A flash lamp comprises an arc tube in which a pair of electrodes are provided there inside, a reflective film formed on an outer surface of the arc tube, a trigger wire arranged along the arc tube outside the reflective film, wherein ceramic material is used for the reflective film, and at an end of at least one of end portions of the arc tube, an end edge of the reflective film in a longitudinal direction is located in a front side of the electrode.

Conventionally, a lamp annealing apparatus using a flash lamp, which is used for heat processing in semiconductor manufacturing or thin film transistor manufacturing, has been developed. For example, such a lamp annealing apparatus is used in a process for forming a shallow diffusion layer (p-n junction) in a silicon wafer surface layer (impurities activation for implanting ions). In this annealing process, it is necessary to avoid problems such as deformation of the profiles of ion-implanted impurities, and volatilization of the formed pattern, so as to acquire a good activated state of the impurities. Therefore, in this lamp annealing apparatus, it is necessary to suppress conduction of heat to lower part of a base plate, and to uniformly and certainly heat it to predetermined temperature. Similarly, in a thin film transistor manufacturing for a liquid crystal display panel, it is necessary to activate a semiconductor film formed on a base plate certainly and uniformly. It is required to suppress generation of expansion and contraction of a base plate or warpage thereof by preventing excessive heating to the base plate while accomplishing an annealing treatment, specifically in case where the base plate is made of glass.
In recent years, a flash lamp with a larger amount of light is demanded because the area of a semiconductor base plate or a glass base plate for a display becomes much larger (from (φ300 to φ450, and G4 to G10), and because usage thereof is expanded to other fields. Then, an increase of the amount of irradiation light from a lamp has been tried by providing a reflective film on an arc tube. A conventional technology, in which such a reflective film is formed on an arc tube of a flash lamp, is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-014393. FIG. 6 shows the structure thereof, wherein the reflective film 12, which is made from a metal vapor-deposited film, is formed on part of an outer peripheral surface of an arc tube 11, and a heat radiating member 13 is provided thereabove. However, this technology relates to a low output flash lamp for a camera, and since, in a high output flash lamp which is used for a heat process, a thermal load is extremely large with respect to a reflective film, this technology cannot be applied to some other purpose as it is. That is, in the case of such a reflective film, which is made from a metal vapor-deposited film disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-014393, the film is overheated, and is oxidized or sublimated by a high-output lamp, so that there is a problem that the reflection function of the reflective film will be deteriorated by lighting the lamp even for a short time.
On the other hand, further improvement in lighting startability of such a flash lamp is also required. For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-303889 discloses technology in which a metal wire called a trigger wire on the outer surface of a flash lamp is provided, thereby improving the lighting startability of the lamp.
As a means for preventing damages to the reflective film disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-014393, it is considered that the constituent material of the reflective film may be changed from the metal vapor-deposited film to a ceramic material having higher heat resistance. However, although the problem due to the overheating is solved by using the ceramic material, if it is applied to a flash lamp having a trigger wire as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-303889, there is a problem that the function of this trigger wire is impaired so that the lighting startability will get worse. The causes thereof are considered as set forth below. Although the trigger wire is formed outside the arc tube, this trigger wire is provided on a non-emission side of the arc tube, that is, on a side where the reflective film is formed, due to relation thereof with an output light. That is, since the reflective film will lies between the trigger wire and the arc tube, the electrical insulation properties of the arc tube and the trigger wire is increased by the reflective film, which is made from ceramic material, whereby even if voltage is applied to the trigger wire, it does not effectively act on the arc tube, so that the startability of the lamp will be prevented. Thus, the reflective film, which is made of ceramic material, causes a decrease of the trigger function, and worsens the startability of the lamp.

Flash lamp for a lamp annealing apparatus


A method, and apparatus for accomplishing the method, for determining a phase difference of a wavefront at a first (pupil) plane (P1), the wavefront propagating from the first plane to a second (image) plane (P2). The method includes the steps of providing an intensity of the wavefront at the first plane; measuring an intensity of the wavefront at the second plane; and determining the phase difference of the wavefront at the first plane in accordance with a transfer function that employs the provided intensity of the wavefront at the first plane and the measured intensity of the wavefront at the second plane. A single expression describing an Optical Transfer Function is developed and is shown to involve only the unknown aperture phase and known quantities. A solution to this expression, achieved by a polynomial expansion technique or by a sampling technique, is shown to yield the phase at the aperture and, together with the intensity at the aperture, to define the aperture wavefront.

It is frequently desirable to determine the characteristics of a spatial phase profile of a wavefront. In optics, this phase (divided by 2) is referred to as an Optical Path Difference (OPD) map, or aberration function. A knowledge of the OPD is essential to determine how the wavefront will propagate or how well the wavefront can be imaged. However, in that phase cannot be measured directly, a problem of phase retrieval is presented.
A conventional phase retrieval method employs interferometry, in which two coherent wavefronts are brought together (interfered) and the resulting high frequency intensity variations, referred to as fringes, are analyzed to determine the phase. A similar interference effect occurs in propagation and imaging. Interference effects in images also produce fringes which are referred to as diffraction fringes or sidelobes. Several of the better known properties of interferometry include the following. First, only phase differences can be determined and not the absolute phase. Second, for a single static interferogram, a sign ambiguity exists.
Some lesser known, but equally important properties of interferometry include the following. First, only intensities are measured. Phase cannot be measured directly, which is a result of a fundamental tenet of quantum mechanics regarding "observables". The phase is computed from intensity patterns or fringes which are recorded on film or by optical detectors. Second, and as a result of the immediately preceding property, it is an implicit assumption of interferometry that the amplitude of the two beams is constant, or at least slowly varying compared to the fringes, or is explicitly known so that the phase can be computed. This is required so that intensity variations, due to phase, can be differentiated from intensity variations due to amplitude. Similar constraints occur in microwave and FM systems. Third, adequate sampling of the fringes requires at least two samples per cycle.
An overview is now presented of the basic types of interferometers that provide phase retrieval from images.
An early type of interferometer is the Michaelson, in which an input beam is split into two parts, one of which is a reference and the other of which samples a surface under test. The two beams are recombined to form an interferogram which allows the phase difference between the surface under test and the reference beam to be computed. Multiple beam interferometers may be used instead of a Michaelson-type to obtain sharper fringes. However, in all cases the general approach is the same: the beam (or beams) from the surface under test is compared to a reference beam (or beams) and the phase is inferred from the resulting fringes.
A problem that arises during the use of a Michaelson (or similar interferometer) is a requirement for high stability between the two optical paths and a requirement that no unknown errors exist in the interferometer optics or reference.
Another common type of interferometer is the shearing interferometer, wherein the reference is the surface under test which is shifted in position. The shift may be generated by a shear plate or by other means. A significant difference between the shearing interferometer and the Michaelson interferometer is that the surface is compared with itself (instead of a reference) and spatial phase differences are obtained. For small shifts, the phase shifts from a shearing interferometer are summed to reconstruct the original wavefront phase. This type of interferometer is less sensitive to mechanical stability than is the Michaelson, but places more constraints on the quality and coherence of the source beam.
Although not usually referred to as interferometry, another form of interferometry is imaging or, more generally, propagation. Propagation processes are governed by the laws of diffraction. Although diffraction and interferometry and not generally associated, it has been found that diffraction results from the interference of light "scattered" from the edges of an aperture with the light transmitted through the aperture. The resulting interference fringes, usually called diffraction sidelobes or fringes, are a function of the aperture function, such as size and shape, and the distance of the fringes from the aperture as well as aberration in the aperture. In propagating a wavefront, light from all parts of the aperture is summed together (interfered) to calculate the propagated wavefront. This is similar to a shearing interferometer in which the wavefront is interfered with itself, as displaced. Under certain circumstances the phase in the aperture can be estimated from a measurement of an image.
Conventional wavefront phase retrieval methods from propagation or imaging are iterative, successive approximation approaches. These approaches are generally inaccurate and may not necessarily converge to a correct solution due to the existence of secondary maxima. When these conventional methods do converge, convergence is frequently very slow. In interferometry, significant amounts of hardware may be required to accomplish wavefront phase retrieval. The provision of additional hardware is especially disadvantageous in airborne and spaceborne applications, where size and weight are important factors.
It is thus an object of the invention to employ a measurement of an image to determine aberrations, thus eliminating a need for the hardware associated with interferometric apparatus and the stability requirements of maintaining optical alignments to a fraction of a wavelength.
It is a further object of the invention to provide method and apparatus for accomplishing Spatial Wavefront Evaluation by Intensity Relationships (SWEBIR).

Spatial wavefront evaluation by intensity relationship


Disclosed is an auxiliary diagnostic apparatus including: a vector input unit that reads a test vector which is a spectral property vector of a biological tissue targeted for a diagnosis; a multiple linear regression analysis unit that executes a multiple liner regression analysis for the test vector with a plurality of individual component vectors which are spectral property vectors of particular substances, and obtains an error vector which is a vector of a residual error component; and an indicator calculation unit that extracts a feature of the error vector, and, from the extracted error vector, calculates an indicator representing whether an affected area is included in the biological tissue targeted for the diagnosis and which type of affected area has a possibility of being included in the biological tissue.

In recent years, an electronic endoscope having the function as a spectrometer described, for example, in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. JP2007-135989A has been proposed. Through the electronic endoscope of this type, a spectral property (distribution of an optical absorption factor with respect to frequency) of a biological tissue, such as a mucous membrane of a digestive organ, e.g., a stomach or an intestinum rectum can be obtained. The spectral property depends on types of substances included in a surface layer of the biological tissue target for measurement of the spectral property (Beer-Lambert Law). That is, the spectral property of a biological tissue is obtained by combining the spectral properties of a plurality of primary substances forming the biological tissue.
There is a case where, substances which are rare in a biological tissue of a healthy portion are included in a great amount in a biological tissue of an affected area. Therefore, the spectral property of a biological tissue including an affected area differs from the spectral property of a biological tissue including only a health portion. As a result, by comparing the spectral property of a biological tissue with the spectral property of a known tissue not including an affected area, it becomes possible to make a diagnosis as to whether the biological tissue includes an affected area.

Auxiliary diagnostic apparatus and auxiliary diagnostic method


An image processing apparatus for obtaining a shape of a region of a processing target included in an image, includes: an attribute obtaining unit configured to obtain a intensity distribution attribute of the region of the processing target; and a shape obtaining unit configured to obtain the shape of the region by a calculation method selected in accordance with the intensity distribution attribute.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing technique of processing a medical image.
Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the quality of medical images captured by three-dimensional imaging apparatuses such as a radiation computer tomography apparatus (radiation CT) and a nuclear magnetic resonance imaging apparatus (MRI) has dramatically improved, and it is therefore possible to obtain microscopic internal information of a human body. Accordingly, however, as the number of images increases, the burden on a radiologist in diagnostic interpretation increases every year, and expectations are increasingly running high for diagnosis support (Computer Aided Diagnosis: CAD). In diagnosis support for benign/malignant discrimination, therapeutic effect confirmation, or the like, it is important to estimate the shape of a target such as a tumor.
Concerning target shape estimation, for example, each of non-patent literatures 1 and 2 discloses a technique for estimating the shape of a pulmonary nodule that exhibits a convex mass as a region having a higher intensity value than in the periphery from a chest CT image using the scale space of a filter.
In non-patent literature 1 (S. Diciotti, et al., The LoG Characteristic Scale: A Consistent Measurement of Lung Nodule Size in CT Imaging. IEEE Trans. Med. Imag., Vol. 29(2), pp. 397-409, 2010), when applying a Laplacian of Gaussian (LoG) filter to a target in different scales (values of a function with respect to Gaussian σ), the local maximum of output values is obtained near the center point of the target. A scale corresponding to the obtained local maximum is selected as a parameter representing the shape of a pulmonary nodule (the diameter of an approximate sphere). Non-patent literature 2 (K. Okada: Ground-Glass Nodule Characterization in High-Resolution CT Scans. In Lung Imaging and Computer Aided Diagnosis. Taylor and Francis, LLC, 2011) discloses a technique of applying a Gaussian filter to a target in different scales and selecting most appropriate σ from the output values. Also disclosed is calculating the eigenvalue of σ using eigenvalue decomposition as a parameter representing the shape of a pulmonary nodule (approximate ellipse).
In a CT image, an isolated tumor region often exhibits a convex mass. However, there also exists a tumor region exhibiting a concave mass having a lower intensity value than in the periphery depending on the type of lesion or a cause such as contact with a neighboring organ. Also there exists a region including both a convex region and a concave region because of calcification, cavity, or the like. In the techniques of non-patent literatures 1 and 2, the shape is estimated assuming that the intensity distribution attribute of the target is known. For this reason, if the intensity distribution attribute of the target is not grasped in advance, it may be difficult to accurately obtain the outer shape of the target.
The present invention provides an image processing technique capable of accurately obtaining the shape of a target independently of the shape, texture, and relationship to a neighboring object.

Image processing apparatus, image processing system, image processing method, and storage medium


A power source system including power-factor modifying circuits to modify a power factor of supplied electric power, a time difference circuit to output start signals for instructing the power-factor modifying circuits to start an operation to the power-factor modifying circuits at specified time intervals, and a control circuit to supply the electric power to the power-factor modifying circuit to start the power-factor modifying circuit when the power-factor modifying circuit acquires the start signal output from the time difference circuit.

A power source system with a Power Supply Unit (PSU) serving as an AC/DC (Alternating Current/Direct Current) power source is known as a power source system for a server. The power source system for a server includes a plurality of PSUs for a redundant operation or two-way power reception because a server requires high reliability.
The PSUs of the power source system perform full-wave rectification on an alternating voltage applied from an alternating-current power source, supply the full-wave rectified voltage to a primary winding of a transformer to induce a voltage across a secondary winding of the transformer, and convert the induced voltage into a direct voltage to generate a direct voltage required by the server. In the power source system for a server, power factor improvement is performed to improve efficiency which may be degraded, and thus a Power Factor Correction circuit (hereinafter referred to as a "PFC circuit") that performs power factor improvement is provided between the input side of the PSU and the transformer. A voltage smoothing capacitor is provided between the input side of the PSU and the transformer. In the case where a current is applied to the PFC circuit when the PSU is started with an AC, a high current momentarily flows through the smoothing capacitor, and therefore an inrush current to the input section is generated.
In a power source system with a plurality of such PSUs, when the PSUs are started at the same time, inrush currents to the plurality of PSUs are generated at overlapped timing. Therefore, a high inrush current that is proportional to the number of the PSUs provided in the power source system is generated. When a power source system which normally consumes electric power of 1.5 kVA is started, for example, a high inrush current may be momentarily generated to consume electric power of more than 2 kVA.
A power source system provided with an Uninterruptible Power Supply (hereinafter referred to as a "UPS") for security of an operation at the time of an input power failure is known. The UPS has an overcurrent protection function for protecting the UPS from an inrush current to a load device. When the overcurrent protection function of the UPS is activated, supply of electric power to the power source system is blocked.
Therefore, the power source system is provided with a UPS with a capacity that can cover a possible inrush current. For a power source system which normally consumes electric power of 1.5 kVA, for example, a UPS with a capacity of 2 kVA may not be used but a UPS that can cover electric power of up to 3 kVA should be provided if the power source system includes devices for which a high inrush current may be generated. Likewise, since a high inrush current may be generated for a power source system with a plurality of PSUs, the power source system may be connected to a power distribution switchboard with a large capacity that can cover a high current.
A power source system is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-169549.
However, the power source system discussed above is provided with a UPS with a large capacity or a power distribution switchboard with a large capacity to cover a high inrush current, and thus the circuit size of the power source system may be disadvantageously large.


A power system for a marine vessel comprises an engine and a controllable pitch thruster drivably coupled to the engine. A speed of the controllable pitch thruster various with a speed of the engine. A control unit receives a thrust command value indicating a thrust required from controllable pitch thruster. The control unit determines a current speed of the controllable pitch thruster and calculates a pitch of the controllable pitch thruster that produces thrust in accordance with the thrust command value at the current speed of the controllable pitch thruster. The power system allows for operating the engine at variable speeds to allow for a reduction of the engine speed under partial load conditions.

A marine vessel, such as, for example, an offshore support vessel, includes one or more combustion engines driving one or more main propellers for propulsion of the vessel. The one or more main propellers are mechanically coupled to the one or more engines, for example, via one or more drive shafts. The one or more engines rotate at a given speed, resulting in a corresponding rotation of the one or more main propellers. For example, the vessel may include a pair of diesel engines drivably coupled to a pair of main propellers. The diesel engines and the main propellers are generally operating at constant speed.
For improving the maneuverability of the vessel, so-called tunnel thrusters (also referred to as transverse thrusters) can be provided in a hull structure of the vessel. Particularly, tunnel thruster systems include a passage (tunnel) extending through a hull segment of the hull structure of the vessel, for example, in a transverse direction. A propeller unit of the tunnel thruster system generates a water jet through the passage if activated. That water jet exits the passage in a starboard or port direction of the vessel and thus causes a steering force that allows maneuvering the vessel without travelling forward or aft.
The present disclosure is directed, at least in part, to improving or overcoming one or more aspects of prior systems.


Method and apparatus for operating home appliances, the method includes identifying a home appliance in a field view of a camera of an augmented reality (AR) device; generating, based on the home appliance that was identified, a control interface to overlay on a screen of the AR device or to present within an augmented view of a user that carries the AR device; detecting a selection by the user of control options on the control interface; and triggering the home appliance to perform an operation based on the selection.

Augmented reality is an interactive experience of a real-world environment where the objects that reside in the real world are augmented by computer-generated perceptual information, sometimes across multiple sensory modalities, such as visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory, and olfactory.
Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.

Monitoring system integration with augmented reality devices


A technology mapping method and device for mapping cost functions on directed acyclic graphs, using decoupled matching and covering and circumventing the memory explosion usually caused by this decoupling. Multiple matches are generated at the head of a wavefront process and embedded within the network. Covering is done at the tail of the wavefront to optimize one or more cost functions.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method and a device for optimal technology mapping in logic circuit designs; in particular, a method and device for optimally mapping circuit delay and other cost functions on directed acyclic graphs.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In high-performance logic circuit designs, meeting delay targets in the control logic imposes a major challenge. Control logic usually undergoes changes till very late in the design cycle. Control logic is quite often not regular enough to lead to an intuitive data-flow type implementation. Logic synthesis is therefore necessary to meet the project schedules for these high-performance designs, and ensure a correct implementation of the irregular subcircuits. Logic synthesis is the process of automatically generating optimized logic-level representation from a high-level description. With the rapid advances in integrated circuit technology and the resultant growth in design complexity, designers increasingly rely on logic synthesis to shorten the design time while achieving performance objectives.
Known logic synthesis systems typically employ a three-phase methodology. The phases are usually: (1) technology independent optimization; (2) technology mapping; and (3) timing corrections. See, L. Stok et al. Booledozer logic synthesis for asics. IBM Journal of Research and Development, Vol. 40(4): 407-430, July 1996. Varying the three phases impact greatly the structure and cost functions of technology mapped logic. Cost functions affect the area of the cells, delay through the cells or other measures of merit. See "Technology mapping in MIS", E. Detjens, G. Gannot, R. Rudell, A. Sangiovanni-Vincentelli, and A. Wang, November 1987. Minimizing delay in the technology mapping phase had been an important goal in the aforementioned designs.
Traditional technology mapping can be described as a 3-step procedure. First, the technology-independent circuit is decomposed in terms of some primitives to have some well-defined logic structure to aid the technology mapping process. This phase is typically referred to as the circuit decomposition phase. Second, a pattern matcher performs analysis on the circuit and the library, either structurally or functionally, and determines a set of matches for all nodes in the circuit. The third and final step identifies the best set of matches (based on some cost functions) for the circuit such that every node in the circuit is covered exactly once. The final set of matches that cover all the nodes in the circuit are used to describe the circuit in terms of the target technology library cells.
Another target of optimization in circuit synthesis is the reduction of the area of the cells. In K. Keutzer. Dagon: "Technology binding and local optimization by dag matching", In Proc of the 24th Design Automation Conference, June 1987, a technology independent net list description of a combinational circuit is partitioned into a forest of trees, then using a tree pattern matching automation, individual trees are matched to create a technology bound circuit. The least cost in size or area is obtained. Drawback of this technique is that it is only optimal for trees. Most circuits consist of directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) and require a non-trivial decomposition of the DAGs into trees.
Technology mapping works mostly on a fixed subject graph. Therefore, the result is highly dependent on the preceding decomposition of the network. In E. Lehman, Y. Watanabe, J. Grodstein, and H. Harkness, "Logic decomposition during technology mapping", IEEE Trans on CAD, 16(8):813-834, August, 1997, logic decomposition is combined with the mapping phase itself to avoid problems of optimizations in disconnected phases. The proposed algorithm runs on tree leaf DAGs. However, exhaustive embedding of decompositions leads to a large increase in the subject graph, which renders the algorithm impractical for larger sizes of circuits.
A need therefore exists for a simple and practical device and method for logic circuit design that is delay optimized for DAGs.

International Business Machines Corporation


Disclosed are antibodies that interact with a matrix metalloproteases such as MMP-26. Exemplary antibodies inhibit MMP-26 activity. These antibodies can be used, e.g., to treat or prevent metastatic disorders, hyperproliferative disorders, disorders which are characterized by excessive extracellular matrix degradation, and inflammatory disorders.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are endopeptidases which, in their typical homeostatic role, digest unneeded matrix proteins including tissue components such as collagens, fibronectin, and proteoglycans. Matrix metalloproteinase-26 (MMP-26) is one member of this class of proteins. In certain cancers, these proteins are overexpressed, thus causing increased hydrolytic activity and digestion of extracellular matrix components. This process facilitates the metastatic spread of these cells.


A waveguide (10) comprises first and second light guides (12, 18) which transmit light at different wavelengths. The second light guide (18) is disposed in a tortuous path on the exterior of the first light guide (12) and preferably the tortuous path is a helix. The second light guide (18) emits light at an angle to the light emitted from the first light guide (12) and typically the light from the first light guide is emitted axially. The light from the first light guide is emitted at an angle by means of an angled refracting face (42) on the end of the second light guide (18) or by securing the end of the second light guide (18) to a conical end portion (28) of the first light guide (12).

The invention is an improvement in or modification of the invention described in our Published European Application No. 0,329,353 ("the prior application"), which describes a flexible guide suitable for coupling infra-red radiation of 10.6 micrometer wavelength from a carbon dioxide laser to a site of use for surgical cutting.
The apparatus described in the prior applicaiton is an efficient transmitter of infra-red radiation, but has been found not to be such a good transmitter of visible light.
One object of the present invention is to provide an improvement in or modification of the prior application which allows visible light to be transmitted efficiently to the remote end of the guide.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a means whereby the spacing between the remote end of the guide and a surface being operated upon may be accurately judged.


The subject matter disclosed herein relates to systems, methods, apparatuses, devices, articles, and means for updating radio models. For certain example implementations, a method for one or more server devices may comprise receiving at one or more communication interfaces at least one measurement that corresponds to a position of a first mobile device within an indoor environment. At least one radio model that is stored in one or more memories may be updated based, at least in part, on the at least one measurement to produce at least one updated radio model. The at least one radio model and the at least one updated radio model may correspond to the indoor environment. The at least one updated radio model may be transmitted to enable a second mobile device to use the at least one updated radio model for positioning within the indoor environment. Other example implementations are described herein.

1. Field
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to radio model updating.
2. Information
Humanity has continually struggled to journey from one point to another. In ancient times, individuals in unfamiliar territory wandered around without guidance, or perhaps they risked asking local inhabitants for directions. People eventually developed maps to provide written guidance for reaching a desired destination. As literacy and the availability of paper became more common, more people gained the ability to use maps during their travels.
Maps began to be available in electronic form during the twentieth century. With the advent of the Internet, people could electronically access maps of many places from all over the globe. Web mapping services could also provide directions from point "A" to point "B". These directions from web-based mapping services were relatively static. With the invention of satellite-positioning system (SPS) technology and ever-smaller electronic devices, however, so-called turn-by-turn directions could be provided dynamically as travelers journeyed toward their destination.
These electronic maps and web-based mapping services focus on providing directions in particular environments and certain situations. Unfortunately, there are other environments and situations for which they have not been designed. Consequently, there remain a number of areas in which navigational or other location-based services may be improved.


A method for separating a mixture of solid materials can includes a sorting step based on differences in X-Ray transmission of different materials and a density sorting step at an elevated density. The mixture of solid materials can be a plastic-rich mixture recovered from waste electrical and electronic equipment. The mixture of solid materials can include plastics that contain brominated flame retardants. In some cases, a XRT or DEXRT sorter is used to remove the majority of plastics that contain brominated flame retardants from the mixture.

The recovery of plastics from waste streams such as durable goods is a considerable challenge due to the presence of several types of plastics as well as non-plastics contaminants. The initial stage in the plastic recovery process when the durable goods are waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is the creation of electronics shredder residue (ESR). ESR is the plastic-rich mixture available after the metal recycling company has shredded the WEEE and removed the majority of the metals from the shredded mixture. The ESR can then be processed to recover acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), high impact polystyrene (HIPS) and polypropylene (PP) plastics.
Metal recycling companies tend to produce smaller amounts of ESR, though, so the ESR material is often transported from several metal recyclers to a single plastics recovery and purification facility. Much of the value added at the plastics recovery and purification facility is from the purification of the ABS, HIPS and PP, so it is economically favorable if the feed to the plastics recovery and purification facility is primarily ABS, HIPS and PP.
A number of processes and process combinations may enable the creation of a mixture with a high concentration of target plastics (ABS, HIPS and PP) from ESR, but it would be beneficial to use an approach that also creates several other products that are created to maximize the overall value of all products.

Methods, systems, and devices for enrichment of plastic materials derived from electronics shredder residue


A solid state peripheral storage device receives an LSN address from a computer system and provides a mapping to a PSN data. The PSN data addresses memory units which are made out of solid state floating gate storage cells. In addition, a microsequencer controls the operation of the translation of the mapping of the LSN to PSN. Through the use of the mapping of LSN to PSN, defective sectors in the memory units can be mapped out and fresh, unused, defective-free sectors can then be replaced, all automatically, without user intervention. Finally, the microsequencer has error recovery routines to further enhance the reliability of the peripheral device.

Peripheral devices to a computer are well known in the art. One prior art peripheral device employs magnetic medium as the storage medium. This is evidenced by hard disk drives and floppy disk drives. Hard disk drives can be erased and programmed many times. In addition, they can store a large capacity. Another type of peripheral storage device using solid state memory is the Read Only Memory (ROM). ROM's can be programmable once or read only. Solid state memory devices have the advantage that they consume less power and have faster access time. However, unlike magnetic medium, they cannot be erased and programmed repeatedly.
More recently, as scale of integration has increased, floating gate solid state memory devices have been suggested as being useable in a peripheral storage device. Floating gate memory devices have the advantage that they can be programmed and erased, electrically, thereby, exhibiting the advantages of ROM memory, i.e., low power consumption and faster access, along with the writeability of magnetic medium. In addition, as integrated circuit fabrication scale increases, greater density can be achieved. However, one problem of using the floating gate solid state memory device is that the chip must be virtually defect free. Since the price of each memory chip is dependent upon its yield (the inverse of defect), more stringent requirement of defect free means low yield and high price per chip.
In anticipation of solid state memory storage devices proliferating, a standard, PCMCIA, has been adopted to set the electrical and mechanical interface requirements between a solid state storage peripheral device and a computer system.


An RF device (A) under test is connected with ports or jacks (14, 16) of an S-parameter test set (B). An RF input jack (18) is connected with an RF tracking signal output (20) of a spectrum analyzer (C) to receive an RF tracking signal. An output jack (22) is connected with a receiver input (24) of the spectrum analyzer. A mode control (30) internal to the test set is controlled by a programmable control sequence generator (34) of the spectrum analyzer. The mode control controls a switch array (32), preferably PIN diodes, which interconnect the RF input jack (18), the RF output jack (22), the two jacks (14, 16) that are connected to the device under test, and a 50 Ohm termination (54) in four modes to make reflection measurements and two transmission measurements. DC bias jacks (26, 28) are connected with a DC power for injecting a DC component into the RF signals applied to the device under test.

The present invention relates to S-parameter measurement systems. It finds particular application in conjunction with measurement systems for measuring transmission and reflection parameters of radio frequency coils of magnetic resonance scanners and will be described with particular reference thereto. It is to be appreciated, however, that the present invention will also be useful for quantifying performance of RF coils and other RF hardware, such as transmission/reception boxes, probe multiplexers, preamplifiers, and the like.
Heretofore, the RF coils of magnetic resonance imaging devices have been measured with a network analyzer in conjunction with an S-parameter test set. A network analyzer is a large, complex piece of laboratory equipment. Its large size and high cost render it undesirable to make it a part of each service technician's repair kit which is carried to the site of an MR imaging system.
When it is necessary to test or check the parameters of the RF coil of an MR imaging system, the coil is commonly interconnected with an S-parameter test set, which, in turn, is interconnected with the network analyzer. The S-parameter test set allows the network analyzer to make transmission and reflection measurements into both forward and reverse directions.
Rather than using an S-parameter test kit, one can use a reflection/transmission kit and a resistive divider. Although the reflection transmission kit and the resistive divider are significantly less costly than an S-parameter test set, the much more expensive network analyzer is still needed. Moreover, although the reflection/transmission kit allows the necessary measurements to be made, the coil must be disconnected and reconnected in different ways to make all of the measurements to determine the S-parameters. To save connecting and reconnecting the coil, one can use a two port measurement instrument in conjunction with the network analyzer.
In order to avoid the weight and the cost of a network analyzer, the S-parameters can be measured using a less expensive spectrum analyzer in conjunction with a directional bridge and a single port device. With this arrangement, it is possible to measure port 1 of a two port coil while port 2 is manually terminated with a 50 Ohm terminator. Port 2 can then be measured by swapping the device under test, making port 2 the input port and port 1 the terminated port. The transmission parameter can be measured by removing the directional bridge and hooking port 1 to the source output on the spectrum analyzer and then hooking port 2 to the receiver input. All of these measurements require moving the coil or other device under test and changing the test setup. The addition of cables and terminations required for some measurements can change the measured parameters and cause inaccurate results. Moreover, this arrangement has no provision for DC bias.
The present invention contemplates a new and improved S-parameter test kit for use in conjunction with a spectrum analyzer which overcomes the above-referenced problems and others.

Scalar S-parameter test set for NMR instrumentation measurements


A light device includes a base having two spaced flaps, a housing disposed between the flaps, and rotatably secured to the base with a retaining ring. A circuit board is received in the housing and has one or more light members, a casing is received in the housing to receive one or more batteries which may energize the light members. The base includes one or more spring blades to engage with the housing, and to retain the housing to the base at selected angular position. A cap is rotatably secured to the casing, and includes one or more latches to detachably engage with the housing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light device, and more particularly to a light device for attaching to various objects.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various kinds of typical light devices have been developed, and comprise one or more fasteners for solidly attaching onto various objects, such as front handle bars of cycles. The typical light devices are solidly secured to the cycles and may not be easily disengaged from the cycles, and thus may not be easily attached onto the other objects, such as the heads of the users.
The other typical fight devices may comprise a fastener strap provided thereon for attaching the typical light devices onto such as the heads of the users.
However, normally, the typical light devices comprise a light bulb fixedly attached to the objects, and may not be easily adjusted to different angular directions, such that the typical light devices may not be used to suitably light the environment.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional light devices.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a light device including one or more fastener straps provided thereon for attaching the light devices onto various objects, such as the heads of the users, or the cycles, etc.
The other objective of the present invention is to provide a light device including a housing rotatable or adjustable to different angular positions, for suitably lighting the environment.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a light device comprising a base including a first flap and a second flap extended therefrom and spaced away from each other, the second flap including an opening formed therein, a housing rotatably disposed between the first and the second flaps, and including a bore formed therein and aligned with the opening of the second flap of the base, and including a chamber formed therein, a circuit board received in the chamber of the housing, at least one light member attached to the circuit board, a casing received in the bore of the housing, and including at least one space formed therein, at least one battery received in the space of the casing, and electrically coupled to the circuit board, to energize the light member, at least one retaining ring engaged onto the housing, and attached to the base, to rotatably secure the housing to the base. The base includes at least one spring blade extended therefrom to engage with the housing, and to retain the housing to the base at selected angular position.
The retaining ring includes a first end having a hook engaged into the housing, and a second end, and at least one fastener engaged through the base and engaged with the second end of the retaining ring, to secure the retaining ring to the base, and to rotatably secure the housing to the base.
The retaining ring includes a channel formed therein, and the housing includes a projection extended therefrom and slidably engaged in the channel of the retaining ring, to limit a rotational movement of the housing relative to the base.
The housing includes at least one recessed shoulder formed therein to receive the retaining ring, and to position the retaining ring relative to the housing.
The casing includes a first end, and a cap rotatably secured to the first end of the casing, and the cap includes at least one latch extended therefrom to engage with the housing, and to detachably secure the cap and the casing to the housing.
The casing includes a peripheral depression formed in the first end thereof, the cap includes a ring member secured thereto and having at least one projection extended therefrom to engage into the peripheral depression of the casing, and to secure the cap to the casing.
The housing includes at least one lock notch formed therein to receive the latch of the cap, and to detachably secure the cap to the housing, the cap includes an engaging recess formed therein, for receiving driving tools.
The housing includes an outer peripheral portion having a plurality of teeth formed thereon, and the spring blade of the base includes at least one tooth provided thereon to engage with the teeth of the housing, and to position the housing to the base at selected angular positions.
The casing includes at least one groove formed therein, the housing includes at least one rib extended therefrom, and engaged into the groove of the casing, to prevent the casing from being rotated relative to the housing.
The housing includes at least one guide fin extended into the bore thereof, a conduit is received in the bore of the housing and includes at least one slot formed therein, to slidably receive the guide fin of the housing, and to position the conduit to the housing, and to prevent the conduit from being rotated relative to the housing.
The casing includes a stop extended therefrom, a spring is engaged between the stop of the casing and the conduit, to bias the casing out of the bore of the housing.
The housing includes at least one peg extended into the chamber thereof, the circuit board includes at least one notch formed therein to receive the peg of the housing, and to position the circuit board in the housing, a reflector is received in the chamber of the housing and includes at least one notch formed therein to receive the peg of the housing, and to position the reflector in the housing, the reflector includes at least one orifice formed therein to receive the light member.
The housing further includes a cover having at lest one hole formed therein, and at least one fastener engaged through the hole of the cover and engaged to the peg of the housing, and to secure the cover to the housing.
The cover includes at least one lock opening formed therein, a frame is attached onto the cover, and includes at least one catch extended therefrom, to engage into the lock opening of the cover, and to secure the frame onto the cover.
Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

Light device for attaching to various objects

8F-2, No. 60-2, Gong Yeh 1st Road, Hsitun Dist.


A method, apparatus, system, and computer program product for communicating using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is provided. The method, apparatus, system and computer program product provide mechanisms by which simplified messages may be utilized by client applications such that the client applications need not maintain information pertaining to the routing of messages. The system includes a network interface and a SIP client manager that receives SIP messages through the network interface. The SIP client manager contains a SIP management module and an X-SIP client module. The SIP management module contains a SIP message modifier for modifying incoming messages and outgoing messages in accordance with context information or state information for a session associated with a SIP message, and the SIP management module also contains input/output controllers for receiving, sending, or forwarding SIP messages. The X-SIP client module contains an input/output controller for receiving and sending SIP messages and also contains a SIP application programming interface (API) for handling SIP messages for a SIP-enabled application.

Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is an application-layer control protocol for transporting call setup, routing authentication and other feature messages to endpoints within the IP domain, whether those messages originate from outside the IP cloud over PSTN resources or within the cloud. These sessions include Internet multimedia conferences, Internet telephone calls, and multimedia distribution. Members in a session can communicate via multicast, via a mesh of unicast relations, or a combination of these. SIP can be used to initiate sessions as well as invite members to sessions that have been advertised and established by other means.
SIP is a text-based protocol that uses the ISO 10646 character set in UTF-8 encoding. A SIP message is either a request from a client to a server or a response from a server to a client. Both of these types of messages contain a start line, one or more header fields, or "headers", an empty line indicating the end of the header fields, and an optional message body.
In processing a SIP message, different SIP message headers have different characteristics with respect to the frequency of occurrence in SIP messages. Some headers, such as a "To" header, are generic headers that appear only once while other headers, such as "Via" headers, are generic headers that can appear any number of times. The "Via" headers, for example, provide information pertaining to the route through which a SIP communication must pass between SIP clients.
Headers, such as "CallerID", "To", and "From" headers are essential for establishing the context of the SIP message. However, from the viewpoint of an application program, maintaining other context and state information related to a session, such as storing a long sequence of Via headers, detracts from the essential task of providing a distributed application with particular functionality.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an apparatus and method for managing application non-essential information, such as routing information. It would further be advantageous to have an apparatus and method that presents an application program with a simplified SIP environment.

Method and apparatus for a SIP client manager


Method for determining the presence of an aminotransferase (AT.sub.1), other than aspartate aminotransferase (AST), in a biological sample. The method includes contacting the sample with an amino donor substrate for AT.sub.1, an amino acceptor substrate for AT.sub.1, cysteine sulfinic acid (CSA) in excess, a second aminotransferase (AT.sub.2), different from AT.sub.1, in excess, and an indicator for the presence of sulfite ions, under conditions in which the concentration of said AT.sub.1 can be determined by the amount of the indicator which forms a detectable signal.

The invention relates to methods and assay kits for identifying aminotransferases, other than aspartate aminotransferase (AST), in biological samples.
Baram, U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,787 disclosed a method for diagnosing periodontal disease by detection of L-alanine aminotransferase activity. Specifically, a colorimetric assay with diazo dyes is used to determine ALT activity.
Maupin, PCT/US92/00865 discusses a method determining AST levels by reaction of AST with the substrate cysteine sulfinic acid (CSA) in the presence of a sulfite-reactive dye compound, such as triarylmethine dye.

Limited enzyme assay for aminotransferases


A child restraint for use with an automobile seat belt including an elongated cushion having attachment loops for attachment to a seat belt and sized to engage about a child filling voids between the child, the seat and the seat belt on opposite sides of the child.

This invention relates to safety devices. More particularly, the invention relates to a child restraint for use with a seat belt in an automobile.
It is known that the typical seat belt used in an automobile does not provide proper protection of young children and in particular children of ages below five years. One primary reason that the common automobile seat belt in use today is not effective in properly restraining children of these ages is that the size of these children principally in regard to the width of the child at his or her waist or lap area whereat a seat belt would be disposed is substantially less than the spacing between the attachment points of the seat belt to the seat resulting in gaps, voids or spaces between the child, the belt and the seat on opposite sides of the child. As a result, contact of the belt fully around the child from side to side is not achieved resulting in no side-to-side or lateral support of the child. Added to this, is the fact that children of these young years are not always capable of fully supporting themselves and, as a result, they can easily and inadvertantly twist or become cocked between the belt and the seat and even slip out from beneath the belt due to the lack of full restraint and lateral support.
Knowing this to be a principal shortcoming of the common adult seat belt in today's automobiles, numerous infant or child seats have been devised which usually are independantly attached to the car seat by way of the seat belt and the child is in turn placed in the auxilliary seat and restrained by the specially adapted seat which provides the needed lateral support. While these car seats are effective in properly securing, restraining and protecting young children, they are bulky, heavy, generally unwieldly and require removal and storage when not needed so as to make room for adult passengers. Accordingly, it would be desirable, and is an object of the present invention, to provide for a child restraint which provides for restraint and safety of young children but which is further easily removed and stored when not needed and which is easily re-attachable to the vehicle when required.

Child restraint for use with a seat belt in an automobile


A spring contact twisting electrical contact spring probe for testing electrical printed circuit boards includes a barrel having a spring seating end and an open end, a compression spring seated in the closed end of the barrel, and a plunger inserted into the barrel. The plunger includes a tail section, connected to a twister section comprising a square rod twisted along its longitudinal axis, and a shaft or probe section that protrudes from the barrel and includes the probe tip. Four crimps in the barrel retain the plunger inside the barrel and interact with the helical crests on the twister section to cause the plunger to rotate along its longitudinal axis as it reciprocates within the barrel. The twister section is retained entirely within the barrel at all times. The rotating plunger tip has edges that scrape off contaminants or coatings on the test sites of the circuit boards to obtain a sufficient electrical connection.

1. Field of The Invention
The present invention is directed to a twister probe for use in apparatus that test printed circuit boards. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a spring contact probe having a plunger that reciprocates in a barrel and rotates as it reciprocates.
2. Related Art
Spring contact probes are commonly used in testing printed circuit boards and other types of circuits that require a number of contact points to be checked for continuity or correct electrical signals. Such contact probes are received into probe receptacles that are typically fitted into apertures in a testing board. The entire board is moved toward and away from the testing subject by an electromechanical or pneumatic means. Typically, probes are mounted throughout the surface area of a testing board in rows and columns in high density arrays. A compression spring inside each probe forces the plunger against the printed circuit board.
When printed circuit boards are made and after electrical components are soldered to them, the runners are dirty. They are covered with lacquers and highly corrosive fluxes. In the past, these contaminants have been washed from the printed circuit boards by various solvents prior to testing them for proper electrical conductivity. Many of the solvents used for cleaning printed circuit boards have been restricted or banned or are being phased out under federal government regulations designed to improve the general environment. One such family of solvents, is for example, fluorocarbons. As a consequence, circuit boards are increasing being tested without being cleaned. Many of the currently used testing probes will not reliably penetrate the debris on the circuit boards and make good mechanical and electrical contact with the circuit board runners and consequently lead to erroneous indications of open circuits.
To overcome this difficulty, some manufactures have produced a so called "pin-point" probe that will usually penetrate the layer of contaminants on a circuit board. Unfortunately, however, such pin-point probes sometimes stick into the runners and will not retract when the test is completed. In theory, a probe pressed against the circuit board with sufficient force will penetrate the layers of contaminants and permit effective testing of the circuits on the board. In practice, however, the force that can be applied to a probe is constrained by the diameter of the plunger body and probe tip, and the diameter of the compression spring that urges the plunger body toward the printed circuit board. Only by making the probe tip small can sufficient pressure be exerted against the runner to ensure that the debris are penetrated by the probe tip. This, however, leads to the probe tip's sticking into the circuit board or circuit board runners.
Other efforts to permit testing of dirty circuit boards in hostile environments contaminated with free particles and corrosive chemicals have been developed. They employ some means for ensuring that the plunger of the probe will twist or rotate as the plunger reciprocates within the barrel. In such probes, the probe tip acts like a drill bit, turning or rotating along its longitudinal axis as it contacts the printed circuit board. The rotating or twisting motion of the sharp point of the probe enables the probe to cut through most debris resulting from the manufacture of the circuit board.
One twisting probe has a barrel that is opened at both ends, a circumferential crimp near the probe tip end of the barrel and a plunger within the barrel. The plunger includes a probe tip end and a twisted end that projects through the rear of the barrel. The rear of the barrel has a square opening that the twisted plunger passes through, causing the plunger to rotate along its longitudinal axis as it reciprocates within the barrel. The use of this probe is not known to the inventor and it could not be used in any standard printed circuit board testing apparatus because the portion of the plunger extending outwardly of the barrel would interfere with mounting the probe in a standard probe receptacle or socket.
Another twister probe includes a barrel having an open front end and rear end, with the probe tip comprising a portion of the plunger, which is seated within the barrel and reciprocates therein. A compression spring urges the plunger outward from the barrel. The barrel includes a sleeve with a curved cam slot along its length. A small cylindrical pin is inserted into the plunger body perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the plunger body. The pin acts as a cam follower that follows the curved cam surface of the slot in the sleeve, or the enlarged portion of the barrel. This style of probe suffers from significant drawbacks. First, it includes four parts, namely the barrel, the probe, the spring and the cam follower. In addition the cam itself must be cut into the side wall of the barrel. These features lead to excessive manufacturing costs. Further, and more seriously, the cam slot can be easily contaminated by particles of lacquer, fluxes, and solder that are broken free of the printed circuit board during testing. In particular, even small amounts of flux that contact the upper exposed portion of the plunger in the cam slot can be carried into the interior of the barrel when the plunger reciprocates, and will corrode the inner portions of the probe sufficiently to produce intermittent open circuits, thus rendering the probe unreliable. Exacerbating these contamination problems, such probes are generally mounted below the subject circuit board, that is, with the probe tip pointing up. Thus, the debris loosened by the twisting probe tip falls down onto the probe itself.
An effort to overcome a related problem is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,458,851 issued to Webb as Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on July 29, 1969 for Electrical Connector Pin With Wiping Action. Webb '851 discloses an electrical connector pin having a spring biased cylindrical connector pin to be received within a female socket. Foreign matter in the socket may prevent good electrical contact with a connector pin that is inserted straight into the socket. Webb '851 reduces the likelihood of this occurrence by causing the connector pin to rotate as it is extended from its housing by the biasing spring, causing the connector pin to wipe the side wall of the cylindrical socket as the connector pin enters the socket.
Webb '851 accomplishes this rotation of the connector pin as it reciprocates within the housing by having an indented boss in the housing that rides in a helical groove along a portion of the connector pin shaft that is retained within the housing. There is only one indented boss, and only one helical groove. The camming action of the indented boss riding in the helical groove causes the connector pin to rotate as it reciprocates. The rear of the tubular housing is closed and sealed. The front end of the tubular housing is open to allow the connector pin to extend beyond the housing and to allow air to enter and to escape from the housing as the connector pin reciprocates therein. An inwardly extending circumferential flange at the front edge of the tubular housing forms a stop that prevents a larger diameter connector pin portion from moving outside the housing.
Webb '851 might appear to provide a good solution to the problem at hand, namely, testing printed circuit boards. This is not the case. Webb 851 includes a number of characteristics that make it unsuitable for testing printed circuit boards and that would cause serious difficulties if it were adapted for such use by, e.g., replacing the rounded tip of the connector pin with a cutting tip. First, testing printed circuit boards requires many hundreds of thousands of probes. In addition, they must be manufactured to very close tolerances to perform correctly. Consequently, the cost of manufacture, the simplicity of design, and the ease of reproducing the probe accurately are all vital considerations. Webb 851 includes a helical groove in the connector pin shaft. It is difficult and expensive to cut or otherwise form grooves in shafts and it is not economically viable in this use.
Second, pointing accuracy of the probe is of the utmost importance in testing printed circuit boards. The testing apparatus is programmed to expect a specific signal from each probe in the densely packed arrays. Each probe is aimed at a precise, specific point on the printed circuit board. If one or more probes do not hit their targets when the circuit board is tested, the test results may be wrong. Circuit board runners are sometimes very narrow and are easily missed. Incorrectly aimed or pointed probes may miss the test pad altogether. Probes that do not hit their targets can incorrectly indicate the presence of either an open or closed circuit. The strike point of a probe used for testing printed circuit boards needs to be within about thirty ten-thousandths of an inch (0.0030 inch; 0.0076 cm) of the target. This degree of accuracy is not achieved by the Webb '851 connector pin, which relies on a pilot socket portion and a pilot pin tip having a smaller diameter than the connecting portion of the connector pin to locate the connector pin in the receiving socket. The use of a single indented boss riding in a single helical groove causes the connector pin to wobble as it reciprocates within the housing as the forces exerted on the connector probe by the indented boss riding in the groove are essentially perpendicular to the axis of the connector pin and, after the limit of the sideways movement of the connector pin is reached, are translated into rotational forces. Because the lateral or sideways force exerted on the connector pin is essentially constant in both magnitude and direction and the connector pin reciprocates within the housing, the connector pin can be expected to wobble throughout its entire reciprocation cycle.
Further, the pivot bearing includes two small facing bearing surfaces at the back end of the connector pin, which are largely responsible for aiming the connector pin and these bearing surfaces offer little contact area and are restricted to only the end of the connector pin. Consequently, these bearing surfaces do not provide a high degree of pointing accuracy.
Also demonstrative of the inadequate pointing accuracy of the connector pin of Webb '851 is the fact that the rear of the housing is sealed, which requires the air that must enter and escape from the interior of the housing must pass through the gap between the connector pin and the housing. This structure is wholly inadequate for the task at hand because a gap large enough to admit the necessary volume of air will also admit the various contaminants of dirty printed circuit boards.
Accordingly, there is a need for electrical spring contact probe that can reliably penetrate the dirt and debris that typically accompany unwashed printed circuit boards and that will not be subject to contamination from that debris.

Spring contact twister probe for testing electrical printed circuit boards


Disclosed is a system and method for treating headaches. The system employs a self-contained, battery operated, readily portable and easy-to-operate head-mounted magnetic depolarizer to generate a transient or time-varying high-intensity magnetic field into and around the user's head or neck. The magnetic depolarizer system can be used to depolarize the neurons of the brain and/or the trigeminal nerve. This type of neuronal depolarization has the capability for terminating migraine or other types of headaches.

There are many types of headaches that afflict the human population. Migraine headaches cluster headaches, tension headaches and sinus headaches all cause serious pain and even disability. Moreover, migraine headaches occur in approximately 11% of the population in the U.S. and Western Europe each year, and more than 2.5 million persons in the U.S. have at least one day of migraine per week. Approximately 80 million additional people suffer from other types of severe headaches in the U.S. Although new drug therapies emerge each year, some patients cannot find relief with any existing drug therapy, and some therapies cause significant side effects. A non-invasive, non-drug method for preventing or treating migraine and other severe headaches would be a remarkable boon for those millions of people all over the world who suffer from these painful experiences.
Migraine is well known to be a neurovascular disorder that, in addition to pain, is characterized by autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Although the pain mechanisms are not well understood, it is believed that actions in nerves in the head, brainstem and other tissues cause blood vessels to dilate, which causes pain, which causes further nerve activation. In particular the trigeminal nerve and its associated autonomic nervous system function seem implicated in this process for migraine and cluster headaches. Disrupting this cycle can in some patients be a key to treating migraine and perhaps other forms of headache. It has also been demonstrated that magnetic (TMS) stimulation of the scalp causes alterations of the autonomic balance in the heart as measured by changes in the beat-to-beat variability of the heart.
Some patients with migraine experience a distinct aura or warning symptoms before the actual occurrence of the symptoms of the migraine headache. It is estimated that approximately 40% of all migraine patients have some type of aura that is a precursor of a migraine headache. Approximately half of these patients have a visual aura that typically begins as a small pattern of scintillating colored lights that have the appearance of wiggling worms or multicolored zigzags. Over a time period of between 20 and 30 minutes, the pattern enlarges and fades until it extends into the outermost portions of the visual field. During this time period, the patient might also completely lose part of his visual field. At the end of this visual aura, most migraine patients have a severe headache that is often accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and other unpleasant feelings. Many migraine patients who do not have a visual aura have some other precursor of a migraine that can be perceived from minutes to hours before the actual start of the headache. Special techniques may be used to treat patients with aura.
In 1985, A. T. Barker, et al (Lancet, 1985, pp. 1105-1107) described the use of an electromagnetic coil placed over the scalp which produced a high intensity, time varying, magnetic field. This magnetic field produces an electric current in the cortex of the human brain, which can in turn produce certain effects (e.g., depolarization and discharge) of brain neurons. This type of system has been given the name Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). If repetitive magnetic pulses are applied in this manner, it has been given the name rTMS. In the journal Neurology (Apr. 11, 2000, pp. 1529-1531) it has been reported by B. Boroojerdi, et al, that rTMS at a rate of one pulse per second can-create a reduction of the excitability of the neurons of the human visual cortex.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,678, which is included herein by reference, Fischell et al. describe the use of one type of system for the prevention or treatment of migraine headaches using one or more high intensity magnetic pulses that depolarize the neurons of the cerebral cortex. However, the Fischell et al patent does not describe specific systems and methods for stimulation of the trigeminal nerve and its associated autonomic nervous system function. Furthermore, the Fischell et al patent makes no mention of stimulation of the neck or the use of a system that has one portion of the system located on the patient's head or neck that is connected to a separate power source by electrical wires.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Means and methods for treating headaches


Processes of assembling microelectronic packages with lead frames and/or other suitable substrates are described herein. In one embodiment, a method for fabricating a semiconductor assembly includes forming an attachment area and a non-attachment area on a lead finger of a lead frame. The attachment area is more wettable to the solder ball than the non-attachment area during reflow. The method also includes contacting a solder ball carried by a semiconductor die with the attachment area of the lead finger, reflowing the solder ball while the solder ball is in contact with the attachment area of the lead finger, and controllably collapsing the solder ball to establish an electrical connection between the semiconductor die and the lead finger of the lead frame.

Flip chip is a method for directly interconnecting semiconductor dies and a substrate with solder balls (or solder bumps). During assembly, solder balls are first deposited onto a semiconductor die. A solder mask is formed on the substrate (e.g., a printed circuit board) to define a plurality of connection sites. The semiconductor die with the solder balls is then flipped over to align the solder balls with corresponding connection sites on the substrate. The solder balls are then reflowed to complete the interconnection.
One drawback of the foregoing flip chip technique is that the solder balls tend to uncontrollably collapse during reflow when the substrate is a lead frame having a plurality of lead fingers. The collapsed solder balls may cause various structural, functional, and/or other types of damages to the resulting microelectronic package. For example, adjacent solder balls may come in contact with one another to short circuit the semiconductor die and/or the substrate.
One conventional solution is to form a solder mask on the lead frame as on a printed circuit board. However, forming a solder mask on the small lead fingers is difficult, time consuming, and costly. Accordingly, there is a need for improved flip chip techniques that can at least reduce or eliminate the risk of uncontrollable collapse of solder balls during reflow.

Microelectronic flip chip packages with solder wetting pads and associated methods of manufacturing


In a hybrid vehicle, in double-drive mode of an electric drive mode, in which the hybrid vehicle travels by using two motors, that is, a first motor and a second motor, in a state where execution of vibration damping control with the use of the second motor is being required, when it is possible to output a total torque, which is the sum of a second distribution torque and a vibration damping torque, from the second motor to a drive shaft, the vibration damping control with the use of the second motor is executed; whereas, when it is not possible to output the total torque from the second motor to the drive shaft, vibration damping control with the use of the first motor is executed.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a hybrid vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, there is suggested a hybrid vehicle (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-232690 (JP 2012-232690 A). In this hybrid vehicle, a first motor is connected to a sun gear of a planetary gear set, an engine is connected to a carrier, a drive shaft is connected to a ring gear, and a second motor is connected to the drive shaft. When an execution condition of vibration damping control with the use of the second motor is satisfied, the sum of a torque command of the second motor and a vibration damping torque is set for an execution torque, and the second motor is controlled such that the execution torque is output from the second motor to the drive shaft. This hybrid vehicle reduces the vibrations of the vehicle through such control.


The present invention is directed to a building panel having a laminate structure, the laminate structure including a topcoat layer comprising a first intumescent composition, a cellulosic veneer layer, an adhesive layer formed from an adhesive composition comprising a second intumescent composition, and a metallic substrate layer and wherein the cellulosic veneer layer is at least partially bonded to the metallic substrate by the adhesive layer. The resulting building panel exhibits superior flame retardancy resulting in a Class A fire rating, according to ASTM E-84.

Building products for interior room environments balance interests with respect to cosmetic value, material cost, structural integrity, and fire safety. Previously, maximizing one or two of the aforementioned interests required sacrificing the remaining interests. For example, a building panel that uses natural materials (e.g., natural grain from real wood, as compared to replica grain from printed wood texture) may have superior cosmetic value. However, such building panels also previously had associated safety concerns as either the entire building panel would be made from wood, thereby increasing flammability concerns, or a cosmetic laminate structure could be used, in which case the veneer layer is susceptible to delamination at high heat, causing the veneer layer to fall from the building panel, thereby endangering individuals below the building and/or further fueling a fire.
Regarding laminate structures, previous attempts have been made to improve the fire safety performance of these building panels. Improved fire safety performance can be qualified as either: Class A, B, or C rating—with Class A being the best and C being the worst. However, some previous attempts to achieve superior fire safety have involved supporting the building panels during fire testing by use of a variety of external means—such as rods, bars and/or chicken wire. Adding such external support is not only inconsistent with the requirements of the building code or the current ASTM E84 standard, but it also provides a false indication of the integrity of the building panel during fire testing. Stated simply, there is a need for building panels that exhibit superior cosmetic value while also exhibiting high lamination integrity, especially during a fire in order to ensure proper fire safety.

Fire performance for wood veneer laminated ceiling tile


A method of mass spectrometry is disclosed wherein a signal output from an ion detector is digitized by an Analogue to Digital Converter and is then deconvoluted to determine one or more ion arrival times and one more ion arrival intensities. The process of deconvoluting the ion signal involves determining a point spread function characteristic of an ion arriving at and being detected by the ion detector. A distribution of ion arrival times which produces a best fit to the digitised signal is then determined given that each ion arrival is assumed to produce a response given by the point spread function. A plurality of ion arrival times are then combined to produce a composite ion arrival time-intensity spectrum.

The present invention relates to a method of mass spectrometry and a mass spectrometer. The preferred embodiment relates to a method of digitising signals output from an Analogue to Digital Converter and determining the arrival time and intensity of ions arriving at an ion detector.
It is known to use Time to Digital Converters ("TDC") and Analogue to Digital Converters ("ADC") as part of data recording electronics for many analytical instruments including Time of Flight mass spectrometers.
Time of Flight instruments incorporating Time to Digital Converters are known wherein signals resulting from ions arriving at an ion detector are recorded. Signals which satisfy defined detection criteria are recorded as a single binary value and are associated with a particular arrival time relative to a trigger event. A fixed amplitude threshold may be used to trigger recording of an ion arrival event. Ion arrival events which are subsequently recorded resulting from subsequent trigger events are combined to form a histogram of ion arrival events. The histogram of ion arrival events is then presented as a spectrum for further-processing. Time to Digital Converters have the advantage of being able to detect relatively weak signals so long as the probability of multiple ions arriving at the ion detector in close temporal proximity remains relatively low. One disadvantage of Time to Digital Converters is that once an ion arrival event has been recorded then there is a significant time interval or dead-time following the ion arrival event during which time no further ion arrival events can be recorded.
Another important disadvantage of Time to Digital Converters is that they are unable to distinguish between a signal resulting from the arrival of a single ion at the ion detector and a signal resulting from the simultaneous arrival of multiple ions at the ion detector. This is due to the fact that the signal will only cross the threshold once, irrespective of whether a single ion arrived at the ion detector or whether multiple ions arrived simultaneously at the ion detector. Both situations will result in only a single ion arrival event being recorded.
At relatively high signal intensities the above mentioned disadvantages coupled with the problem of dead-time effects will result in a significant number of ion arrival events failing to be recorded and/or an incorrect number of ions being recorded. This will result in an inaccurate representation of the signal intensity and an inaccurate measurement of the ion arrival time.
These effects have the result of limiting the dynamic range of the ion detector system.
Time of Flight instruments which incorporate Analogue to Digital Converters are known. An Analogue to Digital Converter is arranged to digitise signals resulting from ions arriving at an ion detector relative to a trigger event. The digitised signals resulting from subsequent trigger events are summed or averaged to produce a spectrum for further processing. A known signal averager is capable of digitising the output from ion detector electronics at a frequency of 3-6 GHz with an eight or ten bit intensity resolution.
One advantage of using an Analogue to Digital Converter as part of an ion detector system is that multiple ions which arrive substantially simultaneously at an ion detector and at relatively high signal intensities can be recorded without the ion detector suffering from distortion or saturation effects. However, the detection of low intensity signals is generally limited by electronic noise from the digitiser electronics, the ion detector and the amplifier system. The problem of electronic noise also effectively limits the dynamic range of the ion detector system.
Another disadvantage of using an Analogue to Digital Converter as part of an ion detector system (as opposed to using a Time to Digital Converter as part of the ion detector system) is that the analogue width of the signal generated by an ion arriving at the ion detector adds to the width of the ion arrival envelope for a particular mass to charge value in the final time of flight spectrum. In the case of a Time to Digital Converter, only ion arrival times are recorded and hence the width of peaks in the final spectrum is determined only by the spatial and energy focusing characteristics of the Time of Flight analyser and by timing jitter associated with TDC trigger signals and signal discriminator characteristics. For a state of the art Time of Flight detector the analogue width of the signal generated by a single ion is between 0.4-3 ns FWHM.
Recent improvements in the speed of digital processing devices have allowed the production of ion detection systems which seek to exploit the various different advantageous features of both Time to Digital Converter systems and Analogue to Digital Converter systems. Digitised transient signals are converted into arrival time and intensity pairs. The arrival time and intensity pairs from each transient are combined over a scan period into a mass spectrum. Examples of such systems are disclosed in WO2007/138338, WO2008/142418 and WO2008/139193. Each mass spectrum may comprise tens of thousands of transients. The resulting spectrum has the advantage in terms of resolution of a Time to Digital Converter system (i.e. the analogue peak width of an ion arrival does not contribute significantly to the final peak width of the spectrum). Furthermore, the system is able to record signal intensities which result from multiple simultaneous ion arrival events of the Analogue to Digital Converter. In addition, discrimination against electronic noise during detection of the individual time or mass intensity pairs virtually eliminates any electronic noise which would otherwise be present in the averaged data thereby increasing the dynamic range.
In the known methods, conversion of digitised transient signals into ion arrival time intensity pairs may involve subtraction of baseline, thresholding of data and/or application of Finite Impulse Response ("FIR") filters to all or part of the digitised signal. The aim of these processes is to reject electronic noise, locate positions within the data corresponding to ion arrival response and determine an ion arrival time and intensity associated with each ion arrival response.
As described above, each ion arrival has an associated analogue peak width. If two or more ions arrive simultaneously then these analogue peak widths may partially overlap making it impossible for a simple Finite Impulse Response filter, peak maxima or related peak detection method to isolate the arrival time and intensity of the individual ions. In such a case a response related to the average ion arrival time and summed area may be recorded rather than two individual ion arrival times an intensities. This coalescing of two or more ion arrivals within a transient into a single time intensity pair can cause artifacts in the final summed data. Furthermore, the analogue peak width from ions of different mass to charge ratio species may overlap significantly within a single transient. This will result in an inaccurate representation of the signal intensity and an inaccurate measurement of the ion arrival time for each mass to charge ratio species.
It is therefore desired to provide an improved ion detector system and an improved method of detecting ions.

Method of mass spectrometry and mass spectrometer using peak deconvolution


A sealing gland for sealing between an elongate member and a surface through which the member extends, the gland comprising a sealing body having an inner membrane for sealing about the elongate member and an outer peripheral region for sealing against the surface. The inner membrane has one or more cut guides on an underside of the membrane arranged to locate adjacent the surface in use. Each cut guide represents a known elongate member option and facilitates the formation of an aperture through the membrane for suitably receiving the associated elongate member option there through in use. A compression ring is also provided to couple the surface over the sealing body to compress the sealing body in use and form an effective seal.

Specific requirements for clean areas for example in food handling, biologically sensitive areas, or other such areas requiring a clean seal, requires use of a seal that can be cleaned easily, applied easily and become functional easily yet is also consistent in its sealing engagement to both the pipe and the wall, and that is manufactured from inert and chemically resistant materials, so as to not contaminate the immediate environment, and to withstand cleaning and the like. The same criteria apply when sealing a pipe to a further pipe that it may pass through. The further pipe may be an outer sleeve such as a kick pipe to prevent damage to the inner pipe. Such assemblies are often present where a pipe passes through a wall, floor or ceiling and the wall, floor or ceiling has an outer sleeve for the pipe to pass through.
There are numerous ways of sealing a cavity and join about pipes and similar elongate members to a flat surface which they may pass through. The most simple method for sealing a pipe to a wall is the application of sealant about the periphery of the pipe adjacent the region of the wall into or through which the pipe may pass through. Prior art methods that use sealants and similar are messy and time consuming and the sealant cannot be easily removed and replaced, meaning that the pipe, wall panel or similar cannot be easily removed and replaced.
Another example of these is the use of a stainless steel flange attached to the elongate pipe or member. This is then attached to the flat surface in a first method by standing this off the flat surface and then sealing the space with sealant. This is not an easily removable system. The second is the bolting of the flange to a further wall fitting and locating between the two a sealing component, e.g. an "O" ring. This method and the previous one do not stand up well to vibration and flexure of the pipe relative to the flat surface.
Further methods utilize boots and similar to engage both the pipe and wall. Other methods use a boot with a cut to allow it to be placed and seal an existing pipe and wall installation. Methods that have used boots to date have not resulted in a consistently sealing boot about the pipe and against the bulk head. The solutions that currently exist with a sealable cut for sealing about an existing pipe and wall share the same problems as the uncut ones together with the added problem that the cut does not seal consistently either. Also, typically to reseal a gland, the addition of sealant to obtain an effective seal is required.
A number of solutions exist for sealing a pipe to a protective sleeve. However all of these require some form of additional sealant added to affect a proper seal between the pipe and the protective sleeve.
Increasingly hygienic environments, for example food handling and preparation premises, require high standard chemically inert materials to be present. This is not only to preserve the hygienic environment but also the method of cleaning such places uses highly corrosive clean in place chemicals that attack most materials such as rubbers and steels, including 305 stainless steel. These chemicals or environments are also often thermally elevated increasing their reactivity. Such environments require materials that are compatible with such harsh environments.
Additionally such environments require a vibration and flexure resistant sealing and often fire retardance and resistance. Such relative movement can occur due to impact of the pipe or surface, flow in the elongate member, water or gas hammer or thermal expansion. The relative movement can be both radially and axially of the elongate member.
In this specification where reference has been made to patent specifications, other external documents, or other sources of information, this is generally for the purpose of providing a context for discussing the features of the invention. Unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to such external documents is not to be construed as an admission that such documents, or such sources of information, in any jurisdiction, are prior art, or form part of the common general knowledge in the art.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a sealing gland to overcome the above problems with the prior art or at least to provide the public with a choice.


A key cap includes a cap body having a bottom surface, and at least one pivot retainer protrusively disposed on the bottom surface of the cap body. The pivot retainer includes a position-limiting portion, two lateral portions and a shaft-received recess. The lateral portions are connected to the same side of the position-limiting portion, and the shaft-received recess is disposed in the position-limiting portion, and is located between the two lateral portions.

Field of Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a keyboard. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a thin keyboard structure and its keycap.
Description of Related Art
A keyboard is an essential part of a computer device for a user to input information to the computer device. In general, a conventional keyboard includes a key cap, a base board and a linking mechanism in which one end of the linking mechanism is pivotally connected to a pivot buckle disposed at one of corners of the key cap, and the other end of the linking mechanism is movably connected to the base board, thereby allowing the linking mechanism to vertically move along with the key cap.
However, if the connection between the linking mechanism and the key cap is weak, the coupling strength between the linking mechanism and the key cap is insufficient. Thus, the key cap will be detached easily from the keyboard when one corner of the key cap is pulled or lifted up by an external force, thus resulting in inconvenient use of the keyboard.
Therefore, how to provide a solution to effectively overcome the aforementioned inconvenience and shortages and to increase industrial competitiveness for those in this field becomes an important topic.