A method for measuring channel quality in a wireless transceiver is disclosed, comprising: receiving, at a wireless transceiver, an analog signal from a user equipment (UE); converting the analog signal to a plurality of digital samples at an analog to digital converter (ADC); performing a fast Fourier transform (FFT) on the plurality of digital samples to generate frequency domain samples; identifying an uplink demodulation reference signal (DMRS) symbol; performing channel estimation on the DMRS symbol to identify an estimate of channels; creating a noise covariance matrix from the estimate of channels; and deriving an interference measure from the noise covariance matrix.

In LTE 4G systems, uplink measurements such as Interference per Resource Block (RB), Noise per RB, Thermal Noise power and Interference Power hold significant value for the performance of the overall uplink system behavior. These measurement values are calibrated and passed over to higher layers, which can assist with the scheduling of RB's and modulation rate etc. These values also assist the major decision takings such as for inter cell interference coordination (ICIC), handover etc.
In Long Term Evolution (LTE/LTE-A), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) is used to transmit the uplink data from UE (user equipment) along with control information. PUSCH uses DMRS to help the receiver to estimate channel and equalize the received data. The DMRS also has a major significance in terms of deriving various major measurements. The significance of the measurement values is to assist with the scheduling of the RB in order to enhance the user data decoding and the overall system performance.

Uplink measurements for wireless systems


A lightning detection system provides an estimated location of a lightning stroke. The system includes sensors and an analyzer. Each sensor within range of a lightning event provides messages to the analyzer. Each sensor includes a waveform engine that converts a signal received from the lightning event to a series of frequency domain components having respective magnitude and phase. The waveform engine adjusts magnitudes and phases of the frequency components, for example, to mitigate the effects of terrain conductivity where the received signal traveled across terrain. The adjusted frequency components are then converted by the waveform engine into a second time domain signal that is described in a message to the analyzer. Each message includes sensor identification, peak amplitude, and time of detecting the lightning event. The analyzer provides an estimated location of the lightning stroke and an estimated peak current of the lightning stroke in accordance with messages received from sensors.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems for estimating where lightning struck the ground and the intensity of each lightning strike.
A conventional low frequency wide-area lightning detection system detects and locates the return strokes in cloud-to-ground lightning flashes. Although the energy of each return stroke is emitted in a substantially vertical column between cloud and ground, the location of interest for each stroke is the point where the return stroke made contact with the ground. Wide-area lightning detection systems conventionally include many sensors distributed approximately in a grid separated from each other by distances on the order of hundreds of kilometers. Each sensor communicates with a central analyzer so that the signals detected by several sensors may form the basis of a determination of location and current of each return stroke.
A return stroke emits energy that is detected by a sensor in the radio spectrum at comparatively low frequencies of about 1 KHz to about 500 KHz. A return stroke signal in this band of frequencies propagates in the region bounded by the earth""s surface and the ionosphere, follows the surface over mountains and valleys, and is generally not obstructed by low terrain or buildings, passing through these obstructions. When a return stroke signal is detected at a sensor, the amplitude of the received signal has been degraded by a combination of physical phenomena. Signal amplitude degrades with distance (i.e., as the crow flies), path length, and conductivity of the terrain. The farther the stroke was from the sensor, the lower the amplitude will be of the received signal. If the distance traveled is over mountainous terrain, the path the signal followed to the sensor may be greater than the path across a smooth earth model; and, therefore the resulting signal amplitude will be still lower. If the conductivity of the terrain is not uniform with distance and bearing to the sensor, inaccurate estimates of amplitude at the location the lightning return stroke occurred will result from use of a smooth ellipsoid, uniformly conducting model of the earth""s surface.
Each sensor conventionally detects the time of occurrence of the received signal. When more than one sensor detects a single return stroke, the fact that the return stroke happened at one instant in time can be used to estimate the location of the return stroke and a distance from each sensor to the estimated location of the return stroke. Conventional sensors are synchronized to a common time base so that each can report a time of occurrence of the detected signal. This time is conventionally called a time of arrival. The time of occurrence of the received signal generally suggests a location where the return stroke occurred at the ground.
The antenna or radio spectrum antennas used by a sensor may include omnidirectional antennas and directional antennas. When directional antennas are used, the sensor calculates bearing to the source of the received signal. The bearing generally suggests a location where the return stroke occurred at the ground.
Conventional lightning detection systems use bearing and/or time of arrival information from several sensors to estimate a probable location of a return stroke. Bearing information from two or more sensors having directional antennas is sufficient to suggest location. Time of arrival information from three or more sensors is sufficient to suggest a location. A probable location may be estimated by analyzing the suggested locations when more than one set of information is available (e.g., both bearing and time of arrival information, bearing information from more than two sensors, time of arrival information from more than three sensors).
Received signal peak amplitude is generally proportional to the maximum current of the return stroke at the estimated location. Distance, path length, and conductivity, as discussed above, modify (e.g., degrade, reshape, attenuate, or in some cases partially boost) the received signal amplitude in a complex manner and adversely affect the accuracy of estimates of the peak current of the return stroke.
For conventional lightning detection systems, the accuracy of the estimated location of the return stroke and estimated peak current of the stroke is unsatisfactory for many applications. The estimated time of occurrence, location, and peak current of a return stroke are needed for design and maintenance of equipment and buildings (e.g., related to electric power systems or communication), for risk assessment, and for insurance claims against loss caused by lightning. Without the present invention, conventional lightning detection systems provide a median location and time uncertainty on the order of +/xe2x88x920.5 km and +/xe2x88x921 xcexcsec, respectively. Peak current estimates are uncertain to +/xe2x88x92 up to 30%. Significant economic value can be achieved by reducing these uncertainties, for example, in more economical lightning protection systems for equipment and buildings, more economical equipment and building maintenance, lower insurance premiums, and fewer disputes regarding the cause of losses that may have been due to lightning.
A lightning detection system, according to various aspects of the present invention, solves the problems described above. In one implementation, such a system provides an estimated location of a lightning event and includes: (a) an analyzer for providing the estimated location of the lightning event in accordance with a plurality of messages; and (b) a plurality of sensors, each sensor providing a message respectively comprising sensor identification and a time of detecting the lightning event. Each sensor includes a receiver, a waveform engine, and a transmitter. The receiver receives an event and provides a first time-domain signal in response to the lightning event. The waveform engine determines a frequency component of the first signal; adjusts at least one of the magnitude and phase of the component to provide an adjusted component; and determines a second time-domain signal in accordance with the adjusted component. The transmitter transmits the message in accordance with the second time-domain signal.
A method, according to various aspects of the present invention provides a description of a signal received from a lightning event. The signal has been modified by travel through a medium. The method includes in any order: (a) determining a plurality of frequency domain components of the signal; (b) determining a plurality of adjusted magnitudes for a multiplicity of the frequency domain components of the plurality; and (c) providing a description of a time domain signal corresponding to at least the plurality of adjusted magnitudes for the multiplicity of frequency domain components.
In various implementations, component magnitudes in the frequency domain may be adjusted to establish a desired slope (e.g., xe2x88x921 in the log frequency domain). Adjustments to phase and magnitude may be determined from a function of frequency and conductivity of terrain. Conductivity of terrain may be determined from a second function of frequency, for example, proportional to the square of a breakpoint frequency. The breakpoint frequency may be determined from an analysis of the component magnitudes in the frequency domain.
A sensor, according to various aspects of the present invention, provides a description of a signal received from a lightning event, the signal having been modified by travel through a medium. The sensor includes a circuit that determines a plurality of frequency domain components of the signal; a circuit that determines a plurality of adjusted magnitudes for a multiplicity of the frequency domain components of the plurality; and a circuit that provides a description of a time domain signal corresponding to at least the plurality of adjusted magnitudes for the multiplicity of frequency domain components.

Systems and methods for spectral corrected lightning detection


A method for leak testing includes a leak testing step and a reference leak step. In the leak testing step, a hollow work 20 as a test object is encapsulated in a work capsule 11. A test pressure is supplied to the work capsule 11 through a path 2a connected to the work capsule. A variation of pressure inside the work capsule 11 is detected in a condition in which the path 2a is shut-off, and a judgment is made whether a leakage through the work is generated based on the detected output. In the reference leak step, a reference leak device 30 having a known pinhole 31a is mounted on a work 20′ for reference leakage that is same as the work 20 as the test object. The work 20′ for reference leakage is encapsulated in the work capsule 11. The test pressure is supplied to the work capsule 11 via the path 2a, and a reference leakage is generated in the work 20′ for reference leakage via the reference leak device 30 in a condition in which the path 2a is shut-off. A variation of pressure inside the work capsule 11 accompanying the reference leakage is detected.

A known method for evaluating hermeticity of a hollow work as a test object includes applying a test pressure to the work and detecting leakage. As disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H9-72817), for example, a leak testing apparatus used in the method includes two branch paths connected to a downstream end of a common path connected to a pressure source. A hollow work and a master container are respectively connected to the downstream ends of the branch paths. Valves are respectively disposed in the branch paths. A differential pressure sensor is connected between the branch paths on a downstream side with respect to the valves.
An embodiment in which a work is directly connected to a branch path is disclosed in Patent Document 1. It is also known to connect a work capsule to a branch path and encapsulate a hollow work in the work capsule. The latter case is taken as an example and described below.
In a condition in which two branch paths are shut-off by closing the valves after providing a positive test pressure from a pressure source, for example, a difference between a pressure inside a work capsule and a pressure in a master container is detected by a differential pressure sensor. If there is a defect such as a pin hole in the work, the test pressure inside the work capsule leaks into the work, and therefore, the pressure in the work capsule is reduced. If a differential pressure detected by the deferential pressure sensor exceeds a threshold value, the work is judged to be defective, having a pinhole.
As disclosed in Patent Document 1, a reference leak device is connected to the branch path of the leak testing apparatus on the work side. The reference leak device is configured so as to provide a predetermined quantity of atmospheric-pressure-converted leakage under the test pressure. Using the leak testing apparatus, a reference leak step is performed at a time of delivery to a user and periodically thereafter. In the reference leak step, as with the leak testing step mentioned above, after providing the test pressure to the work capsule and the master container and shutting-off the two branch paths, a reference leakage is generated by the reference leak device. Thereby, the pressure on the work capsule side is reduced, and the differential pressure is detected by the differential pressure sensor.
The differential pressure detected in the reference leak step corresponds to a known atmospheric-pressure-converted leakage quantity, and can be used as a reference data for the leak testing. For example, if an atmospheric-pressure-converted leakage quantity in the reference leak step is within an allowable limit value, the detected differential pressure can be used as a threshold value for judging acceptance or rejection of the work in a leak testing step.

Method for leak testing and reference leak device for leak testing


An apparatus comprising a memory configured to store data and a controller. The controller may be configured to process a plurality of input/output requests to read/write to/from the memory. The controller is configured to (i) set a value of a threshold voltage based on an estimate, (ii) determine whether the read is successful, (iii) if the read is not successful, perform a plurality of reads with a varying value of the threshold voltage, (iv) read a calibration value from a look-up table based on the plurality of reads and (v) set the threshold value in response to the calibration value.

A typical characteristic of a conventional NAND flash channel is a time-variant function. Age, retention, and geometric location (pages on the edges of a block) of a page can make a cell voltage distribution for one page much different than a cell voltage distribution of another page. The difference is viewed as a time-variant nature. The variations make it difficult for the detector to set optimal read thresholds for every individual page. This has been the major reason of read failures. Therefore, when a hard decision read fails, a conventional strategy is to start a retry read by varying the read thresholds. The intention of such a retry is to hit the sweet spot of the voltage distributions. This kind retry is pretty much both blind (trial and error) and time consuming. At the end of the life of a solid state drive (SSD), throughput performance is expected to become slower due to an increase in retry activities.
It would be desirable to implement adaptive architecture of a channel detector for NAND flash channels.

Adaptive architecture in a channel detector for NAND flash channels


Disclosed are a fusion protein comprising a thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) fragment and the use thereof. More specifically, disclosed are a fusion protein comprising a TSHR fragment comprising an extracellular domain of a wild-type TSHR and having a substitution of an amino acid at specific position and an immunoglobulin Fc region or a carboxy-terminal cap (C-CAP), and the use thereof. The fusion protein has improved pharmaceutical efficacy, in-vivo persistence and protein stability and a pharmaceutical composition containing the fusion protein as an active ingredient is useful as a therapeutic agent or diagnostic reagent for the alleviation of Graves' disease and Graves' ophthalmopathy.

The production of normal thyroid hormone is regulated by thyroid-stimulating hormone. The thyroid-stimulating hormone secreted from the hypothalamus binds to the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor in the thyroid tissue cells and thereby synthesizes thyroid hormone through a series of signaling processes with G proteins in the thyroid cells. The synthesized hormone conducts the functions thereof while circulating throughout the body. However, when excessive hormone is produced, the expression of thyroid-stimulating hormone in the hypothalamus is suppressed, thus resulting in inhibition of synthesis of thyroid hormone.
Meanwhile, Graves' disease results from fundamental defects in the immune system and is caused by autoantibodies that bind to the thyrotropin receptor (TSHR). In most cases, autoantibodies specific to thyrotropin receptors (TSHRs) bind to the thyrotropin receptors, resulting in hyperthyroidism. In addition, in some cases, autoantibodies bind to thyrotropin receptors, resulting in hypothyroidism which suppresses the effects of the binding of thyroid hormone (TSH). Graves' disease is an autoimmune disease caused by autoantibodies that induce over-production of thyroid hormone, that is, hyperthyroidism (Weetman A P, N Engl. J Med 2000; 343; 1236-1248, Bartalena L, Nat Rev Endocrinol 2013; 9; 724-734).
Generally, methods such as the use of non-selective thyroid function inhibitors or the removal of thyroid tissue through radioactive isotopes or surgical operation have been used for the treatment of Graves' disease. However, the use of thyroid function inhibitors entails a high risk of recurrence, and the removal of thyroid tissue may have a problem in that body homeostasis should be maintained because continuous administration of thyroid hormone is required. Graves ophthalmopathy has been reported to develop in 50% of patients with Graves' disease. The main cause of Graves' ophthalmopathy has not been elucidated. However, since the thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) was reported to be expressed in the orbital fibroblasts of patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy, autoantibodies specific to the thyrotropin receptor are known to play an important role in ophthalmopathy.
Thus, it is considered that symptoms of Graves' disease can be reduced by inhibiting the binding of autoantibodies to the thyrotropin receptor, which is the cause of Graves' disease. Nevertheless, no method of selectively inhibiting the binding of these autoantibodies to the receptor has been developed. Considering the diversity of autoantibodies to thyrotropin receptor, fusion proteins using the thyrotropin receptor itself are considered to be the best possible selective binding substances. The expression of the available structure of the thyrotropin receptor was compared by sequentially cutting the end of the ectodomain of the thyrotropin receptor in 1997 (Chazenbalk G D et al. J Biol Chem (1997) 272(30); 18959-65). Among TSHR-261, TSHR-289 and TSHR-309, the smallest one, TSHR-261, showed the best ability to bind to autoantibodies of the blood of Graves' disease patients and then neutralize the same. However, the patent by the same authors (WO 2000005345 A1) shows that TSHR-261 is relatively less stable compared to large-sized substances such as TSH1R-289 and TSHR-309. For this reason, the recent patent (WO 2015189543 A2) discloses the introduction of various point mutations in order to enhance thermostability of TSHR-260 and thereby improve the half-life at the same temperature. However, the half-life failed to reach the level at which the blood half-life is satisfactory for use as a therapeutic agent.
No previous research has made on fusion proteins for the supplementation of the additional functions other than the expression of ectodomain fragments of TSHR substances. In particular, it is critical to increase the blood half-life in order to inhibit the selective binding of autoantibodies associated with the development of therapeutic drugs, but no research on fusion proteins for this purpose has been reported to date. Also, no studies on fusion proteins aimed at improving the poor thermostability of TSHR-261 have been reported. In the patent for prior studies using thyrotropin receptors (WO 2000005345A1), there has not been reported any case where a new function is added by fusing the protein sequence of the thyrotropin receptor with different protein sequences.
As a result of intensive efforts to improve the in-vivo half-life and thermostability of TSHR, the present inventors have found that, when the Fc of immunoglobulin IgG is bound to the thyrotropin receptor fragment, or the protein called "C-Cap" is bound to the C-terminal of the thyrotropin receptor fragment, the blood half-life is increased or thermostability at 37° C. of the thyrotropin receptor is enhanced, and binding of the thyrotropin autoantibodies to the thyrotropin receptor is inhibited without affecting the production of thyroid hormone by the thyroid-stimulating hormone. Based on this finding, the present invention has been completed.

Fusion protein comprising thyrotropin receptor variants and use thereof

INDUSTRY-ACADEMIC COOPERATION FOUNDATION, YONSEI UNIVERSITY


A connector for an IC card is provided which has a reduced height and in which self-correction is possible. The connector includes a plurality of cantilever contacts electrically connected to an IC card, each including a stationary arm and a resilient arm having a tip formed with a contact point. The connector also includes a housing holding the contacts and integrally formed with the stationary arm so that the contact point projects from one surface of the housing. The resilient arms are bendably arranged in parallel and are slidable with respect to the IC card inserted from any one of the first and second insertion directions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to connectors for electrical connections, and more particularly, to structures of connectors for SIM (Subscriber Identify Module) cards used in cellular phones and the like.
2. Related Art
In recent years, cellular phones in which an SIM card can be installed have come into wide use. The SIM card is an IC card issued by a telephone enterprise with contractor information recorded thereon. The SIM card serves to identify a user through insertion into a cellular phone. For example, by installing an SIM card in a cellular phone after purchasing it, the user can start to use the SIM card immediately. Moreover, by SIM card replacement, the user can use another cellular phone with the same telephone number. Furthermore, the user can freely use a plurality of SIM cards with the same cellular phone.
As one example of connectors for such SIM cards, Japanese Unexamined patent application Publication No. 2003-257529 (referred to hereafter as Patent Document 1) discloses a multi-direction insertion connector for receiving an SIM card from at least two different directions, wherein the connector includes a plurality of contacts in which a punching die clearance between adjacent contacts can be made large in the pressing process without changing reception size for insertion of the SIM card.
FIGS. 9A to 9C are views showing a configuration of a connector in a first embodiment of Patent Document 1, wherein FIG. 9A is a plan view, FIG. 9B is a view taken along the line X-X in FIG. 9A, and FIG. 9C is a right side view of FIG. 9A. FIG. 9 of the application corresponds to FIG. 2 of Patent Document 1. FIG. 10 is a perspective external view showing a contact used for a connector in a second embodiment of Patent Document 1. FIG. 10 of the application corresponds to FIG. 6 of Patent Document 1.
Referring to FIGS. 9A to 9C, a connector 80 includes a plurality of contacts 82 and a housing 81 for holding the contacts 82. Each contact 82 is formed with a contact part 83 that makes contact with an SIM card, not shown. The housing 81 holds the contact 82 so that the contact part 83 projects from a first surface 8a. The SIM card, not shown, is inserted into the connector 80 from a first card-insertion direction Y1 corresponding to the pitch direction along which the contacts 82 are arranged in parallel and a second card-insertion direction X1 orthogonal to the first card-insertion direction Y1.
Referring to FIGS. 9A to 9C, each contact part 83 includes a first guiding part 85 arranged on the side of the first card-insertion direction Y1 for guiding insertion of the SIM card and a second guiding part 86 arranged on the side of the second card-insertion direction X1 for guiding the SIM card. The contact part 83 is formed roughly in a T-shape. The first and second guiding parts 85 and 86 each are configured to have at least part receding from the first surface 8a of the housing 81.
Referring to FIG. 10, a contact 92 is formed by bending an elongated resilient metal plate in roughly an S-shape, and includes a contact part 83 having a tip shaped such that the circular top is half removed. The contact part 83 includes first and third guiding parts 85 and 87 arranged symmetrically and extending from the top obliquely downwardly with respect to both sides of the contact 92. The first and third guiding parts 85 and 87 have a tip bent and facing downward, and are formed roughly in a T-shape.
Referring to FIG. 10, the contact 92 includes a spring part 88, a holding part 89, a soldering part 90, and an engaging part 91. The spring part 88 extends from the contact part 83 inwards, obliquely and downwards to extend to the interior of the top face of the housing 81 (refer to FIG. 9B). The spring part 88 bends so as to be parallel to the top face of the housing 81, extends inwardly, and makes a U-turn so as to form a U-shape, extending to the outside of the housing 81 along the top face of the housing 81. The holding part 89 is arranged at a tip of the spring part 88 to bend downward therefrom so as to extend downward along the side face of the housing 81, reaching a lower end of the housing 81. The holding part 89 is press-fit into a mounting groove 81a (refer to FIG. 9C) of the housing 81. The soldering part 90 is arranged at a lower end of the holding part 89 to bend therefrom so as to extend outwardly. The soldering part 90 is soldered to a printed circuit board, not shown. The engaging part 91 is engaged with an insertion groove of the housing 81.
The connector including a plurality of contacts 92 shown in FIG. 10 can receive an SIM card, not shown, from the first card-insertion direction Y1 corresponding to the pitch direction along which the contacts 92 are arranged in parallel and a third card-insertion direction Y2 opposite the first card-insertion direction Y1.
As shown in FIG. 10, the contact 92 including first and third guiding parts 85 and 87 that extend from the top (i.e., referred to as a contact point) of the contact part 83 obliquely and downward is advantageous for insertion of an SIM card from multiple directions. However, the contact 92 causes a problem in that a mounting height H with respect to the housing 81 is increased due to restriction of the guiding parts 85 and 87. That is, in order for the contact part 83 to secure a given amount of curvature, a predetermined clearance needs to be arranged between the tip of the first and third guiding parts 85 and 87 and the holding part 89.
For example, there is a demand for further reduction in weight and thickness in cellular phones in which an SIM card can be installed. However, the contact including card-guiding parts as shown in FIGS. 9A to 10 has a fixed limit to reduction in the mounting height of the connector. Thus, there is a demand for height reduction in connectors into which an SIM card is slidably inserted. Preferably, the connections are of the self-correction type having a so-called self-alignment effect, wherein the inclined position of the SIM card is corrected in accordance with insertion thereof. Realization of a configuration for such connectors is a problem to be solved by the invention.


Olefinically unsaturated secondary alcohols in which the carbon-carbon double bond and the alcohol functionality are separated only by methylene groups are isomerized to ketones by reacting a mixture composed of an olefinically unsaturated secondary alcohol and a catalyst effective amount of a substantially fully hydrogenated palladium catalyst at a temperature of from about 200.degree. C. to about 300.degree. C. and passing hydrogen through the reaction mixture until the iodine number of said reaction mixture is less than 10 and separating the catalyst from the ketone.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for isomerizing olefinically unsaturated secondary alcohols to saturated ketones.
2. Description of the Related Art
A number of methods of isomerizing olefinically unsaturated secondary alcohols are known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 2,178,760 discloses a process for catalytically isomerizing a hydroxy carboxylic acid or its functional derivative comprising heating the carboxylic acid or its functional derivative of a carboxylic acid in the presence of a nickel catalyst prepared by reducing an oxygen-containing nickel compound with hydrogen. U.S. Pat. No. 2,340,745 discloses a process for catalytically isomerizing a ricinoleic compound comprising heating a ricinoleic compound in the presence of an elementary nickel or cobalt catalyst. U.S. Pat. No. 2,847,432 discloses a method of oxidizing an alkyl ester of 12-ketostearic acid comprising reacting the ester with nitric acid in the presence of a mixed catalyst containing a copper tearing material. Japanese Kokai 73 48,417 (Chemical Abstracts 79:125878e) discloses the isomerization of unsaturated hydroxy fatty acids and their esters by heating the unsaturated hydroxy fatty acids and their esters in the presence of copper, nickel, or palladium. The Journal of the American Oil Chemists Society Vol 42, pages 340-344 1965) describes a method of preparing methyl 12-ketostearate by heating methyl ricinoleate over Raney nickel catalyst for about one-half hour. The Journal of Oil Technologists' Association of India, pages 61-64July/September 1976 describes the production of keto stearic acids through the hydrogenation of castor oil in the presence of Raney Nickel. Maslobiona Zhirovoa Delo. 13, (2) 13-14 (1937) (Chemical Abstracts 31, 7397) describes a method of preparing 12-ketostearic acid by heating castor oil in a CO.sub.2 atmosphere in the presence of nickel, copper, and platinum black catalysts. The preparation of 12-ketostearic acid by isomerizing methyl ricinoleate over raney nickel is described in Bull. Soc. Chim. France, pages 339-42 (1954) (Chemical Abstracts 49, 4520 c). French patent No. 1,043,797 (Chemical Abstracts 52, 11908 b) discloses a method of preparing methyl 12-oxostearate by reducing methyl ricinoleate with hydrogen over a Cu-ZrO.sub.2 catalyst.
None of the prior art methods discloses a substantially fully hydrogenated catalyst. All of prior art methods suffer from the disadvantage that a substantial amount of the saturated hydroxy compound or the unsaturated keto compound is formed along with the desired saturated keto compound.

Process for isomerizing olefinically unsaturated secondary alcohols


Optical amplification bandwidth is improved by providing an economical and practical way of multiplexing together multiple Raman pump energy sources at disparate wavelengths. An arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) may be used to implement a double multiplexer. The insertion loss of the AWG is very low, allowing a reduction in the necessary power. Also, a single AWG may be used to combine numerous pump wavelengths.

The present invention relates to optical communication systems and more particularly to systems and methods for multiplexing to provide optical pump energy.
Dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) systems are evolving to both increase the distances over which DWDM signals may travel without regeneration and also to expand data carrying capacity by increasing the number of channels. To support this evolution, DWDM amplification technology is increasingly relying on Raman amplifiers even to the exclusion of Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) due to the greater bandwidth of the Raman amplifiers. Distributed Raman amplifiers (DRAs) provide amplification within transmission spans while lumped Raman amplifiers (LRAs) are positioned between spans to provide further all-optical amplification as necessary. Both types of Raman amplifiers require that coherent pump energy from laser sources be pumped into a fiber through which the signal to be amplified propagates. This all-Raman approach greatly extends the available bandwidth over systems that rely all or in part on EDFAs.
Further improvement in system bandwidth and performance requires further improvement of the available bandwidth and the gain flatness over that bandwidth for both the LRAs and the DRAs. This can be accomplished by using multiple Raman pumps at different wavelengths. By appropriately selecting pump wavelengths, optimal gain flatness and signal to noise ratio may be achieved. Gain flatness is important so that all of the numerous channels accommodated by the wider bandwidth remain within the dynamic range of the optical receivers used to recover the transmitted information. Difficulty arises in multiplexing together multiple pump signals prior to injection into the transmission fiber.
One approach is to use as many couplers as necessary to combine the outputs of multiple lasers. To combine N lasers requires Nxe2x88x921 couplers. Loss introduced by the couplers will then be (Nxe2x88x921)*3 dB. The pump power that can be practically generated is limited by cost, safety, and reliability concerns. Given these constraints on pump power and the loss introduced by the use of couplers, this approach can only be used to combine a relatively small number of pump outputs. The desired improvement in bandwidth cannot be provided using this approach.
An alternative approach is to employ interferential filters to multiplex multiple pumps. FIG. 1 depicts a cascaded configuration of multiple interferential filters 102. For each Raman pump wavelength, there are two orthogonally polarized lasers outputting to a polarization beam combiner (PBC) 104. The use of the PBCs reduces the degree of polarization of the multiplexed Raman pump signal to avoid polarization dependent gain (PDG) effects. Again, there is a relatively high loss with the loss for the nth filter being 0.7+0.7*(nxe2x88x921) with a maximum loss of 0.7*(Nxe2x88x921) where N is the number of pump wavelengths. Again, the high loss reduces the bandwidth that can be achieved due to the constraints on laser power.
FIG. 2 depicts an alternative configuration of interferential filters 102, a tree configuration. Here the loss is 0.7*log2 (N) where N is the number of pump wavelengths and is a power of 2. Although the tree configuration reduces the loss introduced, there is still a problem of tightly controlling the characteristics of numerous components. The interferential filters have very strict requirements, e.g., a flat response over 50 nm or more in both the transmitted and reflected spectra and a 3-dB roll off at 200 GHz from the pass band edge. Also the polarization extinction ratio of the large numbers of PBCs must be strictly controlled. Thus, even when acceptable laser powers may be used, cost and complexity are still higher than desired.
What is needed are systems and methods for multiplexing Raman pump energy sources to provide greatly improved amplification bandwidth at low cost while requiring no more laser power than is practical.
By virtue of one embodiment of the present invention, optical amplification bandwidth is improved by providing an economical and practical way of multiplexing together multiple Raman pump energy sources(at disparate wavelengths. An arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) may be used to implement a double multiplexer. The insertion loss of the AWG is very low, allowing a reduction in the necessary power. Also, a single AWG may be used to combine numerous pump wavelengths.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method for providing pump energy for optical amplification includes: directing optical energy from a first set of coherent optical energy sources having disparate wavelengths to a first set of corresponding input ports of an AWG, and obtaining a first multi-wavelength pump signal from a first output port of the AWG disposed to receive optical energy from the first set of input ports.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, apparatus for providing pump energy for optical amplification includes: a first set of coherent optical energy sources having disparate output wavelengths and an AWG, wherein the outputs of the first set of coherent optical energy sources are coupled to corresponding input ports of a first set of input ports of the AWG. A first multi-wavelength pump signal is obtained from a first output port of the AWG, the first output port being disposed to receive optical energy from the first set of input ports.
Further understanding of the nature and advantages of the inventions herein may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and the attached drawings.


A method of forming a fibrous composite that includes forming first and second layered groups of fibers extending in side-by-side relation; and passing gas such as air through the groups of fibers to effect controlled reduction in overall thickness of the two groups of fibers. The two groups of fibers are typically bonded together, and a think flexible, porous support layer may support the first layer which consists of glass fibers of smaller diameter than the glass fibers in the second layer.

This invention relates generally to forming of glass fiber composites, as are used in high-efficiency air filtration; and more particularly the invention concerns a method of effecting controlled filtering capacity of two layers of fibers, of different sizes, by passage of air through the two layers, to control overall thickness.
There is need for longer-life filters capable of efficiently filtering particulate from gas streams, and there is need for efficient, effective methods of producing such filters. There is also need for preventing escape of smaller diameter glass fibers from a fibrous mat. The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 3,690,852, incorporated herein by reference, concerns production of a filter comprising two layers of fibers of different sizes. The present invention improves upon the methods described in that patent, as will be seen.

Method of forming composite of glass fibers of various filament diameters into a fibrous mat


On-chip high performance slow-wave microstrip line structures, methods of manufacture and design structures for integrated circuits are provided herein. The structure includes at least one ground and a signal layer provided in a different plane than the at least one ground. The signal layer has at least one alternating wide portion and narrow portion with an alternating thickness such that a height of the wide portion is different than a height of the narrow portion with respect to the at least one ground.

To meet the requirements of the future hand-held and ground communications systems as well as communications satellites, increasing the level of integration in the size and component count is needed. In circuit design, passive components refer to components that are not capable of power gain such as, for example, capacitors, inductors, resistors, diodes, transmission lines and transformers. In circuit design for communications systems, for example, a large area of the board is taken up by passive devices. For example, 90-95% of components in a cellular telephone are passive components, taking up approximately 80% of the total transceiver board, which accounts for about 70% of the cost. To reduce the space taken up by the passive devices, very small discrete passive components and the integration of the passive components are under required.
Multi-chip module, system on chip (SOC)/system on package (SOP) in which the passive devices and interconnects are incorporated into the carrier substrate offer an attractive solution to further increase the integration. For example, SOC is a fully integrated design with RF passive devices and digital and analog circuits on the same chip. Their operation on CMOS grade silicon, however, is degraded by the high loss of transmission lines and antennas. On the other hand, BiCMOS technologies present a cost effective option to realize highly integrated systems combining analog, microwave design techniques, transmission lines and other passive components.
In any event, many efforts have been made to reduce the size of the passive devices. For example, to reduce the space taken up by the passive components, discrete passive components have been replaced with on-chip passive components. However, size reduction of passive components may depend at least in part on the further development of on-chip interconnects, such as slow-wave microstrip line (SWML) structures, for microwave and millimeter microwave integrated circuits (MICs), microwave and millimeter monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs), and radiofrequency integrated circuits (RFICs) used in communications systems. In particular, interconnects that promote slow-wave propagation can be employed to reduce the sizes and cost of distributed elements to implement delay lines, variable phase shifters, branchline couplers, voltage-tunable filters, etc. However, advanced microstrip line structures are needed for radiofrequency and microwave integrated circuits to serve as interconnects that promote slow-wave propagation, as well as related design structures for radio frequency and microwave integrated circuits.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art to overcome the deficiencies and limitations described hereinabove.

Microstrip line structures with alternating wide and narrow portions having different thicknesses relative to ground, method of manufacture and design structures

International Business Machines Corporation


The instant invention is a novel method for definitive pelvic stabilization. The method uses the already established principles of anterior external fixation combined with internal hardware placed in a minimally invasive fashion. Pedicle screws are affixed to the ilia and a rigid, bowed fixation rod is connected between the pedicle screws. Preferably the pedicle screws are attached to the supra-acetabular area of each of the ilium of the pelvis and the fixation rod is bowed anteriorly away from the pelvis.

Unstable pelvic fractures typically occur as a result of high-energy injuries such as automobile accidents, falls and the like. Even in this age of modern polytrauma care, acute pelvic fractures are potentially lethal. In the past, such injuries were treated without surgery. However, recovery to completely normal functionality was the exception rather than the norm. In more modern times, unstable pelvic fractures are treated surgically with a number of techniques depending on the type and extent of the fracture(s).
The pelvis consists of three major bones (two ilium and the sacrum) and some minor bones joined together in a ring shape and held by strong ligaments, See FIG. 1. General characteristics of pelvic fracture include severe pain, pelvic bone instability, and associated internal bleeding. Devices and methods used to treat fracture of the pelvis currently fall under two general classifications; internal fixation and external fixation. Combinations of both techniques are frequently chosen for certain fracture patterns.
Internal fixation is typically utilized when the patient exhibits unstable posterior pelvic fractures. Internal fixation refers to plates and screws applied directly onto the fracture sites after realignment. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,454,876; 5,108,397; 6,340,362 and 6,440,131. This type of fracture tends to be more complex with it involving multiple bony structures. Internal fixation addresses these clinical issues through open reduction and correction of misaligned bone segments that are subsequently stabilized with a wide variety of plate and screw methods.
Anterior pelvic fractures or hemodynamically unstable patients are candidates for external fixation. Pelvic external fixation consists of pins usually inserted into the iliac bones and then connected together by clamps and bars. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,292,964; 4,361,144; 5,350,378 and 6,162,222. External fixation methods consists of stabilizing the pelvic ring with a rigid framework residing outside the patient's body that is connected to the patient's pelvis via multiple pins that penetrate through the patient's soft and hard tissues. Several frame types are currently utilized. Two of the more widely deployed devices for external pelvic stabilization are the Hoffmann 2 Inverted "A" Frame and the Ganz Pelvic C Clamp.
The application of external reduction and fixation for pelvic fractures is advantageous compared to internal reduction and fixation due to its speed of deployment and lower level of technical training required for utilization. The primary disadvantages of external fixation of pelvic fractures include high risk of pin tract infections, and general patient discomfort. Also, the external frame physically blocks subsequent surgery on the abdomen and they are frequently difficult to fit to obese patients.
The instant inventor has developed a novel method using the already established principles of anterior external fixation. By combining these principles with internal hardware placed in a minimally invasive fashion, this technique allows for definitive pelvic stabilization without having the issues and co-morbidities of an external fixator (i.e. interfering with other procedures, pin care, patient acceptance, later conversion to internal fixation, etc.)

Method for minimally invasive treatment of unstable pelvic ring injuries with an internal anterior fixator and posterior iliosacral screws


A method and apparatus are disclosed for a configurable mixer capable of operating in a linear, a legacy, and a low-power mode. In the linear mode, the configurable mixer is configured to operate as a double-balanced mixer to multiply a first differential signal by a second differential signal. In the legacy mode, the configurable mixer is configured to as a double-balanced mixer to multiply a differential signal by a single-ended signal. In the low-power mode, the configurable mixer is configured to operate as a single-balanced mixer to multiply a differential signal by a single-ended signal. The operating mode of the configurable mixer may be based, at least in part, on a mode control signal. In some embodiments, the configurable mixer may be included in an analog front end of a wireless communication device.

Communication devices may transmit and receive communication signals via a communication medium. In one example, the communication medium may be a wireless medium in which communication signals are transmitted and received according to a wireless communication protocol. Example wireless communication protocols may include IEEE 802.11 protocols and Bluetooth protocols according to the Bluetooth Special Interest Group. In another example, the communication medium may be a wired medium in which communication signals are transmitted and received according to a wire-based communication protocol. Some example wire-based protocols may include an Ethernet® protocol and/or a Powerline Communications protocol described by the HomePlug 2.0 specification. In yet another example, the communication medium may be a hybrid combination of wired and wireless communication mediums.
Analog signals within communication devices may undergo a "mixing" operation to, for example, modulate a baseband signal for transmission, and/or demodulate a received signal to recover the baseband signal. For example, a communication device may include a mixer to "mix" (e.g., multiply) a baseband signal together with a local oscillator (LO) signal to generate a radio frequency (RF) signal for amplification and transmission by the communication device.
When a communication device, such as a wireless communication device, operates in the presence of signal jammers or other interferers, the received signal may not be correctly demodulated by the mixer. For example, if the mixing operation is not relatively linear, then all or part of the signal jammer or other interferer may be included in, or otherwise affect the demodulated signal. However, a mixer with relatively high linearity may consume more power than other mixers (e.g., mixers with lower linearity), and therefore may not be desirable for use in mobile (e.g., battery powered) devices.
Thus, there is a need to control operations of communication devices to reduce power consumption and improve signal processing performance, especially in the presence of jammers or other signal interferers.


A wheel liner for covering portions of a truck wheel has a liner member having a tubular configuration which conforms generally to the inner portion of the tubular section of a truck wheel and has an adjustable bracket for retaining that liner to the threaded studs at the distal end of the oil hub.

Each rear wheel of a truck consists of a cylindrical section to which a tire is secured and a generally planer section transverse to one end of the cylindrical section. The planar section is adapted to be attached to the hub of a truck axle with the cylindrical section extending outwardly therefrom with the inside of the cylindrical section of the wheel being visible from outside of the truck.
To enhance the exterior appearance of the rear wheels of trucks, wheel liners are provided which fit within the tubular section of the wheel. Wheel liners in accordance with the prior art have a planar web section that rests against the planar section of the wheel and a tubular section which extends across the width of the cylindrical section of the wheel to the outermost lip. In accordance with the prior art, the web sections of such wheel liners have a plurality of transverse holes which can be aligned to fit over a plurality of studs used to retain the wheels to the axles. The lug nuts, which attach to the studs to retain the wheel to the axle, also retain the wheel liner.
The wheels of certain trucks must be inspected from time to time to insure that the metal portion of the wheel adjacent the retaining lug nuts has not deteriorated. Where a wheel liner is attached by the same lug nuts that retain the truck wheel, the wheel liner must be removed to inspect the wheel. However, 400 to 450 ft.-lbs. of torque are required to properly secure such lug nuts, and the removal and replacement of such lug nuts therefore requires a high impact air compressor. It is therefore difficult and time consuming to inspect a wheel with a liner attached to the lug nuts thereof. Furthermore, although truck wheels are available in given diameters, different manufacturers of truck wheels have different widths for the tubular portion of the truck wheel, such that suppliers of wheel covers in accordance with the prior art must maintain an expensive inventory which requires a substantial storage space. Alternately, adjustable wheel covers are available which have first and second tubular portions which telescope one within the other as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,881. Existing adjustable wheel covers, however, are attachable to the lug nuts retaining the wheel to the axle as previously described. It would therefore be desirable to provide a wheel cover which will fit within a variety of widths of wheels for a given diameter and not require an attachment to the lug nuts.


A prediction means for predicting a maximum delayed change time, which is the longest in a change time which allows a next program to be displayed, if a channel is selected to change the current program to the next program; and a display control means, by which, from a reception completion time when the reception of the current program has been completed, a relevant program is displayed on the basis of original program data remaining in a buffer at the relevant reception completion time, and at the same time, the reproduction speed of the display is based on a speed at which the current program is displayed during the period between the reception completion time and a maximum delayed change time.

1. Field
The present invention relates to a broadcasting receiving device for receiving and outputting broadcasting waves, and more particularly to, a broadcasting receiving device suitable for digital broadcasting.
2. Description of the Related Art
A broadcasting receiving device such as digital television receives digital broadcasting waves, decodes the received digital broadcasting waves to image data, buffers a predetermined amount of the decoded image data, and displays the buffered image data on a screen. Thus, in addition to frequency tuning performed on conventional analog television, the above-described decoding and buffering are necessary until a channel is changed. Further, moving pictures experts group (MPEG) does not build an image until an intermittently transmitted I picture appears, and thus a relatively long period of time is necessary.
During the channel change, a blank state in which nothing is displayed on a screen occurs. An increase in the blank state may give users fatigue.
To solve this problem, the conventional methods disclosed in the patent


A lid assembly for a rectilinear bin includes two lid panels independently movably mounted to the bin such that when the lid assembly is in a fully-closed position, inner longitudinal edges of the panels abut each other so as to give the closed lid assembly an arched configuration. In the open position, each lid panel lies vertically along the exterior of a corresponding bin sidewall. Each lid panel is movable along tracks provided in the bin structure longitudinally outboard of the lid assembly by means of track wheels provided at each end of the panel's inner longitudinal edge. Each lid panel is movable between its open and closed positions by means of actuating arms each pivotably mounted at one end to the panel's outer longitudinal edge, and rigidly mounted at the other end to a rotatable horizontal lid actuation shaft mounted on the exterior of a corresponding bin sidewall.

Roll-off bins are widely used for a variety of purposes, such as (to name only a few) for collecting waste and debris from construction and demolition sites, general industrial waste, and hazardous waste. After being loaded with such waste materials, the bins are transported to appropriate disposal sites where they are emptied.
Roll-off bins are so-named because they typically have wheels at one end so that they can be loaded onto tilting flatbed trailers (or "roll-off trucks"), or onto non-tilting flatbed trailers using suitable ramps, then transported to an industrial site (for example) where they are rolled off into position to be filled with waste materials. Roll-off bins are typically of rectangular configuration, with a generally flat rectangular floor structure and a pair of longitudinal sidewalls extending between a pair of transverse endwalls, so as to define an open-top waste containment chamber. Especially on larger roll-off bins, one of the endwalls (typically at the wheeled end of the bin) may be hinged, either vertically or horizontally, to facilitate rapid emptying—for example, by opening the hinged endwall while the loaded bin is still securely mounted on a roll-off truck which then tilts the bin so that its contents slide out the open endwall by gravity.
Roll-off bins can vary greatly in size. They commonly have a nominal width of 8 feet, corresponding to the typical maximum permissible width for highway vehicles without requiring special permits. Common volumetric capacities for roll-off bins range from 10 to 40 cubic yards, depending on bin length and bin wall height.
Roll-off bins typically require a lid for one or more reasons, such as for protection of bin contents from the weather, for prevention of loss of bin contents during transport, for general security reasons, and for the safety of workers and the public. Numerous types of roll-off bin lids are known in the prior art. The simplest types are flat lids hinged along the top of one of the bin sidewalls, without the provision of any mechanism for opening and closing the lid. For light-duty waste bins (such as the smaller plastic refuse bins commonly seen in residential complexes for collection of household waste), such simple hinged lids may be quite satisfactory, since they typically are relatively light in weight, and thus can be easily opened by a single person, and can close by gravity with minimal risk of inadvertent personal injury. However, larger waste bins are generally made from steel, for both structural strength and durability. Accordingly, the lids for such bins can be quite heavy, and as a practical matter they will typically require some sort of mechanism to facilitate efficient opening and closing, while providing protection against injury that could be caused by inadvertent and uncontrolled closing of the lid.
For these reasons, it is common for hinged lids for roll-off bins to use a winch apparatus for opening and closing the lid, operated either manually or by an electric motor. Such apparatus typically entails the provision of a gin pole or other auxiliary structure to support associated pulleys and cables. Other apparatus for opening and closing heavy roll-off bin lids may use hydraulic cylinders, which can be arranged to avoid the need for auxiliary structure extending above the bin walls. However, roll-off bins are very often used in circumstances and locations where electric or hydraulic operation of bin lids is not feasible or practical, so for practical reasons it commonly must be possible for roll-off bin lids to be opened and closed manually.
Regardless of the particular type of mechanisms that may be used to open and close them, hinged roll-off bin lids have a significant drawback in that when they are in an open or partially-open position, they will project above the bin walls and thus be exposed to wind forces. Accordingly, the lids, hinge mechanisms, and associated structural elements must be designed to withstand strong wind forces that might otherwise damage these components, necessitating costly repairs and putting the bins out of service. As a result, the lids will be heavier and costlier than they would be if they did not need to be designed for wind forces.
Furthermore, even hinged lids that have associated winch mechanisms or electrical or hydraulic operating systems can present a safety hazard in the case of failure of one or more components of such mechanisms or systems (for example, breakage of a winching cable, or loss of hydraulic pressure). In such scenarios, serious personal injury could result from the sudden uncontrolled closing of a heavy hinged lid.
These disadvantages and risks can be avoided by using rolling lids, many examples of which can be seen in prior art bins. In common types of rolling lids, the lid has wheels that travel in or on horizontal tracks, such that the lid can be displaced laterally away from one bin sidewall toward the other sidewall by means of an associated operating mechanism (such as a rack-and-pinion gear arrangement) operated manually by means of a crank. The rolling lid has a longitudinal pivot axis at approximately its mid-width (i.e., parallel to the sidewalls), and this pivot axis moves laterally with the lid. The lid will remain essentially horizontal until it has been laterally displaced far enough that the pivot axis lies outboard of one of the sidewalls. At that point, the lid can be pivoted 90 degrees such that half of its width is disposed against the exterior of that sidewall, with the other half of its width projecting above the top of the sidewall.
One beneficial feature of the rolling lid described above is that it opens the top of the bin to its full width. Another beneficial feature is that it largely eliminates the above-noted safety risks associated with hinged lids. However, one significant practical drawback of this lid design is that its overall width must be greater than the width of the bin itself, because the tracks for the lid must extend a certain distance beyond at least one of the bin sidewalls to facilitate rotation of the lid into a vertical plane. Accordingly, the maximum allowable width of the bin itself, and its volumetric capacity (for a given bin length and height), will be less than for other bin designs in order to stay within maximum vehicle load widths under many highway transportation regulations (i.e., typically 8 feet). Another drawback of the rolling lid is that half of its surface area still projects above the bin walls and thus will be exposed to wind loads.
For the foregoing reasons and others, there is a need for improved waste container lid designs that will:                eliminate or significantly reduce potential safety hazards associated with conventional hinged bin lids;        eliminate or minimize bin lid exposure to wind forces when the lid is in an open position; and        facilitate maximization of usable bin width while complying with regulated vehicle load width restrictions.

Fusion West Manufacturing Solutions Inc.


In a conventional turbo-code decoding apparatus, there is a need for calculating a state transition probability for MAP decoding of convolutional codes composing turbo codes in an error correcting decoder and a channel state needs to be measured based on soft decision information to calculate the probability, by which an arithmetic operation amount is enormously increased.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a turbo-code error correcting decoder, a turbo-code error correction decoding method, a turbo-code decoding apparatus, and a turbo-code decoding system for decoding a coded sequence which has been submitted to turbo-coding in a wireless communication device or other communication fields.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 26, there is shown a block diagram of a constitution of a general turbo encoding apparatus.
In FIG. 26, reference numerals 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, and 307 designate a first systematic convolutional encoder, a second systematic convolutional encoder, an interleaver, an input point, a first sequence output point, a second sequence output point, and a third sequence output point, respectively.
Referring to FIG. 27, there is shown a block diagram of a constitution of a conventional turbo-code decoding apparatus described in xe2x80x9cTurbo Code for Deep-Space Communicationsxe2x80x9d (P. 29 to P. 39, D. Divsalar and F. Pollara, Feb. 15 in 1995) in the TDA Progress Report.
In FIG. 27, reference numerals 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 409, 410, and 411 designate a first MAP decoder for an error correction decoding called an MAP decoding on a first sequence and a second sequence encoded by the first systematic convolutional encoder 301 in FIG. 26, a second MAP decoder for an error correction decoding called an MAP. decoding on a first sequence and a third sequence encoded by the second systematic convolutional encoder 302, a first interleaver, a second interleaver, a first deinterleaver, a second deinterleaver, a hard decision circuit for generating hard decision information from soft decision information, a first sequence input point, a second sequence input point, a third sequence input point, and an output point.
Operations of the first interleaver 403 and the second interleaver 404 are the same as for those of the interleaver 303 of the turbo encoding apparatus in FIG. 26. In addition, the first deinterleaver 405 and the second deinterleaver 406 change an order of data in a procedure reverse to that of the interleaver 303.
Referring to FIG. 28, there is shown a flowchart of an operation for error correction decoding with the first MAP decoder. The second MAP decoder performs the same operation.
In FIG. 28, there are shown a step S201 of setting an initial value, a step S202 of calculating a state transition probability, a step S203 of calculating a probability of a transition to each state at tracing a path in a forward direction, a step S204 of calculating a probability of a transition to each state at tracing a path in a backward direction, and a step S205 of calculating soft decision information after decoding on the basis of values calculated in Steps S202, S203, and S204, respectively.
Next, an operation of the turbo encoding apparatus is described below with reference to FIG. 26.
In the turbo encoding apparatus, N bits of an information sequence is input from the input point 304 and output from the first output point 305 as the first sequence directly. In addition, N bits of the input information sequence is also entered into the first systematic convolutional encoder 301 in the same order and N bits of the sequence is output from the second output point 306 as the second sequence. Furthermore, N bits of the input information sequence is converted to one having a different order in the interleaver 303 and then entered into the second systematic convolutional encoder 302 to output N bits of the sequence as the third sequence from the third output point 307.
The first, second, and third sequences each having N bits and generated in this manner are combined so as to be a coded sequence and then transmitted through a communication line or transmitted as a radiowave.
Next, an operation of a turbo-code decoding apparatus on a reception side is described below with reference to FIG. 27.
The transmitted coded sequence is received with errors appended. The received sequence is separated to the first, the second, and the third sequences, which are input from the first input point 408, the second input point 409, and the third input point 410 to the turbo-code decoding apparatus, respectively.
The first MAP decoder 401 generates soft decision information L1 after decoding from the first sequence, the second sequence, and value L1* generated on the basis of the soft decision information generated in the second MAP decoder 402 in the previous stage. At the first decoding, however, an L1* value entered in the first MAP decoder 401 is set to zero (0) as the lowest reliability for all the bits. Next, it generates L1xe2x88x92L1* and enters it to the first interleaver 403 and its order is changed so as to be L2*.
Next, the second MAP decoder 402 generates soft decision information L2 after decoding from the first sequence interleaved by the second interleaver 404, the third sequence, and L2* generated by the first interleaver 403. L2xe2x88x92L2* is calculated for the generated L2 and its order is changed so as to be L1* in the first deinterleaver 405. L1* is used in the first MAP decoder 401 when L1* is repeatedly decoded.
This operation is repeated by the predetermined number of times. When the decoding operation is terminated, the second deinterleaver 406 changes an order of the soft decision information L2 generated by the second MAP decoder 402 and the hard decision circuit 407 judges whether it is 0 or 1 and outputs the result from the output point 411. Subsequently, an operation of the first MAP decoder 401 is described below with reference to a flowchart in FIG. 28. The second MAP decoder 402 performs the same operation.
In Step S201, an initial value is set for a transition probability in the state in the forward direction and in the state in the backward direction. Next in Step S202, a channel state is measured based on the received soft decision information and a state transition probability is calculated in accordance with a state of the channel. Then, in Step S203 calculation is made for a probability of a transition to each state when a path is traced in the forward direction from the state transition probability calculated in Step S202, and in Step S204 calculation is made for a probability of a transition to each state when a path is traced in the backward direction from the state transition probability calculated in Step S202. Finally in Step S205, soft decision information after decoding is calculated on the basis of the values calculated in Steps S202, S203, and S204.
In a conventional turbo-code decoding apparatus, however, it is necessary to calculate a state transition probability in an execution of MAP decoding for convolutional codes composing turbo-codes in an error correcting decoder and the calculation of the probability requires a measurement of a state of a channel on the basis of soft decision information, by which an arithmetic operation amount is enormously increased disadvantageously.
Furthermore, in order to increase a precision of decoding, error correction decoding processing needs to be performed by a regular number of times with the first MAP decoder and the second MAP decoder until hard decision information is obtained. This number of times, however, is a fixed value and therefore processing is performed even if almost no error occurs, by which the processing is disadvantageously delayed by an intrinsically unnecessary time period.
In addition, only a single coded sequence can be input to a turbo-code decoder, and therefore the second MAP decoder is put in an idle state for a time period during which processing is performed by the first MAP decoder, thereby disadvantageously lowering a processing efficiency.
The present invention is provided to solve the above problems. It is a first object of the present invention to reduce a calculation amount by a constitution of an error correction part similar to that for decoding of a normal convolutional decoder so as to simplify an arithmetic operation required for decoding.
It is a second object of the present invention to achieve flexible processing by changing the number of times for correction encoding flexibly in accordance with error conditions.
It is a third object of the present invention to perform processing more efficiently by permitting a parallel use of two error correcting decoders in a turbo-code decoding apparatus.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a turbo-code error correcting decoder comprising branch metric calculating means for calculating a branch metric for a transition from time point txe2x88x921 (t=1, 2, - - - , N) to time point t, branch metric storing means for storing the branch metric, forward path metric calculating means for calculating a forward path metric at the time point txe2x88x921 after reading out the branch metric from the branch metric storing means, forward path metric storing means for storing the forward path metric, backward path metric calculating means for calculating a backward path metric at the time point t after reading out the branch metric from the branch metric storing means, backward path metric storing means for storing the backward path metric, and soft decision information calculating means for calculating soft decision information after reading out the branch metric from the branch metric storing means, reading out the forward path metric from the forward path metric storing means, and reading out the backward path metric from the backward path metric storing means.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is prbvided a turbo-code error correcting decoder comprising branch metric calculating means for calculating a branch metric for a transition from time point txe2x88x921 (t=1, 2, - - - , N) to time point t, branch metric storing means for storing the branch metric, forward path metric calculating means for calculating a forward path metric at the time point txe2x88x921 after reading out the branch metric from the branch metric storing means, forward path metric storing means for storing the forward path metric, backward path metric calculating means for calculating a backward path metric at time point t after reading out the branch metric from the branch metric storing means, and soft decision information calculating means for calculating soft decision information after receiving the backward path metric from the backward path metric calculating means, reading out the branch metric from the branch metric storing means, and reading out the forward path metric from the forward path metric storing means.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a turbo-code error correction decoding method comprising a step(a) of calculating a forward path metric based on a branch metric after calculating the branch metric for a transition to an adjacent time point and a step(b) of calculating N bits of soft decision information based on the branch metric, the forward path metric, and a backward path metric after calculating the backward path metric based on the branch metric.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a turbo-code error correction decoding method comprising a step(a) of calculating soft decision information from time point 1 to time point Nxe2x88x92M (N greater than M) and a step(b) of calculating soft decision information from time point Nxe2x88x92M+1 to time point N, wherein step(a) includes an execution during a transition of t from 1 to N of a step of executing calculation of a branch metric for a transition from time point txe2x88x921 to time point t and calculation of a forward path metric at the time point t based on the branch metric while incrementing t until t exceeds M (N greater than M), a step of setting an initial value of a backward path metric, a step of calculating a backward path metric at time point txe2x88x92M based on the branch metric, and a step of calculating soft decision information at the time point txe2x88x92M based on the branch metric, the forward path metric, and the backward path metric.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a turbo-code error correction decoding method comprising a step(a) of initializing variable m, a step(b) of calculating soft decision information from time point 1 to time point mK while incrementing the variable m, and a step(b) of calculating soft decision information from time point mK+1 to time point N, wherein the step(b) includes a repetition of a step of executing calculation of a branch metric for a transition from the time point txe2x88x921 to the time point t and calculation of a forward path metric at the time point t based on the branch metric during a transition of t to mK+M (K less than M less than N) or to N, a step of setting an initial value of the backward path metric, a step of calculating a backward path metric at the time point t based on the branch metric during a transition of t from mK+Kxe2x88x921 to mK+1, and a step of calculating soft decision information at the time point t based on the branch metric, the forward path metric, and the backward path metric during a transition of t from mK+1 to mK+K, while incrementing m during a transition of t up to N.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a turbo-code error correcting decoder, with the number of information bits submitted to turbo-code decoding set to N, comprising branch metric calculating means for calculating a branch metric for a transition from time point txe2x88x921 (t=1, 2, - - - , N) to time point t, forward path metric calculating means for calculating a forward path metric at the time point txe2x88x921, a size comparison result of two forward path metrics converging to respective states, and a differential value between them, comparison result storing means for storing the comparison result, differential value storing means for storing the differential value, and soft decision information calculating means for calculating soft decision information based on the comparison result read from the comparison result storing means and the differential value read from the differential value storing means by using a SOVA algorithm.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a turbo-code decoding apparatus including CRC error decision means for deciding a CRC error based on a decoded CRC code and controlling a repetition of decoding processing of turbo-codes on the basis of the result achieved by the CRC error decision means.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a turbo-code decoding system comprising a turbo-code decoding apparatus having a first turbo-code error correcting decoder and a second turbo-code error correcting decoder, first coded sequence storing means for storing a first coded sequence, second coded sequence storing means for storing a second coded sequence, and a switching means for switching a connection between the first turbo-code error correcting decoder and the second turbo-code error correcting decoder and the first coded sequence storing means and the second coded sequence storing means.

Turbo-code error correcting decoder, turbo-code error correction decoding method, turbo-code decoding apparatus, and turbo-code decoding system

Abstract: Turbo-code error correction decoding is performed by executing operations in a branch metric based forward path metric calculation step of calculating a forward path metric based on a branch metric with calculating the branch metric for a transition to an adjacent time point and a soft decision information calculation step of calculating N bits of soft decision information based on the branch metric, the forward path metric, and a backward path metric with calculating the backward path metric based on the branch metric.


A phase locked loop with a voltage controlled oscillator, where the voltage controlled oscillator includes a feedback loop and delay cells connected in a ring. Each delay cell has a biased pMOSFET to provide pull-up current and a biased nMOSFET to provide pull-down current. For each delay cell, the gate of the biased nMOSFET is biased by the control voltage provided by the phase locked loop, and the gate of the biased pMOSFET is biased at a bias voltage provided by the feedback loop. The biasing of the pMOSFETs is adjusted so that the pull-up and pull-down currents for each delay cell are matched, thereby providing a 50% duty cycle and good jitter performance over process, supply voltage variations, and temperature variations. Because only the feedback loop has non-zero static current, low power is expected. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

A Phase Locked Loop (PLL) is a commonly used building block. For example, a PLL is often employed to synthesize clock signals having a frequency higher than that of some reference clock signal. They are also often employed when using a clock distribution network, so that clock signals distributed to various functional units on a die by way of the clock distribution network are synchronized with a reference or received clock signal.
Self-biased phase locked loops (SBPLL) have been a popular choice for phase locked loops. A SBPLL includes differential delay cells as building blocks. A differential delay cell is essentially a differential pair with an nMOSFET (n-Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor-Field-Effect-Transistor) current source and a pMOSFET load. A differential pair has a non-zero static current flowing through its transistors, resulting in static power consumption. Furthermore, when the low-swing differential signals in the delay chain making up the differential delay cells are converted to full-swing CMOS (Complementary-Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) signals for clock distribution, another two stages of differential amplifiers are commonly used to provide the output clock signal, thereby consuming additional power.
In low-voltage, high-performance systems, the jitter performance of an SBPLL may not be sufficiently good enough. This is in part due to the low output impedance of short channel transistors used in the nMOSFET current sources. The voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) functional block of an SBPLL may contribute to duty cycle error because of differential pair offsets and distortion in the output level-shifter. As a result, if a 50% duty cycle is required, then either a duty cycle correction circuit (DCC) block is commonly used, or a divide-by-two frequency scheme is commonly used. In the latter case, the differential VCO runs at twice the desired output clock frequency at all process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) conditions, contributing to power consumption and additional phase jitter.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Low power and duty cycle error free matched current phase locked loop


A method, executed by a processor, is used to determine presence of a viewer at a media device. The method includes receiving viewer biometric data captured by a biometric capture device associated with the media device; determining a category of the viewer based on the captured viewer biometric data; comparing the captured viewer biometric data to a reference to determine a possible identity of the viewer, by: determining a presence probability for the viewer based on a match between the biometric data and the reference, and determining a confidence level for the probability; and when the probability and confidence level equal or exceed a threshold, determining the viewer is present at the media device.

Voice and gesture control systems, mechanisms, and devices are in use to control access to various media devices. For example, television remote control devices may incorporate a voice activated feature that allows a viewer to turn the television, and change channels and volume. The voice activation feature also may be used to sign on to a service, purchase a pay-per-view movie, and complete other transactions that in the past required manual entry using buttons on the remote control. Use of voice control may enhance the viewer's television viewing experience by doing away with cumbersome on screen interfaces and eliminating the need to find a specific button in a sea of remote control buttons. In addition to voice recognition, some systems incorporate gesture control, whereby a small camera on a television, for example, captures viewer gestures to identify an action requested by the viewer, such as to turn the television volume down.

Presence and authentication for media measurement


A waterproof dishwashing mitten is provided and consists of an inner pocket for receiving a hand of a person, a middle liner for protecting the inner pocket from moisture and keeping the hand dry, and outer pocket for washing the dishes, and elastic band sewn on the outer pocket to provide a wrist-hugging and enlargeable entrance to the inner pocket, a loop to hang up the mitten, a mesh net bag for retaining a soap therein and which can be placed through an elongated slot in the outer pocket that can be opened and closed to release and retain the mesh net bag.

The instant invention relates generally to washcloths and more specifically it relates to a waterproof dishwashing mitten.
Numerous washcloths have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be hand held and contain soap so that the washcloths can be used for washing. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,569,067 to Livshin; 2,595,882 to Pierce; 2,668,309 to Colgan; 3,581,447 to Falivene; 4,154,542 to Rasmason and 4,457,640 to Anderson all are illustrative of such prior art. While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they would not be as suitable for the purpose of the present invention as hereafter described.


A local oscillator (LO) of a test system is set to an initial frequency whereupon a device under test (DUT) transmits a radio frequency (RF) signal to the test system. Characteristics of the RF signal are measured with the test system and used to identify magnitudes and frequencies of spurious signal products. The LO of the test system is reset to one or more subsequent frequencies that are offset from the initial frequency. One or more subsequent RF signals are transmitted from the DUT to the test system, with the DUT maintaining its original signal settings. Characteristics of the subsequent RF signals are measured with the test system and used to identify magnitudes and frequencies of spurious signal products for each of the subsequent LO frequencies. The spurious signal products that have shifted in frequency for each of the subsequent LO frequencies as self-generated signal products can then be identified.

Many of today's handheld devices make use of wireless "connections" for telephony, digital data transfer, geographical positioning and the like. Despite differences in frequency spectra, modulation methods and spectral power densities, the wireless connectivity standards use synchronized data packets to transmit and receive data. In general, all of these wireless capabilities are defined by industry-approved standards (e.g., IEEE 802.11 and 3GPP LTE), which specify the parameters and limits to which devices having those capabilities must adhere.
At any point along the device-development continuum, it may be necessary to test and verify that a device is operating within its standards' specifications. Many such devices are transceivers; that is, they transmit and receive wireless radio frequency (RF) signals. Specialized systems designed for testing such devices typically contain subsystems designed to receive and analyze device-transmitted signals (e.g., vector signal analyzers (VSAs)) and to send signals (e.g., vector signal generators (VSGs)) that subscribe to the industry-approved standards so as to determine whether a device is receiving and processing the wireless signals in accordance with its standard.
It is common for such test systems to generate spurious (or unintended) signals, also known as "spurs," along with the intended signals. Such spurious signals are often associated with fundamental frequencies and harmonics of those fundamental frequencies of existing signals in the tester. For example, a local oscillator (LO) that "mixes" with another signal will produce sum and difference frequencies of its fundamental frequency and the other signal's frequency with which it is mixed. An LO may also produce a second harmonic that is twice its fundamental frequency. That, too, can mix with another signal to produce sum and difference signal products, and so on. Usually such spurious signals are at much lower power levels than the intended signals at the frequencies of interest.
However, in tests in which power spectral density, for example, is being analyzed, the spectral mask can be quite broad, and an instrument-generated spurious signal could be at the same order of power magnitude of a device-under-test's (DUT's) generated signal near the boundaries of a spectral mask. If those spurious signals are not distinguished from the DUT's signal, they could contribute to an analysis that shows unfavorable results, such as a power spectral density failure.
In general, when spurious signals generated by a test instrument are identified, they may be eliminated using digital signal processing (DSP) filtering techniques. However, "notching out" or eliminating a known instrument spurious signal can also notch out or eliminate a DUT signal that may happen to occur at the same frequency of the spurious signal of the test instrument. Not identifying signal products of the DUT and grouping them with spurious signals of the test instrument may present difficulties and inaccuracies during subsequent signal analysis. For example, if a spurious signal of a DUT is grouped and eliminated along with a spurious signal of a test instrument, the DUT may appear to pass a test when, in fact, the DUT may actually fail a power spectral density analysis. Thus, a signal capture of the test system and subsequent signal analysis may be inaccurate and yield faulty results including, for example, yielding false positive(s) or negative(s) on a standard's prescribed test results criteria.
Ideally, it is advantageous to utilize a test instrument that generates no spurious signals. As a practical matter, however, this may not be realistic for all testing scenarios. Therefore, a need exists for identifying instrument-generated spurious signals and distinguishing them from signal products of one or more DUTs configured within a test system. A need also exists for ensuring that the analysis of test results, such as power spectral density results, is not affected by instrument spurs and for ensuring increased accuracy of test results.

Method for identifying self-generated spurious signals


Disclosed are ball jumping apparatuses and ball absorption methods using the same. The ball jumping apparatus comprises a fixing part, a moving part spaced apart from the fixing part, and a resilient member that connects the fixing part and the moving part to each other. The resilient member extends upwardly from the fixing part and has a connection with the moving part. The fixing part includes a fixing plate that spreads in a horizontal direction. The moving part includes an oscillating vessel that has a ball receiving space in which a ball is received, and an oscillator coupled to the oscillating vessel. A bottom surface of the oscillating vessel is upwardly spaced apart from a top surface of the fixing plate.

The present inventive concepts relate to a ball jumping apparatus and/or a ball absorption method. For example, at least some example embodiments relate to a ball jumping apparatus configured to uniformly absorb balls onto a ball absorption apparatus and/or a ball absorption method using the same.
A semiconductor package is provided to implement an integrated circuit chip to qualify for use in electronic products. In general, the semiconductor package may be fabricated by mounting a semiconductor chip on a substrate such as a printed circuit board (PCB). A solder ball may be used to electrically connect an internal circuit of a substrate to the outside. The solder ball may be electrically connected to a pad formed and exposed on a surface of the substrate. With the development of electronic industry, electronic products have increasingly demands for high performance, high speed, and compact size. This trend causes the solder ball to have a fine size.

Ball jumping apparatus and ball absorption


A programmable logic device (PLD) includes a non-volatile configuration memory. The non-volatile configuration memory is adapted to configure programmable resources (such as programmable logic and programmable interconnect) within the PLD. The non-volatile configuration memory may constitute a variety of memory types, for example, flash memory, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable read-only memory (EEPROM), anti-fuse, and the like.

PLDs allow circuit designers to prototype relatively complex designs before finalizing the design. Compared to application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), PLDs provide designers the flexibility of revising or refining their designs in their laboratories without having a full-blown fabrication of each iteration or revision to the design.
In the field, end-users can program PLDs to readily implement a desired circuit. Should the user have a desire to modify the functionality of the circuit, the user can simply change the functionality and, hence, the circuitry, that the PLD implements. Although several approaches exist for configuring or programming PLDs, they suffer from various disadvantages, for example, shortcomings that can lead to errors in, or even malfunction or failure of, the user's circuit in the field.

Apparatus for configuring programmable logic devices and associated methods


Upper and lower hollow cylinders communicate with each other. The diameter of the upper cylinder is larger than that of the lower cylinder. The lower cylinder has an opening through which fluid to be dispensed can be introduced. A piston has an upper vertical hollow cylindrical section open at opposite ends with a first extension in peripheral sealing engagement with the inner surface of the upper cylinder and a lower extension in peripheral sealing engagement with the inner surface of the lower cylinder. An aperture is located in the second extension between its ends. A vertical stem is slidable within and extends through the upper section of the piston. The stem has an enlargement spaced below its upper end. A vertical discharge conduit is coaxial with the piston and stem. An actuator is disposed above the upper cylinder, being secured to the upper end of the stem and having a horizontal discharge channel which communicates with the discharge conduit. The actuator slidably receives the upper end of the upper section of the piston in a region defining a gap. The stem is biased by a spring to close the discharge conduit and to position the enlargement above the aperture when the dispenser is in rest position. The spring is disposed outside the cylinders to exert an upwardly directed biasing force against the actuator and against the upper end of the stem. The piston and actuator can be interconnected in such manner that the dispenser can be placed in locked down position without actuation. This interconnection can be used regardless of the placement of the spring outside or inside the cylinders.

Pump dispensers are manually operated devices typically disposed on the top of a container of fluid for dispensing the fluid in a desired form from a dispenser nozzle. Dispensers of this type employ a cylindrical body structure, at least one piston and separate inlet and outlet ports individually controlled by separate means for opening and closing them. However, pump dispensers are utilized for dispensing lotions, which can be thick, highly viscous fluids, and or for dispensing large dosages of product, typically about one cubic centimeter of product per stroke, have certain unique requirements. Known dispensers of this type have a relatively large number of components. In order to avoid accidental actuation during shipment, such dispensers are shipped in a down locked sealed position. This arrangement requires actuation and discharge each time before the dispenser is locked in sealed position.
The present invention is directed toward a new and improved pump dispenser for lotions and/or large dosages of product wherein the number of components is reduced and wherein actuation and discharge will not take place during locking operations.

Pump dispenser for lotions and/or large doses of product