A diffractive element used in conjunction with a grating to move a desired order beam off-axis, thereby reducing interference by undesired orders. Use of the off-axis grating allows a more uniform beam in the presence of manufacturing defects, such as etch depth errors. The diffractive element used with the off-axis grating may include a beam shaper, a one-dimensional beam splitter, or a two-dimensional beam splitter.

The present invention is directed to diffractive optical structures and, more particularly, to diffractive optical structures which shape or split a beam of light and in which a uniform output is required. Diffractive optical structures producing off-axis beams according to the invention may be advantageously used for beam shaping and splitting.
As used herein, a xe2x80x9cbeam shaperxe2x80x9d is an optical element used to alter the shape or energy distribution within a beam of light. Thus, a beam shaper may alter magnification of a light beam, the footprint of the beam when projected on a surface, the energy distribution within a beam, or some combination thereof. An example of altering the energy distribution of a beam is transforming a Gaussian light distribution to a uniform light distribution. Beam shapers may be alternately and interchangeably referred to as xe2x80x9cbeam transformers.xe2x80x9d Also as used herein, xe2x80x9cbeam splitterxe2x80x9d refers to an optical element which divides a beam of light into two or more separate beams having similar characteristics.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional on-axis beam shaping assembly. An input beam 10, which has a Gaussian energy distribution, is transmitted by the diffractive beam shaper 11. The resultant shaped beam 12, which has a uniform energy distribution, strikes beam corrector 13 located a distance d from the beam shaper 11 along the optical axis of the input beam 10. The diffractive beam corrector 13 corrects a phase shift in the shaped beam 12 caused by the beam shaper 11. The beam shaping assembly shown is termed xe2x80x9con-axis,xe2x80x9d because the output beam 14 is located on the axis of the input beam 10. If the phase correction function was not desired, the assembly shown could consist of the beam shaper 11 alone.
Manufacturing tolerances can affect the output quality of beam shapers, such as that shown in FIG. 1, to a great degree. For example, for diffractive optics which are formed by dry etching, the etching processes are not exact, and the final optical shape may deviate slightly from the xe2x80x9cdesiredxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cperfectxe2x80x9d shape designed by an optical designer and sought to be etched. Such manufacturing errors or tolerances also occur with other methods of forming diffractive optics.
FIG. 2 shows the simulated output of an on-axis beam shaper, which is designed to produce a uniform beam, with various amounts of etch depth error. For the xe2x80x98perfectxe2x80x99 optic case 20 (i.e., where the designed shape is simulated with no fabrication or etch error), the peak to valley non-uniformity in the intensity of output beam is 2%. For the 0.5% etch depth error case 21, the peak to valley non-uniformity in the intensity of output beam increases to 10%. For the 3.0% etch depth error case 22, the peak to valley non-uniformity in the intensity of output beam increases to 46%. A typical etch depth tolerance to achieve a high yield in a conventional dry etching process is xc2x13.0%, which produces the 46% non-uniformity shown in plot 22. For many applications of beam transformers, such as lithography or holography, the desired uniformity of the beam is xc2x13.0%, which corresponds to a lower etch error than 3%, and hence cannot be attained with such a conventional high yield process.
It should be noted that the magnitude of the beam non-uniformity is a function of the magnification of the beam shaper. If the beam shaper produces a uniform beam that is much smaller than the input beam, for example one eighth, the additional non-uniformity caused by a 3.0% etch error can be as small as 2.0%. However, the effects of the 3% etching error quickly increase to 19% for a beam reduced to only one fourth size.
The non-uniformity observed in the output beams 21 and 22 in FIG. 2 is the result of the undesired orders produced by the diffractive interfering with the desired order of the output beam. Even though the energy in these orders may only be a few percent of the total input energy, they can have a profound affect on the uniformity of the beam, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The underlying problem is that all of the orders of an on-axis diffractive system are co-located symmetrically about the optical axis. Since a beam which is transformed in this manner is coherent, these co-located multiple order beams interfere and cause the non- uniformity shown in FIG. 2.
On-axis diffractive beam splitters, such as that shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b, suffer from similar problems of interference by undesired diffractive orders. Such an on-axis diffractive beam splitter may have an extremely tight tolerance for the etch depth of the diffractive, hence reducing the yield and making the cost of such a device impractical.
FIGS. 3a and 3b show perspective and side views, respectively, of an on-axis diffractive beam splitter that creates five beams. An input light beam 30 strikes a diffractive beam splitter 31, which is designed to split the input beam 30 into a 0th order beam 32 and four diffracted-order beams 33. The diffractive beam splitter shown is termed xe2x80x9con-axis,xe2x80x9d because the output beams 32 and 33 are located along a line which intersects the axis of the input beam 30. FIG. 3c shows the five beams in their one-dimensional, on-axis arrangement.
For the xe2x80x9cperfectxe2x80x9d optic case (not plotted), the peak to valley non-uniformity in the intensity of output beams 32 and 33 is 6% and the efficiency of the beam splitter is 92%. For the 3.0% etch depth error case, the peak-to-valley non-uniformity in the intensity of output beams is 26% and the efficiency is 91%. A typical etch depth tolerance to achieve a high yield in a conventional dry etching process is xc2x13.0%, which produces the 26% non-uniformity. This non-uniformity among split beams is caused by the co-location of the diffracted beams and the 0th order beam along a line. For many applications of beam splitters, such as communications and hole drilling or marking, the desired non-uniformity among the beams is less than xc2x15.0%, which corresponds to a lower etch error than 3%, and hence cannot be attained with such a conventional high yield process.
It is accordingly apparent that conventional on-axis diffractive beam shapers and splitters have extremely tight tolerances for the etch depth of the diffractive. Such tolerances lower the manufacturing yield, and thus make the cost of such devices impractical. Further, diffractive optics are wavelength sensitive, and the conventional on-axis configurations can only be used at the wavelength for which they are designed .
An object of the invention is to provide a diffractive optical element which substantially obviates one or more problems or limitations of conventional on-axis diffractive optical elements.
Another object of the invention is to design a diffractive beam splitter and/or diffractive beam shaper which is less sensitive to manufacturing errors and wavelength than conventional elements.
By designing a beam shaper or beam splitter that is off-axis by a defined minimum amount to separate the desired order(s) of the diffractive from the order(s) sensitive to manufacturing tolerances, the manufacturing difficulty of achieving the otherwise necessary tight tolerance in the etch depth needed for a very uniform beam may be eliminated. This off-axis configuration also allows a diffractive beam shaper or beam splitter to work over a large wave band.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
To achieve the objects and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided an off-axis beam shaper for producing an output beam of a desired order with a desired energy distribution, including an optical substrate; and a diffractive surface formed on the optical substrate to perform both a beam shaping function on an input beam and to spatially separate the output beam of the desired order from all other diffracted beams of different orders, thereby avoiding interference between the output beam and any other diffracted beam of a different order.
In another aspect, the invention includes an off-axis beam splitter for producing a plurality of substantially identical output beams, including an optical substrate; and a diffractive surface formed on the optical substrate to split an input beam into the plurality of substantially identical output beams and to translate the plurality of output beams away from an optical axis of the input beam.
Another aspect of the invention includes a method of shaping an input beam with diffractive optics, including diffracting an input beam to have a desired shape and energy distribution at a predetermined distance from the optic; andspatially separating an output beam having a desired order from other diffracted beams of different orders at the predetermined distance.
Still another aspect of the invention includes a method for producing a plurality of substantially identical and uniform output light beams, including splitting an input beam into the plurality of substantially identical output beams; and translating the plurality of output beams away from an optical axis of the input beam.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Off-axis diffractive beam shapers and splitters for reducing sensitivity to manufacturing tolerances


Provided are an application module injection device, a computing device including an application module injection function, and a recording medium that records a program for executing an application module injection method. The application module injection device includes a function registration unit configured to register, in an operating system (OS), a first callback function for receiving a notice about whether a process corresponding to a program whose execution is instructed by a user is created from the OS and a second callback function for receiving a notice about whether an image corresponding to the program whose execution is instructed by the user is driven, a process information acquisition unit configured to receive the notice about whether the process corresponding to the program whose execution is instructed by the user is created from the OS through the first callback function, a process determination unit configured to select a process generated so as to correspond to the program whose execution is instructed by the user as an application module injection target process when the program whose execution is instructed by the user, which is determined through the second callback function, corresponds to a predetermined type of program, a context change unit configured to change a first entry point included in a context of a thread corresponding to the application module injection target process into a second entry point of an injected application module, and an application module injection unit configured to inject the application module into the application module injection target process.

In order to add an arbitrary function (for example, malicious code detection function, digital copyright management function, etc.) to an application program that does not have a source code or is commercially available, hooking technologies should be used. In this instance, an operation of enabling a specific function module to penetrate into an address space of a process corresponding to a corresponding application program is referred to as "injection" or "insertion".
Meanwhile, in an operating system (OS) of a protection mode environment, as existing methods proposed in order to inject a module performing a specific function into an area of a process corresponding to an application program, a method of using a registry (AppInt_DLLs), a method of using a window hooking function (SetWindowsHook), a method of using a remote thread (CreatRemoteThread), a method of using a kernel callback function (Process Create Notify Callback+CreateRemoteThread), and the like may be given. However, the method of using the registry may be applicable only to an application program using User32.dll, and the method of using the window hooking function may not be applicable to an imperative execution program that does not use a graphic user interface (GUI). In addition, the method of using the remote thread may not be applicable to a program that is newly executed, and the method of using the kernel callback function may have exceptions that occur due to a point of time problem. Furthermore, in the conventional injection method described above, a separate remedy for a user account control (UAC) function is required with respect to OSs such as Vista, Windows 7, and the like.

Application module injection device, computing device including application module injection function, and recording medium for recording program for executing application module injection method


A semiconductor device includes a layer of a first semiconducting material, where the first semiconducting material is epitaxially grown to have a crystal structure of a first substrate. The semiconductor device further includes a layer of a second semiconducting material disposed adjacent to the layer of the first semiconducting material to form a heterojunction with the layer of the first semiconducting material. The semiconductor device further includes a first component that is electrically coupled to the heterojunction, and a second substrate that is bonded to the layer of the first semiconducting material.

Design of integrated circuits in gallium nitride (GaN) fabrication technology is being increasingly adopted in the semiconductor manufacturing industry due to its advantages over silicon (Si) fabrication technology. These advantages can include high bandwidth and high temperature operation, as well as increased device breakdown voltages. These advantages are derived, at least in part, from the higher bandgap voltage of GaN as compared to Si (e.g., GaN has a bandgap voltage of 3.49 eV, while Si has bandgap voltage of 1.1 eV). The advantages of GaN circuits over Si circuits can also be attributed to the higher critical breakdown field of GaN as compared to Si (e.g., GaN has a critical breakdown field of 3 MV/cm, while Si has a critical breakdown field of 0.3 MV/cm). In addition to the previously mentioned advantages, the epitaxial fabrication of GaN circuits on a high resistivity silicon substrate has made GaN fabrication technology affordable and applicable for a wide range of applications. However, the thermal conductivity of the underlying silicon substrate limits dissipation of the thermal energy produced by these circuits in high frequency and high power applications.
In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numerals may describe similar components in different views. Like numerals having different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. The drawings illustrate generally, by way of example, but not by way of limitation, various embodiments discussed in the present document.

Gallium nitride device for high frequency and high power applications


Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to devices, methods, apparatuses and computer readable storage media of ONU activation for OLT Equalizer training. The method includes determining, at OLT, configuration information indicating a bandwidth allocation dedicated for an ONU and a first target preamble sequence associated with the bandwidth allocation, the first target preamble sequence to be used by the ONU for a transmission from the ONU to the OLT on a first wavelength; transmitting the configuration information to the ONU; and receiving the transmission from the ONU from the ONU on the first wavelength, the transmission is performed by the ONU based on the first target preamble sequence.

For the new generation Passive Optical Network (PON) with at least 50 Gbps-per-wavelength capacity, a digital signal processing (DSP) will be required for physical layer signal equalization to overcome the signal distortion issues caused by high bitrate and imperfect channel condition.
During the activation of the ONU, an initial equalizer training procedure is required for OLT's burst mode receiver, to settle an appropriate set of for the new ONU. Once the equalizer of the burst receiver has been initially trained, the preamble length for upstream burst can be shortened to reduce burst frame overhead.

Devices, methods, apparatuses and computer readable storage media for optical communication


A direct access storage device (DASD) system uses a read/write head having a wide transducer write element and a narrow magneto-resistive read element. In order to avoid mistakenly reading a incompletely erased old data field, the system uses a verification procedure. Data are read at two positions along the data track which are separated by a radial distance D. This distance D is selected to be greater than the width of any incompletely erased data record. If the data read at the two read positions are equal, then the data are deemed to be correct and are sent to a host system.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to data storage systems and more particularly to such systems having a wide write element and a narrow read element.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Direct access storage devices (DASD) or disk drives, store information on concentric tracks of a rotatable magnetic recording disk. A read/write head is moved from track to track in order to read and record the desired information. Typically, the head is positioned on an air bearing slider which flies above the surface of the disk as the disk rotates. In some proposed disk drives, the slider rides on a liquid film or bearing on the disk. A head suspension assembly connects the slider to a rotary or linear actuator which moves the head to different radial positions along the disk.
During operation of the DASD units, it is important that the head stay positioned over the center of the track on which it is writing or reading data. This has become increasingly difficult as the tracks have become smaller in width and are spaced closer together in order to increase the overall data density of the DASD. The head may be off center due to differences in thermal expansion of the different parts of the DASD, in accuracies in the head position actuator, imperfect axial rotation of the spindle motor which rotates the disk, or any of a number of other factors.
One solution to the head mispositioning problem is to move the head in incremental steps across the track and try to determine the actual center of the track. The references which discuss this include U.S. Pat. No. 4,485,418 issued Nov. 27, 1984; European Patent Application 0220382 published Jun. 5, 1987; IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 35, No. 4B, p. 303, September 1992; IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 29, No. 2, p. 586, July 1986.
Incomplete erasure of a previously recorded data track is another problem which occurs due to mispositioning of the head. When a new data field is written on a track, it overwrites the previous old data field. However, if the head is not properly centered on the track, then a slice of the old data may remain at the edge of the new data field. This may cause errors in reading.
One approach to solving this problem has been to provide erase bands between the data tracks. The head may have additional separate erase elements on either side of the write element in order to insure that the edge of each newly written field does not contain any data. Alternatively, the write element may be used to create the erase bands on either side of a newly written data field. Examples of this include U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,048 issued Aug. 15, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. 4,771,346 issued Sep. 13, 1988; U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,421 issued Feb. 17, 1987; Japanese application 03-157805 published Jul. 5, 1991; German patent application DE2654577 published Jun. 8, 1978; IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 32, No. 10B, p. 90, March 1990; IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 28, No. 1, p. 203, June 1985.
Magneto-resistive beads have recently been used in DASD devices. These heads contain separate write and read elements. The wide write element is a transducer element which is optimized for writing. The narrower read element is a magneto-resistive element which is optimized for reading. The magneto-resistive head allows smaller and more closely spaced data tracks to be written and read, thereby increasing the overall capacity of the DASD.
The inventors have discovered that because the magneto-resistive read element is much narrower than the write element, there is a good chance that a previously written field which has not been completely erased may be mistakenly read. The probability of reading an old data field is further increased by the need to hunt across the track width in some circumstances in order to successfully read a data field. This hunting only increases the chance than an old unerased data field at the edge of the track may be mistakenly read. The addition of erase bands on either side of the data track is not practical due to the close spacing of the tracks. The edge of a data track cannot be erased without also erasing a portion of a neighboring data track.
What is needed is a DASD system and method which does not need erase bands and which will not mistakenly read incompletely erased previously data fields.

Error recovery data storage system and method with two position read verification

International Business Machines Corporation


A gasket having a concentrically waved metal sheet, i.e., a core member, which has a PTFE sheet or an inorganic sheet of sealing-property layered and bonded on each of its opposite surfaces. The gasket makes it possible to ensure a stable sealing-property for a long period of time with a low to a high fastening-load applied. The metal sheet has valley portions, which were conventionally vacant gaps, and are filled with powdered sealing member to be embedded from the beginning. Therefore, the PTFE sheet or the inorganic sheet at the valley portions of the metal sheet that conventionally could not be compressed with a low fastening-load applied is compressed and even with the low fastening-load applied can secure a fastening surface-pressure over the entire surface. Further, since it is possible to suppress the deformation of the sheet in quantity, which was conventionally large, the PTFE sheet or the inorganic sheet each of low-fluidity are arranged so as not to be broken with a high fastening-load applied and the thinner PTFE sheet or the thinner inorganic sheet can be used.

Conventionally, there has been known such a structure that comprises a concentrically waved metal sheet having opposite surfaces on which expanded-graphite sheets are layered and bonded as a sealing member. This conventional structure employs the concentrically waved metal sheet instead of a core member which has conventionally comprised a flat metal plate or a metal plate which has opposite surfaces each provided with discontinuous concave and convex portions or worked into a structure having concave and convex portions like saw-teeth, so as to remarkably enhance the compression efficiency, which was extremely small before, and secure so high a deformation-following ability (following ability with respect to the accuracy of the flange-surface) that it can be used for the glass-lining flange distorted or waved. Further, a sheet made of expanded graphite has been utilized for the sealing member as it was done so conventionally. The opposite surfaces in contact with the flange are each formed from a sheet made of expanded graphite, which has a high fluidity and assures an excellent compatibility with the flange.
An explanation is given for a mechanism according to which such a conventional structure exerts the sealing function, with reference to the compression-deformation process of the conventional structure shown in FIG. 7(A) to FIG. 7(C). In these Figures, numeral 1 indicates a concentrically waved metal sheet that constitutes a core member. Numerals 2 and 3 designate expanded-graphite sheets layered and bonded on the opposite surfaces of the metal sheet 1. Numerals 4 and 5 each indicates a flange. Alphabetical letter (T) means a thickness of the gasket.
In a free state shown in FIG. 7(A) before fastening, the metal sheet 1 has an original wave-pitch (P) and wave-height (T1/2) (height (T1) of a mountain-like portion) and each of the expanded-graphite sheets 2 and 3 has an original thickness (T2) uniform in its entirety. There are formed vacant gaps 4 between valley portions 1a of the metal sheet 1 and the expanded-graphite sheets 2 and 3.
In a fastened state shown in FIG. 7(B) where a low fastening-load is applied, the metal sheet 1 is compressed between the mutually opposing flanges 5 and 6 in a direction of the thickness while it is decreasing its wave-height (T1/2) but increasing its wave-pitch (P), so that while making compression-deformation in the thickness-direction, it performs extension-deformation in a direction of the plane (radially inwards and outward). Although each of the expanded-graphite sheets 2 and 3 is compressed in the thickness-direction at the mountain-like portions 1b of the metal sheet 1, it is not compressed at the valley portions 1a of the metal sheet 1. Therefore, the conventional structure ensures a high fastening surface-pressure locally at the mountain-like portion 1b of the metal sheet 1 to exert a sealing-property. At this time, the expanded-graphite sheets 2 and 3 deform following the position-variation of the mountain-like portions 1b of the metal sheet 1 owing to their high fluidity. Then, without being broken, they are decreasing the thickness T2 at the mountain-like portions 1b of the metal sheet 1 while they are increasing it at the valley portions 1a of the metal sheet 1 to result in partly filling the vacant gaps 4.
In another fastened state shown in FIG. 7(C) where a high fastening-load is applied, the metal sheet 1 is more compressed between the mutually opposing flanges 5 and 6 in the direction of the thickness while it is further decreasing its wave-height (T1/2) but increasing its wave-pitch (P), so that while making further compression-deformation in the thickness-direction up to a state close to a flat plate, it performs further extension-deformation in a direction of the plane. At this time, the expanded-graphite sheets 2 and 3 deform following the position-variation of every mountain-like portion 1b of the metal sheet 1 owing to their high fluidity. Then, without being broken, they are further decreasing the thickness T2 at the mountain-like portions 1b of the metal-sheet 1 while they are more increasing it at the valley portions 1a of the metal sheet 1 with the result of ultimately filling the whole vacant gaps 4 completely. Thus the conventional structure exerts a stable sealing-property because the expanded-graphite sheets 2 and 3 are compressed also at the valley-portions 1a of the metal sheet in the thickness direction and secure the fastening surface-pressure over the entire surfaces of the mountain-like portions 1b and the valley portions 1a of the metal sheet 1.
The conventional structure is such that the concentrically waved metal sheet has opposite surfaces with the expanded-graphite sheets layered and bonded thereon and has been adopted for the gasket described, for example, in Patent Literature 1 and therefore it is publicly known.    Patent Literature: Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 5-92574


An electronic event recorder for attachment to a vehicle is provided which can broadcast encrypted signature and data, thereby leaving behind an electronic version of a xe2x80x9cfingerprintxe2x80x9d in the event of an accident or traffic violation. The fingerprint, captured by an external data acquisition system or another vehicle so equipped, provides a history of events related to the vehicle. The event recorder is preferably integrated on a smart card and housed in a tamper proof casing. In a first mode of operation, monitoring stations along the roadways periodically send an interrogation signal, such as when radar detects that the vehicle is speeding. Upon receiving the interrogation signal the smart card transmits the vehicle""s signature information to the monitoring station where it is time and date stamped along with the speed of the vehicle. In a second mode of operation, when a sensor detects a sudden or violent acceleration or deceleration, such as occurs during a collision, a smart card mounted in each car will exchange signature information automatically. This is particularly useful when the collision occurs in a parking lot when one of the hit vehicles is typically unattended.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an event driven transceiver and, more particularly, to an event recorder carried in a vehicle for transmitting electronic signature data or xe2x80x9cfingerprintsxe2x80x9d and receiving and recording electronic signature data from like equipped vehicles or roadside stations upon the occurrence of an event, such as, for example, an accidental collision or a traffic violation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, law enforcement agencies in certain jurisdictions have resorted to automated surveillance techniques as a method for catching drivers that violate traffic laws. The most notable form of automated surveillance involves placing a traffic camera on a stretch of highway or at stop light intersections aimed to capture an image of a vehicle""s licence plate. The camera shutter is tripped when a vehicle speeds or runs a yellow or red light. The image is stamped with the time, date, speed of the vehicle obtained from radar, and the status of the traffic light if applicable. The image is then mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle along with a traffic citation. This type of automated surveillance system is passive in that it is essentially just a replacement for a police officer staked out at the scene. However, the offending vehicle provides no information or xe2x80x9csignaturexe2x80x9d other than a picture and its licence plate number. Further, it is obviously impractical to provide this type of surveillance system at every intersection or along every stretch of roadway or parking lot.
The above described surveillance system really has no practical application for say, recording the events of a hit and run accident, unless of course the offence occurs at a monitored point. Moreover, a vehicle involved in an accident does not purposely leave any signature of its involvement in the accident. The result is that hit and run accidents occur frequently, particularly in parking lots, where there is no driver in the parked car. Unless there is a witness to the accident willing to speak up or the driver of the offending vehicle leaves a note, there is no accountability for such an accident.
Similarly, many surveillance tasks such as monitoring the weight of trucks or identifying hazardous materials (HAZMATS) carried in the truck prior to entering tunnels or bridges are very intrusive and require that the truck be stopped periodically at highway weigh stations and physically inspected. This is a very time consuming task for law enforcement officers as well as an inconvenience for the drivers.
Therefore what is needed in the art is the ability to automatically verify that a vehicle took part in a specific event apart from an eyewitness as well as a method for authorities to monitor potentially hazardous vehicles on the highways.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an event recorder, such as on a smart card, comprising a transceiver for transmitting and/or receiving signature data upon the occurrence of a triggering event.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a smart card which transmits signature information when interrogated by a monitoring station.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a smart card for carrying in a vehicle which exchanges signature information with a similar device carried in another vehicle when a collision occurs.
According to the present invention, an event recorder for attachment to a machine or vehicle, is provided which can broadcast an encrypted signature, thereby leaving behind an electronic version of a xe2x80x9cfingerprintxe2x80x9d of the machine or vehicle carrying the recorder. The fingerprint, captured by an external data acquisition system, provides a history of events related to the machine or vehicle.
In the preferred embodiment, the event recorder comprises a microcomputer, a memory, and a transceiver, preferably housed in a tamper resistant casing, for example as the casing described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,629. All of the necessary hardware components may be housed on a smart-card which is ideal for this purpose. The memory stored signature information about the vehicle such as, for example, the owner""s name, licence plate, vehicle registration, etc. In the case of trucks or even ships, the memory may further contain information relating to the nature of the cargo, the weight, or the size of the vehicle. In a first mode of operation, monitoring stations along the roadways periodically send an interrogation signal, such as when radar detects that the vehicle is speeding. Upon receiving the interrogation signal the smart card transmits the vehicle""s signature information to the monitoring station where it is time and date stamped along with the speed of the vehicle. This data can then be appropriately processed by the authorities. The signature information and/or the interrogation signal may be encrypted to protect the privacy of the driver from bystanders who may intercept the signature signal.
In a second mode of operation, when a sensor detects a sudden or violent acceleration or deceleration, such as occurs during a collision, an event recorder mounted in each car will begin transmitting its signature information and receiving and storing the other vehicle""s signature information. In this mode signature information is automatically exchanged between the vehicles without driver interaction. This is particularly useful when the collision occurs in a parking lot when one of the hit vehicles is typically unattended.

Event-recorder for transmitting and storing electronic signature data

International Business Machines Corporation


An energy storage system is provided with one or more local energy storage systems and a procedure to operate such an energy storage system. The local energy storage systems are connected to a non-local power supply grid and/or one or more local power supply grids each compromising at least one local control unit, which is intended at least for control of the respective energy storage system for localized regulating and system tasks (LRS) for the one or more respective local power supply grids. The energy storage system furthermore comprises a central control unit connected via the communication network to the respective local control units, which is intended for control (SNL) of absorbing (En) and emitting (Ep) energy of the one or more local energy storage systems to the non-local power supply grid, with the central control unit being equipped to dispose of all portions of the local storage capacities (LSKg).

The energy for operating a power supply grid is supplied by various and different types of power stations. Herein, most of the power stations, such as nuclear power stations, coal-fired power stations, gas-fired power stations, wind turbines, biogas plants, or solar power plants, are nothing but energy generators for feeding energy into the non-local power supply grid. For example, non-local power supply grids are distribution networks and transmission networks, such as they are operated in Germany by Amprion, 50 Hertz, Tennet, and TransnetEnBW. These transmission networks are a part of the wide area synchronous grid in Europe. In their capacity as mere energy generators, the power stations mentioned above cannot absorb any extra energy from the grid and store it in case of need. In contrast, energy storage systems can be used to collect energy from and release it to a power supply grid. For example, energy storage systems are central energy storage systems, such as pumped storage power stations, or decentralized energy storage systems, such as battery storage devices or flywheel energy storage units. Pumped storage power stations are energy storage systems that are largely not subject to changes in weather and, as a general rule, are therefore always available. Usually, central energy storage systems are designed for a large capacity. Due to the available capacity, such systems are adapted to provide reserve energy for the non-local power supply grid in order to take appropriate effect in the non-local power supply grid. Depending on their overall size, pumped storage power stations may have a capacity of several 100 MW and more wherein, however, the generators are, in most cases, designed to produce electric current under full load and can therefore utilize the full capacity of the pumped storage power station at an appropriate efficiency and in a timely manner. This operating method is not adapted to stabilize or improve the quality of a small local power supply system having a demand for electricity that is rather negligible as compared with the capacity of the pumped storage power station. Centrally used battery storage devices are currently under construction with the objective to put into practice a pilot operating method for grid-stabilizing (non-localized) tasks (reserve energy). However, the devices that have been planned so far do not fulfill any localized tasks. However, because of their ratio between performance, capacity and aging, battery accumulators are not very suitable for applications with several load cycles per day.
Local energy storages are generally optimized for stabilization of the local power demand and not designed or qualified for delivery of control energy to support the non-local power supply grid. Connection of the local accumulators into a facility that has a non-local as well as a local effect does not take place yet.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an energy storage system that at the same time permits the improvement of local power quality and supply safety for non-local power supply grid and thus can be operated as an energy storage system with sufficient effect for both purposes.


A media recommendation system gathers negative user feedback associated with media content. Based on the gathered feedback, the media recommendation system extracts a list of recommended media content from program data describing available media content.

Many media entertainment systems provide electronic programming guides (EPGs) that allow users to interactively select programs that they are interested in. FIG. 1, Prior Art, illustrates a common EPG display. Systems that employ EPG technology typically display programs organized according to the channel on which the program will be broadcast and the time at which the broadcast will occur. Information identifying a particular program typically includes the program title, and possibly a short description of the program. In today's world, media entertainment systems can typically offer hundreds of channels from which a user can choose. In the future, many more channels will undoubtedly be offered. This alone can present a daunting task for the user who wishes to locate particular programs of interest. Further complicating the user's experience is the fact that many current electronic programming guides (EPGs) can provide an abundance of information that can take several hours for a user to look through.
Many viewers typically end up simply reviewing a few favorite channels to see when their favorite programs are playing, and then view those programs at the appropriate times. Additionally, other viewers may simply revert to channel surfing. Needless to say, these outcomes do not provide the user with the best user experience or make effective and efficient use of the user's time.
One alternative EPG implementation displays a list of recommended programs, rather than displaying a list of all available programs. Typically, programs are displayed on a recommended list based on information gathered from one or more users that indicates that the user liked the program. For example, data may be gathered indicating that a particular program was viewed based on the fact that a client device, such as a settop box, was tuned to the channel on which the program was broadcast for the duration of the program. The client device assumes that because the tuner was tuned to a channel broadcasting a particular program that the user likes the program.
Unfortunately, the fact that a client device is receiving a particular broadcast does not necessarily indicate that the received broadcast is being experienced by a user. For example, if a client device, such as a settop box is powered on but the television to which it is connected is powered off, the settop box continues to receive the broadcast even though no users are experiencing the programs that are received. In another example, a user may leave their television set powered on even though they are not viewing the broadcast, and in fact, may even leave a television in their home powered on while they are away from the home, potentially for up to several hours. As a result, inaccurate recommendations may be generated based on the fact that the client device is tuned to programs in which the user is not interested.
A list of recommended programs generated based, at least in part, on user feedback that indicates a user's dislike of one or more programs is likely to include programs that user is interested in, and more specifically, likely to not include programs that a user is not interested in.

Media recommendations based on negative feedback


A device for dispensing a product in doses including a casing element, a dosing device shiftable relative to the casing element in a dispensing direction, a setting device for setting the position of the dosing device, and a restoring element for returning the dosing device to a starting position, wherein a movement of the dosing device in the dispensing direction charges the restoring element.

The invention relates to devices and methods for dispensing, including devices and methods for dispensing, administering, injecting and/or infusing a medicinal product, including injectable medicinal products, such as insulin or hormone preparations, in doses. The application claims the priority of German patent application No. 103 43 548.4, filed on Sep. 19, 2003 with the German Patent and Trademark Office.
Devices for dispensing, administering or injecting injectable products are well-known. Such devices may include a dosing means, some of which are restorable or resettable, but it may be difficult to restore the dosing means and, in some cases, it may not be possible at all.
EP 0 614 386 B1 describes a device in which a toothed rack which acts on a piston arranged in a container for the dosing product is only provided with teeth over a part of its circumference. The teeth of the toothed rack cooperate with opposing teeth in such a way that the toothed rack can be shifted in discrete increments for the purpose of delivering the product but is prevented from being simply retracted. In order to be restored, the toothed rack is formed such that the teeth and the opposing teeth are disengaged by rotating the toothed rack by 90° and the toothed rack can then be manually retracted and moved to a starting position for a new, dosed delivery. Restoring the driven member requires the user to perform a number of movements in coordination. This, however, can lead to problems for a user who is perhaps not familiar with handling a somewhat complex mechanism, and therefore restrict the range of application of the device.
A device for administering an injectable product in doses is known from DE 10 046 279 A1, belonging to the Applicant, wherein a restoring spiral spring is provided which is secured when tensioned and is coupled to a drive unit by a release and can cause a restoring movement of the drive unit towards its dosing starting position.

Device for dispensing an injectable product in doses


A portable blade sharpening system including a sharpening device having a main body and a clamping bar for securing a blade to be sharpened. Guide arms having openings are attached to the main body for receiving and guiding a support rod. The support rod is attached to a sharpening hone holder and is movable between a retracted and extended position. The sharpening hone holder has a channel for housing the support rod when it is in the retracted position. The clamping bar includes recessions for providing it with a lowprofile adjacent the clamped blade. The openings of the guide arms are substantially rectangular so that a consistent cutting angle is maintained.

Several cutting blade sharpening systems for hand tools are currently available. These systems are generally sold as sharpening kits and usually include: a sharpening stone which can be attached to a guide bar; a clamping device for retaining a tool having the cutting blade edge to be sharpened; and a graduated guide on the clamping device, which include several openings for receiving the guide bar. When the tool blade with the cutting edge is clamped within the clamping device, the sharpening stone is slid across the cutting edge of the blade at a prescribed angle depending on which opening of the guide arm receives the guide bar.
It is important that these sharpening assemblies be compact for them to be practical for certain applications where they are likely to be used, such as during a camping trip or in storage on the shelf of a workshop in a household. For any application, however, simplicity of operation and compact storage is preferred. However, compactness must not be achieved at the expense of convenience, ease of use, accuracy and reliability and consistency in maintaining the desired sharpening angle.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple sharpening assembly which is compact and can be operated with a minimum number of parts.
It is object of the present invention to provide a sharpening kit which is simple and relatively inexpensive in construction, yet convenient, accurate and reliable in use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a sharpening hone holder which provides both effective grip and protection for the fingers of an operator.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a sharpening hone holder that can be used to accommodate parts of the sharpening kit to facilitate compact storage.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a support handle that can easily be attached to the present sharpener body which is inexpensive, easy to use and compact.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention a sharpening hone holder having a support rod attached thereto is constructed to store the rod. The hone holder is used with a sharpening device of the type that includes transverse guide arms with transversely spaced openings adapted to receive the support rod and an element for maintaining a fixed relationship between the tool edge to be sharpened and the guide arms. As a result, the sharpening hone is retained at a predetermined cutting angle with respect to the cutting edge of the blade. The sharpening hone holder has a body with a support rod storage space and retaining means for selectively retaining the support rod between an extended position wherein the support rod is substantially outside the storage space and a retracted position wherein the support rod is substantially within the storage space. Additionally, means is provided for retaining the support rod in a selected position in the range including the extended and retracted positions.
The sharpening device of the present invention includes a main body, a clamping portion attached to the main body and means for tightening the clamping portion tightly towards a surface of the main body thereby being adapted to engage and securely hold the blade of a knife. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the tightening means is recessed within the clamping portion thereby allowing more acute angles without interfering with the movement of the hone during the sharpening operation.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, each opening along the guide arms is shaped to provide sufficient support to the support rod such that during sharpening the support rod maintains a constant cutting angle against the knife blade regardless of the relative angle between the support rod and the opening.


A millimeter-wave real-time imaging based safety inspection system and safety inspection method. The safety inspection system includes a conveying device (10), a millimeter wave transceiver module (11), an antenna array (17, 18), a switch array (16a, 16b), a switch control unit (15a, 15b), a quadrature demodulation and data acquisition module (12), and an image display unit (13). By using an Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) imaging principle, the millimeter-wave real-time imaging based safety inspection system performs real-time imaging on an object to be inspected when the object moves, so that not only the imaging speed is improved, but also the field of view is enlarged. A safety inspector can determine whether an inspected person carries dangerous goods by observing a three-dimensional diagram of the inspected person, thereby eliminating the inconvenience caused by back-and-forth movement of a safety inspection device used by the safety inspector around the inspected person.

In recent years, safety issues have increasingly attracted the attention of people around the world, and higher requirements have been set for the reliability and intelligence of safety inspection systems.
Traditional metal detectors can only inspect targets in a small range at short distances, have low efficiency, and are far from meeting the demands of safety inspection. Although various rays such as X-rays have strong penetration, they can cause radiation damage to the inspected human body, thus even though currently there are X-ray machines with low-radiation dose, they are still not easily accepted by the public. Infrared imaging is based on the temperature of the surface of the object and it cannot be clear under the condition of fabric shield. A millimeter wave imaging system can not only inspect metal objects hidden under the fabric, but also inspect dangerous goods such as plastic pistol and explosives, the information obtained is more detailed and accurate, which can greatly reduce the false alarm rate. Therefore, in recent years, millimeter wave imaging technology has been more widely used in personnel safety inspection and other aspects.
Millimeter wave imaging technology uses millimeter wave radar. The millimeter wave radar refers to a radar transmitting a signal with the frequency in the millimeter wave band, and the frequency of the millimeter wave is from 30 GHz to 300 GHz (with wavelength from 1 mm to 10 mm), and in practical engineering applications, the low end frequency of the millimeter wave is often reduced to 26 GHz, in the electromagnetic spectrum, millimeter wave frequency is between microwave frequency and the infrared wave frequency. Compared with microwave, millimeter wave is typically characterized by short wavelength, wide frequency band (with a very wide utilization room), and propagation characteristics in the atmosphere. Compared with infrared, millimeter wave has the ability of all-weather operations and can be used in harsh environment such as smoke, dust and fog. In the case of increasingly crowded microwave hands, millimeter wave has the advantages of microwave, and also have some advantages that are not possessed by low-frequency microwave.
Specifically, millimeter wave has the following characteristics: 1. high accuracy, it is easier for millimeter wave radar to obtain narrow beam and large absolute bandwidth, making a millimeter wave radar system to be more resistant to electronic interference; 2. in Doppler radar, the Doppler frequency resolution of the millimeter wave is high; 3. in a millimeter wave imaging system, millimeter wave is sensitive to the shape and structure of the target, has a strong ability to distinguish metal target and background environment, and the obtained image resolution is high, and thus the ability to identify and detect target can be improved; 4. millimeter wave can penetrate the plasma; 5. compared with infrared laser, millimeter wave is less affected by harsh natural environment; 6. millimeter wave system is small in bulk and light in weight, and compared with microwave circuit, millimeter wave circuit is much smaller in size, making millimeter wave system easier to be integrated. It is these unique properties that provide millimeter wave technology with a wide range of application prospect, especially in the field of nondestructive inspection and safety inspection.
In the early development of millimeter wave imaging, millimeter wave imaging system used a single-channel mechanical scanning system; this imaging system has a simple structure but a long scanning time. In order to shorten the scanning time, Millivision Corporation developed a Veta125 imager, this imager has an 8×8 array receiving mechanism in addition to a transmission scanning system, But this imager is more suitable for large scale remote monitoring outdoors, and the field of view is less than 50 cm. Trex Corporation developed a set of PMC-2 imaging system, the antenna unit in this imaging system uses 3 mm phased array antenna technology. The PMC-2 imaging system uses a millimeter wave with a center frequency of 84 GHz. The cost of this imaging system is relatively high because its operating frequency is close to the terahertz band. Lockheed Martin Corporation has also developed a set of focal plane imaging array imaging system, which uses a millimeter wave with a center frequency of 94 GHz. TRW Corporation has developed a set of passive millimeter wave imaging system, and uses a millimeter wave with a center frequency of 89 GHz. Imaging systems of Lockheed Martin Corporation and TRW Corporation both have a smaller field of view, typically less than 50 cm.
At present, in the field of millimeter wave imaging, research results of millimeter wave imaging are mainly concentrated in the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Mc Makin et al., in this laboratory developed a set of three dimensional holographic imaging scanning system. The scanning mechanism of this set of imaging system is based on cylindrical scanning, and this set of system has achieved commercialization of millimeter wave imaging system. The imaging system uses an active imaging mechanism and obtains a three dimensional millimeter wave image of the target through inversion of holographic algorithm. This technology has been authorized to L-3 Communications and Save View Co., Ltd., and their products are used in safety inspection system in the places such as stations and docks, and used in trial for clothing. However, because this system uses 384 transceiver units, the cost is relatively high.
Furthermore, the millimeter wave imaging technology currently used in personnel safety inspection is based on synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging principle in which radar moves and target is still, which has the problems of low imaging speed and small field of view during safety inspection. In addition, when inspecting a human body by an existing safety inspection system, a safety inspector needs to use a security inspection device to move back and forth on the body of the inspected person, which is inconvenient for both the safety inspector and the inspected person.

Millimeter-wave real-time imaging based safety inspection system and safety inspection method

SHENZHEN VICTOOTH TERAHERTZ TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.

SHENZHEN INSTITUTE OF TERAHERTZ TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION


A system of high-frequency (HF) antennas is disposed on various aircraft body panels. The antennas are configured for orthogonal polarization such that NVIS may be operable no matter the state of the ionosphere. The antennas are disposed on substantially perpendicular body panels so that, when operated in concert, the resulting signals have opposite polarization and at least one signal will bounce off the ionosphere.

In many applications, such as military applications, it is desirable to have multiple redundant options for beyond-line-of-sight communication. Traditionally, such communication is primarily via SATCOM and an alternative, high frequency (HF) near vertical incident skywave (NVIS) system capable of beyond-line-of-site communication via interaction with the ionosphere when SATCOM is unavailable. Unpredictable environmental variables are problematic for NVIS because a signal generated to accommodate one set of environmental characteristics may be ill-suited to a dynamic environment. Furthermore, it is difficult or impossible to anticipate the dynamic environment and maximize connectivity.

Multi-polarization HF NVIS for vertical lift aircraft


A sliding centrifugal drive weight for use in an automatic transmission found in motor vehicles or watercrafts. The sliding centrifugal drive weight, which mainly consists of an outer friction shell and an inner core weight, comprises an upper inclined face in sliding contact with a ramp plate, a bottom surface in sliding contact with a movable drive pulley half, a left face, and a right wear resistant face. The sliding centrifugal drive weight is designed to eliminate abnormal wear, prevent reduction gear ratio deterioration, prolong the useful life of the transmission, and have the availability to adjust reduction gear ratios as well as driving performance. At the same time, the sliding centrifugal drive weight is also adapted to compensate wear automatically, to adjust by itself to move further outward in a movable drive pulley half, make the vehicle reach a higher maximum vehicle speed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic continuous variable transmission. More particularly, the invention relates to a centrifugal roller weight used in an automatic continuous variable transmission or the like found in motor vehicles, boats or watercrafts, or auxiliary mechanisms. Each centrifugal roller weight comprising a core weight and an outer cover made of wear-resistant resin is provided between a ramp plate and a movable drive pulley half of a drive pulley in the automatic transmission mentioned above. Upon a centrifugal force, the centrifugal roller weights move radially in the drive pulley to continuously change the width of the grooves of the drive pulley and a driven pulley while the drive pulley and driven pulley are mounted around by an endless belt, so as to change the vehicle speed continuously.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional automatic continuous variable transmission (i.e., CVT) 1 of a motor vehicle is illustrated in FIG. 1 and it comprises a drive pulley 2 proximate to an engine 12, a driven pulley 3 at a rear axle, and an endless trapezoid-section belt 9 (i.e., V-belt 9) rotatably interconnected with the drive pulley 2 and the driven pulley 3. In the operation, a piston 8 is activated when the engine 12 starts. Next, a rotary shaft 10 rotates to revolve the drive pulley 2. A plurality of centrifugal weight rollers 6 (i.e., weight roller 6) in a movable drive pulley half 4 move radially outward upon a centrifugal force acting thereon. A ramp plate 7 is fixed; hence, the movable drive pulley half 4 moves toward a stationary drive pulley half 5 due to an opposite reaction, and forces exerted on sides of the V-belt 9 push the V-belt 9 of the drive pulley 2 to move outward. Thus, the effective diameter of the V-belt 9 of the drive pulley 2 increases and, at the same time, the V-belt 9 of the driven pulley 3 moves toward the rotary shaft 10 and the effective diameter of the V-belt 9 of the driven pulley 3 decreases. As the revolution of engine changes, the centrifugal force acting on the weight roller 6 is changed. Thus, the distance between the movable drive pulley half 4 and the stationary drive pulley half 5 is changed. As a result, the continuous change of effective diameters of V-belts 9 of the drive pulley 2 and the driven pulley 3 changes the speed of vehicle. Such a conventional continuous variable transmission 1 of motor vehicle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,432. The shape of the weight roller 6 in the movable drive pulley half 4 is spherical (see U.S. Pat. No. 2,986,043) or cylindrical (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,432).
The weight roller 6 is at a lowest position in the movable drive pulley half 4 when the revolution of engine is lower than a predetermined value or centrifugal force acting on the weight roller 6 is very small (see FIG. 2). At this position, the effective diameter (2hR0) of the V-belt 9 in the drive pulley 2 is a minimum and the effective diameter of the V-belt 9 in the driven pulley 3 is a maximum. The transmission 1 is in a low gear status when the weight roller 6 is at its lowest position (see FIG. 2).
The revolution of the drive pulley 2 is higher than that of the driven pulley 3 when the motor vehicle starts. For example, the drive pulley 2 may rotate three times while the driven pulley 3 rotates once. This means a reduction gear ratio 3:1 in low gear status, when the vehicle speed is slow but the engine has a large torque.
As the revolution of engine increases, the centrifugal force acting on the weight roller 6 increases correspondingly. While weight rollers 6 gradually move radially outward, the effective diameter of the V-belt 9 in the drive pulley 2 increases and the effective diameter of the V-belt 9 in the driven pulley 3 decreases correspondingly. This continuous changing of the effective diameter of the V-belt of the drive pulley 2 and that of the driven pulley 3 shows the continuous gearshifting of the automatic transmission.
The weight roller 6 is at a highest position in the movable drive pulley half 4 (see FIG. 3). At this position, the effective diameter (2hR) of the V-belt 9 of the drive pulley 2 is a maximum and the effective diameter of the V-belt 9 of the driven pulley 3 is a minimum. The transmission 1 is in a high gear status when the weight roller 6 is at its highest position (see FIG. 3). At this position, the revolution of the drive pulley 2 is lower than that of the driven pulley 3. For example, the drive pulley 2 may rotate 0.9 times while the driven pulley 3 rotates once. This means a reduction gear ratio 0.9:1 in high gear status, when the vehicle speed is fast but the engine has a small torque.
From the mechanism of prior art, we can understand that if the sizes and angles of the drive pulley 2, the driven pulley 3, and other related parts are fixed, and sizes of weight rollers 6 are fixed, then the lowest position (see FIG. 2) and highest position (see FIG. 3) of the weight roller 6 in the movable drive pulley half 4 are fixed. Thus, reduction gear ratios of low gear status and high gear status in the transmission are unchangeably fixed. However, when the weight rollers 6 wear after a period of time of use, reduction gear ratios of low gear status and high gear status then deteriorate undesirably. This in turn adversely affects a gearshifting performance of the motor vehicle.
In the prior art it is typically to decrease weight of the weight roller 6 for increasing driving power. In this arrangement, the required revolution of the engine for a clutch 11 to engage and for the vehicle to start will increase to a value larger than the predetermined required value. Thus, the vehicle can start powerfully. However, the centrifugal force in this arrangement is therefore not large enough, and the effective diameter (2hR) of the V-belt 9 of the drive pulley 2 is decreased, so the maximum vehicle speed is decreased, due to lighter weight rollers 6. On the contrary, increasing weight of the weight rollers 6 will increase the centrifugal force and decrease the required revolution of the engine for the clutch 11 to engage and start the vehicle. Thus, the vehicle starts relatively weakly. However, because of heavier weight rollers 6, the centrifugal force is larger and the effective diameter (2hR) of the V-belt 9 of the drive pulley 2 is increased, and therefore the maximum vehicle speed is increased.
In the prior art it is also found that, when the weight rollers 6 are at its highest position (see FIG. 3), surfaces of the weight rollers 6 contacted with the ramp plate 7 may easily be worn or scraped due to low precision of the ramp plate 7. As those stated above, when the weight rollers 6 are worn and their sizes become smaller, the distance that the movable drive pulley half 4 can move is shorter and the effective diameter (2hR) of the V-belt 9 of the drive pulley 2 is decreased. As a result, reduction gear ratios of low gear status and high gear status of the transmission will then deteriorate significantly.
From those stated above we understand that, in the said centrifugal automatic transmission, using weight rollers 6 in the movable drive pulley half 4 of the drive pulley 2 has the following disadvantages: (1) Surface of the weight roller 6 usually wear abnormally when the weight roller 6 is at its highest position (see FIG. 3). Thus, reduction gear ratios of low gear status and high gear status can deteriorate significantly. (2) Changing weight of the weight roller 6 merely cannot increase both the initial acceleration and maximum vehicle speed of the motor vehicle simultaneously. (3) If sizes and angles of the drive pulley 2 and the driven pulley 3 are retained unchanged, it is not possible to use means of weight rollers 6 to adjust reduction gear ratio of low gear status or high gear status, and it is not easy to adjust driving performance either. Thus, the need for improvement exists.

Sliding centrifugal drive weights for automatic transmission


A system and method are provided for delivering batches of data to a client, while maintaining the client""s state in the accessed database. The system and method eliminate the need for a web server to maintain the location of any given client within a database. Accordingly, the web server operates with greater efficiency, because it is freed from having to maintain the state of any given client within a database and need not create or maintain a partitioned database. Maximum and minimum values of any data previously requested and received by the client are maintained. These maximum and minimum values are later used within a novel set of Structured Query Language (SQL) statements to indicate the user""s state within the database. By maintaining minimum and maximum reference values, the user""s state within the accessed database can be maintained without storing any information on the web server. The next and previous batches are successfully obtained by comparing these stored reference values to the database so that the user can quickly move between adjacent batches of records. The invention provides a simple and elegant means for maintaining a user""s state within a database, without requiring the use of a web server""s resources or the creation of a partitioned database.

The present invention relates to a system and method for managing a database table, and more particularly relates to a system and method for using a specialized query format to maintain a record of a user""s state within the database table.
One of the primary benefits provided by the Internet is widespread access to data maintained by data providers in centralized databases. For example, a wholesaler of retail goods may provide retail outlets access to its inventory database or a public library may provide borrowers access to its online card catalog. Users at the retail outlets can access the database to determine product attributes such as product descriptions, product availability, and product pricing. Library borrowers could determine the availability of books. Such databases can be very large, which presents obstacles to effective data distribution. With large databases, a policy decision must be made by the data provider as to how to deliver data to the user over the Internet.
One approach to providing data to a user is by allowing the user to download the entire contents of the database to the user""s local computer. However, this approach has various problems. One problem is that the user must have system resources capable of processing the large database with acceptable performance. Some large databases are simply too large to permit the user to use the database with ease and efficiency and may ultimately deter users from exploiting the benefits of the database. Another problem with this approach is that the user may not have a tool for effectively browsing the database after it has been downloaded. In this case, the database becomes a burdensome and unwieldy mass of data reducing its usefulness to the user. Network bandwidth is another problem with this approach. Downloading data over a conventional modem takes an unacceptably long time.
Another common approach is to deliver the data to the user in batches. With this approach, the data provider will partition the data into batches and deliver the batches, one at a time, to the end user. The end user is, thus, provided with a manageable portion of the database. Maintaining a partitioned database can be difficult in applications where the database must be regularly updated or modified. Moreover, in order to permit the user to browse between adjacent batches, the data provider must maintain a record as to which batch the user has accessed. This approach also requires that the data provider maintain records of each user""s activity with respect to the database. That is, the data provider must maintain a record of the user""s xe2x80x9cstatexe2x80x9d or location within the database.
There is a need in the art for a means for providing users with remote access (e.g., via the Internet) that is more efficient and more effective than the above-described existing approaches. The system should provide good end-user performance by delivering batches (i.e., partial data sets) to a user and should provide good server performance by eliminating the necessity to maintain partitioned databases and/or state information on the user. The system should also be capable of being implemented without significant modifications of existing databases.
The present invention solves the problems of the prior art by providing a system and method for delivering batches of data to a client, while maintaining the client""s state in the accessed database. The system and method eliminates the need for a web server to maintain the location of any given client within a database. Accordingly, the web server operates with greater efficiency, because it is freed from having to maintain the state of any given client within a database and need not create or maintain partitioned databases.
The typical internet database searching arrangement involves a database server, a web server and an end user""s computer (client computer). The database server maintains the data to which the end user seeks access. The web server acts an intermediary and permits access to the database server""s database via the internet. The end user""s computer will be running an application, such as a web browser, which will permit the end user to communicate with the web server and query the database on the database server.
The present invention enables a web server to deliver to the client computer a web site with a query entry field. The end user can enter a query in the field and submit the query to the web server. The web server will, in turn, access the database server and return a first batch of records satisfying the search to the end user. The first batch can be configured with a xe2x80x9cnextxe2x80x9d button which will allow the user to access the next group of records from the database. Once the user has received the next group of records from the database, the user will also be provided with a xe2x80x9cpreviousxe2x80x9d button by which the user may access the adjacent, previously delivered batch of records.
The present invention accomplishes batch fetching by implementing a novel Structured Query Language (SQL) statement. The SQL statements reference minimum and maximum reference values from previously received batches of records.
By maintaining minimum and maximum reference values on the client""s computer, the user""s state within the accessed database can be maintained without storing any information on the web server. The next and previous batches are successfully obtained by comparing these stored reference values to the database so that the user can quickly move between adjacent batches of records. Thus, the invention provides a simple and elegant solution to the identified problem.
The various aspects of the present invention may be more clearly understood and appreciated from a review of the following detailed description of the disclosed embodiments and by reference to the drawings and claims.

System and method for maintaining a user""s state within a database table


In a method for the fabrication of a layer of a monocrystalline semiconducting layer on a layer of insulating material, an epitaxial growth is achieved in a cavity closed by layers of dielectric material, using a seed of monocrystalline semiconducting material of a substrate. The growth takes place first of all, vertically, perpendicularly to the seed, and then horizontally in the plane of the cavity. This method thus enables a three-dimensional integration of semiconductor components.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a method for making an alternation of layers of monocrystalline semiconducting material and layers of insulating material or insulator and, notably, a method for making at least one thin layer of a semiconducting material on a layer of insulating material which is itself deposited on a monocrystalline semiconducting substrate, said substrate being a semiconductor which may or may not be different from that of the thin layer so as to obtain a hetero-epitaxial structure.
More particularly, the invention relates to the field of thin layers of a monocrystalline material, epitaxially grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or vapor phase deposition (VPE), on a substrate with a possibly different nature. The method described according to the invention enables, in particular, the removal of two-dimensional extended faults (twins, stacking faults, antiphase walls in ordered alloys, sub-grain boundaries etc.) as well as linear faults or dislocation lines.
The method shall be described with reference to examples of homo-epitaxy or hetero-epitaxy of semiconducting materials. However, it is quite clear that this method is more general and that its application is not restricted to semiconducting materials alone.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The origin of the extended faults found in thin layers, epitaxially grown by a chemical vapor deposition on a monocrystalline substrate with a different nature and lattice parameter lies essentially in the initial mode of nucleation of the deposit.
Schematically, for chemical vapor deposition, we observe three modes of nucleation and growth of a monocrystalline thin film on an also monocrystalline substrate.
First of all, a layer-by-layer mode of nucleation and growth where the arrangement of the deposited atoms takes place in the exposed atomic plane of the substrate (two-dimensional arrangement), for example by lateral growth at the level of the monolayer from mono-atomic steps which form preferred adsorption sites. When all of the sites of the deposits are saturated on the exposed surface of the substrate, the growth continues at the level of the second monolayer according to the same mechanism and so on, plane by plane. This type of mechanism is observed in cases of homo-epitaxy of course (silicon doped on silicon for example) but also in the case of hetero-epitaxy of metals (Cd or W for example) or semiconductors (Ga.sub.1-x Al.sub.x As on GaAs, GaInAsP on InP . . . ). The extended faults generated during the epitaxy are dislocations of interfaces which release the elastic energy stored in the deposit owing to a possible mismatching of its lattice parameter with that of the substrate. These dislocations get spread in the thickness of the deposit and their total elimination is practically impossible.
The second mode of growth results from a mechanism of nucleation in islands: according to this mechanism, clusters of atoms are formed initially on the surface of the substrate, generally on sites of emerging faults. Those of these clusters which achieve the critical seed size then grow to form condensed face islands. These islands coalesce when they come together in order to form a film which becomes truly continuous only after it has reached a certain thickness. This type of growth is observed when the bonding energy between atoms of the deposit is greater than the bonding energy between atoms of the deposit on the one hand and atoms of the substrate on the other. This is often the case with films of metals or semiconductors on insulating substrates. The faults present in these films consist, firstly, of lines of dislocations (just as above) which enable the mechanical energy due to the mismatching of the lattice to be released and, secondly, of twins which, because of the particular growth mechanism, are generated at the junction between islands in order to adapt to slight disorientations. These twins grow with the film and are, consequently, very difficult to remove. Thus, more than 25 years after the first published work on silicon hetero-epitaxy on a sapphire substrate, we still have to be content with a highly twinned epitaxiated material, and the technology for making the devices from the material in question has to adapt to its poor crystalline quality. In particular, it is impossible to use ionic implantation because, during thermal annealing, the point faults of implantation precipitate on the extended faults and do not heal.
Finally, the third mode of growth observed is a combination of the first two modes described above, i.e. the growth starts in two dimensions (the first example described above) on several monolayers, then islands start appearing according to the above-described second mechanism. In coalescing, these islands will then give birth to a continuous film. Just as in the previous cases, the faults will consist of dislocation lines and twins. The removal of these faults, which can be done only by annihilation (the meeting of two dislocations of opposite Burgers vectors), will be very difficult if it is sought to remain in a reasonable range of deposited thickness. The situation is described in FIG. 1 where the epitaxiated CME thin layer deposited on the substrate 1 has dislocations or else twin planes shown in dashes.
In addition to the other above described faults inherent to the growth mode, there are faults generated by the fact that the deposit is put under stress when cooling, for the expansion coefficients of the substrate and of the deposit are only very rarely matched. This cooling process can generate other dislocations as well as slippage phenomenona leading to the formation of stacking faults.
The method according to the invention makes it possible to stop the propagation of most of the above described faults and, consequently, to obtain thin layers of practically perfect crystalline quality. The method according to the invention can also be used to obtain stacks of monocrystalline layers insulated by amorphous or polycrystalline dielectric material.

Method for making an alternation of layers of monocrystalline semiconducting material and layers of insulating material


A content management system generates views of digital content for presentation on a user client. The content management system includes different publication templates having different layouts for presenting content on different types of viewing devices. The publication template is based on a layout, which specifies a spatial arrangement of sections. The publication template associates publication elements such as a leading article with sections of a layout. A view matches components such as an article with sections of a publication template based on a mapping between the components and publication elements associated with the sections. The content management system generates different views for different types of viewing devices. The content management system also analyzes interactions between user clients, components, and views, and the content management system includes an analytics interface to present data about these interactions.

1. Field of Art
The disclosure generally relates to the field of digital media, and more particularly to the field of content distribution.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional content publishing systems, publishers of digital media generally structure user interfaces for a specific type of display platform. For digital content intended for viewing on a laptop or a personal computer, the digital media publisher may create a webpage that is adapted for viewing on a relatively large display and that assumes a user will interact with a pointing device (e.g., a mouse, a touchpad) and an alphanumeric keyboard. For digital content intended for viewing on a mobile device, the digital publisher creates a user interface adapted for viewing on a relatively small display with narrow width relative to its height. The interface may assume that primary user interaction will occur through a touch-sensitive display rather than through a separate alphanumeric keyboard. For digital content intended for viewing on a tablet, the digital publisher creates an interface that is adapted for a larger display but that assumes a touch-sensitive display.
To support viewing digital media on different devices, a digital media publisher can create and maintain separate user interfaces specific to a display platform such as, for example, a PC (personal computer) user interface, a mobile user interface, and a tablet user interface. However, the labor requirements for maintaining separate device-specific user interfaces can be burdensome, particularly when the content is updated frequently. Alternatively, a digital publisher may create one or more generic user interfaces designed for viewing across multiple display platforms. Such a strategy eliminates duplicate labor from updating user interfaces specific to various display platforms. A generic user interface, however, does not account for the differing display and input characteristics of different display platforms, so the generic user interface degrades the user experience.

Adaptive content management system for multiple platforms


A process for producing cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) involves providing a cellulosic material, contacting the cellulosic material with an inorganic persulfate at an elevated temperature to produce CNCs, and recovering the CNCs. The process permits one-step production of CNCs from vegetative biomasses such as flax and hemp. Cellulose nanocrystals produced by the process with carboxylic groups are more uniform and have higher aspect ratios than CNCs produced by prior art processes.

Described in 1838 by French scientist Anselme Payen, cellulose has the molecular formula (C6H10O5)n. It is the most abundant organic polymer, being used in an amount of about 1.5×1012 tons per year. It has been used as a renewable, biodegradable and environmentally benign chemical raw material for 150 years. Cellulose is semicrystalline, having both crystalline and amorphous regions. It is densely packed with strong inter- and intramolecular hydrogen bonds conferring excellent mechanical properties.
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) have emerged as a new class of nanomaterials for polymer reinforcement and nanocomposite formulation owing to their exceptionally high mechanical strength (modulus of 145 GPa; Marks, 1967), tensile strength of 7.5 GPa ({hacek over (S)}turcová, 2005), chemical tunability, and anticipated low cost. CNCs have also been fostered for diversified applications including enzyme immobilization (Mahmoud et al., 2009), drug delivery, and biomedical applications (Dong and Roman, 2007).
In order to produce CNCs, fiber sources from various vegetative wastes with high initial cellulose contents are being considered as potential starting materials due to their low costs. The amorphous regions of the cellulose fibers must be chemically removed to yield highly crystalline CNCs. Popular acid hydrolysis using a single concentrated acid or an acid mixture, often with the aid of an oxidant, is capable of dissolving the amorphous regions (Revol et al., 1992), leaving behind CNCs with crystalline rod-like fibers. Such procedures, however, are expensive, requiring considerably high initial capital investment and having high operating costs due to the corrosiveness, safety issues and hazardous waste treatment/disposal requirements of such acids and their by-products. Additional pre- and/or post-treatment steps with alkaline or bleaching reagents are required to remove non-cellulosic fiber contents (e.g. lignin, pectin, hemicelluloses, etc).
Bai et al. (2009) describe a method for the production of CNCs with narrow distribution from microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). A conventional sulfuric acid procedure was used to produce CNCs (Dong et al., 1998). This process is known to produce a wide range of size distribution. In order to obtain a narrow size distribution of CNCs, differential centrifugation with at least six cycles was required. Even so, the CNCs still exhibited at least four different aspect ratios.
US 2008/0108772 (Oksman et al., 2008) describes a process for producing cellulose nano whiskers by treating MCC with HCl, as well as a new extrusion method to produce a reinforced organic polymeric material. The production of cellulose nano whiskers using HCl hydrolysis required pure cellulosic materials (e.g. MCC) and the resulting cellulose nano whiskers had a large size distribution. Fractions of cellulose crystals with larger size were isolated by centrifugation at low speed and discarded. The cellulose nano whiskers produced had a large size distribution of 100 nm to 1000 nm in length and 5 nm to 15 nm in width.
Persulfates, for example ammonium persulfate, are well known strong oxidants. In the prior art, for example as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,523 (Springer and Minor, 1991), ammonium persulfate has been used for the isolation of lignin from lignocellulosic materials. Usually a mixture of ammonium persulfate together with either strong acid (50% HCl or H2SO4) or strong base (KOH or NaOH) is required. The product isolated from this process is bleached cellulose, not CNCs.
There remains a need for a simple, cost-effective process for producing CNCs, especially from vegetative biomass.

Cellulose nanocrystals from renewable biomass


Embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for validating deployment patterns/topologies (e.g., prior to being deployed) against existing patterns that have already been determined to be compliant (e.g., against a set of policies/standards). In a typical embodiment, individual components of a proposed deployment pattern are identified and then evaluated against previously approved deployment patterns (e.g., based on standards and/or policies). Components of the proposed deployment patterns that are deemed non-compliant are identified, and corrective action(s) may be determined to address any non-compliance (e.g., to put the non-compliant components into compliance, to remove the non-compliant components, etc.).

The networked computing environment (e.g., cloud computing environment) is an enhancement to the predecessor grid environment, whereby multiple grids and other computation resources may be further enhanced by one or more additional abstraction layers (e.g., a cloud layer), thus making disparate devices appear to an end-consumer as a single pool of seamless resources. These resources may include such things as physical or logical computing engines, servers and devices, device memory, and storage devices, among others.
Cloud consumers are provided with the capability to develop and deploy complex patterns, topologies, and architectures. Challenges may exist, however, in determining whether developed deployment patterns are compliant with applicable policies and/or standards.

Validating deployment patterns in a networked computing environment

International Business Machines Corporation


Disclosed herein is a double side cooling power semiconductor module including: a first cooler having a concave part formed in one surface thereof in a thickness direction; a first semiconductor chip mounted on the concave part of the first cooler; a second cooler having one surface and the other surface and formed on one surface of the first cooler so that one surface thereof contacts the first semiconductor chip; a circuit board formed on the other surface of the second cooler; a second semiconductor chip mounted on the circuit board; and a flexible substrate having a circuit layer electrically connecting the first and second semiconductor chips to each other.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a double side cooling power semiconductor module and a multi-stacked power semiconductor module package using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In accordance with an increase in energy consumption around the world, an interest in efficient use of restricted energy has significantly increased.
In accordance with an increase in use of a power module, the market's demand for a power module having a multi-function and a small size has increased. Therefore, a heat generation problem of an electronic component has caused deterioration of performance of the entire module.
Therefore, in order to increase efficiency of the power module and secure high reliability thereof, a structure capable of solving the above-mentioned heat generation problem has been required.
Meanwhile, a power module package according to the prior art has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,432,750.

Double side cooling power semiconductor module and multi-stacked power semiconductor module package using the same


Each of battery cells (12) that constitute a battery module includes a flat-shaped rolled electrode body (30) formed by rolling a sheet-like anode collector (32) and a sheet-like cathode collector (34) along with a sheet-like separator, and a trailing edge (32E) of the sheet-like anode collector (32) and a trailing edge (34E) of the sheet-like cathode collector (34) are located at a position (30B) outside a portion of the rolled electrode body (30) which substantially receives a restraining load. The battery module, in which the restraining load is applied to the cells, achieves long service life while maintaining good output characteristics.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a battery module in which a plurality of battery cells (secondary batteries) capable of charging and discharging are connected in series, a method of fabricating the battery module, and a vehicle having the battery module. More particularly, the invention is concerned with the construction of battery cells that constitute a battery module suitable for installation on a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Battery modules each constructed by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series are provided which use lightweight lithium-ion batteries having a high energy density or other secondary batteries or storage devices, such as capacitors, as the cells. It has been found increasingly important to use such battery modules as power supplies that can provide high power, more specifically, as power supplies to be installed on vehicles or power supplies for personal computers and portable terminals. In particular, a battery module in which a plurality of cells in the form of lightweight lithium-ion batteries having a high energy density are connected in series is expected to be used as a high-power power supply to be installed on a vehicle. As an electrode body mounted in each of the cells that constitute the battery module, a rolled electrode body formed by rolling a long-length sheet-like anode collector, a long-length sheet-like cathode collector and a long-length sheet-like separator(s) into a flat shape is used. For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-167929 (JP-A-11-167929), Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-285953 (JP-A-2000-285953) and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-8708 (JP-A-2002-8708) disclose secondary batteries (cells) having such flat-shaped rolled electrode bodies.
In the meantime, the battery module, when installed on a vehicle, such as an automobile, is mounted in a limited space, and is assumed to be used in conditions where vibrations occur; therefore, the battery module is assembled such that a large number of cells are arranged into an array, and are brought into a restrained condition. When the cells are held in the restrained condition, a substantial load is applied to the individual cells that constitute the battery module. Accordingly, the cells that constitute the battery module are desired to provide good charge-discharge characteristics and output characteristics and have long service life even in the condition where such a large load is applied to the cells.

Restrained battery module made up of cells having rolled electrode bodies, and method of making the same


Disclosed herein are methods of treating ophthalmic conditions such as dry eye and uveitis by administering a pharmaceutical composition including a toxin-based therapeutic peptide. The peptide can include an acid or amide at the C-terminus and can be attached to an organic or inorganic chemical entity that has an anionic charge.

Tear secretion by the eye protects and maintains the integrity of ocular surface tissues including the cornea, corneal limbus, conjunctiva, blood vessels, and eyelids. Tear secretion is crucial to protecting the eye from infectious agents and environmental damage. The liquid film formed by tears is also essential to providing a smooth optical surface and to maintaining cellular health.
One of the most common ophthalmic conditions is dry eye syndrome (also known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca and "dry eye"). Dry eye is defined by a deficiency or lack of tears which can lead to inflammation and damage to the eye.
Dry eye can have numerous causes. For example, a temporary form of dry eye can be triggered by an inflammatory reaction to eye trauma or infection. In some, temporary dry eye can become chronic, for example, when a local ocular autoimmune condition develops.
Dry eye can also be caused by systemic conditions. For example, Sjogren's syndrome is an autoimmune disorder identified by its two most common symptoms, dry eyes and a dry mouth. Sjogren's syndrome results in immune system damage to the mucous membranes and moisture-secreting glands of the eyes and mouth. The cell and tissue damage results in decreased production of tears and saliva. Sjogren's syndrome often accompanies other immune system disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus erythematosus.
Current treatments for dry eye caused by Sjogren's syndrome include pharmaceuticals such as Pilocarpine, cyclosporine or Cevimeline, both of which primarily increase saliva production when used orally. Pilocarpine can be administered as eye drops, but constriction of the pupil and the risk of epileptic-type effects have to be considered.
Sjogren's syndrome is just one example of a condition that leads to dry eye that lacks an effective treatment without unacceptable side effects. As another example, uveitis, inflammation of the uvea, is responsible for about 10% of visual impairment in the United States. The uveal tract includes the iris, ciliary body, and choroid. Uveitis is most commonly classified anatomically as anterior, intermediate, posterior, or diffuse. Anterior uveitis is localized primarily to the anterior segment of the eye and includes iritis and iridocyclitis. Intermediate uveitis, also called peripheral uveitis, is centered in the area immediately behind the iris and lens in the region of the ciliary body and pars plana, hence the alternate terms "cyclitis" and "pars planitis" are also used. Posterior uveitis signifies a number of forms of uveitis including retinitis, choroiditis, and optic neuritis. Diffuse uveitis implies inflammation involving all parts of the eye, including anterior, intermediate, and posterior structures. Current treatments for uveitis include principally locally applied and/or systemic steroid therapy.
Approximately 6% of uveitis cases in the United States occur in children, while 2.2-33.1% of uveitis cases in international populations occur in children and adolescents. One of the major causes of pediatric uveitis is associated with autoimmune disorders including: juvenile idiopathic arthritis, reactive arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohns disease, childhood sarcoidosis, and Kawasaki disease. Pediatric uveitis is a major health concern in children, as complications include band keratopathy, glaucoma, phthisis, cataract formation, macular edema, and optic nerve degeneration. Chronic uveitis can result in morbidity and vision loss.

Ophthalmic uses of toxin-based therapeutic peptides and pharmaceutical compositions thereof