In a data transmission system comprising a plurality N of transmission sites and at least one reception site, a set of data at each transmission site is uniquely encrypted by (a) providing each transmission site with a broadcast key unique to that transmission site and a system key that is the same for all transmission sites, the system key comprising a plurality S of bits and each of the broadcast keys comprising a unique plurality B of bits, wherein B is less than S; (b) convolving in a predetermined manner at each transmission site the system key and the broadcast key unique to that transmission site to generate a unique data encryption key for that transmission site; (c) encrypting the set of data at each transmission site with the unique data encryption key generated at that site. The sets of data uniquely encrypted at each transmission site are then transmitted to the reception site. There is stored, in a memory at the reception site, the system key and the of said broadcast keys to enable a selected one of the encrypted sets of data to be decrypted at the reception site. The memory capacity necessary to store the system key and the broadcast keys at the reception site is no greater than ((N.times.B)+S) bits. Alternatively, a plurality N of data sets at a single transmission site are encrypted in this manner.

Techniques for protecting digital information against unauthorized access are becoming increasingly important as more and more communications systems are employing digital transmission techniques. The subscription television industry, for example, is beginning to move toward all digital transmission systems or hybrid systems that employ both digital and analog transmission. Preventing unauthorized access to digital television signals is a major concern in the subscription television industry.
Cryptography can provide a very secure means of preventing unauthorized access. The art of cryptography is well known. "Stream-cipher cryptography" is particularly well suited for encrypting digital data to prevent unauthorized access. FIG. 1 shows an exemplary system 10 that employs stream-cipher cryptography. The system 10 comprises a data encryptor 12 for encrypting a clear data stream, a data decryptor 18 for subsequently decrypting the encrypted data stream, and a transmission medium 11 for transmitting the encrypted data stream from the encryptor 12 to the decryptor 18. The encryptors 12, 18 are commonly referred to in the art as "stream-ciphers."
As shown, data encryptor 12 comprises a pseudorandom bit generator 14 and a data combiner 16. At an input thereof, the pseudorandom bit generator 14 receives a unique encryption key K. Using the encryption key K as a "seed" value, the pseudorandom bit generator 14 generates a pseudorandom binary sequence commonly referred to as a "key stream". The key stream is then fed to one input of the combiner 16 which also receives, at another input thereof, the clear data stream. The combiner 16 combines or mixes the clear data stream with the key stream on a bit-by-bit basis using bitwise modulo-2 addition; that is, the combiner 16 comprises an exclusive-OR (XOR) gate. Combining the clear data stream with the key stream in this manner effectively encrypts the clear data stream. As shown, the encrypted data stream may then be transmitted via any suitable transmission medium 11.
A decryptor 18 operates to recover the clear data stream from the encrypted data stream. As shown, the decryptor 18 comprises a pseudorandom bit generator 14' and a de-combiner 16'. As those skilled in the art know, the decryptor 18 must be provided with the same encryption key K that was used to encrypt the data at the encryptor 12, and pseudorandom bit generator 14' must be identical to pseudorandom bit generator 14 so that with that same encryption key K, the pseudorandom bit generator 14' can reproduce the key stream generated at the encryptor 12. The reproduced key stream and the encrypted data stream are then provided to respective inputs of the de-combiner 16'. Decombiner 16' must operate in a reciprocal or complimentary manner with respect to the combiner 16 in the encryptor 12 so that the encryption process is effectively reversed. As those skilled in the art know, when combiner 16 performs bit-wise modulo-2 addition (i.e., XOR-ing), de-combiner 16' may be identical to combiner 16 since the XOR function is symmetrical. Thus, XOR-ing the encrypted data stream with the reproduced key stream effectively reverses the encryption process. The clear data stream is then output from the decombiner 16'.
As can be appreciated from the foregoing discussion, the system 10 cannot function unless both the encryptor 12 and decryptor 18 are each provided with the unique encryption key K. Security depends, therefore, on keeping the encryption key secret. Such a system is commonly referred to as a "private key" encryption system. One way to enhance security in a "private key" encryption system is to periodically change the encryption key. Security also depends on the "randomness" of the key stream generated by the pseudorandom bit generators. A system developer must select a pseudorandom bit generation algorithm that cannot feasibly be deduced by comparing the clear data stream with the encrypted data stream. Generally, greater randomness can be achieved with an algorithm that uses large encryption keys (i.e., more bits) rather than shorter keys.
In most applications, an encryptor is employed at a transmission site to encrypt a data stream for transmission to a remote reception site. The reception site, of course, must employ a decryptor in order to recover the clear data from the encrypted data. Because the reception site is remote from the transmission site, a secure means must be employed for providing the reception site with the appropriate encryption key. For example, the encryption key itself may be encrypted and then transmitted to the reception site. Once the key is received at the reception site, it must be stored in a secure memory device at the reception site. Alternatively, the key may be pre-stored in the secure memory.
Communication systems often comprise a plurality of different transmission sites that each transmit a set of data to one or more reception sites. For example, in a subscription television system, a plurality of "programmers" each provide subscription television services (i.e., programs) to remote subscribers. Each programmer typically will want to employ its own unique encryption keys to encrypt data at its respective transmission site. When the system contains a large number of transmission sites, providing each transmission site with a unique encryption key may become prohibitive. As mentioned above, it is desirable to employ large encryption keys in order to increase the cryptographic strength of the system. A problem arises because each of the unique encryption keys must be stored in a secure memory at a reception site so that a decryptor at the reception site is able to decrypt data received from any one of the transmission sites. As those skilled in the art know, secure memory is expensive and secure memory devices typically have limited storage capacities. There is a need, therefore, for a system and method that allows a large number of transmission sites to each uniquely encrypt data, but which reduces the amount of memory needed at a reception site to store encryption keys. The present invention satisfies this need.

Methods and apparatus for uniquely encrypting data at a plurality of data transmission sites for transmission to a reception site


A method of detecting media plane faults within a communications network. The method comprises, following the establishment of a media plane connection between first and second end point nodes within the network, where the connection transits one or more intermediate nodes within the media plane, sending session test requests from the first end point towards the second end point across a supervision session established over the media plane, and sending session test acknowledgements from the second end point to the first end point, the session test acknowledgements identifying a first border of the supervision session. The method further comprises, in the event of a media plane fault, responding to the sending of a further session test request by returning a further session test acknowledgement identifying a second border of the supervision session. The media plane fault can be detected by comparing the first and second supervision session borders contained in session test acknowledgements.

In any telecommunications network, users will from time-to-time suffer poor quality service as a result of faults occurring in the network. For example, a user might experience a silent media plane, where both parties to a call cannot hear one another, or the media plane may be broken in only one direction. The ITU-T has published specifications for fixed systems which include definitions and probabilities for fixed network problems such as unacceptable transmission and interrupt; break (of service). The expected probability for unacceptable transmission is 0.001 percent in fixed networks. Users of cellular networks expect similar or better quality levels compared to fixed network offerings.
Network operators and kit vendors have of course implemented fault detection mechanisms in deployed networks in order to meet or improve upon the ITU-T targets. Examples include:                Using a Continuity Check for TDM and ATM connections to check the integrity of the speech path. This might involve injecting a tone into the speech signal at a first network node and detecting the tone at a second network node or when "reflected" back to the first network node. However, Continuity Check for TDM and ATM connections results in a perceptible degradation of speech and so it is usually performed before a call is actually performed (through-connected). It is not desirable to use Continuity Check to determine media loss during a call. [The Telecommunications Technology Committee, TTC, standard (which is used in Japan for example) does not include a Continuity Check function.] The continuity check is typically using the external connection handling part (Exchange Terminal (ET)) of the node and thus it cannot detect faults in the equipment, which is handling actual media processing such as speech transponders.        RTCP (Real-Time Control Protocol) for IP connections (e.g. Voice over IP, VoIP, calls). As set out for example in 3GPP TS 26.114 V8.3.0, for an RTP based media stream, RTCP packets may be used to deliver reports relating to a connection, between network nodes. Use of RTCP is optional in IP based Nb, Iu, A and Mb interface standards. In a multi-vendor environment, a node cannot know whether or not a peer node (over for example an Nb link between two Media Gateways) has actually activated RTCP or not. Also, RTCP requires extra bandwidth. It is also possible to use STUN (Simple Traversal of UDP through NATs (Network Address Translation)) to deliver reports on an IP connection. STUN is a protocol for assisting devices behind a NAT firewall or router with their packet routing. [RFC 5389 redefines the term STUN as 'Session Traversal Utilities for NAT'.] BFD (Bi-directional Forward Detection) may also be employed for fault detection and reporting purposes, although the mechanism is not on a connection level (but on a node level instead) and so it cannot be used for supervision of connection level problems.
There exist solutions for detecting hanging resources. One such mechanism is the H.248.36 package which allows a Media Gateway Controller to identify hanging connections within a Media Gateway. However, these kind of mechanisms are intended to be run in the background periodically, for example once per hour.
In summary, prior art solutions to fault detection in the media plane suffer from one or more of the problems of user data degradation, increased bandwidth, poor network-wide applicability, and lack of real-time reporting.

Network fault detection method and apparatus


A method and system for modifying a substrate, such a thin film, solar panel or the like detects error and/or variance and, if needed, re-optimizes the product design and/or process parameters on the fly, so that product can meet the product specification. This allows for methods and systems of process control that can adaptively change the product design in real time.

Many surface modification processes involve addition or subtraction of a layer or material on or from a specimen based on certain design, formula, recipe or physical pattern. Surface modification is used for a variety of purposes, for example, surface modification can be used to achieve desired optical, mechanical, electrical, photovoltaic or any other physical feature that influences performance. Surface properties such as roughness, relief, chemical homogeneity, uniformity and optical, electrical, and mechanical properties can influence the properties or performance of the final device. Surface modification processes have a wide range of applications including but not limited to semiconductor fabrication, solar cells, optical thin films, nanotechnology, printing, etc.
One feature of the surface modification processes is that they typically involve repetition of the same product design or the product recipe multiple times. For example, in the printing process, all printed copies have to be the same within certain acceptable tolerances. In the manufacturing of solar cells, thin films, microelectronics, polishing, and many other processes which require surface modification it is expected that all manufactured products will be the same according to the initial product design within some accepted tolerances.
Thin film process is one example of an additive surface modification process. Thin films are thin material layers ranging from fractions of a nanometer to several micrometers in thickness. Thin films are formed (ex. by deposition) on a bare specimen or over already existing features of a device. The typical thin film deposition process takes place in vacuum conditions, which are created in a vacuum chamber. The process usually consists of creating vapors of material by chemical of physical means such as evaporation, sputtering, plasma, and subsequent condensation on the vapors on the surface of the deposited specimen or device. However, many varieties of thin film deposition processes exist, such as plating, printing, spraying, thermal diffusion, electro-chemical deposition, surface oxidation, wet deposition by spinning or dipping, formation of thin films from aqueous solutions, etc.
Thin film formation is a complex process requiring thorough control of the process parameters and in some cases, control of film characteristics, such as optical, electrical, thermal properties and mechanical stresses in the film, etc, while maintaining geometrically, stoichiometrically and structurally uniform films. Some of the materials that have been used to form thin films include amorphous silicon, crystalline silicon, oxides, nitrides, a variety of semiconductors, dielectrics, metals, polymers, inks, toners and others. Thin-films are often deposited in multiple layers to generate the specifications as desired by the manufacturer. In some cases, there is no definitive interface between separate layers as their properties gradually change from one layer to another. In other cases, the thickness and the properties of the layers are modulated, or vary in certain pre-designed ways in depth of the coating. Furthermore, the thickness and the properties of the layers can also be modulated or vary in all 2 or 3 dimensions as is the case of variety of patterned coatings, subtractive color synthesis (color printing), thin film microlenses, photonic crystals, waveguides, optical displays, and other optical products. A large variety of substrates can be used, including flexible substrates and substrates that can later be removed or etched away leaving the thin film coating to be self-supported, or to be transferred to another substrate.
One example of a subtractive surface modification process is the surface etching. Etching is used in micro-fabrication to remove layers from the surface of a specimen (e.g., a wafer) during manufacturing. Another example of subtractive surface modification process is the layer removal by laser ablation or mechanical scribing process.
Etching, scribing, and ablation are very precise processes which require very strict control of the process parameters in order to achieve the desired etching rate and selectivity. In the ion etching process, control of the ratio of ion/reactive components in the plasma offers a convenient means to control the etching rate and etching profile. Another convenient means to control the process is achieved by applying bias voltages with different magnitude, profiles, waveforms, etc.
For manufacturing of typical semiconductor elements (such as thin film transistors in display technology or semiconductor chip in microelectronics) every wafer undergoes many deposition and etching steps one after another in a pre-designed fashion. For many etch steps, part of the wafer is protected from the etchant by a "masking" material which resists etching. In some cases, the masking material is a photoresist which has been patterned using photolithography. Other situations require a more durable mask, such as patterned silicon nitride layer deposited on the wafer or over the thin film structure already deposited on the wafer. Yet, in some cases patterns are formed on the specimen by deposition of thin film through a mask located in front of the specimen in contact with the specimen (contact mask) or at a distance from the specimen (shadow mask). Examples of these are manufacturing of some thin film micro lenses, some photonic crystal structures and nanostructures.
Other examples of surface modification processes include surface grinding/polishing, implantation, ablation, printing, spraying, diffusion of material through the surface, surface wear, etc.
Most surface modification processes typically tend to "drift" over time, causing the modified surface or specimen to gradually deviate from the target values.
In the case of printing, a residual deposition of ink on the printing drums, variations in the viscosity of the printing inks, sublimation of thermoplastic resin or formation of toner particle layers on the rollers and drums in electro-photography, can cause gradual drift in the quality of the produced copies over time, and from location to location on the same sample.
In the case of surface grinding/polishing, a removal of material from the surface of the specimen and its subsequent incorporation into the polishing solution may gradually change the chemical properties of the polishing solution (such as its pH) causing formation of unwanted substances on the surface and gradual drift in the quality of the polished samples.
In the typical thin film deposition, one reason for the process to "drift" over time can be the overcoat of the processing chamber walls during the process, causing change in the thermal, optical or electrical properties inside the chamber. For example, deposition of a dielectric layer on the chamber walls during the process may gradually change the electrical conductivity and/or electro-isolation properties of the process surrounding area, the reflective properties of the walls or create temperature gradients which gradually affect the quality of the deposited specimens. In addition, there is a spatial distribution of the processing parameters inside the equipment due to geometrical or other reasons, causing non-uniformity in the plasma or gaseous phase distribution and, thus, non-uniformity of the film properties over the deposited specimen from location to location. To further complicate the situation, this spatial parameter distribution inside the processing chamber can also drift over time.
Typical example of drift in the process parameters during the process are the wear off of the sputtering target as material is removed from it, which changes the spatial distribution of the material. Another example is the decrease of evaporated material in the thermal boat as it evaporates, which may cause a gradual increase of the boat temperature and therefore, the deposition rate and the kinetic energy of the evaporated particles.
Another reason for the drift in the thin film process parameters can be the change in the temperature, pressure, current or another parameter due to the fact that the measurement sensors can change during the process. For example, deposition of material on a thermocouple changes its thermal capacity and, therefore, the temperature reading. Similar could be the situation with other sensors such as vacuum meters, gas flow meters, etc.
One example of thin film parameter drift is associated with the deposition of multi-junction solar cells. Multi junction solar cells can make better use of the solar spectrum by having multiple semiconductor layers with different band gaps. Triple junction solar cells currently in production are made of GaInP, GaAs, and Ge, which have band gaps of 1.8 eV, 1.4 eV, and 0.7 eV, respectively. In the multi junction solar cells, the different semiconductor layers are epitaxially grown directly on top of the other layers using the same substrate. As a result of this method, the lattice constant, which describes the spacing between atoms of a crystal structure, must be the same for all of the layers. A lattice mismatch small as a fraction of a percent can significantly affect the career mobility and decrease the current produced by the solar cell. Even a very small change in any of the process parameters can cause a sufficient lattice mismatch and, thus, reduce the efficiency of the final product, making it to miss its product specification.
Many modifications are made in order to partially or completely mitigate the effect of process parameters drift during the typical thin film formation processes. In some ion assisted deposition processes, the growing film is bombarded with inert or reactive ions and accelerated particles in order to supply additional kinetic energy to the surface to enhance the surface mobility of the deposited particles and thus facilitate better film growth. Another widely used solution to the problem of parameter drift is the application of different bias voltages which can modify the particle distribution during deposition or etching and enhance the formation of the film or the etched profile regardless of the other parameters' drift.
The traditional state-of-the-art process control systems and methods usually integrate over time and/or space the measured process parameter values (such as temperature, pressure, current density, bias voltage, gas flow, etc.) and try to keep them constant or within certain tolerances. In many cases, specifically in optical, semiconductor, and photovoltaic thin film processes as well as in printing, polishing, implantation, and others there is no real time monitoring of the surface under modification and decision process based on what is really taking place on the specimen. The state-of-the-art control means typically "judge" the product on a "pass/fail", step-by-step or run-to-run basis. Errors in the manufactured product are discovered too late to be corrected for the failed sample and can be corrected only for the next sample. When the products fail outside the acceptable tolerances they are rejected and the process controls are modified for the next batch of the next product. One result of this fact is that there is unavoidable percentage of rejects or final products, which are not able to meet the intended product design.
Different control schemes are devised to address the non-uniformity and parameter drift problems. Sometimes, to overcome the problem, the technologists and manufacturing engineers are forced to initially "over-design" the product to ensure that even with process drifts the final specification would still be achieved with acceptable manufacturing yield. Run-to-run control, feedback control, fault detection control and like, all intend to reduce the non-uniformity and increase the efficiency of manufacturing by measuring the outcome of the process "post factum" and correcting the process for the next sample, next run or next batch. As for the flawed sample, it is usually considered a reject or a product with inferior quality. This results in wasted materials, energy and labor and inflates the final product cost.
FIG. 1 shows a prior art state-of-art run-to-run process control, widely used in the semiconductor and other thin film manufacturing today.
From a known product specification 100 an initial design or appropriate model is chosen 101 and a series of sub-steps (recipe) is developed or generated. The recipe is loaded into the equipment control system 102 together with other additional parameters or equipment constants 103 needed to run the process such as tooling factors, calibration constants, etc. The manufacturing process starts with executing the parameters for the first manufacturing step 105. After completion of the step (or several steps one after another), the specimen can be measured/tested 106 in order to make decisions 107 about its intermediate quality by comparing it to an intermediate target 104, which is predetermined during the product design or product recipe step 101. If the intermediate target is not met within the accepted tolerance, the specimen is rejected 108 and the process parameters for the next specimen are changed 109 to correct the variance and meet the intermediate target 104 whiting the acceptable tolerance. The next decision point 110 involves a decision regarding whether all the manufacturing steps are already completed. If all steps are not completed, the specimen is sent for the next manufacturing step. After completion of all steps, a final inspection 111 is performed as to find out whether the initial product design is met. In many cases the inspection also involves comparing the product qualities with the initial specification 112. If the product design of the product specification is not met the product may be rejected or sold as inferior product 113 and the product design, model or process recipe are updated 114 in order to correct for the next product or batch of products. If the product specification is met the manufacturing process ends 115.
It is important to emphasize that the main goals of the prior art process control is typically the achievement of the initial product design within tighter tolerances. The process parameters or the recipe may change from product to product, but the initial product design/model is typically fixed at the beginning of the manufacturing process and remains static during the manufacturing. Typically there is no correction process that would correct the product design for each specimen in order to reflect its individual development during manufacturing and adaptively return it to its intended specification in case of deviation.
As a result, there is a need in the art for better methods and systems for controlling variance during surface modification processes that would allow real-time correction of the faulty specimen and its return to the intended specification. The present invention provides for real time detection of error and/or variance during surface modification processes and real time change and re-optimization of the initial product design or model in order to achieve desired product specification, for each specimen under manufacturing.

Methods and systems for control of a surface modification process


A music search device, a music search method, a music search program, and a recording medium having the music search program recorded on it are provided. There is included a memory means for relating a music to a characteristic of the music and memorizing the music and the characteristics; a reproduction means for reproducing the music; a process means for processing the characteristic of the music thus reproduced by the reproduction means based on an instruction of a manipulation input; a characteristic detection means for detecting the characteristic of the music thus processed; and a search means for searching the music thus memorized by the memory means based on the characteristic of the music thus detected.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention belongs to the field of a music search system.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Recently, a tendency that capacity of recording medium including HD (Hard Disc) as a large-capacity memory medium, a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory, and a recording medium such as an optical disc becomes large is increasingly outstanding.
Particularly, the semiconductor memory is rapidly penetrating into the market as a so-called semiconductor audio. This is because portability of the semiconductor memory is excellent and demand for listening with a semiconductor audio becomes very high. Further, a feature of small size and large capacity advances in HDs and an HD drive with excellent portability is being supplied in the market. In such cases, users memorize music of thousands or tens of thousands in large capacity recording media such as a semiconductor memory and an HD, search, and then listen to the music which the users desire to listen to. In a case where the users search the music desired by the users among these many music compositions that are recorded in a large capacity recording medium, the users can search music compositions based on music information including an artist name, an album name, and a music name. It has not been easy to sequentially play music suitable for users' tastes, because it is required to specify a music composition from information such as an artist name, based on users' knowledge of music. As a method to solve the problem, it has been generally practiced to search music based on music impressions such as a pleasant music and a sad music (e.g. refer to the below-mentioned Patent Document 1).
Further, there include a method of selecting music that matches a melody hummed by the users, a method of selecting music that matches lyrics hummed by the users, and a method of selecting music that matches rhythm inputted by the users. (For example, vide the below-mentioned Patent Document 2.) However, it is not easy by this method to select the music the users desire to select.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H10-134549    Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H6-290574

Music search system, music search method, music search program and recording medium recording music search program


A method for the magnetic pulse soldering of an item having a stack of sheets consisting of a metal material. At least one hole through a thickness of the stack is formed. The first and second plates, both consisting of a metal material, are arranged on either side of the stack. A covering area covering at least one through-hole is formed. The plates-stack assembly is positioned opposite an active part of a coil such that a working area of the covering area faces the active part of the coil and the working area covering at least one hole. The working area is subjected to a magnetic field until the assembly is joined. While the working area is subjected to the magnetic field, pressure is exerted on the first plate, in the region of at least one hole, pressing the first plate against the second plate.

Today, there is an increasing need in industry, in particular in the motor vehicle field, for items formed from the stacking of several tens of sheets made of metal material comprised between two plates, made of metal material. Each sheet has a small thickness, generally of approximately 0.01-0.02 mm. Each plate has a large thickness, generally of approximately 0.2-0.5 mm. Such items are in particular intended for forming lithium-ion electric batteries.
The difficulty of producing these items lies in the requirement of ensuring good electrical conductivity between these various sheets and plates.
Currently, the techniques used to assemble these sheets and the plates are ultrasonic welding and laser welding. The weld between two parts is made via the heat generated at the interface between the two parts.
Although these assembly techniques are rapid and economical, they have certain disadvantages.
These techniques, on the one hand, do not allow to sufficiently compress the sheets together, and on the other hand, can cause local heating in the sheets which can lead to the creation of holes deteriorating the quality of the final weld and consequently decreasing the electrical conductivity of the assembly.

Method for magnetic pulse soldering of a stack of sheets


A connector (F) includes an inner housing (11) configured to accommodate terminal fittings (72). An outer housing (37) is separate from the inner housing (11) and is configured to surround the inner housing (11). A lock arm (17) is formed on an outer surface of the inner housing (11) and is configured to lock the inner housing (11) and a mating housing (80) in a connected state by being locked to the mating housing (80). Protecting portions (45, 46) are formed on the outer housing (37) and are arranged near a lock releasing portion (22) of the lock arm (17).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector.
2. Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-103372 discloses a connector in which a housing and a mating housing are connected and the two housings are locked in a connected state by the locking action of a lock arm. In separating the two housings, a lock releasing portion of the lock arm is pressed to release locking by the lock arm.
In the above connector, the lock arm is formed on an outer surface of the housing and the lock releasing portion is exposed on the outer surface of the housing. Thus, the lock releasing portion may be pressed inadvertently.
The present invention was completed based on the above situation and aims to improve the reliability of a locking function by a lock arm.


The present invention provides a method of generating a data stream comprising: generating a first slot having a first data field; generating a second slot; and providing the second slot within the first data field of the first slot. The present invention additionally provides methods of validating an integrated circuit and communicating a data stream.

Generally speaking, a cordless telephone includes a handset coupled via radio connection with a base station. The base station is usually connected by wire to a traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN). The development of new cordless standards which are based upon digital technology provides a broad spectrum of applications. Exemplary cordless applications include wireless Private Automatic Branch Exchange (PABX), wireless Local Area Network (LAN), Telepoint, and Radio Local Loop. Cordless standards include Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), GSM, PHS, AMPS, IS54 or IS95. The digital cordless telephones represent a valid alternative to cellular phones in densely populated areas.
DECT is a cordless standard defined as a Multicarrier (MC), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)/Time Duplex Division (TDD) system. Time is divided in the DECT standard into frames of 10 ms. Each frame is divided into 24 full slots. The standard also allows for half slots and double slots of data.
In order to be able to support multiple channels, a DECT base station compresses and transmits 10 ms of speech during one full slot. This means that 10 ms of speech are actually sent over the radio in 416 .mu.s. Every active connection makes use of two slots, one for receiving and one for transmitting. For example, if the slots in a DECT frame are numbered from 0 to 23, the first 12 slots (0-11) are used for transmission from the base station to the handset and the remaining slots are used for handset to base station transmission. A base station transmitting to a given handset in slot N will always receive from this handset in slot N plus 12, or in other words, half a frame later. Accordingly, a DECT base station is able to support up to 12 active voice connections at the same time.
The total number of bits within a conventional DECT slot is 480. With 24 slots and a 10 ms frame, a gross bit rate of 1.152 Mbits/s is provided. Once the DECT slot has been formatted, it is transmitted using one of 10 radio frequencies specified within the DECT standard. For example, the frequency band assigned to DECT in Europe is between 1,880 and 1,900 MHz, with a spacing of 1.728 kHz between adjacent frequencies. The transmission frequency for each channel is chosen dynamically based upon a Radio Signal Strength Indication (RSSI). Each active slot in the DECT frame may be transmitted and received on any of the 10 frequencies.
It is often desirable to program slots transmitted between the communication devices. For example, the programmed slots may be utilized to test the operation of each of the communication devices (i.e. handset and base station) within a communication system to confirm proper transmission and reception of data signals therebetween. Such testing may be utilized to validate the operation of components within the respective devices.

Methods of generating a data stream, methods of validating an integrated circuit, and methods of communicating a data stream


For the inlet of a vehicle fuel tank, an improved cap having an outer gripping portion and an inner body portion for threading into tank's inlet. The inner and outer portions are connected by several axially extending, thin posts so that when the outer portion is impacted, axially or laterally, the portions are severed by breakage of the posts.

1. Field of the Invention
This application concerns a vehicle fuel tank and inletting apparatus with a cap including an externally exposed gripping portion for rotation of an interior body portion within the inlet. The gripping portion is attached to the body portion by a plurality of frangible connectors which are sufficiently strong to transmit torque forces between the gripping portions and the body portion but readily break when the gripping portion is subjected to a substantial lateral impact, leaving the body portion in the filler inlet to plug the opening.
2. Description of Related Art
Vehicle fuel tank and inletting structure should include a cap to seal the inlet and include a convenient external gripping portion so that a user can easily remove and install the cap. The cap should also be constructed so that the external portions of the cap will separate when impacted leaving a main body portion of the cap in the inlet to plug the opening.
There have been earlier attempts to design a cap for fuel inlets which include a capacity to allow external portions of the cap to break away when impacted. U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,931 to Evans discloses a vehicle filler device with an external portion of a cap designed to break away from an internal portion. Specifically, grooved connecting portions are formed so that when an axial impact or force is imposed on the cap, the external portion breaks away. Evans is not very well designed to produce the same result when the external portions of the cap are laterally or side impacted.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,284 to Bartholomew discloses a filler inlet design to permit breakage of the inlet from its attachment to the vehicle when impacted in the axial direction. Again, grooves are formed in a flange to weaken the structure and facilitate fracture. No details on an appropriate cap for the inlet are disclosed.


A transportable coolroom module is provided including a base frame and a coolroom structure mounted on the base frame, wherein the coolroom structure includes a floor, a plurality of walls each extending above the floor, and a roof supported by the walls. At least one access door may be provided in at least one of the walls, and at least one removable infill panel may be provided in at least one of the other walls. The removable infill panel may be attached to the coolroom structure. The transportable coolroom module may be used as a stand-alone coolroom. The at least one removable infill panel may be selectively removed from the coolroom structure and the transportable coolroom module may be selectively interconnected with one or more other like transportable coolroom modules to create a larger combined coolroom environment.

Any discussion of documents, devices, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the invention. It should not be taken as an admission that any of the material forms a part of the prior art base or the common general knowledge in the relevant art in the United States of America or elsewhere on or before the priority date of the disclosure herein.
Refrigerated or other forms of climate-controlled storeroom structures (hereinafter simply referred to as "coolrooms") are commonly used in both commercial and residential environments for the purpose of storing goods, especially perishable goods, such as, for example, food, beverages, plants, flowers, chemicals or pharmaceuticals. Where budgets, lease conditions and/or government building and planning requirements permit, such coolrooms may be purpose built and permanent or fixed in nature. Otherwise, it is common practice to purchase or rent transportable coolrooms for either permanent or temporary storage requirements. Common transportable coolrooms include refrigerated shipping containers typically known as "Reefers", or mobile or portable coolrooms which are affixed to trailers.
A problem with such known transportable coolrooms is that they are not designed to be interconnected with one another. Meaning, if more storage space is required, whilst multiple such transportable coolrooms may be utilised and arranged alongside each other, the end result is multiple separate storeroom environments and not a single combined open storeroom environment. Hence, whilst utilising multiple known transportable coolrooms may provide the additional storage space required, if goods are to be moved from one coolroom to another it is necessary to move in and out of the various coolrooms to load and unload the goods as required. Aside from the inconvenience of having to move in and out of multiple coolrooms, the internal dimensions of each separate coolroom may not readily permit storage of large or irregular sized goods.
A need therefore exists for modular storeroom structures, systems and/or methods, wherein individual storeroom modules may be used as stand-alone storerooms, or may be selectively interconnected with other storeroom modules, as desired, to create a larger combined storeroom environment. More particularly, a need exists for transportable modular coolroom structures, systems and/or methods, wherein individual coolroom modules may be used as stand-alone coolrooms, or may be selectively interconnected with other coolroom modules, as desired, to create a larger combined coolroom environment.

Modular coolroom system and coolroom modules therefor


A substrate support and method for fabricating the same are provided. In one embodiment of the invention, a substrate support includes an electrically conductive body having a substrate support surface that is covered by an electrically insulative coating. At least a portion of the coating centered on the substrate support surface has a surface finish of between about 200 to about 2000 micro-inches. In another embodiment, a substrate support includes an anodized aluminum body having a surface finish on the portion of the body adapted to support a substrate thereon of between about 200 to about 2000 micro-inches. In one embodiment, a substrate support assembly includes an electrically conductive body having a substrate support surface, a substrate support structure that is adapted to support the conductive body and the conductive body is covered by an electrically insulative coating.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention generally provide a substrate support utilized in semiconductor processing and a method of fabricating the same.
2. Description of the Background Art
Liquid crystal displays or flat panels are commonly used for active matrix displays such as computer and television monitors, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones and the like. Generally, flat panels comprise two glass plates having a layer of liquid crystal material sandwiched therebetween. At least one of the glass plates includes at least one conductive film disposed thereon that is coupled to a power supply. Power supplied to the conductive film from the power supply changes the orientation of the crystal material, creating a pattern such as text or graphics seen on the display. One fabrication process frequently used to produce flat panels is plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD).
Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition is generally employed to deposit thin films on a substrate such as a flat panel or semiconductor wafer. Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition is generally accomplished by introducing a precursor gas into a vacuum chamber that contains a substrate. The precursor gas is typically directed through a distribution plate situated near the top of the chamber. The precursor gas in the chamber is energized (e.g., excited) into a plasma by applying RF power to the chamber from one or more RF sources coupled to the chamber. The excited gas reacts to form a layer of material on a surface of the substrate that is positioned on a temperature controlled substrate support. In applications where the substrate receives a layer of low temperature polysilicon, the substrate support may be heated in excess of 400 degrees Celsius. Volatile by-products produced during the reaction are pumped from the chamber through an exhaust system.
Generally, large area substrates utilized for flat panel fabrication are large, often exceeding 550 mm×650 mm, and are envisioned up to and beyond 4 square meters in surface area. Correspondingly, the substrate supports utilized to process large area substrates are proportionately large to accommodate the large surface area of the substrate. The substrate supports for high temperature use typically are casted, encapsulating one or more heating elements and thermocouples in an aluminum body. Due to the size of the substrate support, one or more reinforcing members are generally disposed within the substrate support to improve the substrate support's stiffness and performance at elevated operating temperatures (i.e., in excess of 350 degrees Celsius and approaching 500 degrees Celsius to minimize hydrogen content in some films). The aluminum substrate support is then anodized to provide a protective coating.
Although substrate supports configured in this manner have demonstrated good processing performance, small local variations in film thickness, often manifesting as spots of thinner film thickness, have been observed which may be detrimental to the next generation of devices formed on large area substrates. It is believed that variation is glass thickness and flatness, along with a smooth substrate support surface, typically about 50 micro-inches, creates a local capacitance variation in certain locations across the glass substrate, thereby creating local plasma non-uniformities that result on deposition variation, e.g., spots of thin deposited film thickness. Aging and modifying plasma conditioning of the substrate support has shown to mitigate thin spot formation, particularly when performed in conjunction with an extended chamber vacuum purge before transferring a substrate into the chamber for processing. However, the resultant expenditures of time and materials required by this method and its unfavorable effect on cost and throughput make obtaining a more effective solution desirable.
As substrates sizes have increased from sizes from about 370 mm×470 mm to about 1200 mm×1040 mm, or even 1800 mm×2200 mm, other new defect modes have become critical issues in the fabrication of the flat panel display devices. As the size of next generation of substrates continue to grow, the importance of defect reduction becomes increasingly important due to the substantial investment by the flat panel manufacturer in each substrate. Moreover, with the continual evolution of device critical dimension reduction demanding closer tolerances for film uniformity, the reduction and/or elimination of film thickness variation becomes an important factor for the economic production of the next generation devices formed on large area substrates.
Moreover, the effectiveness of a substrate fabrication process is often measured by two related and important factors, which are device yield and the cost of ownership (CoO). These factors are important since they directly affect the cost to produce an electronic device and thus a device manufacturer's competitiveness in the market place. The CoO, while affected by a number of factors, is greatly affected by the initial cost of the processing hardware and the replacement cost of consumable hardware. In an effort to reduce CoO, electronic device manufacturers often spend a large amount of time trying to optimize the processing hardware and consumable cost to achieve the greatest the highest profit margins without affecting the particle and process yield performance. Another important factor in the CoO calculation is the system reliability and system uptime. These factors are very important to a cluster tool's profitability and/or usefulness, since the longer the system is unable to process substrates the more money is lost by the user due to the lost opportunity to process substrates in the cluster tool. Therefore, cluster tool users and manufacturers spend a large amount of time trying to develop reliable processes, reliable hardware and reliable systems that have increased uptime.
One defect that has been found to be an issue in large area substrate PECVD type processes is a defect known in the industry as the electro-static discharge (ESD) metal line arcing problem. It is believed that as the substrate size increased the inductive current induced in the longer and larger ESD metal lines during plasma deposition is large enough to make the damage to the substrate from plasma induced arching a major recurring problem. This problem is generally not experienced in the smaller semiconductor device fabrication applications (e.g., 150 mm to 300 mm circular silicon substrates) since the gate-metal lines in flat panel display applications, which are connected to the ESD discharge line, are generally about 5 to 10 micrometers (μm) wide and can be about a meter or two meters long whereas in typical semiconductor application gate-metal lines are on the order of 90 nanometers size at most tens of millimeters long. The width of the ESD lines in the flat panel display substrates is typically greater than 1 mm in size and can be between about a meter or two meters long. It is believed that the ESD metal lines in flat panel display applications thus tend to act as an antenna that can collect an amount of charge during plasma processing that will cause arching damage to the substrate. Therefore, there is a greater need to reduce the chance of arcing due to the interaction with the plasma by increasing the resistance of the discharge path to ground. It should be noted that the thickness of the flat panel substrates (e.g., 0.7 mm), which is much larger than semiconductor substrates, has not changed dramatically from the large and smaller sized flat panel display type substrates.
Another defect that has arisen in the processing of 1200 mm×1040 mm, or larger substrates, is an increased in the number of particles found on the backside of the substrate after performing a plasma process on the substrate, such as a PECVD process. It is believed that as the glass substrate size increases the ability to trap static charge during plasma processing increases, thus causing particles found in the processing chamber to be attracted to the substrate surface where they are held by the trapped charge.
The issue of arcing and static charge is believed to be different in flat panel display applications versus semiconductor applications due to the size and properties of the different substrate materials. The static charge generated by the triboelectric process, or the process of bringing two materials into contact with each other and then separating them from each other, is influenced by a number of factors, two of which are the amount of surface contact between the two components and the work function of the two materials. One difference between flat panel and semiconductor applications is the difference in the properties of the substrate material(s) used in each of these applications (e.g., glass versus silicon (or germanium)), which is related to a material property known as its work function. In general, the work function describes a material's ability to hold onto its free electrons (the electrons orbiting the outer most shell of the material). In general, materials with larger work functions (e.g., silicon) are less likely to give up their electrons than a material that has a lower work function (e.g. glass) when they are placed in contact with a given material and then separated from the material. (See reference "Triboelectric Generation: Getting Charged" in EE-Evaluation Engineering, November, 2000 written by Ryne C. Allen.) Therefore, while the static charge generation issue is dependent on the materials which the processed substrate comes in contact with, the amount of charge and the polarity of the charge generated in a flat panel display substrate versus a semiconductor substrate will not be the same.
The second triboelectric factor, or the amount of contact between the parts, means that the greater the contact between the components the more charge that will be transferred between the contacting components and possibly arcing. The amount of surface roughness of the two components has a direct affect on the amount of contact between the two parts. Therefore, while some prior art application, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,063,203 filed Jun. 2, 1998 suggest a process of roughening the surface of a susceptor (substrate support) to an Ra of between 1 and 8 micrometers, the reference requires a final step of polishing the roughened susceptor surface which reduces the roughness and increase the contact between the two substrate components. The reduced roughness, and thus increased contact between the two substrate components, will increase the triboelectric charge transfer between the substrate and the substrate support, thus increasing the likelihood of generating enough trapped charge to form an arc or attract particles. An alternate theory is that the step of polishing a roughened surface, as described in the prior art, is thought to remove some of the benefits received from roughening the surface of the substrate support, such as an improved electrical contact between the two parts (i.e., susceptor surface and glass substrate). The improved electrical contact is believed to be created by the higher contact stress at the sharp tips or high points of the roughened surface, which is thought to reduce the charge buildup between the two parts during plasma processing, thus reducing the chance of arcing and particle attraction to the substrate surfaces.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved substrate support that resolves all of these issues raised above.

Reducing electrostatic charge by roughening the susceptor


A method/system for updating, between system calibration operations, the value (134') of a monitored control parameter corresponding to clutch incipient engagement is provided. At calibration, the initial values of the parameter corresponding to full engagement (124), incipient engagement (130) and the difference therebetween (132) are determined, and thereafter, the updated value of the parameter corresponding to clutch incipient engagement is determined as a function of a current value (124') of the parameter corresponding to clutch full engagement and the memorized value of the difference (132).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method/system for determining the touch point of a controlled vehicular master clutch, and, more particularly, relates to a method/system for tracking the value of clutch control parameter (such as actuator displacement) corresponding to clutch touch point between system calibrations (as may occur at vehicle start up) without requiring an actual system recalibration operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Automated vehicular master clutch systems and fully or partially automated mechanical transmission systems and the automatic controls for the master clutches thereof are known in the prior art as may be seen by reference to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,478,851; 3,752,284; 4,019,614; 4,038,889; 4,081,065; 4,361,061; 4,401,200; 4,508,625 and 4,828,093, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Briefly, in such automated systems, various drive line operations, including the engagement and disengagement of the master friction clutch, are automatically controlled by a control system, including a central processing unit, based upon certain measured, sensed, stored and/or calculated input parameters. Typically, the input parameters include engine speed, throttle position, transmission input and/or output shaft speed, vehicle speed, current engaged gear ratio, application of the brakes, condition of the clutch actuator and the like.
For automatic clutch control, during normal operation, when starting from at rest or operating at a very low speed, the master friction clutch is modulated between fully disengaged and fully engaged conditions, i.e. is partially engaged, according to certain input parameters and logic rules. In one type of automated start-from-stop system, the clutch is modulated to maintain the engine speed at a set value above idle speed and/or to achieve smooth starts. Typically, the set engine speed value is throttle position modulated to provide appropriate starting torque and the clutch is moved toward engagement and disengagement, respectively, as the engine speed increases above and falls below, respectively, the set engine speed value. In another system, see above mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,065, the clutch is modulated in accordance with throttle position, engine speed and engine acceleration.
In such automated systems, the controlled clutch is quickly moved from a fully disengaged condition to almost the incipient engaged condition (i.e. the "touch point") and then modulated to full engagement. The term "incipient engagement" of the master clutch refers to the clutch condition wherein the friction surfaces are almost or just at the point of contact.
Movement of the clutch actuators from the fully disengaged to the incipient engagement position in any manner other than the fastest possible manner is undesirable as control of the system, i.e. control of engine and/or input shaft speed, by varying amount of clutch engagement (i.e. slip) is not possible during this portion of actuator movement and delays in achieving at least incipient engagement make closed loop control of the system more difficult.
Failure to periodically monitor and update the point of incipient engagement, as determined by a monitored clutch actuator parameter, such as actuator pressure and/or a lever position, is undesirable as wear of the friction surfaces and/or mechanical actuator members, misadjustments of the mechanical members, and especially changes in clutch operating temperatures, can cause a relatively large variance in the value of the actuator parameter corresponding to incipient engagement.
Various calibration routines to determine the value of a control parameter corresponding to incipient engagement are known in the prior art, see for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,891, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Such calibrations often involve shifting to a transmission neutral, possibly applying an inertia brake or input shaft brake, slowly engaging the clutch and then watching for signals assuming a value indicative of incipient/initial engagement, and thus require that the vehicle be incapacitated during the calibration. Such calibrations are often performed at vehicle start-up and/or only periodically. Between calibrations, the value of the monitored control parameter indicative of incipient engagement was assumed to remain substantially constant.
If, between calibrations, the operating temperature of the clutch changed significantly, the clutch experienced significant wear and/or the clutch operation mechanism experienced significant wear and/or deformation, then the last calibrated control parameter value assumed to correspond to incipient engagement might be significantly inaccurate resulting in degradation of the control of the controlled master clutch. In practice, as calibration operations were usually performed at least daily, changes in clutch operating temperatures accounted for much of the inaccuracies.

Method/system for determining clutch touch point


A catheter assembly is disclosed which includes a cannula assembly, a locking clip assembly and a housing. The locking clip assembly includes a locking clip, a collar, and a biasing member. The locking clip has a first leg defining a trigger hole and a second leg defining a binding hole. The collar is positioned to engage the locking clip and the biasing member is positioned to urge the collar into engagement with the locking clip to urge the locking clip from a first orientation to a second orientation. In the second orientation, the binding hole is positioned to bind with the insertion needle to prevent retraction of the insertion needle.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to safety devices for shielding medical needles. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a needle locking assembly for shielding an insertion needle of an intravenous (I.V.) catheter assembly.
2. Background of Related Art
Safety devices for shielding needles of medical devices are well known in the art. Such devices minimize the risks associated with inadvertent needle stick injuries which subject doctors, nurses and medical personnel to exposure to HIV, hepatitis and other serious blood-borne pathogens. I.V. catheter assemblies are also known in the art and typically include a catheter which is dimensioned to be positioned into a patient's vasculature and a needle having a sharp tip which is provided to facilitate placement of the catheter into the patient's vasculature. In use, after placement of the catheter, the needle is separated from the catheter and disposed of safely. One problem associated with the use of I.V. catheters is the risk to medical personnel of needle stick injury during disposal of the needle after separation of the needle from the catheter. To minimize the risks to medical personnel during needle disposal, the use of locking clip assemblies which engage the needle to confine the needle tip within a housing have become well known.
Typically, current locking clip assemblies include a spring clip which is used in combination with an insertion needle having an area of increased diameter. The area of increased diameter may be formed by deforming the needle or securing, such as by welding, an annular ring to the needle. The area of increased diameter creates a positive stop for preventing the needle from separating from the locking clip. Such locking clip devices, due to the increased diameter of the insertion needle, may cause discomfort to a patient. In addition, where an annular ring is secured to the insertion needle, the risk exists that the annular ring will become detached from the insertion needle and occlude flow within a patient's vasculature.
Other known locking clip devices include a spring clip which applies a spring force directly to the insertion needle shaft to cause rotation of the spring clip into a binding orientation with the insertion needle. See U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/698,869 and 10/585,987. Such a spring force applied to the insertion needle by the spring clip may create a high drag force on the insertion needle as it is separated from the catheter assembly making it difficult for a clinician to remove the insertion needle from the catheter assembly.
Accordingly, a need exists in the medical arts for an I.V. catheter assembly which includes a locking clip device which does not suffer from the drawbacks identified above, but is easy to manufacture and functions reliably.

Locking clip assembly with spring-loaded collar


Embodiments of methods, communication devices, communication systems, and computer program products may facilitate communication of information via a frame-check sequence that has an information block associated therewith. For example, one or more information blocks may be provided and respectively associated with one or more information block frame-check sequences. A message for transmission may be provided and a message frame-check sequence may be computed based on the message. One of the information blocks may also be selected for transmission along with the message. Rather than constructing a packet that includes both the selected information block and the message, however, the information block frame-check sequence that is associated with the selected information block is added to the message frame-check sequence to compute a transmit frame-check sequence. A packet comprising the message and the transmit frame-check sequence may then be transmitted. Once received, the packet may be divided by a generator polynomial to determine whether any remainder results. If the remainder is non-zero, then a determination may be made whether remainder corresponds to any of the one or more information block frame-check sequences. If the remainder does correspond to one of the information block frame-check sequences, then the information block associated with the information block frame-check sequence that corresponds to the remainder may be processed as received information.

The present invention relates generally to the field of packet communication, and, more particularly, to using a packet frame-check sequence (FCS) to convey information.
A common error detection technique that may be used in packet communication networks is known cyclic redundancy check (CRC). This technique may be explained as follows: Given a k-bit frame or message, a transmitter generates an n-bit sequence, known as a frame-check sequence (FCS), so that the resulting packet, consisting of k+n, bits is exactly divisible by some predetermined number. A receiver then divides the incoming packet by the same number and, if there is no remainder, assumes that there was no error.
Principles of the basic CRC algorithm may be expressed mathematically as follows: Let I(x) by a polynomial representing the message to be transmitted and let G(x) be a generating polynomial of degree n for the CRC algorithm. Typically, I(x) is multiplied by xn to left shift the message to make room for the n-bit FCS, which is denoted by R(x), at the low order of the packet. The relationship between I(x), G(x), and R(x) may expressed as set forth in Equation 1:
(xn)I(x)=Q(x)G(x)+R(x),xe2x80x83xe2x80x83EQ. 1
where Q(x) is the quotient that results from dividing (xn)I(x) by G(x). The product Q(x)G(x) may be added to both sides of Equation 1, which yields Equation 2 below:
xe2x80x83R(x)=(xn)I(x)+Q(x)G(x).xe2x80x83xe2x80x83EQ. 2
Note that Q(x)G(x)+Q(x)G(x) equals zero as any binary number added to itself is zero for the case of finite field coefficients. Equation 2, however, may be rewritten as a statement of congruence as set forth in Equation 3:
R(x)=(xn)I(x) mod G(x).xe2x80x83xe2x80x83EQ. 3
Thus, the FCS R(x) is given by the remainder that results from the division of the left shifted message polynomial (xn)I(x) by the generator polynomial G(x).
Conventional packet communication systems have used the FCS to convey information, such as an address or xe2x80x9ccolor code.xe2x80x9d A color code may be a code used to identify packets that are intended for multiple receiving stations. In this regard, a first group of receiving stations may accept packets encoded using a first color code, a second group of receiving stations may accept packets encoded using a second color code, etc. A transmitting station may append an address or color code to the high-order end of a message to create an extended message. The CRC algorithm may then be used to compute the FCS for the extended message. The FCS may be appended to the low-order end of the extended message to prepare the extended message for transmission. Before transmitting the extended message, however, the address or color code is removed from the high-order end of the extended message leaving the original message and the FCS computed for the extended message. A packet comprising the original message the FCS computed for the extended message may then be transmitted to one or more receiving stations.
Upon receipt of the packet at a receiving station, the receiving station may append its own address or accepted color code at the high-order end of the packet. The receiving station may then use the CRC algorithm to determine if the packet is in congruence with the CRC generator polynomial. If the packet is in congruence with the CRC generator polynomial, then the receiving station may presume that the transmitting station has addressed or color coded the packet for it. On the other hand, if the packet is not in congruence with the CRC generator polynomial, then the receiving station may presume that the transmitting station has addressed or color coded the packet for another receiving station or that the packet has been corrupted with a channel error. In this case, the packet may be discarded. Alternatively, conventional receiving stations may compute the FCS for the packet after appending their own address or accepted color code at the high-order end of the packet. If the computed FCS matches the FCS transmitted with the packet, then a receiving station may accept the packet, otherwise, the receiving station may discard the packet. In this manner, a packet may carry address or color code information for the packet implicitly in the FCS without increasing the size of the message field or adding one or more new information fields to the packet.
According to embodiments of the present invention, methods, communication devices, communication systems, and computer program products may be provided for communicating information via a frame-check sequence having an information block associated therewith. For example, one or more information blocks may be provided and respectively associated with one or more information block frame-check sequences. A message for transmission may be provided and a message frame-check sequence may be computed based on the message. One of the information blocks may also be selected for transmission along with the message. Rather than constructing a packet that includes both the selected information block and the message, however, the information block frame-check sequence that is associated with the selected information block is added to the message frame-check sequence to compute a transmit frame-check sequence. A packet comprising the message and the transmit frame-check sequence may then be transmitted.
In accordance with further embodiments of the present invention, the associations between the one or more information blocks and the one or more information block frame-check sequences are also provided at a receiver where the packet is received. Once received, the packet may be divided by a generator polynomial to determine whether any remainder results. If the remainder is non-zero, then a determination may be made whether remainder corresponds to any of the one or more information block frame-check sequences. If the remainder does correspond to one of the information block frame-check sequences, then the information block associated with the information block frame-check sequence that corresponds to the remainder may be processed as received information.
The present invention takes advantage of the principles of linearity and superposition inherent in the basic cyclic redundancy check (CRC) algorithm. Advantageously, the frame-check sequence for an information block may be added to the frame-check sequence for a message to thereby encode the information block into the packet. When the packet is received, a CRC operation may be performed, which results in a remainder corresponding to the frame check sequence for the encoded information block. Associations may be developed a priori between the one or more information blocks and their frame check sequences. Moreover, these associations may be stored, for example, in a data structure, such as a table. The remainder may thus be used to index the table and recover the encoded information block.
In accordance with further embodiments of the present invention, if dividing a received packet by the generator polynomial does not result in any remainder, then the receiver may presume that an information block has not been encoded in the packet and, therefore, only the message is processed as received information. Thus, broadcast packets (i.e., packets that are not specifically addressed or color coded) may be received and processed after performing a single CRC operation.
The present invention may decode packets from an information stream that includes both broadcast packets and packets that are addressed or color coded for specific receivers without performing multiple CRC analysis operations. That is, as discussed hereinabove, if dividing a received packet by the generator polynomial results in a non-zero remainder, then that remainder may be used, for example, to index a data structure in which information blocks are associated with frame check sequences. By determining which, if any, of the one or more information block frame check sequences corresponds to the remainder, the associated information block may be recovered from the data structure and processed as received information without the need to append a prospective information block to the received packet and perform an additional CRC analysis.
In accordance with still further embodiments of the present invention, a received packet may be discarded if dividing the received packet by the generator polynomial results in a remainder, but the remainder does not correspond to any of the one or more information block frame check sequences. In this case, a receiver may presume that the received packet has been corrupted with a communication channel error.
In accordance with other embodiments of the present invention, each of the one or more information blocks may be represented by a K-bit field where K greater than 0. Moreover, each of the one or more information blocks may be associated with their respective information block frame check sequences by determining, for each bit position in the K-bit field, if any of the one or more information blocks contain a nonzero bit in that specific bit position. If at least one of the one or more information blocks contains a non-zero bit in a specific one of the K bit positions, then a bit position frame check sequence may be computed for that specific bit position (i.e., a one in that specific bit position and zeros in the other Kxe2x88x921 bit positions).
In accordance with still other embodiments of the present invention, the information block frame check sequence corresponding to the selected information block may be constructed by selecting the bit position frame check sequences corresponding to non-zero bit positions in the selected information block and then adding these selected bit position frame check sequences together to compute the information block frame check sequence. By exploiting the linearity and superposition principles of the basic CRC algorithm, the present invention may use a data structure with at most K bit position frame check sequences stored therein to compute the information block frame check sequences. This data structure may consume substantially less memory than the memory that may otherwise be needed to store an information block frame check sequence for every possible information block.
Although the present invention has been described above primarily with respect to method aspects of the invention, it will be understood that the present invention may be embodied as methods, communication devices, communication systems, and computer program products.

Methods, communication devices, and computer program products for communicating information via a frame check sequence having an information block associated therewith


Method and apparatuses for compensating for perceived blur due to inter-frame motion in a sequence of digital video frames are disclosed. One example method includes blurring a current frame using first and second blurring filters to generate first and second blurred frames, respectively. A first weighted combination of the current frame, the first blurred frame, and the second blurred frame is then blurred with the first blurring filter to generate a third blurred frame. The current frame is combined with the third blurred frame in a second weighted combination to generate a blur-compensated frame.

Moving objects in digital video displayed on a hold-type display device, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), can appear blurry to an observer. The perceived blur is caused in part by the relatively slow "LC response" of the liquid crystal cells. When compared with an impulse-type device such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) device, for example, an LCD device has a much slower brightness transition response time. The perceived blur is also caused in part by prolonged light emission inherent in the sample-and-hold driving technique commonly employed by LCD devices, which results in formation of after-images on the human retina. These after-images produce a blurred visual perception as a moving object is being observed in the video sequence.
For example, as an input video sequence is input to an LCD device, each digital video image (alternatively referred to as a frame), from the input video sequence is displayed and sustained on the LCD device for one frame interval. While viewing an object in motion in a scene, the human eyes actively track the object with smooth pursuit eye movement so as to generate a stabilized image on the human retina. The combination of the LCD device and the tracking behavior of the human visual system, however, results in a spatial low pass filtering effect, i.e., a blur effect.
Numerous methods have been proposed to compensate for motion blur. One method is to insert a black frame between each pair of frames in a frame sequence. This method essentially simulates an impulse display, which does not suffer perceived motion blur problems. However, an overall reduction in brightness results from implementation of this method. Alternatively, video pre-processing may be applied to frames of the digital video sequence prior to display on the hold-type device. Video pre-processing methods that presently exist have certain drawbacks, however, such as high computational cost, loss of resolution, or artifacts such as false motion edges and frame juddering.

Systems and methods for motion blur reduction


A semiconductor strain sensor comprises a semiconductor cantilever probe having a free end and a surface portion for undergoing deformation due to a displacement of the free end. A Schottky junction is disposed on the surface portion of the semiconductor cantilever probe and is positioned to undergo a change in electrical characteristic in response to the deformation of the surface portion. The amount of displacement of the free end of the cantilever probe is detected on the basis of a change in the electrical characteristic of the Schottky junction.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor strain sensor, a method of processing the sensor, and a scanning probe microscope, particularly forming a Schottky-barrier by contacting metal to a beam portion of a probe made of a semiconductor substrate, detecting deflection of the probe as change of characteristic of the Schottky-barrier.
In the conventional scanning probe microscope (SPM), an exploring needle is attached at a free end of a probe, and deflection of the probe generated by movement up and down of the exploring needle response to raggedness of surface of a sample has been detected using optical interferometry of an optical polarization technique. However, there has been a problem that conventional microscope needs complex adjustment when using such an optical detecting method. On the other hand, recently a small-size, light-weight semiconductor strain sensor is widely used, which can output a deflection as an electric signal directly. The sensor is adopted for the probe of the SPM.
As shown in FIG. 20, for example, a probe-type semiconductor strain sensor comprises a cantilever arm portion (beam portion) 1 having a free end la formed by selectively etching a part of a semiconductor substrate 2 so as to have a U-shape and a gage portion 3 formed near a fixed end (root) of the cantilever arm portion 1, and the gage portion 3 detects stress/strain at a portion of the cantilever in response to deflection of the free end 1a, and the strain is converted to an electric signal and outputted.
In the conventional semiconductor strain sensor, as described in Japanese Opened Patent No. 5-196458 for example, the gage portion is constructed with piezo resistance. As the electric resistance of the piezo resistance varies by applying stress, deflection is detected by measuring a resistance change of the piezo resistance at the resistance bridge circuit, such as Wheatstone bridge or the like.
As above-mentioned, when deflection of the probe is detected as stress/strain applied to piezo resistance, as the resistance rate of change for strain of the piezo resistance, namely voltage or current rate of change, is little and sensitivity is low, not only is a complex bridge circuit needed for the detecting, but an extremely accurate adjustment of each resistance constructing the resistance bridge is also needed.
An object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor strain sensor solving the conventional above-mentioned problem by outputting deflection of the probe with high response speed as a large signal change, a method of processing the sensor, and a scanning probe microscope adopting the semiconductor strain sensor for the probe.

Semiconductor strain sensor and scanning probe microscope using the semiconductor strain sensor


A stackable chair having a back member may flex to allow for improved user comfort. An inline spring-to-frame configuration with a pair of spring members reinforced by steel plates on the top and bottom of each end of each spring is attached to the underside of the left and right members of the seat support frame. The spring-to-frame configuration may allow the back support frame to flex relative to the seat support frame.

The present invention relates to stackable chairs and, more particularly, to stackable chairs having a back portion that may flex to improve the comfort of the occupant.
Chairs for extended seating applications, such as banquet halls and conference rooms, are preferably comfortable, durable, and either stackable or nestable for storage purposes. Traditional stackable banquet chairs include a pair of inverted-U-shaped leg members attached to opposite sides of a generally horizontal seat. A generally L-shaped back support frame interconnects with the leg members and extends upwardly from the rear of the seat to support a back cushion. This type of chair may be stacked by placing the inverted-U-shaped leg members of one chair over the top of the leg members of another chair, such that the seat of the upper chair is supported just above the seat of the lower chair.
Numerous attempts have been made to improve the comfort level of chair occupants. For example, there have been various attempts at providing stackable chairs with flexible backs. That is, there have been designs that allow the back support portion of the chair to flex with respect to the seat cushion, thereby allowing an occupant to recline. However, such efforts have often led to complicated mechanisms that would be expensive to manufacture, or less comfortable chairs, for example chairs in which only part of the back support flexes.
As can be seen, there is a need for a simple, comfortable, and reliable chair design that may have a flexible back member and may be stackable for storage.


A method, apparatus and software product for simulating the ejection of a part after mold filling and cooling in combination with phase transformation/solidification. A three dimensional computer model defining the geometry of the solution domain is provided and the boundary conditions are specified. The solution domain is enmeshed and the physical data for the materials are attached. The static equilibrium equations are solved and the effects of the ejection process on the part are computed.

A true 3-D simulation of an injection molding process or of a metal casting process involves a complex system of many equations. Progress has been made in the past to improve the efficiency of the simulation methods to cope with these complex calculations. With optimized software and the processing power of modern workstations or PCs such simulations can be performed in a workplace, i.e. the results are obtained fast enough to be suitable outside the purely scientific research area and can be applied by engineers in research and development departments, foundries and manufacturers of injection molded articles.
Advanced versions of software for simulation of these processes are able to calculate residual stress, warpage and deformations of the part, also after ejection of the part. However, in various types of processes the forces that are applied to the part during ejection are substantial and lead to additional deformation and stress on the part. Known process simulation software has not been able to take the effects of such forces on the part into account. Design and development engineers have therefore not been able to make accurate predictions of the characteristics of the product developed without actual test runs on the work floor.

Simulation of ejection after mold filling


The method of preparing and observing a microsection utilizes a focused ion beam device composed of an ion tube for producing a scanned and focused ion beam, a sample stage including an XY displacement mechanism and an inclination mechanism, a gas gun for injecting deposition material gas onto a surface of a sample and a secondary charged particle detector such that the focused ion beam device has three functions, i.e., a scanning ion microscope function, a maskless etching function and a maskless deposition function. The method is directed to sequentially carry out highly accurate preparation of a section in a particular area of the sample and observation of the prepared section according to first step of determining a position of the cutting edge on the sample surface by the scanning ion microscope function, a second step of depositing a film locally on an area containing the cutting edge position by the maskless deposition function, a third step of forming a rectangular groove by the maskless etching function such that one sidewall of the rectangular groove is registered with the cutting edge so as to prepare and expose a section, a fourth step of inclining the sample stage to face the section in an observation direction, and a fifth step of carrying out observation of the section in the formed groove by the scanning ion microscope function.

The present invention relates to a method of preparing and observing a cross section of a particular spot of a semiconductor device for failure analysis.
FIG. 3 shows a schematic side view of a focused ion beam device, which performs a maskless processing operation and is used for research and development of the most advanced semiconductor devices and fabrication processes. This device is equipped to perform several functions such as a scanning ion microscope function, a maskless etching function and a maskless deposition function.
In view of these functions, this device can be used for observation of a section of a semiconductor device. Namely, a particular cutting edge position is determined by the scanning ion microscope function which is one of the features of this device, then a rectangular groove is formed in a particular spot area by the maskless etching function such that one side of the rectangle is aligned along the cutting edge position to thereby expose a desired section to be observed, and thereafter the sample is inclined so that the section faces toward the incident ion beam to thereby observe the section, again by the scanning ion microscope function.
However, in this method, when preparing a section for observing a contour of an uneven area containing a trench, etc., sputtered material may be redeposited in the trench during the maskless etching, or the uneven contour may effect the prepared section by forming stripes thereon. This results in the drawback that an accurate image of the section cannot be obtained.

Preparation and observation method of micro-section


A combined thermodynamic system for the production of mechanical power. The system comprises a gas turbine and a turbomachinery driven by the gas turbine. The system further comprises a thermodynamic organic Rankine cycle with a turboexpander. A heat transfer arrangement transfers heat from exhaust combustion gases of the gas turbine to the thermodynamic organic Rankine cycle, wherein heat is converted into mechanical power used for driving a driven a turbomachine.

Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein generally relate to systems for mechanical power production from heat recovery.
Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) system have been used, as alternative to common water-steam Rankine cycle system, for waste heat recovery processes and are used for driving electric generators, thus transforming waste heat into useful electric energy.
FIG. 1 illustrates a combined gas turbine-ORC system for electric energy production. An organic Rankine cycle system is used for recovering waste heat from a gas turbine exhaust and converting it into electric energy by means of a double closed loop system. Reference number 101 indicates a gas turbine, e.g. used as a prime mover for an electric generator, schematically shown at 102. The exhaust combustion gases of the gas turbine 101 are cooled in a heat exchanger 103 and heat is extracted therefrom by means of a first closed loop 104. In the first closed loop 104 a diathermic oil is used as a heat transfer fluid to transfer the heat released by the gas turbine 101 to a fluid circulating in a second closed loop 105. The first closed loop 104 comprises a pump 106 and three serially arranged heat exchangers 107, 108 and 108a, where heat is transferred from the diathermic oil to the fluid circulating in the second closed loop 105.
The second closed loop 105 is a thermodynamic cycle based on the Rankine principle, wherein the working fluid is an organic fluid, in particular a heavy hydrocarbon, e.g. cyclopentane, or a refrigerant fluid with suitable characteristics.
The working fluid circulating in the second closed loop 105 is heated, vaporized and superheated in the three serially arranged heat exchangers 108a, 108 and 107, respectively, and expands in a turboexpander 109. The thermodynamic characteristics of the fluid allow a dry expansion to take place, i.e. the fluid at the discharge side of the turboexpander 109 is still in a gaseous state. A recuperator 110 is positioned downstream of the turboexpander 109. In the recuperator 110 the hot expanded fluid exchanges heat with the cold, high-pressure liquid obtained by condensing the expanded fluid in a condenser 112 and then pumping the condensate at the required upper pressure of the thermodynamic cycle by means of a pump 113. The liquid delivered by the pump 113 is pumped through the recuperator 110 and then the preheater, the vaporizer and the superheater exchangers 108a, 108, 107 closing the loop.
The turboexpander 109 is mechanically connected to an electric generator 115, which converts the mechanical power available on the output shaft of the turboexpander 109 into electric power.
The diathermic oil and the organic fluid circulating in the two closed loops allow low temperature heat sources to be exploited efficiently to produce electricity energy over a wide range of power output.

Organic rankine cycle for mechanical drive applications