A manufacturing method and apparatus for manufacturing a coated optical fiber which has a superior surface smoothness of a resin coating and which can be coated with a colored ink with high coating performance. In the method including the steps of making a coated optical fiber by forming an outer coating layer around a bare optical fiber; and winding the coated optical fiber via pulleys by a take-up, the surface roughness of each solid body which the outer layer of the running coated optical fiber contacts is 0.8 xcexcm or less. When the temperature of the outer coating layer is a room temperature or the Young""s modulus of the outer coating layer is higher than 500 MPa, the surface roughness of each solid body, which the outer layer of the coated optical fiber contacts during drawing or rewinding, is 1.2 xcexcm or less.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manufacturing method for and to an apparatus for manufacturing high-quality coated optical fibers at high speed, and to coated optical fibers whose coating layers have superior surface smoothness.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, coated optical fibers are manufactured by employing the following method. In the first process, an optical fiber preform (i.e., base material) is melted at approximately 2,000xc2x0 C. so as to form a bare optical fiber by drawing. The bare optical fiber is then made to pass through a cooling system so that the temperature of the bare optical fiber is decreased to approximately 100xc2x0 C. or lower. The bare optical fiber is then coated with a UV curable resin or a thermosetting resin by using a resin coating system, and the resin is cured by using a resin curing system, thereby yielding a coated optical fiber. This coated optical fiber is wound up by a take-up via pulleys.
Recently, productivity has been improved by employing high-speed drawing. However, at high drawing speed of 400 m/min or higher, the amount of movement of the optical fiber in the lateral direction (i.e., perpendicular to the fiber-running direction) increases. In this case, (i) the optical fiber may contact the nipple of the resin coating system, which degrades the strength of the optical fiber, or (ii) the thickness of the coating layer is not uniform, which degrades the characteristics with respect to the lateral (or side) pressure. Here, increase of the flow rates of (i) the gas for cooling the bare or coated optical fiber and (ii) the purge gas in the resin curing system is a cause of such increase of movement of the optical fiber, because the optical fiber vibrates due to the flow of the above gases. There may be various other causes, but the inventors of the present invention found that the smoothness of the surface of the pulley, which the coated optical fiber first contacts, is also related to such movement of the optical fiber in the lateral direction.
In order to solve the above problem, Japanese Patent No. 2863071 discloses a process of manufacturing a coated optical fiber by forming a coated layer around a bare optical fiber and winding this fiber using solid bodies such as pulleys by a winding system, where the surface roughness of the solid body which the coated optical fiber first contacts is 0.6 xcexcm or less. The objective of this invention is to reduce (i) the movement of the optical fiber in the lateral direction and (ii) unevenness of the thickness of the coating layer, and the usage of a solid body having a smooth surface suppresses the lateral movement or vibration of the optical fiber due to the unevenness of the surface of the solid body.
However, though the above conventional invention has the objective of reducing the lateral movement of the optical fiber and the unevenness of the thickness of the coating layer, the conventional invention has no objective of improving the smoothness of the surface of the coated optical fiber. In addition, Japanese Patent No. 2863071 discloses only the surface roughness of the solid body which the coated optical fiber first contacts and does not disclose the surface roughness of each of the following solid bodies which, the optical fiber contacts in turn and of the solid bodies used in the processes other than the drawing process, for example, solid bodies which the optical fiber contacts in a rewinding process.
In addition, the surface temperature and the Young""s modulus of the optical fiber are not investigated in the above patent.
In the drawing process of the coated optical fiber, the temperature of the coating layer of the coated optical fiber after passing through the UV lamp (i.e., UV radiation device) is higher than room temperature, and such a high-temperature coated optical fiber contacts solid bodies such as a capstan (to which the fiber is applied) and a dancer (including a dancer pulley) before being wound up by the take-up (i.e., winding system or machine).
Generally, the capstan, the dancer, a path line pulley, and the take-up are made of metal. For example, iron (Fe) has a Young""s modulus of 60,000 MPa (megapascal) though this value varies due to the quality of the material. Stainless steel and aluminium have Young""s moduli of a similar order. Other materials such as ceramics may also be used; however, these materials are all hard material and have a Young""s modulus of a few ten thousand MPa.
On the other hand, the surface of the outer coating layer of the coated optical fiber has a Young""s modulus of approximately a few hundred MPa, and as explained above, the Young""s modulus of each solid body, which the optical fiber contacts, is a few ten thousand MPa. It is obvious that when a hard body is pushed against a softer material (i.e., the coating layer of the coated optical fiber), the softer coating layer will deform. In particular, if the temperature of the outer coating layer of the coated optical fiber is high, such contact with a solid body causes considerable effects on the coating layer.
Therefore, when the surface smoothness of the solid bodies, which the coated optical fiber contacts, is inferior, the surface of the coated optical fiber is made slightly uneven. Such an uneven surface may be easily observed as being an inferior product, thereby considerably degrading its commercial value.
In addition the coated optical fiber is generally coated with a colored ink so as to distinguish each fiber from the others when coated optical fibers are coated so as to produce an optical cable, cord, ribbon, or tape. If the surface of the optical fiber is slightly uneven, the performance of the colored ink coating may be degraded.
In consideration of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to investigate the relationships between the temperature and the Young""s modulus of the outer coating layer of the optical fiber and the surface roughness of the solid bodies which contact the optical fiber during the drawing process, and to provide a manufacturing method and apparatus for manufacturing a coated optical fiber which has a superior surface smoothness of a resin coating and which can be coated with a colored ink with high coating performance, thereby preventing inferiority of the appearance and coloring on the coated optical fiber which is caused by inferior smoothness of the surface of the resin coating layer.
Therefore, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a coated optical fiber, comprising the steps of:
making a coated optical fiber by forming an outer coating layer around a bare optical fiber; and
winding the coated optical fiber via pulleys by a take-up,
wherein the surface roughness of each solid body which the outer layer of the running coated optical fiber contacts is 0.8 xcexcm or less.
According to the above method, the smoothness of the outer coating layer of the coated optical fiber can be improved. Therefore, it is possible to manufacture a coated optical fiber having superior surface smoothness and superior coloring performance using a colored ink.
As a typical example, when the temperature of the outer coating layer is 35xc2x0 C. or higher, the surface roughness of each solid body which the outer layer of the coated optical fiber contacts is 0.8 xcexcm or less.
As another typical example, when the Young""s modulus of the outer coating layer is 500 MPa or lower, the surface roughness of each solid body which the outer layer of the coated optical fiber contacts is 0.8 xcexcm or less.
The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing a coated optical fiber, comprising the steps of:
making a coated optical fiber by forming an outer coating layer around a bare optical fiber; and
winding the coated optical fiber via pulleys by a take-up,
wherein when at least one of the conditions that the temperature of the outer coating layer is a room temperature and the Young""s modulus of the outer coating layer is higher than 500 MPa is satisfied, the surface roughness of each solid body, which the outer layer of the coated optical fiber contacts during drawing or rewinding, is 1.2 xcexcm or less.
Accordingly, the smoothness and the coloring performance (using a colored ink) of the outer coating layer of the coated optical fiber can be improved while the manufacturing cost is reduced.
The present invention also provides a coated optical fiber manufactured by a method as explained above, wherein the coated optical fiber has an average surface roughness of 0.2 xcexcm or less (0.15 xcexcm or less is more preferable) so as to reduce the defect percentage of coloring of the fiber.
The present invention also provides an apparatus for manufacturing a coated optical fiber, comprising:
a drawing furnace for melting an optical fiber preform and forming a bare optical fiber;
a cooling system for cooling the formed bare optical fiber;
a resin coating system for coating the bare optical fiber with resin which functions as an outer coating layer of the coated optical fiber;
a curing system for curing the resin; and
pulleys arranged in a path line along which the coated optical fiber is transferred to a take-up,
wherein the surface roughness of each solid body which the outer layer of the running coated optical fiber contacts is 0.8 xcexcm or less.
According to the above apparatus, the smoothness of the outer coating layer of the coated optical fiber can be improved. Therefore, it is possible to manufacture a coated optical fiber having superior surface smoothness and superior coloring performance using a colored ink.
The present invention also provides an apparatus for manufacturing a coated optical fiber, comprising:
a drawing furnace for melting an optical fiber preform and forming a bare optical fiber;
a cooling system for cooling the formed bare optical fiber;
a resin coating system for coating the bare optical fiber with resin which functions as an outer coating layer of the coated optical fiber;
a curing system for curing the resin; and
pulleys arranged in a path line along which the coated optical fiber is transferred to a take-up,
wherein when at least one of the conditions that the temperature of the outer coating layer is a room temperature and the Young""s modulus of the outer coating layer is higher than 500 MPa is satisfied, the surface roughness of each solid body (i.e., a constituent of the path line) which the outer layer of the coated optical fiber contacts is 1.2 xcexcm or less.
Accordingly, the smoothness and the coloring performance (using a colored ink) of the outer coating layer of the coated optical fiber can be improved while the manufacturing cost is reduced.
The present invention also provides a coated optical fiber manufactured by an apparatus as explained above, wherein the coated optical fiber has an average surface roughness of 0.2 xcexcm or less (0.15 xcexcm or less is more preferable) so as to reduce the defect percentage of coloring of the fiber.

Coated optical fiber and manufacturing method and apparatus therefor


A dielectric ceramic composition including a base material represented by (Ba(1-x)+REx)mTiO(3+x) (here, 0.995≦m≦1.010, 0.001<x<0.010, and RE is at least one rare earth (RE) atom selected from a group consisting of Dy, Y, Ho, Sm, and Gd) or Bam(Ti+REx)O(3-x) (here, 0.995≦m≦1.010, 0.001<x<0.010, and RE is at least one RE atom selected from a group consisting of Dy, Y, Ho, Sm, and Gd) as a main component, and a multi-layer ceramic capacitor using the same. In the dielectric ceramic composition, high permittivity (dielectric constant of 1800 or more) and high temperature reliability may be secured by using a RE atom doped/solid-solubilized base material and adding oxides, which are sub-components.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a dielectric ceramic composition and a multi-layer ceramic capacitor comprising the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, as a size of display devices such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), or the like, has increased and a speed of a central processing unit (CPU) has increased, a heat generation problem has become severe. Therefore, market needs for an X5R or X7R type multi-layer ceramic capacitor capable of securing stable capacitance and reliability at a high temperature for stable operation of an integrated circuit (IC) has increased.
Further, in accordance with the general trends toward miniaturization, lightness, and multi-functionality of electronic products, a multi-layer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) chip product having a small size, high capacitance, and high pressure has continuously been demanded. Therefore, excellent withstand voltage and DC-bias characteristics in addition to thinness of a dielectric layer have been importantly considered in developing the X5R or X7R type multi-layer ceramic capacitor.
The thinness and high pressure increases an intensity of electric field applied to the dielectric layer to deteriorate the DC-bias and withstand voltage characteristics. Particularly, a fine structural defect due to the thinness may have a severe negative influence on the withstand voltage characteristics such as breakdown voltage (BVD), high temperature insulation resistance (IR), and the like.
In order to prevent the negative influence, base material powder should be essentially atomized. However, when a grain size of the base material is decreased, it is more difficult to implement capacitance temperature characteristics, and permittivity may be decreased. Therefore, it is difficult to develop a dielectric raw material.
In order to solve this problem, selection of a base material, development of an additive composition, a material process such as dispersion, or the like, an internal electrode, a control of a firing process should be comprehensively and multilaterally studied. Particularly, it is very important to select a ceramic composition playing a conclusive role in physical properties of a raw material.
The existing high capacitance dielectric ceramic composition satisfying X5R or X7R characteristics (Electronic Industries Association (EIA) standard) is configured to add rare earth (RE) atoms (hereinafter, referred to as the RE atom), a transition element, and sintering aids to BaTiO3 as a main component.
However, in the existing dielectric composition, since it is difficult to control a reaction and sintering property changed depending on a kind of RE atoms, it is not easy to implement reliability so as to satisfy specifications of a product at the time of changing the kind of RE atoms. In addition, in the existing dielectric composition, as the dielectric layer containing BaTiO3 is thin, since it is difficult to control movement of oxygen vacancy causing deterioration of reliability, it is difficult to implement high permittivity.

Dielectric ceramic composition and multi-layer ceramic capacitor comprising the same


An object of the present invention is to provide a solid-state imaging apparatus capable of providing a high S/N ratio in a plurality of operation modes, and a method for driving the same. Provided is a solid-state imaging apparatus including: a plurality of pixels (1), each of the pixels including a photoelectric conversion unit for generating a charge by photoelectric conversion and accumulating the charge; and an amplifier 2 connected to a plurality of the pixels, to amplify the charge generated by the pixels, wherein the amplifier 2 includes an offset voltage setting unit (SW1) for setting at least two offset voltages.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solid-state imaging apparatus and a method for driving the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,307,195 describes a solid-state imaging apparatus in which charge overflowed from a photoelectric conversion unit during optical charge accumulation flows into a floating diffusion (FD) unit via a transfer gate, and discloses a dynamic range expansion method. In this case, a reset signal is read out after a light signal is read out.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-297546 discloses a solid-state imaging apparatus in which charges accumulated in pixels are read out by means of amplifiers provided for each column of the pixels arranged in plural columns. A read out circuit with an amplifier provided for each column is called a columnar amplifying system, which is known as being able to reduce random noise.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-297546 describes that after a reset signal corresponding to resetting of a pixel is read out, an optical signal, which is based on a charge accumulated in a photoelectric conversion unit, is read out.

Solid-state imaging apparatus and method for driving the same


In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, a method is presented which comprises searching for at least a device that is capable of a point-to-point transmission of media data. If such a device is not selected for the point-to-point transmission, a transmission of the media data is started on a second communication interface using a broadcast transmission.

As digital storage becomes more and more ubiquitous, users store media data increasingly on mobile and fixed devices that are connectable to or a part of a media replaying device. Especially, in the case of mobile devices like MP3-players or mobile video players, users may connect their devices to a home multimedia center, a home video system, a home stereo system or a car stereo system to replay media data stored on the device. Wireless connections are available as an alternative or in addition to cable connections.
Many kinds of devices are available that can store music or other audio files or that provide audio streaming. In addition to playback devices like MP3-players or CD-players, there are mobile devices that contain an audio player application in addition to a number of further applications like a mobile phone, a camera etc. For example, a number of mobile phone models contain an audio player (for example an MP3 player) or a video player. Further, also mobile computers like laptops are used to store and replay music or audio collections.
Audio can be stored in a large variety of digital and analogue formats. For example, the audio may be stored in a memory in a digitally coded form like MP3, Ogg Vorbis, AAC (advanced audio coding) or PCM (pulse code modulation), or it may be received through a wireless or wired connection such as a mobile or fixed line internet connection in a digital form.
Mobile devices often do not have high quality loudspeakers due to their size constraints. Their power typically comes from small batteries and they cannot support high quality loudspeakers for a long time. The preferred listening method for a mobile apparatus may be by headphone. However, a user may want to listen to his audio or music collection at home with the home stereo system or in a car through the car stereo system. Different connectors may be needed for cable connections, and therefore more than one cable may be needed for connecting the mobile device to more than one other device. A cable connection may break under mechanical stress. Instead, a wireless connection may be used. For example, stereo audio may be transmitted from a mobile device through a Bluetooth™ connection using A2DP (advanced audio distribution profile). A2DP is defined in the Bluetooth™ specification.
Apart from Bluetooth™, several short range radio systems may provide a wireless connection for media transfer. Point-to-point transmission systems (like WLAN or WiMAX) and broadcasting and/or multicasting may be used. In the area of broadcasting, there are analogue and digital transmission systems. FM (frequency modulation) transmission is an analogue transmission using licensed radio frequencies. FM receivers can be found in many homes, in many car stereo systems and also in a number of mobile devices. In addition, unlicensed low power FM transmission is now allowed in many countries including the United States of America, where this is regulated in FCC rule 15.
In unlicensed FM transmissions, the audio player "mimics" a conventional FM radio station and transmits the audio data encoded as a standard FM radio broadcast transmission. Additional features that are defined for FM transmissions, like RDS (radio data system), can be used in unlicensed FM transmissions as well. Unlicensed FM transmitters can be used in the car or home environment in order to replay the stored audio content of the audio player on the car radio or home stereo system.
Examples of digital broadcast transmissions systems are DAB (digital audio broadcast), DMB (digital media broadcast), DVB (digital video broadcast), and MediaFLO™ (media forward link only).
An unlicensed transmitter (either analogue or digital) can "mimic" a conventional licensed transmitter, so that the digital transmission can be received by a receiver, for example a receiver designed to receive transmissions from a licensed transmitter of the system.
Devices may be equipped with more than one transmitter/receiver in order to provide communication capability for different requirements, like different data rates, but also to provide for increased availability. A mobile device may comprise a Bluetooth™ interface, an FM transmitter/receiver, an infrared interface, a WLAN interface and a DVB-H transmitter/receiver in addition to a cellular interface like GSM (global system for mobile communications).

Apparatus and method for transmission of audio signals


A system comprising, a sense portion comprising a NAND logic gate that receives a first input logic signal associated with a lower voltage, wherein the sense portion outputs a sense logic signal, an intermediary portion comprising, a node operative to output an intermediary signal, a first pull down device, wherein the first pull down device receives a second input logic signal associated with the lower voltage complimentary with respect to the first input logic signal, a first pull up device that receives the sense logic signal, wherein the first pull up device is connected to a power supply at the higher operating voltage, and a second pull up device that receives the output logic signal associated with a higher voltage, an inverter portion, outputting the first output logic signal associated with the higher voltage responsive to a state of the intermediary signal.

This invention relates to a digital integrated circuits, and more specifically to a system for improved delay voltage level shifting.
CMOS-based (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) integrated circuits operate at a voltage input supplied by voltage rails. Power consumption in the core logic of the integrated circuit may be minimized if low rail voltages are used. The output digital signals of the core logic typically switch between the rail voltage and ground. Sometimes the low rail voltages of the integrated circuit are insufficient to be used as output voltages for a CMOS signal that is sent from the core logic. The output voltage is increased in a level shifting input/output (IO) circuit to facilitate sending the CMOS signal. Previous level shifting IO circuits experience delays and may induce an undesirable DC current path through the circuit.

International Business Machines Corporation


A bathtub has a shell for transmitting light thorough a thickness. A light emitting diode is disposed under the shell, in which the light from the light emitting diode is transmitted thorough the thickness of the shell. A bathtub includes a reflector sheet for reflecting light from the light emitting diode. The light emitting diode may be disposed between the reflector sheet and the shell. A bathtub includes a light diffuser panel disposed between the shell and the light emitting diode. A bathtub includes a support panel disposed between the shell and the light emitting diode.

Most conventional freestanding baths today are manufactured out of opaque acrylic, reinforced with FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic consisting typically of resin, fiberglass, fillers and catalyst) or similar reinforcing backing which is then placed into another acrylic skirt designed to hide the reinforcing backing. The skirts may be an integral part of the bath vessel or they may be separate and attached to the bath vessel allowing for a space between the vessel and the bath skirt for plumbing or equipment. There have been some attempts to produce a freestanding bath with opaque, translucent or semi translucent acrylic as an alternative to this but there design and support structure needed improvements and they ultimately have not sold well in the market. As of today there is no current manufacturer of translucent or semi translucent acrylic freestanding baths in the market.
Conventional freestanding baths that require FRP reinforcement are difficult to manufacture and less environmentally friendly due to the additional labor and material required to reinforce the acrylic shells and the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released into the atmosphere during the FRP process.
Current freestanding baths are not easily leveled once installed. Typically, the baths need to be shimmed, if the floor is not level. This process can be difficult and additional shim block detracts from the overall appearance. Further, the leveling systems are not easy to use and are aesthetically unacceptable to a portion of the population. Current freestanding baths are difficult to properly secure to the floor to avoid unwanted moving of the bath once installed.
The current free standing baths do not provide lighting for the well of the bath. Alternatively, if a through-wall light is provided, it is difficult to access and is aesthetically unacceptable to some end-users of conventional bathtubs.
In another deficiency, current freestanding baths do not adequately support the acrylic shell. The bath shell may have undesirable high stresses around the drain area of the acrylic bath shell, low resistance to point impact loads, loads on the rim and bottom and loads on unsupported bath tub areas.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for an improved freestanding bath to overcome problems in the art as an alternate to the existing freestanding baths in the market today. There is also a need to provide a unique way to illuminate the bath shell and the water in the well.


An electric connector, includes an insulated housing, a male plug at one end of the housing and a female socket on the opposite end of the housing. The male plug and female socket respectively have an electrode and an electrode slice which is electrically connected with a pair of the male plug and female socket inside the housing. The female socket has an opening adaptive to accommodate the male plug and enable a connection between the electrode of the male plug and that of the female socket. The invention also provides a movable device using the electric connector. According to the invention, a plurality of movable devices with a charging unit can be charged simultaneously and the charging process can be simplified, thereby improving the utilization and safety of the movable devices and lowering the cost of maintenance.

With the development of business and public services, movable devices like trolleys or luggage barrows which facilitate user's carry of luggage and goods have been widely used in public places such as shopping mall, supermarket, and airport. In order to enable users to access more information on consumption or other related information easily and timely, electronic playback devices are installed on the conventional trolley and luggage barrow so that users can get information and merchants can play location information, navigation information, advertising information and other related information. However, since charging of a conventional trolley has to rely on fixed external power plug, the number of trolleys being charged simultaneously is limited by the number of the external power plugs. For a large public place having thousands of trolleys, it is difficult to charge a number of trolleys simultaneously, which is inconvenient.
Furthermore, exposed power supply port on a trolley or luggage barrow is disadvantageous to the safe use thereof, and liable to cause inconvenience in operation.
In addition, the conventional charging method requires a large number of fixed external power plugs, which causes the management thereof inconvenient and uneconomical.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Electrical connector and movable device using the same


The present invention relates to a fragrance composition containing a mixture of (9E)-undecenonitrile, (9Z)-undecenonitrile, and 10-undecenonitrile, which can be combined with additional fragrance ingredients, and which is useful in perfumery, and a process of preparing a scented consumer product using the composition.

The present invention relates to fragrance compositions containing a mixture of (9E)-undecenonitrile, (9Z)-undecenonitrile, and 10-undecenonitrile, to a process of providing a fragrance to a substrate using these compositions, and to a process for preparing scented consumer products containing the mixture.
Aldehydes with hesperidic and floral notes are important perfumery ingredients. Examples of such aldehydes are, e.g., octanal, nonanal, decanal, undecanal, 10-undecanal, and citral. However, these aldehydes are readily chemically altered under oxidizing conditions or in solutions having a pH lower than 5 or higher than 9. Under these conditions the above mentioned aldehydes are chemically modified and therefore lose their fragrance characteristics and/or generate additional off notes.
Nitriles such as (9E)-undecenonitrile (1)
are described in the literature. Zhu et al. describe the synthesis of (9E)-undecenonitrile (1) by oxidative addition of functionalized organozinc compounds with allylic halide mediate (Zhu L. et al., J. Org. Chem. 1991, 56, 1445). In Adamczyk, M. et al., Tetrahedron 1999, 55, 63 (9Z)-undecenonitrile (2) has been described as an intermediate in the synthesis of pyridinoline. (Adamczyk, M. et al., Tetrahedron 1999, 55, 63). Miyaura et al. used 10-undecenonitrile (3) as the starting material for a palladium catalyzed cross coupling reaction (Miyaura, N. et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1989, 111, 314). Further, a mixture of 3-methyl-5-phenyl-pentanenitrile and 3-methyl-5-cylcohexyl-pentanenitrile is disclosed in WO 99/26601.
The use of other nitrites such as decanonitrile, dodecanonitrile, tetrahydrogeranonitrile, Geranonitrile (3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienenitrile) and LEMONILE(copyright) (3,7-dimethyl-2(3),6-nonadienenitrile) is known in perfumery. These compounds are less chemically altered under strong acid, basic, and/or oxidizing conditions than aldehydes, and they exhibit aldehydic and hesperidic notes with floral aspects which are similar to those of the above mentioned aldehydes. However, a harsh, metallic odor appears as concomitant of these nitrites, which confers a xe2x80x9csyntheticxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cdirty, fattyxe2x80x9d aspect to the compositions to which they are applied.
An object of the present invention is to provide a fragrance composition which has a fresh sparkling, floral, fruity, and warm odor and a high stability under aggressive alkaline conditions.
Another object of the present invention to provide a fragrance composition which has a fresh sparkling, floral, fruity, and warm odor and a high stability under aggressive acidic conditions.
It is further object of the present invention to provide a fragrance composition which has a fresh sparkling, floral, fruity, and warm odor and a high stability under aggressive oxidative conditions.
One embodiment of the present invention is a fragrance composition containing a mixture of (9E)-undecenonitrile, (9Z)-undecenonitrile, and 10-undecenonitrile.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a process for providing a fragrance to a substrate by contacting a substrate with a fragrance composition wherein the fragrance composition contains a mixture of:
(a) (9E)-undecenonitrile;
(b) (9Z)-undecenonitrile; and
(c) 10-undecenonitrile.
A further embodiment of the present invention is a process for preparing a scented consumer product by:
combining a mixture of:
i) (9E)-undecenonitrile,
ii) (9Z)-undecenonitrile, and
iii) 10-undecenonitrile
with a base material for a consumer product.
The present invention relates to a fragrance composition containing a mixture of (9E)-undecenonitrile, (9Z)-undecenonitrile, and 10-undecenonitrile.
It has been found that mixtures of (9E)-undecenonitrile, (9Z)-undecenonitrile, and 10-undecenonitrile have a well-balanced fresh, sparkling floral, fruity, and warm odor and do not have the typical greasy, fatty character of nitriles. These mixtures also exhibit a very nice natural and lactonic aspect which is new for nitrile compositions. Additionally, mixtures of the present invention exhibit an astonishing olfactory stability in hostile media. Mixtures of the present invention are characterized by their outstanding stability under neutral, aggressive acidic, alkaline, and/or oxidizing conditions, by their excellent diffusion and pleasant odor and especially by lacking the greasy, fatty character of other nitriles. In many aspects, the compositions of the present invention are better than the current benchmark compound decanonitrile and are therefore preferred.
The fragrance composition according to the present invention, may be used alone or in combination with numerous fragrance ingredients of natural and/or synthetic origin. The range of the natural fragrances includes in addition to volatile, also moderately and only slightly volatile components. Synthetic fragrance ingredients belong to practically all classes of fragrant substances. Examples of such natural and synthetic ingredients are listed e.g. in xe2x80x9cperfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin,xe2x80x9d S. Arctander, Ed., Elizabeth, N.J., 1960 and xe2x80x9cperfume and Flavor Chemicals,xe2x80x9d S. Arctander, Ed., Vol. I and II, Allured Publishing Corporation, Carol Stream, USA, 1994.
An additional fragrance ingredient can be added to the mixture of the fragrance composition according to the present invention. A fragrance ingredient is defined as a substance with olfactory characteristics. An additional fragrance ingredient may consist of one or more ingredients. The compositions of the present invention harmonize particularly well with additional fragrance ingredients such as fresh, hesperidic notes (lemon, mandarin, etc.), fruity accords (peach, apricot, etc.), floral notes (lily of the valley, rose, iris, jasmine, ylang-ylang, narcissus notes, etc.), green and agrestic notes (galbanum, tagete, lavender, thyme, etc.).
(9E)-undecenonitrile is the major compound in the mixture of the fragrance composition according to the present invention, making up more than 30% by weight of the mixture. Preferably, the mixture is made up of between about 30% and about 80% by weight of (9E)-undecenonitrile, more preferably between about 40% and about 60% by weight. In a preferred embodiment, 10-undecenonitrile is the minor component in the mixture, making up less than 40% by weight of the mixture. Preferably, the mixture is made up of between about 0.01% and about 30% by weight, more preferably between 5% and 20% by weight, of 10-undecenonitrile.
Due to their excellent odor and application qualities, the compositions of the present invention are excellent for use in any field of perfumery, especially in functional perfumery. Consumer products with a non-hostile or a hostile media containing a fragrant composition according to the present invention, as well as an additional ingredient, are preferred. Consumer products with a non-hostile (neutral characteristics) media include alcoholic solutions, shampoos, hair conditioners, bath oils, air fresheners, cosmetics, and skin care products. Consumer products with aggressive alkaline media (xe2x80x9calkaline mediumxe2x80x9d) include soaps, laundry detergents, bleaches, automatic dishwashing powders, and scouring powders. Consumer products with aggressive acidic media (xe2x80x9cacidic mediumxe2x80x9d) include fabric softeners, deodorants, antiperspirants, and cleaners containing citric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfonic acid, or phosphoric acid. Consumer products with aggressive oxidizing media (xe2x80x9coxidizing mediumxe2x80x9d) include hair colorants and bleaches.
As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cneutralxe2x80x9d means a pH of between about 5 and about 9; the term xe2x80x9caggressive acidicxe2x80x9d means a pH of less than about 5; the term xe2x80x9caggressive alkalinexe2x80x9d means a pH of greater than about 9; and the term xe2x80x9caggressive oxidizingxe2x80x9d means oxidizing agents in liquid products (e.g., NoOCl ( greater than 1% ww active chlorine), H2O2 ( greater than 1% ww)), and/or oxidizing agents in solid products (e.g., perborate or percabonate ( greater than 5% ww)).
The amount of the fragrant compositions of the present invention in the product, alone or in combination with other fragrance ingredients, varies depending on the nature of the product, and the intensity of the desired odor. These factors are known to those skilled in the art. Preferably, the compositions of the present invention are present in the range of 0.01% to 1% in the product.
The compositions of the present invention can be used in a variety of cleansing products for household and commercial applications, including bleaches, laundry detergents, dishwasher detergents, stain removers, scouring agents, fabric softeners, soaps, and all purpose and special cleaners, in various forms including liquids, gels, sprays, bars, sticks, and powders.
As used herein, the term xe2x80x9csubstratexe2x80x9d means a fabric, a hard surface, skin, hair, or any other surface upon which it would be desirable to impart a fragrance.
The fragrance compositions according to the present invention can be obtained either by a one-pot reaction from a mixture of the corresponding aldehydes, or by mixing the purified nitrites (1)-(3), obtained from the pure corresponding aldehydes. It is not necessary, but it is possible, to purify the aldehyde mixture before starting the one-pot reaction.
The scented consumer products for functional perfumery are prepared by admixing the mixture of (9E)-undecenonitrile, (9Z)-undecenonitrile, and 10-undecenonitrile, other optional fragrance ingredients, and a base material, e.g., a consumer product containing liquid and/or solid ingredients and a medium.
The following examples are provided to further illustrate the process of the present invention. These examples are illustrative only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

Fragrance composition comprising a mixture of nitriles


According to one embodiment, an image erasing apparatus includes an erasing unit to perform erasing processing to a sheet on which a specific pattern is formed with decoloring toner, a reading unit to read an image on the sheet to which the erasing processing is performed by the erasing unit, a detecting unit to detect erasing residue on the sheet, based on the image read by the reading unit, and a specific pattern forming unit to form a specific pattern again on the sheet, when the erasing residue is detected by the detecting unit.

Conventionally, there is an image forming apparatus which forms an image using image forming material that can be erased (decolored) by prescribed erasing processing. In addition, in order to protect an image (security image) required for protection of duplication prohibition and so on, an image forming apparatus may form an image of a specific pattern such as an electronic watermark along with the security image. However, actually, erasable image forming material has not been erased completely, and thereby an erasing residue may be generated. When the specific pattern is erased by the erasing processing, and a part of the security image remains in the replicable state, the part of the security image might become in the illegally replicable state.

Image erasing apparatus, image forming apparatus and image erasing method


A router may be tested using a packet-based testing technique in which the test packets are generated by the router. In one implementation, a forwarding plane in a router may include a first component to process header information of packets to determine forwarding information, and a memory component to store payload data for the packets. A control plane of the router may generate test packets, insert the test packets into the forwarding plane, receive a second set of packets from the forwarding plane, analyze the second set of packets to determine whether the second set of packets correspond to the inserted plurality of test packets, and output, based on the analysis, test results, relating to the operation of the routing device.

Computing and communication networks typically include devices, such as routers, switches or gateways, which transfer or switch data, such as packets, from one or more sources to one or more destinations. A network switch or router, in particular, may include a networking device that connects network segments and computing devices.
The size and capacity of a particular router may vary considerably depending on the intended application of the router. For example, routers may provide connectivity inside enterprises, between enterprises and the Internet, and inside Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The largest routers may interconnect ISPs, may be used inside ISPs, or may be used in very large enterprise networks. The smallest routers may provide connectivity for small businesses and/or home offices.
Routers may include memory that is used to store packets as the packets are being processed by the router. During manufacture of the router, it may be desirable to test the operation of the router, including the memory in the router, to ensure the memory is free of defects. Memory controllers in the router may include test circuits designed to test a low-level integrity of the memory. Some memory-related errors, however, may not be detectable by simply testing the integrity of each individual memory location. Dedicated router testing devices ("router testers") can be plugged into the input port(s) of the router. Router testers may provide a stream of test packets to the router so that the router may be tested in a simulated run-time environment. Memory testing procedures based on the use of router testers may find memory-related errors that may not be detectable using the low-level memory testing circuits of the memory controllers.
Exhaustively testing all the ports of a router using router testers, however, can be a prohibitively time consuming and expensive effort for a router manufacturer.

Packet-based memory test of a network device


Glycosylated valproic acid and its analogs are provided. In some embodiments, the glycosylated valproic acid and its analogs have improved solubility and are ideal for drug delivery to treat a variety of diseases.

Valproic acid is a carboxylic acid that has been used to treat epilepsy and other CNS disorders such as manic episodes in bipolar disorder and in migraine headaches. More recent research has shown it to be a strong histone deacetylase (HDAC) Class 1 epigenetic inhibitor. HDACs are chromatin remodeling factors that normally help condense DNA into its compact form. When chromatin is in its compacted form, transcription or other factors cannot access DNA and viruses that infect cells such as HIV stay bound and hidden, eluding the attack of anti-viral therapy. HDAC inhibitors including valproic acid are thought to transform the chromatin in the latently infected cell from its condensed (or transcriptional silent) form to its less condensed (or transcriptional active) form. HDAC inhibitors also have implications in stem cell proliferation and reprogramming of adult stem cells.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,573 describes 2-propyl-2-pentanoic acid (valproic acid) esters of formula (I):
and (E)-2-propyl-2-pentenoic acid (E)-2-valproenoic acid esters of formula (II)
wherein R is an alkoxyalkyl, alkanoyloxyalkyl, aroyloxyalkyl, alkoxycarbonyloxyalkyl, aralkenoyloxyalkyl group, a mono- or bicyclic heterocycloalkyl group, which may be saturated or unsaturated and optionally substituted with a C1-C4 alkyl group or an oxo group; the above cited alkyl, alkoxyl and alkanoyl groups having straight or branched chain and containing 1 to 10 carbon atoms.
In formulae I and II of U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,573, R preferably represents 2-methoxyethyl, 2-isopropoxyethyl, 2-butoxyethyl, 1-methyl-2-methoxyethyl, acetoxymethyl, 2-acetoxyethyl, pivaloyloxymethyl, 1- and 2-pivaloyloxyethyl, 2-propyl-pentanoyloxymethyl, 2-propyl-pentenoyloxymethyl, 2-(2-propylpentanoyloxy)ethyl, 2-(2-propyl-pentenoyloxy)ethyl, 1-ethoxycarbonyloxyethyl, 2-benzoyloxyethyl, 2-(3,4,5-trimethoxylbenzoyloxy)ethyl, 2-cinnamoyloxyethyl, 2-phthalidyl, 2-(N-succinimido)ethyl, (5-methyl-2-oxo-1,3-dioxolene-4-yl)methyl, 2-pyridylmethyl.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,579,375 discloses compounds of the formula
wherein R1 represents optionally protected hydroxy or oxo, indicates R-configuration, S-configuration or a mixture of these in an arbitrary proportion,n represents an integer of 1 to 3, andm represents 0 or an integer of 1 to 10; andwherein two or more R1's are not bound to the same carbon atom other than the terminal carbon atom,a salt thereof or a prodrug thereof. In some embodiments, the compound can have a metal.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,569,609 describes compounds of the formula (I):
wherein R1 is C1-10 alkyl having one carbon substituted by 1-3 of fluorine(s); R2 is hydroxy, C1-4 alkoxy, C1-4 alkoxy substituted by 1 of phenyl, or NR3R4, in which R3 and R4 each, independently, is (i) hydrogen, (ii) C1-4 alkyl, (iii) phenyl, (iv) phenyl substituted by C1-4 alkoxy or carboxyl, (v) 4-7 membered heterocyclic ring containing one nitrogen or (vi) C1-4 alkyl substituted by phenyl, phenyl substituted by C1-4 alkoxy or carboxyl, or 4-7 membered heterocyclic ring containing one nitrogen, or the nitrogen atom bonded to them, taken together is 4-7 membered saturated heterocyclic ring containing one or two nitrogen(s) or one nitrogen and one oxygen, or amino acid residue; with the proviso that, R1 is not F—(CH2)4—, F—(CH2)5—, F—(CH2)6—, F3C—CH2—; and non-toxic salts thereof and acid addition salts thereof,and compounds of formula (X):
wherein n is 0 or 1; R11 is hydrogen or chlorine; R5 is R7—CH2— or R8, or R5 and R11, taken together is C3-10 alkylidene; R7 is F—(CH2)m—, in which m is 4-6, F3C—CH2—, C2-10 alkyl substituted by 1 or 2 of chlorine(s), or C1-5 alkyl substituted by 1 or 2 of C1-4alkoxy, C3-7 cycloalkyl, phenyl or phenoxy; R8 is (i) C3-10 alkyl (ii) C3-10 alkenyl, (iii) C2-10 alkoxy, (iv) C2-10 alkylthio, (v) C3-7 cycloalkyl, (vi) phenyl or (vii) phenoxy; R6 is hydroxy, C1-4alkoxy, C1-4 alkoxy substituted by 1 of phenyl, or NR9R10, in which R9 and R16 each, independently, is (i) hydrogen, (ii) C1-4 alkyl, (iii) phenyl, (iv) phenyl substituted by C1-4 alkoxy or carboxyl, (v) 4-7 membered heterocyclic ring containing one nitrogen or (vi) C1-4 alkyl substituted by phenyl, phenyl substituted by C1-4alkoxy or carboxyl, or 4-7 membered heterocyclic ring containing one nitrogen, or the nitrogen atom bonded to them, taken together is 4-7 membered saturated heterocyclic ring containing one or two nitrogen(s) or one nitrogen and one oxygen, or amino acid residue; non-toxic salts thereof and acid addition salts thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,746 describes compounds of formula
wherein R1 is —C≡CH, —CH═CH2, or —CH2—CH3,M is a hydrogen or a metal atom;R2 is independently a saturated, unsaturated with at least one double or triple bond, branched or unbranched C1-30 alkyl group, optionally substituted with an aliphatic or aromatic C3-9cyclohydrocarbon or heterocyclic group; with the proviso that when R1 is CH2—CH3, R2 is C5-30, and that formula I is not 2-n-propyl-4-pentynoic acid or 2-n-propyl-4-pentenoic acid (4-en-VPA).
Despite the potential utility of valproic acid and it analogs as an HDAC inhibitor, low solubility of the carboxylic acid compounds limit application of these compounds. Thus, there is still a need for the development of new valproic acid analogs that will allow the production of better formulations that can easily be administered to the patient.

Glycosylated valproic acid analogs and uses thereof


A metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor device is provided. The MOS transistor device includes a substrate, a gate structure, a spacer, a source/drain region and a barrier layer. The gate structure is disposed on the substrate. The gate structure includes a gate and a gate dielectric layer disposed between the gate and the substrate. The spacer is disposed on the sidewall of the gate structure. The source/drain region is disposed in the substrate on two sides of the spacer. The barrier layer is disposed around the source/drain region. The source/drain region and the barrier layer are fabricated using an identical material. However, the doping concentration of the source/drain region is larger than the doping concentration of the barrier layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor is one of the most important element in very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuits. The applications of MOS transistors are far and wide. In fact, microprocessors, semiconductor memory devices, power devices and so on can use MOS transistors as the basic elements. In general, a MOS transistor can be categorized as a P-type MOS transistor and an N-type MOS transistor. P-type MOS transistors have source/drain regions doped with trivalent impurities such as boron and N-type MOS transistors have source/drain regions doped with pentavalent impurities such as phosphorus or arsenic.
However, the dopants such as phosphorus, arsenic or boron inside the source/drain regions may diffuse into the channel region when a subsequent heat treatment process is carried out. This will lead to a device punch through that may ultimately affect overall performance of the device.

Metal oxide semiconductor transistor device


Wind instrument includes a tubular body having a plurality of tone holes, and a plurality of keys capable of opening and closing the tone holes. Via a retaining member, detector units are provided within the tubular body in corresponding relation to the keys, and each of the detector units is generally opposed to the back surface of the corresponding key. Each of the detector units detects a relative distance to the back surface and outputs an electrical signal, on the basis of which an opening/closing state of the key can be detected. The retaining member, accommodated in the tubular body, positions and retains each of the detector units in such a manner that the keys and tubular body and the individual detector units are kept in non-contacting relation to each other.

The present invention relates generally to key detection structures for wind instruments, and more particularly to an improved key detection structure for a wind instrument which allows detector units, for detecting states etc. of corresponding keys, to be readily attached and detached to and from the wind instrument.
There have been known key detection structures of a type which reproduces electronic tones by detecting operation of keys on a wind instrument, and examples of such a type of key detection structure are disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open Publication No. HEI-4-89999 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. HEI-8-305362. According to the disclosure of the No. HEI-4-89999 and No. HEI-8-305362 publications, a module including switches and hall elements is previously incorporated in a tubular body and keys forming the wind instrument. Namely, the wind musical instruments disclosed in these publications differ in construction and tone-generating form from the so-called acoustic type wind musical instruments; namely, if the module is removed, the disclosed wind musical instruments can no longer generate any performance tone. I recent years, however, there has been a demand that the above-mentioned module be detachably attached to an acoustic musical instrument so that two different kinds of tones, i.e. electronic reproduced tone and acoustic performance tone generated by the musical instrument itself, can be used appropriately as needed.
Where an acoustic-type wind musical instrument is to be constructed to detect operation of keys in order to reproduce electronic tones as well, use of structure (1) and structure (2) outlined below are conceivable.
According to structure (1), a magnetic member is fixed to a position adjacent to the reverse or back surface of a key, and a hall element is mounted in the tubular body. As the key opens or closes a tone hole, variation in magnetic field responsive to the displacement of the magnetic member is detected by the corresponding hall element, so that an electrical signal corresponding to the key's opening or closing movement is output.
Structure (2) is different from structure (1) in terms of attached positions of the magnetic member and hall element. Namely, according to structure (2), the magnetic member is supported outside the corresponding key via an arm, while the hall element is attached to the outer surface of the tubular body.
However, structure (1) above would present the inconvenience that operation for attaching the magnetic member to the position adjacent to the back surface of the key requires is very cumbersome and requires a great amount of time. The inconvenience is due to the fact that, during the attaching operation, it is essential to attach the magnetic member after detaching or disassembling the key from the tubular body and insert the magnetic member into a narrow space between the tubular body and the key. Further, because the magnetic member is attached to the position adjacent to the back surface of the key, the structure would be subjected to the constraint that the tone hole can not be opened and closed by the key unless the magnetic member is sized so to be received in the tone hole.
Further, structure (2) above would present the inconveniences that operation for attaching the hall element to the outer peripheral surface of the tubular body and a construction for supporting the magnetic member via the arm tend to be very complicated, and that operation for disassembling the key and the like at the time of repair or care of the wind instrument tends to be cumbersome and difficult. In particular, because the outer peripheral surface of the tubular body is a curved surface, the attached state of the hall element tends to be unstable.

Electric wind instrument and key detection structure thereof


A circuit including an oscillator circuit, a current generator circuit and a voltage generator circuit. The oscillator circuit may be configured to generate an output signal having a frequency in response to (i) a first control signal and (ii) a second control signal. The current generator may be configured to generate said first control signal in response to a first adjustment signal. The voltage generator circuit may be configured to generate the second control signal in response to a second adjustment signal.

The present invention relates to oscillators generally and, more particularly, to a programmable oscillator configured to generate a stable frequency reference on a chip without using external crystals or resonators.
One conventional approach used to implement an oscillator without a crystal is to use a simple resistor/capacitor (RC) network to implement a timer. The original 555 timer chip design used an RC network. However, RC networks are susceptible to process variations and temperature variations. A typical mainline CMOS process does not control resistors or capacitors to tolerances of better than 5%. In some processes, the tolerance is even lower. Laser trimming and other techniques can be used to achieve higher tolerances, but may add to the overall cost of the device. An example of a modification of such a circuit can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,565,819 and 5,670,915, which are hereby incorporated by reference.
A second conventional approach used to implement temperature insensitive current sources is described by R. A. Blauschild in his paper entitled AN INTEGRATED TIME REFERENCE, Proceedings of the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Conference, February 1994, pp. 56-57, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Such an approach develops a temperature invariant current by using a bias generator that sums currents with different temperature coefficients and combines them with a threshold cancellation circuit. The technique allowed a current that was proportional to oxide thickness. This method was applied to time interval measurement and to filtering, but not to oscillator design.
A third conventional approach used to implement an oscillator is to use a ring oscillator that is stable across process and temperature variations. This is often used in timing recovery PLL circuits. The ring oscillator approach appears to be able to achieve frequency stability on the order of 5%, which is not good enough for a target of 2% or less.
Referring to FIG. 1, a portion of a ring oscillator 10 is shown. The ring oscillator 10 comprises a number of devices 12a-12n. FIG. 2 generally illustrates the temperature dependence of the frequency of oscillation of the devices of the ring oscillator 10. The temperature dependence of the ring oscillator 10 adversely affects the frequency of oscillation.
Referring to FIG. 3, a circuit 20 is shown illustrating a biasing circuit for a delay cell that may be used with a conventional ring oscillator. A delay cell 22 generally presents a signal VDD, a signal PBIAS, a signal BIASA, a signal BIASB and a signal VSS to a biasing circuit 24. The biasing circuit 24 may include a current source 26 that responds to the signal PBIAS. The biasing circuit 24 may provide biasing to a voltage reference circuit 28 that is used as a VCO input. Additionally, a bandgap current bias circuit 30 provides additional biasing to the voltage reference 28. However, while the circuit 20 may be roughly temperature independent, it does not generally provide a high precision frequency of oscillation (i.e., less than 2%).
The present invention concerns an oscillator circuit, a current generator circuit and a voltage generator circuit. The oscillator circuit may be configured to generate an output signal having a frequency in response to (i) a first control signal and (ii) a second control signal. The current generator may be configured to generate said first control signal in response to a first adjustment signal. The voltage generator circuit may be configured to generate the second control signal in response to a second adjustment signal.
The objects, features and advantages of the present invention include providing a circuit and method that may implement a precision on-chip current controlled oscillator. The present invention provides an accurate programmable oscillator that (i) provides accurate frequencies (e.g., in the order of 2% or less), (ii) eliminates the need for a resonator or a crystal oscillator, (iii) may be used with a microcontroller to provide a single-chip clocking solution for an entire system.


A technique for controlling a wireless broadcast transmission of media data via multiple transmitter sites into a broadcast area with different inter-site distances is proposed. The broadcast area comprises a region of large inter-site distance (ISD) and a region of small inter-site distance. The technique provides for a high spectral efficiency in regions of small ISD and at the same time for an acceptable reception quality in regions of large ISD. A first transmission is initiated into the broadcast area, wherein the first transmission is adapted for reception in a first of the regions. A second transmission is initiated into a second of the regions, the second transmission being adapted for reception in the second region.

Broadcasting services provide for the transmission of media data, for example streaming audio and/or video data, from typically a single data source to multiple receivers. Modern broadcasting services often make use of a wireless technology to transmit the media data over at least an essential segment of the way from the data source to the receivers. Wireless broadcasting services may not only be provided by classical radio stations and television networks, but also by mobile networks, for example GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) or UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) networks.
Each broadcasting service is provided into a broadcast area, i.e. into a geographical area in which the media data can be received. In case of a PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network), the broadcast area may comprise the whole network. On the other hand, a broadcast area may be configured to be as small as a single radio cell of a cellular network. In general, a broadcast service area comprises a reasonable part of a PLMN.
Each network cell is served by a transmitter site comprising at least one transmitter or transmitter station. For example, a transmitter site in a GSM network comprises a BTS (Base Transceiver Station) which may be controlled by a BSC (Base Station Controller); a transmitter site in a UMTS network comprises a Node-B which may be controlled by an RNC (Radio Network Controller). Consequently, multiple transmitter sites are required at least for broadcast areas comprising many cells. The multiple transmitter sites may use the same frequency resource, i.e. operate on the same frequency; this operational mode is called Single Frequency Network (SFN).
To minimize interference, the transmitter sites of an SFN are typically run synchronised with each other, i.e. all transmitters of the multiple sites synchronously transmit the same broadcast signal. This may be achieved for example by using GPS (Global Positioning System) or a reference clock provided by one of the transmitter sites or by a control node in the broadcast network. A receiver, e.g. a receiver component in a user equipment of the mobile network, thus receives broadcast signals of multiple nearby transmitter sites.
The receiver may superpose the signals received from transmitter sites within a certain distance from the receiver. Signals received from more distant transmitter sites contribute to the interference level at the location of the receiver. As an example, an OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex) broadcast system uses a particular guard interval the length of which determines the maximum distance for constructive superposition. Examples of OFDM-based broadcast systems are DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial) and DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting).
To achieve at the same time a predetermined minimum reception quality in terms of a maximum bit or packet error rate over the entire broadcast area and a high spectral efficiency (ratio of media data bit rate to required transmission bandwidth), an important measure is provided by the Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR). The lower the SINR, the higher the error rate. In order to achieve a desired error rate and bit rate for a low SINR, a transmission mode is required which utilizes more radio resources than a transmission mode adequate for a high SINR, thus decreasing the spectral efficiency.
The transmission mode determines the coverage of the transmission, i.e. the zone around a transmission site wherein reception of the transmitted broadcast signal is possible for a receiver with a bit or packet error rate below a predetermined quality threshold. In cellular networks, radio resources may for example be specified according to one or more of the aspects time, frequency, transmit power and spreading code. Accordingly, the transmission mode is specified by choosing for example a particular transmit power, a particular channel coding (e.g., higher or lower code rates), particular spreading codes with specific spreading factors, etc.
By its definition, the SINR at a receiver at a particular location in the broadcast area increases with the received aggregate useful signal, which is the superposition of all useful signals from individual transmitters, and decreases with the aggregate interference, which is the superposition of all interfering signals from individual transmitters, and with the noise level, which may be assumed to be a location independent constant. Depending on the deployment of the broadcast network, either the interference can dominate the noise or vice versa. If the noise dominates, the SINR increases with decreasing distance to the transmitters. Even if the interference dominates, generally the SINR increases with decreasing distance to the transmitters, because the interference will increase less than the useful signal.
Accordingly, the minimum SINR in an SFN broadcast area is generally dependent on the inter-site distance (ISD), defined as the average distance between any pair of transmitter sites in a region of the broadcast area. The SINR typically decreases with increasing ISD. The minimum SINR in a broadcast area typically occurs in a region of the broadcast area with a large ISD.
The minimum SINR (which may be a percentile) in a given broadcast area is generally determined by measurement. Then a transmission mode is chosen to achieve the desired error rate. However, in an SFN network, increasing for example the transmit power might be sufficient to increase the Signal to Noise Ratio, but at the same time may increase interference and thus lead to a decreasing SINR. The minimum SINR in the broadcast area may also decrease (and may occur at different locations in the broadcast area).
Using different transmission modes on the same radio resources would make it more difficult to superpose the signals received from transmitter sites using the different modes, in particular in the case of SFNs. In SFN broadcast areas comprising a region or regions of small ISD (e.g., cities) and a region or regions of large ISD (e.g., rural areas), it is thus difficult to find an optimal transmission mode. In case a transmission mode is chosen which is sufficiently robust to achieve full coverage also in the region of large ISD, this transmission mode will not exploit the higher SINR achieved in regions of small ISD and therefore the spectral efficiency in these regions will be lower than in the case that a less robust transmission mode had been used that still achieves full coverage in regions of small ISD.
In regions of small ISD the SINR is high. This allows to achieve full coverage even for transmission modes which are less robust and can therefore provide a higher throughput. These transmission modes are however not sufficiently robust for the regions of large ISD and therefore cannot achieve full coverage in these regions.
Accordingly, there is a need for a technique for controlling a wireless broadcast transmission of media data via multiple transmitter sites into a broadcast area with different inter-site distances, wherein the technique provides for a high spectral efficiency in regions of small ISD and at the same time for an acceptable reception quality in regions of large ISD.

Hierarchical broadcast transmission via multiple transmitters


A vehicular suspension control apparatus includes a selector valve for changing at least one of spring rigidity or damper rigidity of a suspension which is installed between a wheel and a body of a vehicle and extensibly and retractably supports the vehicle body on the wheel, a forward road surface sensor attached to the vehicle body and adapted to detect an irregularity of a road surface located in front of the vehicle body at a predetermined distance from the mounting position of the sensor when the vehicle body is in a predetermined attitude, a vehicle speed sensor for detecting a vehicle speed, and a controller for calculating a point of time when the wheel reaches the irregularity of the road surface, in accordance with the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor, when the irregularity of the road surface is detected by the forward road surface sensor, and delivering a command signal for lowering at least one of the spring rigidity and the damper rigidity of the suspension to the selector valve by not later than the calculated time point.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicular suspension control method and apparatus used in a vehicle, such as an automobile, and adapted to detect the condition of a road surface in front of the vehicle and properly control the operation of a suspension.
2. Description of the Related Art
An optical forward road surface sensor described in Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 60-142208 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,465; G.B. Pat. No. 2,151,872; DE. Pat. No. 3,447,015; FR. Pat. No. 2,557,288) and an ultrasonic forward road surface sensor described in Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 62-131813 are conventionally known as apparatuses for detecting irregularities of a road surface in front of a vehicle. In these prior art examples, it is proposed that the operation of a suspension be controlled depending on the conditions of the road surface in front of the vehicle detected by the forward road surface sensor.
In the former patent application, there is no description of a specific example of the suspension operation control. Disclosed in the latter patent application, on the other hand, is a technique for controlling the damper rigidity of the suspension, more specifically, a vibration damping force which is produced by a shock absorber, when a wheel of the vehicle reaches an irregularity which is detected on the road surface in front of the vehicle, referring to the vehicle speed. According to this technique, the damper rigidity of the suspension is lowered when the irregularity of the road surface in front of the vehicle is detected by the forward road surface sensor. Thus, impulsive vibrations produced in the vehicle body is effectively damped when the wheel gets over irregularities of the road surface, e.g., protuberances or joints in a paved road.
In the latter prior art example described above, the forward road surface sensor is mounted on the front portion of the vehicle at a predetermined angle of incidence, and is used to detect the irregularity of the road surface located in front of the vehicle at a predetermined distance therefrom when the vehicle body is in a predetermined attitude, e.g., when the vehicle is at a stop. The aforementioned control is effected in accordance with this predetermined distance. Since the forward road surface sensor is low-priced, the cost of the whole apparatus can be reduced with ease. When the vehicle actually runs, however, its body undergoes a change of attitude attributable to pitching or nose dive, so that the actual distance between the vehicle and the irregularity of the road surface detected by the forward road surface sensor frequently changes. Thus, a difference is caused between this actual distance and the predetermined distance. In this prior art example, therefore, the damper rigidity of the suspension is not controlled with correct timing when the wheel gets over the irregularity of the road surface.
According to the former prior art example, moreover, a sensing device is used to measure distances from the vehicle to three positions in front of the vehicle, thereby detecting the distances between the vehicle and irregularities of the road surface, as well as the irregularities themselves. Although the use of this device solves the aforesaid problem, it makes the whole apparatus more complicated in construction, more expensive, and therefore, hardly practical.

Method and apparatus for controlling vehicle suspension such that suspension characteristics are changed at a point in time when a vehicle wheel reaches a road surface irregularity detected in front of the vehicle

Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha


A pant type absorbent article having a core region includes an absorbent core and a chassis region surrounding the core region. The article in at least a part of the chassis region includes a coversheet in the form of an elastic laminate constituting the sole component of the chassis in at least 20% of the total surface area of the article. The elastic laminate has a tensile strength of at least 15 N/25 mm both in the longitudinal and transverse directions of the article and a tensile strength in the transverse direction of the article which is no more than 2.5 times and preferably no more than 2 times higher than the tensile strength in the longitudinal direction of the article. The force required to extend the elastic laminate 10% in the longitudinal direction of the article is no more than 5 N/25 mm.

Absorbent articles having defined core regions and chassis regions are supposed to have a comfortable fit about the wearer. For pant articles like pant diapers, sanitary pants and incontinence pants it is also desirable that the articles are capable of being pulled up and down over the hips of the wearer to allow the wearer or caregiver to easily put on and remove the article when it has been soiled. It is known to make such absorbent pants with elasticized stretchable side panels and waist portion, usually comprising elastic members, such as elastic threads, contractably affixed between the backsheet and the topsheet.
It is further known to make portions of the chassis of absorbent articles of an elastic material, such as stretch-bonded laminates. Such laminates may include a layer of meltblown elastomeric fibers which have been stretched and sandwiched between outer layers of spunbonded webs.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,552,245 discloses an extensible outer cover for an absorbent article which provides a certain permanent deformation when subjected to a tensile force. The extensible outer cover comprises a necked laminate in the form of one layer of a necked non-elastic film and one layer of an elastic film. The films may be breathable.
WO 03/047488 discloses an elastic laminate comprising an elastic film which on opposite sides is bonded to first and second non-elastic fibrous layers. The laminate is made by bonding the non-elastic fibrous layers to the elastic film layer and subsequently stretching the composite material, causing the non-elastic materials to break. The elastic film material may be of a breathable material. The laminate may be incorporated in an absorbent article.
US2003/0022582 describes a laminate in which an elastomeric film is bound between two or more layers of nonwoven webs. The laminate is said to be particularly useful in elastic diaper "ears" that can be stretched to accommodate variously sized wearers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,627,564 discloses a laminate which is elastic in a machine direction and extendable but not elastic in a cross direction. The laminate comprises a nonwoven web that is extendible in cross direction and a plurality of elastic members laminated to the web, said elastic members are elongatable in the machine direction and bonded to the nonwoven web in space apart location while in a stretched condition. The laminate may be used as an outer cover in personal care absorbent articles.
Further examples of absorbent articles which in part are made of elastic laminates are found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,476,289 and JP 10043235.
International applications PCT/SE2004/001004 and PCT/SE2004/001005 refer to absorbent articles comprising an outer coversheet in the form of an elastic laminate having improved cloth-like feel and puncture resistance.
However there still exists a need for pant type absorbent articles having a chassis region comprising an elastic laminate having good strength properties, comfort, fit and soft feel as well as a cloth-like appearance. One problem occurring is that the elastic laminate breaks when the wearer or caregiver pulls up the pant.

Absorbent article comprising an elastic laminate material


In environments such as buildings in which access points are densely deployed, those access points influence each other. To provide a frequency channel allocation scheme in such densely populated environments information gathered by the access points are collected. In such a situation, relying on a list of neighboring access points, background noise, communication medium business, the beacon messages received from access points as well as their associated RSSI, may lead to a frequency channel allocation scheme that may not significantly reduce the interference between access points. The invention introduces an activity-based distance computed between at least two access points which represents a time overlap in a use of the communication medium.

Gateways are widely used to connect devices at the home to the Internet or any other wide area network (WAN). Gateways use in particular Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) technology that enables a high data rate transmission over copper lines or optical lines. Residential gateways, but also other devices such as routers, switches, telephones and set-top boxes, are understood in this context as Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) devices.
Gateways including wireless technology have a key role in today's home and professional environments. A mechanism for connecting wireless devices to a Local Area Network (LAN) is called Wi-Fi, which is a brand name of the Wi-Fi Alliance for devices using the IEEE 802.11 family of standards for wireless data transmission. The IEEE 802.11 standards define two types of wireless nodes, a general wireless device that can connect to other devices called a station and a special type of station that is in control of the network, namely an access point. A Wi-Fi network, often called a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network), consists of one or more access points embedded in a gateway connected to one or several stations. Of course, gateways may use other mechanisms for connecting wireless devices to a Local Area Network (LAN).
Due to its flexible and "invisible" nature, a lot of local area network devices are utilizing Wi-Fi rather than the classical wired Ethernet approach. This widespread usage of wireless local area network has exposed however a serious downside of using a shared medium technology: interference. Interference, both Wi-Fi and non-Wi-Fi related, leads to a degraded user experience due to the nature of IEEE 802.11.
An important aspect when configuring a wireless local area network, is the allocation of a frequency channel to a given access point. Auto Channel Selection (ACS) algorithm allows the access points to scan the various frequency channels available and select a frequency channel based on several parameters such as background noise, communication medium business, the number of neighboring access points based on beacon messages received from other access points as well as the Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) with which these beacon messages are received, etc.
In environments such as buildings in which access points are densely deployed, those access points influence each other, in particular, by causing interference to one another. In order to provide a frequency channel allocation scheme in such densely populated environments information gathered by the access points are collected in a centralized manner so as to coordinate the frequency channel allocation between the different access points. That information is for example, for a given access point, a list of neighboring access points, the frequency channel allocated to those neighboring access points as well as the respective RSSI, etc.
In case an access point has less neighboring access points than the number of available frequency channels, a straightforward solution consists in allocating non-overlapping frequency channels to each of the neighboring access points. Such a solution cannot be implemented in densely populated environments where an access point has more neighboring access points than the number of available frequency channels.
In such a situation, relying on a list of neighboring access points, background noise, communication medium business, the beacon messages received from neighboring access points as well as the Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) with which these beacon messages are received, etc. may lead to a frequency channel allocation scheme that may not significantly reduce the interference between access points because the correlation between interference and the above-mentioned parameters is not well known and/or deterministic.
The present invention has been devised with the foregoing in mind.

Method for allocating frequency channels to a plurality of neighboring access points


The invention discloses a battery assembly and an electronic cigarette using the battery assembly, wherein the battery assembly comprises a main body, a circuit board mounted in the main body and a button assembly, the main body is provided with an avoidance hole and at least one stopper, the button assembly comprises a button cap and a button contact, the button contact is fixedly mounted in the main body and is electrically connected with the circuit board, and the button cap is slidably mounted in the avoidance hole. When the button cap slides to squeeze the button contact, the button cap abuts against the stopper to form a trigger position where the button cap triggers the button contact to transmit a control signal to the circuit board.

Electronic cigarettes, also known as electronic cigarettes, are mainly used to quit smoking and replace conventional cigarettes. It has an appearance and taste similar to conventional cigarettes, and even has more tastes than conventional cigarettes. It can generate smoke, a taste and a feel like conventional cigarettes. Without tar, suspension particles and other harmful components in conventional cigarettes, electronic cigarettes have gradually replaced conventional cigarettes on the market. The existing electronic cigarettes supply power to the heat generating unit in the atomizer through the battery assembly, so that the heat generating unit heats the tobacco liquid to generate smoke under the driving of the battery assembly, thereby enabling the user to obtain a smoking experience.
The battery assembly in the market usually controls the battery assembly by pressing the control button. However, the battery assembly is usually not provided with a stopper to limit the movement stroke of the button assembly. During the long-term use of the user, the button assembly excessively squeezes the internal trigger component for a long time so that the button assembly is low in service life. At the same time, when the pressing force applied by the user is too large, the phenomenon that the button assembly crushes the circuit board is likely to occur.

Battery assembly and electronic cigarette having same


A wiring substrate includes a wiring layer, an insulating layer formed on the wiring layer, a connection pad formed on the insulating layer, and a via conductor formed to penetrate the insulating layer, and connecting the wiring layer and the connection pad, wherein the wiring layer located under the connection pad is formed to have via receiving electrode portion whose area is smaller than an area of the connection pad, and a wiring portion separated from the via receiving electrode portion, in an area corresponding to the connection pad, and the via receiving electrode portion is connected to the connection pad via the via conductor.

In the prior art, there is the wiring substrate (semiconductor package) for mounting the semiconductor chip thereon. The wiring substrate is constructed such that the build-up wiring is formed on both surface sides of the core substrate.
In Patent Literature 1 (Japanese Laid-Patent Publication No. 2008-112765), it is set forth that mechanical strength of the portions located at four corners of the substrate should be improved by replacing a plurality of metal lands arranged at four corners of the wiring substrate conventionally with one integrated metal land.
Also, in Patent Literature 2 (Japanese Laid-Patent Publication No. 2002-329802), it is set forth that, in the semiconductor package, the pad to which each external connection terminal (pin) is connected is divided into a plurality of pads, and then the wiring connected to another pad is arranged between the pads which are arranged to be divided.
As explained in the column of the related art described later, in the wiring substrate on which the semiconductor chip is mounted, there is such a tendency that a design rule applied to the wiring layer located under the upper surface layer is reduced to the utmost extent.
In the wiring substrate, one via conductor connected to a main portion of the connection pad is arranged under each connection pad, and the via conductor is arranged on the via pad, which is arranged with the equal area to the connection pad, of the lower wiring layer, thus the interlayer connection is provided.
In a situation that a further increase in a wiring density of the lower wiring layers (an increase in the number of wirings) is demanded, a narrower pitch of the lower wiring layers can be implemented by introducing the high-level photolithography technology. In this case, a huge capital investment and a change in process are needed, and therefore such introduction cannot be easily applied in actuality. As a result, a minimum design rule is decided depending on whether or not how many wirings can be arranged between the via pads of the lower wiring layer by the existing photolithography technology.
Also, in the related art, the via pads of the lower wiring layer are arranged in a size which corresponds to the connection pad. Therefore, the presence of the via pads inhibits an increase in a wiring density of the lower wiring layers.

Wiring substrate and semiconductor device


A basket apparatus is described that assists in removing objects from within a patient. The apparatus includes a number of pull wires, each pull wire physically coupled to a different capstan that individually actuates one of the pull wires. The apparatus also includes an outer support shaft itself including a number of channels through which the pull wires traverse. The portions of the pull wires extending out of the outer support shaft form a basket of adjustable size, shape, and position. The pull wires are attached together at a tip located at a distal end of the basket apparatus. By controlling the actuation of the various pull wires, the basket's shape, position size can be manipulated to reposition the basket around an object located within a patient, independent of or in conjunction with motion of the remainder of the apparatus or an associated endoscope.

1. Field of Art
This description generally relates to surgical robotics, and particularly to lithotomy devices and procedures using a surgical robotics system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Every year, doctors perform thousands of procedures to remove urinary stones from patients' urinary tracts. Urinary stones may include kidney stones found in the kidneys and ureters as well as bladder stones found in the bladder. Such urinary stones form as a result of concentrated minerals and cause significant abdominal pain once they reach a size sufficient to impede urine flow through the ureter or urethra. Such stones may formed from calcium, magnesium, ammonia, ur acid, cysteine, or other compounds.
To remove urinary stones from the bladder and ureter, surgeons use a ureteroscope inserted into the urinary tract through the urethra. Typically, a ureteroscope includes an endoscope at its distal end to enable visualization of the urinary tract. The ureteroscope also includes a lithotomy mechanism to capture or break apart urinary stones. During the ureteroscopy procedure, one physician controls the position of the ureteroscope and the other surgeon controls the lithotomy mechanism. The controls of the ureteroscope are located on a proximal handle of the ureteroscope and accordingly are difficult to grasp as the orientation of the ureteroscope changes. Accordingly, present ureteroscopy techniques are labor intensive and reliant on ureteroscopes with non-ergonomic designs.
To remove large kidney stones from the kidneys, surgeons use a percutaneous nephrolithotomy technique that includes inserting a nephroscope through the skin to break up and remove the kidney stone. However, present techniques for percutaneous nephrolithotomy ("PCNL") include using fluoroscopy to locate the kidney stone and to ensure accurate insertion of the nephroscope. Fluoroscopy increases the cost of the nephrolithotomy procedure due to the cost of the fluoroscope itself as well as the cost of a technician to operate the fluoroscope. Fluoroscopy also exposes the patient to radiation for a prolonged period of time. Even with fluoroscopy, accurately making a percutaneous incision to access the kidney stone is difficult and imprecise. Additionally, present nephrolithotomy techniques typically involve a two-day or three-day inpatient stay. In sum, present nephrolithotomy techniques are costly and problematic for patients.


A truck, such as a fork-lift truck, a counterweight truck or equivalent, is disclosed. The truck is provided with one driving axle unit, a steering axle unit, and lifting and load handling equipment. The axle units of the truck are suspended and supported on a frame of the truck by means of a vertically adjustable spring suspension. The spring units of the spring suspension are adjustable between a suspended upper position and a lower position, in which lower position the frame of the truck rests unsuspended on the axle beams of the axle units. The spring units are preferably hydraulic cylinders, each of which communications with a hydropneumatic pressure-accumulator/ check-valve assembly that operates as a spring/shock-absorber unit.

It is a feature typical of counterweight trucks that they are capable of lifting and transferring a load whose weight is far above one half, usually about 65%, of the tare weight of the truck. When the truck is not lifting a load, the weight of the truck is almost evenly divided between the two axles of the truck. However, for a truck lifting a full load, most of the total weight of the truck rests on the front axle of the truck, which is normally the driving axle. Thus, the axle loads of the truck vary quite extensively depending on the load.
Owing to the high variations in the axle load, nowadays the trucks are generally constructed without a spring suspension. The axles are rigidly fixed directly to the truck frame, or, in particular in the case of the steering axle, the axle may be mounted pivotally on the frame. Spring suspension has usually not been used in trucks because the variations in the axle load would be excessively large if a spring suspension were operative under all circumstances of operation of the truck.
Furthermore, a truck without a spring suspension has a substantial drawback in that the truck usually becomes uncontrollable at speeds higher than about 30 km per hour because it has no shock absorption system. Thus, the truck without a spring suspension is unable to operate at speeds higher than about 30 km/hour even when unloaded, or otherwise during a transfer operation or equivalent. At present, this is a significant drawback, because it is desired that the equipment be used as efficiently as possible, whereby any unproductive operation would be carried out as quickly as possible.
In addition, when the truck is transferred from one place to another, it has often been necessary to employ specialized transportation equipment which has constituted quite an important cost factor. Thus, the transfer of the truck with specialized equipment is, for example, an unproductive operation of the truck.


A video analyzer measures and outputs a visual indication of a dynamic range of a video signal. The video analyzer includes a video input to receive the video signal and a cumulative distribution function generator generates a cumulative distribution function curve from a component of the video signal. A feature detector generates one or more feature vectors from the cumulative distribution function curve and a video dynamic range generator produces a visual output indicating a luminance of one or more portions of the video signal.

Televisions (TVs) have rapidly improved in display size and resolution over the original 1080×1920 high definition (HD) format with the advent of 4K and 8K consumer displays, which can support content from streaming data services with 4K resolution. However, it can be difficult to perceive and fully appreciate these new high-resolution improvements on typical living room screen sizes at typical viewing distances, making further improvements on image resolution moot.
As such, advancement in video technology has focused on exploiting the wider color gamut (WCG) and, in particular, the much wider contrast and peak brightness High Dynamic Range (HDR) of modern displays since these create a very noticeable improvement in viewer experience, which can easily be appreciated at typical living room viewing distances and lighting.
HDR video content providers are working at a rapid pace to convert classic film archives, which have always had a more dynamic range than Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) video, to the new HDR formats for video DVD and streaming services. Further, today's cameras have a very large dynamic range, allow for both live broadcast and video production recording of HDR content, as well as simulcast of SDR content for those who do not have an HDR TV.
Currently, there are three popular display formats for HDR/WCG content and two WCG formats. High-end studio reference display monitors, otherwise known as pix monitors, can display input in one or more of these formats directly.
HDR/WCG content is sourced from a wide range of camera, film, and digital archive formats that differ from the HDR/SDR pix monitor input formats. As such, adjustments are needed in the red, green, and blue (RGB) brightness, contrast, color saturation, and gamma to either compress or expand the dynamic range and color space to fit one of the pix monitor formats.
Embodiments of the disclosure address these and other deficiencies of the prior art.


One embodiment provides a method in which an audible command is first received from a user. Subsequent to receipt of the audible command, one or more sensors may detect certain contextual data associated with the user's physical surroundings. An embodiment may then determine, using the data, whether a default output response associated with the audible command is appropriate with respect to the user's physical surroundings. If the default output response is determined not to be appropriate, an embodiment may thereafter provide an alternative output response that is appropriate with respect to the user's surroundings. Other aspects are described and claimed.

Information handling devices ("devices"), for example smart phones, tablet devices, smart televisions, smart speakers, laptop and personal computers, and the like, may be capable of receiving command inputs from a user and thereafter performing one or more corresponding functions. One method of interacting with a device is to use digital assistant software employed on the device (e.g., Siri® for Apple®, Cortana® for Windows®, Alexa® for Amazon®, etc.). Digital assistants often provide some sort of notification output accompanying the performance of a function.

Alternative output response based on context


A method of fabricating a semiconductor device including preparing a substrate including a wafer inner region and a wafer edge region, the wafer inner region including a chip region and a scribe lane region, sequentially stacking a mold layer and a supporting layer on the substrate, forming a first mask layer on the supporting layer, the first mask layer including a first stepped region on the wafer edge region, forming a step-difference compensation pattern on the first stepped region, forming a second mask pattern including openings, on the first mask layer and the step-difference compensation pattern, and sequentially etching the first mask layer, the supporting layer, and the mold layer using the second mask pattern as an etch mask to form a plurality of holes in at least the mold layer may be provided.

The present disclosure relates to methods of fabricating a semiconductor device.
Due to their small-sized, multifunctional, and/or low-cost characteristics, semiconductor devices are being regarded as important elements in the electronic industry. With the advancement of the electronic industry, there is an increasing demand for a semiconductor device with higher integration density. To increase the integration density of the semiconductor device, it is desirable to reduce linewidths of patterns constituting the semiconductor device. However, reducing the linewidths of the patterns needs novel and expensive exposure technologies, and thus it is difficult to increase the integration density of the semiconductor device. Accordingly, a variety of studies on new technology for increasing integration density of a semiconductor device are being actively conducted.

Method of fabricating a semiconductor device