In the filtering apparatus for an extrusion machine, a stream of heat-softened plastic material arrives via a flow conduit in a filter housing at an outlet, and thereby permeates replaceable filter means which are carried by a slide which is temporarily slid out of the stream of plastic material. For this, the slide comprises two chambers, forming flow conduit sections and arranged spaced in tandem in the direction of displacement, both of which are closed by filter plates. The slow conduit sections being, at a specified position of the slide in the filter housing internally in flow connection via, in each case, a port, with the outlet conduit in the filter housing and, externally via the filter plates, with the inlet conduit or with a backflow conduit in the filter housing.

Extrusion processes by which heat-softened plastic materials are extruded through dies by means of a screw or ram, can be used for the manufacturing of, for example, foils and other articles.
In apparatus of this kind, it is customary to press the heat-softened plastics material through filter means in order to remove impurities. The filter means can be moved across the flow path of the plastic material to be filtered in order to replace the clogged filter means with unclogged means, for which the filter means are carried by slide means.
Such apparatus is of complicated construction, however, to be able to move such slides, which stand under relatively high flow pressure, across the flow path of the plastic material. As a rule, the flow has to be interrupted in order to replace a filter. If raw materials (granulated materials) with a high degree of impurity (for example, through recycling) are employed, then such apparatus quickly prove unprofitable due to increased filter consumption. A further disadvantage is also that after changing a filter, air is inevitably brought into the stream of thermoplastics together with the filter, which leads to unusable sections of extrudate.

Apparatus for filtering a heat-softened stream of plastic material


Shutter operation information of a user is input and an audio-recording start and end are controlled according to the input shutter operation information. Audio-recording start and end timings are determined by identifying independent shutter operation information corresponding to audio-recording start and end requests. Specifically, for example, the audio-recording start and end timings are controlled by identifying a half pressing/release process or a full pressing/release process of the shutter different from shutter operation information used in automatic exposure control (AE) or automatic focus control (AF) start control.

The present disclosure relates to an imaging device, an imaging device control method, and a program, and more particularly, to an imaging device, an imaging device control method, and a program that record an audio along with an image.
At present, imaging devices (cameras) that record audio information in conjunction with an image according to multiple functions of the imaging devices are widely used.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-284234 discloses an imaging device that starts audio recording on the basis of the detection of half pressing of a shutter button for capturing an image, captures the image according to the detection of full pressing of the shutter button, and stops the audio recording after a predetermined time has elapsed.
However, it is common to start an automatic exposure control (AE) or automatic focus control (AF) process on the basis of the detection of half pressing of the shutter button. In the configuration of the related art described above, AE/AF control start timing is always identical with audio-recording start timing.
Accordingly, there is a problem in that it is not possible to start audio recording at various timings desired by a user, for example, before the AE/AF operation, or when the audio recording is intended to be started thereafter.
In addition, for audio-recording end timing as well, there is a problem in that the user cannot freely set the audio-recording end timing because audio recording is uniformly ended when a fixed time has elapsed after an image capture in the configuration of the related art described above.

Imaging device, imaging device control method, and program


A method for connection of at least one station to a data network. In a first data network based on a first technology, the data network comprises one or more network devices and/or interfaces to establish communication with at least one station of the first technology, and with base functions for an autonomous operation of the first network. According to an aspect of the invention, a station with a non-network technology may be connected to a data network via a method for the connection of the station using a logical point-to-point connection. The data network comprises network devices for the transmission of data in a communications connection, and an access device with an interface for the establishment of a communication connection with at least one station. The communications connection between the access device and at least one network device occurring in a connectionless manner over a shared medium, whereby a point-to-point data connection is simultaneously established and maintained between the access device and the station. Further, another aspect of the invention relates to a corresponding data network and a network device, which permit the method to be carried out.

An aspect of the invention relates to a method for connecting at least one station to a data network, a corresponding data network, and a corresponding access device.
In wired communications systems, communication takes place between interconnected subscriber stations with switching centers (exchanges), usually being interposed between these subscriber stations. In the case of a data access, particularly in such wired communications systems, connections between a subscriber station and an access network are usually controlled via a point-to-point protocol (PPP). When a connection is set up, authentication of the subscriber or the subscriber station setting up the connection takes place. This authentication may be used among other things as a basis for centralized accounting of accruing charges. The RADIUS protocol (RADIUS: Remote Authentication Dial In User Service) is known as suitable for purposes of authentication.
If such communications systems offer the subscriber stations, e.g. a computer or host, a network access for data transfer, e.g. for Internet services, at the time a subscriber station is installed, a configuration takes place in which all settings necessary for the data access, particularly IP addresses (IP: Internet Protocol) are stored in the subscriber station. These permit the subscriber station, or the subscriber, to contact supporting services that are essential for execution of the desired data service, e.g. Internet access, as well as network components on which these run. For example, in addition to the IP address of an HTTP server, which enables an Internet page to be called up conveniently "by a mouse click", these addresses include the address of a DNS (Domain Name Server), which ascertains the IP address associated with a unit connected to the network (service server; subscriber station), as well as the address of an SMTP server (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), which is necessary for transmitting electronic messages, known as e-mail.
In addition to the aforementioned communications systems, there are data networks that are usually set up locally and are designed for general-purpose connection of data terminals. In the following, these data networks are referred to as hosts, simply to differentiate them from the aforementioned subscriber stations without restrictions. Two host computers can be connected to each other, directly or via hubs and bridges, and to network devices such as an access server. Data packets are transported between a host and another network device mostly via IP (Internet Protocol).
When a host connects to a network, a local area data network (LAN) for example, the host is assigned an IP address by a connection or access server, for example, via the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). The IP address enabling the host to be uniquely identified and addressed in the network. At the same time, the host is also informed of addresses of auxiliary services that are important to it and/or of network components on which these services are executed in this network.
A host is normally connected to a local area network by wire, although in more recent networks, the last segment of a wire-based access can be implemented wirelessly via radio. A local area network that supports the wireless connection of hosts is generally referred to as a W-LAN (Wireless Local Area Network).
During the installation, for an IP access, a subscriber station of a telecommunication system must be informed of the IP addresses required, in advance, for a connection setup. This is prior to a first connection or connection setup with a corresponding network interface via a software installation. Conversely, with a local area data network, all the necessary IP addresses can be directly assigned, automatically, for each new connection of a host to a data network. A subscriber station and a host are therefore not devices that are compatible with the other network technology.
A further exemplary incompatibility reveals itself, for example, in the type of connection setup. On the one hand, a point-to-point connection protocol (PPP) is used between subscriber stations and the network-side data terminal devices found in telecommunications systems, known as RAS (Remote Access Servers), the point-to-point protocol being used for connection control between the actual network-specific transport protocol layers and the IP. On the other hand, this additional connection control is not required in local networks, known, among other things, as LANs (Local Area Networks), with the result that data packets, called IP packets, can be transferred directly on the underlying transport layer. The transport layer is advantageously provided by Ethernet.
Patent application EP 0 999 672 A2 discloses a system in which mobile terminals gain access to a data/IP network, for example the global Internet, via a radio access network (RAN) and a packet data serving node (PDSN) connected to the radio access network. A PPP/HDLC (Point-To-Point Protocol/High Level Data Link Control) protocol is used both in the mobile terminal and in the packet data serving node for this purpose.
WO 99/66400 A2 discloses an AAA server (Authentication, Authorization and Accounting Server) which enables different users to access a computer network by providing a plurality of transport protocol modules. The authentication, authorization and accounting is performed for all users on the basis of a database attached to the AAA server, in which the corresponding user data is stored.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,727 A describes a method that enables mobile computers equipped with modems to access different data communications services and participate in LANs (Local Area Networks) via a cellular telephone system.
The currently available data network technologies enable a subscriber to log in using his/her notebook computer with a radio data network card, for example, at an airport, into another data network accessible via a radio interface. This is possible because no authorization check is carried out in data networks that are designed to be open. However, the network operator can only prevent the external subscriber from accessing certain files or programs in the data network at the expense of considerable programming overhead. The programming must also be performed in different devices of the data network and in the different hosts to be protected against external accesses. Protection is only possible to a limited extent, particularly, in circumstances where network-internal IP addresses are known to the host or the subscriber.

Method for connection of data terminal devices to a data network


Provided are a porous silicon-based particle including a silicon (Si) or SiOx(0<x<2) particle, wherein the particle includes a plurality of nonlinear pores, and the nonlinear pores are formed as open pores in a surface of the particle, and a method of preparing the porous silicon-based particles. Porous silicon-based particles according to an embodiment of the present invention may be more easily dispersed in an anode active material slurry, may minimize side reactions with an electrolyte, and may reduce volume expansion during charge and discharge. Also, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the shape, form, and size of pores formed in the porous silicon-based particle may be controlled by adjusting the type of a metal catalyst, the concentration of the catalyst, and etching time.

Recently, in line with miniaturization, lightweight, thin profile, and portable trends in electronic devices according to the development of information and telecommunications industry, the need for high energy density batteries used as power sources of such electronic devices has increased. Currently, research into lithium secondary batteries, as batteries that may best satisfy the above need, has actively conducted.
Various types of carbon-based materials including artificial graphite, natural graphite, or hard carbon, which are capable of intercalating/deintercalating lithium, have been used as anode active materials of lithium secondary batteries. Among the carbon-based materials, since graphite provides advantages in terms of energy density of a lithium battery and also guarantees long lifespan of the lithium secondary battery due to excellent reversibility, graphite has been most widely used.
However, since graphite may have a low capacity in terms of energy density per unit volume of an electrode and may facilitate side reactions with an organic electrolyte at a high discharge voltage, there is a risk of fire or explosion due to malfunction and overcharge of the battery.
Thus, metal-based anode active materials, such as silicon (Si), have been studied. It is known that a Si metal-based anode active material exhibits a high lithium capacity of about 4,200 mAh/g. However, the Si metal-based anode active material may cause a volumetric change of a maximum of 300% or more before and after the reaction with lithium, i.e., during charge and discharge. As a result, conductive networks in the electrode are damaged and contact resistance between particles is increased. Thus, there is a phenomenon in which a battery performance degrades.
Thus, a method of reducing substantial variations in diameter according to the volumetric change by reducing the size of silicon particles to a nano size has been attempted. However, there are difficulties in developing a method of synthesizing a uniform nano-silicon anode active material and uniformly distributing the nano-silicon anode active material in a slurry, and side reactions with an electrolyte may increase because a surface area is maximized.
Therefore, there is a need to develop an anode active material which may replace a typical anode active material and may address limitations in the side reactions with an electrolyte, volume expansion during charge and discharge, and performance degradation of a secondary battery.

Porous silicon-based particles, method of preparing the same, and lithium secondary battery including the porous silicon-based particles


A method of detecting particles in an air flow is described. The method includes receiving a signal indicative of light intensity scattered from the air flow at a plurality of wavelengths and processing the signal indicative of the intensity of received light at each of the wavelengths and a corresponding wavelength dependent parameter to generate an output signal indicative of at least one characteristic of particles in the air flow. A particle detection system is also described.

Various methods of detecting particles in air are known. One method involves projecting a beam of light across a detection chamber in which an air sample is contained and measuring the amount of light scattered at a particular scattering angle from the beam. Such particle detectors can be aspirating, in that they actively draw air into them, or alternatively they may rely on natural air currents to move air into the detection chamber.
It is known that the angular scattering properties of particles are dependent on the wavelength of incident light relative to the particle size. Accordingly, smoke and particle detectors have been made using multiple scattering angles and/or multiple wavelengths to detect particles of a predetermined size of interest. For example, UV light is scattered relatively strongly by small particles, such as smoke, but infrared light is scattered less by such particles. On the other hand UV and IR light will be equally sensitive to variations in received light intensity that are caused by factors such as drift in the system, soiling of the optics of the system or the introduction of large particles such as dust into the detection chamber.
With such multiple wavelength or scattering angle particle detection systems there is a need to be able to accurately determine whether the received signals at the multiple scattering angles or wavelengths are caused by particles of interest or nuisance particles such as dust. It is also possible to use this wavelength sensitivity or angular sensitivity of light scattering to track the nature of group of particles over time, e.g. to track the development of a fire as the smoke particle size distribution changes.
Accordingly, it is an object of an aspect of the present invention to provide means for determining whether particles of interest have entered a detection chamber using more than one wavelength of electromagnetic radiation.
Reference to any prior art in the specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that this prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia or any other jurisdiction or that this prior art could reasonably be expected to be ascertained, understood and regarded as relevant by a person skilled in the art.


The invention relates to methods, a user equipment and a communication network entity for optimizing the radio resource utilization in a communication network system comprising a network side and a user equipment side between which data is transmitted on uplink (17) and downlink (16) channels with a transmit power and said user equipment (18) is arranged to adjust said transmit power on said uplink channels (17) according to gain factors received from said network side, wherein said user equipment (18) is located in a location area of said communication network system. The gain factors are transmitted to the user equipment (18) solely when the user equipment (18) accesses the network system instead of transmitting gain factors during every session setup as long as the user equipment (18) is in said location area.

In 3GPP release 6, the WCDMA specifications are extended with a new uplink transport channel, the Enhanced Dedicated Channel (E-DCH), including Enhanced Dedicated Physical Data Channel (E-DPDCH) and Enhanced Dedicated Physical Control Channel (E-DPCCH). The gain factors for E-DPDCH, βed, which is used to indicate the power offset between E-DPDCH and DPCCH channels, is very important for uplink system performance as it determines how much power would be allocated to data channel E-DPDCH for certain transport block size. Too much power to E-DPDCH would result in much interference and affect other users' performance; on the other hand, too low power to E-DPDCH would affect the quality of this user itself.
Depending on the amount of data to be transmitted on the data channel, the transport format is different. For different transport format, to get the desired transmission error performance, for example, BLock Error Rate (BLER), the required power is different. Therefore, the power offset depends on the transport format used on the data channel. Usually there is a table to describe the relationship between the transport format and the required power offset.
The Node B and the user equipment (UE) both need to know this table for scheduling and transport format selection. Currently, the table index is signalled to the UE. When the number of transport formats is large, signalling all gain factors for the whole table requires large signalling overhead. Therefore, usually, only several transport formats are selected as reference transport formats, and their gain factors are signalled to the UE. For other non-reference transport formats, their gain factors need to be calculated by either interpolation or extrapolation based on the signalled gain factors of the reference transport formats. The gain factors of these reference transport formats can be obtained by link-level simulations.
According to 3GPP 25.331, other gain factors need to be calculated according to the reference E-DPDCH gain factors as below.
                              β                      ed            ,            j                          =                              β                          ed              ,              ref                                                                                L                                  e                  ,                  ref                                                            L                                  e                  ,                  j                                                                                K                                  e                  ,                  j                                                            K                                  e                  ,                  ref                                                                                (        1        )
Where Le,ref and Le,j are the number of E-DPDCHs used for the reference E-DCH Transport Format Combination (E-TFC) and the j:th E-TFC respectively. Ke,ref and Ke,j denote the transport block size of the reference E-TFC and the j:th E-TFC respectively.
The reference gain factors βed,ref are calculated from the signalled power offset, ΔE-DPDCH, according to
                              β                      ed            ,            ref                          =                              β            c                    ·                      10                          (                                                Δ                                      E                    -                    DPDCH                                                  20                            )                                                          (        2        )            where the value ΔE-DPDCH in UE is signalled from the network. In current specification, its range is between [0, 1, . . . , 29].
In 3GPP Release 7, there is a new interpolation based formula defined for uplink E-DPDCH gain factor for higher bit rates after introducing 16QAM. In current 3GPP specification, it is allowed to signal up to 8 reference gain factors from the network to UE.
Using these limited reference gain factors (at most 8 values in current specification) for calculation of many E-DCH Transport Format Combination Indicators (E-TFCIs) (more than 100) will lead to less accurate and thus less efficient E-TFCIs. For example, for VoIP services, the selected E-TFCIs are usually small while for uploading services, the selected E-TFCIs are usually large. If the limited reference values are signalled to UE probably favourable for VoIP services, obviously the selected E-TFCIs for uploading services may be subject to much inaccuracy, and vice versa. In addition, as the current reference value is a quantized value, there is a quantization error and it is in fact not small in some sense. For example, if a βed/βc value of 57 is needed, we have to use a βed/βc value of either 53 or 60 by signalling ΔE-DPDCH of either 19 or 20.
Another problem in existing solutions is that the reference gain factors have to be signalled to UE via a Radio Resource Control (RRC) whenever UE has a session setup to the network via Enhanced Uplink (EUL), regardless whether or not the reference gain factors have been signalled to the UE before. The current situation is that after releasing a RRC connection, maybe the network will with almost 100% certainty set up exactly the same RRC connection with the same reference factors. Actually, these reference factors maybe not necessary to be signalled to UE for many times at least in one vendor's UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) system or one of its product versions. On the other hand, the current signalling mechanism makes signalling the whole table almost impossible due to much overhead increasing a session setup delay.

Signalling gain factors in a communication network system


A display uses column address circuitry having a plurality of multiplexing switching arrangements (50), each of which is associated with two buffers (46a;46b) for providing selected pixel drive signals. The two buffers provide respective pixel drive signals simultaneously to two adjacent columns, such that the pixel drive signal for one column starts before the end of the pixel drive signal for the column driven previously, and ends after the end of the pixel drive signal for the column driven previously. This enables a reduction in the number of buffers required and reduces the cross talk between column signals for adjacent columns within the group of columns shared by each multiplexing arrangement. This is achieved by ensuring that any capacitive coupling between first and second columns is charged to a static level before the signal on one of the columns is switched off.

This invention relates to active matrix display devices, and relates in particular to the circuitry used for providing drive signals to the pixels of the display.
Active matrix display devices typically comprise an array of pixels arranged in rows and columns. Each row of pixels shares a row conductor which connects to the gates of the thin film transistors of the pixels in the row. Each column of pixels shares a column conductor, to which pixel drive signals are provided. The signal on the row conductor determines whether the transistor is turned on or off, and when the transistor is turned on, by a high voltage pulse on the row conductor, a signal from the column conductor is allowed to pass on to an area of liquid crystal material, thereby altering the light transmission characteristics of the material. An additional storage capacitor may be provided as part of the pixel configuration to enable a voltage to be maintained on the liquid crystal material even after removal of the row electrode pulse. U.S. Pat. No. 5,130,829 discloses in more detail the design of an active matrix display device.
The frame (field) period for active matrix display devices requires a row of pixels to be addressed in a short period of time, and this in turn imposes a requirement on the current driving capabilities of the transistor in order to charge or discharge the liquid crystal material to the desired voltage level. In order to meet these current requirements, the gate voltage supplied to the thin film transistor needs to fluctuate between values separated by approximately 30 volts. For example, the transistor may be turned off by applying a gate voltage of around xe2x88x9210 volts, or even lower, (with respect to the source) whereas a voltage of around 20 volts, or even higher, may be required to bias the transistor sufficiently to provide the required source-drain current to charge or discharge the liquid crystal material sufficiently rapidly.
The requirement for large voltage swings in the row conductors requires the row driver circuitry to be implemented using high voltage components.
The voltages provided on the column conductors typically vary by approximately 10 volts, which represents the difference between the drive signals required to drive the liquid crystal material between white and black states. Various drive schemes have been proposed enabling the voltage swing on the column conductors to be reduced, so that lower voltage components may be used in the column driver circuitry. In the so-called xe2x80x9ccommon electrode drive schemexe2x80x9d, the common electrode, connected to the full liquid crystal material layer, is driven to an oscillating voltage. The so-called xe2x80x9cfour-level drive schemexe2x80x9d uses more complicated row electrode waveforms in order to reduce the voltage swing on the column conductors, using capacitive coupling effects.
These drive schemes enable lower voltage components to be used for the column driver circuitry. However, there is still a significant amount of complexity and power inefficiency in the column driver circuits. Each row is addressed in turn, and during the row address period of any one row, pixel signals are provided to each column. In the past, each column would be provided with a buffer for holding a pixel in the column to a drive signal level for the full duration of the row address period. This large number of buffers results in high power consumption.
There have been proposals to provide a multiplexing scheme, in which a buffer is shared between a group of columns. The output of the buffer is switched in turn to the columns of the group. When the buffer is providing a signal to one column, it is isolated from the other columns by a switch. Multiplexing is possible because the line time of the display is significantly greater than the time required to charge a column to the required voltage. In small displays for mobile applications, the line time may be in excess of 150 xcexcs whereas the time required to charge a column is typically less than 10 xcexcs.
Once the column has been charged to the required voltage, and after the end of the application of the required voltage to the column, charge transfer takes place between the charged column capacitance and the pixel capacitance. The column capacitance may be around 30 times larger than the column capacitance, so that the charge transfer to the pixel results in only a small voltage change. However, this charge transfer enables the pixel to be charged using a short column address pulse, despite the longer time constant of the pixel (resulting from the high TFT resistance).
A problem with this multiplexing approach is that there is cross talk between the columns within the group, particularly as all but one of the columns of the group are effectively floating at any point in time, and are therefore susceptible to signal level fluctuations. During the row address period, the TFTs of all pixels in the row are switched on (and indeed this enables the charge transfer to take place between the column capacitance and the pixel), so that any signal fluctuations on the column conductors as a result of cross talk are passed onto the pixels.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a display device comprising an array of liquid crystal pixels arranged in rows and columns, wherein each column of pixels shares a column conductor to which pixel drive signals are provided, wherein column address circuitry is provided for generating the pixel drive signals, the column address circuitry comprising a plurality of multiplexing switching arrangements, each for providing drive signals to a plurality of columns in turn, wherein each multiplexing switching arrangement is associated with two buffers for providing selected pixel drive signals, wherein the two buffers provide respective pixel drive signals simultaneously to two adjacent columns, such that the pixel drive signal for one column starts before the end of the pixel drive signal for the column driven previously, and ends after the end of the pixel drive signal for the column driven previously.
The invention provides a multiplexing scheme which enables a reduction in the number of buffers required but which reduces the cross talk between column signals for adjacent columns within the group of columns shared by each multiplexing arrangement. This is achieved by ensuring that any capacitive coupling between first and second columns is charged to a static level before the signal on one of the columns is switched off. Thus, one column is only switched off after the next column has been addressed, so that any capacitive coupling between one column and the next is charged to a static level, and the signal on the next column no longer has any influence on the previous column.
Preferably, the apparatus further comprises circuitry for generating all possible pixel drive signals and a switching matrix for switching selected drive signals to the two buffers of each multiplexing switching arrangement. The switching matrix may receive digital image data and analogue pixel drive signals, and select the appropriate analogue pixel drive signal for each buffer based on the digital image data.
Each column may be provided with pixel drive signals twice within each row address period. This allows charge redistribution with the various capacitive elements of the columns after the first set of pixel drive signals, and then enables the second set of pixel drive signals to provide more accurate pixel control.
Each pixel preferably comprises a thin film transistor switching device and a liquid crystal cell, wherein each row of pixels share a row conductor which connects to the gates of the thin film transistors of the pixels in the row, and wherein row driver circuitry provides row address signals for controlling the switching of the transistors of the pixels of the row.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of providing pixel drive signals to a display device comprising an array of liquid crystal pixels arranged in rows and columns, the columns being divided into groups, each group sharing a multiplexing switching arrangement and two buffers for providing selected pixel drive signals, the method comprising, for each group of columns, applying pixel drive signals to all columns in the group in a cyclical manner, wherein the one column is provided with a pixel drive signal by one buffer before the pixel drive signal for the preceding column in the cycle, provided by the other buffer, is finished.
This method implements the drive scheme discussed above. At the end of the pixel drive signal to one column from each buffer, that buffer is used to apply a pixel drive signal to a column two ahead of the one column in the cycle. This results in a continuous cycle.
One multiplexing arrangement may address the columns of the respective group in a first order, and an adjacent multiplexing arrangement may address the columns of the respective group in a second order, such that columns in one group adjacent columns in the other group are addressed at substantially the same time. This smoothes errors across the display dependent on the specific timing of the address signals for different columns.
The invention also provides column address circuitry for driving the columns of a liquid crystal display, comprising a plurality of multiplexing switching arrangements, each for providing drive signals to a plurality of columns in turn, wherein each multiplexing switching arrangement is associated with two buffers for providing selected pixel drive signals, wherein the two buffers provide respective pixel drive signals simultaneously to two adjacent columns, such that the pixel drive signal for one column starts before the end of the pixel drive signal for the column driven previously, and ends after the end of the pixel drive signal for the column driven previously.


An electromagnetic motor having a frame, and at least one disc rotatably mounted to the frame. At least one permanent magnet is mounted on the disc, and at least one electromagnet is mounted to the frame in magnetic proximity to the at least one permanent magnet. A battery is electrically coupled to the motor for powering the at least one electromagnet. A switch controls electrical power between the battery and the at least one electromagnet, and a sensing means is provided for controlling the switch to activate the at least one electromagnet with respect to the at least one permanent magnet to cause the at least one disc to rotate. Preferably, a generator is mechanically coupled to the motor and electrically coupled to the battery for generating electrical power to the battery, and a renewable energy source such as a photovoltaic cell is electrically coupled to the motor to supplement any net electrical loss.

Conventional internal combustion engines for automobiles and other purposes require an oil-based fuel source that, once consumed, does not renew. Globally, easily obtainable sources of oil are dwindling. The sources that remain viable are located in areas of the world that are instable and often subject to extreme violence. In addition, industrialization of developing economies places additional demand on this dwindling resource. The combined effects of decreased supply, instability in producible regions, and increased global demand threatens to price the individual consumer of oil-based products out of the market over the long term.
Attempts to address this issue generally lead to the development of engines that do not consume oil-based fuel, such as those that use ethanol or bio-diesel. In addition, inventers have attempted to develop electromagnetic motors as replacements for modern internal combustion engines. An electromagnetic motor uses the attractive and repulsive forces of magnets to generate mechanical and electrical power. However, many electromagnetic motors are inefficient requiring significantly more energy to generate power levels comparable to that of a modern internal combustion engine, making these electromagnetic motors poor substitutes for the internal combustion engine.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have an efficient electromagnetic motor to provide an effective substitute to the modern internal combustion engine reducing the individual consumer's dependence on oil-based products.


A method for quality assurance of filtration processes includes inserting a filter element (24) into a filtration device (14b) in which filter elements (24) can be subjected to integrity tests. The method further includes associating the integrity information with each filter element (24) in a filter element database (16; 34) connected to a shared data network (12) and saving the number of failed integrity tests performed on each filter element (24) as integrity information associated with that filter element. The saved tolerance setting has an auxiliary limit value, which when exceeded in a defined manner by the queried number of failed integrity tests performed on the identified filter element (24), causes a warning message to be sent to a predetermined monitoring unit (20) and the resulting blocking of the selected integrity testing device (14b) is maintained until a release message is received from the predetermined monitoring unit (20).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for quality assurance of filtration processes.
2. Description of the Related Art
US 2005/0027484 A1 discloses a method for quality assurance of filtration processes that includes the steps of: inserting a filter element into a filtration device that is selected from among a plurality of filtration devices connected to a shared data network, of which at least some are designed as integrity testing devices in which filter elements are subjected to integrity tests to assess their functional integrity, identifying the inserted filter element, querying integrity information associated with the identified filter element, comparing the queried integrity information with a saved tolerance setting and blocking the selected filtration device if the queried integrity information does not conform to the saved tolerance setting.
The 26th Technical Report published by the Parenteral Drug Association (PDA TR 26, for short) describes in detail the individual steps to be performed in order to assess the integrity of a filter element. In particular, the document describes processes that are to be complied with if a filter element does not pass an integrity test performed on it in a corresponding integrity testing device. For instance, according to PDA TR 26, it is permissible to repeat the integrity test a predefined number of times, in which case the individual integrity tests that are not passed must be documented in order to ensure that a filter element is definitively rejected as unsuitable after failing to pass a predefined maximum number of integrity tests. In practice, PDA TR 26 is implemented on the basis of work instructions given in companies that perform filtration tasks, such as in the biochemical and food industries. Since they are carried out by human staff, however, such work instructions are prone to error and manipulation. This poses significant documentation problems for manufacturers and suppliers when filtration problems occur at a customer's company and it must be clarified whether this is due to defects (for which the manufacturer is responsible) of the filtration system or due to use of filter elements that were improperly tested (by the customer).
DE 101 57 798 B4 discloses a method for performing filtration processes using networked filtration devices. Filter elements inserted into such filtration devices are identified based on machine-readable data carriers (barcode, QR code, transponder, etc.) attached to them, and their identity is communicated to a central filter element database connected to the shared data network. This central filter element database contains filter-element-specific data, in particular, integrity data and product release data, but also specific process and tolerance data. Information can be fed into the filter element database from external sources as well as from the connected filtration devices. Before performing a specific filtration task, the respective filtration device accesses the filter-element-specific data from the filter element database, and is thus able to assess whether the inserted, identified filter element is approved and suitable for the intended purpose. If this is not the case, the filtration device is blocked, at least for the current combination of filter element and filtration task. This process runs automatically and on a software basis, and the corresponding control is executed by means of a process control unit that is also connected to the shared data network. With regard to the known method, it is disadvantageous that the integrity information in the filter element database is not itself subject to any monitoring.
The aforementioned, generic document discloses the practice, before using the filter element, of wirelessly reading the data pertaining to this filter element, which data are saved in a transponder memory attached to the filter element itself. As data pertaining to the filter element, the document lists identification data, limit values for measurement data, measured test values, i.e. a certain type of integrity data, as well as so-called limiting data, such as service life and permitted number of regeneration and sterilization cycles. Such a quality assurance method appears to be more reliable than having human staff execute work instructions. But in complicated borderline cases, such as in the event of unclear integrity test results, the system reveals itself to be too rigid and—depending on the presettings—can result in significant rejection rates or reduced quality assurance.
The invention seeks to solve the problem of providing a more efficient design of the generic quality assurance method, without compromising reliability.

Method for quality assurance of filtration processes


The present invention provides a passenger airbag system that can prevent the airbag cushion from pressing the head of an occupant in a child restraint system mounted on the passenger seat.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a passenger airbag system, more particularly a passenger airbag system in which the portion of an airbag cushion which contacts the head of the occupant in a child restraint system mounted on the passenger seat is depressed when the airbag cushion inflates.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, vehicles are equipped with airbag systems that prevent passengers from being hurt by direct impact against the structure of the vehicle by inflating between the structure of the vehicle and the passengers in a collision.
The airbag systems are operated by an ACU (Airbag Control Unit) that controls an inflator, which is a gas generator, in response to a signal detected by a sensor that senses a collision. That is, as the gas-generating substance inside the inflator is exploded by a control command from the ACU and gas is generated, the gas flows into the airbag cushion connected to the inflator and the airbag cushion is inflated by the gas flowing inside, thereby protecting the passenger.
The airbag cushions, however, are generally manufactured to be expanded by expansion pressure for protecting adults, in consideration of the body conditions of adults. However, in some cases, not only adults, but infants or children sit in the passenger seat, the excessive expansion pressure of the passenger airbag cushion is potentially a dangerous life threatening factor for of the infants or children.
In practice, North America has established a law to preclude infants and children from being hurt due to excessive expansion pressure of the passenger airbag cushion, by classifying the passengers in the passenger seat, which are infants to 1 year or under and 3 years or under, and children 6 years or under.
Therefore, there have been conducted many researches for developing passenger airbag cushions for protecting all passengers, that is, infants 1 year or under, 3 years or under, and children 6 years or under, in addition to adults, by controlling the expansion pressure of the passenger airbag cushion.

Abstract: A passenger airbag system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: an airbag cushion inflated by gas flowing inside and including a head contact portion that contacts the head of an occupant in a child restraint system mounted on the passenger seat; a strap connected to the head contact portion; and a tether connected to the airbag cushion and pulling the strap such that the head contact portion is depressed, when the airbag cushion inflates.


The present invention is directed towards providing mixed content flexibility for word-processing document in an XML (or ML) file format. Mixed content can be provided within an XML file such that validation of the file will not produce errors even when an associated schema does not recognize the text. Additionally, the XML (or ML) file can be output such that the mixed content does not appear in the output file.

Markup Languages have attained wide popularity in recent years. One type of markup language, Extensible Markup Language (XML), is a universal language that provides a way to identify, exchange, and process various kinds of data. For example, XML is used to create documents that can be utilized by a variety of application programs. Elements of an XML file have an associated namespace and schema.
In XML, a namespace is a unique identifier for a collection of names that are used in XML documents as element types and attribute names. The name of a namespace is commonly used to uniquely identify each class of XML document. The unique namespaces differentiate markup elements that come from different sources and happen to have the same name.
XML Schemata provide a way to describe and validate data in an XML environment. A schema states what elements and attributes are used to describe content in an XML document, where each element is allowed, what types of text contents are allowed within it and which elements can appear within which other elements. The use of schemata ensures that the document is structured in a consistent manner. Schemata may be created by a user and generally supported by an associated markup language, such as XML. By using an XML editor, the user can manipulate the XML file and generate XML documents that adhere to the schema the user has created. XML documents may be created to adhere to one or more schemata.
Typically, XML editors to-date do not allow for mixed content. Mixed content occurs when sibling nodes of an element contain different types of content. Presently, validating mixed content in XML is problematic. What is needed is a way to easily handle mixed content that is present within an XML document so that errors do not occur during validation.

Mixed content flexibility for XML editors


The present invention relates to a pump device with a first diaphragm pump head having two or an integral multiple of two fluid delivery chambers and diaphragms associated therewith, which are hydraulically coupled to a second diaphragm pump head. The second diaphragm pump head has two additional fluid delivery chambers and additional membranes associated therewith, which are drivable by a double-acting piston via associated diaphragm control chambers, a refilling valve being connected in each case to the diaphragm control chambers and the diaphragm control chambers being temporarily impinged with a diaphragm control pressure, which is greater than atmospheric pressure, using the refilling valve. The piston may thus be activated using a relatively small force to achieve a delivery action.

Piston pumps may be used to deliver and/or recirculate viscous media having a high proportion of solids (suspensions) at high pressures of greater than 200 bar and high temperatures of greater than 300° C. However, they are only suitable in a limited way for an application of this type, because the solid components destroy associated seals of a piston in a relatively short time and cause scoring on a surface of the piston.
A possibility for avoiding these difficulties is to use diaphragm pumps. To implement delivery at the above-mentioned pressures, only designs having hydraulically driven diaphragms may be used. In turn, these may only be conceived for secure and interference-free operation in the cited temperature range with significant design and material technology outlay.
The use of plastic diaphragms made of PTFE, for example, is not possible, because plastic begins to flow significantly at the cited high pressure and high temperature. The use of metal diaphragms is possible in principle, but technical demands such as multilayered diaphragms having fracture signaling and an embodiment as a diaphragm oscillating freely in the product space having position control may only be implemented with great effort, see EP 0 085 725 A1.
Up to this point, pumps having a so-called remote valve head have been used as a measure against the high temperature strain. In such a design, a diaphragm pump operates as an upstream pulsator, which actuates the operating valve in the downstream remote valve head of the pump with the aid of the fluid to be delivered via a pipeline acting as a cooling line. In this way, the diaphragm pump may operate in the noncritical low temperature range up to approximately 150° C. However, it is disadvantageous that possible solid components of the fluid to be delivered may clog the pipeline between the upstream pulsator and the remote valve head and thus impair the delivery effect.
The high pressure of the fluid to be delivered results in a further problem. The piston rod force of oscillating displacement pumps, which results from the product of pressure and area, requires the use of very large pump drive assemblies in certain circumstances, which may be uneconomical in two regards for the required application. Firstly, significantly higher investment costs and secondly higher life cycle costs are connected thereto, which may be particularly distinguished by energy costs and outlay for wearing and replacement parts. The economic consideration of pump systems for recirculation having the boundary conditions cited above is especially of very great significance in methods for energy reclamation from biological wastes.


A chemical sensor includes a diode or a transistor fabricated in diamond. A diamond-based diode chemical sensor includes a first diamond layer of first conductivity type and a second diamond or non-diamond layer of second conductivity type. A relatively highly doped region is formed in the first diamond layer, adjacent an electrical contact to reduce the frequency dependance of the sensor's capacitance/voltage characteristic. A diamond-based transistor sensor includes a controlling electrode such as a gate which is configured to allow a chemical external to the transistor to alter the characteristics of the transistor. Relatively highly doped regions are formed adjacent the transistor's controlling electrodes, such as the source and drain. A heater is thermally coupled to the sensor for heating the sensor to a predetermined operating temperature. A temperature monitor is also coupled to the sensor for monitoring the sensor temperature.

Chemical sensors are widely used in industrial environments for process control, environmental control, and other applications. As is well known to those having skill in the art, a chemical sensor is a device which monitors the concentration of a given chemical species in a liquid or a gas. Chemical sensors are often required to be highly sensitive, in order to detect small concentrations of the chemical. They are also often required to withstand harsh chemical environments and/or high temperatures which may be present in process control, environmental control or other applications.
One form of chemical sensor is a gas sensor. Schottky diodes are widely used as gas sensors. As is well known to those having skill in the art, a diode exhibits a very low resistance to current flow in one direction and a very high resistance to current flow in the opposite direction, thereby producing current rectification. As is also well known to those having skill in the art, a Schottky diode produces rectification as a result of nonlinear current transport across a metal-semiconductor contact.
For example, a Schottky diode using a catalytic metal contact such as platinum or palladium, has been shown to be an excellent hydrogen gas sensor. In a Schottky diode, the Schottky barrier height decreases when the device is exposed to a hydrogen containing atmosphere. The hydrogen induced changes are typically detected as a modification of the capacitance voltage (C-V) or the current voltage (I-V) characteristics of the diode. See, for example, a publication entitled Use of the Electroreflectance Technique in Pt/GaAs Schottky Barrier Sensor Characterization by Lechuga et al., Sensors and Actuators, Vol. 32, pp. 354-356, 1992.
Diamond is a preferred material for semiconductor devices because it has semiconductor properties that are better than silicon, germanium or gallium arsenide. Diamond provides a higher energy bandgap, a higher breakdown voltage and a higher saturation velocity than these traditional semiconductor materials.
These properties of diamond yield a substantial increase in projected cutoff frequency and maximum operating voltage compared to devices fabricated using silicon, germanium or gallium arsenide. Silicon is typically not used at temperatures higher than about 200.degree. C. and gallium arsenide is not typically used above 300.degree. C. These temperature limitations are caused, in part, because of the relatively small energy band gaps for silicon (1.12 eV at ambient temperature) and gallium arsenide (1.42 Ev at ambient temperature). Diamond, in contrast, has a large band gap of 5.47 Ev at ambient temperature, and is thermally stable up to about 1400.degree. C.
Diamond has the highest thermal conductivity of any solid at room temperature and exhibits good thermal conductivity over a wide temperature range. The high thermal conductivity of diamond may be advantageously used to remove waste heat from an integrated circuit, particularly as integration densities increase. Ill addition, diamond has a smaller neutron cross-section which reduces its degradation in radioactive environments, i.e., diamond is a "radiation-hard" material.
Because of the advantages of diamond as a material for semiconductor devices, there is at present an interest in the growth and use of diamond Schottky diode gas sensors. Unfortunately, it has been found that Schottky diodes fabricated from diamond exhibit frequency dependence of their capacitance/voltage characteristic, thereby limiting the usefulness of diamond based Schottky diodes and gas sensors.
The frequency dependent variation of the capacitance/voltage characteristic of diamond based Schottky devices has been widely investigated. See, for example, the publications entitled The C-V Characteristics of Schottky barriers on Laboratory Grown Semiconducting Diamonds by Glover, Solid State Electronics, Vol. 16, pp. 973-983 (1973); and Electrical Characteristics of Schottky Diodes Fabricated Using Plasma Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposited Diamond Films by Gildenblat et al., Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 53, No. 7, pp. 586-588 (1986).
In these investigations, the frequency dependent variation in capacitance/voltage characteristic has been attributed to the presence of deep level states in the diamond band gap, and to the high resistivity of bulk diamond as a result of diamond's unique energy level structure. Accordingly, characterizations of Schottky contacts have heretofore assumed that the undesirable frequency dependence of the capacitance/voltage characteristic was as a result of the inherent energy level structure (i.e. the deep level states in the diamond bandgap) and high series resistance of the diamond material itself. This undesirable frequency dependence limits the usefulness of diamond based gas sensors, notwithstanding the advantages of diamond as a material for semiconductor devices, especially in high frequency or fast transient applications.


Plant-based medicinal compounds or nutritional supplements in various carrier combinations are described. The carriers can include N-acylated fatty amino acids, penetration enhancers, and/or various other beneficial carriers. The plant-based composition/carrier combinations can create administration benefits.

Historically, the plant world has been the most important source of medicinal agents for the treatment of human and animal disease, and for use as preventative agents in maintaining good health. However, for at least the last 150 years, Western medicine has been dominated by synthetic chemical agents.
It is now being increasingly recognized, however, that many plants and plant extracts are highly effective agents for the prevention and treatment of disease. A single plant can possess a large number of pharmaceutically active agents, and extracts obtained therefrom can exert their activities on a variety of physiologic processes, increasing the range of the desired therapeutic effect.
As one example, U.S. Publication No. 2015/0050373 describes use of plants from the Calophyllum genus to treat metabolic disorders. Calophyllum is a flowering plant genus of around 180-200 species of tropical evergreen trees. The Calophyllum genus includes four subcategories: Calophyllum brasiliense, Calophyllum caledonicurn, Calophyllum inophyllum and Calophyllum soulattri. Calophyllum inophyllum, is a medium to large sized evergreen tree that averages 25-65 feet in height. Different medicinal uses of this plant have been reported in the literature, for example, decoction of the bark of this plant treats internal hemorrhages. The oil extracted from Calophyllum inophyllum seeds is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis or joint disorders; itching; eczema; pimples appearing on head; eye diseases; and kidney failure.
U.S. Publication No. 2014/0193345 describes use of the plants Uncaria tomentosa, Thymus vulgaris, Matricaria recutita, Salix alba, Calendula officinalis, Usnea barbata, Ligusticum porterii-osha, Gaultheria procumbens, Camellia sinensis, Vaccinium myrtillus, Melissa officinalis, Allium sativum, Camellia sinensis and Krameria triandra to treat mucosal lesions.
U.S. Publication No. 2010/0068297 describes use of the plants Punica granatum, Viburnum plicatum, Camellia sinensis, and Acer spp. as antimicrobials.
Numerous medical uses have also been identified for the cannabis plant. For example, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, also referred to as Dronabinol), an extract of the cannabis plant has been formulated in sesame oil for oral delivery. THC exhibits complex effects on the central nervous system (CNS), including central sympathomimetic activity. THC has been shown to have a marked appetite stimulant effect and has been used in the treatment of AIDS-related anorexia. THC demonstrates effects on appetite, mood, cognition, memory and perception. Furthermore, the drug has anti-emetic properties and is used to control nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy. These effects appear to be dose related.
THC's efficacy in pain treatment has been described in Pharm. J. 259, 104, 1997 and in Pharm. Sci. 3, 546, 1997. Nabilone, a synthetic cannabinoid has also been reported to be an anti-emetic and anxiolytic, and also useful for treating pain of various etiologies such as multiple sclerosis (MS), peripheral neuropathy and spinal injuries (Lancet, 1995, 345, 579, Pharm. J. 259, 104, 1997; Baker & Pryce, Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2003 April; 12(4):561-7)). THC has also been reported to be useful in the treatment of AIDS (J. Pain. Symptom Manage. 1995, 10, 89-97) when given orally.
Another cannabinoid with well-documented health benefits is cannabidiol (CBD). In contrast to THC, CBD does not exert psychoactive effects. CBD is reported to have antidepressant (Zanelati T, et al. Journal of Pharmacology. 2010. 159(1):122-8;), anti-anxiety (Resstel B M, et al. Br J Pharmacol. 2009. 156(1):181-188), anti-inflammatory (Vuolo F, et al. Mediators of Inflammation. 2015. 538670), and neuroprotective effects (Campos A C, et al. Pharmacol Res. 2016. 112:119-127).
Additional uses for the cannabis plant include treatment of addiction (De Vries, et al., Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2003 July; 168(1-2):164-9); ADHD (O'Connell and Ché, Harm Reduction Journal. 2007; 4:16); alcoholism (Basavarajappa & Hungund, Alcohol. 2005 January-February; 40(1):15-24); Alzheimer's disease (Eubanks et al., Mol Pharm. 2006 November-December; 3(6):773-7); amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (Raman et al., Amyotroph Lateral Scler Other Motor Neuron Disord. 2004 March; 5(1):33-9); anxiety (The British Journal of Psychiatry February 2001, 178 (2) 107-115); asthma (Tashkin et al., American Review of Respiratory Disease, 1975; 112, 377); auto-immune diseases (Lyman et al., J Neuroimmunol. 1989 June; 23(1):73-81); bacterial infections (Nissen et al., Fitoterapia. 2010 July; 81(5):413-9); bone loss (Bab et al., Ann Med. 2009; 41(8):560-7); brain injury/stroke (Shohami et al., Br J Pharmacol. 2011 August; 163(7):1402-10); cancer (Guindon & Hohmann, Br J Pharmacol. 2011 August; 163(7):1447-63); heart disease (Walsh et al., Br J Pharmacol. 2010 July; 160(5):1234-42); Huntington's disease (Lastres-Becker et al., J Neurochem. 2003 March; 84(5):1097-109); inflammation (AAPS J. 2009 March; 11(1): 109-119); Parkinson's disease (Sieradzan et al., Neurology. 2001 Dec. 11; 57(11):2108-11); and psoriasis (Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2009 August; 30(8): 411-420).
Additional documented uses for the cannabis plant include treating acquired hypothyroidism, acute gastritis, agoraphobia, ankyloses, arthritis, Asperger's syndrome, atherosclerosis, autism, bipolar disorder, blood disorders, cachexia, carpal tunnel syndrome, cerebral palsy, cervical disk disease, cervicobrachial syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic pain, cluster headache, conjunctivitis, Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis, depression, dermatitis, diabetes, dystonia, eating disorders, eczema, epilepsy, fever, fibromyalgia, flu, fungal infection, gastrointestinal disorders, glaucoma, glioma, Grave's disease, hepatitis, herpes, hypertension, impotence, incontinence, infant mortality, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), insomnia, liver fibrosis, mad cow disease, menopause, migraine headaches, motion sickness, MRSA, muscular dystrophy, nail patella syndrome, neuroinflammation, nicotine addiction, obesity, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), pancreatitis, panic disorder, periodontal disease, phantom limb pain, poison ivy allergy, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), proximal myotonic myopathy, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Raynaud's disease, restless leg syndrome, schizophrenia, scleroderma, septic shock, shingles herpes zoster), sickle cell disease, seizures, sleep apnea, sleep disorders, stress, stuttering, temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), tension headaches, tinnitus, Tourette's syndrome, traumatic memories, wasting syndrome, and withdrawal.
Despite the numerous benefits associated with plant-based compounds and nutritional supplements, when administered in oral form, their onset of action is generally slow, which can detract from their usefulness in some instances. For example, after oral administration, THC has an onset of action of up to 1.5 hours and a peak effect at 2-4 hours. The duration of action is 4-6 hours, but the appetite stimulant effect may continue for 24 hours or longer after administration. THC is almost completely absorbed (90-95%) after single oral doses. However, due to a combined effect of first pass hepatic metabolism and poor aqueous solubility (THC water solubility is 2.8 mg/L), only 10-20% of the administered dose reaches the systemic circulation. Therefore, oral consumption of cannabis is characterized by low bioavailability of cannabinoids, and slow onset of action. Thus, as this one example provides, there is room for improvement in the oral administration of plant-based compounds and nutritional supplements.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Fast-acting plant-based medicinal compounds and nutritional supplements


Interconnect circuitry for a data processing apparatus is disclosed. The interconnect circuitry is configured to provide data routes via which at least one initiator device may access at least one recipient device. The interconnect circuitry comprises: at least one input for receiving transaction requests from the initiator device(s); at least one output for outputting transaction requests to the recipient device(s); a plurality of paths for transmitting said transaction requests between the at least one input and the at least one output; wherein at least one of said transaction requests comprises a data store maintenance request requesting a data store maintenance operation to be performed on data stores within the data processing apparatus; and control circuitry for routing the received transaction requests from the at least one input to the at least one output; wherein the control circuitry is configured to respond to receipt of the data store maintenance operation by transmitting the data store maintenance operation along at least one of the plurality of paths followed by a barrier transaction request, the control circuitry being configured to maintain an ordering of at least some transaction requests with respect to the barrier transaction request within a stream of transaction requests passing along the at least one of said plurality of paths, such that at least some transaction requests subsequent to the data store maintenance request in the stream of transaction requests are held behind the data store maintenance request by the barrier transaction request.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of data processing apparatus having data stores including both caches and memory. More particularly the invention relates to interconnect circuitry for these data processing apparatus, the interconnect circuitry providing data routes via which one or more initiator devices such as a master may access one or more recipient devices such as a slave.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Interconnects are used to provide connections between different components in data processing systems. They provide data routes via which one or more initiator devices may access one or more recipient device. An initiator device is simply a device that generates a transaction request, and therefore may be a master such as a processor or it may be another interconnect. A recipient device is simply a device that receives the transactions and it may be a slave such as a peripheral or it may also be another interconnect.
As systems become more complex with multiple processors communicating with each other and with multiple devices, and with different storage facilities including both caches providing fast data access and memory, authors writing software for multiprocessor systems need detailed knowledge of the topology and latency of an architecture, in order to write software which ensures consistent behaviour of interacting processes across time. Even with this detailed knowledge this consistency is only achieved with some non-trivial effort and cost to performance.
It would be desirable to provide mechanisms that allowed a programmer to ensure consistent behaviour of interacting processes across time in a generic manner for an arbitrary architecture.
There are particular problems associated with data store maintenance operations in complex systems with arbitrary architectures as it is important to know when these operations are complete and yet if the system is not sure of the number or arrangement of the data stores, then this may be difficult to track.
For example in a system having multiple caches at least some of which can be accessed by more than one master, it will be difficult to determine for any cache maintenance operation that maintains the caches when this maintenance is complete without a detailed knowledge of the architecture and in particular, of the number and arrangement of the caches. Thus, data store maintenance operations provide a particular problem when designing architecturally agnostic systems.
This application claims priority to GB Application No. 0917946.5 filed 13 Oct. 2009, GB Application No. 1007363.3 filed 30 Apr. 2010, GB Application No. 1007342.7 filed 30 Apr. 2010 and GB Application No. 1016482.0 filed 1 Oct. 2010, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Data store maintenance requests in interconnects


A method for testing a Hall magnetic field sensor on a wafer includes generating a current flow in a Hall plate of the Hall magnetic field sensor. At least one voltage value across first and second nodes is measured and a measured voltage signal is provided indicative thereof. An electrical resistance based upon the measured voltage and the current is then determined, in the absence of an applied test magnet field.

The invention relates to testing a semiconductor wafer, and in particular to testing a Hall magnetic field sensor.
Magnetic fields are used for testing of semiconductor wafers, especially Hall magnetic field sensors, during a production test as part of the manufacturing process. Generating precise magnetic fields suitable for a test with commercially available mixed-signal testing systems is not possible without additional devices, so an additional and undesirable hardware expense is incurred. Since different magnetic field strengths are usually needed for a test, one must expect relatively long transient times for the coils producing them, or a complicated mechanical system. In addition, because the homogeneous region of the magnetic field produced in this way is relatively small, only a few sensors can be tested at the same time on a wafer.
Since a Helmholtz layout is not possible for the coils producing such a magnetic field for a wafer test with a thermochuck, one can only provide an inexact magnetic field for the testing or sampling. Such a thermochuck provides a desired wafer temperature, and the wafer lies on it over its entire surface. Currents flow in the thermochuck, generating disruptive magnetic fields. Furthermore, the thermochuck normally contains magnetic materials that distort the desired magnetic measuring field. In particular, for a Helmholtz layout one would require a coil in the thermochuck, which would be difficult to implement, so that in the final analysis there are many problems with magnetic measurements of a wafer in conjunction with a thermochuck.
There is a need for an improved technique of testing a semiconductor wafer such as a Hall effect sensor.

Method and apparatus for testing a hall magnetic field sensor on a wafer


A projection display apparatus includes: a light amount sensor which detects an amount of light emitted from an array light source; a deterioration rate calculator which acquires an amount of light of a measurement target light source from the amount of light detected by the light amount sensor; a reference light amount storage which stores a reference amount of light of an amount of light emitted from plurality of solid state light sources, for each of the solid state light sources; and a light source controller which controls the amount of light emitted from the plurality of solid state light sources for each of the solid state light sources, and the deterioration rate calculator determines whether the measurement target light source has deteriorated, in accordance with a result of a comparison between the amount of light detected by the light amount sensor, and the reference amount of light.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a projection display apparatus including an array light source in which plurality of solid state light sources are disposed in an array.
2. Description of the Related Art
Projection display apparatuses have heretofore been known, each of which includes a light valve (a liquid crystal panel or the like) modulating light emitted from a light source. A projection display apparatus projects light modulated by a light valve on a screen. Further, as a light source provided to a projection display apparatus, an attempt has been made to employ a solid state light source such as a laser diode or an LED.
Meanwhile, it is difficult to secure an amount of light necessary for a projection display apparatus only with a single solid state light source. For this reason, in a projection display apparatus, a plurality of solid state light sources are normally disposed in an array.
In the meantime, there is a case that a solid state light source deteriorates due to a change in ambient temperature of a solid state light source. Additionally, there is also a case that the solid state light source deteriorates with time. Thus, when the solid state light source deteriorates, variation occurs in an amount of light emitted from each of the solid state light sources disposed in an array. Accordingly, to prevent the variation of the amount of light emitted from each of the solid state light sources from occurring, it is necessary to detect the deterioration of the solid state light sources.
The following approach has also been disclosed for a case where a plurality of light sources are provided in such a projection display apparatus. In this approach, multiple sensors are provided to correspond respectively to the multiple light sources. Such approach is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Heisei 09-200662.
In the above-described projection display apparatus, multiple sensors are provided so as to correspond respectively to the multiple light sources. Hence, the number of the sensors increases with an increase in the number of the light sources, and this leads to an increase in the cost of the projection display apparatus. Moreover, with an increase in the number of the sensors, the controls of each of the sensors become complicated.
Further, in the projection display apparatus in which plurality of solid state light sources are disposed in an array, even when multiple sensors corresponding respectively to the plurality of solid state light sources are disposed, it is difficult to detect only light emitted from each of the solid state light sources.

Projection display apparatus with a device to measure deterioration in an array light source


A notebook computer. The notebook computer includes a body, a keyboard, an infrared module, a wireless bluetooth module, and a control circuit. The keyboard is detachably disposed on the body. The infrared module and the wireless Bluetooth module are disposed on the body, and transfer a signal between the body and the keyboard. The control circuit detects a distance between the body and the detached keyboard. When the distance is less than a predetermined distance, the infrared module is used. When the distance is greater than the predetermined distance, the wireless bluetooth module is used.

The invention relates to a notebook computer, and in particular, to a notebook computer with a detachable keyboard.
FIG. 1 is a conventional notebook computer 1, comprising a monitor 2 and a keyboard 3. The keyboard 3 is fixed on a main portion of the notebook computer 1. When the notebook computer 1 is used on a table, the keyboard 3 is disposed horizontally on the table. Thus, when the notebook computer 1 is used for a long time, the wrist of a user may be injured due to excessive extension thereof and the arm may also be injured. A user may also have stiff shoulders and a stiff neck. Additionally, the keyboard 3 cannot be removed from the notebook computer 1 when connecting to an external liquid crystal display.


Described herein are DNA primer sequences designed for the determination of gene or transcript information from Anuran species, and which may be used in studies for developmental and/or toxicity testing and for environmental toxicology or ecological assessment. Also described herein is a rapid, sensitive, high-throughput assay useful for supporting potential risk assessment across vertebrate clades, and that is also useful for evaluation of complex contaminant mixtures.

Amphibians are used extensively as scientific model organisms, in health and environmental research, as test organisms, and have an undeniable role as sentinel species, as a food source, and in insect control. In contrast to mammals with extensive genomic resources, a particular challenge exists for evaluating gene expression endpoints in amphibian species where clades exhibit evolutionary divergence of over 300 million years (AmphibiaWeb 2012). Of the amphibians, the Anura-representing frogs and toads are the most numerous on the planet representing over 6,000 of the ˜7,000 known species (AmphibiaWeb 2012). Despite this impressive number, only two closely-related Pipid species, Xenopus laevis and Xenopus tropicalis, have sufficient genomic resources for gene expression studies. Yet many other species including ones that have diverged over 200+ million years ago, serve as important species, regionally and globally. There is a lack of the most minimal genomic information leading to a significant investment in time and resources to even clone a portion of a single gene in order to develop validated gene expression tools for a species of interest. To circumvent this difficulty, we have developed a suite of qPCR-ready primer sets that identify particular genes and/or their transcripts. Each primer pair has been validated to function under stringent criteria in species as diverse as Pipids and Ranids. The use of these primer sets provides a simple, low-cost solution to the issue of cross-species comparison of responses and sensitivities.
Endocrine disruptors (EDCs) are chemicals, either environmental or man-made, that disturb the endocrine signaling pathways of humans and wildlife. EDC exposure often results in cancer, fertility problems, and other diseases (Vandenberg, Colborn et al. 2012). Therefore, the risk from these exposure effects has led to a great need for sensitive and appropriate methods for indicating deleterious EDC effects. For this reason, there is considerable interest in developing novel diagnostic assays to detect EDCs in the environment as well as in products meant for human consumption or that are used to package food products such as plastic food containers. Over 80,000 chemicals are registered for use in the US (NIEHS 2013) and there is increasing concern regarding their impact since it is now established that EDCs do not follow the classical rule of "the dose makes the poison" (Vandenberg, Colborn et al. 2012). Rather non-monotonic responses and low-dose effects are actually common in studies of natural hormones and EDCs and clear linkages between environmental exposures to EDCs and human diseases/disabilities are becoming evident (Vandenberg, Colborn et al. 2012). EDCs are generally found in low concentrations in the environment, but even minute quantities can have demonstrable impact as hormone disruptors. In fact biological activity can be detected below current analytical detection limits and measurement of EDCs in the context of complex mixtures such as municipal wastewater effluent is not necessarily a good predictor of biological activity (Quanrud and Propper 2010). Given that many aquatic ecosystems contain significant concentrations of environmental contaminants (Kolpin, Furlong et al. 2002), and that many of these compounds and/or their metabolites have been detected in human plasma (National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport), we have developed a suite of tools for indicating deleterious EDC effects. Such screens can be used as a first level evaluation of exposure health risk for both wildlife species and humans. Most of what we know about EDCs pertains to substances that disrupt estrogen signaling pathways and technologies to detect estrogenic EDCs have been developed (Van Aggelen, Ankley et al. 2010; Hecker and Hollert 2011).

Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of Northern Arizona University


A semiconductor device has a buried oxide layer formed over a substrate. An active silicon layer is formed over the buried oxide layer. A drain region is formed in the active silicon layer. An LDD drift region is formed in the active silicon layer adjacent to the drain region. The drift region has a graded doping distribution. A co-implant region is formed in the active silicon. A source region is formed in the co-implant region. A shallow trench insulator is formed along a top surface of the LDD drift region. The shallow trench isolator has a length less than the LDD drift region. The shallow trench insulator terminates under the polysilicon gate and within the LDD drift region. A polysilicon gate is formed above the active silicon layer between the source region and LDD drift region and at least partially overlapping the shallow trench insulator.

Semiconductor devices are commonly found in modern electronic products. Semiconductor devices vary in the number and density of electrical components. Discrete semiconductor devices generally contain one type of electrical component, e.g., light emitting diode (LED), small signal transistor, resistor, capacitor, inductor, and power metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET). Integrated semiconductor devices typically contain hundreds to millions of electrical components. Examples of integrated semiconductor devices include microcontrollers, microprocessors, charged-coupled devices (CCDs), solar cells, and digital micro-mirror devices (DMDs).
Semiconductor devices perform a wide range of functions such as high-speed calculations, transmitting and receiving electromagnetic signals, controlling electronic devices, transforming sunlight to electricity, and creating visual projections for television displays. Semiconductor devices are found in the fields of entertainment, communications, power conversion, networks, computers, and consumer products. Semiconductor devices are also found in military applications, aviation, automotive, industrial controllers, and office equipment.
Semiconductor devices exploit the electrical properties of semiconductor materials. The atomic structure of semiconductor material allows its electrical conductivity to be manipulated by the application of an electric field or through the process of doping. Doping introduces impurities into the semiconductor material to manipulate and control the conductivity of the semiconductor device.
A semiconductor device contains active and passive electrical structures. Active structures, including bipolar and field effect transistors, control the flow of electrical current. By varying levels of doping and application of an electric field or base current, the transistor either promotes or restricts the flow of electrical current. Passive structures, including resistors, capacitors, and inductors, create a relationship between voltage and current necessary to perform a variety of electrical functions. The passive and active structures are electrically connected to form circuits, which enable the semiconductor device to perform high-speed calculations and other useful functions.
Semiconductor devices are generally manufactured using two complex manufacturing processes, i.e., front-end manufacturing, and back-end manufacturing, each involving potentially hundreds of steps. Front-end manufacturing involves the formation of a plurality of die on the surface of a semiconductor wafer. Each die is typically identical and contains circuits formed by electrically connecting active and passive components. Back-end manufacturing involves singulating individual die from the finished wafer and packaging the die to provide structural support and environmental isolation.
MOSFETs are commonly used in electronic circuits, such as communication systems and power supplies. Power MOSFETs are particularly useful when used as electric switches to enable and disable the conduction of relatively large currents. The on/off state of the power MOSFET is controlled by applying (or removing) a triggering signal at the gate electrode. When turned on, the electric current in the MOSFET flows between the drain and source.
In the design of power MOSFETS, there is a trade-off between maximizing the breakdown voltage and minimizing the on-resistance. A high drain-to-source breakdown voltage (BVDSS) is desired because it indicates the maximum reverse voltage that can be applied across the device operating as a gated switch, i.e., without causing an exponential increase in current. At the same time, static drain-source on-resistance (RDSON) should be minimized to reduce power loss and heat dissipation when the switch is turned on. The BVDSS can be increased by providing a thicker or lightly doped drift region, however, these features lead to higher RDSON.
To further illustrate the BVDSS and RDSON tradeoff, a conventional high voltage n-channel laterally diffused metal oxide semiconductor (LDMOS) is shown in FIG. 1. Semiconductor device 10 is built on a p-type substrate 11, and includes a highly doped n+ region at drain 13, laterally diffused drift region LDD2 adjacent the n+ drain region, and a lightly doped laterally diffused drift region LDD1 extending from the LDD2 region to gate 15. A highly doped n+ source region is formed at source 17. P+ plug is formed below the n+ source. A p-channel beneath gate 15 separates the source and drain. One difficulty with the design is that when the gate is energized, a high electric field occurs at the gate edge of LDD1, resulting in a lower BVDSS. One way to reduce the electric field uses a lower doping concentration in LDD1, but that approach also increases RDSON.
In addition to optimizing BVDSS and RDSON, other challenges in MOSFET design (as well as the design of other types of semiconductors) include miniaturizing the devices, improving switching frequencies, reducing switching losses, and reducing undesirable phenomena such as floating body effects, punch-through, and parasitic capacitance.
One way of reducing parasitic capacitance involves silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology. SOI refers to the use of a layered silicon-insulator-silicon substrate in place of conventional silicon substrates in semiconductor manufacturing, especially microelectronics. SOI-based devices differ from conventional silicon devices in that the silicon junction lies above a buried oxide (BOX) layer, typically silicon dioxide. FIG. 2 shows a typical SOI substrate 20. The base silicon or handling layer 21 serves primarily to provide structural support. BOX layer 23 is an insulating layer, and silicon layer 25 is the active layer of the device which may be customized using known fabrication technologies to create semiconductor dies.

Semiconductor device and method of forming high voltage SOI lateral double diffused MOSFET with shallow trench insulator


The invention concerns a roof rack for vehicles which is provided with a mechanism for extension (11, 2, 3, 4) permitting to lower the surface of manipulation for the load laterally of the car, in order to permit easy manipulations of all types of load which one may wish to carry on the roof of the car. During the lowering, the surface of manipulation remains horizontal. After the fixing of the load on the lowered support surface, the mechanism is lifted again and shifted over the roof of the car by a combination of horizontal and vertical movements and thereafter latched in its final position.

A large number of roof rack devices are actually known to be used on the roofs of motor vehicles such as ski racks, simple support bars, etc. which are disposed on the roof of an automobile whereby the legs of these devices engage the rain gutter of the roof of the car in order to maintain the device in its position on the roof of the car. Other systems are also know which are specially conceived for utilization on the roof of cars which do not have rain gutters, whereby these support racks comprise generally support legs which abut on the roof of the car as well as independent fixation means which snugly fit into the profile of the opening of the car door.
All the support devices which are actually known require the mounting of different components on top of the roof of the car and a rigid fixation thereof in their definite position before one may fix the load on these racks. This, of course, requires that the load must be positioned and fixed on the support device only after the definite installation of the rack on top of the roof of the car, which causes an inconveniency, in particular for small or medium size persons because a certain number of manipulations for the positioning and the fixation of the load, luggages, skis, bicycles etc. on said support rack has to be carried out in a position which is not easily accessible.
This inconvenience implies further the danger that certain manipulations for the fixation may be uncompletely executed which may result in a liberation of the load during the travel of the car and in the worst case the load could be completely liberated and cause an accident.
A luggage rack has been proposed which comprises a mechanism that permits lowering the fixation elements of this device laterally of the car in order to more easily access the fixation elements. This downwards movement is effectuated by pivoting certain levers which results, however, also in a pivoting movement of the load.
The device according to this Swiss patent requires the mounting of the load on the lowered portions of the support rack in a pivoted position and on a non-horizontal surface, which is of course an important inconvenience and which renders the various manipulations rather difficult.


An upper limit value setting unit of a control device conducts integration on the change in battery power, and determines whether the integrated value is lower than a preset first threshold value (negative value). When determination is made that the integrated value is lower than the first threshold value, and the battery power difference is lower than the second threshold value (negative value), the upper limit value setting unit sets Vup2 that is lower than the general Vup1 as the upper limit value of the inverter input voltage command.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a voltage conversion apparatus, a power output apparatus, and a control method of a voltage converter. Particularly, the present invention relates to control of a voltage converter that converts voltage between a driving device that drives an electric motor in a power running mode or regeneration mode and a DC (Direct Current) power source.
2. Description of the Background Art
Recently, attention is focused on hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles as vehicles taking into account environmental issues.
A hybrid vehicle includes, in addition to a conventional engine, a DC power source, an inverter, and a motor driven by the inverter as the power source. In addition to achieving the power by driving the engine, the voltage from the DC power source is converted into AC (Alternating Current) voltage by the inverter, and the converted AC voltage is used to drive the motor to achieve power. An electric vehicle includes a DC power source, an inverter, and a motor driven by the inverter as the power source.
Some of the hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles employ the approach of boosting the voltage from the DC power source by a boost converter and providing the same to the inverter. Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-229399 discloses a voltage conversion apparatus including such a boost converter. This voltage conversion apparatus supplies power to the inverter that drives the AC motor such that excessive current does not flow to the circuit element that conducts the boosting operation even if the voltage command value of the boost converter increases drastically.
However, the publication of Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-229399 is silent about a problem of the inverter voltage (the voltage between the boost converter and inverter) attaining an overvoltage level when the power balance of the AC motor is continuously at the regeneration side.
Even if the power balance of the AC motor temporarily attains the regeneration side, the inverter voltage will not become excessive since the regeneration power is absorbed by the capacitor arranged between the boost converter and the inverter. However, when the power balance of the AC motor is continuously at the regeneration side when the inverter voltage is controlled at the vicinity of the upper limit value by the boost converter, control of the boost converter cannot follow the rise of the inverter voltage, leading to the possibility of excessive inverter voltage.

Voltage conversion apparatus, power output apparatus, and control method of voltage converter


There is provided a connector. A lock arm is connected at a leading end-side and a rear end-side of a housing, supported at both ends thereof along an insertion/pulling out direction with respect to an opposite connector housing, and elastically deformable with the connection parts with the housing serving as fulcrums. A locking claw is formed at the lock arm and locked into a locking hole of the opposite connector housing when inserting the housing into the opposite connector housing. The lock arm has a lock release part which releases a locked state of the locking claw to the locking hole by being pressed toward the rear end-side beyond the locking claw. A position of the fulcrum at the rear end-side is arranged at an opposite side to a protruding direction of the locking claw, compared to a position of the fulcrum at the leading end-side.

The invention relates to a connector that is inserted to and pulled out from an opposite connector.
As shown in FIG. 10, a lock-mounted connector has been known which has, at an upper part thereof, a locking protrusion 1 of locking a locking opening of an opposite connector housing and a lock release part 2 for releasing a locked state with the opposite connector housing and in which a lock arm 4 of a both ends-supported structure having front and rear end portions fixed on a connector housing 3 is provided on one outer wall surface of the connector housing 3 (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).
In the above connector, the rear end portion of the lock arm 4 is folded back to form a band part 5, and when releasing the locked state by an elastic operation of the band part 5, a pressing force of the lock release part 2 is decreased and a pressing load applied to a rear support part of the lock arm 4 is also decreased, so that the deformation or damage of the rear support part is suppressed.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-7-220807
However, the pressing force applied from a finger pressing the lock release part 2 is applied to a front side (an arrow A direction in FIG. 10) that is inclined relative to the connector housing 3.
Compared to this, when the lock release part 2 is pressed as shown in FIG. 11, the lock arm 4 is elastically deformed so that a central portion thereof is downward bent with a connection part 4a of the leading end side thereof and a bent portion 5a of the band part 5 located at a substantially horizontal position relative to the connection part 4a serving as fulcrums. Thereby, the lock release part 2 is displaced toward a rear side (an arrow B direction in FIG. 10) that is inclined relative to the connector housing 3.
Like this, according to the above connector, the displacement directions of the lock release part 2 are different depending on the directions of the pressing force applied from the finger when releasing the locked state. Hence, the pressing force is not efficiently transferred to the lock arm 4 when releasing the locked state, so that it is difficult to smoothly release the locked state.
Also, the lock arm having a general cantilever structure can be easily elastically deformed. However, due to the cantilever structure, the durability of the lock arm is deteriorated and a space for largely bending the lock arm should be secured, so that the connector housing is enlarged.