A system and method for capturing objects and balancing systems resources in a capture system are described. An object is captured, metadata associated with the objected generated, and the object and metadata stored.

Computer networks and systems have become indispensable tools for modern business. Modern enterprises use such networks for communications and for storage. The information and data stored on the network of a business enterprise is often a highly valuable asset. Modern enterprises use numerous tools to keep outsiders, intruders, and unauthorized personnel from accessing valuable information stored on the network. These tools include firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and packet sniffer devices.
FIG. 1 illustrates a simple prior art configuration of a local area network (LAN) 100 connected to the Internet 102. Connected to the LAN 100 are various components, such as servers 104, clients 106, and switch 108. Numerous other networking components and computing devices are connectable to the LAN 100. The LAN 100 may be implemented using various wireline or wireless technologies, such as Ethernet and the 802.11 the IEEE family of wireless communication standards. LAN 100 could be connected to other LANs.
In this prior configuration, the LAN 100 is connected to the Internet 102 via a router 110. This router 110 may be used to implement a firewall. Firewalls are widely used to try to provide users of the LAN 100 with secure access to the Internet 102 as well as to provide separation of a public Web server (for example, one of the servers 104) from an internal network (for example, LAN 100). Data leaving the LAN 100 to the Internet 102 passes through the router 110. The router 110 simply forwards packets as is from the LAN 100 to the Internet 102.
However, once an intruder has gained access to sensitive content inside a LAN such as LAN 100, there presently is no network device that can prevent the electronic transmission of the content from the network to outside the network. Similarly, there is no network device that can analyse the data leaving the network to monitor for policy violations, and make it possible to track down information leeks.
Networked computers (such as computers connected on a LAN or through the Internet) utilize addressing to communicate. A packet of data may be routed to a specific computer that is identified by a particular Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. For example, an internet browser uses the IP address of 22.214.171.124 has the location to send and receive requests from CNN.com. (The Domain Name System (using a Domain Name Server or DNS) is generally used to translate a URL such as CNN.com into an IP address.)
Media Access Control (MAC) addresses are unique identifiers for individual pieces of networking equipment. For example, each Ethernet and 802.11 wireless card has a unique MAC address. The combination of IP and MAC addresses provide a mechanism to determine which computer and/or user has performed some sort of activity on the Internet or Intranet.
The current IP standard is IP version 4 (or IPv4). An IP address in IPv4 is a four-byte (32-bit) number combination in the format of AAA.BBB.CCC.DDD. For example, 22.214.171.124 is the IPv4 address for CNN.com. IP addresses are public, private, or multicast. Public IP addresses are available to the outside world for direct access. For example, the IP address given above for CNN.com is a public address. Private IP addresses are reserved for internal/private networks. For example, IP addresses assigned by a router to individual computers on a LAN are private, whereas the IP address of the router itself is generally public. Exemplary private IP address spaces are 10.0.0.0-10.255.255.255; 172.16.0.0-172.31.255.255; and 192.168.0.0-192.168.255.255.
On a LAN, private IP addresses are assigned to individual computers and/or NICs. A common way to assign a private IP address to a computer and/or NIC is to use a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server. A DHCP server allocates an IP address to a client in one of three ways: manual allocation, automatic allocation, or dynamic allocation.
For manual allocation, a DHCP server allocates an IP address based on a table of MAC and IP address pairs. This table is manually created by the server administator. Essentially, the IP address is statically assigned to a MAC address until the administrator changes it and only MAC address in the table are able to get an IP address. Typically, the client must know the IP address that is available to it. While this may work well for a smell network with a few devices that do not change, it does not scale well to larger networks or networks with changing devices due to the need to update the table.
Using manual allocation, an administrator sets a range of IP addresses that may be assigned. The DHCP server "permanently" assigns an IP address from this range to a client. Typically, the client must know of the IP address that is available to it. This again requires some administrative maintenance.
The third DHCP assignment technique is dynamic allocation. The DHCP server "leases" an IP address from a range of IP address allocated by an administrator to a NIC that requests one. After a pre-determined amount of time (such as five days, one day, etc.) the lease on the IP address expires and the NIC must request a new IP address from the DHCP server. This leasing technique allows for the dynamic reallocation of IP addresses. For example, a DHCP server may lease an first IP address to a particular NIC for a period of one day on a Monday and on Tuesday assign a second (and different) IP address the same NIC while re-assigning the first IP address to a different NIC. Generally, the DHCP server attempts to assign the same IP address to the same MAC but this is not always possible.
FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary communication between computers through a network. Computers A 201, B 205, and C 209 each have a unique IP address and a NIC card 203, 207, and 211 with a unique MAC address. The IP addresses of computers B 205 and C 209 have been assigned by router 213. As described earlier, these IP addresses could be dynamically, manually, or automatically assigned. Router 213 also as its own unique IP address which is accessible by computer A through the network 215.
Computer A 201 communicates to computers B 205 and C 209 through the router 213. The router 213 is connected to the network with a single public address or multiple public addresses. As packets move from a computer to the network 215, the source address in each packet is translated from the private addresses to the public address(es). The router 213 tracks basic data about each active connection (such as the destination address and port). When a reply returns to the router 213, it uses the connection tracking data it stored during the outbound phase to determine which computer (B 205 or C 209) to forward the reply.

Attributes of captured objects in a capture system


A system and method for operating a link. In some embodiments, the method includes transmitting a first quantity of data, using a first number of spatial streams, and a first bandwidth, receiving N1 acknowledgment signals, N1 being a nonnegative integer; receiving N2 negative acknowledgment signals, N2 being a nonnegative integer; adjusting an estimated signal to interference and noise ratio for the first number of spatial streams and the first bandwidth, based on N1 and N2; estimating a first throughput for the first number of spatial streams and the first bandwidth; estimating a second throughput for a second number of spatial streams and a second bandwidth; determining whether the second throughput exceeds the first throughput; and in response to determining that the second throughput exceeds the first throughput, transmitting a second quantity of data, using the second number of spatial streams, and the second bandwidth.

In a WiFi system, various parameters may be adjusted when data are transmitted. These parameters include the modulation coding scheme, the number of spatial streams and the bandwidth. The throughput of a WiFi link may depend on the channel and on the parameters chosen, and, as such, it may be advantageous to use link adaptation, e.g., to adapt the parameters to the operating conditions of the link.
Thus, there is a need for a system and method for setting link parameters in a WiFi link.

System and method for setting link parameters in a WiFi link


A laminate bending device includes a pair of parallel shafts extending outwardly through transverse slots in a front wall of a housing. A pair of clamping jaws on the shafts each include an elongated slot for the insertion of a narrow strip of a laminate material of the type sold under the trademark FORMICA. Each of the shafts are mounted within the housing for linear and rotary movement. A spring biases each of the clamping jaws toward a stop on the front wall of the housing. In use, a strip of laminate material is inserted into the slots of the clamping jaws, the spacing of which has been previously adjusted to determine the bending radius. A heating element is then activated to heat the strip and allow the spring biased force on the clamping jaws to bend the strip to the desired radius. A cooling mechanism is activated upon completion of the bending to cool the strip and set the deformed shape. A first timer allows adjustment of the duration of the heating period and is operative to initiate a second timer which is adjustable to control the duration of the cooling period.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bending devices, and more particularly pertains to a device for bending laminate of the type sold under the trademark FORMICA. This type of laminate material is frequently used in covering counter tops and other surfaces. In order to cover curved edge surfaces, a narrow laminate strip must be deformed to the correct radius. This is especially critical when covering the corner edge portions of counter tops. The laminate material is difficult to bend while cold, and is subject to cracking. Additionally, it is extremely difficult to manually bend a laminate strip to a desired radius. In order to overcome these problems, the present invention provides an automatic device for bending narrow laminate strips to a user adjustable predetermined radius.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various manual bending devices including templates and guides have been proposed for bending plastic material to a desired shape. These devices typically include a heating element for heating a thermoplastic material to a temperature which allows deformation. These conventional forms of templates and heating devices do not allow the convenient bending of a laminate strip to a predetermined radius in an automatic fashion.


An improved sequencing valve comprising a housing having a desired number of inlet and outlet ports, a piston normally urged to an inoperative position and responsive to inlet pressure to pass fluid to an appropriate one of said outlet ports, together with camming means responsive to movement of said piston to rotate said piston in a positive step-wise fashion.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to sequencing valves and is particularly directed to sequencing valves which are operated by pressure of fluid supplied to the inlet thereof.
2. Prior Art
Sequencing valves are frequently used in irrigation systems and the like to distribute fluid, such as water, from a single supply source to one or another of a plurality of irrigations points, such as sprinklers. Thus, for example, a golf course may have a single water supply pipe supplying a sequencing valve which passes the water, in turn, to sprinklers serving a respective one of the fairways of the golf course. When it is desired to switch the system to irrigate a different fairway, the sequencing valve is stepped to its next position to pass the water to the sprinklers serving the new fairway. The stepping action of the sequencing valve is conventionally accomplished by turning the water supply "OFF" and "ON" to provide a pressure pulse to which the sequencing valve responds by advancing one step. Unfortunately, many of the prior art sequencing valves are highly complex devices which are expensive to produce and require considerable maintenance. Still other prior art sequencing valves have been unreliable in operation and have failed to properly regulate the flow of water in a desired manner. Also, some prior art sequencing valves have been electrically actuated. However, for large irrigation systems, such as farms, golf courses and the like, this requires running extensive lengths of electrical wiring, which is expensive and is subject to breakage or weathering, thereby adding an additional maintenance factor. A search in the U.S. Patent Office has revealed the following:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. INVENTOR ISSUED ______________________________________ 3,730,208 D. E. Lewis May 1, 1973 3,759,283 T. Maeda Sep. 18, 1973 4,305,417 W. W. Bell, Jr. Dec. 15, 1981 4,492,247 G. H. Lockwood Jan. 8, 1985 ______________________________________
Each of these reference is subject to the limitations set forth above. Thus, none of the prior art sequencing valves have been entirely satisfactory.


Disclosed is a gear device which comprises an outer cylinder fixable to one of two counterpart member; a crankshaft; a carrier configured to be fixable to the other counterpart member and formed with a through-hole, wherein the carrier is adapted to be relatively rotated with respect to the outer cylinder in interlocking relation with rotation of the crankshaft; and a cylindrical body disposed in the through-hole of the carrier. The through-hole of the carrier has an inner peripheral surface formed with an outward groove. The cylindrical body has an outer peripheral surface formed with an inward groove in opposed relation to the outward groove of the carrier. The gear device is provided with an O-ring disposed to extend from an inside of the outward groove to an inside of the inward groove.

Heretofore, there has been known a gear device designed to output a rotational force at a rotational speed reduced with respect to an input rotational speed, by using an eccentric portion of a crankshaft to cause an externally toothed gear to be oscillatingly rotated while being meshed with internal teeth, as disclosed in WO 2009/119737 A1. As illustrated in FIG. 3, in the gear device disclosed in WO 2009/119737 A1, a through-hole 61c is formed in a central region of a carrier 61 having an end plate 61a and a basal section 61b, and a cylindrical body 63 for facilitating insertion of a cable is disposed in the through-hole 61c. The cylindrical body 63 has an intermediate portion formed with a groove 63a, and a retaining ring 65 is fitted onto the intermediate portion while being fitted into the groove 63a. One end of the cylindrical body 63 and the retaining ring 65 are clamped from opposite sides by the endplate 61a and the basal section 61b, so that the cylindrical body 63 is fixed to the carrier 61.
WO 2009/119737 A1 discloses another configuration designed to fix the cylindrical body using a sealing ring. As illustrated in FIG. 4, in this configuration, a sealing ring 69 is fitted into the groove 63a formed in the intermediate portion of the cylindrical body 63. The sealing ring 69 is pressed against and brought into close contact with an inner peripheral surface of the through-hole 61c in the end plate 61a, by an elastic force thereof, so that the cylindrical body 63 is fixed to the carrier 61.
In the configuration illustrated in FIG. 3, i.e., the configuration designed to fix the cylindrical body 63 to the carrier 61 using the retaining ring 65, one end of the cylindrical body 63 and the retaining ring 65 are clamped from opposite sides by the end plate 61a and the basal section 61b. For this purpose, in a production process of the gear device, before assembling the end plate 61a and the basal section 61b together to form the carrier 61, it is necessary to install the cylindrical body 63 to the carrier 61. Specifically, it is necessary to insert the cylindrical body 63 having the retaining ring 65 attached thereto, into the through-hole 61c in the basal section 61b, and then install the end plate 61a to the basal section 61b. Moreover, it is necessary to ensure dimensional accuracy of the carrier 61 and the cylindrical body 63, which raises a need for dimensional control for the carrier 61 and the cylindrical body 63. Therefore, the configuration illustrated in FIG. 3 has a problem that a gear device production operation becomes cumbersome and complicated. On the other hand, as to the configuration using the sealing ring 69 as illustrated in FIG. 4, the Patent Document 1 mentions that the sealing ring 69 is pressed against the through-hole 61c, and the cylindrical body 63 is fixed to the carrier 61 by an elastic force of the sealing ring 69. However, in reality, the cylindrical body 63 is liable to be displaced in an axial direction thereof, which causes a problem that the cylindrical body 63 is likely to drop off.


Provided is a disclosure for optimizing the number of semiconductor devices on a wafer/substrate. The optimization comprises laying out, cutting, and packaging the devices efficiently.

The electronics industry is using more integrated circuits (ICs) in various devices, including mobile devices such as smartphones. In order to provide ever increasing functionality for these smaller devices, smaller semiconductor components are required. One way to get smaller ICs is to miniaturize the transistor and circuit layout on dies. Another way to miniaturize is to keep the packaged IC as small as possible while still providing the interconnects needed for the IC to communicate with other components on a printed circuit (PC) board.
An interconnect can be thought of as a general term for an electrical contact for a semiconductor, and solder balls, solder bumps (with or without metallic pillars), pads, etc. may be specific types of electrical contact.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present disclosure as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Method and system for packing optimization of semiconductor devices


The invention concerns a projection objective and a waveguide display. The objective is adapted to project an image from a first plane to a second plane and comprises in order from the second plane a first optical element group having a positive effective focal length, a second optical element group placed between the first plane and the first optical element group and having a negative effective focal length, and a third optical element group placed between the first plane and the second optical element group and having a positive effective focal length. Counting from the second plane, the first refractive surface of the second optical element group is concave towards the second plane and the second refractive surface of the third optical element group is convex towards the first plane. The objective suits well for projecting images to diffractive optical displays.

Recent interest in augmented reality applications and augmented reality systems has increased the number of different optical methods in achieving the overlap between projected image and the real background.
A specific type of display used in AR systems is a waveguide type display, where light is coupled in to a piece of glass or polymer in an in-coupling region and the light propagates therein within the total internal reflection limit angle until it is coupled out from the light guide at an out-coupling region. Ray splitting at the out-coupling region can effectively expand the eye box of the system at the cost of brightness.
Waveguide type displays can principally be split to two different groups. In the first group the projection objective exit pupil is expanded along one dimension only in the waveguide.
In the second group the projector exit pupil is expanded along two dimensions in the waveguide. The present invention relates in particular to the second group in which the requirements for the incoming light are stricter and which is therefore optically more challenging. For example, the exit pupil of the projector must be of certain diameter and close to the in-coupling grating of the waveguide, the projected beam of light must be highly collimated and telecentric.
Exit pupil expansion in the waveguide can be achieved in several ways, diffractive elements and partially reflective surfaces being the most common.
In practice, it is desirable in augmented reality applications that the total volume of the projection system is as small as possible. In general, many small-volume objective systems are known from the field of mobile phone camera technology. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,453,654, 7,502,181, 7,826,151, 7,965,455, 8,035,723 and 8,953,262 describe fixed focal length mobile phone camera objectives where the aperture stop is located between the object and second lens element, typically residing just in front of the first lens element to minimize the objective size. The compactness of these objectives requires the second lens element to be a negative lens element. In addition, telecentricity of these objectives is typically not very high. The mobile phone camera solutions are not as such applicable to the projection part of waveguide type displays and are in particular not capable of being used for expanding projector exit pupil along two dimensions in combination with diffractive gratings.
Thus, there is a need for improved projector objectives for waveguide displays.

Projection objective and waveguide display device


This invention presents methods and systems for generating and handling a harmonized network of points. More generally, this invention reorganizes and optimizes a network of points in terms of spatial distribution regularity. Implementations may allow users to manipulate the network of points while maintaining the organization of the network of points. The network of points can define a surface, which can include Béziers and Nurbs three-dimensional surfaces. The surface can be used in a CAD system.

In computer-aided design ("CAD"), designers use computers to model three-dimensional objects to assist in the design and manufacture of parts. To implement these models, CAD programs use surfaces to represent three-dimensional objects. Examples of mathematical surface models include Béziers and Nurbs surfaces. One classical way of defining such surfaces is by means of a network of control points. The control points that control the surface are not necessarily on the surface. FIG. 4 shows an example of a surface and the control points that control the surface. As can be seen, only the control points on the four-corners are on the surface. The other control points affect the surface, but are usually not on the surface.
When surfaces are designed, the surfaces may not be uniform or of high quality. FIG. 1A is an example of a three-dimensional surface defined by points in a network that is not uniform or of high quality.
The shape and smoothness of surfaces is particularly important when the surface is visible in a product. These visible surfaces, such as CLASS_A surfaces, are typically used in vehicle and consumer goods. For example, a car hood is a CLASS_A surface that must be smooth because the smoothness can affect how a potential buyer views the car. When the car is displayed in a car showroom, light reflects off the car hood. If the car hood is smooth and regular, the light reflects in an aesthetically pleasing matter. If the car hood is rough or irregular, the light can reflect in a strange pattern that can negatively affect a potential buyer.
Currently, creating high quality CLASS_A surfaces can require a strong expertise, particularly to obtain a good organization of the control points for these surfaces. This organization can be obtained manually by allowing a designer to manipulate individual points using a user interface and control point handling. The designer can start by amplifying the defects by compressing or changing the sights, or zooming into and out of the surface. After amplifying the defects, the designer usually has to manipulate individual control points in the network of points. The designer then views the surface to determine if it is of sufficient quality. The designer can manipulate the same or other control points, and view the results. The designer can repeat this process until satisfied with the smoothness or uniformity of the surface. As individual control points are changed, unrelated parts of the surface can be negatively affected. The designer usually has to consider this as the designer attempts to increase the quality of the surface. This methodology can be difficult and expensive to implement. This invention addresses some of these issues.

Method and system for generating and handling a harmonized network of points


The present invention is a flexible display including a fluid cavity, fluid within the fluid cavity, and a strain/stress-sensitive module positioned within the fluid cavity. The strain/stress-sensitive module includes a flexible substrate, a flexible encapsulation layer, and an OLED layer positioned between the flexible substrate and the flexible encapsulation layer.

Mobile hand held device makers are constantly looking for ways to differentiate their devices in the market. Current trends have focused on thinner displays, higher resolution, higher contrast, and increased display areas without making the device too large, etc. Most recently, there have been attempts to gain customer attention with curved displays or rounded display edges. With the adoption of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), and in particular the emergence of flexible OLEDs, there is now a strong drive to produce devices that are foldable or rollable so that in addition to being compact, they can also be deployable to form a larger, continuous display.
One focus of current attempts to produce foldable or rollable devices is on making the devices less resistant to folding by segmenting or corrugating part of the structure in particular locations. Other attempts focus on ways to manage the position of the neutral plane(s) (i.e. the plane where tensile and compressive strain cancel each other, or in essence, where tensile and compressive strain is absent) as the multi-layer display is subjected to repeated folding and unfolding events. In these designs, the OLED layer is bonded to other layers of the device with significant efforts being made to position the OLED layer in the neutral plane and maintaining it in this plane during repeated flexing of the display. Due to the fragile nature of the OLED layer, significant effort is directed at designing the display stack so that the neutral plane is at, or at the very least, close to, the OLED layer. To help maintain the neutral plane in its required position, display stacks have been disclosed with so-called stress control members or elasticity adjusting layers (hereinafter "assembly layers"). In these cases, each of the individual layers of the display stack have been bonded together. As a result, individual film layers are now mechanically coupled and, for example, the bending stiffness of the composite structure (i.e., cover film/assembly layer/touch sensor layer/assembly layer/barrier layer/OLED layer/OLED substrate layer) is higher than if each layer were allowed to move independently from the others (as if there is no friction between them). As a result of being bonded, stresses and strains can also develop that may become increasingly significant as the modulus of the assembly layer increases.
FIG. 1 shows a typical cross-sectional view of a prior art flexible strain/stress-sensitive display 10. The prior art flexible strain/stress-sensitive 10 display generally includes a bottom layer or device housing 12 ("bottom housing 12"), a first assembly layer 14, an OLED module 16, a second assembly layer 18, a touch sensor 20, a third assembly layer 22, and a cover film 24. While not described here, other layers may be present in the display 10. For example, a circular polarizer or color filter may be positioned between the OLED layer or OLED module and the cover film. The OLED module 16 may generally include a flexible substrate 26, an OLED layer 28 and a flexible encapsulation layer 30. Although the OLED module is shown in FIG. 1 with only three layers, the OLED module 16 may include more layers. It has been demonstrated that these types of OLED modules (sometimes also called POLEDs for plastic OLEDs) are quite flexible and durable. However, to integrate this module into an actual device, it may have to be attached to a bottom layer 12 (for example an external driver circuit, a protective film, a flexible battery, etc.). The first assembly layer 14 can be optically clear, but it does not have to be as most POLEDs are top emitting. The top of the OLED module 16 may be attached to a flexible touch sensor 20, such as those based on polyester or cyclic olefin copolymer covered with an electro-conductive layer, such as a silver nanowire pattern. On top of the touch sensor 20 (or on top of the OLED module if the sensor is embedded or not used), a flexible cover film 24 is frequently applied. Between the OLED module 16 and the touch sensor 20, and between the touch sensor 20 and the cover film 24, are second and third assembly layers 18 and 22, respectively, applied to the whole surface of the display. The second and third assembly layers 18 and 22 are frequently optically clear adhesive layers. All of the assembly layers 14, 18 and 22 may also be an elasticity adjusting layer, a stress control member, or a stress redistribution layer. In addition to bonding the individual layers (bottom layer/OLED module/touch sensor/cover film) together, the assembly layers 14, 18 and 22 also need to fulfil the role of positioning the neutral plane in the stack in the right location (i.e. at or very close to the OLED layer 28, which may be damaged by even a slight amount of strain, compressive or tensile) and keeping it there during repeated bending of the display.
If any of the assembly layers 14, 18 and 22 deforms or creeps under the applied stress, there is a possibility that its thickness becomes non-uniform, resulting in optical distortions if the layer is in the path of the light emitted from the OLED module 16 or reflecting from it. Additionally, when a device including the OLED display 10 is turned off or closed for longer periods of time (i.e., overnight) or becomes hot (i.e., placed in a car exposed to sunlight in the summer time), the creep can become pronounced. Even if the assembly layer deformation is fully recoverable, excessively long relaxation times may make the image distortion too long-lasting. The assembly layers 14, 18 and 22 may also suffer from fatigue resulting from thousands of bending cycles occurring at different rates and different temperatures.

Flexible electronic device with fluid cavity design


A method includes forming a plurality of functional features on a semiconductor layer in a first region. A non-functional feature corresponding to the functional feature is formed adjacent at least one of the functional features disposed on a periphery of the region. A stress-inducing layer is formed over at least a portion of the functional features and the non-functional feature. A device includes a semiconductor layer, a first dummy gate electrode, and a stress-inducing layer. The plurality of transistor gate electrodes is formed above the semiconductor layer. The plurality includes at least a first end gate electrode, a second end gate electrode, and at least one interior gate electrode. The first dummy gate electrode is disposed proximate the first end gate electrode. The stress-inducing layer is disposed over at least a portion of the plurality of transistor gate electrodes and the first dummy gate electrode.

The present invention relates generally to semiconductor manufacturing and, more particularly, to the use of a feature to provide stress uniformity.
Integrated circuits comprise a large number of individual circuit elements, such as transistors, capacitors and resistors and the like. These elements are connected internally to form complex circuits, such as memory devices, logic devices and microprocessors. The performance of integrated circuits can be improved by increasing the number of functional elements in the circuit to increase its functionality and/or by increasing the speed of operation of the circuit elements. A reduction of feature sizes allows the formation of a greater number of circuit elements on the same area, hence allowing an extension of the functionality of the circuit, and also reduces signal propagation delays, thus making an increase of the speed of operation of circuit elements possible.
Field effect transistors are commonly used as switching elements in integrated circuits. They allow control of a current flowing through a channel region located between a source region and a drain region. The source region and the drain region are highly doped. In N-type transistors, the source and drain regions are doped with an N-type dopant. Conversely, in P-type transistors, the source and drain regions are doped with a P-type dopant. The doping of the channel region is inverse to the doping of the source region and the drain region. The conductivity of the channel region is controlled by a gate voltage applied to a gate electrode formed above the channel region and separated therefrom by a thin insulating layer. Depending on the gate voltage, the channel region may be switched between a conductive "on" state and a substantially non-conductive "off" state.
When reducing the size of field effect transistors, it is important to maintain a high conductivity of the channel region in the "on" state. The conductivity of the channel region in the "on" state depends on the dopant concentration in the channel region, the mobility of the charge carriers, the extension of the channel region in the width direction of the transistor and the distance between the source region and the drain region, which is commonly denoted as "channel length." While a reduction of the width of the channel region leads to a decrease of the channel conductivity, a reduction of the channel length enhances the channel conductivity. An increase of the charge carrier mobility leads to an increase of the channel conductivity.
As feature sizes are reduced, the extension of the channel region in the width direction is also reduced. A reduction of the channel length raises a number of issues associated that need to be addressed. First, advanced techniques of photolithography and etching have to be provided to reliably and reproducibly create transistors having short channel lengths. Moreover, highly sophisticated dopant profiles, in the vertical direction as well as in the lateral direction, are required in the source/drain regions to provide a low sheet resistivity and a low contact resistivity in combination with a desired channel controllability. Furthermore, a reduction of the channel length may require a reduction in the depth of the source/drain region with respect to the interface formed by the gate insulation layer and the channel region. In some approaches, this may be achieved by forming raised source and drain regions formed with a specified offset to the gate electrode.
In view of the problems associated with a further reduction of the channel length, it has been proposed to also enhance the performance of field effect transistors by increasing the charge carrier mobility in the channel region. In principle, at least two approaches may be used to increase the charge carrier mobility.
First, the dopant concentration in the channel region may be reduced. Thus, the probability of scattering events of charge carriers in the channel region is reduced, which leads to an increase of the conductivity of the channel region. Reducing the dopant concentration in the channel region, however, significantly affects the threshold voltage of the transistor device. This makes the reduction of dopant concentration a less attractive approach.
Second, the lattice structure in the channel region may be modified by creating tensile or compressive stress. This leads to a modified mobility of electrons and holes, respectively. A tensile stress in the channel region increases the mobility of electrons. Depending on the magnitude of the tensile stress, an increase of the electron mobility of up to 20% or more can be achieved. In an N-type transistor, this leads to a corresponding increase of the conductivity of the channel region. Conversely, compressive stress in the channel region may increase the mobility of holes, thereby providing the potential for enhancing the performance of P-type transistors.
In a method of forming field effect transistors having stressed channel regions according to the state of the art, a layer comprising an alloy of silicon and germanium or an alloy of silicon and carbon, respectively, is introduced into the channel region to create a tensile or compressive stress. Alternatively, such a stress-creating layer may be provided below the channel region. In some instances, a portion of the substrate adjacent eth channel is removed and replaced with a stress-inducing silicon alloy. Subsequently, the source and drain regions are formed in the alloy material by further doping procedures.
A problem with the method of forming field effect transistors having stressed channel regions according to the state of the art is that the formation of the stress-creating layer requires a considerable modification of conventional and well-approved techniques used for the formation of field effect transistors. Another issue is that the physical layout of the semiconductor device affects the stress uniformity locally and across the wafer. Because the layout includes regions with differing pattern densities, the induced stresses are not uniform across an individual die. Highly dense active regions may be adjacent other regions with low pattern density. The stress characteristics differ with pattern density. Also, on a local scale, features on the periphery of a particular functional block do not exhibit the same geometry as features within the block. Hence, the local stress at these features also varies.
By way of example, consider the cross-section view of an exemplary semiconductor device 100 shown in FIG. 1. The device 100 includes a plurality of transistors 110A-D formed on an active region of a substrate 115 and separated by isolation structures 120 (e.g., shallow trench isolation structures). For ease of illustration, not all features of the transistors 110A-D are shown. In the illustration of FIG. 1, the transistors 110A-D are N-channel devices. A stress-inducing film 125 is formed over the transistors 110A-D to induce stress in the channel regions 135 to enhance performance. Note that the end transistors 110A, 110D have adjacent regions 140 that have a reduced pattern density. For example, the regions 140 may exist between different structures. Because of the change in pattern density, the stress induced on the channel regions 135 of the transistors 110A, 110D adjacent the regions 140 differs from the stress induced on the channel regions 135 of the center transistors 110B, 110C. The level of stress variation depends on various factors, such as the dimensions and materials with which the transistors 110A-D, substrate 115, and film 125 are fabricated. Stress variation across the collection of transistors can result in performance variation, which can, in turn, reduce the grade and profitability of the device 100.
This section of this document is intended to introduce various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention described and/or claimed below. This section provides background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. It should be understood that the statements in this section of this document are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art. The present invention is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems set forth above.

Providing stress uniformity in a semiconductor device


An objective of the present invention is to efficiently perform a platform level test on a computer system comprising virtual machines that are automatically built according to predefined templates. A virtual machine test system according to the present invention creates a virtual machine according to a system template defining a combination of a network topology type of virtual machines and a role of each of the virtual machines, and performs a platform level test according to a test item defined for each of the combination (refer to FIG. 1).

In cloud environments, it is common that computational resources such as virtualized servers, virtualized storages, or virtualized networks are collectively procured and pooled, and then resources are drawn from this resource pool to utilize the drawn resources in building systems.
Non Patent Literatures 1 listed below describes a technique in which a computer system comprising multiple virtual machines (Hereinafter, VM) is built on a cloud environment according to a "virtual application pattern" used as a system template. In the technique described in that document, configuration patterns of virtual machine systems for configuring computer systems are defined in advance. Virtual machines are automatically created by selecting such templates according to the definition.

Virtual machine test system, virtual machine test method


It is an aim to reduce an area required on a chip for interconnects which cross a spine center. The circuit has n inputs, which are disposed on one side of the spine center. An encoder is additionally provided, which is connected to the n inputs on an input side and to one end of the interconnects on an output side and which is likewise disposed on one side of the spine center. In this case, a number n of the inputs is greater than a number of the interconnects. A decoder, which is connected to the other end of the interconnects on the input side and to n outputs on the output side, is disposed on the other side of the spine center.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a circuit for an electronic semiconductor module having interconnects which cross a specific region, a spine center, of the semiconductor module.
Various tests, also called test modes hereafter, are necessary in order to be able to test memory modules, for example dynamic random access memory (DRAMs). By way of example, the memory modules must be able to be brought to an extreme state with regard to the operating temperature and the operating voltage. What is achieved in the so-called burn-in test is that the memory module is already optimized by the manufacturer of the memory module with regard to the time duration until the occurrence of a fault (mean time between failures), that is to say the mean availability duration. Moreover, various parameters, such as critical timings, for example, must be able to be set during the production of the memory module. In a further test mode, a fault analysis can be affected in which parts of the memory module can be switched off. An additional test mode may be fast, efficient scanning of the memory cells in order to check the functionality thereof.
The test modes are achieved by extraordinary commands that are no longer necessary for the actual operation of the memory module. Therefore, test modes which set functions that are not available as standard are required for the comprehensive and efficient test of the memory module.
For these tests, the memory module is provided with interconnects. The latter are generally disposed beside further interconnects, which belong as data lines to the voltage supply and the signal-processing logic, on the memory module in such a way that they divide the latter into four quadrants. Each of the quadrants contains memory cells. In this case, the interconnects form a cross whose crossover region is also called a spine center hereafter. The control signals required for the test modes come from a central decoder circuit and are passed by a number of lines (metal lines or interconnects) from the central test mode circuit to their respective function block. Some also cross the spine center in this case. Mostly, however, the metal lines lying right at the top which run through the spine center delimit the chip area.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a circuit for an electronic semiconductor module which overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art devices of this general type, in which the area required for the wiring of the electronic semiconductor module and thus implicitly the total area of the electronic semiconductor module can be reduced.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a circuit for an electronic semiconductor module. The circuit contains a specific region defining a first side and a second side, m interconnects crossing the specific region and having first ends and second ends, and n inputs disposed on the first side defined by the specific region. A number of the n inputs being greater than a number of the m interconnects. An encoder has inputs coupled to the n inputs and outputs connected to the first ends of the m interconnects. The encoder is disposed on the first side of the specific region. n outputs are provided and a decoder having inputs is connected to the second ends of the m interconnects and has outputs coupled to the n outputs. The decoder is disposed on the second side defined by the specific region.
The number of chips per wafer can advantageously be increased thereby.
The circuit according to the invention for an electronic semiconductor module has m interconnects which cross a specific region and has n inputs, which are disposed on one side of the region. In this case, the number n of inputs is greater than the number m of interconnects. An encoder is additionally provided, which is connected to the n inputs on the input side and to one end of the m interconnects on the output side and which is likewise disposed on one side of the region. A decoder, which is connected to the other end of the m interconnects on the input side and to n outputs on the output side, is disposed on the other side of the region.
It is advantageous that an edge detector is connected between the inputs and the encoder. As a result, if a level change occurs at the input of the edge detector, the edge detector generates a change in the signal level for a defined time duration.
A predecoder and an edge detector for the detection of positive edges are provided, which are connected between the inputs and the encoder. Therefore, even changes in the signal levels that occur simultaneously at the inputs can be processed.
A first switching and memory device is provided, which is connected to the outputs of the decoder on the input side.
A post-decoder is connected downstream of the decoder and a second switching and memory device is provided, which has an input connected to the output of the post-decoder. As a result, signals that are intended to be switched through simultaneously can also be processed.
The circuit according to the invention has a checking device for checking for simultaneity. If appropriate, it generates a control signal and feeds it to the encoder for coding. The decoder decodes the control signal and feeds it to the switching and memory device. The control signal can be used to signal that, if the semiconductor module is in the test mode, the test mode is now to be ended and left.
The checking device identifies a signal as a control signal when a plurality of signals at the inputs simultaneously change their state.
The edge detector has an input terminal, an output terminal and an exclusive-NOR element, the signal present at the input terminal of the edge detector being fed to the exclusive-NOR element undelayed in one instance and delayed in one instance, and the output of the exclusive-NOR element being connected to the output terminal of the edge detector.
The edge detector for the detection of positive edges has an input terminal, an output terminal and an AND element, the signal present at the input terminal of the edge detector being fed to the AND element undelayed in one instance and delayed in another instance, and the output of the AND element being connected to the output terminal of the edge detector for the detection of positive edges.
In the circuit, the encoder converts the n inputs to the m interconnects in a binary coded manner.
In the circuit, the first switching and memory device has a memory, the content of the memory changing with every second pulse of the signal present at the input of the first switching and memory device.
In the circuit, the second switching and memory device has a memory, the content of the memory being overwritten with each signal present at the input of the second switching and memory device, if an enable signal allows this.
In an advantageous manner, in the circuit according to the invention, different test modes can be set at the inputs by different addresses.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a circuit for an electronic semiconductor module, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Circuit for an electronic semiconductor module


Provided is a method for displaying application data in a wireless communication system, the method including transmitting, by a first device, audio and video data out of application data executed by the first device to a second device in a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Display (WFD) session, if the WFD session is established through discovery between the first device and the second device, transmitting, by the first device, text or Graphic User Interface (GUI) data related to the transmitted audio and video data, to the second device in a session that is different from the WFD session, and receiving, by the first device, a close command for the application data and sending a message comprising a set parameter for stopping display of the text or GUI data to the second device.

The Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Display (WFD) standard has been specified according to needs for transmitting Audio/Video (AV) data while satisfying high quality and low latency. A WFD network to which the WFD standard is applied is a network system proposed by the Wi-Fi Alliance which enables Wi-Fi devices to be connected to each other in a peer-to-peer manner without joining a home network, an office network, or a hotspot network. The WFD devices in the WFD network search for information about each other, for example, capability information, establish a WFD session, and render contents received during the WFD session.
The WFD network includes two types of devices, for example, a source device and a sink device. The source device mirrors data existing on a source screen onto a screen of the sink device. The source device and the sink device exchange a first sequence message with each other and perform device discovery and service discovery. After completion of device discovery and service discovery, an Internet Protocol (IP) address is allocated to the source device and the sink device. Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection is established between the source device and the sink device, and then Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) and Real Time Protocol (RTP) stacks for the source device and the sink device are activated.
Capability negotiation between the source device and the sink device is performed through the RTSP, and during capability negotiation, the source device and the sink device exchange M1 through M4 messages. Thereafter, the source device and the sink device exchange WFD session control messages. A data session is established between the source device and the sink device through the RTP.
In the WFD network, a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is used for data transport. The UDP has no reliability, such that during wireless transmission, some packets may be lost. Since the lost packets are not retransmitted, a loss of data may be noticed by a user. In particular, a data loss related to a text, such as a subtitle, or a Graphic User Interface (GUI) is more noticeable to the user than AV data. Thus, a need exists for a scheme for improving the quality of text and GUI data in the sink device.
To reduce noticeable distortion in the quality of the text and GUI-related data in the sink device, the sink device merges the AV data with the text and GUI-related data, instead of the source device merging the AV data with the text and GUI-related data and transmitting the merged data to the sink device. To merge the text such as a subtitle with the AV data in the sink device, techniques such as Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) or Timed Text Markup Language (TTML) may be used. Likewise, to merge the GUI data with the AV data in the sink device, techniques such as Remote View (RVU), Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) 5, or Consumer Electronics (CE)-HTML may be used.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.

Method and apparatus for displaying application data in wireless communication system


A three-dimensional image display method is disclosed. The three-dimensional image display method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes: displaying an object image; displaying a background image by using a three-dimensional image display method; and disposing the object image at a close distance and the background image at a far distance such that the object image and the background image overlap inside a same viewing angle. By using images having a different sense of depth, a high-resolution image can be displayed while providing a sense of reality.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method of displaying a 3D image, more specifically to a 3D image display method, and a system thereof, having a background image for adding three-dimensionality.
2. Background Art
There have been a number of researches and developments on three-dimension imagery and image display technologies. As a new concept of virtual image media that will enhance the technological level of visual information, the three-dimensional image-related media are expected to lead the new generation of display technology. Consequently, academic institutions and industry researchers, both in Korean and overseas, are actively actively researching in this field.
Three-dimensional images are more realistic and natural than two-dimensional images, and are increasingly preferred to their two-dimensional predecessors. While the conventional two-dimensional display system provided an image on a flat plane, the three-dimensional display system provides the inherent, real image information of an object to an observer. In such sense, the three-dimensional display system is an ultimate image display technology.
For the display of such three-dimensional images, stereoscopy, holography and integral imaging have been developed.
In the stereoscopy method, which imitates the human visual system, images corresponding to the left eye and the right eye, respectively, are separately inputted. An image is separated into a left-eye image and a right-eye image, which are then inputted to the left eye and the right eye, respectively, of an observer, who is wearing polarized glasses.
The holography method allows an observer to experience a real-like three-dimensional image, without wearing any special glasses, when looking at the holography created by use of laser. With its high three-dimensionality, the holography method is known to be least physically demanding to the observer, hence the most ideal method for realizing three-dimensional imagery.
The integral imaging display method is mainly divided into image pick-up and image display. The image pick-up process is arranged by a two-dimensional sensor, such as an image sensor, and a lens array, before which a three-dimensional object is placed. A variety of information on the three-dimensional object is passed through the lens array and stored in the two-dimensional sensor. As an element image, the stored image is used for displaying the image three-dimensionally. A reverse process of the image pick-up process, the image display process of the integral imaging display method is arranged by an image display device, such as a liquid crystal display device, and a lens array. The element image obtained by the image pick-up process is displayed on the image display device, and the image information of the element image is passed through the lens array and displayed in space three-dimensionally.
A type of glass-less 3D display technology, the floating display system can be often found in museums or exhibition showcases.
Simple in the structure, the floating-image display system is easy to realize a high-resolution image in real space. Once an image from a flat display device, such as an LCD, passes through a floating lens, which uses a convex lens or a concave mirror, the image is formed in space, and the viewer can see the image floating in space in front of his or her eyes. The image displayed by the floating-image display system, however, is limited to a single real plane, hindering the system from displaying the image three-dimensionally.
The above 3D display methods, however, require an enormous amount of data to process a near-perfect sense of three-dimensionality, because they realize the 3D imagery from a single 2D or 3D image, and thus are unable to provide consecutive 3D images. Moreover, the three-dimensionality that a user senses has been somewhat limited when the 3D image is provided by a single system.

3D image display method and system thereof

Kwangwoon University Research Institute for Industry Cooperation


A formulation to produce urethane linkages reacts cyclocarbonate groups with diamines. Aliphatic polyhydroxyl precursor molecules are first epoxidized. The invention does not require complete epoxidation, as it makes use of the un-epoxidized hydroxyl groups of the precursor molecule. These hydroxyl groups are combined with isocyanate groups of prepolymer molecules to form urethane links. The use of prepolymers increases the networking, flexibility, and impact-resistance of the final product. The known formulations for amine hardeners also require complete carbonation of the epoxy groups to form reactive cyclocarbonate groups, which are reacted with diamines to form an amine hardener. In the proposed invention, both cyclocarbonate and epoxy groups are used to combine with the different diamine molecules by making use of the different reactivities of aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, and aromatic amine groups. This procedure not only increases the networking in the final polyurethane, it ensures that there are enough reactive amines to form the amine hardener. In addition, the resulting urethane contains hydroxyl groups which impart water-compatibility. The amine hardener can then be combined with any commercial epoxy resin to form a polyurethane that is water-compatible, non-toxic, has a low viscosity, and a high degree of penetrance into a surface, and after curing is impact-resistant, abrasion-resistant, chemical-resistant, strong, and flexible.

Polyurethanes are high molecular weight compounds which have a high degree of strength, hardness, and friction resistance. They are often used as adhesives, cements, and coatings. They are made of polymers which contain repeating urethane groups; as shown in FIG. 1.
Traditionally, polyurethanes may be produced by reacting diols with di-isocyanates, as shown in FIG. 3. U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,499 by Kaneko et. al discloses a method for producing a resin which reacts molecules containing hydroxyl groups with di-isocyanates to form temporary urethane polymers, which are noted for their stability and strength. Isocyanates, however, are highly toxic, non-stable substances because they react easily with water, such as moisture in the air. This method of producing polyurethane cannot be used in many applications, namely those involving direct contact with water.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,231 by Rappoport, incorporated herein by reference, describes a method for producing water-compatible polyurethanes which involves reacting oligomeric cyclocarbonates with diamines. This method begins with aliphatic polyepoxy molecules, which are used as precursors for cyclocarbonate-containing molecules. An example is Heloxy 84.RTM. produced by Shell Chemical Company. This product contains several epoxy functional groups. Since a desirable polyurethane coating comprises molecules attached to each other in a non-dissipated, three-dimensional network, it is preferable to have a precursor containing as many multi-functional epoxy groups as possible. However, the aliphatic polyepoxy molecules normally contain a number of residual hydroxyl groups that were not converted to epoxy groups, as epoxidation of aliphatic molecules is never 100% efficient due to the nature of the reaction commonly used. As a result, there are fewer epoxy groups available than desired, thus reducing the number of cyclocarbonate groups and possible links in the future polyurethane network. Although it is possible to increase the percentage of epoxy groups, it is more expensive and technically difficult to reach comprehensive epoxidation of aliphatic hydroxyl-containing compounds such as Heloxy 84.RTM..
In Rappoport's method, the epoxy functional groups of Heloxy 84.RTM. are reacted with carbon dioxide to produce cyclocarbonate functional groups. The reaction is shown in FIG. 2. This reaction is also less than 100% efficient, leaving some epoxy groups unreacted. Like the residual hydroxyl groups mentioned above, these unreacted epoxy groups reduce the functionality of the urethane molecule and as a consequence, the number of links in the final polyurethane network. Typically, the conversion rate of epoxy groups to cyclocarbonate groups is only about 80-85% efficient at the soft conditions before "sticking" of the carbonation reaction occurs. In order to achieve comprehensive carbonation, a more extreme version of the reaction must be carried out. The temperature is raised from 100.degree. C. to 130.degree. C., the reaction time is increased from 1-1.5 hours to 5-6 hours, and a larger amount of catalyst, usually quaternary ammonium salts, is used. Though this reaction ensures that nearly all the epoxy groups have been turned into cyclocarbonate groups, it also produces undesirable side reactions and products. In addition, it is more expensive and time-consuming.
After the formation of cyclocarbonate functional groups, the molecules are reacted with diamines, such as Vestamine IPD (isophorone diamine) and Vestamine TMD (trimethyl hexamethylene diamine), both made by Huls America, Inc. The reaction is shown in FIG. 4. These diamines contain two amine groups with different reactivities. For the isophorone diamine, the aliphatic amine groups are the more reactive amines, while the cycloaliphatic amine groups are the less reactive amines. The more reactive aliphatic amines are usually used to react with the cyclocarbonate groups of the molecules, thus forming urethane links. The less reactive cycloaliphatic amines are left unreacted. The urethane links form the basis for the urethane-containing amine hardener. The amine hardener is usually packaged and stored until it is time to create the polyurethane.
In order to create the polyurethane, the urethane-containing molecules of the amine hardener containing the unreacted less reactive cycloaliphatic amines are combined with an epoxy resin. These less reactive cycloaliphatic amines react with the epoxy resin to form the polyurethane. The polyurethane is then cured as a result of the hardener's multifunctionality. Unfortunately, because all the more reactive amine groups have previously reacted, there is often a shortage of less reactive amine groups in the curing stage which leaves the reaction incomplete and weakens the structure of the final polyurethane.
In many epoxide resin-amine hardener formulations, reactions are carried out in the presence of organic solvents, which are volatile air pollutants and sometimes carcinogenic. These organic solvents also decrease the reactivity of the functional groups, thus reducing the degree of cross-linking.

Water-compatible urethane-containing amine hardener


A solid-state imaging apparatus includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion devices, a charge transfer device for transferring a signal charge converted by the photoelectric conversion devices, a signal charge detection portion for converting a signal charge transferred by the charge transfer device into a signal voltage, a reset circuit for resetting a potential of the signal charge detection portion, and an amplification portion for amplifying the signal voltage. The amplification portion includes a two-stage source follower, each supplied with power supply voltages different from the power supply voltage to be supplied to the reset circuit. The second stage source follower includes drive transistor, and a current source that changes a current amount according to a fluctuation of the reset potential VRD.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solid-state imaging apparatus, and particularly to a solid-state imaging apparatus aiming for low power consumption of an output circuit.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, in an electronic equipment using a solid-state imaging apparatus such as a digital camera, a copier, and a scanner, there is a distinct move towards increasing the number of pixels as well as achieving higher speed. Along with the move, amount of current that flows in an output circuit of a solid-state imaging apparatus increases. The increase in the amount of current causes to increase power consumption in a solid-state imaging apparatus and calorific value.
FIG. 4 is a view showing a general linear image sensor. Charges photoelectric converted and accumulated in an array of light receiving devices 200 is read out to a shift register 202 through a readout gate 201 that is supplied with a readout gate pulse φTG. The charge read out to the CCD shift register is sequentially transferred and converted into a signal voltage in a signal charge detection unit 203 formed in a floating diffusion region, that converts a signal charge into a signal voltage. The converted signal voltage is outputted to the outside by an output circuit 204 which is comprised of an analog circuit including a source follower and an inverter etc.
FIG. 5 is a waveform chart showing the readout gate pulse φTG and an output signal Vout. In order to speed up, a transfer rate of the CCD shift register must be increased so as to shorten the time needed to read out the signal charge of the light receiving portion. Further, a cycle of the φTG pulse must be shortened. The time needed to read out data in one line must be shortened in this way.
To shorten the time needed to read out the signal charge in each light receiving device, frequency characteristic of an output circuit comprised of an analog circuit must also be increased. Specifically, for a transistor included in the output circuit, a gate length L must be shortened and a gate width W must be widened to increase a frequency characteristic of a source follower and the like. However it increases an amount of current that flows the output circuit, thereby inducing to increase calorific value.
Further, an amount of the charge Q photoelectric converted at the array light receiving portion can be expressed as;Q=η×L×Ttg wherein L is a quantity of light, η is a photoelectric conversion efficiency, and Ttg is a time for accumulating charge.
By increasing the number of reading out the charge photoelectric converted and accumulated in the light receiving portion to the CCD shift register in order to speed up, the time for the light receiving portion to accumulate charges in the light receiving portion Ttg is shortened. Accordingly, if the quantity of light in light source remains the same, the amount of charge photoelectric converted Q is consequently reduced due to higher speed. If the amount of charge is reduced, necessary amplitude as an output voltage (dynamic range) cannot be obtained, thus a gain of an output circuit must be increased. This indicates that the number of transistors in a circuit needs to be increased, accordingly increasing power consumption. Even if the quantity of light is increased to complement it, there is another problem that power consumption in a light source increases.
As described in the foregoing, a problem of increasing power consumption is unavoidable for speeding up.
One method of resolving the problem of increasing power consumption for an output circuit is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-117306. An output circuit disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-117306 is shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 6 shows a signal charge detection unit and an output circuit for the solid-state imaging apparatus shown in FIG. 4, and a reset circuit that is not shown in FIG. 4. Signal charges sequentially transferred are converted into signal voltage in a signal charge detection portion 2, and outputted to the outside through the output circuit 103. The reset circuit 1 is to reset a potential of the signal charge detection portion 2 and output each signal charge being sequentially transferred to specify a reset potential. The output circuit 103 for amplifying the signal voltage is comprised of two-stage source follower 4 and 105. The source follower 4 connects a constant current source 7 to a source side of a transistor 6. The source follower 105 connects a constant current source 109 to a source side of a transistor 8. Further, a power supply voltage VOD 1 to be supplied to a first stage source follower 4 is used in common with a power supply voltage VRD to be supplied to a reset circuit 1. Further, by making a power supply voltage VOD 2 to be supplied to the second stage source follower 105 lower than the power supply voltage VOD 1 to be supplied to the first stage source follower 4, the power consumption is reduced.
However as in a case above, if a potential of the power supply voltage VOD 2 of the second stage source follower 105 is made to be different from a potential of the power supply voltage VRD of the reset circuit 1 and a potential of the power supply voltage VOD 1 of the first stage source follower 4, with the voltages being supplied externally, the power supply voltages may fluctuate independently. Generally, if a voltage inputted to a source follower remains the same, a fluctuation of an output voltage from the source follower caused by a fluctuation of power supply voltage is not large enough to be a problem. However a fluctuation of reset potential VRD fluctuates an input potential of the source follower 105, thereby fluctuating an amplitude range (dynamic range) of an output voltage. For example as shown in FIG. 7, if an input potential of a source follower fluctuates to a lower potential, an amplitude range of an output voltage becomes narrow.
Especially as shown in FIG. 8, in a case an inverter circuit 120 is provided as a subsequent circuit of the source follower 105 so as to increase a gain of an output circuit, an influence from a fluctuation of power supply voltage becomes large. The more an amplification gain of the inverter circuit 120 increases, the narrower a range becomes for an input voltage of the inverter circuit is able to input. Accordingly, if the output voltage of the source follower fluctuates due to a fluctuation of the reset potential VRD, the input voltage of the inverter circuit fluctuates, and the input voltage may go outside a range for the inverter circuit is able to input. The output circuit correspondingly may not operate. Even if the input voltage is within a range in which the inverter circuit is able to input, an amplitude range (dynamic range) of an output voltage from a source follower may need to be narrowed in comparison to a case comprising only source followers. These issues impose restrictions on a gain and a dynamic range of an output circuit, thus create a major problem in designing an output circuit having a higher gain and a wider dynamic range.


A filter cartridge, which is suitable in particular for purifying dental waste waters, has a housing with three different spatial regions which receive three different filter materials having different filter properties. The first filter material is preceded by a sedimentation space.

The laws of different countries govern in different ways the requirements placed on the purity of waste waters fed into the public sewage system in dental practices. In countries with demanding legislation, the required purity of the waste water can only be met with the aid of separating centrifuges. In other countries, the required purity can also be met by sedimentation separators.
It would be desirable to have a separator which, in terms of cost, is significantly below the costs of separating centrifuges, but at the same time has a significantly better separating performance than a pure sedimentation separator.
The present invention is directed to resolving these and other matters.

Filter cartridge, in particular for purifying dental waste waters


One embodiment includes a method of predicting a position of a target site inside a body using surrogates is provided. The method includes transforming surrogate measurements and target positions into different representations by applying an operator, establishing a special relationship between the transformed surrogate measurements and the transformed target positions, and continuously predicting the target position from the transformed surrogate measurements and the established special relationship.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to treatment of tissues in a living organism, and in particular to moving a support structure or treatment delivery device, or both, to compensate for tissue movement relative to the treatment delivery device caused by biological activity of the organism, such as respiration, during treatment delivery, such a during delivery of a dose of radiation. Embodiments of the invention are also directed to a method and/or device for predicting the position of a target site, such as a tumor, inside a human or other animal body in real time or near real time using surrogates.
2. Description of the Related Art
Tumors in the thoracic and abdominal regions are susceptible to motion during normal respiration. Treating these tumors with, for example, a radiation beam or zone must take into account this moving target. Uncorrected, this leads to at least part of the tumor receiving less than the desired dose while that part is outside the treatment zone. Conventional methods to account for this problem involve the addition of a "treatment margin" so that a greater volume of tissue, including normal healthy tissue, is treated to therapeutic doses. Subjecting normal tissue to therapeutic doses can lead to possible complications.
Studies in the thorax and abdomen have shown that respiration can cause tumors to move up to 2 cm (see, for example, Kitamura K, Shirato H, Seppenwoolde Y, Shimizu T, Kodama Y, Endo H, Onimaru R, Oda M, Fujita K, Shimizu S, Miyasaka K. Tumor location, cirrhosis, and surgical history contribute to tumor movement in the liver, as measured during stereotactic irradiation using a real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy system. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. vol. 56, pp 221-228, 2003). Although 3-D conformal and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) can potentially deliver highly conformal doses to the tumor while sparing normal healthy tissues, respiration-induced tumor motion can produce under-dosing of the tumor's periphery (see, for example, Bortfeld T, Jokivarski K, Goitein M, Kung J, Jiang S B. Effects of intra-fraction motion on IMRT dose delivery: statistical analysis and simulation. Phys Med Biol vol. 47, pp 2203-2220, 2002; and Naqvi S A, D'Souza W D. A stochastic convolution/superposition method with isocenter sampling to evaluate intrafraction motion effects in IMRT. Med Phys vol. 32, pp 1156-1163, 2004).
Conventional methods to deal with tumor motion have involved allowing an adequate margin when designing the treatment fields or defining the planning tumor volume (PTV). Advanced methods to manage respiratory-induced tumor motion during radiation delivery include breath-holds, both voluntary (see, for example, Rosenzweig K E, Hanley J, Mah D, Mageras G, Hung M, Toner S, Burman C, Ling C C, Mychalczak B, Fuks Z, and Leibel S A. The deep inspiration breath-hold technique in the treatment of inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys vol. 48, pp 81-87, 2000) and forced (see, for example, Dawson L A, Brock K K, Kazanjian S, Fitch D, McGinn C J, Lawrence T S, Ten Haken R K, Balter J. The reproducibility of organ position using active breathing control (ABC) during liver radiotherapy. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys vol. 51, pp 1410-1421, 2001), beam gating (see, for example, Shirato H, Shimizu S, Kunieda T, Kitamura K, van Herk M, Kagei K, Nishioka T, Hashimota S, Fujita K, Aoyama H, Tsuchiya K, Kudo K, and Miyasaka K. Physical aspects of a real-time tumor-tracking system for gated radiotherapy. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys vol. 48, pp 1187-1195, 2000) and real-time tumor tracking. Tumor-tracking using conventional linear accelerators for beam delivery is conventionally based on moving a multi-leaf collimator (MLC). (See for example, Keall P J, Kini V R, Vedam S S, and Mohan R. Motion adaptive x-ray therapy: a feasibility study. Phys Med Biol vol. 46, pp 1-10, 2001, the entire contents of which are herby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein). Tracking using repositioning of the linear accelerator has also been described (Adler J R, Murphy M J, Chang S D. Image-guided robotic radiosurgery. Neurosurgery vol. 44, pp 1299-1307, 1999; Schweikard A, Glosser G, Boddulura M, Murphy M J, and Adler J R. Robotic motion compensation for respiratory movement during radiosurgery. Comput Aided Surg vol. 5, pp 263-277, 2000; Ozhasoglu C and Murphy M J. Issues in respiratory motion compensation during external-beam radiotherapy. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys vol. 52, pp 1389-1399, 2002, the entire contents of each of which are herby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein). A CYBERKNIFE™ from Accuray Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif., uses a miniaturized linear accelerator mounted on an industrial robot.
Methods for managing respiration-induced motion while a fraction of the radiation dose (or other treatment) is delivered (called herein "intra-fraction" motion) may be broadly grouped into breath-hold methods, gating methods and real-time tracking methods. Breath-hold and gating techniques pose the disadvantage of increased treatment time. The duty cycle for gating is typically 25% on and 75% off, because the beam is turned on during a specific "window" of the respiration cycle and turned off the remainder. Because the total treatment time for IMRT is longer than conventional delivery, further increasing the treatment time with breath-holds and gating only increases the probability of spurious intra-fraction patient motion (such as shifting unrelated to respiration). In addition breath-holds are uncomfortable, particularly for patients with compromised pulmonary capacity. With this type of motion management, the radiation can only be delivered during breath-holds which may last 10-20 s or less, depending on the patient's ability to hold their breath. The time of treatment delivery assumes even more significant role in IMRT treatments. Each 3-D conformal field can be delivered in 1-2 breath-hold cycles. However IMRT treatments involve 2-10 times as many monitor units (a measure of radiation dose delivered to a patient), and thus involve up to about 20 breath holds. Thus breath-holds during IMRT treatments not only prolong the treatment time, but also make it difficult for patients, who increasingly fatigue as treatment progresses. Hence, such respiration management strategies may not be applicable to a significant population of patients.
Gating techniques involve radiation delivery during a pre-defined window of the respiration cycle. The duty cycle is typically 25%. Thus 75% of the time the patient receives no treatment as the tumor target is out of range. In addition, tumor motion can still occur during the gating interval. If the amplitude of this motion is significant, it could adversely impact the planned dose distribution. As with breath-holds, gating methods prolong time for treatment delivery thereby increasing the chances of spurious patient motion.
Tumor-tracking methods have distinct advantages over breath-holds and gating methods by reducing treatment delay and patient discomfort. However, they are technically more challenging. In one approach, tumor-tracking adjusts the linear accelerator or its collimator (e.g., the multi-leaf collimator, MLC) to keep the moving tumor in focus. One method is to use multiple sets of CT images each associated with a specific breathing phase measured using some type of breathing sensor or a surrogate measure. Another method is to use simultaneous x-ray imaging of implanted markers under fluoroscopy and breathing monitoring using sensors or other surrogates. During delivery, the radiation starts at a pre-determined phase, at which the radiation beam is pointed at the target corresponding to this breathing phase. Patient breathing is continuously monitored and the position of the tumor is determined according to the predetermined relationship. Ideally, the beam is adjusted in real-time based on the breathing signal to track the movement of the target. However, after determining the current position of the tumor, there is some finite time delay in the displacement response of the MLC.
Furthermore, use of the MLC to follow movement reduces the capacity of the MLC to provide intensity modulation in multiple planes and increases wear on an expensive and sensitive piece of equipment. An MLC can compensate for tumor motion in two dimensions only, and the spatial resolution in one direction is limited by the width of the leaf (e.g. 0.5 cm). For an MLC, beam alignment (or control) relative to the tumor can be maintained only in the plane of treatment field. If the tumor moves out of plane, the treatment plan integrity may be compromised. Additionally, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and intensity modulated arc delivery (IMAT) involve significant physical movement on the part of the MLC to begin with, especially, when one considers that as many as 30% of the patients in our clinic are treated with IMRT for various disease sites. To further impose a breathing-induced motion on the MLC could exceed the physical limits of the device, such as leaf speed. Such additional motion will also lead to excessive wear and tear on the MLC and shorten its lifespan. Excessive motion of the MLC also requires frequent calibration of the MLC since individual leaves have been known to lose their calibration due to overuse
For periodic motion, such as respiratory motion, advanced prediction methods such as the use of an adaptive filter (Ozhasoglu, C. and Murphy, M J., Issues in respiratory motion compensation during external-beam radiotherapy. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys vol. 52, pp 1389-1399, 2002) have been proposed. It has also been shown that the reproducibility of respiration patterns can be improved with audio visual aids and patient coaching (Vedam S S, Kini V R, Keall P J, Ramakrishnan V, Mostafavi H, Mohan R., Quantifying the predictability of diaphragm motion using an external respiratory signal. Med Phys vol. 30, pp 505-513, 2003). However, methods that involve control of patient action may not be suitable for all patients.
Based on the foregoing, there is a clear need for patient treatment delivery techniques that do not suffer all the deficiencies in prior art approaches. In particular, there is a need to track tumor motion in real time that accounts for differences between pre-treatment breathing patterns and breathing patterns during treatment. There is an independent need for techniques to compensate for tumor motion without movement of a treatment delivery device, such as an accelerator or a multi-leaf collimator (MLC).

Techniques for compensating movement of a treatment target in a patient


A variable resistor having a switching function includes a base plate, a first electrode formed on the base plate, a second electrode formed on the base plate, a third electrode formed on the base plate, and a fourth electrode formed on the base plate simultaneously with the formation of the second electrode. A resistive element connects electrically the first and the second electrodes, a first switching element is provided and includes two brushes which slide on the surfaces of the third electrode and the resistive element, respectively. A second switching element is movable together with the first switching element and includes two brushes which slide on the surfaces of the first electrode and the fourth electrode, respectively.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a variable electric resistor having a switching function and a variable electric resistor in which a brush slides on a resistive element.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally speaking, in a variable resistor of the present kind, a brush slides on a resistive element from one end to the other end thereof after a switch is turned off. A variable resistor of this kind may be incorporated in a control system in which the rotating range defined by the pitch between ends of the resistive element coincides with the rotating range of a mechanism to be controlled. In this case, if the relationship between a position at which the switch is turned off and the other end of the resistive portion is not set correctly, the control system may malfunction. Accordingly, manufacturing of the variable resistor has to be performed in light of this fact. In general, this means that the variable resistor as discussed above is not suitable for mass-production.

Variable resistor with switching mechanism


A measuring arrangement (2) for continuously measuring undulatory irregularities in the running surface (4) of a rail (5) of a track (6) comprises a measuring trolley (1) having flanged wheels (8) which are able to roll on the track (6) and a trolley frame (7), and a distance detector (20) disposed on the trolley frame (7) for the contactless measurement of the distance from the rail (5), and a device (11) for recording, processing and issuing measurement signals. The distance detector (20) is mounted in a linear guide (13) connected to the trolley frame (7) so as to be displaceable in the vertical direction relative to the trolley frame (7) and so as to be vibration-damped.

The invention relates to a measuring arrangement for continuously measuring undulatory irregularities, more particularly rail corrugations, in the running surface of a rail of a track, comprising a measuring trolley having flanged wheels which are able to roll on the track and a trolley frame, and a distance detector arranged on the trolley frame for the contactless measurement of the distance from the rail, and also comprising a device for recording, processing and issuing the measurement signals.
For reasons which are partially still unresearched, corrugations and longer undulations may appear on railway rails laid in tracks as a result of wear. By corrugations are generally meant short-wave periodic irregularities of the running surface of a rail with amplitudes of up to about 0.4 mm and wavelengths of up to about 100 mm (this maximum length can also be up to 500 mm--depending on how it is viewed). Since these deformations become worse with the passage of time and cause progressively increasing damage to the permanent way and to rolling stock, it is important to carry out regular measurements in order to determine the most economically efficient time to eliminate the corrugations, e.g. by rail grinding.
A measuring arrangement for measuring rail corrugations and also longer undulations in the surface of a rail is already known--according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,855, in which a measuring trolley provided with flanged wheels is pulled by a railway vehicle along the railway at a given speed. Arranged above a rail on the frame of the measuring trolley or spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction of the rail are two (or in another form of construction, three) distance detectors designed as contactless electronic pickups and operating on the eddy-current principle. The amplitudes of the corrugations or undulations within a specific wavelength range may be measured by means of these detectors. The distance apart of the detectors or pickups is in this case smaller than the shortest wavelength occurring within this selected wavelength range. The pickups are connected to a measurement circuit which with the aid of a comparator forms the difference of the two measured distances and at the same time determines the average actual length of the detected wave. From these data--taking into account a transfer coefficient which is a function of the ratio of the distance between pickups to the wavelength--the amplitude of the rail deformation can be determined as an actual value. Because the distance detectors are attached to the trolley frame, the said trolley frame acts as a reference base to which the measured distances from the rail are related. Since this reference base is itself directly supported on the track, however, its position relative to the track is influenced and altered by track faults which are present--or even by the corrugations and undulations themselves--by which the measurement results are adulterated to a certain extent and cannot count as absolute values. It is true that the measurement errors can be reduced by lengthening the measuring base, but they can never be eliminated completely.
A further measuring arrangement--known from Austrian Patent Specification 390 626--has a frame which rests on the track to be measured by way of rollers arranged at the ends thereof and which serves as the measuring base. Disposed in the center of this measuring base are two angle sensors, one of which measures the angle at which the frame is inclined in an inertial coordinate system. The second angle sensor determines the angle at which a surface element of the rail to be measured is inclined in relation to the frame. This second angle sensor may be designed as a scanning element or even--if the rail surface is sufficiently reflective--operate contactlessly on the principle of an autocollimation optical system. In this, a light beam is directed at the rail and its reflection is reproduced on a detector, e.g. a position-sensitive photodiode. An evaluating circuit adds the output signals of the angle sensors and integrates them over the distance covered by the arrangement. The value obtained in this way corresponds to the profile curve averaged over the length of the measured surface element. The measurement accuracy with this measuring arrangement is equally adversely affected by any irregularities of the rail in the area of the contact points of the rollers.
Disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,752 is an arrangement for measuring or recording the irregularities of a road surface. A four-wheeled, elongated vehicle has a sensor attached to its underside in its central region, the said sensor consisting of a laser transmitter directed at the road surface and a CCD receiver. An encoder associated with one of the wheels measures the distance covered. The data obtained are recorded by means of a recorder provided on the vehicle. In this case too, the attachment of the sensor directly to the vehicle frame has an unfavorable effect, as interfering natural frequencies of the vehicle may adversely affect the measurement accuracy of the arrangement.
The object of the present invention lies in developing a measuring arrangement for rail corrugations which produces measurement results which are more accurate and more reliable and which are simpler to process.

Measuring arrangement for continuously measuring undulatory irregularities of a rail

Franz Plasser Bahnbaumaschinen-Industriegesellschaft m.b.H.


A torque converter including a cover and a bridging clutch for selective connection to the cover, the bridging clutch including a clutch plate fixed to the cover and having an inner radial surface and having a piston having an outer radial surface opposite the inner radial surface. A method for assembling a torque converter is also provided.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,011,196, hereby incorporated by reference herein, describes a hydraulic torque converter with a bridging clutch.
In FIG. 1, a prior art torque converter 10 contains a cover 12, an impeller 14, a turbine 16, and a bridging clutch 18. Torque converter 10 is driven by an engine connected at hole 20. Cover 12 has a front cover 22 and a back cover 24, secured and sealed together, for example welded. Impeller 14 is rigidly attached to back cover 24. Turbine 16 is rigidly attached to a turbine hub 26 with, for example, rivets 28. Turbine hub 26 is non-rotatably attached to a shaft 30 with, for example, splines 32. Shaft 30 may be the input shaft of a transmission, for example.
Leaf springs have been known to connect the piston of bridging clutch 18 to a separate piece later welded to front cover 22. Alternately, the piston, which can be in the form of a plate, splines to front cover 22 which can cause a rattle or noise complaint. Another method is to attach the piston to front cover 22 with leaf springs, typically positioned radially outside of friction surfaces.

Torque converter with piston centered in clutch plate