A system and method for testing multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) devices under test (DUTs) with multiple radio frequency (RF) signal testers. Each tester receives one or more RF signals from one or more of the DUTs, and the testers are mutually coupled in a ring such that successive ones receive a trigger input signal from an upstream tester and provide a trigger output signal to a downstream tester. Each tester is responsive to its input trigger signal and its one or more RF signals by providing its output trigger signal such that its output trigger signal has an asserted state initiated in response to an assertion of its input trigger signal and a transcending of a predetermined magnitude by at least one of the one or more RF signals.

Many of today's handheld devices make use of wireless "connections" for telephony, digital data transfer, geographical positioning, and the like. Despite differences in frequency spectra, modulation methods, and spectral power densities, the wireless connectivity standards use synchronized data packets to transmit and receive data. In general, all of these wireless capabilities are defined by industry-approved standards (e.g. IEEE 802.11 and 3GPP LTE) which specify the parameters and limits to which devices having those capabilities must adhere.
At any point along the device-development continuum, it may be necessary to test and verify that a device is operating within its standards' specifications. Most such devices are transceivers, that is, they transmit and receive wireless RF signals. Specialized systems designed for testing such devices typically contain subsystems designed to receive and analyze device-transmitted signals (e.g., vector signal analyzers or VSAs) and to send signals (e.g., vector signal generators or VSGs) that subscribe to the industry-approved standards so as to determine whether a device is receiving and processing the wireless signals in accordance with its standard.
In testing wireless devices that employ multiple input/multiple output (MIMO) technology, the most accurate testing will simulate real-world environments. Thus, if a MIMO device has two antennas, two transmitters and two receivers (e.g., a 2×2 MIMO device), the most accurate testing would involve doing receive signal (RX) testing using two VSGs and transmit signal (TX) testing using two VSAs, plus some means of synchronizing the VSA and VSG operations.
When such single VSA/VSG testers are used to test TX functions of a device under test (DUT), the TX signals are sampled one at a time by the VSA using a multiplexing or switching scheme. Thus, one is unable to fully simulate the environment where multiple TX signals are transmitted simultaneously.
One can, in fact, simulate real-world environments using testers equipped with multiple VSAs and VSGs, and synchronization. And, it could be possible to build up such a test capability by using two or more single VSA/VSG testers to create a N×N MIMO test capability (where N≧2). However, the concatenation of such testers is not trivial. There are triggering issues that must be resolved in order to have the combination simulate real-world MIMO conditions. For example, each tester must have the ability to trigger the others as the DUT may not use all transmitters it has available.
Therefore, a system and method designed to support routine concatenation of single VSA/VSG test systems which provides an expandable triggering capability would provide a faster, simpler means for combining such testers while offering more accurate simulation of real-world MIMO environments and conditions. Furthermore, since MIMO is not limited to 4×4, having dedicated trigger lines for each tester is less desirable than have a scalable solution that permits one to add new testers as the N-level of N×N MIMO increases.

System and method for synchronized triggering of test equipment for testing MIMO transceivers


Methods and systems for managing shared state within a distributed system with varying consistency and consensus semantics are described. In one configuration, a computing device receives a first plurality of objects representing the state of a first item and a second plurality of objects representing the state of a second item. The computing device generates a composed view of the state of each of the first item and the second item. The resulting composed views are transmitted using a reliable multicast protocol.

In distributed systems, deriving a consistent view of shared state is a classic problem. In general consistency refers to two or more distributed entities reaching the same conclusions about the value of a shared variable. Many models for consistency exist in the literature. Each model defines different semantics for what constitutes a consistent view of distributed state. For example, an eventually consistent model stipulates that once changes to the state cease, all entities will converge on the same value for that state. Other models of consistency are more stringent, ensuring that all entities necessarily follow the same sequence of transitions to reach the same eventual state. Most previous work in this area has focused on providing efficient solutions for a specific model of consistency.


A robotic surgical system for performing a surgical procedure within the body of a subject includes an elongate surgical instrument, a robotic controller configured to control the motion of the distal end portion of the surgical instrument, and a mechanomyography feedback system in communication with the robotic controller. The mechanomyography feedback system includes an elongate sphincter contraction sensor configured to monitor a physical response of a sphincter of the subject and to provide a mechanomyography signal corresponding to the monitored response. Additionally, the feedback system includes a processor configured to receive the mechanomyography signal, to determine if the received signal is indicative of an induced sphincter response, and to provide a control signal to the robotic controller if an induced sphincter response is detected.

Robotic surgery involves the use of one or more robotically manipulated surgical instruments, extending within a patient to perform a surgical procedure. Each surgical instrument may include a specially configured end effector disposed on a distal end portion of the instrument to effectuate, for example, a grasping routine. Robotic surgical systems enable minimally invasive surgical procedures to be performed with less trauma to the subject than in traditional surgical procedures, and may potentially have a greater degree of precision.
During a robotically assisted surgical procedure, a surgeon generally oversees the operation of the robotic manipulator in a tele-opritive manner while seated at a master station. The master station may include both specially configured user input controls and a display. Display feedback provided to the surgeon may typically include direct visual feedback, such as from a robotically controlled endoscopic camera that may extend within the patient. From this visual feedback, the surgeon may direct the robotic manipulator to perform the desired task/procedure.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Robotic surgical system with mechanomyography feedback


A burr hole plug comprises a plug base configured for being mounted around a cranial burr hole. The plug base includes an aperture through which an elongated medical device exiting the burr hole may pass. The burr hole plug further comprises a retainer configured for being mounted within the aperture of the plug base. The retainer includes a retainer support, a slot formed in the retainer support for receiving the medical device, and a clamping mechanism having a movable clamping element and a cam configured for being rotated relative to the retainer support to linearly translate the movable clamping element into the slot, thereby securing the medical device. The retainer further comprises another clamping mechanism having another movable clamping element and another cam configured for being rotated relative to the retainer support to linearly translate the other movable clamping element, thereby laterally securing the retainer within the plug base.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) and other related procedures involving implantation of electrical stimulation leads within the brain of a patient are increasingly used to treat disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, dystonia, essential tremor, seizure disorders, obesity, depression, restoration of motor control, and other debilitating diseases via electrical stimulation via stimulation of one or more target sites, including the ventrolateral thalamus, internal segment of globus pallidus, substantia nigra pars reticulate, subthalamic nucleus (STN), or external segment of globus pallidus. DBS has become a prominent treatment option for many disorders, because it is a safe, reversible alternative to lesioning. For example, DBS is the most frequently performed surgical disorder for the treatment of advanced Parkinson's Disease. There have been approximately 30,000 patients world-wide that have undergone DBS surgery. Consequently, there is a large population of patients who will benefit from advances in DBS treatment options.
During DBS procedures, at least one burr hole is meticulously cut through the patient's cranium as not to damage the brain tissue below, a large stereotactic targeting apparatus is mounted to the patient's cranium, and a cannula is scrupulously positioned towards the target site in the brain. A stimulation lead is then introduced through the cannula, through the burr hole, and into the parenchyma of the brain, such that one or more electrodes located on the lead are strategically placed at a target site in the brain of the patient. Typically, an imaging device, such as a magnetic resonant imager (MRI), will be used to visualize the lead relative to the target site. Once the lead is properly positioned, the portion of the lead exiting the burr hole is subcutaneously routed underneath the patient's scalp to an implantable pulse generator (IPG) implanted in the patient at a site remote from the burr hole (e.g., the patient's shoulder or chest region). Further details discussing the treatment of diseases using DBS are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,845,267, 6,845,267, and 6,950,707, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Significantly, it is crucial that proper location and maintenance of the lead position be accomplished in order to continuously achieve efficacious therapy. This is especially so with DBS applications, in which cases, the target site (or sites) that is intended for electrical stimulation is about the size of a pea and is located deep within the patient's brain. Thus, lead displacements of less than a millimeter may have a deleterious effect on the patient's therapy. Therefore, it is important that the electrode(s) of the lead be accurately located at the target site and that such electrode(s) be securely maintained at the target site during and after implantation of the lead.
To address these issues, a cranial burr hole plug is installed within the burr hole during the implantation procedure to hold the stimulation lead in place, as well as to seal the burr hole. Typically, the burr hole plug is composed of a multitude of components, including a ring-shaped base and a retainer that are integrated together to form the burr hole plug. Optionally, a cap may be further integrated with the base and retainer.
In particular, before the stimulation lead is introduced through the burr hole, the ring-shaped plug base is centered about the burr hole using a special centering tool that is disposed through the plug base into the burr hole, and is then permanently mounted to the patient's cranium using conventional means, such as bone screws. The stimulation lead is then introduced through the plug base and into the parenchyma of the brain. Notably, any displacement of the portion of the lead exiting the burr hole will result in the translation of the electrodes positioned in the brain relative to the target site, thereby requiring the lead to be repositioned—a time consuming process.
Thus, once the lead is properly located at the tissue site, the retainer is installed within the plug base (typically in an interference arrangement, such as a snap-fit arrangement) to secure the lead, thereby preventing migration of the lead relative to the target site during subsequent manipulation of the lead and installation of the optional cap. In one exemplary embodiment, the retainer comprises a disk having a slot for receiving the lead and a clamping mechanism that can be rotated within the slot towards a mating surface on the disk to frictionally clamp the received lead therebetween. The clamping mechanism may have one or more locking mechanisms that can engage or disengage complementary locking mechanisms on the disk to prevent rotation of the clamping mechanism. The portion of the stimulation lead exiting the retainer can then be bent downward towards the plane of the disk into a recess formed in the plug base, and the optional cap can be installed onto the plug base over the retainer to permanently secure the lead within the recess, as well as to seal the burr hole. Alternatively, instead of a cap, a biocompatible glue or other suitable adhesive can be used to seal the burr hole.
It can thus be appreciated from the foregoing that the burr hole plug serves as the platform for the entire DBS system, and therefore, it is important for this component to be robust, well-designed, and easy to use. Importantly, the burr hole plug should be designed, such that lead migration is minimized during installation of the burr hole plug. While prior art burr hole plugs have proven to be useful in the DBS context, there are still improvements that can be made.
For example, due mostly to their flexible nature and ability to lock in only one position, the clamping mechanisms of prior art burr hole plugs are not designed to firmly retain stimulation leads. As such, the stimulation lead may still inadvertently move even when it is supposedly secured by the clamping mechanism. Also, because these clamping mechanisms have only one set position when clamping down on a stimulation lead, prior art burr hole plugs are designed to be used with stimulation leads having one size. That is, the dimension between the retaining surface of the clamping device and the mating surface of the disk when the clamping device is in the locked position is designed to be slightly less than the diameter of the lead. If the diameter of the actual lead used with the burr hole plug is smaller than this intended diameter, the retention force applied to the lead by the clamping mechanism will not be sufficient. In contrast, if the diameter of the actual lead used with the burr hole plug is greater than this intended diameter, too much force will need to be applied to the lead in order to place the clamping mechanism within the locking position, thereby potentially damaging the retainer.
As another example of a problem suffered from prior art burr hole plugs, the retainer may rotate within the plug base, potentially resulting in the inadvertent movement of the stimulation lead from the target site. Such rotation of the retainer may typically occur in response to the manipulation of the clamping mechanism, and in particular, a downward force applied to the clamping mechanism that causes partial disengagement between the retaining disk to which the clamping mechanism is mounted and the plug base, and a lateral force applied to the clamping mechanism that causes the disengaged disk to rotate within the plug base.
As yet another example, once the plug base is mounted to the patient's cranium via bone screws, it is difficult to adjust the position of the plug base when desired. Also, due to the relatively large size of the stereotactic targeting apparatus, there is often little working space available between the targeting apparatus and the burr hole to secure the stimulation and to anchor the plug base to the cranium of the patient.
There, thus, remains a need for a burr hole plug that includes an improved means for securing a stimulation lead, for affixing the retainer to the plug base of the burr hole plug, and to anchor the burr hole plug within the burr hole formed in the cranium of a patient.

Cam lock burr hole plug for securing stimulation lead

Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation


A magnetic field measurement system includes at least one magnetometer having a vapor cell, a light source to direct light through the vapor cell, and a detector to receive light directed through the vapor cell; at least one magnetic field generator disposed adjacent the vapor cell; and a feedback circuit coupled to the at least one magnetic field generator and the detector of the at least one magnetometer. The feedback circuit includes a first feedback loop that includes a first low pass filter with a first cutoff frequency and a second feedback loop that includes a second low pass filter with a second cutoff frequency. The first and second feedback loops are configured to compensate for magnetic field variations having a frequency lower than the first or second cutoff frequency, respectively.

In the nervous system, neurons propagate signals via action potentials. These are brief electric currents which flow down the length of a neuron causing chemical transmitters to be released at a synapse. The time-varying electrical currents within an ensemble of neurons generates a magnetic field, which can be measured using either a Superconductive Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) or an Optically Pumped Magnetometer (OPM). In this disclosure the OPM is primarily considered because the SQUID requires cryogenic cooling, which may make it prohibitively costly for users and too large to be wearable by a user. Magnetoencephalography (MEG), the measurement of magnetic fields generated by the brain, is one application of interest.

Magnetic field measurement systems and methods employing feedback loops with a loops with a low pass filter


An apparatus for illuminating a license plate includes a reflector, one or more light emitting diodes mounted on a substrate, all positioned within a housing. The light emitting diode or diodes project light directed at the reflector. The reflector has a surface geometry for redirecting the light through a window in the housing such that it substantially uniformly illuminates the license plate. The apparatus preferably does not include a lens. The apparatus may include a light emitting diode or diodes and a curved free form reflector. The apparatus may also include a plurality of reflectors or reflector segments, each corresponding to a light emitting diode.

This invention relates generally to an apparatus for illuminating license plates using one or more light emitting diodes in conjunction with a reflector.
Government regulations for illuminating license plates exist at both the federal and sometimes the state level. Federal regulations for illuminating license plates are expressed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). These standards require the ratio of illumination intensity measured at the two highest and the two lowest circular test points on the license plate not exceed 20:1. Additionally, the minimum illumination per test point must be at least 0.75 Ft-c. There are eight test points proscribed as being approximately one inch in diameter. Four are located on centers that are spaced one inch from each corner. The remaining four are located one inch from the lengthwise centerline and one inch from the top and bottom edges. A figure illustrating the positioning of these test points may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,057 to Stapel issued Nov. 19, 1991, FIG. 1 of which is herein incorporated by reference. The illumination is substantially uniform if the ratio of illumination intensity is within the above described FMVSS limit.
A variety of solutions to the government requirements exist. Many are elaborate structures mounted near the license plate having one or more lamp assemblies. These assemblies generally depend on incandescent bulbs and/or filaments as a light source. Shortcomings of such light sources are finite lifetimes, sensitivity to vibration and mechanical shock as well as power consumption, heat generated and size and weight. The FMVSS require an even distribution of light that is not too strong and not too weak. Thus, known lamp assemblies often require various combinations of condenser and/or diffuser lenses to be used in conjunction with the light source to refract the light so that it will illuminate the license plate evenly across the whole surface of the plate.
The addition of lenses and/or other optical components may add to the cost and complexity of the lamp assembly. Other problems in meeting government requirements include the need to prevent light from escaping from the lamp assembly in a rearward direction. Some state regulations regarding vehicle light allow only 50 millicandelas or less of white light to be emitted to the rear of the vehicle. Many of the currently produced license lamps are painted on the side to the rear, or require a bracket or other opaque element between the lamp and the rear of the vehicle to prevent white light from traveling in that direction.
The present invention addresses one or more of the above problems in a novel and nonobvious way.
In one form the present invention is an apparatus for illuminating a license plate of a vehicle without a lens. The apparatus includes a housing and a reflector positioned within the housing. The apparatus further includes a light emitting diode positioned within the housing. The light emitting diode projects light directed at the reflector. The reflector has a surface geometry for redirecting the light through a window in the housing such that it substantially uniformly illuminates the license plate.
In another form of the present invention there is an apparatus for illuminating a license plate of a vehicle. The apparatus includes a light emitting diode and a curved free form reflector. The apparatus further includes a housing substantially enclosing the diode and the reflector. The reflector in the housing redirects light projected by the diode through a window in the housing toward the license plate.
In another form of the present invention there is an apparatus for illuminating a license plate of a vehicle. The apparatus includes a plurality of light emitting diodes mounted to a substrate. The apparatus further includes a plurality of reflector segments, each reflector segment corresponding to one of the plurality of light emitting diodes. The apparatus also includes a housing substantially enclosing the plurality of light emitting diodes and the plurality of reflector segments. Each reflector segment redirects light projected by the corresponding one of the plurality of light emitting diodes through a window in the housing toward the license plate.
In yet another form of the present invention there is an apparatus for illuminating a license plate of a vehicle. The apparatus includes a light emitting diode projecting light directed substantially away from the vehicle and a housing substantially enclosing the light emitting diode. The apparatus further includes lensless means within the housing for substantially preventing light from the diode from escaping the housing in a rearward direction and for redirecting the light through a window in the housing toward the license plate.
One object of the present invention is to provide a unique light emitting diode license plate lamp design.
Related objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.

Light emitting diode license lamp with reflector


Methods, systems, and vehicles are provided for controlling rear wiper units and rear washer units for a rear windshield of a vehicle. In accordance with one embodiment, the vehicle includes, in addition to the rear windshield, the rear washer unit, and the rear windshield, a control system. The control system includes a detection unit and a processor. The detection unit is coupled to a single input device onboard the vehicle. The detection unit is configured to detect a user's engagement of the single input device. The processor is coupled to the detection unit. The processor is configured to at least facilitate automatically controlling the rear wiper unit and the rear washer unit based on the detecting of the user's engagement of the single input device.

Today's vehicles often include wipers and washers for windshields of the vehicles. However, in certain situations, existing wiper and washer controls may not always be ideal with respect to wiper and washer functionality in certain situations, for example pertaining to rear windshields.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide techniques for improved operation of vehicle rear wiper and washer systems. It is also desirable to provide methods, systems, and vehicles utilizing such techniques. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will be apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.

Vehicle rear wiper and washer activation


A video data transmission unit transmits data generated by a video data generation unit to an HMD. A sensing data reception unit receives data transmitted from the HMD, the data including size data indicating a size of the data successfully received by the HMD. A required time specification unit specifies time it took for a round-trip communication in half-duplex wireless communication between a relay apparatus and the HMD. A generation control unit controls a size of the data generated by the video data generation unit per unit time based on the specified time, the size indicated in the size data, and a given target time regarding the round-trip communication.

In recent years, a head-mounted display (HMD) that can be mounted on the head to watch a video displayed in front of the eyes is increasingly used. There is an HMD connected by wire to an entertainment apparatus that executes a program, such as a game program, and the HMD receives and displays a video generated by the entertainment apparatus.
In addition, there is an HMD that changes the video to be displayed according to the movement of the head of the user. The HMD includes, for example, a motion sensor, a camera, and the like, and the HMD generates sensing data, such as data indicating detection results of the motion sensor and images captured by the camera, and transmits the generated sensing data to the entertainment apparatus. The entertainment apparatus that has received the sensing data generates a video based on the sensing data and transmits the video to the HMD. Furthermore, the HMD displays the received video, and the user can watch the video that changes according to the movement of the head.

Communication apparatus, generated data size control method, communication method, and program


A flexible treatment planning system configured to enable the user to utilize both forward planning and inverse planning techniques is described.

Tumors and lesions are types of pathological anatomies characterized by abnormal growth of tissue resulting from the uncontrolled, progressive multiplication of cells, while serving no physiological function.
Pathological anatomies can be treated with an invasive procedure, such as surgery, but can be harmful and full of risks for the patient. A non-invasive method to treat a pathological anatomy (e.g., tumor, legion, vascular malformation, nerve disorder, etc.) is external beam radiation therapy. In one type of external beam radiation therapy, an external radiation source is used to direct a sequence of x-ray beams at a tumor site from multiple angles, with the patient positioned so the tumor is at the center of rotation (isocenter) of the beam. As the angle of the radiation source changes, every beam passes through the tumor site, but passes through a different area of healthy tissue on its way to the tumor. As a result, the cumulative radiation dose at the tumor is high and the average radiation dose to healthy tissue is low.
The term "radiotherapy" refers to a radiation treatment procedure in which radiation is applied to a target region for therapeutic, rather than necrotic, purposes. The amount of radiation utilized in radiotherapy treatment sessions is typically about an order of magnitude smaller, as compared to the amount used in a radiosurgery session. Radiotherapy is typically characterized by a low dose per treatment (e.g., 100-200 centiGray (cGy)), short treatment times (e.g., 10 to 30 minutes per treatment) and conventional or hyperfractionation (e.g., 30 to 45 days of treatment). For convenience, the term "radiation treatment" is used herein to mean radiosurgery and/or radiotherapy unless otherwise noted by the magnitude of the radiation.
In order to deliver a requisite dose to a targeted region, whilst minimizing exposure to healthy tissue and avoiding sensitive critical structures, a suitable treatment planning system is required. Treatment plans specify quantities such as the directions and intensities of the applied radiation beams, and the durations of the beam exposure. It is desirable that treatment plans be designed in such a way that a specified dose (required for the clinical purpose at hand) be delivered to a tumor, while avoiding an excessive dose to the surrounding healthy tissue and, in particular, to any important nearby organs. Developing an appropriate treatment planning system is especially challenging for tumors that are larger, have irregular shapes, or are close to a sensitive or critical structure.
A treatment plan may typically be generated from input parameters such as beam positions, beam orientations, beam shapes, beam intensities, and radiation dose distributions (that are deemed necessary by the radiologist in order to achieve a particular clinical goal). Sophisticated treatment plans may be developed using advanced modeling techniques, and state-of-the-art optimization algorithms.
Two kinds of treatment planning procedures are known: forward planning and inverse planning. In early days, treatment planning systems tended to focus on forward planning techniques. In forward treatment planning, a medical physicist determines the radiation dose of a chosen beam and then calculates how much radiation will be absorbed by the tumor, critical structures (i.e., vital organs) and other healthy tissue. There is no independent control of the dose levels to the tumor and other structures for a given number of beams, because the radiation absorption in a volume of tissue is determined by the properties of the tissue and the distance of each point in the volume to the origin of the beam and the beam axis. More specifically, the medical physicist may "guess" or assign, based on his experience, values to various treatment parameters such as beam positions and beam intensities. The treatment planning system then calculates the resulting dose distribution. After reviewing the resulting dose distribution, the medical physicist may adjust the values of the treatment parameters. The system re-calculates a new resulting dose distribution. This process may be repeated, until the medical physicist is satisfied by the resulting dose distribution, as compared to his desired distribution. Forward planning tends to rely on the user's ability to iterate through various selections of beam directions and dose weights, and to properly evaluate the resulting dose distributions. The more experienced the user, the more likely a satisfactory dose distribution is produced.
In inverse planning, in contrast to forward planning, the medical physicist specifies the minimum dose to the tumor and the maximum dose to other healthy tissues independently, and the treatment planning module then selects the direction, distance, and total number and intensity of the beams in order to achieve the specified dose conditions. Given a desired dose distribution specified and input by the user (e.g., the minimum and maximum doses), the inverse planning module selects and optimizes dose weights and/or beam directions, i.e. select an optimum set of beams that results in such a distribution.
Inverse planning may have the advantage of being able to produce better plans, when used by less sophisticated users. However, conventional treatment planning systems do not allow a user the flexibility to use both forward planning and inverse planning techniques within a same plan, or to switch back and forth between forward planning and inverse planning. Also, conventional treatment planning systems do not allow a user to incorporate direct modification of the topological map for the isodose distribution. These conventional inverse planning systems may require user definition of anatomical regions to affect the dose distribution. These drawn regions may usually cover a limited percentage of the patient anatomy, and may not fully reflect the clinical goals of the treatment plan. Further, existing treatment planning systems may be based solely on either an isocentric beam geometry or a non-isocentric boundary-targeting beam geometry.


Disclosed is a method of measuring overlay between upper and lower layers on a substrate using metrology targets formed by a lithographic process. The lithographic process is of a multiple-patterning type whereby first and second distinct populations of structures are formed in a single one of said layers (L1) by respective first and second patterning steps. The metrology target (620) in the single one of said layers comprises a set of structures of which different subsets (642A, 642B) are formed in said first and second patterning steps. An overlay measurement on this target can be used to calculate a combined (average) overlay performance parameter for both of the first and second patterning steps.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for metrology usable, for example, in the manufacture of devices by lithographic techniques and to methods of manufacturing devices using lithographic techniques.
Background Art
A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a target portion of the substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In that instance, a patterning device, which is alternatively referred to as a mask or a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern to be formed on an individual layer of the IC. This pattern can be transferred onto a target portion (e.g., including part of, one, or several dies) on a substrate (e.g., a silicon wafer). Transfer of the pattern is typically via imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist) provided on the substrate. In general, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are successively patterned.
In lithographic processes, it is desirable frequently to make measurements of the structures created, e.g., for process control and verification. Various tools for making such measurements are known, including scanning electron microscopes, which are often used to measure critical dimension (CD), and specialized tools to measure overlay, the accuracy of alignment of two layers in a device. Recently, various forms of scatterometers have been developed for use in the lithographic field. These devices direct a beam of radiation onto a target and measure one or more properties of the scattered radiation e.g., intensity at a single angle of reflection as a function of wavelength; intensity at one or more wavelengths as a function of reflected angle; or polarization as a function of reflected angle to obtain a "spectrum" from which a property of interest of the target can be determined. Determination of the property of interest may be performed by various techniques: e.g., reconstruction of the target structure by iterative approaches such as rigorous coupled wave analysis or finite element methods; library searches; and principal component analysis.
Examples of known scatterometers include angle-resolved scatterometers of the type described in US2006033921A1 and US2010201963A1. The targets used by such scatterometers are relatively large, e.g., 40 μm by 40 μm, gratings and the measurement beam generates a spot that is smaller than the grating (i.e., the grating is underfilled). This simplifies mathematical reconstruction of the target as it can be regarded as infinite. In order to reduce the size of the targets, e.g., to 10 μm by 10 μm or less, e.g., so they can be positioned in amongst product features, rather than in the scribe lane, metrology has been proposed in which the grating is made smaller than the measurement spot (i.e., the grating is overfilled). Typically such targets are measured using "dark field" scatterometry in which the zeroth order of diffraction (corresponding to a specular reflection) is blocked, and only higher orders processed. Diffraction-based overlay using this dark field technique enables overlay measurements on smaller targets. Examples of dark field metrology can be found in international patent applications WO 2009/078708 and WO 2009/106279 which documents are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Further developments of the technique have been described in published patent publications US20110027704A, US20110043791A, US20120044470A US20120123581A, US20130258310A and US20130271740A; and in the U.S. patent applications 61/652,552 and 61/803,673. These targets can be smaller than the illumination spot and may be surrounded by product structures on a wafer. Multiple gratings can be measured in one image, using a composite grating target. The contents of all these applications are also incorporated herein by reference.
In the known metrology technique, overlay measurement results are obtained by measuring the target twice under certain conditions, while either rotating the target or changing the illumination mode or imaging mode to obtain separately the −1st and the +1st diffraction order intensities. Comparing these intensities for a given grating provides a measurement of asymmetry in the grating, and asymmetry in an overlay grating can be used as an indicator of overlay error.
A problem arises when overlay is to be measured, and one of the layers contains different populations of features, formed by different steps in a process. For example, the finest product features are nowadays formed by multiple-patterning steps. An example is litho-etch-litho-etch (LELE) double patterning, but the invention can be applied with other multiple-patterning techniques. Applying the known techniques and target designs requires that overlay is measured separately for each population, that is to say once for each patterning step. An average overlay can then be calculated and used for subsequent control/process improvement. However, the separate measurements imply a doubling of the substrate area occupied by overlay metrology targets, and a doubling in the measurement time required also.

Inspection methods, substrates having metrology targets, lithographic system and device manufacturing method


In a method for operating an at least semi-active chassis of a vehicle, a height profile of a road course which lies ahead in driving direction of the vehicle is determined with at least one sensor unit and at least one actuating unit of the vehicle is proactively controlled with the control unit, wherein an actual obstacle of the road course, which is displayed in the determined height profile is assigned to one of multiple predefined and store categories and a predetermined control signal is transmitted to the at least actuating unit based on the assigned category, wherein the actuating unit executes the control signal.

The present invention relates to a method and a device for operating an at least semi-active chassis of a motor vehicle.
The following discussion of related art is provided to assist the reader in understanding the advantages of the invention, and is not to be construed as an admission that this related art is prior art to this invention.
With increasing wealth and higher living standards comes on one hand a demand for comfort and on the other hand an increased desire for protection and safety. In the context of motor vehicles, these desires have strongly influenced motor vehicle development, in particular the field of chassis and vehicle control systems. The goal of active chassis and the associated vehicle control systems is to increase agility, driving dynamic, comfort and safety compared to passive chassis.
Measuring a height profile of a road ahead of the vehicle via a vehicle sensor system and transmitting the height profile to a chassis control enables better control strategies to increase comfort, driving safety and driving dynamic, and to lower energy consumption.
From the state-of-the-art a forward-looking chassis is generally known which includes a sensor for recognizing a height profile of a road ahead of the vehicle, and active elements, which can be adjusted to the height profile to thereby increase driving comfort.
However, none of the prior art publications discloses how precisely to drive over an obstacle such as a pothole by controlling the vehicle, for example by lifting the wheels. This means, that to date a concrete and fast control of an actuating system that is present in the motor vehicle and is responsible for the driving behavior to further increase driving comfort and driving dynamic, is not known.
It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to provide a possibility to control an actuating system in the chassis so that even before driving over an obstacle this obstacle is recognized and appropriate measures are taken in response prior to reaching this obstacle.

Method and device for operating a chassis


An adjustable sheet cassette for use in apparatus feeding sheets and being movable in the apparatus from a sheet feeding position to a nonsheet feeding position, the adjustable cassette having a sheet stack support platform capable of supporting stacks of sheets of a plurality of length and width dimensions, at least one sheet edge guide movable in a path in the cassette to accommodate stacks of sheets of different length or width dimensions, the sheet edge guide having attached thereto an actuator arm having a plurality of switch actuators for selectively actuating a plurality of switches on a circuit board on the main body of the apparatus when the cassette is in sheet feeding position in the apparatus, the actuators being located to selectively actuate the switches on the main body of the apparatus which represent one of a plurality of sheet sizes, whereby when each of the switches is actuated it generates a unique resistance in the circuit on the circuit board, the resultant of these unique resistances determining a resultant voltage signal to the main controller on the main body of the apparatus which allows the controller to interpret the length or width dimension of the sheets in the sheet cassette.

The present invention relates to sheet feeding apparatus and in particular to an adjustable sheet cassette capable of housing stacks of sheets or similar materials of different sizes.
In a particular application, the adjustable sheet cassette of the present invention has utility as a supply of stacked sheets in automatic printing apparatus such as reproducing apparatus including copiers, and electronic printers. Typically, in these devices, individual sheets of copy paper are separately fed through the copier and processed one at a time. In this process, it is convenient to have a supply stack of sheets from which to feed the individual sheets. Modern day business desires require that a copier or printer be capable of faithfully reproducing original documents of various sizes or configurations on various types of copy stock. To facilitate this operational flexibility, it has been customary to provide a supply of cut sheets in a cassette-type form. These paper sheet cassettes may be designed for a single fixed size of paper in which case they are only used for storing sheets of that size in the printing apparatus. Alternatively, adjustable cassettes may be designed to enable customer adjustment of the cassette for a variety of different sheet sizes. With the fixed size cassette if a printing operation is to be performed to obtain prints on a copy sheet size of a size other than that which is in the fixed cassette, the cassette must be removed from the machine and replaced with another cassette of a different fixed size to enable the operation to be completed. Similarly, with an adjustable cassette, if the size of the paper in the cassette is unsuitable for a particular printing operation, the copy sheets should be removed and replaced with the appropriate size copy sheets for that particular printing operation.
It is desirable that the printing apparatus know the size of the sheets in the cassette as soon as it is inserted in the printing machine. This enables the machine to automatically display the copy sheet size on the control panel to tell an operator if a particular job run can be run with the copy sheet size in the cassette or to replace the copy sheet supply. For example, it enables the operator to determine if the automatic printing machine is capable of providing size for size reproduction or automatic reduction and/or automatic enlargement of an original that may be placed on the copying platen.
For the larger, higher volume, higher speed machines, the size of a sheet in a typical, adjustable cassette, is typically determined by providing separate switches on two sides of the cassette, each with a separate input to the controller on the main body of the machine which requires wiring harnesses, plugs, etc. that must be connected after the cassette has been loaded into the automatic printing machine. Not only is this a relatively complicated procedure and expensive, but it involves an electrical connection which can easily become contaminated by dirt, toner or other debris, or otherwise damaged.
In the smaller, slower, lower volume machines, the size of the sheets in an adjustable cassette, may be entered into the control panel of the machine by the operator manually pressing a button or turning a dial, or alternatively, by the operator manually moving a sheet size indicator on the cassette, which in fact may be totally independent of the size sheet which is actually in the cassette. It frequently happens that the operator in either circumstances selects the wrong size. This permits the condition to exist where the machine interpretation of the size of the sheets in the cassette does not match the size of the sheets in the cassette and thereby leads to copy quality defects, productivity losses, in that paper jams may occur which may lead to shutting down the entire printing operation. The present invention is directed to a mechanism for automatically identifying the sheet size in an adjustable cassette without requiring any switches, wires, plugs, etc. on the cassette which have to be plugged into the machine.

Auto paper size sensing mechanism for an adjustable cassette


The present invention is structured such that lift control apparatus such as flaps and flaperons operate in association with elevator operation performed by a pilot. Lift control conforming to elevator operation by the pilot is performed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to method and system of lift control of aircraft, and particularly such method and system of lift control of aircraft to generate suitable lift rapidly response to elevators operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, flaps 82 are formed in rear edges of main wings 81 of an airframe 80 of an aircraft, as shown in FIG. 7. The flaps 82 each normally structure portions of the main wings 81.
The flaps 82 are operated to rotate at a suitable angle downward to the main wings from a main wing structuring position to a desired operating position, or rotate upward from the operating position in order to return to the position at which they form a general surface with the main wings 81 when the flaps 82 are operated.
An amount of lift acting on the airframe 80 increases when the flaps 82 are rotated in a downward direction, and the lift decreases when the flaps 82 are rotated in an upward direction. Furthermore, an amount of drag force also increases at the same time when the flaps 82 are operated in the downward direction. The flaps 82 are therefore also operated to rotate in the downward direction in cases when it is necessary to brake the aircraft 80 during flight.
Further, elevators 84 are generally mounted to horizontal tail 83 formed in rear portions of the airframe 80 of the aircraft. The elevators 84 are used in order to point a bow 85 in an upward or downward direction, and are installed in order to perform pitching control of the airframe 80 of the aircraft. The bow 85 therefore rises when a pilot in a cockpit pulls a control stick in a direction toward the rear of the airframe, and the bow 85 drops when the pilot pushes the control stick in a direction toward the front of the aircraft. In other words, the elevators 84 are rotated upward by pulling the control stick backward when the bow 85 is to be raised, and the elevators 84 are rotated downward by pushing forward on the control stick when the bow 85 is to be lowered.
Originally, when an aircraft is made to climb or descend, though depending upon speed of its flight, it takes a predetermined time that the airframe 80 actually climbs or descends after the pilot performs elevators operation by the control stick.
The changes of the attitude of actual airframe in pitching direction after a pilot performs elevators operation by the control stick is explained as an example of airframe 80 climbing in order of a state of the airframe 80 in the process of climb referred to figures.
The pilot first pulls the control stick toward the rear of the airframe and operates the elevators 84 to rotate upward, as shown in FIG. 8 (1). Then, for this elevators operation as shown in FIG. 8 (2), a tail portion 86 of the airframe 86 drops, the bow 85 points upward as a result and the attitude of the airframe 80 becomes upward. The angle of attack of the main wings 81 increases in this case, and the lift generated by airflow from the front becomes larger, as shown in FIG. 8 (3). As a result, the airframe 80 climbs as shown in FIG. 8 (4).
In this case the horizontal tail 83, comprising the elevators 84 of the aircraft, are formed in the tail portion 86 of the airframe. The tail portion 86 of the airframe therefore falls first, and the bow 85 points upward as a result.
Accordingly, when the elevators operation is performed, it takes a predetermined time that the airframe 80 actually climbs or descends after the pilot performs the elevators operation because the aircraft 80 itself has a predetermined length. Further, in order for the airframe 80 to actually begin to climb, one must wait for a predetermined amount of lift to be generated when the bow 85 points upward and the angle of attack of the main wings 81 becomes larger. As a result, it takes a more time.
Therefore although automobiles, for example, are generally structured so that steering is performed in a front end portion of an automobile body by a steering wheel of the front end portion, in comparison time is intrinsically required for the airframe 80 to respond to operations of a rudder upward and downward in the case of aircraft. There is necessity for improvement in the response of the airframe when the elevators operation is performed.
Furthermore, in order to place the aircraft in a landing attitude, procedures such as the following steps relating to aircraft operation are used. Namely, the pilot first operates a throttle lever and descends while increasing or decreasing engine power. Flaps, which are lift control apparatuses mounted to the main wings, are then lowered to a predetermined angle, and the aircraft is decelerated. The elevators of the horizontal tail are then rotated upward by pulling the control stick toward the rear of the aircraft just prior to touchdown, rotating the elevators upward, raising the bow and thereby pulling up the airframe.
Lift is generated in proportion to the square of an airspeed. In this case, at a low speed state during landing, it takes longer time than that in high speed flight until a necessary amount of lift is generated at the main wings after operating the elevators to be upward. The airframe drops greatly during a period until lift is generated, and there are cases in which it is difficult to control the airframe.
It is therefore necessary for a pilot to descend the aircraft by performing the throttle control to increase or decrease the engine power and the raising and lowering operation of the elevators mounted on the horizontal tail during landing. The control of airframe during landing is thus extremely complicated, and this becomes a burden to the pilot in airframe.
Further, when the bow is raised by operating the elevators so as to obtain more lift, the airframe climbs due to the lift generated after a time lag, and there are cases in which an amount of time and distance required for landing is more than necessary.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method of, and a system for, lift control of an aircraft in which a necessary amount of lift corresponding to a pilot""s operation of elevators can easily be obtained.
Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a method of, and a system for, lift control of an aircraft in which an attitude of an airframe in an upward and downward directions can be controlled by conforming with elevators operation by a pilot.
Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to reduce a load required upon a pilot to control an aircraft during landing, when elevators operation is performed by the pilot during landing, by improving ability of response and performing necessary lift control in association with a lift control apparatus by conforming to elevators operation.
The present invention therefore has a structure in which lift control apparatuses such as flaps and flaperons operate in association when elevators operation is performed by a pilot, thus performing lift control rapidly corresponding to pilot""s elevators operation.
Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, lift control apparatuses such as flaps and flaperons operate in association with pilot""s elevators operation, and a necessary amount of lift can be obtained without a time lag. As a result, according to the present invention, ability of response of pitching control with elevators of an aircraft can be greatly improved over conventional pitching control.
In particular, although delicate throttle control and elevators operation have been necessary conventionally in order to avoid an airframe from descending during a period from after elevators operation until lift is generated because speed of the airframe is reduced during landing, a necessary amount of lift can be obtained without a time lag when performing elevators operation in accordance with the present invention. Difficulties in pilot""s control of the airframe during landing can be reduced, and a safer landing can be achieved.
The present invention is therefore a method of lift control of an aircraft by controlling lift acting upon the aircraft based on a state of elevators operation. Lift control apparatuses operate in association based on the a state of the elevators operation, and lift corresponding to the flying state of an airframe is obtained.
As a result, ability of response of the steering control of an aircraft in vertical motion is improved because a desired amount of lift can be obtained by the lift control apparatuses in response to elevators operation, and preferred airframe operation can be realized in accordance with the present invention.
Further, another aspect of the present invention is that when the elevators are operated in order to climb, the amount of lift is controlled with the lift control apparatuses so as to increase, and when the elevators are operated in order to descend, the amount of lift is controlled with the lift control apparatuses so as to decrease.
Attitude control of an airframe in the vertical motion can therefore be easily and quickly performed in accordance with the present invention because lift in both an increasing direction and in a decreasing direction can be obtained with the lift control apparatuses in accordance with the pilot""s elevators operation.
In addition, another aspect of the present invention is that an operation amount in a direction for increasing the lift of the lift control apparatuses is controlled so as to become smaller in accordance with the airframe speed becoming lower, and is controlled so as to become smaller in accordance with the airframe speed becoming higher.
Another aspect of the present invention is that it is structured so that control in a direction increasing the lift of the lift control apparatuses is not performed in cases in which there is a possibility of an airframe stalling when performing the aforementioned control when aircraft speed is low.
Another aspect of the present invention is that it is structured so that control in directions for increasing or decreasing the amount of lift of the lift control apparatuses is not performed when the aircraft speed is high.
If the lift control apparatuses operate and increase the amount of lift, drag force acting on the airframe increases at the same time. From a standpoint of ensuring safety of the airframe, an amount of operation of the lift control apparatuses is controlled so as to gradually become smaller as speed decreases when the aircraft speed is low. Furthermore, there is a danger of stalling if the lift control apparatuses operate when the speed of the aircraft is lower than a predetermined speed. It is structured such that operation of the lift control apparatuses is controlled so as not to be performed if there is the possibility of stalling.
Further, when an aircraft is flying at a speed which is greater than a predetermined speed, then lift control with the lift control apparatuses in association with the elevators operation is unnecessary because lift is proportional to the square of the velocity and a necessary lift can be obtained without a large time lag. The operation amount so as to increase or decrease the lift of the lift control apparatuses is controlled so as to become smaller in accordance with the airframe speed becoming larger.
In addition, when the speed of an aircraft reaches or exceeds a fixed speed, then lift can be obtained without a time lag in cases where this type of lift control is performed, and therefore smooth flight is inhibited. The present invention is thus structured such that lift control is not performed in association with elevators operation for cases in which the speed of the airframe is equal to or higher than a fixed speed.
Another aspect of the present invention is that, during landing of the aircraft, the lift control apparatuses are reset by being controlled so as to increase lift when the elevators are operated for climb after the lift control apparatuses are set in a predetermined angular state. In addition, when the elevators are operated for descent, then the lift control apparatuses are reset by being controlled so as to decrease lift.
In general, during landing of an aircraft, a pilot first operates lift control apparatuses such as flaps by a predetermined amount, lowering the flight speed, and then operates elevators to lift up a bow. Next, throttle operation and elevators operation by using a control stick is performed, regulating the descent speed of the airframe and its descent attitude, and thereby performing touchdown.
The present invention is structured such that the lift control apparatuses operate in association with the elevators, and therefore the lift control apparatuses initially set by the pilot are then reset later so that lift increases in association with the pilot operating the elevators for climb. In other words, it is structured such that, when the aircraft enters on a landing phase, the flaps which are first set to a predetermined angle by the pilot are then moved to a higher angle position due to the elevators being operated upward, and the necessary amount of lift accompanying the bow being raised by operating the elevators upward is obtained.
Similarly, it is structured such that, after initially setting the lift control apparatuses when the aircraft enters on the landing phase, necessary lift control accompanying the bow being lowered is performed when the elevators are operated so as to descend in order to perform the pitching control of the airframe.
As a result, it is not necessary for the pilot to descend while performing attitude control of the airframe by only operating the throttles and elevators because the necessary amount of lift can be obtained with the present invention when the elevators are operated without the time lag found conventionally. It thus becomes possible to increase stability and to reduce a load required upon a pilot to control an airframe during landing.
Another aspect of the present invention is that angular position of the lift control apparatuses set by the pilot are detected along with an operation state when the elevators are operated by the pilot. Information relating to the angular position of the lift control apparatuses, information relating to the elevators operation state, and information on the speed of the airframe are taken as a basis, and information relating to a correlation between the aircraft speed and the amount of operation of the lift control apparatuses are referenced, and the amount of operation of the lift control apparatuses is determined.
The angular position of the lift control apparatuses is are detected by, for example, detecting the state in which the flaps indicator switch formed inside a cockpit is set with a predetermined sensor. Further, information relating to the elevators operation may be an amount of elevators operation, and it may be a speed of elevators operation. In addition, it may be structured such that the lift control apparatuses is controlled on the basis of the amount of elevators operation and the speed of elevators operation.
The amount of elevators operation is calculated by detecting an amount of control stick operation, and the amount of lift control apparatus operation is determined in proportion to the amount of elevators operation. Further, the amount of lift control apparatus operation is determined based upon the speed of elevators operation by detecting the elevators operation speed. By operating the lift control apparatuses based upon the speed of elevators operation, the lift control apparatuses can be operated and the necessary amount of lift can be immediately obtained when elevators operation begins due to the control stick operated by the pilot. More real-time lift generation conforming to elevators operation can thus be made possible.
In this case, the amount of elevators operation can be detected by sensors mounted in the control stick for detecting the amount of elevators operation of the control stick. Further, the elevators operation speed is calculated by, for example, always detecting the amount of elevators operation at predetermined intervals of time (for example, approximately {fraction (1/100)} second), finding the difference between the amount of elevators operation at the present detection point with the amount of elevators operation at the previous detection point, and dividing the numerical value of the difference by the length of the time interval of the detection.
Furthermore, it becomes necessary to consider the speed of the airframe at this point for operation control of the lift control apparatuses because lift is generated proportional to the square of the velocity. The airframe speed in this case may be the airspeed in this case. The airspeed may be measured by a Pitot static tube mounted to the airframe.
Further, in the present invention an ECU used in this lift control stores in advance a map for obtaining the necessary amount of lift. The map is composed of a graph relating to airframe speed information and the amount of lift control apparatuses operation necessary at the airframe speed. The initial graph is referenced based on data relating to the detected airframe speed, the initially set flaps indicator position, and the state of elevators operation, and the amount of operation of the lift control apparatuses is determined.
Another aspect of the present invention is that it is provided with: a step of detecting an indicator position at the point for the lift control apparatuses; a step of detecting airframe speed; a step of detecting the amount of elevators operation; a step of detecting the speed of elevators operation; a step of judging whether to perform control of the lift control apparatuses in association with the elevators operation so that the lift increases, or so that the lift decreases; a step of determining a command value for controlling the lift control apparatuses based on the amount of elevators operation; and a step of determining a command value for controlling the lift control apparatuses based on the speed of elevators operation.
Further, another aspect of the present invention is that it is structured having: a step of detecting a stall warning signal from a stall warning apparatus that emits a warning in case there is a possibility that the airframe may stall if the angle of attack of the airframe becomes equal to or larger than a predetermined angle; and a step of judging whether or not the stall warning signal has been detected. Operation of the lift control apparatuses in a direction for increasing lift is not performed in cases in which the stall warning signal is detected.
This is done if there is a possibility of stalling in order to avoid a situation in which the danger of stalling is made even greater because the amount of drag force increases at the same time as the lift control apparatuses are operated in a direction for increasing lift.
Further, another aspect of the present invention is that the elevators operation amount and operation speed are detected based upon operating a control stick mounted in a cockpit.
Furthermore, the lift control apparatuses may be flaps, and further they may also be flaperons. Flaperons are lift control apparatuses prepared on the main wings of an airframe and function as flaps and at the same time also play a role as ailerons.
Further, another aspect of the present invention is that it is a lift control system for an aircraft and structured as follows. A lift control system is provided with: a lift control apparatus operating portion capable of suitably setting lift control apparatuses so as to obtain a predetermined amount of lift for an airframe; speed sensors for detecting airspeed; and a driver apparatus for driving the lift control apparatuses based upon commands from the lift control apparatuses operating portion. The present invention is provided with elevators operation state detection sensors capable of detecting the elevators operation state by a control stick mounted in a cockpit, and has a map relating to a correlation between airframe speed and amount of operation of the lift control apparatuses in order to obtain a necessary amount of lift. Information relating to the elevators operation state obtained by the elevators operation state detection sensors, and information relating to the airframe speed is taken as a basis, the map is referenced, and an operation amount for the lift control apparatuses is obtained. The lift control apparatuses are operated by the driver apparatus based on the operation amount obtained.
In this case, the information relating to the elevators operation state may be the amount of elevators operation in accordance with the control stick, it may be the speed of elevators operation in accordance with the control stick, and in addition, it may be the amount of elevators operation and the speed of elevators operation due to the control stick.
Furthermore, another aspect of the present invention is that it is provided with a stall warning apparatus that emits a warning in case there is a possibility of an airframe stalling because the angle of attack of the airframe is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle at a given speed. When the stall warning apparatus operates, then operation of the lift control apparatuses in a direction for increasing lift is prohibited.

Method of lift control of aircraft and system therefor


An organic electroluminescent display (ELD) device includes a first substrate, a second substrate spaced apart and facing the first substrate, a plurality of switching thin film transistors and a plurality of driving thin film transistors interconnected on the first substrate, each of the switching thin film transistor and the driving thin film transistor having an active layer, a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode, the drain electrode of the driving thin film transistor being extended to the pixel region to have an extended portion, a contact electrode contacting the extended portion of the drain electrode of the driving thin film transistor, a first electrode formed on the second substrate, an organic light-emitting layer on the first electrode, and a second electrode on the organic light-emitting layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flat panel display device and more particularly, to an organic electroluminescent display (ELD) device and method of fabricating the same.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In general, organic electroluminescent display (ELD) devices have electron-input electrodes (cathodes) and hole-input electrodes (anodes). The electrons and the holes are input into light-emitting layers from the cathode and anode electrodes, respectively, thereby forming an exciton. The organic electroluminescent display (ELD) devices emit light when the exciton is reduced from an excited state level to a ground state level. Since the organic electroluminescent display (ELD) devices do not need additional light sources, as compared to thin film liquid crystal display (LCD) devices, volume and weight of the organic electroluminescent display (ELD) devices can be reduced. In addition, the organic electroluminescent display (ELD) devices are advantageous with respect to their lower power consumption, high luminance, fast response time, and low weight. Accordingly, the organic electroluminescent display (ELD) devices can be implemented in mobile telecommunication terminals, car navigation systems (CNGs), personal digital assistants (PDAs), camcorders, and palm computers. In addition, since manufacturing processes for the organic electroluminescent display (ELD) devices are simple, manufacturing costs can be reduced. The organic electroluminescent display (ELD) devices can be classified into passive matrix-type and active matrix-type devices. Although the passive matrix-type organic electroluminescent display (ELD) devices have simple structures and manufacturing processes are simplified, they require high power consumption and are not suitable for large-sized display devices. In addition, aperture ratios decrease as the number of conductive lines increase. On the other hand, the active matrix-type organic electroluminescent display (ELD) devices have high light-emitting efficiency and high image display quality.
FIG. 1 is cross sectional view of an organic electroluminescent display (ELD) device according to the related art. In FIG. 1, the organic electroluminescent display (ELD) device 10 has a transparent first substrate 12, thin film transistor array part 14, a first electrode 16, an organic light-emitting layer 18, and a second electrode 20, wherein the thin film transistor array part 14 is formed on the transparent first substrate 12. A first electrode 16, an organic light-emitting layer 18, and a second electrode 20 are formed over the thin film transistor array part 14, and the light-emitting layer 18 displays red (R), green (G), and blue (B) colored light, and is commonly formed by patterning organic material separately for each pixel for R (red), G (green) and B (blue). A second substrate 28 has a moisture absorbent desiccant 22. The organic electroluminescent display (ELD) device 10 is completed by bonding the first and second substrates 12 and 28 together by disposing a sealant 26 between the first and second substrates 12 and 28. The moisture absorbent desiccant 22 removes moisture and oxygen that may infiltrate into an interior of the organic electroluminescent display (ELD) device 10. The moisture absorbent desiccant 22 is formed by etching away a portion of the second substrate 28, filling the etched portion of the second substrate 28 with moisture absorbent desiccant material, and fixing the moisture absorbent desiccant material by tape 25.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of a thin film transistor array pixel part of an organic electroluminescent display (ELD) device according to the related art. In FIG. 2, the thin film transistor array part of the organic electroluminescent display (ELD) device has a switching element TS, a driving element TD, and a storage capacitor CST at every pixel region xe2x80x9cPxe2x80x9d that is defined on a substrate 12. The switching element TS and the driving element TD may be formed with combinations of more than two thin film transistors. The substrate 12 is formed of transparent material, such as glass and plastic. A gate line 32 is formed along a first direction, and a data line 34 is formed along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The data line 34 crosses the gate line perpendicularly with an insulating layer between the gate and data lines 32 and 34, and a power line 35 is formed along the second direction to be spaced apart from the data line 34. Thin film transistors are used for the switching element TS and the driving element TD, wherein the thin film transistor for the switching element TS has a gate electrode 36, an active layer 40, a source electrode 46, and a drain electrode 50, and the thin film transistor for the driving element TD has a gate electrode 38, an active layer 42, a source electrode 48, and a drain electrode 52. The gate electrode 36 of the switching element TS is electrically connected to the gate line 32, and the source electrode 46 of the switching element TS is electrically connected to the data line 34. The drain electrode 50 of the switching element TS is electrically connected to the gate electrode 38 of the driving element TD through a contact hole 54, and the source electrode 48 of the driving element TD is electrically connected to the power line 35 through a contact hole 56. The drain electrode 52 of the driving element TD is electrically connected to a first electrode 16 in the pixel regions xe2x80x9cP,xe2x80x9d and the power line 35 and a first capacitor electrode 15 formed of a polycrystalline silicon layer forms a storage capacitor CST.
FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view along IIIxe2x80x94III of FIG. 2 according to the related art. In FIG. 3, a buffer layer 14 is formed on a substrate 12 and a thin film transistor TD is formed on the buffer layer 14. The thin film transistor TD has a gate electrode 38, an active layer 42, a source electrode 56, and a drain electrode 52. An active layer 42 is formed on the buffer layer 14, and a second insulating layer 37 is formed on the active layer 42. A gate electrode 38 is formed on the second insulating layer 37, and third and fourth insulating layers 39 and 41 are sequentially formed over the gate electrode 38. The source and drain electrodes 56 and 52 are formed on the fourth insulating layer 41. A power line 35 is formed between the third and fourth insulating layers 39 and 41 to contact the source electrode 56. A fifth insulating layer 57 is formed on an entire surface of the substrate 12 on which the source and drain electrodes 56 and 52 are formed. A first electrode 16 is formed on the fifth insulating layer 57, and the first electrode 16 contacts the drain electrode 52 of the driving element. A light-emitting layer 18 that emits lights of specific wavelengths is formed on the first electrode 16, and a second electrode 20 is formed on the light-emitting layer 18. Before forming the light-emitting layer 18, a sixth insulating layer 58 is formed on the first electrode 16, and is patterned to expose a portion of the first electrode 16. The light-emitting layer 18 is formed on the exposed portion of the first electrode 16, and the second electrode 20 is formed over the entire substrate 12. A storage capacitor CST is formed in parallel with the driving element TD and uses a power line 35 as a first capacitor electrode and a polycrystalline silicon pattern 15 as a second capacitor electrode 20.
The organic electroluminescent display (ELD) device is commonly manufactured by forming the thin film transistor array part and the light-emitting part on a same substrate, and then bonding the substrate to an encapsulation. If the thin film transistor array part and the light-emitting part are formed on the same substrate, a yield of a panel having the thin film transistor array part and the light-emitting part is dependent upon the product of individual yields of the thin film transistor array part and an yield of the light-emitting part. Accordingly, the yield of the panel is greatly affected by the yield of the organic light-emitting layer. For example, if an inferior organic light-emitting layer, which is usually formed of a thin film of 1000 xc3x85 approximately, has a defect owing to impurities and contaminants even when the thin film transistor is formed well, the panel is classified as a inferior panel. This leads to a waste of money and material that are expended for manufacturing the satisfactory thin film transistor, and decreases the yield of the panel.
Bottom emission-type organic electroluminescent display (ELD) devices have advantageous high stability and variable fabrication processes. However, the bottom emission-type organic electroluminescent display (ELD) devices are not adequate for display devices that require high resolution since there is limit on increasing aperture ratio. In the top emission-type organic electroluminescent display (ELD) devices, light is emitted upward of the substrate. Since the light is emitted along an opposite direction of the thin film transistor in the top emission-type devices, the light can be emitted without influencing the thin film transistor array part that is positioned under the light-emitting layer, thereby simplifying design of the thin film transistor. In addition, the aperture ratio can be increased and the operational life span of the organic electroluminescent display (ELD) device can be increased. However, since a cathode is commonly formed over the light-emitting layer in top emission-type devices, material selection and light transmittance are limited, thereby lowering light transmission efficiency. Moreover, if a thin film-type passivation layer is formed to prevent reduction of the light transmittance, the thin film passivation layer may fail to prevent infiltration of exterior moisture and air from outside.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an organic electroluminescent display (ELD) device and method of fabricatng the same that substantially obviates one or more of problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention is to provide an organic electroluminescent display (ELD) device in which a thin film transistor array part and a light-emitting part are independently formed on different substrates.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of fabricating an organic electroluminescent display (ELD) device in which a thin film transistor array part and a light-emitting part are independently formed on different substrates.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, an organic electroluminescent display (ELD) device includes a first substrate, a second substrate spaced apart and facing the first substrate, a plurality of switching thin film transistors and a plurality of driving thin film transistors interconnected on the first substrate, each of the switching thin film transistor and the driving thin film transistor having an active layer, a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode, the drain electrode of the driving thin film transistor being extended to the pixel region to have an extended portion, a contact electrode contacting the extended portion of the drain electrode of the driving thin film transistor, a first electrode formed on the second substrate, an organic light-emitting layer on the first electrode, and a second electrode on the organic light-emitting layer.
In another aspect, A method of fabricating an organic electroluminescent display (ELD) device includes defining a plurality of pixel regions on first and second substrates, forming a plurality of switching thin film transistors and a plurality of driving thin film transistors interconnected on the first substrate, the switching thin film transistor and the driving thin film transistor each having an active layer, a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode, the drain electrode of the driving thin film transistor being extended to the pixel region to have an extended portion, forming a contact electrode contacting the extended portion of the drain electrode of the driving thin film transistor, forming a first electrode on the second substrate, forming an organic light-emitting layer on the first electrode, forming a second electrode on the organic light-emitting layer, and bonding the first and second substrates so that the contact electrode of the first substrate contacts the second electrode.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

Organic electroluminescent display device and method of fabricating the same


An improved switched-loss, adaptive speakerphone dynamically adjusts its switching thresholds and other performance parameters based on an analysis of acoustic environment and telephone line conditions. To access these conditions, the speakerphone utilizes a computer with associated firmware. As part of a calibration process, the speakerphone computes its thresholds before each use to compensate for possible variations in hardware circuitry therein. This is achieved by passing a first and then a second level of a test tone signal through the hardware circuitry and measuring the resulting response. The speakerphone also measures the acoustics of the room in which it operates as part of the calibration process. For this measurement, a tone burst signal is generated through a loudspeaker in the speakerphone and measured by a microphone also in the speakerphone. A time-domain acoustic response of the room is obtained which provides to the computer the amplitude of the return signal and the duration of its echo. The calibration process is also applied to the speakerphone's interface to the telephone line through a hybrid. While in use, the degree of hybrid reflection is measured and the result provided to the computer. With the information on both the acoustic environment and the hybrid, the adaptive speakerphone is able to adjust on a real time basis the amount of switched loss and threshold switching levels between operating states to suit existing conditions. If, for example, the speakerphone is attached to a good telephone line and is in a good acoustic environment, it will provide the user with near full to full duplex performance.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to audio systems and, more particularly, to voice switching circuits which connect to an audio line for providing two-way voice switched communications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of analog speakerphones have been the primary hands free means of communicating during a telephone conversation for a great number of years. This convenient service has been obtained at the price of some limitations, however. These speakerphone usually require careful and expensive calibration in order to operate in an acceptable manner. They are also designed to operate in a worst-case electrical and acoustic environment thereby sacrificing the improved performance that is possible in a better environment.
The operation of conventional analog speakerphones is well known and is described in an article by A. Busala, "Fundamental Considerations in the Design of a Voice-Switched Speakerphone," Bell System Technical Journal, Vol. 39, No. 2, Mar. 1960, pp 265-294. Analog speakerphones generally use a switched-loss technique through which the energy of the voice signals in both a transmit and a receive direction are sensed and a switching decision made based upon that information. The voice signal having the highest energy level in a first direction will be given a clear talking path and the voice signal in the opposite direction will be attenuated by having loss switched into its talking path. If voice signals are not present in either the transmit direction or the receive direction, the speakerphone goes to an "at rest" mode which provides the clear talking path to voice signals in a receive direction favoring speech from a distance speaker. In some modern analog speakerphones, if voice signals are not present in either the transmit direction or the receive direction, the speakerphone goes to an idle mode where the loss in each direction is set to a mid-range level to allow the direction wherein voice signals first appear to quickly obtain the clear talking path.
Most high-end analog speakerphones also have a noise-guard circuit to adjust the switching levels according to the level of background noise present. Switching speed is limited by a worst-case time constant that assures that any speech energy in the room has time to dissipate. This limitation is necessary to prevent "self switching", a condition where room echoes are falsely detected as near-end speech. No allowance is made for a room that has good acoustics, i.e. low echo energy return and short duration echoes.
A disadvantage associated with analog speakerphones is that they are difficult to calibrate, or require precision voltage references to assure consistent operation. In some designs, the newly manufactured analog speakerphone performs well, but over the course of a few years, its performance degrades to the point where it becomes unusable. In one known example, a critical calibration value relied on the stability of two different power supplies in the speakerphone. Over a period of time, one or the other of the supplies tended to drift enough to significantly change the speakerphone's performance.
In order to provide appropriate switching in an analog speakerphone, transmits and receive signal strengths are measured to provide a logic switching unit in the speakerphone with information as to what the current state of the speakerphone should be. This logic unit usually consists of circuitry that compares the current audio levels against calibrated thresholds provided by the voltage references. The result of this comparison determines the state of the speakerphone. Thus, these thresholds must be precisely controlled in order to keep speakerphone performance optimal.
The analog speakerphone is also unable to adapt to the hybrid it faces when attached to a telephone line. Even a digital telephone within a private branch exchange (PBX), which does not employ a hybrid, faces an unpredictable hybrid on calls outside of the PBX. As with other parameters, a worst case trans-hybrid loss must be assumed. This assumption also requires the insertion of more switched loss than might be necessary in order to assure that the system will remain stable. A high "break in" threshold is similarly required in order to prevent a bad hybrid from reflecting enough transmit speech to falsely switch the speakerphone into the receive state.
While the above arrangements may have been acceptable in the past in providing reasonable hands free communications for a user, it is now desirable to have an efficient and cost effective speakerphone without the disadvantages and limitations associated with the operation of these systems.

Computer controlled adaptive speakerphone


Provided is a method for producing calcium zincate. The method comprises: an extraction step: mixing a ground zinc-containing raw material with an extracting agent, followed by filtration to obtain an extract, wherein the extracting agent is a mixed aqueous solution of ammonia and {NH4HCO3 and/or (NH4)2CO3; optionally, purifying the extract; a decarburization step: adding calcium oxide and/or calcium hydroxide to the extract, stirring, and filtering to obtain a first solid and a first filtrate; a calcium zincate synthesis step: adding calcium hydroxide and/or calcium oxide to the first filtrate, stirring to react, and filtering to obtain a second solid and a second filtrate; optionally, rinsing the second solid with water; a drying step: drying the second solid to obtain the final calcium zincate product.

Calcium zincate has a wide range of uses. Using calcium zincate as the negative electrode material of alkaline secondary zinc electrodes is a new direction in recent years. It is being matured and industrialized. Compared with traditional zinc oxide desulfurizers, a desulfurizer at room temperature which uses calcium zincate as the desulfurization active component has greatly increased sulfur capacity. Calcium zincate as a feed additive is not only good for animal absorption, but also good for reducing environmental pollution. Calcium zincate can also be widely used in glazes, paints, coating additives, etc.
The preparation method of calcium zincate in the prior art is limited to experimental exploration and is not yet mature. For example, Chinese patent publication CN1397498A and CN1595688A both disclose a method for synthesizing calcium zincate by ball milling. Among them, Chinese patent publication CN1397498A discloses that Ca(OH)2 and ZnO are placed into a ball milling tank according to the ratio in the chemical formula of calcium zincate, and appropriate amount of water is added; with 8-18 hours of ball milling under the protection of argon atmosphere and 10-15 hours of baking at 30-80° C., the product is obtained. U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,899 discloses a method of generating calcium zincate with ZnO and Ca(OH)2 in alkaline liquid. Chinese patent CN2012100305744 discloses that calcium zincate is generated from emulsion prepared from soluble zinc salt and stoichiometric ratio of Ca(OH)2. The above methods require finished high-purity zinc oxide or finished zinc salt as the starting material, which are expensive; further, the methods have harsh reaction condition, high energy consumption, incomplete reaction, low yield, poor reaction specificity, and the reactions are easily interfered by impurities. The costly overall preparation processes are not suitable for industrial applications.
Calcium zincate products are widely used and have remarkable market prospects. However, there is currently a lack of industrially mature and stable production methods. On the other hand, China's zinc mines are generally of low grade, and low-grade mining tailings and beneficiation tailings are stockpiled in large quantities. The previous processes, such as fire method, sulfuric acid leaching method, calcium chloride method, ammonium chloride method, ammonia heat evaporation method, etc., have problems such as high energy consumption, heavy pollution, high cost, etc., so that the zinc-containing products (such as calcium zincate) cannot be economically and effectively produced using low-grade zinc ore. It can be observed that due to the limitations of the prior technology, the market demand is difficult to meet.


The mechanical safety assembly for a telephone set having a housing with a cover including a sliding lock for closing the cover (7). The lock includes an operating head (13) external to the body (1) of the telephone set or terminal. The head fits flush with the wall of the body (1) when in the closed position and leaving only smooth surface visible, one of said surfaces (23) being pierced with a hooking aperture (24) which is accessible by a tip (25) of a paperclip or ballpoint pen.

Safety standards require that any part of a telephone set or terminal which is accessible to the hand without requiring a tool should not be subject to an electrical potential dangerous to the user. In ordinary telephone sets, this condition can be met by providing housings which can be opened only by using tools, by employing screws or locking studs which cannot be undone without a screwdriver. In some telephone terminals which require a housing with a cover to receive a battery or a cassette for a telephone answering machine, for example, the cover is still secured by screwed locking means, but this is inconvenient for the user who does not always have a screwdriver available when a battery or cassette needs changing.
The object of the present invention is to ensure the electrical safety of a telephone set or terminal of the type having a housing with a cover to allow a removable component to be fitted, without sacrificing convenience of manipulation by the user.

Mechanical assembly for ensuring electrical safety in a telephone set or terminal


A programming model for a query service (e.g., web) that supports defining query builders which are bound dynamically at runtime to parameter values. Moreover, the programming model can be used to customize the query execution, for example, by adding pre-processing, post-processing, or dynamic binding to queries (e.g., selecting the query to be executed dynamically at runtime). As a consequence, generalized and parameterized queries can be used (with different runtime values for parameters) in different scenarios.

The searching of vast amounts of data is becoming commonplace not only in the Internet, but in the business environment as well. The performant and effective query processing and results retrieval is an important part of a business. For example, generating and processing queries that return business information about clients from a business database in an efficient way can provide a competitive edge over the competition for the business.
Existing solutions provide fixed code and proprietary protocols and can depend on the specific database to which the solution is interfaced. Moreover, for interactive consumer applications that use a query service for executing queries, statically defined queries associated with proprietary solutions may not be sufficient. This makes it difficult if not impossible for third party users to adapt the solution to an existing database.


According to this invention, a modulator modulates a carrier serving as a fundamental wave with data to be transmitted, thereby to generate a modulated output including at least the fundamental wave and double wave thereof. A transmitting antenna radiates electromagnetic waves into the air, and the electromagnetic waves include the fundamental wave and the double wave included in the modulated output generated by the modulator. A receiving antenna receives the electromagnetic waves including the fundamental wave and the double wave radiated from the transmitting antenna. A diversity section generates an output having a diversity effect on the basis of the fundamental wave and the double wave included in the electromagnetic waves received by the receiving antenna. A demodulator demodulates the output having the diversity effect and generated by the diversity section, thereby to output data corresponding to the data to be transmitted.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a diversity scheme communication system and, more particularly, to a communication system using weak radio waves, i.e., a harmonic-frequency communication system with an improved diversity scheme for performing data communication using the fundamental and harmonic-frequency waves of electromagnetic waves generated from the output of a transmission side.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a radio communication system, the fundamental wave of electromagnetic waves is generally used. Such a communication system is suppressed by interference waves generated near the communication system. In order to solve this problem, there is provided a communication system with a frequency diversity scheme in which data communication is performed by superposing the same data on a plurality of carriers.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a conventional diversity scheme communication system. Data D1 is input to first and second transmitting sections 1 and 2. The first transmitting section 1 modulates the data D1 and superposes it on a first carrier. The second transmitting section 2 modulates the data D1 and superposes it on a second carrier. As a result, the data D1 is radiated in the air as electromagnetic waves by a transmitting antenna 4 via an antenna combining equipment 3. The radiated electromagnetic waves travel in the air and are received by a receiving antenna 6. The received electromagnetic waves are input to a first receiving section 7 for the first carrier and to a second receiving section 8 for the second carrier, so that data are demodulated from the carriers and output. The quality levels of demodulated data are compared by some method, and one data of better quality is selected by a switch 9 and output therefrom as data D2.
In the conventional communication system, however, the following drawback is posed. That is, in addition to an antenna combining equipment, a plurality of transmitting sections are required for transmitting a plurality of carriers, thereby complicating the arrangement of the communication system.

Harmonic-frequency communication system with improved diversity scheme

Small Power Communication Systems Research Laboratories Co., Ltd.