Erase operations and apparatus configured to perform the erase operations are suitable for non-volatile memory devices having memory cells arranged in strings. One such method includes biasing select gate control lines of a string of memory cells to a first bias potential, biasing access lines of a pair of the memory cells to a second bias potential and biasing access lines of one or more remaining memory cells to a third potential. A ramping bias potential is applied to channel regions of the string of memory cells substantially concurrently with or subsequent to biasing the select gate control lines and the access lines, and floating the select gate control lines in response to the ramping bias potential reaching a release bias potential between an initial bias potential of the ramping bias potential and a target bias potential of the ramping bias potential.

Memory devices are typically provided as internal, semiconductor, integrated circuits in computers or other electronic devices. There are many different types of memory including random-access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), and flash memory.
Flash memory devices have developed into a popular source of non-volatile memory for a wide range of electronic applications. Non-volatile memory is memory that can retain its stored data for some extended period without the application of power. Common uses for flash memory and other non-volatile memory include personal computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), digital cameras, digital media players, digital recorders, games, appliances, vehicles, wireless devices, mobile telephones and removable memory modules, and the uses for non-volatile memory continue to expand.
Flash memory typically utilizes one of two basic architectures known as NOR Flash and NAND Flash. The designation is derived from the logic used to read the devices. FIG. 1 illustrates a NAND type flash memory array architecture 100 wherein the floating gate memory cells 102 of the memory array are logically arranged in an array of rows and columns. In a conventional NAND Flash architecture, "rows" refers to memory cells having commonly coupled control gates, while "columns" refers to memory cells coupled as one or more NAND strings of memory cells 108, for example. The memory cells 102 of the array are arranged together in strings (e.g., NAND strings), typically of 8, 16, 32, or more each. Memory cells of a string are connected together in series, source to drain, between a source line 114 and a data line 116, often referred to as a bit line. Each series string of memory cells is coupled to source line 114 by a source select gate such as select gate 110 and to an individual bit line 116 by a drain select gate 104, for example. The source select gates, such as 110, are controlled by a source select gate (SGS) control line 112 coupled to their control gates. The drain select gates, such as 104, are controlled by a drain select gate (SGD) control line 106. The one or more strings of memory cells are also typically arranged in groups (e.g., blocks) in which the one or more strings coupled to multiple bit lines of a particular group are formed in a common semiconductor material (e.g., common semiconductor well, such as a common p-well) 138 formed in the substrate of the memory device. Due to this commonality of the p-well 138 between the one or more strings of memory cells, each p-well region near each of the memory cell strings has the same potential, such as 0V, or might be biased to a high voltage as part of an erase operation, for example.
The memory array is accessed by a string driver (not shown) configured to activate a logical row of memory cells by selecting a particular access line, often referred to as a word line, such as WL7-WL0 1187-0, for example. Each word line 118 is coupled to the control gates of a row of memory cells 120. Bit lines BL1-BL4 1161-1164 can be driven high or low depending on the type of operation being performed on the array. As is known to those skilled in the art, the number of word lines and bit lines might be much greater than those shown in FIG. 1.
Memory cells 102 can be configured as what are known in the art as Single Level Memory Cells (SLC) or Multilevel Memory Cells (MLC). SLC and MLC memory cells assign a data state (e.g., as represented by one or more bits) to a specific range of threshold voltages (Vt) stored on the memory cells. Single level memory cells (SLC) permit the storage of a single binary digit (e.g., bit) of data on each memory cell. Meanwhile, MLC technology permits the storage of two or more binary digits per cell (e.g., 2, 4, 8, 16 bits), depending on the quantity of Vt ranges assigned to the cell and the stability of the assigned Vt ranges during the lifetime operation of the memory cell. By way of example, one bit (e.g., 1 or 0) may be represented by two Vt ranges, two bits by four ranges, three bits by eight ranges, etc.
Programming typically involves applying one or more programming pulses to a selected word line and thus to the control gate of each memory cell coupled to the selected word line. Typical programming pulses start at or near 15V and tend to increase in magnitude during each programming pulse application. While the program voltage (e.g., programming pulse) is applied to the selected word line, a potential, such as a ground potential, is applied to the substrate, and thus to the channels of these memory cells, resulting in a charge transfer from the channel to the floating gates of memory cells targeted for programming. More specifically, the floating gates are typically charged through direct injection or Fowler-Nordheim tunneling of electrons from the channel to the floating gate, resulting in a Vt typically greater than zero in a programmed state, for example. In addition, an inhibit voltage is typically applied to bit lines not coupled to a NAND string containing a memory cell that is targeted for programming.
Memory cells 102 of a selected block are typically erased by first pre-programming all the memory cells of a selected block to bring the memory cells of the selected block to a more uniform state and to help reduce the possibility of overerasure. The memory cells are erased by driving the p-well 138, and thus the channel regions of the selected block, to an erase voltage, such as 25V, for example. The word lines 118 coupled to the block of memory cells are then typically driven to a lower voltage, such as 1.5V, for example. This applies an erase field across the memory cells sufficient to cause carriers stored in the floating gates and/or charge trapping layers to be removed and the memory cells placed in an erased state with an erased threshold level.
FIG. 2 shows a side view of a single string of memory cells 208, such as string 108 shown in FIG. 1, formed in a p-well 238 during an erase operation performed upon the string of memory cells. The control gates of each memory cell are shown coupled to the word lines 2180-7, such as word lines 1180-7 as shown in FIG. 1. A source select gate 210 and drain select gate 204 are also illustrated.
During a typical erase operation the p-well 238 is biased to a particular erase voltage, such as 25V, for example, to bias the channel regions of the memory cells. The word lines 218 are also biased to a particular bias level, such as 1.5V. The source select 212 and drain select 206 gate control lines are then left floating in order to disable the source select gate 210 and the drain select gate 204. Resulting from the 25V bias imposed on the p-well 238, the bit line 216 and the source line 214 associated with the NAND string 208 are also biased up to approximately 25V. The proximity of the floating SGS control line 212 to the source line 214 causes the floating SGS control signal line to be coupled up to a potential of approximately 20V, for example. A similar 20V bias condition exists on the floating SGD control line 206 as a result of the proximity to the bit line 216 biased to 25V. This 20V bias condition on the SGS control signal line 212 can cause a higher bias condition (e.g., 3V) to occur on the word line 2180 adjacent to the SGS control signal line. A similar effect occurs on the word line 2187 adjacent the SGD control signal line 206. The higher bias condition on word lines 2180 and 2187 (e.g., 3V versus 1.5V as shown in FIG. 2) can cause the memory cells coupled to those word lines to erase slower then word lines 2182-6, for example. This can result in a particular NAND string of memory cells requiring additional time to complete an erase operation.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present disclosure, there is a need in the art for alternate erase operations for memory devices.

Erase operations and apparatus for a memory device


An object of footwear for children which allows adults to visually determine whether the shoe proper fits the child and can be adjusted in its effective size when it is determined that the shoe has become too small. The article of footwear comprises a fitting system comprising: (1) a substantially transparent window disposed in a predetermined location in the vamp so that when a wearer who has a foot that properly fits in the article of footwear puts on the article of footwear, a portion of a toe of the wearer can be seen through the window, and (2) a sizing member attached to the upper, the sizing member being placed within the opening against the heel portion to create a first effective size of the article of footwear, the sizing member being removable to create a second effective size of the article of footwear. The present invention also provides a method of determining when to adjust the effective size of an article of footwear and adjusting the effective size of the article of footwear.

Footwear has direct effects on the development of children's feet. Inappropriate footwear can cause physical problems that may stay with a child into adulthood. Many of the children's shoes on the market are miniature versions of adult shoes, which are known in the fashion industry as "takedowns". Although these little shoes may have been modified in the fit and styling to make it appropriate for a child's foot, they are not designed specifically for children from scratch and therefore, fail to meet the special needs of children. Growing children have, for example, three characteristics associated with their feet and special needs for their footwear resulting from such characteristics.
With regard to the first characteristic, a proper fit in shoes is essential for children's ability to walk, run and play in comfort. Damage can be done to the feet of growing children if the children wear improperly or poorly fitting shoes such as continuing to wear shoes that they have already outgrown. Unfortunately, little children, for example, those under 3-years old, may not be able to tell when their shoes are getting tight. Older children, for example, 6-year-olds may not let their parents know that their favorite pairs of sneakers are starting to hurt. Usually adults can determine the fit of shoes only by pressing the toe boxes to see whether there is appropriate room in that area when the children are wearing the shoes. However, such determination is hardly reliable, especially when the toe boxes are stiff. Therefore, the principal problem in obtaining and maintaining proper fit in children's shoes stem from the difficulty of knowing the exact position of the outside perimeter of the toes when the foot is in the shoe.
Prior attempts have been made in the art to address this fitting problem by providing children's footwear with a transparent area on the upper or bottom of the footwear for visual sizing, for example, as described in the following prior art references:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,931,773 describes a shoe provided with at least one transparent area in the shoe bottom along with fitting indices to enable comparison of the outline of a foot in the shoe to the fitting indices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,084,988 describes a shoe having a transparent area that is placed within the outsole and extends at least over about the front third of the outsole. The front part of the transparent area serves as a support for calibrated markings.
WO 01/93712 A1 describes footwear which includes an outsole and at least one substantially transparent window disposed in the outsole.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0009907 describes a shoe having a window portion associated with the upper portion for allowing viewing of a foot inserted into the shoe, and a reference mark associated with the insole liner for indicating proper fit.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0025373 describes a shoe having a window portion associated with the upper portion for allowing viewing of a foot inserted into the shoe, and a tab portion for covering and uncovering the window portion.
However, none of the above described transparent areas in the footwear for visual sizing are particularly successful or acceptable. Transparent areas located in the shoe bottom or outsole do not allow determination of the fit of a shoe when the wearer is standing up, whereas those transparent areas located in the shoe upper inevitably interfere with the anesthetic and protective properties of the upper. Therefore, there remains a need for children's footwear which allows visual fitting of the shoe without interfering with the anesthetic and protective properties of the shoe.
With regard to the second characteristic, children's feet grow fast and therefore, shoes of increasing sizes need to be purchased frequently to keep up with the pace of the growth of the feet. Frequent purchasing of shoes for children is not only costly but also time-consuming. To avoid frequent purchasing of shoes, many parents purchase shoes in larger sizes or have their children continue to wear the shoes that have been outgrown. Consequently, the children often times wear improperly or poorly fitting shoes, which may not only affect the children's athletic performance but also cause medical problems associated with the feet.
Some attempts have been made to solve the problem by adding adjustable sizing systems to children's athletic shoes, for example, as described in the following prior art references:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,442,874 describes an athletic shoe having a sizing member attached to the upper at the rear end of the shoe. The sizing member includes a preformed weakened separation line. The sizing member can be selectively positioned within or outside of the shoe and can be completely removed from the shoe by tearing or cutting off the sizing member at the preformed weakened separation line.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,584,707 describes an athletic shoe having a sizing system attached to the upper at the rear end of the shoe. The sizing system includes a first sizing element and a second sizing element which are removably attached together. At least one of the first and second elements is removably attached to the shoe upper. The sizing system allows a wearer to wear the shoes in three different effective lengths.
However, the above described sizing member and sizing system are not fully satisfactory. Once the sizing member or system described above is separated from the shoe by breaking the preformed separation line, it can not be reattached to the shoe when the wearer later feels that the shoe is still too big without the sizing member or system. In order to wear the shoe without the sizing member or system while avoiding permanent separation of the sizing member or system from the shoe and being able to use the sizing member again when needed, the wearer has to leave the sizing member or system at a position outside of the shoe, which is not only anesthetically undesirable but also may interfere with the wear's activities. Therefore, there remains a need for children's footwear which allows convenient and reversible adjustment of the effective size of the shoe to extend the effective life of the footwear.
With regard to the third characteristic, children's footwear is usually soft and pliable to avoid discomfort and constraints on children's feet. However, such soft and pliable materials of the shoes do not properly protect the children from injuries caused by hard objects such as pebbles and rocks, which are commonly present on parks, campgrounds and other outdoor spaces that children often go. When stepped on, such hard objects may cause considerable pain and, even worse, injuries to the child's foot.
Insoles capable of withstanding penetration of nails and other sharp objects have been developed in the prior art, for example, as described in the following prior art references:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,808,663 describes a laminated protective sole including a plurality of stacked fibrous laminates impregnated with synthetic resin, and a synthetic resin bond extending through all laminates over a minor area of the inner sole for retaining the laminates in stacked relationship.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,255 describes a puncture resistant insole for boots and other shoes. The puncture resistant insole includes multiple layers of a tightly woven, puncture resistant fabric, formed from high tensile strength synthetic or polymeric fibers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,803 describes a puncture resistant insole which is constructed of a substantially flexible, substantially puncture resistant material, such as polymer fibers. The perimeter of the insole is curved upward, and includes a plurality of substantially v-shaped notches therein to enhance flexibility of the insole.
However, all of the above described insoles are designed for adult shoes and more specifically for heavy duty adult shoes, such as safety shoes for workers on manufacturing, construction and demolition sites. These prior art protective insoles are usually stiff, heavy and complex in constructions and therefore, will not be suitable for children, who usually involve in lighter activities and require higher flexibility and softness in their shoes to provide comfort and facilitate athletic performance. Therefore, there remains a need for children's footwear which provides protection from injuries by hard objects without diminishing the comfort of the child's foot or interfering with the child's activities.
In summary, there remains a need for an object of footwear which is specifically designed for children and meets all of the above described special needs for children's footwear without any of the above described disadvantages in the prior art. The present invention provides an article of footwear which is specifically designed for children. More specifically, the shoe according to the present invention not only allows adults to visually determine whether it proper fits the child but can also be adjusted in its effective size when it is determined that the shoe has become too small, such that the effective life of the shoe can be extended. Additionally, the shoe according to the present invention optionally includes a protective plate to provide protection from injuries by hard objects.


The present invention relates to playground apparatus, and in particular to a swing apparatus which may be used by a person confined to a wheelchair. The preferred embodiment of the swing apparatus includes a main body which is adapted to accommodate a wheelchair. The body is formed from molded plastic and is suspended from a frame structure for reciprocating motion by means of two pairs of substantially parallel arms. The body includes vertically extending internal frame members within the side walls of the body and transversely extending frame members underneath the body connecting opposing vertical frame members located on each side of the swing body. The body of the swing further includes a seat assembly which can be moved between a collapsed position and a raised position. The seat assembly comprises a pair of members which are adapted to clip together so as to provide a secure engagement when the seat is in its erected position. If the swing is to be used by a person in a wheelchair, the seat assembly is collapsed so as to allow the wheelchair to be accommodated within the body.

The present invention relates to playground apparatus, and in particular to a swing apparatus which may be used by a person confined to a wheelchair.
In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness of the needs of physically and/or mentally handicapped persons. For example, whereas in the past there has been segregation of able-bodied and disabled children in schools, recently there has been a move towards integrating handicapped persons into the general community. Schools designated xe2x80x9cspecialxe2x80x9d have been established to permit both disabled and able-bodied children to coexist in an environment that is beneficial to both groups. Disabled children experience an environment that is similar to that which they will experience outside of school. Able-bodied children are given a chance to mingle with the physically disabled and become familiar with and understand various disabilities and the associated problems with which the disabled must contend.
Whilst there are many playgrounds available for use by able-bodied people, little consideration appears to have been given to the provision of playground facilities for persons confined to a wheelchair. Most playground equipment is made for able-bodied people and, in spite of the desire of disabled people to participate in playground activities, they are generally not able to do so due to a lack of suitable recreational equipment.
The present invention is directed to providing swing apparatus which may be used by a person confined to a wheelchair and the object of the present invention is to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to at least provide a useful alternative.
A first aspect of the present invention provides a swing apparatus for persons confined to a wheelchair, said swing including:
a body adapted to accommodate a wheelchair, said body including a platform adapted to carry said wheelchair, and one or more walls extending upwardly from said platform.
A second aspect of the present invention provides a swing apparatus for persons confined to a wheelchair, said swing including:
a body adapted to accommodate a wheelchair, said body including a seat positionable between a first position to provide seating for a user, and a second position which allows for accommodating a wheelchair.
A third aspect of the present invention provides a swing apparatus for persons confined to a wheelchair, said swing including:
a body adapted to accommodate a wheelchair;
a ramp so as to permit access to the body by a person confined to a wheelchair, one end of said ramp adapted to be attached to the ground, and a second end of the ramp adapted to be releasably attachable to said body so as to enable wheelchair access to said body.
A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a swing apparatus for persons confined to a wheelchair, said swing including:
a body adapted to accommodate a wheelchair;
said body including a retaining means for securing said wheelchair in position with respect to said body, said retaining means being mounted on a movable mounting so as to facilitate positioning of said mounting with respect to said wheelchair.


The present invention relates to polyurethanes and a process for preparing them. These polyester polyurethanes contain units corresponding to the following formulae (I) and (II):

The present invention relates to a new family of polyester polyurethanes film-forming resins, to a process for preparing them, to pseudolatices produced using said polyester polyurethanes resins and also to cosmetic compositions containing said pseudolatices.
It is common practice to use polyurethanes as film-forming resin in many cosmetic formulations, and in particular in different make-up products such as nail varnishes, mascaras and eyeliners. To be satisfactory, the resin must possess not only good film-forming properties, but also good staying properties, that is to say must be difficult to remove from its support by simply washing with water or by means of detergents.
In Patent Application EP 418,469, nail varnish compositions containing aqueous dispersions of aliphatic polyurethanes as film-forming resin have been described.
In Patent Application EP 391, 22, nail varnishes containing an aqueous dispersion of a polyurethane and/or of a polyurethane copolymer have also been described.
The use of these resins does not, however, enable compositions possessing good cosmetic properties to be procured, as a result, in particular, of a lack of staying power.
The present invention relates to polyurethanes and a process for preparing them. These polyester polyurethanes contain units corresponding to the following formulae (I) and (II):
The polyester polyurethanes according to the present invention form pseudolatices and may be utilized as film-forming resin in cosmetic compositions.
It has now been found that, surprisingly and unexpectedly, a new family of polyester polyurethanes not only possess good film-forming properties, but also enable films possessing both great rigidity and excellent resistance to removal by water and detergents to be obtained.
It has been possible to obtain these excellent properties as a result of the particular choice of xcex1, xcfx89-dihydroxy polyester participating in the synthesis of the polyester polyurethanes according to the invention.
The polyester polyurethanes according to the invention make it possible to prepare pseudolatices which also have very good staying power and which, furthermore, are especially stable without the use of additional surfactants, in as much as they contain, in addition, ionic functions.
The subject of the present invention is, as a new industrial product, a polyester polyurethane containing units corresponding to the following formulae (I) and (II):
in which:
R represents an alkylene or cycloalkylene radical or a bivalent aromatic radical having from 6 to 15 carbon atoms,
n represents an integer such that the molecular weight of the recurring unit is between 400 and 5,000,
R1 represents a bivalent radical chosen from the group consisting of;
(i) "Parenopenst"CH2"Parenclosest"m, m being an integer between 2 and 12, and
(ii)
xe2x80x83the movable bond being in the ortho, meta or para position,
R2 represents a bivalent radical chosen from the group consisting of:
R3 representing a hydrogen atom or a branched alkyl radical having from 1 to 3 carbon atoms,
R4 representing a hydrogen atom or a linear or branched alkyl radical having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms,
R5 representing a linear or branched alkyl radical having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and
p being 0 or 1,
in which:
R is as defined above for the units of formula (I),
A represents an alkylene radical having from 2 to 20 carbon atoms, substituted with a carboxylic or sulphonic acid function, in salified or unsalified form, or interrupted by a tertiary nitrogen atom, the mole ratio between the units (II) and (I) being between 1:1 and 10:1, and preferably between 1:1 and 5:1.
The bivalent radical R of the unit of formula (I) is preferably chosen from the group consisting of hexamethylene, 4,4xe2x80x2-biphenylenemethane, 2,4-and/or 2,6-tolylene, 1,5-naphthylene, p-phenylene and 4,4xe2x80x2-methyl-enebis (cyclohexyl) radicals and the bivalent radical derived from isophorone.
The bivalent radical A of the unit of formula (II) is preferably chosen from the group consisting of:
R6 representing a linear or branched alkyl radical having from 1 to 3 carbon atoms,
Y representing a carboxylic acid or sulphonic acid group or a salt thereof, and
t and q, which may be identical or different, representing an integer between 1 and 5,
R7 representing a linear or branched alkyl radical having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and
r and s, which may he identical or different, representing an integer between 1 and 10.
The polyester polyurethanes according to the invention can, in addition, contain units corresponding to the following formula (III):
in which:
R is as defined above for the units of formula (I),
B and Bxe2x80x2, which may be identical or different, represent xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94, it not being possible for B and Bxe2x80x2 simultaneously to represent xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94, and
X represents an alkylene or cycloalkylene radical having from 2 to 12 carbon atoms or a hivalent aromatic radical having from 6 to 12 carbon atoms,
the said unit being present in a proportion such that the mole ratio of the sum of the units of formulae (II) and (III) to the units of formula (I) is an integer between 1 and 10, and preferably between 1 and 5.
The molecular weight of the polyester polyurethanes according to the invention, measured by steric exclusion chromatography, is generally between 4,000 and 500,000, and preferably between 6,000 and 200,000.
The subject of the present invention is also the process for preparing said polyester polyurethanes. This process consists in reacting, in an organic solvent, an xe2x88x9d, w-dihydroxy polyester corresponding to the following formula (IV):
in which:
R1, R2 and n are as defined above for the units of formula (I),
with an excess of a diisocyanate corresponding to the following formula (V):
Oxe2x95x90Cxe2x95x90Nxe2x80x94Rxe2x80x94Nxe2x95x90Cxe2x95x90O xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(V)
in which R is as defined above for the units of formula (I),
and then in coupling the chains of the polyester polyurethane obtained above with a diol corresponding to the following formula (VI):
HOxe2x80x94Axe2x80x94OH xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(VI)
in which:
A is as defined above for the units of formula (II),
at a temperature of between 40 and 100xc2x0 C. in the presence of a tin salt as catalyst.
The organic solvent used in the process according to the invention is preferably chosen from the group consisting of acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, tetrahydrofuran and 1,2-dichloroethane, these solvents being inert with respect to isocyanate groups.
The tin salt is preferably chosen from tin 2-ethylhexanoate and dibutyltin dilaurate.
The xcex1,xcfx89-dihydroxy polyester of formula (IV) used as starting material in the synthesis of the polyester polyurethanes according to the invention preferably has a molecular weight of between 400 and 5,000.
Among especially preferred xcex1,xcfx89-dihydroxy polyesters of formula (IV), there may be mentioned that in which R2 represents a bivalent radical of formula:
and R1 represents xe2x80x94(CH2)3xe2x80x94 or a p-phenylene radical.
The diisocyanate of formula (V) used in the process according to the invention is preferably chosen from the group consisting of diphenylmethane 4,4xe2x80x2-diisocyanate and dicyclqhexylmethane 4,4xe2x80x2-diisocyanate (or dicyclohexylmethylene 4,4xe2x80x2-diisocyanate).
The diol of formula (VI) used in the process according to invention is preferably chosen from the group consisting of dimethylolpropionic acid and N-methyldiethanolamine.
According to a particular embodiment of the process according to the invention, a coupler corresponding to the following formula (VII):
Hxe2x80x94Bxe2x80x94Xxe2x80x94Bxe2x80x2xe2x80x94H xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(VII)
in which:
B, Bxe2x80x2 and X are as defined above for the units of formula (III), is reacted in addition.
Preferably, the coupler is chosen from the group consisting of 1,3-diaminopropane and ethanolamine.
The polyester polyurethane obtained according to the above process is in non crosslinked form and can optionally be purified, for example by precipitation in a non-polar solvent such as cyclohexane.
The subject of the present invention is also, as a new industrial product, a stable pseudolatex consisting of particles of non crosslinked polyester polyurethane as defined and obtained above, neutralized using a neutralizing agent which can be either an inorganic or organic base when the radical A of the units of formula (II) is substituted with a carboxylic or sulphonic acid function, or an inorganic or organic acid when the radical A of the units of formula (II) is interrupted by a tertiary nitrogen atom, to a degree of neutralization of between 20 and 100%, the average diameter of the particles being between 5 and 300 nm.
According to the invention, the term xe2x80x9cpseudolatexxe2x80x9d is understood to mean a suspension consisting of generally spherical particles of the polyester polyurethane, these being obtained by dispersion of the polyester polyurethane in a suitable aqueous phase. The term xe2x80x9cpseudolatexxe2x80x9d should not be confused with the term xe2x80x9clatexxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9csynthetic latexxe2x80x9d, which is also a suspension consisting of particles of a polymer, but in which the said particles are obtained directly by polymerization of one or more monomers in a suitable aqueous phase.
The pseudolatices according to the invention are obtained according to known methods of preparation of pseudolatices, subject, however, to certain features which will be mentioned below.
The conventional process for preparing pseudolatices consists in dissolving a water-insoluble polymer in an organic solvent which is soluble or partially soluble in water, in dispersing the dispersion thereby obtained in water while stirring and removing the organic solvent by evaporation under vacuum, which leads to a suspension consisting of particles of the polymer whose size is generally less than one micrometer.
According to this general process, the use of a surfactant, a mixture of surfactants or a protective colloidal polymer, or alternatively of a surfactants/protective colloidal polymer mixture, is essential for the purpose of obtaining good stabilization of the particles.
In contrast, the polyester polyurethanes according to the invention, containing partially or completely neutralized ionic functions, enable especially stable pseudolatices to be obtained in the absence of a hydrophilic stabilizer, a surfactant or a protective colloid.
It is self-evident that the acidic or basic nature of the neutralizing agent which it will be appropriate to use in order to neutralize the polyester polyurethane will be dependent on the nature of the ionic functions borne by the said polyester polyurethane.
When the polyester polyurethane contains a carboxylic or sulphonic acid function, the neutralizing agent can be an inorganic base such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide or ammonia solution, or an organic base such as an amino alcohol chosen from 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP), triethanolamine, triisopropanolamine (TIPA), monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, tris(2-hydroxy-1-propyl)amine, 2-amino-2-methyl-1,3-propanediol (AMPD) and 2-amino-2-hydroxymethyl-1,3-propanediol, or alternatively a diamine such as lysine.
When the polyester polyurethane contains a tertiary amine function, the neutralizing agent can be an inorganic acid such as hydrochloric acid or an organic acid such as lactic acid, glycolic acid or mandelic acid.
The neutralization may be carried either in situ in the solution of the polyester polyurethane in the organic solvent, by adding the specified amount of neutralizing agent, or during the preparation of the emulsion, the neutralizing agent then being in the aqueous phase of the emulsion. The organic solvent used must be a volatile solvent or a mixture of such solvents possessing a boiling point below that of water, and be miscible or partially miscible with water.
The organic solvent as defined above is preferably chosen from acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, tetrahydrofuran, methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, isopropanol and ethanol.
After the completely or partially neutralized polyester polyurethane has been obtained in the organic solvent, an emulsion is then prepared by pouring into the organic solution obtained, while stirring, a suitable amount of water optionally containing an antifoaming agent whose role will be to facilitate the subsequent evaporation of the organic phase.
According to a variant of the process as defined above, the neutralization of the ionic functions of the polyester polyurethane, dissolved in an organic solvent, may be carried out during the formation of the emulsion by pouring in an aqueous solution containing the requisite amount of the neutralizing agent.
During the formation of the emulsion, the stirring is preferably carried out using a shearing disperser of the Moritz or Ultra Turrax or Raineri type, equipped with deflocculating blades.
The emulsion thereby obtained is especially stable without it being necessary to employ a surfactant, inasmuch as the ionic groups of the polyester polyurethane place themselves at the interface with the water and protect the droplets from coalescence by electrostatic repulsion.
After formation of the emulsion at a temperature between room temperature and 70xc2x0 C. approximately, the organic solvent is then evaporated off under reduced pressure until it has been removed completely, the evaporation preferably being carried out under gentle heating.
A pseudolatex, that is to say an aqueous dispersion of particles of the film-forming polyester is polyurethane, is thereby obtained, which pseudolatex is free from any surfactant or from any other hydrophilic stabilizer while being very stable.
The average size of the particles of the pseudolatex and their polydispersity may be adjusted by varying, during the preparation of the said pseudolatex, the respective proportions between the polyester polyurethane, the organic solvent and water, thus modifying, in particular, the viscosity of the said pseudolatex and the sheen of the film obtained after evaporation. The average size of the particles also depends on the degree of neutralization and on the nature of the neutralizing agent.
According to a preferred embodiment of the pseudolatices according to the invention, the average size of the particles is between 10 and 250 nm.
The size polydispersity of the particles, measured by quasi-elastic light scattering, is generally less than 0.5 and preferably between 0.05 and 0.4.
The polyester polyurethanes according to the invention may be plasticized in order to improve film formation at room temperature. The plasticizing may he carried out by mixing the pseudolatex of polyester polyurethane according to the invention with an aqueous dispersion of a polyether polyurethane or polyester polyurethane having elastomeric character, these dispersions being of the same ionic nature as the polyester polyurethane according to the invention.
As dispersions of polyether polyurethanes having elastomeric character and of anionic nature, those sold under the names xe2x80x9cSancure 861xe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cSancure 878xe2x80x9d by the company Sanncor, or under the name xe2x80x9cNeorez-R970xe2x80x9d by the company ICI, may be mentioned in particular.
As dispersions of polyester polyurethanes having elastomeric character and of ionic nature, that sold under the name xe2x80x9cNeorez-R974xe2x80x9d by the company ICI may be mentioned in particular.
The plasticizing may also be carried out using non-polymeric traditional plasticizers. It is then necessary for the plasticizer to be a good solvent for the polyester polyurethane according to the invention, and preferably to be insoluble in water. Among hydrophobic plasticizers, there may be mentioned, in particular:
diethyl, dibutyl and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalates and adipates,
diethyl and dibutyl tartrates,
diethyl, dibutyl and di-2-ethylhexyl phosphates,
propylene glycol derivatives chosen from propylene glycol phenyl ether, propylene glycol diacetate, dipropylene glycol butyl ether and tripropylene glycol butyl ether,
glycerol esters such as glyceryl triacetate (triacetin).
the propylene glycol monophenyl ether sold under the name xe2x80x9cDowanol PPHxe2x80x9d by the company Dow Chemical, and the dipropylene glycol n-butyl ether sold under the name xe2x80x9cdowanol DPnBxe2x80x9d by the Company Dow Chemical.
The plasticizer may be incorporated in a proportion ranging from 5 to 50% by weight relative to the total weight of the aqueous dispersion either after the production of the pseudolatex, or during the production of the pseudolatex when the emulsion is being formed, the plasticizer then being incorporated in the organic phase of the emulsion.
The subject of the invention is also a water-based cosmetic composition comprising as film-forming resin and preferably as the sole film-forming resin, the neutralized non crosslinked polyester polyurethane in the form of particles in an aqueous dispersion (pseudolatex) as defined above.
The proportion of pseudolatex in the cosmetic compositions is generally between 0.5 and 30%, and preferably between 1 and 25%, by weight relative to the total weight of the composition.
The cosmetic compositions according to the invention can take various forms, for example the form of make-up products for the nails or eyelashes such as nail varnishes or mascaras, and skin care products such as face packs or serums.
The compositions according to the invention can also take the form of hair care products such as styling shampoos, hair-end treatment lotions, hair lacquers and styling gels.
The compositions according to the invention can, in addition, contain UV-A or UV-B or broad-band sunscreen agents, and be used as antisun products.
The compositions according to the invention can contain, moreover, conventional cosmetic adjuvants chosen from fats, organic solvents, silicones, thickening agents, emollients, antifoaming agents, hydrating agents, humectants, nail hardeners, anionic, nonionic or amphoteric polymers or mixes thereof, antiperspirants, alkalinizing agents, colorants, pigments and propellent agents when the compositions take the form of an aerosol.
More specifically, as a fat, it is possible to use an oil or a wax or mixtures thereof, fatty acids, fatty alcohols, fatty acid esters such as C6 to C18 fatty acid triglycerides, petroleum jelly, paraffin, lanolin or hydrogenated or acetylated lanolin.
Among oils, mineral, animal and vegetable oils or synthetic oils may be mentioned, and in particular liquid petrolatum and paraffin, castor, jojoba and sesame oils, as well as Silicone oils and gums and isoparaffins.
Among animal, fossil, vegetable, mineral or synthetic waxes, beeswax, carob wax, candelilla wax, ozokerite and microcrystalline waxes may be mentioned, as well as silicone waxes and resins.
Among thickening agents, there may be mentioned:
cellulose derivatives such as hydroxyethylcellulose, methylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose and carboxymethylcellulose. Among these, the gums sold under the name xe2x80x9cCellosize QP 4400Hxe2x80x9d by the company Amerchol may be mentioned in particular,
carob gum, guar gum, the quaternized guar gum sold under the name xe2x80x9cJaguar C-13-Sxe2x80x9d by the company Meyhall, hydroxypropylguar gum, xanthan gum,
crosslinked polyacrylic acids such as those sold under the name xe2x80x9cCarbopolxe2x80x9d, by the company Goodrich,
crosslinked acrylic acid/(C10/C30) alkyl acrylate copolymers such as those sold under the names xe2x80x9cPemulen TR1xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cPemulen TR2xe2x80x9d by the company Goodrich,
the poly [glyceryl (meth) acrylate] polymers sold under the names xe2x80x9cHispagelxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cLubragelxe2x80x9d by the companies Hispano Quimica or Guardian,
polyvinylpyrrolidone,
polyvinyl alcohol,
the crosslinked acrylamide polymers and copolymers sold under the names xe2x80x9cPAS 5161xe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cBozepol Cxe2x80x9d by the company Hoechst, xe2x80x9cSepigel 305xe2x80x9d by the company Seppic or xe2x80x9csalcare SC92xe2x80x9d by the company Allied Colloid, or alternatively
the crosslinked methacryloyloxyethyltrimethylammonium chloride homopolymers sold under the name xe2x80x9cSalcare SC95xe2x80x9d by the company Allied Colloid.
The compositions according to the invention find application most especially in nail care and treatment.
Thus, they can constitute a base coat for the subsequent application, after drying, of a traditional coloured nail varnish. The base coat thus protects the nail from the potentially damaging effect of the nail varnish solvent mixture, and prevents, moreover, the keratin of the nail from being coloured through the effect of the pigments. This base coat makes it possible, moreover, to improve the adhesion of the nail varnish, and can contain various active agents for nail care in so far as they are soluble in water or readily dispersable.
The advantage of using, according to this embodiment, a base coat of a composition according to the invention enables the nail varnish to be made strippable by simultaneous removal of the base coat and the nail varnish layer.
The compositions according to the invention can also constitute a top coat after application and drying of a traditional coloured nail varnish. This upper coat provides sheen and better mechanical resistance.
According to an especially preferred form, the compositions according to the invention take the form of coloured aqueous nail varnish.
These nail varnishes contain at least one pseudolatex as defined above in a proportion of 1 to 25% by weight, at least one thickening agent in a proportion of 0.01 to 5% and preferably of 0.1 to 1% by weight, at least one pigment in a proportion of less than 3% and preferably of between 0.5 and 2% by weight and at least one wetting agent in a proportion of 0.1 to 1% by weight, the remainder consisting essentially of water.
Several examples of preparations of polyester polyurethanes, and also of pseudolatices and cosmetic compositions containing them, will now be given by way of illustration of the invention.

Polyester polyurethanes, process for preparing them, pseudolatices produced from the said polyester polyurethanes and their use in cosmetic compositions


A value of CCD signal of a specific pixel and a maximum value of CCD signals of neighboring pixels, which are presented in a neighboring area of the specific pixel and are a same color component as that of the specific pixel, are extracted. In case that a value of subtracting the maximum value of CCD signals of neighboring pixels from the value of CCD signal of the specific pixel exceeds a predetermined value, it is discriminated that a pixel of white defect is presented in the specific pixel and the pixel of white defect is compensated by replacing the value of CCD signal of the specific pixel with the maximum value. In case that a value of subtracting the maximum value of CCD signals of neighboring pixels from the value of CCD signal of the specific pixel does not exceed a predetermined value, it is discriminated that a pixel of white defect is not presented in the specific pixel and the pixel of white defect is compensated by outputting the value of CCD signal of the specific pixel as it is.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pixel defect compensating apparatus and a method of compensating pixel defect, particularly, relates to an apparatus and a method of compensating pixel defect of a solid-state image sensor by means of signal processing in an image pickup apparatus utilizing a solid-state image sensor of all-pixel readout system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, it is well known that a pixel is deteriorated by sectional defect of semiconductor such as crystal defect in a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device), which is produced from semiconductor. Such pixel defect as always adding a certain bias voltage to an image output in response to an amount of incident light appears on a monitor screen as a white spot in high intensity if a signal of the pixel defect is processed as it is. The white spot is called as a pixel of white defect.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of depicting a method of compensating pixel defect by a pixel defect compensating apparatus, which compensates a pixel of white defect of an interline solid-state image sensor, hereinafter called an interline CCD (IT-CCD), of the prior art. An IT-CCD reads out pixel signals in the interline transfer system. CCD signals, which are outputted from an IT-CCD, are processed to eliminate noise components prior to compensating pixels of white defect and adjusted to a predetermined signal level, and then converted into digital signals.
CCD signals, which are obtained from 2 pixels in horizontal direction and converted into a digital configuration, are mixed and called a luminance signal. The luminance signal is written in plurality of line memories by each line and compensates a pixel of white defect. FIG. 1 is an example of compensating pixels of white defect included in luminance signals for 3 lines with providing line memories for 2 lines. Pixels of white defect in luminance signals for 3 lines are compensated by utilizing luminance signals for total 3 lines, which are composed of luminance signals for 2 lines read out from the line memories and a luminance signal for one line to be inputted succeeding to the 2 lines.
In FIG. 1, each 3 pixels continuing in horizontal direction are arranged in continuing 3 lines, that is, a first line L0, a second line L1, and a third line L2 respectively. In other words, 3 pixels xe2x80x9caxe2x80x9d through xe2x80x9ccxe2x80x9d are arranged in the line L0, and 3 pixels xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d through xe2x80x9cfxe2x80x9d are arranged in the line L1, and 3 pixels xe2x80x9cgxe2x80x9d through xe2x80x9cixe2x80x9d are arranged in the line L2.
According to the method of compensating pixel defect of the prior art, a pixel of white defect at the pixels xe2x80x9cbxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cexe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9chxe2x80x9d shown in FIG. 1 is compensated by utilizing luminance signals of total 9 pixels forming a matrix of 3 pixels horizontally and 3 pixels vertically. In addition thereto, the compensation is applied to luminance signals for 3 lines together and not for each line so as to prevent a vertical aperture signal from a pixel of white defect, which may be included in the vertical aperture signal.
Compensation of a pixel of white defect in the pixel xe2x80x9cexe2x80x9d is depicted first. Luminance signals of the pixels xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cfxe2x80x9d are compared with each other and a lower signal level of them is defined xe2x80x9cY1Lxe2x80x9d as a representative value. Luminance signals of 6 pixels including pixels xe2x80x9caxe2x80x9d through xe2x80x9ccxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cgxe2x80x9d through xe2x80x9cixe2x80x9d are compared with each other and a highest signal level of them is defined xe2x80x9cY1Hxe2x80x9d as a representative value. Then, with comparing the representative values xe2x80x9cY1Lxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cY1Hxe2x80x9d, a larger value of them is defined xe2x80x9cY1xe2x80x9d. In case that a value of subtracting the value xe2x80x9cY1xe2x80x9d from a luminance signal value of the pixel xe2x80x9cexe2x80x9d exceeds a predetermined threshold value, it is discriminated that a pixel of white defect is presented in the pixel xe2x80x9cexe2x80x9d.
In the case of being discriminated that a pixel of white defect is presented in the pixel xe2x80x9cexe2x80x9d as mentioned above, the pixel of white defect is compensated by replacing the luminance signal value of the pixel xe2x80x9cexe2x80x9d with the value xe2x80x9cY1xe2x80x9d. On the other hand, in case that a value of subtracting the value xe2x80x9cY1xe2x80x9d from a luminance signal value of the pixel xe2x80x9cexe2x80x9d does not exceed a predetermined threshold value, it is discriminated that a pixel of white defect is not presented in the pixel xe2x80x9cexe2x80x9d. Then, the luminance signal value of the pixel xe2x80x9cexe2x80x9d is utilized as it is.
In case that a pixel of white defect in the pixel xe2x80x9cbxe2x80x9d is compensated, luminance signals of the pixels xe2x80x9caxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9ccxe2x80x9d are compared with each other and a lower signal level of them is defined xe2x80x9cY0Lxe2x80x9d as a representative value. Luminance signals of pixels xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d through xe2x80x9cfxe2x80x9d are compared with each other and a highest signal level of them is defined xe2x80x9cY0Hxe2x80x9d as a representative value. Then, with comparing the representative values xe2x80x9cY0Lxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cY0Hxe2x80x9d, a larger value of them is defined xe2x80x9cY0xe2x80x9d. In case that a value of subtracting the value xe2x80x9cY0xe2x80x9d from a luminance signal value of the pixel xe2x80x9cbxe2x80x9d exceeds a predetermined threshold value, it is discriminated that a pixel of white defect is presented in the pixel xe2x80x9cbxe2x80x9d.
In the case of being discriminated that a pixel of white defect is presented in the pixel xe2x80x9cbxe2x80x9d as mentioned above, the pixel of white defect is compensated by replacing the luminance signal value of the pixel xe2x80x9cbxe2x80x9d with the value xe2x80x9cY0xe2x80x9d. On the other hand, in case that a value of subtracting the value xe2x80x9cY0xe2x80x9d from a luminance signal value of the pixel xe2x80x9cbxe2x80x9d does not exceed a predetermined threshold value, it is discriminated that a pixel of white defect is not presented in the pixel xe2x80x9cbxe2x80x9d. Then, the luminance signal value of the pixel xe2x80x9cbxe2x80x9d is utilized as it is.
In addition thereto, in case that a pixel of white defect in the pixel xe2x80x9chxe2x80x9d is compensated, luminance signals of the pixels xe2x80x9cgxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cixe2x80x9d are compared with each other and a lower signal level of them is defined xe2x80x9cY2Lxe2x80x9d as a representative value. Luminance signals of pixels xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d through xe2x80x9cfxe2x80x9d are compared with each other and a highest signal level of them is defined xe2x80x9cY2Hxe2x80x9d as a representative value.
Then, with comparing the representative values xe2x80x9cY2Lxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cY2Hxe2x80x9d, a larger value of them is defined xe2x80x9cY2xe2x80x9d. In case that a value of subtracting the value xe2x80x9cY2xe2x80x9d from a luminance signal value of the pixel xe2x80x9chxe2x80x9d exceeds a predetermined threshold value, it is discriminated that a pixel of white defect is presented in the pixel xe2x80x9chxe2x80x9d.
In the case of being discriminated that a pixel of white defect is presented in the pixel xe2x80x9chxe2x80x9d as mentioned above, the pixel of white defect is compensated by replacing the luminance signal value of the pixel xe2x80x9chxe2x80x9d with the value xe2x80x9cY2xe2x80x9d. On the other hand, in case that a value of subtracting the value xe2x80x9cY2xe2x80x9d from a luminance signal value of the pixel xe2x80x9chxe2x80x9d does not exceed a predetermined threshold value, it is discriminated that a pixel of white defect is not presented in the pixel xe2x80x9chxe2x80x9d. Then, the luminance signal value of the pixel xe2x80x9chxe2x80x9d is utilized as it is.
Accordingly, in case that a luminance signal level of one pixel is extremely higher than those of adjacent pixels, the pixel is discriminated as a pixel of white defect and compensated as mentioned above.
However, with respect to a recent single-unit video camera-recorder utilizing a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD, a need for obtaining one blur-free still picture signal composed of moving picture signals including even and odd fields is increasing in conjunction with promoting higher image quality. In some cases, a progressive scan CCD, hereinafter called a PS-CCD, of all-pixel readout system is utilized for such a single-unit video camera-recorder not an IT-CCD, which reads out a pixel signal in the interline transfer system.
In case that a pixel of white defect in a CCD signal obtained from such a PS-CCD is compensated by a pixel defect compensating apparatus of the prior art with a luminance signal, which is obtained by mixing 2 pixels in horizontal direction, it causes a problem of deteriorating resolution. Further, in case that a pixel of white defect is compensated by a CCD signal, prior to mixing 2 pixels in horizontal direction, with comparing the CCD signal with adjacent pixels within such a simple compensating area as disclosed in the prior art, it causes another problem that a pixel of white defect can not be correctly discriminated or can not be properly compensated due to difference of signal levels of each color component in a CCD signal outputted from a solid-state image sensor.
Accordingly, to improve the above mentioned problems, there provided a pixel defect compensating apparatus, which comprises extracting means for extracting a pixel signal outputted form a solid-state image sensor of all-pixel readout system and composed of a same color component from an array of pixel signals indicating one color component out of a plurality of color components of pixel information of one pixel within a predetermined area of a picture, pixel defect discriminating means for comparing pixel information of a specific pixel in the pixel signal extracted by the extracting means with pixel information of other pixels than the specific pixel in the pixel signal and for discriminating whether or not pixel defect is presented in the specific pixel, and pixel defect compensating means for compensating pixel information of the specific pixel by using pixel information of pixels other than the specific pixel in the pixel signal and for outputting a compensated pixel information, in case that the specific pixel is discriminated by the pixel defect discriminating means such that a pixel defect is presented, and for outputting the pixel information of the specific pixel as it is, in case that the specific pixel is discriminated by the pixel defect discriminating means such that a pixel defect is not presented in the specific pixel. The pixel defect discriminating means discriminate that there is presented a pixel defect in the specific pixel, in case that a value of subtracting a maximum signal level of pixels other than the specific pixel from the signal level of the specific pixel exceeds a predetermined value. The pixel defect compensating means compensate pixel information of the specific pixel by replacing the value of signal level of the specific pixel with the value of the maximum signal level, in case of being discriminated that a pixel defect is presented in the specific pixel.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there provided a method of compensating pixel defect, which comprises a step of extracting a pixel signal outputted from a solid-state image sensor of all-pixel readout system and composed of a same color component from an array of pixel signals indicating one color component out of a plurality of color components of pixel information of one pixel within a predetermined area of a picture, a step of comparing pixel information of a specific pixel in the pixel signal extracted by the step of extracting with pixel information of other pixels than the specific pixel in the pixel signal, a step of discriminating whether or not pixel defect is presented in the specific pixel, a step of compensating pixel information of the specific pixel by using pixel information of pixels other than the specific pixel in the pixel signal, in case that the specific pixel is discriminated by the pixel defect discriminating means such that pixel defect is presented, a step of firstly outputting a compensated pixel information, in case of being discriminated that pixel defect is presented in the specific pixel, and a step of secondly outputting the pixel information of the specific pixel as it is, in case that the specific pixel is discriminated such that pixel defect is not presented in the specific pixel.
In addition thereto, the step of discriminating pixel defect further discriminates that there is presented a pixel defect in the specific pixel, in case that a value of subtracting a maximum signal level of pixels other than the specific pixel from a signal level of the specific pixel exceeds a predetermined value, and the step of compensating pixel information of the specific pixel further compensates pixel information of the specific pixel by replacing the value of signal level of the specific pixel with the value of the maximum signal level, in case of being discriminated that a pixel defect is presented in the specific pixel.

Pixel defect compensation apparatus and method of compensating pixel defect


Body measurements of a person may be scanned using a camera (e.g., a camera on a mobile phone. Vehicle settings may then be determined based on the body measurements. Example vehicle settings may include one or more of a position of a heads-up display, a position of a pedal, an angle of a backrest, a height of a seat cushion, a tilt of the seat cushion, an extension position of the seat cushion, a position of a lumbar support, a position of a seat side bolster, a position of a headrest, a position of a side mirror, a position of a rear-view mirror, a tilt of a steering wheel, and/or a position of a steering wheel.

Vehicles include a variety of seating and other operational settings that are designed to accommodate drivers and passengers of various sizes. Adjusting such seating and operational settings allows drivers and passengers to operate the vehicle in a comfortable and safe manner. Incorrect and/or sub-optimal seating and operational settings may lead to unsafe driving conditions and/or driver and passenger discomfort. According to one study by the British Chiropractic Association (BCA), 40% of people report that sitting down aggravates back or neck pain.
Today, it is up to the customer to manually adjust all customisable user settings to achieve what the customer understands is the optimal ergonomic and safe seating position. No or little guidance is provided to what safe. Research shows that customers find it difficult to get comfortable at the wheel of their car because they do not know how to adjust all of the available settings. In some examples, vehicle seats may be adjustable in many different angels and directions (e.g., 15-way adjustments or more) to accommodate different body shapes and user preferences. In addition, many vehicles include further operational settings for side-view mirror position, rear-view mirror angle, position of heads-up display, steering wheel tile and telescopic, and pedal position. Accordingly, optimally adjusting seating and operational settings is often difficult and time consuming.

Body scan measurement for personalized ergonomic vehicle settings


Emulation of a hardware peripheral is accomplished through use of object oriented software and runs in an object oriented environment. Particular adaptation of an emulation to enable specific data storage magnetic tape drive peripheral is described. Use of emulators in general enables continued reliance on legacy hardware and software without maintaining an entire suite of legacy hardware. Simplified emulation structure enabled by object oriented programming described herein makes migration from legacy systems feasible in stages at relatively low cost. In set-up and in use, users can have control over instances of emulator objects, including association with data files that operate as virtual storage media whether initially associated with the emulator or not, using a simple window-based interface for choosing particular data files, opening them, opening new instances of emulator objects and so forth. Variations are also described. Legacy programming is handled by use of legacy instructions communicated to the emulated object instances, which the object instances respond to appropriately.

This invention is primarily directed to the emulation of tape drive systems, their activity and data files as software objects, and is useful particularly to support legacy software that requires tape drive systems in their normal operation. The inventive concepts are particularly suitable for modern object oriented applications, and is well suited to use in Windows-based (operating systems of Microsoft Corporation) computing. The concepts defined by the embodiments described have wider application to the field of emulation of peripheral hardware systems generally, however.
A problem with computer systems over time is that legacy systems software is designed for the legacy system hardware and that hardware gets updated and replaced without a redesign of the legacy software. This creates a problem for the user who is using the computer for a number of tasks and cannot afford to have a rewrite of the legacy software accomplished, but needs new hardware for his other computing needs. A particular case in point is with Unisys Corporation""s 2200 series computer systems that used to have tape drives as the boot volume required for start-up of the-system. For a computer system user who needs to continue to use system or application software or both that require the 2200 computer, but who can no longer maintain such a system, a way to emulate the processor functions would enable him to run his 2200 legacy software on, for example a WINDOWS (Microsoft Corporation Operating System trade name) computer system, if the system also had a processor emulator for emulating the 2200 system. A way to do this is available in a software or hardware based 2200 processor emulator. However, as mentioned before, some of this software will rely on the existence of a magnetic tape drive system that was available with the legacy hardware, and rewriting old software is not the most productive use of coding resources.
(Processor emulation too is known, see for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,751,982, Morley, in which software emulation of a microprocessor is described. Too, emulation of processors via plug compatible emulation hardware is also known, as for example are seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,497,456 and 5,727,217.)
Accordingly there are substantial business needs or reasons to have tape drive peripheral emulators available in software.
A number of attempts have been made to emulate various features of tape drives and are described in the patent art. For perhaps the closest example, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,124 issued to Plotkin, et al. In this patent, a disk drive is made to emulate a tape drive in a xe2x80x9cplug compatiblexe2x80x9d fashion. Accordingly it requires a hardware interconnect device containing a processor, RAM, ROM, and supporting components to produce tape drive like responses for the host computer system addressing the Plotkin et al disk drive acting like a tape drive.
Earlier a patent issued to Kantner, U.S. Pat. No. 4,511,963, which described how to deal with the echo (verification) transmissions between the tape drive and the processor, among other things.
Brikner and Sankey in U.S. Pat. No. 4,727,512 described another interface system for allowing a computer system with a standard tape drive interface to communicate image data with such a computer, and Osterlund, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,969 described how to store and retrieve tape drive formatted data from an optical disk drive.
All these four patent references are incorporated herein hereby, in their respective entireties, for the disclosure they provide of the relevant features stated therein.
However, none of the art appears to have developed a tape drive emulator that was simply operating in software available to the computer system to be used by other software programs, legacy or otherwise, in the same computer system.
Unisys Corporation has developed simulators before too, but these were not developed as software objects, and therefore would require invocation of a processor simulator to enable a tape drive simulation. The tape drive simulators thus provided were not available for other uses, nor were they directly accessible by programs that did not go through the processor emulator to address them. Because of the tight coupling of the various parts of the emulation subsystems, the programming and use flexibility of having an emulated peripheral be a software object was unobtainable. For example, once a system with instruction processor (emulated or otherwise) was set up having associated emulated memory, and emulated input output (I/O) processor, the number of peripherals, or processors for that matter was set. With an object oriented design, once the class is determined, new instances of the software object subsystems (tape drives, disk drives, et cetera) can be created and used without having to redesign or reconfigure the system. Further, no external resources were available to the prior design system by Unisys. In the object design, this limitation will not exist.
Another important feature of a tape (or other legacy peripheral) emulator would be to allow the user to transfer tape files from remote systems to a Windows workstation without having a tape drive on the workstation, and having the ability to transfer the files back to the remote system (for example a legacy Unisys 2200 computer system with a CUSC70 tape drive) would also be valuable. Because the emulator would be built to use the Windows I/O to access files the emulator would be able to read from any standard Windows compatible peripheral device, including the ubiquitous CD-ROM, DVD or any other device with a Windows driver. The old emulator designs for Unisys legacy systems (a full systems emulation software suite called FLIT) were limited in use to reading from 2200 peripheral devices. One example would be the Windows operating system and accessory software file location features could be taken advantage of by software running an emulator in accord with this invention to find files in any peripheral to be used by the emulator. Further, other programs can communicate with the inventive emulator using the standard object oriented interfaces. These interfaces are commonly called object properties, methods, and events. Obviously these adaptabilities were not available when using a tape emulator as part of a 2200 system emulation.
Accordingly, if a tape drive emulator were developed as a software object, these limitations would be ameliorated and the transition from legacy systems to modern systems could be made more practical and efficient.
In an object oriented programming (OOP) environment, the software system within a computer system facilitates the actions of the instances of objects within it. The environment also allows for the programmer creation of classes of objects from which programs or users can create object instances. Programs can operate outside of the OOP environment and the OOP environment can receive and send messages to such outside programs in order to facilitate use by such outside program entities of the instances within the OOP environment. The outside program entity would need to know the name or other addressable feature of the object instance, and the object instance would be able to respond only if the OOP or the instance itself could address the outside program entity. Entities within the OOP environment also, of course, can pass messages between themselves as facilitated by the OOP environment. Addressing is typically done by sending a message bearing the name of the entity being contacted and the name (or other addressing link feature) of the sending entity can be in the message or kept track of by the OOP environment. Thus reply messages can be easily returned to the sending objects or outside program entities. The messages themselves can carry instructions or changes to properties of the object instance being addressed, or can even call for the destruction of the object instance. Objects, outside entities, programmers and users can all create object instances using predefined classes, and programmers, outside program entities, object instances can create and modify existing object classes.
Of particular use in the instant invention is the ability of the OOP environment to allow assignment of data files to object instances, wherein the object instance has some control over the data in such a file. Of course, the data file would be considered either a subsidiary object to the inventive emulator instance or, if more than one data file is loaded, a group of objects . In the preferred embodiment, a file object can get locked to the emulator instance by the user using a browse window, like the one used in Microsoft Word""s(A trademark of Microsoft Corporation) FILE/OPEN command. A browse window is an existing Microsoft object that is created by the MENU/FILE/OPEN command sequence. (In non-Microsoft systems one can employ similar devices to open similar objects to such browse windows to accomplish the same result). Using this browse window object the user can scan through the available library of data file objects identified to the browse window. Once the user finds the file he wants (which in the preferred embodiment will be in the Tape File format), the user then selects it. By this selection activity, the data file subsidiary object (a particular tape reel equivalent) is xe2x80x9cloadedxe2x80x9d or locked to the emulator object instance, and the data may be read from or written to this tape file through the emulator object instance. In the tape drive world, the loading and unloading of tape files was an operator activity, thus in the preferred embodiment it will be accomplished by a user through the browse window, although there is no reason, that where this task needs to be automated, a program could not also perform this selection and/or loading/unloading function.
These efficiencies of data management to allow simple locking of what may have been previously unavailable tape reel data files to existing emulator instances were not previously available to users of storage device emulators. In prior art emulator systems the tape file had to be loaded with the emulator software. Thus the flexibility of applying OOP environmental features to data storage device emulation becomes a valuable feature of the invention.
OOP environment operative facility is well known to people with experience in OOP, and these features are advantageously used as described herein to overcome the problems and recognize the values just outlined above. The invention is not limited to any particular OOP environment, but Visual Basic was used to develop the preferred embodiment.

Tape drive emulation software objects, and emulation of other peripheral systems for computers


The display apparatus has a common substrate and a TFT substrate, and a flexible printed board is attached to the TFT substrate. ICs are arranged in an area of the TFT substrate in a row along an alignment direction, and connection terminals are arranged in that area by the shorter sides of the ICs along the alignment direction of the ICs. The flexible printed board and ICs can be fitted to the TFT substrate, by an anisotropic electro-conductive film, using a thermo-compression bonding head or heads.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a matrix type display apparatus such as a liquid crystal display apparatus of a COG (chip-on-glass) system carrying driving ICs on a liquid crystal panel or a plasma display apparatus, a method for production thereof and a thermo-compression bonding head used for production of the matrix type display apparatus.
2. Description or the Related Art
FIG. 19 of the attached drawings is a schematic front view illustrating part of one conventional liquid crystal display apparatus of a COG system. In FIG. 19, reference numeral 1 denotes a liquid crystal panel;2 denotes a common substrate on which a common electrode is formed; 3 denotes a TFT substrate on which pixel electrodes, data buses, gate buses; and TFTs (thin film transistors) are formed; and 4 denotes a display area for displaying images.
Reference numeral 5 denotes an area for mounting ICs for driving data buses provided on the TFT substrate 5; 6 to 10 denote ICs mounted thereon for driving the data buses; 11 denotes a group of connection terminals for connection to a flexible circuit board; and 12 denotes the flexible circuit board.
Reference numeral 13 denotes an area provided in the TFT substrate 3 for mounting ICs for driving the gate buses; and 14 denotes an IC mounted therein for driving the gate buses. In this regard, the data buses, gate buses or others are not shown in the drawing.
A flexible circuit board 12 is used for supplying a power source voltage for the data bus-driving ICs 6 to 10 and/or the gate bus-driving IC 14, or delivering signals necessary therefor, and is connected via an anisotropic conductive film by a thermo-contact bonding.
FIG. 20 is a schematic front view illustrating part of another conventional liquid crystal display apparatus of a COG system. In FIG. 20, reference numeral 16 denotes a liquid crystal panel; 17 a common substrate on which a common electrode is formed; and 18 denotes a TFT substrate on which pixel electrodes are formed; and 18 denotes a TFT substrate on which pixel electrodes, data buses, and TFTs are formed.
Reference numeral 19 denotes an area in which an IC for driving the data buses is mounted; 20 denotes the IC mounted therein for driving the data buses; 21 denotes the data buses; 22-1 to 22-4 and 23-1 to 23-4 denote connection terminals for connection to a flexible circuit board (not shown).
In a portable type information apparatus such as a notebook type or a mobile personal computer, it is required that a liquid crystal display apparatus has a narrower picture frame around the display area for the purpose of further miniaturization of the apparatus.
In the conventional liquid crystal display apparatus shown in FIG. 19, however, since the group of connection terminals 11 for connection to the flexible circuit board 12 are provided on a longer side of the respective data bus-driving ICs 6 to 10, it is impossible to narrow a width of the area 5 for mounting the data bus-driving ICs, and therefore, to realize a narrow-framed liquid crystal display apparatus.
The conventional liquid crystal display apparatus shown in FIG. 20 has the connection terminals 22-1 to 22-4 and 23-1 to 23-4 on the opposite shorter sides, respectively, of the data bus-driving IC 20. However, since the connection terminals 22-1 to 22-4 and 23-1 to 23-4 are arranged in the width wise direction in the area 19 for mounting the data bus-driving IC, it is impossible to reduce the width of the area 19 for mounting the data bus-driving IC, and therefore, to realize a narrow-framed liquid crystal display apparatus.
In addition, since leads for connecting the connection terminals 22-2 to 22-4 and 23-2 to 23-4 with the data bus-driving IC 20 extend from the longer side of the data bus-driving IC 20 in the conventional liquid crystal display apparatus shown in FIG. 20, it is impossible, in this regard, to reduce the width of the area 19 for mounting the data bus-driving IC, and therefore, to realize a narrow-framed liquid crystal display apparatus.
To solve the above-mentioned drawbacks in the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a matrix type display apparatus by which a narrow-framed structure is achievable, a method for production thereof and a thermo-contact bonding head suitably used for production of such a matrix type display apparatus.
A matrix type display apparatus according to the present invention comprises a first substrate, a second substrate disposed opposite to the first substrate and having an area for mounting a plurality of driving ICs in substantially one row along an alignment direction so that longer sides of the ICs are aligned with the arrangement direction, and connection terminals for connection with a third substrate, said connection terminals being arranged in the area for mounting the driving ICs at positions on the shorter sides of the respective driving ICs along the arrangement direction of the plurality of driving ICs.
According to the matrix type display apparatus of the present invention, since the connection terminals for connection to the third substrate are arranged on the shorter sides of the plurality of driving ICs to be aligned in the arrangement direction thereof, it is possible to reduce the width of the area for mounting the driving ICs.

Matrix type display apparatus, method of production thereof, and thermo-compression bonding head

Fujitsu Display Technologies Corporation


A method for treating anal incontinence is provided, in which a support member is implanted in a tissue pathway extending from a first location posterior to and adjacent the anus, through the perineum anterior to the anus and terminating at a location posterior to and adjacent the anus opposite the first location.

Mild anal incontinence, which may present as flatal incontinence and/or fecal incontinence, often results from sphincter muscle damage associated with childbirth and/or deterioration of the sphincter muscle with age. Patients exhibiting mild anal incontinence also often present with pelvic organ prolapse, particularly posterior vaginal wall prolapse, with may result in a descent of the rectum into the vagina, referred to as a "rectocele".
One surgical method of treating mild anal incontinence is to dissect and identify the external anal sphincter muscle, and then to bundle and repair the muscle with end-to-end muscle fibre alignment or "waistcoating" overlap of muscle fibres. These procedures, however, are relatively invasive and involve significant tissue dissection. Post-operative pain and hospital stays are also associated with this procedure.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A non-volatile memory device includes insulators between floating gates. The insulators each include both a lower trench-fill insulator portion in a trench in the substrate, and an upper protruding portion that protrudes from the substrate. Floating gates extend between the protruding portions of adjacent insulators, and are in contact with the protruding portions of the adjacent insulators. An interpoly dielectric overlies the floating gates, and a control gate overlies the interpoly dielectric. The insulators and the floating gates may make a substantially planar surface for the interpoly dielectric, which may themselves be planar.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to non-volatile memory devices, and methods for making such devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Non-volatile memory devices are currently in widespread use in electronic components that require the retention of information when electrical power is terminated. Non-volatile memory devices include read-only-memory (ROM), programmable-read-only memory (PROM), erasable-programmable-read-only memory (EPROM), and electrically-erasable-programmable-read-only-memory (EEPROM) devices. EEPROM devices differ from other non-volatile memory devices in that they can be electrically programmed and erased. Flash EEPROM devices are similar to EEPROM devices in that memory cells can be programmed and erased electrically. However, flash EEPROM devices enable the erasing of all memory cells or a sector of cells in the device at once.
As with many types of semiconductor devices, requirements for increases in device density to increase speed of operation for integrated circuit devices and/or to reduce their cost, have led to a desire for decreased size of individual components of non-volatile memory devices, such as cells of memory devices.
According to an aspect of the invention, a non-volatile memory device includes a semiconductor substrate, wherein the substrate has a pair of trenches therein; a tunnel oxide on a top substrate surface of the substrate; a pair of insulators, wherein the insulators have respective lower trench-fill portions in respective of the trenches, wherein the insulators have respective upper protruding portions protruding from the top substrate surface, and wherein the upper protruding portions have respective top insulator surfaces; a floating gate over the tunnel oxide and between the upper protruding portions, wherein the floating gate is in contact with both of the upper protruding portions; an interpoly dielectric over the floating gate, wherein the interpoly dielectric is in contact with the floating gate; and a control gate over the interpoly dielectric, wherein the control gate is in contact with the control gate.
According to another aspect of the invention, a non-volatile memory device includes a semiconductor substrate, wherein the substrate has a pair of trenches therein; a tunnel oxide on a top substrate surface of the substrate; a pair of insulators, wherein the insulators have respective lower trench-fill portions in respective of the trenches, wherein the insulators have respective upper protruding portions protruding from the top substrate surface, and wherein the upper protruding portions have respective top insulator surfaces; a floating gate over the tunnel oxide and between the upper protruding portions, wherein the floating gate is in contact with both of the upper protruding portions; an interpoly dielectric over the floating gate, wherein the interpoly dielectric is in contact with the floating gate; and a control gate over the interpoly dielectric, wherein the control gate is in contact with the control gate. A top gate surface of the floating gate is at substantially the same distance from the top substrate surface as the top insulator surfaces. The interpoly dielectric is substantially planar, thereby being a substantially constant distance from the top substrate surface. The control gate is also substantially planar. The interpoly dielectric includes upper and lower layers, with a middle layer therebetween. The floating gate and the protruding portions provide a continuous lower surface for the interpoly dielectric, thereby preventing the interpoly dielectric from contacting the tunnel oxide.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a method of making a non-volatile memory device includes forming a pair of insulators on a substrate, the insulators each having an upper protruding portion that protrudes from a top substrate surface of the substrate; forming a floating gate between the upper protruding portions, wherein the control gate is in contact with both of the upper protruding portions; forming an interpoly dielectric on the floating gate and the upper protruding portions; and forming a control gate on the interpoly dielectric.


A roof fastening system that joins building walls or roof structures of a building frame to its foundation to provide a continuous load path that resists upward and lateral forces without interfering with the natural downward forces exerted on the frame over time. This system includes a composite material that combines the properties of a house wrap with high tensile strength low elongation fibers along one direction of the fabric and lower tensile strength high elongation fibers along one or more fabric directions that cross the high tensile strength low elongation fibers. The composite material extends from the top plates or heel truss of the framing of the structure down to its foundation to hold the frame together against high wind loading.

Most commercial and residential buildings along with other structures are built using various framing methods. In particular, platform and balloon framing using wooden wall studs, floor joists and rafters are common practice for homes, and small offices and apartment buildings. In platform framing, the typical structure has a footing supporting a foundation wall with a flat top surface on which a sill plate is anchored. The wall studs are secured to the sill plate using nails as required by local codes, and a lower top plate and upper top plate are nailed to the other end of the wall studs to form the top supporting surface of the walls. Plywood or OSB sheathing is then typically nailed to the outside face of the stud walls to provide rigidity and strength against the sideways movement of the studs. The rafters or roof trusses and blocking would then be nailed to and supported by the top plates. The use of nails in such framing methods provides adequate resistance to the lateral motion of the framing components relative to each other and helps to prevent the framing members from pulling away from each other. The amount of leverage high winds and rapid changes in atmospheric pressure can produce at various locations within a structure's framing, however, can easily be sufficient to crack the framing members or pry the nails up at the fastening points. The uplifting force of a strong wind under an overhanging eave can be similar to the leverage provided by the claw end of a hammer used for pulling up nails. Similarly, a strong wind catching an insufficiently nailed edge or corner of a plywood sheet can pull the fastening nails out of the studs. To prevent such unfastening at the joining points, other types of fastening devices are used to add strength and resist the prying action on the nails and frame members by turning the nail's fastening direction by 90 degrees and relying upon the nails greater resistance to transverse forces. These aspects of basic framing are readily understood by those of ordinary skill in the art of framing and construction.
Another material used in frame construction is a weather resistant barrier known as house wrap or paper by those of ordinary skill in the art. House wrap is used to cover the outside of a structure to prevent the infiltration of drafts or wind and liquid water, while allowing water vapor to escape from the building.
In many locations throughout this country and in other places around the world, storms and other atmospheric events subject these existing frame structures to forces that can pull off roofs and strip siding and sheathing from the supporting walls. The typical residential or commercial building mentioned above is designed to support the downward load of the building above it. A foundation, therefore, supports the weight of the walls, flooring, rafters and roofing resting upon it, while the walls support the stories and roofing resting upon it, and the rafters or trusses support the weight of shingles and roofing materials, as well as occasional dead loads like snow. Such a typical design, however, fails to take into account the lateral or lifting forces that can be caused by high winds and sudden changes in atmospheric pressure that can occur during storms such as hurricanes or tornados. Seismic events can also create lateral forces that apply unexpected loads to a building's frame. The various means implemented to help secure the framing members of such structures against these forces, such as straps, clips and brackets tie the rafters or trusses of a roof to the upper members of the supporting walls to resist the winds that can catch overhanging eaves and pry the roof up. Some of these fasteners are rigid metal tie bars that extend from the roofing components to the building's foundation at discrete points along the length of the building as disclosed in Gnaedinger U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,861. These prior devices, however, do not secure the entire length of a building against both lateral and upward forces without interfering with the natural downward forces exerted on the frame over time. The rigid bars or brackets interfere with the downward loading of the building's structure because their rigid nature resists movement of the frame during its natural shrinkage and settling. Cabling has also been used to separately secure rafters to a foundation as disclosed in Gaddie et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,843,027, however such devices also only provide discrete fastening points to separate framing components rather than a way to comprehensively secure all the framing components uniformly over a continuous extended length of a frame structure, and would not provide lateral support.
Previous attempts involving attaching a high strength wall covering to the top and bottom ends of a wall have placed the wall covering on the interior side of the wall, as disclosed in the Gnaedinger patent. In such a position, however, the wall covering is incapable of aiding resistance to the lateral forces directed against the exterior wall, such as from high winds, since these forces tend to push the wall in the same direction as the tensile force being exerted by the wall covering. A flexible material attached along the interior side, therefore, does not prevent a wall from toppling inwards.
A sheet has also been used as lateral bracing in a building structure by spanning a pair of separated vertical supports or studs and reaching from a foundation to upper stories, as disclosed in Findleton U.S. Pat. No. 6,256,951.

Apparatus for a wind resistant and post load re-tensioning system utilizing a composite fabric and attachment apparatus


An apparatus for controlling irradiated light of a forklift according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized in including: a lamp driving unit for controlling an illumination angle of a lamp that illuminates a forklift; a fork position sensing unit provided at one side of the forklift or a carriage, and sensing a lifted position of a fork; and a control unit for controlling the illumination angle of the lamp through the lamp driving unit according to the lifted position of the forklift, when the lifted position is input from the fork position sensing unit.

Forklifts are industrial vehicles used for lifting and transporting heavy cargoes, and are widely used in various industrial and construction sites.
Such a forklift, as illustrated in FIG. 1, includes a vehicle body 1, and a mast assembly 4 is provided at the front of the vehicle body 1.
Such a mast assembly 4 includes a mast rail 5 and a carriage 6 which may move upward and downward along the mast rail 5. A pair of forks 6a for lifting a cargo A upward are mounted at the carriage 6 so as to be adjustable in spacing.
In an embodiment, a driving cab 7 is formed on the vehicle body 1, and an overhead guard 8 is provided at an upper side of the driving cab 7. The overhead guard 8 serves to protect a driver on board the driving cab 7. Headlights 9 are provided on opposite sides of a front surface of the overhead guard 8. The headlights 9 illuminate the cargo A of the carriage 6 during the night work to simplify unloading and transportation of the cargo.
However, since such a conventional headlight 9 is fixedly secured to face forwardly, there is a problem in that the lifted cargo A may not be illuminated when the carriage 6 is raised to lift the cargo A to a high position.
Accordingly, there is a problem in that, when the cargo is loaded at a high place or the cargo located at a high place is relocated, it is difficult to unload and transport the cargo.
Especially during the night work, the cargo may fall and damage the products and cause safety accidents.
In large-scale logistics warehouses and refrigerated warehouses, there are many cases in which the cargo is loaded to a very high position. In such a case, the risk of safety accidents becomes higher.

Apparatus for controlling irradiated light on forklift


A speaker box and a speaker device that can be manufactured at low cost and that provide a sound-absorbing effect. A speaker box of a speaker device includes a baffle, four intermediate plates, and a rear plate. The baffle plate has a speaker mount hole at the center. Each intermediate plate has a hole. The intermediate plates are stacked such that they are alternately reversed or rotated so that the holes in the adjacent intermediate plates communicate with each other while the holes are shifted from with each other. A hollow space with a sound-absorbing effect is formed by the holes in the speaker box.

1. Technical Field
Disclosed are speaker boxes and speaker devices, and more particularly, a speaker box formed by stacking and joining a plurality of plates and a speaker device including the speaker box.
2. Background Art
As an example of a speaker system formed by stacking and joining a plurality of plates, a labyrinth-type speaker system is known (see Patent Document 1). This speaker system includes a laminate obtained by alternately stacking a separation plate and a laminated member having a corrugated core for providing air paths interposed therein; a plurality of air chambers provided in the laminate; and a speaker mount hole formed in a surface of the laminate. A long, folded sound path is formed by the speaker mount hole, the air paths, and the air chambers.
In addition, as an example of a speaker box formed by stacking and joining a plurality of plates, a back-load horn speaker box is known (see Patent Document 2). This speaker box includes two side plates and a plurality of intermediate plates disposed between the side plates. Each of the intermediate plates has curved inner walls defining a winding sound path. The intermediate plates and the two side plates are stacked and joined together by bolts. Thus, a winding sound path defined by curved inner walls is formed in the main body of the speaker box.
In addition, as an example of a structure in which the shape of a sound path in a speaker box varies in an attachment direction of a sound source such as a speaker (traveling direction of sound waves), a device for reducing a standing wave or the like is known (see Patent Document 3). In this device, to reduce a standing wave or another particular wave generated between two parallel walls, a unit formed by stacking many hollow sound guide members having openings at one end thereof is disposed near a wall facing a sound source. The height of the openings in the hollow sound guide members is set to ¼ or less of the wavelength of the target sound wave, and the sound guide members are arranged such that the sound guide length thereof is reduced as the distance from the wall is increased.
As another example of a structure in which the shape of a sound path in a speaker box varies in an attachment direction of a speaker, a sound-damping acoustic speaker box is known (see Patent Document 4). The cross section of the acoustic box is reduced from that at the attachment position of the speaker toward the inside of the acoustic box. The acoustic box has a plurality of resistance plates attached thereto, and the resistance plates are arranged such that the area thereof is increased along a direction from the speaker to the port, so that the resistance plate at the port has a minimum opening area.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-252672 (FIGS. 6 and 7)
Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-204586 (FIG. 1)
Patent Document 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 9-9384 (FIGS. 1 and 17)
Patent Document 4: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 60-57798 (FIG. 2)