can be carried out by a single instruction.
FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a known SIMD processor. As shown in FIG. 12, the SIMD processor 1 includes at least a global processor (GP) 2, a processor element block 3 provided with a plurality of processor elements (PE) 3a, and an interface 4.
In order to process a plurality of data items simultaneously using a SIMD processor, the processor element block 3 has a plurality of processor elements (PE) 3a, as described above. Each of the processor elements 3a includes a register file 31 and an operation unit 36. The register file 31 includes a plurality of registers, and the operation unit 36 is configured to process data provided from the register file 31 and global processor 2.
Based on instructions by the global processor 2, the interface 4 is configured to provide data to be processed to an input/output (I/O) register file 31 in the processor, in which the data are input by, for example, an external scanner. The interface 4 is also configured to transfer processed data from the I/O register file 31 to an external unit such as, for example, a printer.
The global processor 2 operates to control both the processor element block 3 and interface 4. In addition, the global processor 2 includes at least a single instruction single data stream (SISD) type processor which operates to output various control signals.
As described above, the control with a SIMD processor is configured to execute a single instruction in every processor element 3a. Namely, in the SIMD processor, one control signal line is connected from the global processor 2 in common to each of the plurality of the processor elements 3a, and by sending an instruction by way of the thus formed control signal line, each of the processor elements 3a executes an identical operation processing based on this single instruction.
FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating the circuit interconnection including the processor elements and control signal line.
Referring to FIG. 13, in order to execute a single operation processing onto a plurality of data, a plurality of processor elements, PE0 through Pen are provided. In addition, each processor element 3a is provided with n registers, 31-1 through 31-n (e.i., REG1 through REGn).
Control signals are sent from an instruction signal generator in the global processor 2 to each processor element 3a by way of the control signal line (CS).
Namely, two clock signals, CP and CN, are sent to the registers 31-1xcx9c31-n, from the global processor 2. These two signals CP and CN each have a sign opposing each other, in that the one signal is generated by inverting the sign of the other by means of an inverter. These clock signals CP and CN are then sent to each processor element 3a. Incidentally, FIG. 13 shows the case where CN signals are provided by way of even-numbered control lines, while CP signals are by way of odd-numbered lines.
Further, according to CP, CN clock input signals, registers 31-1 through 31-n operate to latch data input into the D input of the register from the internal bus signal, and output data from P, Q terminals to an internal bus.
With the increase in the number of the processor element 3a in those known processors, however, the length of the control signal line increases from a driving circuit in the instruction signal generator to distant processor elements 3a toward the end terminal. As a result, a wiring delay of CS signals is caused among the processor element PE0 nearest to the driving circuit and those distant from the circuit such as, for example, the terminal processor PEn.
This gives rise to several drawbacks such as a reduction in circuit characteristics such as evidenced by circuit malfunction in extreme cases. In addition, this also necessitates relatively large power for driving the circuit.
An array processor is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 8-212169, in which neighboring n processor elements constitute a group, and each of groups in the array processor is individually provided in common with one register and one control signal line.
Further, in that description, neighboring registers in the array processor are interconnected by a read bus and write bus, to thereby be able to operate a plurality of processor elements as a single processor. This may result in disadvantages in the array processor such as difficulties in shifting from one processor to another and in updating data in a specific processor, among others.
In addition, no description could be found in that document regarding the circuit wiring delay of CS signals which is caused among the processor element PE0 in the vicinity of an instruction sequence control unit and those distant from the unit such as, for example, the terminal processor PEn.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide an improved parallel processor with neither the above described circuit delay or undesirable increase in power for circuit driving.
The following brief description is a synopsis of only selected features and attributes of the present disclosure. A more complete description thereof is found below in the section entitled xe2x80x9cDescription of Preferred Embodimentsxe2x80x9d
A parallel processor disclosed herein includes a global processor configured to decode programs and assume overall control of the parallel processor; and a processor element block comprising a plurality of processor elements configured to process various data.
Each processor element contains a plurality of functional means including at least an operation unit and a register file provided with a plurality of registers, each functional means is connected to an internal bus, the operation of the functional means is controlled by a logic of global control signals generated by the global processor, the processor elements are divided into groups each including an arbitrary number thereof, buffer means t buffer the control signals in each of the groups, the global control signals are input into the buffer means, local control signals are generated by the buffer means and sent to each of the groups to be subsequently terminated within each of the groups, and the global control signals are provided to all of the buffer means in the groups.
In addition, the transfer and exchange in the parallel processor of data among the functional means are carried out by way of the internal bus, the buffer means is provided in the middle of the group of an arbitrary number of the processor elements.
Further, in the parallel processor, the circuit interconnection for the global control signals is provided in the uppermost metal layer in the IC layout process and shielded by power lines.
Still further, the global control signals are input into the buffer means included in the group of an arbitrary number of the processor elements, and the operation of the functional means in the group of an arbitrary number of the processor elements is controlled by the local control signals generated by the buffer means.
According to another aspect, an image processing system disclosed herein is configured to input image data, operates to parallel process the image data, and outputs processed data to an external unit.
The image processing system includes the parallel processor containing a plurality of processor elements provided to form an array for the image data to be input, and a first-in first-out (FIFO) memory to perform at least one of the inputting operation of the image data and an outputting operation of the processed data to the external unit, by way thereof.
The processor elements each includes a plurality of functional means including at least an operation unit and a register file provided with a plurality of registers, each functional means is connected to an internal bus, the transfer and exchange of data among the functional means are carried out by way of the internal bus, the operation of the functional means is controlled by a logic of global control signals generated by the global processor, the processor elements are divided into groups each including an arbitrary number thereof, a buffer means to buffer the control signals is provided in each of the groups, the global control signals are input into the buffer means, local control signals are generated by the buffer means and sent to each of the groups to be subsequently terminated within each of the groups, the global control signals are provided to all buffer means in the groups, and the processed data are output to the external unit in response to the global control signals.
In addition, in the image processing system, the buffer means is provided in the middle of the group of an arbitrary number of the processor elements, the circuit interconnection for the global control signals is provided in the uppermost metal layer in the IC layout process and shielded by power lines.
Further, the global control signals are input into the buffer means included in the group of an arbitrary number of the processor elements, and the operation of the functional means in the group of an arbitrary number of the processor elements is controlled by the local control signals generated by the buffer means.
According to still another aspect, a method disclosed herein for inputting image data, operating to process the image data, and outputting processed data to an external unit, for the image processing system, includes the steps of inputting the image data into a parallel processor containing a plurality of processor elements provided forming an array, performing at least one of the inputting operation of the image data, and outputting operation of the processed data to the external unit, by way a FIFO memory.
The image processing system incorporating the parallel processor, which is utilized in the method, has the construction and capabilities described herein above.

Parallel processor and image processing system for simultaneous processing of plural image data items without additional circuit delays and power increases


The present invention proposes a system and method for preventing a vehicle from rolling over in curved lane. The road images captured by the image capture devices are used to calculate road information. The road information together with the vehicular dynamic information, such as the speed and acceleration of the vehicle are used to predict the rollover angle and lateral acceleration of the vehicle moving on the curved lane. The height of the gravity center and critical rollover speed of the vehicle moving on the curved lane are worked out and used to define a vehicular rollover index. If the vehicular rollover index exceeds a preset value, the system warns the driver or directly controls the speed of the vehicle to prevent the vehicle from rolling over in the curved lane.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology to prevent a vehicle from rolling over in a curved lane, particularly to a system and method, which can more accurately predict rollover of a vehicle moving on a curved lane via estimating the height of the gravity center of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Automobiles have been indispensable for most families, and traffic accidents also fast increase with the rapid popularization of automobiles. Most of traffic accidents can be attributed to that the drivers are heedless of the road conditions. For example, the drivers do not decelerate in curved lanes and cause the vehicles to rush out of the curved lanes or roll over in the curved lanes.
Some GPS- or image recognition-based curve rollover prevention systems have been developed to promote driving safety, which can warn the driver with sounds when there is a curved lane ahead of the vehicle. The conventional curve rollover prevention systems do provide warning signals to prevent from vehicular rollover. However, they do not take in consideration the dynamic factors of the vehicle moving on a curved lane, such as the speed and lateral acceleration of the vehicle. Therefore, a drop exists between the reality and the estimation in the conventional curve rollover prevention systems. Nevertheless, measurement of dynamic parameters of a vehicle, such as the height variation of the gravity center of a vehicle and the rollover angle of the vehicle, is a difficult problem hard to surmount in developing a curve rollover prevention system. While moving on a curved lane, a vehicle would tilt slightly with its gravity center varied. The shift of the gravity center is very likely to influence the prediction of rollover speed.
Accordingly, the present invention proposes a system and method for preventing a vehicle from rolling over in a curved lane to overcome the abovementioned problems.

System and method for preventing vehicle from rolling over in curved lane


A structure for enabling control of the plasma potential of an ICP-MS. The structure includes: a shield plate 10 made of metal inserted between a plasma torch 1 and a high-frequency coil 2, a variable capacitor 11 connected between the shield plate 10 and ground, and an insulation member 15 is arranged to prevent contact of the high-frequency coil 2 with the shield plate 10. Even if a sample is introduced into ICP by any known method, it becomes capable to perform ICP-MS analysis while optimizing the response to interfering ions and detection sensitivity.

The invention relates to an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry Device (referred to hereinafter as an ICP-MS), and in particular relates to a device of this type which makes it possible to perform element analysis under a condition where the ionization rate and the interfering ion level are optimized by controlling a plasma potential of an Inductively Coupled Plasma (referred to hereinafter as an ICP).
Relevant prior art is disclosed, for example, in "The Basis and Application for the ICP Emission Analysis" by Haraguchi, published by the Koudan-sha Scientific, pages 13 to 19 and 99 to 104. FIG. 2 shows a part of the prior art which will be compared with the present invention. The device shown in FIG. 2 includes a plasma torch 1, a high-frequency coil 2, a gas control unit 3, a sprayer 4 for producing a fine spray, a sample solution 5, a spray chamber 6, a sampling orifice 7, an analysis tube 8, and an ICP 9. The plasma torch 1 is supplied, from the gas control unit 3, with a gas (for example, argon) which forms the plasma. The sample solution 5 is mixed in sprayer 4 with the gas from the gas control unit 3, and is sprayed in the form of a mist into spray chamber 6. The droplets in the mist are classified in spray chamber 6 and droplets having a diameter equal to or less than a predetermined diameter are transferred to plasma torch 1.
High-frequency coil 2 is supplied with high-frequency electric power at 27.12 MHz (or 40 MHz) by a high-frequency power source and a matching circuit (both not shown). IPC 9 is maintained by being inductively coupled with an alternating magnetic field generated by the high-frequency electric power in coil 2.
One end of IPC 9 is arranged with the analysis tube 8 which is exhausted by a vacuum pump (not shown) having a hole of about 1 mm in diameter as a sampling orifice 7 at the tip of it. The sample solution in the form of a mist is ionized within ICP 9 and introduced into the analysis tube 8. In the analysis tube 8, the ions are mass-separated by a mass filter (for example, a quadruple mass spectrometric device, not shown), and detected by a detector (for example, a channel-tron, not shown). Infinitesimal impurity elements in the sample solution are subjected to identification and determination based on mass and intensity of the ions thus detected.
In respect to a method of introducing the sample into the ICP there are various kinds of methods such as a method of heat introduction by electrical heat and a method of supersonic atomization and the like as disclosed in "The Basis and Application for the ICP Emission Analysis" by Haraguchi, published by the Koudan-sha Scientific, at pages 61 to 72, in addition to a method of sample spraying using the sprayer as shown in FIG. 2.
In the prior art there has not yet been a means for controlling ICP plasma potentials, accordingly ICP plasma potentials have varied depending on the status of the introduced samples. ICP plasma potentials will also vary depending on the grounding position of the high-frequency coils. If the ICP has a higher plasma potential, divalent ions of the impurity element in the sample solution to be detected or constituent ions of the sampling orifice are produces as interfering ions. If the ICP has too low a plasma potential, there exist elements (elements having higher ionization potentials such as iodine, bromine, and the like) in which detecting sensitivity is lowered due to a reduction of ionization rate. Further, the plasma potential of the ICP also affects the generation of oxide ions of the impurity element to be detected and interfering ions (ArO interfering with iron, ArAr interfering with selenium, and the like) caused by solvent of the sample or the constituent gas of the plasma. In the prior art, sensitivity to the interfering ions could not be controlled because the potentials of the ICP could not be controlled.

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry device


Increasing data transmission rate in an I2C system that includes an I2C source device and an destination device, the source device coupled to the destination device through an SDL and SCL, including: receiving in parallel, by the destination device, an SDL data signal and an SCL data signal, the SCL data signal encoded with bits; and, for each bit of the SCL data signal: detecting rise time of the bit and determining, in dependence upon the detected rise time, whether the bit represents a first binary value or a second binary value including: determining that the bit represents a first binary value when the detected rise time is less than a predefined threshold; and determining that the bit represents a second binary value when the detected rise time is not less than the predefined threshold.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is data processing, or, more specifically, methods, apparatus, and products for increasing data transmission rate in an Inter-Integrated Circuit ('I2C') system.
2. Description of Related Art
The Inter-Integrated Circuit ('I2C') data communications interface and protocol is used widely throughout computing and electronic systems for various reasons including the robustness and stability of the protocol. The protocol, however, does have a few limitations. In practice, the theoretic value for bandwidth provided by the I2C standard is difficult to realize due to the interface's use of passive drivers, which often miss the rise time requirements of the interface specification. Thus, most designs use a bus frequency considerably lower than the specified maximum possible bus speed. What is needed, therefore, is a way to increase the I2C bandwidth or data rate without increasing bus frequency.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Increasing data transmission rate in an inter-integrated circuit (‘I

Lenovo Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.


A control unit for an articulated robot has a memory unit which accumulates, when a safety stop function operates by contact or proximity between the articulated robot in operation and at least one of the human and an object, information of occurrence positions in each of which the contact or the proximity occurs or information detected by a sensor which can be used to derive the occurrence positions, the contact and the adjacent are causes of the operation of the safety stop function, and a display device which displays the occurrence positions on a predetermined display based on the information of the occurrence positions or the information detected by the sensor accumulated by the memory unit.

As a control unit for an articulated robot placed in a safety fence, a control unit which stops a robot when a door of a safety fence is in an open state, and then which stores the stop position and stop posture of the robot in a memory so that the articulated robot control unit can use, when resuming the operation, the stored stop position and the stop posture as the position and the posture of the robot is known. (See Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2005-219138, for example.)
On the other hand, an articulated robot which can be operable under a situation in which a human exists in a vicinity of the articulated robot without using a safety fence (such as a robot which can work together with human) has come to be used for a variety of ways. (See Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2017-074660, for example.) Such a robot control unit has a function of preventing objects from being caught by robot joints, a speed limit function, and a function of suspending robot operations when a sensor detects unsafe situations (safety stop function) so that the robot can operate under a situation in which a human exists in a vicinity of the robot.


A skincare pad-based application system and method utilizes a container containing individually packaged skincare products contained on disposable pads and arranged in a time-based order of intended use. The physical arrangement of the various products in the container or other packaging material simplifies application and increases the likelihood that products will be applied correctly and for maximum effect.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to skincare, and more particularly to a pad-based skincare application system and method.
2. Background and Related Art
Skincare products have increased in complexity of application and use. Many users of skincare products now worry about complicated skincare regimens involving the application of a variety of products. In many instances, the complexity of the correct application procedures and orders causes users to apply the products incorrectly, reducing the effectiveness of the skincare regimen.
In some instances, multiple different skincare products having different intended purposes are packaged in similar containers. Users of the products may apply such products incorrectly, including by using incorrect amounts of product or by mistakenly using one product when they intended to use another product. Even when a user recognizes that an incorrect product has been selected, product may be wasted before such recognition occurs. In short, there are a variety of unaddressed problems associated with current skincare products and regimens.

Skincare pad-based application system and method


A portable garment dryer, operable with a portable electric hair dryer which includes an outlet nozzle that can produce a heated airflow, the portable garment dryer including:                a. a housing formed by sidewalls, an open top end and a closed bottom end,        the housing being telescopically collapsible in a top to bottom direction from an extended state to a contracted state,        the housing side wall having an aperture extending transversely therethrough and into which the outlet nozzle of a portable electric hair dryer is insertable for directing a heated airflow into and through the housing and out the top end thereof, and        b. a perforated garment support mountable in the housing, the garment support adapted to support at least one garment in the heated airflow when the outlet nozzle of a portable hair dryer is inserted into the aperture in said housing wall,        whereby the garment can be dried by the heated airflow from the portable hair dryer.

This invention addresses the common problem for travelers who may need to wash and dry small garments, particularly undergarments and even hair pieces, in a hotel room that does not have basic washer/dryer laundry facilities.
Obviously, a traveler could hang such hand washed articles on a cord strung in a bathroom or other area; however, natural drying time may be inconveniently long, and if the environment is humid the article may not dry at all.
Numerous arrangements have been developed to utilize a common electric hair dryer, also called hair blower or dryer/blower, as a hot airflow source in attempts to dry wet garments in an area without a conventional electric tumble dryer. In one such arrangement there is a chamber which may be a garment bag into which a heated airflow is directed. A sampling of prior art arrangements is described below, each with its own functional features and limitations.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,757,586 to Miller et al. discloses a telescopically collapsible housing of square cross-section which is collapsible to a relatively thin box. This device does not use a portable hair dryer, and instead has its own heater, motor, fan and rotatable drum, and is quite large, heavy and expensive.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,164,755 to Moore discloses a large vinyl bag with a suspension hook at the top, a slide zipper to receive a garment, and an opening at the bottom to receive a hairdryer outlet that directs a hot airflow via a restriction nozzle into the expansion space within the bag.
U.S. Published Application No. 2008/0184590 to Lozaro discloses a large portable collapsible clothes dryer for use with a blower. This device has a shell housing encompassing a collapsible wire frame, and in open state includes struts to support clothes hangers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,249 to Manning discloses an elongated bag that is suspended with a hair dryer blowing in at the top with a top collar structure to support clothes on a hanger. This bag is collapsible to a flat state.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,446 to Reesman discloses non-collapsible box housing with an inlet hole for a hair dryer nozzle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,538 to Little discloses a non-collapsible drum-shaped box with a hair dryer.


A solution is disclosed for memory management of serverless databases that includes: based at least on detecting a trigger event, determining whether memory is to be reclaimed; based at least on determining that memory is to be reclaimed, determining an amount of memory to be reclaimed; identifying memory to be reclaimed; and reclaiming the identified memory. Disclosed solutions are flexible, enabling customization of the aggressiveness and manner of memory reclamation. This permits users to specify a tailored balance point between performance and cost, for arrangements that bill users based on resource usage (e.g., memory consumed by a serverless database). In some examples, users specify a ramp-down parameter that is used to determine how much memory can be evicted in a particular reclamation event, time intervals (or another criteria) for triggering a reclamation event, and a definition for whether a cache is active.

Cloud-based database service offerings include both provisioning a fixed level of resources and also providing demand-based options, in which users pay an amount that is largely based on the actual resources used (CPU, memory, I/O loading). This latter option may be referred to as a serverless database model (or service), and provides potential advantages for users with intermittent, bursty, and/or unpredictable workloads. Some examples are retail websites with cool/hot sales seasons, independent service vendors who provide software as a service (SaaS) applications, or development and testing environments with burstable requests with heavy workloads, etc. In such examples, it may be challenging for users to configure the optimal capacity at the proper time, and result in higher costs when users pay for surplus capacity.
Generally, database servers cache data pages, query execution plans, column store entries, locks, security tokens, and other data items to improve performance. In some scenarios, cache memory usage persists, even in the absence of an active user workload. This may have a negative cost impact for the serverless model.

Memory management for serverless databases


A flow diverter is automatically detected from medical imaging data. The appearance of the flow diverter as represented in the data as well as the geometry or shape of the flow diverter is used in the detection. Using scoring for appearance relative to the centerline and cross-section of the centerline, the flow diverter is detected for increasing visualization.

The present embodiments relate to detecting a flow diverter in aneurysm treatment.
Aneurysms may be treated by placing an endovascular coil. Stent-assisted coil placement has been developed to address unfavorable aneurysm features, such as wide neck, large size, fusiform morphology, and post treatment recanalization. However, use of the coil may be associated with higher rates of aneurysm recurrence and procedure-induced mortality.
Flow-diverting devices may overcome some of these problems. Endovascular placement of flow diversion devices as a treatment for intracranial aneurysms is gaining acceptance. In a flow diverter procedure, a stent or other flow diverter is placed to block the aneurysm. Following the procedure, a post-op x-ray (e.g., DynaCT by Siemens) scan is performed. The clinicians visually assess the outcome of the procedure. As FIG. 1 shows, a flow diverter, as a relatively small device, is embedded in surrounding tissues and is difficult to distinguish from tissue and other structure. The clinician may manually adjust the visualization to locate the flow diverter and make the flow diverter visible for clinical evaluation. FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flow diverter in FIG. 1 after manual adjustment of the visualization. However, the manual adjustment is difficult and time consuming, resulting in increased costs.

Flow diverter detection in medical imaging


A method and system for simulating and analyzing the behavior of a structural component of a computerized model in response to a simulated event to determine an optimized shape for the component is disclosed. The shape is optimized using an implicit dimensional reduction rather than an explicit geometric replacement by discarding data of a 3D discretization that has little or no bearing on the performance of the component to a simulated event. The reduced dataset is then collapsed onto a lower dimension projection that is applied over a force vector that is representative of the simulated event to determine the behavior of the component to the simulated event. Optimization tools may then be used to modify the physical attributes of the component and performance of the component once again simulated until an optimized component is determined.

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is a software modeling tool used by design engineers to pre-test a virtual (computerized) model prior to physical construction of the model. In general, FEA tools are used to assess the behavior or performance of a computer model, or element of the model, in response to agent. To do so, the FEA tools break down a 3D model into multiple elements. The mathematical problem, representative of the agent, is applied to each element and solved, and then the elements are then "assembled" together to show the net effect on the entire model of the agent. If the results of the first analysis show that a bracket will fail under a give load, then the model is often thickened in that area. In order to test the "thickened" bracket, the entire mesh and the analysis is rerun to assess the performance. This is referred to as shape optimization, and is an integral part of engineering design.
In general, shape optimization is synthesis of computer aided design and computer aided engineering to analyze, refine, and optimize the geometry of engineering components with minimal human input. One of the problems of conventional shape optimization processes is that the evolving geometry may become slender, e.g., beam or plate-like. When an artifact, i.e., structural element, or portions of it, becomes slender, conventional 3D computational processes, such as finite element analysis, become less practical. More particularly, the computational demands of the finite element analysis for such slender elements cause a significant slowdown and, in some case, inaccurate results. Thus, while conventional 3D finite element analysis are effective for analyzing solid elements, it is less than ideal for slender elements, such as slender plates and slender beams.
More particularly, it is well known that for slender elements or structures, it is necessary to carry out a geometric dimensional reduction prior to finite element analysis. Explicit geometric reduction entails replacing the 3D slender region of the element with an equivalent 2D plate or 1D beam. Although the underlying mathematics is well understood in the art, geometric reduction involves many mathematical operations that are difficult to automate. For example, the 3D slender region must be removed from the parent body via a computer aided design operation. Then, the cross-sectional data, such as area, moment of inertia, etc. must be extracted from the slender region. Thereafter, an appropriate lower dimensional geometric entity must be constructed and a stiffness matrix for the slender region and a stiffness matrix for the remaining 3D region must be assembled separately, which may involve disparate computer aided engineering systems. The matrices must then be suitably coupled and the global multidimensional system must be analyzed and, finally, the resulting solution must be post-processed to extract quantities or interest from regions of varying dimensions.
One proposed process for automating the aforementioned series of steps relies on the medial axis concept; however, medial axis computation is also known to be expensive and difficult to implement, especially in a 3D environment.
The issues become more challenging and problematic since some of the aforementioned computer aided design operations must be undone if the slender region grows back into a full 3D region. Thus, "switching back and forth" between 3D analysis and dimensionally reduced analysis is not only time consuming, but can be cumbersome and thus impractical.
The design of microcantilevers is particularly illustrative of the hurdles associated with conventional designing of thin components or components having thin or slender portions. Microcantilevers are high aspect ratio beams, made typically from silicon or silicon nitride, with thicknesses in the order of a few micrometers. Due to their relatively small size, microcantilevers can detect minute changes in the environment; for example, when properly designed, they can measure relative humidity, temperature, pressure, flow, viscosity, sound, natural gas, mercury vapor, or ultraviolet and infrared radiation, and can also be used as biosensors-devices to detect DNA sequences and proteins.
Microcantilevers are designed through a highly iterative and tedium process that relies heavily on computation methods such as 3D finite element analysis (FEA) and ID beam analysis. While frequently used, such methods are often ill-suited for microcantilever design as well as other structures having high aspect ratios. That is, it is known that 3D FEA results in poor quality finite elements for structures having high aspect ratios, i.e., L>>W. Generally, it has been found that conventional 3D FEA underestimates the displacement of the thin part and overestimates the stress of the thin part in response to a tip-load, for example. As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional 3D FEA generally involves the construction of a 3D computer model 10, followed by a 3D mesh analysis 12, which is then followed by assembling and solving of the finite elements 14.
Conventional ID beam analysis is also not well suited for thin parts, such as microcantilevers. Conventional ID beam analysis, as shown in FIG. 2, generally consists of the generation of a 3D computer model 16, representation of the 3D component as a ID element 18, and then the model, as modified by the modified component, is meshed, assembled, and solved 20 under the constraints of the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory 22. ID beam analysis poses numerous automation challenges in that it is hard to integrate within a 3D CAD environment. Specifically, as microcantilevers become increasingly complex, computing the ID beam geometry from a 3D CAD model can be cumbersome and difficult to automate. As noted above, explicit beam geometry construction entails modification of the 3D CAD model, and can therefore lead to product inconsistency. Further, coupling the 1D geometry to 3D structural elements is non-trivial and requires case-by-case programming. Finally, post-processing and visualizing the 1D analysis results within the 3D environment defeats the very purpose of 3D modeling.
A number of shape optimization techniques have been developed that seek to overcome the drawbacks of conventional techniques and especially those encountered during the design of microcantilevers and other slender/thin parts. However, these proposed techniques also suffer from shortcomings. For instance, one proposed technique is a solid-shell analysis. Solid-shell analysis, however, entails a priori information of the finite element mesh and therefore requires manual interaction. Another proposed technique, generally referred to as "reduced integration", lead to degenerate hourglass modes and must therefore be stabilized, often on a case-by-case basis. Several hybrid/mixed variational methods have been proposed; however, these methods have been found to be computational inefficient compared to standard displacement based methods. Moreover, none of the aforementioned proposed techniques are believed to deliver the same accuracy as explicit geometric reduction.
Therefore, there remains a need in the art for a shape optimization that offers the accuracy of explicit geometric reduction but that is computationally efficient and thus workable for 3D slender parts.

Method and system for analysis and shape optimization of physical structures using a computerized algebraic dual representation implicit dimensional reduction


A method is provided for garbage collection in a heap of an application server that uses automated garbage collection. The method comprises gathering information about a plurality of garbage collection events. The method further comprises identifying a correlation between garbage collection activity and a volume of applications transactions in the application server. The method further comprises, based on the correlation, forecasting at least one of a future utilization of heap memory and a future garbage collection activity based on a projected future transaction volume. The method further comprises tuning the heap based on the forecast.

Java applications may be executed within a variety of commercially available Java virtual machine (JVM) execution frameworks. A JVM can be installed on a server computer to act as a virtual application server within the actual server. One feature of a typical JVM is a memory area known as the heap, where objects created during the execution of a Java program can be stored. The JVM can periodically perform a garbage collection procedure on the heap, during which memory locations used by objects that are no longer referenced by the program are freed for other uses. This automated garbage collection process can relieve the Java programmer from the task of writing code to release the memory allocated to objects that are no longer used.
The heap can be divided into at least two sections or generations. Recently created objects are placed in a young generation. As the young generation fills up, a minor or incremental garbage collection procedure can be performed, in which memory space used by objects that are no longer referenced by the Java program is reclaimed. Objects that are still being referenced are moved to an old or tenured generation. As the old generation fills up, a major garbage collection procedure can be performed. A major garbage collection involves an examination of all objects in both the young and old generations and can therefore last much longer than a minor garbage collection.
Since all application processing stops while a minor or major garbage collection event is occurring, it may be desirable to reduce the amount of time spent in garbage collection. This is especially relevant for a multi-processor system since only one of the plurality of processors can perform garbage collection at a given time. Throughput in such a system might be greatly reduced since the other processors in the system remain idle while a single processor performs garbage collection.

Method and system for adaptive recovery of heap memory


Processes herein may be used to thermally crack various hydrocarbon feeds, and may eliminate the refinery altogether while making the crude to chemicals process very flexible in terms of crude. In embodiments herein, crude is progressively separated into light and heavy fractions utilizing convection heat from heaters used in steam cracking. Depending on the quality of the light and heavy fractions, these are routed to one of three upgrading operations, including a fixed bed hydroconversion unit, a fluidized catalytic conversion unit, or a residue hydrocracking unit that may utilize either an ebullated bed reactor with extrudate catalysts or a slurry hydrocracking reactor using a homogeneous catalyst system, such as a molybdenum based catalysts which may optionally be promoted with nickel. Products from the upgrading operations can be finished olefins and/or aromatics, or, for heavier products from the upgrading operations, may be used as feed to the steam cracker.

Hydrocarbon mixtures having an end boiling point over 550° C. are generally not processed directly in a pyrolysis reactor to produce olefins, as the reactor cokes fairly rapidly. While limiting reaction conditions may reduce the fouling tendency, the less severe conditions result in a significant loss in yield.
To date, most crude has been partially converted to chemicals in large refinery-petrochemicals complexes. The focus of the refinery is to produce transportation fuels such as gasoline and diesel. Low value streams from the refinery such as LPG and light naphtha are routed to petrochemicals complexes that may or may not be adjacent to the refinery. The petrochemicals complex then produces chemicals such as benzene, paraxylene, ethylene, propylene and butadiene. A typical complex of this kind is shown in FIG. 1.
In the conventional method, crude oil is desalted and preheated and sent to a crude oil distillation column. There, various cuts comprising, naphtha, kerosene, diesel, gasoil, vacuum gas oil (VGO) and residue are produced. Some cuts like naphtha and gas oils are used as feed to produce olefins. VGO and residue are hydrocracked to produce fuels. The products obtained from the crude tower (atmospheric distillation) and from the vacuum tower are used as fuel (gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, etc.) Generally, they do not meet fuel specifications. Therefore, isomerization, reforming, and/or hydroprocessing (hydrodesulfurization, hydrodenitrogenation, and hydrocracking) are done to these products before use as a fuel. Olefin plants may receive feeds before refining and/or after refining, depending upon the refinery.
The general consensus in the art is that hydrocarbon mixtures having a wide boiling range and/or hydrocarbons having a high end boiling point require an initial separation of the hydrocarbons into numerous fractions, such as gas/light hydrocarbons, naphtha range hydrocarbons, gas oil, etc., and then cracking each fraction under conditions specific for those fractions, such as in separate cracking furnaces. In special cases where the crude is extra light, typically with API >40, or when dealing with condensates, the refinery has been partially bypassed, such as by feeding the light crude directly to the convection section of heaters used in steam cracking in systems such as shown in FIG. 2. As illustrated, an extra light crude or condensate 10 may be heated in the convection zone 12 of a pyrolysis heater 14. The heated crude 16 may then be flashed in a flash drum 18 to recover a vapor phase 20 and a liquid phase 22. The vapor phase 20 may then be further heated and fed to a radiant section 24 of the pyrolysis heater 14 for conversion to an olefinic product 26. This scheme, while being able to process whole light crude or condensate, still has to rely on an adjacent refinery to handle the residual heavy product.
Referring now to FIG. 3, others have proposed hydroprocessing the whole crude in a fixed bed reactor system 28 to hydrogenate the feed and to reduce its specific gravity and end point. The hydroprocessed whole crude 30 is then sent to the convection section 12 of a pyrolysis heater and thence to a flash drum 18 as shown in FIG. 3, where like numerals represent like parts. This scheme would permit the processing of slightly heavier crudes compared to the extra light crudes and condensates of the FIG. 2 scheme, but has the following disadvantages: (i) the front end hydroprocessing will require many reactor trains and very large volumes of catalyst, and (ii) there is still the requirement for an upgrader for the heavy product.

Process for conversion of crudes and condensates to chemicals utilizing a mix of hydrogen addition and carbon rejection


To improve the function whereby each of the nails (2) is retained at a position which is vertical to both belt-shaped bodies (5,5) in the connecting nail (1) which is provided with multiple nails (2) with a head part (3) attached and two band-shaped belt-shaped bodies (5,5) which are made of a synthetic resin. This invention is provided with two belt-shaped bodies (5,5) which are disposed so that they are separate from one another in the axial direction of the nail (2) and parallel to one another and at the same time, multiple nail through holes (6a) are formed at appropriate intervals. Multiple cylindrical gripping parts (7) which communicate with the nail through holes (6a) and which can grip the shaft part (4) of the nail (2) are formed on both belt-shaped bodies (5,5). The shaft part 4 of the nail (2) is supported at two locations: one location which approaches the heat part and another location which approaches the front end at two gripping parts (7,7) which are aligned in a single row along the axial direction of each of the nails (2) of both belt-shaped bodies (5,5).

In the prior art, connecting fasteners which are used in electric, pneumatic and other power operated driving tools were provided with (a) multiple fasteners with heads attached; (b) a fastener holder which retained these groups of fasteners so that they formed a set and so that the position was arrayed in parallel at appropriate intervals.
An example of the connecting screw as this type of connecting fastener is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In this example, multiple screws are planted at appropriate intervals on a band-shaped body made of a soft synthetic resin. A cylindrical body which passes through the through holes which the screw passes through and which is able to grasp the shaft part of the screw is formed on the band-shaped body. Slits which make it easy for the head part of the screw to pass through are formed around each of the cylindrical parts.
An example of a connecting nail which is used as a connecting fastener is disclosed in Patent Document 2. In this example, multiple nails are planted at appropriate intervals on a connecting body which when seen in schematic cross-section is shaped like a box with the left hand side missing which is made of a plastic sheet. Slits which make it easy for the head part of the nail to pass through are formed around through holes through which nails on the connecting body pass through.
The connecting fastener described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 is mounted on a power-operated driving tool before using. By intermittently transferring the connecting fastener which is mounted on the power operated driving tool, the fasteners are driven out from the heads of the power operated driving tool. When the fasteners are being driven, the band-shaped body and the connecting body remain inside the power operated driving tool and only one fastener is driven to the outside.
A structure which connects multiple nails by two connecting bodies is disclosed in Patent Document 3 as another example of the connecting nail. Both of the connecting bodies in this example have a structure which features adjacent thin ring-shaped unit holders which are disposed so that they are parallel to one another via a bridging part which cuts by driving using the power operated driving tool. Each of the nails fits into two unit holding parts which appear to overlap when seen from the direction in which both connecting bodies are arranged so that they are arranged at appropriate intervals. As a result, each of the nails supports (a) a part which approaches the head part of the shaft part and (b) a member which approaches the front end by two thin ring-shaped unit retaining parts.
The connecting nail which is described in Patent Document 3 is used by mounting onto a nail driving device which is used as a power operated driving tool. When the nails are being driven, the bridging part which connects to each of the unit holding parts to the nails which have been driven are clamped between the head part of the aforementioned nail and the surface of the member.


A paste formation pattern for odd numbers on which dot groups are arranged in an island form and a paste formation pattern for even numbers on which dot groups are arranged at opposing positions to the dot groups on the paste formation pattern for odd numbers in an island form are set. Further, a paste discharge head is controlled such that the set paste formation pattern for odd numbers is formed on an adhesion surface of an odd-numbered sheet of paper and the discharge head is controlled such that the set paste formation pattern for even numbers is formed on an adhesion surface of an even-numbered sheet of paper.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an adhesive application apparatus which discharges an adhesive from a discharge head onto adhesion surfaces of media, which are pasted to each other, so as to apply the adhesive thereto in dot-pattern form and a control method of the same.
2. Related Art
As an adhesive application apparatus of this type, an adhesive application apparatus which discharges liquid droplets containing an adhesive with an ink jet system so as to apply the adhesive to an adhesion surface of a medium has been proposed (for example, see JP-A-2009-279538). In the apparatus, an adhesive application amount per unit area on a contour portion is made smaller than that on a center portion of the adhesion surface in order to suppress the adhesive from running off from the contour portion when the adhesion surface is adhered.
As described above, it is considered that what the adhesive application amount is made smaller while ensuring an adhesive force is an important object in the adhesive application apparatus. Note that a case where the adhesive is applied to both surfaces of media so as to paste them to each other is considered. In this case, the adhesive application amount tends to be larger in comparison with a case where the adhesive is applied to an adhesion surface of one medium only and the medium is pasted to a target medium. Therefore, the above object is considered to be more important in that case.

Adhesive application apparatus and control method of the same


A computer drive module including at least one computer drive; a module housing; and a backplane printed circuit board. The module housing includes a first section adapted to be connected to a computer housing and a second section movably connected to the first section between a retracted position and an extended position. The second section is adapted to pivot relative to the first section when the second section is at the extended position. The backplane printed circuit board is connected to a rear end of the second section of the module housing.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a computer and, more particularly, to a computer module connection.
2. Brief Description of Prior Developments
A problem exists with large server computers in that the different modules of the server need to be accessed for upgrade and service. Many times subsystems and modules get buried underneath other subsystems and modules which make service and customer upgrade tasks much more difficult in the field. Hard drive cages are one such type of module that also require access to the rear of the module for customer upgrade or service.
Previous systems typically address the problem in either of two methods. First, access from above the hard drive cage is often provided to allow the customer or servicer to access the hard drive backplane on the rear of the cage from above the system. However this solution requires that access be provided above the hard drive cage. Second, access to internal components on modules can be provided by removing the module from the system entirely and working on the module on a separate work surface. This works well when one can exchange out the entire module for upgrade or replacement. However, work surfaces are rare in data centers, and drive cages are often so compact that the electronic boards prevent the cage from being placed on a work surface to be serviced. The backplane can be permanently fastened to the cage itself, so if the backplane needs to be replaced, the entire cage needs to be replaced.
A solution is needed that solves all of these limitations. It should also provide the ability to upgrade or service internal components of a computer module when there is no access from above the module; in a serviceable position without having to remove the entire module and take it to another work surface to perform service on it. However, it should also be easy to remove the entire module in the case of a technology upgrade by the customer.

International Business Machines Corporation


An electronic shift lever apparatus of an automatic transmission improving operability which may be provided in a room of a vehicle adopting the automatic transmission, may include a base having a lower member fixed to the vehicle and an upper member positioned above the lower member, a frame engaged to the upper member and horizontally slidable with respect to the upper member, a shift lock controlling device disposed between the frame and the upper member of the base and selectively locking the frame to the base, and an upper cover positioned above the frame, slidable vertically, and selectively unlocking the shift lock controlling device which controls an engaging state of the frame to the base.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic shift lever of an automatic transmission, and more particularly, to an electronic shift lever of an automatic transmission that improves operability in such a manner that an operating method is simplified in a shift operation and that an operating distance and operating force are reduced.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, an automatic transmission is mounted on most of vehicles for shifting a gear.
The automatic transmission is operated to a shift range which a driver desires by a shift lever provided indoor.
The electronic shift lever of the automatic transmission in the related art as one of the example has a shape as shown in FIG. 1. The electronic shift lever 100 of the automatic transmission passes through range N in order to shift from an initial position to range R or range D and thereafter, the shift lever is moved forward or backward so as to be shifted from range R to range D.
In the electronic shift lever of the automatic transmission in the related art, since the initial state has to be moved to range N and thereafter, moved to range R or range D as shown in FIG. 2, an operating distance is increased. Further, when the operating distance of the shift lever is increased, operating force is also increased and it is disadvantageous in designing a package in a vehicle.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

Electronic shift lever for improving operability in automatic transmission


Method for planning a telecommunications network for radio equipment including a plurality of cells distributed on a geographic area, each one of which has a set of elementary territory areas (pixels) adapted to receive a radio signal radiated by a respective fixed radio base station, wherein radio equipment located in a cell is subjected to receive signals from common pilot channels broadcast by a plurality of radio base stations. The method includes, for each cell, the estimation of the interference level provided by nearby cells to the traffic offered to pixels of the cell related to the power difference between pilot channels broadcast by the base station of the cell and pilot channels broadcast by base stations of nearby cells. Such estimation is obtained depending on the amount of traffic expected in the examined pixels.

Telecommunication networks, particularly for radio-mobile equipment of the cellular type, are characterized by the division of the network covering geographic area into a plurality of cells, each one of which is defined as the set of elementary territory areas (pixels) served by the radio-electric signal radiated by the antenna of a fixed radio base station.
Telecommunication networks for third-generation UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) radio-mobile terminals use, as known, a radio interface based on the CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technique.
Among the known cellular networks, those that use a CDMA access technique show the peculiarity that the same frequency band (channel) can be used in different cells, so that the passage of a mobile terminal from one cell to another neighbor cell (handover) can be managed by using the same frequency. Such technique are called "soft handover".
The "soft handover" mechanism provides that, in particular areas, called soft handover or macro-diversity areas, a mobile terminal is able to decode the signals from many antennas, and therefore to exchange information with many Radio Base Stations (RBS).
The location of macro-diversity areas and their dimensioning are highly important for the correct operation and cell equipment dimensioning in a telecommunications network since, as obvious, a mobile terminal in macro-diversity engages resources from all Radio Base Stations with which it is simultaneously connected.
A further peculiarity of UTMS networks consists in that such networks are adapted to provide a plurality of services, such as for example:                Telephone;        Fax;        Video-telephone;        Internet access,and that each one of such services generally has service-specific characteristics in terms of speed (number of bits per second) and traffic (amount, symmetrical or asymmetrical).
It follows that, when planning a network, cell sizing must jointly take into account the characteristics of each service and the possible grouping of services on a single radio carrier, as provided in agreement with the CDMA access technique.
Therefore, planning of UMTS networks, due to its peculiarity, is a complex activity that requires substantially different approaches from those so far used for known mobile networks such as GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) or IS95 (Interim Standard).
The known methods for simulating UMTS networks can be grouped, according to their approach, into two different families: "statistic" methods and "deterministic" methods.
Statistic methods are mainly based on a Montecarlo type approach (refer to 3GPP TR 25.942 v6.0.0 2002-12—"RF System Scenarios—Release 6").
The term "Montecarlo simulation" is usually employed for pointing out a static simulation composed of a series of statistically independent "snapshots". After having fixed the scenario object of the study, each snapshot consists in a realization of a stochastic process generated starting from different distributions of users in the examined area, that simulates the behavior of the examined network. At the end of every snapshot network performance indicators are provided as results. The simulation ends with the statistical analysis of various performance indicators provided by the snapshots, for which their number must be enough to guarantee statistic stability of results that will determine such planning.
It is a rather specific methodology that is particularly adapted to examine performances of a network, for example of the UTMS type, that is scarcely geographically extended, but that, due to an intrinsic model "slowness" due to the statistic convergence of results, cannot be extended to the treatment of networks of such type related to geographic areas that can be compared with those of a nation such as Italy, for example.
Deterministic methods, though keeping the static analysis characteristic, systematically take into account all territory pixels on which the network insists, and clearly are more adapted for planning networks, for example of the UTMS type, related to very wide geographic areas, even if the result generally has smaller levels of compliance with the evolving reality. Different from Montecarlo methods, they have as input a single distribution of users and are carried out in a single simulation without the need of statistic aggregations of results.
Depending on a series of simulations using one of the previously mentioned methods, it is possible to realize a planning process that results in a set of network configuration parameters to be adopted to reach performances that the network must guarantee for the provided users.
Among the objectives in terms of performances of a planning process performed using any simulation method, being a statistic or deterministic one, the "pilot pollution" phenomenon limitation becomes important.
Like every cellular radio-mobile system, the UTMS system too provides for common control channels that are spread within the whole area of each cell. Such channels transmit system information that are mandatory for receiving terminals.
Among these, the CPICH (Common PIlot CHannel) pilot channel is a physical channel in downlink that transmits a predefined sequence of bits at 30 kbit/s and is used by mobile terminals for synchronizing to the network. The pilot channel signal acts as "beacon" to point out the existence of a nearby base station to network receiving terminals.
Each cell transmits its own pilot signal at a common frequency, and with a power that is a fraction of the maximum power that can be radiated by the cell. The comparison between signal powers of different pilot channels allows the terminals to recognize the server base station and to manage possible hand-over processes.
If a terminal is in an area in which it receives the pilot signals of a greater number of cells than the number of cells that can be managed by the terminal and with comparable powers, there results an interference phenomenon known as "pilot pollution" that can create a decreased transmission capability in the area or even the loss of current calls. This phenomenon also implies higher consumption of internal terminal power due to the increase of processing needs. In fact, in such situation, the mobile terminal continuously changes the set of cells to which it is connected in macro-diversity (so-called "active set"), since the number of candidate cells to macro-diversity is greater than the maximum number of cells that can be managed by the terminal itself.
The pilot pollution therefore is an indicator of how many cells in excess are perceived by a radio-mobile terminal when it is connected to a network (and therefore of how many cells in excess would be perceived by a radio-mobile terminal once connected to the network being planned) with respect to its capability of managing cells (maximum number of cells to which it can be connected in macro-diversity) and with respect to parameters being set in the network.
For such purposes, systems and methods are known in the art for planning UMTS networks that take into account the pilot pollution phenomenon, for example the 3g Tool by Aircom International based on a Montecarlo method, and the NPSW (Network Planning. Strategies for WCDMA) Tool by Nokia (see manual: "Radio Network Planning Optimization for UMTS", Joana et al., Wiley&Sons, 2002) based on a deterministic method.
The Applicant has detected that, from part of the known art, the pilot pollution evaluation is performed based on information related to electromagnetic coverages and parameters set in the network, such as, for example, the macro-diversity depth (in dBm) and the maximum number of cells to which the terminal can be connected in macro-diversity ("active set"). The Applicant has further observed that planning of a network configuration that limits the pilot pollution phenomenon based only on the knowledge of the electromagnetic coverages of the cells does not optimize the use of network resources, since network resources are paid also in areas where they would not be necessary, namely in non-critical areas as regards the service offer profile, where the number of users that access the network is rather small.

Method, system and computer program for planning a telecommunications network


The invention provides a method of forming an electronic device from a lamina that has a coefficient of thermal expansion that is matched or nearly matched to a constructed metal support. In some embodiments the method comprises implanting the top surface of a donor body with an ion dosage to form a cleave plane followed by exfoliating a lamina from the donor body. After exfoliating the lamina, a flexible metal support that has a coefficient of thermal expansion with a value that is within 10% of the value of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the lamina is constructed on the lamina. In some embodiments the coefficients of thermal expansion of the metal support and the lamina are within 10% or within 5% of each other between the temperatures of 100 and 600° C.

In conventional methods for fabricating photovoltaic cells and other electronic devices from semiconductor wafers, the wafer is generally thicker than actually required by the device. Making thinner semiconductor lamina from wafers requires methods and materials to support the lamina. Improved methods and apparatus to produce electronic devices utilizing thin lamina are useful in a variety of configurations.


A quality validation method to improve inspection and validation processes by increasing their quality, efficiency, and positive impact. This method automatically prompts operators at one or more validation stations to follow a validation path comprising one or more validation items configurable by part number. It allows for automatic or manual feedback on the result of each item checked, the ability to enforce a particular pack-out consist based upon user provided specifications, and the ability of historically storing inspection results comprising container, part and inspection item information and results. It additionally provides an easily accessible interface to configure validation items and areas by part number, configure validation paths comprising of a variable quantity and order of validation items, and obtain information in a variety of useful formats.

The historically used process of detecting product non-conformances is to first define the non-conformance to be detected, compose a written procedure to visually or otherwise detect the defined non-conformance, train operators on the written procedure, direct operators to execute the written procedure, and then manually record the total number of parts inspected and the total number of non-conformances detected. This process is highly labor intensive to set-up, especially when multiple part configurations and/or multiple non-conformance items are involved. The process is also vulnerable to operator training and performance when many process combinations for multiple part configurations and/or non-conformances must be retained and followed. The process also requires a measurable amount of labor to record data that, due to its manually recorded nature, is subject to low accuracy and limited visibility to engineers and decision makers.
Known systems and processes do not include a way to automatically display and facilitate a step-by-step validation process. For example, in known systems, the validation process is documented and facilitated using written procedures and paper or computerized data collection forms. In cases where multiple part configurations with varying composition of validation items must be inspected, the variations must be documented in multiple procedures. Rather than providing a way to automatically display each item of the required validation process in the order of execution for the current part configuration, current solutions require that inspection personnel retain the process information for every process performed or refer back to one of multiple procedures if the correct process is forgotten.


Automated provisioning, according to one example embodiment, enables a mutual customer to establish an intelligent and automated connection between an accounting software system and their financial institution. For example, this might be achieved by allowing a financial institution customer to make feeds from their bank accounts available to the accounting software system within financial internet software (e.g., hosted and operated by the customer's financial institution). Once a customer selects the bank account(s) they want to share with the accounting software system, they are passed along to the accounting software system to link the selected bank account with an account they have set up in the accounting software system.

Accounting systems are critical business tools, widely used by businesses around the globe, for the purpose of tracking, storing, and processing important financial data. However, the existing accounting systems contain many glaring inefficiencies. Users of many traditional accounting systems import data from their financial accounts by manually entering data into the accounting system. Alternatively, some users can download data from the financial institution holding the financial account and then manually upload that data into the accounting system.
Users of many traditional accounting systems pay bills by manually interacting with their financial accounts or writing checks. After the payment is made, users manually update their accounting data to show that the bills are paid and that the balance in the account from which payment is drawn is reduced. Given the widespread use of accounting systems, there is a strong need for innovative systems and access methods that create a more intelligent, automated, and integrated system.

Systems and methods of access control and system integration


Fluorinated benzoyl compounds of the formula: ##STR1## wherein Q is a lower alkyl group, a halogen atom, --CH.sub.2 CO.sub.2 R.sup.1 wherein R.sup.1 is a lower alkyl group, or ##STR2## wherein each of R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 is a lower alkyl group, are disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel fluorinated benzoyl compounds useful as intermediates for medicines and agricultural chemicals, particularly as intermediates for fluorinated pyridone carboxylic acid type synthetic antibacterial agents.
2. Discussion of the Background
It is known that 1,4-dihydro-4-oxoquinoline derivatives having a cyclopropyl or a substituted aryl group at the 1-position (hereinafter referred to as quinolone compounds) are useful as fluorine-containing synthetic antibacterial agents. As intermediates for the synthesis of such antibacterial agents, the following intermediates have been proposed.
(1) Japanese Unexamined Patent publication No. 74638/1983 discloses a synthesis of a quinolone compound having a cyclopropyl group at the 1-position and the intermediates for the synthesis thereof. ##STR3##
(2) Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 85350/1986 discloses a synthesis of a quinolone compound via 2,4-dichloro-5-fluorobenzoic acid from 1,3-dichloro-4-fluorobenzene as the starting material. ##STR4##
(3) Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 148484/1987 discloses a synthesis of a quinolone compound having a thienyl group at the 1-position from 2-bromo-4,5-difluorobenzoic acid. ##STR5##
In both processes disclosed in publications (1) and (2), 7-chloroquinolone compounds are prepared via 2,4-dichloro-5-fluorobenzoic acid. Such 7-chloroquinolone compounds are reacted, usually after the hydrolysis, with a cyclic amine for conversion to various synthetic antibacterial agents, as shown below. ##STR6## wherein R.sup.2 is cyclopropyl, a substituted aryl group or a thienyl group.
However, the reactivity of chlorine at the 7-position of this quinolone compound derived from the chlorine at the 4-position of 2,4-dichloro-5-fluorobenzoic acid is not high, and there is a drawback that the yield is inadequate, or the reaction condition is obliged to be severe even when the cyclic amine is a usual compound such as piperazine or a substituted piperazine.
Further, in the case of an amine compound having a low reactivity such as a tricyclic diazabicyclo alkyl compound as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 103083/1987, it is preferred to employ highly reactive 7-fluoroquinolone compounds instead of the 7-chloroquinolone compounds having low reactivities.
The reactions of the 6,7-difluoroquinolone compound derived from 2-bromo-4,5-difluorobenzoic acid as shown in publication (3) with the cyclic amines proceed in good yield. However, this process has a drawback that 2-bromo-4,5-difluorobenzoic acid used as an intermediate in this process is difficult to synthesize. Namely, as a synthesis of 2-bromo-4,5-difluorobenzoic acid, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 108839/1987 discloses a hydrolysis method of 2-bromo-4,5-difluorobenzotrifluoride. However, by this method, 3,4-difluorobenzotrifluoride used as the starting material is hardly available and is difficult to synthesize. Further, this method has an additional disadvantage that an expensive corrosion-resistant material is required for the apparatus for the hydrolysis reaction.
Further, it is possible to obtain 2-bromo-4,5-difluorobenzoic acid by using known reactions, as shown below. ##STR7##
However, this method requires expensive 3,4-difluoroaniline as a starting material and employs highly toxic and dangerous copper cyanide. Therefore, it is difficult to practically operate this method on an industrial scale.
On the other hand, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 108839/1987 discloses a process represented by the following reaction as the only method for the production of 2-chloro-4,5-difluorobenzoic acid. ##STR8##
However, this process generates hydrogen fluoride, and accordingly has a drawback that the material of the reactor is obliged to be expensive such being disadvantageous for industrial operation.

Process for preparing fluorinated benzoyl compounds


Aspects disclosed herein include a device including a bump pad structure and methods for fabricating the same. The device includes a bump pad. The device also includes a first trace adjacent the bump pad, where a first trace top surface is recessed a first recess distance from a bump pad top surface. The device also includes a second trace adjacent the first trace, covered at least in part by a solder resist. The device also includes a substrate, where the bump pad, the first trace, and the second trace are each formed on a portion of the substrate.

Integrated circuit technology has achieved great strides in advancing computing power through miniaturization of active components. Integrated passive components have also been miniaturized. Fifth generation (5G) cellular networks, commonly referred to as 5G, are expected to include frequencies in the range of up to 100 GHz to be used for mobile devices. As frequencies and data rates get higher, there is a need for further miniaturization of components and for higher density line and pin counts. Additionally, there has been a general trend of smaller form factors for mobile devices, such as, smartphones and tablets, laptops, notebooks, etc. To reduce the overall form factor, the thickness of the dies and package substrates should be as thin as possible. Recent advances in high-density and low-cost package substrates have been achieved through various fabrication technologies, such as embedded-trace-substrate (ETS), semi-additive process (SAP), modified semi-additive process (mSAP) and the like. However, as the line density and pin count have increased challenges have arisen such as solder joint reliability of the high density substrates.
Accordingly, there is a need for systems, apparatus, and methods that overcome the deficiencies of conventional approaches including the methods, system and apparatus provided herein.


A composition for cleaning and improving the adhesion characteristics of a copper surface (which is in turn adhered to an underlying substrate) so as to enable a coating, e.g., of photoresist, to be adhered easily and completely to the copper surface, the cleaning and adhesion promoting composition consisting essentially of an aqueous solution of an alkane sulfonic acid, a surfactant and an oxidizing agent of a type, and present in an amount, sufficient to provide controlled conversion of the copper surface to a substantially clean, micro-roughened surface, without removing the copper surface from the underlying substrate, so that the adhesion characteristics of the copper surface are substantially increased for receiving and securely adhering a subsequently applied coating.

The present invention relates to improving the adhesion characteristics of a copper surface to enable subsequently applied coatings to be completely and easily adhered to the copper surface and, more particularly, to an improved cleaning and adhesion promoter composition and method for treating the surface of copper foil laminates used in printed circuits to improve the adhesion of subsequently applied coatings affixed to the copper surface.
The composition of the invention removes contaminants from the copper surface (which in turn is adhered to an underlying substrate) and enhances the surface topography thereof by controlled conversion of the copper surface from a relatively smooth surface to a micro-roughened surface, through a microetching which removes, e.g., from about 0.5 to 5 microns of the copper. In this way, a copper foil laminate for use as a printed circuit board is provided with improved adhesion characteristics to enable subsequently applied photoresist or oxide coatings to more easily and completely adhere to the copper surface. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved cleaning and adhesion promoter composition which is capable of concurrently bringing about both cleaning and microetching of the copper surface to improve the adhesion characteristics of the copper surface prior to the application of photoresist or oxide coatings to the copper surface in the manufacture of printed circuit boards.
In a typical preparation of printed circuits, a copper foil is bonded to an insulating substrate which may be phenolic, epoxy, polyimide, polyester, or the like. The foil is normally treated electrolytically to provide a specific surface structure, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,293,109; 3,318,758; 3,518,168; 4,049,481; 4,131,517; 4,176,035; and others.
Multilayer printed circuit boards are assemblies containing several copper foil-clad substrate inner-layers, further bonded to each other through layers of semicured polymeric material, which are subsequently cured at elevated temperatures and pressures to form the complete laminate assembly. Prior to this assembly, the copper foil of the innerlayers is imaged and etched to form the innerlayer circuits of the assembly.
The printed circuit board industry is continuously faced with an increasing demand for higher density circuitry. This has led to the production of finer lines of circuitry and is leading toward the use of thinner and thinner copper foils. As this trend continues, the preparation of the innerlayer copper foil becomes increasingly more critical. The use of thinner foils requires much tighter processing controls in order to produce uniform circuitry.
Combining the steps of initially cleaning and preparing a copper surface adhered to an underlying substrate to improve the adhesion characteristics of the copper surface for easily and completely affixing subsequently applied coatings would reduce the labor involved as well as the time to process the circuit boards. Thus, the final cost of manufacturing each board would be reduced.
While the present invention is particularly apropos of printed circuit board manufacture, and more particularly innerlayers of multilayered circuit boards, the need to remove contaminants from copper surfaces and to improve the adhesion characteristics of copper surfaces so that subsequently applied coatings will be more completely adhered to the copper surface also arises in other contexts where a contaminant-free surface with adhesion-improved characteristics of the copper surface is needed for subsequent plating operations for decorative or functional purposes.

Composition and method for improving adhesion of coatings to copper surfaces


In a battery housing device including a case for receiving at least two batteries in a parallel condition, retaining means provided in the vicinity of one of inside surfaces of the case, and an electrode spring adapted to be retained by the retaining means, wherein positive and negative electrodes of the batteries are electrically connected to each other through the electrode spring. The electrode spring includes a spiral turn portion and an L-shaped portion continuing from a radially outermost turn of the spiral turn portion, and the retaining means comprises a retainer provided to stand from a bottom surface of the case in such a manner as to be opposed to the inside surface of the case with a predetermined gap defined between the retainer and the inside surface, a pocket provided at a lower portion of the inside surface and having a blind hole therein, and a rib provided on the inside surface at a position between the retainer and the pocket and having a recess at an upper end thereof, wherein when the electrode spring is retained to the case, a lower portion of the spring turn portion is inserted into the predetermined gap between the retainer and the inside surface, and a free end of the L-shaped portion is inserted into the blind hole of the pocket, and a connecting portion between the spiral turn portion and the L-shaped portion is inserted into the recess of the rib.

The present invention relates to a battery housing device for use with various electronic instruments, and more particularly to a fixing structure for an electrode spring for electrically connecting positive and negative electrodes of a pair of batteries.
FIGS. 4 to 6 show such a battery housing device in the prior art, wherein FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the battery housing device; FIG. 5 is a plan view of FIG. 4; and FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 4.
Referring to FIGS. 4 to 6, reference numeral 11 designates a battery case formed of plastics and configured as a rectangular box having an upper opening for permitting insertion of batteries. Reference numeral 12 designates one of lateral inside surfaces of the battery case 11. A plurality of ribs 15, 16 and 17 for retaining an electrode spring 14 (which will be hereinafter described) is provided in the vicinity of the lateral inside surface 12. These ribs 15, 16 and 17 extend upwardly from a bottom surface 13 of the battery case 11. The rib 15 is opposed to the inside surface 12 with a predetermined gap defined therebetween. The rib 15 is formed at its upper portion with a pair of cutouts 15a and 15b. The rib 16 is located at a laterally central position between both the cutouts 15a and 15b in such a manner as to bridge the rib 15 and the inside surface 12. A pair of the ribs 17 are located at positions below the cutout 15b at predetermined intervals in such a manner as to bridge the rib 15 and the inside surface 12. The electrode spring 14 is composed of a spiral turn portion 14a, a straight portion 14b extending horizontally from the spiral turn portion 14a, and a curved portion 14c continuing from the straight portion 14b and curved in a substantially U-shaped configuration. The spiral turn portion 14a serves as a negative electrode contactor adapted to contact a negative electrode of a first battery (not shown), and the curved portion 14c serves as a positive electrode contactor adapted to contact a positive electrode of a second battery (not shown) to be arranged aside the first battery.
In mounting the electrode spring 14 into the battery case 11, the spring 14 is inserted from the upper opening of the case 11 into the gap defined between the inside surface 12 and the rib 15. That is, a radially outermost turn of the spiral turn portion 14a is inserted into a space defined by the inside surface 12, the rib 15 and the rib 16, and is retained at three positions, i.e., opposite side edges and a lower end thereof by the inside surface 12 and the rib 15. The straight portion 14b is inserted into an upper recess 16a of the rib 16, and is retained by the inside surface 12 and the rib 15. The curved portion 14c is inserted at its U-shaped lower portion into a space defined between both the ribs 17, and is retained by the inside surface 12 and the rib 15. An upper end of the curved portion 14c is also retained by the inside surface 12 and the rib 15.
When a pair of batteries (not shown) are housed into the battery case 11 and arranged in such a manner that the polarity is countered, a negative electrode of one of the batteries contacts a radially innermost turn of the spiral turn portion 14a projecting inwardly from the cutout 15a of the rib 15, and is biased by an elastic force of the spiral turn portion 14a. A positive electrode of the other battery contacts the curved portion 14c exposed from the cutout 15b of the rib 15, and is biased against the curved portion 14c by an elastic force of another electrode spring (not shown). Thus, both the batteries are electrically connected in series through the spring 14.
However, the conventional retaining structure includes a plurality of ribs in the vicinity of the inside surface 12 of the battery case 11, so as to retain the electrode spring 14. Accordingly, a mold for molding the battery case is complicated in structure. Especially in the case of molding the battery case as a part of a case for an electronic instrument rather than individualy molding the battery case, the mold structure is further complicated, causing the necessity of division of the mold or use of many movable cores. As a result, the mold is rendered expensive. Further, as the electrode spring is also complicated in shape, a machining cost is increased.