A pedal arm as a lever member is supported at its fulcrum by a roller, which is held for movement in a guide groove. A crank pin in an eccentric position on a gear is coupled to the point of action of the pedal arm, whereby the rotation of the gear is transmitted to a rear wheel.

The present invention relates to a land-use cycle provided with a moving fulcrum type leverage and adapted to be propelled by human power, e.g., by foot operation.
A conventional bicycle is designed so that a user can rotate a chain gear by alternately working cranked pedals, which are fixed individually to the opposite sides of the shaft of the chain gear with a phase difference of 180 degrees, by both his feet and transmit this rotation to a rear wheel by means of a chain, thereby propelling the bicycle.
A torque generated in the shaft of the chain gear can be represented by the product of the distance from the shaft to each pedal and a force in the direction of a tangent to the path of rotation of each pedal. Since the strength of a user's leg is limited, the distance from the shaft of the chain gear to each pedal must be made relatively long in order to increase the torque.
Since the diameter of the path of rotation of each pedal of the conventional bicycle is settled on the basis of the length of a standard user's leg, however, it is so hard to work the pedals that the operating efficiency and stability are poor if the diameter of the path is made longer than the existing one.
Moreover, the chain, which is used to transmit the rotation of the chain gear to the rear wheel, may possibly be disengaged from the chain gear or broken, so that it is awkward to handle and requires use of an all-over cover, thus involving a lot of problems.

Cycle provided with a moving fulcrum type leverage


The present invention refers to a droplet-based miniaturized device with on-demand droplet-trapping, -fusion, and -releasing. The device makes use of different electrical fields for directing droplets into microwells and releasing them from the same. In another aspect, the present invention refers to a system comprising such a microfluidic device and a method of operating it.

Miniaturized laboratory is a technological progress in biology and chemistry in recent years. Droplet microfluidics provides the miniaturizing technique to manipulate defined samples and reagents in microscale droplets. Stable and highly monodisperse droplets in the picoliter to nanoliter volume range can be generated on microfluidic platform and integrated to "Lab-on-a-chip" systems. Through transportation, fusion, split, sorting, samples and reagents confined in microdroplets can be sampled, analyzed, and with reaction occurred inside.
Microdroplets as naturally well-defined microreactors greatly prevent sample loss, cross-contamination, and concentration change due to diffusion. Owing to the high surface to volume ratio, microdroplets are granted with fast thermal transfer, fast and efficient mixing. At the same time the microdroplets are so tiny and able to be produced in a very fast rate which led their great applications in high throughput screening technology. With those unique advantages, microdroplets and droplet-based microfluidics have offered new routes to chemical and biochemical analysis, chemical and biochemical synthesis, chemical reactions, and material synthesis.
However, the existing microfluidic devices do not allow on-demand droplet manipulations integrated into it. Such on-demand droplet manipulations on single microfluidic platform allow the conduction of droplet based reactions with real time monitoring and also further analysis. On-demand methods also provide the selectivity of when to start the reactions and in a certain way, what reagents/particles to be involved in the reaction, what concentrations of reagents to be introduced.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved microfluidic device which allows at least a partly droplet manipulation.

Droplet based miniaturized device with on-demand droplet-trapping, -fusion, and -releasing


An upper rail for large curtainside truck-trailers comprises a double vertical web structure joined at the top by a horizontal plate that extends beyond the outer web to the outside of the trailer roof anad beyond the inner web for increased support of the roof sheets. Simultaneous with providing the trolley way for the curtainside trolleys, the double vertical web provides the necessary stiffness and load carrying capacity within a 3 inch depth, top to bottom, rail for a 48 foot truck trailer.

The field of the invention pertains to large truck-trailers, in particular, to truck trailers having movable curtainsides wherein the entire sides of the trailer are of flexible material that can be drawn back to one end of the trailer to expose the entire cargo. Such trailers can be loaded much more quickly than trailers with rear doors. In some automotive related installations, the loading and unloading docks are equipped with fully automated loading and unloading equipment for curtainside trailers. An example of a curtainside trailer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,316.
The roof of the truck trailer is supported by an upper rail on each side of the trailer. The upper rail extends the length of the trailer usually without support except at the ends of the trailer. In some trailers there may be removable or permanent intermediate supports for the rail. The upper rail also supports the curtain forming the curtainside and some additional vertical stress from the plurality of tie down straps that retain the curtain vertically taught.
The upper rail is commonly formed of an extruded structural aluminum, such as 6061-T6. The extruded shape provides a trolley-way for the curtain trolleys and a shelf or ledge to support roof bows. Grooves and flanges may also be provided for sealing gaskets and clip on gutters. The maximum allowable height of the truck trailer limits the height of the top of the upper rail measured from street level. The lower edge or bottom of the upper rail limits the vertical opening measured from the truck trailer bed or floor. Because of the dead weight, live weight, wind and snow loading and the vibration and torquing of the trailer in use, the upper rails are typically 5 inches or more in vertical depth for the standard curtainside 48 foot trailer. Any decrease in upper rail height results in an equal increase in vertical opening of the trailer and is a desirable goal, in particular, for truck trailers applied to automated loading and unloading systems. Applicants and their associates have previously developed 5 inch depth upper rails, however, further reduction in depth is a desirable goal. Nevertheless, despite the reduction in depth, the load carrying capacity and the limitations on maximum deflection must be met. With these generally conflicting requirements in view, applicants have invented the new upper rail disclosed below.

Reduced height upper rail for curtainside truck trailers


To reduce labor of a player to search for game content sought by the player. A game program according to the present invention causes a computer to execute: when an operation to designate game content is performed by a player, play event selection processing to select a play event in which the designated game content is obtainable from among a plurality of play events set in advance; game screen generation processing to generate a game screen including a guidance operation area that guides the player to the selected play event; and game progress processing to make a game progress with the guided play event and to make the player play the game when the guidance operation area is operated by the player while the game screen is displayed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game program and an information processing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A game system that starts a battle against a character encountered in a game field and provides a player with game content (for example, an item) according to a battle result and the like is known (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-013509).

Game system with game screen and guidance operation area


A photovoltaic module comprising: (a) a photovoltaic laminate including: (i) one or more connectors connected to and extending from the photovoltaic laminate, and (ii) one or more integrated frames each including one or more engagement features, and the one or more integrated frames being in communication with each of the one or more connectors; and wherein the one or more engagement features are asymmetrical so that each of the one or more connectors can only be installed in each of the one or more integrated frames in a single configuration; and wherein each of the one or more integrated frames are connected to the photovoltaic laminate in a location proximate to the one or more connectors so that the one or more integrated frames provide support to the one or more connectors during the manufacturing process, during use, during installation, or a combination thereof.

Photovoltaic modules include an active portion that captures sunlight and converts sunlight into electricity. The active portion may be part of a composite of materials. A connector extends from the active portion so that an electrical connection, a mechanical connection, or both may be made. The connector during the manufacturing process may be misaligned, moved, bent, damaged, or a combination thereof by contact with one or more components of the manufacturing process such that the active portion cannot be used. The connector may form a cantilever connection with the active portion so that during removal of the active portion from the machinery and/or transportation the connectors may be damaged. Moreover, the connector may have a predetermined attachment location so that polarity of the connections are properly aligned and each of the connectors need to be attached in a specific location, in a specific configuration, or both.
Typically, photovoltaic arrays are placed in an elevated location such as a roof top of a home or a building or in a rack and frame that elevates the photovoltaic array so that the photovoltaic array is exposed to sunlight. Each of these photovoltaic modules in order to get them to a roof top or elevated location are moved to the roof top or elevated location and then moved along the roof top or elevated location and into position, typically by one or more people carrying the modules, which may result in one or more of the connectors becoming damaged, bent, or unable to perform their connection function. Each photovoltaic module is then secured to the elevated location directly to a roofing structure and/or indirectly by a connection structure such as a rack and frame so that a photovoltaic array is formed. Each photovoltaic module of the photovoltaic array includes an active portion and the active portions of two or more photovoltaic modules may be placed in close proximity with one another so that a photovoltaic array is formed by connecting each of the photovoltaic modules together.
In cases where the photovoltaic modules provide roofing functions (i.e., building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV)), the photovoltaic modules may include both an active portion and a support portion and the active portion of one photovoltaic module may fully and/or partially cover the support portion of an adjacent photovoltaic module to replace the framing and racking structure. In cases of building integrated photovoltaics, the support portion may provide roofing functions or structural functions for subsequent photovoltaic modules. The support structures of a roof may not have consistent flatness or strength due to variations in fabrication and/or age of the roof, and the shape of the roof may vary over time due to movement and/or aging of the foundation and/or roofing structure. At some point over the life of the photovoltaic array, the home owner, a repair person, an installer, or a combination thereof may be required to walk across the photovoltaic array. As the individual walks across the photovoltaic array, each individual photovoltaic module may bend and flex due to the variations in strength and/or flatness of the support structures, which may result in the photovoltaic module, a connector, or both bending enough so that the photovoltaic module, connector, or both are damaged. This weight and variation in strength may bend, crack, misalign, or a combination thereof connectors that connect the photovoltaic modules so that the connectors are not able to perform the mechanical and/or electrical connections to be formed. It would be attractive to have a photovoltaic module which has a connector that is resistant to damage from manufacturing movement, installation movement, or installed movement. It would be attractive to have a photovoltaic module where the cantilever connection of the connector is supported so that the geometry of the connector is maintained. It would further be attractive to have an integrated frame that supports the connector and has an asymmetrical configuration so that the header connector is connected correctly to the photovoltaic module.
Examples of some photovoltaic modules may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,437,735; 8,631,614; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0271773; 2010/0180523; and International Patent Application No. WO2011/019886; and Chinese Patent Nos. CN202839678U and CN202332933U all of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety for all purposes. It would be attractive to have a device that assists in attaching a connector to the photovoltaic module. It would be attractive to have a device that mirrors the shape of all or a portion of a connector and especially a clip of a connector. What is needed is a feature of an integrated frame such as a pocket that accommodates a clip of a connector so that the clip is accommodated and the connector is flush within the integrated frame. What is needed is a device that prevents the connector and a clip of the connector from being separated, the clip from being dislodged from the connector, or both. What is needed is a disengagement opening that allows access to the clip within the connector so that the clip and connector can be separated.

Asymmetrical integrated frame for photovoltaic module


A wireless communication device includes frequency hopping means for changing a radio frequency based on a temporarily defined pattern, and a frequency offset compensation unit. The frequency offset compensation unit includes a frequency offset calculator that calculates a frequency offset amount from a received signal, a hopping frequency value converter that uses the frequency offset amount, a radio frequency from which the frequency offset amount is calculated, and a transition destination radio frequency transitioned by the frequency hopping means to calculate an estimated frequency offset value for the transition destination radio frequency, and a rotator that uses the estimated frequency offset value for the transition destination radio frequency to perform phase rotation on the received signal.

To compensate for a frequency offset in orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) wireless communication in which frequency hopping is performed to switch between frequencies of carrier waves to be transmitted and received in a predetermined period and a predetermined pattern, a general method is one for using a guard interval correlation value of a received signal to calculate a frequency offset from a phase difference between a real number of a correlation peak and an imaginary number of the correlation peak and remove the frequency offset by a rotator. For transmission in units of frames, there is also a method for fixing a frequency offset value calculated with a known preamble symbol added to the top of a frame as a frequency offset value of the frame.

Wireless communication device and frequency offset compensation method for wireless communication device


The frequency of a clock for a receiving terminal is controlled based on a predetermined clock frequency of a terminal that produces a continuous stream of data at a predetermined frequency for transmission to the receiving terminal over a communications network of the kind in which data is transmitted between the terminals in discrete packets that are delayed on the network by possibly different amounts. Arrivals of packets that are sent to the receiving terminal are detected, time intervals between the arrivals of the successive packets are determined, and the time intervals are processed to generate an estimate that is related to the predetermined frequency. The frequency of the receiving terminal clock is controlled in response to the estimate. In one aspect, the time intervals are determined by measuring time differences of arrival between successive packets, and the measured time differences are filtered to generate the estimate. In another aspect, the time intervals are determined by measuring phase differences between a reference signal (that indicates the arrival of each packet) and the receiving terminal clock, and the measured phase differences are filtered to generate the estimate.

This invention relates to synchronizing the clocks of devices, such as independent continuous bit stream oriented (CBO) data terminals, in a communications network in which packets of data are sent over the network.
Typically, such a communications network includes a number of nodes interconnected by links, each node serving one or more data terminals. The nodes each function as a so-called "concentrator" to arrange data to be transmitted from one of its terminals to a terminal served by another node into discrete packets for transmission over the one or more links between the nodes. The node inserts a "header" in each packet (that may identify the originating terminal and the destination terminal) along with a predetermined number of bits of data, and a "trailer" to indicate the end of the packet. To prevent and/or deal with collisions between packets on the network, the nodes transmit their packets in an asynchronous manner, for example, according to a predetermined transmission protocol (e g., X.25, etc.). The nodes generally transmit the packets at a rate (such as 64,000 bits/second) that is higher than that used by the terminals (e.g., 9,600 bits/second). The receiving node stores incoming packets in a buffer until they are retrieved by the destination terminal.
Some types of data terminals used in such a communication network transmit data noncontinuously in bursts The clocks in these types of terminals are synchronized during the relatively frequent idle intervals between transmissions.
Other kinds of data terminals transmit data and expect to receive data continuously. These terminals, known as continuous bit stream oriented (CBO) terminals, do not provide a regularly occurring, idle interval during which their clocks can be synchronized. When the clocks of transmitting and receiving CBO terminals are not synchronized, the receiving CBO terminal will retrieve data from the buffer of its node either more slowly or more rapidly than data from the transmitting terminal is placed into the buffer. If this persists, the buffer will eventually overflow or be emptied, leading to loss of transmitted data in the former case or, in the case of the latter, display of incorrect data by the receiving terminal (which continues to "retrieve" data from the empty buffer).
Synchronization of the clocks of the CBO terminals is complicated by the fact that the received bit stream does not directly indicate the timing of the transmitting CBO terminal. Also, the intervals between the arrivals of successive packets vary because the network may itself introduce random (i.e., stochastic) delays during the transmission of different packets. Further, the nodes may add to the variability of packet arrival times by multiplexing transmission of data packets from CBO terminals with data packets from other types of data terminals in the network.
One synchronization scheme, described in "Terminal Synchronization in Asynchronous Networks," by DePrycker et al, IEEE International Conference on Communications, June, 1987, pages 800-807, monitors the level of (i.e., the number of packets in) the data buffer of the receiving node to determine the time taken for the buffer level to change by one packet. To avoid errors caused by stochastic network delays in which fluctuations in the filling level of the buffer also vary due to the stochastic interarrival times between packets, the buffer level is measured each time that a packet is removed and that level is averaged over a predetermined interval. When the expected buffer level shows a change of one half of a packet (determined from the average buffer level in a statistical sense to any desired level of confidence) the buffer size is deemed to have grown by one packet. The time taken for this to happen indicates the frequency offset between the transmitting and receiving terminals. The clock of the receiving terminal is then adjusted by twice this amount in the proper direction to restore the buffer level. Then, the clock is readjusted to the frequency which would remove the calculated offset and the measurement and adjustment procedure begins again.

Synchronizing continuous bit stream oriented terminals in a communications network


A network station sends a switching instruction to a mobile unit. The mobile unit has two receiving sections and a transmitting section operable in two data formats. Upon receipt of the switching instruction, the first receiving section switches from a first data format to a second data format. The transmitting section sends an acknowledgment signal to the network. The first receiving section and transmitting section then attempt to switch to the second data format. The second receiving section remains in the first data format. The first receiving section then attempts to achieve synchronization. If synchronization is successful, a completion notice is sent back to the network station and the second receiving section is switched from the first data format to the second data format. If the synchronization is not successful, the second receiving section switches both the first receiving section and transmitting section back to the first data format and the first receiving section waits for a further switching instruction from the network.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a channel switching method and a CDMA communication system of a mobile communication terminal and a base station, using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a mobile communication terminal of a CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) type, there is a case that a physical data format is switched because of addition or removal of a service bearer, and change of a data communication rate or a spreading code or the like during a communication. Hereinafter, the switching is referred to as a channel switching. In such a case, the channel switching needs to be carried out at the same time by a network side such as a radio base station and a base station control station, and the mobile communication terminal.
FIGS. 1A and 1B show physical reception data formats before and after a traffic data communication rate is switched from 32 kbps to 64 kbps in a mobile communication terminal of a W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) type, respectively.
Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, it is supposed that a data format before a rate switching is CH-A (a traffic data rate: 32 kbps, and a physical bit rate including a control signal: 120 kbps), and a data format after the rate switching is CH-B (a traffic data rate: 64 kbps, and a physical bit rate including a control signal: 240 kbps). Here, data is a traffic data, and TFCI (Transport Format Combination Indicator) and TPC (Transmit Power Control) are layer 1 control signals, and Pilot is a control signal used for determine establishment of synchronization with a base station (a known bit pattern: a pilot signal).
FIG. 2 shows a conventional channel switching sequence in the above-mentioned CDMA communication system. In FIG. 2, when a data format is switched from a data format (CH-A) to a different data format (CH-B) during communication using the data format (CHA) between the network side and the mobile communication terminal (MS: Mobile Station) (A1 of FIG. 2), a switching instruction from the data format (CHA) to the data format (CH-B) is firstly outputted from the network side to the mobile communication terminal (A2 of FIG. 2). At this time, a switching timing data is simultaneously outputted such that the switching operation is carried out at the same time in the network side and the mobile communication terminal.
The mobile communication terminal receives the switching instruction, and responds an acknowledgement (ACK) (A3 of FIG. 2). Then, the mobile communication terminal waits for the switching timing, and then carries out the switching operation from the data format (CH-A) to the data format (CH-B) (A5 of FIG. 2).
On the other hand, the network side confirms that the mobile communication terminal carries out the switching operation from the data format (CH-A) to the data format (CH-B), from reception of the acknowledgment (ACK). Then, the network side waits for the switching timing, and carries out the switching operation from the data format (CH-A) to the data format (CH-B) (A4 of FIG. 2).
After the switching to the data format (CH-B), the mobile communication terminal carries out a synchronization establishment determination of a reception signal, using the pilot signal of the data format (CH-B) and then notifies to the network side, the completion of the switching from the data format (CH-A) to the data format (CH-B) (A7, A8 of FIG. 2) at a time when the synchronization establishment is OK (normal) (A6 of FIG. 2).
In the above-mentioned conventional channel switching method, there may be a case of a failure of the channel switching operation, as shown in FIG. 3. At first, the network outputs the switching instruction to the mobile communication terminal to carry out the switching operation from the data format (CH-A) to the data format (CH-B) (B1, B2 of FIG. 3). At this time, the switching timing data is simultaneously outputted such that the switching operation is carried out at the same time in the network side and the mobile communication terminal.
The mobile communication terminal receives the switching instruction, and returns the acknowledgment (ACK) (B3 of FIG. 6). Then, the mobile communication terminal waits for the switching timing, and carries out the switching operation from the data format (CH-A) to the data format (CH-B) (B4 of FIG. 3).
Here, if the network side cannot receive the acknowledgment (ACK) from the mobile communication terminal for any reason, it is impossible to confirm that the mobile communication terminal carries out the switching operation from the data format (CH-A) to the data format (CH-B). Therefore, the network side does not carry out the switching operation from the data format (CH-A) to the data format (CH-B) even at the time of the arrival of the switching timing. In the mobile communication, there is a possibility that failure of signal reception frequently occurs because of fading, interference and the like in a radio interval.
On the other hand, the mobile communication terminal carries out the switching operation to the data format (CH-B), and then carries out the synchronization establishment determination of the reception signal using a pilot signal of the data format (CH-B). However, since the network side holds the data format (CH-A), the synchronization establishment is NG (abnormal) (B5 of FIG. 3).
After that, the network side uses a timer to output the switching instruction to the data format (CH-B) to the mobile communication terminal again (B6, B7 of FIG. 3). However, since having already switched to the data format (CH-B), the mobile communication terminal cannot receive the switching instruction. After all, the communication is disconnected (B8 of FIG. 3).
In conjunction with the above description, a spectrum spreading communications system is disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application (JP-A-Heisei 11-4211). In this conventional example, a carrier frequency is switched from a first frequency to a second frequency during communication with a first base station. After hand-over is carried out from the first base station to a second base station, a carrier frequency in communication with the second base station is switched from the second frequency to a third frequency. The second frequency is a frequency in the hand-over exclusive use.
Also, a CDMA mobile phone is disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application (JP-A-Heisei 11-69449). In the CDMA mobile phone of this conventional example, a transmission and reception section sends and receives a radio signal with a base station. A rake reception section receives a plurality of reception paths at a same time. A modulation and demodulation modulates a baseband signal to the radio signal and demodulates the radio signal in the baseband signal. A coding and decoding section encodes a communication signal and a control signal into the baseband signal and decodes the baseband signal into the communication signal and the control signal. A transmission unit and a sound coding section coverts a speech signal into the communication signal. A reception unit and a sound decoding section convert the communication signal into a speech signal. A control section controls an operation based on the control signal and sends necessary data to the base station as the control signal. The transmission and reception section receives signals sent out from the base station or a plurality of different base stations in two or more frequencies at a time, and transmits a signal to it or them.
Also, a channel estimating apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application (JP-P2000-4212). In this conventional example, the channel estimating apparatus is composed of a first receiving section which receives a pilot signal on a first channel and a second receiving section which receives pilot signals on a second channel which are multiple-transmitted from a single antenna. The state of the channel is estimated from both of the received pilot signals.
Also, a synchronizing circuit is disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application (JP-P2000-244387). In the synchronizing circuit of this conventional example, diversity reception at a plurality of branches is carried out with a base station on communication. A correlation calculation is carried out to obtain correlation output for every branch, and the correlation outputs are combined. A signal from a base station as a switching destination is temporally stored, and the correlation calculation of the stored signal is carried out during a time period which the correlation calculation using any of the branches is not carried out, to establish synchronization with the switching destination.
Also, a base station is disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application (JP-P2001-8262). In this conventional example, a communication region covered by the base station is variable. The change of a spreading code is notified from a transmitting side to a receiving side between the base station and a mobile terminal using a channel, and after the notification, the spreading code is changed such that interference between the channel and another channel is reduced.

Channel switching method and mobile communication terminal using the same


A customizing system for signatures delivered by signature feeders to a conveyor includes a variable selection device comprising a plurality of vanes, each of which has elongated guide members extending to the signature feeders and a switchplate selectively alignable with the vanes and cooperable with the guide members to define an extended travel path over which a signature selected from the feeders may be customized.

Collating and binding systems for saddle stitchers are well known in the printing industry for mass producing booklets, magazines, catalogues, advertising brochures and the like. Typically, one or more sharply folded and generally pre-printed blanks or signatures are selectively and sequentially fed by a number of spaced signature feeders. The signatures are delivered such that the folded margins or spines of the signatures come to rest upon a collating conveyor line or chain which travels past the signature feeders. The conveyor gathers the signatures, one on top of the other, and moves them, through one or more on-line printing stations, to a stitching or binding station. The assembled signatures then are usually diverted to a trimming station and further led to a labeling station where mailing labels which are pre-printed or printed on-line are affixed.
Prior art systems of this type contemplate the computer controlled production of various demographic editions of books or catalogues of internal and external signatures containing individually tailored information or customized printing on selected signatures. This flexibility is important in satisfying the demands of a particular market or geographical destination. For instance, it may be desirable to offer certain customers or subscribers various features or selected advertising depending upon their special interest, income or occupation. Likewise, it may be relevant to customize products or services contingent upon a customer,s previous buying history. For example, a publication may issue one demo edition for parents of newborn children who have purchased baby products, another edition for farmers interested in the latest milking machines and still another edition for recent purchasers of exercise equipment. In each situation, a publisher may utilize various modes of customization such as blown-in card feeding, invoicing, advertising material insertion, renewal notices and tipping, as well as several types of contact or contactless printing.
To provide these demographic versions, the prior art commonly employs an infcrmation source which indicates the special interest of each subscriber within a common postal locale. Based on the information source, a controller selectively actuates the signature feeders to deliver certain signatures upon the conveyor to form one or more individualized editions of a booklet or magazine for each subscriber within the zip code area. Information in the source is generally arranged in sequential order so that the formed booklets or magazines leave the conveyor ready to be sorted into groups which qualify for postal rate discounts. As part of the collation process, the signatures are conveyed past one or more customizing stations typically including a label head, card inserter, and/or dot matrix ink jet print heads mounted in predetermined relation to a support for the signatures. Examples of such systems are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,819,173 issued June 25, 1974 to Anderson et.al., and 4,121,818 issued Oct. 24, 1978 to Riley et.al.
In some instances, a mechanism for disposing a particular signature for personalization is also provided. One example of this type of demographic bindery system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,031 issued to Gruber et.al. on July 26, 1983. In this arrangement, a plate-like member downstream of the conveyor cooperates with the conveyor chain and an elongated guide member (wire) extending between a signature feeder and the plate-like member to move a page out of superpositioned relationship with a signature delivered to the conveyor just prior to delivery of the selected signature. This opens the books of signatures at the signature selected for opening by the guide member to expose an inside page or internal signature for personalization by a dot matrix printer. Various combinations of plate-like members, guide members, and printers are disclosed to enable customized printing of various internal and external signatures in a book being collated.
It is desirable that magazines be packaged to take maximum advantage of postal discounts. For example, bundles of six or more magazines to be sent by second class mail to subscribers having a common 3-digit zipcode prefix are entitled only to the basic or highest postal rate. However, a bundled group of six or more magazines sent to subscribers having a common 5-digit zipcode obtains a more favorable intermediate postal rate, and grouping six or more magazines sent to subscribers along the same carrier route, qualifies for a lower still postal rate. Accordingly, it is desirable that a bindery build magazines in an order that facilitates presorting and packaging to maximize postal discounts. In this regard, it would be advantageous in some instances if a plurality of different types of magazines could be built during a given production run, to facilitate grouping the various magazines destined for a given carrier route.
Prior art systems are disadvantageous primarily because of inflexibility. For example, even though books may be opened at several internal positions, customization is limited since each book being assembled must be opened at the same fixed pages as dictated by the initial setup of the guide wires and plate-like members. As a result, there is little variance in the type of magazines or books formed during a production run for a given postal zone. Each time a change in the location of customized information is desired, the connection between the plate-like member and signature feeder must be manually reset, restrung at the right position on the plate-like member and with the proper tension to ensure that signatures selected to travel upon the guide wires will do so smoothly without jamming or colliding with other elements of the system. Additional techniques of customizing selected signatures beyond the realm of conventional ink jet printing need to be considered.
Accordingly, it is desirable that the demographic bindery system offer a greater degree of customization, improving upon the selectivity of the signatures to be personalized, and permit totally different magazines to be assembled during a single production run for subscribers in a given postal zone irrespective of varying points of customization.

Apparatus and method for customizing magazines


An electronic device includes an integrated circuit, a flexible heat spreader, an actuator, and a controller. The actuator is coupled to the flexible heat spreader and the controller is configured to control the actuator between a first actuation mode and a second actuation mode. When in the first actuation mode, the actuator positions the flexible heat spreader with an air gap between the flexible heat spreader and the integrated circuit such that the flexible heat spreader is thermally separated from the integrated circuit to increase a thermal impedance between the flexible heat spreader and the integrated circuit. When in the second actuation mode, the actuator positions the flexible heat spreader in thermal contact with the integrated circuit without the air gap there between to reduce the thermal impedance between the flexible heat spreader and the integrated circuit.

With the rapid development in the electronic fields in recent years, the performance of various electronic devices has largely been upgraded to provide higher and higher operating and data processing speeds. With the constantly increased operating speed of the chipsets and the constantly increased number of chips inside the electronic devices, more heat is produced by the electronic devices during their operation. Typically, the heat must be dissipated away from the chips to avoid damage and/or reduced performance.
Some conventional electronic devices employ a cooling fan disposed within an exterior housing of the electronic device to create airflow to dissipate heat produced by the electronic elements of the device. However, due to a current miniaturization trend, current electronic devices often have limited internal space for mounting a cooling fan and/or for creating sufficient airflow to dissipate the necessary heat. In addition, conventional cooling fans consume a relatively large amount of power, which decreases the performance of portable electronic devices which may rely on batteries for operation.
Other conventional electronic devices may utilize a statically fixed heat spreader between a surface of one or more chipsets and the exterior housing of the electronic device. The heat spreader transfers heat generated by the chipset to the exterior housing for dissipation out of the electronic device. However, a user's experience of the electronic device may be governed, in part, based on the user's touch perception of a temperature of the electronic device. For example, if a temperature of the exterior housing of the electronic device (e.g., mobile phone) is too high, then the user may experience discomfort while holding the electronic device in their hand and/or when holding against their face/ear. Furthermore, a user may perceive a warm or hot device as malfunctioning or as not operating correctly.

Thermal modulation of an electronic device


An apparatus and method for configuring semiconductor jobs to achieve a desired level of set serviceability, in either probability or expectation, using a minimal number of wafers. The configuration problem is formulated as a mathematical optimization, where the serviceability level and yield losses, at chip, wafer and job levels, are explicitly considered. The problem is then reformulated by replacing the mathematically intractable service level constraints with tractable lower bounds. The reformulated mathematical optimization is efficiently solved using marginal allocation, giving good, feasible solutions to the original configuration program.

Job configuration for semiconductor manufacturing is the technique in which silicon chips are assigned to sites on wafers, wafers are assigned to jobs, and jobs are released into the manufacturing line, so as to meet the demand for chips. The process is complicated by yield uncertainties of the line and the configuration constraints imposed by the technology of the line. Yield losses can occur at a job level, where every chip within a job is bad, at a wafer level, where every chip on a wafer is bad, or at the site level, where one or more individual chips are bad.
In the static job configuration problem, the configuration is determined in an open loop fashion from data on the demanded numbers of chips and the yield uncertainties. A decision is made on the configuration, and the configuration is released into the line; neither cycle time nor the status of the jobs within the line are considered.
There are several measures of performance for meeting the demand. The semiconductor supplier may be measured on its "volume serviceability," the percent of the volume of the demand that is met. In a more stringent measure of performance called "mix serviceability," the supplier is measured in terms of the volume of demand supplied, but is not credited for shipping parts in excess of their demand. "Set serviceability" is another measure of performance. A customer may order a specified number of sets of components, for example, the set of chips needed for a printed circuit board or module. In set serviceability, the supplier is measured in terms of the demand for complete sets that is supplied. Set serviceability is more difficult to meet than mix or volume serviceability.
In meeting set serviceability requirements for the static job configuration problem, it is desirable that the configurations achieve the serviceability with the fewest number of wafers. Minimizing the number of wafers reduces the costs for the raw materials and reduces the number of wafers flowing through the line.
The technologies used to expose wafers (optical, e-beam and retical) and test equipment limitations may impose constraints on the possible job configurations. Some semiconductor manufacturing lines process single part jobs, where every chip within a job is identical. The job configuration required for such a line is referred to as a single part job or SPJ configuration scenario. Other manufacturing lines have more flexibility and allow for multiple part jobs having single part wafers, where every chip within a wafer is identical, but wafers within a job may be different. The job configuration required for such a line is referred to as a single part wafer or SPW configuration scenario. Some manufacturing lines process multiple part jobs having multiple part wafers, where a wafer (and therefore a job) may be made up of a plurality of different chips. The job configuration required for such a line is referred to as a multiple part wafer or MPW configuration scenario.
The logistics systems controlling the flow of jobs through the line may impose additional constraints on the allowable job configurations. For example, these systems may require that a job configuration having multiple part jobs with single part wafers be composed of several copies of the same standard job. In the multiple part jobs with multiple part wafers case, the systems may require that every multiple part wafer be identical, that is, there be a standard wafer, and every job within the configuration contains the standard wafer.
A conventional approach to semiconductor job configuration is known as ground start ratio. According to ground start ratio, the number of chip starts is the ratio of the demand for the chip type to the overall yield of the chip type. This ratio is computed independently for each chip in the set.
Because the job configuration data for each of the chip types is computed without reference to demand data, yield data or configuration data of any other chip type, the computation required for the ground start ratio is straightforward and does not require an excessive amount of time to compute. However, the survival rates of the chip types which make up a set are not independent of one another in determining the survival rate of the entire set. Consequently, the ground start ratio approach is ill-suited to suppliers measured by set serviceability.
Furthermore, because the ground start ratio is computed independently for each chip type, it cannot be used to take advantage of the substantial potential serviceability increases gained by using single part wafer and multiple part wafer configurations.
Therefore, what is needed is an apparatus and method for manufacturing sets of chips that achieves the desired serviceability using a reasonable number of wafers.

International Business Machines Corporation


An apparatus for detecting magnetic particles suspended in a liquid, such as particles suspended in lubricating oil flowing through an engine. The oil is caused to pass through the area coupling two or more coils while the mutual inductance of the coils is monitored. When a magnetic particle enters the area coupling the coils, the mutual inductance of the coils will increase, thereby indicating the presence of the particle.

This invention relates to the detection of suspended particulate matter in a liquid, and particularly to particles of magnetic material suspended in lubricating fluid.
In engines and other machinery, early warning of potential failure of bearings or other lubricated components can prevent the machine's ultimate failure through replacing or servicing the failing component. This becomes particularly significant when aircraft engines and the like are considered where an engine failure can have disastrous consequences.
When a lubricated engine component begins to deteriorate, small particles of the component are dislodged and carried away in lubricating fluid such as oil that flows around the component. As the component becomes more worn, and therefore becomes more likely to fail, the dislodged particles become larger and more numerous. The detection of such particles in the lubricating fluid provides an indication of the condition of the engine. By monitoring the size and number of such particles, imminent engine failure can be predicted and thereby avoided.
One well known method of detection relies upon the entrapment of particles by a magnetic device. The magnetic device is typically placed in the system that circulates the lubricating fluid, such that the fluid passes in close proximity to the magnetic device. Particles in the fluid are usually derived from metal components, and will therefore be magnetic particles (i.e., particles capable of being magnetized). Therefore, the particles will be attracted to, and trapped by, the magnetic device.
In some cases the magnetic device is physically examined on a periodic basis to determine the quantity and size of the trapped particles. In other cases, the magnetic device generates an electrical signal after a certain accumulation of particles has occurred. Still other methods of detection generate an electrical signal each time a particle is trapped. The electrical signal is typically generated through a measurement of the self inductance of a magnetic coil placed in close proximity to the magnetic device, where the self-inductance of the coil is a function of the quantity and size of magnetic particles deposited on the magnetic device.
Another device for detecting magnetic particles uses a coil wrapped around a tube through which the lubricating fluid is passed. The self inductance of the coil is closely monitored. When a magnetic particle passes through the tube, and therefore through the center of the coil, the self-inductance of the coil will increase slightly in proportion to the size of the particle.

Apparatus for measuring magnetic particles suspended in a fluid based on fluctuations in an induced voltage


A method of resizing a concurrently accessed hash table is disclosed. The method includes acquiring the locks in the hash table. The hash table, in a first state, is dynamically reconfigured in size into a second state. Additionally, the amount of locks is dynamically adjusted based on comparing the size of the hash table in the second state to the size of the hash table in the second state.

A hash table, or hash map, is a data structure that uses a hash function to map identifying values, known as keys, to their associated values. For example, a key may include a name and the associated value may include their e-mail address. In this manner, a hash table implements an associative array. The hash function is used to transform the key into the index, or the hash, of an array element, often referred to as a slot or bucket, where the corresponding value is to be sought. For example, a hash function can calculate an index from the key of a data item and use the index to place the data into the array. In this respect, a hash function can be expressed asindex=f(key, ArrayLength)where ArrayLength is the size of the array. In many situations, hash tables turn out to be more efficient than search trees or any other table lookup structure. For this reason, they are widely used in many kinds of computer software, particularly for associative arrays, database indexing, caches, and sets.
In theory, the hash function could map each possible key to a unique slot index, but this ideal is rarely achievable in practice unless the hash keys are fixed, i.e., new entries are not added to the table after it is created. Instead, many hash table designs assume that hash collisions—different keys that map to the same hash value—will occur and be accommodated in some way. For example, if twenty-five hundred keys are hashed into a million array elements with uniform random distribution, the birthday paradox indicates that there will be approximately a ninety-five percent chance of at least two of the keys being hashed into the same array element. Developers continue to design hash functions to improve efficiency and to avoid collisions, so hash functions can behave differently, but at times a hash function can include deficiencies that are difficult to detect.
Hash tables are often dynamically resized to efficiently use memory resources. In a well-dimensioned hash table, the average cost measured in number of instructions for each lookup is independent of the number of elements stored in the table. Many hash table designs also allow arbitrary insertions and deletions of key-value pairs, at constant average cost per operation. As the number of items in a table grows, more memory can be allocated to the table and new array elements are created. The existing items can be rehashed and mapped to new array elements. Some implementations can shrink the size of the table as items are removed in order to recover memory.


A virtual base station apparatus (virtual AP) formed by a plurality of base station apparatuses (APs) requests a terminal apparatus (STA) to start beamforming training. The terminal apparatus transmits a plurality of first training frames to the virtual base station apparatus. The virtual base station apparatus receives the plurality of first training frames by using the plurality of base station apparatuses, and transmits a plurality of second training frames including information on a training frame received under the best conditions from a first base station apparatus that has received the training frame received under the best conditions to the terminal apparatus. The terminal apparatus receives the plurality of second training frames, and transmits to the virtual base station apparatus a second frame including information on a frame received under the best conditions among the plurality of second received training frames.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a virtual base station apparatus and a communication method for performing millimeter-wave band communication using beamforming.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, to ensure a bandwidth of 1 GHz or higher to meet rapidly increasing traffic demands, studies have been made on the employment of small base station apparatuses that perform communication by using millimeter wave bands. For example, a communication system (also sometimes referred to as a heterogeneous network) is conceived in which a plurality of small base station apparatuses are located within a communication area of a base station apparatus that performs communication by using microwave bands.
Such small base station apparatuses use millimeter wave bands. Communication using the millimeter wave bands causes propagation loss greater than that using the microwave bands, and it is difficult to extend the arrival range of radio waves.
One of the methods for reducing propagation loss, increasing the communication speed, increasing the cell area, and so on is directional control (beamforming) for a base station apparatus and a terminal (also sometimes referred to as a "terminal apparatus" or "station (STA)") by using a plurality of antenna elements (antenna array). In transmission using directional control, a transmitting apparatus (base station apparatus or terminal) directs radio waves toward a communication partner, thereby allowing the radio waves to reach farther than in non-directional transmission. Thus, the cell area that is covered can be extended. In addition, since communication using directional control improves the signal to interference-plus-noise power ratio (SINR), the application of a modulation scheme and coding rate with high frequency use efficiency results in high transmission speed communication (see, for example, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11ad-2012 Standard for Information Technology—Telecommunications and Information Exchange between Systems—Local and Metropolitan Area Networks—Specific Requirements—Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications Amendment 3: Enhancements for Very High Throughput in the 60 GHz Band).
Directional control requires a base station apparatus to perform beamforming training for directivity matching for each terminal to be connected. In the beamforming training, the base station apparatus needs to have directivity (scan) over a wider angle to increase the cell area that is covered, and the time required for the beamforming training becomes overhead, resulting in a reduction in frequency use efficiency.

Virtual base station apparatus and communication method

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA


A device and method for ablating tissue includes a sheath system with an occlusion structure. In certain embodiments, arrhythmias originating in pulmonary veins are treated cryogenically.

The present invention relates generally to devices and methods for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmia and more specifically relates to devices and methods for the treatment of focal atrial arrhythmia.
Cardiac rhythm is maintained by precisely timed nerve signals electrically exciting and being conducted through cardiac tissue to stimulate synchronous contractions of the four heart chambers (2 ventricles and 2 atria). In a normal sinus rhythm, the nerve signals are typically conducted along paths initiating at the sino-atrial (SA) node and passing from there through the atrioventricular (AV) node and the bundle of His to the ventricular myocardial tissue.
Potentially dangerous abnormal cardiac rhythms, or arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation, are common medical conditions which may result from disturbances in the site of origin and/or the pathways of conduction of the nerve signals exciting contraction of the four chambers of the heart. The site of origin and pathways of conduction of these signals are currently mapped, for example using an electrocardiograph (ECG) in conjunction with mapping methods such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,649 to Walinsky et al.
One common type of atrial fibrillation occurs when the contraction initiating signals originate within one or more of the pulmonary veins rather than at the SA node. These atrial arrhythmias have been treated by a variety of methods including pharmocologic treatments, highly invasive surgical procedures and linear and circumferential RF ablations of the myocardial wall. However, each of these methods has drawbacks, e.g., the pain and extended recovery time for invasive surgery, relative ineffectiveness of pharmacologic treatments and restenosis at the ablation site due to the application of RF energy or other heat based therapies thereto.
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for ablating tissue within a patient comprising inserting into a patient""s venous system a substantially rigid sheath, piercing a desired point of penetration in the patient""s interatrial septum to pass the rigid sheath through the interatrial septum into the patient""s left atrium, maneuvering a flexible section mounted on the rigid sheath into a position in which a distal end of the flexible section is located adjacent to a portion of tissue to be ablated, the flexible section including an occluding structure which has a retracted position and extended position, and passing an ablation catheter through the flexible section so that an ablation tip of the ablation catheter is adjacent to the portion of tissue to be ablated.

Device and method for the creation of a circumferential cryogenic lesion in a pulmonary vein


A system for carrying two channels of data over a single physical connection. In multi-node systems, data packets are divided into flits with flits from two channels being interleaved and carried by a single physical connection. Once the flits are transmitted, they are reassembled into packets in order to be carried by a processor bus. Controllers for the channel communicate to minimize “bubbles” observed during packet assembly by the processor bus. Thus, the data is transferred in two different types of resource sharing paradigms.

In various kinds of communication systems, it has always been the aim to fully utilize the capabilities of every connection in order to increase the amount of information that can be carried without additional increase in equipment. Thus, even in analog systems, such as telephones, the multiplexing concept was developed so that multiple analog signals could be placed onto a single wire. By doing this, more than one telephone connection or other information connection could be made at the same time. While this is especially used in wired connections, the same technique applies to other types of connections such as radio links, optical links, etc.
In high speed digital equipment, the same goals remain. Especially in high speed processors and other computer components, it is desirable to completely utilize bandwidth while decreasing any latency in the data stream. Of particular interest are new multi-node systems which utilize a series of processors or nodes which generate or receive data and are connected through a network of interconnects. These interconnects may be routers, repeaters or switches and are used to transmit data from one node to the other. Examples of such multi-node systems include the Next Generation I/O (NGIO) system of Intel and the InfiniBand™ system. Such systems often use a virtual interface architecture to support data transfer between two memory regions, typically on different systems over one or more channels.
In systems of this type the data is typically carried in units called packets which are transferred between nodes. However, packets can also be divided into smaller units called flits (flow interface transfer units). Packets are sent among various channels. Among some channels such as processor buses, the packets are the smallest units which can be present. Among other channels of a more local nature, it is possible to transfer individual flits along the channels. However, it has been difficult to arrange data in such a fashion that it can be transferred easily from one resource sharing paradigm to another, that is between rules governing local channels as opposed to the rules governing the processor bus, without problems of wasted bandwidth or extra latency.
Attempts have been made to move more than a single data channel through an individual physical connection. A physical connection is typically a wire connection, but is also equally applicable to a radio link, optical link or other data connection. The concept of using a single connection for more than one channel is a well known concept and has been used for years in telephones and other analog systems where it is known as multiplexing. However, in digital systems this full use of resources is even more important in order to increase the speed of the device. Accordingly, it is important to fully utilize existing bandwidth and to avoid any increase in latency of the data.

System for sharing channels by interleaving flits


A catalyst deterioration-detecting device for an internal combustion engine has at least one catalyst arranged in an exhaust passage of the engine,for purifying exhaust gases emitted from the engine, first and second exhaust component concentration sensors arranged in the exhaust passage upstream and downstream of the catalyst, respectively. The catalyst deterioration-detecting device calculates an average value of an output value from the second exhaust component concentration sensor, calculates an output fluctuation width with respect to the average value, based on the output value from the second exhaust component concentration sensor, and determines whether the catalyst is deteriorated, based on the calculated average value and the calculated output fluctuation width. The detection of the catalyst deterioration is carried out when the engine is in a predetermined operating condition defined by engine temperature, engine speed and engine load.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for detecting deterioration of a catalyst (catalytic convertor) of an internal combustion engine, and more particularly to a device for detecting deterioration of a catalyst arranged in the exhaust system of the engine by the use of an output from an exhaust component concentration sensor downstream of the catalyst or the like.
2. Prior Art
Conventional catalyst deterioration-detecting devices for internal combustion engines include a device which is disclosed in Japanese Provisional Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2-30915. According to this prior art, a three-way catalyst is arranged in an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine, and two oxygen concentration sensors (hereinafter referred to as "the upstream O2 sensor" and "the downstream O2 sensor" as exhaust component concentration sensors are arranged upstream and downstream of the three-way catalyst, respectively. These O2 sensors have such an output characteristic that their output levels thereof are inverted as the air-fuel ratio of a mixture supplied to the engine changes across a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. The device according to the prior art detects deterioration of the three-way catalyst, based on a time period elapsed from the time the air-fuel ratio of the mixture changes to a rich value with respect to the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio to the time the output from the downstream O2 sensor is correspondingly inverted from a lean side to a rich side with respect to a reference output value, or a time period elapsed from the time the air-fuel ratio changes to a lean value with respect to the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio to the time the sensor output is correspondingly inverted from a rich side to a lean side with respect to the reference output value.
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, for example, a time period is measured, which elapses from a time point t1 the output V1 from the upstream O2 sensor changes to the rich side to a time point t2 the output V2 from the downstream O2 sensor is correspondingly inverted from the lean side to the rich side. Based upon the thus measured time period, it is determined whether the three-way catalyst is deteriorated.
This deterioration-detecting technique is based upon the following ground:
A three-way catalyst in general has a so-called oxygen storage effect that it takes in oxygen when the air-fuel ratio lies on the lean side, whereas it takes in CO and HC in exhaust gases from the engine when the air-fuel ratio lies on the lean side. As the oxygen storage effect is greater, a time difference between a time point of a change in the air-fuel ratio of exhaust gases in the exhaust system upstream of the catalyst and a time point of a corresponding change in the air-fuel ratio of exhaust gases downstream of the catalyst becomes larger. The above-mentioned measured time period represents this time difference. The oxygen storage effect becomes smaller as the degree of deterioration of the catalyst is higher, so that the measured time period becomes shorter. Therefore, when the measured time period is shorter than a predetermined time period, it can be judged that the oxygen storage effect is degraded, i.e. the catalyst is deteriorated.
According to the prior art, the detection of the catalyst deterioration is carried out when the engine is in a condition where the supply of fuel is increased or when the engine is under fuel cut so that a change in the output characteristic of the upstream O2 sensor does not affect the output from the downstream O2 sensor, thereby making it possible to detect deterioration of the catalyst with high accuracy.
However, the prior art device has the disadvantage that the detection of the catalyst deterioration has to be carried out only when the engine is in a particular operating condition other than an air-fuel ratio feedback control condition, such as a condition where the fuel supply is increased, and a condition where fuel cut is carried out, and further, when the catalyst deterioration detection is carried out, the air-fuel ratio of the mixture supplied to the engine has to be set to a rich value or a lean value with respect to the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. Therefore, in carrying out the catalyst deterioration detection, it is necessary to wait until the engine enters such a particular operating condition or temporarily interrupt the air-fuel ratio feedback control. Thus, the catalyst deterioration detection cannot be carried out concurrently with the air-fuel ratio feedback control. Moreover, the exhaust emission characteristics may be degraded during the catalyst deterioration detection due to the temporary interruption of the air-fuel ratio.
Besides, according to the prior art, it takes a considerable time to complete the catalyst deterioration detection, since the time period before occurrence of the inversion of the output from the downstream O2 sensor has to be measured.

Catalyst deterioration-detecting device for internal combustion engines


The present invention relates to methods and arrangements for radio base stations of a wireless communication network, enabling each radio base station to transmit parameters indicating imbalance between UL and DL to adjacent radio base stations, when it is triggered to do so. The adjacent radio base stations can then use the parameters for radio resource management decisions such as HO decisions, whenever needed.

The Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) is one of the third generation mobile communication technologies designed to succeed GSM. 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a project within the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to improve the UMTS standard to cope with future requirements in terms of improved services such as higher data rates, improved efficiency, lowered costs etc. UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) is the radio network of a UMTS system and evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN) is the radio network of a LTE system.
In E-UTRAN user equipments (UE) 150 are wirelessly connected to radio base stations 130a-c (usually referred to as evolved NodeB (eNB)) as illustrated in FIG. 1. In E-UTRAN the radio bases stations 130a-c are directly connected to the core network (CN) 100 via the S1 interface. The radio base stations or eNBs are also connected to each other via the X2 interface. The Operation and Support System (OSS) 120 is logically connected to all the radio bases stations 130a-c, as well as to the CN, via the OSS interface. In UTRAN however, the radio base stations (usually referred to as NodeB (NB)) are connected to the CN via a Radio Network Controller (RNC) which controls the NBs connected to it.
In E-UTRAN, the decision to handover from the current serving eNB to a target eNB is made within the serving eNB and is made on the basis of measurements on the downlink (DL). These measurements are performed by the UE that measures the DL signals it receives from the different eNBs in its area. The current version of the 3GPP LTE specification does not specify exactly what measurements to base the handover (HO) decision on. Previous versions of 3GPP standards, e.g. versions describing the Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) based radio interface and its evolutions (High Speed Data Packet Access, Enhanced Uplink), offer the possibility to perform measurements of both the DL Signal To Interference and Noise Ratio (SINR) and of the power of the received DL signal, and it is thus the operator's choice which of these two measurements to consider for the HO decision. Hence, a similar approach in the 3GPP LTE standard is likely to be proposed.
Henceforth T×P stands for the eNB transmission power of the pilot signal and R×P stands for the power of the pilot signal from one eNB as it is received at the UE. In E-UTRAN R×P is called Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) and in UTRAN it is called Received Signal Code Power (RSCP).
Some problems occur when the HO decision is made based on the power of the received pilot signal, R×P (or on the DL SINR). One situation, that is very likely to be envisaged within 3GPP LTE, is that the eNB offering the highest received pilot signal power (R×P) is not necessarily the one that exhibits the highest DL path gain (highest DL path gain is equivalent to lowest DL path loss, but path gain will be used throughout the document to avoid confusion). Another situation is that the eNB offering the best DL path gain to a specific UE does not always correspond to the one offering the best uplink (UL) path gain. Both these situations are examples which may result in a UE that suffers from high loss rates on the UL after HO. Moreover, it is likely that the UE generates quite significant levels of UL other-cell interference, as the UL offered by an adjacent eNB might be much better than the UL offered by the serving eNB.
In the following, the situations described above are explained with mathematical expressions. If the HO decision is taken on the basis of the R×P, a UE is doing a handover to a new cell when the pilot signal power received from an adjacent eNB "B", R×PB, is higher than the pilot signal power received from the serving eNB R×PA, multiplied by an HO margin, HOmargin. Hence, the HO decision mechanism may be described by the following:
Handover from serving cell "A" to adjacent cell "B", ifR×PB≧R×PA*HOmargin  [1]
It should be noted that linear values are used in the above formula.
The received pilot signal power, R×P, is given by:R×P=T×P*gDL  [2]
where T×P is the eNB transmission power of the pilot and gDL is the average downlink path gain between the UE and the eNB.
When eNBs "A" and "B" transmit their pilot signals with the same transmission power, then [1] can be written as:gDLB≧gDLA*HOmargin  [3]
where gDLB is the average downlink path gain for the link between the UE and the eNB "B" and gDLA is the one between the UE and the eNB "A". In such a case the UE is indeed attached to the eNB that exhibits the best downlink path gain.
Situation 1:
Highest R×P but not highest DL path gain (assuming gDL=gUL)
The transmission power of pilots is not always set to the same level for all of the eNBs in an operator's network. When imaging the case depicted in formula [1], the expression [2] above will result in:
                                          TxP            B                                TxP            A                          ≥                                            g              DL              A                                      g              DL              B                                *                      HO            margin                                              [        4        ]
If the transmission power of the pilot of eNB "B" is higher than the transmission power of the pilot of eNB "A" (T×PB≧T×PA), then the following is true:gDLB≦gDLA*HOmargin  [5]
In such a case the UE is not attached to the eNB with the best DL path gain although attached to the eNB with the highest received pilot signal power. If then the average uplink path gain, gUL, is in accordance with the average downlink path gain gDL, then formula [5] applies for the average uplink path gain:gULB≦gULA*HOmargin  [6]
which means that the UE, after a HO to eNB "B", may cause the problems mentioned above of high loss rate or high interference to the adjacent non-serving eNB "A".
The same reasoning as the one just described, also applies for the case when the DL SINR is used as the criterion for the HO decision. The problem becomes more complex due to the addition of another variable, which is the interference. In case the interference levels at cells "A" and "B" are equal, then the problem is reduced to the one described by formulas [1]-[6].
Situation 2:
Best DL path gain not always best UL path gain (assuming T×PB=T×PA)
As mentioned previously, the same problems may arise when doing a HO from cell "A" to a cell "B", when the average UL path gain for links to UEs in "B" is not equal to the DL one. An example is when the receiving and transmitting antennas are configured in different ways (two receiving antennas but only one transmitting) or when they have different sensitivities. If the transmission power of pilots is set to similar levels at the different eNBs that are serving cell "A" and "B", the formula [3] applies. So the average DL path gain is better for cell "B" than for cell "A". But if the average UL path gain of the eNB "B" is lower than the DL one, then it is possible that the situation described by of formula [6] and the same problems of high loss rate or high UL interference as described above occur.
A combination of the two situations above will give a third situation when both transmission power of pilots differ and the average UL and DL path gain differ. The outcome of such a situation can be both positive and negative in regards to the HO. If cell "B" has a higher transmission power of the pilot than "A" as well as an average UL path gain that is lower than the DL one, then the problems of loss rate and UL interference deteriorates. On the other hand, if the average UL path gain is higher than the DL one, then the problems are alleviated.

Radio resource management based on parameters indicating imbalance between uplink and downlink


A first pattern forming a memory cell is provided on a memory cell region, and a second pattern consisting of a film containing nitrogen atoms is provided on the first pattern. A third pattern forming a gate electrode of a transistor so that the height between the main surface of a semiconductor substrate and the surface of the third pattern is lower than the first pattern is provided on a peripheral circuit region, and a fourth pattern consisting of a film containing nitrogen atoms having a larger thickness than the second pattern is provided on the third pattern in correspondence to the third pattern. The thickness of a portion of the interlayer dielectric film located between the second pattern and a second conductive layer is smaller than the thickness of a portion of the interlayer dielectric film located between the fourth pattern and the second conductive layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a semiconductor device, and more specifically, it relates to a semiconductor device reducing a surface step of an interlayer dielectric film.
2. Description of the Background Art
FIG. 13 is a plan view of a conventional flash memory.
Peripheral transistors are provided around memory cells. Dummy gates are provided between the peripheral transistors and the memory cells. A plurality of interlayer dielectric films are provided on these semiconductor devices.
A method of fabricating the conventional flash memory is now described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 23 illustrating a peripheral circuit region and a memory cell region of the flash memory.
Referring to FIG. 14, shallow trench isolation films (STI) 2 are provided on the surface of a silicon substrate 1.
Referring to FIG. 15, a tunnel oxide film 3 is provided on the silicon substrate 1. A first gate electrode 4 of polysilicon is formed on the tunnel oxide film 3. The first gate electrode 4 is employed for forming floating gate electrodes.
Referring to FIG. 16, an ONO (Oxide-Nitride-Oxide Multilayers) film 5, formed by an oxide film, a nitride film and an oxide film, is provided on the silicon substrate 1 to cover the surface of the first gate electrode 4.
Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17, portions of the tunnel oxide film 3, the first gate electrode 4 and the ONO film 5 located on the peripheral circuit region are removed.
Referring to FIG. 18, a gate oxide film 6 is formed on the peripheral circuit region. Thereafter polysilicon layers 7, WSi layers 8 and TEOS (Tetra Ethyl Ortho Silicate) films 9 are successively formed on the silicon substrate 1 including the peripheral circuit region and the memory cell region.
FIG. 19 is a sectional view taken along the line XIXxe2x80x94XIX in FIG. 18. FIGS. 20 to 23 are sectional views also taken along the line XIXxe2x80x94XIX in FIG. 18. Referring to FIG. 19, the polysilicon layers 7 and the WSi layers 8 are generically referred to as control gate electrodes.
Referring to FIG. 20, the first gate electrode 4 is patterned for forming floating gate electrodes 4.
Referring to FIG. 21, side wall spacers 10 are formed on the side walls of the control gate electrode in the peripheral circuit region and those of memory cells. Then, a source line 16 is formed by etching. At this time, the TEOS films 9 are also partially scraped. A first interlayer dielectric film 11 is formed on the silicon substrate 1, to cover the control gate electrode and the memory cells.
Referring to FIG. 22, the first interlayer dielectric film 11 is polished up to an intermediate stage by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), for flattening a surface step of the first interlayer dielectric film 11.
Referring to FIG. 23, contact holes 12 are formed in the first interlayer dielectric film 11. W is embedded in the contact holes 12 for forming plugs 20 followed by formation of Al wires 13 patterned to extend in the horizontal direction, thereby completing the flash memory.
In the conventional method, the surface step of the first interlayer dielectric film 11 is flattened through the process of stopping etching the interlayer dielectric film 11 in the intermediate stage of CMP.
However, the thickness of the interlayer dielectric film 11 is remarkably dispersed in the chip due to a step caused by a gate electrode or the like located under the interlayer dielectric film 11.
Further, the CMP process stopping etching in the intermediate stage disadvantageously results in remarkable dispersion between lots.
In another conventional method, therefore, dummy STI films 21 and a dummy gate electrode 22 are formed in order to suppress dispersion of a surface step in flattening of an interlayer dielectric film by CMP, as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25. Referring to FIGS. 24 and 25, numeral 30 denotes a gate electrode of a transistor.
FIG. 25 is a plan view, and FIG. 24 is a sectional view taken along the line XXIVxe2x80x94XXIV in FIG. 25.
While this method is carried out in order to homogeneously eliminate dispersion of a step located under the interlayer dielectric film, CMP is stopped in an intermediate stage, to disadvantageously result in dispersion of the surface step of the interlayer dielectric film.
The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the aforementioned problems, and an object thereof is to provide a semiconductor device so improved as to cause no dispersion in a surface step of an interlayer dielectric film.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a flash memory so improved as to cause no dispersion in a surface step of an interlayer dielectric film.
The semiconductor device according to the present invention comprises a memory cell region having a memory cell and a peripheral circuit region having a transistor, both provided on a semiconductor substrate, a first pattern consisting of a first conductive layer forming the aforementioned memory cell, a second pattern consisting of a film, containing nitrogen atoms, provided on the aforementioned first pattern in correspondence to the first pattern, a third pattern forming a gate electrode of the aforementioned transistor so that the height between the main surface of the aforementioned semiconductor substrate and the surface of the third pattern is lower than the aforementioned first pattern, and a fourth pattern consisting of a film, containing nitrogen atoms, provided on the aforementioned gate electrode in correspondence to the aforementioned third pattern with a larger thickness than the aforementioned second pattern. A second conductive layer is formed on the aforementioned second and fourth patterns. The thickness of a portion of an interlayer dielectric film located between the aforementioned second pattern and the aforementioned second conductive layer is smaller than the thickness of a portion of the interlayer dielectric film located between the aforementioned fourth pattern and the aforementioned second conductive layer.
According to the present invention, the thickness of the second pattern formed on the first pattern is smaller than the thickness of the fourth pattern and the thickness of the interlayer dielectric film is also small although the height of the third pattern between the main surface of the semiconductor substrate and the surface of the pattern is lower than the first pattern, whereby the second conductive layer is improved in step of a wire between the memory cell region and the peripheral circuit region to attain excellent flatness and high reliability.
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.


In a multilayer capacitor including a capacitor body, first capacitor portions and a second capacitor portion are arranged in the direction of lamination. While a resonant frequency of the first capacitor portions is set to be greater than a resonant frequency of the second capacitor portion so that the first capacitor portions contribute to low ESL, an ESR per layer of the second capacitor portion is set to be greater than an ESR per layer of the first capacitor portions so that the second capacitor portion contributes to high ESR. Furthermore, a combined ESR of the first capacitor portions is set to be less than or greater than a combined ESR of the second capacitor portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to multilayer capacitors, and in particular, to a multilayer capacitor which is used in a high-frequency circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a decoupling capacitor that is used in a power supply circuit for an MPU (micro processing unit) in a high-frequency range on the order of several GHz, a known multilayer capacitor is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H11-144996. According to this multilayer capacitor, multiple terminals are provided and adjacent terminals have opposite polarities, so that currents from positive terminals to negative terminals are short and currents flow in various paths. Furthermore, currents are caused to flow in opposite directions so that magnetic fluxes are canceled, and a reduction of an ESL (equivalent series inductance) is achieved.
However, according to the multilayer capacitor disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H11-144996, an ESR (equivalent series resistance) also decreases with decreasing ESL. This leads to a problem in that an attenuation phenomenon such as voltage drop and ringing is likely to occur when a resonant phenomenon occurs due to the inductance of a peripheral circuit.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-284170 discloses that for each internal electrode provided in a capacitor body defining a capacitance, only one lead-out portion extending to the surface of the capacitor body and electrically connected to an external terminal electrode is provided, so that the ESR of the multilayer capacitor is increased.
However, according to the structure described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-284170, although an ESR can be increased, an ESL increases with increasing ESR. This causes a problem of degradation of high-frequency characteristics and a decrease in the width of the frequency band, as compared with the structure described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H11-144996.
In addition, in the structures described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H11-144996 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-284170, in order to change a resonant frequency of the multilayer capacitor, it is necessary to change the material or design of the internal electrodes. Thus, it is difficult to set a resonant frequency to the high frequency side or to the low frequency side while maintaining the capacitance at substantially the same level.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.