A method and system is provided for enabling real-time availability of accessible format of a published document such as book, journal, newspapers etc. to the print disabled users using the technology platform, at the same time ensuring the interest of various stakeholder such as print disabled users, publishers, NGOs, universities, libraries etc. The technology platform is creating an eco-system in a particular country which can be integrated with an international eco-system of digital accessible publishing. The technology platform provides facility to the end user to access the book online or even request the library to provide the book offline and if any of desired books not available in the platform the same can also be requested by users for production by libraries. The accessible format can also be provided in various forms such online, audio, through post etc. as per the requirement of the user.

UN Convention on the 'rights of persons with disabilities' has recognized right to information access to information and communication technologies is the basic human right. So that every individual is able to participate and contribute actively in the society. However, despite of releasing the importance of this right by 159 countries across the globe, a segment of this user group having visual, physical or cognitive disability is deprived of this knowledge and information which is available to the general public due to inaccessibility of the printed materials. These people make up this very large demographic find it difficult or impossible to read traditional paper-based as well as modern electronic documents. According to the World Blind Union, 1 million or so books gets published each year in the world and barely 5% are made available in accessible formats. Also there is limited availability of textbooks, real-time newspapers, publications & other information materials in accessible formats.
At the same time, the requirements of the users are also need to be taken care of. The needs of the user base in various developing countries is diverse as on one end we have technology savvy users, having access to high bandwidth and on the other end users who are not comfortable with technology and with no access to computers. There are people who still use the traditional way of reading like using cassette recorder or CD player and also some people use internet and can read digital books. But there is no single system currently available which can carter both the need of the users. Many NGO libraries have come forward which produce and distribute accessible format to people with disabilities at different locations. However, there is lack of visibility to end user about books available with these libraries across different locations. There is no mechanism to get the books from different location which are available in accessible format. User doesn't get the required books in real time due to lack of technology mainly the newspapers and periodicals.
To provide more accessibility of the published content or the accessible format to the print disabled users, various attempts have been made. Currently a number of universities have come up with websites catering specifically to the print disabled users. Various other web based and software based platforms have also been provided on the similar lines. In addition to that, the existing solutions are focused only towards the need of print disabled users. In addition to print disabled users, there are other stakeholders as well such as publishers and NGOs who willing to provide various services to those users.
From publisher's perspective, as per statistics, there is lack of publishing house/Publishers taking up the responsibility of making their works fully accessible to persons with print disabilities. The reasons behind this is either due to the unavailability of technology know how or technology support required to produce accessible format and also due to lack of inclusive process (integrating standards and guidelines of digital accessible publishing) place to provide assurances to authors and publishers that system will not expose their published works to misuse or distribution for circulation and used only by intended beneficiaries i.e. print disabled persons only. Publishers are not producing the accessible format due to lack of domain and technical knowledge and also not willing to share the soft copy/base format to organization who are capable of converting the content into accessible format due to potential commercial risk. There is no mechanism available where both the above mentioned points can be addressed.
In addition to above mentioned points, there are many NGO's are producing books in accessible format both in English as well as in regional language. NGO's mostly focuses on educational materials, novels, fictions etc. There could be multiple accessible copies of the same book getting produced and lying with multiple different libraries, which leads to duplication of work and unnecessary cost and effort spent. Also it leads to wastage of resource utilization. There is no way to exchange the books in accessible format between the libraries throughout the countries.
Because of the diverse needs and preferences of the users, the NGO's are unable to fulfil the needs of the users in preferred format. This is due to lack of technology and unavailable system. To cater the diverse needs of diverse user base there is no distribution system and infrastructure in place that can reach out to all the segments which complies with national law provisions that permit the reproduction, distribution and making available of published works in accessible formats.
Further, copyright law of few countries allow the NGO's to convert and print content in accessible format without the permission of author and publisher provided it is non-profit initiative and such content should be given only to bona fide print disable person. Currently there is no such processes or audit in place which can implement such recommendations and to verify these aspects. International law (Marrakesh treaty) allows cross border transfer of accessible formats with the conditions mentioned above. But there is no system in place which can verify that organization involved in distribution of accessible format are following International norms and copyright law of land.
Various other efforts have been made to provide a solution for above mentioned problems, but none of them have been convincing. A system is required which can cater the needs of each stake holders, i.e., print disabled users, publishers, NGOs and universities to ensure availability of accessible format to the print disabled users in real time, and in their preferred way and format.

Method and system to enable realtime availability of accessible content through multimodal, multichannel ecosystem


A reaction canister for a vehicle passive restraint system has its side walls weakened in the regions adjoining edges which are adjacent automotive panels likely to be impacted by occupants in the event of a low speed collision. The resultant softening serves to prevent injury.

This invention relates to an inflation passive restraint system for use in a motor vehicle for restraining a seated occupant during a collision. More particularly, it relates to an improvement in the structure of the reaction canister to reduce the potential for head injuries during low speed accidents.
The reaction canister of a vehicle passive restraint system provides protection for the gas generator and the inflatable bag until the bag deploys. A reaction canister is normally formed of a trough-shaped sidewall which may be extruded and cut to the desired length. The ends of the sidewall are closed by end plates which may be flat aluminum sheets or may also be extruded when required to reduce the machining required. An example of a reaction canister in accordance with the prior art will be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,678 of Lauritzen, et al.
The reaction canister of the restraint system is normally positioned behind the instrument panel of a vehicle. The edges of the reaction canister may be within one inch, and sometimes closer, to the back surface of the instrument panel. In the event of a low speed accident without bag deployment, a person's head or other body part may make impact with the instrument panel and drive it against the edge of the reaction canister. Not only can this cause injury to the vehicle occupant, but it can also cause failure to meet standards imposed by the National Highway Safety Administration.
One approach to solving this problem has been to add flanges or rounded edges to the otherwise open edges of the reaction canister. This has helped to a degree but the canister still remains very stiff. Another approach has been to add a pattern of slots in the trough-like sidewall and in the end panels. This has helped to soften the edges but has also weakened the canister with respect to lateral displacement or "bell mouthing." It also creates potential snag points for the bag. Another approach has been to cut down the sidewalls and end plates, thereby leaving the bag exposed to act as an impact cushion. This, however, leaves the bag unsupported and unprotected.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved reaction canister having softened edges which yield to direct impact but resist lateral displacement. Other objects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the following description and appended claims.

Airbag reaction canister having softened edges


Methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer program products are directed to the generation of a global index structure. Agents executing on different data sources locally pre-process (e.g., format, filter, compress, encode, serialize etc.) data generated thereby and index such data. The agents also manage the resources thereof to perform the pre-processing and indexing operations. Each index generated by an agent is formatted as a plurality of index nodes. The index nodes and pre-processed data are provided to backend server(s) that maintain the global index structure and store the data in a globally distributed file system, which aid in unexpected disaster recovery. The backend server(s) generate the global index structure based on the index nodes. As new index nodes are received by the backend servers, the backend servers merge the newly-received index nodes with the global index structure. Global index structure traversal techniques for retrieving search keys are also described herein.

It is estimated that the amount of data worldwide will grow from 0.8 to 164 Zettabytes this decade. As an example, Microsoft's Azure® Data Lake Store (a scalable data storage and analytics service) already holds many exabytes and is growing rapidly. Users seek ways to focus on the finer details they really need, but without getting rid of the original data. This is a non-trivial challenge because a single dataset can be used for answering a multitude of questions. As an example, telemetry (e.g., logs, heartbeat information) from various services are stored and analyzed to support a variety of developer tasks (e.g., monitoring, reporting, debugging). With the monetary cost of downtime ranging from $100 k to millions of dollars per hour, real-time processing and querying of this service data becomes critical.

Agent-based data pre-processing and data indexing for efficient data retrieval


A method for object detection using vehicle-mounted sensors is provided, the sensing ranges of which sensors overlap at least partially. In this context, signals of at least two sensors having sensing ranges with essentially identical coverage, and additional signals of at least one additional sensor having a sensing range which only partially overlaps with the sensing ranges of the at least two sensors, are evaluated. An object is identified as relevant when it is detected by at least three of the sensors.

A method for object detection having at least two distance-determining sensors attached to a motor vehicle, the detection regions at least partially overlapping and relative positions of possible detected objects with respect to the sensors in the overlap region being determined according to the triangulation principle, is described in German Patent Application DE 199 49 409. Possible apparent objects resulting from object determination are identified in this process via dynamic object monitoring. Such known methods for determining the position of objects use the distance lists of similar individual sensors as input quantities. In this context, similar means that these individual sensors have the same aperture angle. The maximum horizontal sensing range of typical sensors of this type is +/−55 degrees, for example. Therefore, at a distance of approximately 14 m, each sensor covers a region of approximately +/−6 m in the lateral direction. This means that numerous interfering objects on the road edge, such as trees, bushes, or posts, are sensed in addition to relevant objects, such as traffic members. Moreover, significant measurement data need to be determined, such that a plurality of reflection centers may be detected even for relevant objects, so that it is not ensured that every sensor is detecting the same reflection center. As a result of these facts, it is not ensured for all traffic situations that relevant and interfering objects are able to be clearly identified even when using more than two sensors. It is also possible for objects to be displayed at incorrect positions.

Vehicle mounted system for detecting objects


An adaptive interface system includes a user interface for controlling a vehicle system, a sensor for detecting a position of an extremity of a user and generating a sensor signal representing the position of the extremity, and a processor in communication with the sensor and the user interface, wherein the processor receives the sensor signal, analyzes the sensor signal based upon an instruction set to determine a pointing vector of the user, and configures the user interface based upon the pointing vector of the user.

Current vehicle systems have user interfaces that include one or more of the following elements: a display, a touch screen, a touch sensor, a control knob, a user-engageable button, and other controllers. Typically, users actuate a control by direct contact or physical manipulation. Most recently, vehicles also use voice commands to allow users to interact with the vehicle HMI. Additionally, some advanced automotive concepts have been shown that feature simple hand/finger gestures or handwriting-based gestures.
For example, U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2009/0309765 discloses a system and a method for using images captured from a digital camera to control navigation through a three-dimensional user interface.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,624,833 discloses a gesture based input interface system with shadow detection, wherein the input interface system provides gesture-based user control of an application running on a computer by classification of user gestures in image signals.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,598,942, a system and a method for gesture based control is shown. The system provides a gestural interface to various visual elements presented on a display screen.
U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2008/0065291 discloses a system and a method for controlling a component in a vehicle including an image receiving system for receiving images of an occupant of the vehicle, wherein the system is arranged to recognize gestures in the received images, e.g., hand gestures, and a control system coupled to the image receiving system for controlling the component based on the recognized gestures.
However, there remains a need for an accurate, touchless means for interacting with a user interface in a vehicle environment.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to develop an adaptive user interface wherein a visual output of the user interface is automatically configured based upon a pointing vector derived from a position of a portion of a body of a user to highlight a visual output that is in substantial alignment with the pointing vector.

Finger pointing, gesture based human-machine interface for vehicles


The present invention provides a method for the detection of inflammation in animals using infrared thermography. The invention also provides a method for the detection of diseases or disorders that induce inflammation using infrared thermography. The present invention further provides a method for the detection of infections in animals using infrared thermography.

Inflammation plays a fundamental role in host defenses and the progression of immune-mediated diseases. The inflammatory response is initiated in response to tissue injury (e.g., trauma, ischemia, and foreign particles) and infection by a complex cascade of events, including chemical mediators (e.g., cytokines and prostaglandins) and inflammatory cells (e.g., leukocytes). The inflammatory response is characterized by increased blood flow, increased capillary permeability, and the influx of phagocytic cells. These events result in swelling, redness, warmth (altered heat patterns), and pus formation at the site of injury.
A delicate well-balanced interplay between the humoral and cellular immune elements in the inflammatory response enables the elimination of harmful agents and the initiation of the repair of damaged tissue. When this delicately balanced interplay is disrupted, the inflammatory response may result in considerable damage to normal tissue of uncontrolled inflammatory responses, clinical intervention is needed to prevent tissue damage and organ dysfunction. Diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Crohn's disease, psoriasis, or inflammatory bowel disease, are characterized by chronic inflammation.
Early detection and localization of inflammation is a critical step in the implementation of appropriate treatment of a subject. However, non-invasive techniques for the detection of inflammation remain elusive. A variety of techniques including computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasonography, and scintigraphic imaging are used to attempt to image secondary effects of markers of inflammation. However, CT, MRI, and ultrasonography rely on anatomical changes that result from inflammation, which occur late in the inflammatory response (van der Laken, C. J., et al., 1998, European Journal of Nuclear Medicine 25: 535-546). Therefore, these techniques are not useful for detecting the early phase in the development of inflammation. Scintigraphic imaging is a non-invasive method of scanning the entire body using radiopharmaceuticals (e.g., radiolabeled receptor-specific small proteins and peptides), which specifically bind to receptors abundant in the area of inflammation. The use of radiopharmaceuticals for imaging inflammation is limiting because it requires: (i) that the radiopharmaceutical specifically interacts with its receptor; (ii) that the radiopharmaceutical has a high affinity for its receptor; (iii) that the radiopharmaceutical specifically localizes to the site of inflammation, which is dependent on the receptor expression in the inflammatory response; (iv) that the receptor is accessible to the radiopharmaceutical; (v) that the radiopharmaceutical has high and early uptake; (vi) that the radiopharmaceutical is rapidly cleared; (vii) that the radiopharmaceutical does not accumulate in non-targeted tissues and result in high background; and (viii) that the radiopharmaceutical is not toxic (van der Laken, C. J., et al., 1998, European Journal of Nuclear Medicine 25: 535-546). The induction of a biological response by a radiopharmaceutical is a major drawback of using scintigraphic imaging. In addition to these technologies, inflammation may also be detected by feeling or visual observance of the site of injury or pain. However, this method is only useful for detecting the late stages in the development of inflammation.
The inability to diagnose and image inflammation in vivo continues to be a major obstacle to the successful treatment of inflammatory disorders. Currently, the only viable method for diagnosing inflammatory disorders, such as fibrosis, is by biopsy. This method is invasive and often results in an amount of healthy tissue being removed along with the tissue suspected of being affected by inflammation. Therefore, a great need exists for an accurate, non-invasive, rapid, and inexpensive method for detecting inflammation.

Early detection of inflammation and infection using infrared thermography


A paper cup and a method of forming the same. The paper cup may include a sidewall and a floor portion that collectively define a cavity. In one aspect, the paper cup may include a rim that is coated with a rigid shell that encapsulates the rim. In another aspect, a void defined by a rim of the paper cup may be filled with a rigid filler material, and the rigid filler material may be one that expands upon application of heat thereto. In yet another aspect, the paper cup may include a separate rim component that is attached to the sidewall. The separate rim component may be formed from molded pulp fibers, and it may include a flange portion that is attached to the sidewall and a rim portion that protrudes from the sidewall.

Beverage vending machines create a beverage in a disposable cup and then present the disposable cup with the beverage therein to a consumer. Such beverage vending machines typically use cups that are pre-filled with powdered ingredients and inject a liquid such as water into the cups to form the desired beverage as the liquid mixes with the powdered ingredient. Both paper and plastic cups have their own environmental challenges and can be recycled. The introduction of paper cups enables users to make a choice based on local recycling schemes. One issue that occurs when using paper cups in beverage vending machines is that the mechanism that dispenses the cups rolls over and flattens the cup rim, rather than pushing downwardly on the rim and splitting the lowermost cup from the stack. Thus, a need exists for a paper cup with improved rim strength to reduce failures in dispensing of paper cups in beverage vending machines.

Paper cup and method of forming the same


A device for casting components preferably made of light metal, according to the tilt-casting principle, has a casting mold that can be tilted about its longitudinal axis, a casting channel that is disposed on the casting mold, in the longitudinal direction of the casting mold, the longitudinal side of which, facing the casting mold, has at least two outlets to the mold cavity, or at least one outlet, in each instance, to at least two mold cavities that are disposed next to one another and do not stand in a flow connection with one another. The casting channel has a subdivision device that is configured in such a manner that when the casting mold, together with the casting channel, is tilted, predetermined volumes of the casting melt flow through the outlets.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus, a casting channel, and a method for tilt-casting of components made of light metal, as well as components cast with it.
2. The Prior Art
In the tilt-casting method, which is described very generally in the standard work "Gieβereilexikon" [Foundry Lexicon], 16th edition, 1994, p. 244 and p. 655, a coquille is rotated about a tilt axis by up to 90°, while the melt flows into the coquille. It is advantageous that in this way, the coquille can be filled with the melt without flow turbulences. It is particularly advantageous, in this connection, that the splashing melt that might occur during casting can be avoided, by means of guiding the melt along a wall of the casting mold.
A method for casting components made of light metal, particularly of aluminum alloys, in accordance with the tilt-casting principle, as well as a corresponding apparatus for carrying out such a method, are known from DE 10 2004 015 649 B3. In this method, the melt is filled into a transverse run situated on the longitudinal side of a casting mold, using head-casting. In this connection, the casting mold is first tilted about its longitudinal axis by an angle of 45° to 70°. Afterward, filling the liquid melt into the transverse run starts, until about ⅕ of the melt required for casting of the component has been filled into the transverse run, without the melt already flowing into the mold cavity of the casting mold. Subsequently, the casting mold is rotated out of the tilted position into the vertical, while continuously filling in further melt, in such a manner that the melt flows into the mold cavity along a casting mold wall.
A disadvantage of the method disclosed in DE 10 2004 015 649 B3 consists in that the melt is at first only partly filled into the transverse run, before pouring of the melt into the coquille starts. In this connection, the risk can exist that temperature losses occur. It is furthermore disadvantageous that the remaining melt required for the casting process must be filled in continuously during tilt-casting, and therefore must be refilled into a casting pool of the transverse run, in very complicated manner, by means of a casting ladle. The casting ladle must therefore be guided along synchronously with the tilting of the casting mold, and is not available for any other or further casting process during this time.
As a result of the tilting of the casting mold, the melt flow in the transverse run is deflected by 90°, and then flows into the casting mold through multiple outlets. In this connection, there is the risk, particularly as the result of continuous refilling of the melt by means of a casting ladle, that the melt can flow through the individual outlets and into the casting mold in non-uniform manner, particularly too rapidly or too slowly, in too small or too great an amount.

Device, gutter, method for tilt-casting components made of light metal, and components cast therewith


The object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid in higher selectivity. The present invention resides in a method for producing an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid from an olefin or an α,β-unsaturated aldehyde in liquid phase by using a noble metal-containing catalyst and by causing a compound (A) having an acid dissociation exponent (pKa) of less than 4 to be present in the liquid phase.

There has been many researches on a method for producing an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid through liquid-phase oxidation of an olefin or an α,β-unsaturated aldehyde with molecular oxygen by using a noble metal-containing catalyst. For example, in Patent Documents 1 to 4, a method is disclosed, wherein an olefin is oxidized with molecular oxygen in liquid phase by using an activated supported palladium metal-containing catalyst which has been activated by contacting an olefin having carbon number of 3 to 6 with a supported palladium metal-containing catalyst. In particular, a method is disclosed, wherein a surfactant and an alcohol in Patent Document 2 and a free radical inhibitor in Patent Document 3 are caused to be present in each reaction system, respectively, to improve selectivity to an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid. In Patent Document 4, a method is disclosed, wherein a reaction solvent containing a carboxylic acid having carbon number of 2 to 6, tertiary butanol or a ketone having carbon number of 3 to 6 is used. Further, in Patent Documents 1 to 4, there are no descriptions concerning reaction solvents and additives having an acid dissociation exponent (pKa) of less than 4.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-139,341.    Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-139,643.    Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-155,148.    Patent Document 4: International Publication No. WO 02/083,299.

Process for producing α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid


Tone quality is improved at the time of playing back sound data having a loop part.

The present invention relates to recording and playing of sound data, and particularly to a recording and play technique that reduces a processing load at the time of playing back sound data having a loop part.
In an information processing apparatus having a digital sound data play function, such as a personal computer, a game machine, a music play apparatus or the like, coded sound data are converted into analog sound data before sound output at the time of playing.
Some coded sound data, such as data of a music CD, are non-compressed. However, in many cases, sound data are read in a compressed state, and at the time of playing, expanded and outputted as sound.
Various sound compression methods have been proposed and practically used. Widely known is a method in which time series sample data are divided into a plurality of blocks, and an orthogonal transform such as DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform) or MDCT (Modified Discrete Cosine Transform) is applied to those blocks to obtain compressed data. In that case, to increase continuity of sound waveforms, compression is sequentially performed in groups of adjacent blocks, while making each group overlap with the next one in a block. As a representative of such compression methods, may be mentioned ATRAC (Adaptive TRans form Acoustic Coding) employed by a so-called mini disc (MD) and the like (See Patent Document 1).
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing compression of sound data in blocks. In the figure, time series sample data are divided into blocks (original blocks) A, B, C, D, E, . . . , each consisting of predetermined pieces of data.
Then, compression is performed in groups of two consecutive blocks, with each group overlapping the next group in one block, to generate encoded blocks. Here, no sound data exists before the start position (DS) of the sound data, and accordingly, there is no block to be paired with the block A. Thus, a block A0 consisting of dummy data such as silence data is added to be paired with the block A. Similarly, no sound data exists after the end position (not shown) of the sound data, and accordingly, there is no block to be paired with the last block. Thus, a block consisting of dummy data such as silence data is added to be paired with the last block.
Then, in this example, encoded data X1 are generated from the original blocks A0 and A, and encoded data X2 from the original blocks A and B.
At the time of playing the sound data, a decoded block a is generated from the encoded blocks X1 and X2. Then, the samples of the decoded block a are subjected to D/A conversion to reproduce the sound. In the same way, decoded blocks b, c, . . . can be obtained, and thus, the sound is reproduced continuously. Here, FIG. 3(d) shows the decoded blocks in the case where audio codec delay occurs at the time of encoding and decoding. As shown in the figure, output positions of the decoded data are shifted by the size of the audio codec delay.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Non-examined Patent Laid-Open No. 8-287612
Sometimes, sound data include a loop part (a repeat part). For example, as shown in FIG. 3(a), there is a case where sound ranging from a prescribed position (LS) to another prescribed position (LE) of sample data is repeated until a certain condition is satisfied. Here, it is assumed that the start position LS of the loop is included in the original block A and the end position LE of the loop is included in the original block D.
At the time of playing in that case, as shown in FIG. 4, when playing is performed down to the position corresponding to LE in the decoded block d, then, playing is performed from the position corresponding to LS in the decoded block a. Here, FIG. 4 shows the decoded blocks in the case where audio codec delay occurs at the time of encoding and decoding. As shown in the figure, output positions are shifted backward by the size of the audio codec delay.
Conventionally, sound data having a loop part are played as described above. However, when such a method is employed, sometimes sound is disturbed at the loop part.
Thus, an object of the present invention is to improve tone quality at the time of playing sound data having a loop part.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Sound data encoding apparatus and sound decoding apparatus

Abstract: A sound data encoding apparatus encodes sound data in groups of a plurality of consecutive blocks. In the case where the sound start position is equal to the loop start position, encoding is performed using samples of sound data (for example, sound data just before the loop end) relating to the sound data at the sound start position from the viewpoint of music. In the case where the sound end position is equal to the loop end position, encoding is performed using samples of sound data (for example, sound data just after the loop start) relating to the sound data at the sound end position from the viewpoint of music.


An auto focusing (AF) module includes a fixed base, an AF barrel configured to support a focus lens, an AF base supported by the fixed base and configured to support the AF barrel such that the AF barrel that moves along an optical axis. A stepper motor is fixed to the AF base and provides a driving force to the AF barrel; a bonding member is arranged between the fixed base and the AF base, the bonding member being configured to bond the fixed base and the AF base to each other. The AF module may fix the AF base in an optimum location with respect to the fixed base, so that the assembling error of a first guide shaft assembled in the AF base may be compensated. The AF module may be fixed to the optimum location with respect to another component, such as the lens frame.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to an auto focusing (AF) module, a photographing apparatus including the AF module, and a method of manufacturing the AF module.
2. Description of the Related Art
Photography is more popular than ever, and there has been a widespread growth in the use of devices such as digital cameras, digital video cameras, etc. Although photographic devices have improved greatly in many facets of operation, the customer demands for even higher quality still image or video capture has also increased. The additional customer demands for reduced size and power usage for such devices along with increased quality has presented a challenge to developers and manufacturers.
For example, the demand has increased for a photographic apparatuses including an auto focusing (AF) module for automatically adjusting a focus.
Driving sources for the AF module may include a stepper motor, a voice coil motor, an ultrasound motor, etc.
Among the above driving sources, the stepper motor has the shortest AF time. Also, the stepper motor may easily perform high-speed continuous shooting, and has a high expandability with respect to a video and an AF algorithm.
However, in order to realize an accurate AF in a structure using a stepper motor, there is a great deal of complexity in such a design, and great care required to avoid design errors and assembling errors.

Auto focusing module, photographing apparatus including the same, and method of manufacturing auto focusing module


Example embodiments of the present disclosure provide mechanisms for generating an improved grid for use in caching and classification when transmitting graphics data to a client computer. Such a grid may have the property that it is aligned to captured screen content such as user interface elements and borders between images and text. In some embodiments, an algorithm may be used that analyzes a screen and generates a subdivision grid of the screen that is likely to partition the screen into areas that substantially separate image and text content. This subdivision grid can also be further sub-divided (i.e., tiled) into regions that may be better suited for caching. In further embodiments, the algorithm may produce the grid using information from a window manager regarding window hierarchies and user interface element placement.

One increasingly popular form of networking may generally be referred to as remote presentation systems, which can use protocols such as Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and Independent Computing Architecture (ICA) to share a desktop and other applications executing on a server with a remote client. Such computing systems typically transmit the keyboard presses and mouse clicks or selections from the client to the server, relaying the screen updates back in the other direction over a network connection (e.g., the Internet). As such, the user has the experience as if his or her machine is operating entirely locally, when in reality the client device is only sent screenshots of the desktop or applications as they appear on the server side.
In such systems, the user graphics and video may be rendered at a server for each user. The resulting bitmaps may then be sent to the client for display and interaction. To reduce the bandwidth requirements on the network, bitmaps may be compressed and encoded before sending to the client. The encoding system may include a tiling system that initially divides source image data into data tiles. A frame differencing module may then output only altered data tiles to various processing modules that convert the altered data tiles into corresponding tile components.

Adaptive grid generation for improved caching and image classification


The present invention relates to a work train for milling an underlying ground surface and intermixing bulk material with the milled ground material, comprising a self-propelled ground milling machine, more particularly, a recycler or a stabilizer, comprising a milling drum mounted in a hood and a drive motor, a silo trailer drawn by the ground milling machine and comprising a storage container for bulk material, a conveying system, which transports bulk material during operation of the work train from the silo trailer to in front of the milling drum, as regarded in the direction of travel (a) of the ground milling machine, and an output means, which discharges the bulk material onto the ground in front of the milling drum, as regarded in the direction of travel (a). The present invention further relates to a towing device for such a work train.

In the construction of roads and paths, the existing soil is frequently used to produce a new base course therefrom, which is particularly suitable for the application of a new surface layer (paved layer). The existing soil is milled and crushed by ground milling machines and in most cases blended with a bonding agent, which can be bulk material (for example, lime, cement or fly ash). A base course is then prepared, for example, by compression of the bound milled material. Such ground milling machines are, in particular, recyclers or stabilizers, so that the following disclosure of the present invention relates more particularly to a recycler or a stabilizer with the described features, although, for the sake of clarity, these two machine types will not be explicitly referred to as preferred embodiments throughout.
Milling of the underlying ground surface and mixing of the bulk material into the milled soil are frequently carried out by means of a self-propelled ground milling machine, which usually includes a drive motor, for example, an internal combustion engine, a machine frame, an operator's platform, traveling means, such as wheels or crawlers, and a milling drum, more particularly, one mounted in a milling drum hood. The milling drum is a substantially hollow cylindrical body, on the external surface of which a number of milling tools are disposed, which, during operation of the ground milling machine, are driven, due to rotation of the milling drum, into the underlying ground surface to mill the same. At the same time, there is carried out crushing of the milled material and mixing of the milled material with the bulk material present on the soil surface. In order to ensure thorough mixing of the bulk material with the milled soil, the bulk material is deposited on the soil to be milled prior to milling by the milling drum, for example, by means of a spreading vehicle traveling ahead thereof.
The variant with a spreading vehicle driving ahead suffers from the economic and ecological drawback that undesirable losses frequently occur due to wind scatter. The first solutions proposed for this problem are disclosed in DE 20 2008 012 104 U1, which describes a work train by means of which a silo truck ahead deposits the bulk material directly in front of the ground milling machine in an area covered, for example, with dust shield mats. Thus, it relates to a work train comprising two self-propelled machines, both of which need a driver. Alternatively, it is known to design the ground milling machine with its own appropriate spreading system, as described in DE 10 2009 008 884 A1. The ground milling machine disclosed in this citation has its own silo or its own storage container, from which the bulk material is poured out in front of the milling drum. Practical experience, however, has shown that the bin capacity of the accompanied silo is too low, so that only comparatively short work periods are possible. Furthermore, it is known to transport bulk material pneumatically, while traveling, from a silo truck ahead to the ground milling machine, so as to increase the bin capacity for bulk material in this way. However, this approach is relatively complicated and, particularly because of the pneumatic conveying system, it is also relatively expensive to operate and maintain.
It is, thus, an object of the present invention to provide a work train for mixing bulk material into the underlying ground surface, by means of which the problems relating to the prior art are avoided and economic and dust-free dumping of bulk material onto the ground surface is made possible.

Work train comprising a silo trailer drawn by a ground milling machine, and towing device for said work train


A cooled radiofrequency ablation system and method are provided. In particular, a method to map active radiofrequency channels to respective pump assemblies for cooled radiofrequency ablation is provided. The system includes a pump system having a plurality of pump assemblies, a radiofrequency generator unit, and a plurality of cooled radiofrequency probes, wherein each cooled radiofrequency probe comprises a cable-tubing assembly having a radiofrequency cable connected to the radiofrequency generator unit and fluid tubing in communication with a pump assembly and connected to a cooling fluid source. Each pump assembly of the plurality of pump assemblies is activated individually in sequence. The system and method map each cooled radiofrequency probe to a respective pump assembly connected thereto by measuring a temperature drop delay time at the tip of each probe. The system and method can further detect the presence of multiple probes daisy-chained to a single pump assembly.

Lower back injuries and chronic joint pain are major health problems resulting not only in debilitating conditions for the patient, but also in the consumption of a large proportion of funds allocated for health care, social assistance and disability programs. In the lower back, disc abnormalities and pain may result from trauma, repetitive use in the workplace, metabolic disorders, inherited proclivity, and/or aging. The existence of adjacent nerve structures and innervation of the disc are very important issues with respect to patient treatment for back pain. In joints, osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis pain and occurs when the protective cartilage on the ends of bones wears down over time.
A minimally invasive technique of delivering high-frequency electrical current has been shown to relieve localized pain in many patients. Generally, the high-frequency current used for such procedures is in the radiofrequency (RF) range, i.e. between 100 kHz and 1 GHz and more specifically between 300-600 kHz. The RF electrical current is typically delivered from a generator via connected electrodes that are placed in a patient's body, in a region of tissue that contains a neural structure suspected of transmitting pain signals to the brain. The electrodes generally include an insulated shaft with an exposed conductive tip to deliver the radiofrequency electrical current. Tissue resistance to the current causes heating of tissue adjacent resulting in the coagulation of cells (at a temperature of approximately 45° C. for small unmyelinated nerve structures) and the formation of a lesion that effectively denervates the neural structure in question. Denervation refers to a procedure whereby the ability of a neural structure to transmit signals is affected in some way and usually results in the complete inability of a neural structure to transmit signals, thus removing the pain sensations.
To extend the size of a lesion, radiofrequency treatment may be applied in conjunction with a cooling mechanism, whereby a cooling means is used to reduce the temperature of the electrode-tissue interface. By cooling the probe, the tissue temperature near the probe is moderately controlled. In turn, more power can be applied to the target tissue without causing an unwanted increase in local tissue temperature that can result in tissue desiccation, charring, or steam formation. The application of a higher power allows regions of tissue further away from the energy delivery device to reach a temperature at which a lesion can form, thus increasing the size/volume of the lesion.
Existing cooled radiofrequency ablation systems circulate cooled fluid in a closed loop flow path by a peristaltic pump or pumps. For example, the cooled radiofrequency ablation pump system 1 of the prior art, illustrated in FIG. 1, implements two pumps 2 that can be used to apply coolant fluid, supplied by an attached burette (not shown), to up to four cooled RF ablation probes controlled by a single generator (not shown). However, if more than two probes are used with the prior art pump system 1 of FIG. 1, the coolant lines of the additional probe(s) must be connected in series ("daisy-chained") to the first or second probe. In this configuration, the daisy-chained probes must have an identical coolant flow rate because they are connected to a same pump 2. As a result, independent control of the coolant flow rate, and thus the amount or rate of cooling, of more than two probes is impossible. Moreover, the existing cooled RF pump system 1 is incapable of determining which cooled RF ablation probe is connected to each respective one of the pumps 2 of the pump system 1. As a result, if an issue is encountered during a procedure in which the probe must be replaced, the clinician must trace electrical and fluid cables and/or tubes to their respective origins, i.e., RF channel and pump head, a cumbersome process which interrupts the procedure on the patient.
Consequently, a need currently exists for a cooled radiofrequency ablation pump system and method that can map active RF channels to their respective pump assemblies. In particular, a cooled radiofrequency ablation pump system and method that can further detect the presence of daisy-chained cooled radiofrequency probes connected in series to a single pump assembly would be useful.

System and method to map active RF channels to respective pump heads for cooled radiofrequency ablation


A respiratory mask includes: a mask body including a mask shell, and a mask cushion connected to a rear side of the mask shell; a front cover disposed in front of and hinged to the mask shell, and having a support arm extending upwardly; a forehead support unit having a forehead frame connected to a top end of the support arm, and a forehead pad connected to a rear side of the forehead frame; and an adjustment unit connected to at least one of the mask shell and the front cover, and operable to produce relative movements of the mask shell and the front cover so that the mask body can abut against the user's nose with an appropriate abutment pressure.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a respiratory mask, more particularly to a respiratory mask including an adjustment unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional respiratory mask 11 includes a mask body 111 adapted to cover a user's nose and/or mouth, and a forehead support unit 112 mounted on the mask body 111 for supporting the user's forehead. An air supply tube 13 is connected to the mask body 111 for providing a passage of a positive pressure airflow into the respiratory mask 11.
In use, head straps 14 are respectively inserted through two opposite sides of the forehead support unit 112 and the mask body 111, and extend around a rear side of the user's head. Subsequently, the head straps 14 are tightened so as to respectively secure the forehead support unit 112 and the mask body 111 to the user's forehead and cheeks, such that a central portion of the mask body 111 covers the user's nose and/or mouth to provide an abutment pressure against the root of the nose.
However, strength of the abutment pressure against the root of the nose varies with facial differences, such as forehead shape, cheek shape, and nose shape. For example, when the user has a concave or flat nose shape, there is a weak abutment pressure against the root of the nose that a gas tight seal of the respiratory mask 11 is not achieved, which results in leakage of the airflow. Conversely, the user with a convex or straight nose shape may feel a strong applied abutment pressure and becomes uncomfortable when wearing the respiratory mask 11 for a long period of time. Therefore, the respiratory mask 11 having an invariable size is not suited for accommodating a variety of facial differences among individuals.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,532,961 discloses an adjustable respiratory mask having a structure similar to that of the conventional respiratory mask 11. The adjustable respiratory mask includes a forehead support unit that has a cushion frame abutting against a user's forehead, and a joining member adjustably mounted between a mask body and the forehead support. The joining member is adjustable to change an angle between the cushion frame and the mask body to suit the wearer's forehead topography.
However, such angular adjustment does not alter the abutment pressure against the root of the user's nose.

Respiratory mask including an adjustment unit


The present invention provides a piezoelectric sensor that has elastic properties in a surface direction thereof, and can smoothly follow stretching of a body to be measured to accurately measure movement of the body to be measured, and detect movement in a surface direction of a surface of the body to be measured on which the piezoelectric sensor is disposed. The piezoelectric sensor of the present invention includes: a piezoelectric sheet including a porous synthetic resin sheet; a signal electrode layer that is layered on a surface of the piezoelectric sheet and contains conductive fine particles and a binder resin having elastic properties; and a ground electrode layer that is layered on another surface of the piezoelectric sheet and contains conductive fine particles and a binder resin having elastic properties.

A piezoelectric sheet is a permanently internally charged material obtained by injecting electric charges into an insulating polymer material.
As a piezoelectric sensor using the piezoelectric sheet, Patent Literature 1 discloses a piezoelectric sensor including: a piezoelectric sheet; a first ground electrode integrally layered on a first side of the piezoelectric sheet and having a first cutout section; a signal electrode integrally layered on a second side of the piezoelectric sheet and having a third cutout section; and a second ground electrode integrally layered on the signal electrode so as to be electrically insulated from the signal electrode and having a second cutout section. The cutout sections of the signal electrode, the first ground electrode, and the second ground electrode are at least partially overlapped with one another in a thickness direction of the piezoelectric sheet. In the piezoelectric sensor, a portion of the piezoelectric sheet exposed from a portion where the cutout sections of the signal electrode, the first ground electrode, and the second ground electrode are overlapped with one another in a thickness direction of the piezoelectric sheet serves as an exposed section.


Receiving device for cooperation with an optical fiber and comprising a sensor for converting a signal in the form of a modulated beam outputted by the optical fiber into an electric signal. The sensor comprises two or more mutually separated sensor elements. An output of each sensor element) is coupled to an amplifying element, which is coupled to an analog to digital converter associated with the amplifying element. The sensor elements and the amplifying elements connected thereto are provided on a single semiconductor chip. The analog to digital converters may also be provided on the semiconductor chip. The integrated circuits on the semi conductor chip are clock-controlled and a clock rate for the integrated circuits is lower than a clock rate corresponding to the bit transfer rate of the modulated beam. Means are present for reconstructing the signals in the beam from signals delivered by the sensor elements at the clock rate for the integrated circuits.

The invention relates to a sensor for a receiving device for cooperation with an optical fiber for converting a beam form signal outputted by the optical fiber into an electric signal, the sensor comprising two or more mutually separated sensor elements.
The invention also relates to a receiving device for cooperation with an optical fiber, comprising said sensor for converting a signal in the form of a modulated beam exiting the optical fiber into an electric signal.
Such a sensor is known from a Japanese patent application JP-A-111351818 laid open to public inspection. Said document discloses a two-dimensional sensor in which the sensor elements are temperature sensors which undergo a temperature change upon being hit by the beam exiting the optical fiber, which temperature change can be detected by the processing electronics that are provided. Each sensor element comprises a first and a second temperature sensor. The sensor elements are arranged in rows and columns. All the first temperature sensors of a row are interconnected, and all the second temperature sensors of a column are interconnected. The interconnected temperature sensors are coupled to a voltage detector. By detection which row and which column deliver the signal different from that delivered by the other rows and columns it can be determined at what sensor position the beam hit the sensor.
Such a sensor is not suitable at all for converting information present in the beam into a different type of signal.
Fiber-optical communication systems are capable of supporting signals having relatively high widths, and high bit rates, respectively, for example 2.5 GHs to 4 GHs for SONET applications. In existing fiber-optical communication systems, the electrical components are bit-serial: a single laser diode or LED for generating the optical signal transmitted through the optical fiber, a single PIN diode for detecting the beam exiting the optical fiber and multiple high-speed bipolar or GaAs circuits for processing the signals which control the laser diode or LED or which originate from the PIN photo diode. Such electrical components are costly and the described signal chain cannot be further integrated by using the process technology by means of which they are manufactured.
In existing fiber-optical receiver chains it is known to implement said further processing electronics in a multipath structure, in which parallel processing of signals can take place, after the beam has been detected by means of the PIN photo diode and has been coupled to said further processing electronics via an initial bipolar or GaAs detector chip.
In spite of the parallel processing in the further path, the known receiver chains are still limited by the fact that only one PIN photo diode is present for detecting the single beam outputted by the optical fiber and converting it into an electric signal. High speed operating devices suitable for working with the above-mentioned signals are expensive.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a sensor being capable of handling said signals using cheaper technology.
According to the invention, this object is achieved in that an output of each sensor element is coupled to an input of an amplifying element, an output of each amplifying element is coupled to an input of an analog to digital converter associated with the amplifying element, and in that the sensor elements and the amplifying elements coupled thereto are provided on a single semiconductor chip.
As a result, the same eceiving area, subdivided in multiple small sensor elements, is obtained for sensors for which so far one large PIN photodiode was required in order to generate a sufficiently strong signal, with the inherent drawback that the large capacitance resulted in a poor performance at high frequencies. Each of said smaller sensor elements has its own amplifying element and only a small capacitance is present for each sensor element, so that a satisfactory performance is possible at high frequencies as well, while the size of the total sensitive surface area does not differ from the size of the sensitive surface area of the known PIN photodiode.
In an embodiment of a sensor according to the invention the analog to digital converters are arranged on the semiconductor chip.
As a result, the signal detection from the beam exiting the fiber including the digitization of the electric signals is realized at a relatively high rate, at high frequencies, on a single chip, and in parallel.
In another embodiment of a sensor according to the invention the sensor elements are arranged within a predetermined area on the semiconductor chip, and the spatial density of sensor elements in said predetermined area is substantially constant.
As a result, the output signals from the various sensor elements exhibit a high degree of uniformity.
Another result is that less stringent requirements are imposed on the optical treatment of the beam outputted by the optical fiber.
In an embodiment a receiver device designed for cooperation with an optical fiber and comprising a sensor for converting a signal in the form of a modulated beam outputted by the optical fiber is presented. The device comprises the sensor as described above, the circuits on the semiconductor chip are clock-controlled, a clock rate for the circuits is lower than a clock rate corresponding to the bit transfer rate of the modulated beam, means for reconstructing the signals in the beam from signals delivered by the sensor elements at the clock rate for the circuits are present.
As a result, the frequency requirements imposed on the technology for the circuits on the single semiconductor chip of the sensor are less stringent than the requirements imposed to each individual sensor element for detecting the modulation in the exiting modulated beam.
In another embodiment of the sensor elements are organized in groups, the reconstruction means comprising control means which are arranged for reading the sensor elements in groups, and the number of groups being substantially equal to the ratio between the clock rate corresponding to the bit transfer rate of the modulated beam and the clock rate for the integrated circuits.
As a result, it is possible to detect signals that are present in the outputting beam at a frequency which is much higher than a first maximum frequency, using a technology that is suitable for said first maximum frequency.

Sensor for a receiving device for cooperation with an optical fiber


A method and system for restoring, to a previous state, a single object whose state was modified in a group editing action wherein a plurality of objects, including the single object, were modified as a group. Prior to execution of the group editing action, restorative information, necessary to restore each of the objects to its state prior to being modified by the group editing action, is stored in a data structure. After execution of the group editing action, group edit restorative information indicating the state, after the execution of the group editing action, of each of the objects that were modified by the group editing action is stored in another data structure. The single object is restored to its previous state in accordance with the group edit restorative information corresponding to the single object, in response to an indication that one of the plurality of objects is to be restored to its previous state.

Most interactive editors allow users to undo editing operations and also to undo region or group operations that are performed on multiple objects at one time. However, previously existing editors do not allow users to undo a region operation one object or operation at a time. What is needed is an editor that provides users with the capability to perform a finer-grained undo to enable them to have control over the specific objects or operations that need to be undone (or re-done), which objects were previously operated on as a group. There are no known prior solutions to this editing problem.

Method for performing a fine-grained undo operation in an interactive editor

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


An electrode array for use in an apparatus for remotely monitoring the position of a rotatable member as the rotatable member is rotated by an axle about an axis. The array includes a substrate composed of a three-layer composite having first and second surfaces, a plurality of spaced-apart, excitable electrodes defining a center portion disposed on the first surface, an aperture in the substrate located in the center portion for receiving the axle, a center electrode in the center portion spaced apart from the axle circumscribing the aperture, a guard composed of a first conductive strip disposed in the center portion on the first surface spaced apart from and located between the spaced apart excitable electrodes and the center electrode. Each of the excitable electrodes have a concave free edge that delimits a part of the center portion. The excitable electrodes and the meter hand have predetermined areas, so that the area of any given member of the excitable electrodes subtended by the meter is substantially constant as the meter hand traverses across such electrode.

This invention relates to a apparatus for determining the orientation of a rotatable meter hand relative to a dial spaced apart from the meter hand. More particularly, the invention is concerned with an electrode array for creating a current signal (amplitude) subsequently used to identify the position of a meter hand relative to a dial face.

Electrode array made from concave electrodes for meter reading device


An enclosure for protecting at least a pattern side and an opposing side of a reticle is disclosed. The enclosure includes a first and second part that form an enclosure around a reticle to be protected during handling, inspection, storage, and transport. The enclosure in conjunction with a heater and heat sink provides thermophoretic protection of an enclosed reticle.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments disclosed herein relate to an apparatus for and method of handling a reticle in a lithography system, such as an extreme ultraviolet lithography ("EUVL") system.
2. Related Art
The need for protection from particulate matter (i.e., dust, dirt, etc.) contaminating objects of interest is required in many fields of application, including applications in semiconductor manufacturing such as microlithography. As microprocessors become faster and more powerful, an ever increasing number of transistors are required to be positioned on a semiconductor chip. The increased transistor density necessitates closer placement of the transistors, smaller device sizes, and interconnects that take less space. An ever increasing accuracy and precision in the methods for laying down the circuits on the chip is therefore required.
To achieve such great circuit density, the exposure radiation wavelengths used in microlithography are decreasing from visible to VUV, EUV, and smaller in next generation lithography ("NGL") tools. A reticle with a desired pattern on one side is illuminated by the radiation, and the radiation transfers an image of the pattern to the substrate to create a part of the desired circuit.
Conventional reticles are typically for use with longer wavelength exposure radiation. As a result, a clear faceplate, called a pellicle, can be utilized to cover and protect the pattern side of a reticle. As the features grow smaller, resulting in the need for shorter wavelengths, e.g. EUV radiation, the pellicle can not be utilized as present materials absorb too much of the radiation for process efficiency and deteriorate quickly. Moreover, the distortion of a reticle has a greater impact on process yields with shorter wavelength radiation, making the flatness of the reticle critical. Therefore, protecting both the pattern side and the side of the reticle used to mount it in a lithography system from contamination (and thus physical distortion) becomes important. Therefore, there is a need to provide reticles and an apparatus for handling reticles to minimize contamination and warping. This need exists throughout the reticle lifetime following final cleaning and inspection.


A system and method for generating a boundary-scan description language file is disclosed. In a simplified embodiment of the invention, the system utilizes a memory; software stored within the memory defining functions to be performed by the system; and a processor. The processor is configured by the software to: create a flat netlist that describes the integrated circuit, wherein the flat netlist comprises connectivity information regarding leaf cells within the integrated circuit; determine and store a name provided for each joint test action group register located within the integrated circuit, from the created flat netlist; determine relationships between each joint test action group register located within the integrated circuit and at least one input/output pin located within the integrated circuit, from the created flat netlist, and store a description of the relationships; and create a boundary-scan description language file from the stored names of each joint test action group and the stored description of the relationship between the joint test action group register and the input/output pin.

The present invention generally relates to integrated circuit testing and, more particularly, is related to automating creation of a Boundary-Scan Description Language (BSDL) file.
With advancements in technology, new integrated circuits (ICs) have been developed to perform different logical functions. ICs are packaged into fine pitch, high-count packages so that a single IC may perform an increasing number of logical functions. ICs are tested prior to use to ensure that electrical characteristics and conductivity are within ranges required to perform specified functions. Unfortunately, high density ICs pose unique manufacturing challenges such as, but not limited to, accessibility of test points and high cost of test equipment.
In 1985, a group of European companies formed the Joint European Test Action Group (JETAG) to address IC testing challenges. JETAG called for incorporating hardware into standard components controlled via software, thereby eliminating the need for sophisticated in-circuit test equipment. By 1988, the standard component concept gained momentum in North America and several companies formed the Joint Test Access Group (JTAG) consortium to formalize the standard component concept. Thereafter, in 1990, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) refined the standard component concept and created the IEEE/ANSI 1149.1 standard, also known as the IEEE Standard Test Access Port and Boundary-scan Architecture.
The IEEE/ANSI 1149.1 standard was developed to provide standard test facilities and test points in ICs to ensure IC compatibility. Compatibility of ICs that are compliant with the 1149.1 standard allows universal testing techniques to be utilized for the compliant ICs. As more people became aware of, and used, the IEEE/ANSI 1149.1 standard, the need for a standard method for describing IEEE/ANSI 1149.1 standard compatible devices, including ICs, was recognized. The IEEE/ANSI 1149.1 standard working group established a subcommittee to develop a device description language to address the need for a standard method for describing IEEE/ANSI 1149.1 compatible devices.
The subcommittee has since developed and approved an industry standard language called Boundary-scan Description Language (BSDL). BSDL is a subset of the VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL), which describes how the IEEE/ANSI 1149.1 standard is implemented in a device and how that device operates. The IEEE/ANSI 1149.1 standard, which is incorporated by reference here in its entirety, describes an in-circuit testing scheme using xe2x80x9cscan registersxe2x80x9d to capture data from input and output pins of the IC. The term xe2x80x9cregisterxe2x80x9d broadly refers to groups of digital logic storage units that are read or written as a unit. For example, a simple register may be constructed from a group of xe2x80x9cflip-flopsxe2x80x9d whose outputs toggle simultaneously in response to a xe2x80x9cclockxe2x80x9d timing signal. In another type of register, called a xe2x80x9cshift register,xe2x80x9d stored values can also be circulated between the storage elements in the register when a particular control signal is pulsed.
Scan registers act as a group of flip-flops until they are switched into a test mode where they become one long shift register. This configuration allows data to be xe2x80x9cclockedxe2x80x9d serially through all of the scan registers and out of an output pin at the same time that new data is being clocked in from an input pin. A detailed discussion of boundary-scan testing and scan registers is provided in xe2x80x9cThe Boundary-Scan Handbookxe2x80x9d by Kenneth P. Parker (Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2d edition) and xe2x80x9cAgilent 3070 Family Boundary-Scan Fundamentals H7230A Opt 210 (E3795C)xe2x80x9d (Agilent Technologies), both of which are also incorporated by reference here in their entirety. Testing systems that use boundary-scan technology in order to facilitate integrated circuit testing, board testing, and/or system level testing are also commercially-available from a variety of vendors including Agilent Technologies Inc.; Corelis, Inc.; ASSET InterTech, Inc.; JTAG Technologies B.V., Goepel Electronics; Teredyne Inc.; Agere Systems; Sightsys LTD.; Intellitech Corp.; Acugen Software; and others.
Examples of devices that implement the IEEE/ANSI 1149.1 standard in an IC include, but are not limited to, JTAG driving devices and JTAG receiving devices, wherein the devices are registers. The JTAG devices may be utilized for testing electrical characteristics and conductivity of the IC in which the JTAG devices are located.
Unfortunately, creating BSDL files is a tedious and error prone process since IC designers are required to map pin names of ICs to corresponding JTAG driving devices and receiving devices. Mapping of ICs is currently performed by observing netlists utilized for top-level design and by manually determining which top-level port of the IC is associated with which JTAG device.
In light of the foregoing, the preferred embodiment of the present invention generally relates to a system for generating a boundary-scan description language file for an integrated circuit.
Generally, with reference to the structure of the data generation system, the system utilizes a memory; software stored within the memory defining functions to be performed by the system; and a processor. The processor is configured by the software to perform the steps of: creating a flat netlist that describes the integrated circuit, wherein the flat netlist comprises connectivity information regarding leaf cells within the integrated circuit; determining and storing a name provided for each joint test action group register located within the integrated circuit, from the created flat netlist; determining relationships between each joint test action group register located within the integrated circuit and at least one input/output pin located within the integrated circuit, from the created flat netlist, and storing a description of the relationships; and creating a boundary-scan description language file from the stored names of each joint test action group and the stored description of the relationship between the joint test action group register and the input/output pin.
The present invention can also be viewed as providing a method for generating a boundary-scan description language file for an integrated circuit. In this regard, the method can be broadly summarized by the following steps: creating a flat netlist that describes the integrated circuit, wherein the flat netlist comprises connectivity information regarding leaf cells within the integrated circuit; determining and storing a name provided for each joint test action group register located within the integrated circuit, from the created flat netlist; determining relationships between each joint test action group register located within the integrated circuit and at least one input/output pin located within the integrated circuit, from the created flat netlist, and storing a description of the relationships; and creating a boundary-scan description language file from the stored names of each joint test action group and the stored description of the relationship between the joint test action group register and the input/output pin.
Other systems and methods of the present invention will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims.

System and method for generating integrated circuit boundary register description data


[Problem] A silicon single crystal ingot in which point defect agglomerates do not exist over a substantially entire length thereof is manufactured without reducing a pure margin.

As a silicon single crystal manufacturing method, there has been conventionally known a method of pulling up a silicon single crystal ingot by a Czochralski method (which will be referred to as a CZ method thereinafter). According to this CZ method, a seed crystal is brought into contact with a silicon melt trapped in a quartz crucible, and the seed crystal is pulled upward while rotating the quartz crucible and the seed crystal, thereby forming an elongated neck portion at a lower portion of the seed crystal. Then, this portion is thickened to provide a fixed-diameter portion having a predetermined diameter by adjusting a rate of pulling and a temperature, and thereafter the crystal seed is pulled upward while rotating in accordance with crystal growth so that single crystal having a fixed diameter is grown. A crystal diameter of the single crystal which has reached a predetermined length is gradually decreased from the fixed-diameter portion, the diameter is eventually reduced to zero, and the single crystal is separated from the silicon melt.
Various ingenuities have been exercised with respect to such a CZ method in order to stably manufacture single crystal. For example, a crystal to be pulled upward is rotated around a central axis and also a quartz crucible in which a silicon melt is trapped is rotated in a direction opposite to that of the crystal, or a wire is used for pulling, or an SiO gas generated when a pressure of an inert gas is reduced is removed from an in-chamber atmosphere. Further, it is known that oxygen in a silicon single crystal produced by the CZ method plays a major part when manufacturing a device. For example, it is required in order to maintain strength of a silicon wafer. Furthermore, it is known that an oxygen precipitate generated by performing a heat treatment getters an impurity which is mixed from a surface of a silicon wafer. However, when a quantity of this oxygen is too large, an oxygen precipitate deteriorates device characteristics in the vicinity of a wafer surface. Therefore, an oxygen concentration must be controlled at a fixed level, but an oxygen concentration of an ingot pulled upward by the conventional CZ method is high on a top side of the ingot as shown in FIG. 12, and it is difficult to reduce the oxygen concentration when a quantity of a melt is increased.
In order to solve this problem, there has been known a method which pulls a silicon single crystal ingot upward from a silicon melt while applying a cusp magnetic field to the silicon melt. In order to generate this cusp magnetic field, an upper coil and a lower coil are arranged with a predetermined gap therebetween in a vertical direction outside a chamber in which a quart crucible is provided. Moreover, a cusp magnetic field which runs through a neutral plane between the upper coil and the lower coil from each coil center of the upper coil and the lower coil by passing currents opposite to each other to the upper coil and the lower coil. When the cusp magnetic field is generated, a reversed force (a Lorentz force) is applied to the silicon melt by an induced current produced in a direction vertical to the magnetic field, and free movement of the silicon melt trapped in the quartz crucible is thereby avoided. It is considered that a quantity of oxygen which enters the melt from the quartz crucible is reduced as a result of this phenomenon, whereby a quantity of oxygen which enters the crystal is lowered. However, an oxygen concentration is reduced with crystal growth like a case where a magnet is not used, and a rotating speed of the quartz crucible or a flow rate of an inert gas between a surface of the melt and a heat shielding member must be changed in order to uniform the oxygen concentration in a direction of a crystal axis.
On the other hand, in a process of manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit, as factors which reduce a yield ratio, there are a small defect of an oxygen precipitate which becomes a nucleus of an oxidation induced stacking fault (which will be referred to as an OISF hereinafter), a crystal originated particle (which will be referred to as a COP hereinafter) caused by a crystal, presence of interstitial-type large dislocation (which will be referred to as LD hereinafter) and others. As to OISF, a small defect which becomes a nucleus of a crystal is introduced during crystal growth, it is actualized in a thermal oxidation process or the like when manufacturing a semiconductor device, and it becomes a factor of a defect such as an increase in a leak current of the manufactured device. Additionally, the COP is a pit caused due to a crystal which appears on a wafer surface when a mirror-polished silicon wafer is cleansed by using a mixed liquid of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide. This COP becomes a factor which deteriorates electrical characteristics such as time dependent breakdown (TDDB) characteristics of an oxide film, time zero dielectric breakdown (TZDB) characteristics of an oxide film and others. Further, when the COP exists on a wafer surface, a step is generated in a wiring line process of a device, which can be a factor of disconnection. Additionally, it can be also a factor of leak or the like in an element isolation portion, thereby lowering a production yield. Furthermore, the LD becomes a factor which deteriorates electrical characteristics such as leak characteristics, isolation characteristics and others. As a result, it is necessary to reduce the OISF, the COP and the LD from a silicon wafer which is used in order to manufacture a semiconductor integrated circuit.
There has been proposed a silicon single crystal ingot manufacturing method which cuts out a defect-free silicon wafer which does not have the OISF, the COP and LD (see, e.g., Patent References 1 and 2). In general, a region [V] in which vacancy point defect agglomerates dominantly exist is formed in a silicon single crystal ingot when the ingot is pulled up at a high speed, and a region [I] in which interstitial silicon point defect agglomerates dominantly exist is formed in the ingot when the ingot is pulled up at a low speed. Therefore, according to the above-described manufacturing method, it is possible to produce a silicon single crystal formed of a perfect region [P] in which the above-mentioned point defect agglomerates do not exist by pulling up the ingot at an appropriate pulling rate.
Patent Reference 1: U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,610
Patent Reference 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 1393-1999.

Abstract: [Solving Means] A heat shielding member 36 comprises a bulge portion 41 which is provided to bulge in an in-cylinder direction at a lower portion of a cylindrical portion 37 and has a heat storage member 47 provided therein. A flow quantity of an inert gas flowing down between the bulge portion 41 in the heat shielding member 36 and an ingot 25 when pulling up a top-side ingot 25a of the silicon single crystal ingot 25 is set larger than a flow quantity of the inert gas flowing down between the bulge portion 41 and the ingot 25 when pulling up a bottom-side ingot 25b of the silicon single crystal ingot 25, thereby pulling up the ingot 25. Alternatively, an intensity of a cusp magnetic field 53 when pulling up the top-side ingot 25a is set higher than an intensity of the cusp magnetic field 53 when pulling up the bottom-side ingot 25b.


A vehicle seat includes: a seatback frame including an outer side part frame, provided at an outer side in a width direction of a vehicle body, and an inner side part frame, provided at an inner side in the width direction; an outer side load transmission block protruding from the seatback frame towards an outer side in the width direction, and transmitting to the seatback frame, an impact load inputted from a side of the vehicle body; and a protrusion part protruding from a side surface of the outer side part frame towards an outer side in the width direction, wherein the protrusion part is fitted and fixed to a fitting hole provided on the outer side load transmission block.

A technology is known, which transmits an impact load, entered from a side direction of a vehicle at a time of collision, to a vehicle body floor via a seat. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).
According to a vehicle seat disclosed in Patent Document 1, a reinforcing member is installed on a back side of an upper frame of a seatback frame. The reinforcing member is elongated beyond a seatback width towards an outer side in the vehicle width direction. As a result, an impact load inputted from a side part of a vehicle body is transmitted to a seatback frame through the reinforcing material. Further, according to this vehicle seat, an airbag unit is supported by an area of the reinforcing material extending towards an outer side in the vehicle width direction. As a result, a reactive force, occurring at the time when an airbag deploys, is received by the reinforcing material.


A magnetization apparatus includes a power supply unit, an energy storage element and a voltage clamp unit. The power supply unit generates at least one exciting signal to excite at least a coil of a magnetic field generating apparatus. The voltage clamp unit has a clamping voltage. The voltage level of the clamp voltage is higher than the voltage level of the exciting signal, and lower than the rated voltage of the energy storage element. When the exciting signal turns to a low voltage level, the voltage clamp unit controls the voltage level of the energy storage element to be less than or equal to the voltage level of the clamp voltage. This configuration with the voltage clamp unit can extend the lifetime of the energy storage element and reduce the energy loss to enhance the efficiency.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetization apparatus and, in particular, to a magnetization apparatus that can extend the lifetime of the energy storage element and reduce the energy loss to enhance the efficiency.
2. Related Art
The targeted therapy is to inject a targeted medicine into a patient body to attack a specific cell (e.g. a tumor cell). However, the injected targeted medicine may be dispersed to every part of the body, so the targeted therapy efficiency is decreased. Besides, the dispersion of the medicine may cause unpredictable side effect, which may bring additional injury to patients. In order to improve the efficiency of targeted therapy, the magnetic guidance control system is introduced to the targeted therapy. The magnetic guidance control system includes a magnetic field generating apparatus for generating a proper magnetic force, which can guide the magnetic targeted medicine to a specific area so as to effectively treat a certain disease.
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing a conventional magnetization apparatus 1, which can control a magnetic field generating apparatus to generate the desired magnetic field for guiding the magnetic particles or magnetic medicine to a specific position so as to effectively treat a certain disease.
The magnetization apparatus 1 includes a DC voltage supply unit 11, an energy storage element 12, an energy release unit 13, three full-bridge conversion units 141-143, and a current feedback unit 15.
The DC voltage supply unit 11 generates at least one exciting signal ES for enabling the coils TA, TB and TC to generate magnetic fields to control the magnetic particles or magnetic medicine. The energy storage element 12 is electrically connected with the DC voltage supply unit 11 and stores the energy E generated by demagnetizing the coils TA, TB and TC. The energy release unit 13 is electrically connected with the DC voltage supply unit 11 and the energy storage element 12 for eliminating the energy E generated by demagnetizing the coils TA, TB and TC. The full-bridge conversion units 141-143 are electrically connected with the DC voltage supply unit 11, the energy storage element 12 and the energy release unit 13, and respectively connected to the coils TA, TB and TC. The full-bridge conversion units 141-143 are alternately turned on. That is, the coil of one phase is excited after another coil of a previous phase is demagnetized to eliminate the energy E. In addition, each of the full-bridge conversion units 141-143 includes four switches S1-S4. FIG. 1 only shows the switches S1-S4 of the full-bridge conversion unit 141 connecting to the coil TA. The current feedback unit 15 respectively senses the currents flowing through the coils TA, TB and TC, and then outputs a control signal DS to control the ON/OFF statuses of the switches S1-S4 of the full-bridge conversion units 141-143, thereby exciting or demagnetizing the coils TA, TB and TC, respectively. As a result, the magnetic particles or magnetic medicine can be controlled and guided to the specific position.
Taking the coils TA as an example, however, when the exciting signal ES is in a low voltage level, the control signal DS controls to turn on the switches S2 and S3 and turn off the switches S1 and S4 so as to eliminate the energy E generated by demagnetizing. In this case, the energy E generated by demagnetizing the coil TA can flow back to the energy storage element 12 and the energy release unit 13 through the switches S2 and S3, so that the terminal voltage of the energy storage element 12 increases and exceeds the rated voltage of the energy storage element 12. This usually shortens the lifetime of the energy storage element 12. In addition, the conventional energy release unit 13 does not have the passive demagnetizing function, so it must be synchronized with the DC voltage supply unit 11. In other words, after the exciting signal ES of one coil is switched to a low voltage level and the energy release unit 13 is simultaneously enabled to absorb the energy E generated by demagnetizing the coil, another coil can then be excited. For example, after the coil TA is demagnetized and the energy release unit 13 absorbs the energy E generated by demagnetizing the coil TA, the DC voltage supply unit 11 outputs another exciting signal ES to excite another coil TB. This configuration usually results some loss of the energy E at the energy release unit 13 and thus decreases the efficiency of the magnetization apparatus 1.
Therefore, it is an important subject of the present invention to provide a magnetization apparatus that can extend the lifetime of the energy storage element and reduce the energy loss to enhance the efficiency.


A suction adapter for filtration systems is disclosed. The suction adapter is useful for filtration systems in which there are screen regions unapproachable by intake openings of nozzles of the suction scanner, such as the case with pleated screens. The suction adapter comprises a partitioning adapted to match within a space-extension of a predetermined size and shape, whereby being useful for tunneling a suction power from an intake opening of the suction scanner to a screen region unapproachable by the intake opening. A method for cleaning a filtration screen having screen regions gapped from a closest approach of an intake opening of a suction scanner is disclosed. The method comprises providing immovable tunneling means between the screen regions and a location of the closest approach, whereby tunneling a suction power of the suction scanner to respective spots on the screen regions when closely approached, respectively, by the intake opening.

Suction scanners are used in automatic self-cleaning filtration systems for cleaning screen filters fully automatically and without interrupting the filtration process.
Suction scanners make use of focused back-flushing, in which a suction force is created by reversing the flow through a small region of the screen element. A differential pressure is created between the positive working pressure of the filtration system, and the atmospheric pressure to which the flushing path is open. The differential pressure results with a high velocity fluid stream traveling backward through the small region of the screen element, thereby pulling the debris layer off the screen.
Among known suction scanners there are scanners that take rotational scanning path only, and scanners that take rotational and axial scanning paths simultaneously, resulting in helical scanning path.
Using a helical scanning path allows to divide the screen area into smaller cleaning intended regions.
Pleated screens are used in all sorts of filtration systems for fluids (e.g. air, fuel, oil, water). A main advantage of a pleated screen (either flat or cylindrical) over a corresponding non-pleated screen, is a larger screen area per a given flow rate of the screened fluid.
The pleated structure of screens reduces the efficiency of their cleaning by suction, and therefore pleated screens in many (if not most) filtration systems are either disposable or require manual cleaning.


An image forming apparatus is disclosed. The image forming apparatus includes at least two independent recording heads; restoring units; counting units; a restoring control unit; and a storage unit. The restoring control unit conducts a restoring operation for all of recording heads when the cumulative number of print sheets of either of the recording heads reaches the first setting value or above when the cumulative number of print sheets for all of the recording heads is less than the second setting value at the time of starting printing.

Such devices as an inkjet recording device, etc., is known as an image forming device for a printer, a facsimile machine, a reproducing unit, a plotter, and a multifunctional unit having these functions, and as a liquid ejection recording-type image forming device which uses a recording head including a liquid ejection head (a liquid droplet ejection head) that ejects ink droplets, for example. The liquid ejection recording-type image forming device ejects ink droplets from a recording head to a sheet to be conveyed (not limited to paper and includes an OHP sheet, representing what the ink droplets and other liquid, etc., can adhere to; also called a medium to be recorded on, or a recording medium, recording paper, a recording sheet) to perform image forming (recording, print, imaging, printing also used interchangeably). The liquid ejection recording-type image forming device includes a serial-type image forming device which ejects liquid droplets while the recording head moves in a main scanning direction to perform image forming and a line-type image forming device with the use of a line-type head which ejects liquid droplets while the recording head does not move to perform image forming.
Herein, the liquid ejection recording-type "image forming device" represents a device which ejects droplets to a medium such as paper, thread, fiber, cloth, leather, metal, plastic, glass, wood, ceramics, etc., while "image forming" represents not only providing a medium with an image which has a meaning, such as a character or graphics, but also providing a medium with an image which does not have a meaning, such as a pattern (merely causing a droplet to impact the medium). Moreover, "ink" is not limited to what is called ink, but all types of liquids which allow image forming, such as what is called recording liquid, fixing solution, liquid, etc., and also includes DNA samples, resist, pattern material, resin, etc., for example. Furthermore, "image" is not limited to a planar image, but also an image provided to what is formed three-dimensionally, and also an image formed by three-dimensionally shaping a solid itself.
Now, a liquid ejection-type image forming device includes a maintaining and restoring unit (a restoring unit) which includes a wiper member (also called a wiper blade, a wiping blade, a blade, etc.) which wipes off a nozzle face of a recording head to clean the nozzle face; and a cap which caps the nozzle face of the recording head in order to maintain ejection stability of a nozzle of the recording head, to prevent ink in the nozzle from drying and to prevent dust from entering into the nozzle, wherein the maintaining and restoring operation (a maintaining operation) is performed which, for instance, after draining thickened ink from the nozzle into the cap, wipes off the nozzle face with the wiper member to form a nozzle meniscus.
Herein, with respect to the timing of performing restoring operations, an apparatus is known which includes restoring processing units which can individually execute restoring operations for keeping good ink ejecting states of each of a first group of nozzle arrays and a second group of nozzle arrays using a recording head which includes the first group of nozzle arrays and the second group of nozzle arrays that eject liquid droplets of different colors; and a restoring control unit, wherein, responsive to determining that a condition for executing a restoring process is satisfied for at least one group of nozzle arrays out of the first group of nozzle arrays and the second group of nozzle arrays, the restoration control unit conducts control such that the restoring process for the condition-satisfying nozzle array group is executed, while, responsive to determining that a predetermined condition prior to when the condition for executing the restoring process has been satisfied is satisfied for the other group of nozzle arrays, the restoration control unit conducts control such that the restoring process for the other nozzle array group is executed (Patent Document 1).
It is also known to perform restoring operations on all of the recording heads when a rest time of an apparatus reaches a predetermined time or when a consecutive printing time or the number of consecutive print sheets reaches a predetermined value.
Patent Document
Patent Document 1: JP2005-238711A
Now, when an apparatus which performs a large amount of printing, such as a line-type image forming apparatus, for example, is provided with a black recording head and a color recording head and is provided with a restoring unit which performs a restoring operation independently for each of the heads, if it is arranged for executing the restoring operation when a cumulative number of print sheets reaches a predetermined number, for example, a situation arises such that the restoring operation for the color recording head is performed in a short period of time after the restoring operation of the black recording head is performed.
Now, it is possible to apply a technique disclosed in Patent document 1, so that, if a cumulative number of print sheets for one recording head reaches a predetermined number of sheets, even when the cumulative number of print sheets for the other recording head does not reach the predetermined number of sheets, but predetermined conditions are satisfied, the restoring operation is performed for both the black recording head and the color recording head.
However, in such a configuration, the restoring operation is not performed as long as the cumulative number of print sheets does not reach a predetermined number of sheets for either of the recording heads, which is not satisfactory for executing the restoring operation at an appropriate timing and, moreover, is not satisfactory from a point of view of improving throughput by reducing the number of times of restoring operations.