Viscoelastic fluid compositions are provided that have improved properties for suspending particulate active ingredients. Methods for forming the compositions are also provided. The compositions preferably have a non-Newtonian behavior, so that the viscosity of the composition at low shear rates is suitable for keeping solid particles in the form of a stable suspension while also providing a reduced viscosity at higher shear rates (such as a substantially reduced or minimized viscosity) to allow for pumping, tank mixing, and/or distribution of the composition, for instance by spraying.

There is a need to formulate agricultural chemicals, including pesticides in non-aqueous concentrates that can be applied directly, and/or readily diluted and dispersed to application concentrations in water, preferably in a sprayable form. As conventionally understood, the term pesticide is inclusive of insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other active ingredients. When the pesticide active ingredient is soluble in, for example, a hydrocarbon fluid, an emulsifiable concentrate solution can be made by combining suitable surfactants with the hydrocarbon fluid and active ingredient. When the active ingredient is not soluble in a typical organic fluid and/or not soluble in and/or chemically stable in water, an alternative approach is needed.
The oil flowable or oil dispersion approach involves suspending pesticide active ingredient particles in an organic fluid, typically in an organic fluid/surfactant solution. A major limitation for such oil flowable, oil dispersion, or oil-miscible flowable concentrate compositions, is the need to physically stabilize the formulation for potentially long periods of storage, so that it can be in a consistently useable form for a later end use. For the particles to remain suspended and not settle to the bottoms of their containers, the formulation viscosity before active ingredients are added generally must be about 1000 cP. This could be achieved with viscous hydrocarbon oils; however, most viscous hydrocarbon oils are phytotoxic. Consequently, one would prefer to use lower viscosity organic fluids that are not deleterious to the plant and to thicken or viscosify the fluids to a suitable viscosity with a thickening agent. Common thickening agents for organic fluids that could be used include soluble polymers such as polyisobutylene and network or structure forming compounds such as fumed silicas, clays, and materials that are crystalline or semi-crystalline in the fluid at application temperature, but soluble in the fluid at an elevated temperature to allow for initial formulation. While all these agents can thicken organic fluids, many are not compatible with the surfactants needed to disperse the concentrate in water.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2013/0345059 describes oil formulations with thickeners such as cellulose-based thickeners or polymeric thickeners. Thickeners are described for use in oil formulations to provide formulations with increased viscosity. This is described as being beneficial for allowing particles to remain suspended in the oil formulations. However, there is an ongoing need for improved oil flowable or oil dispersion compositions with favorable properties, particularly for agricultural purposes.
There is also a need for improved drilling muds or drilling fluids for oil and gas operations. Drilling muds are used in the process of drilling boreholes in subterranean deposits for gas and/or oil production. The boring is accomplished by well drilling tools and a drilling fluid. Drilling muds serve to cool and lubricate the drill bits, to carry the cuttings to the surface as the drilling fluid is circulated in and out of the well, to support at least part of the weight of the drilling pipe and drill bit, to provide a hydrostatic pressure head to prevent caving in of the walls of the well bore, to deposit on the surface of the well bore a filter cake which acts as a thin, semi-pervious layer to prevent undue passage therethrough of drilling muds, and to perform other functions as are well-known in the drilling art. It is important that the drilling fluid exhibit a relatively low rate of filtration or fluid loss in addition to having desirable rheological properties, such as non-Newtonian or shear thinning behavior. Conventional drilling muds use organophillic clays to viscosify base fluids and achieve the desired shear thinning behavior. However, it is desirable to develop drilling muds that minimize or avoid the use of organophillic clays.

Viscoelastic fluid compositions, oil flowable/oil dispersion compositions, and drilling fluid compositions


The present invention provides a method and wireless communication system (100) for verifying a position of a mobile station (102). Upon detection of an activation by the mobile station (102), the system (100) compares a first mobile station position and a second mobile station position to generate a result. The system (100) then determines whether the result exceeds a predetermined error tolerance. The system (100) indicates an error associated with the position of the mobile station (102) if the result exceeds the predetermined error tolerance.

The present invention relates generally to wireless communication systems, and more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for verifying the position of a mobile station.
A wireless communication system is a complex network of systems and elements that includes many mobile stations (such as radiotelephones, pagers, and the like) communicating with a wireless infrastructure. A typical wireless infrastructure includes several base transceiver stations, base station controllers and a call controller or switch. The base transceiver stations provide a radio link to each mobile station. The base station controllers control communication as well as manage operation and interaction of the base transceiver stations. The call controller or switch routes calls within the wireless communication system and links the system to a landline or public switch telephone network (xe2x80x9cPSTNxe2x80x9d). A wireless communication system may also include a position estimation system to determine the location of a particular mobile station. Examples of such position estimation systems include a celestial system, such as a global positioning system (xe2x80x9cGPSxe2x80x9d), and a terrestrial system, such as forward link trilateration (xe2x80x9cFLTxe2x80x9d).
A mobile station may determine its position using a position estimation system and, then, provide position information corresponding to its position to the wireless infrastructure. The wireless infrastructure may use the position information for providing communication service, such as mobile commerce, and for billing purposes, such as location-based billing. The wireless infrastructure may query the mobile station or the mobile station may autonomously report its position.
Damage to the mobile station, wireless infrastructure or other network equipment may cause the mobile station to report an erroneous position to the wireless infrastructure. Also, the mobile station may report an erroneous position due to its environment, e.g., erroneous signals caused by obstructions and buildings in its vicinity. Thus, the mobile station may report an erroneous position to the wireless infrastructure and, as a result, calls to and from the mobile station may be billed incorrectly or provide faulty location services.
In addition to system damage, a wireless communication system may have inaccurate information about the location of one or more of its mobile stations for other reasons. Location fraud may cause the mobile station to report an erroneous position to the wireless infrastructure. A fraudulent user may modify the mobile station to always report a position within its home coverage area even when the mobile station is outside of its home coverage area. The fraudulent user may do so to avoid a higher rate that is charged for usage outside of his or her home coverage area. Location information reported by a mobile station may also be inaccurate due to network to mobile station latency or stale reported positions.
It is desirable to have a wireless communication system that knows the position of its mobile stations with reasonable accuracy. It is particularly important for the wireless infrastructure to have accurate information about the position of the mobile stations so that the wireless infrastructure can provide communication services properly and bill for those services correctly. Otherwise, calls may provide faulty location services or may be billed incorrectly because the wireless infrastructure has incorrect information regarding the position of the mobile stations. Therefore, a need exists for an improved method and apparatus for verifying the position of a mobile station in a wireless communication system.
The present invention is directed to a method for verifying a position of a mobile station in a wireless communication system. Upon detection of an activation by the mobile station, the system generates a result by comparing a first mobile station position of the mobile station to a second mobile station position of the mobile station. The system then determines whether the result exceeds a predetermined error tolerance. If the result exceeds the predetermined error tolerance, then the system indicates an error associated with the position of the mobile station.
The present invention is also directed to a wireless communication system for verifying a position of a mobile station. The system comprises a position circuit and a processor coupled to the position circuit. The position circuit generates first and second mobile station positions of the mobile station in response to an activation by the mobile station. The processor generates a result by comparing the first mobile station position and the second mobile station position. If the result exceeds a predetermined error tolerance, then the system indicates an error associated with the position of the mobile station.

Method and system for verifying the position of a mobile station based on multiple positions


Aperture correction or edge detection circuitry filters input data for high-frequency components, and then selects areas most likely to be text based on the contrast of the signal and applying an amount of aperture correction responsive to the signal characteristics. A high pass filter (116) is employed to filter out low frequency components and separate the signal into positive and negative going transitions. Then, the positive-going signal is coupled to a contrast detector (124), which produces a control signal that controls the amount of aperture correction added to the signal by an aperture correction circuit 112. The contrast detector (124) is designed to generate an amount of aperture correction that is responsive to the high frequency content of the positive-going signal.. In one embodiment, a global threshold is used that allows aperture correction to be applied to the input signal only if the amplitude of the high frequency component of the signal is greater than the threshold. This prevents the unnecessary application of aperture correction for lower-contrast signals. In another embodiment, a second contrast detector (128) is employed to generate inverse aperture correction in response to the negative-going component of the input signal. This inverse aperture correction control signal is transmitted to the aperture correction and is employed in situations when the signal is transitioning from white to black. The present invention is applicable to the luminance or chrominance components of a graphics signal, and may be applied in conjunction with either horizontal or vertical picture detail with equal effectiveness.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to processing of computer graphics for display on a television, and more particularly, to aperture correction for computer graphics.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the result of the continuous development of new technologies, the distinction between computers, in particular computer monitors, and televisions is becoming increasingly blurred. In other words, the computer and television industries are converging. For example, computer networks such as the Internet and the World Wide Web used to be almost exclusively a computer phenomena. Now, however, televisions may also be used to access these networks. As another example, broadcast entertainment used to belong squarely in the television domain. Now, however, many service providers are offering entertainment to computer users through computer networks. As a result of this convergence, there is a need to display computer graphics originally intended for computers on televisions.
The Need for Flicker Filtering
Televisions and computers, however, generally use incompatible graphics formats. For example, many formats for computer monitors and flat-panel displays are non-interlaced. In other words, the entire frame of computer graphics is updated at once. In contrast, many common television formats are interlaced, meaning that the frame is divided into odd and even fields and only one field or half the frame is updated at a time. As a result, in order to display computer graphics on a television, the computer graphics often must be converted from a non-interlaced to an interlaced format. This conversion typically includes dropping lines of the display. However, this introduces undesirable visual effects as a result of the conversion from a non-interlaced to an interlaced format.
In addition to the conversion process, typical systems also perform flicker filtering to improve the image quality. Two common types of flicker filtering are 2-tap and 3-tap filtering, in which either two or three non-interlaced lines are combined to form each interlaced line. Some attempts have been made to use vertical filters to limit the frequencies that will cause flicker when the progressively scanned (non-interlaced) image is converted to the interlaced format. Increasing the number of taps in the filters provides better frequency selection in eliminating the frequency components that cause flicker. However, having a large number of taps increases the complexity and cost of the flicker-filtering circuit. Additionally, although flicker-reduction filtering effectively improves flicker artifacts, it can also reduce vertical picture resolution if the filter implemented does not have sharp transfer characteristics. In order to prevent flicker on television displays, the computer graphics picture must be properly band limited in the vertical direction as to obey the Nyquist limit. This reduction of resolution is most apparent in text since text is likely to have high vertical frequency detail.
The Need for Picture Aperture Correction
Graphic accelerators that implement flicker filter reduction for the conversion of computer desktop graphics into television signals are likely to use simple vertical filter structures due to integrated circuit area and resource limitations. In order to overcome the lack of resolution after flicker-filtering, a system has been developed as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,910,820, entitled "Correction of Flicker Associated With Non-Interlaced-To-Interlaced Video Conversion", hereby incorporated by reference, to improve text and other picture detail. This system improves picture detail by using aperture correction for enhancing the contrast of the picture. Aperture correction refers to the process of improving picture quality by changing the relative signal levels of the luminance (Y) signal or chrominance (C) signals derived from an original RGB (red, green, blue) encoded pixel. Luminance (Y) is a measure of the brightness of a pixel. Chrominance (C) is a measure of the color information of a pixel.
As described in the aforementioned patent application, aperture correction is based on three threshold values:
ACh: High threshold value PA0 ACm: Medium range threshold value PA0 ACI: Low range threshold value
There are three luminance regions defined in the range of values. Aperture correction increases the values of all inputs in the upper region, decreases the values in the lower region, and changes the values in the middle region, based on the following algorithm:
if Y>=ACh then Yout Y+AC else PA1 if Y<ACh and Y>=ACm then Yout Y-AC else PA1 if Y<ACm and Y>=ACI then Yout=Y+AC else PA1 if Y<ACI then Yout=Y-AC
For inverse aperture correction, the value of AC becomes negative.
The purpose of using aperture correction on images is to improve the appearance of positive-going high contrast images, such as black text on a white background. The reverse process is termed inverse aperture correction, and its purpose is to improve the appearance of negative-going high contrast images, such as white text on a black background. The word improvement in this context means a better picture as perceived by a typical observer. Typically, aperture correction works as any other global luminance enhancement mechanism and once the parameters are set, they cannot be changed on a pixel-by-pixel basis.
The value to be added or subtracted from the input luminance Y signal is labeled AC and it can be any quantity in the range of values. However, to improve the signal, this value must be carefully selected in order not to affect, degrade or totally obliterate the input. Otherwise, the result of the current process is an image which appears slightly unnatural, because not only are images which are supposed to have high contrast highly contrasted, images that are more muted in contrast will appear highly contrasted. A user could manually adjust the amount of contrast for each frame, but that reduces the commercially practical usefulness of using aperture correction, because only users knowledgeable about the compromises and consequences of setting the parameters to the correct values would be able to use the device. Additionally, a user can spend a considerable amount of time trying to find the optimum values for a class of images only to find out that the parameters do not hold with other types of material. Thus, the user is forced to constantly readjust the circuit. Thus, there is a need for a system which can dynamically and adaptively add aperture correction only to those parts of an image frame that need it, specifically, the parts of the image containing text.


A rotating power tool is provided. The rotating power tool may include a bevel gear set having a bevel gear and a conductive spiral disposed on the bevel gear. The conductive spiral may be configured to, in response to the bevel gear deforming due to a torque being applied to the bevel gear, change a resistance of the conductive spiral. The rotating power tool may further include an antenna electrically connected to the conductive spiral. The antenna may be configured to emit an output signal at a frequency that is based on the resistance value of the conductive spiral. The frequency of the output signal may be indicative of an amount of torque being applied to the bevel gear.

In many construction and assembly environments, such as automobile and aviation assembly environments, there is a need to ensure that rotating tools apply sufficient torque to fasteners. In this regard, in many assembly environments, certain bolts or nuts must be tightened to certain torque specifications to comply with assembly standards for structural integrity and safety.
Mechanical torque wrenches have been in use for many years. Such wrenches can be set to a desired torque (via a mechanical adjustor) and the wrench provides feedback to the user, typically via a click sound or a displacement of the wrench head, when the desired torque is reached. Due to their increased efficiency, power tools have become increasingly popular. Accordingly, new techniques for measuring torque being applied to a fastener are needed. Such solutions may find use in the power tool space, as well as the hand tool space.


In a streaming environment, efficient correlation between base events and relevant follow-on events is accomplished by temporarily storing events in an in-memory state for a limited time window. The in-memory state buffers the incoming stream of events to permit efficient attempted correlation. Successful correlation (e.g., by ID matching) between a follow-on event and a relevant base event, gives rise to specialized aggregation tables for matched (base, follow-on) event pairs. All events are ultimately removed from the in-memory state upon expiry of the time window. This results in correlated matched event pairs being stored in the aggregation tables for efficient querying. Events remaining uncorrelated upon expiration of the time window, are stored only in an (voluminous) log table for less-efficient (but rare) late querying and aggregation. Efficient correlation is achieved by assuming that successful event pair matching is most likely to occur within the in-memory time window, or not at all.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
In the current landscape of information technology, systems may emit very large volumes of data. Examples of such systems include the Internet of Things (IoT), and other global web-based services such as digital advertising.
In addition to issues arising from the intake of such sheer data volumes, the timely processing of the incoming data may also pose a challenge. Absent efficient data processing procedures, the implementation of a large data handling system can easily become uneconomical and unprofitable.
For example, data processing by certain systems may seek to correlate an incoming event, with one previously handled. Thus a digital advertising system may seek to correlate a subsequent follow-on user action (e.g., a user clicking on an advertisement), with an original base event (e.g., the initial offering of that advertisement). Such correlation activities can be difficult to accomplish efficiently in the face of receiving large streams (e.g., billions) of incoming events.

Efficient event correlation in a streaming environment


An aberration detecting method of the present invention is arranged such that a light beam, having passed through an optical convergence system provided in an optical pickup device, illuminates a flat section of an optical disk, and using the light beam which has been reflected, and the aberration occurring in the two-element objective lens is detected.

The present invention relates to an aberration detecting method for detecting an aberration occurring in a optical convergence system in an optical pickup device, an optical recording and reproduction method using the aberration detecting method, and an optical recording and reproduction apparatus.
There has been a requirement of an optical disk having greater recording density in proportion to the increase of in the volume of information. The recording density of optical disks has been increased by increasing the linear recording density and narrowing the pitch of tracks. To increase the recording density of optical disks as above, it is necessary to reduce the beam diameter of light beam converging on a information recording layer of the optical disk.
Possible methods to reduce the beam diameter of the light beam are such as: increasing a numerical aperture (NA) of light beam projected from an objective lens as an optical convergence system in the optical pickup device which records and reproduces in and from optical disks; and shortening the wavelength of the light beam converged on the information recording layer of the optical disk.
It is considered that shortening the wavelength of the light beam can be realized by switching the light source from a red semiconductor laser to a violet semiconductor laser, the latter brought into full-scale commercial production in a reasonably short time.
Meanwhile, one of the proposed methods to realize an objective lens having large numerical aperture is to incorporate a hemispherical lens into the objective lens so as to constitute the objective lens by two lenses (two groups of lenses).
An optical disk is generally arranged such that an information recording layer is covered by a cover glass for resisting dust and scratches. Thus after passing through the objective lens of the optical pickup device, the light beam passes through the cover glass and then converges on the information recording layer under the cover glass so as to come into a focus.
When the light beam is passing through the cover glass, a spherical aberration (SA) occurs. The spherical aberration SA is indicated as:
SAxe2x88x9ddxc2x7NA4xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(1)
so that the spherical aberration SA is proportional to the thickness d of the cover glass and the fourth power of the NA of the objective lens. Generally, the objective lens is designed to cancel out the spherical aberration so that the spherical aberration of the light beam having passed through the objective lens and the cover glass is small enough.
However, when the thickness of the cover glass is different from a predetermined value, the light beam converging on the information recording layer has the spherical aberration so that the beam diameter becomes large, and hence writing and reading of the information cannot be properly done.
Moreover, the equation (1) shows that the larger the error xcex94d of the thickness of the cover glass is, the larger the error xcex94SA of the spherical aberration is, and thus proper writing and reading of the information is impaired.
Also, for the sake of increasing the density of recorded information in the direction of the thickness of an optical disk, a multilayer optical disk formed by depositing information recording layers such as, for instance, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) having two information recording layers is created so as to have already been commercially available. The optical pickup device for recording and reproducing in and from this kind of multilayer optical disk has to be arranged such that the light beam converges at a sufficiently small point in each of the information recording layers of the optical disk.
In the above-identified multilayer optical disk, the distance from the surface of the disk (surface of the cover glass) to the information recording layer is different in each of the layers so that the extent of the spherical aberration, which occurs when the light beam passes through the cover glass of the optical disk, is also different in each of the layers. For instance, the difference (error xcex94SA) of the spherical aberration between neighboring information recording layers is proportional to an interlayer distance t (equivalent to d) between the neighboring information recording layers, according to the equation (1).
In the DVD having two information recording layers, the NA of the objective lens of the optical pickup device is only around 0.6, thus according to the equation (1), it is understood that a not-so-great amount of the error xcex94d of the thickness of the cover glass causes little influence on the error xcex94SA of the spherical aberration.
Thus, in a conventional DVD device using the optical pickup device with the NA around 0.6, the error xcex94SA of the spherical aberration caused by the error xcex94d of the thickness of the cover glass is small so that the light beam converges at a sufficiently small point in each of the information recording layers.
However, provided that the error xcex94d of the thickness of the cover glass is consistent, the more the NA increases, the greater the error of the spherical aberration SA becomes. For instance, the spherical aberration SA when the NA is 0.85 is around 4 times greater than the case that the NA is 0.6. Thus according to the equation (1), when the NA is large such as the NA=0.85, the spherical aberration generated by the error of the thickness of the cover glass is great.
Similarly, in the multilayer optical disk, provided that the interlayer distance t between the adjacent layers is consistent, the larger the NA of the objective lens of the optical pickup device is, the greater the difference (the error xcex94SA) of the spherical aberration is. For instance, the spherical aberration SA when the NA is 0.85 is around 4 times greater than the case that the NA is 0.6. Thus according to the equation (1), when the NA is large such as the NA=0.85, the difference of the spherical aberration between the information recording layers is great.
It is thus understood that the performance of the objective lens having a high NA is certainly influenced by the error of the spherical aberration so that the spherical aberration causes the degradation in reading accuracy, and hence it is necessary to compensate the spherical aberration to realize an optical disk having greater recording density by the objective lens having a high NA.
Accordingly, there are methods to detect so as to compensate the spherical aberration. For instance, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application, No. 2000-171346 (Tokukai 2000-171346; published on Jun. 23, 2000) discloses an optical pickup device which detects so as to compensates the spherical aberration. The objectives of this optical pickup device are achieved through the use of the property such that light beam around the optical axis converges at a point which is different from a point where light beam surrounding the beam around the optical axis converges, when the light beam converges on the information recording layer of the optical disk.
According to the optical pickup device disclosed in the above-identified application, the light beam to be detected is divided into: a light beam around the optical axis; and a light beam surrounding the beam around the light axis, using an optical element such as a hologram. Then the drift of either one of the light beams from a predetermined convergence point on the information recording layer is detected when the spherical aberration occurs, and in accordance with the result of the detection, the spherical aberration is compensated so that it is possible to sufficiently reduce the diameter of the light beam converging on each of the information recording layers of the optical disk.
Incidentally, an optical recording medium has sections for recording information, etc., such as lands, grooves and pits. For being certainly captured by a light spot formed on the optical recording medium due to the projection of light beam, the widths of the lands, grooves and pits are formed so as to be narrower than the diameter of the optical spot.
Thus the light beam projected onto the optical recording medium is converted into reflected light including pieces of diffracted light which are of different degrees due to the presence of the lands, grooves and pits which are irregularities on the surface of the optical recording medium, so as to return to the objective lens which is a part of the optical convergence system in the optical pickup device. For instance, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the light reflected from the lands and grooves of the optical disk returns to the objective lens as two pieces of the diffracted light, which are of different degrees (0 degree light and xc2x11 degree light), being overlapped.
For this reason, when the reflected light returns to the objective lens of the optical convergence system as two pieces of the diffracted light with different degrees, i.e. 0 degree light and xc2x11 degree light, being overlapped, the intensity of the reflected light is decreased so that the sensitivity of detecting the spherical aberration occurring in the optical convergence system is degraded.
Moreover, to record and reproduce information in and from the optical recording medium, it is necessary to detect so as to compensate the spherical aberration even during information is recorded and reproduced in and from the optical recording medium.
However, a complicated controlling is required to detect so as to compensate the spherical aberration during the recording and reproduction of information in and from the optical recording medium, and hence it is difficult to properly detect the spherical aberration during the recording and reproduction of information in and from the optical recording medium.
The objective of the present invention is to provide (1) an aberration detecting method by which a spherical aberration occurring in an optical convergence system is detected in sensitive manner and (2) an optical recording and reproduction method and an optical recording and reproduction apparatus, which can be controlled in a simple manner, for detecting the spherical aberration using the method (1) so as to compensate the spherical aberration, even when information is recorded and reproduced in and from the optical recording medium.
To achieve the above-mentioned objective, an aberration detecting method in accordance with the present invention comprises the steps of: projecting a light beam, which has passed through an optical convergence system included in an optical pickup device, onto a flat area of an optical recording medium, and detecting an aberration occurring in the optical convergence system in accordance with the light beam reflected from the flat section.
Generally, an optical recording medium is arranged such that grooves, lands, and pits, which are necessary for recording and reproducing information, are formed thereon, and when the widths of the grooves, lands, and pits are narrower than the spot diameter of the projected light beam, the light beam which has been reflected includes sets of diffracted light (0 degree light, xc2x11 degree light, etc.) having different degrees, generated due to the presence of the grooves, lands and pits. The sets of diffracted light of this type deteriorate the sensitivity of detecting the aberration occurring in the optical convergence system as well as the luminous intensity of the light beam. In this case, the aberration is substantially a spherical aberration.
In the meantime, the light beam, reflected from a flat area of the optical recording medium and the flat area does not have grooves, lands, and pits thereon, only includes 0 degree light so that the deterioration of the luminous intensity as above can be prevented and the sensitivity of detecting the aberration occurring in the optical convergence system can be improved.
Thus, as in the arrangement above, the light beam reflected from the flat area of the optical recording medium is used for detecting the aberration occurring in the optical convergence system in the optical pickup device so that the sensitivity of detecting the aberration is improved.
An optical recording and reproduction method in accordance with the present invention is, to achieve the above-mentioned objective, arranged such that information is recorded and reproduced in and from an optical recording medium using an optical pickup device, said method comprising the steps of: projecting a light beam, which has passed through an optical convergence system included in an optical pickup device, onto a flat area of an optical recording medium, and detecting an aberration occurring in the optical convergence system in accordance with the light beam reflected from the flat section, wherein, when recording and reproducing information in and from the optical recording medium, a flat section on the optical recording medium is specified and then the light beam which has passed through the optical convergence system is projected onto the specified flat section, and an aberration occurring in the optical convergence system is detected in accordance with the light beam reflected from the flat section.
According to this arrangement, the flat section, used for detecting the aberration occurring in the optical convergence system, is specified and then the aberration occurring in the optical convergence system is detected, using the light beam reflected from the specified flat section. Therefore, even during the recording and reproduction of information in and from the optical recording medium, the aberration occurring in the optical convergence system can be detected easily and in a sensitive manner.
To achieve the above-identified objective, an optical recording and reproduction apparatus in accordance with the present invention comprises: an optical pickup device for optical recording and reproducing of information in and from an optical recording medium; aberration detection means for projecting a light beam, which has passed through an optical convergence system provided in the optical pickup device, onto the optical recording medium, so as to detect an aberration occurring in the optical convergence system using the light beam reflected from the optical recording medium; and flat section specification means for specifying a flat section existing on the optical recording medium, the aberration detection means detecting the aberration according to the light beam reflected from the flat section which has specified by the flat section specification means.
According to this arrangement, during the recording and reproduction of information in and from the optical recording medium, the aberration detection circuit can detect the aberration in a sensitive manner, since the detection is carried out using the light beam reflected from the flat section in the optical recording medium, i.e. the reflected light beam on which the diffracted light rarely influences.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the ensuing detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Aberration detecting method, optical recording and reproduction method using thereof, and optical recording and reproduction apparatus


A multi-analyzer system where at least two automatic clinical analyzers are linked together by a bi-directional sample rack shuttle, both analyzers initially capable of performing a slightly different menu of assays. The bi-directional incoming and outgoing sample rack transport system of a first one of the two analyzers is automatically converted into a one-way incoming sample rack transport system adapted and the incoming sample tube transport system of a second of the two analyzers is automatically converted into a one-way outgoing transport system adapted to dispose of all sample racks having sample tubes with samples finally tested by either analyzer. In the event that one of the two analyzers experiences an operating failure, the analyzer system may automatically revert to a single analyzer system employing only the operational analyzer.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for automatically processing a patient""s biological fluids such as urine, blood serum, plasma, cerebrospinal fluid and the like. In particular, the present invention provides a method to perform assays in an analyzing system having at least two analyzers each adapted to perform a number of clinical assays using various assay technologies.
Various types of tests related to patient diagnosis and therapy can be performed by analysis assays of a sample of a patient""s infections, bodily fluids or abscesses. Such patient samples are typically placed in sample vials, extracted from the vials, combined with various reagents in special reaction vessels or tubes, incubated, and analyzed to aid in treatment of the patient. In typical clinical chemical analyses, one or two assay reagents are added at separate times to a liquid sample having a known concentration, the sample-reagent combination is mixed and incubated. Interrogating measurements, turbidimetric or fluorometric or absorption readings or the like are made to ascertain end-point or rate values from which an amount of analyte may be determined using well-known calibration techniques.
Although various known clinical analyzers for chemical, immunochemical and biological testing of samples are available, analytical clinical technology is constantly challenged by increasing needs for improved sample analysis. Due to increasing demands on clinical laboratories regarding assay throughput, there continues to be a need for improvements in the overall performance of automated clinical analyzers. In particular, sample analysis continuously needs to be made more efficient in terms of reduced analyzer downtime, caused by a number of factors, which has aggravated by recent efforts to increase analyzer throughput, in particular, by linking together a number of analyzers and conveying samples between the analyzers.
An important contributor to maintaining a high throughput of automatic analyzers is the ability to quickly process a plurality of samples through a variety of different assay process and signal measurement steps. One method to achieve this feature is to serially link together analytical modules of different types, each adapted to perform a certain catalog of assays. Another is to link together two or more analyzers of the same type and to allocate incoming samples to whichever analyzer has the smallest backlog of samples to process. Alternately, incoming samples may be allocated between analyzers according to the number and availability of assay resources (reaction vessels, reagents, etc) required by the assay and duplicated on more than one analyzer. What has been overlooked, however, in the design of such prior art systems, is that throughput and/or reliability of multi-analyzer systems may be adversely affected in the event of performance failure in operational portions of either of the analyzers, analytical modules, sample entry and exit areas and/or in the conveyor means that link together two or more of the analyzers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,261,521 discloses a sample analysis system having a plurality of analysis units placed along a main conveyor line prior to its analysis operation. The system setup includes setup of analysis units in combination with different types of reagent supply units, setup of analysis routes as to whether it is a stationary type or an automatic type, and setup of analysis items for each analysis unit as to which analysis item should be assigned to which analysis unit having which reagent supply type.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,117,392 discloses an automatic analyzing apparatus having a rack supply unit capable of containing sample racks, an analyzing unit for testing a sample sampled from a sample container contained in the sample rack, a transfer line for transferring a sample rack supplied from the rack supply unit to a position corresponding to the analyzing unit and transferring the sample rack after being sampled to an exit of the transfer line, a standby unit for keeping sample racks having a probability of being reexamined standing-by, a returning line for returning the sample rack after being sampled to an entrance side of the transfer line, and a rack collecting unit for containing sample racks not required to be reexamined.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,022,746 discloses a method for operating a multi-analyzer system by generating a list of tests to be performed by the system within a given reaction vessel. The list of tests is sorted according to the number of reaction vessels used in performing each test to be performed by the system in a given time period. A duplication percentage for the tests is determined and is compared with the sorted list of tests. Resources associated with the tests are duplicated across at least two analyzers based on the comparison of the duplication percentage with the sorted list of tests in a matter that at least one of the tests is performed by at least two of the analyzers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,945 discloses a transfer mechanism for transferring a sample container holder between a conveyor line and a sampling area formed in each of several analyzers, the transfer mechanism being connectable to each one of the plurality of analyzers. At least two analyzers units are different from one other in either the types of reagent supply means, the number of analysis items that can be analyzed, the number of tests that can be processed in a unit time, or the species of samples to be processed. The at least two analysis units described above have the same attachment mechanism or the same shape thereof with respect to the conveyor line.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,972,295 discloses an automatic analyzers comprising a rack supply unit capable of containing sample racks, an analyzing unit for testing an instructed analysis item to a sample sampled from a sample container contained in the sample rack, a transfer line for transferring a sample rack supplied from the rack supply unit to a position corresponding to the analyzing unit and transferring the sample rack after being sampled to an exit of the transfer line, a standby unit for keeping sample racks having a probability of being reexamined stand-by, a returning line for returning the sample rack after being sampled to an entrance side of the transfer line, and a rack collecting unit for containing sample racks not required to be reexamined.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,966,309 discloses an automated apparatus for subjecting samples to one or more selected test procedures at one or more test stations comprising a conveyor line for transporting samples contained in uniquely labeled containers, said line having at least two lanes for routing said containers to one or more selectable test stations, at least one of said lanes being a transport lane and at least one of said lanes being a queue line, and having a container interface device for transferring containers to said testing device from the queue lane and back again onto said queue lane.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,549 discloses a plurality of analyzer units for serum, a plurality of analyzer units for blood plasma, and a plurality of analyzer units for urine are arranged along a main transfer line for transferring a sample rack from a rack providing portion to a rack storage portion. A reagent bottle for inspecting liver function is contained in each reagent delivery mechanism of two analyzer units among the plurality of analyzer units for serum. When the reagent for inspecting liver function in one of the two analyzer units is to be short, analysis for the liver function analysis item in the samples can be continued by transferring a sample rack from the rack providing portion to the other analyzer unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,380,488 discloses a container feeding system which includes a feed stocker for stocking racks holding containers, one or more sampling feeders connected to the downstream side of the feed stocker, and one or more analyzers for withdrawing samples from containers which are moved to sampling positions in an interlocked relation to the sampling feeder or feeders. One or more coupling feeders are connected to the respective downstream sides of the sampling feeder or feeders, and a treated container stocker is connected to the most downstream side of the coupling feeder or feeders. The individual components are provided as respective units. The number of sampling feeders and coupling feeders connected thereto can be increased or reduced, and in correspondence therewith so can the number of analyzers disposed along a rack feeding line. The rack feeding path can thus be readily increased and reduced, as desired, to meet the scale of the delivery side. Likewise, the control mechanism for controlling the feeding of containers with selective priority is also greatly simplified.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,423 discloses a plurality of analyzing modules, a plurality of analyzing routes and at least one bypass route bypassing at least one analyzing module are arranged. Each analyzing module is capable of analyzing samples with respect to one or more items, and samples successively supplied from the introduction sides of the modules are selectively delivered into each module in accordance with the possible analyzing items of each module and the analyzing items of the samples to be analyzed. The sample cup can pass the module via a bypass or can be returned to the introduction side of the module via a bypass, in accordance with the items to be analyzed, the effective distribution of the sample cups can be performed.
From this discussion of the art state in automated clinical analyzers, it may be seen that while progress has been made toward increasing processing efficiency, there remains an unmet need for a method for operating a multi-analyzer system in a way that enhances the reliability of multi-analyzer systems. In particular, little progress has been made toward increasing the reliability of operation of a multi-analyzer system by providing back-up operational capability in the event of performance failure in various operating portions of any of the analyzers and/or in the conveying means that link together the analyzers.
The principal object of the invention is to provide a method for using a clinical analyzer system where at least two automatic clinical analyzers are linked together, that is a multi-analyzer system having two or more analyzers connected together in a manner that ensures system throughput and/or reliability in the event of machine or performance failure in operating portions of either of the analyzers and/or in the connecting means that link together the analyzers. Each analyzer includes a circular rotatable assay reaction carousel for holding reaction vessels and providing stepwise movements in a circular direction, the stepwise movements being separated by stationary dwell times, during which dwell times an assay device may operate on an assay mixture contained within a reaction vessel. A multi-analyzer system like those on which the present invention may be performed typically has a plurality of conventional assay operation stations at which are positioned individual assay devices, such as sensors, reagent add stations, mixing stations, separation stations, and the like.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a key feature is that at least two automatic clinical analyzers are linked together by a bi-directional shuttle, the bi-directional shuttle adapted to move only a single sample rack or only a similar device between said analyzers. The two analyzers are essentially machine-wise identical to one another except that the menu of assays capable of being performed on the individual analyzers may be optionally and selectively different; i. e., both analyzers are equipped with physically identical sample handling, reagent storage and sample processing and assaying devices, etc. However, both analyzers may be equipped with a slightly different inventory of reagents stored on-board each so that the analyzers are initially capable of performing a slightly different menu of assays. In a stand-alone mode, each analyzer has an independently operable bi-directional incoming and outgoing automated sample rack transport system, so that samples to be tested may be placed onto an analyzer, automatically subjected to the requested assay protocols, and returned to an inventory of samples finally tested. However, when the machines are linked together by a bi-directional shuttle, the bi-directional incoming and outgoing sample rack transport system of a first one of the two analyzers is automatically converted into a one-way incoming sample rack transport system adapted to receive all sample racks carrying sample tubes to be analyzer by either analyzer. In a similar manner, the incoming sample tube transport system of a second of the two analyzers is automatically converted into a one-way outgoing transport system adapted to dispose of all sample racks having sample tubes with samples finally tested by either analyzer. Because the bi-directional shuttle is adapted to move only a single sample rack or similar device between analyzers, in the event that one of the two analyzers experiences an operating failure or in the event that the bi-directional shuttle experiences an operating failure, the analyzer system may automatically revert to a single analyzer system employing only the operational analyzer and samples may be supplied only to and analyzed only by the operational analyzer.

Method of providing assay processing in a multi-analyzer system


A system for administering a fluid to a tree. The fluid can be water, coloring agents, insecticides, fungicides, nutrients, plant growth regulators and herbicides. The system also includes a pressurizable container containing the fluid and a low pressure gas. The pressurizable container is attached to a manifold. Additionally, an infusion nozzle is attached to the manifold and configured to provide attachment of the system to a tree for an extended period of time ranging from weeks to months. The system also can, optionally, include an infusion control valve configured to regulate the flow of fluid from the container, through the manifold, through the infusion nozzle and into the tree. The infusion nozzle has threads that provide direct attachment to the tree.

Treatment fluids such as, for example, insecticides, fungicides, nutrients, plant growth regulators, coloring agents, and herbicides can be applied to trees for many reasons. Insecticides can be applied to repel kill damaging insects. Fungicides can treat or prevent fungal diseases. Nutrients and plant growth regulators such as hormones or hormone-like substances can affect growth and growth rate. Herbicides can be applied to tree to kill the trees or prevent sprouting after tree removal. And sometimes it is beneficial to hydrate trees by applying water to the tree particularly during a drought.
Treatment fluids can be applied to trees by several methods. Topical spraying is the most typical way to apply these treatment fluids. Spraying is fast, can use readily available equipment if the viscosity of the treatment fluid is compatible with the equipment and is well understood in the art of plant horticulture. However, spraying can waste the treatment fluid by run off, evaporation, or because it may not be applied precisely to where it is needed in the tree. The treatment fluid can be more effective when placed inside the tree and this is challenging with spraying.
Trees can also be injected with treatment fluids. Treatment fluids are typically injected into the stem or trunk of the tress through various types of holes and devices using high pressure. A drawback of using pressure is the possibility of a bubble or embolism forming under the bark at high pressure. Bark can separate in the cambial area as treatment fluids are injected. This can create a reservoir of treatment fluid that can be slowly taken up over time, but the entire bubbled area can be considered as a wound. Cells can be split apart and can be killed when a bubble is created. Additionally, high pressure injection can require the use of a rubber septum or seal at the point of injection to minimize leakage. High pressure systems are complicated and expensive and generally not available to non-experts.
The provided system and method can treat trees and save the work and expense of cutting trees down. Additionally, they can reduce the spread of disease to other trees thus saving loss to property value. The provided system and apparatus are inexpensive and can be reused. By using low pressure over a long period of time less damage is done to the trees allowing more of them to recover.

Treatment fluid infusion system and apparatus for trees and method of using same


An electrical connector includes an insulating body, a number of conductive terminals and a connection module. The insulating body includes a mating surface and a slot extending through the mating surface. The slot is adapted to receive at least a part of a mating connector along a mating direction. Each conductive terminal includes a tail portion and a contact portion extending into the slot. The connection module includes a mounting block and a number of connection terminals fixed with the mounting block. The connection terminals and the conductive terminals are disposed separately, thereby improving the anti-interference performance of the electrical connector. Each connection terminal includes an abutting portion to contact the tail portion of the conductive terminal and a mounting foot for being mounted to a circuit board.

An electrical connector usually includes an insulating body and a plurality of conductive terminals fixed to the insulating body. The conductive terminal includes a contact portion for contacting with a mating connector and a mounting foot for being mounted to a circuit board. Connections between the mounting foot and the circuit board usually includes perforation soldering, surface soldering and press-fit etc. However, as electrical connectors have higher and higher requirements for signal transmission quality, how to solve the problem of signal interference at connection positions between the mounting feet of the conductive terminals and the circuit board is a technical challenge for those skilled in the art.

Electrical connector with better anti-interference performance


A display substrate and a display device are provided. The display substrate includes a base layer that includes at least a display region. The display region includes a plurality of opening regions, and each of the plurality of opening regions includes a plurality of islands spaced apart from each other by a plurality of openings and connected to each other by a plurality of bridges. At least two of the plurality of opening regions have different elastic moduli.

With the development of technologies, research on stretchable display devices has been carried out. Each stretchable display device generally includes a display substrate including a stretchable base layer having an opening, and a plurality of display elements are disposed on the base layer other than a portion where the opening is located. When the display substrate is stretched or compressed, degrees of deformation (i.e., amounts of deformation) generated by various portions of the display substrate may be different, resulting in different distances between adjacent display elements on various portions of the base layer, which may cause degradation of the display effect of a display panel. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a display substrate and a display device that have an excellent display effect even when being stretched or compressed.

Display substrate and display device in which difference in deformation between central and peripheral portions of display region is eliminated during stretch or compression


Disclosed are systems and methods for unassisted (i.e., customer controlled) exception handling in an automated data reader having a read zone. A first imager obtains a first image of an exception item in response to an exception generated in a read zone. An exception handling station receives the exception item, and a second imager located at the exception handling station obtains a second image of the exception item. An image processor receives the images, identities visual object recognition features from each image, and compares the features to determine whether the first and second images represent the same exception item. If so, the exception is cleared, and the item is added to a transaction list.

The field of this disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for automated data reading and, more particularly, to exception handling systems and to methods of exception handling for automated checkout systems.
Optical code readers acquire data from 1-D and 2-D optical codes or from other types of identifying indicia or symbols, such as biometric features. Two types of optical code readers used to acquire data associated with an optical code are laser scanners and imager-based optical code readers—the latter are also referred to as imaging readers. Both laser scanners and imaging readers may be referred to more generally as scanners, data readers, or simply, readers. Therefore, for purposes of this disclosure, the terms scan and read are used interchangeably to connote acquiring information associated with optical codes. Likewise, the terms scanner and reader are used interchangeably to connote devices that acquire data associated with optical codes, other symbols, or electromagnetic fields (e.g., radio-frequency identification or near field communication).
Optical codes are typically placed on items and read by data readers to help track item movement in industrial or shipping facilities, or to facilitate sales and monitor inventory at retail establishments. The optical codes are placed on or associated with items, packages, containers, or other objects and read by the data reader when the items bearing the optical codes are within a read zone during a data-reading operation. For example, in retail stores, data readers are placed at checkstands or are built into a checkstand counter and generally have one or more read volumes (scan volumes) that collectively establish a read zone in which optical codes may be successfully read.
Data readers that read the information encoded in optical codes may be generally classified into one of three types: manual readers, semi-automatic, and automated readers. With manual or semi-automatic readers (e.g., a hand-held type reader, or a fixed-position reader), a human operator positions an item relative to the read zone to read the optical code associated with the item. In an automated reader (e.g., a portal or tunnel scanner), a conveyor automatically positions the item relative to the read zone, and transports the item through the read zone so that the data reader can automatically read the optical code borne by the item.
Any of these three types of readers can be used in either assisted or self-checkout processes. In an assisted checkout process, a customer places items on a counter, deck, or conveyor of a checkstand; the items are transported to a checkout clerk (checker); and the checker then takes an item and moves it into or through the read zone of the data reader. Accordingly, the checker typically locates an optical code on a label of the item, and then holds the label in a particular orientation to obtain a successful read of the optical code as it is moved through the read zone. In a self-checkout process, a customer (or other operator) operates the data reader, unassisted by a checker or other dedicated attendant. In other words, the customer acts as the checker and oversees the data-reading operations during the self-checkout process.

Exception handling in automated data reading systems


The present invention is directed to the provision of a semiconductor light-emitting element that has an electrode formed with a desired thickness using a plated metal layer. A semiconductor light-emitting element for flip-chip mounting on a circuit substrate includes a semiconductor layer including a light-emitting layer, an N-side bump electrode for connecting the semiconductor layer to the circuit substrate, and a P-type bump electrode for connecting the semiconductor layer to the circuit substrate, wherein the N-side bump electrode and the P-type bump electrode each include an under-bump metal layer and a plated metal layer, the under-bump metal layer includes a high-reflectivity metal layer disposed on a side that faces the semiconductor layer and a metal layer disposed on a side opposite from the semiconductor layer, and the plated metal layer has a thickness not less than 3 μm but not greater than 30 μm.

In many cases, a semiconductor light-emitting element (hereinafter referred to as an LED element unless specifically stated otherwise) is mounted in a face-up fashion or in a flip-chip (also referred to as face-down) fashion on a circuit substrate of a semiconductor light-emitting device (hereinafter referred to as an LED device unless specifically stated otherwise) for packaging. In the face-up mounting, the LED element is placed on the circuit substrate with the electrode side of the LED element facing up, and the electrodes of the LED element are connected to the electrodes on the circuit substrate by wires. On the other hand, in the flip-chip mounting, the LED element is placed on the circuit substrate with the electrode side of the LED element facing down, and the electrodes of the LED element are connected to the electrodes on the circuit substrate by electrically conductive contacts such as bumps.
Since the LED element is directly connected to the circuit substrate by means of bumps or the like, the flip-chip mounting offers the advantages of being able to enhance heat-sinking efficiency and to reduce the mounting area because of the elimination of the need for wires. To improve the light-emitting efficiency of the flip-chip mounting LED element, a reflective layer may be provided on the electrode side as viewed from the light-emitting layer so that the light emitted from the light-emitting layer and directed toward the circuit substrate may be reflected by the reflective layer and caused to emerge from the LED device.
For example, it is known to provide a semiconductor light-emitting element which comprises a semiconductor layer deposited on a crystal substrate and an n-side electrode and p-side electrode for connecting the semiconductor layer to an Si diode device, wherein the p-side electrode includes a reflective layer (for example, patent document 1). The n-side electrode and the p-side electrode have micro-bumps for connecting to the Si diode device.
It is also known to provide a flip-chip light-emitting diode which comprises a semiconductor layer deposited on a transparent substrate and a first electrode and second electrode for connecting the semiconductor layer to a packaging submount, wherein the first electrode includes a metal reflective layer (for example, patent document 2). The first electrode and the second electrode are each connected to the packaging submount via an intermediate layer formed from a solderable material.
Furthermore, it is known to provide a semiconductor light-emitting element which comprises a semiconductor layer deposited on a sapphire substrate and an n-type electrode and p-type electrode for connecting the semiconductor layer to a submount, wherein the n-type and p-type electrodes each include an Al layer (for example, patent document 3). Each of the n-type and p-type electrodes further includes an Au layer that serves as an overcoat electrode for enhancing adhesion to the submount.
Patent document 1: JP H11-191641-A (FIG. 1)
Patent document 2: JP 2006-121084-A (FIG. 3)
Patent document 3: JP 2002-26392-A (FIG. 2)

Semiconductor light-emitting element for flip-chip mounting


A method of coupling a multimedia source device to a multimedia sink device by providing a source device having a transmitter unit coupled thereto, providing sink device having a receiver unit coupled thereto, receiving a source data stream in accordance with a native stream rate by the transmitter unit, coupling the transmitter unit and the receiver unit by way of a linking unit, forming a multimedia data packet stream formed of a number of multimedia data packets and generating a transport schedule for transferring the multimedia data packet stream in accordance with a link rate between the transmitter unit and the receiver unit wherein the multimedia data.

Raster scan video transport protocols were originally developed for use with cathode ray tube (CRT) based display systems that must take into account the fact that an electron gun(s) is used to physically "paint" the displayed image one line at a time. For example, a standard definition (VGA) video image is formed of an active region that nominally includes 480 active display lines each of which is formed of 640 pixels (i.e., 640×480 resolution). In addition to the active region, however, a blanking region that is not displayed but nonetheless is included in the video signal since it represents that amount of time that is required for both horizontal and vertical retrace. For example, each frame of a VGA image (i.e., one full frame being 480 lines of 640 pixels each) requires approximately 160 pixel clocks per line for horizontal retrace and a period of time equal to approximately 45 line periods for vertical retrace. In this way (assuming one pixel per pixel clock) the video signal required to transport the video data necessary to display the VGA image must be on the order to 800 pixel clocks (640 active pixel clocks+160 blanking pixel clocks). Therefore, the transport efficiency (as defined as the bandwidth of the displayable data over the total data stream bandwidth) is on the order of 80% (i.e., 640/800).
More recently, as the resolution of CRTs has increased in order to accommodate HDTV and other high end graphics applications, the efficiency of raster scan video transport protocols have been increased to approximately 90% by requiring that the horizontal retrace be limited to 160 pixel clocks (thereby reducing the associated blanking period). For example, given a UVGA image (i.e., 1600×1200), the transport efficiency is approximately 90% when the horizontal retrace is maintained at 160 pixel clocks (1600/(1600+160)) Although raster scan video transfer protocols are efficient (on the order of 90%) and do not require large buffers, they are, however, inflexible in that it is essentially capable of only displaying data as it is rendered.
In addition to raster scan video transport protocols, the emergence of digital video based systems has created the need for digital video transport protocols. One such digital video transport protocol referred to I.E.E.E. 1394, or FireWire™ is based upon isochronous packet transport that relies upon a large buffer (on the order of 60 Kb) in order to guarantee a uniform bit rate and maintain synchronicity between multiple data streams (such as a video stream and an associated soundtrack in the form of an audio stream). Although isochronous packet transfer protocols are inherently flexible (due to their packet based nature), the large buffer requirements can be very costly.
Therefore, what is desirable is a data stream transport protocol that has the efficiency (in terms of both transport efficiency and memory resource utilization) of the raster scan transfer protocol and the flexibility of the isochronous packet transfer protocol.

Data packet based stream transport scheduler wherein transport data link does not include a clock line


An inner peripheral surface of an outer cylindrical tubular portion and an outer peripheral surface of an inner cylindrical tubular portion of a rotor are respectively shaped into a stepped form. A radial distance between the outer cylindrical tubular portion and the inner cylindrical tubular portion at a counter-armature side location is larger than that of an armature side location in the rotor. An outer peripheral surface of an outer cylindrical tubular portion and an inner peripheral surface of an inner cylindrical tubular portion of a stator are respectively shaped into a stepped form. A radial distance between the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical tubular portion and the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical tubular portion at the counter-armature side location is larger than that of the armature side location in the stator.

A previously proposed electromagnetic clutch includes a rotor, a stator and an electromagnetic coil. The electromagnetic coil is received in an inside space of the stator. The stator is placed in an inside space of the rotor while the electromagnetic coil is received in the stator.
More specifically, the rotor has a double cylindrical tubular structure that includes an outer cylindrical tubular portion and an inner cylindrical tubular portion. A space, which is formed between an inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical tubular portion and an outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical tubular portion, is the inside space of the rotor. Since the rotor is rotated about the stator, the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical tubular portion and the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical tubular portion of the rotor are both in parallel with an axial direction. Therefore, a distance between the outer cylindrical tubular portion and the inner cylindrical tubular portion of the rotor is constant.
Also, the stator has a double cylindrical tubular structure that includes an outer cylindrical tubular portion and an inner cylindrical tubular portion. A space, which is formed between an inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical tubular portion and an outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical tubular portion of the stator is the inside space of the stator. The outer peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical tubular portion of the stator is opposed to the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical tubular portion of the rotor, and the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical tubular portion of the stator is opposed to the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical tubular portion of the rotor. Therefore, similar to the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical tubular portion and the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical tubular portion of the rotor, the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical tubular portion and the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical tubular portion of the stator are both in parallel with the axial direction, and thereby a distance between the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical tubular portion and the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical tubular portion of the stator measured in the radial direction of the stator is constant (see, for example, the patent literature 1).
With respect to the electromagnetic clutch, there are customer demands for reducing the size and the weight of the entire electromagnetic clutch, improving the transmission torque and reducing the electric power consumption. In order to meet these customer demands, it is necessary to increase a coil space without deteriorating the magnetic performance for the previously proposed electromagnetic clutch. Here, the coil space refers to an installation space for installing the coil.
For example, when the coil space is increased in comparison to the previously proposed electromagnetic clutch while maintaining the size of the rotor, the transmission torque can be improved. Furthermore, when the size of the rotor is reduced in comparison to the previously proposed electromagnetic clutch while maintaining the size of the coil space, the size and the weight of the entire electromagnetic clutch can be reduced.


Herein disclosed is a serial data transfer system which has first and second serial data processors connected via a single data line and a single clock line for transferring serial data therebetween. Each of the first and second serial data processors includes: reception confirmation signal output means for outputting a reception confirmation signal to the data line; and reception confirmation signal detection means for detecting the reception confirmation signal on the data line. The confirmation of the data transfer is executed in synchronism with serial clock pulses outputted to the clock line. Alternatively, the first or second serial data processor includes: an output circuit for outputting a reception confirmation signal to the data line; a circuit for generating a first signal indicating the end of reception of the serial data; a circuit for generating a second signal indicating the end of processing of the data received; and a circuit for controlling the output of said reception confirmation signal. When the reception of the serial data on the data line is ended, the output circuit outputs the reception confirmation signal to the data line in synchronism with the first or second signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a serial data transfer system having a plurality of semiconductor chips for serially sending and receiving data between the chips in synchronism with a single serial clock pulse and, more particularly, to a serial data transfer system using a single clock line and a single data line for sending and receiving serial data in synchronism with the serial clock pulse while confirming the data reception.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are two methods for transferring data between a plurality of semiconductor chips (which will be shortly referred to as the "LSI chips"): one using data buses of eight or sixteen bits; and the other using a single data line in a time sharing manner to transfer the data in series bit by bit. The latter method is remarkably convenient for connecting the LSI chips because only two lines are required for these connections: a data line and a clock line.
However, it cannot be said that the serial data transfer system can complete the serial transfer merely through the two signal lines or the serial clock and data lines. In order to ensure the serial transfer through one data line, more specifically, it is necessary not only that the start and end of the transfer should be able to be correctly detected but also that it should be confirmed whether or not the data sent from the transmitting side have been correctly received by the receiving side. For this confirmation, another signal line should have been used in the prior art. This means that the serial transfer could not be executed merely by the two signal lines of the serial clock and data lines.
In another aspect, the second serial data processor of the serial data transfer system specified above does not send any reception confirmation signal to the first serial data processor after it has received the serial data of eight bits (or one byte). The prior art fails to provide any means for informing the transmitting side of a rejection to the reception of continuous serial data of plural bytes being transferred, even in case the reception is desired because of some malfunction occurring at the receiving side. In order to eliminate this difficulty, the receiving side has to be programmed to output the reception confirmation signal to the transmitting side if it ends the processing of the data received. According to this method, however, the receiving side has also to be programmed to generate the reception confirmation signal each time it receives one byte. This raises a serious defect that the processing efficiency of the CPU used is seriously deteriorated.


Vocoding conversions are reduced by dynamically loading a software-defined vocoder into a handset. The software-defined vocoder may be selected based on the calling party's network type, wherein a notification of network type is transmitted to the called party's network during call setup. The software-defined vocoders may be stored in the network and downloaded into the handset; alternatively, the software-defined vocoders may be stored in the handset. Voice data is tunneled from the calling party's handset and the calling party's network, through any number of different networks, to the called party's network and called party's handset, without any vocoding conversions, except at the handsets.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wireless voice systems, and, in particular, to tunneling wireless voice data over various networks using software-defined vocoders.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the Internet and the associated Internet Protocol (IP) gaining popularity with customers, it is now possible to use IP via the Internet (or an intranet) to deliver wireless voice services, also known as Voice-over-IP (VoIP). Next generation cellular networks, public land mobile networks (PLMNs) and public switched telephone networks (PSTNs) most likely will be implemented using IP networks. In IP networks, it is critical to best utilize system resources and reduce delays.
One of the key challenges for wireless systems using VoIP is the issue of delay. The encoding and decoding of voice into digital data (also known as "vocoding") can introduce substantial delay into VoIP. The introduction of vocoding delays has been a major hindrance to the deployment of VoIP.
Moreover, significant cost savings can be realized by the elimination of specialized vocoder hardware. For example, a typical single-mode handset requires a vocoder that costs approximately $5 (and provides about 20 MIPs of processing power), while a typical dual-mode handset requires two vocoders. The cost of a vocoder is roughly the same cost as a processor for a handset (which only needs about 5 MIPS of processing power). One way to reduce costs is to eliminate hardware-based vocoders, and have the processor perform some of the functions of the vocoder. Moreover, this allows handsets to be smaller and less complex.

Tunnelling wireless voice with software-defined vocoders


A method to facilitate recovery of a node in a communications network is disclosed. The method comprises receiving one or more messages from at least another node in the communications network and restoring connectivity of a recovering node based at least in part on the received messages.

In existing communication networks, such as IP (Internet Protocol) based networks, when a faulty node in a communication path becomes operational again, it is not possible to restore the original communication path without effecting service to the customer. Thus, for example, assume that data is being transferred from source node A to destination node C via one or more intermediate nodes B. Further assume that one of the nodes, say node B, becomes faulty. When node B becomes non-operational, nodes A and C might time out node B and remove all references and connections to node B. An alternative communication path between nodes A and C that does not include node B is established.
In existing networks when node B becomes operational again it is not possible, without effecting service to the customer, to restore the communication path so that node A starts sending data to node C via node B. Thus, a desired Quality of Service (QoS), for example as specified in a Service Level Agreement (SLA) or a Service Level Specification (SLS) between the service provider and the customer is not maintained.

System and method to perform non-service effecting bandwidth reservation using a reservation signaling protocol


Embodiments herein include systems and methods for providing a mechanism for tunneled data transport within a dual homed access network. A tunnel manager, at a first network connectivity device in a transport network, identifies the transport network configured to interconnect at least two access networks for transporting data traffic between one or more end stations connected to the access networks. The first network connectivity device is coupled to a first access network. The tunnel manager identifies a second network connectivity device. The second network connectivity device is coupled to the first access network to provide the first access network dual homed access to the transport network via the first and second network connectivity devices. The tunnel manager creates a virtual tunnel that connects the first and second network connectivity devices to a third network connectivity device across the transport network. The virtual tunnel defines a same virtual tunnel having multiple paths such that the third network connectivity device learns a single virtual tunnel for device address learning.

The present disclosure relates to network computing. Computer networks typically include a collection of computing devices enabled to communicate with each other for handling data traffic and control instructions. For example, such devices can include servers, data centers, routers, network switches, management applications, wireless access points, and client computers. Computer networks can provide network connectivity to wired computing devices and/or wireless computing devices. Certain computer networks can provide an environment in which both wired and wireless users are supported by a same set of network switches.
Computer networks can include various configurations. One such configuration, known as a virtual private network (VPN), is a network that operates over a public communication network (such as the Internet) to provide remote offices or individual clients with secure, private access to a specific network, such as a network specific to an organization or company. VPNs function by encapsulating data transfers between two or more networked devices not on the same private network. Such encapsulation keeps transferred data private from other devices on one or more intervening local area networks or wide area networks. A VPN can enable a group of client computers to communicate and access specific resources as members of a given broadcast domain even if the various member client computers are not attached to the same network switch.
Network services, including VPN services are popularly provided using Ethernet technology. Ethernet has become a default Data Link Layer technology for data transport, that is, the default for Layer 2 (L2) of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. Ethernet technologies began as a Local Area Network (LAN) technology. Ethernet has since been extended to other networks. There are several accompanying technologies and protocols to assist with expanding Ethernet technologies to other or larger networks. One such protocol is that of Provider Backbone Bridges (PBB) or IEEE 802.1 ah. A network that uses IEEE 802.1 ah can route a customer network over a provider's network allowing interconnection of multiple Provider Bridge Networks without losing each customer's individually defined Virtual LANs (VLANs). Another such protocol is that of Shortest Path Bridging or IEEE 802.1aq. A network that uses IEEE 802.1 aq can advertise both topology and logical network membership. Packets are encapsulated at an edge either in Mac-in-Mac 802.1ah or Q-in-Q 802.1 ad frames and transported only to other members of the logical network. IEEE 802.1aq supports unicast and multicast, and all routing is on symmetric shortest paths. IEEE 802.1aq includes Shortest Path Bridging MAC (SPBM) functionality.

Shared virtual tunnels supporting Mac learning in communication networks


The present invention provides an optical apparatus, a method of manufacture therefore, and an optical integrated circuit that includes the optical apparatus. The optical apparatus comprises a substrate, a first waveguide core formed in the substrate and a second waveguide core comprising an organic polymer formed in the substrate second waveguide core having a different composition than said first waveguide core and optically coupled to the first waveguide core.

The present invention is directed in general to an optical apparatus, a method of manufacture thereof, and an optical integrated circuit comprising the optical apparatus.
Optical communication devices typically include several discrete active and inactive device components, each performing different functions. Examples of individual device components include optical switches, electro-optic modulators, arrayed waveguide gratings (AWG), waveguide splitters, or optical amplifiers. Such device components are typically fabricated individually using different processes on different substrates. As an example, an AWG is fabricated in a silica substrate, while an electro-optic modulator is fabricated in a lithium niobate substrate.
Heretofore, it has not been practical to fabricate two different optical devices, such as passive and active electro-optic devices, on a single substrate. Typically the waveguide core for an optical device is formed in an inorganic substrate, such as silica, by doping the substrate. For example, the portion of the substrate in which the waveguide is located is doped with a single type of dopant. It has proven difficult to selectively dope discrete portions of silica to form the waveguide cores for different types of devices. Thus, for example, the entire silica wafer may serve as the substrate for forming components of an electro-optic modulator or of an AWG, but not both. Rather than form two different types of optical devices on a single substrate discrete device components are fabricated on separate substrates and then interconnected via optical fibers.
The separate fabrication and interconnection of such discrete device components, however, adds significant manufacturing costs. In particular, the high precision required to properly align interconnecting optical fibers with the discrete devices amounts to a substantial portion of the cost of fabricating the optical device system. Moreover, optical losses where the discrete device components are interconnected, degrade performance of the optical device.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is an optical apparatus that integrates optical devices capable of meeting the stringent requirements of the optoelectronic industry, while not experiencing the problems associated with previous optical devices.
To address the above-discussed deficiencies, one embodiment of the present invention provides an optical apparatus. The optical apparatus includes a substrate, a first waveguide core formed in the substrate and a second waveguide core. The second waveguide core comprises an organic polymer formed in the substrate and optically coupled to the first waveguide core. The second waveguide core has a different composition than the first waveguide core.
In another embodiment, the invention further provides a method of manufacturing an optical apparatus. The method comprises providing a substrate and forming a first waveguide core in the substrate. The method further includes forming a second waveguide core comprising an organic polymer in the substrate, wherein the second waveguide core is optically coupled to the first waveguide core and has a different composition than the first waveguide core.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention provides an optical integrated circuit. The optical integrated circuit comprises a first optical device and a second optical device. The first optical device includes a first waveguide core formed in a substrate, and the second optical device includes a second waveguide core comprising a polymer formed in the substrate and optically coupled to the first waveguide core and has a different composition than the first waveguide core.

Integrated optical devices and method of fabrication therefor


The present invention relates to a product and method of using albumin nanoparticles for augmenting the function or effectiveness of stem cells or precursor cells in vivo. An albumin nanoparticle suspension containing submicron albumin spheres is prepared, with the albumin spheres being capable of augmenting a function and effectiveness of stem cells or precursor cells in vivo. A predetermined amount of the albumin nanoparticle suspension is administered to a patient before or after an onset of at least one condition. The condition is one that can benefit from a healing effect of the stem cells or precursor cells. A function of the stem cells or precursor cells are augmented or improved by the albumin spheres to repair cellular or tissue damage, resulting in decreasing mortality or morbidity of the patient. The albumin spheres can be bound with fibrinogen molecules in vitro or in vivo.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to using protein nanoparticles to augment the function or effectiveness of stem cells or precursor cells in vivo, including their production, mobilization and effectiveness in regenerative medicine and biology.
Description of the Prior Art
Stem cells are known to be the precursors of new cells formation or tissue regeneration. The field of studying stem cells in order to encourage their conversion into mature cells that can perform specific functions in the body is called regenerative biology or regenerative medicine. Some tissues and organs are more capable of regeneration after injury, e.g. the liver. It has been known now that the new liver cells are not necessarily all derived from already-formed mature liver cells that were there in the liver before the injury, but that stem cells from their sources in the body, having migrated there from the rest of the body, become "informed" of their location and then those stem cells become liver cells. Other cells or tissues are more difficult to regenerate, e.g. nerve cells. There is a dire need for methods to encourage stem cells production in vivo which can regenerate at specific sites into new and functional cells, e.g. functional nerve cells in patients with major spinal injury. Alternatively, even if there is no net gain in the production of stem cells, but they are mobilized from the site of production to the site where they are needed or do maximum benefit, the patient will benefit.
Numerous investigators have demonstrated that certain biological molecules, such as those produced by recombinant DNA methods (e.g. Neupogen, thrombopoietin, and erythropoietin) or naturally derived molecules can increase the production of white cells or platelets or red blood cells. However, these molecules all require the presence of a sufficient number of competent stem cells in the body and several days if not weeks for the stem cells to develop into mature and functional cells. There is a need for a product and a method to provide quicker and more effective remedies to patients who can be help by improved stem cell functions in a short time period.
In addition, small molecules can mimic the effect of such large biological products in stimulating the formation of mature blood cells. The small mimetic molecules can be peptide in nature (e.g. Romiplostim) or non-peptide in structure (e.g. Eltrombopag). But they have long-term problems such as "thrombosis, increased bone marrow reticulin, rebound worsening of thrombocytopenia upon discontinuation, and increased blast formation" (Kuter et al, Annu Rev Med; 2009, 60:193-206).
Efficacy of new molecules or compounds that can affect stem cell function is typically assessed by the resulting increase in cell concentrations in the blood. In the case of blood cells, they can easily be measured by the machines in the clinical laboratory. However, most stem cells regenerate into tissues that cannot be measured by the standard machines. Indeed, the effect of any method to augment the function of stem cells for regeneration of solid tissues or organs is difficult to measure. In addition, the improved functionality of stem cells may not necessarily be expressed in term of the number or the concentration of new progeny cells produced, it can be expressed in terms of a more robust or faster healing, or other measures. In order not to be restricted to "increase in cell number" we prefer to use the term augmentation. By augmentation in this disclosure, we mean any of the following: (a) increase in production in the number of stem cells capable of developing into functional mature cells; (b) increase in the speed with which stem cells mature; (c) increase in the functionality of either the stem cells or the mature cells in doing their job in the body; (d) decrease in the destruction of stem cells or their mature cells; (e) mobilization of stem cells from the site of production to the site of transformation where the stem cells become beneficial to the host; (f) any other mechanism leading to a decrease in the morbidity and mortality of the patient in a process in which stem cells are needed to restore health. Such methods are lacking in the prior arts.
For exemplary purposes, a model of burn to test the ability of stem cells to resolve the wound has been chosen. The model will consider the speedy resolution of a burn area to be a reflection of the augmentation of stem cell function regardless of its precise mechanism. Burn is a difficult topic for study. There are many reasons for the difficulties: (a) the degree of burn, particularly thermal burn, can vary from first degree which is superficial, to third degree which is very deep; (b) the size and the location of the burn affect not only the healing process but also the death rate—when the size is small it can be treated easily, whereas a large area burn or in critical locations in the body, it can be fatal; (c) each patient from the same incident will not have the same pattern of burns and therefore there is no standard "control" cases to evaluate if a particular method is better than another.
At the present time, burn patients are treated with pain medication, fluid support, nutritional support, and transfusion of plasma, platelet, red cells, anti-anxiety, anti-infection and anti-stomach-acid agents. Skin grafts are often needed when the patient is stabilized. There are no proven methods to stabilize the vasculature to decrease or stop leaky vessels in order to control extravasation of blood components from the intravascular compartment to the extravascular compartment, or to promote healing at the early stage of the body's response to the injury. Therefore there is need also for an evaluation method which is easy to conduct in the laboratory, is reliable, and which can predict the efficacy of stem cell augmentation in the treatment for a variety of diseases including burn in the clinical setting.
Therefore, a need exists for new and improved albumin nanoparticles that can be used for augmenting the function or effectiveness of stem cells or precursor cells in vivo, including their production, mobilization and effectiveness in regenerative medicine and biology. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the albumin nanoparticles according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provide an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of augmenting the function or effectiveness of stem cells or precursor cells in vivo, including their production, mobilization and effectiveness in regenerative medicine and biology.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Albumin nanoparticles to augment stem cell function in vivo