The present invention relates to a system and method for increasing the manufacturing yield of a plurality of memory cells used in cell arrays. A programmable fuse, having both hardware and software elements, is used with the plurality of memory cells to indicate that at least one memory cell is unusable and should be shifted out of operation. The software programmable element includes a programmable register adapted to shift in an appropriate value indicating that at least one of the memory cells is flawed. The hardware element includes a fuse gated with the programmable register. Shifting is indicated either by software programmable fuse or hard fuse. Soft fuse registers may be chained together forming a shift register.

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a programmable device for increasing memory cell design yield. More specifically, one embodiment of the present invention relates to fuses that are both hardware and software programmable, and adapted to increase design yield in memory cells.
Memory structures containing multiple memory cells have become an integral part of modern VLSI systems. Although typically it is desirable to incorporate as many memory cells as possible into a given area, memory cell density is usually constrained by other design factors such as layout efficiency, performance, power requirements, and noise sensitivity.
Highly integrated, high performance components for such VLSI systems like memory structures require complex fabrication and manufacturing processes. These processes may experience unavoidable parameter defects that can impose unwanted physical defects on the units being produced. Redundancy is added or built into memory structures to enhance yield, hopefully providing a one-for-one replacement for a failed part or subsystem. As the memory cells continue to push design limits, the overall yield per memory cell unit area tends to decrease.
Currently fuses are used to indicate or encode those rows or columns of memory cells that are to be shifted out of operation, so that only those memory cells without flaws are useable. These fuses are generally laser programmable or electrically one-time programmable fuses. During manufacturing, the fuses are blown, using a laser device or electric pulse, to indicate those locations that are unusable.
It should be appreciated that this blowing a fuse using a laser device or electric pulse is a one-time operation. Once the laser programmable or electronically one-time programmable fuse is blown, it cannot revert to its original state.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Hardware and software programmable fuses for memory repair


Each LED in an array of LEDs mounted on a submount wafer has at least a first semiconductor layer exposed and connected to a first electrode of each LED. The submount wafer has a first metal portion bonded to the first electrode of each LED for providing an energization current to each LED. The submount wafer also has a second metal portion running along and proximate to the first metal portion but not electrically connected to the first metal portion. The second metal portion may be interdigitated with the first metal portion. The second metal portion is connected to a bias voltage. When the wafer is immersed in an electrically conductive solution for electrochemical (EC) etching of the exposed first semiconductor layer, the solution electrically connects the second metal portion to the first metal portion for biasing the first semiconductor layer during the EC etching.

A typical flip-chip LED has reflective p and n contacts on a bottom surface of the LED, and the contacts are directly connected to bonding pads on a submount. Light generated by the LED is primarily emitted through the top surface of the LED surface. In this way, there are no top contacts that block the light, and wire bonds are not needed.
During fabrication, a submount wafer is populated with an array of LED dies, and the LED dies are further processed as a batch on the wafer. Ultimately, the wafer is singulated by, for example, sawing.
The efficiency of flip-chip gallium-nitride (GaN) LEDs can be increased by removing the transparent sapphire growth substrate after all the LED layers have been epitaxially grown. After the removal of the substrate, the exposed GaN layer is etched to thin the layer and to create a roughened surface to increase light extraction. A good etching technique for the exposed layer is photo-electrochemical (PEC) etching, which involves electrically biasing the layer to be etched, immersing the LED in a base solution (e.g., KOH) containing a biased electrode, and applying UV light to the exposed layer. Exposure to the UV light generates electron-hole pairs in the semiconductor layer. The holes migrate to the surface of the GaN layer under the influence of the electric field, then react with the GaN and base solution at the surface to break the GaN bonds. The exposed layer is typically an N-type confining layer or a semi-insulating layer (e.g., a buffer layer) over the N-type layer.
One possible method for biasing the exposed N-type LED layer is to provide a grounded metal pattern on the submount wafer that connects to all the N-metal bonding pads on the wafer so the exposed N-type layer is electrically biased during the PEC etching. After the PEC etching, when the submount wafer is sawed to dice the LEDs, the biasing metal pattern is cut so has no effect on the subsequent operation of each singulated LED.
Applicant has found that one problem with using the interconnecting metal on the submount for biasing is that, after sawing the submount wafer for dicing, the traces connecting to the N-metals are exposed on the sidewalls. This reduces the creepage distance between the active N electrodes and the grounding pads on the backside. This limits the maximum number of LEDs that can be connected in series before creepage can develop between the N-metal and ground.
Further, the sawed metal can be smeared along the sidewall of the submount die during the sawing and form a leakage path across the submount edge or side or to another lead. Another problem with the interconnecting metal is that an LED string cannot be tested unless the metal is cut prior to the singulation sawing. This adds a process step. Further, when forming multiple mini-LEDs in a single die, the N-layers cannot be interconnected with a sawable interconnection metal.
What is needed is an efficient technique to bias the exposed layer of LEDs mounted on a submount wafer during PEC etching that does not have the drawbacks of the metal interconnect described above.


The problem of stator cooling in a dynamoelectric machine is resolved using manufacturing spaces (32) within stator slots (20) for flow of oil coolant. In order to secure stator winding conductors (30) within the slots, a spring wedge (36) provides a biasing force for biasing the conductors against movements within the slots.

A conventional dynamoelectric machine comprises a housing and an elongate cylindrical stator within the housing having a plurality of stator slots carrying a stator winding. A rotor is received in a bore in said stator and is rotational relative thereto.
In order to increase efficiency, such dynamoelectric machines have employed liquid cooling of electrical components. The most effective method of cooling is to bring the liquid, such as oil, into direct contact with the heat producing parts. This is accomplished in a rotor by pumping the oil axially through the rotor windings so as to bring the oil into intimate contact with every part of every field winding conductor. A typical rotor is totally enclosed within a sleeve so as to contain this portion of the cooling within the field windings.
Stator, or armature, windings are typically cooled by spraying oil directly onto the end windings from jets in the rotor. This scheme does not provide direct cooling to the portion of the windings within the stator slots. The spray cooling method results in free oil in the generator interior, which results in power losses caused by the drag of the oil entrapped between the rotor and the stator. This system of cooling is effective only with a shorter core length. Alternatively, back iron cooling provided in the stator housing can be used. This form of cooling relies on conduction from the stator winding conductors to oil channels in the stator housing, through the stator slot insulation and the magnetic iron core, both of which have low thermal conductivity.
A preferred structure for cooling armature windings would apply the principal of the rotor field axial flow cooling, discussed above. Such structure would require the pumping of cooling oil from one end winding to the other through the stator slots. However, the armature windings are impregnated with a suitable varnish, or epoxy resin, to secure the windings against vibration, which might be caused by the alternating electromagnetic forces resulting from the alternating currents within the windings. Such vibration must be suppressed to prevent chafing wear of the winding conductor insulation. This problem does not occur with the field winding which carries direct current rather than alternating current.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.

Dynamoelectric machine oil-cooled stator winding


The semiconductor laser unit comprises a laser emission part having a plurality of semiconductor laser elements of different laser beam wavelengths, and a mirror part having an optical reflection film for reflecting laser beams emitted from the laser emission part. The mirror part is blocked out into a plurality of areas to which each laser beam emitted from each of the plurality of semiconductor laser elements enters, and at the same time the reflection film having high reflectance for the laser beams that enter selectively on the areas is provided in each of the plurality of areas.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor laser unit used in an optical head device or the like and to a method for manufacturing an optical reflection film.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, an optical head device is constituted with a semiconductor laser unit for emitting laser beams to a target optical disk, a light-receiving element for receiving the laser beams returned by being reflected at the optical disk, a signal processing circuit and the like for processing electric signals that are generated at the light-receiving element according to the received laser beams. The semiconductor laser unit outputs the laser beams to the outside of the device by reflecting it with a mirror part.
Recently, in order to reduce the size of the device and to simplify alignment control of each optical element, a type in which the semiconductor laser unit, the light-receiving element, and the signal processing circuit are loaded on a single semiconductor substrate has been developed, as disclosed in Japanese Published Patent Literature 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 64-27288: pp. 2-3, FIG. 1), for example.
On the occasion of forming the semiconductor laser unit and the light-receiving element on the same substrate as mentioned above, highly positioning accuracy is required at the time of forming the semiconductor laser unit. That is, unless the relative positions of the semiconductor laser unit and the optical disk as a target of irradiating the laser beams are aligned with high precision, there causes a problem in functions of the device.
In order to secure the mounting accuracy of the semiconductor laser unit, as disclosed in Japanese Published Patent Literature 2 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 9-326535: p. 6, FIG. 1), a technique in which grooves are formed on the substrate in advance has been developed so that the bump electrodes of the semiconductor laser element as the emission source of the laser beams can be fitted into the grooves.
In the techniques disclosed in Japanese Published Patent Literatures 1 and 2, the semiconductor laser beams are assumed to be red-infrared rays with the wavelengths of 600 nm-1200 nm, and an Au film is used therein as the optical reflection film. Thus, the reflectivity of the blue rays becomes low in the optical reflection film formed in this manner, and thereby the use efficiency of the light is decreased. Further, when a semiconductor laser emitting blue rays is used, the reflectivity at the Au film becomes deteriorated compared to the case of the red-infrared rays due to the material property. Thus, the intensity of the emitted laser beams becomes attenuated. As a measure for securing the sufficient property for the blue rays, the optical reflection film may be formed as a multilayer film of an Al layer and a dielectric layer. However, in that case, the reflectance of the red-infrared rays becomes lower compared to the one of the Au film, thereby deteriorating the use efficiency of the light. Like this, when the laser beams of blue-infrared rays are emitted simultaneously, the reflectance of either light becomes deteriorated. Structure of the reflection film that corresponds to the wavelength range of the blue-infrared rays and process for achieving it have not yet been proposed so far.
The present invention has been invented to solve such problems, and the object of the present invention therefore is to provide a semiconductor laser unit whose reflectance is excellent for the laser emission light over a wide wavelength area of the blue-infrared rays.

Semiconductor laser unit and method for manufacturing optical reflection film


A semiconductor module includes a base plate, a substrate on the base plate and carrying at least one semiconductor chip, a housing attached to the base plate and at least partially enclosing the substrate, and at least one terminal having one end which protrudes from the housing and another end which has a terminal foot attached on a terminal pad of the metallization by means of ultrasonic welding. The housing has a protective wall which encloses the terminal and divides an interior space of the housing into an unprotected region and a protected region. The protective wall is formed such that a gap is formed between the substrate and the protective wall. The gap is designed to carry a fluid flow such that particles produced during the ultrasonic welding of the terminal foot to the terminal pad are prevented from penetrating into the protected region from the unprotected region.

In addition to a housing, semiconductor modules may include a metallized substrate (e.g., made of ceramic), to which semiconductor chips are attached, and electrical terminals, by which the semiconductor module or its chips can be electrically connected to additional components. These electrical terminals, which are generally produced from copper, may, for example, be connected to the metal layer of the substrate by means of ultrasonic welding.
During the ultrasonic welding of copper terminals to the substrate, particles may be produced that may lead to difficulties if they remain at critical points within the module, such as contacts of the semiconductor chips or on the insulating ceramic, for example.
Since these particles tend to stay attached to polymeric materials, such as polyimides, for example, it may be difficult to remove the particles from the module after the welding operation.
It is possible to enclose the particles in the region around the foot of the terminal by a suitable housing, but the metalized terminal welding point would have to be designed to be very large for this to allow an enclosing structure to be placed on it.
If the enclosing structure were placed onto the insulating ceramic, it could reduce its insulating effect. Furthermore, it may be that a moving plastic part tears away the surrounding silicone gel from the metal and from the ceramic, which could impair the insulation.
WO 2014 000 975 A1 describes, for example, a method for ultrasonically welding terminal elements to a substrate for electronic components in which the welding point is enclosed during the welding operation by a structure that is intended to prevent particles that may be produced during the welding operation from contaminating the substrate.
JP 2010 040 615 A2 proposes to prevent particles produced during ultrasonic welding from contaminating a semiconductor device. For this purpose, a plastic is applied around the welding point.
It has also been proposed to carry out the ultrasonic welding within a foam, it then being possible for the particles produced to be washed away together with the foam after the welding. This generally leads, to a cost-intensive production process.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,970,618 describes a computer disk with a housing that is ultrasonically welded and has portions which control an air flow when the magnetic disk rotates, in order to prevent that particles produced during the ultrasonic welding can reach the disk.

Semiconductor module with ultrasonically welded terminals


A method suppresses high-frequency perturbations in a pulse-width modulated signal. The pulse-width modulation may superpose a carrier signal onto an input signal having a predetermined modulation frequency. The carrier signals may be phase-shifted. The resulting modulated signals may then be filtered and combined.

Pulse-width modulation (PWM) is a technique for controlling analog circuits with digital outputs of a microprocessor or with a discrete modulator. PWM is employed in a wide variety of applications, ranging from measurement and communications to power control and conversion.
PWM is used in the common "switch-mode" power supplies that convert AC power to DC for computers and other electronic devices. It can be used to control the speed of a DC motor, the brightness of a light bulb, or an output of audio amplifiers. Due to the discrete nature of the PWM output, PWM amplifiers may produce less heat than traditional analog amplifiers.
Pulse-width modulation of a signal or power source involves the modulation of its duty cycle to either convey information over a communication channel or control the amount of power sent to some loads. High-frequency perturbations from a carrier frequency used in the PWM and its harmonics may interfere with the recovery of information from the pulse-width modulated signal.

Suppression of high-frequency perturbations in pulse-width modulation


A speech recognition apparatus includes a processor configured to recognize a user's speech using any one or combination of two or more of an acoustic model, a pronunciation dictionary including primitive words, and a language model including primitive words; and correct word spacing in a result of speech recognition based on a word-spacing model.

1. Field
The following description relates to a speech recognition apparatus and method.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, in automated speech recognition, words are recognized as a sequence of phonemes defined in a pronunciation dictionary. Thus, in such a speech recognition technology, a speech recognition result is represented by a sequence of phonemes, e.g. as basic linguistic units, present in the pronunciation dictionary, and hence, if a word is not defined in the pronunciation dictionary, it is regarded as being out of vocabulary (OOV) and cannot be recognized by the speech recognition device.
If the number of words in the pronunciation dictionary is merely indefinitely increased in an attempt to address the above problem, the speech recognition efficiency of the speech recognition device becomes reduced as the amount of resource use increases dramatically. For these reasons, the number of words in the dictionary is generally limited to up to a million words.
However, in such speech recognition device, when the number of words in the pronunciation dictionary is restricted, words that are not defined in the pronunciation dictionary cannot be recognized. Thus, there are technological problems associated with such speech recognition devices.


A liquid crystal display apparatus includes first and second substrates, a fence, a liquid crystal layer and a plurality of spacers. The first substrate includes a display region for displaying an image. The second substrate faces the first substrate. The fence is disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate. The fence surrounds the display. The spacers maintain the distance between the first and second substrates. The spacers have a gradually increasing compression ratio in a direction from a center of the display region to an edge of the display region. The liquid crystal display apparatus maintains a uniform cell gap, even though a compressive stress of a center portion of the liquid crystal display apparatus is different with a compressive stress of an edge portion of the liquid crystal display apparatus. Therefore, display quality is enhanced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate that is used for a liquid crystal display device, a liquid crystal display device having the substrate and a method of manufacturing the liquid crystal display device, and more particularly to a substrate that maintains a uniform cell gap in spite of self-weight, a liquid crystal display device having no unfilled-region, and a manufacturing the liquid crystal display device preventing the overflow of the liquid crystal molecules.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a liquid crystal display device includes a thin film transistor substrate, a color filter substrate and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the thin film transistor and the color filter substrate.
When a thickness of the liquid crystal layer (or a cell gap between the thin film transistor substrate and the color filter substrate) is non-uniform, a display quality of the liquid crystal display device is deteriorated.
A spacer is interposed between the thin film transistor substrate and the color filter substrate, so as to maintain the cell gap between the thin film transistor substrate and the color filter substrate.
The spacer has a spherical shape or a column-shape. The spacer that has a spherical shape is referred to as a ball spacer. The spacer that has a column-shape is referred to as a rigid spacer.
A diameter of the ball spacer is only a few μm. The ball spacer is scattered on the color filter substrate or on the thin film transistor substrate.
The ball spacer has demerits as follows.
Firstly, the ball spacer is deformable and scattered irregularly, so that the cell gap is not uniform. Secondly, a liquid crystal molecule near the ball spacer is abnormally arranged to lower a luminance. Thirdly, reducing the diameter of the ball spacer is very hard, so that making a short cell gap is also very hard. Fourthly, the ball spacer may be disposed on a pixel to deteriorate a display quality.
A photoresist formed on the thin film transistor substrate or on the color filter substrate is etched to form the rigid substrate. Thus, the rigid substrate may be formed in a region between the pixels, so that the display quality is not deteriorated. Further, the photoresist may have a thin thickness. Thus, the cell gap may be reduced.
However, when a different compression is applied depending on regions, the cell gap is different according to the regions.
For example, when the thin film transistor substrate is over the color filter substrate with reference to a gravitational force, the thin film transistor substrate sags due to an atmospheric pressure and a self-weight of the thin film transistor substrate.
FIG. 1 is a graph showing a relation between a cell gap and a position of a thin film transistor substrate, when a general rigid spacer is used.
A point 'A' represents a position near a first edge of a thin film transistor substrate. A point 'B' represents a center position of the thin film transistor substrate. A point 'C' represents a position near a second edge that is opposite to the first edge of the thin film transistor substrate.
Referring to FIG. 1, a cell gap at the center position 'B' of the thin film transistor is minimum, and the cell gap increases in a direction from the center position 'B' to the edge position 'C'. That is, because compression is maximum at the center due to a self-weight of the thin film transistor substrate.
Thus, a rigid spacer formed at the center 'B' is compressed more than a rigid spacer formed at the edges 'A' and 'C', so that the rigid spacer formed at the center 'B' or the center portion of the color filter substrate and the thin film transistor substrate may be damaged.
Recently, as a liquid crystal display apparatus becomes larger, a method of filling the liquid crystal is changed from a vacuum injection method into a drop and filling method.
In the drop and filling method, liquid crystal material is dropped on the color filter substrate having a spacer formed thereon. Then, the color filter substrate and the thin film transistor substrate are assembled with each other.
The drop and filling method is simple in comparison with the vacuum injection method. However, a liquid crystal display apparatus manufactured by the drop and filling method may include an unfilled region where the liquid crystal is not completely filled, or the liquid crystal material may overflow, when the liquid crystal material is too much.
In detail, when the liquid crystal material is provided too much, the liquid crystal material overflows, so that the thin film transistor substrate and the color filter substrate are not completely assembled. When the liquid crystal material is provided insufficiently, the liquid crystal display apparatus includes the unfilled region.
The unfilled region deteriorates a display quality of the liquid crystal display apparatus.
Due to these problems, a vacuum injection method is used in spite of complexity of procedure and much consumption of liquid crystal material.
However, as the liquid crystal display apparatus becomes larger, the vacuum injection method meets a limit. Thus, the drop and filling method has been developed.
In the drop and filling method, the amount of the spacer and the liquid crystal material is important.

Substrate, liquid crystal display device, and method of manufacturing the same


A system, apparatus, and method for motion monitoring. In an embodiment, a plurality of self-powered active Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) transmitters are each configured to intermittently transmit radio frequency pulse at a rate proportional to motion, containing identification information. The pulse produced by each of the RFID transmitters are received and analyzed at a receiver. The analysis results in the identification of pattern of activity, which is used to produce meaningful data regarding the motion of a user. The RFID transmitters may be provided on a wearable tag.

1. Technical Field
The embodiments herein relate generally to remote motion monitoring and, more particularly to, motion monitoring using Radio Frequency identification (RFID).
2. Description of the Related Art
Remote monitoring and tracking of logistics has been essential in providing detailed information on the movement of inventory. Radio Frequency identification (RFID) technology has been widely used in such applications. Early use of the technology was in the form of passive RFID devices. In such passive RFID applications, the passive RFID device is inscribed into or attached onto the inventory. A receiver is generally used to track the movement of the inventory. However, the passive RFID may allow only limited range of operation since they are not supplied with a power source. Active RFID devices are provided with a power source, which may allow long-range applications. However, active RFID devices may have an inherent limitation that the power source needs to be replaced.
In order to overcome certain limitations of active RFID a contactless programmable electrostatic RFID system is provided in International Patent Application WO0016283, the complete disclosure of which, in its entirety is herein incorporated by reference. The contactless programmable electrostatic RFID system comprises of a reader/encoder with an exciter and a transceiver. Using the high quality "Q" resonator circuit, high voltages can be efficiently produced to generate required electrostatic exciter signals. The combination of a high quality "Q" piezoelectric element and a capacitor in series resonance is connected to switches with switching logic to cause the flow of alternating current through the resonator combination at the resonant frequency. The exciter, in this way, converts a low voltage, low current DC input signal into a high voltage, lower current output signal using only the piezoelectric element and a capacitor. The low power consumption of this type of exciter facilitates a battery-operated implementation.
However, the application of RFID technology in applications such as Medicare may require specialized equipments. Active RFID used in such applications may require replacement, which may render the applications ineffective considering periodic removal of equipment or devices. Further, specialized calibration process may be required when used in healthcare applications, whereby remote monitoring and analysis of a user may not be efficiently made possible. Furthermore, detailed analysis of a user using remote monitoring may require enhanced information for accurate analysis. Therefore, there is a requirement of an enhanced, yet cost-effective system for motion monitoring.


An apparatus including: a protective tube that surrounds an electric wire that is routed in a vehicle; and a metallic fixing that is attached to the protective tube, and that is fixed to the vehicle, wherein: the protective tube includes a hole penetrating in a direction intersecting an axial direction of the protective tube, and the fixing is attached to an outer circumferential surface of the protective tube to cover the hole.

The present disclosure relates to a protective tube with a fixing member, and a wire harness.
A wire harness used for a vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle includes electric wires for electrically connecting a high-voltage battery and electric devices such as an inverter (see JP 2016-58137A, for example). In this wire harness, the outside of the electric wires is covered with a protective tube such as a corrugated tube or a metal pipe for the purpose of protecting the electric wires and electromagnetic shielding.

Protective tube with fixing members, and wire harness


An embedded system for processing an on-screen display (OSD) includes an input apparatus, a user interface resource storage unit and a two-dimensional (2D) graphic engine. The method for processing the OSD includes receiving a control command associated with a 2D image processing procedure, the 2D image processing procedure generating a transitional image according to a first 2D image and a second 2D image, and displaying the first 2D image, the transitional image and the second 2D image to render a three-dimensional-like (3D-like) OSD.

A user interface of a television is usually constructed by buttons provided on a housing of the television or devices such as a remote control in conjunction with an on-screen display (OSD) represented on a monitor of the television. More specifically, in an OSD, certain texts or graphics are generated and displayed on the monitor via an OSD controller so that the user obtains messages from the television. For example, when the user switches channels, or adjusts the volume or display quality with the aid of the buttons on the housing or via the remote control, the OSD controller shows information associated with the above user actions by displaying texts and graphics at appropriate positions on the monitor, so as to facilitate the user to complete adjusting and controlling various values and functions of the television as well as providing information of different programs.
Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B showing schematic diagrams of OSD, when the user presses a menu button 110 on a remote control 11, apart from displaying an image of a television program, a monitor 100 of a television 10 also displays a first function menu 121 as shown in FIG. 1A. However, along with the ever-growing functionality of television, the first function menu 121 no longer accommodates all function options, such that the monitor 100 also displays a second function menu 122 as shown in FIG. 1B when the user presses a change-page button 111 on the remote control 11. During the switching from the first function menu 121 to the second function menu 122, direct image replacement is generally adopted by the prior art, which does not attend to any visual effects during the switching. Further, since the OSD controller in the television supports only common two-dimensional image processing, sophisticated visual effects that can leave the user with an impression are also rather difficult to achieve. Therefore, it is an object of the invention to improve the above shortcomings of the prior art.

Method for processing on-screen display and associated embedded system


Disclosed is a nanoparticle comprising an inner core comprising a virus; and an outer surface comprising a cellular membrane derived from a cell, and process of making thereof. The virus is an oncolytic virus and cellular membrane is derived from for example red blood cells.

Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are viruses that preferentially infect and kill cancer cells. The viruses grow and cause lysis (oncolysis) of cancer cells or trigger other mechanisms to disturb the cancer-immunosuppressive microenvironment and trigger the body's immune response to clear cancer cells. Recent successful clinical data and drug approvals have increased public attention on oncolytic virotherapy. The use of oncolytic virotherapy can be combined with other drugs, immune check point inhibitors, and T-cell therapy to improve outcomes for cancer patients.
Routes of delivery of OVs include intratumoral (i.t.) injection, intravenous (i.v.) delivery, and intra-peritoneal delivery, where intratumoral injection is applied mostly.

Membrane lipid coated nanoparticles and method of use


Utility rack attachments for rack systems used with automobiles, trailers, or stationary objects are used to conveniently transport or store the same. The invented rack system is basically comprised of an easily mountable and slidable assembly unit designed for quick locking to a rail mounted to a vehicle or trailer that is in tow by a vehicle. In a typical setup a quick locking and unlocking assembly unit is mounted to each of two rails that are separated by a distance that is spanned by the load it is carrying or by a platform which carries the load. The slidable and fixable nature of a complete assembly enables a person to quickly mount and dismount it to a rail and position and reposition a load at any location along the rail thus making it very versatile to accommodate a range of objects to be transported.

Ever since the development of rolling devices (i.e. automobiles, carts, etc.) whether machine powered or not, methods have been devised to transport materials and goods. In the era of automobiles, racks have been optional equipment straight from factories almost since their inception. In the latter part of the 20th century, major improvements were made to conveniently transport materials and goods via automobile or trailer. These systems still utilize the same concept developed at that time which is to semi-permanently attach components to cross bars hereinafter called rails that extend across the automobile's roof. This characteristic makes it difficult to access equipment or storage that is centrally located on the roof and is equally difficult to access if it is on a trailer or a stationary object. Loading equipment on to a semi-permanent rack system when atop an automobile is especially difficult. It can be very cumbersome to manipulate a load while risking damage to your automobile or injuring oneself or both in the process.
Therefore what is needed is a system that mitigates all aforementioned difficulties and risks by employing a slidable and removable cassette that is generic or specific to the equipment, material, or storage container desired to transport. Hereafter equipment and storage container will be referred to as the "load".


A suspension for use in a motor vehicle such as an automobile includes a knuckle arm for supporting a wheel, the knuckle arm having upper and lower ends, an upper arm having an end pivotally coupled to the upper end of the knuckle arm and adpated to extend substantially transversely of the vehicle frame, at least one lower arm having an end pivotally coupled to the lower end of the knuckle arm and adapted to extend substantially transversely of the vehicle frame, a trailing arm having an end pivotally coupled to the knuckle arm and adapted to extend substantially longitudinally of the vehicle frame, and a joint structure pivotally coupling the trailing arm to the knuckle arm for angular movement of the trailing arm about an axis of the vehicle frame.

1. Field of the invention:
The present invention relates to a suspension for use in a motor vehicle, and more particularly to a vehicle suspension having a trailing arm.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Various rear wheel suspensions for automobiles have been proposed and used to meet different requirements such as better riding comfort, maneuver stability, a reduced weight, a lower manufacturing cost, and a better space saving ability. However, the prior automobile suspensions have proven unsatisfactory.
One known independent rear suspension is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 58-175677 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 60-67203). As shown in FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings, the disclosed rear suspension is composed of a trailing arm 207, an upper arm 204, a pair of lower arms 213, a knuckle arm 201, and a correcting arm (not shown), the trailing arm 207 comprising a resilient member such as a leaf spring. The rear suspension gives the passengers good riding comfort by allowing the trailing arm 207 to flex so as to be smoothly movable laterally at its rear end. However, this known rear suspension still remains to be improved.


A small reactor with high heat-release performance is provided. A reactor 1 includes an assembly (10) and a case (4), the assembly (10) having a coil (2) and a magnetic core (3) at which the coil (2) is arranged, the case (4) housing the assembly (10). The case (4) includes a bottom plate (40) that contacts a fixing object when the reactor (1) is installed on the fixing object, a side wall (41) that is mounted on the bottom plate (40) with an adhesive and surrounds the assembly (10), and a junction layer (42) that fixes the coil (2) to an inner surface of the bottom plate (40). The bottom plate (40) is formed of a material with higher thermal conductivity than that of the side wall (41). The reactor (1) easily transfers heat of the coil (2) to the bottom plate (40) and hence has high heat-release performance because the reactor (1) includes the bottom plate (40) with the high thermal conductivity and the coil (2) is joined to the bottom plate (40) through the junction layer (42). Since the bottom plate (40) and the side wall (41) are integrated using the adhesive, the thicknesses of both the members (40, 41) can be decreased. Accordingly, the reactor (1) is small.

A reactor is one of parts in a circuit that performs a step-up operation and a step-down operation of voltage. For example, PTL 1 discloses a reactor that is used for a converter mounted on a vehicle such as a hybrid electric vehicle. The reactor includes a coil, a ring-shaped magnetic core at which the coil is arranged, a case that houses an assembly of the coil and the magnetic core, and sealing resin with which the case is filled. The reactor is generally fixed to a fixing object such as a cooling base, and is used for cooling the coil etc., which generates heat while being energized.
The case is typically a die-cast product of aluminum. The case is fixed to the cooling base and is used as a heat-release path for the heat of the coil etc.

Reactor, converter, and electric power converter


Improved instruments for modifying a shape of a proximal femur of a patient for installation of a stem of a femoral component of a prosthetic hip during hip replacement surgery, comprising a handle including an elongated shaft extending downward approximately in a z-direction, a first offset extending from a bottom of the elongated shaft approximately in a y-direction, a second offset extending from the second offset approximately in an x-direction, and a shaping member elongated downward from the second offset approximately in the z-direction. Provided is an improved femoral broach and an improved osteotome. Also provided is a method of improving a patient's positioning during hip replacement surgery by using a variable configuration mattress for positioning the patient.

Joint implants, also referred to as joint prostheses, joint prosthetic implants, joint replacements, or prosthetic joints, are long-term surgically implantable devices that are used to partially or totally replace diseased or damaged joints, such as a hip, a knee, a shoulder, an ankle, or an elbow, within the musculoskeletal system of a human or an animal. Since their first introduction into clinical practice in the 1960s, joint implants have improved the quality of life of many patients. Both artificial hip joints and artificial shoulder joints are generally ball and socket joints, designed to match as closely as possible the function of the natural joint. Generally, the artificial socket is implanted in one bone, and the artificial ball articulates in the socket. A stem structure attached to the ball is implanted in another of the patient's bones, securing the ball in position.
The ball and socket joint of the human hip unites the femur to the pelvis, wherein the ball-shaped head of the femur is positioned within a socket-shaped acetabulum of the pelvis. The head of the femur or ball fits into the acetabulum, forming a joint which allows the leg to move forward, backward, and sideways in a wide range. The acetabulum is lined with cartilage, which cushions the bones and allows the joint to rotate smoothly and with minimal friction. An envelope of tough ligaments connects the pelvis and femur, covering the joint and stabilizing it. Cartilage also makes the joint strong enough to support the weight of the upper body and resilient enough to absorb the impact of exercise and activity. A healthy hip allows the leg to move freely within its range of motion while supporting the upper body and absorbing the impact that accompanies certain activities.
Various degenerative diseases and injuries may necessitate replacement of all or a portion of a hip using synthetic materials. Prosthetic components are generally made from metals, ceramics, or plastics, or combinations of them.
Total hip arthroplasty and hemi-arthroplasty are two procedures well known within the medical profession for replacing all or part of a patient's hip. These procedures have enabled hundreds of thousands of people to live fuller, more active lives. A total hip arthroplasty replaces both the femoral component and the acetabular surface of the joint, and so both a femoral prosthesis and an acetabular prosthesis are required. A hemi-arthroplasty may replace either the femoral component or the acetabular surface of the joint. The purpose of hip replacement surgery is to remove the damaged and worn parts of the hip and replace them with artificial parts, called prostheses, with the purpose of at least partially restoring the hip's function, including but not limited to, restoring the stability, strength, range of motion, and flexibility of the joint.
In total hip replacement surgery, commonly referred to as total hip arthroplasty, a patient's natural hip is replaced by two main components: an acetabular cup component that replaces the acetabular socket, and the femoral component, or the stem-and-ball component, that replaces the femoral head.
A conventional acetabular cup component may include a cup, a cup and a liner, or in some cases only a liner, all of which may be formed in various shapes and sizes. Generally, a metal cup and a polymeric liner are used. However, the liner may be made of a variety of materials, including polyethylene, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene, and ceramic materials. The cup is usually of generally hemispherical shape and features an outer, convex surface and an inner, concave surface that is adapted to receive a cup liner. The liner fits inside the cup and has a convex and concave surface. The cup liner is the bearing element in the acetabular component assembly. The convex surface of the liner corresponds to the inner concave surface of the cup or acetabulum, and the liner concave surface receives the head of a femoral component. An acetabular cup may include a highly polished inner surface to decrease wear.
The femoral or stem-and-ball component of the hip prosthesis generally includes a spherical or near-spherical head attached to an elongate stem, with a neck connecting the head and stem. In use, the elongate stem is located in the intramedullary canal of the femur, and the spherical or near-spherical head articulates relative to the acetabular component. Femoral prostheses used in total hip arthroplasty procedures may or may not differ from an endoprosthesis used in a hemi-arthroplasty. The femoral head of each type prosthesis is generally a standard size and shape. Various cups, liners, shells, stems and other components may be provided in each type arthroplasty to form modular prostheses to restore function of the hip joint.
During a total hip replacement, the surgeon will take a number of measurements to ensure proper prosthesis selection, limb length, and hip rotation. After making the incision, the surgeon works between the large hip muscles to gain access to the joint. The femur is pushed out of the socket, exposing the joint cavity. The deteriorated femoral head is removed.
In order to install the acetabular cup, the surgeon prepares the bone by reaming the acetabular socket to create a surface for accepting a cup. The cup may be held in place by bone cement or an interference or press fit, or it may have a porous outer surface suitable for bony ingrowth. The new acetabular shell is implanted securely within the prepared hemispherical socket. The plastic inner portion of the implant is placed within the metal shell and fixed into place.
Next, the femur is prepared to receive the stem. The proximal end of the femur is at least partially resected to expose the central portion of the bone. Generally, at least part of the greater femoral trochanter is resected to gain access to the central portion of the femur, specifically, the medullary canal. In the central portion, a cavity is created that matches the shape of the implant stem, utilizing the existing medullary canal. The top end of the femur is planed and smoothed so that the stem can be inserted flush with the bone surface. If the ball is a separate piece, the proper size is selected and attached. Finally, the ball is seated within the cup so that the joint is properly aligned, and the incision is closed.
During shoulder replacement, the ball and socket joint of the human shoulder is replaced with a prosthetic joint using a procedure similar to that described above. During a shoulder replacement operation, at least a portion of the proximal section of the humeral shaft is replaced by a metal prosthesis. This prosthesis generally consists of two parts: a stem that is mounted into the medullary canal of the humerus, and a head component connected in some manner to the stem. The head component replaces the bearing surface of the humerus and articulates within the glenoid cavity of the scapula to allow movement of the shoulder.
An arthritic humeral head (ball of the joint) may be removed and replaced with a humeral prosthesis. If the glenoid socket is unaffected, a hemiarthroplasty may be performed (which means that only the ball is replaced). The humeral component is made of metal and is usually press fit, but sometimes cemented, into the shaft of the hone of the humerus.
If the glenoid is affected, but conditions do not favor the insertion of a glenoid component, a non-prosthetic glenoid arthroplasty may be performed along with a humeral hemiarthroplasty. In this procedure, the humeral prosthesis is installed, and the patient's glenoid shape and orientation are corrected to articulate the humeral prosthesis, for example, by reshaping the socket by reaming. The prosthetic ball of the humeral component then articulates with the reshaped bony socket of the glenoid. In a total shoulder joint replacement, or total humeral arthroplasty, the glenoid bone is shaped by reaming and oriented, and then covered with a prosthetic glenoid component that is commonly stabilized by bone cement.
During joint replacement surgery, such as the procedures described above, a rather large incision is typically required to allow the surgeon adequate access to the joint. The large incision is needed to properly use the instruments needed to prepare the bones for installation of the prosthetic joint components and to install the prosthesis itself For example, during total hip replacement surgery, some conventional surgical techniques generally require an approximately 25 to 35 cm incision in the lateral (side) or posterior (back) aspect of the patient for installing, respectively, the acetabular component and the femoral component of the prosthetic hip. Other conventional surgical techniques include two smaller incisions: a first, anterior incision to install the acetabular member; and the second, posterior incision to install the femoral component. In this technique, both the first and the second incisions are approximately 3 cm to approximately 5 cm in length. The two-incision technique is considered advantageous over the one incision technique because it minimizes the trauma to the patient and results in quicker and better patient rehabilitation than the technique involving a longer incision. Currently available data suggests that the longer incision, either posterior or lateral, increases patient morbidity. Thus, for joint replacement surgery, particularly for hip replacement surgery, it is desirable to reduce the size and the number of the incisions without jeopardizing surgical access to the joint.
Patient positioning during hip arthroplasty is important for surgical access, proper preparation of the joint, and installation of the prosthetic components. Both initial positioning of the patient for the surgery and maintenance of the patient's position throughout the surgery are essential. Various approaches to improving patient positioning exist. For example, some of the conventional hip arthroplasty techniques use supine (on the back) positioning of the patient, with an operating or surgical table including a dropping part on one side of the lower end. This allows the lowering of the patient's operative leg for increased access to the proximal femur.
During recent years, an effort has been made to reduce the size of the incision needed to implant joint prostheses through so-called "minimally invasive" surgery ("MIS"). The term "minimally invasive surgery" generally refers to the surgical techniques that minimize the size of the surgical incision and trauma to tissues, and are generally less intrusive than conventional surgery, thereby shortening both surgical time and recovery time. Minimally invasive arthroplasty techniques are advantageous over conventional arthroplasty techniques by providing, for example, a smaller incision, less soft-tissue exposure, improved ligament balancing, and minimal trauma to the muscle and ligament mechanisms. To achieve the above goals of MIS, it is necessary to modify traditional implants, instruments, and surgical techniques to decrease the length and number of the surgical cuts, as well as to decrease the exposure of and trauma to the internal joint structures. The benefits of MIS surgery can be significant, at least partially because smaller and fewer incisions and the less intrusive nature of the procedure shorten both surgical time and recovery time. Thus, it is advantageous to modify traditional implants, instruments, and methods to make them particularly suitable for use in minimally invasive surgical procedures.
Another recent development in joint replacement is computer-assisted or computer-aided surgical (CAS) systems that use various imaging and tracking devices and combine the image information with computer algorithms to track the position of the patient's leg, the implant, and the surgical instruments and to make highly individualized recommendations on the most optimal surgical cuts and prosthetic component selection and positioning. Several providers have developed and are marketing imaging systems based on CT scans and/or Mill data or on digitized points on the anatomy. Other systems align preoperative CT scans, MRIs, or other images with intraoperative patient positions. A preoperative planning system allows the surgeon to select reference points and to determine the final implant position. intraoperatively, the system calibrates the patient position to that preoperative plan, such as by using a "point cloud" technique, and can use a robot to perform surgical procedures. Other systems use position and/or orientation tracking sensors, such as infrared sensors acting stereoscopically or otherwise, to track positions of body parts, surgery-related items such as implements, instrumentation, trial prosthetics, prosthetic components, and virtual constructs or references such as rotational axes that have been calculated and stored based on designation of bone landmarks. Processing capability such as any desired form of computer functionality, whether standalone, networked, or otherwise, takes into account the position and orientation information as to various items in the position sensing field (which may correspond generally or specifically to all, portions, or more than all of the surgical field) based on sensed position and orientation of their associated fiducials or based on stored position and/or orientation information. The processing functionality correlates this position and orientation information for each object with stored information regarding the items, such as a computerized fluoroscopic imaged file of a bone, a wire frame data file for rendering a representation of an instrumentation component, a trial prosthesis or actual prosthesis, or a computer generated file relating to a rotational axis or other virtual construct or reference. The processing functionality then displays position and orientation of these objects on a screen or monitor or otherwise. The surgeon may navigate tools, instrumentation, trial prostheses, actual prostheses and other items relative to bones and other body parts in order to perform joint replacement more accurately, efficiently, and with better alignment and stability. Instruments and surgical techniques that can be used in computer-assisted surgery are highly desirable.
It is highly desirable to adapt the surgical instruments used in preparation of the femoral bone during hip replacement to minimally invasive surgery, computer assisted surgery, or both. The instruments used in femoral preparation include, but are not limited to, osteotomes or chisels used for resecting at least a portion of the femoral head to expose the central portion of the femur, and broaches, reamers, and rasps, used to clean and enlarge the hollow center of the bone, creating a cavity that matches the shape of the femoral component's stem.
During hip replacement surgery, the surgeon opens a femoral intramedullary canal by removing a portion of the trochanteric fossa with an osteotome or a chisel, an instrument for surgical division or sectioning of bone. The surgeon then uses one or a series of increasing size cavity preparation devices, such as reamers or broaches, to prepare a cavity for installation of a femoral stem. By using a series of gradually increasing in size devices, the surgeon expands the intra-femoral cavity until the desired size and shape is created. Sometimes, the portion of the final broach inserted into the femoral cavity serves as a trial femoral stem.
For the success of hip replacement, it is generally desired to select and install the femoral stem of the largest size suitable for a particular patient. Electing the largest appropriate femoral stein helps to stabilize the femoral component in the femur, improves alignment, and reduces the potential of the femoral component's loosening and failure. There is a need for instruments and method for preparation of a femoral cavity that permit installation of an appropriately sized stem of the femoral component in order to improve alignment and stabilization of the femoral component in the patient with minimum interference the tissue of the patient.
In minimally invasive surgery, the need to insert and operate the femoral preparation instruments through smaller incisions may conflict with the proper instrument alignment needed to create the cavity of the largest possible size. For proper access and alignment, long incisions and other invasive procedures are often required. The single-incision lateral or posterior approach hip-arthroplasty procedure may simplify access to the femur, but it requires muscle dissection. The two-incision procedures, on the other hand, make approach to the femur difficult. When the anterior approach to the femur is used, muscle dissection is not necessary, but properly positioning the femur to allow access along the long axis often requires releasing the posterior hip capsule. The posterior capsule comprises a blood vessel, and surgically releasing the capsule greatly releases the risk of bleeding. The anterior approach used with some traditional instruments, such as straight femoral reamers, results in extensive trauma to the patient's tissues. Therefore, there is an unrealized need for instruments and techniques for preparation of a femoral cavity that reduce the incision size and trauma to tissues without jeopardizing preparation of the cavity of the largest appropriate size, which provide for proper sizing and alignment of the femoral component's stem, and which will improve restoration of hip function and reduce the risk of the prosthesis loosening and failing.
In summary, there is a current unrealized need for improved devices, systems and procedures adapted for use in minimally invasive surgery (MIS). There is a particular unrealized need for improved devices for preparation of a patient's femur for installing a femoral component of a hip prosthesis. Improved devices are desired that are adapted for introduction and operation through a smaller surgical incision than conventionally available devices. Also needed are improved devices, systems, and procedures that would minimize the damage to the flesh, muscle, and other soft tissues during insertion, operation, and withdrawal. At the same time, there is a need for improved devices, systems, and procedures that would improve sizing and aligning of the femoral components and reduce the risk of their loosening. Also desired are improved devices, systems, and procedures suitable for computer-assisted surgery.
In general, devices and systems are needed that are easy to use and manufacture, minimize tissue damage, simplify surgical procedures, are versatile, allow for faster healing with fewer complications, require less post-surgical immobilization, and are less costly to produce and operate.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Surgical technique and instrumentation for minimal incision hip arthroplasty surgery


A wheeled forestry tractors design, such as that for a wheel feller-buncher or a site prep tractor, is disclosed. The disclosed design includes a front axle connected to a rear axle by an articulated chassis. A cab is supported between and above the front and rear axles by the chassis. An engine and a hydraulic system are mounted opposite the rear axle from the cab and in a side-by-side relationship with the engine being aligned transversely with respect to the chassis and parallel to the rear axle. The engine is mounted transversely or parallel with respect to the rear axle and slightly behind the rear axle to improve the weight distribution between the front and rear axles or between the front and rear frames. By mounting the engine transversely and on one side of the rear of the tractor and the hydraulic system on the other side of the tractor in combination with placing the fuel tank in alignment with the engine and the oil tank in alignment with the hydraulic system, improved left to right weight distribution is also achieved.

Feller-bunchers are typically used to fell or cut down trees from one site and then bunch the trees together to place them in a pile. Site prep tractors, on the other hand, are typically used to clear brush, tree stumps and other materials from a site. Both feller-bunchers and site prep tractors may be articulated machines that include a front frame and a rear frame that are pivotally coupled together by a hitch. The hitch allows the front frame to pivot relative to the rear frame for steering the feller-buncher or site prep tractor. Both the front and rear frames include an axle having a pair of wheels mounted thereon.
An engine mounted on the rear frame supplies mechanical power directly to a drop box via a hydrostatic transmission. The drop box splits the power output from the engine between the front axle and the rear axle. A portion of the power from the drop box is supplied directly to the rear axle via a drive line and the rest of the power is supplied to the front axle via a drive shaft and universal joint that passes from the rear frame to the front frame at the hitch.
The engine may also power a hydraulic system that supplies pressurized hydraulic fluid to several non-drive tool systems. Generally, wheel feller-bunchers may include a hydraulically powered rotating saw which is used to cut down the trees during a felling operation. In addition, a feller-buncher may have a number of hydraulically powered work arms which are used to secure the felled trees to the feller-buncher after the trees have been cut down. A site prep tractor may be provided with a number of hydraulically powered attachments such as a rotary axis mower, a side cut felling saw and/or a stump grinder. A number of hydraulically powered cylinders may be used to raise, lower, and tilt the tool systems.
One problem associated with current wheel feller-buncher and site prep tractor designs is the location and orientation of the engine and hydraulic system. Specifically, the engine is typically installed behind the cab and is directed longitudinally towards the cab and tool system. This design provides poor weight distribution across the rear axle and causes many operators to add weight to the rear of the machine to act as a counterbalance. Further, the excess weight of the counterbalance at the rear of the machine causes fuel and oil reserves to migrate towards the rear the machine, thereby possibly creating additional weight imbalance.
Another problem associated with current wheel feller-buncher and site prep tractor designs involves the location of the hydraulic system in the same compartment as the engine. The congested nature of the design does not permit adequate airflow for maximum cooling. Further, both the congested nature of the design makes it difficult to access the engine and the hydraulic system for servicing and maintenance.
Therefore, there is a need for improved wheel feller-buncher and site prep tractor designs that provide improved weight distribution, serviceability and cooling. For the sake of simplicity, wheel feller-bunchers and site prep tractors will be collectively referred herein to as "wheeled forestry tractors."

Forestry machines with transverse engine and hydraulic system installation


A system and method for a pre-print, three-dimensional virtual rendering of a print piece is disclosed. A plurality of modular/pipelined architectural layers are managed, operated, and organized by a controller. A product definition is provided to a job ticket adaptation layer where it is transformed into a physical model. The physical model is then transformed into a display model via the product model layer. The display model is transformed into a scene that can be displayed on a graphical user interface as a three dimensional virtual rendering by a rendering layer, where the binding elements may further include 3D binding models as well as 2D textures on 3D surfaces to simulate 3D models.

The teachings provided herein are directed generally to pre-print virtual rendering and depiction of a print job. The method and apparatus disclosed herein include a print system architecture and methodology for Document Production Visualization (DPV) for viewing of a document as a 3D image which can be inspected, manipulated and modified by an end user before committing the job to print-out. More particularly, a modular architecture for document production visualization is disclosed which may be implemented as a stand-alone application, or as a client-server application, which supports the input of different product formats as the print job definition, and allows for the plug-in use of different 3D rendering engines. Additionally, a system and method for managing and adjusting 3D models of binding elements is disclosed.
The printing industry is in a rapid state of change. The economics of the print market are forcing print manufactures to adopt such practices as lean manufacturing and computer integrated manufacturing (CIM), from order entry to delivery and invoice. Job definition format (JDF) and job management format (JMF) are two technical standards being proposed to help ease the flow of data, information, and content within and among the printing industry. The job definition format and job management format standards are perceived as enablers for the printing industry to move to a computer integrated manufacturing type of production process.
Thus, the printing industry is always looking for ways to improve how it conducts business. Of particular interest are ways to reduce production costs and improve efficiency. The system and methods disclosed herein transform the current production print practice by creating an easy to use document production visualization system.
The existing technologies that produce virtual renderings of a finished print piece are generally limited to providing only a two dimensional perspective. There are a few applications that provide a 3D rendering, but they are commonly implemented as a vector graphics-based animation application with full-screen navigation interfaces, graphic illustrations, and simple interactivity in an antialiased, resizable file format that is small enough to stream across a normal modem connection (e.g., FLASH™) or high-level computer programming languages that allow small application programs to be downloaded from a server to a client along with data that each program processes (e.g., JAVA™) and may require users to install undesirable plug-ins or run special applications. Thus, there exists a need for a system architecture that allows for a true 3D rendering in a browser with the ability to utilize various input formats and components (e.g. JDF, PDF), output rendering engines (e.g. JAVA3D™, FLASH™, Silverlight™, HTML5, SVG) and provide for flexibility of deployment (e.g. stand-alone application or client-server).
The systems and methods disclosed below and generally referred to herein as a document production visualization (DPV) system, has the value of allowing print buyers and print suppliers to deal with the growing complexity of the data and information associated with on-demand digital printing. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/001,431, incorporated by reference above, describes a system and method for the animated viewing of a 3D image of a document. Moreover, the system disclosed herein leverages the "virtual reality" computing power typically available on today's computer workstations and allows for a bi-directional flow of information. One aspect of document production visualization is the virtual rendering of the document being described by a job definition format (JDF) or similar standardized input. This virtual rendering has the advantage of allowing the user to "see" and even manipulate in 3D, the document before further time and materials are committed to a proofing or production process. The document may be viewed as it will appear in its final finished form, or alternatively at any stage of a given production process. Also provided are software controls so a user may interact with and modify the 3D image depiction of the document, directly altering the job definition format instructions, and thereby indirectly altering the actual completed final delivered physical print piece result.
The following summary is provided to facilitate an understanding of some of the innovative aspects unique to the teachings herein and is not intended to be limiting. A full appreciation of the various aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein is gained by taking the entire specification, claims, drawings, and abstract together as a whole.
One aspect of the following disclosure describes improved document production visualization systems and methods.
It is another aspect of the teachings herein to provide for a system that can be implemented as either a stand-alone application or a client-server application.
It is a further aspect of the teachings herein to provide bi-directional flow of information such that a user can alter a three dimensional virtual image display of a print piece and those alterations could be fed backwards through the system to alter the product definition.
It is a further aspect of the teachings herein to describe a system and method for managing and creating 3D models of binding objects of various types (e.g., coil, comb, spring clips, paper clips, bulldog clips, rings including "O" and "D" shapes, staples, Velobind™, glue, tape, etc.), and the customization of said 3D models.
Disclosed herein is a modular document production visualization system, comprising: a controller; a print product definition; a plurality of architecture layers managed and organized by the controller wherein the plurality of architecture layers include a print job ticket adaptation layer, a physical model layer, a display model layer, and a rendering layer; the print job ticket adaptation layer transforming the print product definition into a physical model; the physical model layer transforming the physical model into a display model; and the display model layer transforming the display model into a scene displayed as a three dimensional virtual rendering of the print product definition by the rendering layer on a graphical user interface.
Also disclosed herein is a document production visualization method, comprising: transforming a print product definition into a physical model utilizing a job ticket adaptation layer; transforming the physical model into a display model utilizing a physical model layer; transforming the display model into a scene utilizing a display model layer; and displaying said scene as a three-dimensional virtual rendering utilizing a rendering layer transform to a graphical user interface.
Further disclosed herein is a computer storage medium for generation of a three dimensional virtual rendering, the computer-usable medium embodying computer program code, the computer program code comprising computer executable instructions configured for receiving as input a print product definition, and generating a physical model from the print product definition utilizing a job ticket adaptation layer. The method also entails generating a display model from the physical model utilizing a physical model layer, and generating a scene from the display model utilizing a display model layer. The scene is displayed as a three dimensional virtual rendering of the print product definition on a graphical user interface utilizing a rendering layer. The method includes providing a controller configured to organize and manage the job ticket adaptation layer, the physical model layer, the display model layer, and the rendering layer.
The aforementioned aspects and other objectives and advantages of the disclosed embodiments can be achieved as described in further detail below.

System architecture for virtual rendering of a print production piece


A system and method for in-line inspection of specimens such as semiconductor wafers is provided. The system provides scanning of sections of specimens having predetermined standardized characteristics using a diffraction grating that widens and passes nth order (n>0) wave fronts to the specimen surface and a reflective surface for the transmitted light beam. Light energy is transmitted in a narrow swath across the portion of the surface having the standardized features. The wavefronts are combined using a second diffraction grating and passed to a camera system having a desired aspect ratio.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the art of optical inspection of specimens, such as semiconductor wafers and hard disk surfaces, and more specifically to a system for determining surface topographies in the nanometer range using optical techniques.
2. Description of the Related Art
Optical inspection techniques for specimens, such as semiconductor wafers, have assessed the relative flatness of specimen surfaces using various techniques. Surface flatness is a critical parameter used to determine the overall quality of a semiconductor wafer, and wafers having large irregular areas or small areas with radical height differences are undesirable.
For CMP (Chemical Mechanical Planarization) processed wafers, the starting material is a bare silicon wafer. Such a bare silicon wafer must be flat within certain tolerances regarding the height and spatial width of the flatness features.
Current tools available to measure wafer surface flatness include the "Magic Mirror" tool by Hologenix. The "Magic Mirror" operates by directing collimated light toward the wafer surface, wherein the collimated light source is angularly displaced from the wafer surface. The "Magic Mirror" system subsequently receives the reflected light, and the light received may be scattered toward or away from the detector. The "Magic Mirror" thereupon produces a two dimensional depiction of the surface of the observed semiconductor wafer, with associated light and/or dark areas depending on the type of defect. As can be appreciated, the "Magic Mirror" is a very subjective method of detecting surface contours. With different types of defects producing different optical effects, one cannot say for certain what type or size of defect is responsible for the bright or dark spot or area in the "Magic Mirror" depiction. Hence algorithms cannot conclusively provide areas of concern or threshold exceedance with reasonable degrees of certainty. The final two dimensional representation obtained from the "Magic Mirror" must be studied by an operator, and results depend on many uncontrollable factors.
Tools like the Magic Mirror can be used for flatness inspection of a bare wafer. However, for CMP processed wafer monitoring additional issues arise relating to the efficiency of the polishing, such as pitting and dishing of the patterned wafer surface. Magic mirror type tools are ineffective in addressing these types of anomalies.
A system addressing specimen flatness issues is the subject of current U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/195,533, filed on Nov. 18, 1998, entitled "Detection System for Nanometer Scale Topographic Measurements of Reflective Surfaces" and developed by and assigned to KLA-Tencor Corporation, the assignee of the present application, provides a linear position array detector system which imparts light energy in a substantially normal orientation to a surface of a specimen, such as a semiconductor wafer, receives light energy from the specimen surface and monitors deviation of the retro beam from that expected. This system has particular advantages but requires a post processor to determine and fully compute the surface geometry for the entire specimen.
One device commonly used to measure the quality of the polishing of a CMP processed wafer is a profiler, much like a stylus on a record player, which directly contacts the semiconductor wafer surface. Such a system moves the semiconductor wafer and sensor relative to each other causing the sensor to linearly translate across the surface, thereby providing contact between the profiler and the entire surface. Movement of the profiler is recorded, and surface irregularities are detected when the profiler deflects beyond a threshold distance. The problems inherent in a profiler are at least twofold: first, a mechanical profiler contacting the wafer surface may itself produce surface irregularities beyond those present prior to the testing, and second, the time required to make accurate assessments of surface irregularities is extensive. For example, a full map of a single 200 mm wafer using a profiler may take between four and twelve hours.
A system is needed which diminishes the time required to perform surface scanning for contour differences and does not have the drawbacks inherent in the Magic mirror or profiler configurations. Further, it would be advantageous to provide a system which is less expensive than the KLA-Tencor normal incidence system and which can be used in examining less than the entire specimen surface quickly and efficiently. In particular, it would be desirable to have a system for determining specimen surface variations that would not risk damage to the specimen and would be quantitative in nature, thereby permitting contour quantification without ad hoc human review.
A further disadvantage of currently available flatness or contour measurement devices is that they stand separate from the production process and cannot be integrated into the process line. A developer or processing facility must first use the profiler or other device off line to inspect the surface of the specimen and subsequently place the specimen in the processing line for further inspection and processing.
It is therefore an object of the current invention to provide a system for determining the contours of portions of the surface of a specimen, such as a semiconductor wafer that can perform surface irregularity determination in less time and more cost effectively than systems previously known.
It is a further object of the current invention to provide a system for determining the contours of a wafer surface which does not increase the risk of damaging the wafer surface.
It is another object of the current invention to provide a system for inspecting the flatness or contour of a specimen that may be employed and integrated in the process line.

Copper CMP flatness monitor using grazing incidence interferometry


A controllable bus terminator for providing a switchable termination on a bus having a plurality of conductors, wherein the controllable bus terminator includes a voltage regulator, a plurality of termination networks, each having a first terminal and a second terminal wherein the second terminal of each of the termination networks provides an output terminal of the bus terminator. The bus terminator further includes a plurality of electrically controllable switches, each of the switches having a first port coupled to the voltage regulator and a second port coupled to the first terminal of a corresponding one of the termination networks wherein each of the switches couples the corresponding termination network to the voltage regulator when the corresponding switch is in a first state and wherein each of the switches disconnects the corresponding termination network from the voltage regulator when the corresponding switch is in a second state.

In a computer system, the processor, the memory, and the input/output (I/O) devices communicate with one another by way of a bus. A bus is a series of conductors, each of which is capable of transmitting signals which represent either data to be transferred between devices on the bus or control information, such as device addresses, which determine when and to where the data being transferred by the bus is to be transferred. The signals transferred on the bus typically take the form of rapidly changing bi-stable voltage levels. These voltage levels are placed on the conductors by bus drivers incorporated into each device which communicates with the bus. For optimum signal power transfer between devices and minimum signal reflection, the bus must be terminated in such a way that the impedance of the bus matches the impedance of the bus drivers. The bus impedance should be held approximately constant.
Generally, bus terminators take the form of modular devices. The bus terminator is physically inserted onto the bus to provide termination and physically removed from the bus to remove termination, for example, when the bus is to be extended. Such changing of the bus termination requires physical access to the bus, which in turn requires the opening of the enclosures protecting the devices and bus.
The present invention permits a bus terminator to be connected to and disconnected from a bus electrically and without being physically moved.
Another feature of the invention is that when the terminator is disconnected from the bus, its internal power supply is reduced substantially.


Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with processing wireless signals. According to one embodiment, a wireless receiver includes at least one antenna configured to receive a wireless signal. The wireless signal comprises pilot symbols dispersed irregularly throughout a two-dimensional grid. The pilot symbols of the wireless signal are usable by the wireless receiver to estimate the wireless channel at each point in the two-dimensional grid. The wireless receiver includes a pattern logic including hardware configured to generate additional pilot symbols in the two-dimensional grid. The additional pilot symbols generated by the pattern logic along with the pilot symbols dispersed irregularly throughout the two-dimensional grid form a regular distribution of pilot symbols in the two-dimensional grid. The wireless receiver is configured to estimate the wireless channel at each point in the two-dimensional grid based on the regular distribution of pilot symbols in the two-dimensional grid.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventor(s), to the extent the work is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Efficiently processing wireless signals is a complex task. Several difficulties may be encountered when attempting to efficiently process wireless signals in a wireless receiver. For example, processing a wireless signal according to a two-dimensional technique is overly complex for most implementations because complex hardware is typically required in such applications. Thus, a trade off for a less complex processing solution may be implemented. In one example, this may include one-dimensional processing techniques. However, one-dimensional processing can suffer from processing inefficiencies. Processing inefficiencies for a one-dimensional technique arise when, for example, channel conditions associated with a wireless signal fall outside of an operational range for an implemented solution. Thus as the wireless signal is influenced by changing channel conditions, processing efficiency can be reduced.
For example, a conventional wireless network interface card (NIC) that implements a low complexity solution to process wireless signals received from a wireless access point is typically tuned to perform well for a specific set of channel conditions (e.g., slowly changing frequency selectivity) associated with the wireless signal. However, when the channel conditions fall outside of the specific set of channel conditions (e.g., quickly changing frequency selectivity), processing becomes inefficient and system performance suffers. The processing can become inefficient due to an irregular distribution of pilot symbols in the wireless signal that the NIC processes in a predefined order to account for the channel conditions.

Method and apparatus for processing wireless signals


A method of producing a compressed image from a full resolution sparsely sampled extended dynamic range image produced by a sparsely sampled extended dynamic range image sensing device having fast photosites with a predetermined response to a light exposure for producing fast pixel values and slow photosites with a slower response to the same light exposure for producing slow pixel values, including the steps of: providing a full resolution sparsely sampled extended dynamic range image; separating the full resolution sparsely sampled image into a fast image comprising only fast pixel values and a slow image comprising only slow pixel values; and separately compressing the fast image and the slow image.

The invention relates generally to the field of image capture, and more specifically to a method of compressing an image from an extended dynamic range image sensing device.
Image sensing devices, such as a charge-coupled device (CCD), are commonly found in such products as digital cameras, scanners, and video cameras. These image sensing devices have a limited dynamic range when compared to traditional photographic film products. A typical electronic image sensing device has a dynamic range of about 7 stops. This means that the exposure for a typical scene must be determined with a fair amount of accuracy in order to avoid clipping the resultant signal By contrast, natural scenes often exhibit a dynamic range of 9 stops and higher. This is mainly a consequence of multiple light sources with widely varying intensities illuminating the scene objects. Specular highlights also contribute to the dynamic range of natural scenes.
Electronic sensors used to scan photographic film must also contend with a high dynamic range of signal intensities. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,848 issued Jun. 22, 1993 to Milch entitled High Dynamic Range Film Digitizer and Method of Operating the Same discloses a method and apparatus designed to extend the dynamic range of an electronic image sensor. Aimed primarily for scanning photographic film, Milch teaches a method of a one pass film scanner using a charge-coupled device scanner having a plurality of linear arrays thereon. One of the arrays is responsive to high intensities of light and the other array is responsive to low intensities of light. The information from the two arrays is then combined and digitized forming an extended dynamic range digital image. The method and apparatus disclosed by Milch is an electronic image sensor having photosites with the same spectral sensitivity but different inherent response to intensities of light which is capable of producing digital images with very high dynamic range.
Digital electronic cameras employ a single image sensor with a color filter array (CFA) to produce a sparsely sampled digital image. A typical color filter array pattern which utilizes red, green, and blue photosites for producing red, green, and blue pixel values is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,065, issued Jul. 20, 1976 to Bayer entitled Color Imaging Array. Interpolation algorithms are employed to produce a full resolution color image from the sparsely sampled image. Digital cameras also need to record scenes having a high dynamic range. One way to obtain a high dynamic range image from a digital camera is to employ a high bit depth analog to digital converter in the camera. Another way is to employ an image sensor having interspersed fast and slow photosites as disclosed in copending U.S. Ser. No. 09/615,398 filed Jul. 13, 2000 by Gallagher et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Also an important feature of digital cameras is the need to produce digital images of manageable size. This is primarily due to the limited on board memory of the digital camera and due to the limitations in bandwidth for transferring the digital images to other devices.
Robert Gray and Bobby Hunt quantify an advantage associated with performing an image compression separately on the red, green, and blue pixel values of an image captured by an image sensor having a CFA in the article xe2x80x9cMultispectral data compression using staggered detector arrays,xe2x80x9d Proc. SPIE, Volume. 432, San Diego, August 1983. However, the method of Gray and Hunt did not consider image sensors having fast pixel values derived from fast photosites with a predetermined response to a light exposure, and slow pixel values derived from slow photosites with a slower response to the same light exposure.
Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,229 issued Nov. 12, 1991 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,053,861 issued Oct. 1, 1991, both issued to Tsai et al. and both entitled Compression Method and Apparatus for Single-Sensor Color Imaging Systems describe a method of compressing digital images prior to color interpolation. However, their method does not consider image sensors having fast pixel values derived from fast photosites with a predetermined response to a light exposure and slow pixel values derived from slow photosites with a slower response to the same light exposure.
Therefore, there exists a need to efficiently and effectively compress a digital image originating from an electronic image sensor having fast pixel values derived from fast photosites with a predetermined response to a light exposure and slow pixel values derived from slow photosites with a slower response to the same light exposure. Furthermore, there is a need to efficiently compress images created with an electronic image sensor having photosites with the same spectral sensitivity but different inherent response to intensities of light which is capable of producing digital images with very high dynamic range.
The need is met according to the present invention by providing a method of producing a compressed image from a full resolution sparsely sampled extended dynamic range image produced by a sparsely sampled extended dynamic range image sensing device having fast photosites with a predetermined response to a light exposure for producing fast pixel values, and slow photosites with a slower response to the same light exposure for producing slow pixel values, that includes the steps of: providing a full resolution sparsely sampled extended dynamic range image; separating the full resolution sparsely sampled image into a fast image comprising only fast pixel values and a slow image comprising only slow pixel values; and separately compressing the fast image and the slow image.
The advantage of the present invention is that the compression technique described herein explicitly takes advantage of the unique arrangement of photosites on an imaging sensor having fast photosites with a predetermined response to a light exposure and slow pixel values derived from slow photosites with a slower response to the same light exposure in order to more efficiently compress a digital image from such a sensor.

Method for compressing an image from a sparsely sampled extended dynamic range image sensing device


A multibeam scanning optical apparatus incluses a controller which specifies laser diodes which are emitting light normally and arranged in a continuous row, a memory having a plurality of area in which image data are stored, a write-in controller which causes image data for each line to be written into only areas of memory corresponding to the specified laser diodes when any of the laser diodes suffers a failure, a read-out controller which causes the image data for each line to be read out simultaneously from the areas of memory corresponding to the specified laser diodes and a driver which performs light emission control only with respect to the specified laser diodes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multibeam scanning optical apparatus and a multibeam image forming apparatus. It particularly relates to a multibeam scanning optical apparatus and a multibeam image forming apparatus for forming an image on a photosensitive member by irradiating the photosensitive member with a plurality of beams at predetermined intervals in the secondary scanning direction.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, in the field of an image forming apparatus utilizing electrophotography, there are provided various multibeam image forming apparatuses for forming an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive member by using a scanning optical unit incorporating an array of light emitting elements capable of emitting a plurality of beams simultaneously. In such an apparatus, the number of revolutions of a deflector (polygon mirror) and the pixel clock frequency are suppressed by simultaneously emitting a plurality of beams at predetermined intervals in the secondary scanning direction, and the system speed is increased to improve the print productivity per unit time.
However, when at least one of the light emitting elements suffers a failure, the use of the multibeam light emitting element array while enjoying its original function is impossible. In such a case, the operation of the apparatus need be stopped, and the scanning optical unit need be replaced.
To solve the above problem, in the image forming apparatus disclosed in Japan Patent Laid Open Publication No. 2001-353897, image forming for a text document is continued even when one of the multibeam light emitting elements suffers a light emission failure, because such a lack of one beam does not exert a significant influence on the outputted image. In the disclosed apparatus, on the other hand, image forming for a photo document is not allowed when such a failure occurs, because it causes a noticeable defect on the outputted image.
In the above image forming apparatus, however, an image is formed while lacking one beam. Therefore, even in the case of a text document, deterioration in the outputted image is inevitable. Further, since the image forming operation cannot be continued in the case of a photo document, the apparatus cannot be used for an urgent matter. Furthermore, the apparatus cannot address the situation in which a plurality of beams are lacked. Moreover, the failure in just one of the light emitting elements eventually necessitates the replacement of the scanning optical unit, which is not economical.

Multibeam scanning optical apparatus and multibeam image forming apparatus

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.


A folding frame and a folding vehicle are provided. The folding frame includes a cross beam, a pillar, and a supporting column; the cross beam includes a front beam and a rear beam. A rear-end bottom of the front beam is rotationally connected to a front-end bottom of the rear beam so that the two can be vertically folded. An angle between a rotational axis of the front beam and a central axis of the rear beam is an acute angle. The supporting column includes a front column and a rear column, the front column is inserted in the front beam to cooperate, the front column is rotationally connected to the rear column, and the rear column is rotationally connected to the pillar. The front beam and the rear beam are vertically folded, and then they will not spontaneously rotate to fold in the riding process, possessing relatively good reliability.

For folding frames in the prior art, the frame is usually horizontally rotated to fold, so that front and rear wheels are folded from left and right, thus reducing the space occupied. This folding manner requires fixation after the frame is unfolded so as to prevent sideway shaking in a riding process. Since vibration will occur in the riding process, a fixed structure is easy to loosen, so as to bring about safety risks. Moreover, the operation of the fixed structure is relatively complex, and is not beneficial to use. Furthermore, this folding structure lacks effective support in an unfolded state, and the stability thereof is relatively poor.