Compression of a pixel block having multiple pixels comprises calculating a respective prediction error for each pixel component of the pixels except a defined starting pixel. Respective minimum number of symbols required for representing the prediction errors are determined and used to select a symbol configuration among multiple different symbol configurations. Each such symbol configuration defines respective numbers of symbols maximally available for the different prediction errors. A compressed representation of the pixel block comprises a configuration identifier of the selected symbol configuration, a representation of the pixel value of the defined starting pixel and representations of the prediction errors calculated for the remaining pixels.

One of the memory-bandwidth-consuming tasks in a computer graphics system is updating buffers, and in particular the color buffer. The color buffer contains the data that is finally going to be displayed, i.e. the output pixels. In a traditional architecture the color buffer is updated triangle by triangle. First the first triangle is rasterized, and the corresponding pixels of the color buffer are updated. Then the second triangle is rasterized, writing to its pixels in the color buffer, potentially overlapping with those of the first triangle. This means that each pixel in the color buffer can be written to several times. A typical application will overwrite every pixel in the color buffer perhaps three to ten times on average. This is known as having an overdraw of 3 to 10 within the technical field. This means that the write bandwidth for the color buffer will be between three and ten times as large as if each pixel was only written once.
One way to decrease the bandwidth requirements of the color buffer is to use what is known as a tiled architecture, Instead of rasterizing the scene triangle by triangle, the color buffer is divided into non-overlapping tiles. Then the scene is rendered tile by tile. For the first tile, only the triangles overlapping with the first tile are used for rasterization. The tile size is made small enough so that the entire tile can fit on-chip on the graphical processing unit (GPU). Hence no external memory accesses to the color buffer are needed during the rendering of the triangles of the tile. When all the triangles in the tile have been rasterized, the tile is sent to the color buffer memory and the next tile is processed. Note that in a tiled architecture, each pixel in the color buffer is only written once to external memory. This means that a tiled architecture can often decrease the write bandwidth for the color buffer with a factor of 3-10. A limitation with the tiled architecture is that, although each pixel is only written once, this is still quite expensive. Furthermore, the display controller will have to read each pixel to output it to the display. This means that each pixel will have to be read from the color buffer and written to the color buffer at least once in uncompressed form, which is expensive.
Another technique to lower color buffer bandwidth is called buffer compression. This means that blocks of buffer data are stored in memory in compressed form. The scene is still processed triangle-by-triangle, but before sending a block of pixels to the color buffer memory, the pixels are compressed by variable length encoding. A few bits called size bits stored or cached in the GPU are used to keep track of how well the data was compressed, for instance compressed down to a bit length corresponding to 25%, 50% or 75% of the original bit length or not compressed at all. When a subsequent triangle wants to write to the same block of pixels, the size bits are used to know how much data should be read. The block is decompressed, the new triangle overwrites some of the pixels in the block, and the block is then again compressed and stored. Hasselgren and Akenine-Möller, 2006, Efficient Depth Buffer Compression, In Graphics Hardware, 103-110 and Rasmusson, Hasselgren and Akenine-Möller, 2007, Exact and Error-bounded Approximate Color Buffer Compression and Decompression, In Graphics Hardware, 41-48 give good overviews of color buffer compression and depth buffer compression respectively.
In practical implementations, each pixel in the color buffer might be accessed several times in each frame. In such a case, color buffer compression needs to be carried out on millions of pixel blocks each second. Prior art color buffer compression schemes are sometimes too complex to achieve this high compression speed. There is therefore a need for more efficient pixel block compression that can be applied to color buffers and other pixel value buffers

Pixel block compression and decompression


A system for sampling production well production fluids from a manifold interface panel on a subsea production manifold. In some embodiments, the system includes a remotely operated vehicle, a skid coupled to the remotely operated vehicle, a sample tank supported on the skid, and a fluid transfer pump operable to convey production fluid from at least one of the production wells through the manifold interface panel into the sample tank.

Subsea hydrocarbon fields may link multiple wells via flow lines to a shared production manifold that is connected to a surface facility, such as a production platform. Produced fluids from the wells are typically intermingled at the production manifold before flowing to the surface facility. The production from each well is monitored by a multiphase flow meter, which determines the individual flow rates of petroleum, water, and gas mixtures in the produced fluid.
Due to the depth of subsea hydrocarbon fields, servicing and monitoring equipment placed on the sea floor requires the use of underwater vehicles, such as remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs). ROVs can carry equipment to the sea floor from a surface ship or platform and manipulate valves and other controls on equipment located on the sea floor, such as wellheads and other production equipment. The ROV is controlled from the surface ship or platform by umbilical cables connected to the ROV. Subsea equipment carried by ROVs is typically on a skid attached to the bottom of the ROV. The ROV itself is used for maneuvering the skid into position. As subsea hydrocarbon fields continue to be more common, and at greater depths, additional abilities to perform maintenance and monitoring tasks using ROVs are desired.
A maneuverable skid for taking samples from one or more subsea wells and associated methods. In some embodiments, the skid is coupled to a remotely operated vehicle. The skid supports a plurality of sample tanks and a fluid transfer pump. The fluid transfer pump is operable to convey fluid between a manifold interface panel and each of the sample tanks.


Nucleic acid based vaccine constructs encoding Lyssaviral antigens are useful in preventing and treating diseases. Self-amplifying RNA molecules encoding Lyssaviral antigens provide potent and long-lasting immunity.

Lyssavirus is an enveloped, single-stranded RNA virus in the Rhabdoviridae family. Members of the Lyssavirus genus cause rabies and have the highest fatality rate of all known human viral pathogens. Rabies is transmitted via the saliva of infected mammals. A neurotropic virus, it enters the nervous system of its host, causing an encephalomyelitis that is almost invariably fatal. Currently there are about 60,000 rabies deaths worldwide yearly, mostly caused by dog bites in developing countries in Asia and Africa and by wildlife and bats in North America.
Rabies presents either in a furious or a paralytic form. The incubation period varies between about five days and several years but is typically between about 20 and 90 days. Clinical illness most often starts with prodromal complaints of malaise, anorexia, fatigue, headache and fever followed by pain or parathesia at the site of exposure. Anxiety, agitation or irritability may be prominent during this period, followed by hyperactivity, disorientation, seizures, hydrophobia, hypersalivation and, eventually, paralysis, coma and death.
Experimentally, RNA vaccines have been derived from sub-genomic replicons that lack viral structural proteins and express a heterologous antigen in place of the viral structural proteins. They can be produced in packaging cell lines that permit the expression of single-round of infectious particles carrying RNAs encoding the vaccine antigen. RNA amplification in the cytoplasm then produces multiple copies of antigen-encoding mRNAs and creates double stranded RNA intermediates, which are known to be potent stimulators of innate immunity. Thus, replicon RNA vaccines can achieve transient high levels of antigen production without the use of a live virus (Brito et al. (2015) Advances in Genetics 89:179-233).
While inserting RNA formulated merely with a buffer, i.e., naked RNA, into a cell can induce both gene expression and an immune response, the in vivo instability of naked RNA limits its potency as a vaccine. Furthermore, the hydrophilicity and strong negative charge of RNA impedes its uptake into cells. However, transfer into the cell cytoplasm can be facilitated. Synthetic delivery systems, such as lipid nanoparticles and cationic nanoemulsions have been demonstrated to effectively transfer nucleic acids, including self-amplifying RNA, into the cell cytoplasm, where it can amplify and express encoded antigens.
There remains a need for novel methods of immunizing against diseases, including diseases caused by Lyssaviruses, which are highly efficacious, safe, convenient, cost-effective, long-lasting and induce a broad spectrum of immune responses. Accordingly, there is a demand for vectors that can effectively deliver vaccine antigens, specifically, Lyssavirus antigens. While Lyssavirus prophylaxis is currently available, high numbers of doses are required both pre- and post-exposure, and compliance is low, which diminishes the medical benefit. There is a need for an improved Lyssavirus vaccine with a simplified administration schedule, increased safety and an enhanced manufacturing profile.


A scraping apparatus in which a scraping process is performed on a surface of a work to be machined to form recesses thereon by converging a laser beam outputted from a laser oscillator by a converging lens and irradiating the converged laser beam onto the work relatively moving to the laser beam for removing some portions by being melted or evaporated from the surface thereof.

The present invention relates to a scraping apparatus as well as a scraping method for scraping a surface of a work to be machined and more particularly, to a scraping apparatus as well as a scraping method for scraping a surface of a work to be machined to form a large number of recesses functioning as oil grooves on the surface of the work as a sliding surface.
A scraping process based on the conventional technology for forming a number of recesses as oil grooves on a surface of a work to be machined has generally been performed by scraping the surface of the work with a scraper like a flat chisel. The scraping process described above automatically performed by attaching a scraper to a machine tool for numerical control, a main shaft of a machining center, or to an end of an arm of a machining robot by an automatic control machine without manual works is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 5-123921, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 7-1229, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 8-187620.
Disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. SHO 56-152539 is a scraping method for forming a number of recesses as oil grooves on a surface of a work to be machined by hardening the surface of the work in a grid pattern by a laser beam and polishing the surface of the work, and this method is effective because, after the process, a portion other than that of the grid pattern is polished more than the portion of the grid pattern due to a difference of surface hardness between the two portions.
FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 show a machining center for executing the scraping method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 7-1229. In FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, designated at the reference numeral 100 is a base, at 101 a column provided on the base 100, at 102 a main-shaft base movably provided in the column 101 in the Y-axial direction (direction vertical to a paper surface) as well as in the Z-axial direction (vertical direction), at 103 a main shaft provided on the main-shaft base, at 104 a hand scraper attached to the main shaft 103 and having a scraper 105 with a flat blade, at 106 a work table movable in the X-axial direction with a work W mounted thereon, and at 107 an NC unit for providing controls over the main shaft as well as each axis of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis.
The hand scraper 104 incorporates therein a swinging mechanism, and swings the scraper 105 along the direction indicated by the arrow A (Refer to FIG. 12).
In the machining center as described above, the scraper 105 of the hand scraper 104 is swung in the direction indicated by the arrow A under the controls of the main shaft as well as controls in directions of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis by the NC unit 107, and with this feature the scraping process having the same precision as that obtained through manual works by a highly skilled worker is automatically performed over a specified area on the surface of the work without the manual works.
Although the conventional type of scraping process can be automated, any of the processes is carried out by cutting or polishing the surface with a tool, so that, when a surface to be machined is extremely hard, a long time is required for machining, and if a super hard material is to be machined, a costly scraper has to be used, which causes increase of the machining cost. Also, a high-precision scraping process requires high-precision calibration of the tool due to abrasion or the like is required, so that obtained scraping precision is restricted.
Also, a form of an oil groove or of a pattern in the scraping process is restricted by a form of a tool, and for this reason, sometimes an oil groove or a pattern in a desired form can not be carried out.
It is an object of the present invention to obtain a scraping apparatus as well as a scraping method which efficiently carries out a high-precision scraping process regardless of hardness of a work to be machined and without requiring a costly scraper and has high flexibility in selection of a form of an oil groove or a pattern in the scraping process.
With the scraping apparatus according to the present invention, a scraping process is executed on a surface of a work to be machined to form recesses thereon by irradiating a converged laser beam onto the work relatively moving to the laser beam for removing some portions by being melted or evaporated from the surface thereof, so that a high-precision scraping process can efficiently and automatically be performed regardless of hardness of a work to be machined and without requiring a costly scraper, and also a scraping process having high flexibility in selection of forms for an oil groove or a pattern can be performed according to a machining program for numerical control.
With the scraping apparatus according to the present invention, in an NC laser apparatus having a laser machining head as well as a work table relatively movable along coordinate axes to a work to be machined, a scraping process is performed on a surface of a work to be machined on the work table to form recesses thereon by irradiating a laser beam onto the work through the laser machining head and removing some portions by being melted or evaporated from the surface thereof, so that a high-precision scraping process can efficiently and automatically be performed regardless of hardness of a work to be machined and without requiring a costly scraper, and also a scraping process having high flexibility in selection of forms for an oil groove or a pattern can be performed according to a machining program for the NC laser machining apparatus.
With the scraping method according to the present invention, there is a step of scraping a surface of a work to be machined to form recesses thereon by converging a laser beam outputted from a laser oscillator by a converging lens and irradiating the converged laser beam onto the work relatively moving to the laser beam for removing some portions by being melted or evaporated from the surface thereof, so that a high-precision scraping process can efficiently and automatically be performed regardless of hardness of a work to be machined and without requiring a costly scraper, and also a scraping process having high flexibility in selection of forms for an oil groove or a pattern can be performed according to a machining program for numerical control.
With the scraping method according to the present invention, in an NC laser apparatus having a laser machining head as well as a work table relatively movable along coordinate axes to a work to be machined, there is a step of scraping a surface of a work on the work table to be machined to form recesses thereon by irradiating a laser beam onto the work through the laser machining head and removing some portions by being melted or evaporated from the surface thereof, so that a high-precision scraping process can efficiently and automatically be performed regardless of hardness of a work to be machined and without requiring a costly scraper, and also a scraping process having high flexibility in selection of forms for an oil groove or a pattern can be performed according to a machining program for the NC laser machining apparatus.
Other objects and features of this invention will become understood from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings.


The invention relates to a vaccine formulation for the prevention of Haemophilus Influenzae Type B (Hib) infections and where the antigen is adsorbed onto aluminum phosphate. The invention also relates to a multivalent vaccines, that is a vaccine for the amelioration or treatment of more than one disease states. The present invention also relates to the production and use of such vaccines in medicine.

The present invention relates to new vaccine formulations, comprising a conjugated polysaccharide antigen linked to a carrier protein. In particular the invention relates to a vaccine formulation for the prevention of Haemophilus Influenzae Type B (Hib) infections and where the antigen is adsorbed on to aluminium phosphate. The invention also relates to a multivalent vaccine, that is a vaccine for the amelioration or treatment of more than one disease states. The present invention also relates to the production and use of such vaccines in medicine.
Vaccines that utilise polysaccharides are known in the art. For example a vaccine for the prevention of Haemophilus influenzae b (Hib) infections are based on the capsular polysaccharide (PRP) conjugated with a carrier protein. The polysaccharide is a polymer of ribose, ribitol and phosphate. These vaccines are typically presented as plain (ie without adjuvantation) formulations. Although in one case, (Pedvax Hib produce by Merck) a diluent containing aluminium hydroxide is utilised to reconstitute the lyophilised conjugate. Typically the carrier protein is a diphtheria or tetanus toxoid or an outer membrane protein of N. menigitidis. Examples of such conjugate vaccine antigens are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,365,170, 4,673,574, EP 208 375, EP 477508 and EP 161 188.
It is desirable to administer such conjugate vaccines with other antigens or vaccines at the same fine and this can involve multiple injections. Problems associated with multiple injections include a more complicated administration procedure and a large total injection volume. This is a particularly acute problem when the vaccine is intended for infants.
It has therefore been proposed to produce combination vaccines. One well known combination vaccine provides protection against Diphtheria, tetanus and B. pertussis infections. This vaccine comprises a whole cell or an accellular pertussis component which typically consists of two or three antigensxe2x80x94(detoxified PT, FHA and often, but not exclusively 69 kDa) although in certain circumstances other B. pertussis antigens may also be present and toxoided diphtheria and tetanus toxins. Such vaccines are often referred to as DTPw or DTPa. Other antigens would desirable be added to such a combination vaccine for the prevention of diseases like hepatitis B. or Polio.
It would be desirable to add polysaccharide conjugate vaccines to such a combination. However we have found that simple mixing of the components results in a reduction of antibody titres to the polysaccharide component.
The present inventors have discovered that this reduction can be inhibited if the conjugate antigen is adsorbed on to aluminium phosphate. In contrast, if the antigen is adsorbed on to aluminium hydroxide, there is a complete reduction of antibody titres to the polysaccharide component.
Accordingly the present invention provides a vaccine composition comprising a polysaccharide conjugate antigen adsorbed on to aluminium phosphate. Preferably the antigen is capsular polysaccharide (PRP) from Hib conjugated with a carrier protein.
Preferably the carrier protein is either diphtheria or tetanus toxoid, Diphtheria Crm197 protein or an outer membrane protein from a bacteria such as N. meningitidis.
The polysaccharide conjugate may be prepared by any known coupling technique. For example the polysaccharide can be coupled via a thioether linkage. This conjugation method relies on activation of the polysaccharide with 1-cyano-4-dimethylamino pyridinium tetrafluoroborate (CDAP) to form a cyanate ester. The activated polysaccharide may thus be coupled directly or via a spacer group to an amino group on the carrier protein. Preferably, the cyanate ester is coupled with hexane diamine and the amino-derivatised polysaccharide is conjugated to the carrier protein using heteroligation chemistry involving the formation of the thioether linkage. Such conjugates are described in PCT published application WO93/15760 Uniformed Services University.
The conjugates can also be prepared by direct reductive amination methods as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,170 (Jennings) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,574 (Anderson). Other methods are described in EP-0-161-188, EP-208375 and EP-0-477508.
A further method involves the coupling of a cyanogen bromide activated polysaccharide derivatised with adipic acid hydrazide (ADH) to the protein carrier by carbodiimide condensation. Such conjugation is described in Chu C. et al Infec Immunity, 1983 245 256.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the ratio of PRP polysaccharide to carrier protein is reduced from a typical 1:3 to 1:0.3 to 1:2. Such low ratio conjugates are advantageous, since even in an unadjuvanted state, they do not suffer from interference problems.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the formulation preferably contains at least one other component selected from antigens which afford protection against one or more of the following: Hepatitis A virus (HAV), diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Hepatitis B and polio.
Particular combination vaccines within the scope of the invention include a DTPa (diphtheria-tetanus-accellular pertussis)-Hib combination vaccine formulation, an Hib-Hepatitis B vaccine formulation, a DTPa-Hib-Hepatitis B vaccine formulation and an IPV (inactivated polio vaccine)-DTPa-Hib-Hepatitis B vaccine formulation.
The above combinations may optionally include a component which is protective against Hepatitis A.
Suitable components for use in such vaccines are already commercially available and details may be obtained from the World Health Organization. For example the IPV component may be the Salk inactivated polio vaccine. The Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis vaccine may comprise an acellular product such as Infanrix DTPa (SmithKline Beecham Biologicals). The component affording protection against Hepatitis A is preferably the product known as xe2x80x98Havrixxe2x80x99 (SmithKline Beecham Biologicals) which is a killed attenuated vaccine derived from the HM-175 strain of HAV [see xe2x80x98Inactivated Candidate Vaccines for Hepatitis Axe2x80x99 by F. E. Andre, A Hepburn and E. D""Hondt, Prog Med. Virol. Vol. 37, pages 72-95 (1990) and the product monograph xe2x80x98Havrixxe2x80x99 published by SmithKline Beecham Biologicals (1991)]. The Hepatitis B component may comprise the xe2x80x98Sxe2x80x99 antigen as in xe2x80x98Engerix-Bxe2x80x99.
Advantageously the Haemophilus Influenzae B or combination vaccine according to the invention is a paediatric vaccine.
Vaccine preparation is generally described in Vaccine Designxe2x80x94The Subunit and adjuvant approach Ed Powell and Newman; Pellum Press. Encapsulation within liposomes is described, for example, by Fullerton, U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,877. Conjugation of proteins to macromolecules is disclosed, for example, by Likhite, U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,945 and by Armor et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,757.
The amount of conjugate antigen in each vaccine dose is selected as an amount which induces an immunoprotective response without significant, adverse side effects in typical vaccinees. Such amount will vary depending on which specific immunogens are employed. Generally it is expected that each dose will comprise 1-1000 ug of total immunogen, preferably 2-100 ug, most preferably 4-40 ug. An optimal amount for a particular vaccine can be ascertained by standard studies involving observation of antibody titres and other responses in subjects. Following an initial vaccination, subjects may receive one or two booster injections at about 4 weeks intervals.
In a further aspect according to the invention, there is provided a method of producing the vaccine comprising adsorbing the conjugate antigen on to aluminium phosphate. The adsorbing is preferably done at a pH of between 5 and 6, preferably at about 5.4. In an embodiment the vaccine is freeze dried after standing for more than 24 hours. Alternatively, the vaccine of the invention may be combined with other antigens in a liquid form.
The invention further provides the first medical use of such a vaccine.
In a further embodiment the invention provides a method of preventing or ameliorating Heamophilus Influenzae B infections, the method comprising the administration of a non toxic, effective amount of the vaccine of the invention.
The following examples illustrate the invention.

Vaccine composition comprising a polysaccharide conjugate antigen adsorbed onto aluminum phosphate


An airbag cover, a method for manufacturing the same, and an airbag device in which a wound or folded cushion can be stowed in a shape so as to fit in a prescribed location in a vehicle cabin, and which can protect the cushion from an obstacle. An airbag cover that encloses a bag-like cushion that is wound or folded and stowed within a vehicle cabin and expands and deploys using gas supplied from a built-in inflater, wherein the airbag cover includes a first base material made from a plain woven fabric or non-woven fabric made of synthetic fibers, and a second base material integrally bonded to the first base material and having a higher initial tensile resistance value than that of the first base material.

An airbag device is a safety device that is operated in an emergency such as a vehicle collision and, for example, includes a bag shaped cushion. The cushion is expanded and deployed by gas in case of an emergency in order to catch and protect a passenger. There are various types of airbag devices depending on the installation site and application. Examples include side airbags that expand and deploy from a side part of a vehicle seat to a side part of an occupant, and curtain airbags that expand and deploy along the side window from the vicinity of the ceiling of the vehicle body sidewall in the vehicle cabin to protect the occupant from a side collision or subsequent rollover (falling over sideways).
The cushion is wound or folded and stowed in a prescribed location in the vehicle cabin, and expands and deploys in an emergency using gas supplied from a built-in inflater. Patent Document 1 describes an airbag cover that encloses a folded cushion.

Airbag covers and the manufacturing methods thereof; airbag devices


The apparatus is comprised of a platform with a teeing mechanism operated by a user. The user depresses a lever arm that depresses a tee and that activates a dispensing mechanism that feeds golf balls to the tee in its depressed position. The mechanism is comprised of a set of levers, a ratchet and an axle which extends into a reservoir of gold ball dispenser. The reservoir includes a hole leading to a chute that terminates at a vertical tube in which moves a depressible tee. On the axle, within the reservoir, is a flexible rotating disk with a plurality of oval holes. As the disk rotates, balls in the reservoir fall into the holes, and as the holes pass over the hole in the reservoir, the balls fall into the chute and onto the tee. The ratchet coordinates the motion of the flexible disk so that one ball is moved into position over the hole in the reservoir for each depression of the tee.

There have been many prior proposals relating to such apparatus, but they have not achieved widespread use. It has been proposed hitherto to make use of a reservoir of balls which are presented one at a time to the player by means of a teeing mechanism. Examples of such arrangements are to be seen, for example, in the following patents: U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,081; U.S. Pat. No. 3,378,263; U.S. Pat. No. 3,298,694; U.S. Pat. No. 3,533,631; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,711,321.
Such mechanisms have practical disadvantages. Many are unduly complex and expensive, are not readily transportable, require frequent service or maintenance, suffer degradation of performance due to wear and tear of the elements, and require connection to external sources of power. Others are simpler but would be difficult or inconvenient to operate or would not provide long term reliable performance.


A method and apparatus is disclosed to monitor and/or control the electrical states at a workpiece disposed in a plasma chamber that is in electrical communication with an RF signal source over a defined signal path. The method includes ascertaining an impedance of the signal path, sensing electrical characteristics of the RF power at the RF signal source and obtaining values of the electrical states at the workpiece. To provide a more accurate model of the electrical states at the workpiece, the modeling includes information concerning the impedance introduced by the signal path. This technique may be employed to provide feedback control of the RF generator, so that the electrical states may be dynamically adjusted be within predefined, or desired, parameters.

This invention relates generally to plasma chambers used for fabricating semiconductor devices. More specifically, this invention relates to apparatus and methods for monitoring and controlling the electrical states at a workpiece mounted to one or more chamber electrodes.
Fabrication of semiconductor devices often utilizes plasma processing equipment for etch and deposition steps that are needed in order to create transistors on the surface of silicon wafers or other workpieces. Usually, these plasma processing reactors have conductive walls and employ a support pedestal upon which the workpiece is placed during the process. Typically, the pedestal includes a conductive body that is connected to a radio frequency RF power supply. During most processing steps, the power supply is activated, with the conductive body functioning as a cathode electrode and the walls functioning as an anode electrode. In this manner, the electrical states at the workpiece are varied during processing.
For example, the body of the plasma is positively charged with respect to the average DC potential on the cathode and anode electrodes. The DC voltage at the cathode is referred to as the xe2x80x9ccathode DC biasxe2x80x9d and changes the electrical states at the workpiece so that ions from the plasma accelerate toward and bombard the workpiece to promote chemical or physical reactions desired for the semiconductor fabrication process. The cathode DC bias also has an influence on the ability to electrostatically clamp the workpiece to the pedestal. Typically, a DC voltage is applied to the pedestal to vary the electrical states at the workpiece in order to create an electrostatic force between the workpiece and the surface of the pedestal. Presence of DC bias voltage due to the applied RF signal will superimpose on the DC voltage supplied for the electrostatic force. The superimposition of the two voltages alters the electrical states at the workpiece by varying the electrostatic force by either reducing or increasing the same, depending on the polarity of the DC supply. Since it is desirable to maintain a constant electrostatic force during processing, accurate knowledge of the electrical states, such as DC bias voltage, at the workpiece is desired. As a result, there are many prior art attempts to determine and/or control the electrical states at a workpiece.
Traditionally, the electrical states at the workpiece were determined by preventing transmission losses in the signal path between a voltage source and the cathode electrode. According to one traditional manner, RF power supplied to a cathode was determined by controlling the resistivity of the load connected to the RF generator. To that end, RF generator is coupled to the process chamber through a matching network. The matching network transforms the complex load of plasma and chamber so they appear to the generator as a purely 50 xcexa9 resistive load. The 50 xcexa9 resistive load is believed to maximize the power delivered to the cathode; hence, the power measured at the generator output was believed to match the power level delivered at the cathode. However, the actual power delivered to the electrode often differed from the power generated by the generator.
Another technique for determining the electrical states at a workpiece involved determining the set point of the electrode DC bias. This is achieved by employing an RF peak detecting circuit coupled to the electrode. The peak detecting circuit is included with a circuit for controlling the DC voltage applied to the chuck. The control circuit supplies an unamplified replica of a DC voltage derived by the peak detecting circuit to the chuck DC power supply source via a DC circuit including only passive elements so the level of the DC voltage applied to the chuck varies in response to variations in the peak amplitude of the RF voltage.
Another method of controlling cathode DC bias in a plasma chamber employs a dielectric shield. The dielectric shield is positioned between the plasma and a selected portion of the electrically grounded components of the chamber, such as the electrically grounded chamber wall. The cathode DC bias is adjusted by controlling one or more of the following parameters: (1) the surface area of the chamber wall or other grounded components which is blocked by the dielectric shield; (2) the thickness of the dielectric; (3) the gap between the shield and the chamber wall; and (4) the dielectric constant of the dielectric material.
As stated by Patrick et al. in Application of Direct Bias Control in High-Density Inductively Coupled Plasma Etching Equipment, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 18(2), March/April 2000 it is difficult to provide reproducible DC bias voltages on successively processed wafers, because, any variation in match resistance leads directly to differences in power delivered to the load for the given RF power supply setpoint. This may be attributed to, inter alia, to variations in RF power supply and match network resistance, as well as the presence of stray capacitance. Patrick et al. advocate use of a peak voltage sensor mounted immediately below the chuck in a feedback loop to the RF generator to accurately determine the electrode DC bias. Controlling the power delivery in this manner facilitates compensating for the effects of power losses in the RF circuit between the generator and the chuck.
A drawback with these prior art techniques that employed sensors was that the same often provide inaccurate measurements of the power level at the electrode. The accuracy of the sensor measurements are degraded at high electrode voltages due to the presence of large signal noise. In addition, accurately calibrating a sensor placed near the workpiece electrode can also be problematic due to the limited access area available.
As a result, there is a need to provide an improved technique for determining the electrical states at a workpiece during processing.
A method and apparatus is disclosed that determines the electrical state at a workpiece disposed on an electrode in a plasma chamber that is in electrical communication with an RF signal source over a signal path. The signal path includes the electrode and the conductive path between the RF signal source and the workpiece. The method includes ascertaining an impedance of the signal path, sensing electrical characteristics associated with RF energy produced by the RF signal source and obtaining information on the electrical states at the workpiece. The electrical states include information concerning the RF voltage, RF current, the phase between the RF voltage and RF current, the DC bias voltage induced on the substrate, as well as a flux of ions striking the substrate. The electrical states are determined as a function of signal path impedance and the electrical properties of the RF signal. As a result, knowledge of the impedance of the signal path facilitates creating a real-time model of the electrical states at the workpiece by dynamically measuring the complete electrical characteristics, such as voltage, current, and phase difference, between the voltage and current of the RF signal, at some point along the signal path. To that end, the impedance may be determined by directly measuring the signal path employing an impedance meter or by calculating the same using well known physics and mathematical concepts. To provide a more accurate model of the electrical states at the workpiece, the modeling may include information concerning the impedance encountered by the RF signal that is introduced by the signal path. Accurate knowledge of the electrical states at the workpiece allows, inter alia, the completion of specific processing steps to be determined from temporal changes in the electrical state. This facilitates accurate control of the duration of plasma processing steps and affords process endpoint detection.
In accordance with an alternate embodiment of the method, the voltage, current and phase of the RF signal may be controlled by dynamically adjusting the RF generator in accordance with the modeling data or process endpoint from these measurements. In this manner, the characteristics of the RF signal may be maintained within predefined, or desired, parameters. A constant electrostatic force may be maintained between a pedestal and a workpiece electrostatically clamped to the pedestal, by adjusting the DC voltage supply in response to the determined electrical state.
The apparatus, in accordance with one embodiment, includes a processing chamber and a plasma generation system. The plasma generation system includes the electrode and the RF signal source. A sensor is in electrical communication with the electrode and the RF signal source. A controller is in electrical communication with the plasma generation system and a memory. The memory comprises a computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program embodied therein that carries out the functions of the methods.

Method and apparatus to monitor electrical states at a workpiece in a semiconductor processing chamber


Disclosed are a method of and a system for enabling a program running on a logical partition, of a logically partitioned data processing system, to access directly resources of the data processing system. The method comprising the steps of, said program transforming a first address for a resource of a specific type on the data processing system, to a second address, within an address space allocated to said logical partition; and said program using said second address space to access a resource of said specific type allocated to said logical partition. In this way, the present invention may be used to enable a program running within a partition's address space to access IO devices directly, thus avoiding the overhead of making a hypervisor call.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to managing resources among multiple operating systems within a logically partitioned data processing system. More specifically, the invention relates to methods and systems for managing access to resources, such as IO resources, within such a data processing system.
2. Background Art
A logical partitioning option (LPAR) within a data processing system (platform) allows multiple copies of a single operating system (OS) or multiple heterogeneous operating systems to be simultaneously run on a single data processing system platform. A partition, within which an operating system image runs, is assigned a non-overlapping sub-set of the platform's resources. These platform allocable resources include one or more architecturally distinct processors with their interrupt management area, regions of system memory, and I/O adapter bus slots. The partition's resources are represented by its own open firmware device tree to the OS image.
Each distinct OS or image of an OS running within the platform are protected from each other, such that software errors on one logical partition cannot affect the correct operation of any of the other partitions. This is provided by allocating a disjoint set of platform resources to be directly managed by each OS image and by providing mechanisms for ensuring that the various images cannot control any resources that have not been allocated to it. Furthermore, software errors in the control of an OS's allocated resources are prevented from affecting the resources of any other image. Thus, each image of the OS (or each different OS) directly controls a distinct set of allocable resources within the platform.
In order to control and/or manage the multitude of operating systems in the various partitioned environments, a single global software system and/or firmware component, which may be termed a hypervisor, is generally utilized. The hypervisor is generally configured to manage and/or control the allocation/use of the resources available on the single computer hardware system by each of the respective operating systems. For example, the hypervisor may control resource access and allocation for the overall computer system data storage mediums, access to the available system CPUs, and/or any of the system input/output (IO) device adapters, along with other known features of computer systems. The hypervisor may be further configured to insure that the respective individual partitions are unaware of the existence of each other and do not interfere with their respective operations.
Resources are assigned to specific partitions by allocating a range of addresses to a partition, and then assigning resources that are to be allocated to that partition, an address within the allocated range of the partition. For example, in a logically partitioned system, IO (Input/Output) resources are allocated to logical partitions, among other resources. Many of these IO resources are not sharable among partitions, rather dedicated to one of the partitions. The IO address space falls outside the range of a partition's allowed address space. So a program, for example, a device driver, running in a partition has to make a hypervisor call in order to access the IO devices. While the hypervisor effectively manages access to the IO resources, there is a certain amount of overhead associated with making a hypervisor call.

Method and system to allow logical partitions to access resources

International Business Machines Corporation


A state-transition system includes a plurality of states and a first transition representing a state-change based on an external event occurred into a system to be checked. A plurality of requirement items includes a precondition and a postcondition in correspondence with the external event. By partially selecting the precondition and the postcondition from the plurality of requirement items, a state map to map a state onto truth values of the precondition and the postcondition is generated. By contracting the state-transition system with the state map, a quotient state-transition system is generated. The quotient state-transition system includes a plurality of second transitions among a plurality of groups each having states. By tracing each second transition in the quotient state-transition system, a representative transition path is generated. The representative transition path is regenerated as a transition path in the state-transition system. The transition path is output as a test case.

At a verification stage of a system development such as a software, from a formal model of a developed object system, a MBT (model-based testing) to automatically generate a test case (verification steps) to verify the system is used. As one of the MBT, from a state-transition system covering states and transitions possible for the system, a method for generating a test case by generating a path according to algorithm of graph theory is well known. By using the test case generated by this method, a test covering state transitions occurred in the system can be performed. Above method is disclosed in following references.                Non-patent reference 1 . . . Harold W. Thimbleby: "The directed Chinese Postman Problem", In Software-Practice and Experience (SPE), Volume 33, pp. 1081-1096, 2003.        Non-patent reference 2 . . . Harold Abelson and Gerald Jay Sussman with Julie Sussman: "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs", MIT Press, 1996.
However, the state-transition system includes many similar state-transitions, and a test case acquired from the state-transition system is often redundant. For example, followings are examples of the test case in a task management function of an operating system.                Case 1: At a state "task 1 is waiting", an event "wakeup (task 1)" occurs.        Case 2: At a state "task 2 is waiting", an event "wakeup (task 2)" occurs.
Difference between the cases 1 and 2 is only a task ID. It is sufficient that only one of the cases 1 and 2 is tested according to circumstances. Especially, in development of a large scale system, it is almost impossible that all cases are verified by covering. While coverage for items to be verified is maintained, it is realistic that all cases are suitably sampled and remained cases are tested.
As one solution, as disclosed in JP-A No. 2009-266092 (Kokai), following technique to generate a test case is proposed. Briefly, in this technique, a map for state sets of the state-transition system is given, and an equivalence relation between states is defined by equality of mapped values of the states by the map. Based on the equivalence relation, the state-transition system is previously contracted, and a test case is generated from the contracted state-transition system (quotient state-transition system).
Concretely, in this technique, states in the state-transition system are identified by an equivalence relation of mapped values by a state map indicated by a user. As to the equivalence relation of mapped values by the state map, states having equal output result (equal mapped values) by a state map are identified, and states having different output result (different mapped values) by the state map are not identified. In this case, the state map is a map from a state space.
Then, a plurality of states identified is grouped into one abstract state (one class), and the state-transition system can be small contracted. The abstract state is a virtual state which a plurality of states identified by the equivalence relation is recognized as one state. Furthermore, a test case can be generated to cover each state of the contracted (small) state-transition system at least one time.
FIGS. 3 and 4 are concrete examples by a task management function. In FIG. 3, a state map to output the number of tasks of each task state (RUN, RDY, WAI) is defined. When the number of tasks of each task is equal, these tasks are regarded as an equal state by not distinguishing each task ID. An example of the state-transition system contracted by this state map is shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, the number of state-transition is contracted from 42 to 8.
In above-mentioned method, the state map largely influences a coverage and an efficiency (trade-off relation) of a test case to be output. However, as to a state map to generate the test case satisfying the coverage and the efficiency, there is not a means for reasonably determining the state map.

Apparatus and a method for generating a test case


A rating and settlements engine synthesizes activity data to discover ratable events. The ratable events are processed to produce a rated event. In a described implementation, the ratable events are discovered responsive to an event-generation plug-in and/or the rated events are produced from the ratable events responsive to a rating-model plug-in.

Manufacturers of computers usually pre-load a number of programs on each new computer. When a consumer purchases a new computer, the consumer can run one of the pre-loaded programs. One type of program that is usually pre-loaded onto new computers is a program providing access to the internet.
These internet access programs are applications that enable a consumer to access the internet through a particular internet service provider (ISP). The consumer, however, typically establishes an account with the ISP in order to use the internet access program on an ongoing basis. In other words, the consumer pays the ISP a sum of money each month.
The ISP therefore gains a monthly recurring revenue stream from this consumer as a result of the pre-loaded internet access program. In many cases, the ISP has agreed to pay the manufacturer of the computer some portion of the monthly revenue stream. Consequently, the ISP is obligated to divert a portion of the recurring revenue stream received from the consumer to the manufacturer of the consumer's computer.


In a vehicle brake apparatus, front-wheel brake power is controlled with fluid pressure brake power (a front-wheel VB fluid pressure part Fvbf+an increase in fluid pressure brake power equivalent to a liner valve pressure difference ΔP1) and regenerative brake power Freg, while rear-wheel brake power is controlled with only fluid pressure brake power (a rear-wheel VB fluid pressure part Fvbr+an increase in fluid pressure brake power equivalent to a liner valve pressure difference ΔP2), so that regenerative and cooperative brake controlling is executed. When a brake pedal is additionally depressed during front/rear brake power proportion controlling, the shortage of the total brake power is compensated by adding additional brake power Fadd, which is the same as rear-wheel brake power shortage ΔFr generated by the additional depression, to the front-wheel brake power.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a brake control apparatus for vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
An automatic braking apparatus for automatically controlling the fluid pressure of wheel cylinders independently of the operation of brake operation members, such as a brake pedal, by a driver has been widely known. For example, the automatic braking apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-9914 includes a master cylinder for generating a master fluid pressure (master cylinder fluid pressure and vacuum booster fluid pressure) independently of the operation of a brake pedal on the basis of the operation of a vacuum booster corresponding to the operation of the brake pedal, a fluid pressure pump for generating a pressurizing fluid pressure higher than the master fluid pressure, and a normally open linear electromagnetic valve for adjusting the applied pressure (pressure difference) to the master fluid pressure using the pressurizing fluid pressure by the fluid pressure pump.
In this apparatus, a distance between oneself vehicle having the apparatus mounted thereon and a vehicle ahead is detected, and when the distance is less than a predetermined reference value, the fluid pressure pump and the normally-open linear electromagnetic valve are controlled. The apparatus is to automatically apply a braking force to the oneself vehicle independently of the brake pedal operation by a driver by automatically controlling the braking force based on the fluid pressure (fluid pressure braking force) using "the master fluid pressure having the applied pressure added thereto" generated by the apparatus.
Recently, techniques have been developed in which the above-mentioned automatic brake apparatus is applied to a motorized vehicle using a motor as a drive source and a so-called hybrid vehicle using a motor and an internal combustion engine together as drive sources so that the regenerative and cooperative brake controls using the fluid pressure braking force and the regenerative braking force together are executed.
More specifically, the apparatus establishes boosting characteristics of the vacuum booster so that the master fluid pressure relative to the operation force of the brake pedal (depressing force of the brake pedal) intentionally has a value lower than a predetermined target value. Thereby, "the fluid pressure braking force based on the master fluid pressure (master fluid pressure braking force)" relative to the depressing force of the brake pedal is established so as to intentionally have a value lower than a predetermined target value.
The apparatus is to adjust a compensatory braking force (specifically, the regenerative braking force and the applied fluid pressure braking force) in accordance with the brake-pedal depressing force so that characteristics of the sum of the master fluid pressure braking force and the compensatory braking force including "the regenerative braking force due to the motor" and/or "the fluid pressure braking force based on the applied pressure due to the normally-open linear electromagnetic valve (the increase in fluid pressure braking force to the applied pressure or the applied fluid pressure braking force)" (the sum of the braking forces applied to front wheels and the braking force applied to rear wheels) relative to the brake-pedal depressing force agree with predetermined target characteristics. In addition, the regenerative braking force due to the motor is used with priority over the applied fluid pressure braking force.
Thereby, the characteristics of the total braking force relative to the brake-pedal depressing force agree with the target characteristics, so that the uncomfortable brake feeling of a driver is not generated. Additionally, when the vehicle speed is reduced due to the brake-pedal operation by the driver, the electric energy generated by the motor corresponding to the regenerative braking force due to the motor can be actively recovered to a battery, resulting in good gas mileage of the vehicle by improving the energy efficiency of the entire apparatus.
On the other hand, during the brake-pedal operation by the driver, if the rear wheels are locked ahead of the front wheels, the vehicle running is liable to be unstable. Hence, if the rear wheels are liable to be locked ahead of the front wheels, there is a control for holding the fluid pressure of the rear wheel cylinders (referred to as the front/rear brake power proportioning control below). By performing the front/rear brake power proportioning control, the increase in brake power applied to the rear wheels is prohibited, preventing the rear wheels from being locked ahead of the front wheels.
Techniques have been developed in which to a motorized vehicle having a motor for driving front wheels as a drive source or a hybrid vehicle having a motor, the above-mentioned automatic brake apparatus is applied and the front/rear brake power proportioning control is executed in addition to the regenerative and cooperative brake controls mentioned above.
That is, in this technique, during the brake-pedal operation, the regenerative and cooperative brake controls are executed. Thereby, the brake power applied to the front wheels is controlled by the fluid pressure brake power and the regenerative brake power while the brake power applied to the rear wheels is controlled only by the fluid pressure braking force. In this technique, if the rear wheels are liable to be locked ahead of the front wheels during performing the regenerative and cooperative brake controls, the wheel cylinder fluid pressure of the rear wheels (i.e., the fluid pressure brake power of the rear wheels) is held by executing the front/rear brake power proportioning control. During executing the front/rear brake power proportioning control, the fluid pressure brake power of the rear wheels is thereby maintained at the value in the start time of the front/rear brake power proportioning control.
In this apparatus, during execution of the front/rear brake power proportioning control, even when the brake-pedal operation demands a braking force larger than that of the brake-pedal operation at the start time of the front/rear brake power proportioning control (referred to as "additional depression" below), the fluid pressure brake power applied to the rear wheels is maintained at the value in the start time of the front/rear brake power proportioning control.
Thereby, after the additional depression, the fluid pressure brake power applied to the rear wheels is insufficient in comparison with the case where the front/rear brake power proportioning control is not executed (the case where the front/rear brake power proportioning control is executed and the brake-pedal operation demands the same brake power as that after the additional depression). In other words, the total brake power (the sum of the braking forces applied to front wheels and the braking force applied to rear wheels) after the additional depression is insufficient in comparison with the case where the front/rear brake power proportioning control is not executed.
Accordingly, in this case, characteristics of the total braking force relative to the brake-pedal depressing force is insufficient for predetermined target characteristics, so that the optimum braking force relative to the brake-pedal depressing force cannot be maintained. It is therefore preferable that when the additional depression is performed during execution of the front/rear brake power proportioning control, the shortage of the fluid pressure brake power applied to the rear wheels (i.e., the total braking force) be compensated.


A wafer test system includes a probe apparatus, a data server, an automation subsystem, and a probe mark assessment subsystem. The probe apparatus includes a probe card, a tester, and a camera. The probe card includes probe pins for contacting test pads in the wafer, and the camera captures an image of the test pads. The automation subsystem obtains an image specification from the probe apparatus and triggers an automated assessment of a probe mark in the image of the test pads. The probe mark assessment subsystem performs the automated assessment of the probe mark in the image of the test pads. The probe mark assessment subsystem performs an image-processing operation to obtain a probe mark assessment result, and the automation subsystem stops the probe apparatus if the probe mark assessment result indicates a probe test failure.

The semiconductor industry has experienced continued rapid growth due in part to improvements in integration density. Generally, it is necessary to test the electrical characteristics of integrated circuit devices at the wafer level to check whether the integrated circuit device satisfies the product specification. Integrated circuit devices with electrical characteristics satisfying the specification are selected for the subsequent packaging process, while other devices are discarded to avoid additional packaging cost. Often, another electrical property test is performed on the integrated circuit device after the packaging process is completed to screen out the substandard devices to increase the product yield. Human inspection is often required to inspect the probe marks of the prober tools performing these tests, which leads to error and capacity loss. Therefore, it is crucial that quality inspection of the probe pins in the prober tools become automated and immediate.
This Discussion of the Background section is provided for background information only. The statements in this Discussion of the Background are not an admission that the subject matter disclosed in this section constitutes prior art to the present disclosure, and no part of this Discussion of the Background section may be used as an admission that any part of this application, including this Discussion of the Background section, constitutes prior art to the present disclosure.


Fingertip-sized discrete areas are provided on a slate computer and have different tactile characteristics than the remainder of the surface on which they are disposed. The discrete areas are arranged to mimic home keys of a keyboard and each discrete area corresponds to a respective home key. In this way, a user is given tactile feedback of when fingers are properly placed in the home position, with home key finger placement triggering the presentation of a full keyboard on screen. Other embodiments do not use tactilely distinct keys, with simultaneous placement of two or more fingers on the computer triggering display of the virtual keyboard.

Slate computers, as the name implies, essentially are slate-like objects almost the entire top surface of which is defined by a touch-sensitive computer screen. To save space, slate computers do not have physical keyboards. Input is effected through the touch-sensitive screen, which may display an image of a keyboard. Such an image can be regarded as a virtual keyboard.


A roof mountable kitchen grease exhaust blower is constructed with hinged housing elements which can be raised for easy service access to all parts of the unit. A container collects grease draining from a discharge scoop and has a flotation separator for harmlessly eliminating water while retaining grease. Grease containment edges on the discharge scoop contain and collect grease being carried by the exhaust air stream along inner scoop surfaces. The discharge scoop has a curved bottom wall to encourage gravity flow of grease collecting on the scoop surfaces towards a drain opening.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to the field of air ventilation systems and more particularly is directed to certain improvements in roof mounted exhaust blowers of the type used with kitchen hoods in commercial kitchens for removing smoke and grease laden air over cooking surfaces.
2. State of the Prior Art
Commercial kitchens, such as in restaurants and fast food outlets, frequently have a ventilation hood over stoves, grills, broilers and the like for collecting and exhausting the smoke and fumes generated by cooking processes. Hot grease-laden air rises into the hood, and is drawn into a duct by means of a motor driven blower mounted on the kitchen roof or adjacent area. The contaminated air is exhausted to the outdoors. Such installations are typically required by local ordinance and are therefore in widespread use. There are different manufacturers of such equipment and designs for the exhaust blowers vary in various details and features from one manufacturer to another, although the general mode of operation is similar.
A frequent problem with many kitchen exhaust blowers is the excessive accumulation of solid or semi-solid grease on various parts of the exhaust blower unit and on the adjacent roof and surrounding surface, creating a significant fire hazard.
Many existing grease exhaust blowers offer only restricted interior access and are difficult to clean and service for removal of accumulated grease. In such cases, the service life of the unit is reduced, and unsanitary conditions and the aforementioned fire hazard are allowed to persist. It it therefore highly desirable to provide kitchen exhaust blower units with easy access to all interior parts to ensure regular and thorough cleaning and servicing for optimum and safe performance.
Another common problem is that grease deposited on the walls of the air discharge scoop, typically found in these blowers for directing the air exhaust stream upwardly into the atmosphere, tends to be washed onto the roof surface by rain and snow precipitation. These discharge scoops usually have a receptacle which collects grease runoff from the scoop. The open scoop also collects large amounts of rain water or snow which likewise fill the grease receptacle. Since the grease tends to float on water, the grease accumulated in the receptacle is first to overflow onto the roof surface. Over a period of time, large puddles of roof top grease have been known to accumulate around exhaust blowers. Accumulated roof top grease is hazardous both from a sanitation and fire prevention point of view; it is unsightly; it can cause structural damage to the roof and building by leaking into cracks and crevices of the roof structure, and makes it more difficult and unpleasant for service personnel to reach the blower unit for servicing and cleaning.
It is therefore an important object in designing this type of equipment to minimize the amount of condensed grease which is ejected or spilled by the blower onto the surrounding roof surface.
A continuing need exist for cleaner, easier to service roof-top kitchen exhaust blowers for commercial kitchens.

Roof mounted kitchen hood grease exhaust blowers


A disc drive having a voice coil actuator with an attached suspension and head, the head including a micro-actuator. The micro-actuator having at least one natural frequency and at least one natural frequency time period. The voice coil actuator is adapted to attenuate a resonance of the micro-actuator at the at least one natural frequency using a stepped acceleration.

The present invention relates to the field of mass storage devices. More particularly, this invention relates to stepped disc drive voice coil actuator acceleration for reducing resonance or ringing of head level micro-actuators for a mass storage device.
One key component of any computer system is a device to store data. Computer systems have many different places where data can be stored. One common place for storing massive amounts of data in a computer system is on a disc drive. The most basic parts of a disc drive are a disc that is rotated, an actuator that moves a transducer to various locations over the disc, and electrical circuitry that is used to write and read data to and from the disc. The disc drive also includes circuitry for encoding data so that it can be successfully retrieved and written to the disc surface. A microprocessor controls most of the operations of the disc drive as well as passing the data back to the requesting computer and taking data from a requesting computer for storing to the disc.
The transducer is typically placed on a small ceramic block, also referred to as a slider, which is aerodynamically designed so that it flies over the disc. The slider is passed over the disc in a transducing relationship with the disc. Most sliders have an air-bearing surface (xe2x80x9cABSxe2x80x9d) which includes rails and a cavity between the rails. When the disc rotates, air is dragged between the rails and the disc surface causing pressure, which forces the head away from the disc. At the same time, the air rushing past the cavity or depression in the air bearing surface produces a negative pressure area. The negative pressure or suction counteracts the pressure produced at the rails. The slider is also attached to a load spring that produces a force on the slider directed toward the disc surface. The various forces equilibrate so the slider flies over the surface of the disc at a particular desired fly height. The fly height is the distance between the disc surface and the transducing head, which is typically the thickness of the air lubrication film. This film eliminates the friction and resulting wear that would occur if the transducing head and disc were in mechanical contact during disc rotation. In some disc drives, the slider passes through a layer of lubricant rather than flying over the surface of the disc.
Information representative of data is stored on the surface of the storage disc. Disc drive systems read and write information stored on tracks on storage discs. Transducers, in the form of read/write heads attached to the sliders, located on both sides of the storage disc, read and write information on the storage discs when the transducers are accurately positioned over one of the designated tracks on the surface of the storage disc. The transducer is also said to be moved to a target track. As the storage disc spins and the read/write head is accurately positioned above a target track, the read/write head can store data onto a track by writing information representative of data onto the storage disc. Similarly, reading data on a storage disc is accomplished by positioning the read/write head above a target track and reading the stored material on the storage disc. To write on or read from different tracks, the read/write head is moved radially across the tracks to a selected target track. The data is divided or grouped together on the tracks. In some disc drives, the tracks are a multiplicity of concentric circular tracks. In other disc drives, a continuous spiral is one track on one side of a disc drive. Servo feedback information is used to accurately locate the transducer. The actuator assembly is moved to the required position and held very accurately during a read or write operation using the servo information.
Increasing demand for data density makes higher track densities imperative. There is also demand for increased access speed, requiring very fast seek speeds. Some disc drives include micro-actuators to allow for fine track-to-track movements. The micro-actuator is an additional actuator located between the suspension and the slider of the head gimbal assembly (HGA) to provide minor positioning adjustments.
The micro-actuator may consist of a stationary part or xe2x80x9cstator portionxe2x80x9d attached to the suspension gimbal and a moving part or xe2x80x9crotor portionxe2x80x9d that carries the read write head. The stator portion and rotor portion are connected with thin beams that act as springs, allowing enough movement to center the head on a very narrow track or switch between adjacent tracks.
However, high speed data access requires abrupt acceleration and de-acceleration of the micro-actuator. This sharp motion causes the rotor portion to resonate or vibrate at its natural frequency. This natural ringing can significantly impact the ability to obtain acceptable seek times since the micro-actuator does not settle or stop ringing at the end of a seek operation.
What is needed is a disc drive that reduces resonance of head level micro-actuators for a mass storage device.
The present invention provides stepped disc drive voice coil actuator acceleration for reducing ringing or resonance of head level micro-actuators for a mass storage device.
One embodiment includes a disc drive having a voice coil actuator with an attached suspension and head, the head including a micro-actuator. The micro-actuator having at least one natural frequency and at least one natural frequency time period. The voice coil actuator is adapted to attenuate a resonance of the micro-actuator at the at least one natural frequency using a stepped acceleration.
One embodiment includes a disc drive including a suspension attached to a voice coil actuator with a head attached to the suspension. The head includes a micro-actuator having a rotor portion and a stator portion with the stator portion attached to the suspension. The rotor portion is attached to the stator portion with the rotor portion having a resonance at a natural frequency with respect to the stator portion and having a natural frequency time period. The voice coil actuator is adapted to sweep the head into position by accelerating and decelerating the head in at least three steps.
One embodiment includes a method for damping a micro-actuator including providing a disc drive with a voice coil actuator and a micro-actuator, the micro-actuator having a natural frequency and a natural frequency time period, and applying a stepped acceleration to the micro-actuator with the voice coil actuator.
One embodiment includes an information system including a disc drive having a stepped disc drive voice coil actuator acceleration for reducing ringing of head level micro-actuators for a mass storage device.
The present invention provides stepped disc drive voice coil actuator acceleration for reducing ringing or resonance of head level micro-actuators for a mass storage device. In addition, the present invention provides overall more accurate and faster access times with better reliability.

Stepped disc drive voice coil actuator acceleration for reducing resonance of head level micro-actuators


Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure include devices for monitoring and indicating the completion of eradication of a pest infestation in a space in which heating is utilized for eradication. In an exemplary embodiment, a device includes a sensor configured to sense temperature proximate the device, and a visual indicator configured to provide indication of status. The device further includes a processor that is connected to the sensor and visual indicator. The processor is configured to determine whether the sensed temperature exceeds the MINIMUM LETHAL TEMPERATURE, and configured to determine occurrence of completion of a minimum heating duration required for eradication in which the sensed temperature exceeds the MINIMUM LETHAL TEMPERATURE. The processor is further configured to activate the visual indicator subsequent to completion of the minimum heating duration, to thereby provide visible indication that the minimum heating duration for eradication of a pest infestation has elapsed.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Hotels have people check in from all walks of life. Some hotel guests bring additional uninvited/unwanted guests with them that stay beyond check out time, such as bedbugs, among other insects. Cities with large numbers of hotel rooms oftentimes report bedbug infestations, such as Las Vegas, New York City, and Hawaii. The bedbugs arrive on a few hotel guests or their luggage and then the environment of the hotel allows the bedbugs to thrive. The bedbugs affect hotels of all star levels.
In recent years, hotels have fought the bedbugs in various ways. One prior art method of fighting bedbugs involves heated air. The heated air raises the space temperature high enough to kill off the bedbugs. The heated air is readily created by direct fired heaters, propane heaters or burners. Such heaters are presently used at construction sites and along the sidelines at wintry professional football games. The heaters generally burn propane and a fan drives air over the burner for heating. But exterminators may use heated air to eliminate bedbugs, though the exterminators are usually not allowed to bring propane tanks into buildings due to fire and building codes.
Additionally, hotel general managers and property owners seek to handle the bedbug infestation highly discretely and very quietly. The propane heaters move the heated air through a flexible duct system to reach the infested space. But flexible ducts running up the stairs and down the corridors in five star hotels are just not permitted. Additionally, re-circulating air from a direct fired heater within an infested space or nearby hallway also is not allowed because the combustion products can rise to unsafe levels rapidly.
In order to avoid the fire and building code limits and direct fired heaters, hotels commonly attack bedbug infestations by stripping a room of its furnishings down to the structure, often bare concrete. This extreme method kills off a bedbug infestation, but a hotel loses room night revenue and incurs the demolition and re-fitting costs. Indeed, this method may cost over $30,000 (USD) per room.
Exterminating contractors presently fight bedbugs with various systems, including direct fired heaters coupled with flexible ducts to deliver heated air to an infested space. The heaters may be gas-fired salamanders in conjunction with flexible ducts that deliver hot air into a room or other part of a building, enclosure, container or structure, to exterminate bedbugs therein.
When generating heat to kill off an infestation of unwanted insects, small mammals or other pests, an infra-red heating system can serve as the source of the heat. Infra-red heat is generally classified as low intensity (lower temperature and longer wavelength) or high intensity (higher temperature and shorter wavelength) based on the temperature output of the black body. High intensity is more reflective of the energy produced with light colored walls returning it to the space for absorption by darker colored objects. Low intensity tends to have more of its energy absorbed into a wall even with light colored paint coatings. The absorbed energy then is conducted to the wall cavity. In a bug-infested wall, the temperature inside the wall must rise to the killing temperature. The low intensity infra-red heat serves that purpose well. The walls subjected to the infra-red heating also radiate heat back to the space and raise the air temperature accordingly.
It has been reported in the prior art that temperatures as low as 115° F. can be lethal to bedbugs. But the exposure time to actually achieve the kill can approach 10 hours. On the other hand, bedbug exposure to a temperature of 140° F. can accomplish the kill within a half hour. Other pests, such as scorpions, require higher temperature profiles to reach the lethal temperature exposure.
Exterminators that utilize heat as a means to eradicate a pest infestation have been known to leave the jobsite after the equipment has been set up and the heating cycle has begun, thereby, leaving the system unmanned in order to minimize (or at least reduce) labor expenses. By not continuously monitoring the process, they have no way to know whether any malfunctions (e.g., power interruptions) occurred during their absence. Therefore, they tend to extend the cycle time well beyond what is needed and may occasionally have to repeat the treatment if something did occur. Both conditions needlessly waste energy and other resources.

Device for indicating eradication of a pest infestation


A millimeter wave power generator combines two laser beams, tuning the beat frequency to the desired millimeter wave value with an opposing pair of millimeter wave cavities. The combined beam is diffracted onto a plurality of externally powered, modulation doped field effect photodetectors (MDFEPs). A plurality of antennas is provided, one between each pair of adjoining MDFEPs. The antennas are parallel, and each is driven by the MDFEPs at its ends. The back propagating millimeter wave radiation is reflected forward by a wire grid parallel to the antennas. The grid is situated between the diffractor and the MDFEPs, and is spatially tuned to constructively interfere the reflected back propagating with the forward propagating millimeter wave radiation.

The present invention relates to millimeter wave power generators, and has particular relation to such generators which produce millimeter waves of high power, high coherence, high stability of frequency and phase, and high flexibility of frequency and phase.
The millimeter wave spectral region is where microwave and optical radiation merge. The conventional method of producing millimeter wave radiation is to increase the frequency of microwave radiation rather than to reduce the frequency of optical radiation. This approach is limited by the Manley-Rowe relation: the efficiency of the generator will not exceed the ratio of the frequency change. Increasing the frequency of microwave radiation by three orders of magnitude, a fairly conventional approach, therefore results in a maximum possible efficiency of 1/10th of 1%, which is undesirably low in many situations.
Reducing the frequency of optical radiation does not run into the Manley-Rowe limitation, but runs into a separate limitation of its own: lasers (a very suitable source of optical radiation) are generally low power devices themselves. Even with good efficiency, the optical power base is so low that significant millimeter wave power is, again, difficult to achieve.


A bracket assembly for a portable unit. The assembly is pivotally mounted to the back of the unit and includes a frame member secured to the pivotally mounted member. A cover assembly is releasably secured to the frame member and can be moved to various positions with respect thereto. The cover assembly includes a locking assembly for locking and unlocking the cover assembly relative to the frame member.

As the consumer electric products develop, the Portable Electronic Product with a display are widely used more and more, especially the portable AV (Audio/Video) products, such as the LCD, portable and visible DVD player, etc. For the consideration of the consumers' requirements for the multiple-angled displays, some portable electronic products will come with the bracket on the casing opposite to the display. Thus, when the bracket is propped up, the portable electronic product can sit on the desk or other supporting planes to make it more comfortable for the users to view the displays at comfortable angles. The folding of the bracket flush with the back of the unit make them more convenient to carry them about.
However, the brackets of the existing Portable Electronic Products cannot have the length of their brackets regulated and as a result, the supporting angle of the Portable Electronic Product cannot be changed to satisfy such demands from the consumers.

Portable electronic product with a bracket


Evaluating user experience for an application includes collecting, for each of a plurality of sessions of the application, a list of user event data items experienced during that session. The list of user event data items includes any of a device utilization quantifier, user action-response time pairs, and an application fault indicator. For each session, a value is assigned to each collected user event data item, and a session score is derived based on those assigned values. A user experience score is derived based upon a plurality of the derived session scores. The user experience score is reported.

Many services are delivered to consumers via software applications. These applications may be composite in that several software components work in conjunction to realize the service. Those components may be distributed across various physical and virtual devices. A client side user interface component may be presented by a smartphone, laptop or other user computing device. Through that user interface component, a user can each initiate a series of actions carried out by the user computing device and by server side components in an attempt to achieve a desired goal. A user's experience with an application can be effected by numerous factors such as usability, stability, performance and availability of its various components.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A hand sanding tool that has a strip of material secured to a frame and spanning across an open gap of the frame. The strip of material has an abrasive surface for sanding objects and a spring force applies tension to the strip. The spring force maybe a resiliently flexible frame or a separate spring element anchoring the strip to the frame. Quick connect-quick release connectors connect the strip to the frame.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to hand tools and more particularly to a hand tool for sanding an object.
2. Background Information
There are a variety of hand tools for sanding that include a frame and means thereon for detachably connecting thereto a strip or sheet, or a portion of a sheet, of material having an abrasive coating on one face thereof. The known tools have a base plate that serves as a backing for the sheet of abrasive material and such base plate in some instances is rigid while in others it is flexible. Also in some instances the base plate is flat while in others it is curved.
Hand tools are also known that consist of a C-shaped frame with a cutting element detachably secured thereto and wherein the cutting element spans across the bite of the C-shaped frame. Examples of such known tools are hack saws, bow saws and coping saws. These well known tools include means to adjust the tension of the cutting element which in most instances is in the form of a blade with saw teeth on one edge thereof. In some instances the cutting element is in the form of a cylindrical rod with cutting formations around the outer periphery but in all instances considerable tension is applied to the cutting element.
Power sanders are known that include an endless belt running on spaced apart pulleys and with a free span between two pulleys, (or equivalent support) that is used to sand an object. In machines of this type the work piece must be brought to the tool and this is not always convenient and many times not even possible.
The present invention is to provide a hack saw type frame with adapters detachably anchoring thereto a strip of material having abrasive material on a face thereof and spring means to tension the strip.
In keeping with the forgoing there is provided in accordance with one aspect of the present invention a hand tool comprising a frame having a free open gap in a selected portion thereof, a strip of material having an abrasive surface, means anchoring the strip to the frame at first and second positions located respectively on opposite sides of the open gap whereby the strip has a free length spanning across the gap. Included are means on the frame for resiliently applying tension to the strip extending between the first and second positions. The tension applying means may be the frame, means for biasing such as a coiled spring or flexible longitudinal member incorporated in the frame, or be a separate spring element in cooperative engagement with ends of the frame.
An object of the present invention is to provide a hand tool for sanding in which there is a frame having an open bite portion and means on the frame detachably anchoring a strip of abrasive material to the frame with the strip positioned to span the open bite.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a hand tool of the forgoing type that includes means to resiliently apply tension to the strip of abrasive material attached thereto.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a hand tool of the forgoing type and wherein the frame has a resiliently flexible portion that tensions the strip spanning the open bite portion of the frame.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a hand tool that has a frame with an open gap, means on the frame and located on respective opposite sides of the gap to detachably anchor a strip of abrasive material to the frame at respective first and second positions spaced apart from one another longitudinally along the strip and means to resiliently apply tension to the strip extending from one to the other of the strip anchoring means.