A micro-iris unit may include: a support member disposed on a transparent substrate to form a fluid accommodating space in a central portion of the transparent substrate; a first fluid provided in the fluid accommodating space; and a second fluid provided in the fluid accommodating space and being movable by an electrical field or electromagnetic force. A side surface of the support member may include flexures or concave-convex portions to allow an area of contact with the first fluid or the second fluid to be significantly increased.

The present disclosure relates to a micro-iris unit allowing an amount of light passing therethrough to be easily adjusted and a camera module including the same.
A micro-iris unit is mounted in a camera module to adjust an amount of light incident on an image sensor disposed therein. A micro-iris unit may have a structure utilizing an electro-wetting scheme using a liquid by way of example. Such an iris unit utilizing an electro-wetting scheme adjusts a size of an aperture by partially dispersing the liquid using an electrical field or electrical force.
However, since such an iris unit according to the related art may not have a structure allowing for the liquid therein to be stably maintained in place in the case that the aperture is in an opened state, the size of the aperture may be altered by flowing of the liquid.

Micro-iris unit and camera module including the same


The present invention describes an improved side-sealing machine for use with heat sealable films. Briefly, a cutting and sealing element is located between a set of cooperating guide and alignment members. The downstream guide and alignment member also includes a compression mechanism. This compression mechanism serves to compress the seal created upstream, and to draw the heat away from the film. In some embodiments, the downstream guide and alignment member also serves to separate the film into a surplus portion and a remaining portion, where only the remaining portion is subjected to compression.

Machines used to wrap and seal articles and packages in thermoplastic film are well known in the art. Two types of machines are commonly referred to as side-sealing and lap-sealing machines. In the typical side-sealing configuration, an article or set of articles travels, typically via a conveyer belt, toward the machine. A sheet of center-folded plastic film, having two layers, is fed from a direction which is preferably perpendicular to the direction of the conveyer. The two layers of the film are then separated such that the article is placed between the lower layer and the upper layer. On one side of the article is the center-fold, while on the other side, there is an open edge where the two layers are not attached. The machine has a side sealing mechanism, which typically comprises several sets of belts to hold and guide the film, a heating/sealing element that fuses or welds the two free layers together and a cutting element that removes the excess material. Thus, as the article passes by the side sealing mechanism, this open edge is sealed by welding the two layers together, the plastic is cut and the waste is removed and discarded. At this point, the plastic film resembles a tube, with openings at both the leading and trailing ends of the article, but sealed along both sides. As the article continues to advance, an end sealing mechanism is then employed to seal the film at the leading end of the article. The article is further advanced and the end sealing mechanism then seals the film at the trailing end of the article.
The sealing and cutting performed by the side sealing unit can be done in a variety of ways. Some of these methods include hot air, hot knife, hot wire, band sealing and hot wheel. The first three approaches (hot air, hot knife and hot wire) accomplish the cutting and sealing processes without the use of pressure. In contrast, the band system compresses the film between two hot blocks and then a cut is made subsequent to the sealing process. Finally, the hot wheel system includes a heated wheel with a blade in the center that cuts the film.
In addition to high quality seals, the throughput of the system is also a concern. Many different types of sealing and cutting processes can be used, which perform well at low speeds, such as less than 40 feet per minute. However, at high speeds, such as 60 feet per minute, it becomes difficult to create good quality seals. This problem is exacerbated by thicker films, which require more heat to properly seal, and are obviously more difficult to cut through.
A side sealing machine that can operate at high speed and perform high quality seals, even on thick films, would be very beneficial. Such a machine would allow increased throughput and higher quality. In addition, a method of cutting and sealing a film which allows high quality seals and high throughput would be advantageous.

Side sealing module with seal compression


A chopper, or crusher (1) for breaking up ice, including a housing (2, 3) able to be pushed over the goods to be broken up and with a knife (5) with a blade having a toothed cutter (52) is provided. An upper housing part (2) is detachably connectable to a beaker-like housing lower part (3) closed at the bottom. In a preferred embodiment, the height HK of the blade (51), the height of the beaker HB and the maximum vertical path of the knife (5) limited by an actuation mechanism (4) are selected and matched to one another such that the cutter (52) in its lowermost position does not come into contact with the beaker base (31).

Onion and vegetable choppers are known from EP-B-0'345'223 and WO01/58652 of the applicant. They comprise a housing able to be pushed over the product to be broken up and a knife which is guided in the housing and which may be displaced against the force of a spring by means of an actuating mechanism comprising a push button and a plunger. The knife comprises a cylindrical axle or rod on whose lower end a plate-like knife holder is seated. On the lower side of the knife holder there are fastened one or more downwardly projecting blades which in a plan view are mostly wave-shaped or star-shaped. The knife may be displaced downwards against the force of the spring until the blade has completely penetrated the material to be chopped and abuts the base plate of the chopper. For the perfect functioning of all known choppers it is important that the lower cutters or cutting edges of the blades lie exactly in a horizontal plane.
Although such choppers are not designed for this, ice cubes are often cut up with known choppers in order to obtain finer pieces of ice for cocktails, drinks or for preparing foodstuffs. The chopping of ice may very easily blunt or bend the known blades. Bent blades jam very quickly with the scrapers, thereby significantly compromising the functioning ability of the chopper.
It is therefore the object of the invention to provide an apparatus which alleviates these disadvantages.


A filter module, has an excellent high temperature and high humidity resistance. The filter module includes an optical filter assembly including multilayer filters and transparent members that is dropped into a bore formed in a metallic base. An adhesive4 is injected into a space between an inner wall of the bore and side surfaces of the optical filter assembly such that the edges of bonding surfaces of the multilayer filters and the transparent members are completely covered.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a filter module, an optical module and a method for fabricating the same, and more particularly, to a filter module in which an optical filter fixed to a metallic base is assembled and an optical module in which an optoelectronic device is mounted on the filter module, each having a high temperature and high humidity resistance, and a method for fabricating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
An optical filter assembly comprises multilayer filters bonded to a plurality of multilayer optical glass layers.
FIG. 4A is a schematic side view of a conventional optical filter assembly. The optical filter assembly 100 shown in FIG. 4A comprises a first multilayer filter 105, a second multilayer filter 106, a third multilayer filter 107, and a fourth multilayer filter 108 arranged in a single layer, and all optical wavelength reflecting film filter 109 opposed to the layer of the first to fourth multilayer filters 105 to 108. Herein, the first to fourth multilayer filters 105 to 108 are four kinds of the multilayer filters having different transmission wavelengths (or wavelength bands).
Herein, FIG. 4B is a schematic perspective view of a multilayer filter. Each of the first to fourth multilayer filters 105 to 108 is construed by forming a multilayer film 111 on one side of an optical glass plate 110 as shown in FIG. 4B.
In addition, the all optical wavelength reflecting film filter 109 is formed by providing a reflecting film 113 on one side of a first optical glass plate 112. On an extended line of the first to fourth multilayer filters 105 to 108 arranged in the single layer, second and third optical glass plates 114, 115 that having no special optical characteristic with respect to the optical wavelength are disposed. In concrete, the first to fourth multilayer filters 105 to 108 are sandwiched between the second and third optical glass plates 114 and 115. Further, another side of the first to fourth multilayer filters 105 to 108 arranged in the single layer is covered with a fourth optical glass plate 116. Namely, the single layer of the first to fourth multilayer filters 105 to 108 is covered with the all optical wavelength reflecting film filter 109 at its one side and covered with the fourth optical glass plate 116 at its opposite side.
In addition, an adhesive is used for bonding the respective optical glass plates each other. Of course, the adhesive is transparent with respect to the optical wavelengths.
In the optical filter assembly 100, when an optical wavelength multiplexed signal C (hereinafter referred as "light C") is incident to a predetermined point of the fourth optical glass plate 116 with a predetermined incident angle as shown in FIG. 4A, the light C is transmitted through the fourth optical glass plate 116 and the second optical glass plate 114 and reflected back at the reflecting film 113 of the all optical wavelength reflecting film optical filter 109. The reflected light (i.e. a first reflected light) is incident on the first multilayer filter 105, then only a light having a specific transmission wavelength is transmitted through the first multilayer filter 105, and a light having other wavelength is reflected back at the multilayer film of the first multilayer filter 105. The reflected light (i.e. a second reflected light) is reflected back at a point which is advanced with respect to the reflecting point of the reflecting film 113 of the all optical wavelength reflecting film optical filter 109. When the reflected light (i.e. a third reflected light) is incident on the second multilayer filter 106, only a light having a specific transmission wavelength is transmitted through the second multilayer filter 106, and the light having other wavelength is reflected back at the multilayer film of the second multilayer filter 106.
As described above, the lights having different wavelengths are sequentially transmitted in the selective manner. Therefore, the optical wavelength multiplexed signal is divided into optical signals having optical wavelengths (or wavelength bands) different from each other. Further, if the optical signals having the optical wavelengths different from each other are incident to the optical filter assembly 100 in a reverse optical path, the optical signals having different optical wavelengths are multiplexed to provide an optical wavelength multiplexed signal. In other words, this optical filter assembly 100 may be used as an optical multiplexer-demultiplexer.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-313140 (JP-A-2002-313140) discloses a conventional type transparent conductive film, optical filter and its manufacturing method.
In general, when optical components made of glass are incorporated in an optical communication apparatus such as optical transceiver, spectroscopic analyzer or other optical apparatuses, the glass made portion is not directly fixed to a housing of the optical apparatus. Normally, the optical component is previously fixed to a stay member to provide an optical assembly then the optical assembly is installed in the housing of the optical apparatus, thereby facilitating the assembling of the optical apparatus. Herein, it is easy and simple to use the adhesive to fix the optical components to the stay member of the housing.
However, according to a configuration in which the optical filter assembly is fixed by the adhesive to the stay member of the housing, there is a disadvantage in that the adhesive may be broken away in case where the optical apparatus is exposed to a high temperature and high humidity environment for a long time.
In the optical filter assembly per se, the adhesive used for bonding the respective optical glass plates may be exfoliated (i.e. broken away) under the above circumstances. If the moisture or air bubbles intrude into a bonding surface of the optical glass plate or a space between the bonding surface of the optical glass plate and the multilayer filter in accordance with the exfoliation (break away) of the adhesive, the optical characteristics of the optical multiplexer-demultiplexer will be fluctuated.
FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of a part of the optical filter assembly 100 in a deteriorated state when viewed through an upper surface.
As shown in FIG. 5, when a single piece of the optical filter assembly 100 is observed after conducting the high temperature and high humidity test, it can be confirmed that bubbles 151 are intruded into the bonding surfaces between the first optical glass plate 112 and the second multilayer filter 106, and the fourth optical glass plate 116 and the second multilayer filter 106, respectively. Since the bubbles 151 are concentrated along side surfaces S1 that are contacting the edges of the bonding surfaces, it is presumed that the bubbles 51 are intruded from the side surfaces S1 into the bonding surfaces.

Filter module, optical module and method for fabricating the same


High performance (surface channel) CMOS devices with a mid-gap work function metal gate are disclosed wherein an epitaxial layer is used for a threshold voltage Vt adjust/decrease for the PFET area, for large Vt reductions (xcx9c500 mV), as are required by CMOS devices with a mid-gap metal gate. The present invention provides counter doping using an in situ B doped epitaxial layer or a B and C co-doped epitaxial layer, wherein the C co-doping provides an additional degree of freedom to reduce the diffusion of B (also during subsequent activation thermal cycles) to maintain a shallow B profile, which is critical to provide a surface channel CMOS device with a mid-gap metal gate while maintaining good short channel effects. The B diffusion profiles are satisfactorily shallow, sharp and have a high B concentration for devices with mid-gap metal gates, to provide and maintain a thin, highly doped B layer under the gate oxide.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to high performance CMOS device structures with a mid-gap metal gate, and more particularly pertains to high performance CMOS device structures with a mid-gap work function metal gate wherein an epitaxial layer is used for a threshold voltage Vt adjust/decrease for the PFET area, for large Vt reductions (xcx9c500 mV), as are required by CMOS devices with a mid-gap metal gate.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The problems and issues associated with the design of CMOS devices with a mid-gap work function metal gate are well known and recognized in the prior art (e.g. E. Josse and T. Skotnicki, IEDM 1999).
In the fabrication of high performance CMOS devices with ultra-thin gate dielectrics and polysilicon gates, the depletion layer formed in the polysilicon gate in inversion bias becomes a significant fraction of the gate capacitance and degrades the device performance.
The use of a metal gate in these CMOS devices alleviates this problem. Two different metals with appropriate workfunctions can be used, a first metal with a first workfuction for the PFET area and a second metal with a second workfunction for the NFET area. However, this approach adds significant cost and complexity to the process. Alternatively, the same metal can be used for the gate of both the PFET area and NFET area with a mid-gap workfunction. For CMOS mid-gap workfunction metal gates, the threshold voltage Vt for both the PFET area and the NFET area become unacceptably high. The threshold voltage has to be adjusted downwardly by adding p-type dopant to the surface of the PFET area and n-type dopant to the surface of the NEFT area.
The present invention provides high performance (surface channel) CMOS devices with a mid-gap work function metal gate, and is applicable to 0.1 um technology structures. Pursuant to the present invention, an epitaxial layer is used for a threshold voltage Vt adjust/decrease for the PFET area, for large Vt reductions (xcx9c500 mV), as are required by CMOS devices with a mid-gap metal gate. The present invention provides counter doping using an in situ boron (B) doped epitaxial layer or a B and carbon (C) co-doped epitaxial layer, wherein the C co-doping provides an additional degree of freedom to reduce the diffusion of B (also during subsequent activation thermal cycles) to maintain a shallow B profile, which is critical to provide a surface channel CMOS device with a mid-gap metal gate while maintaining good short channel effects. The present invention produces B diffusion profiles in an epitaxial layer of B doped silicon or B and C co-doped silicon on the PFET area of the CMOS devices. The B diffusion profiles are satisfactorily shallow, sharp and have a high B concentration for devices with mid-gap metal gates, to provide and maintain a thin, highly doped B layer under the gate oxide.
A further object of the subject invention is the provision of a method of fabricating mid-gap metal gate CMOS devices with good short channel effects wherein an epitaxial layer is used for a threshold voltage Vt adjust/decrease for the PFET area, for large Vt reductions (xcx9c500 mV), as are required by CMOS devices with a mid-gap metal gate.

High performance CMOS device structure with mid-gap metal gate

International Business Machines Corporation


Implementations for generating test plans for testing computer products based on product usage data are described. An example method may include obtaining, by a processing device, data associated with usage of a computer product, identifying, from the obtained data, a first set of parameters relevant to testing the computer product and a first set of values corresponding to the first set of parameters, comparing, by the processing device, the first set of parameters and the first set of values to a second set of parameters and a second set of values associated with a test plan to test the computer product, and generating, by the processing device, a modified version of the test plan in view of the comparison.

Application lifecycle management (ALM) refers to the product lifecycle management, including governance, development, maintenance, and decommissioning, of a computer product from inception to retirement of the computer product. ALM can include requirements management, product development, quality assurance, change management, release management, etc. As part of the ALM quality assurance efforts, the provider of the computer product generally performs various testing of the computer products in order to continue to deliver accurate and satisfactory functionalities.

Generating test plans for testing computer products based on product usage data


A method and apparatus for evolving a shared to-do list into a business process is disclosed. A business process includes one or more business steps and zero or more action rules related to the business steps. Members of a workgroup participate in the business process and are able to view, modify, add and delete business steps and action rules as needed. An action rule is comprised of one or more business actions and one or more events that trigger the actions to be executed. A computer program keeps track of the business steps, interprets the set of rules, and updates states of the business process, notifies the members and validates and accepts modifications by the members to the action rules of a business steps.

The present invention relates generally to the field of business process automation and more specifically to methods and apparatus of evolving shared to-do lists into business processes.
Collaborative work requires execution of tasks by members of a workgroup and communication among the members. The collaborative tasks may be in the form of a shared list of to-do tasks. Shared lists of to-dos can be found in a variety of software programs, including Lotus Notes™ and Domino™, Lotus Connections™ (http://www.lotus.com/connections), Basecamp™ software program by 37signals® (http://www.basecamphq.com/), and Microsoft Outlook™ and Microsoft Exchange™, and Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services™ by Microsoft®. Typical capabilities of the prior art programs include assigning a to-do to somebody, setting a due date, and checking it as done: but it usually does not go beyond this. No email or other communication provision is available at the completion of a task. Each to-do item typically stands alone and cannot affect other to-dos, such as changing the deadline of one item if the deadline of another changes.
A prior art method for managing and sharing a business process among multiple users includes constructing a business process as a diagrammatic connection of several tasks. The connection thus establishes a workflow for the business process; such workflow, i.e., organization of business steps, is created before the business process is executed. The diagrammatic representation and execution may be achieved in authoring tools that represent the process in a commonly used programming language, such as the Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) available at (http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/wsbpel/). The workflow is created ahead of time by people who analyze the work to be done and design a workflow and is distributed "one way" from designers of the workflow to the users of the workflow. The workflow pre-determines the steps people will take, allowing little variation. This scheme lacks the flexibility to allow users to modify the workflow to adapt to specific work situations they encounter.
Bug tracking systems such as Bugzilla™ (http://www.bugzilla.org/) are more sophisticated. In addition to being marked "done" or "not done", a bug or an issue in a bug tracking system can usually be in one of several states, such as "fixed", "invalid", or "won't fix", and there is a discussion thread associated with each item. The system e-mails any change in a bug's state to the people who submitted and were assigned to the bug, and some systems allow anyone to add themselves to the notification list. The bug tracking system can also e-mail a member of a project about any change in any bug in the whole project. However, there is little flexibility in customizing these notifications. However, no notification facility is available if a particular bug is marked "fixed" or when a bug is overdue.
Microsoft BizTalk (http://www.microsoft.com/biztalk/), a business process management server, allows the behavior of processes to be specified using either a general workflow language or through English-like rules, which state that something should happen when a certain event is detected. However, a programmer must define the vocabulary of the rules ahead of time to fit their particular application. Commercially available e-mail programs such as Microsoft Outlook (http://office.microsoft.com/outlook/) allow the user to specify rules for handling incoming mail, such as moving all messages from a particular person to a certain folder. The user interface for these rules tend to consist of a mixture of drop-down lists and text boxes, which makes it easy to create a rule but tedious to create many similar rules or copy and paste rules. An example of prior art programs is Lotus Quickr™.
One practical problem with following business processes is that users do not have opportunities to make real time changes. In addition, the prior art techniques require user to learn a new set of rules and do not allow flexibility to a user to create new rules for execution of tasks. A better approach is needed.

Method for evolving shared to-do lists into business processes

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A method for programming a phase-change memory array and circuit of a phase-change memory device, each having a plurality of phase-change memory cells, may enable all the phase-change memory cells therein to be changed or set at a set resistance state, and may reduce the time needed to change the phase-change memory array to the set resistance state. In the method, a set current pulse having first through nth stages may be applied to the cells of the array to change the cells to the set resistance state. A minimum current level of the set current pulse applied to the phase-change memory cells in any stage may be higher than a reference current level for the cells of the array. A given current level of the set current pulse may be sequentially reduced from stage to stage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to a method and circuit for programming a phase-change memory array to a set state.
2. Description of the Related Art
Phase-change random access memories (PRAMs) are non-volatile memory devices that store data using a phase-change material, such as a chalcogenide (e.g., Ge—Sb—Te (GST)), the electric resistance of which varies upon a phase transition between two states that is caused by a change in temperature. PRAMs have many of the advantages of both volatile memories such as dynamic random access memories (DRAMs) and non-volatile memories, at a generally lower power consumption.
If current flows through a phase-change material during a write operation, for example, the phase-change material may change back and forth between a crystalline state and an amorphous state. As an example, a phase-change material may be heated to its melting point by applying a relatively high current pulse to the phase-change material for a relatively short duration of time. The phase-change material may then be rapidly cooled, which changes the phase-change material to a highly resistive, amorphous state. If the phase-change material layer in the rest state is cooled by applying a relatively low current pulse, the phase-change material may be changed to a lower resistive, crystalline state.
Thus, the final state depends on the amount of current and/or duration that current flows through the phase-change material. A relatively large current flowing through the phase-change material for a relatively short time (referred to as a 'reset current' or reset current pulse') changes the phase-change material from a crystalline state to an amorphous state. The amorphous state may be referred to as a 'reset state' corresponding to data having a logic level value of "1". A current smaller than the reset current that is flowing through the phase-change material for a relatively longer duration changes the phase-change material from the amorphous state back to the crystalline state. The crystalline state may be referred to as a 'set state' corresponding to data having a logic level value of "0".
The resistance of the phase-change material in the reset state is greater than the resistance of the phase-change material in the set state. A memory cell that is initially in a set state may thus be changed to a reset state by flowing a reset current through the phase-change material to heat the phase-change material above its melting temperature, and then quickly quenching the heated phase-change material, as described above. The memory cell initially in a reset state may be changed to a set state by flowing a set current through the phase-change material to heat the phase-change material above its crystallizing temperature, maintaining the current for a given period of time, and then cooling the phase-change material.
FIG. 1 is a graph illustrating a conventional current pulse used for writing data to a phase-change material. In a conventional method of writing data, as shown in FIG. 1, a relatively high current pulse may be applied to a phase-change material for a relatively short duration to melt the phase-change material. The phase-change material is then cooled fast to change the state of the phase-change material to an amorphous state (i.e., a reset state). Alternatively, a relatively lower current pulse is applied to the phase-change material for a relatively longer duration (as shown in FIG. 1) to heat the phase-change material at a temperature that is greater than the crystallizing temperature of the phase-change material, so as to change the phase-change material to a crystalline state (i.e., a set state).
However, in a memory array having a plurality of phase-change memory cells, parasitic resistances may vary among the individual or groups of phase-change memory cells, depending on cell arrangements within the memory array. Further, signal loads may vary on lines connected to the phase-change memory cells, and reset currents may vary among the phase-change memory cells due to, for example, differences in manufacturing processes as the area of the memory array increases. If the reset currents vary between or among different memory cells, set currents also vary among the memory cells.
Consequently, the level or amount of the set current pulses used to change the memory cells to a set state may vary between memory cells of the memory array. This may be undesirable, since it is impossible to change all the memory cells in the memory array to a set state using one set current. In other words, if one set current is applied, some of the memory cells may change to a set state, but other memory cells may actually change to a reset state. Also, resistance values may vary among the memory cells that do change to the set state. This may cause errors in phase-change memory array operation.
FIG. 2 is a graph showing the relationship between current applied to the phase-change memory cells and the resistance of the phase-change memory cells. Referring to FIG. 2, three memory cells (A, B, and C) exemplifying given memory cells of the phase-change memory array will be described as an example of the relationship between the current applied to phase-change memory cells and the resistance of the phase-change memory cells. The memory cells A, B, and C each have different reset/set current curves. The memory cell A is a 'high' set current cell, the memory cell B is an 'intermediate' set current cell, and the memory cell C is a 'low' set current cell. The graph of FIG. 2 illustrates that the amounts or levels of current needed to change the memory cells A, B, and C to a set resistance state vary among memory cells A, B, and C.
If a current corresponding to a voltage (i) shown in FIG. 2 is applied to the memory cells, the memory cell A can change to a set resistance state (as it is within a set window or that enables memory cell A to be changed to a set state), but the memory cells B and C remain in a reset state (resistance values too high). Further, the memory cells B and C have different reset resistances. As a result, since the phase-change cells of the array require different currents to change to a set state, one set current cannot be used to change all the memory cells of the array into a set state.

Method for programming phase-change memory array to set state and circuit of a phase-change memory device


System and method for decoding variable-length codes. A variable-length decoder includes an address generator and a local memory unit. The local memory stores a variable-length code look-up table. The local memory can be programmed to include a look-up table supporting substantially any decoding algorithm. In one embodiment, a decoder memory unit and a system memory unit are employed together with the local memory to store a codeword look-up table. The shortest codes are stored in local memory, the next shortest in decoder memory, and the longest codes are stored in system memory. A multistage search algorithm is employed to search for the longest codes. The address generator generates the address of the code table to be searched by adding the value of the bits to be searched to a base address.

The following U.S. patent applications are related to the present application and are hereby specifically incorporated by reference: patent application Ser. No. 10/114,798, entitled xe2x80x9cVIDEO DECODING SYSTEM SUPPORTING MULTIPLE STANDARDSxe2x80x9d; patent application Ser. No. 10/114,679, entitled xe2x80x9cMETHOD OF OPERATING A VIDEO DECODING SYSTEMxe2x80x9d; patent application Ser. No. 10/114,797, entitled xe2x80x9cMETHOD OF COMMUNICATING BETWEEN MODULES IN A DECODING SYSTEMxe2x80x9d; patent application Ser. No. 10/114,886, entitled xe2x80x9cMEMORY SYSTEM FOR VIDEO DECODING SYSTEMxe2x80x9d; patent application Ser. No. 10/114,619, entitled xe2x80x9cINVERSE DISCRETE COSINE TRANSFORM SUPPORTING MULTIPLE DECODING PROCESSESxe2x80x9d; and patent application Ser. No. 10/113,094, entitled xe2x80x9cRISC PROCESSOR SUPPORTING ONE OR MORE UNINTERRUPTIBLE CO-PROCESSORSxe2x80x9d; all filed on Apr. 1, 2002. The following Provisional U.S. Patent Applications are also related to the present application and are hereby specifically incorporated by reference: Provisional Patent Application No. 60/369,144, entitled xe2x80x9cVIDEO DECODING SYSTEM HAVING A PROGRAMMABLE VARIABLE LENGTH DECODERxe2x80x9d; Provisional Patent Application No. 60/369,210 entitled xe2x80x9cDMA ENGINE HAVING MULTI-LEVEL COMMAND STRUCTURExe2x80x9d; and Provisional Patent Application No. 60/369,217, entitled xe2x80x9cINVERSE QUANTIZER SUPPORTING MULTIPLE DECODING PROCESSESxe2x80x9d; all filed on Apr. 1, 2002.
The present invention relates generally to video decoding systems, and, more particularly, to variable-length decoding.
Generally, large amounts of data being compressed and decompressed for numerous reasons, including transmission, storage, retrieval, and processing use at some stage means of variable-length coding, such as Huffman coding. Huffman coding was originally disclosed by D. A. Huffman in an article xe2x80x9cA Method for the Construction of Minimum Redundancy Codesxe2x80x9d Proc. IRE, 40: 1098, 1952. Huffman coding is a widely used technique for lossless data compression that achieves compact data representation by taking advantage of the statistical characteristics of the source. The Huffman code is a prefix-free variable-length code that assures that a code is uniquely decodable. In Huffman code, no codeword is the prefix of any other codeword. The run-length processed data are often subsequently coded by variable-length coding for further data compression.
Variable-length encoding allocates codes of different lengths to different input data according to the probability of occurrence of the input data, so that statistically, more frequent input codes are allocated shorter codes than the less frequent codes. The less frequent input codes are allocated longer codes. The allocation of codes may be done either statically or adaptively. For the static case, the same output code is provided for a given input datum, no matter what block of data is being processed. For the adaptive case, output codes are assigned to input data based on a statistical analysis of a particular input block or set of blocks of data, and possibly changes from block to block (or from a set of blocks to a set of blocks).
The combination of run-length coding and Huffman coding has been adopted in most compression/decompression standards. However, every standard has its own Huffman tables and run-length definitions. In principle, a programmable decoding table could be implemented by a random access memory (RAM) unit. However, it would require a 2{circumflex over ( )}16 word RAM (if the longest length of a codeword is 16 bits) which would be very wasteful. It is much more efficient to use a content addressable memory (CAM) whose sizes are determined only by the number of codebook entries. However, if it were implemented by CAM, it would result in a circuit much larger and complicated than a circuit using only a small RAM. Thus there is a need for a simple and flexible variable-length decoder that can speedily and efficiently decode variable length codes of varying standards.
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.
One aspect of the present invention is directed to a data decoding system having a variable-length decoder (VLD) and an external memory unit. The variable-length decoder includes an address generator and a local memory unit. The address generator receives data from the data stream and generates a memory address at which to search for a codeword match in a VLD look-up table. The local memory unit stores at least a portion of the VLD look-up table. The external memory unit is external to the variable-length decoder and stores a portion of the VLD look-up table if the VLD look-up table does not fit entirely within the local memory unit.
Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a method of decoding a variable-length code data stream. Pursuant to the method, a base memory address is set equal to a start address. Then the next n bits in the data stream are retrieved. A memory location having an address equal to the sum of the base address, plus the value of the n retrieved bits, is accessed. The memory location includes status data indicating whether a codeword from the data stream is matched with its corresponding information. Each memory location that represents a codeword match includes the corresponding information. Each memory location that does not include a codeword match includes an offset value. If a codeword is matched with its corresponding information, the corresponding information is output, the base address is set equal to the start address, and the data in the data stream is shifted by a number of the retrieved bits that correspond to the outputted information. If a codeword is not matched with its corresponding information, the base address is set according to the offset value, and the data in the data stream is shifted n bits. This process, beginning with the retrieval of the next n bits in the data stream, is iteratively repeated.
Another aspect of the present invention is directed to another method of decoding a variable-length code data stream. Pursuant to this method, a first memory element is designated a memory element to be searched. Then the next n bits in the data stream are retrieved. A designated memory location in the memory element to be searched is accessed. The memory location includes status data indicating whether a codeword from the data stream is matched with its corresponding information. Each memory location that represents a codeword match includes the corresponding information. Each memory location that does not include a codeword match includes a next-search-location indicator indicating a memory element at which to perform the next search. If a codeword is matched with its corresponding information, the corresponding information is output, the first memory element is designated the memory element to be searched, and the data in the data stream is shifted by a number of the retrieved bits that correspond to the outputted information. If a codeword is not matched with its corresponding information, the memory element indicated by the next-search indicator is designated the memory element to be searched, and the data in the data stream is shifted n bits. This process, beginning with the retrieval of the next n bits in the data stream, is iteratively repeated.
It is understood that other embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein embodiments of the invention are shown and described only by way of illustration of the best modes contemplated for carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments and its several details are capable of modification in various other respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.


Data transfer using flexible dynamic elastic network service provider relationships is provided. A relationship is dynamically established with an elastic network service provider of multiple available elastic network service providers to transfer a portion of the set of data to the target. Peering policies for each of the multiple elastic network service providers are checked, where a respective peering policy for each elastic network service provider includes respective bandwidth pricing information. Based on the bandwidth pricing information for each of the plurality of elastic network service providers, an elastic network service provider and a schedule are selected to use in transferring the portion to the target. The elastic network service provider is used in transferring the portion to the target, which includes dynamically configuring elastic network bandwidth allocation from the elastic network service provider and initiating transfer of the portion to the target according to the selected schedule.

Aspects described herein relate to configuration of network features, and more particularly to configuring elastic network features for transfer of data. Bandwidth is conventionally provisioned to meet a projected peak data demand and paid for over the course of a contract that may stretch for several years. Peak demand may occur relatively infrequently, resulting in over-provisioning for a significant amount of time. This over-provisioning of the bandwidth results in excess costs to a customer who is paying for unused bandwidth over the course of the contract.
An attempt to lower costs by provisioning less bandwidth over the course of the contract is largely ineffective because of expensive overcharges when peak demand exceeds the amount of bandwidth provisioned. Bandwidth considerations and costs are especially important in large data center applications, such as data mirroring or backup, where the amount of data being transferred, and therefore the resulting bandwidth consumption, is potentially massive.


Method and apparatus for providing Mobile internet protocol (IP) service through a network address translation gateway. In one example, a gateway between a local area network (LAN) and a wide area network (WAN) is provided. A foreign agent (FA) module is configured to advertise a care-of address (CoA) on the LAN and process registration and mobile IP communication traffic on the LAN and the WAN side of the gateway. A control module is configured to identify the registration and the mobile IP communication traffic on the LAN and the WAN. The control module sends mobile IP traffic to the FA and other traffic to a network address translation (NAT) module. In this manner, network address translation of mobile IP traffic is advantageously omitted. This allows the IP-in-IP tunnels used by mobile IP to pass through the gateway.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to packet network communication and routing and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for providing Mobile internet protocol (IP) service through a network address translation gateway.
2. Description of the Background Art
Mobile internet protocol (IP) is an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard communications protocol that is designed to allow mobile device users to move from one network to another while maintaining the same IP address. Mobile IP is described in IETF RFC 3344, published August 2002 and incorporated by reference herein. Mobile IP provides an efficient, scalable mechanism for node mobility within the Internet. Using Mobile IP, nodes may change their point-of-attachment to the Internet without changing their IP address, which allows them to maintain transport and higher-layer connections while moving. As such, Mobile IP is a core technology that the cellular community plans on utilizing to allow mobile devices, such as, cell phones, personal digital assistants and wireless lap tops, to move seamlessly from one IP network to another.
Mobile IP utilizes home agents (HAs) and foreign agents (FAs), or HAs and a mobile node with Collocated Care of Address (CCOA) element. An HA is a router on a mobile node's home network which tunnels datagrams for delivery to the mobile node when it is away from home, and maintains current location information for the mobile node. A FA is a router on a mobile node's visited network which provides routing services to the mobile node while registered. The FA detunnels and delivers datagrams to the mobile node that were tunneled by the mobile node's home agent. For datagrams sent by a mobile node, the FA may serve as a default router for registered mobile nodes. A mobile node's CCOA provides the same function as an FA, but resides within the mobile node. Either FA or mobile node CCOA are used along with a HA.
When a mobile node detects that it has moved to a foreign network, it obtains a care-of address (COA) on the foreign network. The care-of address can be determined from FA or CCOA, depending in on which is being used. The mobile node operating away from home then registers its new care-of address with its HA through exchange of a Registration Request and Registration Reply message with it, possibly via a FA (if used). Datagrams sent to the mobile node's home address are intercepted by its HA, tunneled by the HA to the mobile node's COA, received at the tunnel endpoint (either at a FA or mobile node's CCOA), and finally delivered to the mobile node.
A basic assumption that Mobile IP makes is that FA or CCOA are uniquely identifiable by a globally routable IP address. This assumption breaks down when a mobile device attempts to communicate from behind a network address translation (NAT) gateway. Typically most home routers, wireless or otherwise, employ NATs (gateway router). IP devices which communicate from behind a NAT are reachable only through the NAT's public address or addresses. Mobile IP relies on sending traffic via IP-in-IP tunneling; however, IP-in-IP tunneling does not generally contain enough information to permit unique translation from common public addresses to particular care-of addresses (CoA) of an FA or CCOA which resides behind the NAT. In particular there are no transmission control protocol (TCP) or user datagram protocol (UDP) port numbers available for a NAT to work with. Therefore, IP-in-IP tunnels used by mobile IP generally cannot pass through a NAT.
Therefore, a need exists for a cost-effective method and apparatus for providing mobile IP service through a NAT gateway.

Method and apparatus for providing mobile IP service through a network address translation gateway


Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. A first user equipment (UE) may receive, from a second UE, a first control signal indicating a range value corresponding to a threshold distance for triggering feedback reporting from the first UE for transmissions from the second UE. The first UE may calculate a traversable distance corresponding to a traversable route between the first UE and the second UE, determine, based on the calculated traversable distance and the range value, whether the first UE is within the threshold distance for triggering feedback reporting, and perform, based on whether the first UE is within the threshold distance, a feedback procedure for the feedback reporting. The first UE may receive, from the second UE, a second control signal indicating a type of distance measurement corresponding to the threshold distance for triggering feedback reporting.

Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple-access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems which may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ technologies such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple-access communications system may include one or more base stations or one or more network access nodes, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiple communication devices, which may be otherwise known as user equipment (UE).
A first UE may fail receive a data signal but fail in successfully decoding the data signal. The first UE may provide feedback information to a second UE based on failing to successfully decode the data signal and a distance between the first UE and the second UE, and the distance may be a two dimensional or three dimensional distance. Current techniques for providing feedback information and calculating a distance between UEs may fail to utilize various information for calculating the distance.

Traversable distance based feedback report triggering


Methods and systems for preventing a user input device from controlling the user equipment are described herein. The method includes receiving, over a first communication path, by a user equipment, data indicative of a first request to restrict control by the user input device over the user equipment. The method includes disregarding a first command from the user input device response to receiving the first request. The method includes receiving, over the first communication path, data indicative of a second request to restore control by the user input device over the user equipment. The method includes receiving a second command from the user input device, the second command intended to alter a second setting of the user equipment, in response to receiving the second request. The method includes altering the second setting of the user equipment in response to receiving the second request and the second command.

Mechanisms for controlling media equipment are proliferating. For example, users can use remote controls, smart phones, tablets, computers, and vocal commands to control media equipment. Often, individuals in a household each have access to one or more of these devices that can all control the same media equipment. At present, there are specialized remote controls that can be enabled and disabled. However, there is no mechanism for controlling, at the media equipment, which devices and/or which users can control the media equipment.

Methods and systems for preventing a user input device from controlling user equipment


A liquid crystal on silicon device is described. The liquid crystal on silicon device includes a plurality of mirror electrodes, a transparent electrode, a liquid crystal material, and a plurality of microlenses. The plurality of mirror electrodes are arranged periodically to form an array of pixels, each pixel included in the array of pixels configurable to reflect incident light. The transparent electrode is optically aligned with the plurality of mirror electrodes. The liquid crystal material is disposed between the transparent electrode and the plurality of mirror electrodes. The plurality of microlenses are optically aligned with the plurality of mirror electrodes. Each microlens included in the plurality of microlenses is positioned to focus the incident light on a respective one of the plurality of mirror electrodes.

Liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) technology has been developed for image and video display applications, light modulation, and the like. This technology takes advantage of the electrically controllable light-modulating properties of liquid crystal materials while maintaining device compatibility with conventional silicon complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology and corresponding manufacturing techniques. LCOS devices may locally control liquid crystal molecular orientation to alter an amplitude, polarization, or phase of incident light to provide targeted functionality.
LCOS devices that alter a phase of incident light may be utilized as a spatial light modulator with applications in optical switching, beam steering, beam shaping, modal switching, holography, and the like. Additionally, LCOS devices that alter an amplitude or polarization of incident light may be utilized for reflective or transmissive displays including, but not limited to, projectors, near eye displays, and the like. Microdisplays, for example, are high pixel density displays useful for near to eye applications such as 3D augmented reality and/or virtual reality devices.

Liquid crystal on silicon device with microlens


The invention comprises a trunk for pickup trucks having a base with surrounding side walls and a horizontally slidable panel across the top of the box. The trunk is mounted on a pickup truck in the back behind the cab between the rear side panels of the truck. The trunk has guideway members along its front and rear side walls. The cover panel has cooperating guide members along its front and rear edge to enable the cover to slide off and on the trunk from either side of the box and truck. The guideway members are mounted in close proximity above the top edge of the rear side walls of the truck whereby the cover panel may slide over the side panels of the truck when opening and closing the trunk. The cover has an elongated handle bar along its front edge with downward projecting lug means at each end and for locking the cover closed over the box. The handle is slidable upward to raise the lugs above the side walls of the box to open the box by sliding the cover to one side or the other of the box and over one side wall or the other of the truck.

This invention relates to truck boxes, more particularly, the invention relates to trunks for mounting to pickup trucks.
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel trunk having horizontally slidable cover with the box adapted to be mounted to the back of a pickup truck and the cover is slidable to either side of the box and truck over the top of the sides of the truck for opening the box.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel trunk for mounting to the back of a pickup truck which can be opened and closed without interfering with the mounting of a fifth wheeler type camper which may be mounted to the truck.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel trunk for mounting to the back of a pickup truck which can be opened from either side.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:


A cash processing system capable of preventing erroneous operations by an operator during cash transfer processing and enabling the cash transfer to be executed efficiently. This system comprises a first cash processing machine for performing an outgoing cash transfer, a second cash processing machine for performing an incoming cash transfer, and a portable terminal. The portable terminal is equipped with a display unit, an operation unit for receiving input of cash transfer information, including cash information, and a communication processing unit. Upon receiving outgoing cash transfer information included in the cash transfer information from the portable terminal, the first cash processing machine pays out cash based on the outgoing cash transfer information. Upon receiving incoming cash transfer information included in the cash transfer information from the portable terminal, the second cash processing machine receives cash based on the incoming cash transfer information.

Typically, a cash processing system is installed in a store of a financial institution. Such a system includes a plurality of cash processing machines: for example a casher that manages cash in the store, automatic tellers machines (ATMs) that allow customers to operate these machines by themselves to input and output cash, teller machines (TMs) that allow tellers to operate teller terminals to accept and give cash, and money changers that automatically change money.
In such a cash processing system, cash is moved between two machines, that is, a moving money process is performed. For example, a process of removing cash from a casher (dispensing money) and of replenishing another cash processing machine, such as a money changer, with the cash (accepting money) is performed.
The moving money process by the cash processing system is typically performed as follows. First, an operator inputs moving money information through an operation panel into a cash processing machine serving as a moving money source (hereinafter called "moving money source apparatus"). The moving money information includes a moving money amount, the number on each denomination, information pertaining to the operator, and information pertaining to the cash processing machine serving as the moving money destination (hereinafter called "moving money destination apparatus"). After a dispensing money process by the operator is permitted at the moving money source apparatus, the input amount of cash can be dispensed. The moving money source apparatus dispenses the cash, and issues and outputs a moving money voucher on which the moving money information is written. The operator carries the cash and moves to the moving money destination apparatus, and inputs the moving money information through the operation panel of the moving money destination apparatus with reference to the moving money voucher. After an accepting money process by the operator is permitted at the moving money destination apparatus, cash can be input. Accordingly, the operator replenishes the apparatus with the cash. In the moving money destination apparatus, the inventory amount of the apparatus is updated on the basis of the input moving money information or of a result of counted replenished cash.
PTL 1 discloses a moving money processing system that transfers moving money data generated by a casher apparatus (moving money source apparatus) to a teller processing apparatus (moving money destination apparatus) and allows the teller processing apparatus to perform the moving money process based on the transferred moving money data. This moving money processing system negates the need of the voucher issuance and double input operations accompanying the moving money process. Consequently, the moving money process is simplified.

Cash processing system, cash processing method, portable terminal and cash processing machine


The present invention relates to a protease, and more specifically to a protease derived from Aranicola proteolyticus, a gene coding for said enzyme, a gene expression system for said protease, a process for purifying the protease, and the uses of said protease in industrial applications, such as for example, detergents, cosmetics, leather processing agents, chemicals for laboratory research, solubilizing or softening agents for food, meat modifier, feed or food additives, or oil and fat separating agents, as well as pharmaceutical compositions.

Protease is an enzyme which catalyzes hydrolysis of peptide bond in proteins or peptides, exists in all organisms and plays a variety of physiological roles. Most of proteases from microorganisms are secreted to the extracellular environment and their activities are inhibited or activated by carbon sources or nitrogen sources. In addition, most of microbial proteases have their origin to pathogenic microbes to animals or plants, or the proteases have a pathogenic property.
Microbial proteases are classified according to such characteristics as temperature, optimal pH, and the residues at the active site and have different industrial applications accordingly. For example, proteases are classified into thermostable, mesophilic or thermophilic based on temperature; into acidic, weak acidic, neutral or basic based on optimal pH; and into serine protease, cysteine protease, aspartate protease or metalloprotease based on the residues at the active site.
The enzymatic activity of proteases is regulated by metallic cations such as Ca2+, Zn2+, Mg2+, Mn2+ found at the active site of the enzymes. Most proteases are zinc-containing proteins in which zinc is essential for activity. The representative example for the protease is serrapeptase produced by Serratia marcescens(ATCC 21074) isolated from the intestine of Bombyx mori and this enzyme can be used as an anti-inflammatory agent because it has a fibrin degrading ability and a hydrolysis activity for bradykinin and histamine which are inflammatory peptides. Bacterial proteases which have been cloned and characterized hitherto include those derived from Vibrio proteolyticus (See, David, V. A., A. H. Deutch, A. Sloma, D. Pawlyk, A. Ally, and D. R. Durham. Gene. 112:107-112. 1992), Erwinia chysanthemi B374 prtA (See, Ghigo, J. M., and C. Wandersman. MoL Gene. Genet. 236:135-144. 1992), Psudomonas aeruginisa LasB (See, Doung, F., A. Lazdunsk, B. Cami, and Murgier. Gene. 121:47-54. 1992), Serratia marcescens PrtSM (See, Braunagel, S. C., and M. J. Benedik. MoL Gen. Genet. 222:446-451 1990), Bacillus thuringiensis (See, Lovgren, A., M. Zhang, A. Engstrom, G. Dalhammar, and R. Landen. MoL Microbiol. 4:2137-3146.1990), etc.

Protease, a gene therefor and the use thereof

Korean Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology


A screw-typed dental implant is featured having rounded threads for providing a controlled radial osteocompressive force against the threaded wall of bone tissue that was previously drilled and tapped. The thread profile provided by the tap is undercut below the external thread surface of the implant causing a compressive force to be exerted against the bone wall. The taps are designed to provide a given thread surface by varying the pitch angle. In this fashion, a greater undercut is provided for mandibular bone tissue as compared to maxillary bone tissue.

Many different dental implant designs have been proposed and applied with varying degrees of success.
Submergible blade and screw-type implants have been shown to be the most popular form of dental implant in recent times. This type of implant works on the principle of "osseointegration", a term coined by Dr. Per-Ingvar Branemark of Sweden. Osseointegration is a process wherein bone grows towards the implant device. It is desired to have the bone grow through holes and vents in the implant, so that the implant becomes structurally integral with the jaw, thus stabilizing the implant.
One of the drawbacks to the above process (osteointegration) is that it requires many months to achieve the necessary bone growth, with no control or predictable results. Therefore, the doctor and patient cannot put the new teeth into immediate function, but rather must wait until nature decides to cooperate.
Another drawback of these devices is that they distribute uncontrolled biting forces in such a way that it is not always predictable whether enough support for masticatory forces will be provided by the implant to prevent failure.
More often than not poor bone physiology and heavy masticatory forces cause this implant to fail.
Screw-type implants have also been applied with varying success. This type of dental implant is designed to take an immediate hold within the jaw bone by the use of small sharp-pointed threads. The surface design of these threads contacts bone surface where possible, thus providing varying degrees of support due to the lack of physiologic integrity of bone following tooth extraction.
Unfortunately, however, the sharp-bladed threads often traumatize the bone, putting too much pressure on bone surfaces.
Therefore, this type of implant often cause necrosis of the bone tissue, and subsequent failure of the implant under masticatory loading, due to minimum structural support areas of the implant.
The present invention is based on the discovered osteocompression principle that proper bone physiology and masticatory support is achievable only by careful control of the osteocompressive forces exerted between the implant surface and the surrounding bone tissue of the jaw.
Controllable osteocompression is accomplished by increasing the surface area of implant support through novel geometric re-design of the conventional screws' over-all dimensions.


An image sensor includes a delta-sigma analog-to-digital converter (ADC) including a delta-sigma modulator (DSM) and a voltage adjusting circuit. The DSM is configured to perform delta-sigma modulation on an analog signal from a unit pixel. The delta-sigma ADC is configured to convert the analog signal to a digital signal. The voltage adjusting circuit includes a replica inverter having a same configuration as at least one inverter included in the DSM. The voltage adjusting circuit is configured to adjust a power supply voltage and an input voltage provided to the at least one inverter based on a current flowing in the replica inverter.

1. Technical Field
Example embodiments relate to image processing, and more particularly to an image sensor and a image processing system including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various digital signal processing systems require signal converting devices that convert analog signals to digital signals for digital signal processing. One of these signal converting devices may be an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The ADC may have hardware complexity and performance variance due to process variance.

Image sensors and image processing systems

Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, Yonsei University


A fuel storage and distribution system for a gas-fueled sea-going vessel includes a thermally insulated gas tank for storing liquefied gas fuel. A local heat transfer circuit is configured to extract heat from an external heat source circuit. As a part of said local heat transfer circuit a heating arrangement is configured to heat gas fuel for increasing pressure inside the gas tank. As a part of said local heat transfer circuit is a main gas evaporator for evaporating liquefied gas fuel drawn from the gas tank for delivery to an engine of the sea-going vessel.

Natural gas, or in general mixtures of hydrocarbons that are volatile enough to make the mixture appear in gaseous form in room temperature, constitutes an advantageous alternative to fuel oil as the fuel of internal combustion engines. In sea-going vessels that use natural gas as fuel, the natural gas is typically stored onboard in liquid form, giving rise to the commonly used acronym LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas). Natural gas can be kept in liquid form by maintaining its temperature below a boiling point, which is approximately −162 degrees centigrade (−260 degrees Fahrenheit). Natural gas can be also stored for use as fuel by keeping it compressed to a sufficiently high pressure, in which case the acronym CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) is used. This description refers mainly to LNG because liquefying is considered more economical than compressing at the time of writing this text.
FIG. 1 illustrates schematically the architecture of a known system onboard an LNG-fuelled vessel. An LNG bunkering station 101 is located on the deck and used to fill up the system with LNG. The LNG fuel storage system comprises one or more thermally insulated gas tanks 102 for storing the LNG in liquid form, and the so-called tank room 103 where the LNG is controllably evapo-rated and its distribution to the engine(s) is arranged. Evaporation means a phase change from liquid to gaseous phase, for which reason all subsequent stages should leave the L for liquefied out of the acronym and use only NG (Natural Gas) instead.
The engine 104 or engines of the vessel are located in an engine room 105. Each engine has its respective engine-specific fuel input subsystem 106, which in the case of gaseous fuel is in some sources referred to as the GVU (Gas Valve Unit). The tank room 103 of FIG. 1 comprises two evaporators, of which the first evaporator 107 is the so-called PBU (Pressure Build-Up) evaporator used to maintain a sufficient pressure inside the gas tank 102. Internal hydrostatic pressure at the inlet of a main supply line 108 inside the gas tank 102 is the driving force that makes the LNG flow into the second evaporator 109, which is the MGE or Main Gas Evaporator from which the fuel is distributed in gaseous form towards the engines. In order to ensure that evaporated gas flows to the GVU(s) and further to the engine(s) at sufficiently high pressure, the PBU system maintains the internal pressure of the gas tank 102 at or close to a predetermined value, which is typically between 5 and 10 bars.
The engine 104 comprises one or more cooling circuits. Schematically shown in FIG. 1 is an external loop 110 of the so-called low temperature (LT) cooling circuit, which may be used for example to cool lubricating oil. The so-called LT water that circulates in the external loop 110 may have a temperature around 50 degrees centigrade when it goes through a heat exchanger 111, in which it donates heat to a mixture of glycol and water that in turn transfers heat to the evaporators 107 and 109. The glycol/water mixture circuit comprises a circulation pump 112 and an expansion tank 113. Glycol is needed in the mixture to prevent it from freezing when it comes into contact with the extremely cold LNG inlet parts of the evaporators 107 and 109.
The heat and fluid flows in the system of FIG. 1 are schematically illustrated in FIG. 2. LNG flows from the gas tank 102 into a PBU evaporation circuit 201 and an MGE evaporation circuit 202 that are located in the tank room 103. Heat originates from combustion (and from friction) in the engine 104, and gets transferred from the cooling water circuit 110 to the glycol/water mixture circuit 203, which in turn donates heat to the PBU and MGE evaporation circuits 201 and 202. Both of these produce gas, which in the case of the PBU evaporation circuit is led back to the gas tank 102 and in the case of the MGE evaporation circuit to the engine 104.
FIG. 3 is a slightly different schematic representation but illustrates essentially the same parts of the evaporation circuits as FIG. 1: a gas tank 102, a PBU evaporator 107, and an MGE evaporator 109. The pipes 301 and 302 on the right are the incoming and outgoing pipes of the glycol/water mixture circuit respectively.
Drawbacks of the prior art approach illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 include a relatively complicated structure, which requires a relatively long assembling time at the shipyard when a gas-fuelled sea-going vessel is built and causes relatively high manufacturing costs. Another disadvantageous characteristic is the relatively large number of pipes in which extremely cold LNG flows—an unexpected mechanical failure might allow the cold liquefied gas to flood the tank room and/or its surroundings.
In publication CA 2653643 discloses a pressure control system comprising separate conduits for supplying liquefied gas and vapor from a cryogen space defined by a cryogenic storage tank, in which a heat exchanger(s) with a source of heat for both evaporating the gas for engine and building pressure in the tank is used.
In publication US 2011/146605 discloses a liquefied natural gas system for a natural gas vehicle engine with flow driven by the engine includes dual flow paths through at least one heat exchanger, in which the heat exchanger(s) with a source of heat for both evaporating the LNG for engine and building pressure in the tank is used.

Method and arrangement for transferring heat in a gaseous fuel system


A smoke release and ventilation system comprises a frame housing upper and lower members each slidable in the frame between a normally closed position and an open position, the upper member being retained in its upper position by retaining element, for example an electromagnetic, the upper member being heavier than the lower member whereby, on release of the retaining, the upper member falls under gravity to its open position, and, consequential upon said fall of the upper member and the kinetic energy thereof, the lower member is raised to its open position, thereby providing gaps above and below the members and through which smoke can escape.

This invention relates to a smoke release and ventilation system, for example a smoke release and ventilation window.
When a fire breaks out in a building, the effect of the smoke and toxic fumes can be just as hazardous and life threatening to people as the fire itself. Therefore it is essential that a smoke filled area is ventilated in some way, to allow fresh air in and also to expel the smoke as quickly as possible, until the occupants can escape from the building safely.
There are products available for ventilating buildings when a fire breaks out. These devices are normally fixed to the window and usually have a motor to drive a mechanical device to open the window. Springs with fusible links are another method used to open a window when a fire breaks out.
The problem with these devices is that, if one part fails, then the window may not open when a fire breaks out. This could have a disastrous effect on the occupants of the building.
It would be desirable to be able to provide a reliable fail-safe system that would ensure ventilation and smoke release in the event that a fire broke out in a building.
According to the present invention there is provided a smoke release and ventilation system comprising a frame, upper and lower members within the frame each guided for movement between a normally closed and an open position, and retaining means for retaining the upper member in its closed position, the upper member being heavier than the lower member whereby, on release of the retaining means, the upper member falls under gravity to its open position, the kinetic energy of the upper member during falling thereof being sufficient to raise the lower member to its open position.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, there are top and bottom vertically slidable windows of which the top window is held in the shut or closed position by an electromagnet powered by low voltage electricity. If a fire breaks out, the electricity supply is cut off via a smoke detector or heat sensor connected to the electromagnet. This de-energises the electromagnet, releasing the top vertically sliding window which is heavier than the bottom window and is connected to the bottom vertically sliding window via a cogged wheel and cogged rack or bar. As the top vertically sliding window falls, the bottom vertically sliding window rises up until the window hits a stop. This would leave open air gaps between the top vertically sliding window and the window frame, and between the bottom vertically sliding window and the window frame, allowing fresh air in the bottom gap and smoke out of the top gap. This system would be fail safe.


An electronic display screen modular unit structure includes a modular unit which includes a pair of support boards and illumination strips. Through holes of the pair of support boards are provided with coupling members for connecting modular units, such that the modular units can be connected up and down as well as left and right. When each pair of support boards are separated from each other, the illumination strips can be unfolded flat to form a display screen at a predetermined width and height. Connecting plugs at two ends of a conductive wire are respectively connected with an output connecting terminal of the modular unit and an input connecting terminal of another adjacent modular unit, such that the modular units can be coupled and electrically connected with each other to form a display screen which is light and can be hanged on the wall or suspended.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic display screen modular unit structure, and more particularly to an electronic display screen modular unit structure which is small in size and light in weight before installation and use and can be carried easily and conveniently.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For various occasions, a large-sized display screen is a common means to convey a message or advertisement. A conventional large-sized display screen, such as light-emitting diode (LED) flashy ads or LED electronic billboard or LED electronic display, uses LEDs or the arrangement of LED assembly to change the pattern, broadcast text or image. The large-sized LED display screen is large in size and heavy in weight, and is usually fixedly installed. For a temporary site or occasion, such as a temporary stage, a performance place, and so on, a movable display screen can be assembled by a plurality of modular units. For example, there is a conventional display screen modular unit structure with illumination assembly having drive circuit. However, each modular unit must be assembled on a frame, which causes a heavy burden for carry and transportation before assembly. Unless the manpower allocation of a professional audio stage or the budget is enough, otherwise most manufacturers won't use a large-sized display screen for a product exhibition because the equipment can not be carried conveniently. To improve the situation that the large-sized display screen is unfavorable for the use of a temporary occasion, it is necessary to consider not only the conditions to hang the display screen at different sites but also the problem of the size and weight of the modular unit.
Thus, the need for improvement still exists.

Electronic display screen modular unit structure


A system of network-connected lighting devices also offers a distributed processing function that utilizes processor and/or memory resources if/when available in some or all of the lighting devices. In the examples, a resource manager receives a job for distributed processing using shared available resources. The resource manager identifies lighting devices having resources of the processors and/or the memories available for the distributed processing function. The resource manager distributes tasks and/or data of the received job through a communications network to identified lighting devices, for distributed processing. The resource manager also receives results of distributed processing for the received job, from the identified lighting devices through the communications network. The received results are processed to produce a composite result for a response to the received job.

Electrical lighting has become commonplace in modern society. Electrical lighting devices are commonly deployed, for example, in homes, buildings of commercial and other enterprise establishments, as well as in various outdoor settings. Even in a relatively small state or country, there may be millions of lighting devices in use. Traditional lighting devices have tended to be relatively dumb, in that they can be turned ON and OFF, and in some cases may be dimmed, usually in response to user activation of a relatively simple input device. Lighting devices have also been controlled in response to ambient light detectors that turn on a light only when ambient light is at or below a threshold (e.g. as the sun goes down) and in response to occupancy sensors (e.g. to turn on light when a room is occupied and to turn the light off when the room is no longer occupied for some period). Often such devices are controlled individually or as relatively small groups at separate locations.
With the advent of modern electronics has come advancement both in the types of light sources and in the control capabilities f the lighting devices. For example, solid state sources are now becoming a commercially viable alternative to traditional light sources such as incandescent and fluorescent lamps. By nature, solid state light sources such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) are easily controlled by electronic logic circuits or processors. Electronic controls have also been developed for other types of light sources. Advanced electronics in the control elements have facilitated more sophisticated control algorithms as well as increased networking of lighting devices.
Sensing and network communications have focused on the lighting functions/applications of the lighting devices. For example, sensors may be provided in a lighting device to detect parameters relevant to control operation of the lighting device, and the processor in the device controls the source(s) of the device in response to the sensor inputs. Alternatively or in addition, a communication interface in each of a number of networked lighting devices may allow communication about the status of each lighting device to a system control center. A programmed computer or a person at the control center then may be able to send commands to individual lighting devices or to groups of lighting devices, for example, based on a decision responsive to one or more conditions sensed by some or all of the lighting devices.
However, these advances in lighting devices and networked systems have mainly addressed aspects of the lighting provided by the lighting devices. For example, lighting devices may be adjusted, turned ON and/or turned OFF based on monitored conditions, either by processor logic within the device(s) or commands from a central control. It also has been suggested that networked lighting devices could provide transport for data communications to/from other devices that may come within range of the lighting device and/or its internal communication interface.
The increasingly sophisticated electronics associated with lighting often now include a central processing device as well as memory for program and data storage. Where the lighting devices are networked, each device also includes some form of communication interface, to enable the desired communication with other lighting devices and/or with networked control computers. These elements of the lighting devices involve costs, when purchasing and deploying the lighting devices. Building an installed base of such equipment, with substantial numbers of lighting devices each having sophisticated electronics, incurs a financial investment. In many cases, the electronics are a substantial cost for each lighting device, and that cost may be multiplied by a large number of such devices in an extensive networked implementation owned by or operated for a large enterprise. Despite the infrastructure cost, the resources may be idle for substantial periods of time, e.g. when lighting devices are OFF for extended periods or even during operations when individual devices are not actively communicating or not using full processing or memory resources (for example during intervals between substantial device setting changes, which may require execution of a processing intensive algorithm).
Hence, there is room for improvement in the usage of the resources in lighting devices, e.g. to increase the usage of costly processing and memory resources in networked lighting devices.

Networked system of intelligent lighting devices with sharing of processing resources of the devices with other entities


A stabilizer to be mounted on a collar of a well drilling string including a circumferentially continuous tubular body having several outwardly extending blades thereon, the tubular body having an inner dimension such that it can be slid onto a drill collar, and radially energized components which positively fix the stabilizer on the collar including dies mounted in the blades, and having serrations on their inner faces, and drive elements to cause the serrations to bite into the collar and thereby fix the stabilizer thereon in a selected longitudinal and rotational position.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a stabilizer apparatus for logging-while-drilling ("LWD") or measurement-while-drilling ("MWD") applications, and particularly to a stabilizer including a plurality of outwardly extending blades on a tubular body that can be mounted to a standard drill collar and rigidly secured at a selected longitudinal and rotational position thereon.
2. Description of the Related Art
Stabilizers are used in a drill string primarily for the purpose of providing a predetermined radial spacing of the longitudinal axis of the drill string with respect to the borehole wall. A stabilizer can be either full-gauge so that the outer diameter of its blades is substantially the same as the gauge diameter of the bit, or somewhat under-gauge so that the outer diameter of its blades is less than the gauge diameter of the bit. The use of various combinations of full and/or under-gauge stabilizers, and the longitudinal spacing thereof along the drill string above the bit, is one of various methods which can be used to control the direction the borehole takes during drilling.
In many instances it is desirable to mount a stabilizer on a "slick" drill collar, that is a drill collar having no special machining on its outside where the stabilizer is to be located. Such machining greatly increases the cost of the collar, reduces its versatility, and can substantially increase fishing and wash-over costs to the operator under circumstances mentioned below. Moreover, in highly deviated or horizontal wells a non-slick collar provides more drag and less weight-on-bit, which are other important disadvantages. In a principle aspect, the present invention is directed toward the provision of a stabilizer that can be slidably mounted on and rigidly attached to a slick drill collar in order to obviate the various disadvantages noted above.
Where a stabilizer is used in association with a logging-while-drilling (LWD) or a measurement-while-drilling (MWD) tool, it often is desirable to locate one or more transducers that operate to measure a characteristic property of the earth formations which have been penetrated by the bit within or underneath the blades of the stabilizer. The primary purpose of such location is to provide a physical contact between the transducer and the earth formation. This causes the drilling mud to be temporarily displaced by the stabilizer blades to provide a measurement environment that is substantially free of borehole effects which otherwise can have an adverse impact on the quality of the measurement. Such borehole effects include the standoff between the tool and the earth formations, and drilling mud and mudcake located between the tool and the earth formations. In some applications, it is also desirable to locate the transducers as close to the bit as possible so that measurements can be made before mud filtrate has invaded the formation and before a substantial mudcake has built up on the borehole walls.
Examples of measurements that can be made while drilling are the density and porosity of the formation such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,814,609 and 4,879,463, which are assigned to the assignee hereof and hereby incorporated herein by reference. For example in the measurement of formation density, a plurality of apertures filled with gamma-ray transparent plugs or windows are preferably provided in the outer body of the tool in registration with the source and detectors. In order to minimize the borehole effects described earlier herein, the source and detectors are preferably housed underneath a stabilizer having similar apertures filled with gamma-ray transparent plugs that are in registration with the tubular body apertures and the source/detectors behind them. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, controlling and maintaining the shape, size, spacing, and alignment of these apertures with respect to the underlying tool components (e.g. nuclear sources, detectors, electronics, etc.) can be critical in obtaining accurate and reliable measurements. Where recovery of stuck drill collars is attempted by fishing and washover operations noted above, the costs thereof may be drastically reduced where a slick drill collar is being used. Additionally, the full range of fishing, washover and milling operations is made possible by prior removal of any nuclear logging sources present in the MWD or LWD tools in the bottom hole assembly by methods disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,814,609 and 5,184,692 which are incorporated herein by references.
Another downhole formation measurement that can be made with an LWD tool is electrical resistivity or its reciprocal, conductivity. In commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. application No. 07/786,137 filed Oct. 31, 1991 and incorporated herein by reference, a preferred embodiment of the LWD tool measures formation resistivity by employing a current emitting electrode and one or more current receiving electrodes mounted on a stabilizer. Since the current is emitted and received through spaced openings in the blade, again the axial and rotational alignment of the blade with respect to the electronics and wiring contained in the underlying LWD tool is of extreme importance. Unless such alignment is maintained in the borehole during drilling, the measurements can be severely attenuated, if not disrupted altogether.
A stabilizer assembly that with some modification has been used in LWD operations is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,935 issued Jun. 30, 1981 to Charles M. Thompson et al. and entitled "Drilling Stabilizer". The stabilizer includes a sleeve having blades and is longitudinally split along one of its blades so that it can be slipped onto a drill collar. Then a plurality of bolts are placed in holes through the split blade, and are tightened to reduce the inner diameter of the stabilizer and thus obtain a friction fit around the collar. However, since this stabilizer is not circumferentially continuous, the bolts, which are highly stressed, tend to fatigue after a limited number of cycles. Additionally, the sensitivity of the friction fit to the condition of the drill collar can reduce the holding capability of this stabilizer and result in movement of the stabilizer with respect to the collar.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,164,216 discloses a drill pipe protector having hinged halves that encircle the drill string and are pinned in place. Radial screws which engage metal tabs that pinch inward against an internal rubber sleeve are used to hold the protectors in place. However, it is believed that in a real drilling environment a rubber sleeve may not be sturdy enough to adequately prevent movement of a stabilizer for MWD and LWD applications, particularly under conditions of higher down hole temperatures, no matter how much it is pinched. U.S. Pat. No. 2,813,697 also discloses a stabilizer having screws which go through overlapping tongues in a metal sleeve which holds an elastomer stabilizer around a reduced diameter section of a drill collar. These screws are merely for assembly and disassembly purposes and the stabilizer is held by shoulders formed on the collar.
Other patents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,101,179 and 3,916,998 show stabilizers that have conical surfaces which cause one or more movable members to frictionally engage the outer surface of a drill collar. However, mere frictional engagement of a small ring, particularly over a small area, may be insufficient to hold the stabilizer in position for MWD and LWD applications. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,011,918, 3,945,446 and 3,938,853 relate to "shrink-fit" stabilizers which require machining of accurate conical surfaces, as well as complicated and expensive hydraulic equipment that is used to attain the shrink fit. Each of these devices has drawbacks which are eliminated by the present invention.
A general object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved stabilizer that can be positioned on a drill collar and attached thereto in a manner which obviates the disadvantages noted above.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved stabilizer that can be positioned on a slick drill collar and has radially energized dies that grip outer surfaces of the drill collar to positively attach the stabilizer thereto.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved stabilizer of the type described which can be secured on a drill collar or other tubular housing at a precise longitudinal and rotational position in order to cooperate with various sources and detectors that may be found on an LWD or MWD tool.


A connection assembly for connection to an audio device includes a connector module including a connector configured for electronic connection to a mating connector of the audio device and a releasable latch configured for retaining the connector module to the audio device, an actuator engageable with the connector module and being moveable to release the latch for removal of the connector module from the audio device, and locking structure configured to selectively resist movement of the actuator to release the latch.

Audio devices, including input devices, output devices, processing devices, storage devices, etc., typically include physical connections for connection to each other. Such physical connections may be made using jacks, ports, plugs, and other connectors. However, such existing physical connections are generally not provided in a configuration that is both secure and easy to connect and disconnect. Additionally, some audio devices such as microphones are provided with a self-contained module that is connectable to the audio device via such a physical connection and provides functionality such as wireless transmission, processing of signals, or other operations. The need for a secure connection that can be quickly and easily connected and disconnected is particularly felt in connection with such self-contained modules.
The present disclosure is provided to address this need and other needs in existing connection assemblies for connection to microphones and other audio devices. A full discussion of the features and advantages of the present invention is deferred to the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.