The present disclosure provides an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panel and a display device. Because, in this structure, a light transparency area is included in an electronic device display area, external light passes through the light transparency area and enters a camera. Thus, the camera can be directly positioned under the display panel without the need of forming a hole, thus solving the problems existing in prior art where the electronic device display area cannot display images due to formation of the hole. Full screen display is achieved.

Mobile phones with full screen design have extremely high viewing area-to-screen ratios and give users excellent user experience, and thus have become one of the most popular techniques.
With development of full screen designs, there is a trend that electronic devices, such as a camera, are disposed under display screens. According to prior art, to ensure that electronic devices, such as a camera, disposed under display screens can receive enough light, layers including thin film transistor (TFT) circuits, light-emitting layers, cathode structures, etc. for displaying images and positioned above the camera are removed. That is, a hole formation technique is required to achieve such an objective. However, for such a hole formation technique, because the layers for displaying images in the hole formation region have been removed, the hole formation region cannot display images. This is not really a full screen design.

Wuhan China Star Optoelectronics Semiconductor Display Technology Co., Ltd.


A collaborative video camera system of an edge node can be used to track and predict objects, locations of the objects, and events associated therewith. For example, multiple cameras can be utilized to determine the direction in which an object is heading. This data can be used to activate and/or dispatch other cameras that may be at or near the predicted location of the object. Additionally, sound associated with the object can be used to predict and/or active cameras that are at or near the predicted location of the object.

A video camera is a camera used for electronic motion picture acquisition in the television industry, but now common in other applications as well. Video cameras are used primarily in two modes. The first mode is a live television mode, where the camera feeds real time images directly to a display for immediate observation as soon as received by the display. A few cameras still serve live television production, but currently, most live connections are used for security, military/tactical, and industrial operations where surreptitious or remote viewing may be implicated or required. In the second mode, the images are recorded to a storage device for archiving or further processing; for many years, videotape was the primary format used for this purpose, but was gradually supplanted by optical disc, hard disk, and then flash memory. Recorded video is still used in television production, but is also used for surveillance and monitoring tasks in which an unattended recording of a past situation may be requested or required for later viewing or analysis.
The above-described background relating to facilitating collaborative event monitoring is merely intended to provide a contextual overview of some current issues, and is not intended to be exhaustive. Other contextual information may become further apparent upon review of the following detailed description.

Facilitation of collaborative monitoring of an event


A carrier sub-assembly for an electrical relay device includes a plunger and a shaft. The plunger is formed of a ferromagnetic material. The plunger has a generally cylindrical shape extending between a top side and a bottom side of the plunger. The shaft extends between a contact end and an opposite plunger end. The shaft is directly secured to the plunger without a discrete component between the shaft and the plunger securing the shaft to the plunger. The shaft and the plunger are configured to move together within the electrical relay device. A segment of the shaft including the contact end protrudes from the top side of the plunger for securing to a movable contact of the electrical relay device.

The subject matter herein relates generally to electrical relay devices.
Electrical relay devices are generally electrically operated switches used to control the presence or absence of current flowing through a circuit from a power source to one or more other electrical components. The power source may be one or more batteries, for example. Some electrical relays use an electromagnet to mechanically operate a switch. The electromagnet may physically move a movable electrical contact relative to one or more stationary contacts. The movable electrical contact may form or close a circuit (allowing current to flow through the circuit) when the movable contact engages one or more of the stationary contacts. Moving the movable electrical contact away from the stationary contact(s) breaks or opens the circuit.
At least some electrical relay devices include a ferromagnetic element that is disposed at least proximate to the electromagnet such that an induced magnetic field applies a magnetic force upon the ferromagnetic element that translates the ferromagnetic element relative to the electromagnet. The ferromagnetic element is coupled to a shaft, which extends from the ferromagnetic element to the movable electrical contact. The shaft is coupled to both the ferromagnetic element and the movable electrical contact. Therefore, movement of the ferromagnetic element due to the induced electrical field causes movement of the shaft and the movable electrical contact towards and away from the stationary contacts, forming or braking a circuit, as described above.
Known electrical relay devices have some disadvantages. For example, the coupling between the shaft and the ferromagnetic element in some known electrical relay devices is made via a separate fastener. An additional fastener is used to couple the shaft to the moving electrical contact. The particular fasteners used in some known relay devices are retaining rings, such as E-clips or C-clips. But, since the retaining rings are separate fasteners that are installed to engage to discrete parts, the retaining rings are prone to moving out of position, and even falling off of the parts completely. The electrical relay devices may be used on vehicles, such as trains and automobiles. Vibrations and other forces encountered during use and/or improper installment during assembly may cause the retaining rings to loosen, dislodge, and finally fall off. At such time, the shaft may uncouple from the ferromagnetic element and/or the movable electrical contact. In either event, the movable electrical contact would no longer be coupled, indirectly via the shaft, to the ferromagnetic element, such that translation of the ferromagnetic element would not control movement of the movable electrical contact and the electrical relay device would cease to function until the fasteners or new fasteners are replaced.
A need remains for an electrical relay device that does not use separate fasteners to couple the shaft to the movable electrical contact and to the ferromagnetic element.

Carrier sub-assembly for an electrical relay device

TYCO ELECTRONICS MEXICO, S. de R.L. de C.V.


A locking system for selectively locking two frame members of a window or door to prevent sliding movement of one frame relative to the other. The locking system includes a sleeve and first and second pivotably connected bolt members. A spring urges the bolt members to a position where relative sliding movement between the two frame members is prevented. One of the bolt members can be pivoted and then moved along a line which is perpendicular to the other bolt member in a manner such that the bolt is retained in a retracted position.

A variety of devices and systems have been used for locking or fastening sashes on windows and doors. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 47,537; 184,501; 532,935; 1,992,531; 2,018,346; 2,076,897; 2,098,249; 2,357,608; 2,845,789; and 3,082,617. Although some of such fastening systems involve the use of a movable bolt for preventing relative movement of one frame member relative to another frame member, such fastening systems exhibit a number of disadvantages and have not been entirely satisfactory.
Additional fastening systems are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,286; 357,116; 876,429; 972,769; 985,652; 1,352,624; 1,509,619; 2,657,086; 2,477,524; and 3,233,932. These patents describe fastening systems involving movable bolts, some of which can be locked in a retracted position. However, the fastening systems described therein are cumbersome in use or require specialized hardware.
There has not heretofore been provided a locking system having the advantages and exhibiting the ease of use which are associated with the locking system of this invention.


An impedance of a power supply wire is calculated based on design data of a semiconductor integrated circuit, a frequency characteristic of the calculated impedance is obtained, and a design of the semiconductor integrated circuit is changed based on the obtained frequency characteristic. As the above-described impedance, an impedance between power supplies that are different in potential such as a power supply and a ground may be calculated, or an impedance between power supplies that are substantially the same in potential such as a power supply and an N-well power supply may be calculated. By a design modification, a wiring method, the number of pads, separation of power supplies, a type of package, a characteristic of an inductance element, a substrate structure, a distance between wires, a decoupling capacitance, a length of a wire, and a characteristic of a resistance element, for example, are changed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a design method for a semiconductor integrated circuit, and more particularly to a design method for a semiconductor integrated circuit which suppresses power supply noise occurring in a power supply wire.
2. Description of the Background Art
In order to achieve high-speed operation and low power consumption at the same time, semiconductor integrated circuits of recent years adopt a method for controlling a source power supply (ADD) of a P-channel transistor and a substrate power supply (N-well power supply VSUBN) by separate power supplies, or a method for controlling a source power supply (VSS) of an N-channel transistor and a substrate power supply (P-substrate power supply VSUBP) by separate power supplies. Note that "substrate voltage" as described herein refers to a potential which confronts a potential of a gate, which controls the amount of electric charge in a channel of a transistor, and refers to a well voltage in the case of a transistor provided within a well.
FIGS. 12A and 12B are diagrams each showing the structure of a CMOS inverter in which an additional power supply is used to control voltage of a circuit substrate. As shown in FIG. 12A, the above CMOS inverter comprises a P-channel transistor 91 and an N-channel transistor 92. These two transistors each have, in addition to three terminals (i.e., source, drain, and gate terminals), a substrate terminal as a fourth terminal. The drain terminals of the two transistors are connected to each other. The source terminal of the P-channel transistor 91 and the source terminal of the N-channel transistor 92 are connected respectively to a power supply ADD and a ground VSS. The substrate terminal of the P-channel transistor 91 is connected to an N-well power supply VSUBN, and the substrate terminal of the N-channel transistor 92 is connected to a P-substrate power supply VSUBP.
FIG. 12B is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of the CMOS inverter. As shown in FIG. 12B, an N-well 94 is provided on one surface of a substrate 93, and the P-channel transistor 91 and the N-channel transistor 92 are provided respectively within the N-well 94 and on the substrate 93. In addition, in the N-well 94, a well contact 95 is provided as the substrate terminal of the P-channel transistor 91, whereas on the substrate 93, a substrate contact 96 is provided as the substrate terminal of the N-channel transistor 92. In many conventional semiconductor integrated circuits, a common power supply is used as the power supply ADD and the N-well power supply VSUBN. In semiconductor integrated circuits of recent years, however, separate power supplies which are substantially the same but different in potential are often used as the power supply ADD and the N-well power supply VSUBN, in order to achieve high-speed operation and low power consumption at the same time. Transistors that operate at high speed usually have a triple-well structure, but for simplification of explanation, a transistor having a twin-well structure is described here.
FIGS. 13A to 13C are graphs each showing the results obtained by measuring power supply noise occurring in the power supply ADD and the N-well power supply VSUBN of the semiconductor integrated circuit in which an additional power supply is used to control voltage of the circuit substrate. The graphs of FIGS. 13A to 13C show how potentials of the power supply ADD (solid lines) and the N-well power supply VSUBN (dashed lines) fluctuate at clock signal frequencies of 50 MHz, 100 MHz, and 200 MHz. From the measurement results shown in FIGS. 13A to 13C, it is apparent that a relative relationship between power supply noise (i.e., potential fluctuation) of the power supply ADD and that of the N-well power supply VSUBN varies with the clock signal frequency in a nonlinear manner. For example, in the case where the clock signal frequency is 100 MHz, the power supply noise of the N-well power supply VSUBN fluctuates more sharply than can be expected from the measurement results obtained in the cases where the clock signal frequencies are 50 MHz and 200 MHz. This is because the impedance of a path including a power supply wire separated by a resistance element, a substrate resistance, and a capacitive element, etc., is minimized when the clock frequency is around 100 MHz (i.e., a resonance frequency is around 100 MHz).
If the power supply noise varies with the clock signal frequency in a nonlinear manner as described above, the operating frequency of the semiconductor integrated circuit and a frequency at which the power supply noise increases might overlap one another. If the semiconductor integrated circuit is caused to operate at such a frequency, power supply noise might increase to change the threshold voltage and operating current of a transistor, so that a delay value and an output potential of the transistor are changed, resulting in malfunction of the transistor. Further, in semiconductor integrated circuits of recent years, with the progress of a fine process technology, it is required to lower power supply voltage. Also, the amount of current flowing through a circuit is increased with the number of transistors. Because of the above reasons, in the semiconductor integrated circuits of recent years, the design margin in relation to power supply fluctuation tends to be insufficient.
However, with conventional transistor-level circuit simulation or substrate noise simulation, it is impossible to analyze power supply noise of a semiconductor integrated circuit in which an additional power supply is used to control voltage of the circuit substrate. Therefore, the applicant of the present application has invented a new method for analyzing power supply noise of a semiconductor integrated circuit which is applicable to the above described semiconductor integrated circuit in which an additional power supply is used to control voltage of the circuit substrate, and filed a patent application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-396214) for the above analyzing method.
The following techniques have been known as other conventional techniques relating to the present invention. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,150, a method for suppressing IR-Drop (power supply voltage drop), which is a type of power supply noise, is disclosed. In this method, power supply pads are optimally assigned to each region in the semiconductor integrated circuit, and the impedance of a path from the power supply pad to an internal device of the semiconductor integrated circuit is adjusted.
Also, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-202400, a method for suppressing EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference) noise, which is a type of power supply noise, is disclosed. In this method, a decoupling capacitor is inserted between a power supply wire and a ground wire in order to provide a path (low-pass filter) for cutting a high-frequency component. By inserting the decoupling capacitor, the impedance of the power supply wire is adjusted.
However, in the above-described methods, an impedance of a path including a power supply wire separated by a resistance element, a substrate resistance, and a capacitive element, etc., is not adjusted, and a resonance frequency is not controlled. Thus, by the above-described conventional methods, it is impossible to suppress power supply noise by taking into account a frequency characteristic of power supply noise.

Design method for semiconductor integrated circuit suppressing power supply noise

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A gradation image is recorded on a thermosensitive medium with heating elements in a thermal printer by generating first pulse signals each for forming a one-gradation image and second pulse signals each for forming a plural-gradation image from an image signal, and energizing the heating elements with the first and second pulse signals which are combined together to record a gradation image with the one-gradation image as a minimum density unit thereof.

The present invention relates to a method of recording a gradation image in a thermal printer, and more particularly to a method of recording a gradation image on a thermosensitive medium with heating elements by energizing the heating elements with a combination of pulse signals each corresponding to a one-gradation image and pulse signals each corresponding to a plural-gradation image, so that the image can be recorded accurately at a high speed.
Various imaging apparatus such as conventional X-ray photographing apparatus, ultrasonic imaging apparatus, X-ray CT (Computerized Tomography) and DF (Digital Fluorography) apparatus, for example, are finding widespread use for medical applications for diagnosis or the like. In such a medical image diagnostic apparatus, ultrasonic energy, X-rays, or the like is applied to the body of a patient to produce an image of a local region of the body to be diagnosed, and the produced image is displaced as a visible image on a CRT motor, for example. A doctor or the like then diagnose the local region by observing the displayed image. Since the local region of the patient's body and, if desired, other local regions thereof can easily be observed, the diagnostic procedure can accurately and quickly be performed.
It is desirable to selectively record displayed images permanently on recording mediums to provide hard copies. A variety of printers have been proposed to make such hard copies. As an example, there is known a thermal printer which employs a light-fixable thermosensitive film that will develop a color in the pattern of an image to be recorded upon application of heat and fix the image when exposed to ultraviolet radiation.
The thermal printer has a thermal head comprising an array of heating elements oriented in a main scanning direction perpendicularly to an auxiliary scanning direction along which the light-fixable thermosensitive film is fed. An image signal supplied from the medical image diagnostic apparatus is applied to the thermal head to record a desired image on the light-fixable thermosensitive film. Then, the recorded image is fixed to the light-fixable thermosensitive film by exposure to ultraviolet radiation emitted from an ultraviolet lamp in an image fixing unit.
The light-fixable thermosensitive film develops an image density dependent on the period of time in which the film is heated by the thermal head, i.e., the amount of thermal energy applied to the film, as shown in FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings. The thermal printer can therefore record an image of a desired density by adjusting the period of time in which the film is heated by the heating elements, based on the density vs. energy curve illustrated in FIG. 1.
One method of recording a gradation image on a light-fixable thermosensitive film with heating elements comprises energizing heating elements with as many pulse signals as the number of image gradations to heat the light-fixable thermosensitive film. According to this recording method, however; since as many pulse signals as the number of image gradations must be transferred to each of the heating elements, a long interval of time is required to transfer the pulse signal data, and the time needed to record the image is long. Between pulse signals to be transferred to each heating element, there are produced as many time zones in which the heating element remains de-energized as the number of image gradations. The temperature of the heating element is varied in those time zones, lowering the efficiency of color development on the light-fixable thermosensitive film.
There is another method of forming an image with one pulse signal for one pixel by adjusting the time duration of the pulse signal for energizing a heating element dependent on an image gradation to be reproduced. With such a method, pulse signals having pulse durations corresponding to respective image gradations have to be applied to the respective heating elements. This method also requires a long period of time to record a desired image. Because the temperature of each heating elements varies between pulse signals applied, the efficiency of color development on the light-fixable thermosensitive film is also lowered.

Method of recording gradation image in thermal printer


Methods and systems for wirelessly transmitting power and/or data.

The present disclosure relates to industrial equipment comprising different units selectively attachable to each other to jointly perform a desired activity. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to industrial equipment where communications signals and/or power must be transferred between such different units in order to perform the activity desired.
One example of such equipment is a lift truck carriage that is selectively attachable to a load handler to lift and move cargo, such as crates, paper rolls, etc. from one place to another. Typically, the load handler will include load-engaging members such as forks that raise pallets, clamps that grasp paper rolls, etc. where positioning of the load-engaging members as well as movement of the load is accomplished hydraulically using fluid supplied from a reservoir on the lift truck. Movement of pressurized fluid between the lift truck and the load handler typically occurs in hydraulic lines that extend over a mast of the lift truck to the load handler.
Many types of load handlers have multiple, separately-controllable fluid power functions. Most of these functions require bidirectional, reversible actuation. Examples of such load handlers include side-shifting fork positioners, side-shifting push-pull attachments, side-shifting and/or rotational load clamps having either parallel sliding clamp arms or pivoting clamp arms, and other types of fluid power-actuated multi-function load handlers. Normally, the foregoing types of load handlers are mounted on a load carriage that is selectively raised and lowered on a mast of an industrial lift truck. Multiple fluid control valves in the lift truck operator's compartment may separately regulate each of the multiple fluid power functions of the load handler. In such cases, four or even six hydraulic lines must communicate between the lift truck and the load handler to operate the multiple bidirectional functions. To avoid the necessity for more than two hydraulic lines extending over the mast of the lift truck, it has long been common to provide only a single control valve in the operator's compartment connected to a pair of hydraulic lines extending between the lift truck and a multi-function load handler.
FIGS. 1 and 2, for example, show a lift truck 10 attached to a roll clamp 12 used to clamp and unclamp cylindrical objects such as large paper rolls, using rotatable pivoted arm clamps 14 actuated by hydraulic cylinders 16 and 17. Though FIG. 1 shows only one cylinder 16 and one cylinder 17, the roll clamp 12 may include two cylinders 16 and two cylinders 17, where the cylinders not shown are located behind the cylinders 16 and 17 that are shown. Rotation of the clamps 14 is achieved by a rotator 18, which rotates the clamp bi-directionally about a longitudinal axis in response to a bidirectional hydraulic motor 20. While the roll clamp 12 includes separate cylinders 16 and 17 by which the clamp arms 14 may be independently actuated, some roll clamps have only a single pair of cylinders 16 to actuate one of the clamp arms 14, while the clamp arm 14 not actuated by the cylinders 16 is fixed.
As seen in FIG. 2, hydraulic fluid from a reservoir 24 is exchanged between the lift truck 10 and the roll clamp 12 via two hydraulic lines 26 and 27 that extend over the mast 22 of the lift truck 10. A handle 28 on the lift truck 10 permits an operator to alternately open or close the clamp arms 14 via actuation of the cylinders 16 and 17, and also permits an operator to rotate the clamps 14 in either selected one of a clockwise or counter clockwise direction via a rotator motor 30. A switch 32 located on the handle 28 is used to determine which function (rotation or clamping) is controlled by the handle 28. The switch 32 is integrated into a wireless transmitter 34 that is in communication with a wireless receiver 36 having a corresponding switch 38 in the roll clamp 12. Thus, for example, an operator can wirelessly cause the switch 38 to operate a spring-biased solenoid valve 40 between an open position and a closed position. It should be understood by those of skill in the art that many other operations may be hydraulically enabled, besides opening and closing a clamp, such as raising or lowering a carriage, side-shifting or rolling a carriage, among many other functions common to lift trucks.
In the open position (as depicted in FIG. 2), pressurized fluid is directed from the reservoir 24 in the lift truck 10, through lines 26, 27 and over the mast 22 to operate the rotator motor 30 in either of two rotational directions depending on the position of the handle 28, i.e. by determining the direction of the flow through the lines 26, 27. Conversely, when the operator uses the switch 32 to wirelessly activate the solenoid valve 40, fluid from the reservoir 24 flows through a pilot line 42 to cause selector control valve 44 to redirect fluid from the rotator motor 30 to the clamp cylinders 16 and 17, as shown in FIG. 2. In this configuration, operation of the handle 28 will alternatively extend or retract the cylinders 16 depending on the position of the handle 28, i.e. by determining the direction of the flow through the lines 26, 27. If a third hydraulic function, such as laterally extending the roll clamp frame were also included, a second pilot-operated valve assembly similar to the combination of valves 40 and 44 would be provided for lateral control using an assembly similar to piston and cylinder assemblies 17, together with a second transmitter/receiver set such as 34 and 36, and a second operator-controlled electrical switch 32.
Hydraulically actuated solenoid switches located on remote attachments, such as the valves 40 and 44 shown in FIG. 2, require a non-trivial amount of power to operate—typically more power than can feasibly be transferred by a wireless radio signal. In such cases, one or more solenoid valves are mounted on the load handler and are controlled by electrical wires routed between the lift truck and the load handler, over the mast of the lift truck, so that the operator can electrically select which load handler function will be actuated by the single pair of hydraulic lines. The masts, however, often include rigid metal frames that are slideably engaged with each other to provide a telescoping extension for the mast. Designing a mast having these electrical wires is a complicated task, as there may be bearings between the moving frames and the wires, and the wires must be placed proximate the sliding metal frames without interfering with movement of the mast. Even with the most careful design, routing the electrical wires over the lift truck mast to a movable load handler requires exposure of the wires and their connectors to significant hazards, wear, and deterioration, which results in breakage, short-circuiting, corrosion and other problems that require relatively frequent replacement and downtime. Moreover, lift truck electrical systems range from twelve to ninety volts, requiring a variety of special coils for the solenoid valves.
To eliminate the need for electrical wires that extend over the mast of a lift truck, some load handlers are equipped with a power supply such as a battery to operate the solenoid valves, or other devices that require power, on the load handler. Batteries on attachments, though, deplete rather quickly necessitating replacement and/or frequent charging. This can become quite burdensome and/or inefficient, particularly in energy intensive applications that include multiple batteries on each attachment, where each battery requires weekly replacement or downtime for recharging.
Moreover, when electrical power to hydraulic solenoid valves or other electronic devices is provided by a power supply on the attachment, but controlled by an operator on a lift truck, some means must be used to provide control signals to the attachment-side electrical system to operate the attachment's electrical equipment. Typically, this is performed using wireless communication channels between transmitters on the lift truck and receivers on the attachment, as shown for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,647,255, 3,768,367, 3,892,079, 4,381,872, 4,526,413, and 6,662,881. Though eliminating the need for electrical wires over the mast of a lift truck, wireless transmitters may often clutter the lift trucks, particularly when those lift trucks are to be serially attached to several different types of attachments that have different respective types of electrical components, e.g. solenoid switches, sensor arrays, bar code readers, lasers, etc.
What is desired, therefore, is improved systems and methods for operating electrical and/or electromechanical equipment on remote attachments, such as lift truck load handlers.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Wireless power transfer and communications for industrial equipment


A motor vehicle door in framework construction and method of making same is provided which includes a lower door element and a supporting doorframe made of profiles. The supporting doorframe essentially includes an upper window frame, an approximately horizontally aligned frame section running at the height of the window sill, and a lower frame. In order to combine numerous functional elements with the supporting doorframe into a prefabricated modular unit while increasing the stiffness of the motor vehicle door, particularly below the window sill, the region of the supporting doorframe lying below the window sill is provided with a large surface mounting support metal sheet which accommodates functional elements. The support metal sheet which is attached on one side at least with the approximately horizontally aligned frame section of the supporting doorframe and is attached on the other side overlapping with the lower door element to the lower frame and/or the lower door element.

This application claims the priority of German Patent Document 199 506 656.6, filed Oct. 21, 1999, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a vehicle door, particularly a motor Do vehicle door in framework construction.
A motor vehicle door in framework construction is known from German Patent Document DE 44 30 862 A1 which consists of a lower door element and a supporting doorframe formed of hollow sections, whereby the supporting doorframe joins an upper window frame, a horizontally aligned frame section running approximately at the height of the window sill, and a lower frame. In this design, only the window opener for adjustment of the window pane is attached to the prefabricated supporting doorframe. Further functional elements such as loudspeakers, a door lock, a door control mechanism, a main door seal, or similar items cannot be attached to the supporting doorframe with this design.
An objective of the invention is to develop a motor vehicle door in framework construction in such a way that, while increasing the stiffness of the motor vehicle door, numerous functional elements can be combined with the supporting doorframe into a prefabricated modular unit, particularly below the window sill.
This is done by providing a large surface mounting support metal sheet in a region below the window""s sill which accommodates functional elements. The mounting support metal sheet is attached overlapping with the lower door element on one side at least to the approximate horizontal aligned frame seat, and on another side to at least the lower frame and/or the lower door element.
Principal advantages attained with the invention are that by attaching a large surface mounting support metal sheet to the supporting doorframe, numerous functional elements can be connected simply and in an easily accessible way to the supporting doorframe. Thus, a loudspeaker, particularly a woofer, a window opener motor, a door control mechanism, a door lock, and door opening and closing aids can easily be premounted on the mounting support metal sheet. The motor vehicle door below the door parapet is significantly stiffened by the large surface mounting support metal sheet and its peripheral attachment to the lower door element. Furthermore, with this type of mounting support metal sheet, the main door seal can be positioned on the door side, above the window sill on the window frame of the supporting doorframe and below the window sill on a continuous peripheral recess of the mounting support metal sheet. Furthermore, the mounting support metal sheet provides a clear separation between wet and dry regions. The window opener motor, the door control mechanism, and the main cable loom are in the dry region.
The mounting support metal sheet can be quickly and easily demounted for maintenance purposes, in order to allow disassembly of the door lock, the window panes, and similar items.
An exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings and will be described in more detail in the following.

Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft


A supply circuit for supplying a light-emitting element includes a voltage regulator having a voltage output for outputting an output voltage and having a control input for regulating the output voltage based on a voltage at a divider node of a voltage divider. A first and a second terminal are used to connect the light emitting element, the first terminal being coupled to the voltage output and the second terminal being coupled to a reference potential terminal via a series resistor. The supply circuit further includes a control block having an analog-to-digital converter for generating a digital voltage feedback value from a voltage applied to the second terminal, a control element, and a digital-to-analog converter coupled to the divider node for outputting an analog control signal based on a digital control value. The control element is arranged to compare the voltage feedback value with a reference feedback value, if the voltage feedback value is less than the reference feedback value, to change the control value in a first direction, and if the voltage feedback value is greater than the reference feedback value, to change the control value in a second direction.

Light emitting elements such as LEDs are used in many applications nowadays. Especially in portable applications, which are supplied by batteries or accumulators, the efficiency in the supply plays a major role. Especially in the case of semiconductor-based light-emitting elements, it is necessary to provide a desired current on the one hand, while on the other hand a supply voltage must be provided in such a way that a forward voltage of the light-emitting element is reliably achieved.
In conventional solutions, the voltage to be supplied to the light-emitting element is therefore fixed, for example, at a value that is higher than a nominal forward voltage of the element. However, this means that if the actual forward voltage differs depending on the component, the current through the element that is set via a series resistor in the strand of the element also varies. This can lead to the light-emitting element either not lighting up or not lighting up as desired, or to unnecessary power being consumed in the series resistor.


Cleaning brush with water-maintaining effect, including: a resilient main body having a neck section, a first expanding section formed on upper side of the neck section and a second expanding section formed on lower side of the neck section; and a fitting member made of water-absorbent material and having an opening. The fitting member is fitted around the first expanding section to tightly enclose a predetermined portion of the first expanding section. The water-absorbent fitting member is able to maintain the water contained in the first expanding section and the fitting member. The cleaning brush is designed with various patterns and also has massaging effect.

The present invention is related to a cleaning brush, and more particularly to a cleaning brush for cleaning human skin. The cleaning brush has water-maintaining effect and is designed with various patterns.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,386 of this applicant discloses a cleaning brush structure which includes a main body made of resilient mesh tube having a neck section. The upper side of the neck section is formed with a first expanding section, while the lower side of the neck section is formed with a second expanding section. Such structure is like two overlapping spherical bodies and can be easily held when used. However, when holding the first expanding section to rub a user""s body with the second expanding section, the second expanding section will uncertainly deflect around about the neck section. Furthermore, such structure is too compact and the expanding sections are too regularly shaped so that it is hard to snugly attach the structure to the skin and the user may feel uncomfortable when using the cleaning brush. Such structure is unable to maintain water. After a period of use, it is necessary to again dip the bathing ball into water. Moreover, when a bathing cream is also used to clean the skin, such structure is unable to maintain water so that when rubbing the skin with the bathing ball, it is hard to create lathers.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a cleaning brush having simple structure and water-maintaining effect.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide the above cleaning brush which is designed with various patterns and also has massaging effect.
According to the above objects, the cleaning brush with water-maintaining effect of the present invention includes: a resilient main body having a neck section, a first expanding section formed on upper side of the neck section and a second expanding section formed on lower side of the neck section; and a fitting member made of water-absorbent material and having an opening. The fitting member is fitted around the first expanding section to tightly enclose a predetermined portion of the first expanding section. The water-absorbent fitting member is able to maintain the water contained in the first expanding section and the fitting member.
The present invention can be best understood through the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:


A system and method for determining eye surface contour using multifocal keratometry is disclosed. The system includes a light source, a light detector, a processor, a non-transitory machine-readable medium communicatively coupled to the processor, and instructions stored on the non-transitory machine-readable medium. The instructions, when loaded and executed by the processor, cause the processor to project a light, using the light source, onto a plurality of surfaces of an eye; create, using the light detector, an image of a plurality of reflections, each of the plurality of reflections created by reflecting the light off of one of the plurality of surfaces of the eye; determine that the plurality of reflections are in focus in the image; and calculate, based on the determination, a curvature of the plurality of surfaces of the eye based on the image.

Keratometry is used in medical imaging to measure the contours of a surface. For example, keratometry may be used to measure the curvature of the outer surface of the cornea of an eye. A keratometry instrument exposes the eye to a light source and measures the reflections off of the outer surface of the cornea to determine the curvature. Typically, keratometry is used to determine the contour of the outer surface of the eye and is not used to determine the contour of surfaces deeper in the eye.

Determining eye surface contour using multifocal keratometry


An improved carpet cleaning machine convertible for brush-aided cleaning or vacuuming includes a pair of powered brushes counter-revolving for stroking solvent-dampened carpet cleaning particles through the carpet and along carpet fibers during initial cleaning. A separately-powered pod is detachable from the machine during brush-aided carpet cleaning and attached to a machine-mounted vacuum nozzle for carpet vacuuming to pick up the dirt-laden particles. The pod has first and second media selected to remove particles of differing sizes from air flowing through the pod. During initial carpet cleaning when vacuum is not needed, the pod may be detached and used in another area for hand-vacuuming carpeted stairs and other "small-area" places.

The three primary approaches used to clean commercial and residential carpets are steam or hot water, foam and dry systems. Dry-type carpet cleaning systems are further divided into two broad categories. One uses a dry or substantially dry powder and the other uses granules slightly moistened with cleaning solvents for dirt removal. The inventive machine has utility for both categories of dry systems but relates primarily to those using granules rather than powder. Such machine also has utility in situations where only carpet vacuuming is performed. That is, its long-bristled brushes are highly effective in removing loose sand and other soil not requiring the application of solvent-bearing material.
Of the dry granular carpet cleaning systems, the best known and most widely used is the HOST.RTM. dry extraction system offered by Racine Industries, Inc. of Racine, Wis. The HOST.RTM. system applies granules to carpet fibers using a machine as shown in Rench et al. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,842,788 and 2,961,673. Such machine, sold under the HOST.RTM. trademark, is devoid of vacuum capability and has a pair of spaced brushes counter-rotating at relatively low speed (about 350 rpm) to stroke the cleaning granules into, through and across the carpet and its fibers.
The granules are referred to as "dry" and are substantially so even though moistened with cleaning solvents. When stroked as described, these granules "scrub" dirt and soil from such fibers including oily and non-oily soil. The carpet is cleaned by working the HOST.RTM. machine across it in different directions. During the cleaning process, granules migrate to the carpet backing adjacent the base of the fiber. A few granules also adhere lightly to the fibers along their lengths. Heretofore, conventional carpet vacuum machines have been used for removing these dirt-ladened granules.
S.C. Johnson Co. of Racine, Wis., sells a vacuum cleaning machine known as the VECTRON.TM.. Such machine is said to incorporate "dual cyclonic technology" which eliminates the need for a dust bag. The machine can be used for hand vacuuming using a wand. However, one must take the entire machine to the site to do so. The vacuum air stream is not required to flow through collected waste and it is not known whether such machine has a beater bar. An advertising brochure says the machine is "ideal for dry carpet cleaning systems." It is believed that this statement alludes to powder systems since the brochure goes on to say that the machine "does not exhaust powder." It is also believed that such machine is based upon one or both of the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,643,748; 4,853,008 (Dyson).
A difficulty attending the use of conventional machines for granule removal is that they perform less than optimally when vacuuming dried-out granules. Performance of such machines is even less satisfactory when vacuuming damp granules and longer carpet fibers further impair granule cleanup. Repeated passes of conventional machines over carpet surfaces are often used and, even at that, such machines fail to remove substantially all of the spent granules.
Whether damp or dry, such granules (at least those of the HOST.RTM. product) do no damage whatever to carpet even though allowed to reside in the carpet for extended periods. But, through carpet usage, granules hidden after vacuuming work their way to the top of the carpet. They are considered by a few to be somewhat unsightly. An approach used by professional cleaners to overcome this is to perform additional vacuuming on one or more successive days--worthwhile even if only to remove newly-deposited dirt--to remove particles which emerge through use.
Yet another difficulty attending the use of conventional machines is that many use only a single filter medium, often a disposable paper bag. To the extent the machine picks up granular material, such bags fill rapidly and work must be suspended during bag disposal and replacement. And many bag/machine configurations draw air through the collected dirt. Vacuum efficiency drops rapidly as the bag fills.
Another disadvantage of conventional machines is that professionals using dry granular carpet cleaning methods are virtually required to invest in two machines, one for brushing the granules into the carpet during non-vacuum cleaning and a vacuum machine for later cleanup. Pairs of machines are cumbersome to move into, around in and out of work sites and represent a significant business investment.
"Dual-mode" (cleaning and vacuum) machines are available for cleaning carpet but they use a dry powder rather than granules. One such machine is made by Clarke-Gravely Corporation of Muskegon, Mich. and sold as the CLARKE CAPTURE carpet cleaning system. Such machine distributes cleaning powder onto the carpet and works the powder into and through the carpet fibers using a round, disk-like scrubber brush, the axis of rotation of which is normal to the carpet surface. Since the machine vacuum system operates to reduce dust rather than recover dirty powder, one is still required to use a separate conventional vacuum machine to remove such powder.
Another type of system used for cleaning carpets with powder is the DRYTECH cleaning machine sold by Sears, Roebuck & Company. The machine has a self-contained vacuum capability and one beater bar with several rows of short-bristled brushes. Such bar is within a shroud which generally conforms to the shape of the bar and by which vacuum is selectively applied. As the brush alone is rotated at high speed, powder is dispensed through two slits, one on either side of the bar between the bar and the shroud. Later, the vacuum is actuated and dry powder (with dirt entrained) is said to be dislodged by the brush and drawn away by vacuum.
A failure of a machine, like the DRYTECH machine, to fully recover powdered cleaner is often not recognized by the site owner/user. This is so since such powdered cleaner is virtually invisible even if distributed on the carpet surface.
Vacuum cleaning machines using cyclone separators are shown in representative U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,515 (Dyson) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,877,902 (Eriksson et al.). Amway Corporation has a Carpet Maintenance System CMS 1000 machine which uses a conventional "beater bar" brush with spirally-arranged brush tufts. Air flow is understood to be first through a cylindrical collection chamber at high velocity, then through a cyclone separator at higher velocity and then through a "HEPA" filter located below a cylindrical collection chamber. The machine is said to have "parallel dual centrifugal separation chambers." It also has a transparent removable waste collection compartment.
Another consideration in machine selection is its flexibility in application. While known machines have certain removable components, those major substructures relating to brush-aided carpet cleaning and to carpet vacuuming are not separable from one another. The utility of such machines is thereby impaired in that they cannot be used to perform different tasks simultaneously. And the resulting added machine weight contributes to operator fatigue.

Carpet cleaning machine with convertible-use feature


Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a spin valve and a spintronic device comprising the same. The spin valves may comprise two or more magnetic layers stacked in sequence, wherein any two adjacent magnetic layers among the two or more magnetic layers have different coercive forces, and at least one of the any two adjacent magnetic layers is a van der Waals magnetic layer, wherein the van der Waals magnetic layer refers to a magnetic layer made of a van der Waals magnetic material.

Currently used spin valves are mainly based on magnetically decoupling by inserting a nonmagnetic spacer layer between two magnetic layers. This enables the magnetization of the two magnetic layers to have a parallel or an antiparallel configuration, resulting in magnetoresistance effects. The magnetoresistance effects in such sandwiched structure of "magnetic layer/spacer layer/magnetic layer" are the cornerstone of magnetic sensing, data storage and processing techniques. Further, information industry based on giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect and tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) effect has been booming for more than 20 years. However, because it is difficult to maintain the spin momentum of electrons during passing through the spacer layer and interfaces between the spacer layer and the magnetic layers, the development of the spin valve which decouples two magnetic layers magnetically by the nonmagnetic spacer layer is limited. In addition, the spin valve of the sandwiched structure goes against device miniaturization and industrialization.
Therefore, there is a need for a spin valve without spacer layer and spintronic devices comprising the same.

Spin valve and spintronic device comprising the same

Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences


A method for transmission of data requires a transmitting node sending a request message identifying at least one time slot that is available for the transmitting node to transmit a data transmission to a plurality of receiving nodes, a first receiving node transmitting a first time slot grant message in response to the request message, a second receiving node transmitting a second time slot grant message in response to the request message, the transmitting node receiving the first and second time slot grant messages, the transmitting node evaluating the first and second time slot grant messages to determine at least one available time slot for transmitting, the transmitting node transmitting at least one confirmation message to the first and second receiving nodes, and the transmitting node transmitting the data transmission in the at least one available time slot identified in the at least one confirmation message.

The IEEE 802.16 standard specifies the air interface including Medium Access Control (MAC) and various specifications of the physical layer of a broadband wireless access (BWA) system for supporting various services. The IEEE 802.16 standard specifies two operating modes, namely a multipoint operating mode (PMP: point-to-multipoint mode) and an optional mesh operating mode.
In PMP mode, it is only possible for subscriber stations to communicate with a base station. The individual subscriber stations, for example mobile terminals, cannot communicate with one another directly. The individual subscriber stations must therefore be within the direct transmission range of the base station in order to obtain access to the network.
The other operating mode specified in the 802.16 standard is referred to as mesh or MSH mode. The main difference between PMP mode and MSH mode is that in PMP mode, the data is exchanged exclusively between the base station and the subscriber stations and no data can be transmitted directly between subscriber stations. In mesh mode, data can be exchanged directly between a subscriber station and the base station by routing the data via other subscriber stations. Data can also be exchanged directly between different subscriber stations. The advantage of mesh mode is that it permits indirect data communication between a subscriber device and the base station, i.e. it is possible to provide fewer base stations when implementing the network. Another advantage is that the base stations have a greater range extending beyond the physical broadcast range of their own network adapter.
The mesh data networks based on the 802.16-2004 standard do not describe any mechanism for broadcasting or multicasting data. In the case of a broadcast data transmission, a transmitting node sends data to all (broadcast) or to a specific subgroup of neighboring nodes (multicast). In order for a transmitting node to be able to send data to the neighboring nodes, according to the 802.16-2004 standard it must send its broadcast messages sequentially, i.e. the transmitting node sends the data as a unicast initially to a first receiving node and then subsequently to a further receiving node etc. until all neighboring nodes have been reached. The bandwidth required for this increases in line with the number of neighboring nodes. The time delay of the transmitted broadcast messages also rises. The time delay for subsequent messages likewise increases as a result of the effort expended for transmitting the broadcast message.
Distributed scheduling as used in mesh mode allows the node to coordinate its data transmissions in a distributed manner in its two-hop neighborhood, i.e. with nodes that are no further than two transmission hops or links away from the node. This enables data to be transferred freely without collisions or bottlenecks. However, the mesh mode defined in the IEEE 802.16 standard only supports requesting and granting of one bandwidth for a unicast data transmission, that is to say data transmission in which the data is received by exactly one neighboring node. The IEEE 802.16 standard does not support broadcast data transmission for mesh mode, that is to say successful transmission of a single data unit to multiple receiving nodes. For a successful broadcast data transmission, with the IEEE 802.16 standard a transmitting node would have to perform a data transmission reservation in a time slot in which all its neighboring nodes are ready to receive. The readiness of neighboring nodes to receive depends however on the reserved data transmissions in the neighborhood of the respective neighboring node. It is therefore not possible to base the selection of a time slot for data transmission solely on the knowledge of the state of the neighboring nodes of the transmitting node that wishes to perform a broadcast data transmission. In order to send data to all its neighboring nodes therefore, the transmitting node must sequentially send the data to its neighboring nodes in a unicast data transmission.
It is often necessary to transmit the same data to multiple receivers. For instance, in the case of reactive routing methods, protocol messages are often sent to multiple neighbors in order to determine a path to a destination. In this way the messages rapidly propagate throughout the entire network and the destination can be found more quickly. Using the conventional form of unicast data transmission has the disadvantage here that the data has to be transmitted additionally for each receiver. This is however very inefficient, as the same data is always transmitted. With a broadcast method on the other hand, one data transmission could reach multiple receivers simultaneously. Unfortunately, 802.16 does not currently provide any support for broadcasting data packets. There is one broadcast, but it is intended solely for transmitting MAC management in control subframe messages. This mechanism is not suitable for the actual data traffic. It controls the sending of data packets to multiple receivers, guaranteeing collision-free transmission.

Method, network nodes and system for broadcast transmission of data

Siemens Enterprise Communications GmbH & Co. KG


A method for producing hyperthermal molecular hydrogen is disclosed and use of same for selectively breaking C—H or Si—H bonds without breaking other bonds are disclosed. A hydrogen plasma is maintained and protons are extracted with an electric field to accelerate them to an appropriate kinetic energy. The protons enter into a drift zone to collide with molecular hydrogen in gas phase. The cascades of collisions produce a high flux of hyperthermal molecular hydrogen with a flux many times larger than the flux of protons extracted from the hydrogen plasma. The nominal flux ratio of hyperthermal molecular hydrogen to proton is controlled by the hydrogen pressure in the drift zone, and by the length of the drift zone. The extraction energy of the protons is shared by these hyperthermal molecules so that average energy of the hyperthermal molecular hydrogen is controlled by extraction energy of the protons and the nominal flux ratio. Since the hyperthermal molecular hydrogen projectiles do not carry any electrical charge, the flux of hyperthermal hydrogen can be used to engineer surface modification of both electrical insulating products and conductive products. When this method of generating a high flux of hyperthermal molecular hydrogen is applied to bombard organic precursor molecules (or silicone, or silane molecules) with desirable chemical functionality/functionalities on a substrate, the C—H or Si—H bonds are thus cleaved preferentially due to the kinematic selectivity of energy deposition from the hyperthermal hydrogen projectiles to the hydrogen atoms in the precursor molecules. The induced cross-linking reactions produce a stable molecular layer having a controllable degree of cross-linking and retaining the desirable chemical functionality/functionalities of the precursor molecules.

Cross-linking is the process of chemically joining molecules by covalent bonds. This is a common and important process both in nature and in industry, to build large and function-specific molecules from small and simple ones. In the polymer industry, monomers are cross-linked to macromolecular chains which can also be further cross-linked into polymeric networks. In the simplest example, a CH4 molecule can be converted to a CH3 radical by the cleavage of one of its C—H bonds, and two CH3 radicals can then combine themselves to C2H6. Repeating the cleavage of C—H and recombination of carbon radicals can yield a large cross-linked hydrocarbon network, possibly in the form of a thin film. In a conventional cross-linking reaction, precursor molecules containing chemically reactive units to facilitate cross-linking are synthesized and placed together. Another reactive reagent is added to activate the cross-linking reaction; the activation is typically enacted by bond-cleavage and radical formation. Heat or another energy source is typically required to break bonds. To reduce the energy barrier for this bond cleavage and to increase the reaction rate, a catalyst is normally required. In addition, other chemical additives are often used to moderate the reaction rate, and to terminate the reaction after a certain degree of cross-linking is accomplished. Many of these reactive chemical reagents are toxic and environmentally harmful. As such, there is a desire to develop a "green" route of cross-linking so that the use of these chemical reagents can be reduced or eliminated.
To develop such a "green" and practical route of cross-linking, it is relevant to examine the processes for cleaving C—H in an organic precursor molecule. Rupturing and removing a hydrogen atom from a hydrogen-containing molecule is commonly referred as hydrogen abstraction in chemistry. A number of reactants can be used in hydrogen abstraction. Common reactants include hydrogen atom, halogen atom, hydroxyl radical, and other radical species. Although the reactants are reactive, activation energy is still commonly required for hydrogen abstraction and some reactions thus require adequate thermal energy (A. A. Zavitsas, Journal of American Chemical Society 120 (1998)6578-6586). Among these reactants, hydrogen atom is particularly attractive because it is not toxic and its generation is relatively easy. The hydrogen abstraction reaction of using atomic hydrogen to break a C—H bond of an alkane molecule is typically exothermal or energy-neutral but has a transition energy barrier of about 0.5 eV. As such, the reaction rate is relatively low at room temperature. Indeed, for a gas phase reaction of H+CH4→H2+CH3. with a constant supply of both reactants at a partial pressure of 1×10−3 Torr at room temperature, the generation of CH3. to a partial pressure of 10−3 Torr, in the absence of any side reactions, will take about one month. By raising the reaction temperature to 300° C., the same result can be obtained in about 0.3 second. Although similar examples of using thermal energy to drive chemical reactions forward are indeed widely used in industry, this heat-driven approach is not applicable to those reaction systems in which heat causes undesirable side reactions. For polymer manufacturing, heating the polymer above its glass transition temperature will cause undesirable deformation. Novel and economical reaction routes for selective C—H bond cleavage with a high throughput and without any heat requirement are thus desirable.
In another widely adopted method of cross-linking small organic precursor molecules to a polymeric film, the organic precursor molecules are fed into a gaseous plasma powered by a direct-current (DC), radio-frequency (RF) or microwave (MW) energy source. The science of technology of plasma polymerization has been adequately reviewed by pioneers in the field such as Yasuda (H. Yasuda, Plasma Polymerization, Academic Press, Inc., New York, 1985), Biederman (H. Biederman, edited, Plasma Polymer Films, Imperial College Press, London, 2004), and Fridman (A. Fridman, Plasma Chemistry, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2008). It is commonly recognized that even when pure organic precursor molecules are fed into plasma, the plasma chemistry is complex and many different bond-breaking processes are active in the plasma. In essence, when plasma is ignited in a gas, some atoms and molecules in the gas are ionized to generate a large number of electrons and ions. Typically these electrons can have an average energy of a few electron volts and a broad energy distribution. Expressed in an equivalent value in temperature, these electrons can reach 105 K. In the plasma, they diffuse much more quickly than ions and their frequent collisions with the atoms and molecules in the plasma lead to excitation, ionization, and bond dissociation. The relaxation of some of these excited species can emit light including ultraviolet light which can also cause secondary excitation, ionization, and bond dissociation. Hence, although a polymer film can be practically formed with plasma polymerization, it is difficult to control the resultant film to match a specific chemical specification such as a film having only one type of chemical functional group (e.g., COOH) in a certain desirable concentration (e.g., one COOH group per three carbon atoms such as that in polyacrylic acid). In fact, Yasuda wrote, "most organic compounds with oxygen-containing groups such as —COOH, —CO—, —OCO—, —OH, and —O—, are generally reluctant to form a polymer, and the plasma polymers rarely contain the original oxygen-containing groups" (H. Yasuda, Plasma Polymerization, Academic Press, Inc., New York, 1985; pp. 112-113).
Several special plasma polymerization methods have been developed to address these limitations of the general plasma polymerization methods. For example, the technique of pulsed plasma polymerization has been developed to harness the complex processes of excitation, ionization, and dissociation in the plasma by supplying the plasma energy to the reactant gas in a train of pulses with controls of the duration, frequency and power of the pulses. The concept and applications of this technique have been explained by Friedrich et al. (J. Friedrich, W. Unger, A. Lippitz, I. Koprinarov, A. Ghode, S. Geng, G. Kuhn, "Plasma-based introduction of monosort functional groups of different type and density onto polymer surfaces. Part 1: Behaviour of polymers exposed to oxygen plasma", Composite Interface 10(139-171) 2003; and "Part 2: Pulsed plasma polymerization", ibid 10(173-223)2003). In their work, monomer precursor molecules having a C═C bond such as acrylic acid (H2C═CHCOOH) receive a short pulse of plasma energy and undergo excitation, ionization and dissociation. Although undesirable reactions leading to the loss of the —COOH functional groups will inevitably occur, most of these undesirable reactions cease during the pulse-off-cycle. However, the polymerization chain reaction in cross-linking acrylic acid molecules persists even when the plasma pulse is off. In an optimized pulsed plasma polymerization process, when the cross-linking chain reaction runs out of stream, the plasma pulse is applied to prime the chain reaction again. For example, Friedrich et al. have demonstrated that up to 73% of the —COOH in acrylic acid can be retained in a polymer film formed by this pulsed plasma polymerization method. Since the loss of useful functional group and the formation of undesirable functional groups can still occur when the plasma pulse is on, an alternative technique to eliminate these problems is still desirable.
In the research and development of new reaction routes, scientists have discovered that the kinetic energy of a reactant can be an important reaction attribute. It can be used to drive a chemical reaction which otherwise relies totally on the thermal energy supplied to the reaction system and the chemical potentials of reactive chemical reagents. The best fundamental evidence can be found in most scientific articles on molecular beam research in the literature (see for example, M. A. D. Fluendy and K. P. Lawley, "Chemical applications of molecular beam scattering", Chapman and Hall, 1973). In this research, a beam of atoms or molecules having a specific kinetic energy and internal energy is directed to a target. The energy exchange and resultant chemical reactions are examined. Such experiments are, however, technically demanding and economically expensive. In a typical molecular beam experiment, kinetic energy is added to the atoms or molecules when they are adiabatically expanded with an inert gas through a small nozzle. The velocity of the atoms or molecules can increase to supersonic speed. However, this technique is not suitable for light species, since the kinetic energy of a light molecule like hydrogen traveling at supersonic speed is still much less than 0.1 eV. Although it is possible to speed up a heavy hydrogen-containing molecule such as HI and split it with a laser beam for the formation of hyperthermal atomic hydrogen, this is certainly not a practical method to practice C—H bond cleavage in industry.
The kinetic energies of the atoms or molecules can also be increased by ionizing them and then accelerating them using an electrostatic ion acceleration process. These accelerated ions can be used to bombard a target in an "ion bombardment" process. Many industrial processes indeed use ion bombardment to reduce the reliance of synthetic reactions on thermal energy and to promote reactions via non-thermal equilibrium pathways (see for example, O. Auciello and R. Kelly, "Ion bombardment modification of surfaces", Elsevier Science, 1984). In practice, ion bombardment of an electrically insulating surface is not practical because of surface charging. Although many analytical instruments such as ion microscopes circumvent such surface charging problems by flooding the ion bombarded area with low energy electrons, the concurrent supplies of both energetic ions and electrons with precise controls in energy and dosage to a large irradiation area for practical industrial manufacturing are technically challenging and economically expensive.
Recently Lau and coworkers have shown that bombarding an organic molecule with hyperthermal proton can preferentially break C—H bonds without breaking other bonds (R. W. M. Kwok and W. M. Lau, "Method for selectively removing hydrogen from molecules", US Patent Application 20030165635, filed Feb. 25, 2003; L. Xi, Z. Zheng, N. S. Lam, H. Y. Nie, O. Grizzi, and W. M. Lau, "Study of the hyperthermal proton bombardment effects on self-assembled monolayers of dodecanethiol on Au(111)", J. Phys. Chem. C 112, 12111-12115 (2008); C. Y. Choi C Y, Z. Zheng, K. W. Wong, Z. L. Du, W. M. Lau, and R. X. Du R X, "Fabrication of cross-linked multi-walled carbon nanotube coatings with improved adhesion and intrinsic strength by a two-step synthesis: electrochemical deposition and hyperthermal proton bombardment", Appl. Phys. A 91, 403-406 (2008); W. M. Lau, Z. Zheng, Y. H. Wang, Y. Luo, L. Xi, K. W. Wong, and K. Y. Wong, "Cross-linking organic semiconducting molecules by preferential C—H cleavage via "chemistry with a tiny hammer", Can. J. Chem. 85, 859-865 (2007); L. Xi, Z. Zheng, N. S. Lam, O. Grizzi, and W. M. Lau, "Effects of hyperthermal proton bombardment on alkanethiol self-assembled monolayer on Au(111)", Appl. Surf. Sci. 254, 113-115 (2007); Z. Zheng K. W. Wong, W. C. Lau, R. W. M. Kwok and W. M. Lau, "Unusual kinematics-driven chemistry: cleaving C—H but not COO—H bonds with hyperthermal protons to synthesize tailor-made molecular films", Chem. Euro. J. 13, 3187-3192 (2007); Z. Zheng, W. M. Kwok, and W. M. Lau, "A new cross-linking route via the unusual collision kinematics of hyperthermal proton in unsaturated hydrocarbon: the case of poly(trans-isoprene)", Chem. Comm. 29, 3122-3124 (2006); X. D. Xu, R. W. M. Kwok, and W. M. Lau, "Surface modification of polystyrene by low energy hydrogen ion beam", Thin Solid Films 514, 182-187 (2006); Z. Zheng, X. D. Xu, X. L. Fan, W. M. Lau, and R. W. M. Kwok, "Ultrathin polymer film formation by collision-induced cross-linking of adsorbed organic molecules with hyperthermal protons", J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 126, 12336-12342 (2004)).
The novelty of this approach is the exploitation of the unusual kinematics when a hyperthermal proton strikes an organic molecule adsorbed on a conductive solid substrate. In this bombardment process, the incoming proton will first be neutralized by the conductive substrate when it is still >0.5 nm above the surface. The neutral atomic hydrogen projectile carrying a few eV in kinetic energy continues to approach the target organic molecule and enters first to the attractive chemical potential region and forms a transient molecule with the target. The kinetic energy then drives the projectile into the repulsive potential region and finally the projectile uses up its kinetic energy. If the projectile and target are merely two hard spheres, after the closest encounter they will fly apart and the maximum energy transfer is determined by the two masses with the formula: 4MpMt(Mp+Mt)2. Hence, a projectile of an atomic mass unit of one can transfer its kinetic energy very effectively to a target of an atomic mass unit of one (hydrogen atom) but the maximum kinematic energy transfer drastically drops to 28% if the target has an atomic mass unit of twelve (carbon atom). This difference in kinematic energy transfer can be exploited, in principle, to preferentially break C—H bonds because the typical dissociation energy of C—H and other sigma bonds of an organic molecule is 4-5 eV. Indeed, Lau and co-workers have demonstrated the feasibility of this concept by using protons of less than 20 eV to break C—H bonds without breaking other bonds in a variety of organic molecules.
By condensing polyacrylic acid as the precursor molecules on a silicon wafer surface, they have demonstrated the cross-linking of them into a stable molecular layer with retention of more than 95% of the —COOH group by their proton bombardment method. In all their published experimental data, protons are used because protons can be attracted from hydrogen plasma and the proton energy can be controlled quite precisely with the common techniques of ion optics. They have also confirmed the theoretical validity of the concept by ab initio molecular dynamics computations for the collisions of a proton with a simple hydrocarbon molecule under different collision trajectory conditions. Their published results are informative in laying the foundation of using kinematic energy transfer to break C—H bonds, but the approach of proton bombardment suffers the same surface charging problems of all ion bombardment techniques and is not practical for the industrial manufacturing of polymeric products.
Therefore, it would be very advantageous to provide a method of selectively breaking C—H and/or Si—H bonds which can be used with any substrate and which avoids breaking other molecular bonds.

Method for producing hyperthermal hydrogen molecules and using same for selectively breaking C—H and/or Si—H bonds of molecules at or on substrate surfaces


A carbon desorption heater (10) for use in a system for removing volatile organic contaminants from a carbon filter is disclosed as having a housing (30) in which a recirculating heating circuit (36) is provided with a recirculation blower (44) that moves the air past a burner (50) for flow through a first flow path (60) of a heat exchanger (58) with a portion of the recirculated air exhausted during each cycle of flow through an exhaust stack outlet (52). A delivery blower (64) within the housing (30) moves air through a second flow path (62) of the heat exchanger (58) for heating prior to delivery to a supply outlet (34). The heater includes a plurality of modules (90) that are sufficiently small so as to be shippable and subsequently securable to each other at the factory site where the heater is to be used. Insulated walls (94, 96, 98, 100) cooperate to define a heating chamber (106) in which the recirculating heating circuit (36) is located, while an outer wall (108) cooperates with certain of the insulated walls to provide a control chamber (110) in which the control equipment of the heater is located for adjustment and maintenance.

One way of removing volatile organic contaminants from industrial exhaust stack emissions is through the use of a carbon filter that absorbs the volatile organic contaminants prior to passage of the emissions to the atmosphere. Such carbon filters are supplied with heated gas from a carbon desorption heater to remove the volatile organic contaminants from the carbon filter by a desorption process. This type of system is conventionally constructed with the carbon filter as a rotatable wheel that is rotatively driven between emission and desorption partitions spaced angularly from each other so as to provide the removal of contaminants from the emissions during one angular portion of rotation and to provide the desorption of the contaminants by the heated air at another angular portion of the rotation. After passage through the carbon filter, the heated air has a concentration of volatile organic contaminants many times greater than that of the exhaust stack emissions such that the volatile organic contaminants can be more efficiently incinerated prior to passage of the products of combustion to the atmosphere.
Carbon desorption heaters presently used with industrial paint spray booth emissions cleaning are not particularly efficient or easy to use since such heaters are assembled from numerous components at the factory site due to their relatively large size. Such inefficiency and the cost involved in assembly of the heaters at the factory site necessarily must be born by the cost of the resultant painted product.


A cigarette pack and lighter device is disclosed that provides a way for smokers to always have a lighter on hand. The cigarette pack and lighter device comprises a container for retaining a plurality of cigarettes, and an extended section secured to the container for retaining a lighter. The extended section comprises at least one opening for accessing a thumb spark clicker and/or a vented flame hole of the lighter, so that a user can access the lighter without having to remove the lighter from the extended section. Typically, the openings are covered with a perforated cardstock material that can be torn away by the user to access the thumb spark clicker and/or the vented flame hole of the lighter, such that the user can light the cigarettes with the provided lighter.

Many smokers try to keep a lighter with them so they will always have a way to light their cigarettes. Typically, smokers may purchase several lighters to keep around the house and/or in the car, at work, etc., but these lighters may run out of fuel or go missing when they need them. Further, smokers may become frustrated as they fumble for a functional lighter when trying to light a cigarette. Also, newer vehicles do not always come with cigarette lighters in the power jack and even when they do, the lighters that are manufactured in vehicles are not always reliable. A solution is needed to ensure that smokers always have a lighter available when needed.
The present invention provides a way for smokers to always have a lighter available. The cigarette pack and lighter combination device is designed as a marketing concept for cigarette companies. Each company may package their own cigarettes in the container at the top with a slim lighter positioned at the bottom of the container. The lighter may provide just enough fuel (e.g., butane) for the cigarettes housed in the container. Thus, cigarette companies may attract new customers by providing smokers with a built-in lighter in their cigarette packs. Anyone who regularly smokes and/or buys cigarettes may appreciate the convenience afforded by this device.


An anti-snoring pillow is designed to make side sleepers more comfortable for longer periods of time. The anti-snoring pillow is designed to cradle and support the jaw of a user, and to minimize the user's ear discomfort when the user uses the pillow. The anti-snoring pillow comprises a pillow that defines a semicircular central cavity that concaves toward a central ear cavity, a through hole that is defined on a central section of the central ear cavity, a left jaw support and a right jaw support that are defined on a lower horizontal section of the semicircular central cavity, and a concaved neck support that is defined between the left jaw support and the right jaw support that runs toward the central ear cavity. The pillow is covered with a fitted pillowcase that is locked onto the pillow.

The present invention relates to an anti-snoring pillow and pillowcase system that encourages users to sleep on their sides to prevent snoring.
The present invention is an anti-snoring pillow and pillowcase system, which addresses the problems of snoring. More particularly, the present invention relates to an anti-snoring pillow, which embodies a combination of essential physical characteristics that collectively serve to allow a user to sleep comfortably on his or her side.
Medical research and studies have found that when people sleep on their sides that they substantially reduce the frequency and the intensity and/or loudness of their snoring.
The anti-snoring pillow of the present invention is designed to allow a user's ear to fall within a section of the pillow that defines an ear aperture that minimizes the user's ear from contacting the pillow. The positioning of the user's ear within the aperture reduces any ear discomfort the user would normally suffer from if he or she were sleeping on a standard pillow. The present invention also defines a jaw cradle support that keeps a user's mouth from opening when the user uses the anti-snoring pillow. The design of the present invention allows a user to remain on his or her side for longer periods.
Typically, many individuals snore while sleeping: snoring is the hoarse or harsh sound which occurs when air flows past relaxed tissues in the throat, causing the tissues to vibrate as one breathes. Usually, snoring occurs while the individual is in a deep sleep, at that point in time the individual's facial muscles are relaxed which causes the individual's jaw and mouth to open. Clinical institutions report that dry mouth and bad breath worsen when people sleep with their mouths open. As our muscles relax when falling asleep, the jaw tends to collapse downward due to gravity, and our mouths open. When we breathe through our mouths, snoring normally commences.
The sleep industry has produced and promoted drugs, supplements, pillows, mattresses, straps, and other devices to help people who snore. Yet interestingly, none of the drugs or products are designed to address the problem of sleeping on one's back.
The present invention addresses the need of having an anti-snoring pillow that will minimize snoring.

Anti-snoring pillow and pillowcase system


Power control of a base station of a CDMA system that includes a plurality of communication terminals and a maintenance terminal is optimized by adjusting one of transmitted power and received power of the base station, based on power distribution values of radio channels used in radio communications, the power distribution values being obtained by counting the number of the radio channels corresponding to each of the transmitted power levels and the received power levels of the base station.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to code division multiple access (CDMA) technology, and especially relates to a code division multiple access communication system, and a base station control device and a base station thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a code division multiple access radio communications system, communications are performed by assigning a code that is unique to each of a plurality of subscribers, and assigning the same wide range frequency band to the subscribers at the same time. For a specified communication through a channel, all other ongoing communications provided through other channels constitute an interference signal, whether the channels are in a cell to which the specified communication is being performed, or in other cells. Moreover, the power of a base station defines the number of subscribers that can be accommodated in the base station (or a sector), and the range of a service area of the base station. Therefore, transmission power and a target level of received power should be controlled such that there are no excesses or deficiencies. That is, the power levels should be controlled such that a desired signal to noise ratio (S/N) and a desired frame error rate (FER) are achieved. If optimal control is performed, the number of subscribers that can be accommodated in the entire communication system will be maximized. In a conventional communication system, a maintenance terminal for managing two or more base stations and base station control devices are used to predict and determine various parameters about the power of the base station, and control the base station, such that the maximum subscriber accommodation of the communication system is attained. The conventional communication system as mentioned above may provide optimal control, when the cell environment for communications, such as the number of subscribers, the number of base stations, and others, is relatively static, with few changes.
However, in actual operations, the cell environment dynamically changes according to various factors such as change of the number of subscribers, spatial deviation of the subscribers, temporal deviation of traffic from day to night, addition and deletion of the base stations, and change of a neighboring building. In order to optimally perform the power control of each base station, a quick response to the changes of the cell environment is required. By the conventional technique, if the cell environment changes, the maintenance terminal that manages the base station etc. needs to analyze and perform simulation such that parameters of the base stations etc. are reconfigured, which consumes time. When the cell environment changes rapidly, the parameters that are predicted as above may no longer be optimal.

Code division multiple access communication system, and a base station control device and a base station thereof


A method for adjusting the brake pedal counter force in a vehicle with a hydraulic vehicle brake and an electromechanical brake device includes modulating the brake pressure during the simultaneous operation of the hydraulic vehicle brake and the electromechanical brake device such that the brake pedal counter force follows a predetermined target profile.

The disclosure concerns a method for adjusting the brake pedal counter force in a vehicle with a brake system, in which both a hydraulic vehicle brake and also an electromechanical brake device displace a brake piston for producing a braking force.
A parking brake system is known from DE 10 2004 004 992 A1 with an electric brake motor, by means of which a brake piston is displaced against a brake disk to produce a clamping force holding the vehicle at a standstill. The parking brake system is integrated within the hydraulic wheel brake and the brake piston is also applied against the brake disk by the hydraulic brake fluid.
In DE 10 2006 055 766 A1, a combined vehicle brake system is described that comprises a hydraulic brake system on the front axle of the vehicle and an electromechanical brake system on the rear axle. The vehicle is driven by an electric motor that can be operated as a generator to recover braking energy. The braking torque of the electric motor that arises during this adds to the braking torque that is produced by the hydraulic brake system and the electromechanical brake system. In order to give the driver a natural or customary braking feel, the inlet and outlet valves in the hydraulic brake system are switched so that a defined force-travel characteristic is imposed on the travel at the brake pedal.
A vehicle brake system comparable with DE 10 2006 055 766 A1 is also known from DE 10 2007 030 441 B4.

Method for adjusting the brake pedal counter force in a vehicle


A duplex optical fiber connector terminates two single or multi-mode optical fibers of a cable and is adapted to be joined to a receptacle being polarized correspondingly to a keying element of the connector. The keying element is slidable into multiple positions so that a recess in the keying element mates with a correspondingly positioned rib of a receptacle. The recess of the keying element is positioned within a channel axially extending on the connector exterior body.

This invention pertains to an improved fiber optic connector with a keying element. Keying systems are known in the connector art to enable particular connectors to be intermateable with only particular receptacles. Such polarization ensures that a connector having a specific key may only be connected to a receptacle having a complementary keying configuration. In the fiber optics area, the conducting of signals for equipment, such as local area networks (LAN), require polarization of the connected fibers connecting the components. Because each connection includes an input path and an output path, and the output of one station must be correctly connected to the input of another station, it is absolutely necessary that correct polarization of all physical connections be maintained at all times. Also, it is necessary that stations be connected in proper sequence. Thus, a keying system having four keying combinations may be established for multi-mode connectors, for example, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has proposed under Standard X3.166-1989 a media interface connector having A, B, and (S) slave configurations wherein the slave position configuration may mate to a receptacle having any of the various keying configurations. Four different keying configurations also denote single-mode connectors: SA, SB, SM and SS. Single-mode denotes connectors which have one single optical mode or propagation state of the communication signal which results in an optical fiber core significantly smaller than for multi-mode. Multi-mode denotes connectors which have multiple optical modes in which the communication signal is propagated.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,995 discloses a connector assembly suitable for connecting duplex fiber optic fiber cables to each other having removable keying elements. The patent discloses three removable keying elements, each having a recess located in a different position at the top of the key. Each keying element has a post which is inserted into an aperture of the plug body. Upon insertion of the keying element into the plug body, proper polarization of the connector is obtained.
However, the aforesaid U.S. patent only discloses a connector assembly including removable keys. Such a keying element which is removable is disadvantageous because the loose keys may be misplaced and under certain circumstances may be difficult to insert in the connector. In addition, three separate keying elements require increased production and molding costs for the manufacture of the connector assembly. Therefore, an improved connector assembly that does not require loose, removable keys is needed.


A method of autoclaving porous piece-goods, by steam under pressure, wherein the autoclaving operation includes sequential phases of heating with steam, holding, and then relaxing the pressure and temperature, wherein the holding phase includes a drying process. In order to obtain as dry a product as possible with the smallest possible energy input, it is provided that a drying process is carried out within the holding phase in which the autoclave is heated more than to compensate for heat losses and to a temperature above the temperature of vaporization of the water so that the material is dried by controlled discharge of steam from the interior of the autoclave. The steam discharged from one or more autoclaves during the drying process is used to heat up at least partially an autoclave to be heated.

Such a method is known from EP-B 0 133 239, in which pressure and temperature are held constant during the holding phase, in order to allow the desired reaction to proceed during this time. There then follows a drying process in an intermediate phase, during which the autoclave is additionally heated more than to compensate for heat losses and to a temperature above the temperature of vaporisation of the water, so that excess water in the goods is partially vaporised and discharged as steam, in order to obtain a dry product at the end of the autoclave cycle. However, primary energy is used in this both for the heating up and for holding and drying--this involving a corresponding additional invested expense.
The object of the invention is to teach a method of the kind initially referred to, which makes it possible to carry out the drying process without taking up additional time and without the contribution of additional primary energy.

Method of autoclaving porous piece-goods especially moulded bodies of porous concrete

SICOWA Verfahrenstechnik fuer Baustoffe GmbH & Co. KG


A tire vulcanization mold comprises a mold body having an inner surface for molding a tire outer surface and at least one vent passage for the escape of gas in the mold during vulcanization, the vent passage with an inlet end and an outlet end, the inlet end being opened on the inner surface of the mold body, the outlet end communicating with an exterior of the mold body, wherein the vent passage communicates with the inner surface of the mold body at an angle of not less than 60 degrees, and less than 90 degrees with respect to a normal line perpendicular to the inner surface at the inlet end.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tire vulcanization mold for manufacturing a tire, more particularly to a structure of an improved air vent passage to reduce spew formation on an outer surface of a tire while permitting the escape of gas from the mold.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typically, a tire is produced through a vulcanizing process that molds and vulcanizes a green tire using a tire vulcanization mold with an inner surface for molding a tire. In the vulcanizing process, the green tire is heated and pressed onto the inner surface of the mold. In order to precisely mold a vulcanized tire, the green tire should be fitted closely and uniformly on the inner surface of the mold during the vulcanizing process.
However, in the event that whole portions of the green tire do not contact with the inner surface of the mold simultaneously, air would be trapped therebetween and remain. Such air may not only prevent smooth rubber flow during vulcanization process, but also causes molding defects such as a dent on the outer surface of the tire.
As shown in FIG. 9, in order to prevent molding defects of a tire, a tire vulcanization mold (d) having air vent passages (c) extending from an inner surface (a) to an exterior of the mold for the escape of gas is proposed. The tire vulcanization mold is provided with a bladder (g) which is inflated in a cavity of the green tire placed in the mold so as to press the green tire in the normal direction (b) to the inner surface (d) of the mold. The vent passages (c) also extend in substantially parallel with the normal direction (b) to the inner surface (d) of the mold.
Thus, air as well as a part of plasticized rubber (i) pressed by the bladder (g) goes into the vent passage (c) easily during vulcanizing process. After vulcanizing process, rubber insertion in the vent passage (c) turns to a spew remained on the outer surface of the tire. The tire having spews is liable to decrease in quality and appearance thereof. In order to prevent spew formation on outer surface of tires, the vent passage having a small inside diameter in which rubber is difficult to enter is proposed. However, such a vent passage may not work for the escape of gas sufficiently.


The invention relates to a system and method called autotopology of a network or advertising based network management which enables the analysis and automatic graphical and hierarchical representation of any hierarchical or flat network topology, especially a switched Ethernet (SE). The autotopology can be used for self-configured networks (for example by using zeroconf) and for any otherwise configured networks, especially using DHCP or manually configured networks. The use of zeroconf is called autoconfiguration. Autoconfiguration and autotopology enable a comfortable and safe administration of a network. Administration of a self-configured network using the autotopology data proceeds in a separate and low-priority sub-network (link local) so that the productive operation of the network remains undisturbed. The topology of the network is used as a clear possibility of administering a network. Administration of the network is possible immediately after determination of the topology.

With networks, the elements in the network generally have a unique network address for the purpose of exchanging data, by means of which it is possible to exchange data selectively. This situation enables the elements in the network, for example switches, computers, etc., to make themselves known by sending their network address to all the other elements in the network. Until now it has only been possible to determine the topology of such a network manually, i.e. by a person and/or by calling on the assistance of very time-consuming iterative methods.

System and method for analyzing a network and/or generating the topology of a network


In an information presentation apparatus (for example, a camera-equipped PDA) which analyzes spatial stereotactic information on a target object in the real world and/or a predefined marker, and outputs predetermined related information (for example, a piping name) on a screen, suggestion information on the spatial stereotactic information of the target object in the real world and/or the predefined marker is output on the screen, in addition to the predetermined related information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information presentation apparatus and an information presentation method, which analyze spatial stereotactic information of a target object in the real world and/or a predefined marker, and output predetermined related information on a screen.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the information presentation apparatuses which present predetermined related information with respect to a target object in the real world and/or a predefined marker, bar-code readers have been extremely well known.
Among those, there is disclosed an apparatus which presents information by utilizing spatial information of a target object and/or a predefined marker in U.S. Pat. No. 6,389,182. The apparatus reads a two-dimensional code printed on a business card by a camera, and analyzes a bar-coded ID thereof by a program in a computer. Then, image data of a facial photograph of a person corresponding to the analyzed ID is read out of an image database, and the image data is displayed so as to be next to the two-dimensional code on the above-described image of the business card which has been captured by the camera and displayed on a computer display. In this way, a display is carried out as if the facial photograph is next to the two-dimensional code on the business card.

Information presentation apparatus for suggesting a presentation accuracy of related information and information presentation method