A coordinate data converter converts plural shape data of the movable parts from a direction and of the parts that may interfere with the movable parts into the shape data of the three-dimensional coordinate system unique to the machining system, the number of structural shape elements of those parts being different from one another. A generator projects thus converted shape data on the three planes of said three-dimensional coordinate system; an arithmetic operator determines whether or not projected data overlap each other in each of the three planes, and a detector determines that an interference has occurred if the projection data on respective planes overlap and if projected data based on the shape data overlap in all of the three planes. Interferences can be thereby precisely checked in a short period of time even if a tool used for machining with an NC machine tool moves in a complicated manner or has a complex shape because it can store the shape of movable parts and of parts which may interfere with the movable parts including simple shapes to detailed shapes so as to permit the successive checking thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method an apparatus which checks interference among parts operable with numerical control information in a numerical control machine tool.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the numerical control (referred to as "NC" hereinafter) machine tool which is controlled by an NC apparatus operating by interpreting NC information, because tools, turrets, loaders and measurement devices are being operated simultaneously, it is highly important to check and avoid interference among moving parts or between a moving part and a static part. There has been proposed an apparatus for the tools where the operating range is limited within a two dimensional space such as a lathe, which apparatus checks interference among parts by defining in a two dimensional space the shapes of the tool, the turrets, the chuck, the work or the like and then checking the interference among thus defined shape data in two-dimensional space. There has also been proposed an apparatus for a system where the operating range of the tool extends into the three-dimensional space such as a machining center, which apparatus defines the shapes of the work or fixing jig on an X-Y plane and at the same time defines their thicknesses in a Z-direction, and checks the interference among thus defined shape data and Z-coordinate of the cutter tip of the tool virtually in the two-dimensional space.
However, since the number of movable parts in the machining increases and their movements become complex, above mentioned apparatus are not quite satisfactory because of the following reasons. In a lathe, even though the movement of a tool is restricted in the two-dimensional space, it is impossible to check the interference which might occur between a loader and the tool or with a turret only in terms of the two-dimensional space. Moreover, in the machining center, as shown in FIG. 1, the shape of the work is not necessarily uniform in the Z-direction. When the shape of the work is complicated, precise checking of the interference is difficult.
In order to solve the above problems, there has been proposed an apparatus for strict interference checking in which the shape data of the three-dimensional coordinate system are projected on the three planes, each of which is orthogonal to the other and each of which includes two of the coordinate axes of the three-dimensional coordinate system, in which a determination is made as to whether or not the projected data in each of the planes overlap, and in which it is then determined that the interference has occurred if the projected data are overlapping in all the planes.
The above mentioned interference checking apparatus in an NC machine tool has to strictly define the shapes of moving and static parts in order to deal with complicated shapes of works or with complex movements of moving parts, taking a longer time in processing compared to the apparatus which only define simple shapes.

Interference checking method and apparatus for numerical control machining tool


The present invention permits easy and safe replacement of a lamp, improves stability of a video projector, and provides a compact and lightweight video projector.. A projector driving battery is mounted in a battery mounting section formed in the bottom of a cabinet of a video projector. Therefore, the heavy battery is located in tile bottom of the cabinet. This further stabilizes the video projector. A lamp unit is mounted on a lamp mounting section formed in the back of the cabinet. When the lamp unit is mounted, a power output terminal in the cabinet is connected with a power input terminal of tile lamp unit at the same time. Thereby, when a lamp is replaced, it is unnecessary, unlike conventionally, to open and close a cover or electrically couple the lamp. Specifically, lamps can be changed merely by dismounting and mounting lamp units. Furthermore, a spare lamp unit 20 can be used as a lens cap.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a video projector, and more particularly, to a video projector for projecting an image displayed on a transmission type liquid crystal panel or other transmission type display means using a projection lens and a projector light source to produce an enlarged image.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, the foregoing video projector has a lamp (for example, a halogen lamp rated several hundred watts) of large power consumption as a projector light source.
A compact and lightweight video projector that can be driven with a battery has been proposed and put to practical use (Japanese Patent Application No.3-22447 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 833,731).
In the compact and lightweight video projector, a cover is formed in the back of a cabinet accommodating a projection lens, a transmission type liquid crystal panel, and a lamp so that the lamp can be replaced easily. A battery mounting section for mounting a projector driving battery is formed on tile rear of the cover.
In the foregoing video projector, a heavy battery is mounted in the back portion. Therefore, the weight of the video projection is ill-balanced. Before a lamp is replaced, the cover must be removed. This is a nuisance. When the lamp must be replaced immediately after the lamp fails, there is a risk of being burned with the heat dissipated from the lamp.

Video projector with battery and replaceable lamp unit


The present invention relates to reverse transcription of RNA, and in particular to reverse transcription by thermostable DNA polymerases. Thermoactinomyces vulgaris and Bacillus stearothermophilus possess reverse transcriptase activity in the presence of magnesium or manganese ions. Methods, compositions, and kits for reverse transcription and RT-PCR are also provided.

Many ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules contain secondary structure that results from hybridization between complementary regions within the RNA molecule. A variety of secondary structures can be formed, including hairpins and cruciforms. RNA molecules containing secondary structure are often difficult to reverse transcribe because polymerases cannot readily process through the secondary structure.
Because of the difficulty of reverse transcribing RNA molecules with secondary structure, many techniques dependent upon reverse transcription yield anomalous results. For example, RNA molecules with secondary structure may be poorly represented in cDNA libraries. Populations of RNA with secondary structure may also yield cDNA libraries with a short insert size. Furthermore, RNA molecules containing secondary structure may be difficult to detect in assays such as reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
Traditionally, reverse transcription has been performed with reverse transcriptases encoded by retroviruses (e.g., avian myoblastosis virus (AMV) reverse transcriptase and Moloney murine leukemia virus (MMLV) reverse transcriptase). Several mesophillic DNA polymerases (e.g., E. coli DNA polymerase I) have also been shown to possess reverse transcriptase activity. However, these enzymes are generally used at temperatures of between about 37° C. to 42° C., a temperature range where secondary structure can be a significant problem.
Several thermophilic DNA polymerases (e.g., Thermus aquaticus DNA polymerase and Thermus thermophilus DNA polymerase) also have reverse transcriptase activity. These enzymes are useful for reverse transcription, because at the high temperatures where such enzymes are stable, secondary structure in RNA molecules is reduced. Furthermore, such enzymes can be used to directly synthesize second strand DNA and potentially even to directly amplify an RNA target. However, the utility of these thermostable enzymes is limited because they require manganese as a co-factor for reverse transcriptase activity (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,770) resulting in deleterious effects. In some cases, the fidelity of the polymerase is reduced as compared to the fidelity of the enzyme in the presence of other cofactors, such as magnesium ions. Therefore, it is not desirable to amplify the template in the same reaction mixture in which reverse transcription reaction is conducted. This necessitates extra time consuming steps when performing RT-PCR. In other cases, the presence of manganese ions may also cause degradation of the RNA template.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art are alternative thermostable polymerases that have reverse transcriptase activity. Preferably, such thermostable polymerases should have reverse transcriptase activity in the presence of magnesium so that high-fidelity cDNAs may be obtained and so that both reverse transcription and amplification in RT-PCR reactions may conducted in the same reaction mixture.


Once an active video conference is set up and a user is viewing the active video conference at a video terminal, the video terminal looks for different events that indicate a change in focus of the user to or from the active video conference. For example, the user brings up another application and starts using the application or the user has minimized a window that is displaying the active video conference. The video terminal sends a change of focus message based on the event to a video conference bridge or another video terminal that is streaming the active video conference to the user. The video conference bridge/video terminal processes the message and changes video portion of the stream of the active video conference based on the message. The result is that there is improved use of bandwidth between the video terminal and the video conference bridge/video terminal.

In today's market, the use of video services, such as video conferencing, is experiencing a dramatic increase. Since video services require a significantly larger amount of bandwidth compared to audio services, this has caused increased pressure on existing communication systems to provide the necessary bandwidth for video communications. Because of the higher bandwidth requirements of video, users are constantly looking for products and services that can provide the required video services while still providing lower costs. One way to do this is to provide solutions that reduce and/or optimize the bandwidth used by video services.
Typical work in the field focused on optimizing the codec used in bandwidth reduction. A lot of work has been done in the industry to improve the conference experience based on network with non-quality links or for busy networks.

Changing bandwidth usage based on user events


A cooling tower system is provided that can exhibit increased energy efficiency. The cooling tower system includes a cooling tower unit, an expansion engine and a power operated component such as a fan or pump. The process fluid is first used to heat a working fluid for an expansion engine before being sent to the cooling tower for cooling. Power generated by the expansion engine is utilized to operate a component of the cooling tower such as a fan or a pump. The cooling tower is also utilized to provide cooling to condense the working fluid from a vapor to a liquid form cooling tower is used to remove waste heat from a process fluid.

Atmospheric cooling towers are in wide use in industry. These towers receive a relatively warm or hot fluid, and pass the fluid through the tower apparatus so that heat is extracted from the fluid by interaction with relatively cooler ambient air. In some instances, the fluid entering the tower is a process fluid that has been heated by an industrial operation. Also, in some instances, intermediate fluid loops with heat exchangers are used in between the originally hot process fluid and the other fluid actually circulated through the tower.
Industrial cooling towers come in a wide variety of types including, by way of example only, splash bar type wet cooling towers, fill pack type wet cooling towers, dry cooling towers, hybrid wet/dry cooling towers, and dry air cooled condensers. The cooling towers often are designed such that they require a supply of electrical energy or other work energy to drive mechanical systems such as fans and/or pumps which may be present.
Additionally, waste heat expansion engines are known for generating power from exit fluid from power plants, and can require a cooling system such as a cooling tower for condensing the working fluid used in the heat engine. Such expansion engines are also interchangeably referred to herein as waste heat expansion engines or waste heat engines. It is also known to use heat from solar ponds to drive expansion engines and to use cooling towers to cool the expansion engine working fluid in that context.
It would be desirable to reduce the energy consumption of cooling towers, and hence improve the energy efficiency of the towers.

Cooling tower apparatus and method with waste heat utilization


An inertial electroacoustic transducer unit has a first exciter and a second exciter, the second exciter is disposed in overturned position on the first exciter. In a first configuration, the bases of the two cups face each other, or in a second configuration the cavities of the two cups face each other. The two exciters are fixed together or to a plane intended to be put into vibration in such manner that the axes of the cylindrical supports of the coils coincide. The ends of the coils of the two exciters are connected in counter-phase in such manner to obtain a consistent movement in the same direction as the magnetic units of the two exciters.

1. Field of the Invention
The present patent application for industrial invention relates to an inertial electroacoustic transducer unit.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.
As it is known, a traditional loudspeaker comprises a membrane connected to a voice coil that moves in an air gap generated by a fixed magnetic unit. The vibration of the membrane generates a sound.
JP S60 25910 discloses a traditional loudspeaker comprising a membrane connected to a single cylindrical support. A first coil and a second coil are mounted at the ends of the single cylindrical support. Two magnetic units generate corresponding air gaps for the two coils.
Each magnetic unit is of conventional type and comprises a polar core, a toroidal magnet and a polar plate. A magnetic fluid is disposed in the air gap of each magnetic unit in such manner to center the cylindrical support of the coils. Therefore such a loudspeaker does not provide for any elastic suspension that centers the cylindrical support of the coils with respect to the magnetic units.
The magnetic units are locked in position and the cylindrical support of the coils can vibrate in such manner to cause the vibration of the membrane fixed to the cylindrical support.
Recently, inertial electroacoustic transducers, which are commonly known as exciters or shakers, have become popular as an alternative to traditional membrane loudspeakers.
The exciter comprises a coil fixed to a flange intended to be fixed to a rigid element. A centering device supports a magnetic unit in such manner that the magnetic unit generates an air gap wherein the coil is positioned and the magnetic unit can move with respect to the coil. Consequently, vibrations are propagated in the rigid element fixed to the flange of the exciter generating a sound.
Therefore, the inertial electroacoustic transducer is based on a completely different operating principle with respect to a traditional loudspeaker. The exciter is configured in such manner that the magnetic unit moves, while the cylindrical support of the coil remains still. Instead, the traditional loudspeaker is configured in such manner that the cylindrical support of the coil moves, while the magnetic unit remains still. Therefore, an expert of the field who intends to make an inertial electroacoustic transducer would not take a traditional loudspeaker into consideration.
WO2011/029768 in the name of the same applicant discloses an exciter. FIG. 1 shows an exciter according to WO2011/029768, which is generally indicated with reference numeral (100).
The exciter (100) comprises a coil (1) mounted on a cylindrical support (10). The cylindrical support (10) is fixed to a flange (2). The flange (2) comprises a central collar (20) to which the cylindrical support (10) of the coil is fixed. The flange (2) is intended to be fixed to a rigid element (not shown in FIG. 1), such as for example a panel of rigid material, which will be put in vibration to generate a sound.
The flange (2) is connected to a centering device (3) comprising an elastic suspension that supports a magnetic unit (4). The magnetic unit (4) comprises a cup (40) with a base (41) and a lateral wall (42) with a border (46) that define a cylindrical housing wherein a magnet (43) and a polar plate (44) are disposed.
The magnet (43) has a cylindrical shape and is centrally disposed inside the seat of the cup (40) and fixed to the base (41) of the cup (40). The polar plate (44) has a cylindrical shape and is fixed to the magnet (43). The polar plate (44) has a free surface (45) flush with the border (46) of the lateral wall of the cup.
The magnet (43) and the polar plate (44) have a lower diameter than the seat of the cup (40). Consequently, an air gap (T) with toroidal shape is generated between the external lateral surface of the magnet (43) and of the polar plate (44) and the internal lateral surface of the lateral wall (41) of the cup.
The magnetic unit (4) is held by the centering device (3) in such manner that the coil (1) is disposed in the air gap (T).
The centering device (3) comprises an external cylinder (30) fixed to the flange (2) and an internal cylinder (31) fixed to the cup (40). The external cylinder (30) is higher than the internal cylinder (31). The external cylinder (30) of the centering device is connected to the internal cylinder (31) by means of elastically flexible spokes (32) in such manner that the internal cylinder (31) is disposed in concentric position inside the external cylinder (30). In view of the above, the magnetic unit (4) can move in axial direction with respect to the cylindrical support (10) of the coil, along an axis (A) that coincides with the axis of the cylindrical support of the coil.
This type of exciter is impaired by some drawbacks in terms of harmonic distortion.
As it is known, the aforementioned magnetic circuit, which is commonly used in inertial electroacoustic transducers, does not provide a constant magnetic induction field in the air gap and in proximity of regions outside the air gap.
In order to explain this situation, let's consider a hypothetical cylindrical surface, for example a region of the cylindrical support (10), with height equal to 2 times the height of the polar plate (44), symmetrically positioned in axial direction with respect to the height of the polar plate (44), in such manner that said cylindrical surface projects by the same length from the planar, upper and lower surfaces (45) of the polar plate (44).
The radial lines of the magnetic field, which perpendicularly intersect said cylindrical surface and are the useful components for the movement of the magnetic unit with respect to the coil, are not generally uniform and constant in the two cylindrical surface regions that exceed the height of the polar plate (44). This is caused by geometrical arrangement of the magnetic system and can be assessed both with instruments and software simulation systems.
When the magnetic unit (4) is moved upwards in the direction of the arrow (F1), the magnetic unit gets away from the coil (1). On the contrary, when the magnetic unit (4) is moved downwards in the direction of the arrow (F2), the magnetic unit gets closer to the coil (1). These movements affect the aforementioned cylindrical surface regions that protrude from the border (46) of the polar plate (44), where the lines of the magnetic field are not constant, generating distortions in the production of mechanical vibrations and in the reproduction of sounds. Consequently, a harmonic distortion occurs.
The Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) is a measuring unit that measures total harmonic distortion, which must be taken in great consideration when assessing the quality of an audio device that needs to reproduce an audio program with high fidelity.
The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks of the prior art by disclosing an inertial electroacoustic transducer unit provided with low harmonic distortion.
Another purpose of the present invention is to disclose such an inertial electroacoustic transducer unit that is capable of managing high-power audio signals with reduced radial dimensions.

Inertial electroacoustic transducer unit


Crawling a browser-accessible application by causing a target application and a bridge application to run concurrently in a browser-controllable player, and iteratively receiving from the bridge application current state information of the target application, storing the state information on a data storage device if the state information is not found on the data storage device, where the state information is stored as a descendant state of an initial state of the target application, and interacting with the target application in accordance with a predefined simulation algorithm, thereby effecting a new state of the target application, until a predefined termination condition is reached.

"Crawling" in modern computer parlance commonly refers to traversing and cataloguing a set of related documents, such as linked Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) documents, and more recently to traversing and cataloguing the various states of applications known as Rich Internet Applications (RIAs), which are World Wide Web-based applications that are typically accessed using a computer program known as a "browser." Such crawling is useful for testing applications, among other purposes. For one type of RIA crawling may be done by manipulating an application's Universal Resource Locator (URL) and Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) parameters and using different URL/HTTP parameter combinations to elicit different application states. However, for another type of RIA, such as those developed using Adobe™ Flash™ or Adobe™ Flex™, crawling may not be done by manipulating URL and HTTP parameters, as an application of this type is accessible via a single URL/HTTP parameter combination that is not specific to any one state of the application. Solutions for crawling applications of this type would therefore be advantageous.

International Business Machines Corporation


A method for collecting data is disclosed herein. The method involves selecting, via a processor associated with a telematics service center, a mobile vehicle to collect data from a sensor configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more selected vehicles and, via a telematics unit disposed in the selected mobile vehicle, receiving data collected by the sensor. The method further involves, via the telematics unit, transmitting the data from the telematics unit to a data aggregator and reporting the data from the data aggregator to a facility. Also disclosed herein is a system for accomplishing the same.

Wireless sensors (such as, e.g., utility sensors, road traffic sensors, seismic sensors, or the like) are often used to obtain data associated with a particular utility for which the sensor is associated. In many cases, the data is transmitted to an appropriate facility such as, e.g., a billing, calling, or data processing center. Transmission of such data is often accomplished manually, for example, by dispatching a service representative to the sensor location. Such readings are taken and recorded on paper, in a computer or other electronic device, or via another recording method.

Method for collecting data and system for accomplishing the same


A method of simulating a production process on the basis of a continuous fluid model with discrete time evolution is described. The method of simulating makes use of assigning production and processing resources of various stations of the fluid model to various fluids with respect to a priority identifier of the fluids. Division of the station resources to various fluids is further based on a momentary amount of the various fluids. Based on the assignment of the station resources to the various fluids, the time evolution of the fluid amounts are determined without having to perform time and resource consuming optimization. Additionally, assignment of station resources can be manually and temporarily modified by a fluid manipulation means allowing for a universal and dynamic modification of the behavior of particular stations without interrupting or affecting the entire simulation process.

The present invention relates to the field of simulation of networked processes, and more particularly, to the simulation of a continuous fluid model having a discrete time evolution.
The ability to meet supply commitments is becoming more and more the important differentiating factor of suppliers besides product quality and price. Meeting supply commitments is essential for suppliers especially in a fast paced business with short product life cycles and high volatile demands.
Semiconductor manufacturing as a supplier of camcorder, computer or Gameboy assembly lines is a typical examples of such a chain link in the supply chain of the fast paced consumer electronic industry. Therefore, production management and control in this area must be provided with a planning methodology and tools that allow predicting the movement of work in process and the manufacturing output for a certain period of time in the future.
A planning tool must react instantly and efficiently to variations and changes of a production process, such as machine outages, general machine problems, increased rework rates, varying customer orders, and the like. Specially, in a semiconductor production line such a planning task is challenging. On the one hand, the production process itself is complex and typically features hundreds or even thousands of process steps that need to be performed in a highly interactive manner. On the other hand, typically, a large variety of products with different process flows are processed in parallel. Moreover, such a planning tool can be applied universally to a variety of networked processes that are executed by a plurality of stations, each of which dedicated to execute a specific task. In this way, the planning tool allows planning and simulating a variety of networked processes, such as production processes in manufacturing lines or networked tasks performed, e.g., by various computer systems.
By making use of discrete event simulation tools, the movement of work in process and manufacturing outputs of a production line can, in principle, be forecasted. However, discrete event simulation is time consuming and requires large computing resources. For instance, for a discrete event simulation, it may take several hours to run the simulation of a large manufacturing line, even when using state of the art computing resources. This is due to the empirical nature of the discrete event simulation, i.e., the intermediate products in the production process are treated as discrete entities on a continuous timeframe. By way of example, when a supply chain equally splits into two different production stations, at least two discrete supply events must be simulated in order to account for the equal splitting.
Another approach for simulating production processes is based on a continuous fluid model that is discrete in time. Here, the discrete nature of a manufacturing line is disregarded and the complexity of the simulation model is effectively reduced to an analytical model. As an advantage, this analytical model can be evaluated within a short period of time. Even though the continuous approach is not intuitive, in a build-to-plan production environment, a work piece, such as a wafer, needs not be treated individually. Alternatively, work pieces of the same order and the same product can be combined into volumes and do not need to be considered as individuals either. Hence, they do not differ from a manufacturing point of view. Typically, they follow the same process flow and they can be handled by the same machines with the same process times and featuring the same rework probability.
Therefore, from a scheduling perspective, it is not necessary to determine a certain sequence of individuals, but rather calculate the average amount of work pieces that have to be processed at a certain work station within a certain period of time. This can be achieved by assigning a certain amount of machine capacity to work pieces of a certain product within a certain period of time, which finally yielded to the idea of fluid models.
The publication "Dynamic scheduling of a multi class fluid network" by H. Chen and D. D. Yao, Operations Research, 41:1104-1115, 1993 describes a multi-class fluid network consisting of a plurality of stations, among which several classes of fluids are circulated and processed. At each station, the input flow comes from both external sources as well as internal transitions (including feedbacks), and the output flow goes to other stations or leaves the network following a flow-transfer matrix. Here, the scheduling control of fluid networks can be solved systematically through a sequence of linear programming problems. The control problem is formulated to minimize a linear inventory cost over the entire spectrum, referred to global optimum. Aiming for such a global optimum provides a vehicle to solve the problem: it naturally suggests a systematic solution via a sequence of linear programs, referred to 'myopic procedure', which generates a piece-wise optimum solution. That is, the solution spanning over the entire spectrum is obtained by pasting a finite plurality of pieces; each local optimum being only optimum with respect to its initial state. Further, it is shown that if a global optimum solution exists, it is guaranteed to be generated by the myopic procedure.
Hence, the scheduling of control of fluid networks makes particular use of linear programming and optimization approaches. On the one hand, such an optimization approach requires appreciable computing resources and computing time. On the other, these optimization approaches have basically objective functions with coefficients reflecting the inventory costs associated with a work piece. In particular, in large manufacturing lines a large amount of those cost coefficients need to be defined, which in turn requires manual gathering and continuous maintenance of the cost coefficients.
The present invention therefore aims at providing a simulation of a production process on the basis of a continuous fluid model featuring a shorter simulation time and requiring less computing resources. Moreover, the invention aims to provide autonomous acquisition of input data for the fluid model.

Simulation of production processes by means of continuous fluid models


An interface circuit to the output of a programmable voltage ramp generator for decreasing the minimum voltage step of such a generator having two voltage channels and a minimum voltage step greater than 1 millivolt. The interface circuit receives an input from each of the two voltage channels (V.sub.2, V.sub.3), along with an inserted voltage (V.sub.1). The circuit includes a summing amplifier for (i) compressing the minimum voltage step from one voltage channel (V.sub.2) by a factor equal to or greater than such minimum voltage step, (ii) adding the voltage from the other channel (V.sub.3) to the compressed voltage, and (iii) subtracting the inserted voltage (V.sub.1) (or adding an inserted voltage which is negative). The inserted voltage (V.sub.1) is equal in magnitude to the maximum output value from the voltage channel that has the voltage compressed (V.sub.2). The output of the summing amplifier (V.sub.out) may be represented by: EQU V.sub.out =(V.sub.3 /X)+(V.sub.2 /Y)+(V.sub.1 /Z). where X, Y, Z=attenuation or amplication factors. The interface circuit decreases the minimum voltage step at channel V.sub.2 by a factor Y down to a minimum voltage step of 1 millivolt or less.

The conventional programmable voltage generator has a minimum voltage step of approximately 10-20 millivolts. Such a minimum voltage step is too large for voltage inputs to a temperature controller used with ovens for growing monocrystals.
Temperature controllers for ovens used in growing crystals may require temperature control of some tenths of a degree centigrade. A minimum voltage step of 1 millivolt or less typically would be needed to achieve a temperature variation of 0.1.degree. C. or less. Thus, the minimum voltage step of approximately 10-20 millivolts is a drawback against using a conventional programmable-voltage-generator to provide a voltage input to a temperature controller for ovens used in growing crystals.
One conventional programmable voltage generator is the Honeywell DCP 7700. Analagous generators are available from Leeds, Northrup, Eurothon and other companies. The oven generally used in the growth of monocrystals is the CZ type (Czochralski) oven. Horizontal Bridgman type ovens also are used. The growth technique generally used is the LEC technique.
The Honeywell programmable voltage ramp generator has the following characteristics: voltage outputs on 3 independent channels, capability of programming 99 temperature segments or settings, and storing of 9 programs. The nine programs define the voltage variation from an initial predetermined voltage value to a final value, while passing through intermediate values in established periods of time that are more or less prolonged.
A problem with the conventional generators is the characteristic of a minimum voltage step of approximately 10-20 millivolts. Such voltages correspond to minimum programmable temperature variations of approximately 1.degree. to 2.degree. C. In particular, such a minimum temperature variation results in a high number of lattice defects in the growth of a semiconductor type insulating or metallic crystal. These defects make the monocrystals obtained rather unsuitable for various applications, in particular for those in the electronics field (i.e. emitter diodes, microwave devices, lasers, integrated circuits). The Group III-V monocrystals (i.e. GaP and InP) result in a high dislocation density and often a high concentration of impurities. Such monocrystals are not stoichiometric and have a low structural homogeneity. Inclusions, microprecipitates, etc., may be present. This represents a significant drawback when the monocrystals are prepared by using a polycrystal as a precursor because the monocrystal will have a high number of dislocation and impurity defects.
Another drawback with a 1.degree. C. to 2.degree. C. (i.e. 10 mv to 20 mv) minimum step is that the high concentration of defects is also associated with a concentration of contaminating impurities which in turn generally contribute to the formation of lattice defects during the growth and cooling of the monocrystal.
To achieve a high perfection (instead of a high dislocation density) and a high purity (instead of impurity) in a monocrystal, it is necessary to have temperature variations down to 0.1.degree. C. or less in certain stages of the growth cycle.
Therefore, there is a need for special programmable generators capable of programming voltage variations of about 1 mV or less to enable the growth of monocrystals with a high perfection and purity.
By using the interface circuit of this invention with a conventional programmable voltage generator, it is possible to achieve such minimum voltage steps of 1 millivolt or less.

Programmable - voltage - generator interface for decreasing the minimum voltage step


A thrust vectoring panel which is a hybrid ceramic/ceramic composite consisting of three layers of lightweight materials, the anisotropic properties of which are manipulated such that the properties of the materials, i.e., the coefficient of thermal expansion, the strain energy release rate, and the tensile and flexure modules, either match or gradually transition from material to material. The three layers include a face layer which is of a high temperature capable material that can withstand temperatures within a range of 2300.degree.-25000.degree. F. for an extended period of time and a temperature as high as 28000.degree. F. for a short period of time. The middle layer simply is an insulating layer for providing adequate thermal insulation for the activator mechanism for the thrust panel. The third layer is a skeletal structure or layer which is of a lightweight material having sufficient strength to support all the integral interfaces, such as the activator mounts and the like.

This invention relates to a new and improved lightweight thrust vectoring panel.
Thrust vectoring panels are used to deflect the thrust of axial turbine engines when activated by an electromechanical or hydraulic force. Typically, they are fabricated of a beta titanium alloy nickel based super alloy or similar metal. Another type uses a non-structural ceramic or carbon heat shield on a metal structure which is capable of being activated to deflect the thrust of the engine. Existing thrust vectoring panels all suffer from one or more problems including but not limited to excessive weight, short service life, and inadequate thermal insulation to protect the activator mechanism. Accordingly, the industry still is seeking an improved thrust vectoring panel to overcome these deficiencies of these existing panels.


A chip and a packaging method thereof. In the chip, first solder pads in a first solder pad array on a first substrate are attached to corresponding second pins in second pin arrays on different dies to implement short-distance and high-density interconnection of the different dies. A molding body is used to wrap a first pin, a second pin, a first solder pad, and the first substrate, so that a fan-out unit and the first substrate are molded into an integral structure. In the integral structure, bottoms of first pins that are in a first pin array on a die and that are electrically connected to a periphery of the chip are not wrapped by the molding body.

With continuous development of integrated electronic technologies, requirements on chip performance, for example, requirements for an enhanced function, a decreased size, and reduced energy consumption and costs, are increasingly higher. Accordingly, a 3DIC (Three Dimensional Integrated Circuit) technology emerges. A silicon interposer technology is a technical solution to implementing interconnection of stacked chips in a three-dimensional integrated circuit. In this technical solution, an interconnection line whose line width and node distance are much less than those of a resin substrate is manufactured on a silicon chip according to a semiconductor process. In this way, chips with different functions, such as a CPU and a DRAM, can be configured on a same silicon interposer, and a large quantity of operations and data exchanges can be completed through the silicon interposer. Therefore, density of chips stacked in a three-dimensional direction is greatly increased, an interconnection line between chips is shortened, an appearance size is decreased, noise is significantly reduced, an RC delay is decreased, chip speed performance is improved, power consumption is reduced, and the like.
However, currently, the 3DIC still has many bottlenecks to be overcome, for example, a low wafer thinning yield rate, high difficulties in a process of leading out signals of stacked chips, high difficulties in a through silicon via (TSV) process used for chip interconnection, and a heat dissipation problem caused after high-power chips are stacked.
Through a fan-out wafer-level package (FoWLP), I/O pins on a single chip may be led out on a wafer through a re-distribution layer, so that a single package area is increased and a quantity of overall I/O pins is increased. Design difficulties of the fan-out wafer-level package are not only lower than those of the through silicon via the 3DIC, and a package structure is close to a 2.5D IC. Therefore, the fan-out wafer-level package is expected to become a key point of development of advanced packaging technologies.
However, in an existing fan-out wafer-level package structure, pins that are on a die and that are configured to electrically connect to a periphery of the package structure can be electrically connected to the periphery of the package structure only through a substrate. As a result, an overall size of the package structure is relatively large, and a requirement on chip miniaturization cannot be met.

Encapsulation of a substrate electrically connected to a plurality of pin arrays


The present invention provides a peptide of formula (I), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein the N-terminal group of the peptide is a monoradical of formula —NHR1; the C-terminal group of the peptide is a monoradical of formula —C(O)—R2; R1 is a monoradical selected from hydrogen and —C(O)—(C1-C20)alkyl; R2 is a monoradical selected from —OH and —NR3R4 radical; R3 and R4 are independently selected from hydrogen and (C1-C10)alkyl; “a” to “j” are integers from 0 to 1, provided that at least one of “a” to “j” is 1; and X1 represents any amino acid. The present invention also provides conjugates and compositions comprising the peptide of formula (I). The peptide can be used in the treatment or prevention of neoplastic diseases such as pancreatic cancer.CaCbCcCdCeFEX1SKYCfCgChCiCj  (I)

The therapeutic use of proteins and peptides that act intracellularly holds much promise for the treatment of cancer and other diseases.
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. Cancer is a multifactorial disease, i.e. it is the result of the occurrence of multiple factors. Said factors usually converge in the generation of mutations in proto-oncogenes that cause cellular proliferation to increase. Mutations may also occur in tumor suppressor genes whose normal function is to regulate cellular proliferation. Mutations may also occur in DNA repair enzymes, impairing the ability of the cell to repair damage before proliferating therefore generating genomic instability.
Currently, there are few effective options for the treatment of many common cancer types. The course of treatment for a given individual depends on the diagnosis, the stage to which the disease has developed and factors such as age, sex and general health of the patient. The most conventional options of cancer treatment are surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Each of these therapies has varying degrees of efficacy and is accompanied with varying side effects. These side effects, together with the multidrug resistance already disclosed for traditional chemotherapy, have prompted urgent needs for novel anticancer drugs or therapeutic approaches.
One particularly deadly type of cancer is pancreatic cancer. This type of cancer is a malignant growth of the pancreas that mainly occurs in the cells of the pancreatic ducts. This disease is the ninth most common form of cancer, yet it is the fourth and fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women, respectively. Cancer of the pancreas is almost always fatal, with a five-year survival rate that is less than 3%.
The most common symptoms of pancreatic cancer include jaundice, abdominal pain, and weight loss, which, together with other presenting factors, are nonspecific in nature. Thus, diagnosing pancreatic cancer at an early stage of tumor growth is often difficult and requires extensive diagnostic work-up, often times including exploratory surgery. Endoscopic ultrasonography and computed tomography are the best noninvasive means available today for diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. However, reliable detection of small tumors, as well as differentiation of pancreatic cancer from focal pancreatitis, is difficult. The vast majority of patients with pancreatic cancer are presently diagnosed at a late stage when the tumor has already extended outside of the capsule to invade surrounding organs and/or has metastasized extensively. Late detection of the disease is common, and early pancreatic cancer diagnosis is rare in the clinical setting.
Current treatment procedures available for pancreatic cancer have not led to a cure, nor to a substantially improved survival time. Surgical resection has been the only modality that offers a chance at survival. However, due to a large tumor load, only 10% to 25% of patients are candidates for "curative resection". For those patients undergoing a surgical treatment, the five-year survival rate is still poor, averaging only about 10%. Therefore, pancreatic cancer is one of the types of cancer where there is a higher need of development of efficient therapies.
One of the most promising therapeutic alternatives against cancer currently under development are anticancer peptides. These peptides have several important advantages over traditional anticancer agents such as high activity, specificity and affinity, and minimal drug-drug interaction. They can be used in combination with surgical resection. They also present several advantages with respect to therapies based on proteins or antibodies—they are small in size, easy to synthesize, they have the ability to penetrate the cell membranes, and have minimal biological and chemical diversity. An added benefit of using peptides as a treatment is that they do not accumulate in specific organs (e.g. kidney or liver), which can help to minimize their toxic side effects. They can also be rapidly synthesized and easily modified and are less immunogenic than recombinant antibodies or proteins. All these characteristics make peptide therapeutics a promising field for emerging anticancer agents.
However, therapeutic peptides do have some significant drawbacks such as low stability or resistance to proteases, which has hindered their development and arrival to the clinic.
Therefore, in spite of the efforts made, there continues to be a need in the clinical field of neoplastic diseases for therapeutic alternatives, such as effective anticancer peptides.


A polarizer and optical display device comprising the same are disclosed. Specifically, the polarizer comprises: a polarizing film; and a contrast ratio improving film formed on one surface of the polarizing film, wherein the contrast ratio improving film comprises a contrast ratio improving layer consisting of a first protective layer, and first and second resin layers facing each other, and the first resin layer has: pattern parts having two or more optical patterns on one surface thereof that faces the second resin layer and a flat part between the optical pattern and another immediately adjacent optical pattern.

A liquid crystal display is operated to emit light through a liquid crystal panel after receiving the light from a backlight unit. Thus, the liquid crystal display provides a good front contrast ratio (CR). However, the liquid crystal display has a poor side contrast ratio. Therefore, the side contrast ratio of the liquid crystal display needs to be increased while minimizing reduction in the front contrast ratio thereof in order to improve visibility.
A liquid crystal display may also be maintained in a non-driven state. In addition, the liquid crystal display can be displayed in a driven state or in a non-driven state for the purpose of product demonstration or product sales. When a screen of the liquid crystal display in a non-driven state receives external light, rainbow spots or mura can be generated on the screen or reflected light can be split, thereby causing deterioration in black visibility and appearance of the liquid crystal display. Black visibility means the degree of black on the screen of the liquid crystal display in a non-driven state.
Therefore, there is a need for a polarizing plate which can improve both front and side contrast ratios of the liquid crystal display upon operation while preventing deterioration in appearance when the liquid crystal display is turned off.
One example of the background technique is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-251659A.

Polarizer and optical display device comprising same


Disclosed are systems and methods for detection and repair of malware on data storage devices. The system includes a controller, a communication interface for connecting an external data storage device, and a memory for storing antivirus software. The antivirus software is configured to scan the data contained in the data storage device, perform repair or removal of malicious files or programs found on the data storage device, identify suspicious files or programs on the data storage device and malicious files or programs that cannot be repaired or removed from the data storage device, send information about these files or programs to the antivirus software provider, receive updates for the antivirus software from the antivirus software provider, and rescan the suspicious files or programs and malicious files or programs that cannot be repaired or removed using updated antivirus software.

It is hard to imagine a modern corporate office, regardless of its size, without a computer network. Networks provide fast exchange of information between personal computers (PC) connected thereto and access to shared network resources and devices. However, it is necessary to manage and control access of PCs to the corporate network and access of external data storage devices, such as Flash drives and other mass data storage devices, to the corporate network. In a typical corporate environment, hundreds of instances of connection of such data storage devices to the corporate PCs are registered daily. And often, such data storage devices contains harmful software (i.e., malware), which can cause significant damage to the PC to which the device is connected. In addition, the malware can spread through the network and cause damage to other PCs as well. Such incidents often require company's IT staff to spend time identifying the malware and removing it from the infected PCs. Also, such infections can cause loss of commercial secrets and even financial losses.
Even if corporate PCs have antivirus applications, computers are not 100% protected against possible malware infections from directly connected data storage devices. Such situations may arise, for example, when a user of a corporate PC has not updated antivirus databases of the antivirus software for a long time, and unbeknownst to the user connected to the PC a Flash drive containing a new type of malware, which may not be detected by the antivirus application using outdated antivirus databases. This malware may spread to other PCs in the corporate network causing significant damage or loss of information. There are many other scenarios in which oversight or inexperience of PC users can cause malware infections.
Also, repair of a data storage device, such as a Flash drive, infected with a malware can cause different problems, including damage to the device itself. For example, when an antivirus application detects a malware on a data storage device and removes malware's executable components, the antivirus application may leave untouched malware's autorun.inf file, which is typically used for the automatic launch of applications and programs from a data storage device under Windows OS. As a result, the data storage device will no longer be detectable when it is connected to a PC. Also, if, for example, antivirus application detected a harmful software on the data storage device and tries to repair or remove executable components of the detected malware, and, at this time, the user extracts the data storage device from the PC, then the file system of the data storage device may be damaged and cause total loss of data on the device. This may happen because antivirus applications typically do not inform user about repair or removal of malware from Flash drives.
Accordingly there is a need for improved systems and methods for detection and repair of malware on portable data storage devices, such as Flash drives and the like.

System and method for detection and treatment of malware on data storage devices


A method of making a chair component by forming a hollow enclosure in a blow mold, cutting an aperture in a recess on one side of the hollow enclosure just big enough to receive a rigid bracket adapter insert, then filling the hollow interior with a resilient foam behind the rigid bracket adapter insert. The hollow enclosure is in the shape of an armrest and has a recess shaped to fit an arm bracket or substrate of a chair. Three apertures are cut in the recess leaving some material to retain structural integrity of the hollow enclosure skin. The rigid bracket adapter insert is installed through one of the apertures and has a rectangular peripheral ridge to fit around the interior wall of the rectangular recess. The hollow enclosure is then backfilled with a foam behind the rigid bracket adapter insert forming an integral resilient low-cost armrest.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to components for office chairs and more particularly relates to a blow molded, back-filled cushion product and process for making the product.
2. Background Information
Presently office chair components such as armrests are made in three different ways. These methods involve a polyurethane self-skin foam, an injection molded PVC cover assembled with foam, and an injection molded PVC skin filled with foam. These arms are always mounted to a substrate or chair bracket that is mounted to the under side of a seat pan. These standard armrest substrates or mounting brackets are sold in large quantifies to small and mid-size chair manufacturers.
The polyurethane self-skin foam is a very common method because the tooling is not expensive, and the part can be made on a wide variety of substrates. This allows companies to make standard armrest shapes that can be sold as open, off-the-self items to a wide variety of customers. Since the tooling investment is low, some small and mid-market chair manufacturers design and tool their own self-skin part. The disadvantage of self-skin parts is that by nature they are very hard, and difficult to make in colors.
It is generally agreed in the marketplace that a PVC skin and foam combination is more desirable due to the durability of the skin, and the ability to use a soft foam behind it. On average, a PVC skin can be up to 30% softer than a self-skin armrest.
Injection molded product skins need to have a large enough opening to extract it from the tool. The large opening at the bottom of the part due to the product skin shape must be covered in a way that traps the skin so it cannot be pulled off a chair arm by an end user when mounted on a chair. Large manufacturers of office chairs with large tooling budgets solve this problem by designing a substructure to trap the skin. Even with this design the skin frequently is damaged by being pulled loose by an end user.
Small and mid-size companies that cannot afford to tool their own substrates, buy standard substrates. A mating piece and staples are needed to trap and secure the skin so that it cannot be pulled off and to act as an interface between the arm and the substrate. The expense to create both a tool for a PVC skin and mating piece, along with the costs of the part make it extremely prohibitive for a small to mid-market chair manufacturer to use PVC. In fact, there does not appear to be any standard off-the-shelf PVC skin armrest existing in the marketplace today.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a way to make a PVC and resilient foam armrest without a large opening eliminating the need for a mating piece, yet retaining all the benefits of a PVC and foam chair component or armrest.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for making a skin for a chair component such as an armrest that is initially a completely sealed enclosure.
Still another object of the present invention is to create a skin to make an armrest using a blow molding process that allows this manufacturer of a skin that is completely enclosed and as a result cannot be pulled off by the end user and needs no mating piece.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a skin to produce an armrest that can be mounted to virtually any standard armrest bracket or substrate.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method for making a skin to produce an armrest that can reduce the cost to tool the skin by as much as 85% over an injected molded PVC skin reducing capitol outlay that is much more acceptable to small and mid-market companies.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a process for making a cushioned product for chairs such as armrests at substantially reduced cost and with an improved cushioned construction.
It was discovered that an improved product at substantially reduced cost can be manufactured by using a blow molded, backfilled cushioned process. Blow molding is a primary method to form hollow plastic objects such as containers. The process includes clamping the ends of a softened tube polymers which can either be extruded or reheated, inflating a polymer against molded walls, and cooling the product before removing it from the mold.
The manufacture of the present cushioned product involves using a PVC material with ultraviolet (UV) inhibitors, fire retardant and a soft durometer formulation that is loaded into a blow molding machine. The polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material is heated sufficiently to melt the product. The machine gravity feeds an extruded cylinder of material called a preform. The thickness of the walls of the extrusion is regulated by the machine. For the purposes of an armrest, a wall thickness of approximately nine one-hundredths of an inch (0.090xe2x80x3) is desired.
The tool has the shape of an armrest and is clamped around extruded PVC material and air is blown into the cylinder by the machine. The process of blowing air while clamping the tool around the cylinder makes the PVC material take the shape of the armrest formed by the mold cavity. The force and direction of the air is determined by the shape of the skin. This produces a sealed hollow enclosure in the shape of the armrest with a recess about one-half to two-thirds the surface area along one side. The part is then extracted from the tool and excess material is trimmed or by any suitable arrangement with a sharp knife.
The tools used to make the skin by blow molded process are machined preferably out of steel or aluminum. The interior surface or cavity in the tool is then etched with the texture of the finished part desired. Small vent holes are usually drilled into specific locations in the tool. Air is drawn through these holes at the same time air is blown into the tool resulting in a xe2x80x9cvacuumxe2x80x9d that helps press the skin firmly against the walls of the tool.
Since the skin and the backfilling foam for the armrest do not provide any substantial structural integrity, a rigid insert or arm bracket adapter is used. The rigid insert is installed in the hollow enclosure in the shape of the armrest through holes cut in the recess formed in the enclosure. Preferably the insert or adapter can be of any suitable rigid material such as wood, steel, aluminum but is preferably of a synthetic plastic. The insert provides a bracket adapter having a rigid structure used to attach the armrest to the chair bracket and gives structural integrity to the product. The hole cut in the recess on the underside of the hollow enclosure forming the skin is just large enough to squeeze the rigid insert inside the skin.
The part is finished by using an epoxy tool constructed to mirror the outside shape of the hollow enclosure forming the skin for the armrest. The rigid insert or adapter is attached to one half of the epoxy tool via a press fit or by a screw threads. The epoxy tool mold is then closed trapping the hollow enclosure forming the skin and the insert in the tool which insures that foam stays inside the PVC skin.
Foam is then injected through an aperture in the insert behind the insert into the hollow skin which expands as it takes the shape of the skin and the tool. Preferably the foam is a type that provides a suitably resilient armrest. The hollow enclosure forming the skin is filled with the foam which acts to press the rigid insert against the recess in the enclosure providing a sealed product. The rigid insert also has a peripheral ridge or shoulder that mates with a peripheral wall of the recess providing a secure fit between the PVC skin and the rigid insert.
The rigid bracket adapter is also provided with threaded holes for attaching the product to chair brackets or substrates. When an armrest is formed in this manner, the rigid insert provides two mounting holes for mounting the armrest on a chair bracket. Also preferably, the apertures cut out of the recess in the hollow enclosure forming the skin are three separate apertures leaving two webs of material to improve the integrity of the skin.

Blow molded, backfilled process and product


A network architecture enables the data flow of packets to be dynamically modified depending upon the operational needs of the packet being processed. This allows for separate processing of control and data path operations, as well as providing a mechanism for functions that require high computational support, such as encryption functions for example, to be offloaded onto processing devices that can support such functions. Other, less computationally intensive or lower priority functions can be forwarded to PEs having lower operation capacity. With such an arrangement, a dynamic mechanism is provided for customizing the data path of a network device to accommodate the computation needs of any application.

Content Delivery Services (CDS) are applications that enable or enhance the quality of experience of the end-to-end transfer of data over a network. For example, Content Delivery Services include Security Processing, Virus Scanning, Policy Enforcers, Load Balancing, Network Address Translation processing and Streaming Content Caches. In the past the content delivery services have been layered on top of the services provided on an end system. However, executing the CDS on the end system adversely impacts the ability of the end system to perform its intended function, which reduces the performance and increases the cost of the end systems themselves. To overcome these problems, the provision of Content Delivery Services has migrated from the end user systems to the network edge.
However, network edge architecture is designed to optimize the performance potential of the communication medium, and therefore is not always the best architecture for providing high quality Content Delivery Services. Typically Content Delivery Services are provided at the edge by appliances that are either pure software or hardware assisted software processes. While software processing enables a larger number of individual appliance offerings to be made to the user, it does not provide the optimum per appliance performance, and is also inefficient in terms of power, area and cost. Hardware assisted architectures typically include one or more customized ASICs coupled to the network device via an external bus architecture, such as the Peripheral Computer Interconnet (PCI) bus. The customized ASICs are designed such to provide optimal per appliance performance. However, if multiple appliances are provided in the network offering, bottlenecks quickly arise at the PCI interface. In addition, the hardware assisted architectures are expensive, and inefficient in terms of power, area and cost.
It would be desirable to identify a network architecture which would support the offering of various Content Delivery Services appliances while enabling desired power, area, cost and bandwidth constraints to be met.

Method and apparatus for content processing application acceleration


Disclosed herein is a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device. According to the present invention, a bit line contact region and a storage node contact region are simultaneously formed, and then a storage node contact hole is formed after a form of bit line to reduce a height of a finally formed storage node contact plug, thereby increasing a storage node open area and reducing a short circuit between the bit lines.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a memory device. In particular, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and more specifically to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device wherein a bit line contact region and a storage node contact region are formed at substantially the same time, and then a storage node contact hole is formed after a formation of bit line to reduce a height of a finally formed storage node contact plug, thereby increasing a storage node open area and reducing a short circuit between the bit lines.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
According to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, a stacked structure of a first interlayer insulating film and a first hard mask layer are formed on a semiconductor substrate having a lower structure such as a gate and a landing plug poly, and the stacked structure is etched to form a bit line contact region.
Next, a metal layer filling up the bit line contact region is formed, and then a second interlayer insulating film and a second hard mask layer are formed and etched using a storage node contact mask as an etching mask to form a storage node contact region.
Thereafter, a polysilicon layer filling up the storage node contact region is formed to form a storage node contact plug connecting the semiconductor substrate.
According to the above method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, a short circuit between the storage node contact and the neighboring bit line occurs during a process forming the storage node contact to cause decrease in yield for manufacturing a semiconductor device. The storage node open area is also reduced according to the conventional method to increase in capacitance of the device. As a result, there is a problem of generating a failure in a DRAM cell operation.

Method for manufacturing semiconductor device


A flexible shipping bag may be turned inside out to make a stylish cosmetic bag. Sealing flaps permit closing the flexible shipping bag. Sealing-flap top segments may be cut-off to open the flexible shipping bag and these fold into the flexible shipping bag when the flexible shipping bag is turned inside out. Cosmetic flaps are attached inside the flexible shipping bag below the sealing flaps. These invert and become visible when the flexible shipping bag is turned inside out. A zipper to close the cosmetic bag is attached to top edges of cosmetic flaps below the point where the top segment is cut off. Once the flexible shipping bag is turned inside out, the zipper is positioned below the top edge of, and inside, the cosmetic bag and the cosmetic-flap bottom edge is positioned at the top of the cosmetic bag to provide a finished edge.

The present invention is a novel and unique variation of the invention disclosed in applicant's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/162,811 ('811 application). That invention involves a shipping bag convertible to a tote bag. Some of the features of the present invention are the same. However, the present invention is distinct over that invention by the addition of a zipper configured to be recessed below the opening and thus hidden within the cosmetic bag. In addition, the sealing flaps of the present invention have a configuration enabling them to be cut-off without affecting zipper operation on the cosmetic flaps. Finally, detailed limitations in the '811 application involving a specified fabric inside wall and handles are eliminated.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Shipping bag reversible into a cosmetic bag


The tooth brush having an anatomically compatible structure has a handle which is twisted in comparison to that of the conventional tooth brush so that a plane passing through the head of the tooth brush bearing the bristles and another plane passing through the handle cross each other at a certain angle. The handle is however preferably divided into two parts, a concavo-convex oblong section contiguous to the neck inclined with respect to the plane of the head and a rhombus-like cross sectioned end part which is also inclined with respect to the plane of the head, but in the opposite direction to that of the oblong section. The handle can be provided with a depression and shaped to fit the thumb and forefinger when gripped by the hand. Because of the structure of tooth brush, the bristles can be applied upright on the teeth, when the hand holds the handle in a more comfortable unstrained position than the conventional tooth brush.

The present invention relates to a tooth brush having an anatomical structure which is compatible with the user's hand and provides a good contact of the bristles with the teeth. This new tooth brush is particularly easily workable because of the orientation of the planes that pass through the head and handle of the tooth brush.
With the conventional tooth brush having a handle and a head with bristles it is difficult to achieve a complete total cleaning of the teeth. Usual brushes are uncomfortable to handle because of the way the handle is shaped with respect to the bristles. With the current tooth brushes it is impossible to attain a good position to carry out, in a satisfactory way, the cleaning of the teeth in the way that the odontologists recommend.

Tooth brush with an anatomically compatible structure


An ESD protection system including structure to operate an IC during nominal conditions, to protect the IC during an ESD event, and to allow the IC to operate during slow rising input node voltages that exceed nominal conditions.

The example embodiments relate to electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection.
ESD is the sudden flow of electricity between two objects as electrical charge transfers from one of the objects to the other. For integrated circuit (IC) durability and longevity, ESD protection is sometimes included and applied to an IC circuit or IC node. The ESD protection prevents IC damage that could occur in response to an ESD pulse that is applied to the IC. Typically, the ESD protection is designed to shunt energy away from the IC during an ESD event, but an errant ESD clamp at a time when ESD is not occurring also can cause damage, either to the ESD-protected circuit or other circuitry connected to that circuit. This document provides example embodiments that may improve on certain of the above concepts, as detailed below.

Electrostatic discharge protection system


An array substrate and a touch screen are disclosed. The array substrate includes an array formed of a plurality of driving electrodes and a plurality of sensing electrodes, which have the same electrode structure. The electrode structure includes a T-shaped electrode trunk and a plurality of electrode branches, which are symmetrically distributed and connected to the electrode trunk, forming two parts, i.e., a first sub-electrode and a second sub-electrode, symmetrical with respect to the electrode trunk. The sensing electrodes include first sensing electrodes and second sensing electrodes. One first sensing electrode and one second sensing electrode are disposed in two intervals of three sequentially adjacent driving electrodes respectively. Branches of a driving electrode are disposed in gaps between adjacent branches of adjacent sensing electrodes. In the array substrate, the sensing area between driving electrodes and sensing electrodes is increased and the capacitive coupling therebetween is improved.

At present, touch screens are a newest type of information input devices, which support human-computer interaction in a simple, convenient and natural manner, and are the most modern interactive multimedia devices. A capacitive touch screen has such advantages as rapid touch response, multi-touch capability, etc. A single-layer on-cell capacitive touch screen has such advantages as a low weight and a small thickness, low manufacturing cost, integration of touch and display, etc. The single-layer on-cell capacitive touch screen that supports frame adhesion is widely preferred by end users for its advantages such as inexpensive materials for the outer layer for bonding, simplicity of process, convenience of repair, etc.
In a frame adhesion structure, there is a layer of air between the outer layer and touch sensors. Since the dielectric constant of air is lower than those of other materials (e.g., liquid optical clear adhesive (LOCA)), electric field sensing (i.e., capacitive coupling) between touch driving electrodes and touch sensing electrodes is weakened with the result that touch signals are significantly reduced and the touch performance is degraded. One solution for enhancement of touch signals is to simply increase the two-dimensional size (length and width) of individual driving electrodes and sensing electrodes; however, the center-to-center spacing between adjacent electrodes is increased accordingly. In consequence, the minimum of discrimination spacing for two fingers is significantly increased and the linearity is significantly deteriorated, seriously affecting the overall touch performance.
Therefore, it has become very important to ensure good touch performance without changing other materials of the whole on-cell touch screen module.

Array substrate and touch display device

CHENGDU BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A circuit for processing a first image including two image supply blocks, two image processing units, a control unit and a plurality of buses. The image supply blocks assert selected lines of image data onto a respective one of first and second plurality of buses. The image processing units each process the data according to respective algorithms and provide respective update ok signals that each indicate that the respective image processing unit has completed use of the first sub-portion of data. The image supply blocks provide respective update signals to the image processing units in response to the update ok signals from both of the image processing units, transfer data from the second sub-portion to the first, and assert new data on the second sub-portion. Each image processing unit, in response to receiving both update signals, changes state to track the data without losing bus cycles to maintain performance.

The present invention relates to image processing, and more particularly to an image processing system that provides continuous uninterrupted access to non-aligned sections of a variable length data item to multiple image processing units using a common bus.
Image processing denotes the performance of various functions on an image or set of images, such as compression, encryption, encoding, decoding, searching or feature recognition, image or color enhancement, resolution or size reduction, etc. A primary challenge for image processing hardware is to maintain performance at reasonable or reduced cost.
Various algorithms are known for image processing depending upon the particular technology. For facsimile or printer technologies, for example, image compression is desirable to reduce image data for purposes of transmission or storage. Some algorithms, such as raster image processing, involve processing a pixel or a group of pixels based upon one or more neighboring pixels, otherwise referred to as xe2x80x9ccontextxe2x80x9d for the pixel. For example, the CCITT recommendation T.6 or xe2x80x9cGroup IVxe2x80x9d utilizes the Modified READ (MR) and Modified MR (MMR) compression algorithms that determine redundancy within each line and between adjacent lines of a bi-level image. The Group IV standard has been used for facsimile technology. The Joint Bi-level Image experts Group (JBIG) compression method is a newer standard that is intended to replace Group IV. JBIG processes each pixel by determining if the pixel may be predicted by one of two selectable prediction schemes and if not, coding the value arithmetically. Performing these tasks requires the value of the group neighboring pixels or context to be determined where the selection of the pixels for the context depends upon the particular task.
As the pixels in an image line are processed according to the JBIG algorithm, the context for both of the prediction schemes and the arithmetic coder need to be determined continuously. Delay in retrieving context data translates into a reduced level of performance. Hardware implementations of particular coders, such as implementations configured according to JBIG, are constrained to use data buses that are much smaller than potential image line sizes. Thus, the processing units that perform the prediction and arithmetic coding are constrained to obtain the context from a fixed-size data bus.
Similar problems exist for any practical image processing system that includes multiple image processing units coupled to a common, fixed-size bus. As the image is processed, the data on the bus must be updated as progress is made. For performance reasons, it is highly desirable that processing is not interrupted by bus updates. Furthermore, bus updates must not occur before all processing units are ready.

Image processing system with multiple processing units


An arc start control method comprises starting advance of a welding wire, and determining that a distal end of a welding wire contacts a base material and short circuit is caused. If a feed torque value is a reference torque value or greater, the welding wire is retracted and the distal end of the welding wire is separated from the base material without generating an arc. If the feed torque value is smaller than the reference torque value the welding wire is retracted and the distal end of the welding wire is separated from the base material and an initial arc is generated between the welding wire and the base material.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, a welding start circuit ST is arranged outside of a welding power source PS. When receiving a welding start signal St from the welding start circuit ST, the welding power source PS outputs a welding voltage Vw and a welding current Iw to generate an arc and a feed control signal Fc to control the feed of a welding wire 1. As the welding start circuit ST, a program logic controller (PLC), which controls welding steps, and a robot controller may be employed. A feed roll 5 is connected to a wire feed motor WM. The welding wire 1 is fed to a base material 2 via the interior of a welding torch 4 through rotation of the feed roll 5. An arc 3 is generated between the welding wire 1 and the base material 2 in a shielded state by shield gas 6. When the wire feed motor WM rotates in a forward direction, the welding wire 1 is sent in a direction toward the base material 2 and is thus advanced. In contrast, when the wire feed motor WM rotates in a reverse direction, the welding wire 1 is moved in a direction separating from the base material 2 and thus retracted. A welding torch 4 is mounted to a robot body (not shown), an automatic carriage (not shown) or other devices. The welding torch 4 is moved in a three dimensional direction to perform welding.
When the welding wire 1 and the base material 2 are held in contact (short-circuited) or an arc is generated, the welding current Iw flows between the welding wire 1 and the base material 2. Contrastingly, when the welding wire 1 and the base material 2 are separate from each other and the current state is a no-load state in which the arc 3 is not generated, the welding voltage Vw becomes a maximum value (a no-load voltage) and the welding current Iw does not flow between the welding wire 1 and the base material 2. The distance between the distal end of the welding wire 1 and the base material 2 is a wire distal end/base material distance Lw [mm]. Accordingly, the wire distal end/base material distance Lw is substantially equal to the arc length when an arc is generated. In the following explanation, physical contact of the distal end of the welding wire 1 with the base material 2 will be referred to as contact, and electrical connection between the distal end of the welding wire 1 and the base material 2 will be referred to as short circuit. Therefore, in a contact state, the distal end of the wire contacts the base material 2 with being short-circuited or without being short-circuited. If an insulating material (such as slug) is adhered to the distal end of the welding wire 1, the distal end of the welding wire 1 and the base material 2 are not short-circuited even if they contacted each other. If insulating material has been removed from the distal end of the welding wire 1, the distal end of the welding wire 1 and the base material 2 are short-circuited if they contact each other.
FIG. 6 includes timing charts representing a conventional retract arc start control method performed by the welding apparatus illustrated in FIG. 5. FIG. 6(A) represents the welding start signal St, and FIG. 6(B) represents the feed control signal Fc. FIG. 6(C) represents the welding voltage Vw, and FIG. 6(D) represents the welding current Iw. FIG. 6(E) represents the wire distal end/base material distance Lw. The retract arc start control method will now be described with reference to FIGS. 6(A) to 6(E).
(1) Wire Slow-Down Period from Time Point t1 to Time Point t2
At time point t1, with reference to FIG. 6(A), the welding start signal St is input and reaches a High level. Then, as represented by FIG. 6(B), the feed control signal Fc becomes a slow-down feed speed Fir and the welding wire starts to be advanced. Normally, the slow-down feed speed Fir is set to a slow speed of approximately 1 to 2 m/min. This is because if the slow-down feed speed is raised, physical contact between the welding wire and the base material causes the welding wire to be strongly pressed against the base material and deformed or lifts up the welding torch 4, so that the arc start performance is deteriorated. Simultaneously, output of the welding power source PS is started and, with reference to FIG. 6(C), the welding voltage Vw is applied. Since the state at time point t1 is the non-load state, the welding voltage Vw is set to a non-load voltage Vn1, which is a maximum output voltage value (approximately 70 to 100V). After time point t1, the welding wire is advanced and the wire distal end/base material distance Lw gradually decreases as represented by FIG. 6(E).
(2) Contact Period from Time Point t2 to Time Point t3
When the distal end of the welding wire contacts the base material and is short-circuited at time point t2, the wire distal end/base material distance Lw becomes zero as represented by FIG. 6(E), and the welding voltage Vw becomes a short circuit voltage of approximately several volts as represented by FIG. 6(C). Further, the welding current Iw becomes an initial current setting value Iir (approximately 10 A to 100 A) with reference to FIG. 6(D). At this stage, by detecting the fact that the welding voltage Vw has become smaller than a predetermined reference voltage reference value Vth as represented by FIG. 6(C), it is determined that the welding wire and the base material are short-circuited. Further, at this stage, with reference to FIG. 6(B), the feed control signal Fc becomes a retract feed speed setting value Fbr having a negative value, and thus the welding wire starts to be retracted. However, in the short circuit period from time point t2 to time point t3, as represented by FIG. 6(E), the distal end of the welding wire and the base material are maintained in contact with each other due to a delay time caused by reversal of the rotation of the wire feed motor from the forward direction to the reverse direction or a delay time necessary for retracting the welding wire by a length corresponding to the play of the welding wire in the welding torch. Although the short circuit period varies depending on the type of the wire feed motor and the length of the welding torch, the short circuit period is normally 10 to 100 ms.
(3) Initial Arc Lift Period Td from Time Point t3 to Time Point t4
When the distal end of the welding wire is separated from the base material as represented by FIG. 6(E), a current corresponding to the initial current setting value Iir is supplied and an initial arc is generated. When the initial arc is produced, with reference to FIG. 6(C), the welding voltage Vw reaches an arc voltage of several tens of volts, which is higher than or equal to the reference voltage Vth. In the predetermined initial arc lift period Td (from time point t3 to time point t4), the welding wire is retracted continuously as represented by FIG. 6(B). This is because, if movement of the welding wire is switched from retract to advance immediately after the initial arc has been produced, the wire and the base material may be caused to re-contact with each other due to an insufficient arc length. In order to prevent such re-contact and smoothly switch to a steady arc state, the welding wire is continuously retracted to increase the arc length with the initial arc maintained in the initial arc lift period. The welding wire continues to be retracted until the arc length becomes substantially equal to a steady arc length. The initial current for the initial arc is maintained at the low level in order to prevent the initial arc from melting the distal end of the welding wire and causing the arc to flare up. If the arc flares up when the welding wire is retracted, it is difficult to raise the arc accurately to a desirable value. The current value of the initial current is suppressed to be low to prevent the arc from flaring up. To prevent the re-short circuit, a re-short circuit preventing current that is a short time pulse current may be supplied when the initial arc is caused at time point t3. According to this method, the pulse current of a high current value is supplied to instantly elongate the arc and prevent re-short circuit.
(4) Steady Arc State Period After Time Point t4
When the initial arc lift period Td ends at time point t4, the feed control signal Fc becomes a steady feed speed setting value Fcr as represented by FIG. 6(B) and the welding wire starts to be advanced again. Simultaneously, with reference to FIG. 6(C), the welding voltage Vw is subjected to constant voltage control to become equal to a predetermined voltage set value Vr and, as represented by FIG. 6(D), a steady welding current Ic corresponding to the steady feed speed is supplied. In this manner, with reference to FIG. 6(E), the initial arc generating state is smoothly switched to the steady arc state. In the steady arc state, the arc represents a steady arc length Lc.
In the above-described control method, constant current control is performed on the initial current by the welding power source PS so as to control the current accurately. As represented by FIG. 6(D), the initial current is constant. However, there may be cases in which the current is suppressed to a small value when the welding wire contacts the base material at time point t2 and then increased in the short circuit period. This prevents an arc from being generated, and melting and joining the welding wire and the base material together when the welding wire and the base material are in contact. In this case, the welding wire is advanced or is retracted to move the distal end of the welding wire forward or backward. However, the welding torch may be advanced or retracted to move the distal end of the welding wire forward or backward. Therefore, the distal end of the welding wire is moved forward or backward by moving the welding wire forward or backward or by moving the welding torch forward or backward. Of course, after time point t4, the welding wire is fed to move the welding wire forward again. The above-described conventional art is disclosed in, for example, Patent Documents 1, 2.
In the control method described in FIG. 6, the distal end of the welding wire physically contacts the base material at time point t2, and is simultaneously short-circuited. At this time, the forward movement of the welding wire is suspended immediately and the movement of the welding wire is switched to retracting. Therefore, the welding wire is not strongly pressed against the base material. However, in some cases, an insulating material is adhered to the distal end of the welding wire by the influence of the previous welding. Because of the insulating material, the welding wire and the base material may not be short-circuited even if the distal end of the welding wire and the base material physically contact each other. In such a case, the welding wire is continuously advanced at the slow-down feed speed to press the distal end against the base material. If the insulating material adhered to the distal end of the welding wire is destroyed by the pressing force of the welding wire, the distal end of the welding wire and the base material contact each other and are short-circuited. At this time, if the initial current is supplied to the welding wire and the welding wire is retracted to generate the initial arc in a state where the welding wire is strongly pressed against the base material, following problems are caused.
(1) Since the welding wire flexed on the feed path between the base material and the feed roll is suddenly moved toward the base material, the short circuit is caused again.
(2) Since the welding torch that has been lifted by the reaction force of the pressing force of the welding wire is suddenly moved toward its original position, the short circuit is caused again.
If the re-short circuit is caused at the time of generation of initial arc, the distal end of the welding wire is melted by the initial arc. Therefore, the distal end of the welding wire is melted and joined to the base material together. Once the welding wire and the base material are melted and joined together, a high current of several hundreds of amperes needs to be supplied to cancel the state of the melting and joining. In this case, arc start that generates many spatters is caused. This phenomenon is particularly remarkable in case of stainless steel. In the following explanation, such a phenomenon is referred to as re-short circuit caused by cancelling pressing force of the welding wire.
As described above, even if the re-short circuit preventing current is supplied at the time of generation of the initial arc, the flexed welding wire is suddenly moved toward the material to be welded, or the lifted torch suddenly moves toward its original position at a speed higher than the welding wire melting speed by the re-short circuit preventing current. This causes re-short circuit. Accordingly, in the prior art, it is difficult to prevent re-short circuit due to the removal of the pressing force of the welding wire.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-231414    Patent Document 2: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-30018


Methods and a system for detecting physical intrusion are providing, including sampling a set of seismic signals from a vibration sensor of a buried sensor intrusion device, determining that the set of seismic signals matches a seismic threat pattern and responsively generating a seismic alert, recording a surveillance video of an area under which the sensor device has been buried, processing the surveillance video to determine whether a human figure is present and, responsively to determining that a human figure is present and to the generation of the seismic alert, issuing an threat detection alert.

Various methods are known for protecting a restricted area against physical intrusion and for providing alerts or alarms if an intruder trespasses into the area. One method may include burying vibration sensors ("seismic sensors," i.e., sensors detecting vibrations in the earth) around the perimeter of the area. The buried sensors pick up vibrations of the earth, such as may be caused by vehicles or footsteps.
Providing power to buried vibration sensors may be problematic, as buried electric cable costs are high and damage to the cable may be difficult to locate and can incapacitate the system. Sensitivity can also be difficult to calibrate, as it may be difficult to distinguish between many types of phenomenon that cause ground vibrations. These and other difficulties of current solutions are addressed by the present invention.

Seismic intrusion detection with object recognition


A lay-in wireway includes channel members connected in an end-to-end configuration to form an enclosed rectangular channel. Covers hingedly connect to a flange extending from one side of the wireway. Hinges are then formed with the cover member and act as a stop to hold the cover member at an open position. Channel members connect with a hook and slot arrangement which slide relative toward one another at an end connector portion. Hooks and slots provide self-alignment of connected channel members when slid into position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lay-in wireway, and in particular to an easy to assemble covered wireway.
2. Prior Art
Wireways are well known and used in a variety of industrial type environments. Wireways receive cables, wiring and other lines to protect them from air laden with dust and other harmful compounds that may damage the components if not protected. In some applications, it is absolutely necessary that the wireway be sealed and fluid-tight to protect the lines which are placed in the wireways. However, depending on the use and the environment, it is not always necessary to provide a fluid-tight sealed wireway. Some environments require covering the wiring, but other lines do not necessarily need a fluid-tight seal.
An example of a fluid-tight wireway is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,564. Although this wireway does an excellent job of providing a sealed conduit, it may require extensive assembly time in joining sections and installing the gaskets and other seals necessary to make the wireway fluid-tight. In addition to being more expensive and complicated, the on-site installation time and associated costs may render it a poor choice for some applications. As many installations may require a network of wireways covering great distances, the time and cost of such wireways may be substantial.
Wireways that may not provide the degree of sealing shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,564 are also known. However, such wireways typically include many bolts, screws or other mounting hardware to join individual sections together to create an extended wireway. The time and effort spent in joining the sections may be substantial. Moreover, the wireways typically include added mounting hardware for pivotally mounting the cover.
It can be seen then, that a new improved wireway system is needed. Such a system should provide for a simple design that provides protection from water in industrial and other environments. In addition, such a system should provide a relatively simple design with a minimum number of parts that is quickly and easily installed. Such a wireway should also provide a degree of flexibility for hingedly mounting the cover in a simple manner that allows for orienting the wireway in more than one position for either top loading or front loading. The present invention addresses these, as well as other problems commonly associated with covered lay-in wireways.