Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for performing a transaction across one or more resources. A connection is established to one or more resources that are required by a transaction. Each connected resource is registered with a transaction manager. One of the resources is designated as an anchor resource. The one or more resources are updated in accordance with the transaction; and a two-phase commit with each resource involved in the transaction is performed, wherein the anchor resource is committed to after every other resource has been committed to. Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for recovering one or more interrupted transactions across one or more resources are also described.

This invention relates to distributed transaction processing.
Enterprise applications often require simultaneous access to distributed data that is shared among multiple resources, such as databases and servers. In order to maintain the integrity of data in a distributed system, an enterprise application typically treats all the distributed resources as a single unit of work. That is, all the participating operations on the distributed resources succeed, or fail and recover, together. One way to achieve maintenance of data integrity in a distributed system is to use transaction processing in the system.
Transaction processing can be described as a type of computer processing in which a computer responds to requests on an immediate basis. Each request is a transaction. Most large enterprise applications in the areas of financing, banking, electronic commerce, and so on, rely on transaction processing for delivering their business functionality. A transaction can be described to be atomic, consistent, isolated, and durable, (the "ACID properties"). Atomic transactions are done or undone completely and unambiguously. Consistent transactions preserve all invariant properties defined on associated data. Upon completion of a successful transaction, the associated data is in a consistent state. Isolated transactions execute independently of other transactions that may be executing in the same environment. Durable transactions have effects that are always persistent.
A variety of different transaction processing models exist. The X/Open Distributed Transaction Processing (DTP) model is a distributed transaction processing model proposed by the Open Group—a vendor consortium. The X/Open DTP model is a standard among most of the commercial vendors in the transaction processing and database domains. Some of the other models include: the Object Transaction Service (OTS)—a distributed transaction processing service specified by the Object Management Group (OMG); the Java Transaction Service (JTS) and the Java Transaction API (JTA), specified by Sun Microsystems Inc.; the Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS)—a component based transaction server for components based on Microsoft's Component Object Model (COM); and Enterprise Java Beans (EJB)—a technology specification from Sun Microsystems Inc. that specifies a framework for building component-based distributed applications.


A camshaft assembly for an internal combustion engine comprising: a hollow outer shaft 2, an inner shaft 4, cam lobes 6, 8, a phaser 42, 32, and a remote control valve 16. The inner shaft 4 is received within the hollow outer shaft 2. The phaser 42, 32 is mounted to the inner and outer shafts 4, 2. The remote control valve 16 controls the flow of fluid to and from the phaser 42, 32 through a plurality of passages 22, 24, 26, 28 and the inner shaft 4.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to the field of phasers built into a camshaft or concentric camshafts. More particularly, the invention pertains to a torsion assist phaser using band check valves built into a camshaft or concentric camshafts or an oil pressure actuated phaser built into a camshaft or concentric camshafts.
2. Description of Related Art
Cam in cam systems are well know in the prior art. In prior art cam in cam systems, the camshaft has two shafts, one positioned inside of the other. The shafts are supported one inside of the other and are rotatable relative to one another.

Phaser built into a camshaft or concentric camshafts


A communication terminal device is operable to multiplex a plurality of channel signals based on TFC (Transport Format Combination) selected by performing a TFC selection and transmit it. The communication terminal device includes a storage unit operable to store a plurality of combination of classifications to which the gain factors belong, as a combination of gain factors for weighting each of the plurality of channel signals, and to store a quantity of reduction of a maximum transmission power when the plurality of channel signals in association with each combination of the plurality of classifications are multiplexed and transmitted, and a TFC selection unit operable to select the TFC by reading out the quantity of reduction in association with the combination of the classification corresponding to the combination of the gain factors in each TFC from the storage unit when the TFC selection is performed.

For an up-link from a UE (User Equipment) to a base station, 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), which has developed and proposed the W-CDMA (Wideband-Code Division Multiple Access) standard, has defined a DPDCH (Dedicated Physical Data Channel) as a data transfer channel and a DPCCH (Dedicated Physical Control Channel) as a control data channel (see Non-patent Document 1).
Furthermore, 3GPP Release 6 has additionally defined HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access) as a method to achieve high-data-rate uplink transfer. As shown in FIG. 1, the HSUPA achieves high-speed data communication by code-multiplexing an E-DPDCH (Enhanced Dedicated Physical Data Channel) as a data transfer channel and an E-DPCCH (Enhanced Dedicated Physical Control Channel) as a control data channel for the E-DPDCH additionally on uplink channels of the related W-CDMA (see Non-patent Document 1). Although FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an HSUPA transmission system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, that configuration is basically the same as a system configuration in the related art except an E-TFC selection controller 106.
Furthermore, there has been defined to code-multiplex an HS-DPCCH (High Speed Dedicated Physical Control Channel) for HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) additionally on an uplink channel of the related W-CDMA for transfer of data re-transmission information or the like.
In an uplink of the W-CDMA, there are functions including a TFC (Transport Format Combination) selection for determining an optimum transmission rate of a DCH (Dedicated Channel) that conforms to a radio wave environment or a maximum permissible transmission power and an E-TFC (Enhanced Transport Format Combination) selection for determining an optimum transmission rate of an E-DCH (Enhanced Dedicated Channel) (see Non-patent Document 2).
When the number of transmission channels code-multiplexed is increased as described above, a PAR (Peak to Average power Ratio), which is a ratio of a peak power and an average power of a transmission signal, is increased such that distortion is caused in a PA (Power Amplifier), resulting in degradation of an ACLR (Adjacent Channel Leakage power Ratio).
In order to improve this situation, it is necessary to calculate a correction value to a maximum transmission power to obtain a maximum permissible transmission power (a quantity of reduction from the Maximum transmission power). For this correction value, an MPR (Max Power Reduction) conforming to a PAR is defined (see Non-patent Document 3).
The number of uplink channels multiplexed has been small for UEs until the 3GPP Release 5 HSDPA. Thus, the 3GPP has defined the specification for reducing a maximum transmission power in a fixed manner according to an amplitude value (βd) of a DPDCH. Three fixed values are stored and used for a quantity of reduction from a maximum transmission power according to a combination of βd in a look-up table (see Non-patent Document 4). For a TFC selection, an optimum TFC has been selected by using those three quantities of reduction according to βd.
Meanwhile, the number of channels code-multiplexed has been increased in the 3GPP Release 6 HSUPA, so that the number of β-combinations that can be multiplexed has explosively been increased. If a look-up table is used to determine a quantity of reduction, it is difficult to perform simple case classification. Therefore, there has been defined to sample a transmission waveform at a downstream side of an FIR (Finite Impulse Response) filter 103 which has been subjected to diffusion and filtering with respect to a determined β-combination so as to calculate a CM (Cubic Metric) and then an MPR, rather than to refer to an MPR from a β-combination in advance as in Release 5 (see Non-patent Document 5). However, this process imposes a large load. Therefore, if this process were to be performed just before transmission, the circuit would be complicated and increased in scale.
Non-patent Document 1: 3GPP Release 6 TS25.211 (v6.7.0) 5.2
Non-patent Document 2: 3GPP Release 6 TS25.133 (v6.13.0) 6.4
Non-patent Document 3: 3GPP Release 6 TS25.133 (v6.13.0) 6.5
Non-patent Document 4: 3GPP Release 5 TS25.101 (v5.13.0) 6.2.2
Non-patent Document 5: 3GPP Release 6 TS25.101 (v6.11.0) 6.2.2
Non-patent Document 6: 3GPP Release 6 TS25.214 (v6.9.0) 22.214.171.124

Communication terminal device, TFC selection method, and program


An information correcting method includes: detecting a first pattern in a radial direction and a second pattern formed obliquely to the radial direction on a track traversing the first and second patterns; counting number of the first pattern until the count value reaches number of the first pattern in one round of the track; generating a value incremented up number of the second pattern in the one round every time an interrupt associated with detection of the second pattern is generated as number of the second pattern; calculating an ideal number from a value obtained by multiplying the number of the second pattern until the number is counted by the counted number of the detected first pattern and a number set to the second pattern with reference to the second pattern formed at a present initial position; and correcting the generated number with the ideal number.

In storage devices such as a magnetic disk device, servo patterns used for positioning control of a recording/reproducing head are formed on a recording medium such as a magnetic disk. To form such servo patterns on the recording medium, seed patterns formed at a part of the recording medium in the radial direction, and spiral servo patterns formed in a spiral manner so as to intersect the seed patterns may be used. The storage device uses the servo patterns detected by the recording/reproducing head to control positioning of the recording/reproducing head on a target track on the recording medium.
Such a storage device that performs the positioning control of the recording/reproducing head using the servo patterns, before recording the servo patterns in sectors, detects the spiral servo patterns from a read signal supplied from the recording/reproducing head, and generates a value incremented every time an interrupt is generated in association with the detection of the spiral patterns as a spiral number of the detected spiral servo patterns.
In the conventional technology, if the interrupt generated in association with the detection of the spiral patterns is skipped (not generated), the value incremented every time the interrupt is generated fails to be updated, resulting in a discrepancy in the spiral number of the detected spiral servo patterns.

Storage device and information correction method


An integrated circuit with capacitor structures includes a substrate and a plurality of vias extending from a front surface to a back surface of the substrate. A plurality of transistors is disposed at the front surface of the substrate and has first and second pluralities of electrodes. A patterned metal layer on the front surface of the semiconductor substrate provides first and second networks. The first network couples the first plurality of electrodes to a first via, and the second network couples the second plurality of electrodes to a second via. A dielectric layer separates first and second patterned metal layers on the back surface of the substrate. The first patterned metal layer includes a first metal plate coupled to the first via, and the second patterned metal layer includes a second metal plate coupled to the second via, forming a capacitor with the dielectric layer.

Systems built from integrated circuits generally include capacitors, such as decoupling capacitors between a power supply and ground. A decoupling capacitor provides a low impedance path that helps keep the voltage between the power supply and ground at its nominal voltage despite rapidly varying load demands.
Signals within and outside integrated circuits are frequently referenced to a power plane or a ground plane, and a driven signal induces a corresponding return signal in the nearby portions of the reference plane. A via can change the reference plane for a signal. In one example, the top two layers of a printed circuit board are an upper signal layer on an inner power plane and the bottom two layers of the printed circuit board are a lower signal layer on an inner ground plane, and a via transfers the signal from the upper signal layer to the lower signal layer. This via changes the signal's reference plane from the power plane to the ground plane. When a signal has a via that changes the reference plane, the induced return signal must switch reference planes. A decoupling capacitor between two reference planes provides a low impedance path for high-frequency components of the induced return signal to switch between the two reference planes.
Ignoring the effects of parasitic inductance, at all frequencies a large decoupling capacitance has a lower impedance than a small decoupling capacitance. However, a large decoupling capacitance generally requires a physically larger capacitor and longer wires to connect a load circuit to the physically larger decoupling capacitor. These longer wires produce parasitic inductance that limits the usefulness of a large decoupling capacitor.
A decoupling capacitor's capacitance and in-circuit parasitic inductance define a resonant frequency. A decoupling capacitor is often most effective near its resonant frequency, because both the capacitance and the parasitic inductance have a low impedance near the resonant frequency. Above the resonant frequency, the parasitic inductance produces a high impedance that limits the effectiveness of the decoupling capacitor. Below the resonant frequency, the capacitance of the decoupling capacitor produces a high impedance in comparison with a larger decoupling capacitor. Thus, in systems producing power supply noise over a wide frequency range, cost-effective power supply decoupling generally uses a range of sizes of decoupling capacitors.
The wiring between a decoupling capacitor and its load circuit forms a loop of a one-turn inductor, and the cross-sectional area of the loop roughly gives the parasitic inductance of the loop. Keeping the outgoing and incoming sides of the loop close together reduces the parasitic inductance, but the distance between the decoupling capacitor and its load circuit ultimately provides a lower bound on the parasitic inductance. Thus, the decoupling capacitors for bypassing high-frequency noise should be close to the load circuit that generates the high-frequency noise.
It is especially difficult to filter high-frequency noise created by the output circuits of an integrated circuit. These output circuits typically drive loads through wiring on a printed circuit board. Such remote loads have their own current loop producing parasitic inductance that is generally much greater than the parasitic inductance of loops confined within internal circuits of the integrated circuit. Moreover, in many integrated circuits, the input/output circuits drive remote loads at a higher switching rate than the bulk of the internal circuits of the integrated circuit. Thus, the input/output circuits of many integrated circuits have both a higher parasitic inductance and a higher generated noise frequency than the internal circuits of these integrated circuits. This makes effective decoupling capacitors especially difficult for the output circuits of many integrated circuits.
For high-frequency input signals, it is especially difficult to provide a low impedance path to allow the induced return signal to change reference planes between a power plane and a ground plane. A decoupling capacitor provides this function, but may typically be located on the package substrate or on the printed circuit board where the loop area between the input transistors and the decoupling capacitor creates a large, undesired, inductive parasitic element that limits high-frequency signal integrity.

Integrated circuit having capacitor on back surface


The present disclosure describes a system, a circuit, and method for process and temperature compensation in an integrated circuit. For example, the system includes a bus, a data latch, and a voltage generator. The data latch includes a plurality of transistors coupled to the bus. The voltage generator includes a tracking transistor with one or more physical characteristics that substantially match one or more respective physical characteristics—e.g., gate width and gate length dimensions—of at least one of the plurality of transistors in the data latch. The voltage generator is configured to adjust a pre-charged voltage on the bus based on an electrical characteristic of the tracking transistor.

Field
The described embodiments relate to a voltage generator to compensate for process and temperature variations in an integrated circuit.
Related Art
In semiconductor manufacturing, process variations can occur when fabricating an integrated circuit (IC). The process variations can be represented by process corners, which refer to variations in parameters—e.g., gate width, gate length, and oxide thickness—used to fabricate the IC. Process corners indicate extreme conditions within which the IC can properly function. Within the process corners, the IC can run slower or faster than a typical performance. The IC can also run at lower or higher temperatures and voltages across the process corners. But, if the IC does not function at any of the process corners, the IC is considered to have an inadequate design margin.
To improve design margin, a circuit designer simulates the IC across different process corners and temperatures to assess the electrical characteristics of the IC across these conditions. Based on the simulation results, the circuit designer can ensure that the IC properly functions within the design margin.

Voltage generator to compensate for process corner and temperature variations


A modular support system for supporting a plurality of high efficiency particulate air filters (HEPA). The modular support system includes a grid of filter support members joined at their intersection by connectors. The support members include first and second side walls and a bottom wall forming a substantially U-shaped channel for receiving a sealant. The first and second side walls extend substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall. The first and second side walls each include a substantially triangular shaped lip extending along their upper edge for releasably securing the support member to an adjacent connector. The connectors include at least two arms extending radially from a center portion. The arms include first and second side walls and a bottom wall forming a substantially U-shaped channel. The dimensions of the U-shaped channel of the arms are such that the arms fit snugly in the U-shaped channels of the corresponding support members. The U-shaped channels of the connectors can be inserted vertically or horizontally into the U-shaped channels of the support members. The triangular lips of the first and second walls of the support member provide a snap fit for releasably securing the two components together without the use of conventional rigid type fastening devices such as bolts, welds, cement, etc.

The present invention is directed to a ceiling grid for providing filtered air to a work area.
Precision manufacturing and assembly operations require a contaminant free work area which is often referred to as a "clean room." Clean room facilities have been previously developed to control the amount of particulate matter in an environment where precision manufacturing and assembly operations are conducted. Such facilities usually include a plurality of high efficiency particulate air filters (HEPA) supported by a lattice-work. The lattice-work generally is designed to direct the air flowing through the clean room through the filters for subsequent filtering. Therefore, the juncture between the filters and the lattice-work must be air-tight. To accomplish this end, the lattice-work usually includes rectangular support frames each having a central opening for receiving a filter. The rectangular frames include longitudinal and transverse support members and a plurality of cross-shaper connectors. The connectors rigidly join the support members at their intersections by, for example, bolts, welds, cement, etc. The support members include a channel for receiving a sealant which provides the necessary air-tight seal between the filters and the modular support frame. Since the connectors are rigidly secured to the support members these types of lattice-works are significantly more time consuming to assemble. Moreover, these assemblies cannot be readily modified to enlarge or reduce the size of the clean room to accommodate varying needs, while still providing a structurally sound support system.

Modular support system for a filter-type ceiling grid


A pipe repair tool and method of use, for use with a coupler of the type having a first end and a second end, the first end having an outwardly projecting flange, such that the repair tool includes a cuff portion having a leading edge and a trailing edge, the cuff engaging a sleeve portion of the coupler with the leading edge of the cuff facing the flange of the first end of the coupler. The tool may include an outwardly projecting first leading ear having a pry surface near the leading edge of the cuff, the pry surface facing the trailing edge of the cuff such that force applied to the pry surface urges the leading edge of the tool toward the flange of the first end of the coupler.

This application relates to a tool to aid in the repair of pipes. For example, to repair buried pipe, workers generally first excavate the surrounding soil and debris from the location of the damaged pipe. Following the excavation, the damaged portion of the pipe is cut away or otherwise removed, leaving two open ends of the original piping.
A pipe repair section, sized to fit the space between the open ends of the original piping, is secured to the original piping with a pair of couplers, one for each joint between the repair section and the original pipe. To accomplish the repair, a single coupler is slid onto each open end of the original piping. The repair section is placed between the exposed ends of the original pipe. Workmen then slide each coupler onto an end of the repair section so that each coupler spans both the replacement pipe section and the original pipe to create two airtight connections between the original pipe and the pipe repair section.
The conventional method to move the coupler onto the replacement pipe is to lubricate the ends of the exposed original pipe and the repair section and apply force to a narrow flange on the coupler, pushing the coupler flange onto the repair section. Pipe layers often use elongate pry bars with one end against a coupler to push the coupler onto the original pipe and then push it in the opposite direction onto the repair section. This can be difficult and often results in the pry bar slipping off the flange. One technique to prevent the pry bar from slipping off the flange of the coupler is to angle the pry bar with the point in the dirt directly underneath the pipe and the upper end of the pry angled outwardly away from the pipe. In this way the worker can apply both an inward force and forward force on the coupler. Applying an inward and forward force to only one side of the coupler can cock the coupler on a pipe, increasing the difficulty of sliding the coupler along the pipe. Thus, it sometimes takes two people, each with a pry bar, on opposite sides of the coupler to force the coupler along a pipe or across an intersection of two pipes.
Some of the difficulties associated with the repair process described above relate to the pry bar slipping off the coupler flange, the need to apply inward and forward force on the coupler with the pry bar, and the need for two workers, each with a pry bar to slide the coupler evenly from the original pipe onto the repair section. The difficulties can result in more workers spending more time in the trench and the increased risk of injury.

Pipe repair coupling tool and method of use


A method and an electronic device are provided for obtaining an image or a video frame, including applying to the image or the video frame, at least one image processing technique, scanning the image or the video frame, to identify a text item, determining an item type for the identified text item, and determining an action, corresponding to the item type.

Many electronic devices, including mobile devices, include a camera in which an image or video can be captured and an optical character recognition application in which text is determined from an image or a video. The inventors have identified that it would be useful for an electronic device to perform an action in relation to text determined from an image or a video.

Methods and apparatus relating to text items in images


An elevator includes a hoistway; an elevator car vertically movable in the hoistway, the passage to and/or from the elevator car being provided in depth direction of the hoistway; a counterweight vertically movable in the hoistway beside the elevator car in width direction of the hoistway; one or more ropes interconnecting the elevator car and the counterweight and hanging from these; a rope wheel arrangement in the bottom end of the hoistway for guiding the one or more ropes; and a vertically oriented guide rail for guiding the elevator car extending between the elevator car and counterweight. The elevator includes a bridge structure mounted on the floor of the hoistway, the bridge structure including a cross member, wherein the guide rail for guiding the elevator car is mounted on top of the cross member, the bridge structure including a passage for the one or more ropes below the cross member, and the one or more ropes pass from the counterweight downwards to the rope wheel arrangement, and the rope wheel arrangement is arranged to guide the one or more ropes to pass below the cross member via said passage and up to the elevator car.

An elevator typically comprises an elevator car and a counterweight, which are vertically movable in a hoistway. These elevator units are typically interconnected by suspension ropes that suspend these elevator units on opposite sides of one or more rope wheels mounted higher than these elevator units. For providing force for moving the suspension ropes, and thereby also for the elevator car and a counterweight, one of the wheels is typically a drive wheel engaging the suspension ropes. The elevator car and the counterweight may need to be interconnected by ropes which hang from the elevator car and the counterweight. This type of ropes are often used to provide compensation for the weight of the hoisting ropes. Particularly, in this way the unbalance, which is caused by the suspension ropes in situations where the elevator car is run to its extreme position, can be eliminated. However, these ropes may alternatively or additionally be used to provide a so called tie-down function for the elevator.
When the passage to and/or from the elevator car is provided in depth direction of the hoistway, the counterweight can be positioned on the back i.e. in depth direction of the opposite side of the car than the doorway. Thus, the car can be made large in width direction. Alternatively, the counterweight can be positioned on side of the elevator car, i.e. beside the elevator car in width direction of the hoistway. Positioning the counterweight on the side of the car is needed when there is a need for long and deep cars, which is the case often with goods elevators and hospital elevators. Positioning the counterweight on the side of the car is also needed when through-type cars are required or shaft dimensions dictate the usage of side counterweight layout. Sometimes scenic elevators require a side counterweight solution.
Elevators typically need to have vertically oriented guide rails for guiding the elevator car as well as corresponding guide rails for guiding the counterweight. Therefore, in addition to challenges in positioning of the counterweight, a further challenge is to position the guide rails such that access to the car is possible via one or both depth directional sides thereof and the car is still spacious. The guide rails and the roping need to be positioned relative to each other such that the ropes do not touch the guide rails. A drawback of the prior solutions has been that the guide rails and the ropes hanging between the car and counterweight have not been positioned relative to each other with simple and space efficient layout.
In prior art, such elevators with a counterweight on the side are known which have its car guide rails in width direction of the hoistway on opposite sides of the elevator car. Thus, on one side of the car there are the guide rail of the car and the counterweight. Each compensation rope hanging between the car and counterweight have been routed to go around the guide rail positioned between the car and guide rail. In prior art this has been realized either with a skewed configuration where the ropes cross the guide rail plane or with a parallel configuration where the ropes pass beside the guide rail plane parallel therewith. In either alternatives, the ropes have been routed to pass beside the guide rails with a clearance ensuring that no chafing occurs. Each rope is are attached to a suspension point (e.g. rope terminals) at the car and counterweight.
A drawback of these solutions has been that they are complicated and difficult to manufacture space efficiently such that no considerable unbalance is produced on the car or counterweight nor considerable asymmetry in lateral support forces taken from the guide rails by the guide rollers or guide sliders. These drawbacks are emphasized when the elevator is to have great number of ropes and/or large-sized ropes.
An option contemplated by the applicant is to divide the roping into two sets of compensation ropes placed on opposite sides of the guide rail plane such that the guide rail is between the two rope sets in depth direction of the hoistway. A drawback is noticed to be that with great number of ropes or with large-sized ropes, e.g. belt-shaped ropes, the total width of the ropes with the necessary spacing between the ropes, leads to a roping termination that is in depth direction very large, and even larger than the size of the counterweight. A larger counterweight would require a bigger hoisting machinery/drive altogether and/or more robust guide rails. Furthermore, the space consumption of the compensation roping would exclude small car types from offering. A further drawback is that this solution is with most layouts prone to require two rope wheel sets, one on each side of the guide rail.


A nozzle assembly includes a body, a valve member, and a clamp member maintaining a flow director member against the body. The flow director member is sandwiched between the peripheral wall and the clamp member, and is provided with an outlet path including two distinct guidance channels extending from an upstream end and a common downstream end where is a spray hole. The outlet path creates impingement of the two flow streams flowing in the two channels before entering the spray hole.

Low pressure injectors are used to meter and atomize various liquids used in an internal combustion engine or its exhaust gas treatment components. Typically the injector also directs the atomized spray in an particular geometry towards a defined target. The spray droplet size and spray pattern geometry have a direct effect on the operational efficiency and output emissions of the internal combustion engine (ICE). The design of the injector must minimize deposit formation and have robust performance against the deposits that do form. Smaller spray particle can be created by increasing the number of holes in the director plate. At a given flow rate more holes means smaller holes and smaller spray particle size. There are practical limits to the size of the holes. Furthermore smaller holes are more prone to plugging. More holes increase the cost of the director plate as more machining operations are required to make the holes. In this invention we seek to minimize the number of holes necessary meet spray particle size requirements. This reduces cost and improves plugging resistance.


The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of Levothyroxine and salts thereof. The process described in the present invention provides increase in the yields and purity comprising the use of sodium iodide and sodium hypochlorite as iodinating agent.

Levothyroxine, also L-thyroxine or T4, is a synthetic form of the thyroid hormone thyroxine, which is normally secreted by the follicular cells of the thyroid gland. Thyroid hormone increases the metabolic rate of cells of all tissues in the body. In the fetus and newborn, thyroid hormone is important for the growth and development of all tissues including bones and the brain. In adults, thyroid hormone helps to maintain brain function, utilization of food, and body temperature, among other effects.
Levothyroxine Sodium contain synthetic crystalline L-3,3′,5,5′-tetraiodothyronine sodium salt [Levothyroxine (T4) sodium]. O-(4-hydroxy-3,5-diiodo-phenyl)-3,5-diiodo-1-tyrosine sodium i.e., Levothyroxine sodium has the following chemical structure

Levothyroxine sodium is approved to treat hypothyroidism to suppress thyroid hormone release from cancerous thyroid nodules, and to prevent growth of goiters. In addition, it is also used to treat conditions such as myoedema, cretinism and obesity.
J Chem. Soc, (1949); 3424-33 describes a process for the synthesis of mono sodium salt of Levothyroxine comprising the steps of: (a) nitration of Levo tyrosine; (b) protection of the amino group; c) protection of the carboxy group; (d) oxidative coupling; (e) hydrogenation of the nitro groups to amino groups; (f) diazotization followed by iodination; (g) demethylation of the Me ether and hydrolysis; (h) which on iodination in presence of iodine to obtain Levothyroxine, which is further converted in to Levothyroxine sodium.
IT 1302201 disclosed a process for the synthesis of mono sodium salt of Levothyroxine with an improved overall yield compared to a similar process disclosed in J Chem. Soc, (1949) 3424-33. IT 1302201 discloses a process for preparing Levothyroxine comprising reacting 3,5 diiodo-L-thyronine with iodine and potassium iodide.
Journal of the Chemical Society, 840-3; 1950, discloses a process for the preparation of Levothyroxine comprising reacting 3,5 diiodo L-thyronine with KI3 in water and ethylamine.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,579,668 discloses a process for the preparation of Levothyroxine comprising reacting 3,5 diiodo-L-thyronine with iodine in a solvent selected from water, dioxane, lower aliphatic alcohols and mixtures thereof, in the presence of an organic base selected from the group consisting of piperidine, morpholine and amines.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,886,592 discloses a process for the preparation of Levothyroxine comprising reacting 3,5 diiodo-L-thyronine with N-iodoacetamide in absolute methanol in presence of triethylamine.
Vestsi Natsyyanal'nai Akademii Navuk Belarusi, Seryya Khimichnykh Navuk, (1), 85-92; 2004 discloses a process for the preparation of Levothyroxine comprising reacting 3,5 diiodo L-thyronine with iodine & potassium iodide in water & methanol in presence of ammonia.
WO 2009136249 discloses a process for the preparation of Levothyroxine comprising reacting 3,5-diiodo-4-p-hydroxy phenoxy-L-phenyl alanine hydrochloride with methyl amine and Iodine source such as iodine and/or potassium iodide.
US 20120296113 discloses a process for the synthesis of mono sodium salt of Levothyroxine comprising reacting 3,5 diiodo-L-thyronine with an iodinating agent such as NaI & I2, in the presence of an aliphatic amine.
These above mentioned processes have number of disadvantages such as
(a) use of highly expensive iodinating agent like iodine, potassium iodide, KI3, N-iodoacetamide and sodium iodide.
(b) the use of high amount of iodinating agent such as iodine, potassium iodide, KI3, N-iodoacetamide and sodium iodide for iodination is not recommendable at commercial scale,
(c) yield of above reactions is very less that makes the process less effective from an economic point of view.
In view of problems in commercialization of process for the preparation of Levothyroxine and its salts, there is a need for simple, cost effective, commercially feasible, industrially scalable and environmentally friendly process for the preparation of Levothyroxine and its salts with high purity and yield.
The iodinating agent plays a crucial role in multi-step synthesis of organic molecule like Levothyroxine having variety of functional groups. Surprisingly, it has been found that if sodium iodide & sodium hypochlorite is used in the desired iodination step, the yield of iodination reaction is good. Another advantages is both sodium iodide & sodium hypochlorite are cheaper than any other iodinating agent which results in significant cost savings compared to the other known process.
The object of the present invention is to provide an industrially advantageous process for the preparation of Levothyroxine and its salts with overall high yield and purity.

Process for preparation of levothyroxine and salts thereof


A string collating system comprises an input device receiving a reference string and a string to be collated and for generating a coincidence signal when each constituent of the string to be collated is coincident to one character of the reference string, and a string comparator composed of cells arranged in M columns and in N rows (where M and N are integer), each cell f.sub.i,j (i=1 to M-1 and j=1 to N-1) being coupled to a rightward adjacent cell f.sub.i,j+1 through a first transfer circuit and also coupled to a downwardly adjacent cell f.sub.i+1,j through a second transfer circuit, each cell f.sub.i,j is further coupled to a rightward adjacent cell f.sub.i+1,j+1 through a third transfer circuit and also coupled to a rightward adjacent cell f.sub.i+1,j+1 through an automatic setting circuit, the cells in a first row being coupled to the input device so as to receive the coincidence signal, the first transfer circuit operating to transfer data stored in each cell f.sub.i,j to the cell f.sub.i,j+1 when the same character as the (j)the character of the reference character is applied to the input device as a character to be collated, the second transfer circuit operating to transfer data stored in each cell f.sub.i,j to the cell f.sub.i,j+1, regardless of the content of the given character to be collated, the third transfer circuit operating to transfer data stored in each cell f.sub.i,j to the cell f.sub.i+1,j+1 when the same character as the (j)the character of the reference character is not applied to the input device as a character to be collated, and the automatic setting circuit operating to set all the cells in an automatic setting circuit connection direction downstream of a cell having been set, whereby, the cells in a final column output the result of collation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information retrieval system, and more specifically to a string collating system for searching for a character string of arbitrary length within a given distance from a reference character string.
2. Description of Related Art
At present, character string collating systems have been used for retrieval of text data base, collation of feature sequence in pattern recognition systems, extraction of key words from texts drafted by use of word processors, aid of language translation, address filtering of electronic mail, etc. In other words, the string collating systems are indispensable to current data processing systems.
In the string collating systems, it has been desired to extract or pick up from a plurality of character strings, not only a character string perfectly consistent with a reference string, but also a character string having some degree of similarity in comparison with the reference string. The reason for this is that (1) there is possibility of a text having one or more misspelled words in a text data base retrieval, and (2) retrieval has often to be performed by an uncertain key word. In addition, in the case of collating feature sequences with a reference feature sequence in the pattern recognition, it is a rare case that a feature sequence completely consistent with the reference feature sequence is found. Therefore, it has been required to find out a feature sequence having a highest degree of similarity to a reference feature sequence from a number of feature sequences.
As one means for measuring the degree of similarity between a reference character string and character strings to be collated, the conception called "distance" has been used. This distance means that assuming that a unitary operation is defined by deletion of one character, substitution of one character, or insertion of one character, a distance between two given character strings is defined by a minimum number of unitary operations required for changing one of the two given character strings to the other.
The conception called the "distance" is described in detail in "Approximate String Matching" by Patrick Hall and Geoff Dowling in Computing Surveys, 1980, Vol. 12, No. 4, Page 381.
Referring to FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C, examples of a unitary operation such as deletion of one character, substitution of one character, or insertion of one character, are illustrated. In these Figures, "ABCD" is indicated as an original character string, and three modified strings obtained by performing one unitary operation are shown below each original character string "ABCD". In these figures, "C" means any character excluding "C", and "X" means any arbitrary character. In addition, a character having an upper bar and "X" have the same meaning in the following description.
Referring to FIG. 1D, there are shown a table indicating examples of character strings separate from a character string "ABCD" within an extent of distance "3". It will be seen from FIG. 1D that "ABCD" is separate from the character string "ABCD" by a distance "1", and therefore, is nearer to the character string "ABCD" than "ACXD" which is separate from the character string "ABCD" by a distance "2".
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 61-95442 and a corresponding European Patent Application laid-open No. 0178651 disclose a character string collating system capable of searching for a character string within an extent of a distance "1" from a reference string. However, the extraction of character strings within an extent of a distance "1" is not sufficient in order to use the character string collating system in a pattern recognition system for voice recognition or handwritten letter recognition. In the voice recognition, for example, a feature sequence extracted from a given voice (the feature sequence corresponds to a string to be collated) involves various fluctuations due to differences in age, the distinction of sex, native place, etc. of a speaker. Therefore, it is a rare case that a feature sequence extracted from a given voice is within an extent of a distance "1" from a template of a prepared feature sequence (corresponding to a reference string). Therefore, in order to use the character string collating system in a pattern recognition system, it is necessary to extract a group of character strings within an extent of a further separate distance, and to select a character string having the nearest distance among the group of extracted character strings. The above mentioned laid-open application has disclosed a string collating system meeting with this requirement.
For example, the string collating system disclosed in above mentioned laid-open application can search for a character string "AXBXCXD" separate from a reference string "ABCD" by a distance "3". However, the string collating system disclosed in above mentioned laid-open application does not take deletion of character (which is one of the unitary operation) into consideration, it cannot search for a character string "AD" separate from a reference string "ABCD" by a distance "2". In other words, the string collating system disclosed in above mentioned laid-open application cannot evenly extract all character strings of different lengths within a predetermined distance from a reference string. It can be said from a different viewpoint that the string collating system disclosed in above mentioned laid-open application cannot extract a character string having a high degree of similarity to a reference string, but often searches for only a character string having a low degree of similarity

String collating system for searching for character string of arbitrary length within a given distance from reference string


To detect alignment and/or absence of a tape leader pin in an opening of a tape cartridge, a light source scans the opening. Detection logic analyzes the detected reflection waveform signal for deviation from a cylindrical surface reflection of the tape leader pin, if any, such as elliptical or conical, representing tilt angle misalignment of the pin. Further, both ends of the pin are scanned for difference in displacement and for difference in amplitude, displacement representing tilt in the direction of scan, and amplitude representing that one end or the other is likely to have been pulled into the cartridge. Low amplitude of both represents absence of the pin.

This invention relates to cartridge loaders which access tape from data storage tape cartridges, for example, for data storage drives, and, more particularly, to accessing tape having a leader pin to unwind the tape from the data storage tape cartridge.
Data storage tape cartridges provide convenient and low cost means for storing data. As one example, portable data storage tape cartridges may be carried from a data storage drive of one data processing system to a data storage drive of another data processing system. As another example, large quantities of data storage tape cartridges may be boxed and stored in archival storage areas, such as salt mines, and, if needed subsequently, retrieved and shipped to the user, for example, for data recovery.
A data storage tape cartridge may comprise a tape leader pin, which is at one end of the tape, and is positioned at an opening in the cartridge. A cartridge loader, for example, of a data storage drive, will have a leader block that engages an aligned tape leader pin to unwind the tape from the data storage tape cartridge.
On occasion, handling of the cartridges allows one or more cartridges to be dropped. In such cases, the impact may displace one or both ends of a tape leader pin, such that the tape leader pin is misaligned. Typically, the ends of the tape leader pin are positioned in slots in opposite sides of the cartridge, and, when misaligned, the cartridge expands slightly such that one or both ends of the tape leader pin falls out of the slot. With one end of the tape leader pin misaligned by being out of the slot, the misaligned end may be pulled in a direction into the cartridge by the tape to which it is attached, or may be moved sideways. With both ends of the tape leader pin out of their slots, the entire tape leader pin may be pulled into the cartridge by the tape to which it is attached, and be absent from the cartridge opening.
A missed attempt by the cartridge loader to engage its leader block with the tape leader pin of a cartridge, and to unwind the tape from the cartridge and attempt to thread the tape leader pin and tape without being aware of the actual position of the tape leader pin, may result in damage to, or failure of the cartridge loader, or of the data storage drive or other device with its cartridge loader, requiring replacement.
Optical detectors, cartridge loaders, methods and computer program products are provided in accordance with aspects of the present invention for detecting alignment and/or absence of a tape leader pin in an opening of a tape cartridge. The tape leader pin has at least one exposed cylindrical surface, for example, top and bottom exposed cylindrical surfaces.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, at least one light source scans at least one portion of the opening of the tape cartridge, as the cartridge is moved with respect to the light source.
At least one optical detector detects reflections of the light source from the opening of the tape cartridge and provides at least one detected reflection waveform signal of the detected reflections.
In one embodiment, detection logic receives the detected reflection waveform signal(s), and analyzes the detected reflection waveform signal(s) for deviation from a cylindrical surface reflection of the tape leader pin, if any; and determines, from the analyzed deviation of the at least one detected reflection waveform signal, if any, tilt angle misalignment of the at least one exposed cylindrical surface, if any. The tilt angle misalignment of the cylindrical surface may indicate that the tape leader pin is misaligned.
As one example, the deviation from a cylindrical surface reflection of the detected waveform signal comprises a broader waveform signal representing an elliptical surface reflection if the tilt angle is substantially in the direction of scan, and comprises a narrower and lower amplitude waveform signal representing a conical surface reflection if the tilt angle is substantially perpendicular to the direction of scan.
In another embodiment for detecting absence of a tape leader pin in the opening of a tape cartridge, the detection logic analyzes the detected reflection waveform signal for deviation of amplitude from the cylindrical surface reflection of the tape leader pin, if any; and determines, from the analyzed amplitude deviation of the detected reflection waveform signal, if any, absence of an exposed cylindrical surface at the portion of the opening of the tape cartridge, if any. A low amplitude likely indicates the lack of a reflection from the tape leader pin, in turn indicating that at least the end of the tape leader pin being examined is likely to have been pulled into the cartridge.
In a further embodiment, where the tape leader pin has cylindrical surfaces at each end and is normally vertically positioned in the opening, at least one light source is focussed on and scans top and bottom portions of the opening of the tape cartridge as the cartridge is moved. At least one optical detector is focussed on the top and bottom portions of the opening to separately detect reflections of the light source from the top and bottom portions of the opening and provides detected reflection waveform signals of the detected reflections. Detection logic analyzes the detected reflection waveform signals, respectively from the top and bottom portions of the opening, comparing the detected reflection waveform signals for difference in displacement and for difference in amplitude of cylindrical surface reflections of the top and bottom exposed cylindrical surfaces of the tape leader pin, if any; and determines, from the analyzed differences of the detected reflection waveform signals, if any, tilt angle misalignment of the tape leader pin, if any. For example, if the top and bottom cylindrical surfaces are displaced, the tape leader pin is likely to be tilted in the direction of scan; and, if there is a difference in amplitude, one end or the other is likely to have been pulled into the cartridge.
In a still further embodiment, the light source(s) are stationary, and a cartridge loader moves the data storage tape cartridge such that the opening of the tape cartridge is moved past the light source(s); and a loading sensor provides a signal indicating that the data storage tape cartridge is being loaded. The detection logic is responsive to the loading sensor signal to operate the light source(s) a predetermined time subsequent to the loading sensor signal, such that the light source(s) are operated as the opening of the tape cartridge is moved past the light source(s) by the loader. The detection logic analyzes the detected reflection waveform signals for misalignment and/or for absence of the tape leader pin.

Optical detection of alignment and/or absence of tape cartridge leader pin

International Business Machines Corporation


A peeling device for peeling off a substrate to be processed and a support substrate from an overlapped substrate, the overlapped substrate being formed by bonding the substrate to be processed and the support substrate by an adhesive, which includes: a first holding unit configured to heat the substrate to be processed and configured to hold the substrate to be processed; a second holding unit configured to heat the support substrate and configured to hold the support substrate; a moving mechanism configured to horizontally move at least one of the first holding unit and the second holding unit relative to each other; and an inert gas supply mechanism configured to supply an inert gas onto a bonding surface of the substrate to be processed or a bonding surface of the support substrate.

In recent years, for example, the diameter of semiconductor wafers (hereinafter, referred to as "wafers") are increasing. In addition, there is a desire to make the wafers thin in a specified process such as mounting or the like. However, a large-diameter thin wafer is likely to be bent or cracked if the wafer is transferred or polished as is. As such, for example, in order to reinforce the wafer, the wafer is bonded to, for example, a wafer or a glass substrate that acts as a support substrate. Thereafter, a predetermined process such as a polishing process is performed on the wafer in a state where the wafer is bonded to the support substrate as described above, and subsequently, the wafer and the support substrate are peeled off from each other.
Such a peeling process is performed, for example, using a peeling apparatus. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a peeling device which can be used which directly bonds a wafer with devices formed thereon to a wafer with a thermal oxide film formed thereon, followed by performing a peeling process on the bonded wafer. The peeling device includes a first holder for holding the wafer, a second holder for holding the support substrate, and a nozzle for injecting liquid between the wafer and the support substrate. In the peeling device, the nozzle injects liquid between the wafer and the support substrate which are bonded together, i.e., a bonding surface between the wafer and the support substrate, at an injection pressure which is greater than a bonding strength applied in bonding the wafer and the support substrate, preferably, at an injection pressure that is two or more times stronger than the bonding strength, thus peeling the wafer and the support.
In addition to the method of directly bonding the wafer to a support substrate with the thermal oxide film formed thereon, there is a method of bonding the wafer and the support substrate, a method of bonding a support substrate and a wafer by applying an adhesive therebetween.
If the adhesive is used for the bonding, when the wafer and the support substrate are peeled off from each other, the adhesive applied between the wafer and the support substrate needs to be softened. For this reason, when the wafer and the support substrate are peeled off, heating is applied to the bonded wafer to soften the adhesive.
However, when the wafer is heated, oxidation is rapidly progressed on a surface (bonding surface) of the bonded wafer exposed by the peeling. Such a rapid oxidation may cause a serious damage to a product.
Prevention of such damage to the product from the rapid oxidation requires decreasing a concentration of oxygen around the wafer when the peeling is performed. However, in order to decrease oxygen concentration to prevent the rapid oxidation, it is necessary to cover the wafer and the peeling device with an airtight container. This causes an increase in size of the apparatus, which results in an increased installation space, an increased installation cost, and a reduction in throughput.
As a method of preventing the rapid oxidation of the wafer without using the airtight container, there is a method which directly injects an inert gas or the like to the wafer after the peeling, for example using a slit-shaped nozzle. However, when the inert gas is injected to the wafer by the slit-like nozzle, a flow rate of the inert gas injected from the nozzle causes circumambient air to be sucked into the peeling device. However, due to the air approaching the bonding surface of the wafer along with the inert gas, the inert gas cannot be injected to the bonding surface of the wafer.

Peeling device, peeling system and peeling method


The disclosure provides a flexible substrate, a manufacturing method thereof, and a flexible display device. The flexible substrate includes a cell and a plurality of liquid crystal molecules disposed in the cell. The cell includes a plurality of sub-pixel display areas arranged in an array and a non-display area disposed outside the sub-pixel display areas. The liquid crystal molecules are disposed in each of the sub-pixel display areas and the non-display area, extending directions of the liquid crystal molecules in each of the sub-pixel display areas are perpendicular to a plane on which the flexible substrate is disposed, and extending directions of the liquid crystal molecules in the non-display area are parallel to the plane on which the flexible substrate is disposed. Risk of damage to electrically driven devices in the flexible display device having the flexible substrate can be reduced. As a result, reliability of products is improved.

In the field of display technology, cathode ray tube (CTR) display devices are gradually replaced by flat panel display devices such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display devices which have a wide range of applications.
Most LCD devices in current market are backlit LCD devices that include an LCD panel and a backlight module. Typically, the LCD panel is a combination of a color filter (CF) substrate, a thin film transistor (TFT) array substrate, liquid crystals therebetween, and a sealant. A working principle of LCD panels is: liquid crystal molecules are disposed between two glass substrates which are parallel to each other, multiple vertical and horizontal small currents exist between the two glass substrates, and orientations of the liquid crystal molecules can be controlled by applying a voltage to the two glass substrates; therefore, light emitted from a backlight module can be refracted to generate images.
OLEDs generally includes a substrate, an anode disposed on the substrate, a hole injection layer (HIL) disposed on the anode, a hole transport layer (HTL) disposed on the HIL, a luminescent layer disposed on the HTL, an electron transport layer (ETL) disposed on the luminescent layer, an electron injection layer (EIL) disposed on the ETL, and a cathode disposed on the EIL. A working principle of OLED devices is: driven by an electric field, charge carriers are injected, pass through semiconductor materials, and recombine in a luminescent layer having organic luminescent materials to emit light.
With continuous development of display technology, flexible display devices attract increasing attention from consumers. Typically, deformation property of an entire flexible display device is uniform; therefore, when uneven external forces are applied to the flexible display device, different positions of the flexible display device have different deformation quantities, thereby reducing brightness uniformity in different positions. Furthermore, electrically driven devices in the flexible display devices may be severely damaged because of stretch and compression of the flexible display devices, resulting in display abnormality.

Flexible substrate, manufacturing method thereof, and flexible display device


A driving method of a liquid crystal apparatus has an initial state of twisted angle .PHI., a first stable state of .PHI.-180.degree. and a second stable state of .PHI.+180.degree. in alignment. Scanning electrodes are divided into a plurality of groups for sequential selection of the groups. Scanning signals are applied to the scanning electrodes within a group substantially simultaneously.

A driving method of a liquid crystal apparatus using chiral nematic liquid crystal is disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 1-51,818 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,345). The patent specification describes an initial orientational condition in the initial state under non-application of voltage, two metastable states, and a method for switching over between the two metastable states. However, the patent specification contains however no description about a practicable method for driving, and further, it discloses nothing about a driving method of a matrix display which is at present the most practical liquid crystal display.
Under these circumstances, the present inventors filed applications for Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-230,751 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-175,041 relating to driving methods for matrix display and achieved a practicable liquid crystal display unit and a driving method thereof. More specifically, the present inventors prepared a liquid crystal apparatus formed by holding a chiral nematic liquid crystal having an initial twist angle .PHI. (for example, 180.degree.) between a pair of substrates. A stripe-shaped electrode is formed on each of the substrates. The conventional driving method is as follows.
A giant pulse sufficient to transfer the liquid crystal molecules to homeotropic state is applied to the liquid crystal layer held between the pair of substrates. Then, after a certain interval of a delay time, a selection pulse using a critical value as the reference is applied to the liquid crystal to create a 0.degree. uniform state (.PHI.-180.degree.) or a 360.degree. (.PHI.+180.degree.) twisted state after relaxation of the homeotropic state. A display is achieved by the foregoing .PHI.-180.degree. state and the .PHI.+180.degree. state: the former is referred to as ON state, and the latter, as OFF state. This driving method is based on the pulse response of the liquid crystal.
FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a driving waveform representing another conventional driving method. (a) of FIG. 7 is a common waveform applied to a scanning electrode, and (b) of FIG. 7 is an example of a data waveform applied to a signal electrode. The common waveform is applied to the above-mentioned scanning electrode during a prescribed period of time comprising a reset period 8, a delay period 9, a selection period 10, and a non-selection period 11.
More specifically, a giant pulse is applied during the reset period, and an interval is placed during the delay period. During the K-th line selection period 10 of matrix display, a selection pulse having an amplitude of selecting an ON-state or an OFF-state of the display is applied. During the remaining non-selection period, the other scanning electrode is selected. This conventional driving method is based on line-sequential scanning.
The giant pulse applied during the reset period 8 is a pulse having a pulse height of at least 17 V, and requires a sustaining time of about 1 to 2 ms. The selection pulse applied during the selection period 10 should preferably have a voltage three to four times as high as the data voltage applied to the signal electrode.
The delay period 9 should be a time of several hundred .mu.s, and voltage should be null (reference voltage Vc) during the delay period and the non-selection period 11.
The data waveform (b) should show a symmetrical form of amplitude on the positive and negative sides in relation to the reference voltage Vc. When the phase of data waveform is the same as the phase of selection pulse, the display OFF-state is selected, and when it is an antiphase, the display ON-state is selected. Except for the reset period 8, therefore, the process would be based on the same method of general passive matrix addressing.
Inversion of signal for AC conversion is conducted for every interval of several times of the selection period (1H) (nH; n is a positive integer) within one frame, and a DC component is canceled by reversing the waveforms of the immediately preceding frame. The waveform, not shown here, applied to the liquid crystal media is equal to the difference between the common signal and the data signal. No problem is therefore caused if a waveform having the same level of voltage to that in this example is applied. Another example could be put into practice by dividing the voltage levels of the common signals and the data signals into two groups of low and high voltages and selecting certain voltage levels of these signals between these two groups in a hopping manner. Examples of these practices are described in the foregoing Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication.
In a liquid crystal apparatus using a super twisted nematic liquid crystal (STN liquid crystal), on the other hand, rapid attenuation of the display state not experienced in the conventional cumulative response, i.e., attenuation of transmissivity becomes larger, when the response time of liquid crystal materials are shorter, and the resultant lower contrast phenomenon is known as a frame response.
As a measure to solve this problem, a concept in which a plurality of scanning electrodes are simultaneously addressed (or scanning lines) is developed. (This is hereinafter referred to as the "multi-line driving method", and abbreviated as the "MLS driving method"). These circumstances are described in detail in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-100,642 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-148,845.According to these documents, in the aforesaid driving method, a plurality of selection periods are provided in a single scanning waveform, and are dispersed in a frame. In this driving method, therefore, a necessary transmissivity is determined and an ON/OFF state of display is obtained by accumulating responses of liquid crystal for individual selecting period. This driving method is utilizing cumulative response of the liquid crystal and the root mean square (RMS) response effect.
FIG. 8 shows an example of the conventional driving method: the driving waveforms for simultaneously selecting of four scanning electrodes. Common waveforms R1 to R4 applied to the four scanning electrodes are as shown in FIG. 8. That is, the selection periods S1 to S4 are dispersed within a frame, and a selection pulse is applied to the liquid crystal equally at four every period t. A property known as orthogonal normality as referred to in the aforesaid patent application is imparted between the individual common waveforms. More specifically, the selection pulse applied to the individual selection periods (S1 to S4) of the four scanning electrodes R1 to R4, by assuming 1 for the positive side and 0 for the negative side relative to a reference voltage (Vc), is expressed by a determinant. A selection voltage is set so that this determinant satisfies orthogonality.
Data waveforms C1 and C2 are shown in FIG. 8, in which examples of data signals to each four rows accessed simultaneously are illustrated. Voltage of the data signal is set at any of five voltage levels in total relative to the reference potential (Vc: i.e., zero). Specifically, a data signal is determined in response to the four selected rows and a display state of the column crossing these rows (there are 2.sup.4 =16 ON/OFF combinations).
Applying to a practical circuit, a common signal and data signals are passed through 4 exclusive OR gates, and the level of a voltage to be applied to LCD will be fixed by counting the output states of the gates.
Thus, the voltage to be applied to the liquid crystal is as effective as a RMS voltage which is the difference between the common signals and the data signals in a frame period. Therefore, a display state in compliance with the RMS voltage is available even by a driving method using a selection period divided into four. AC conversion of the driving waveform is accomplished through inversion for every frame. AC conversion of a voltage applied to the liquid crystal layer is achieved through two frames.
By using the driving method shown in FIG. 7, the present inventors could drive a conventional liquid crystal apparatus at a duty ratio of 1/240, and succeed in driving such a large-capacity liquid crystal apparatus. In order to achieve a liquid crystal display of a larger capacity by improving a driving method, it was necessary to reduce the selection period for the writing pulse and achieve a faster response time of a liquid crystal, however this requirement inevitably led to a narrower driving voltage margin of the display element for the existing liquid crystal materials.

Driving method of liquid crystal apparatus


A machine for cutting and/or pre-creasing a sheet of relatively rigid material which includes movement elements to move the sheet in a defined direction of feed, a cutting and/or pre-creasing unit mobile in a direction substantially transverse to the direction of feed of the sheet, to carry out on the sheet at least a cutting and/or pre-creasing operation. The cutting and/or pre-creasing unit includes a plurality of operating heads, each one mobile transversely to the direction of feed of the sheet in an independent and autonomous manner with respect to the other operating heads, and conformed to support, move and command a single relative cutting and/or pre-creasing tool.

In the packing or packaging sector, plants are known which are used to make containers by means of a plurality of operations on a packaging material, for example a sheet of cardboard.
Known plants generally comprise a plurality of machines operatively disposed in series, and each of which is provided with a support structure substantially transverse to the direction of feed of the sheet.
One type of machine provided in such plants comprises at least a cutting and/or pre-creasing unit having a pair of operating heads, each of which supports, moves and commands both a cutting tool and a pre-creasing tool.
Solutions are known whereby the cutting and/or pre-creasing unit has tools suitable to operate both in a transverse direction to the direction of feed of the sheet, and also in a longitudinal direction to the direction of feed of the sheet.
In some cutting and/or pre-creasing conditions one and/or the other tool of each operating head can remain unused, limiting the potential productivity of the machine.
Such known plants are little suited for production in small series, and need long fitting out times to change to producing series which are different from each other.
Moreover, since in the known machines the tools are provided in pairs for each operating head, possible parallel operations distanced only a few millimeters from each other are difficult to carry out, possibly causing operational inaccuracies.
US-A-2009/0062098 discloses a creasing device for forming creases in corrugated or cardboard sheets, comprising a plurality of creasing units of the sheet, suitable for executing longitudinal creases on the sheet in a direction longitudinal with respect to the feeding direction of the sheet, and in which the distance between upper female roller and lower male roller of each creasing unit is individually adjustable. Four creasing units are movable each other along a direction transversal to the feed direction of the sheet, while a central creasing unit is disposed fixed on an upper stationary frame. Moreover, the creasing device of US'098 comprises a plurality of grooving units, disposed spaced apart one each other in a fixed manner with respect to the feeding direction and downstream of the creasing units, for executing slots on the sheet in a direction longitudinal with respect to the feeding direction of the sheet. Four grooving units are movable each other along a direction transversal to the feed direction of the sheet, while a central grooving unit is disposed fixed on a lower stationary frame.
WO-A-2005/09697 discloses a machine for manufacturing cardboard blanks from a cardboard portion including a feeding assembly for moving the cardboard portion, a first operating head disposed above the feed plane of the cardboard blank, fit to execute workings on the cardboard in a transversal direction with respect to the moving direction of the cardboard, and which is mobile in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of cardboard portion and driven by first actuator means and second operating heads fit to execute workings on the cardboard in a longitudinal direction with respect to the moving direction of the cardboard and disposed above the feed plane of the cardboard blank, downstream the first operating head and each independently positionable by means of second actuator means in a transversal direction with respect to the machine.
Purpose of the present invention is to achieve a machine and a unit, and to perfect a method, for cutting and/or pre-creasing, which are suitable for small productions, which allow to exploit to the maximum the potential productivity of the machine and which are less bulky, more accurate and cost less.
The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

Machine for cutting and/or pre-creasing a relatively rigid material, such as for example cardboard, a cutting and/or pre-creasing unit and the relative cutting and/or pre-creasing method


Devices and systems which include on-chip waveguides with flattened dispersion are described. In one aspect, silicon nitride slot waveguides that exhibit four zero-dispersion wavelengths with a flattened dispersion over a wavelength range of 500 nm are obtained. The disclosed silicon nitride slot waveguides are used to generate a two-octave supercontinuum from 630 nm to 2650 nm, enabling (a) on-chip generation of 5 fs optical pulses as short as 1.3 cycles, and (b) sensitive single-shot measurements of the absolute carrier-envelope phase using a single integrated waveguide. In another aspect, silicon slot waveguides that exhibits four zero-dispersion wavelengths with a flattened dispersion over a wavelength range of 670-nm are obtained. An octave-spanning supercontinuum is generated in the disclosed silicon slot waveguide, over a wavelength range from 1217 nm to 2451 nm, approximately from bandgap wavelength to half-bandgap wavelength. Input pulses longer that 100 fs can be compressed to 10 fs using the disclosed silicon slot waveguide.

This patent document relates in general to on-chip waveguides with flattened dispersion, and in particular to on-chip generation of an ultra-broad optical spectrum, called a supercontinuum, based on the flattened dispersion of the waveguides.
Generating a supercontinuum from a narrowband pulse is of particular interest in both fundamental science and engineering research of modern optics. Although recent years have witnessed dramatic advances in supercontinuum generation using photonic crystal fibers, it is quite challenging to obtain an octave-spanning supercontinuum on a chip, partially because of strong chromatic dispersion in high-index-contrast nonlinear integrated waveguides.

On-chip two-octave supercontinuum generation enabled by advanced chromatic dispersion tailoring in slotted waveguides


Semiconductor structures and the manufacturing method thereof are disclosed. An exemplary manufacturing method includes forming a stack of a first type and a second type epitaxial layers on a frontside of a semiconductor substrate, patterning the stack to form a fin-shaped structure, depositing a dielectric layer on sidewalls of the fin-shaped structure, and recessing the dielectric layer to expose a top portion of the fin-shaped structure. A top surface of the recessed dielectric layer is above a bottom surface of the stack. The exemplary manufacturing method also includes forming a gate structure over the top portion of the fin-shaped structure, etching the semiconductor substrate from a backside of the semiconductor substrate, and etching at least a bottommost first type epitaxial layer and a bottommost second type epitaxial layer through the trench.

The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced exponential growth. Technological advances in IC materials and design have produced generations of ICs where each generation has smaller and more complex circuits than the previous generation. In the course of IC evolution, functional density (i.e., the number of interconnected devices per chip area) has generally increased while geometry size (i.e., the smallest component (or line) that can be created using a fabrication process) has decreased. This scaling down process generally provides benefits by increasing production efficiency and lowering associated costs. Such scaling down has also increased the complexity of processing and manufacturing ICs.
For example, as IC technologies progress towards smaller technology nodes, multi-gate metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (multi-gate MOSFETs, or multi-gate devices) have been introduced to improve gate control by increasing gate-channel coupling, reducing off-state current, and reducing short-channel effects (SCEs). A multi-gate device generally refers to a device having a gate structure (also known as gate stack), or portion thereof, disposed over more than one side of a channel region. Fin-like field effect transistors (FinFETs) and multi-bridge-channel (MBC) transistors are examples of multi-gate devices that have become popular and promising candidates for high performance and low leakage applications. A FinFET has an elevated channel wrapped by a gate structure on more than one side (for example, the gate wraps a top and sidewalls of a "fin" of semiconductor material extending from a substrate). An MBC transistor has a gate structure that can extend, partially or fully, around a channel region to provide access to the channel region on two or more sides. Because its gate structure surrounds the channel regions, an MBC transistor may also be referred to as a surrounding gate transistor (SGT) or a gate-all-around (GAA) transistor.
MBC transistors in different regions of an IC chip or in different portions of a circuit serve different functions, such as input/output (I/O) functions and core functions. These different functions require the transistors to have different constructions. At the same time, it is advantageous to have similar processes and similar process windows to fabricate these different transistors to reduce cost and improve yield. For example, an IC chip may include high-power regions for high performance computing (HPC) unit or central processing unit (CPU), which requires MBC transistors with strong current driving capability to achieve high operating speed, and low-power regions for I/O or system-on-a-chip (SoC) unit, which requires MBC transistors with less current driving capability to achieve low-capacitance and low-leakage performance. Accordingly, a need of the number of channel members in MBC transistors in different regions may be different in one IC chip. Generally, an MBC transistor having a larger number of channel members provides stronger current driving capability, and vice versa. Therefore, in the course of IC evolution, how to achieve varying numbers of channel members suiting different applications on one IC chip is a challenge faced by the semiconductor industry. At the same time, it is advantageous to have similar processes and similar process windows to fabricate these different transistors to reduce cost and improve yield. Accordingly, while existing semiconductor devices are generally adequate for their intended purposes, they are not satisfactory in all aspects.

Nanostructures and method for manufacturing the same

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.


A musical-tone-control apparatus having finger sensors that detect the bending of each finger and produce on/off signals in response to the bending. One group of outputs of the finger sensors is converted into keycodes that control tone pitches by the use of converting rules, and the other group of the outputs thereof is also used for changing the ranges of the tone pitches. Hence, musical tones controlled by finger motions of a performer are generated. Moreover, the converting rules can be altered by a modification-control means so that keycode-conversion rules can be varied. Thus, conversion rules appropriate for generating tones which occur frequently and are easy to produce for an individual, can be set for each musical piece. Furthermore, grouping the outputs of finger sensors makes it possible for a performer to achieve a variety of control of musical tones.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a musical-tone-control apparatus preferably used for generating and controlling various musical tones according to the bending of fingers (all the digits of the hand).
2. Prior Art
Performance of conventional musical instruments, whether the instruments are acoustic or electronic, is carried out by operating keyboards, or by blowing pipes, or by plucking strings, etc..
These conventional musical instruments restrict the performer's position, posture and movement during performance because the instruments must be used in a specific manner.


A system and method for securely delivering the location information of a mobile device to a location consumer is presented. In operation, the mobile device user issues a license to a location consumer. The license identifies the location consumer and any conditions the mobile device user places on the license. The license is encrypted such that it cannot be modified without invalidating the license. The license is submitted in a location request by the location consumer. A location information server receives the request, validates that the license was issued to the location consumer and that the location request conforms to the conditions of the license. If so, the location information server obtains the mobile device's location information, generates a location response, encrypts some of the location response, and returns the location response to the location consumer.

In many countries, including the United States, governments have begun mandating that mobile service providers must be able to determine the location of a mobile device with a certain degree of accuracy. For example, some mandates require that mobile service providers must be able to determine the location for a mobile device within a 100-meter radius of the mobile device. While the impetus behind these mandates has been the need to locate a mobile device for emergency services, a byproduct of the ability to determine the location of a mobile device is that the location information may be used by more than just emergency services. In fact, an entire location-based service industry has arisen around the ability to provide location information of a mobile device to so-called location consumers. Location consumers may include the mobile device user, family, friends, business owners, fleet managers, and the like.
Location information can be extremely valuable, hence the rise of the location-based service industry. However, location information can be extremely sensitive in nature. Mobile devices, including, but not limited to, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet and notebook computers, as well as many forms of hybrid devices, are usually viewed as personal items, i.e., personal to the mobile device user. As a personal item, a mobile device is usually kept in the personal possession of the mobile device user, and as such, the location of the mobile device closely corresponds to the personal location of the mobile device user. Thus, dissemination of location information is clearly a personal privacy issue. As such, care must be taken to protect the individual's personal location information. Typically, a mobile device user protects his privacy by establishing distribution controls over location information of his mobile device.
Clearly, location information, as personal information, can be used for nefarious or unauthorized purposes. Unfortunately, even when distribution controls are set in place with regard to location information, those that would make unauthorized use of location information are often able to bypass those controls and obtain the location information. For example, while a location-based service provider may impose strict distribution controls in regard to which location consumers may gain access to location information of a mobile device, a rogue administrator with super-user privileges could use those privileges to illegitimately access location information as it passes through the location-based service provider's facilities, easily compromising any distribution controls set in place. Alternatively, one who is eavesdropping on network communications between a location-based service provider and a legitimate location consumer may gain unauthorized access to the location information, again compromising the mobile device user's privacy.
While one of the services of a location-based service provider is to route location information from a mobile service provider to a location consumer, depending on the type of service requested, location-based service providers do not always need the actual location information related to a mobile device. In fact, as described above, the location-based service provider often represents a security weakness as location information passes from a mobile service provider to the location consumer. Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method for securely delivering location information from a mobile service provider to a location consumer in a secure manner. The present invention addresses these and other issues found in the prior art.

System and method for enforcing location privacy using rights management


A method and apparatus for calibrating an imaging device having an image sensor is disclosed. A deviation of the image sensor with respect to a chosen coordinate system is determined. A roll of the image sensor with respect to the chosen coordinate system is determined. A pin hole coordinate with respect to the chosen coordinate system is determined.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to three-dimensional (3-D) models and, in particular, to a method and apparatus for obtaining imaging device orientation information through analysis of test images.
2. Background Information
Creating three-dimensional (3-D) models of objects allow the models to be viewed from many different angles unlike two-dimensional (2-D) models that may only be viewed from one angle. One method of creating 3-D models is to take a multitude of images of real objects from different positions and exploit the differences in the objects' projection. These multitude of images may be suitable to produce 3-D models of the object. Once a 3-D model is produced, the 3-D model could be placed in a virtual world and may be shared with others, much like photos or TV. In particular, the commercial viability of 3-D models is remarkably pronounced in the entertainment, advertisement, and simulation industries.
The multitude of images may be captured using an imaging device such as a camcorder or a digital camera, for example, in a 3-D imaging device system. However, before any images may be captured for 3-D modeling, the position and orientation of each imaging device should be determined. This determining procedure is known as calibration. The reason for the calibration is that the computer used to create the 3-D data must know the relative position of the imaging devices with respect to a coordinate system (e.g. Cartesian, polar, etc.), which may be arbitrarily positioned in space, so that each coordinate image point of the captured image of one imaging device may be correlated with an image point in the captured image of the other imaging device. Through this correlation, the location of features of the 3-D object may be determined in the chosen coordinate system. In other words, X, Y, Z coordinates of the features of the target object may be determined corresponding to points in 3-D space which is the 3-D data.
One calibration method could be mechanically positioning the imaging devices on to a calibrated bar fixture with known fixed points so that once positioned, the imaging devices are calibrated. However, this method would require highly sophisticated calibrating equipment and an expensive calibrated bar. This is due to the high degree of accuracy required in a 3-D imaging device system. Further, a highly trained personnel would be required to make such adjustments. Additionally, due to the requirement that the calibration must be precise, such calibration would have to be performed in the factory and once calibrated, the position of each imaging device must remain unaltered.
This method is cumbersome in that when the user desires to adjust the distance between the imaging devices, for example, to take a stereoscopic image of a small object or a large object, the user is unable to do so because the user does not have the sophistication to make the calibration after the adjustment. Further, if the 3-D imaging device system is subjected to some knocking (shock, etc.) or mechanical manipulation that de-aligns the imaging devices, the system would be required to be returned to the factory or authorized dealer for recalibration with suitable equipment and methods, possibly at great expense. This results in the loss of usage and frustration to the user. Furthermore, in mechanically calibrating the imaging devices, it is assumed that the photosensitive area (i.e. image sensor) is properly aligned with the imaging device. However, many times, the image sensor may not be aligned resulting in the mechanically well aligned imaging device to be mis-aligned accordingly. Therefore, what is needed is a method and apparatus of calibrating the 3-D imaging device system that can be performed with ease by the user and overcomes the shortcomings of the method described above.

Imaging device orientation information through analysis of test images


A reflective mobile phone lens, comprising a semi-permeable semi-reflecting mirror (5), a concave spherical reflecting mirror (4) and a mobile phone (1) screen; the mobile phone (1) screen serves as a display screen to display an image; light passes through the semi-permeable semi-reflecting mirror (5) and arrives at the concave spherical reflecting mirror (4), and then is reflected by the concave spherical reflecting mirror (4) back to the semi-permeable semi-reflecting mirror (5), and is reflected by the reflective surface of the semi-permeable semi-reflecting mirror (5) onto the mobile phone (1) screen. The mobile phone lens enables watching an online movie or playing a virtual reality game on the mobile phone (1) to have a good effect like watching a movie on a big screen in a cinema.

Technical Field
The present invention relates to an optical magnifying device, in particular to a device for magnifying a mobile phone screen.
Description of Related Art
With technological development, mobile phone display screen pixel resolutions are becoming higher and higher, and pixel resolution for a screen as small as about five inches is 1920*1080, sometimes reaching 2560*1440 and can even be developed to 4K ultra-high definition pixel resolution which is 3840*2160. The pixel resolution of small screens is the same as that of the most advanced large television, and the pixel density has already exceeded the human eye's recognition range. An online video can be watched on a mobile phone quite conveniently, the economic efficiency is quite high, and the advantages of being private and not affecting other people and the advantages which cannot be achieved by a large television are also achieved. However, not only is the definition requirement needed when people watch movies, but also the shock brought by large-breadth IMAX is needed, and details which cannot be clearly seen with the naked eye also need to be recognized, so that the problem of narrow width still exists when movies are watched on a mobile phone.


Aspects of the disclosure feature a method that comprises preparing an agent-cyclodextrin complex. Preparing the agent-cyclodextrin complex includes contacting a first composition comprising an agent with a porous cyclodextrin-metal organic framework to form a second composition comprising an agent-cyclodextrin-metal organic framework complex, the cyclodextrin-metal organic framework including a plurality of cyclodextrin molecules and at least one metal cation. Preparing the agent-cyclodextrin complex also includes dissolving the agent-cyclodextrin-metal organic framework complex in an aqueous solvent to form a third composition including the agent-cyclodextrin complex.

Cyclodextrins (e.g., cyclic dextrins, cyclic oligosaccharides, abbreviated herein as CDs) are cyclic structures composed of D-glucopyranosyl residues linked in a ring by α-1,4 glycosidic bonds. Glucose molecules, bonded together in the ring, form a hollow, circular, truncated cone with a hydrophobic interior and a hydrophilic exterior. This structure gives CDs the ability to host guest molecules (complexant) within their cavity (e.g., pore). The ability to form inclusion compounds (complexes) with a wide variety of chemicals, facilitates CDs to act as a carrier to encapsulate, stabilize, and/or alter the chemical and physical properties (e.g., volatility and solubility) of the guest molecules, CDs have been widely used in the agricultural, food, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries. Often, αCD, βCD, and γCD include six, seven, and eight glucopyranose units in their ring, respectively.

Method of preparing cyclodextrin complexes