Disclosed is a position-recognizing system of a self-moving robot. A position-recognizing system of a self-moving robot includes: a floor in which a magnet is inserted; and a self-moving robot provided with a magnetic sensor that can sense the magnet while the robot is moving on the floor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a position-recognizing system for a self-moving robot, and more particularly, to a position recognizing system for a self-moving robot capable of accurately recognizing a current location of a robot by detecting an indication previously mounted in a certain position of a floor through a sensor provided at the robot.
2. Description of the Background Art
In general, various research activities on self-moving robots are ongoing according to their use. In the present specification, a robot cleaner, which is most widely used of the self-moving robots, is taken as an example for the convenience of explanation.
A robot cleaner senses a cleaning area and an obstacle by using a sensor by a command of a control unit, and travels the cleaning area, automatically cleaning the area. When power of a battery provided in the device is exhausted, the robot cleaner moves to a charging station which is provided at a predetermined position and is recharged. After the recharging is completed, the robot cleaner returns to its original position and performs cleaning.
Such a conventional robot cleaner senses its location and the cleaning area by using an ultrasonic sensor or a vision system.
As one example, in the Korean Patent 10-1991-0002407, a robot cleaner is disclosed which detects a distance with front, left and right sides through an ultrasonic sensor installed at the front, left and right sides of a vacuum cleaner, moves in zigzags, repeating straight advance-180 degree right turn-straight drive-180 degree left turn, and thusly detects whether there is a place to be cleaned.
As another example, in the Korean Patent(10-1995-0026477), a robot cleaner is disclosed, which measures a distance and a moving angle from a wall of the robot cleaner by an ultrasonic sensor.
As still another example, in the Korean Patent (10-2004-0047371), a robot cleaner is disclosed which avoids an obstacle by capturing the inside of a space to be cleaned using a vision system.
However, if a location of the robot cleaner is controlled by ultrasonic waves or a vision system, an error may occur in measuring a location of the robot cleaner according to a state of a captured surface and a reflection surface where the ultrasonic waves are reflected. Also, even though the accurate location measurement is made, the robot cleaner may accidentally slide according to a state of a floor or may not reach an objective spot due to an unexpected collision with an obstacle.

Position-recognizing system for self-moving robot

Abstract: According to this, a magnet mounted in a floor is sensed through the magnetic sensor, and thusly a current location of the self-moving robot can be accurately recognized, so that the self-moving robot can be precisely controlled.


A trigger dispenser device (1) envisages a secondary liquid aspiration duct (50) in communication with the dispenser duct, and a primary liquid aspiration duct (8) in communication with the container, off-axis with each other. Between these, a joining compartment (64) is provided communicating upstream with the primary liquid aspiration duct (8) and communicating downstream with the secondary liquid aspiration duct (50) to form the fluidic connection between them. In particular, the container (C) is of the type with built-in suction pipe.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Such dispenser devices, known as in the trade "trigger pumps", are extremely widespread, with an annual production of several hundred million pieces. They are in fact widely used in the household cleaning sector, for treating fabrics and in the world of hobbies etc.
For the production of such devices to economically worthwhile, the plants need to be able to produce and assemble an extremely large number of pieces. Consequently, even slight improvements to the production process of the components and in the assembly process of the same may entail significant economic benefits.
In particular, it is essential that the device is easy to assemble even when it has internal components which are asymmetric or off axis.
All this must necessarily marry with increasingly restrictive requirements regarding functionality of the devices, reliability and the type of jet dispensed.


A method and system of communication capable of expediting a calibration process which requires a data bus, multiple user nodes connected to the data bus, and data frames for data transmission that each include a data field and/or a control field and a check sum field. One user has a high-precision clock generator, and the remaining users have a clock generator having a lower precision. The users having the lower precision clock generator calibrate the lower precision clock generator to a system clock signal of the data bus, taking into account information contained in received calibration messages already present on the data bus. Expedited calibration requires the system clock signal period to be set according to a series of measurements and uses any given messages transmitted via the data bus as calibration messages, thus conserving bandwidth on the data bus.

A simple and cost-effective variant of the controller area network (CAN) bus, the so-called serial linked IO (SLIO) CAN, is discussed in the related art. The SLIO CAN was developed by Robert Bosch GmbH, and is manufactured and marketed by Philips Semiconductors under the name "P82C150." More detailed information concerning the SLIO may be obtained from the Philips Semiconductors "P82C150" specification sheet dated Jun. 19, 1996. In the SLIO, an association of a high-precision clock generator, for example a quartz crystal, with each user node of the communication system is dispensed with. Only the master SLIO user node(s) has/have such a precise clock generator. The remaining SLIO user nodes operate using an internal RC oscillator as a clock generator, which is able to operate without external elements such as quartz crystals or ceramic resonators, and which therefore is relatively imprecise. To obtain a system clock signal which is sufficiently precise for the CAN communication, each of the SLIO user nodes contains a calibration control system which calibrates the relatively imprecise RC clock. The calibration for the SLIO CAN is carried out in two steps, and is subdivided into a rough calibration and a subsequent fine calibration. In rough calibration, the calibration control system starts by searching the received bit patterns on the CAN bus for the smallest distance between two consecutive edges from recessive to dominant (measured in oscillator periods). This distance is assumed to be the time for two CAN bit times, and the clock divider, which generates the system clock signal of the CAN protocol control system, is set in such a way that the CAN protocol control system operates at maximum precision using this CAN bit time. The search for smaller distances between two consecutive edges from recessive to dominant is discontinued as soon as the CAN protocol control system, which operates using the instantaneously set system clock signal, accepts a received CAN message as valid; the rough calibration is thus concluded.
Fine calibration of the SLIO CAN is carried out using special calibration messages which are regularly transmitted via the CAN bus by one or multiple SLIO masters which have a high-precision clock generator, for example in the form of a quartz crystal. The calibration message is uniquely defined as a calibration message on the basis of its message identifier (identifier field of the data frame). In addition, the content of the calibration message, in particular the content of the data field of the message, is predetermined for the SLIO CAN. The calibration message includes two edges, from recessive to dominant, spaced exactly 32 bits apart. When the first edge from recessive to dominant occurs, a counter for the oscillator clock signals is started in the SLIO users having an RC oscillator, and it is stopped when the second edge occurs. For the SLIO CAN it is also predetermined that ten system clock signals (CAN time quanta; tq) correspond to one CAN bit time. This is specified in the SLIO user nodes in the form of hardware. After receipt of the 32 bits in the calibration message, the counter should therefore be at a value which corresponds to 320 system clock signals. A divider ratio of a clock divider is then ascertained which converts the oscillator clock signal to a system clock signal. The denominator of the clock ratio is always 320 for the SLIO CAN. The actual counter content following the 32 bits is contained in the counter.
Thus, a disadvantage of the known SLIO is that special calibration messages must be provided which occupy a portion of the bandwidth of the CAN bus, and cannot be used for transmitting the actual payload data. Therefore, less bandwidth is available for transmitting the actual payload data. Another disadvantage of the known SLIO results from the fact that by definition, an SLIO user node is not able to transmit, including acknowledge bits (ACK), if it has received no valid calibration messages. As a result, in the event that a network is composed only of one SLIO master, which transmits calibration messages, and multiple SLIO nodes having RC oscillators, the SLIO master first enters into a so-called error passive state before communication via the CAN bus is able to start. As long as the SLIO master is in the so-called error active state, it destroys its own calibration messages, using active error frames, due to missing acknowledge bits. In such a case, a relatively long period of time passes until communication via the CAN bus may be started. In some cases it is even impossible to start communication since no synchronization of the SLIO user nodes takes place. In practice, these problems are controllable only with great difficulty, and require a high level of effort and expense.
Based on the described related art, the object of the present invention is to propose, in a communication system which has user nodes having relatively imprecise clock generators, a simple and cost-efficient option which allows the clock generators of the user nodes to be quickly and reliably calibrated to a system clock signal.

Communication system including a data bus and multiple user nodes connected thereto, and method for operating such a communication system


The present invention provides devices and methods for treating tissue. In one embodiment the present invention provides a method of controlling a temperature of an applicator body, the method comprising providing an applicator body that comprises at least one contact surface A coolant is delivered through at least a portion of the applicator body at a substantially constant rate. Energy is delivered to the coolant through a heating element so that the contact surface of the applicator body is cooled to a desired temperature.

The present invention relates generally to medical devices, methods, and systems. More specifically, the present invention improves the delivery of a therapeutic heating energy that causes tightening, shrinking, and/or debulking of a target tissue, particularly for the noninvasive treatment of urinary incontinence.
Urinary incontinence arises in both women and men with varying degrees of severity, and from different causes. In men, the condition occurs most often as a result of prostatectomies which result in mechanical damage to the sphincter. In women, the condition typically arises after pregnancy where musculoskeletal damage has occurred as a result of inelastic stretching of the structures which support the genitourinary tract. Specifically, pregnancy can result in inelastic stretching of the pelvic floor, the external sphincter, and most often, to the tissue structures which support the bladder and bladder neck region. In each of these cases, urinary leakage typically occurs when a patient's intra-abdominal pressure increases as a result of stress, e.g. coughing, sneezing, laughing, exercise, or the like.
Treatment of urinary incontinence can take a variety of forms. Most simply, the patient can wear absorptive devices or clothing, which is often sufficient for minor leakage events. Alternatively or additionally, patients may undertake exercises intended to strengthen the muscles in the pelvic region, or may attempt behavior modification intended to reduce the incidence of urinary leakage.
In cases where such non-interventional approaches are inadequate or unacceptable, the patient may undergo surgery to correct the problem. A variety of procedures have been developed to correct urinary incontinence in women. Several of these procedures are specifically intended to support the bladder neck region. For example, sutures, straps, or other artificial structures are often looped around the bladder neck and affixed to the pelvis, the endopelvic fascia, the ligaments which support the bladder, or the like. Other procedures involve surgical injections of bulking agents, inflatable balloons, or other elements to mechanically support the bladder neck.
Unfortunately, each of these procedures has associated shortcomings. Surgical operations which involve suturing of the tissue structures supporting the urethra or bladder neck region require great skill and care to achieve the proper level of artificial support. In other words, it is necessary to occlude or support the tissues sufficiently to inhibit urinary leakage, but not so much that intentional voiding is made difficult or impossible. Balloons and other bulking agents which have been inserted can migrate or be absorbed by the body. The presence of such inserts can also be a source of urinary tract infections. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an improved therapy for urinary incontinence.
One proposed alternative method for treatment of urinary incontinence is described in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,704 B1, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The proposed method of treating urinary incontinence includes heating and shrinking fascia and other collagenous support tissue in a non-invasive manner to cause the tissue to contract, while minimizing substantial necrosis of adjacent, intermediate tissues. In some embodiments, a plurality of cooled electrodes are used to cool the intermediate tissue and to deliver a therapeutic heating energy to the target tissue.
While the proposed treatment is highly effective, it would be beneficial to better control the temperature of the intermediate tissue that is contacted by the cooled electrodes so as to minimize the damage to the intermediate tissue during delivery of the therapeutic heating energy to the target tissue through the intermediate tissue.

Electrically heated/phase change probe temperature control


Phosphors based on doping of an activator (an emitter) into a host matrix are disclosed herein. Such phosphors include alkaline gallate phosphors doped with Cr3+ or Ni2+ ions, which in some embodiments can exhibit persistent infrared phosphorescence for as long as 200 hours. Such phosphors can be used, for example, as components of a luminescent paint.

Phosphorescence is a phenomenon that the light emitted by a phosphor lasts after stoppage of excitation for duration of time sufficient for light to be perceived by the eye or a detection system, i.e., 0.1 second or longer. Phosphorescence that lasts for several hours at room temperature is called long-persistent phosphorescence. A phosphor that has long-persistent phosphorescence is called a long-persistent phosphor, or a long-lasting phosphor, or a long-afterglow phosphor.
Persistent phosphorescence was discovered in the 11th century in China and Japan and in the 16th century in Europe. In persistent phosphors, two kinds of active centers are involved: emitters and traps. Emitters are centers capable of emitting radiation after being excited. Traps do not emit radiation, but store excitation energy by trapping electrons and holes and release it gradually to the emitter due to thermal stimulation. Emitters are usually a small amount of intentionally added impurity atoms or ions. Co-activators are often intentionally added to form new trapping centers to improve the persistence time and intensity of the phosphors.
The importance of persistent phosphorescence was recognized since 1960s, and various persistent phosphors in the visible spectrum have been developed since then. Known in the art of long-persistent phosphors are sulfides, aluminates, and silicates.
The first generation long-persistent phosphors, sulfides [such as ZnS:Cu (green), CaS:Bi (blue), and CaS:Eu,Tm (red)] have been practically used for several decades. The disadvantages for sulfide phosphors include short persistence duration (e.g., three hours at the longest) and instability when ultraviolet light and moisture coexist. For these reasons, the sulfides have found only limited applications such as in luminous watch and night-time display inside a house.
Recently, aluminate-based long-persistent phosphors attracted considerable attention because of their better chemical stability, higher brightness, and longer persistence time (e.g., up to 20 hours) compared to the sulfide-based phosphors. Aluminate-based long-persistent phosphors are available in green and blue regions. The popular green aluminate phosphors include SrAl2O4:Eu2+ and SrAl2O4:Eu2+,Dy3+. Known blue aluminate persistent phosphors include CaAl2O4:Eu2+,Nd3+ and SrAl4O7:Eu2+,Pr3+/Dy3+. The main drawback of these alkaline earth aluminates is that when they contact with moisture and water, hydrolysis reaction occurs quickly, which limits the out-door applications of these phosphors.
Another popular long-persistent phosphor is silicates, which are potential alternatives for the aluminates. The silicate-based phosphors include (Sr2-x,Cax)MgSi2O7:Eu2+,Dy3+ with emission tunable from cyan to blue, green, and to yellow; Ca3MgSi2O8:Eu2+,Dy3+ with afterglow band at 475 nm; MgSiO3:Eu2+,Dy3+,Mn2+ with emission at 660 nm; and Ca0.2Zn0.9Mg0.9Si2O6:Eu2+,Dy3+,Mn2+ with emission at 690 nm.
From the above list, it can be seen that all the persistent phosphors developed up to now are in the visible region. The longest wavelength is in red at 690 nm (Ca0.2Zn0.9Mg0.9Si2O6:Eu2+,Dy3+,Mn2+). Some of these visible persistent phosphors (such as SrAl2O4:Eu2+,Dy3+) have been commercialized and widely used for security signs, emergency signs, safety indication, indicators of control panels, and detection of high energy rays, and so on. In contrast, no persistent phosphors in the infrared or near infrared region are available in market.
Infrared or near infrared long-persistent phosphors have gained considerable attention in recent years because of strong military and security demands. For surveillance in night or dark environments, infrared or near infrared emitting taggants are generally used for tagging, tracking, and locating the targets of interest. For practical military and security applications, it is desirable for the taggants to possess one or more of the following characteristics. (1) The emission from the taggants should be in infrared or near infrared spectrum, which is invisible to naked eyes but is detectable to specific infrared detection devices (such as night vision goggles) from far distance. (2) The infrared or near infrared emission from the taggants should be persistent for more than 10 hours (overnight) without additional charging (excitation). Ideally, the taggants can be repeatedly charged by solar radiation in daytime. (3) The taggants should be stable enough to withstand various out-door application environments including applications in water. (4) The taggants should be able to be inserted almost anywhere, including into liquid solution, dyes, paints, inks, epoxies, and sol-gel, which can then be coated onto almost any surface for concealment. (5) The production of the phosphors should be easy and cheap. Unfortunately, up to now, no such infrared or near infrared taggants have been available.
In design of infrared or near infrared phosphors, transition metal chromium in trivalent state (i.e., Cr3+) and nickel in divalent state (Ni2+) were widely used as the luminescent centers. Chromium can emit a narrow luminescence band around 696 nm due to the transition of 2E→4A2, or a wide band in the near infrared region related to the transition of 4T2→4A2, which strongly depend on the crystalline field strength of the host. When crystal field is strong, the first excited state will be 2E term and causes luminescence properties of the materials like in Al2O3 (ruby). In weak crystal field, 4T2 term will become lowest excited state and causes broad band emission like in BeAl2O4 (alexandrite). Since the 2E→4A2 transition is a spin-forbidden transition, the lifetime is of the order of milliseconds. On the other hand, the lifetime of wide band emission, which is spin-allowed, is around microseconds. Nickel has a complicated emission spectrum due to the appearance of emission transitions from more than one level. The emission spectra of Ni2+ in the octahedral site for garnets such as Y3Al5O12 and Gd3Sc2Ga3O12 consists of three bands in near infrared due to 3T2→3A2 transition. At room temperature, the bands are broad with a maximum at 1360 nm in Y3Al5O12, 1450 nm in Gd3Sc2Ga3O12, and 1200 nm in MgAl2O4.
It has been reported that some Cr3+ doped gallates showed strong emission in the infrared. The reported gallates include La3Ga5GeO14:Cr3+, La3Ga5SiO14:Cr3+, Li(Ga,Al)5O8:Cr3+, and MgGa2O4:Cr3+. But no afterglow phenomenon was reported.

Near infrared doped phosphors having an alkaline gallate matrix

University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc.


The present invention discloses a golf ball retriever for engaging and retrieving a golf ball from a cup. The golf ball retriever includes a fitting having an inner bore being affixed to an end of a golf club shaft, a plug sized to be received within the golf club shaft, a plurality of wires secured to the plug and extending through the fitting inner bore, and a plurality of contact elements each being attached to one of the wires. A user extends the wires from the golf club shaft to a position retained by engagement of the plug and fitting, wherein the wires diverge in order to receive the golf ball upon being urged therein for retrieving the golf ball from the cup.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf ball retriever for engaging and retrieving a golf ball from a cup.
2. Background Art
In a typical game, a golf ball is played on each hole until it reaches its destination, a cup in a putting green. Typically, the ball is not retrieved by a user until it is disposed within the cup. The act of retrieving the golf ball may be uncomfortable and inconvenient to the user, requiring the user to repetitively bend over or kneel to reach within the cup. Often, the cup is recessed in moist soil and it is undesirable if contact with the perimeter besmirches the hand or glove of the user. Subsequent to inclement weather, the cup may be filled with precipitation run off or the like.
The prior art provides an assortment of golf ball retrievers for overcoming the inconveniences of retrieving a golf ball from a cup. Traditional golf ball retrievers may be complex, often requiring multiple components and corresponding manufacturing processes. These traditional golf ball retrievers tend to be costly relative to the convenience which they provide.
Some conventional golf ball retrievers are sold as being unitary with a putter. However, these retrievers limit the selection of a putter to one having a golf ball retriever incorporated therein. Other golf ball retrievers are sold separate from the putter such that a user may install it in any putter, or any other golf club for that matter. However, these golf ball retrievers and the assembly process required may be costly and overly burdensome to the user. Further, these golf ball retrievers may require much alteration to the golf club shaft which may be undesirable to the user.
Provisions have been made in the past to address the convenience and comfort of a user when retrieving a golf ball from a cup. Prior art golf ball retrievers have offered such convenience in a discreet compact retriever. However, these designs are costly and/or tedious to install. Accordingly, it is the goal of the present invention to provide a simple, low-cost golf ball retriever that is easy to install with a golf club shaft and convenient for use.
Prior art golf ball retriever apparatuses are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,171,202 and 6,190,265, both issued to Schmitt on Jan. 9, 2001 and Feb. 20, 2001 respectively. The ""202 patent discloses a discreet plug to be fixed within a shaft, or a plurality of wires having shoulders oriented thereon for providing a limit to the downward travel of the apparatus. The ""265 patent discloses a thread oriented about the wires for enhancing the retention of the ball. These features add manufacturing complexities having adverse economic effects on the interests of the manufacturer.
It is an object of the invention to provide a golf ball retriever comprising a fitting to be affixed to an end of a golf club shaft, a plug to be received within the golf club shaft, a plurality of wires secured to the plug extending from the fitting, and a plurality of contact elements, each being attached to one of the wires. A user extends the wires from the golf club shaft to an upward position, limited by the plug retained within the golf club shaft, wherefrom the wires diverge in order to receive the golf ball.
Another aspect of the invention includes a cutter and golf ball retriever assembly for installing the golf ball retriever within a golf club. The cutter comprises a longitudinal body, a shank extending from a first end of the body, a cylindrical cutting element extending from the other end, a center guide pin concentric with the cutting element, and a contact surface located on the body. The user secures the shank within a power tool, inserts the center pin into an end of the golf club shaft and imparts a cutting action to the cutter.
A further object of the invention is to provide a golf ball retriever that may be affixed to an end of a golf club shaft or an end of a telescopic shaft.
These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the following description and attached drawings.


An image capturing apparatus comprises an image sensing element including an effective pixel portion, and a shading pixel portion; a setting unit which variably sets, in at least one of row and column directions, an effective pixel signal readout region and shading pixel signal readout region; a readout unit which reads out the effective pixel signals and reads out the shading pixel signals; a correction data generation unit which generates correction data for each column or each row; a correction unit which corrects luminance levels of the effective pixel signals, for each column or each row; and a control unit which controls the setting unit so that the shading pixel signal readout region becomes wider than the effective pixel signal readout region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image capturing apparatus and a control method of an image capturing apparatus, particularly relates to a correction processing technique for image data obtained by capturing an image.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image capturing apparatus typified by a digital still camera and a video camera is equipped with an image sensing element which converts an optical image of an object into an electrical signal. Among various types of image sensing elements, especially a CMOS image sensor including an amplifier arranged on each column (to be referred to as a column amplifier hereinafter) is a mainstream image sensing element. However, this image sensor often generates variations in luminance value due to variations in electrical characteristics of the individual column amplifiers, and, in turn, generates vertical streaks. To correct these vertical streaks, a shading portion (to be referred to as a VOB portion hereinafter) is provided to cover the entire pixel region including all pixels aligned horizontally (in the row direction) at the end portion (on about 10 lines) of the pixel region, and correction data is generated for each column based on signals (to be referred to as VOB signals hereinafter) output from this VOB portion, thereby executing correction using the difference between the correction data and the image data in the effective pixel region.
VOB data contains random noise components, so VOB signals are averaged for each column to generate correction data. This averaging processing produces an effect of eliminating the random noise components, but requires a large number of VOB signals and, for example, requires a long period of time to process 256 data corresponding to about 25 frames until the correction data converges.
An electronic antivibration function is implemented by defining a region (extraction region) smaller than the entire pixel region of the sensor as an effective pixel region for use in image output, and a pixel region other than the effective pixel region as an electronic antivibration region, and variably setting the extraction region for each frame. This electronic antivibration function is implemented by reading out signals from a pixel region including the electronic antivibration region from the CMOS image sensor, performing the aforementioned vertical streak correction, and arbitrarily extracting output image data.
Since the CMOS image sensor can randomly access (read out signals from an arbitrary region on) the image data, the aforementioned electronic antivibration function can be implemented by variably controlling the readout region. The region (the number of pixels) from which the sensor reads out signals is limited in this way, thereby reducing the frequency and power consumption in pixel signal transfer.
However, in the aforementioned electronic antivibration technique, the readout region changes for each column frame. Hence, when the readout region shifts horizontally (in the row direction), correction is executed based on correction data for different columns because correction data is generated by averaging VOB signals.
For this reason, to obtain appropriate correction data, it is necessary to read out VOB signals from the same readout region by about 25 frames, so precise correction data is not generated in electronic antivibration control under which the readout region is variably set for each frame, thus generating vertical streaks.

Image capturing apparatus and control method thereof


Embodiments provide an electrical contact assembly. The electrical contact assembly includes a crossbar, a pivot pin mounted in the crossbar, a contact arm pivotally mounted on the pivot pin and rotatable about a pivot axis, a moveable electrical contact spaced from the pivot axis in a first arm portion of the contact arm, and a spring assembly coupled between the crossbar and the contact arm, the spring assembly including a clevis pin and a spring received on the clevis pin wherein an end of the clevis pin extends through the spring and is received in a pivot recess in the crossbar. Electrical contact assemblies with offset rod ends and limit stops are also disclosed. Systems including the electrical contact assembly and methods of operating the electrical contact assembly are provided, as are other aspects.

Within circuit breakers, one or moveable electrical contacts may be provided. Typically, such moveable electrical contacts are included on moveable contact arms that pivot relative to a circuit breaker housing. Generally, a spring biases the moveable contact to a closed configuration such that intimate contact is provided between a stationary contact and the moveable contact. Upon encountering a interruption event (e.g., an over current situation) that trips the circuit breaker, a cam-follower mechanism allows the contact arm to be repositioned relative to a pivot such that a spring load is applied to maintain the contact arm in an open position. However, such cam-follower mechanisms may lose contact pressure between the moving and stationary electrical contacts as the electrical contacts erode. Moreover, they may exhibit large frictional forces effectively making tripping more difficult.
Accordingly, there is a long-felt and unmet need for an electrical contact assembly that provides suitable contact pressure, has relatively low friction operation, and provides suitable forces to hold the contacts open upon encountering an interruption event.

Circuit breaker electrical contact assembly, and systems and methods using same


A solid-state imaging device includes: pixels each including a hybrid photoelectric conversion portion and pixel transistors, wherein the hybrid photoelectric conversion portion includes a semiconductor layer having a p-n junction, a plurality of columnar or cylindrical hollow-shaped organic material layers disposed in the semiconductor layer, and a pair of electrodes disposed above and below the semiconductor layer and the organic material layers, wherein charges generated in the organic material layers through photoelectric conversion move inside the semiconductor layer so as to be guided to a charge accumulation region, and wherein the solid-state imaging device is configured as a back-illuminated type in which light is incident from a surface opposite to the surface on which the pixel transistors are formed.

Solid-state imaging devices (image sensors) come in two types of a front-illuminated type and a back-illuminated type. Moreover, solid-state imaging devices in which the photoelectric conversion portion is formed of a silicon-based photodiode or an organic material layer are known.
In a solid-state imaging device having a silicon-based photodiode, the photodiode is formed of an impurity-implanted crystalline silicon layer, and incident light is subjected to photoelectric conversion whereby signal charges (for example, electrons) are extracted. Color filters for imaging visible colors are arranged on the upper layer of the photodiode. This solid-state imaging device has the following characteristics. That is, although the photoelectrically converted electrons propagate through crystalline silicon, due to the properties of silicon, the electrons have a high mobility, and the silicon is easy to process and has high mechanical strength. In addition, existing CMOS techniques can be used, and fast and stable driving is possible. The photoelectric conversion portion of CCD image sensors and CMOS image sensors commercially available on the market is mainly formed of a silicon-based photodiode.
On the other hand, in a solid-state imaging device in which an organic material layer is used as the photoelectric conversion portion, since a plurality of so-called organic photoelectric conversion films having sensitivities to respective light wavelengths are stacked so as to disperse light in a vertical direction, it is possible to disperse light without using a color filter (for example, see JP-A-2003-332551). This solid-state imaging device has the following characteristics. That is, since the organic photoelectric conversion film has a greater optical absorption coefficient than silicon, it is easy to decrease the thickness of the photoelectric conversion portion. Moreover, due to such a structure that does not use a color filter and an optical low-pass filter, the efficiency of incident light is better than the solid-state imaging device having the silicon-based photodiode. Moreover, since reception of light and color separation can be realized at the same position, the problem of false color resulting from a difference in light reception position can be obviated. Furthermore, since the organic photoelectric conversion films are flexible, it is possible to create various shapes and colors. In recent years, CMOS image sensors in which organic photoelectric conversion films are stacked have been developed (for example, see JP-A-2005-268476), which enable color imaging.
Organic photoelectric conversion films are used not only in the solid-state imaging devices but also in solar cells. A method of effectively extracting electrons generated by photoelectric conversion using an organic film made of two kinds of organic materials, for example, an organic film in which p-type crystalline microparticles are mixed into an n-type amorphous body is proposed in Japanese Patent No. 3423279, for example.

Solid-state imaging device, manufacturing method thereof, and electronic apparatus


A CDMA PCS telecommunications cell (40) of increased capacity includes a plurality of sectors (42, 44, 46) controlled by a base station (14) using a defined set of CDMA codes for each sector. Cell capacity is increased by using two antennas for each sector corresponding to two subsectors with each using a subset of the CDMA codes defined for the sector and with each subset including a pilot channel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of digital cellular wireless telecommunications. More particularly, the invention relates to a telecommunications cell for a digital CDMA, wireless telecommunications network wherein the capacity of the cell is greatly increased by reconfiguration of the sectors in the cell.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sprint PCS and other companies offer wireless communication services using code division multiple access (CDMA) techniques. CDMA is a digital spread-spectrum modulation technique that digitizes wireless conversations and tags them with special codes. The digitized data is spread across the frequency band in a pseudo random pattern. Receiving mobile phones are instructed to decipher only the data corresponding to particular codes to reconstruct the signal. CDMA networks are superior to other wireless networks because they provide increased network capacity, fewer dropped calls because of better hand-off methods, improved voice clarity, improved privacy and transmission security, and enhanced services such as text messaging and data transmissions.
A typical CDMA PCS telecommunications cell includes a base station unit and three sector antennas that together provide wireless communications in three sectors of the cell each covering 120xc2x0. The base station unit uses a predefined set of sixty-four CDMA Walsh codes for each sector, with one of the codes used for pilot channel, another for synchronization, one commonly used for paging, and the remainder available for ordinary traffic.
In actual usage, however, all of the remaining channels cannot be used for traffic because of noise accumulated in the band due to a variety of reasons such as interference from adjacent cells and unused multi-path signals. With the distinct advantages of PCS CDMA communications, demand for service is substantial and in some cases, may exceed cell capacity. In the prior art, one of the solutions has been to add more base stations at the same cells to provide increased capacity. This is an expensive solution because it requires additional base stations and equipment.
The present invention solves the prior art problems discussed above and provides a distinct advance in the state of the art. In particular, the system hereof provides an improved telecommunications cell for a PCS CDMA telecommunications network.
The preferred cell includes a single base station unit and a plurality of antennas that configure the cell into three sectors. The base station controls transmission and reception over the antennas using selected ones of a defined set of CDMA codes for each of the sectors. Each sector preferably includes two antennas coupled with the base station that subdivide each of the sectors into two subsectors.
The base station is configured to divide the number of available Walsh codes or channels for each sector between the subsectors. Each subsector operates independently of the others so as to configure a conventional three-sector cell into a six-sector cell, thereby increasing the capacity of the cell.

PCS CDMA cell having increased sector capacity


Certain aspects relate to systems and techniques for articulating medical instruments. In one aspect, the instrument includes a wrist having at least two degrees of freedom of movement, and an end effector coupled to the wrist. The end effector can include an upper jaw, a lower jaw, and a firing mechanism configured to form staples in tissue. Actuation of the firing mechanism can be decoupled from the movement of the wrist in the at least two degrees of freedom.

Medical staplers can be used in a variety of different medical procedures, including, for example, laparoscopic procedures in which the medical stapler may be used to transect and/or seal tissue. Medical staplers can include two jaws configured to clamp tissue therebetween and then transect and seal the tissue clamped between the two jaws. When used as part of a robotic system, it can be desirable to provide one or more of degrees of freedom (DOF) of movement at an articulating wrist of the medical stapler.

Systems and methods for medical stapling


This invention relates to a method and board for forming a graphene layer, and more particularly, to a method of forming a high-quality graphene layer using high pressure annealing and to a board used therein. The method of forming the graphene layer includes forming a reaction barrier layer on a substrate layer, forming a metal catalyst layer which functions as a catalyst for forming the graphene layer on the reaction barrier layer, subjecting a board including a stack of the layers to high pressure annealing, and growing the graphene layer on the metal catalyst layer. This board is subjected to high pressure annealing before growth of the graphene layer, and the reaction barrier layer is formed using a material having high adhesion energy to the metal catalyst layer so as to suppress migration of metal catalyst atoms.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and board for forming a graphene layer, and, more particularly, to a method of forming a high-quality graphene layer using high pressure annealing and to a board used therein.
2. Description of the Related Art Graphene is a two-dimensional (2D) thin film resulting from planar arrangement of carbon atoms, and has a variety of advantages, including high electronic mobility, excellent mechanical strength, high transparency, etc. Furthermore, graphene may be currently manufactured using a processing technique such as deposition, etc., which is typically used, and is thus receiving attention as a next-generation material.
A graphene layer having the above properties is conventionally formed in such a manner that a silicon carbide (SiC) board is annealed at a high temperature in a high vacuum or that graphite oxide dispersed in a solvent is reduced. Recently, formation of a graphene layer using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is mainly utilized due to its ability to form a graphene layer having a large area at low cost.
The method of forming a graphene layer using CVD refers to a method of growing graphene by allowing a hydrocarbon-based gas to flow while heating a catalyst metal such as nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), etc. to a high temperature. Recently, a method of growing a graphene layer on a metal thin film by exposing a copper (Cu) board to a high temperature of about 900˜1000° C. while allowing methane (CH4) gas to flow to the board is mainly employed. However, this method is problematic because the surface of copper becomes essentially severely rough after a high temperature process due to the low melting point of copper (1084° C.).
For example, when a copper metal thin film having a thickness of 300 nm is heated at 1000° C. for 10 min to grow graphene, the depth of the grain boundary thereof is known to exceed 100 nm, and thereby a graphene layer in monolayer form is grown thereon along the curvature of about 100 nm, thus forming a structure having a three-dimensional (3D) curvature. The graphene layer thus grown is utilized by being transferred to a silicon wafer having silicon oxide or an insulating wafer such as glass. As such, while the graphene layer grown along the grain boundary of metal is transferred to a planar wafer, it is mechanically pressed and thus wrinkles are formed on the planar structure of the graphene layer.
In order to prevent damage to the graphene layer during transfer of the graphene layer grown on metal to the insulating wafer, a protective layer is formed from PMMA (Polymethyl methacrylate) using spin coating. In this procedure, as PMMA is applied to be thicker on the curvature formed at the grain boundary of the metal thin film, such PMMA is not completely removed in a PMMA removal process after the transfer process and is thus left behind as a residue. The PMMA residue thus formed partially dopes the graphene layer.
Such wrinkles and residue are very randomly distributed, and may degrade the properties of a graphene device made using the graphene layer, and for example, problems such as low Dirac voltage uniformity of a graphene device, low carrier mobility, low on/off ratio, etc. are caused.

Method and board for growing high-quality graphene layer using high pressure annealing

Korea Advanced Instittute of Science and Technology


A radio frequency (RF) power amplifier device that includes an RF amplification element coupled to an output matching circuit further includes a match extender that provides an extension of the output matching circuit beyond the RF power amplifier device. The match extender provides an apparatus by which the circuitry of the output matching circuit may be extended outside of the RF power amplifier device and by which output matching circuitry external to the RF power amplifier device may provide a matching impedance that originates at a die plane of the RF amplification element.

The present invention relates generally to radio frequency power amplifiers and in particular to a radio frequency power amplifier device for use in a radio frequency power amplifier.
Radio frequency (RF) power amplifier devices for use in wireless transmission applications, such as RF power amplifiers, are typically implemented in an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit includes an RF amplification element, typically an RF transistor such as a Laterally Diffused Metal Oxide Semiconductor (LDMOS), that amplifies an RF signal applied to the device. When an RF power amplifier device is utilized in an RF power amplifier, the RF power amplifier typically further includes an input matching circuit coupled to an input of the RF power amplifier device and an output matching circuit coupled to an output of the RF power amplifier device. The input and output matching circuits are designed to optimize the performance of the RF amplification element included in the RF power amplifier device.
RF transistors such as LDMOS have very low output impedances, making it difficult to design an output matching circuit that will optimize performance of the transistor. In order to facilitate use of such a transistor in an RF power amplifier, RF power amplifier device manufacturers typically incorporate an output matching circuit into the integrated circuit that includes the RF transistor. The output matching circuit is designed to move the output impedance of RF transistor to a different, higher, and more easily matched output impedance at the output of the RF power amplifier device.
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, an exemplary RF power amplifier device of the prior art is illustrated. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of RF power amplifier device 100. Typically, RF power amplifier device 100 is implemented in an integrated circuit 200, which integrated circuit is illustrated in FIG. 2. RF power amplifier device 100 includes an RF transistor 106, such as an LDMOS transistor or a Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT), that amplifies an RF signal applied to the RF power amplifier device. Typically RF transistor 106 is an RF transistor die 206 that is embedded in the integrated circuit. RF power amplifier device 100 further includes an input 101 and an output 120, an input matching circuit 102 coupled between input 101 and an input 105 of RF transistor 106, and an output matching circuit 110 coupled between an output 107 of RF transistor 106 and output 120. Input matching circuit 102 typically comprises an input inductive element 104, such as multiple series input bond wires 202. Each bond wire of the multiple bond wires 202 is coupled to a gate, in the case of an LDMOS transistor, or a base, in the case of a BJT, of RF transistor 106.
Output matching circuit 110 comprises a shunt inductive element 112 and a series inductive element 118 that are each coupled to an output of RF transistor 106. Shunt inductive element 112 typically comprises multiple shunt bond wires 212 that are each coupled to an output of RF transistor die 206, typically a drain of an LDMOS transistor or a collector of a BJT. Series inductive element 118 typically comprises multiple series bond wires 218 that also are each coupled to the output of RF transistor die 206. Ideally, shunt bond wires 212 and series bond wires 218 are coupled to RF transistor die 206 at the die plane in order to minimize any additional, undesired inductances that may result from moving them away from the die plane. Output matching circuit 110 further includes a shunt capacitor 114, such as a metal oxide semiconductor capacitor (MOSCAP) 214, coupled between shunt inductive element 112, that is, shunt bond wires 212, and ground 116. Capacitive element 114 performs a direct current (DC) blocking function and further contributes to the output match provided by output matching circuit 110.
As is well known in the art, an impedance of output circuit 110, and in particular a value of each of elements 112, 114, and 118, presented to RF transistor 106 by each of shunt bond wires 212, capacitor 214, and series bond wires 218, varies with a frequency of the RF signal applied to RF amplifier device 100. As a result, output matching circuit 110 provides an effective output match to RF transistor 106 only over a very limited bandwidth. Since any additional output matching circuitry must be coupled to output 120 of RF power amplifier device 100, the shunt impedances 112, 114 of output matching circuit 110 are isolated from external matching circuitry. In addition, since each bond wire of the multiple shunt bond wires 212 is limited in overall length by a package encasing RF power amplifier device 100, the use of output matching circuit 110, and RF, power amplifier device 100, is limited to high frequency applications, such as frequencies of 2 gigahertz (GHz) and above. As a result, RF power devices that include internal matching circuitry are typically narrow band devices that are limited to high frequency applications.
Therefore, there is a need for an RF amplifier device that can be used across a wide band of frequencies and that can be designed into low frequency, as well as high frequency, applications.


In the invention of this application, the resist pattern having a given pattern of opening concavity is formed on the component to be dry etched, the aqueous solution containing a water-soluble resin is filled in that opening concavity, and the filled aqueous solution containing a water-soluble resin is dried into a narrow shrunk resin at the middle of the opening concavity, whereby the mask of shrunk resin is formed. It is thus possible to form a micropattern much finer than determined by optical limits.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for the formation of a dry etching mask used for the formation of a pattern much finer than determined by optical limits, and a process for the formation of a micropattern using that mask.
2. Explanation of the Prior Art
One of processes for the formation of finely patterned thin films (micropatterns), for instance, is typified by a dry etching process. According to this process, for instance, a thin film is formed on a substrate, a resist layer is formed on that thin film, and that resist layer is patterned by photolithography into a finely patterned resist mask. Then, while that resist is used as a dry etching mask, an exposed portion of the thin film is dry etched off, after which the resist is stripped off to obtain a finely patterned thin film.
The finely patterned thin films formed by such a dry etching process, for instance, are used for micro-components, micro-layer members, interconnection patterns or the like that constitute microdevices such as thin-film inductors, thin-film magnetic heads, semiconductor devices, sensors using thin films, and actuators using thin films.
In recent years, there have been growing demands toward making microdevices much finer and, with this, toward microprocessing techniques for achieving much narrower pattern widths. For activation light rays used for the formation of mask patterns, too, excimer laser light such as KrF, ArF, and F2 as well as short wavelength irradiation light such as electron radiation have been put to practical use or studied.
With prior art dry etching processes, however, it is still theoretically impossible to form a pattern thin film much finer than determined by optical limits, because a micropattern thin film is formed using as a dry etching mask a resist pattern obtained by the patterning of a resist layer with an optical method.
The situations being like such, the present invention has been made for the purpose of providing a process of forming a dry etching mask capable of forming a micropattern much finer than determined by optical limits. Another object of the invention is to provide a process of forming a micropattern using that mask.

Method for forming mask for using dry-etching and method for forming fine structure pattern


Tiered command distribution is described. In an embodiment, a pipeline architecture includes processor chains of data processors that process control events received from an application interface control. A tier assignment algorithm determines the longest path of data processors through the processor chains to determine a tier allocation for each data processor in the set of processor chains. Each tier includes a data processor from one or more of the processor chains where a first set of data processors in a first tier each receive a control event and process the control event and/or process the data according to the control event before a second set of data processors in a second tier each receive the control event.

Pipeline architectures are implemented to process data and include processor chains (also commonly referred to as "graphs") that pass data and commands through an ordered chain of data processors which each perform a designated data processing function. As such, data inputs to a pipeline architecture enter at one or more defined processing point(s) (e.g., a first data processor), and data outputs from the pipeline architecture are expected at one or more defined processing point(s) (e.g., an N-data processor in the processor chain).
Typically, the data links that connect the data processors of a processor chain are used to communicate both the data to be processed and command traffic, such as data instructions that act upon a data processor to modify an internal state or an operation that the data processor performs to process the data. The command traffic is communicated through a processor chain from an input to the output of each data processor in the chain such that each data processor affected by a command message will have the chance to operate on it.
This simple pipeline architecture design can produce unexpected data outputs and data processing errors when there are data processors that have multiple outputs and/or multiple inputs. A data processor within a processor chain may split a data input and then pass the data sub-streams through different data processors of different processor chains which are then re-unified at a later processing point in the chain.
These data processing splits can cause command traffic management issues that may result in unexpected data outputs and data processing errors. For example, the data processor that receives the data sub-streams and merges together the data from the two different processor chains may receive as many copies of each command as there are processor chains which input into it, thus causing errors in the data processing for non-idempotent commands. Another potential issue is that some data processors in a-processor chain may act on a command message before all of the preceding processors that provide an input to them have completed acting on the command message which may also cause unexpected data outputs and data processing errors.

Tiered sequential processing media data through multiple processor chains with longest path tier assignment of processors


A method is provided to clean slurry particles from a surface in which tungsten and dielectric are coexposed after a dielectric CMP step. Such a surface is formed when tungsten features are patterned and etched, the tungsten features are covered with dielectric, and the dielectric is planarized to expose tops of the tungsten features. The surface to be cleaned is subjected to mechanical action in an acid environment. Suitable mechanical action includes performing a brief tungsten CMP step on the tungsten features or scrubbing the surface using, for example, a commercial post-CMP scrubber.

The invention relates to a method to clean a surface polished by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). CMP is used in the fabrication of semiconductor devices to produce a planarized surface.
Typical uses of CMP include planarizing a deposited interlevel dielectric before forming a metal wiring layer on the ILD; or forming a tungsten plug by filling a contact hole etched in dielectric, then planarizing the tungsten overfill, leaving tungsten only in the hole.
During formation of some monolithic three dimensional memory arrays, a dielectric material covers patterned tungsten features, then the dielectric material is subjected to CMP to expose the tungsten features. Exposing tungsten or a like material during dielectric CMP is not conventional. After such a CMP step is completed, it may be found that slurry particles remain adhering to the polished dielectric material. These particles are resistant to usual cleaning techniques.
There is a need, therefore, for a low-cost, reliable method to remove slurry particles from a surface of coexposed tungsten and dielectric following a dielectric CMP step.

Method for cleaning slurry particles from a surface polished by chemical mechanical polishing


A new drum vacuum cleaner has a 0.02 to 0.035 inch thick stainless steel wall that that substantially surrounds a molded inner tank that extends downwardly from a tank collar. The lower end of the wall is positioned between an inward-facing edge of a recess on a wheeled base and an outward-facing edge on the molded inner tank, and is supported on a supporting face on the base that also supports the tank. The upper end of the wall is positioned within a downward-opening slot in the tank collar. When the molded inner tank is connected to the base, the metal wall is trapped in place between the tank collar and the base, providing an exposed stainless steel section that is at least three inches in height and can extend to within less than 1″ of the vacuum cleaner head.

The present invention relates generally to vacuum cleaners and more particularly to a structural arrangement for a drum-style vacuum cleaner that may provide a cost-effective way to give a domestic product a high-quality appearance.
The many different types of vacuum cleaners that are sold for domestic use can generally be categorized into three broad types: handheld vacuum cleaners; larger upright vacuum cleaners that roll on the floor and have an intake nozzle mounted on the floor; and drum-style (or canister) vacuum cleaners in which the tank of the vacuum cleaner is housed in unit that is separate from the intake nozzle. Most wet/dry vacuums take a "drum" form.
Drum-style vacuums sold for domestic use often have tanks made of plastic. Heavier-duty commercial vacuum cleaners sometimes have metal tanks, and some purchasers perceive metal (particularly stainless steel) as a more durable, higher-quality material. However, using stainless steel tank to build the tank of a drum vacuum cleaner sold for domestic use could add significantly to the cost of the product, driving its retail price too high for the marketplace.
Metal-colored stickers or foil can be used on a plastic tank to provide a metal appearance. However, stickers or foil are generally easily recognized as merely a cosmetic element, and may not significantly add to the perceived value of the product. The applicant is not aware of any prior arrangements of a tank on a drum vacuum that uses real stainless steel in a cost-effective way.


The present invention is a method, system, and apparatus for visually displaying digitized information in a way that allows a human operator to detect easily patterns and characteristics within the data. A personal computer is used to extract raw data and to perform Boolean operations at the behest of a user. The manipulated information is then converted into a false-color image and displayed on an output screen. The images can be compared to known data, called a template, in order to detect one or more desired patterns that indicate desirable features. The desired pattern can then be highlighted (or illuminated) and be displayed to the operator so that the location of the desired feature may be identified.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to oil exploration and production. More particularly, the present invention relates to using color representation of a previously computed pattern database or other attributes for visualization of geological, geophysical and engineering data for processing, analysis and interpretation for hydrocarbon exploration, development, or reservoir management on digital computers.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Exploring for hydrocarbon reservoirs is a very competitive process. Decisions affecting large amounts of capital investment are made in a time-constrained environment based on massive amounts of technical data. The process begins with physical measurements that indicate the configuration and selected properties of subsurface strata in an area of interest. The technical data include many forms of geophysical measurements including seismic signals (acoustic waves) that are introduced into the subsurface and reflected back to measurement stations on or near the surface of the earth. A variety of mathematical manipulations of the data is performed by computer to form displays that are used by an interpreter who interprets the data in view of facts and theories about the subsurface. The interpretations may lead to decisions for bidding on leases or drilling of wells.
Processing of seismic data has progressed in parallel with the increased availability and capabilities of computer hardware. Calculations performed per mile of seismic data collected have increased many-fold in the past few years. Display hardware for observation by a human interpreter has become much more versatile.
An interpreter uses data from the seismic process with some knowledge of the geology of the area being investigated. This knowledge consists of a general model of the types of depositional processes that were laying sediment, and how these processes relate to the formation of a hydrocarbon deposit. This knowledge is often called a play concept. Although the interpreter has one or a collection of play concepts, the details and specific location of specific occurrences are not known. To identify the specific occurrences, the interpreter usually visually explores the data until one or more locations exhibiting an occurrence of the play concept are identified. These occurrences are called leads. The interpreter then isolates the occurrence as an object by drawing or autotracking the outside edges of the object. The outside edge is also called its boundary representation. A coordinate system called object space can be defined on a boundary representation. A less common method is auto-tracking the entire object, including its interior. This process is called segmentation.
After an object has been created, the interpreter verifies it by analyzing it visually. This includes visually studying the shape of the exterior of the object and studying the interior. To study the exterior of the object, either the boundary representation of the object is displayed or the entire object is displayed as a set of opaque voxels, with all of the voxels outside the object either not displayed or turned transparent.
Understanding the internal characteristics of an object is usually accomplished by displaying the intersection of the objects boundary representation with a data slice then scanning through the data set one slice at a time looking at only one data type at a time. Relationships between internal details of the object and between data types have to be remembered while comparing. Some voxel based applications volume render a single data set during which all of the voxels outside the object are transparent resulting in the visual affect of the object being sculpted out of the data set. In addition, some of the voxel based applications also allow multiple data sets to be both overlain and blended through, thereby giving the same result as overlaying several translucent images on a light table. This allows multiple pieces of data to appear in a sculpted object as overlays. Opacity control allows the object to be dissected.
As more sophisticated analysis tools are developed, a large number of derivative (also called attribute) volumes are being created such as Hilbert attributes, coherence cubes, and others. In addition, pattern analysis technologies including feature, pattern, and texture extraction tools, are becoming available. The result is that there is now a growing need for simultaneous visualization of multiple data types. The multiple data types need to be viewed together with the objects, both in slice views and as volumerendered sculpted objects.
Most visualization and interpretation applications display only on type of data at a time. Some, for example VoxelGeo, overlay multiple data type as layers and then blend through the layers during visualization. They are not capable of merging the overlays into a single display that retains both the information of the individual data sets, nor do they show how they interact.
When auto-tracking based on multiple data sets, the auto-tracking is done blindly as a batch process. It is not possible to preview the data in the way that the auto-tracker perceives the data so there is no way to predict simply by looking at the data if the auto-tracking will be successful. Moreover, there is no way to know whether the auto-tracking has failed, led alone where it failed and why. Most applications perform auto-tracking only of boundary representations of the objects of interest, usually by tracking only the top or the bottom. Because all boundary representations have generally the same characteristic, being an edge, it is easy for these auto-trackers to get lost and wander from the top or the bottom of the object of interest to the top or the bottom of a different object. Some voxel applications auto-track solid objects by auto-tracking the interior. Often, to accomplish the desired results, objects need to be auto-tracked based on several types of data and then compared or combined in an external application through Boolean operations in a non-interactive manner. Objects also often need editing which is accomplished through a series of morphological operations (erosion, dilation, translation, etc.) to remove speckling due to noise and to sharpen edges. These are also usually performed in an external application. The above result in a trial and error workflow that usually takes a long time before an acceptable product is created.
What is needed is a way to perform the simultaneous display of multiple data types preserving both the information of each data type but also displaying their interaction. The interpreter needs to be able to use pattern recognition to explore data sets in a visual search, for example, of a play concept in the data to identify objects of interest. The application of mathematics, with one or more data types as input, is also needed to allow data types to be combined or modified to make visual easier.

Method, system, and apparatus for color representation of seismic data and associated measurements


A robot according to embodiments includes a first link, a second link, an actuator, a scissors gear, and a support part. The second link is rotatably connected to the first link. The actuator drives the second link in a rotatable manner. The scissors gear includes a main gear and a sub gear, and outputs driving force from the actuator to the second link. The support part is attached to the first link and rotatably supports the scissors gear. Furthermore, the scissors gear includes a spring that is arranged adjacent to the support part in the direction of the rotational axis of the scissors gear and applies biasing force to the main gear and the sub gear in rotational directions different from each other.

Conventionally, there has been proposed an industrial robot that includes a plurality of links rotatably connected to each other and capable of performing a predetermined operation with the use of an end effector (arc welding torch or the like) attached to the distal end of an arm of the robot while driving the link in a rotatable manner by using an actuator (see Japanese Patent No. 4529456, for example).
In the above-mentioned robot, the actuator and the link are connected to each other by way of a power transmission mechanism including a gear or the like, and the driving force of the actuator is transmitted to the link by way of the power transmission mechanism. Furthermore, in the above-mentioned robot, a scissors gear is used as a gear to eliminate backlash thereby. Here, the scissors gear is, for example, constituted of two gears stacked on each other in place of one gear generally used and a spring that applies a biasing force to the gears in the rotational directions different from each other.
However, in the above-mentioned robot, there has been the possibility that the increase in size of the scissors gear causes the increase of the occupation space of the power transmission mechanism. To be more specific, in the scissors gear in the above-mentioned robot, housing grooves are respectively formed in the overlapping surfaces of the gears overlapping each other, and a spring is housed in the housing grooves.
That is, in the scissors gear, the spring and the housing grooves are arranged in a space between the bottom of a tooth and the center of a rotational axis of each gear; that is, at a position spaced apart from the bottom of the tooth of each gear in the direction perpendicular to the rotational axis of each gear (in the diameter direction). Therefore, there has been the possibility that the above-mentioned scissors gear is increased in size by an amount of the space for the spring and the housing groove and the occupation space of the power transmission mechanism is increased.
Actually, the larger the occupation space of the power transmission mechanism is, the larger the robot as a whole becomes. As a result, for example, when the robot performs a predetermined work, there gives rise to a possibility that the robot interferes with an object to be worked (workpiece). Accordingly, it has been desired to miniaturize the scissors gear to reduce the occupation space of the power transmission mechanism including the scissors gear.


Device for supplying a multiphase fluid comprising at least a liquid phase and a gas phase to a pumping assembly. The device consists of a tank including means for taking samples of the fluid, at least two, extending in the tank so as to run across the liquid-gas interface under normal working conditions, said sampling means comprise sample openings distributed on either side of said interface under normal working conditions, the sampling means being connected to the pumping assembly.

The conveyance of fluids or effluents of the multiphase type without separation of their constituents is very important in industry since it avoids separation of the phases of the effluent and recompression or pumping of each of the phases separately.
However, this method of conveyance without separation of the effluents requires the use of pumps capable of communicating to the effluents a sufficient pressure value to ensure their transfer over a certain distance.
Most pumps, if not all of them, are adapted to transfer effluents having a certain GLR value included in a determined range. In order to overcome this limitation, a device for regulating the fluctuations of effluents is positioned upstream from the pump and allows the latter to be supplied with an effluent whose GLR value is compatible with the working characteristics of the pump.
French patent No. 2,642,539 thus describes a device allowing damping and regulation of the sudden variations of liquid and gas running into the device, notably on the appearance of gas or liquid plugs, i.e. a large amount of fluid consisting of the gas phase or of the liquid phase only, and enabling the pump positioned thereafter to be supplied with an effluent having a given GLR value.
French patent application 91/16,231 also mentions a method for predimensioning a device of the type described in French patent FR-2,642,539 in order to have, at any time, a sufficient amount of liquid to carry off a large amount of gas and to maintain an optimum GLR value according to the characteristics of the multiphase pump located downstream.
It is however becoming increasingly important to have a device allowing transmission, to a pumping assembly consisting of at least two pumps, a multiphase fluid whose GLR value is compatible with the running of each of the pumps. In fact, the transfer of a multiphase fluid of a large volume may require the use of several pumps, each pump having its own characteristics.
Moreover, increasingly compact and lighter units are much sought-after for economic reasons and in order to allow production in difficult zones.
Finally, it is necessary to have devices of simple and reliable design.

Multiphase fluid regulating and distributing device


A method for producing a component layer-by-layer includes: providing two or more resin handling assemblies, each including a resin support which has at least a portion which is transparent, each resin support defining a build surface located in a build zone of the respective assembly; executing a build cycle, including: depositing on each build surface radiant-energy-curable resin, the resin on each build surface being a unique material combination; positioning a stage relative to one of the build surfaces to define a layer increment; selectively curing the resin using applied radiant energy so as to define a cross-sectional layer of the component; separating the component from the build surface; cleaning at least one of the component and the stage; and repeating the cycle, for a plurality of layers, wherein at least one of the layers is cured in each of the build zone. Apparatus is described for carrying out the method.

This invention relates generally to additive manufacturing, and more particularly to methods for additive manufacturing of components having multiple materials.
Additive manufacturing is a process in which material is built up layer-by-layer to form a component. Stereolithography is a type of additive manufacturing process which employs a tank of liquid radiant-energy curable photopolymer "resin" and a curing energy source such as a laser. Similarly, DLP 3D printing employs a two-dimensional image projector to build components one layer at a time. For each layer, the projector flashes a radiation image of the cross-section of the component on the surface of the liquid or through a transparent object which defines a constrained surface of the resin. Exposure to the radiation cures and solidifies the pattern in the resin and joins it to a previously-cured layer. Other types of additive manufacturing processes utilize other types of radiant energy sources to solidify patterns in resin.
Another prior art method is a so-called "tape casting" process. In this process, a resin is deposited onto a flexible radiotransparent tape that is fed out from a supply reel. An upper plate lowers on to the resin, compressing it between the tape and the upper plate and defining a layer thickness. Radiant energy is used to cure the resin through the radiotransparent tape. Once the curing of the first layer is complete, the upper plate is retracted upwards, taking the cured material with it. The tape is then advanced to expose a fresh clean section, ready for additional resin.
One problem with existing additive manufacturing processes is that it is difficult or impossible to produce components having multiple materials in different layers.

Multi-material additive manufacturing apparatus and method


A method for carrying out a game of the type comprising the steps of noting written information on a surface with the aid of a writing means. The surface is provided with a position-coding pattern and the writing means is a combined writing and reading unit, which continually reads its movement across the surface. The information is converted into transmittable data and is sent via a communication system to a recipient which returns feedback on the received information.

Maps and globes provide a particularly intuitive basis for navigating geographic information. Maps displayed on a computer screen may support interactive navigation and geographic queries, but may suffer from the limited size and lack of resolution of the computer screen. Printed maps, while providing superior map detail, may suffer from a lack of interactivity.


A method for controlling an air conditioner includes, after the air conditioner is turned on, controlling an indoor ambient temperature sensor, an indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor, an outdoor heat exchanger temperature sensor, an outdoor ambient temperature sensor, and an exhaust gas temperature sensor to determine an indoor ambient temperature, an indoor heat exchanger temperature, an outdoor heat exchanger temperature, an outdoor ambient temperature, and an exhaust gas temperature, respectively, determining a first, second, third, fourth, and fifth compressor frequencies based on the indoor ambient temperature, the indoor heat exchanger temperature, the outdoor heat exchanger temperature, the outdoor ambient temperature, and the exhaust gas temperature, respectively, determining a minimum compressor frequency based on the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth compressor frequencies, and controlling a compressor of the air conditioner to operate at the minimum compressor frequency.

In the related art, a window air conditioner adopts a fixed speed compressor with simple logic control, and reveals some obvious defects. First, the speed of the fixed speed compressor is invariable, so when the indoor environment reaches a set temperature, the indoor ambient temperature can only be controlled by a stop-operation-stop continuous cycle. Second, when the outdoor ambient temperature is relatively high, the fixed speed compressor is likely to shut down due to the excessive temperature of the compressor, and it generally takes a long time for the compressor to recover from the shutdown to restart, thereby resulting in poor user comfort experience. Thus, how to ensure reliable operation of the compressor and improve user comfort are technical problems that need to be solved by those skilled in the art.

Method for controlling window air conditioner

GD MIDEA AIR-CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT CO., LTD.


A request for a webpage is received at a server associated with a website and from a terminal device, where the webpage includes an image, and where the server stores a first set of HyperText Markup Language (HTML) code that is associated with the webpage. The image is divided into a plurality of sub-images. A second set of HTML code associated with the webpage is determined, where the second set of HTML code includes code corresponding to each sub-image. The second set of HTML code is transmitted to the terminal device for sequential display of each sub-image on the terminal device.

Development of the information-based society is accompanied with people's increasing dependency on network. Moreover, as mobile intelligent terminal devices develop, people are more likely to execute services by using the mobile intelligent terminal devices (such as mobile phones and tablet computers; referred to as terminal devices for short).
Generally, when a browser of a terminal device is used for browsing a web page, if there is an image on the web page, the terminal device can display the image on the web page only after running the code corresponding to the web page by using the browser and loading the image. This is why when a person browses the web page by using the browser in the terminal device, text on the web page is first displayed and the image on the web page is displayed later. When the user is waiting for the image to display, the browser of the terminal device is actually loading the image on the web page. When the image on the web page occupies large space (in other words, a size of the image is large), the browser may load a larger volume of data during the loading operation, and can take longer time to load. In addition, as an image serves as a whole data to be loaded, only after all data of the image is loaded, the browser of the terminal device can display the image accordingly.
Based on the description above, it can be seen that the terminal device takes more time to load a larger image. As a result, the user may incorrectly identify a web page loading error and attempt to reload the web page repeatedly. As such, network running load and terminal device running load both increase, web page browsing experience of the user is deteriorated, and the user is less interested in browsing the web page.
To alleviate this problem, in the existing technology, an image on a web page is divided into a plurality of sub-images that occupy smaller space, and each sub-image is written into the code of the web page. As such, when opening the web page, the browser of the terminal device does not need to load the entire image to display content of the image, but displays image content corresponding to a sub-image that has been loaded. In other words, when a user uses the terminal device to browse the web page, the image on the web page is displayed part by part (that is, the sub-images are sequentially displayed on the web page). As a sub-image occupies small space, the sub-image is loaded relatively fast, and the user can quickly view partial content of the image (namely, content of the sub-image), thereby alleviating a case that the user incorrectly identifies a web page loading error, and further alleviating repeated loading of the web page by the user, and improving the user's web page browsing experience.
Generally, a process of loading the image of the web page by the browser of the terminal device is as follows: First, a loading address (for example, a server address) of the image is recorded in a HyperText Markup Language (HTML)<img> tag of the web page provided by a web page server. When a browser of any terminal device loads code of the HTML web page and runs to the <img> tag, the browser of the terminal device can send an invoking request to a server corresponding to the image loading address based on the image loading address recorded in the <img> tag, so that the server corresponding to the image loading address can return corresponding data (namely, the image), and the browser can render the received image to the web page by using the <img> tag, then the user can eventually view the image.
In addition, in the existing technology, sub-images on a web page are stored in a content delivery network (CDN) to alleviate device running load, in other words, the sub-images can be stored in different servers. Therefore, the addresses of the sub-images recorded in <img> tags in HTML code of the web page can be addresses of different servers.
Further, each time the terminal device initiates an invoking request is a process of establishing a communication channel. The process of establishing a communication channel consumes a large quantity of electric energy resources of the terminal device (in other words, establishing a communication channel is an operation with high electric power consumption, and causes much higher electric power consumption). However, in the existing technology, because an image on a web page is generally divided into a plurality of sub-images, each sub-image's invoking request needs to be initiated separately, that is, each communication channel needs to be established, for each sub-image when the terminal device browses the web page. Moreover, because the sub-images can be stored in different servers, the terminal device may further need to send invoking requests to a plurality of servers.
It can be seen that, a web page image loading method in the existing technology causes a sharp increase of electric power consumption of a terminal device, resulting in a shorter use time of the terminal device and affecting use efficiency of the terminal device.


A stuffing hand tool for inserting food material into pitted or cored produce items such as olives, figs, strawberries, cherries, which includes a body easily gripped with one hand by a user allowing a tube projecting from one end to be pressed into a mass of food material creating a plug of food material retained in the tube which is stuffed into an item when a plunger is advanced by depressing a pusher cylinder extended out from the opposite end of the body.

This invention concerns a hand tool for stuffing pitted or cored produce such as olives, figs, cherries and strawberries.
Stuffed pitted olives are used in various mixed drinks and in also hors d'oeuvres and often are sold stuffed with pimento or other food material. Such stuffing is carried out on a commercial scale with machines that also pit the olives, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,101.
It would be desirable to enable consumers to conveniently stuff pitted olives with food material of their own choosing such as jalapenos, garlic, various cheese, chipotle, etc., to provide a variety of tastes for use in cocktails, appetizers, etc.
It also would be desirable to be able to conveniently stuff other pitted or cored produce such as figs, cherries, strawberries, etc. with such stuffings as mascarpone cheese, chocolate, goat cheese, etc.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a hand tool for conveniently stuffing such produce items as pitted olives, figs or cherries or cored items such as strawberries with a selected food material.

Hand tool for stuffing pitted or cored produce


The aim of the invention is to provide a method and a stamping device which is affiliated with said method. Using known economical stamping techniques, the stamping device permits coke coal cakes which are produced in an edgewise manner to be inserted into a coking furnace in a manner suited for positioning, i.e. in a flat-lying manner. To this end, a coke coal cake (1) having a small cake height and a large cake base surface is stamped inside a stamp die in an edgewise arrangement while using known techniques. Afterwards, the coke coal cake (1) remains in the stamp die and is placed in a position by a tipping and holding device (3) which is placed on the stamp die and which is suited for carrying out functions. In said position, the coke coal cake (1) which has not yet been removed from the die is inserted into the furnace chamber, is removed from the die therein, and is placed on the furnace base. This is especially achieved by using an inventive stamping device which is characterized in that a tipping and holding device (3) is connected to the stamp die of a stamping machine. A setting base (2) is arranged in the tipping and holding device such that the base is both a part of the stamp die and a part of the setting base.

The invention concerns a process and a stamping device for stamping a coke coal cake with low cake height and large cake base surface and subsequent introduction into a coking furnace with furnace chamber with a large furnace base surface.
Coking furnaces operating according to the state of the art "non-recovery process" have a large furnace base surface with a comparatively low chamber height of the furnace in order to be able to utilize the heating system of the furnace as optimally, that is, as heat effectively, as possible.
Introducing the coke coals into the furnace chamber here takes place by means of a conveyor belt system as an allotment conveyor whose feeding device is conducted to the open furnace door over a cantilever construction.
This manner of coke coal introduction requires a great expenditure of time, whereby the furnace chamber doors must be opened almost completely to effectively place the charging facility, which is relatively expensive as regards construction, in the furnace chamber for charging.
The introduction of coke coals into the furnace is thereby configured in the following steps:
a) Opening the furnace door; PA1 b) Introducing the charging band (allocation conveyor) and simultaneous filling of the coke coals; PA1 c) Extracting the charging band (allocation conveyor) with simultaneous filling of the coke coals and simultaneous leveling of the coke coal surface; PA1 d) Closing the furnace door.
DE 195 45 736 A1 discloses a process and an associated coking furnace machine for filling a coking furnace with coals. Underlying this is the objective of filling the furnace chamber and compacting the coal introduced, especially in connection with improving non-recovery coke ovens. This takes place according to a process whereby, outside the furnace chamber of the coking furnace, the coals are already poured with uniform height into a coal filling and compacting chamber (the hutch) and subsequently compacted with suitable devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,784,034 discloses a process and an associated machine for activating the furnace chamber doors, for pressing the coke out of the furnace chamber and for loading an adjacent, previously emptied furnace chamber with a compact coal charge.
This concerns a combined coking furnace servicing machine for pressing the coke out and for filling the coke coals. To be able to move the coking furnace servicing machine along the front of the furnace chamber, the latter is mounted on rails along the long axis of the block; the head of the pusher has a water-cooled cooling facility to prevent damage and delay owing to the considerable heat of the ejected material and the temperature within the furnace chamber. Filling the empty furnace chamber takes place by means of an endless conveyor as loading conveyor (allocation conveyor). Even with this device, the conveyor discharge is constructed in such a way that it can be set into the furnace chamber of the coking furnace in the manner of a telescope.
Here, the following finding is common to the state of the art processes:
The time interval and the degree of opening of the furnace doors have a disadvantageous action in several respects in connection with the necessary coking temperatures.
First, the furnace chamber cools down very quickly, which once again demands energy and time to bring it up to the coking temperature, and second, all machine parts, even such of the conveyor belt system, are subject to very high wear and tear as a result of the high temperature in a still hot furnace chamber, especially in the initial phase. This brings frequent and cost-intensive maintenance and repair costs along with it, and moreover leads to furnace standstill times during which coke production is at rest.

Method and device for producing a coke coal cake for carrying out a coking process in a furnace chamber

Saarberg-Interplan Gesellschaft fur Rohstoff-, Energie- und Ingenieurtechnik mbH


A method is disclosed for distributing emergency alert audio data, the method including but not limited to receiving emergency alert message (EAM) data at an encoder/decoder in an internet protocol television (IPTV) system; sending the EAM to an emergency alert control (EAC) server in the IPTV system; verifying at the EAC that a valid audio message is received in the EAM; if the EAM contains an audio file, creating a MP3 audio file from or another acceptable format for the audio file; and if the received EAM is a state/local alert, placing the EAM in first-in-first-out order in a message delivery queue for delivery to end user devices in the order of the message delivery queue, else, if a streaming playback of state/local alert message is in progress, suspending the streaming playback of the state/local alert message, and continuously streaming the received EAM to end user device in the IPTV system.

The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a national public warning system that requires broadcasters, cable television systems, wireless cable systems, wireline video providers, satellite digital audio radio service providers and direct broadcast satellite service providers to make their communications facilities available to the President during a national emergency. The system also may be used by state and local authorities to deliver important emergency information such as severe weather warnings targeted to specific geographical regions or areas.

Method, system and computer program product for an emergency alert system for audio announcement


An NMOS transistor has a source and a drain composed of n+ type of semiconductor material. A substrate region composed of a p type of semiconductor material is disposed between the source and the drain. A gate region is disposed above the substrate region and between the source region and the drain region. A first implant region is disposed adjacent to the source region and the gate region. The first implant region is composed of p type of semiconductor material with a first doping concentration. A second implant region is disposed between the first implant region and the substrate. The second implant region is composed of p type of semiconductor material with a second doping concentration. The channel doping profile first and second implant regions is tailored to obtain the optimum internal electric field to maximize device transconductance, while simultaneously controlling the device threshold voltage and punch through characteristics.

The present invention relates in general to MOS devices and, more particularly, to a high gain MOS device with improved frequency response.
MOS devices are commonly used in radio frequency applications such as cellular phones and other communications products. For radio frequency applications it is desirable to obtain higher power gain and improved frequency response than can be obtained in prior art MOS devices.
In MOS devices higher power gain is typically obtained by increasing the transconductance (Gm) of the MOS device. Techniques to improve transconductance generally require advancements in processing technologies, e.g. advances in photolithographic techniques, or advances in thin insulator growth techniques. The increase in Gm is usually accomplished by using a single channel doping implant. The increase in Gm is related to the increase in the internal electric field near the source of the implanted channel. However, in a single channel implant, there is a limit to which this internal electric field may be increased before short channel effect and drain induced barrier lowering occurs.
Hence, a need exists for an improved MOS device for higher power gain and improved radio frequency response while reducing short channel effect and drain induced barrier lowering.

Double implanted laterally diffused MOS device and method thereof


Described are methods of identifying modulators of metabolic memory, for the treatment of microvascular complications of diabetes, as well as methods of use thereof. Also described are methods of treating microvascular complications of diabetes by decreasing expression and/or activity of SHP-1.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR), diabetic nephropathy (DN), and other microvascular complications of diabetes are caused by hyperglycemia, although genetic factors play an important role. Intensive glycemic control has been shown to delay the onset or progression of DR and DN in diabetic patients (The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial Research Group, N. Engl. J. Med. 329, 977-86. (1993); UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) Group. Lancet 352, 837-53. (1998)). However, once the pathology of DR has been established, clinical studies have shown that it is very difficult to stop or reverse the progression of the vascular pathologies of DR or DN. The Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) study, which followed type 1 diabetic patients for over ten years after the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) study ended, showed that prevalence of retinopathy and nephropathy continue to develop at a greater rate in those patients who initially had poor glycemic control. This occurred even after ten years of sharing similar glycemic control between the intensive and standard control groups (The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications Research Group. JAMA 287, 2563-9 (2002); The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications Research Group. JAMA 290, 2159-67 (2003)). Surprisingly, the prevalence of DR and DN continued to diverge between these two groups, hence the phrase, "metabolic memory."