A medicine dispensing system is provided that comprises of a medicine container with an inbuilt pill dispensing assembly which automatically dispenses a prescribed dose of medicine at prescribed times. It alerts the patient when a dose of medicine has been dispensed. The alert signal is a local audio or visual alarm or a remote reminder by phone, wireless network or internet. A modem and communication ports are provided which enable the said medicine container to communicate with remote parties like health care professionals and medical devices such as glucose meter. This feature allows remote medicine management, disease management and health education. An internal microprocessor and a memory chip control and execute electronic functions of the said medicine container. Sensors are provided to detect whether a dose has been dispensed and whether it is consumed. The said medicine container is able to record, analyze and report patient's compliance with a medicine regimen.

The advances in medicine are enhancing the quality and longevity of human lives. Ailments, for which there were no effective treatments before, are now effectively treated by one or more drugs. In many cases, patients have to remember to take a dose of medicine at prescribed times. A number of ailments require treatment with one or more combination of medicines. With most medicines (e.g., pills, syrups), doses have to be taken at specific intervals (every six hours) or at certain times of the day (morning, afternoon, evening, before bed time etc). A patient may have difficulty remembering to take medicine at recommended times. Sometimes, patients have difficulty remembering that they have already taken a dose. Some patients have difficulty remembering the recommended dose of medicine to be taken, especially if a medicine dose requires more than one pill of the same medicine. In a multiple drug regimen, such a scenario is even more convoluted and may pose grave consequences to the patient. This is especially true for patients with inadequate skills or knowledge to follow a medicine regimen like elderly, disabled and cognitively impaired and patients with psychiatric disorders (Levy R L et al, American Journal of Gastroenterology 1999; 94:1733-1742 & Nigro J, Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology 2001; 32:66-82). This segment of the population is the most vulnerable as their medicine regimen usually comprises of multiple medicines, each with a different schedule and a different set of instructions. In addition, eyesight fade with age and reading labels of medicine containers can present a problem. Even young and alert patients are sometimes overwhelmed by life, work, family and other responsibilities and forget to take their medicines. This is especially apparent with temporary treatments, such as antibiotics, where the medicine is only taken for a short period of time. In this case, patients are unable to generate a routine based around taking the medicine. The end result of the above situations is that the amount of medicine taken is either too low to affect the course of the ailment, or is too high and causes overdose reactions.
There are many studies that show that management of chronic diseases is unsatisfactory in spite of the great advances in medicine. Factors that have been implicated are 1) poor compliance with medicine regimen because patients forget to take their medicines 2) frequent need to go the pharmacist for refills and education 3) need for frequent visit to the health care professional's office to monitor the treatment response and to make any required changes in medicine regimen 4) lack of adequate health education and inadequate reinforcement thereof 5) under or over dosing of medicine 6) altered dosing regimen 7) incorrect administration of medicine (Kane S et al, Advanced Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease; 2002:9-11). Even more worrisome is the practice that patients do not inform physicians of their non compliance with medicine regimen. Physicians, in such a case, conclude that patient's condition is not responding to the current medicine regimen and make changes in medicine dose, add or substitute another medicine. This results in unnecessary changes in patient's medicine regimen which can be detrimental to the health of the patient. This practice also increases health care cost.
Medicines including pills, capsules, tablets, caplets and the like have traditionally been packaged in bottles or other such containers capped with a variety of closure devices. The caps or closures for these containers have taken a variety of forms and, more recently, have included a key system, depress-and-turn system, or the like, designed to prevent small children from gaining access to the contents. These medicine containers do not have features to assist patients remember to take their medicines or to record their compliance with a medicine regimen. There are many prior art attempts to address problems of this nature which generally incorporate some type of a time, date or dosage indicating device on the cap or other part of the container which involves a moveable pointer or other such device designed to be indicative of the status of medicine administration. These devices generally involve the relative motion of a pointer, plate or other indicator relative to a dial which is moved each time the medicine container is used to indicate the fact that the medicine has been taken and/or the time when the next dose is due.
Systems including a pointer and dial indicator on the container cap are illustrated. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,422, Adams disclosed a device suitable as a closure cap for a medicine container. The device has indicia circumferentially marked on the upper surface of the device representing the time for next taking the medicine in the container. An arm rotatably and pivotably mounted in the center of the device is set to point at the time for next taking the medicine. The arm is releasably retained in position by cooperating pegs and indentations on the upper surface of the device and the underside of the rotatable arm. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,975, Bartholomew disclosed a combination medicine container cap and indicator device adapted to function as the closure or cover for a medicine container or container. The device includes an indicator providing a visual indication for the user that a pill has been or should be removed from the bottle for consumption. While these approaches are viable as long as they are properly used, the indicating position is easily altered and presents no reliable permanent record.
Various other devices include mechanical advancing systems that coordinate with the operation of the bottle cap. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,189, Mastman et al, disclosed a medicine bottle unit having a closure for indicating dosage and other information, which changes automatically as the closure is rotated on the bottle of the unit. The closure includes an outer cap and an inner member within the cap. The cap and inner member have co-operable indicia thereon. The inner member moves with the cap as the cap is rotated in one direction on the bottle. However, the cap moves relative to the bottle and the inner member when the cap is rotated in the opposite direction on the bottle, thus assuring a change in the information represented by the indicia on the cap and the indicator on the inner member, or by indicia on the inner member visible through a hole in the cap. Several embodiments of medicine bottle unit are disclosed. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,010, Marshall disclosed indicators and methods of indicating which are intended primarily for use with medicine containers. The devices typically indicate the number of doses of medicine ingested or remaining to be taken by a patient during a particular period. These devices additionally provide tactile assistance to patients in appropriately repositioning the indicator arms and, when used correctly, may reduce the possibility of patient overdose by restricting improper attempts to advance the indicator arm. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,405,045, Villa-Real disclosed a color-coded, two-component medicament container comprising a cap means with variously pre-set structural interval spacing between each pair of preformed window system to differentiate a fixed three-hour time interval cap from a four-hour interval cap, a six-hour time interval cap, an 8-hour time interval cap and from a unitary pre-formed window for a 12 or 24-hour time interval cap; each kind of cap to be specifically used according to the prescribed frequency of drug administration such as every 3-hour frequency, every 4-hour frequency, every 6-hour frequency, every 8-hour frequency and every 12 or 24-hour frequency, respectively, as coordinated in a snug-fitting but csafety lock wisely rotatable engagement with a complementarily shaped cylindrical medicament container having csafety lock-like numeral indicia ranging from 1 to 12 and equidistantly arranged as in a csafety lock there around the supper circumferential exterior wall of the said medicament container is disclosed.
Both, use of the dial or pointer devices and operation of container cap, require manual dexterity and intact cognition. Moreover, with these devices, patients have to learn complex instruction each time a change is made in medicine dose or frequency. Both these are problematic in elderly, disabled or in patients with cognitive impairment.
The need for a device that automatically dispenses the proper pill(s) in the proper amount(s) at the proper time(s) each day and alerts the user to take the dispensed pill(s) is evident by the numerous devices described in the prior art. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,256, Tump disclosed a dispensing assembly for dispensing a series of different pills over a prescribed period. The dispensing assembly is provided with an indicator that is adjustable to preset the start of the pill regiment on whatever day desired. The pill package and dispensing assembly are constructed and arranged so that after the indicator has been preset, the pill package can be fixedly positioned in the dispensing assembly with the first pill of the regimen in position to be taken by the user on the first pre selected day. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,589, Lim has disclosed a device that can be loaded with appropriate pills and programmed to automatically dispense the proper amount(s) and proper type(s) of pill(s) at the proper time(s) each day. The device also includes a system for alerting the pill taker that pills have been dispensed and need to be taken, a system for providing voice messages to coach the pill taker to use the device and consume the pills, a system for alerting an off-site caregiver when the pill taker has not responded as required or when there is a problem with the operation of the device, and a system for an efficient and accurate loading of pills into the device.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,606 Lewis et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,651 Scidmore et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,453 Luckstead and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,516 Hoar have described an automatic pill dispensing assembly that has pill storage regulating wheels that are rotated constantly by electric safety lock motors. The constantly rotating pill storage regulating wheel of these devices successively moves each pill storage compartment of the regulating wheel into a temporary alignment with a pill discharge outlet at a cyclical and fixed time interval. When a pill storage compartment is in alignment with the pill discharge outlet, any pill stored in the compartment will fall by gravity through the outlet into a pill receptacle. Automatic pill dispensing assemblies that do not employ rotating wheels are also known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,810 to Christiansen shows a device that uses a series of pill storage compartments that are arrayed in a checkerboard fashion and U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,309 to Stone et al shows a device that uses a series of pill storage compartments that are spirally arranged on an elongate cylinder. Although these examples seem to be different, the basic operating principle of all these dispensing assemblies, are nonetheless similar.
However, there are problems with the devices described in the prior art. These devices entail loading of individual pill storage compartments by the pharmacist. This is a time consuming and manpower intensive process that makes these devices costly and inefficient. None of these devices provide the ease and cost effectiveness of the present day throwaway plastic medicine containers where a bulk supply of medicaments can be dispensed at one time.
There have been many prior art attempts to incorporate a device into the medicine container that is able to record the opening and closures of the caps of the medicine containers. These prior arts have attempted to use the operation of the closure of medicine container as a surrogate marker for compliance. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,650 Sagar has proposed a medicine-dispensing system that has a medicine reminder to assist the patient in following a drug regimen. In an example embodiment, a medicine reminder comprises a timer programmable to a predetermined interval. A user-alert is responsive to the timer, reminding the user to take a dose of medicine at the predetermined interval. A sensor detects whether the medicine container cap has been opened and a dose-indication informs the user of the time since the last dose. The dose indication further informs the user as to whether to take a next medicine dose. The time of the last dose is determined by the timer receiving a signal from the sensor. A communications interface enables programming of a parameter associated with administering a medicine.
There are major disadvantages to the inventions that rely on medicine container cap removal as a measure of compliance. Medicine containers with cap allow access to the bulk medicine supply during each dispensing event. Once the device recognizes the removal of the cap, any number of doses may be removed from the bottle without proper recognition, thus seriously compromising the device's ability to properly record compliance. Even more troublesome is the possibility that the cap device might not be reinstalled on the bottle; if not, the subsequent removal of medicines from the bottle go unmonitored.
In addition, the devices described in prior inventions share some common drawbacks that include: 1) none of the prior art devices have the ability to automatically count and dispense a prescribed quantity of medicine at prescribed times from a bulk supply within the medicine container. 2) These devices do not provide any protection against abuse of prescription medicines. Once the closure is opened any number of doses can be removed. This is of particular concern with medicines that have a high abuse potential such as morphine. 3) The prior art devices do not provide any protection against the consumption of medicines that have expired. Medicines that are beyond their expiry date are associated with significant life threatening side effects. 4) They do not provide security features to prevent use by a person other than the intended patient. 5) Devices proposed by the prior inventions do not allow for remote medicine management. Whenever a change is made to a medicine regimen, a new prescription has to be filled and the medicine container has to be taken to the pharmacist for a change of label. The patient has to learn new information regarding the new dosage regimen. These are major deterrents to continued compliance with pharmacotherapy for chronic medical conditions. 6) Prior art devices do not assist with comprehensive disease management. Adequate disease management requires frequent monitoring of health related parameters to assess the efficacy of medicines. Studies have shown that frequent home based monitoring of health parameters and subsequent prompt adjustment of treatment regimens significantly improves disease outcomes. At the present time, such monitoring, reporting and adjustment of medicine regimen requires intensive participation by patients, including multiple visits to health care professional's office. Prior art devices do not provide a solution to this problem. 7) The devices of prior inventions are cumbersome and expensive to manufacture. None of the prior inventions have provided the necessary reliability and inexpensive implementation to present itself as a viable alternative to today's plastic throwaway medicine containers. The value of additional features suggested by the prior inventions, have not justified the added costs.
Some prior art devices provide limited solution to individual problems faced by patients, health care professionals and pharmacists in ensuring compliance. However none of these devices have provided a comprehensive one stop solution to manage the multiple complex problems that hinder patient's compliance with a medicine regimen. Hence, while "childproof" construction has been mandated, to date there has been no other major addition to the conventional throw away plastic medicine containers.


Disclosed are a wave power generation system for generating electrical energy by means of a hydraulic circuit, and a method for controlling same. The wave power generation system comprises a hydraulic motor for storing motion energy in a form of fluid pressure and volume if a plurality of tension transmission members, for transmitting motion energy by means of six-degrees-of-freedom motion of a movable object floating on the waves, move in one direction, and for maintaining the tension of the tension transmission members by means of the stored energy if the tension transmission members move in the other direction. Electric energy is alternately generated by means of the bidirectional motion of the plurality of tension transmission members.

Generally, power generation methods of generating electricity include, for example, hydroelectric power generation, thermal power generation, nuclear power generation, and the like, and such power generation methods require large-scale power generation facilities. In addition, in the case of thermal power generation, since a huge amount of petroleum or coal energy needs to be supplied in order to operate power generation facilities, many difficulties are predicted at the present time when petroleum and coal resources are depleted, and pollution also becomes a big issue. Also, in the case of nuclear power generation, a radiation leakage and nuclear waste disposal are serious. Since a fall head of water is used in the hydroelectric power generation, a large-scale dam needs to be constructed, which leads to a change in surrounding environments. Also, the hydroelectric power generation has environmental constraints that a river with abundant water resources needs to be assumed for a dam construction. Thus, there is a demand for groundbreaking power generation methods that are cheaper, safer, and more environmentally friendly than the above general power generation methods, and one of them is wave power generation capable of generating electric energy using movement of waves.
Attention has been focused on tidal power generation for generating electric energy using a tidal range, tidal stream power generation for generating electric energy using a high flow rate of seawater, and wave power generation for generating electric energy using movement of waves. In particular, the wave power generation is a technology of generating electric energy based on constant movement of waves, and may continue to generate energy. The wave power generation converts a back-and-forth motion of water particles and a periodic vertical motion of the sea level due to waves into a mechanical rotational motion or an axial motion through an energy conversion device, and then into electric energy. Wave power generation methods may be classified into a variety of kinds according to a primary energy conversion method based on a wave height, and a representative method is a movable object type method of operating an electric generator in response to a vertical motion or a rotational motion of a buoy floating on a water surface by movement of waves.
The movable object type method is a method of receiving movement of an object, for example, a buoy, that moves based on movement of waves, converting the movement into a reciprocating or rotational motion, and generating electric power using an electric generator, and an example thereof is disclosed in Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2015-00120896 or Japanese Patent Registration No. 5260092.
However, irregular kinetic energy is provided due to characteristics of waves. Therefore, to stably generate energy, there is a demand for a system and a control method for generating effective electric energy in a motion transmission portion that transmits wave energy, and a hydraulic motor that converts received kinetic energy into rotational kinetic energy used for power generation.
The above description has been possessed or acquired by the inventor(s) in the course of conceiving the present invention and is not necessarily an art publicly known before the present application is filed.

Wave power generation system and method for controlling same


The present invention relates to a method of converting logic written in software code into text, comprising: converting the code to a structured format that represents the logic described in each function of said code as a tree of elements, and mapping the elements of the structured format into corresponding counterparts in a target language for obtaining a text translation of the structured format.

As more users are connected to the Internet and conduct their daily activities electronically, computer users may sometimes need to understand the content, meaning or logic of at least some of the software codes that they might ran into during their daily activities.
For example, distributed ledger systems provide a platform for the execution of smart contracts. Smart contracts typically include program instructions that may be executed in response to a transaction in the distributed ledger system addressed to the contract. Smart contracts may also represent legal contracts between users, with program functions of the smart contracts implementing terms, conditions, etc. of the legal contract. Unfortunately, many users of such distributed ledger systems may found the content of smart contracts and/or other block-chain based agreement and logic instruments not clear enough for them.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a system which is capable of allowing non-technical people to understand the content of software codes, e.g., set of instructions that form smart contracts.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system which is capable of simplifying logic written as code to human language in a specific context to make it easier to examine for that specific need, for example, from a security standpoint, or a financial aspect.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.


A display apparatus includes a substrate, gate lines disposed on the substrate, data lines extending across the gate lines, and pixels connected to the gate lines and the data lines. The pixels arranged in a matrix of rows and columns. The pixels disposed in the same columns are alternately connected to data lines disposed to the left or right sides of the column. The pixels may be disposed in different display areas of the substrate. Adjacent pixels in the same columns but in different display areas may be connected to the same data line.

1. Field of the Disclosure
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a display apparatus having improved display qualities.
2. Discussion of the Background
In general, a liquid crystal display includes a first substrate on which a pixel electrode is arranged, a second substrate on which a common electrode is arranged, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first and second substrates. The liquid crystal display controls the transmittance of light through the liquid crystal layer, by generating an electric field between the pixel electrode and the common electrode, to display an image.
In order to prevent an electric charge from being accumulated in the pixel electrode and to easily control a voltage applied to the pixel electrode, voltages having different polarities from each other, with respect to a voltage applied to the common electrode, are alternately applied to the pixel electrode. However, the voltage charged in the pixel electrode is varied by the voltage variation on signal lines, through which the voltage for the pixel electrode is transmitted.


A system and method for digital steering sensor fault detection comprises monitoring steering wheel position information from a digital steering wheel position sensor at set time intervals, determining steering wheel position information for the current time interval and the previous time interval, and advancing a value change counter if the steering wheel position information for the current time interval is the same as for the previous time interval; monitoring vehicle speed, and advancing a speed cycle counter when the vehicle speed crosses a first threshold speed after crossing a second threshold speed; and setting fault bit information if the value change counter is zero after the speed cycle counter reaches a speed cycle limit. The steering wheel position information can be for a plurality of digital steering wheel position sensor outputs and provide corresponding fault bits, which can be compared to a fault table to diagnose a particular fault.

This invention relates generally to the field of vehicle steering control, and in particular, to a system and method for digital steering sensor fault detection.
With the increase in electronic monitoring and control in vehicles, there is a need for information on steering wheel position for multiple vehicle control modules such as suspension ride control. Currently, sensors having both analog and digital outputs are used.
Considerable reduction in both sensor and controller costs can be realized by omitting the hardware associated with the analog signal. Digital signals are more forgiving than analog signals when shared. Ground offsets, ratiometric outputs, impedance loading and etc. do not impact digital signals as they do for analog signals. However, diagnosing signal and sensor faults are very difficult for a controller receiving digital signals alone.
Presently, if a digital handwheel position sensor does not see vehicle handwheel rotation, as occurs if the vehicle is driven straight, the signals stay constant (either high or low). Therefore, the sensor""s output for a vehicle driven straight has the same exact signal characteristics as a failed sensor or output. Because of this situation, digital handwheel position sensors typically incorporate an analog signal output to diagnose sensor faults. Typical diagnostic requirements are to detect the following faults/conditions: 1) digital output signal open circuited, shorted-to-battery or shorted-to-ground; 2) digital steering sensor ground (return) circuit open; and 3) digital steering sensor supply circuit open. A controller module receiving only digital steering signals has no means of determining that a digital handwheel position sensor or one of its outputs have failed.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a system and method for digital steering sensor fault detection that overcomes the disadvantages described.
One aspect of the invention provides a system and method for digital steering sensor fault detection that avoids the need for steering sensor analog outputs.
Another aspect of the invention provides a system and method for digital steering sensor fault detection that is able to discriminate between sensor faults and normal operation.
Another aspect of the invention provides a system and method for digital steering sensor fault detection that is able to detect faults and conditions, such as: 1) digital output signal open circuited, shorted-to-battery or shorted-to-ground; 2) digital steering sensor ground circuit open; and 3) digital steering sensor supply circuit open.
The invention provides the foregoing and other features, and the advantages of the invention will become further apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The detailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Hi-resolution digital steering sensor fault detection


A container closure comprises an annular region forming a counterface against which a gas permeable, liquid impermeable sealing element may be applied so as to urge the sealing element into sealing engagement with the rim of a container opening. The annular region comprises a gas pathway from an interior space opposite the container opening to the exterior of the annular region. The gas pathway may be of closed cross-section extending through the annular region. Alternatively the gas pathway may be of open-sided cross-section and provided in the counterface. Yet alternatively the annular region may comprise a washer, with the gas pathway provided at least partly in the washer and/or at least partly in the remainder of the annular region. A gas permeable, liquid impermeable sealing foil for bonding to a container rim is also disclosed.

A known type of container-closure combination is a cap having a non-gas tight screw thread fitting with a complementary threaded neck of a container and a sealing element in the cap to form a gas- and liquid-tight seal with the container neck. Such a combination is illustrated by Document CH-A-357330. Liquid containers can become over or under pressurised and the container damaged, such as by ballooning or crushing, depending on the liquid to be contained and the ambient temperatures. One solution is to make the container strong enough to resist such changes. Another solution is to fit the container with a gas vent. The choice of solution is mainly an economic one, depending upon whether or not it is cheaper to make the container stronger or to fit a gas vent, although sometimes environmental considerations are a factor.
Document WO-A-95/26913 discloses a cap lining for bi-directional venting from the interior of a container to the ambient atmosphere through openings existing between the spiral screw threads of the cap closure and threads of the container neck. The only seal disclosed between the cap and the container is that provided by compression of the cap lining plies. Such special multilayer cap linings are however quite expensive to manufacture. An alternative is to provide a hole in a central region of an otherwise standard cap sealing wad over which a gas permeable, liquid impermeable membrane is secured. A further hole is formed in the centre of the cap top wall, in gas communication with the wad hole and membrane, thereby providing a gas venting route. However the exposed hole in the top of the cap is vulnerable to dirt and other contaminants. These can clog the membrane and inhibit proper venting or penetrate the membrane and contaminate the container contents, unless further protective structures are provided in the wad and/or cap top surface. The exposed hole in the top of the cap also makes the membrane vulnerable to mechanical damage. There is therefore a need for a cheap, robust, versatile and reliable container venting arrangement which preferably requires minimal modifications to the container closure and/or sealing wad.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A method of determining a dog""s emotions from its voice with objective supports. The invention follows the procedures of converting dog""s voices into electrical audio signals, extracting characteristics in a time to frequency component relation map of the audio signals as a input voice pattern, storing in advance in memory reference voice patterns for various emotions that respectively represent characteristics of time to frequency component relation maps, comparing the input voice pattern with the reference voice patterns, and determining what a dog feels by declaring emotion of the particular reference voice pattern showing the highest correlation with the input voice pattern as a result of the comparison, and emotions represented by the reference voice patterns include xe2x80x9clonelinessxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cfrustrationxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9caggressivenessxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cassertivenessxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9chappinessxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cwistfulnessxe2x80x9d, and hence, the present invention attains an effective way of determining dog""s emotions with objective supports.

The present invention relates to an apparatus of determining animal""s emotions from vocal analysis of barking sounds, and more particularly, it relates to an apparatus of determining dog""s emotions by vocally analyzing barking sounds.
Above all animals, especially dogs have had very close relations to human beings for a long time, and they have played important roles in human societies, not only serving as work dogs like watchdogs and lifeguards but also as pets which live together with family members of human beings. Thus, it is not an exaggeration to say that human beings have had a dream for a long time to communicate with dogs, and actually various attempts have been done to realize the dream. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H10-3479 titled xe2x80x9cInterpretation Method for Reading Animal""s Mind and Interpretation Device for the Samexe2x80x9d discloses a method of interpreting animal""s mind and a device for the same where voice made by animals such as pets and livestock is received and converted into audio signals while actions of the animals are shot into moving pictures and converted into video signals, and then, the audio and video signals are compared with reference data on voices and motions that have been ethologically analyzed. Relying on this technology, voices and actions of a dog can be interpreted to read its mind, but this prior art fails to provide any practical data of dog""s voices and actions that seem to be a kind of expression of its emotions.
There has not been any means to reason objectively how a dog feels on the basis of vocal analysis in which, upon the definite understanding of the relation between dog""s emotions and its barking sounds, reference voice patterns are set corresponding to such emotions, and actual voice of any specific dog is compared to the reference voice patterns. More accurately speaking, there have been no objective supports in effect to identify a specific dog""s emotion from its voice. The present invention is made to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a device of receiving actual voice of a dog to determine dog""s emotions with objective supports by first creating reference voice patterns corresponding to various emotions of a dog and then matching the reference patterns with actual voice patterns of a dog.
The Invention as defined in Claim 1 comprises means for converting a dog""s voice into electrical audio signals, means for extracting characteristics in a time to frequency component relation map of the audio signals as an input voice pattern, means for storing reference voice patterns that represent various dog""s emotions expressed by its voice in a form of the time to frequency component relation map, means for comparing the input voice pattern with the reference voice patterns, and means for determining dog""s feeling by choosing the pattern most closely matched to the input voice pattern; characterized in that the reference voice patterns include a reference voice pattern expressing loneliness that is made up of significant frequency components around 5000 Hz without frequency components of 3000 Hz or below but lacks harmonics and lasts for 0.2 to 0.3 second, a reference voice pattern expressing frustration that is made up of a sub-pattern for 0.3 to 1 second of fundamental tones ranging from 160 to 240 Hz with harmonics up to 1500 Hz and a subsequent sub-pattern of 250 to 8000 Hz without definite fundamental tones and harmonics but conspicuous for frequency components around 1000 Hz, a reference voice pattern expressing aggressiveness that is made up of a sub-pattern ranging from 250 to 8000 Hz without definite fundamental tones and harmonics and conspicuous for frequency components around 1000 Hz and a subsequent sub-pattern for 0.8 to 1.5 second of fundamental tones ranging from 240 to 360 Hz with harmonics definite up to 1500 Hz and reaching 8000 Hz, a reference voice pattern expressing assertiveness that is made up of frequency components ranging from 250 to 8000 Hz without definite fundamental tones and harmonics and conspicuous for frequency components around 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz and 5000 Hz, respectively, a reference voice pattern expressing happiness including a sub-pattern of frequency components ranging from 250 to 8000 Hz without definite fundamental tones and harmonics and with conspicuous frequency components around 1000 Hz and a subsequent sub-pattern of fundamental tones ranging from 200 to 300 Hz with harmonics up to 1500 Hz, and a reference voice pattern expressing wistfulness that is made up of fundamental tones ranging from 250 to 500 Hz with harmonics up to 8000 Hz and with frequency of the fundamental tones being varied.
The invention as defined in Claim 2 comprises steps of converting a dog""s voice into electrical audio signals, extracting characteristics in a time to frequency component relation map of the audio signals as an input voice pattern, storing reference voice patterns that represent various dog""s emotions expressed by its voice in a form of the time to frequency component relation map, comparing the input voice pattern with the reference voice patterns, and determining how the dog feels from the most closely matched pattern to the input voice pattern; characterized in that the reference voice patterns include a reference voice pattern expressing loneliness that is made up of significant frequency components around 5000 Hz without frequency components of 3000 Hz or below but lacks harmonics and lasts for 0.2 to 0.3 second, a reference voice pattern expressing frustration that is made up of a sub-pattern for 0.3 to 1 second of fundamental tones ranging from 160 to 240 Hz with harmonics up to 1500 Hz and a subsequent sub-pattern of 250 to 8000 Hz without definite fundamental tones and harmonics but conspicuous for frequency components around 1000 Hz, a reference voice pattern expressing aggressiveness that is made up of a sub-pattern ranging from 250 to 8000 Hz without definite fundamental tones and harmonics and conspicuous for frequency components around 1000 Hz and a subsequent sub-pattern for 0.8 to 1.5 second of fundamental tones ranging from 240 to 360 Hz with harmonics definite up to 1500 Hz and reaching 8000 Hz, a reference voice pattern expressing assertiveness that is made up of frequency components ranging from 250 to 8000 Hz without definite fundamental tones and harmonics and conspicuous for frequency components around 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz and 5000 Hz, respectively, a reference voice pattern expressing happiness including a sub-pattern of frequency components ranging from 250 to 8000 Hz without definite fundamental tones and harmonics and with conspicuous frequency components around 1000 Hz and a subsequent sub-pattern of fundamental tones ranging from 200 to 300 Hz with harmonics up to 1500 Hz, and a reference voice pattern expressing wistfulness that is made up of fundamental tones ranging 250 to 500 Hz with harmonics up to 8000 Hz and with frequency of the fundamental tones being varied.

Apparatus for determining dog""s emotions by vocal analysis of barking sounds and method for the same


A hide skiving machine adapted to skive a hide in one pass constituted by a frame which supports, at its sides, a rotatable support cylinder upon which the hide is fed and is held in place by a slidable presser roller. A lower oscillating frame having a rotating lower blade cylinder and an upper oscillating frame having a rotating upper blade cylinder are furthermore provided which skive the hide. The oscillating frames are independently movable between a raised non-working position and a lowered working position by respective actuators. Each blade cylinder is provided with a sharpening assembly which maintains the blade sharpness for more effective skiving. An adjustable, flexible front shield and a feed table are furthermore provided. The oscillating frames which support the blade cylinders are also provided with play recovery elements which help maintain the position of the blade cylinders with respect to the hide. The support cylinder can also be provided with supporting elements which allow for the inclination of the axis of the support cylinder relative to the axes of the blade cylinders, thereby providing more effective sharing of hides with variable thicknesses.

The present invention relates to a hide skiving machine.
So-called skiving machines are used in processing hides; such machines skive the hide on the side known as "split" to give the hide a constant thickness, removing clots or lumps.
These machines have a pair of closely arranged cylinders with parallel axes; one cylinder, known as the support cylinder, is smooth, and the other is fitted with blades which wind in a spiral pattern on its surface; the hide is driven between said cylinders with the side to be skived directed towards the blade cylinder; the rapid rotation of the blade cylinder provides the required skiving action, while the other cylinder bucks and feeds the hide.
In order to retain the hide effectively while it is treated by the blade cylinder, there is also a further presser roller adapted to secure the hide against the support cylinder.
In known machines it is therefore necessary to insert a hide and retain it between the support cylinder and the presser roller during the treatment of one of its halves, and to subsequently extract it, turn it around and then insert it again to skive its second half, while the hide is held by its already skived part.
This method therefore requires the frequent intervention of manual labor to move the hide, not just when it is loaded into the machine but also in an intermediate moment of its processing, and is therefore onerous and particularly slow.


Examples described herein include systems and methods for providing user-specific previews for terms within text. An example method can include receiving tracked user behavior reflecting terms selected by a user and entered into a search. A representation of known words can be created based on the tracked user behavior. By training machine-learning models for each individual user, personalized previews can be presented when each user encounters a new body of text, such as in a webpage or email. The preview can apply to a term not previously known to the user but likely to be searched by the user, relying on content gathered from a search on a search medium that the user was likely to use. The content can be presented to the user in a graphical user interface allowing for interaction and feedback.

As a user reads text on their computing device, such as while surfing the web or reading an email, he or she comes across unfamiliar terms. The unfamiliar term could be a person's name, a technical term, or just a word that the user is unfamiliar with. To find more information about these terms, the user will commonly perform a separate web search for the term.
Previously, in order to find more information about a term, a user needed to select the term, copy it, paste it into a search engine, and perform a search. Perhaps based on the prevalence of this practice, modern web browsers provide a menu option to perform a web search based on a selected portion of text on a web page. However, even this process requires the user to manually select the text and navigate the menu options. And it still results in the user being navigated to a separate webpage. This can disrupt a user's workflow, especially where the user is utilizing an application and
The search function often requires using a separate web browser. Further, if a user is utilizing an internal enterprise application, a general web search may be insufficient for a term of interest—instead, the user may need to search an enterprise system such as a backend service to obtain relevant information. Existing solutions do not adequately address these drawbacks.
In addition to addressing these drawbacks, a useful solution could also provide personalized results for each user. While some websites provide previews for terms within text, those previews are static. That is, each user that visits the website is presented with the same previews for the same terms, without regard to the particular user's past behavior. An efficient solution could present personalized results for each user, such that the terms selected for preview, as well as the content of the preview, is specific to the user.
As a result, a need exists for systems and methods for providing user-specific preview for terms within text, as described herein.

Providing user-specific previews within text


To improve probability of detection in the early stages of fires, a fire alarm (1) with a temperature sensor (3) is proposed, having a structural member (12) that causes the sensor (3) to react only to temperature changes in the ambient air, and which change with a frequency of from 0.1 to 20 Hz. The fire alarm (1) becomes particularly insensitive to errors when there is a second fire sensor (7) that reacts to fire aerosol, there being a threshold value circuit (9) that lowers the threshold value for the fire aerosol sensor (7) when the temperature sensor (3) exceeds a preset threshold value.

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for early fire detection.
Automatic fire alarms are used for the timely detecting of fires, and thus for the protection of human life and property. They have become an integral part of protection concepts and safety systems, which are no longer designed without them. In particular, inventions in the domain of smoke detection made effective early warning possible. The installation of millions of automatic fire alarms all over the world proves the success of the products that have originated in these inventions. The extreme sensitivity of modern smoke detectors facilitates alarm at an early stage so that in most cases appropriate and timely measures can be introduced. However, high sensitivity to smoke conditions has gone hand in hand with an increase in the probability of erroneous triggering (false alarm) by deceptive phenomena that simulate fire. As a consequence of the increasing numbers of fire alarm systems, the increasing numbers of false alarms has created a problem that has become a steadily growing threat to the effectiveness and acceptance of this technology.
The manufacturers of automatic fire alarm systems have recognized this danger, and for years have been endeavoring to meet this threat through improvement on known detection principles and through the use of improved signal processing. The goal of all improvements is to reduce the number of false alarms without, at the same time, giving up the advantage of early warning, i.e., reducing the sensitivity.
One possibility for reducing false alarms consists of examining multiple fire related criteria for the triggering of an alarm, i.e., "multi-criteria alarms." Such an alarm will be triggered only if multiple detected fire related criteria simultaneously exceed preset values. In this way, the deceptive characteristic quantities that affect some of the sensors used are eliminated. One disadvantage of these methods is the possibility that genuine fires may not be detected because one of the sensors used does not produce a signal. This can happen when one of the sensors is defective or when one of the sensors is not giving off any signal because the fire characteristic quantity to which it reacts is not present.
Other methods endeavor, through the use of special algorithms, to interpret the sensor signals in such manner that only fire-specific processes lead to an alarm. Fire specific data are stored as reference values and are continuously compared with the sensor data. Through the use of correlation methods, the probability of whether a true fire or an error exists can be computed for the sensor signals. Although considerable progress was achieved with both methods, the false-alarm problem cannot by any means be considered solved. Another objection is that the results to date were achieved only with the use of considerable electronic complexity so that the cost/benefit ratio was not very beneficial. However, there is no doubt that a fire sensor which because of its specific capabilities reacts only to genuine characteristic fire parameters and not to false criteria (error quantities), represents the best solution to be sought.
When we study the characteristic criteria that occur when there is a fire, we note that in addition to the occurrence of combustion products, such as gases or aerosols, an increase in temperature can always be recorded. This means that there is no property-damaging fire without a heat source, whether as initiating factor or through the independent action of the fire itself. Sooner or later, every fire leads to an increase in ambient temperature. For this reason, the oldest and still most frequently used fire alarms are temperature detectors. However, in these alarms, as a rule, the alarm is triggered only when the ambient temperature climbs above 60.degree. C. By then, the fire has already spread considerably, and therefore we cannot characterize this type of alarm a genuine early warning type.
Efforts to increase the sensitivity of heat alarms led to the development of heat differential alarms, which sense only the speed with which the temperature rises. But even with this technology, the early stage of a fire, which as a rule is a smoldering fire, cannot be satisfactorily detected. On the other hand, it would not be appropriate further to lower the detection threshold of heat alarms, because, as research has shown, this would lead to frequent false alarms.
Another detection method consists of interpreting heat radiation from an active flame as a fire criterion. In the case of a naked fire, which has no preceding smoldering phase, such as for example all liquid fires, such alarms are the fastest detectors. To render them insensitive to error quantities, the always-present flickering of a flame is used. This radiation fluctuation has fire-specific qualities and can be used for the differentiation of error quantities. Through the use of appropriate filters, it has become possible to exclude the effects of outside sources of light.
However, these alarms also have the aforementioned disadvantage of being unable to detect the smoldering phase of a fire. In addition, flame alarms must be in direct optical contact with the source of light; that is, they must "see" the flame. It has already been indicated that the phenomenon or characteristic fire quantity "temperature" is a feature of each and every fire. An increase in the temperature of the fire material expresses itself on the one hand in the emission of heat radiation; on the other, it leads to an increase in the air temperature around the area of the fire. The consequence is a heat convection current that on the one hand conveys the combustion products to the ceiling and on the other hand leads to temperature fluctuations in the vicinity of that point. If this effect is exploited for early fire detection, however, false alarms caused by error quantities must be expected, since heat sources not ascribable to a fire (heaters, gas burners, etc.) can lead to temperature fluctuations in the ceiling area.

Method of detecting fire in an early stage


Some embodiments include a strike training machine that provides bidirectional resistance. The machine replicates the full and natural trajectory of the striking motion and provides resistance throughout extension and contraction of the striking motion. In this manner, the machine trains all muscles involved in a particular strike. The trajectory of the machine is user adjustable to accommodate different striking motions which include punches, kicks, elbow strikes, knee strikes, and throwing motions. In some embodiments, the machine applies a user specifiable amount of resistance. By adjusting the amount of resistance, the actor is able to overload train the muscle groups associated with the striking motions by gradually increasing resistance during training.

Striking motions, such as punching and kicking, are basic elements to any form of martial arts, self-defense, or boxing. As with any athletics or sports motion, an effective strike requires the actor to develop strength, quickness, and technique in his strikes. A variety of devices and tools have been developed to assist in the training of these striking motions.
A punching bag is a common strike training tool in boxing. The punching bag is a weighted bag (e.g., up to several hundred pounds) that is suspended from above using a swinging chain. In some implementations, the punching bag is suspended atop a base that retains the punching bag upright when in use.
The punching bag has several shortcomings for effective strike training. Firstly, the punching bag requires time to reset to a default stationary position after it has been struck. Once struck, the punching bag oscillates from its point of suspension or from its base depending on the force of the strike. This movement makes it difficult to quickly perform repetitions using the same form or technique. As a result, form and technique vary with each subsequent strike. Secondly, the weight of the punching bag cannot be easily adjusted since it is filled with sand, water, or other substance in its core. The weight of the punching bag therefore remains constant and progressive overload training cannot be accomplished. Thirdly, the fixed weight of the punching bag does not provide effective strike training for actors of different strengths. For instance, performing strikes on a punching bag that is too heavy can result in injury to the actor. When the punching bag is too heavy, the force of the strike is halted at the point of impact resulting in excess stress on the bones and joints of the actor. The actor is also unable to complete the full range of the strike motion thereby minimizing the effectiveness of the training. Conversely, performing strikes on a punching bag that is too light yields little to no strength or quickness training.
Strike training tools also include a pad that is held by a first actor so that a second actor may perform strikes to the pad. Since the pad is supported by a user and not a movable weight stack, the resistance encountered when performing the strikes is neither constant nor progressive. Furthermore, the actor performing the strikes is unable to perform the full range of motion of the strike since the pad is held in a mostly stationary position. Consequently, the actor performing the strikes is unable to perform a full strike motion with constant or progressive resistance throughout the strike. As a result, these tools also do not provide effective strength or quickness training.
Resistance cables have also been used in strike training. For example, the actor grabs a handle that is attached via a cable and a set of pulleys to a weight stack. When the actor performs a punching motion while grabbing the handle, the cable becomes taught and the weight stack provides resistance against the punching motion of the actor. However, instead of pushing with the fist as would occur in a natural punching motion, the actor is pulling on the cable while grabbing a handle. The pulling results in an unnatural application of force. Specifically, the counter force or resistance provided by the weight stack is distributed by pulleys connecting the cable to a weight stack that is often located behind the actor's body, usually above the actor's head or behind the actor's feet. By placing the resistance behind the body position of the user, the machine improperly develops the muscles and technique. This increases the risk of injury to the actor.
Moreover, a natural punching motion encounters resistance at the point of impact which is in front of the fist. The natural resistance remains in front of the fist throughout the entire punching motion requiring the actor to produce a push force rather than a pull force. Accordingly, these machines also do not accurately replicate the striking motion since the actor does not perform the punching strike with a proper closed fist. There is no impact placed on the knuckles. The resistance force is instead placed on the palm of the hand grabbing the handle. As noted above, these variations increase the risk of injury to the user.
Typical weight training machines also do not provide effective strike training. These machines are primarily used to isolate and train specific muscles groups using confined movements. The movements performed on these machines do not replicate the full range of a striking motion. The machines can therefore cause the muscles to develop improperly for a striking motion, thereby increasing the risk of injury to the actor performing the striking motions. Furthermore, multiple machines would have to be used to target and train each of the several muscles that are used simultaneously in one striking motion.
Accordingly, there is a need for a weight training machine that replicates the full range of the most common striking motions used in martial arts, self-defense, and boxing. There is a need for such a machine to provide bidirectional resistance throughout the full range of the striking motion (i.e., extension and contraction) in order to develop strength, quickness, and technique for the strike. The machine should provide an easily adjustable amount of resistance in order to offer overload training.

Strike training machine with bidirectional weight resistance


Systems, methods and articles of manufacture are disclosed for pasting text into a document as twisties. In one embodiment, a request may be received to paste text into a document. A plurality of twisties may be generated from the text. The plurality of twisties may be inserted into the document, responsive to the request to paste text into the document.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention relate to creating and editing documents. More specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to techniques for pasting text into a document as twisties.
2. Description of the Related Art
E-mail and document systems often support collapsible sections, referred to as "twisties" within a document. A twistie refers to a section of content within a document. Each twistie includes a twistie heading, a twistie body, and a twistie icon. The twistie heading typically includes a brief description or summary of content in the twistie body. The twistie body includes content that is collapsible and expandable via the twistie icon. For example, a user may click on the twistie icon to collapse the section of content (if the section of content is expanded) or expand the section of content (if the section of content is collapsed). The twistie heading may remain visible regardless of whether the twistie body is collapsed or expanded. Further, a document may include a twistie group. Typically, only a single twistie of a twistie group may be expanded at any point in time. That is, if a first twistie of the twistie group is expanded, expanding a second twistie of the twistie group results in the first twistie of the twistie group being collapsed.
Documents often include twisties to hide optional information or to present the document to a user in a manner that reduces user confusion (e.g., resulting from a perception by the user of the document as being "cluttered"). Twisties may be used to hide detailed content in newsletters, web content, or e-mails summarizing news or items of interest. A user may expand a collapsed twistie to reveal content inside the twistie. Thus, twisties convey sections of content using less screen space (than if all of the sections of content are expanded).

Pasting content into a document using twisties

International Business Machines Corporation


In some examples, a semiconductor package can be configured to electrically couple to a printed circuit board. The semiconductor package can include: (a) a lid having one or more first electrically conductive leads; (b) a base coupled to the lid and having one or more second electrically conductive leads electrically coupled to the one or more first electrically conductive leads; (c) one or more first semiconductor devices mechanically coupled to the lid and electrically coupled to the one or more first electrically conductive leads; and (d) one or more first micro-electrical-mechanical system devices mechanically coupled to the lid and electrically coupled to the one or more first electrically conductive leads. At least one of the lid or the base can have at least one port hole. The one or more first electrically conductive leads can be configured to couple to the printed circuit board. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Semiconductor devices are conventionally enclosed in plastic or ceramic packages that provide protection from hostile environments and enable electrical connections between elements of the integrated circuit.
Certain semiconductor devices, however, present unique packaging needs, such as air cavity packages that need sound or air to enter the semiconductor package for the enclosed semiconductor device to function properly. One example of a semiconductor device using an air cavity package is a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) microphone. Other MEMS devices also can use similar air cavity packages.
Recently, the demand for MEMS microphones has increased because of the increased demand for cellular telephones and the incorporation of MEMS microphones in more portable audio devices and digital camera and video products.
Accordingly, a need or potential for benefit exists for an improved semiconductor or air cavity package for MEMS devices.
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figures illustrate the general manner of construction, and descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention. Additionally, elements in the drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention. The same reference numerals in different figures denote the same elements.
The terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments described herein are, for example, capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. Furthermore, the terms "include," and "have," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, article, device, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, system, article, device, or apparatus.
The terms "left," "right," "front," "back," "top," "bottom," "over," "under," and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing permanent relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capable of operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein.
The terms "couple," "coupled," "couples," "coupling," and the like should be broadly understood and refer to connecting two or more elements or signals, electrically, mechanically and/or otherwise. Two or more electrical elements may be electrically coupled but not be mechanically or otherwise coupled; two or more mechanical elements may be mechanically coupled, but not be electrically or otherwise coupled; two or more electrical elements may be mechanically coupled, but not be electrically or otherwise coupled. Coupling may be for any length of time, e.g., permanent or semi-permanent or only for an instant.
"Electrical coupling" and the like should be broadly understood and include coupling involving any electrical signal, whether a power signal, a data signal, and/or other types or combinations of electrical signals. "Mechanical coupling" and the like should be broadly understood and include mechanical coupling of all types. The absence of the word "removably," "removable," and the like near the word "coupled," and the like does not mean that the coupling, etc. in question is or is not removable.

Semiconductor package configured to electrically couple to a printed circuit board and method of providing same


Method and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for controlling leading. A region including a plurality of lines in data being typeset and displayed on a display device is specified. One of the lines in the plurality of lines is selected, and a user input is received to set a new leading value (S11, S12). The current leading value of the selected line is determined (S13). The difference between the new leading value and the current leading value is determined (S14). The spacing amount of the selected line based on the difference is adjusted. A desktop publishing system for controlling leading is also described.

In DTP using computers, data to be edited is displayed on a display device, and layout and typesetting operations (i.e., character typesetting) are performed on this data based on user input. In typesetting operations, "gyookuri" (leading in European-language typesetting), which is the relative positional relationship between a plurality of lines, is set. Leading is the distance between a line and the next line when the line is displayed or printed, and thus corresponds to the distance from one line's reference point to the next line's reference point. Therefore, leading includes one line's "line height" and the "spacing amount" (i.e., interline spacing) between that line and the next line.
However, there are situations in which the character data to be edited is not just Japanese but also a European language, and there are situations in which the two are mixed together. Therefore a DTP system needs to be capable of processing European languages as well as Japanese, and to handle documents containing a mixture of European languages and Japanese. When doing so, there are a number of points in which the typesetting rules for European language typesetting and Japanese typesetting differ, so automating DTP typesetting operations has proven to be difficult, and conventional DTP using computers must be processed by many manual user operations. Leading in typesetting operations is an example of a situation in which manual intervention by the user at present is unavoidable, thus making the typesetting operation difficult and complicated.
For example, in European language typesetting and conventional DTP, leading (i.e. "gyookuri" in Japanese) is set as a distance from a current line's baseline to a previous line's baseline. That is, as shown in FIG. 7A, in European-language typesetting two lines included in text frame 31 on the screen of a display device displaying data that is undergoing typesetting are coordinated and positioned on their respective baselines 29 and 30, and distance 32 between the first line's baseline and the next line's baseline corresponds to the leading. Therefore the top side of text frame 31, i.e. the top side of the first line, is offset downward by exactly gap 33 from reference line 28 set in the page.
On the other hand, FIG. 7B shows a case in which Japanese text is assigned inside text frame 35. As in FIG. 7A, this is a case in which the text is positioned according to the European-language baseline. Both examples are 24-point characters, and show a situation in which the result of automatic leading setting is leading (e.g. leading 32 and 36) set to a 29-point dimension. Both text frame 31 and 35 are coordinated on the European-language baseline. Nevertheless, the top side and the bottom side of the text frame 35 in FIG. 7B are vertically offset (e.g. gap 37 and 38) from the top side and bottom side of the text frame in FIG. 7A. In FIG. 7B, unlike the case in FIG. 7A, the top side of the text frame, i.e. the top side of the first line, is coordinated with reference line 34 set in the page.
In nearly all electronic typesetting today leading is set with reference to a baseline, so when the leading value of a current line is increased, for example, that line moves downward inside the text frame and is positioned more distantly from the previous line. Nevertheless, changing the current line's position by changing the leading value setting in this manner is not desirable, particularly in Japanese typesetting, so the user needs to manually correct the vertical position of one or more lines each time the set leading value changes.

Determining line leading in accordance with traditional Japanese practices


A heat-dissipating substrate is made of a composite material comprising a first composition primarily composed of aluminum and a second composition primarily composed of silicon carbide and/or silicon The heat-dissipating substrate has a recess in one of its main faces. The main faces have fine unevenness, and the maximum amplitude of the fine unevenness in the depth direction of a main face is smaller than the maximum length in the depth direction of composite particles comprising the first composition and the second composition or particles of the second composition, the particles being exposed at the surface of the main face.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to heat-dissipating substrates suitable for semiconductor devices. In particular, the present invention relates to a heat-dissipating substrate comprising a composite material containing a first composition primarily composed of aluminum and a second composition primarily composed of silicon carbide and/or silicon, a method for making the heat-dissipating substrate, and a semiconductor device including the heat-dissipating substrate.
2. Description of the Background Art
Recently, the integration density of semiconductor devices has increased markedly, and heat generated in the semiconductor devices has also increased exponentially. Thus, heat-dissipating substrates used in semiconductor devices must have high heat dissipation and satisfactory matching of thermal expansion coefficient with semiconductor devices and components for the semiconductor devices.
Furthermore, lighter, thinner, and more compact semiconductor devices are developed; hence, heat-dissipating substrates must be thinner and more compact. Also, heat-dissipating substrates have been required to have various complicated shapes, and these heat-dissipating substrates need to be produced with high dimensional precision and low cost.
A known material for such heat-dissipating substrates is a composite material comprising a metal having a low thermal expansion coefficient and a high thermal conductivity, i.e., tungsten (W) or molybdenum (Mo), and another metal having a high thermal conductivity, i.e., copper (Cu). However, the Wxe2x80x94Cu and Moxe2x80x94Cu composite materials are expensive and heavy. When a heat-dissipating substrate made of such a known composite material is mounted onto a plastic motherboard, the motherboard and ball grid are easily deformed or damaged.
Under such circumstances, light ceramic materials having high thermal conductivity such as aluminum nitride (AlN) and silicon carbide (SiC) have been developed as materials for heat-dissipating substrates. However, ceramic materials have a disadvantage of high process cost since they cannot be easily processed. Countermeasure materials are aluminum (Al) and its alloy, which have high thermal conductivity and are light; however, these have low hardness and are easily damaged.
A variety of Al-based alloys and composite materials have been investigated. For example, a composite material of Al and silicon (Si) or a composite material of Al and a ceramic having high thermal conductivity is used for a heat-dissipating substrate. For example, Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. 63-16458 discloses a composite material of Al and Si (Alxe2x80x94Si composite material). Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 1-501489, 2-243729, 9-157773, 10-280082, and 10-335538 disclose composite materials of Al and SiC (Alxe2x80x94SiC composite materials). Composite materials containing Al, Si, and SiC are also known.
However, since these composite materials contain hard SiC and Si particles, much time is required for finishing processes such as cutting and grinding, and high load is applied to the processing tools, which results in quick wear of the tools. Such high load applies considerable stress to the surfaces of the composite materials and causes deformation of the composite materials such as curvature. As described above, thinner substrates have been developed recently. Such thinner substrates are easily deformed by high load during the finishing process. Since both soft Al particles and hard SiC particles are present in the processed surface, the hard particles are readily scratched off by processing tools and the resulting cavities are filled with deformed Al particles. Furthermore, the surfaces processed with worn tools become more uneven and have low dimensional accuracy.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-280082 discloses a method for making an Alxe2x80x94SiC composite material having a predetermined shape without processing such as cutting and grinding. In this method, a green compact having a shape substantially similar to the final shape is prepared, and surfaces of the green compact are covered with specific layers of silicon oxide or the like to prevent liquation of Al after firing. However, the formation of the specific layers on the surfaces of the compact is very troublesome.
In a thin metal substrate composed of Cu or Al, a shallow recess for mounting a semiconductor device is generally formed by chemical etching or corrosion. For example, WO99/0959 discloses an example of chemical etching for making a multichip module. However, chemical etching is predominantly applied to soft metal materials.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-42579 discloses etching of Alxe2x80x94Si and Alxe2x80x94SiC materials for sliders, which are quite different from semiconductor devices. The abrasion resistance of the slider is improved by causing hard particles to protrude 2 xcexcm or less from the surface by slightly etching the Al matrix after finish-machining the surface by cutting or polishing. This technology, however, does not take account of deformation of the material during cutting and polishing.
Various types of semiconductor packages for higher performance and advanced capabilities are developed. For example, packages of flip-chip mounting types shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 are employed for increased I/O terminals. In these drawings, reference numerals 1a and 1b denote heat-dissipating substrates, reference numeral 2 denotes a semiconductor device mounted on the heat-dissipating substrate, reference numeral 3 denotes a multichip-type wiring layer, reference numeral 4 denotes a ball grid (connection terminal). The heat-dissipating substrate 1a shown in FIG. 7 constitutes a lid whose peripheral frame is directly connected with the wiring layer 3. The heat-dissipating substrate 1b shown in FIG. 8 is of a flat plate and the heat-dissipating substrate 1b and the wiring layer 3 are hermetically sealed with a stiffener 5.
In compliance with the requirement of high performance, packages of flip-chip type, the number of the wiring layers 3 is increased. On the other hand, since the total thickness of the package is specified by a JEDEC (Joint Electron Device Engineering Council) standard, the heat-dissipating substrates 1a and 1b must be thinner so that the package complies with the standard. However, the above-described Alxe2x80x94SiC and Alxe2x80x94Si heat-dissipating substrates easily undergo deformation such as curvature as the thickness is reduced by cutting or grinding. As for the lid-type heat-dissipating substrate 1a shown in FIG. 7, in particular, it is difficult to further reduce the thickness thereof while maintaining high dimensional accuracy.
When the heat-dissipating substrate is used in a package, its product name and lot number are printed on a surface of the heat-dissipating substrate. Thus, the surface must be conditioned so that the print is clear. However, identification of printed data has been difficult in the case of the Alxe2x80x94SiC and Alxe2x80x94Si composite materials, because they exhibit dark or low gray metallic luster, although the color varies depending on the composition of the materials.
An object of the present invention is to provide a thin heat-dissipating substrate which comprises an Al-based composite material composed of Alxe2x80x94SiC, Alxe2x80x94Si, or the like and which does not undergo deformation such as curvature and has a surface that allows data printed thereon such as a product code and lot number to be clearly identified.
A heat-dissipating substrate according to the present invention is made of a composite material comprising a first composition primarily composed of aluminum and a second composition primarily composed of silicon carbide and/or silicon, and has a recess in one of the two main faces thereof, in which the maximum amplitude of the fine unevenness in the depth direction of the surfaces excluding the recess portion is smaller than the maximum length in the depth direction of the composite particles comprising the first composition and the second composition or the particles of the second composition that are exposed at the surface of the same main face.
Preferably, the two main faces have a roughness Ra of 0.2 to 2 xcexcm in terms of the roughness Ra defined in JIS B 0651. Preferably, the two main faces excluding the recess portion are gray or light gray without exhibiting metallic luster.
A method for making a heat-dissipating substrate according to the present invention comprises the following steps: a step of preparing a composite material comprising a first composition primarily composed of aluminum and a second composition primarily composed of silicon carbide and/or silicon; a first etching step of forming a recess in one of the main faces of the composite material by chemical etching; and a second etching step of forming fine unevenness on the main faces by chemical etching such that the maximum amplitude of the fine unevenness in the depth direction of a main face is smaller than the maximum length in the depth direction of composite particles composed of the first composition and the second composition or particles composed of the second composition, which particles are exposed at the surface of the main face.
In the method of making a heat-dissipating substrate according to the invention, the chemical etching in the first etching step is performed with an alkaline or acidic aqueous etching solution containing 30 to 50 percent by mass of etchant and the chemical etching in the second etching step is performed with an alkaline or acidic aqueous etching solution containing 3 to 30 percent by mass of etchant. Preferably, the second alkaline or acidic aqueous etching solution further contains another etchant of an inorganic copper salt or chloride wherein the total etchant concentration in the solution is in the range of 3 to 50 percent by mass. The above-mentioned alkaline or acidic aqueous etching solutions may further contain hydrogen fluoride.

Heat-dissipating substrate, method for making the same, and semiconductor device including the same


A filter external to a tank, including a vessel, a lid for closing the vessel, a basket disposed in the vessel for housing filtering components, a top wall bearing sealingly in a central part of the lid allowing communication with the central part, a water-circulating pump disposed in the central part, and means for automatically removing air from a water delivery side, wherein the water is conveyed through the lid by first piping passing through the lid, the water moving down into the vessel on an outside of the basket, entering the basket via a bottom of the basket, passing upward through the basket over the filtering components and leaving the basket at a top of the basket in the central part to be sucked up by the pump and delivered to second piping passing through the lid toward a pipe delivering to the tank.

Aquariums are generally equipped with an air pump which encourages the settling of microparticles, and possibly with a carbon dioxide generator which encourages the growth of plants contained in the aquarium. These bubbles are drawn in by the water pump, which circulates water through the filter, and expand in the filter. This air or this gas lowers the water level and may cause the impeller blades to come out of the water, giving rise to a cavitation phenomenon, then cause suction to stop and place the installation in a situation where prime is lost. Furthermore, in the event of a power cut or a stopping of the filter, for example while food is being distributed to the fish, the air trapped in the vessel tends to leave this vessel and tends to follow the easiest path. If air gets into the suction side, the siphoning conditions are eliminated and the filter will no longer be able to restart.
A filter external to a tank is provided which can operate without additional noise resulting from cavitation of the pump as a result of the presence of a water and air emulsion, which can restart without problems and without risk of losing its prime after a stoppage due to a power cut or to a deliberate interruption resulting, for example, from the cleaning of the filter.
To this end, the filter to which it relates, of the type comprising a vessel sealingly closed by a lid, the vessel containing at least one basket acting as a housing for filtering components and comprising a top wall bearing sealingly in the central part of the lid and allowing communication with this central part which contains a water-circulating pump, the water being conveyed through the lid by piping passing through the latter, moving down into the vessel on the outside of the basket, entering the basket via its bottom, passing upward through the basket over the filtering components and leaving the basket at the top and in the central part thereof to be sucked up by the pump and delivered to piping passing through the lid toward the pipe delivering to the tank, comprises means for automatically removing air from the water delivery side. As any air that might be contained in the filter is removed automatically from the delivery side, the suction side always has a head of pressure which means that the pump operates normally, without cavitation and without the risk of losing its prime, as soon as it is switched on.
According to one characteristic of this filter, in which the top wall of the basket comprises a collar delimiting a water outlet opening and intended to bear in a groove of the lid, sealing being afforded by a seal, the collar has at least one radial opening. This arrangement gives an air passage at the top of the filter and at a peripheral part thereof, toward the suction zone.
It has been noted that if there is air in the suction zone, particularly in the zone situated near the suction shaft, a residual pocket of air that cannot be reabsorbed is formed.
To remedy this disadvantage, in the filter according to the invention, comprising a suction intake arranged in the interior wall of the lid and comprising a cylindrical component which is mounted in a collar integral with the lid and the central part of which comprises a suction shaft, the collar has at least one through-slot arranged facing an opening in the cylindrical component when the latter is in the position mounted in the collar. Furthermore, the cylindrical component comprises an end wall connecting its peripheral part to the suction shaft, in which end wall at least one hole is made. It is thus possible, at the periphery of the suction shaft, to recover the air which lies in the upper part, and for this air to be removed parallel to the suction shaft to prevent it from building up in this zone with the ensuing disadvantages.

External tank filter, in particular for an aquarium


The present invention provides an improved sol-gel process for the preparation of nanocrystalline CeTi2O6 compound, which has applications in the area of photocatalytic activity. This compound can be obtained by completely drying the solution, which comprises both titanium and cerium precursors into a xerogel and sintering it at a temperature of 1400° C. for 5 min. in air. The Ce:Ti mole ratio in the precursor sol for the preparation of this compound is identified in the range of 0.33:1 and 0.6:1.

In the developmental process of WO3 based transmissive ECDs, we are concentrating our efforts for developing ion storage counter electrode films with a high transmittance for visible light both in the charged and discharged state and an ion storage capacity exceeding 20 mCcm−2 or comparable to WO3 to provide sufficient number of ions for deep colouration. Therefore, work has been undertaken in this direction for the synthesis of CeO2 precursors doped with TiO2 via a wet chemistry route.
The widely used sol-gel process offers numerous advantages over the other conventional deposition techniques, which include tailor making of the film's properties, introduction of porosity in the films, low process cost and possible processing at low temperature. Preparation of CeO2 based films by sol-gel technique has been attempted following various routes. The use of alkoxides, the most popular precursor material in sol-gel processing has been reported by D. Keomany, C. Poinsignon, D. Deroo. in Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 33 (1994) 429-441. Alternately salts of cerium, like CeCl3.7H2O, [(NH4)2{Ce(NO3)6}] in combination with Ti alkoxides have been shown by A. Makishima, M. Asami and K. Wada, in J. Non-Cryst Solids 121 (1990) 310-314 as one of the routes to get CeO2—TiO2 films. Based on the earlier reports on these materials, A. Makishima, M. Asami and K. Wada, in J. Non-Cryst. Solids 121 (1990) 310-314 have performed a study in which the type of alkoxyl group of titanium alkoxide and the kind of catalyst have been varied in order to study their influence on the properties of the films. The films deposited by the authors have been sintered at 500° C. and the XRD patterns of these films are characterized by the appearance of diffraction peaks of the CeO2 phase alone. In our earlier invention, we have reported the preparation of CeTi2O6 compound in thin film form using a sol-gel process employing the same precursor materials as in the present invention. CeTi2O6 thin films have the potential to be used as passive counter electrodes in electrochromic devices.
In the sol-gel process, using alkoxide compounds, hydrolysis and condensation reactions are crucial for obtaining a gel. Through hydroxylation-condensation reactions, oxopolymers from transition metal alkoxides (TMA) can be grown into an oxide network as has been reported by D. C. Bradley, R. C. Mehrotra and D. P. Gaur in Metal Alkoxides (Academic Press, New York, 1978). The normal course of the reaction for transition metal alkoxides dissolved in a solvent leads to precipitation of the polymers. Control of the reactivity of TMA is necessary in order to obtain sols and gels. In titanium-based systems, this control is achieved through the addition of complexing agents and salts such as ceric ammonium nitrate and cerium chloride.
Photocatalytic reaction sensitized by TiO2 and other semiconducting materials has attracted extensive interest as a potential way of solving energy and environmental issues. Several cerium titanates have been investigated for photocatalytic activity. Yellow colored cerium titanate, CeTi2O6 with mainly Ce4+ state is known to cause photobleaching of methylene blue aqueous solution with irradiation of Xe discharge light as reported by S. O-Y-Matsuo, T. Omata, M. Yoshimura in J. Alloys and Compounds, 376 (2004) 262-267. Mixed CeO2—TiO2 films are reported by Q. N. Zhao, C. L. Li, X. J. Zhao in Key Engineering Materials 249 (2003) 451-456 to decolorize methyl orange solutions upon irradiation of the UV light.
Brannerite, UTi2O6 is an accessory phase in the titanate-based crystalline ceramics of synroc as reported by A. E. Ringwood, S. E. Kession, N. G. Ware, W. Hibberson, A. Major in Nature (London) 278 (1979) 219. The ideal formula of natural brannerite is (U,Th)1−xTi2+xO6 with a uranium deficiency and excess titanium. Possible cation substitutions identified in natural brannerite for uranium are Pb, Ca, Th, Y, Ce and for titanium are Si, Al, Fe. Stoichiometric brannerite is monoclinic with space group C2/m. There are two different distorted octahedra in CeTi2O6 structure. Distorted TiO6 octahedra form a zigzag sheet by sharing common edges, and each Ti octahedron shares three edges with titanium octahedra and three corners with cerium octahedra. The sheets of TiO6 octahedra are identical with those of the anatase structure parallel to (101) plane. The Ce cations located at the interlayer sites connect adjacent sheets. Each cerium octahedron shares two common edges with neighboring cerium octahedra and four corners with TiO6 octahedra. As has been reported by K. B. Helean, A. Navrotsky, G. R. Lumpkin, M. Colella, J. Lian, R. C. Ewing, B. Ebbinghaus and J. G. Catalano in J. Nucl. Mater. 320 (2003) 231-244, CeTi2O6 in the powdered form can be prepared by sintering in air (at 1350° C. for >100 h) a pellet containing stoichiometric portions of the oxides, CeO2 and TiO2. The preparation of CeTi2O6 solid solution using cerous nitrate and titanium tetrachloride precursors has been reported by Y. Chen, X. Jiang and L. Lou in CN1565724. As reported by Chen Linchen, Lu Guanglie, and Hu Xiurong in J. Rare Earths, 21 (2003) 108-111, the formation of CeTi2O6 powder using the sol-gel process is possible using precursor materials, Ce(NO3)3.6H2O, Ti(OBu)4 in anhydrous ethanol. The present invention reports the synthesis of CeTi2O6 compound from different precursors i.e. cerium chloride heptahydrate and titanium propoxide.
In the present invention, the CeTi2O6 phase has been achieved in powdered form by the sol-gel technique, which represents a reliable, low-cost chemical route. In comparison to the powdered CeTi2O6 material, which is formed by other research groups by ball milling stoichiometric portions of CeO2 and TiO2, the same material in the present invention is prepared by a simple sol-gel process wherein homogeneous solutions containing different precursors can be prepared at relative ease and greater precision. CeTi2O6 compound has the potential for use as a photocatalytic agent. The CeTi2O6 compound in the present invention has shown superior response as a photocatalyst in comparison to TiO2 powder, which is the best known photocatalytic agent as per the literature reports. Using cerium chloride heptahydrate and titanium propoxide precursors, we have reported earlier in Sol. Ener. Mater. Sol. Cells 86 (2005) 85-103, the formation of a mixed compound of CeO2 and TiO2 i.e. CeO1.6.2TiO2 in thin films at annealing temperature of 500° C. from the Ce:Ti compositions, 4:1 and 2:1.

Sol-gel process for the preparation of nanocrystalline CETI2O6 powder

Council of Scientific & Industrial Research


An in-vehicle coffee maker includes a coffee mug and a brewing station that receives the mug, and has a lid that secures the mug therein. A pump supplies water to the lid from a water reservoir via a water line. A heating element heats the water to a predetermined temperature. The mug includes a mug portion, a drink cap, and a pod retainer. The drink cap includes a pod chamber to hold coffee grounds, and the pod retainer secures the coffee grounds therein. The pod retainer includes a opening for water to pass through, into the pod chamber, which in turn includes an opening for water to drain downward into the mug. The lid of the brewing station includes a nozzle that forms a sealed engagement with the opening in the pod retainer so water supplied from the reservoir to the lid flows into the pod chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to an in-vehicle hot beverage maker for brewing a hot beverage within a motor vehicle.
2. Background of the Invention
Consumers of coffee and tea beverages are known to purchase and drink their selections while driving. It would save time and be convenient if consumers did not have to stop to purchase coffee.
Past concepts have includes 12 volt coffee makers that can be used within a motor vehicle, but these systems are not secured or integrated within the motor vehicle. These systems also do not address issued associated with preventing the spilling of water, post-brew drip, and do not offer sanitary means for disposing of the used coffee grounds. Additionally, these systems typically include a large housing to contain the components of the coffee maker.
Therefore, there is a need for an in-vehicle coffee maker, that is integrated into the vehicle and provides means to prevent spillage of water and post-brew drip, offers a sanitary means to dispose of used coffee grounds, and takes up little space within the vehicle


Methods of selectively etching an exposed portion of a patterned substrate relative to a second exposed portion are described. The etching process is a gas phase etch which uses an oxidizing precursor unexcited in any plasma prior to combination with plasma effluents formed in a remote plasma from an inert precursor. The plasma effluents may be combined with the oxidizing precursor in a plasma-free remote chamber region and/or in a plasma-free substrate processing region. The combination of the plasma effluents excites the oxidizing precursor and removes material from the exposed portion of the patterned substrate. The etch rate is controllable and selectable by adjusting the flow rate of the oxidizing precursor or the unexcited/plasma-excited flow rate ratio.

Integrated circuits are made possible by processes which produce intricately patterned material layers on substrate surfaces. Producing patterned material on a substrate requires controlled methods for removal of exposed material. Chemical etching is used for a variety of purposes including transferring a photoresist pattern into underlying layers, thinning layers or thinning lateral dimensions of features already present on the surface. Often it is desirable to have an etch process which etches one material faster than another helping e.g. a pattern transfer process proceed. Such an etch process is said to be selective of the first material relative to the second material. As a result of the diversity of materials, circuits and processes, etch processes have been developed with a selectivity towards a variety of materials.
Dry etch processes are often desirable for selectively removing material from semiconductor substrates. The desirability stems from the ability to gently remove material from miniature structures with minimal physical disturbance. Dry etch processes also allow the etch rate to be abruptly stopped by removing the gas phase reagents. Some dry-etch processes involve the exposure of a substrate to remote plasma by-products formed from one or more precursors. Remote excitation of etchants in a remote plasma system (instead of locally) may desirably increase selectivity.
In part, methods are needed to further increase selectivity especially when using off-the-shelf remote plasma hardware.


A method and apparatus used for electric isolation transmission are provided. The method includes: providing an isolation transmission circuit having at least one capacitor; and implementing electric isolation between the primary side and secondary side, and suppressing leakage currents generated between the primary side and secondary side and transmitting power. The apparatus includes the isolation transmission circuit that is manufactured by capacitor(s). The apparatus can be applied to light-weight power sources providing AC/DC outputs with high efficiency, adapters, or related products. In addition, the apparatus has a reduced size and higher power transmission efficiency.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric isolation transmission scheme, and more particularly to a method and an apparatus used for electric isolation transmission.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Please refer to FIG. 1, which illustrates a diagram of a conventional power system. The conventional power system utilizes an isolation transformer to implement electric isolation between the primary side and the secondary side. Please refer to FIG. 2, which shows a diagram illustrating a leakage current (i.e. a touch current) due to the isolation transformer in the conventional power system. As shown in FIG. 2, the driving source of the leakage current is a power source having a frequency of 50/60 Hz. In practical applications, parasitic capacitance CK exits between the primary side and the secondary side of the isolation transformer. This results in a worse performance of the electric isolation between the primary side and the secondary side. Usually, the parasitic capacitance CK is small enough, so the generated leakage current is also small and is still safe for use.
In order, however, to satisfy the requirement of electric isolation enhancement between the primary side and the secondary side, it is necessary to apply a double insulation scheme to the conventional isolation transformer. Accordingly, it is impossible to make the size of the conventional isolation transformer (i.e. the thickness of the device) become thinner. In addition, due to copper and iron losses, it is hard to improve the power transmission efficiency.

Method and apparatus for electric isolation transmission

Xuanwu Distrial, Nanjing, Chiang-Su Province