A string instrument, such as a guitar, includes a sound box with saddle, a neck with tuning pegs and strings extended under tension between the saddle and the tuning pegs, providing a bridge of least two legs under which there are at least two separate piezoelectric transducers that are connected to an electrical circuit for the amplified reproduction of the sound of the instrument.

Using piezoelectric transducers in string instruments is well known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,410,101 is referred to a piezoelectric assembly clamped between a string holder and a bridge, provided with a dual layer arrangement of piezoelectric elements kept in contact with corresponding positive electrodes. The piezoelectric elements closer to the string holder detect string vibrations and the piezoelectric elements closer to the bridge detects body vibrations of the string instrument so that electric signals from piezoelectric elements of different groups can be tactfully blended together for rich and voluminous generation of musical tones over a wide tone range.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,822,156 of Lazarus et al. is referred to an acoustic guitar having two components that provide the signal that is representative of the guitar sound, a primary pickup device and a secondary pickup device. The primary device is the piezoelectric pickup that is situated between the strings beneath the saddle of a stringed instrument. The primary device is designed to detect the bulk of the sound as well as the tonal nuances. The secondary device as used in one embodiment of this invention makes use of the physically induced charge modulation properties along both the longitudinal and transverse axis of the interconnecting coax cable that runs from the primary pickup to the impedance changing preamplifier. An optional pair of pickups may be disposed outside the strings. Also, a compressible gasket may be placed between the pickup and saddle and the pickup and the bridge to prevent air gaps thereinbetween.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,515,214 of Takabayashi describes a pickup unit used for converting vibrations of strings to electric signals for producing electric tones at good loudness, and the pickup unit including a bridge assembly stationary to a body of the stringed instrument, vibration-responsive piezoelectric elements secured at the end portions thereof to the bridge assembly and vibration mediators held in contact with the strings and exerting force on the other end portions of the piezoelectric elements; since the vibration mediators have the freedom to move in the direction of the bending in the bridge assembly, the electric signals exactly represent the vibrations of the strings.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,274,801 of Wardley claims an instrument pickup assembly comprising, a piezoelectric transducer configured for association with a belly of a stringed instrument, a transmittable conduit associated with said piezoelectric transducer at a first end thereof, and means for securely positioning said piezoelectric transducer onto said belly of said stringed instrument.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,075,198 is referred to a rigid, solid bodied stringed instrument having an electrical pickup embedded in at least one predetermined position within the stringed instruments solid body to pick up the actual wood tones and resonance of the rigid solid body. The electrical pickup is comprised of a piezoelectric transducer embedded between a planar brass surface and a planar ceramic surface. In the preferred embodiment, the pickup transducer is circular in shape and embedded within the stringed instrument's solid body adjacent the strings which span the body. The embedded piezoelectric transducer requires a fraction of the area required by traditional electric coil pickups. In an alternate preferred embodiment, the pickup transducer is embedded within transducer housing. The housing is then embedded within the solid body of a stringed instrument adjacent the strings. By including the piezoelectric transducer within its own housing the pickup can be sold separately in the aftermarket and incorporated in solid body stringed instruments.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,023,019 refers to a stringed instrument, such as a guitar including a saddle for holding the strings and a pickup assembly for converting vibrations of the strings into electrical signals, the saddle has a curved bottom surface for contacting the pickup assembly. The pickup assembly is formed in flexible layers, including a first layer of insulation, a second layer of piezoelectric film with a ground lead on top, a third layer having contacts formed thereon in positions corresponding to the strings to create active areas in the film underneath the strings, the third layer having lead lines disposed at the bottom thereof, and additional lead lines at the bottom of a fourth flexible layer. Electrodes communicate one end of the lead lines with the contacts via through-holes in the intervening layers. The other ends of the lead lines fasten to pins which connect to an amplifier circuit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,817,966 of Fishman refers to a transducer for a stringed musical instrument incorporating an electrically conductive ground plane, along with a piezoelectric transducer and a conductive strip. The piezoelectric transducer is comprised of a polyvinylidene fluoride co-polymer. The ground plane, piezoelectric transducers and conductive strip are secured in an elongated unitary structure with the ground plane and conductive strip disposed on opposite sides of the transducers. A conductive shield is disposed about the unitary structure and electrical leads connect to the ground plane and conductive strip, respectively. The transducer may also include two piezoelectric transducers and conductive strips to provide two different outputs from the transducer. The two piezoelectric transducers may have different frequency response characteristics or may be connected to different signal processing circuits to allow for distinct modulations and mixing of outputs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,185 of Fishman claims a transducer for a stringed musical instrument incorporating an electrically conductive ground plane, along with a piezoelectric transducer and a conductive strip. The piezoelectric transducer is comprised of a polyvinylidene fluoride co-polymer. The ground plane, piezoelectric transducers and conductive strip are secured in an elongated unitary structure with the ground plane and conductive strip disposed on opposite sides of the transducers. A conductive shield is disposed about the unitary structure and electrical leads connect to the ground plane and conductive strip, respectively.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,969 claims a piezoelectric transducer saddle with a thin, generally rectangular member that is designed to fit into the bridge slot of a musical instrument such as a guitar. The piezoelectric element is oriented vertically in the saddle and constitutes a structural member of the saddle. In a first embodiment of the saddle, a piezoelectric element forms the saddle itself. Electrical contacts are engaged to the sides of the piezoelectric element to produce electrical output. A preferred embodiment of the saddle is a laminated structure wherein the laminated layers are disposed vertically, and a vertical layer composed of a piezoelectric material is generally centrally disposed within the laminated structure. A metallic electrical contact is engaged on each side of the piezoelectric material to receive electrical signals generated by the piezoelectric material. In one embodiment, one of the electrical contacts is formed as a metallic layer which rises to the upper surface of the saddle to make contact with the strings of the musical instrument, in order to provide a ground for the metallic musical strings of the instrument. Further embodiments of the present invention utilize multiple piezoelectric elements and shaped piezoelectric elements to produce enhanced performance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,041 refers to a suspension bridge pickup mechanism for stringed musical instruments. Vibrations from the strings are transferred to a suspended bridge which is in contact at spaced points with resonator plates of a plurality of bimorphic piezoelectric elements. The bridge has a high length to transverse thickness ratio resulting in a signal of wide frequency range and high amplitude. The tonal characteristics and the relative harmonic content of the signal can be altered by selecting or rejecting specific transducers which will contribute to the output signal utilizing a switching circuit. The transducers may be positioned under different portions of the bridge resulting in greater low frequency response In the median region of the bridge, maximal mid frequency response in the paramedian region, and maximal high frequency response near the ends of the bridge. Resonator plates of large area and small thickness are employed for maximal reproduction of low frequencies and resonator plates of small area and greater thickness are employed for maximal reproduction of high frequencies. The instrument strings cross and is supported by the bridge asymmetrically of its length.
There are many string instruments, such as guitars and violins that are equipped with electroacoustic devices for the controlled reproduction of sound so as to reach higher volumes. Among known systems is the incorporation of a microphone inside the sound box of the instrument, where the microphone picks up the sound already produced and sent out by the instrument and transforms it into a signal that is amplified by an amplifier for its controlled reproduction. This results in a significant increase in the reproduction volume of the sound because the volume is determined by the amplifying devices; however, the quality of the sound reproduced is not good and the sound differs from the true one produced by the acoustic instrument.
In order to improve reproduction trying to make it as similar to the original sound as possible, piezoelectric microphones are used, which are placed under the bridge of said instrument to pick up the vibrations of the strings and the sound generated inside the sound box directly. This has improved sound quality compared to a microphone placed inside said sound box, but the sound is still not genuine and this use is restricted to certain types of music, such as jazz, rock, etc., and it is not used in those cases where the "purity" of the sound is relevant itself, for example, in a classic guitar concert, a violin concert, etc. In other words, the sound that is reproduced and amplified is still not similar to that of an acoustic string instrument.
Even though the use of piezoelectric transducers has notably improved the quality of the amplified sound, the transducers used nowadays and their disposition do not take advantage of the differentiation, separation, and selection of the vibrations generated by the different strings to manage each of them, or at least part of them, separately. This is because instruments that use piezoelectric transducers in fact use a single transducer or transducer set placed on the bridge of the violin or in the saddle of the guitar. This single transducer receives all vibrations of the different strings and turns them into signals that are sent to a processing circuit for amplification and acoustic emission.
Whatever the tone of the vibrations might be, they are all picked up by the same transducer but it is well known that not all transducers are the same, so not all of them are equally adequate to pick up and reproduce different signals or vibrations. Some transducers are better at converting high-pitched sounds, while others are better at converting low-pitched sounds.
Consequently it is still a market need a new set or disposition of piezoelectric transducers for string instruments where the vibrations produced by the instrument are differentiated and better processed.


In a matrix display device, when cells of first to third colors composing one pixel are first to third cells, the second cell is disposed on one side of the first cell in a signal line alignment direction while disposing the third cell on the other side of the first cell in a scanning line alignment direction, and the first to third cells form the shape of a letter L. One pixel and another pixel adjacent to either side of the former pixel in the scanning line alignment direction are a first pixel in the shape of the letter L and a second pixel in the shape of the letter L and in a state rotating by 180xc2x0 with respect to the first pixel, respectively. The first and second pixels are paired with each other and a combination of these pixels form the shape of a square, where all the first pixels and all the second pixels respectively have the same combination of colors of the first to third cells, and the first and second pixels have a difference in disposition of colors, thus realizing high-definition display with a low-cost arrangement.

The present invention relates to a matrix display device, representative of which is an active matrix liquid crystal display device, and in particular to a matrix display device capable of color display.
In a conventional active matrix display device for example, an externally inputted video signal which has an arrangement of Mxc3x973 (RGB)xc3x97N is displayed, as shown in FIG. 10, by a matrix display section (display element) 58 which is made up of Mxc3x973 signal lines, N scanning lines, and display cells each of which is a portion enclosed by the signal lines and the scanning lines. Note that, in xe2x80x9cMxc3x973 (RGB)xc3x97Nxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9c3 (RGB)xe2x80x9d refers to a numerical value 3 according to three different colors: red (R), green (G) and blue (B).
Further, in this active matrix display device, as shown in FIG. 9, each one pixel 51 is made up of three cells 52 (52a to 52c), one of which is red (R), another is green (G) and the other is blue (B). In each cell 52, a ratio of the length in a horizontal direction (xe2x80x9chorizontal lengthxe2x80x9d, hereinafter) to the length in a vertical direction (xe2x80x9cvertical lengthxe2x80x9d, hereinafter) is as follows: the horizontal length:the vertical length=1:3. Namely, as shown in FIG. 9, when the horizontal length of the cell 52 is Sx2, and the vertical length thereof is Sy2, Sx2:Sy2=1:3.
Further, since each pixel 51 includes three cells 52 disposed side by side in the horizontal direction, the pixel 51 has the shape of a square. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, when the horizontal length of the pixel 51 is Px2, and the vertical length thereof is Py2, Px2 (=3xc3x97Sx2):Py2 (=Sy2)=1:1. With this arrangement, when displaying a xe2x80x9ccirclexe2x80x9d for example, display shows the xe2x80x9ccirclexe2x80x9d but not an xe2x80x9cellipsexe2x80x9d.
Furthermore, a wiring pitch of the Mxc3x973 signal lines 53 and the N scanning lines 54 that are disposed in a matrix shows the following ratio: a pitch of the signal line 53:a pitch of the scanning line 54=1:3.
The foregoing conventional matrix display device that includes the pixel 51, the signal line 53 and the scanning line 54 has an arrangement as shown in FIG. 10, for example. FIG. 10 shows the case where the pixels 51 are provided, the number of which is calculated as follows: M (the number of pixels in a horizontal direction)xc3x97N (the number of pixels in a vertical direction). An arrangement shown in FIG. 10 is as follows: each signal line 53 is connected to a signal line driving circuit 55; each scanning line 54 is connected to a scanning line driving circuit 56; the signal line driving circuit 55 is supplied with a video signal and a control signal from a control circuit 57; and the scanning signal line driving circuit 56 is supplied with a control signal from the control circuit 57.
Here, for ease of explanation, FIG. 11 shows a low-resolution matrix display device in which the number of the pixels 51 is calculated as follows: M (horizontal direction)=3, and N (vertical direction)=2. This display device has a basic arrangement as with FIG. 10. Further, FIG. 12 is a timing chart of various signals in the signal line driving circuit 55 shown in FIG. 11.
As shown in FIG. 12, the signal line driving circuit 55, in a timing {circle around (1)} of DOT_CK, makes sampling of each cell 52 of the pixel 51, for example, in an upper left-hand corner in FIG. 11, that is, video data of three individual systems respectively corresponding to R (0,0), G (0,0) and B (0,0). The sampling data are applicable to signals of three systems Sr(0), Sg(0) and Sb(0) to be outputted to the signal line 53. Likewise, at timings {circle around (2)} and {circle around (3)}, there is made sampling of video data of three individual systems respectively corresponding to R (1,0), G (1,0) and B (1,0), and R (2,0), G (2,0) and B (2,0). These sampling data correspond to signals of three systems Sr(1), Sg(1) and Sb(1), and Sr(2), Sg(2) and Sb(2), respectively, that are outputted to the signal line 53.
Thus, the signal line driving circuit 55 finishes sampling of one scanning portion of video data (video data of the three individual systems) which corresponds to a scanning line G(0) (scanning line 54), thereafter outputting the signals Sr, Sg and Sb of the three individual systems corresponding to these sampling data to each signal line 53. Likewise, the signal line driving circuit 55 makes sampling of one scanning portion of video data (video data of the three independent systems) which correspond to a next scanning line G(1) at timings {circle around (4)}, {circle around (5)} and {circle around (6)}, so as to output the signals Sr, Sg and Sb of the three independent systems corresponding to these sampling data to each signal line 53.
Since the video signal is a digital signal, in the case of an arrangement of FIG. 11, when, for example, a video signal of RGB 8 bits is adopted, 3 systems (Sr, Sg and Sb)xc3x978 bits, thereby requiring 24 sampling circuits.
However, in the foregoing conventional arrangement, a signal line has a pitch which is three times smaller than that of the scanning line 54 and is an extremely small pitch. Therefore, when attempting to realize a high-definition panel, from the view points of a panel design rule and/or a driver connection rule, a high-definition panel cannot be developed.
For example, when designing a high-definition panel having display density of about 200 dpi based on the foregoing conventional arrangement, one pixel 51 becomes 120 xcexcmxe2x96xa1 (120 xcexcmxc3x97120 xcexcm), and therefore, each cell 52 and each signal line 53 has the pitch of 40 xcexcm. Further, commonly, the pitch of connection between each output terminal of the signal line driving circuit 55 and each signal line 53 is measured the same as the wiring pitch of the signal line 53. However, according to the currently existing technology, the acceptable finest pitch in the connection is 50 xcexcm, and therefore, the pitch of about 40 xcexcm as above cannot be adopted.
Note that, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 95027/1996 (Tokukaihei 8-95027 published on Apr. 12, 1996) discloses an arrangement in which a ratio of a cell pitch in a horizontal direction to a cell pitch in a vertical direction is set at a predetermined value. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 72826/1995 (Tokukaihei 7-72826 published on Mar. 17, 1995) discloses an arrangement in which cells composing one pixel are disposed in the shape of a letter L. However, neither of these techniques aims to loosen the tight pitch of a signal so as to attain high-definition display, and moreover, simply using these techniques cannot solve the foregoing problems.
For example, the following process is disclosed in the Publication No. 72826/1995. When performing display of a video signal having the resolution (800xc3x973(RGB)xc3x97600) by a display device having the different resolution of XGA (1024xc3x973(RGB)xc3x97768) for example, the pseudo-interpolation and enlargement of the resolution causes the edges of an image to be unclear. Therefore, in this conventional invention, though one pixel is normally made up of three cells R, G and B, yet the number of cells to compose a pixel is variable in accordance with the inputted resolution, thereby preventing the edges of an image from being unclear in a plurality of resolutions. More specifically, in the same Publication, when inputting a signal having the resolution of FIG. 2(A), one pixel is given one of each of the cells R, G and B. Further, when inputting a signal having the resolution of FIG. 2(B), one pixel is given two of each of the cells R, G and B, namely, six cells in total.
In view of the foregoing problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a matrix display device capable of high-definition display that was not reached by conventional technology, by a low-cost arrangement in which a small pitch of a signal line is made larger so as to allow a connection pitch of the signal line to be larger.
In order to attain the foregoing object, a matrix display device according to the present invention which has a plurality of signal lines and a plurality of scanning lines crossing one another, and a plurality of pixels each one of which includes three cells of first, second and third colors, wherein:
when the cells of first to third colors composing one pixel are first to third cells in an arbitrary sequence, the second cell is disposed on one side of the first cell in a direction orthogonal to the signal lines (xe2x80x9csignal line alignment directionxe2x80x9d, hereinafter) while disposing the third cell on the other side of the first cell in a direction orthogonal to the scanning lines (xe2x80x9cscanning line alignment directionxe2x80x9d, hereinafter), and the first to third cells form the shape of a letter L,
one pixel and another pixel adjacent to either one side of the former pixel in the scanning line alignment direction are a first pixel in the shape of the letter L and a second pixel in the shape of the letter L and in a state rotating by 180xc2x0 with respect to the first pixel, respectively, the first and second pixels being paired with each other and disposed so that the combination of the two pixels form a square, and
all the first pixels have the same combination of colors of the first to third cells, and all the second pixels have the same combination of colors of the first to third cells.
With the foregoing arrangement, the number of cells in the signal line alignment direction and the number of signal lines can be reduced. This realizes a wider connection pitch between the signal line driving circuit and the signal line while allowing a wiring pitch of the signal line and the connection pitch between the signal line driving circuit and the signal line to be smaller, thereby producing a high-definition matrix display device.
Note that, thus having the smaller wiring pitch of the scanning line and connection pitch between the scanning line and the scanning line driving circuit raises no problems because these pitches are originally set to be larger than pitches on the side of the signal lines.
Additional objects, features, and strengths of the present invention will be made clear by the description below. Further, the advantages of the present invention will be evident from the following explanation in reference to the drawings.

Matrix display device providing a larger connection pitch


A method and device for generating an optimum aircraft vertical trajectory, including a unit performing iterative processing to determine, on each iteration, a next state from a computational state, by using an estimated overall cost for next states, each estimated overall cost, which is computed by a cost computation unit, being equal to the sum of a real cost computed up to the next state under consideration by using predetermined constraints and a cost estimated up to the current state of the aircraft. The estimated cost is computed using a deterministic neural network based on performance calculations for the aircraft without using energy constraints, allowing computation of this estimated cost and the estimated overall cost to be performed rapidly. The iterative processing is repeated until the determined state is situated in proximity to the current state of the aircraft, the corresponding trajectory part forming the optimum vertical trajectory.

It is known that energy management during the descent and approach of an aircraft, in particular transport aircraft, is generally left to the discretion of the aircraft's crew, who need to evaluate the energy situation of the aircraft and take the appropriate piloting actions in order to manage any instances of an excess of energy or a deficit of energy for the aircraft. In some situations in which the aircraft has been diverted from its reference trajectory, for example for traffic management reasons, the combination of this energy management and the modification of the flight plan, which requires multiple interactions with the aircraft's systems, produces a large workload for the crew.
It is consequently possible that the pilot of an aircraft aiming to arrive at a target point manages the energy of the aircraft badly and overshoots this target point, for example by arriving at the target point too quickly or at excessive altitude. If the target point in the approach phase is a so-called stabilization point, the aircraft then has to repeat a flight pattern before landing, resulting in a loss of time.
The document FR 3 043 456 discloses a method and a device for generating an optimum vertical trajectory for a flight trajectory for an aircraft, in particular a transport aircraft, which flight trajectory is defined in an environment likely to contain obstacles (in particular moving obstacles). The device comprises a data processing unit implementing iterative processing in order to generate an optimum vertical trajectory between an initial state and a final state on the basis of flight strategies.
The device allows a vertical trajectory to be created that is optimized, that is free of any collision with surrounding obstacles, in particular moving obstacles, and that complies with energy constraints.
Nevertheless, as all the trajectory and energy optimization calculations are performed by the device (or computer) of the aircraft, the computation time is long.

Method and device for generating an optimum vertical trajectory intended to be followed by an aircraft


A press machine includes a cushion shaft, a press shaft, a motor, and a motor control device. The cushion shaft is connected to a lower die. The press shaft is connected to an upper die and configured to press a workpiece between the upper die and the lower die in cooperation with the cushion shaft. The motor is configured to drive the upper die. The motor control device is configured to control the motor and includes a disturbance observer and an intrusion detector. The disturbance observer is configured to calculate an estimated disturbance value with respect to the motor based on a torque command and a motor velocity of the motor. The intrusion detector is configured to detect, based on the estimated disturbance value, a state of a foreign object between the press shaft and the cushion shaft.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a press machine.
2. Discussion of the Background
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-054844, for example, discloses a press machine in which a detector senses electrical conductivity to reliably detect a foreign object which is present between a stripper and a workpiece or a die, and the press operation is stopped at the same time as the detection of the foreign object.
As another example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 7-275971 discloses the following technique. An abnormality detector for monitoring torque in a transfer apparatus actually measures a torque value in normal operation for each particular transfer pattern and sets the actually measured value as a reference torque value for the relevant pattern. An allowable torque range is calculated to specify an upper limit torque value and a lower limit torque value, which are obtained by adding and subtracting a preset deviation value to and from the reference torque value, and the calculated allowable torque range is stored in a control device. Whenever actual operation is performed in accordance with the pattern, an actual torque value is measured and compared with the allowable torque range. Further, the moment when the actual torque value exceeds the allowable torque range is detected.
As still another example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 03-196313 discloses the following technique. A disturbance estimation observer is disposed in consideration of that intrusion of a foreign object can be regarded as a disturbance imposed on a servomotor. When the amplitude of an estimated disturbance exceeds a set value defined in advance, the estimated disturbance is detected as an actual disturbance.


According to an aspect, a data retrieval apparatus includes a display unit, a detector, and a control unit. The display unit displays a group including a plurality of data on a display screen. Each of data is associated with a relevance ratio to search criteria. The detector detects movement of the group on the display screen. The control unit calculates a rate according to a degree of the movement of the group detected by the detector, and extracts the data from the group based on a comparison between the calculated rate and the relevance ratio.

A communication device such as a mobile phone is provided with a device for inputting an instruction of an operator. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a mobile terminal for detecting an inclined angle of the mobile terminal and a change of its state with an action such as "shaking" and "inclining", as an input of the instruction. The device described in Patent Literature 1 is configured to control a movement of an icon group representing information contents through the inclined angle of the mobile terminal and to display momentarily moving icons on a display.

Data retrieval apparatus and data retrieval method


A network device (e.g., an evolved Node B (eNB), user equipment (UE) or the like) can operate to reduce an interruption time during a fallback operation resulting from a communication link blockage condition (e.g., a human blockage or other natural/physical wireless blockage). The network device includes a network convergence protocol (NCP) layer that enables communication between other network devices of different radio access technologies (RATs) in a heterogeneous network.

The fifth generation of mobile technology (5G) is positioned to address the demands and business contexts of 2020 and beyond. It has potential to enable a fully mobile and connected society and to empower socio-economic transformations in a countless number of ways, many of which are unimagined, including those for productivity, sustainability and well-being.
The new radio access technology (RAT) to be introduced for 5G can be deployed in a high frequency band, e.g. millimeter wave (mmW), ranging from about 30 GHz to about 300 GHz. In high frequency, it is possible that the channel condition between a wireless device (e.g., a user equipment (UE)) and a network can drop or lose connection suddenly due to blockage from building, vehicles, human movement, or other conditions. There can be two main types of blockage. One is channel condition or environment changes within a short time interval, which may last for tens of milliseconds. Additionally, human blockage can be another with a duration that can last several hundreds of milliseconds, for example, or more or less. Such long interruption time may cause transmission control protocol (TCP) connection to return to a slow start mode, which reduces the throughput perceived by the user, therefore impacting user throughput and quality of experience (QoE).
In 3GPP radio access network (RAN) long term evolution LTE systems, the node can be a combination of Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node Bs (also commonly denoted as evolved Node Bs, enhanced Node Bs, eNodeBs, or eNBs) and Radio Network Controllers (RNCs), which communicates with the UE. The downlink (DL) transmission can be a communication from the node (e.g., eNB) to the UE, and the uplink (UL) transmission can be a communication from the wireless device to the node. In LTE, data can be transmitted from the eNodeB to the UE via a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). A physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) can be used to acknowledge that data was received. Downlink and uplink channels can use time-division duplexing (TDD) or frequency-division duplexing (FDD).

Convergence layer for 5G communication systems


Defect information about a defective memory block is stored into a large capacity memory block having a low rewrite frequency and a block select circuit is provided that selects a backup memory block when the stored defect information is referred and the defective memory block is selected.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a non-volatile semiconductor memory device, and particularly, to defect saving for a flash memory.
2. Description of the Background Art
In recent years, attention has been focused on a flash memory, which is a non-volatile semiconductor memory device. The flash memory is rewritable, which is a non-volatile memory, and simple in element structure, which enables a chip area thereof to be smaller than DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), leading to its advantage of easy increase in integration degree and so on. Furthermore, the flash memory requires neither refresh operation with battery backup nor the like since it is a non-volatile memory. Therefore, its power consumption can be reduced. Moreover, since its chip area is small, the flash memory is suited for mass production, thereby enabling its fabrication at low cost.
Data read in a flash memory can be performed in small data units such as a byte or a word, similar to operation in DRAM. On the other hand, data write generally adopts a system in which the number of rewrite times is reduced with one block unit as a rewrite unit since limitation is imposed on the number of rewrite times from a structure of a flash memory element.
FIG. 10 shows a memory map for a general flash memory in which address assignment is performed in each memory block as a unit.
Here, as one example, memory blocks are assigned in a region of addresses of 000000 to FFFFFF.
However, the number of rewrite times is larger in a region managing information of a data file such as a directory region, for example, than in other regions. Here, if a memory block M1 with a start address is assigned to the directory region, rewrite on only memory block M1 frequently occurs, exceeding a limit number of rewrite times on a flash memory at an earlier time than other regions. When the limit number of rewrite times is exceeded, an element is subjected to degradation or the like inconvenience to be defective, resulting in a case where neither data read nor data write can be correctly performed. Therefore, a problem arises that a non-volatile semiconductor memory device can not be used in the entirety any longer because of failure of only a particular memory block having a high rewrite frequency.
It is an object of the present invention is to solve the above problem to thereby increase an useful time of a non-volatile semiconductor memory device represented by a flash memory.
A non-volatile semiconductor memory device of the present invention includes: a memory array including plural first memory blocks including memory cells having a high data rewrite frequency, a second memory block including memory cells having a low data rewrite frequency and a redundancy memory block for use in substitution for a defective memory block among the plural of first memory blocks; a control circuit not only determining whether or not a defect arises in each of the plural first memory blocks, which is an object for data rewrite, when data write processing is performed on the plural first memory blocks, but for storing defect information for indicating the defective memory block into a first region of the second memory block if a defect is detected; and a select circuit for selecting the redundancy memory block in company with selection of the defective memory block based on the defect information stored in the first region of the second memory block and select information for indicating selection of each of the plural first memory blocks.
Therefore, a main advantage of the present invention is that defect information about the plural first memory blocks is stored into the second memory block and the redundancy memory block is selected, in company with selection of the defective memory block, based on the stored defect information, and select information for indicating the selection of each of the plural first memory blocks, thereby enabling increase in useful time of a non-volatile semiconductor memory device with ease since saving is required to be effected on only a defective memory block having an especially high data rewrite frequency.
Preferably, the second memory block further includes a second region having information that is an access object in company with cancellation of a reset state and the control circuit reads the defect information stored in the first region of the second memory block after the reset state is cancelled according to an instructing signal inputted externally at the same time as access to the second region to furthermore output the defect information to the select circuit.
Moreover, another advantage of the present invention is that since the control circuit reads defect information from the second memory block after the reset state is cancelled according to an operation signal inputted externally to output the information to the select circuit, control can be performed with ease only by timing adjustment of an operation instructing signal.
Preferably, the non-volatile semiconductor memory device further includes a determination circuit for outputting a defect signal to the select circuit based on the defect information stored in the first region of the second memory block and the select circuit selects one of the plural first memory blocks and the redundancy memory block based on a select signal selecting one of the plural first memory blocks and the defect signal.
Especially, the determination circuit reads the defect information stored in the first region of the second memory block to furthermore, outputs the defect signal to the select circuit according to the read-out defect information during a period when operation of the control circuit pauses, and the select circuit selects the redundancy memory block according to the inputted defect signal and the inputted select signal in company with selection of the defective memory block after the pause of operation of the control circuit is cancelled.
Furthermore, a still another advantage of the present invention is that since the defect information can be transmitted to the select circuit during a period when operation of the control circuit pauses, no necessity arises for reading the defect information after the control circuit starts operation, thereby improving an efficiency in development.
Preferably, a data storage capacity of each of the plural first memory blocks is smaller than a data storage capacity of the second memory block.
Moreover, a further advantage of the present invention is that since the data storage capacity of each of the plural first memory blocks is smaller than the data storage capacity of the second memory, an area occupied by the redundancy memory block that can substitute for each of the plural first memory blocks can be reduced to thereby decrease an occupancy percentage of an area of all the memory array relative to a chip.
Preferably, the memory cell stores data, writable and erasable electrically, in a non-volatile way.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Nonvolatile semiconductor memory device with backup memory block


A weight system for a golf club. The golf club has an impact head, which is swung by a golfer to strike a golf ball. The weight system has at least one cavity within the impact head of the golf club; a plurality of weights, shaped and dimensioned to slidingly fit within the cavity; and a top plate on an upper surface of the impact head, the top plate covering the cavity to prevent the weights from dislodging from the cavity. The top plate is removable to provide access to the cavity for the insertion or removal of the weights.

Golf clubs typically require precise strokes to properly strike a golf ball. This is especially so for putting strokes, which tend to require a precise "feel" to accurately and consistently make successful putts. One way to vary this feel is to provide a golf club that has variable weight characteristics in that the distribution of the weight can be adjusted to provide the feel that the golfer is seeking. To increase stability and impact of the ball, it is also beneficial if the weights can be added in line with the point of impact with the ball, which is typically along the centerline of the club's head.
As such, there is a need to provide a golf club in which the weight can be distributed and adjusted. There is also a need that the weight system permits adjustment and installation of the weights along the centerline of the club's head. Additionally, there is a need that the weights be easily accessible and removable from the club's head.

Inside weight system for golf mallets or blades


A sediment alert and purging unit for a condensate drain pan and removal return line of a refrigeration system includes an element for monitoring the level of condensate within the condensate drain pan and removal line of a refrigeration system. The unit further includes a switch element in electrical communication with the monitoring element for disabling at least a compressor and air handler of the refrigeration system responsive to an unacceptable level of condensate within the drain pan and removal line. The inventive unit yet further includes an annunciation element in electrical communication with the switch element to alert a user when a disabling of the compressor and air handler has occurred. The unit also includes a purge port within the condensate removal line and a first condensate line closure valve disposed upstream of the purge port. Further provided is a second condensate line closure valve disposed downstream of the purge port. Through the location of closure valves both upstream and downstream of the purge port, a clogged condensate line may be purged, either upstream or downstream of the purge port by effecting the closure of that closure valve located at that side of the purge valve opposite to where the condensate blockage is believed to exist.

The prior art in the area of air conditioning has long recognized the desirability of mechanically and electrically de-actuating an air conditioning system when a blockage or excessive buil-up of sedimentary material occurs within the condensate line. For example, such patents as U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,188,608 (1960); 2,657,547 (1953); 3,236,061 (1968); and 4,633,673 (1985) recognize the importance of de-activating a refrigeration system when an excessive build-up of condensate or other foreign material develops within the condensate drain pan and line of a refrigeration and air conditioning system.
Such prior art systems often include a warning, alarm or annunciation means of some type to alert the user that the refrigeration system, or more particularly, the compressor thereof, has been de-activated.
Notwithstanding the recognition of the prior art of the desirability of de-activating a refrigeration system when blockage in the drain pan or line thereof occurs, no art known to the inventor teaches a safety and purge system for purging the condensate drain of blockage, at every point where such a blockage can possibly occur, in combination with a warning and de-activation means. As such, the present invention in concerned with the integration, into a single convenient to use and cost-effective system, of features of drain blockage alert, compressor and air handler de-activation, and an upstream and downstream purging capability of employing, as desired, either a positive or negative pressure.
Such a system would be of particular value to home owners and others wishing to protect and service their air conditioning equipment without need for professional assistance.


A display device capable of being adjusted between flat and curved comprising: a display panel; a back cover system including: at least two angle block modules, one in each half of the back cover system, the angle block modules, wherein moving the angle block modules changes a curvature of the display panel; a driving system to move the angle block modules. A driving system includes a motor; a gear connected to the motor; block units arranged in a row in the angle block module and positioned at a rear of the display panel; a shaft bearing connecting a first block unit to a second block unit. A flatness controlling unit comprises an angle block module having a flatness controlling groove; a wire guided by the flatness controlling groove; and a tension adjusting part including a portion of the wire and a spring connected to the portion of the wire.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to an adjustable or variable display device that is able to be used in a flat mode and a curved mode, and more particularly, to an adjustable or variable display device with improved flatness.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
With rapid development of information technologies, display devices for displaying a large amount of information have been recently developed. More particularly, various flat panel display (FPD) devices have been introduced.
The flat panel display devices include, for example, liquid crystal display (LCD) devices, plasma display panel (PDP) devices, field emission display (FED) devices, electroluminescence display (ELD) devices, and organic electroluminescent display (OLED) devices. The flat panel display devices generally have a thin profile, light weight, and low power consumption; and have been rapidly replacing cathode ray tubes (CRT).
Recently, curved display devices have emerged as a new generation display device because the curved display devices enable a user to be further immersed in the content, to watch realistic images, and to feel more comfortable.
In curved display devices, because a distance from the eyes of the user to a center of the screen is equal to a distance from the eyes of the user to sides of the screen, distortion of an image at the sides of the screen is minimized.
Meanwhile, variable display devices having the advantages of the flat panel display devices with wide viewing angles and curved display devices with increased immersion and comfort properties have been pursued and researched.
For the convenience of the user, the variable display devices are implemented in both a flat mode to provide wide viewing area, and in a curved mode to improve immersion while watching.


A method and apparatus for configuring and managing policy configuration associated with a plurality of interfaces of a plurality of devices in a network are provided. This method is executable in a processing system. The processing system includes a processor coupled to a display and user input device. The method comprises displaying an icon corresponding to a device in the network, a plurality of interface indicia associated with traffic flow through the device policy-related information of devices in a network, and, a pair of traffic indicia that indicate a direction of traffic flow with respect to the plurality of interface indicia and the icon. A signal is then accepted from the user input device to indicate selection of an interface indicium. Finally, the policy information of an interface associated with the interface indicium is displayed in accordance with a direction of traffic flow in response to the signal from the user input device.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates in general to the configuration and management of devices in a network. More specifically, the invention relates to methods and systems for device based policy configuration in a network.
2. Description of the Background Art
A network generally includes a large number of devices. These devices can be switches and routers for facilitating traffic, or user-end stations such as PCs, printers, servers, fax machines, hosts, workstations, and other user devices. A device belonging to the network may contain resources such as data, applications, software or hardware configurations, or any other source of information. The movement of resources from a source device to a destination device constitutes network traffic or traffic. The traffic enters or exits a device via interfaces.
An interface is a boundary across which two independent systems of devices communicate with each other. An interface can be physical or logical. A physical interface is provided by hardware of a device, whereas, a logical interface can be implemented by using a software. Both physical and logical interfaces are preferably configured for directing traffic in or out of the device.
The traffic across devices and interfaces is controlled by defining specific policies that may be applicable to these devices and interfaces. A policy includes a set of rules for allowing or disallowing a particular traffic by a specific user or groups of users under specific conditions. There are different types of policies, each of which is used to control network traffic in a specific way. For example, an Access Control List (ACL) is used for filtering (allowing or denying) traffic, whereas, a QoS policy is used for defining traffic priorities and queuing. A policy is applied to interfaces of a device in a specific direction. Sometimes, multiple instances of a particular policy may be applied to several interfaces of a device in different directions.
A policy may contain multiple rules, each of which is applicable to an interface or in a specific direction. The rules can either be of the same or different type. For example, a firewall policy usually contains three rules, one of which is a CBAC (Context Based Access Control) rule and the other two are ACLs. To make a policy effective, all the rules contained in the policy must be applied to their associated interfaces or directions, more specifically to an interface's inbound or outbound direction. There could be different policies as well. These different policies may be applicable to the traffic for a user or a device under a specific set of operational conditions.
An example policy could be a set of policies applicable to integrated security devices, such as Cisco's integrated security routers. These security devices combine traditional device functionality with security features, e.g., firewall, virtual private network (VPN), intrusion detection system (IDS), and intrusion prevention system (IPS). Since these devices require more knowledge and skill to correctly configure all policies while ensuring compatibility, configuring them in a network is complex. However, as these devices are becoming cheaper, novice users are increasingly configuring these devices themselves. The complexity of the network configuration implies that the novice users require assistance in the form of a security device management mechanism for policy configuration of integrated security devices.
One such policy management and configuration mechanism provides network topology diagrams to facilitate configuration of various devices in a network. Network topology diagrams are commonly provided in network-based management applications. Such applications include the Cisco Secure Policy Manager (CSPM) and Cisco Configmaker. A network-based management application includes the information of neighboring devices to help the user to configure a specific device. However, with respect to device management application, there are one or more of the following limitations.
Firstly, a device management application that is responsible for managing a single device in a network does not include information of the neighboring devices. Therefore, a network topology diagram cannot be provided in a device management application.
Secondly, device management applications display the rules corresponding to a policy in tabular forms. However, it is difficult to display a policy in a tabular form as it may include multiple rules of different type. Also, a rule may include one or more rule entries. The rule entries are displayed as a list. Since each rule may have its own parameters and settings, it is not possible to display different rules in the same table with common columns. A single table may not be able to present all the information to users. Therefore, this method is applicable only to simple devices or security applications, which usually require configuration of a policy with a single rule. Rules of different type may be displayed in different windows. Each window can only display rules of a specific type in a tabular form. To display a policy, a user may need to look into several windows. However, common rules and incompatibilities between different policies are not effectively displayed. Consequently, there is no easy way to depict policy/rules in association with interfaces/directions. Further, the user may fail to receive warnings in case the policies have not been configured properly. The user may not be able to understand the complete listed information easily. Therefore, this method cannot be effectively applied to management of integrated security devices. This is because these devices have complex features, which require configuration of multiple policies and rules on interfaces and directions.

Method and apparatus for device based policy configuration in a network


A clutch arrangement for connecting two components, which can rotate relative to one another, of a motor vehicle drive train, in particular for connecting two shafts of a transmission or a shaft to an idler gear rotatably mounted on the shaft. The clutch arrangement has a clutch and an actuator arrangement. The clutch is opened in a first actuator position of an actuator section of the actuator arrangement. The clutch arrangement has a locking device for locking the actuator section in a locked position to keep the clutch closed. The locking device has a slotted-link guide with a first guide section and a second guide section for the actuator section, wherein the locked position can be reached from the first actuator position via the first guide section, and wherein the first actuator position can be reached from the locked position via the second guide section.

The present invention relates to a clutch arrangement for connecting two components, which can rotate relative to one another, of a motor vehicle drive train, in particular for connecting two shafts of a motor vehicle transmission or a shaft to an idler gear which is rotatably mounted on the shaft, having a clutch, having an actuator arrangement for activating the clutch, wherein the clutch is opened in a first actuator position of an actuator section of the actuator arrangement, and having a locking device for locking the actuator section in a locked position, in order to keep the clutch closed.
In addition, the present invention relates to a motor vehicle drive train having such a clutch arrangement and to a method for activating a clutch arrangement which has a clutch, an actuator arrangement and a locking device.
Clutch arrangements of the type mentioned at the beginning can be used, for example, as separating clutch arrangements in double clutch transmissions, wherein the clutch arrangement is arranged between a drive motor and a variable speed step transmission having a plurality of gearspeeds, and wherein the variable speed step transmission has two component transmissions here. Each component transmission is assigned different gearspeeds, wherein as a rule one of the component transmissions is assigned the even-numbered gearspeed stages, and as a rule the other component transmission is assigned the odd-numbered gearspeed stages.
A clutch arrangement of the type mentioned above can be used for a drive train in which the drive motor is formed by an electric motor and in which the transmission has only two gearspeed stages, as in the document DE 199 17 724 A1 mentioned above. In this context, two clutch arrangements are provided which serve to shift either the one gearspeed stage or the other gearspeed stage into the power flux to a differential of a driven axle.
Clutch arrangements of the type mentioned at the beginning are, however, also suitable for securing brakes and/or parking brakes.
The clutch of the clutch arrangement is preferably embodied as a friction clutch, in particular as a wet-running multi-disc clutch. However, the clutch can also be embodied as a dry friction clutch.
In motor vehicle drive trains, clutch arrangements of the type mentioned at the beginning are as a rule activated in an automated fashion by means of actuator arrangements.

Clutch arrangement, motor vehicle drive train and clutch activation method

Getrag Getriebe- und Zahnradfabrik Hermann Hagenmeyer GmbH & Cie KG


Aminomethyl oxooxazolidinyl aza cycloalkylbenzene derivatives, such as l-N-[3-(2,3-dihydro-3-aza-1H-inden-5-yl)-2-oxooxazolidin-5-ylmethyl]acetam ide, possess useful antibacterial activity.

At the present time, no existing antibacterial product provides all features deemed advantageous. There is continual development of resistance by bacterial strains. A reduction of allergic reactions and of irritation at the site of injection, and greater biological half-life (i.e., longer in vivo activity) are currently desirable features for antibacterial products.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,654 issued to Fugitt et al. on Dec. 5, 1978, discloses, among others, compounds of the formula: ##STR1## where
A=RS(O).sub.n ;
X=Cl, Br or F;
R=C.sub.1 -C.sub.3 alkyl; and
n=0, 1 or 2.
The compounds are disclosed as being useful in controlling fungal and bacterial diseases of plants.
U.S. Pat. No. Re., 29,607 reissued Apr. 11, 1978 discloses derivatives of 5-hydroxymethyl-3-substituted-2-oxazolidinones of the formula: ##STR2## where R is H, F, CH.sub.3, or CF.sub.3. Such compounds are described as having antidepressive, tranquilizing, sedative, and antiinflammatory properties.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,318, which was issued on Feb. 10, 1981, discloses antidepressant compounds of the formula: ##STR3## where R' can be, among others, a para-n-pentylamino group, an SR.sub.1 group where R.sub.1 is C.sub.1 -C.sub.5 alkyl, or an acetylmethylthio group.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,606 issued to Fugitt et al. on July 20, 1982, discloses antibacterial agents of the general formula: ##STR4## where
R.sub.1 =CH.sub.3, C.sub.2 H.sub.5, CF.sub.2 H, CF.sub.3 or CF.sub.2 CF.sub.2 H; and
X=OR.sub.2 (R.sub.2 =H or various acyl moieties).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,687,965, issued to Fauran et al. on Aug. 29, 1972, discloses compounds of the formula: ##STR5## where
--N(R.sub.1)(R.sub.2) represents either dialkylamino radical in which the alkyl portions have one to five carbon atoms, or a heterocyclic amino radical which may be substituted by an alkyl radical having one to five carbon atoms or by a pyrrolidinocarbonylmethyl radical, and
R.sub.3 represents a phenyl radical which may be substituted by one or more of the following radicals:
an alkoxy radical having one to five carbon atoms; PA1 a halogen atom; PA1 a trifluoromethyl radical, or PA1 a carboxyl radical which may be esterified.
The patent states that these compounds possess hypotensive, vasodilatatory, spasmolytic, sedative, myorelaxant, analgesic and antiinflammatory properties. There is no mention of antibacterial properties.
Belgian Patent No. 892,270, published Aug. 25, 1982, discloses monoamine oxidase inhibitors of the formula ##STR6## where
R is H, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl or propargyl;
Ar is phenyl, optionally substituted by halo or trifluoromethyl;
n is 0 or 1; and
X is --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, --CH.dbd.CH--, an acetylene group or --CH.sub.2 O--.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,773 issued to W. A. Gregory on July 24, 1984, discloses antibacterial agents of the formula ##STR7## wherein, for the l, and mixtures of the d and l stereoisomers of the compound,
R.sub.1 is R.sub.2 SO.sub.2, ##STR8##
R.sub.2 or --NR.sub.3 R.sub.4, --N(OR.sub.3)R.sub.4, --N.sub.3, --NHNH.sub.2, --NX.sub.2, --NR.sub.6 X, --NXZ, ##STR9## or --N.dbd.S(O).sub.n R.sub.8 R.sub.9 ;
R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 are independently H, alkyl of 1-4 carbons or cycloalkyl of 3-8 carbons;
R.sub.5 is NR.sub.3 R.sub.4 or OR.sub.3 ;
R.sub.6 is alkyl of 1-4 carbons;
R.sub.7 is alkyl of 1-4 carbons, optionally substituted with one or more halogens;
R.sub.8 and R.sub.9 are independently alkyl of 1-4 carbons or, taken together are --(CH.sub.2).sub.p --;
R.sub.10 is H, alkyl of 1-3 carbons, ##STR10##
R.sub.11 is alkyl of 1-12 carbons;
R.sub.12 is H, alkyl of 1-5 carbons, CH.sub.2 OH or CH.sub.2 SH;
X is Cl, Br or I;
Z is a physiologically acceptable cation;
m is 2 or 3;
n is 0 or 1; and
p is 3, 4 or 5;
and when R.sub.10 is alkyl of 1-3 carbons, R.sub.1 can also be CH.sub.3 S(O).sub.q where q is 0, 1 or 2;
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
European Patent Application Nos. 127,902, published Dec. 12, 1984, and 184,170, published June 11, 1986, disclose antibacterial agents of the formula: ##STR11## wherein, for the l, and mixtures of the d and l stereoisomers of the compound,
A is --NO.sub.2, --S(O).sub.n R.sub.1, --S(O).sub.2 --N.dbd.S(O).sub.p R.sub.2 R.sub.3, --SH, ##STR12## of 1 to 8 carbons, optionally substituted with one or more halogen atoms, OH, .dbd.O other than at alpha position, S(O).sub.n R.sub.24, NR.sub.5 R.sub.6, alkenyl of 2-5 carbons, alkynyl of 2-5 carbons or cycloalkyl of 3-8 carbons;
R.sub.1 is C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl, optionally substituted with one or more halogen atoms, OH, CN, NR.sub.5 R.sub.6 or CO.sub.2 R.sub.8 ; C.sub.2 -C.sub.4 alkenyl; --NR.sub.9 R.sub.10 ; --N.sub.3 ; ##STR13## --NX.sub.2 ; --NR.sub.9 X; --.sup.- NXZ.sup.+ ;
R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 are independently C.sub.1 -C.sub.2 alkyl or, taken together are --(CH.sub.2).sub.q --;
R.sub.4 is alkyl of 1-4 carbons, optionally substituted with one or more halogens;
R.sub.5 and R.sub.6 are independently H, alkyl of 1-4 carbons or cycloalkyl of 3-8 carbons;
R.sub.7 is --NR.sub.5 R.sub.6, --OR.sub.5 or ##STR14##
R.sub.8 is H or alkyl of 1-4 carbons;
R.sub.9 is H, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl or C.sub.3 -C.sub.8 cycloalkyl;
R.sub.10 is H, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl, C.sub.2 -C.sub.4 alkenyl, C.sub.3 -C.sub.4 cycloalkyl, --OR.sub.8 or --NR.sub.11 R.sub.11A ;
R.sub.11 and R.sub.11A are independently H or C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl, or taken together, are --(CH.sub.2).sub.r --;
X is Cl, Br or I;
Y is H, F, Cl, Br, alkyl or 1-3 carbons, or NO.sub.2, or A and Y taken together can be --O--(CH.sub.2).sub.t O--;
Z is a physiologically acceptable cation;
n is 0, 1 or 2;
p is 0 or 1;
q is 3, 4 or 5;
r is 4 or 5;
t is 1, 2 or 3;
B is --NH.sub.2, ##STR15## or N.sub.3 ;
R.sub.12 is H, C.sub.1 -C.sub.10 alkyl or C.sub.3 -C.sub.8 cycloalkyl;
R.sub.13 is H; C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl optionally substituted with one or more halogen atoms; C.sub.2 -C.sub.4 alkenyl; C.sub.3 -C.sub.4 cycloalkyl; phenyl; --CH.sub.2 OR.sub.15 ; --CH(OR.sub.16)OR.sub.17 ;
--CH.sub.2 S(O).sub.v R.sub.14 ; ##STR16## --OR.sub.18 ; --SR.sub.14 ; --CH.sub.2 N.sub.3 ; the aminoalkyl groups derived from .alpha.-amino acids such as glycine, L-alanine, L-cysteine, L-proline, and D-alanine; --NR.sub.19 R.sub.20 ; or C(NH.sub.2)R.sub.21 R.sub.22 ;
R.sub.14 is C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl, optionally substituted with one or more halogen atoms;
R.sub.15 is H or C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl, optionally substituted with one or more halogen atoms;
R.sub.16 and R.sub.17 are independently C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl or, taken together, are --(CH.sub.2).sub.m --;
R.sub.18 is C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl or C.sub.7 -C.sub.11 aralkyl;
R.sub.19 and R.sub.20 are independently H or C.sub.1 -C.sub.2 alkyl;
R.sub.21 and R.sub.22 are independently H, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl, C.sub.3 -C.sub.6 cycloalkyl, phenyl or, taken together, are --(CH.sub.2).sub.s --;
u is 1 or 2;
v is 0, 1 or 2;
m is 2 or 3;
s is 2, 3, 4 or 5; and
R.sub.23 is H, alkyl of 1-8 carbons optionally substituted with one or more halogens, or cycloalkyl of 3-8 carbons;
R.sub.24 is alkyl of 1-4 carbons or cycloalkyl of 3-8 carbons;
R.sub.25 is alkyl of 1-4 carbons substituted with one or more of --S(O).sub.n R.sub.24, --OR.sub.8, ##STR17## --NR.sub.5 R.sub.6, or alkenyl of 2-5 carbons optionally substituted with CHO; or a
pharmaceutically suitable salt thereof; provided that:
1) when A is CH.sub.3 S--, then B is not ##STR18##
2) when A is CH.sub.3 SO.sub.2 --, then B is not ##STR19##
3) when A is H.sub.2 NSO.sub.2 -- and B is ##STR20## then R.sub.12 is H;
4) when A is --CN, B is not --N.sub.3 ;
5) when A is (CH.sub.3).sub.2 CH, B is not NHCOCH.sub.2 Cl;
6) when A is OR.sub.5, then B is not NH.sub.2 ;
7) when A is F, then B is not NHCO.sub.2 CH.sub.3.
None of the above-mentioned references suggest the novel antibacterial compounds of this invention.

Aminomethyl oxooxazolidinyl azacycloalkylbenzene derivatives useful as antibacterial agents


A ripple filter circuit for ensuring the driving of a driving subject while efficiently eliminating ripple even when the operational voltage margin is small. A first transistor, which is connected to a power supply voltage line, is connected to a ground line via a load of the driving subject. A second transistor, which has substantially the same characteristics as the first transistor, and a dummy load are arranged between the power supply voltage line and the ground line. An operational amplifier includes an inverting input terminal, connected between the second transistor and the dummy load, and a non-inverting terminal at which the voltage is decreased by a predetermined voltage from the power supply voltage. The operational amplifier also includes an output connected to the gate terminal of the second transistor and to the gate terminal of the first transistor via a lowpass filter.

The present invention relates to a ripple filter circuit for eliminating ripple from, for example, a power supply circuit.
A ripple circuit known in the prior art functions to eliminate ripple (refer to, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 8-317633, FIG. 2). The structure of a ripple filter circuit will now be described with reference to FIG. 3A. A bipolar transistor BT is arranged in a power supply voltage VCC line. The bipolar transistor BT forms a ripple filter circuit, which is grounded via a load L functioning as a driving subject. A lowpass filter LPF is connected to the base terminal of the bipolar transistor BT. The lowpass filter LPF includes a resistor and a capacitor. Power is supplied from the power supply voltage VCC line to the base terminal of the bipolar transistor BT via the resistor. Further, the base terminal is connected to a ground GND line via the capacitor.
As long as the base voltage at the bipolar transistor BT is constant, the output voltage VOUT remains constant even if the power supply voltage VCC fluctuates. In this case, the drop voltage Vdrop, which is the difference between the power supply voltage VCC and the output voltage VOUT, is equal to the base-emitter voltage VBE in the bipolar transistor BT and thus the equation of Vdrop=VCC−VOUT=VBE is satisfied. Voltage from which high frequency components are eliminated by the lowpass filter LPF is applied to the base terminal of the bipolar transistor BT. Thus, even if ripple is included in the power supply voltage VCC, the power supply voltage VOUT is not affected by the ripple and is thus maintained at a predetermined value. However, in this case, the variation width in the base-emitter voltage VBE is small. Thus, the drop voltage Vdrop cannot be greatly changed.
A MOS transistor may be used in lieu of the bipolar transistor BT shown in FIG. 3A. More specifically, power supply voltage VCC is supplied to the gate terminal of the MOS transistor via the resistor of the lowpass filter LPF. Further, the gate terminal of the MOS transistor is grounded via the capacitor. The power supply voltage VCC is supplied to the drain terminal, and the voltage at the source terminal serves as the output voltage VOUT. In this state, the drop voltage Vdrop is equal to the gate-source voltage VGS of the MOS transistor. In comparison with when using the bipolar transistor BT, the variation width in the gate-source voltage VGS may be changed greatly. Thus, the drop voltage Vdrop may be changed greatly.
The ripple filter circuit eliminates ripple that is smaller than the drop voltage Vdrop. Thus, when the ripple that is to be eliminated is large, the drop voltage Vdrop must be increased. In such a case, a resistor is connected parallel to the capacitor of the lowpass filter in the ripple filter circuit (refer to, for example, Japanese Laid-Out Patent Publication No. 7-253565, FIG. 4).
In this case, when the resistor connected in series to the capacitor is represented by R1 and the resistor connected in parallel to the capacitor is represented by R2, the output voltage VOUT becomes lower by Vd1=VCC×(R1/(R1+R2)). That is, the drop voltage Vdrop may be equalized with the sum of the base emitter voltage VBE and the voltage Vd1 (Vdrop=VBE+Vd1). In this case, the output voltage VOUT is decreased by voltage Vd1 but the drop voltage Vdrop is increased by the voltage Vd1. This removes noise that is large.
A ripple filter circuit used in an active inductor for a circuit operated by a low power supply voltage is also known in the art (refer to, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-257318, FIG. 1). FIG. 3B shows a schematic diagram of the ripple filter circuit. In this case, to operate the transistor M, the voltage at the gate terminal is increased to be higher than the voltage at the source terminal of the transistor M. Thus, by employing a power supply to apply voltage VG to the power supply voltage VCC line, voltage obtained by adding the voltage VG to the power supply voltage VCC is applied as the input voltage of the lowpass filter LPF. Accordingly, the drop voltage may be decreased by increasing the gate voltage at the transistor M1 and raising the output voltage VOUT. This ripple filter circuit is optimal when the noise is small noise or when the operational voltage margin is small.
In such a ripple filter circuit, the target drop voltage Vdrop is smaller compared to the gate-source voltage VGS and the base-emitter voltage VBE. However, changes in the temperature or variations in the manufacturing process vary the voltage-current characteristic of the transistor as shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, voltage range D shows the characteristic variation range of a depression type MOS transistor, and voltage range E shows the characteristic variation range of an enhancement type MOS transistor. In this case, the voltage ranges (D and E) of the characteristic variation of the MOS transistors cannot be ignored.
For example, when decreasing the drop voltage Vdrop with the voltage VG as described above, the characteristic variation voltage range of the transistor increases relative to the target drop voltage Vdrop. Thus, it becomes difficult to ensure the operation of a driving subject having a small operational voltage margin. Further, when the drop voltage Vdrop becomes smaller than the target value, the elimination of certain noise may be hindered.


A plasma display panel including a substrate having via holes, partitions spaced a predetermined distance apart on the substrate, address electrodes having a predetermined pattern on portions of the substrate between adjacent pairs of the partitions, each address electrode being split into at least three parts with each split part corresponding to two pixels, a first dielectric layer on the substrate to cover the address electrodes and where the via holes correspond to the address electrodes, a conductive layer in the via holes and electrically connected with the address electrodes, terminals connected to the conductive layer on the rear surface of the substrate, a transparent front plate disposed opposite the substrate, sustaining electrodes on the front plate at a predetermined angle with respect to a direction of the address electrodes, the sustaining electrodes comprising pairs of first and second electrodes, and a second dielectric layer on the front plate to cover the sustaining electrodes.

This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S. C. xc2xa7119 from an application for PLASMA DISPLAY DEVICE earlier filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on Mar. 13, 2001, and there duly assigned Ser. No. 12892/2001 by that Office.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a plasma display panel (PDP) and, more particularly, to a plasma display panel having improved address electrodes.
2. Related Art
A plasma display panel generates light by exciting fluorescent materials or special discharge gases. A predetermined voltage is applied between two electrodes to cause a discharge, and a fluorescent layer is excited by ultraviolet light generated by the discharge, thereby forming a picture image.
A plasma display panel is a thin display device that can display images rapidly and that can allow for a large screen size. Plasma display devices can be divided into direct current (DC) plasma display devices and alternating current (AC) plasma display devices according to their operating principles. Also, depending on the electrode structure, the plasma display device has two or three electrodes for discharge. In the direct current plasma display device, an auxiliary anode is additively installed to induce an auxiliary discharge. In the alternating current plasma display device, an address electrode is introduced to separately provide a selective discharge and a sustaining discharge to enhance addressing speed.
Also, the electrode structure of the alternating current plasma display device can be classified into an opposing electrode structure and a surface-discharge type electrode structure, according to the arrangement of discharge-inducing electrodes. In the former case, two discharge-inducing sustaining electrodes are disposed on a front substrate and a rear substrate, respectively, so that a discharge takes place in a direction perpendicular to the panel. In the latter case, two sustaining electrodes are disposed on a substrate so that a discharge takes place along the substrate.
One problem that can occur in a plasma display panel is the lack of ability to attain sufficient brightness. That problem can occur if there is a large quantity of scanning electrodes. Also, in a plasma display panel, some arrangements of electrode elements and throughholes can make mass production difficult We have found that it would be desirable to have improved address electrodes for a plasma display panel.
Exemplars of recent efforts in the art include U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,872 for METHOD FOR FABRICATION OF A PLASMA DISPLAY PANEL issued to Betsui et al. on Oct. 19, 1999 and Japanese Patent Publication No. hei 10-240188 for PICTURE DISPLAY DEVICE AS PICTURE DISPLAY METHOD issued to Yamazaki et al. on Sep. 11, 1998.
While these recent efforts provide advantages, we note that they fail to adequately and conveniently provide improved address electrodes for a plasma display panel
To solve the above disadvantages and problems, and other problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a plasma display panel in which a plurality of sub-fields can be designed within one field to reduce pseudo details by reducing addressing time and increasing sustaining discharge time by dividing an address electrode into a plurality of parts.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a plasma display panel to increase the design margin of a driving method thereof by reducing addressing time. In a plasma display panel, an addressing time for the respective sub-fields within the period of one frame occupies approximately 70% of the entire driving time of one frame, while resetting or sustain discharging takes place for the remaining time period, that is, 30% of the entire driving time. Thus, there are some limits in increasing the number of sub-fields or designing the arrangement of sub-fields in various manners. However, according to the principles of the present invention, since the addressing time is reduced, various arrangements of sub-fields can be designed within the period for one frame and the number of sub-fields can be increased. The phrase xe2x80x9cdesign marginxe2x80x9d used in the Specification means the amount of freedom available in designing a plasma display panel. In other words, the design margin is the area within the design limits. Accordingly, a wider design margin means that a plasma display panel is less restricted in terms of design.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
To accomplish the above and other objects, a plasma display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate, partitions spaced a predetermined distance apart from each other on the substrate, address electrodes having a predetermined pattern formed on portions of the substrate between each of the partitions, each address electrode being split into at least three parts with each split part corresponding to at least two pixels, a first dielectric layer formed on the substrate to cover the address electrodes, via holes formed on portions of the substrate corresponding to the respective address electrodes, a conductive layer formed in the via holes electrically connected with the address electrodes, terminals connected to the conductive layer and formed on a rear surface of the substrate, a transparent front plate disposed opposite the substrate, a plurality of sustaining electrodes formed in a direction on the front plate opposite the substrate at a predetermined angle with respect to a direction of the address electrodes and having pairs of first and second electrodes, and a second dielectric layer installed on the front plate to cover the sustaining electrodes.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a plasma display panel further includes a printed circuit board (PCB) having supply terminals contacting the terminals on the rear surface of the substrate, the supply terminals corresponding to the terminals of the address electrodes.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a plasma display panel includes a substrate, partitions spaced a predetermined distance apart from each other on the substrate, address electrodes having a predetermined pattern formed on portions of the substrate between adjacent pairs of the partitions, each address electrode being split into at least three parts with each split part corresponding to at least two pixels, a first dielectric layer formed on the substrate to cover the address electrodes, an insulation layer formed between the address electrodes and the substrate, a voltage supplying unit positioned on a lower surface of the insulation layer to apply a predetermined voltage to corresponding ones of the address electrodes, a transparent front plate disposed opposite the substrate, a plurality of sustaining electrodes formed on the front plate opposite to the substrate at a predetermined angle with respect to the direction of address electrodes and having pairs of first and second electrodes, and a second dielectric layer installed on the front plate to cover the sustaining electrodes.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the voltage supplying unit includes via holes formed on portions of the dielectric layer corresponding to each of the address electrodes, a conductive layer formed in the via holes and electrically connected with the address electrodes, and an interconnection layer formed between the insulation layer and the substrate in a predetermined pattern to be electrically connected to the conductive layer.
The present invention is more specifically described in the following paragraphs by reference to the drawings attached only by way of example. Other advantages and features will become apparent from the following description and from the claims.

Plasma display panel having reduced addressing time and increased sustaining discharge time


Methods, systems, and apparatuses are disclosed for radiation treatment of tumors based at least in part on patient-specific imaging information. The methods, systems and apparatuses include computer programs encoded on computer-readable media. The methods include acquiring imaging information relating to a target to be treated. The imaging information is non-anatomic imaging information relating to the target acquired from at least one imaging marker that reflects at least one of the metabolic, physiological and histological features of the target. The methods further include computing a radiation dose based at least on the imaging information.

Health care professionals commonly use radiation to treat both benign and malignant tumors. In general, health care professionals determine the amount of radiation (the 'dose') to be used based on several different factors. These factors include prior experience; available data about clinical outcomes for tumor responses; tumor volume; safety data regarding radiation received by adjacent body tissue; other available treatment options that could affect the use of higher or lower doses of radiation, and pathological information on tumor cell appearance and the rate of cell division, i.e., mitoses, which requires obtaining a biopsy tissue sample.
Many forms of radiation delivery are image-guided. Available imaging approaches include magnetic resonance imaging ("MRI"); computed tomography ("CT"), x-ray imaging, and positron emission tomography ("PET"), among others. Generally speaking, the images acquired via the aforementioned techniques are typically obtained on or shortly before the day that the radiation dose is administered to the patient.

Method to select radiation dosage for tumor treatment based on cellular imaging


A recording apparatus includes a slider that has a cam face with which a cam of the stopper comes into sliding contact and moves in the insertion direction from a first position to a second position with a resistance when the cassette is inserted into the mounting unit. The cam face includes a first cam face on which the cam slides when the slider moves from the first position to the second position and a press cam face against which the cam presses when the paper sheet comes into contact with the stopper. The press cam face has an inclination relative to a reference straight line which is perpendicular to a plane parallel to the insertion direction of the cassette which is greater than that relative to a straight line which extends from the contact point between the press cam face and the cam to the shaft.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to recording apparatuses.
2. Related Art
Ink jet printers (hereinafter simply referred to as "printers") that eject ink from a recording unit such as a recording head onto a paper sheet so as to record a certain image (including characters and graphics) are an example of a type of recording apparatus that ejects liquid such as ink onto a recording medium such as a paper sheet so as to perform a recording operation.
Such printers are provided with a feeding cassette containing a plurality of stacked paper sheets therein (hereinafter simply referred to as a "cassette") and are configured to record images on the paper sheets while feeding the uppermost paper sheets one by one toward the recording unit. Accordingly, the printers include a mounting unit in which the cassette containing a plurality of stacked paper sheets therein is detachably mounted by inserting the cassette in a direction perpendicular to a stack direction of the paper sheets and a paper feeding roller that separates the paper sheets one by one and feeds out the separated paper sheets from the cassette in a mounted state in the mounting unit toward the recording unit in a sequential manner.
The printer further includes a separation slope that is disposed at the internal end face of the mounting unit in which the cassette is mounted, that is, at a position opposite the front end of the cassette in a mounted state in the mounting unit in the insertion direction. The separation slope is formed to guide the paper sheets toward the recording unit when the paper feeding roller separates the paper sheets one by one and feeds out the separated paper sheets from the cassette.
Since the cassette is mounted in the mounting unit by a user, when the cassette is inserted into the mounting unit at a rapid speed, some of the paper sheets stacked in the cassette may be urged in the insertion direction by the inertia force and may be disposed on the rising separation slope. As a consequence, the separation slope fails to separate the paper sheets one by one, thereby causing a double feeding state in which two or more paper sheets are fed together. This may cause a problem such as a paper jam.
JP-A-2000-335769 discloses a mechanism for preventing the above-mentioned problem, in which a shutter member that moves downward from a retreat position in an upper region to a control position in a lower region is provided so that the shutter member controls the movement of the end of the paper sheets downstream in the feeding direction (hereinafter referred to as a "leading edge of the paper sheets") in the insertion direction of the cassette. The lower end of the shutter member is configured to rotate upstream in the feeding direction when the shutter member moves up from the control position in the lower region where the shutter member abuts the leading edge of the respective paper sheets to the retreat position in the upper region. With this configuration, the shutter member permits the leading edge of the respective paper sheets abutting the shutter member and to be aligned with the slope surface such that the leading edge of the paper sheet in the higher position in the stack comes to a position more downstream in the feeding direction.
However, with the configuration disclosed in JP-A-2000-335769, a space for providing a rotation mechanism and a slide mechanism for sliding the shutter member into the retreat position while rotating the shutter member is needed. In addition, a space for housing the shutter member, the rotation mechanism and the slide mechanism is also needed. Those spaces cause a problem in that the printer becomes large.
In order to solve the above problem, for example, a configuration using a control member that has a control surface to control the movement of the paper sheet in the forward direction of the insertion direction of the cassette and that rotates to turn over in the insertion direction has been proposed. That is, in this case, the movement of the paper sheet is controlled by the control surface and the momentum of the paper sheet is reduced, and then, the control of the movement of the paper sheet is released when the control surface rotates so as to retreat from the separation slope with a predetermined time delay.
With this configuration, the paper sheets are separated one by one and guided to the recording unit without being disposed on the separation slope. As a result, only a space for a rotation movement mechanism of the control member is required without having to provide a wide space for housing a shutter member, a rotation mechanism and slide mechanism into the retreat position, therefore it is possible to prevent a printer from becoming large.
During such a rotation movement of the control member, a damper member is used to cause a predetermined time delay after controlling the movement of the paper sheets. That is, since a movement member of the damper member moves with a resistance, a time delay is generated between the time when the movement of the paper sheets is controlled and the time when the control is released by the rotation movement of the control member.
In such a damper member, since the control member moves cooperatively with the moving member, the control member has a cam that comes into sliding contact with a cam face of the moving member. However, when the paper sheets strongly collide against the control surface of the control member, the moving member fails to fully support the control member and is forced to move immediately without generating a predetermined time delay for the rotation operation of the control member. That is, the control member cannot resist the impact of the paper sheets and is forced to rotate to the release position and releases the control of the movement of the paper sheets before fully controlling the movement of the paper sheets. This results in a problem in that the control member fails to fully control the movement of the paper sheets.


A system for controlling hydraulic fluid flow within a work vehicle includes a flow control valve fluidly coupled to a fluid supply conduit upstream of a hydraulic actuator such that the flow control valve is configured to control the flow rate of hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic actuator. Furthermore, the system includes a computing system configured to receive an input associated with a selected flow rate of the hydraulic fluid being supplied to the hydraulic actuator. Moreover, the computing system is configured to control an operation of the flow control valve such that flow control valve is at a maximum flow position at which an adjustable orifice defined by the valve has a maximum cross-sectional area. Additionally, the computing system is configured to control an operation of a pump such that the pump supplies the hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic actuator through the adjustable orifice at the selected flow rate.

A work vehicle, such as a wheel loader, skid steer loader, backhoe loader, compact track loader, and the like, typically includes a hydraulic system to actuate various components of the vehicle. For example, the hydraulic system may to raise and lower an implement, such as a bucket, at the operator's command. As such, the hydraulic system generally includes one or more hydraulic actuators and a pump configured to supply hydraulic fluid to the actuator(s).
Additionally, the hydraulic system may include various valves and other flow control devices to control the flow of the hydraulic fluid from the pump to the actuator(s). In this respect, the valves and other flow control devices may cause pressure drops at certain locations within the hydraulic system. To compensate for these pressure drops, the pump is controlled such that the pump discharges the hydraulic fluid a pressure that is typically much higher than the pressure needed to operate the hydraulic actuator(s) based on the operator's commands. However, operating the pump in this manner increases the energy consumption of the work vehicle, thereby reducing its fuel economy.
Accordingly, an improved system and method for controlling hydraulic fluid flow within a work vehicle would be welcomed in the technology. In particular, an improved system and method for controlling hydraulic fluid flow within a work vehicle that reduces the energy consumption of the vehicle would be welcomed in the technology.

System and method for controlling hydraulic fluid flow within a work vehicle using flow control valves


A vehicle front end structure including a fender support rail that includes a plurality of slots defined by an outer wall of the rail that facilitates bending the rail in a transverse vehicle direction. A plurality of circular holes may be provided that are defined in the rail adjacent a bend in the rail to facilitate fracturing the rail in a collision event. A bracket is attached to the rail adjacent the circular holes to inhibit the rail in that area from bending in an outboard direction.

Land vehicles are tested for crashworthiness by a variety of tests including frontal impacts, side impacts, rear impacts, roll-over and other tests. Frontal impact tests were previously developed that specified that a vehicle impacts a barrier between the frame rails that extend longitudinally relative to the vehicle. In this type of test, the frame rails provided the primary support for the vehicle body. The extent of any intrusions into the passenger compartment are measured at the brake pedal, foot rest, left toe pan, center toe pan, right toe pan, left instrument panel, right instrument panel, and door.
A new test is proposed for simulating small offset frontal crashes against a rigid barrier. In the proposed test, the vehicle impacts a rigid barrier having a six inch pole-like radius on one corner with a 25% overlap at 40 MPH. The impact is outboard of the frame rails and the frame rails do not provide as much resistance to intrusion into the passenger compartment as in the case of impacts between the frame rails.
The weight of land vehicles is being reduced to substantially improve fuel efficiency. Vehicles are currently being designed to reduce the weight of the vehicle with an objective of not compromising performance or crashworthiness. It is difficult to meet the proposed test requirements for the small offset rigid barrier crash test while reducing vehicle weight and reducing manufacturing costs.
Reducing the weight of vehicles is a continuing goal in vehicle design. One way to reduce the weight of a vehicle is to reduce the number of parts used to manufacture a vehicle. Some structural rails are fabricated in multiple pieces and may be complicated to fabricate and assemble. Multi-piece structural rails are higher weight, higher cost, complicated to assemble, less dimensionally accurate and are subject to assembly complexity of multiple component constructions. Multi-piece assembly processes must be carefully performed and monitored for quality control. Reduced weight of parts improves fuel economy and results in reduced material costs.
One way to reduce part count is to manufacture rails in a hydroforming process. However, hydro-formed rails are generally monolithic structures. During axial loading events, hydro-formed structures tend to first deform principally at locations on the rail that include bends in the rail. The portions of the rail that extend linearly in the longitudinal direction do not easily bend or fracture. These portions of the rails do not absorb energy in a collision event to the same extent as portions that include bends and increase the likelihood of intrusions into the passenger compartment in small offset rigid barrier tests.
This disclosure is directed to solving the above problems and other problems as summarized below.

Fender support rail with slots for reducing intrusion into the vehicle passenger compartment