The article conveyor module has a drive system comprising a support plate on which there are mounted a synchronization pulley and a drive belt engaging said synchronization pulley. The synchronization pulley is for coupling to the drive belt of another conveyor module for the purpose of synchronizing the two conveyor modules. In this conveyor module drive system, the synchronization pulley is mounted outside the drive belt. The drive belt of the other conveyor module can also engage the synchronization pulley while remaining on the outside thereof. With this configuration, synchronizing two conveyor modules does not require an intermediate synchronization belt to be installed.

The invention relates to an article conveyor module having a drive system comprising a support plate having a synchronization pulley mounted thereon and a driving belt engaged in said synchronization pulley, the synchronization pulley being designed to be coupled to the drive belt of another conveyor module in order to synchronize the two conveyor modules.
The invention applies more particularly to a conveyor module using belts or the like in order to convey postal articles such as letters.
By way of example, a conveyor belt module for postal articles may comprise wheels on its top portion which drive the conveyor belts by friction, which belts run along the structure of the conveyor over a distance that may amount to several tens of meters. Conveyor modules are placed in alignment along the entire length of the conveyor belts and thus of the structure of the conveyor. The support plate of each conveyor module is generally disposed horizontally flat, with the top face of the support plate corresponding to the top portion of the conveyor module. The drive belt of a conveyor module drive system is mounted on the bottom face of the support plate of the module and is engaged on a set of pulleys (or wheels) mounted on said bottom face of the support plate. These pulleys on the bottom face of the support plate are constrained to rotate with wheels situated on the top portion of the conveyor module via common rotary shafts passing through the support plate. The drive belt of each conveyor module is set into motion by an electric motor forming part of the conveyor module drive system and driving one of the pulleys that has the drive belt engaged thereon. To ensure that the wheels situated on the top proton of the conveyor module are all rotated at the same speed, it is necessary to synchronize the conveyor modules because the various motors of the drive systems can present dispersion in their speeds of rotation. This synchronization is performed by coupling the drive belts of two adjacent conveyor modules together in pairs. At present, a conveyor module drive system has two two-stage synchronization pulleys disposed respectively at each of the two ends of the support plate. These two synchronization pulleys are rotated by the drive belt and they are disposed inside it. The drive belt is engaged on the first stage of each of the two synchronization pulleys. Two adjacent conveyor modules have their drive belts coupled together at present by engaging a synchronization belt on the second stages of two synchronization pulleys belonging respectively to the two adjacent conveyor modules which are placed end to end. This coupling presents the drawback of requiring synchronization belt to be put into place and adjusted on site, which is expensive in terms of time.
The object of the invention is to remedy that drawback by proposing an architecture for a conveyor module drive system that enables installation steps on site to be simplified.
For this purpose, the invention provides an article conveyor module having a drive system comprising a support plate having a synchronization pulley mounted thereon and a drive belt engaged in said synchronization pulley, the synchronization pulley being designed to be coupled with the drive belt of another conveyor module to synchronize the two conveyor modules, wherein the synchronization pulley is mounted outside said drive belt.
With this arrangement, the drive belts of two adjacent conveyor modules are coupled together by pressing one of the drive belts against the synchronization pulley of the other conveyor module, and as a result synchronizing two adjacent modules does not require an intermediate synchronization belt to be installed.
More particularly, in a particular embodiment of a conveyor module of the invention, said drive belt has a substantially rectilinear portion running along a first end of the plate and the synchronization pulley is mounted at a second end of the plate for juxtaposing with a first end of the support plate of another conveyor module that is substantially identical.
According to a particular feature of the invention, said first and second ends of the plate of a conveyor module are constituted by two substantially parallel end flanks of the plate, the synchronization pulley projecting from one of the flanks of the plate. With this arrangement, two adjacent conveyor modules can be mounted edge to edge for coupling the two drive belts together.
According to yet another particular feature of the invention, the drive belt of a conveyor module drive system is tensioned by a constant-force dynamic tensioner mounted on the plate, e.g. a gas tensioner. With this arrangement, there is no need to adjust the tension of the drive belts on site after the conveyor modules have been installed.

Drive system for an article conveyor module


The addition of relatively small quantities of reticulated bacterial cellulose to well bore drilling muds improves their rheological properties. A preferred reticulated bacterial cellulose is one produced under agitated culture conditions using strains of a bacterium from the genus Acetobacter. Reticulated bacterial cellulose may be used in place of a conventional gellant or in combination with conventional gellants to provide improved drilling muds.

A drilling mud or fluid is typically pumped through a hollow drill stem and out an attached drill bit as an aid to drill rotation during the formation of a bore hole. In addition to rheological benefits, the drilling mud cools and lubricates the bit and stem, suspends drilling cuttings, and deposits a filter cake on the walls of the bore hole while transporting drilling cuttings upwardly to a settling pit on the surface. Removal of drilling cuttings from the borehole during drilling operations is essential. Drilling muds also typically function to prevent gases in a geological formation from escaping through bore hole walls, maintain bore hole stability, and protect formation productivity by preventing fluid loss.
Drilling muds may be characterized as: air-gas systems, including foam muds and aerated muds; oil-based systems, including invert-emulsion muds; and water-based systems, including bentonite muds, calcium muds, low-solids/nondispersed polymer muds, and salt muds.
Drilling muds contain a variety of components specifically selected for the depth, bore hole diameter, formation pressure, and structure of a particular well. These components generally include viscosifiers to enhance viscosity; fluid loss additives to prevent fluid penetration into formation reservoirs; weighting agents to consolidate drilling fragments and control formation pressures; dispersants to disperse solid matter; lost circulation materials to plug leaks in bore holes; shale controllers to prevent shale hydration and disintegration; emulsifiers and demulsifiers to improve bit efficiency; oil wetting agents and secondary emulsifiers to enhance fluid stability; and inorganic chemicals to adjust pH and supply proper ion concentrations. Other drilling mud components include torque reducing lubricants, foaming and defoaming agents, biocides, and corrosion inhibitors. A more detailed description of drilling muds can be found in Drilling Fluids Optimization: A Practical Field Approach by James L. Lummus and J. J. Azar.
Rheological control agents, and specifically viscosifiers, are among the most important drilling mud components because such agents permit the muds to function under diverse shear conditions. Drilling muds, for example, should ideally have low viscosity during mixing and pumping to minimize the energy input required during these operations. However, the viscosity should be sufficiently high during drilling so that drilling cuttings are maintained in suspension and carried out of the bore hole. Moreover, drilling muds must have sufficient gel strength to maintain cutting fragments in suspension during periods when drilling and pumping operations are stopped or the wellbore is highly deviated.
The hydrocarbon recovery industry preferably employs drilling muds that exhibit reduced viscosity as shear conditions increase. The relatively higher viscosity exhibited at lower shear conditions helps to maintain drilling cuttings in suspension toward the top of a bore hole, while lower viscosity exhibited under higher shear conditions improves drill bit lubrication, drilling mud flow rate, and drilling cutting distribution. High temperatures generated in proximity to the rotary drill bit also influence the rheological characteristics of drilling muds.
Drilling mud polymers are introduced is to provide enhanced viscosity and viscosity control, increased gel strength, and/or suspension and removal of drilling cuttings during drilling operations. Polymers used in drilling muds are usually based on water soluble derivatives of common polysaccharide materials such as xanthan, guar gum, other natural gums, cellulose ethers and esters, and bacterially produced water soluble polysaccharides. Xanthan is often used by the hydrocarbon recovery industry because it is very stable and functions as a fluid loss additive as well as a rheological control agent. Cellulose ethers and esters commonly employed as gellants include hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) carboxymethylhydroxyethyl cellulose (CMHEC), and hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC). Additional polymers used include partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamides (PHPA), polyacrylamide/polyacrylate co-polymers, mixed metal hydroxides, and hydroxypropyl guar.
Well conditions, particularly well temperatures, have significant bearing on the choice of polymer. Drilling deeper wells that typically exhibit higher operating temperatures presents challenges and requires greater control over the rheological properties of drilling muds. Additionally, the composition of the make-up water can dramatically affect the properties of polymers used in drilling muds. Fresh, purified water is unavailable at many well sites. The presence of metal ions and varying salt concentrations may adversely affect how a particular polymer functions, particularly at high temperatures.
In general, increasing the polymer concentration in the drilling mud results in increased viscosity. Practical, economical, and operational considerations, however, limit the amount of polymer that can be introduced to a drilling mud to increase its viscosity. Additionally, excessive polymer loading may result in poor mixing efficiency and substantial frictional resistance.
The behavior of drilling muds is evaluated in terms of plastic viscosity, yield point, and gel strength. The plastic viscosity or shearing stress expresses the internal resistance to fluid flow resulting from the interaction of solids in the drilling mud. The yield point expresses the internal resistance of the mud to initial flow. The gel strength expresses the electrical attractive forces within the drilling mud under static conditions.
Although substantial research efforts have been devoted to developing stable and economically feasible drilling muds that exhibit the desired plastic viscosity, yield point, gel strength, and other rheological properties, the results have not been entirely satisfactory. The present invention is therefore directed to providing economically feasible drilling mud additives to produce drilling mud compositions that provide improved rheological properties and are stable throughout drilling operations.


A storable bed assembly primarily for recreational vehicles permits the lowering and raising of the bed using a pair of rear guides fixed to a wall of the recreational vehicle, and a pair of swing arm guides at the front corners of the bed frame. Linkages are provided to couple the corners of the bed frame to the guides. Counterbalancing springs in the form of compressed gas cylinders are provided to assist in raising the bed assembly to the stored position.

This invention relates to movable bed assemblies, primarily for use in limited space facilities such as travel trailers.
Various arrangements have been proposed heretofore for shifting beds from a stored overhead position where the bed is out of the way, to a lower position where the bed is to be used for sleeping. Representative prior art arrangements of this type are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,231,114B1, 3,266,062, 3,623,168, and 3,829,907.
However, these prior proposed arrangements have significant shortcomings in that they may be unduly complicated, inconvenient to use, or may require considerable care by the user to avoid possible injury.
Accordingly, objects of the invention include simplicity, convenience, and design safety so that the bed may be easily raised and lowered without danger of injury to the user.
In one exemplary embodiment illustrating the principles of the invention, a travel trailer includes a bed mounted at one end of said trailer with the rear of the bed mounted against one side wall of said trailer, and sides of the bed being adjacent the two side walls of the trailer. The bed may include a mattress and a frame; and the rear of the frame is mounted on two substantially vertical rear guides. Toward the front of the bed frame, linkages are provided which slidably engage swing arms to permit lowering and raising of the bed. The swing arms are pivotally mounted to the sides of the trailer, and have lower end points which arrest downward movement of the front of the bed frame. Resilient counterbalancing arrangements are provided, which are compressed when the bed is shifted to its lower position, and which assist in shifting the bed and frame to its upper stored position.
The counterbalancing arrangements may involve compressed air or gas, or elongated springs; and may be combined with the slides and swing arms, or may be separate therefrom.
The swing arms may include front guides; and the linkages mounted near the corners of the bed frame may each have a pair of rollers which are trapped within the guides.
The storable bed assembly may also be employed in other applications, including other recreational vehicle applications such as motor homes or campers.
The counterbalancing arrangements may be in the form of gas springs, or coil springs, for examples.
Advantages of the invention include improved safety and convenience in lowering and raising the bed. For example, the front of the bed may be provided with a handle to pull the front of the bed down; and then pressing on the surface of the bed will lower the back of the bed so that it is in the lower sleeping configuration.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detail description and the accompanying drawings.


A foldable garment display package for displaying garments such as intimate apparel comprises a back panel, a bottom panel, and a front panel. The back panel includes a top, two sides, a bottom, a securing flap integrally formed as part of the back panel, a hanging tab integrally formed at the top of the back panel, and a closing slot formed proximate one side of the back panel. The bottom panel is foldably connected to the bottom of the back panel and upwardly foldable into juxtaposed relationship with the back panel. The front panel comprises an innermost edge foldably connected to the side of the back panel opposite the side on which the closing slot is located. The front panel also includes an outermost edge having a closing tab corresponding to the closing slot foldably connected to the outermost edge. At least one garment to be displayed is wrapped around the bottom panel. The bottom panel is then moved into an upwardly folded position, where the securing flap is folded over the bottom panel and the garment(s) to secure them in place. The front panel is then folded across the garments, the bottom panel, and the securing flap, and the closing tab is inserted into the closing slot so as to secure the garment(s) within the package and expose the garment(s) below the front panel. Such a foldable garment display package allows potential consumers ready access to the displayed garments, allowing them to both visually and tactilely inspect the garment(s) contained in the package, without having to open the package to do so.

Customers in retail stores often desire to inspect the contents of a package prior to making a purchase. This is particularly true for articles of clothing such as intimate apparel. As a result of this desire, customers may attempt to open packages to view and touch garments contained therein. Examples of such display packages that are commonly used for intimate apparel include polymer bags and cardboard boxes. Such traditional means for packaging underwear often do not display garments in an exposed manner so that potential consumers can touch the garments in a store prior to purchase. Additionally, such containers cannot be easily opened, making products in such containers virtually inaccessible to touch by a customer. Consequently, many customers open containers in order to inspect the garments inside without repackaging the contents, or poorly repackage them, resulting in retail merchandise and packaging being left in disarray. Furthermore, while attempting to open packages in order to inspect garments, customers may even damage the package.
To address the customers' desire to both see and touch garments prior to purchase, packages may be designed to at least partially expose garments contained within the packages. Some package designs provide exposed garments that are secured within the package by a band, or narrow strip of material, that is wrapped around the package. In such a design, the packages are frequently susceptible to being torn, and/or the displayed garments are susceptible to being too easily removed by customers. Such disadvantages result in packaging and package contents being left in disarray.
One approach to sufficiently secure garments that are exposed for inspection by a display package is to fold garments about a foldable member of a package. Typically, foldable packages expose only one garment at a time for display. Additionally, foldable packages generally are not constructed to provide sufficient thickness dimensions for aesthetically containing folded garments and for sufficiently securing thick garments or multiple garments, especially when the garments are folded.
Visual and tactile inspection of garments in display packages can be optimized by hanging the packages on a display rack. Many display packages, such as polymer bags and cardboard boxes, use a separate rigid plastic hanger to form a hangable display package. While two-piece packages using separate hanger means provide a hangable display package, such packages are usually more expensive to manufacture than packages having an integral hanging mechanism.
Thus, there is a need to provide a garment display package that is foldable, that is hangable on a display rack, and that permits consumers to both see and touch the displayed garments. It is also desirable to provide some means in such a package to accommodate and securely display multiple garments having some thickness, including folded garments, at the same time. It is to these perceived needs that the present invention is directed.
The present invention relates to foldable garment display packages that allow for visual and tactile inspection of the package contents, a feature that is particularly advantageous for packaging and displaying intimate apparel, such as underwear, in a retail environment.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Foldable garment display package and method for use


A retention unit which retains input data, and a light emission control unit which compensates a value of a drive current that flows to a light emission element based on the input data which is retained in the retention unit, are provided in each pixel unit of a display device. While the light emission control unit displays input data of an image of an Nth frame during a light emission period TL (N) by driving the light emission element, input data of an image of an (N+1)th frame is written to the retention unit which becomes a pair together with the light emission control unit, as processing in a write processing period TS (N+1) of the (N+1)th frame.

As a driving method of a display device (display panel), a driving method of an active scan type which is suitable for adopting multi-pixels and a high definition is used. In such a display device, the number of data which is written to a display device per unit time tends to increase, according to an increase of the number of pixels caused by adopting multi-pixels and a high definition.
In addition, there is an organic electroluminescence (EL) display as a type of a display device.
An organic EL display adjusts an amount of light of a light emission element which is provided in the respective pixels, and thereby an image is formed and displayed. However, if characteristics (threshold characteristics) of a drive circuit which drives a light emission element are changed, image quality of an image to be displayed is decreased. A technology is known in which, in order to suppress a decrease of the image quality, a drive current of a light emission element is compensated for each pixel according to characteristics of a drive circuit, and thereby a decrease of pixel quality is suppressed (PTL 1).
According to PTL 1, a write processing period and a light emission period of data (input data) to be displayed are provided so as to correspond to a horizontal scan period of each scan line, and an amount of light (brightness of pixel) of the light emission period is controlled, based on data which is written during the write processing period. Compensation for suppressing a decrease of image quality and according to characteristics (threshold characteristics) of a drive circuit is performed during the write processing period.

Drive circuit, display device and driving method


In a static induction transistor, in addition to a first gate layer (4), a plurality of second gate layers (41) having a shallower depth and a narrower gap therebetween than those of the first gate layer (4) are provided in an area surrounded by the first gate layer (4), thereby an SiC static induction transistor with an excellent off characteristic is realized, while ensuring a required processing accuracy during production thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement in the structure of a static induction transistor.
2. Conventional Art
In association with a demand for increasing electric power and for a high frequency operation for a power inverter, semiconductor switching elements with a low loss and a high speed operation as well as with a large controllable current are desired.
To meet with these demands, a switching element using silicon carbide (SiC) as its base material is proposed. For example, a power MOSFET as disclosed In xe2x80x9cHigh-Voltage Double-Implanted Power MOSFETs in 6H-SiCxe2x80x9d (IEEE Electron Devices Letters, Vol. 18, NO.3, p.93-95(1997)) is investigated. However. in the power MOSFET in which an inversion layer having a low carrier mobility is used for a channel layer serving as a current passage, there arises a problem of increasing its on voltage.
Another static induction transistor is promising which does not use such inversion layer as a channel layer in order to avoid such problem as disclosed, for example in xe2x80x9cField-effect Transistor Versus Analog Transistor (State Induction Transistor)xe2x80x9d (IEEE Trans. on Electron Devices, Vol. ED-22, p.185-197, 1975).
FIG. 2 shows a perspective cross sectional view of a conventional static induction transistor. A semiconductor substrate 1 of the static induction transistor is constituted by an n+ conductivity type region 2, an n+ conductivity type region 3, a p+ conductivity type region 4 and n+ conductivity type source layer 5, and is provided with a source electrode 6, a drain electrode 7 and a gate electrode 8. Through reducing the potential of the gate electrode 8 with respect to the source electrode 6, a depletion layer is spread between the p+ conductivity type layers 4, namely, in a so-called channel region, thereby a current flowing between the drain electrode 7 and the source electrode 6 can be turned off. For example, in a published abstract entitled, xe2x80x9cElectrical Characteristics of A Novel Gate Structure 4H-SiC Power Static Induction Transistorxe2x80x9d (International Conference on Silicon Carbide, IIIxe2x80x94nitrides and Related Materials-1997, Abstract p.443, (1997)), there was reported a possibility of realizing an extremely low on resistance through use of an SiC base material for the channel region.
However, with the base structure as shown in FIG. 2, there arises a problem that its off characteristic is extremely undesirable because of a production process limitation inherent to SiC, which will be explained below. Namely, in the above conventional static Induction transistor, it is necessary to narrow the gap between the p+ conductivity type layers 4 to such an extent that the respective depletion layers thereof overlap each other, when a gate voltage is applied thereto during off period thereof, as well as the p+ conductivity type layers 4 have to be formed as deep as possible and in a high density layers so as to hold an off ability with a comparatively low gate voltage for a high reverse voltage of hundreds to thousands volt However, the junction of SiC is designed to make use of its inherent material characteristic that the dielectric breakdown electric field of its junction is about ten times larger than that of Si, the impurity density of the n+ conductivity type layer 3 is usually set in a high density of 70-100 times in comparison with the use of Si. Therefore, the expansion of the depletion layers is extremely limited. For this reason it is necessary that the gap between the p+ conductivity type layers 4 has to set at an extremely narrow amount such as about 1 xcexcm or less than 1 xcexcm in order to obtain a pinch off effect due to the depletion layer. Further, a deep p conductivity type layer is formed for Si through a thermal diffusion of acceptor impurities such as boron and aluminum. However, since the diffusion coefficients of these impurities are extremely low for SiC, the thermal diffusion method can not be used for SiC and the deep p conductivity type layer has to be directly formed only by an ion implantation method. However, it is quite difficult to selectively form a deep implantation layer of about 1 xcexcm with narrow gaps only through an ion implantation. This is because it is quite difficult to produce an implantation mask with a large film thickness and a narrow gap. For example, when using a photo resist which is commonly and usually used as an implantation mask, an implantation energy of about 500 keV is required for implanting boron in a depth of 1 xcexcm, and the mask thickness of more than 4 xcexcm is necessary for enduring the implantation energy. It is very hard to process the width and gap in such a thick photo resist in a range of less than 1 xcexcm with a high accuracy. Accordingly, with the static induction transistor (hereinafter, abbreviated as SIT) using SiC and with the base structure as shown in FIG. 2, a characteristic with a large gate off gain can not be expected. Moreover, a realization of an SIT with a normally off function is almost impossible.
As has been explained above, when applying the conventional measures used in connection with Si in manufacture of a static induction transistor using SiC as its base material, a necessary channel width is about 1 xcexcm for obtaining a comparatively high off gain. Therefore, the formation of a deep p conductivity type gate layer with a high impurity density through an ion implantation method is quite difficult due to the limitation of the implantation mask processing accuracy. Further, since the source layer has to be formed in such a narrow gap, an extremely high accuracy is required for their pattern matching. As a result, a production of an SIT having an excellent off characteristic including normally off function is difficult.
An object of the present invention is to provide a static induction transistor with a new structure which resolves the above mentioned problems.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a static induction transistor with a new structure which shows an excellent off characteristic.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a static induction transistor with a new structure which permits a production thereof with a high yield.
In order to achieve the above objects, a gate region of the static induction transistor according to the present invention is structured in such a manner to provide a first gate layer and a plurality of second gate layers which are surrounded by the first gate layer and of which depth, width and gap are smaller than those of the first gate layer.
With the above measure, when the static induction transistor moves from an on state to an off state, the following occurs. At first an electron flow from a source layer is prevented with a low gate voltage due to a pinch off effect in other words there is overlapping of depletion layers of the second gate layers having a narrow width. Thereafter, an increasing drain voltage is prevented up to a high voltage with a further high gate voltage due to a pinch off effect, in other words, there is overlapping of depletion layers of the first gate layer having a wide width, and thereby an SIT with an excellent off characteristic is realized. Herein, when the gap between the second gate layers is extremely narrowed, an SIT having a normally off function can be realized which exerts a pinch off effect under a short circuited or an open circuited condition between a gate electrode and a source electrode.
Further, according to the present invention, when forming the second gate layers with a narrow width through an ion implantation, an extremely thin implantation mask can be applied depending on a decrease of the implantation energy and an implantation mask permitting a high processing accuracy is obtained. As a result, an SIT with a high off gain can be produced with a high yield.


Melt blended compositions, comprising up to 20 wt % of an optional additive, and 80-100 wt % of a copolycarbonate having a Tg of 200° C. or more of (1)

This disclosure relates to polycarbonate compositions, and in particular to transparent polycarbonate compositions, methods of manufacture, and articles formed therefrom.
Polycarbonates are useful in the manufacture of articles and components for a wide range of applications, from automotive parts to electronic appliances. Because of their broad use, particularly in electronic applications or visually oriented applications such as light covers, see-through protective coverings, lenses, and transparent films, it is desirable to provide polycarbonates with excellent weatherability, impact strength, and transparency. Presently available polycarbonate films, for example, offer a number of advantages over poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films, including higher heat distortion temperature (HDT), higher scratch resistance, and better performance under stringent environmental conditions. High temperature polycarbonates (polycarbonates having a glass transition temperature (Tg) of greater than about 200° C.) are expected to provide even better performance, but tend to be immiscible with other polymers, including other polycarbonates. Immiscibility can degrade physical properties, lead to processing difficulties, and lower optical clarity.
There accordingly remains a need in the art for methods for increasing the miscibility of high temperature polycarbonates with other polycarbonates. There also remains a need in the art for compositions that contain high temperature polycarbonates, wherein the compositions have advantageous properties such as heat stability and optical clarity.

High heat polycarbonate compositions, methods for the preparation thereof, and articles derived therefrom

Abstract: wherein the mole ratio of x:y is 35:65 to 90:10, R1 is derived from a dihydroxy compound (2)

Abstract: wherein R3 and R5 are each independently a halogen or a C1-6 alkyl group, R4 is a C1-6 alkyl, phenyl, or phenyl substituted with up to five halogens or C1-6 alkyl groups, and each c is independently 0 to 4; R2 is derived from a dihydroxy compound (6):

Abstract: wherein Ra and Rb are each independently a halogen atom or a monovalent C1-6 alkyl group; p and q are each independently integers of 0 to 4; and Xa is a divalent group; and 95 to 5 wt % of a polycarbonate having a Tg of less than 200° C. of formula (9)

Abstract: wherein R9 derived from a dihydroxy compound of formula (6); and 0.001 to 0.1 wt % of a transesterification catalyst.


The invention provides a method for generating output filters to a plurality of loudspeakers at respective positions for playback of a plurality of different input signals in respective spatially different sound zones by means of a processor system. The method comprising computing spatio-temporal correlation matrices in response to spatial information, e.g. measured transfer functions, and in response to desired sound pressures in the plurality of sound zones. Joint eigenvalue decomposition of the spatial correlation matrices are then computed, or at least an approximation thereof, to arrive at eigenvectors accordingly. Next, variable span filters a reformed from a linear combination of the eigenvectors in response to a desired trade-off between acoustic contrast and acoustic errors in the sound zones. Finally, output filter for each of the plurality of loudspeakers, for each of the plurality of input signals, in accordance with the variable span filters. The method is applicable also for optimization in one zone, e.g. for room equalization.

E.g. in a car or in a living room where persons share one room and still want their own sound zones in the room with their different sound, e.g. listening to different sound sources. This requires a complex signal processing for controlling a set of loudspeakers to obtain a high degree of acoustic difference between the sound zones. With a limited number of loudspeakers, it is necessary to make a compromise between obtained sound quality and the obtained degree of acoustic difference between the sound zones necessary.
Pressure matching (PM) algorithms and Acoustic Contrast Control (ACC) algorithms are knows ways of generating sound zones. PM algorithms minimize acoustic reproduction error, whereas acoustic contrast between sound zones is not considered. On the contrary, ACC algorithms optimize acoustic contrast only, which, under various conditions, can lead to significant distortion of the desired signals.
In U.S. Pat. No. 9,813,804 B2 it has been proposed to calculate a masking threshold as a function of the version of the audio signal that is to be separated from the one or several other audio signals in one zone and controlling a beam forming processor for controlling outputs to a plurality of loudspeakers accordingly.
Still, it remains a problem how to provide a signal processing method which is capable of handling a scalable compromise or trade-off between sound quality and obtained acoustic contrast between the sound zones, if a limited number of loudspeakers are available.

Generating sound zones using variable span filters


The present invention relates to a positive electrode active material for a lithium secondary battery which includes a lithium composite transition metal oxide including nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and manganese (Mn), wherein a portion of nickel (Ni) sites of the lithium composite transition metal oxide is substituted with tungsten (W), and an amount of a lithium tungsten oxide remaining on surfaces of lithium composite transition metal oxide particles is 1,000 ppm or less.

Demand for secondary batteries as an energy source has been significantly increased as technology development and demand with respect to mobile devices have increased. Among these secondary batteries, lithium secondary batteries having high energy density, high voltage, long cycle life, and low self-discharging rate have been commercialized and widely used.
Lithium transition metal composite oxides have been used as a positive electrode active material of the lithium secondary battery, and, among these oxides, a lithium cobalt composite metal oxide of LiCoO2 having a high operating voltage and excellent capacity characteristics has been mainly used. However, since the LiCoO2 has very poor thermal properties due to an unstable crystal structure caused by lithium deintercalation and is expensive, there is a limitation in using a large amount of the LiCoO2 as a power source for applications such as electric vehicles.
Lithium manganese composite metal oxides (LiMnO2 or LiMn2O4), lithium iron phosphate compounds (LiFePO4, etc.), or lithium nickel composite metal oxides (LiNiO2, etc.) have been developed as materials for replacing the LiCoO2. Among these materials, research and development of the lithium nickel composite metal oxides, in which a large capacity battery may be easily achieved due to a high reversible capacity of about 200 mAh/g, have been more actively conducted. However, the LiNiO2 has limitations in that the LiNiO2 has poorer thermal stability than the LiCoO2 and, when an internal short circuit occurs in a charged state due to an external pressure, the positive electrode active material itself is decomposed to cause rupture and ignition of the battery.
Accordingly, as a method to improve low thermal stability while maintaining the excellent reversible capacity of the LiNiO2, a nickel cobalt manganese-based lithium composite metal oxide (hereinafter, simply referred to as "NCM-based lithium oxide"), in which a portion of nickel (Ni) is substituted with manganese (Mn) and cobalt (Co), has been developed. However, since typical NCM-based lithium oxides developed so far have insufficient capacity characteristics, the NCM-based lithium oxides have limited application.
In order to improve the limitation, research to increase an amount of Ni in the NCM-based lithium oxide has recently been conducted. However, since crystals rapidly grow during sintering as the amount of Ni is increased, it is difficult to control a crystal size, and, when the crystal size is rapidly increased, there are limitations in that battery capacity and life characteristics are rapidly reduced. Also, a residual amount of lithium byproduct on the surface of the positive electrode active material is increased as the amount of Ni in the positive electrode active material is increased, wherein the capacity of the battery may also be reduced by the lithium byproduct.

Positive electrode active material for lithium secondary battery, method of preparing the same, and lithium secondary battery including the positive electrode active material


A conventional optical signal processing device had a disadvantage where the temperature dependency of the spectroscopic characteristics of a spectroscopic element causes a deteriorated performance. In order to solve the temperature dependency, there has been a method to form a plurality of grooves for dividing a core on the array waveguide of the AWG. However, this method cannot avoid an excess loss and causes a high manufacture cost. By directly controlling the modulation characteristic profile formed by an element device of a spatial light modulator, athermalization can be achieved in a simpler and low-cost manner. This consequently provides a remarkable reduction of the light coupling loss in the spatial optical system of the optical signal processing device. More accurate temperature compensation can be realized that copes with an actual behavior of the device to a temperature fluctuation, including causing factors of a complicated temperature fluctuation of the optical system.

With more optical communication networks having a higher speed and a higher capacity, increasing demands have been placed on optical signal processing devices for performing the processing of Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) optical signals. For example, a multiplexed optical signal at a node is not subjected to an optical to electrical conversion but the optical signal is directly subjected to a path switching. Thus, transparent optical signal processing devices have been promoted.
On the other hand, from the viewpoint of the downsizing and integration of an optical signal processing device, Planar Lightwave Circuits (PLC) have been researched and developed. The PLC is structured so that a silicon substrate for example has thereon a core made of silica glass to integrate various functions in one PLC chip, thus realizing an optical functional device having a small loss and high reliability. Furthermore, a complex optical signal processing devices appeared that is a combination of a plurality of PLC chips and other optical functional devices.
For example, Patent Publication 1 discloses an optical signal processing device that is a combination of a Planar Lightwave Circuit (PLC) including an Arrayed Waveguide Grating (AWG) for example and a spatial light modulator such as a liquid crystal device. More particularly, a wavelength blocker consisting of a PLC and a collimating lens symmetrically provided to sandwich a liquid crystal device at the center, a wavelength equalizer and a dispersion compensator for example have been examined. In these optical signal processing devices, a plurality of optical signals having different wavelengths are independently subjected to an optical signal processing for each wavelength.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating one example of an optical signal processing device. In this optical signal processing device, an optical signal is inputted and outputted via a spectroscopic element 51. The spectroscopic element 51 demultiplexes a WDM optical signal by outputting the signal at an outgoing angle θ depending on the wavelength thereof. The demultiplexed optical signal is outputted to a focusing lens 52. The optical signal focused by the focusing lens 52 is focused, in accordance with the outgoing angle θ, at each focusing point at a predetermined position of the signal processing device 53 having a function of intensity modulation or phase modulation or beam steering. Specifically, it is noted that the optical signal is focused at a different position of the signal processing device depending on the wavelength of the input optical signal. The signal processing device 53 is a liquid crystal device consisting of a plurality of element devices (pixels) for example. By the control of the transmittance of each element device for example, an optical signal of each wavelength is subjected to intensity modulation for example, thereby realizing a predetermined optical signal processing function. The optical signal subjected to the optical signal processing is reflected by a mirror 54 to thereby invert the traveling direction. Then, the optical signal passes through the focusing lens 52 and is multiplex again by the spectroscopic element 51. As is commonly well known, the spectroscopic element 51 also can multiplex an optical signal by changing the traveling direction of the optical signal to a direction opposite to that during demultiplexing. A multiplexed optical signal of each wavelength is outputted again to the outside of the optical signal processing device as output light.
In FIG. 6, the spectroscopic element 51 is schematically shown and may be any spectroscopic element so long as the spectroscopic element 51 can demultiplex and multiplex an optical signal depending on the wavelength of the optical signal. For example, the spectroscopic element may be a grating, a prism, or Arrayed Waveguide Grating (AWG) for example. The signal processing device may be the one that can modulate the intensity or phase of an optical signal, that can modulate the intensity and phase, or that can subject the traveling direction of an optical signal to a beam steering. For example, the signal processing device includes a liquid crystal device, a Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) mirror, and optical crystal for example. The optical crystal may be any one including electrical optical crystal typical example of which is LiNbO3 so long as the optical crystal can achieve a desired modulation.
The optical signal processing device shown in FIG. 6 has a configuration in which a mirror is used to reciprocate an optical signal so that a single spectroscopic element can demultiplex and multiplex the optical signal. This configuration is generally called a reflection type. A device that performs an optical signal processing such as a wavelength blocking is not limited to this configuration. For example, another configuration is also possible in which, without using the mirror of FIG. 6, signal processing devices are positioned on symmetry planes and an outgoing system consisting of another one lens and a spectroscopic element is provided at a position that is on an extended line of an incident light path axis and that is symmetric to the incoming system with regard to the symmetry plane. This configuration is a configuration where the demultiplexing and multiplexing of an optical signal are performed respectively via independent incoming system outgoing system and is called a transmission type. Furthermore, by changing the direction of the mirror in the device configuration of FIG. 6, another configuration is also possible where an outgoing system that is provided at an arbitrary position and that consists of another one lens and a spectroscopic element is used to multiples an optical signal. For example, another configuration is also possible where the reflecting plane of a mirror is inclined by 45 degrees to the incident light path of an optical signal and a lens provided in a vertical direction to the incident light path and a spectroscopic element are used to configure an outgoing system. Another configuration also can include a plurality of outgoing systems when the signal processing device has a beam steering function.
In FIG. 6, the spectroscopic element 51 and the focusing lens 52 are provided to have a Front Focal Length (FFL) therebetween. The signal processing device 53 and the focusing lens 52 are provided to have a Back Focal Length (BFL) therebetween. The focal point of light focused by the focusing lens 52 must on a surface of the mirror 54 at all wavelengths used. Displacement of the focal point from the mirror surface causes a disadvantage of an increased coupling loss of light. Another disadvantage is that the focused optical signal has an increased beam spot diameter, thus causing a disadvantage of a decreased wavelength resolution.
Furthermore, the signal processing device 53 must include a spatially-periodic structure in order to selectively modulate an optical signal in accordance with each wavelength. For example, when the signal processing device 53 is a liquid crystal device, the liquid crystal device must have an element device that has a structure designed in accordance with the optical characteristic of the spectroscopic element and the focusing lens.
More specifically, it is known that the wavelength dependency of the focusing position on a signal processing device follows a value obtained by multiplying an angular dispersion value of a spectroscopic element with a focal length of a focusing lens. The wavelength dependency of the focusing position is also called a linear dispersion value of a spectroscopic optical system. The linear dispersion value of an optical system determined by a spectroscopic element and a focusing lens must sufficiently match the linear dispersion value used for the design of the signal processing device. Any displacement between these linear dispersion values causes an unmatching between the position of the focusing point of an actual optical signal and the positions of the individual element devices of the signal processing device (e.g., pixels of a liquid crystal shutter device), thus failing to perform a desired processing.
Patent Publication 1: Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-250828 (page 16, page 19, FIG. 20, FIG. 27, FIG. 29D for example) Patent Publication 2: Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-255424 Non-Patent Publication 1: H. Takenouchi, T. Ishii, T. Goh, "8 THz bandwidth dispersion-slope compensator module for multiband 40 Gbit/s WDM transmission system using an AWG and spatial phase filter", Electronics Letters, Vol. 37, No. 12, pp. 777-778, 2001 Non-Patent Publication 2: K. Li et al., "Coherent micromirror arrays,", Optics Letters, Vol. 27, No. 5, pp. 366-368, 2002

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation


A system and a method for replacing error messages with non-error messages. The system includes a network device for sending a query, a server device for receiving the query and a non-error message generator for generating and sending a non-error message to the network device. Alternately, the system may include a network device for sending the query and a server device, for receiving the query and for determining whether the query is resolvable. If the query is non-resolvable, the server device forms the non-error message and sends it to the network device. The method may include the steps of providing a network device, providing a server, sending the query to the server, receiving the query and generating the error message if the query is not resolvable by the server, intercepting the error message and altering the error message to form the non-error message sending the non-error message to said network device. Alternately, the method may include the steps of providing a network device, providing a server, sending a query from the network device to the server, receiving the query at the server and generating the error message if the query is not resolvable by the server, and intercepting the error message received at the network device to send a non-error message in place of the error message.

The present invention relates to a system and a method for replacement of error messages with non-error messages, and in particular, for the replacement of such an error message received as the result of a failed address resolution request through the Internet.
The explosion of connections by individual users to the Internet, and the vast increase in the number of Web sites, has made the search for information difficult. A resource on the Internet, such as a Web site, is accessed by indicating its unique address, such as an IP (Internet Protocol) address. Often a resource is requested by resource name, as a text string for example, rather than by resource address. A suitable address resolution mechanism is therefore required to translate the resource name into the corresponding address. Since the character of the Internet is inherently dynamic, with many different resources, resources may be requested which no longer exist, have a changed name, or indeed never existed at all. Therefore, many requests for address resolution fail, in which case the resolving mechanism returns an error message. By displaying this error message, software programs indicate to the user that the requested resource name was not found in the address database or the server could not process the request, but does not give much more information to the user.
Rather than simply displaying an error message, a more useful solution would redirect the user to another resource, in which the user can optionally find additional information. For example, if the requested resource is a Web site or a Web page, the other resource could optionally be a Web page which not only indicates that the request has failed, but also suggests additional information such as links to alternative Web pages, a search engine, or advertisements. This information could be specific to the requested resource name, the type of the software program that generated the request, and/or the identity or other properties of the requesting user. Thus, much more focused, specific information could be delivered to the user, rather than simply indicating that the requested address resolution had failed.
Although certain Web browser software products attempt to provide such additional information by intercepting the error message at the client computer, these products do not change the packet of the error message in order to provide such additional information. Rather, these products simply display a different message through the Web browser. Thus, currently no software program is available which changes the packet of the error message in order to provide the additional information to the user.
Therefore, there is an unmet need for, and it would be highly useful to have, a system and a method for replacing error messages, with non-error messages produced by changing the packet of the error message itself. The non-error messages optionally direct the requester to information specific to the requested resource name, the type of the software program that generated the request, and/or the identity or other properties of the requesting user.

Replacement of error messages with non-error messages


A sensor bracket assembly is configured to extend between a sensor beam and a bumper beam of a vehicle. The sensor bracket assembly can include a bracket first section that is configured to be directly or indirectly connected to the bumper beam. The sensor bracket assembly can also include a bracket second section that is configured to be directly or indirectly connected to the sensor beam. The sensor bracket assembly can further include a spacer section that projects from the bracket first section and is configured to extend towards but be spaced from one of the bracket second section and the bumper beam.

Energy absorption systems of vehicles, particularly bumper systems with deformable brackets that can absorb energy to decrease impact forces during a collision, promote enhanced safety during operation of the vehicle by mitigating damage to foreign objects that collide with the vehicle. Thin walled metal plates (i.e., steel, aluminum), expanded foam, and other plastic absorbers including ribbed structures, thermo-formed and blow molded parts yield energy absorption to lessen collision impact forces while maintaining structural rigidity of the bumper system. Such methods of forming bracket parts can lead to easily and unevenly deforming parts, causing peaks in collision forces experienced by the foreign object as easily deformable parts are crushed against nondeforming parts such as a bumper beam.
A need was identified for a vehicle energy absorption system having a force deflection curve resembling a more efficient "square wave" that increases a reaction force immediately after an initial buckling phase of the deformable parts.


A method and system for recovering mirrored logical data volumes within a computer system after a system failure is disclosed. A computer system includes mirrored logical volumes that can be accessed by multiple nodes. Mirrored in-flight logs are provided for the mirrored logical volumes. The mirrored in-flight logs include multiple node partitions, each node partition corresponding to one of the nodes. Furthermore, each entry within the mirrored in-flight logs indicate whether or not a write operation is currently being performed by at least one of the nodes. After an abnormal termination of one of the nodes due to, for example, a system failure, one of the remaining nodes is automatically selected to copy data from one of the mirrored logical volumes to another of the mirrored logical volumes, according to the entries within one of the mirrored in-flight logs.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method and system for data processing in general, and in particular to a method and system for recovering mirrored logical data volumes within a data processing system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for recovering mirrored logical data volumes within a computer system after a system failure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally speaking, a storage system within a computer is typically made up of one or more logical volume groups, which are, in turn, made up of multiple logical volumes that are physically represented by physical volumes. The logical volume groups, the logical volumes, and the physical volumes are organized in a hierarchical fashion managed by a logical volume manager. Each physical volume is divided into physical partitions, each of which is equivalent to a segment size (i.e., the actual units of space allocation) on a hard disk. Although data on a logical volume appear to be contiguous to a user, these data can be non-contiguously stored on one or more physical volumes. This allows the logical volumes to be resized and relocated, and their contents to be replicated in a rapid fashion.
In a mirrored computer system, each logical volume has a mirror (or redundant) logical volume. Details of a mirrored computer system can be found in AIX 6000 System Guide, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1996, the pertinent of which is incorporated by reference herein. After a system failure, such as a hang-up or crash, the mirrored logical volumes must be resynchronized. The resynchronization should be performed before the storage system is accessed; otherwise, users may access inconsistent data as a result of write requests that were in-flight. In other words, write operations to specific partitions in a logical volume may not have been completed in both mirrored partitions at the time of the system failure; and as a result, data stored in the mirrored partitions may be inconsistent. The present disclosure provides a method for recovering mirrored logical volumes within a computer system after a system failure.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a computer system includes mirrored logical volumes that can be accessed by multiple nodes. Mirrored in-flight logs are provided for the mirrored logical volumes. The mirrored in-flight logs include multiple node partitions, each node partition corresponding to one of the nodes. Furthermore, each entry within the mirrored in-flight logs indicates whether or not a write operation is currently being performed by at least one of the nodes. After an abnormal termination of one of the nodes due to, for example, a system failure, one of the remaining nodes is automatically selected to copy data from one of the mirrored logical volumes to another of the mirrored logical volumes, according to the entries within one of the mirrored in-flight logs.
All objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written description.

Method and system for recovering mirrored logical data volumes within a data processing system

International Business Machines Corporation


An apparatus comprises a receiver configured to receive a request for a Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over Hypertext Transfer Protocol (DASH) media presentation description (MPD), a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to create the MPD, wherein the MPD comprises a mechanism for specifying a client's behavior, and wherein the mechanism conditions the client's ability to download content on the client's ability to support a feature, and a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the MPD. A method comprises receiving a request for a Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over Hypertext Transfer Protocol (DASH) media presentation description (MPD), and transmitting the MPD, wherein the MPD comprises a mechanism for specifying a client's behavior, and wherein the mechanism conditions the client's ability to download content on the client's ability to support a feature.

Many television and movie viewers now desire on-demand access to video and other media content. As a first example, a television viewer may desire to watch a television show that he or she missed during the show's regular air time on television. The viewer may download the show on demand over the Internet via a web browser or other application on a notebook computer, tablet computer, desktop computer, mobile telephone, or other device, then view that show in the browser or other application. As a second example, a viewer may download a movie on demand. As a third example, a viewer may participate in a videoconference with other viewers.
Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over Hypertext Transfer Protocol (DASH) is a standard developed to provide such media content and is partially described in International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 23009-1, First Edition, 2012 ("23009-1"), which is incorporated in its entirety. In addition, ISO/IEC 23009-1, Technical Corrigendum 1, 2013 is incorporated in its entirety. In DASH, there are two main devices: the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) server or servers that provide the content and the DASH client that downloads the content and is associated with the viewer, or user. DASH leaves control with the client, which can request content using the HTTP protocol. DASH is dynamic and adaptive because the client may choose from among multiple forms of content, or data, based on a variety of factors such as network conditions, device capability, and user choice. For example, the HTTP server may inform the client of different download bit rates, the client may choose one of the bit rates, and the client may begin downloading segments of data at the chosen bit rate. If for some reason network conditions deteriorate, then the client may change to a lower bit rate and begin downloading segments of data at the new bit rate. DASH's adaptability therefore ensures that the client consumes less than the available bandwidth.
The television show, movie, video conference, or other media content that the client desires to view may be referred to as the main content. The provider of the main content may desire to earn revenue for providing the main content. One way to earn revenue is to include advertisements with the main content. The advertisements may be referred to as ads or ad content. Accordingly, the HTTP server may direct the client to download ads from an ad server. The client may not be able to download or display the main content or portions of the main content until it downloads and displays the ad content. Furthermore, certain restrictions may be placed on the browser or other application that the content is viewed through so that the ad content cannot be skipped while viewing. Once the client downloads and views the ads, then the provider of the ad content may pay the provider of the main content.

Dynamic adaptive streaming over hypertext transfer protocol client behavior framework and implementation of session management


Methods and systems for optimizing voice call setup times for user devices. A user device that is registered to a packet switched network and in an idle state receives a command to establish a voice call. The user device selects a legacy cell of a circuit switched network. The user device then establishes a radio connection with the selected legacy cell without first establishing a radio connection with a serving cell of the packet switched network.

There are numerous different wireless communication networks with which user devices such as electronic book readers, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable media players, tablet computers and netbooks may connect. Each of these wireless communication devices may use different wireless communication technologies. Wireless communication technologies are roughly categorized into first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) wireless communication technologies. One emerging 4G wireless communication technology is 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE), commonly referred to simply as LTE.
LTE is a packet switched network technology that supports only packet services, and does not support circuit switched services. Traditional voice calls are circuit switched services. Voice over internet protocol (VOIP) is a packed switched service for enabling voice communication in a packet switched network. Accordingly, when a device that is connected to an LTE network is to make a voice call, it can either user VOIP over LTE (VOLTE) or perform a circuit switched fallback. Most LTE networks currently do not support VOLTE. Therefore, a majority of LTE networks rely on circuit switched fallback to enable voice communications.
Circuit switched fallback is a procedure to transfer a device from an LTE network to a legacy network such as a 3G network or a 2G network. As circuit switched fallback is currently implemented, to perform circuit switched fallback, a user device must have an active radio connection to the LTE network. This means that a user device that is in an idle state must first establish a connection to the LTE network and then wait for the LTE network to transfer the connection to a legacy network before a voice call can be initiated. This can delay the initiation of a voice call by a second or more.

Optimizing voice calls on packet switched networks


An apparatus, method, and computer program product are provided for generating an image representation. The method includes receiving an input digital image, extracting features from the image which are representative of patches of the image, generating weighting factors for the features based on location relevance data for the image, and weighting the extracted features with the weighting factors to form a representation of the image.

The exemplary embodiment relates to the image processing. It finds particular application in connection with an apparatus and method which employ location relevance information in the generation of a representation of an image which may find use in image categorization, content-based image retrieval, and image clustering applications. It is to be appreciated that the representations generated are not limited to such applications.
In data processing, some useful operations include automatic or semi-automatic image categorization, automated or semi-automated retrieval of similar images, and clustering of images. For example, given an unorganized database of scanned images of documents, it may be useful to sort or categorize the images into classes such as the type of document.
Since images, such as photographs and scanned documents, contain a large amount of information, such as colorant values for each pixel in the image, it is desirable to generate a representation of the image which involves a reduced set of parameters, yet which provides sufficient information to allow categorization of the image into one or more of a set of classes and/or the assessment of similarities/differences among images. There has thus been a significant research effort into the design of visual words for image categorization, retrieval and clustering. Most image categorization methods follow a sequence which includes (i) feature detection, (ii) low-level feature extraction, (iii) global image or image region representation, and (iv) classification.
Visual saliency models, for example, have been used for feature detection and to estimate regions of interest. Many of these methods are based on biological vision models, which aim to estimate which parts of images attract visual attention. Implementation of these methods in computer systems generally fall into one of two main categories: those that give a number of relevant punctual positions, known as interest (or key-point) detectors, and those that give a more continuous map of relevance, such as saliency maps. Interest point detectors have proven useful for obtaining reliable correspondences or matching. They have also been extensively evaluated as a means to sparsely select positions to extract image features for categorization or object recognition. However, it has been shown that strategies based on dense sampling (or even random sampling) provide better performance (both in accuracy and speed) than interest points. One of the reasons is that interest point detectors may disregard background regions of the image that carry important category information, such as the sky for airplane images. Another reason is their reduced robustness with respect to variations introduced, for instance, by shades. However, interest-point detectors can complement dense feature extraction. For example, several methods are performed and the results are fused in a multiple kernel learning framework. A disadvantage of this approach is that additional sampling strategies increase the computational cost and the complexity of the classification system.
Saliency maps can provide richer information about the relevance of features throughout an image. While interest points are generally simplistic corner (Harris) or blob (Lapace) detectors, saliency maps can carry higher level information. Such methods have been designed to model visual attention and have been evaluated by their congruence with fixation data obtained from experiments with eye gaze trackers.
Recently, saliency maps have been used for object recognition or image categorization. For example, saliency maps have been used to control the sampling density for feature extraction. Alternatively, saliency maps can be used as foreground detection methods to provide regions of interest (ROI) for classification. It has been shown that extracting image features only around ROIs or on segmented foreground gives better results than sampling features uniformly through the image. The disadvantage is that such methods rely heavily on foreground detection and they may miss important context information from the background.
The exemplary embodiment provides a system and method for modeling an image incorporating location relevance information which provides an improvement over existing image processing techniques.

Modeling images as sets of weighted features


An integrated circuit programmable sequencing element apparatus on a single chip is provided which includes a PROM including first signal receiving circuitry and second signal providing circuitry; at least one feedback signal providing circuitry responsive to at least one second signal for providing at least one feedback signal; at least one input signal providing circuitry for providing at least one input signal; at least one control signal providing circuitry for providing at least one control signal; at least one programmable sequencing element circuitry for receiving said at least one control signal and the at least one input signal and for providing at least one programmable sequencing element signal; and selection circuitry for selecting at least between the at least one programmable sequencing element signal and the at least one feedback signal and for providing at least one selected signal to the first signal receiving circuitry.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to integrated circuit electronic devices on a single chip and more particularly to programmable sequencing elements.
2. Description of the Related Art
Programmable sequencing elements comprise a family of devices which share a similar basic logic architecture. The block diagram of FIG. 1 illustrates this basic architecture. The architecture includes an AND-array which receives input signals, performs AND logic functions using the input signals and provides AND function signals as outputs. It also includes an OR-array, which receives the AND function signals from the AND-array, performs OR logic functions using the AND function signals and provides AND-OR signals as outputs. This basic architecture is useful in implementing Boolean sum-of-products type algebra.
The programmable sequencing elements include programmable read only memories (PROMs), programmable array logic devices and programmable logic arrays (PLAs). PROM architecture includes a fixed AND-array and a programmable OR-array. Programmable array logic devices include a fixed OR-array and a programmable AND-array. PLAs include a programmable AND-array and a programmable OR-array.
A typical PROM comprising n input terminals for receiving n binary input signals, usually includes 2.sup.n AND gates in its AND-array. A respective AND gate ordinarily corresponds to each possible combination of binary signals provided to the n input terminals. Thus, input signals provided to a PROM are fully decoded in that each possible combination of input signals provided to the PROM corresponds to a particular AND gate of the AND-array. The OR-array, therefore, can be programmed to store a distinct combination of binary data for every possible combination of binary input signals.
Programmable array logic devices, unlike PROMs, are not restricted by the requirement that there be 2.sup.n AND gates for n input terminals. A typical earlier programmable array logic device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,899 issued to Birkner et al on Nov. 7, 1978. A programmable array logic device, therefore, ordinarily can include more input signal terminals than it has AND gates. Unfortunately, however, some possible combinations of binary input signals provided to the input terminals of a typical programmable array logic device are unaccounted for in that they do not correspond to particular output signals provided by the device.
PLAs, while featuring many of the advantages of both PROMs and programmable array logic devices, suffer from an important disadvantage. Typical PLAs are described in Handbook of Semiconductor and Bubble Memories by Walter A. Triebel and Alfred E. Chu copyright 1983 by Prentice-Hall, Inc., pages 220-257. Typically they are much slower than the other types of programmable sequencing elements, and therefore, ordinarily are not suitable for high-speed environments.
One important performance goal for programmable sequencing elements has been flexibility of operation. For example, one prior U.S. patent application owned by the assignee in common with the present application, entitled APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ANY ONE OF A PLURALITY OF SIGNALS AT A SINGLE OUTPUT, Ser. No. 433,253, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,912 filing date Oct. 7, 1982 addresses one way in which the configuration of input/output ports may be made more flexible. Moreover, another prior U.S. patent application entitled DYNAMICALLY CONTROLLABLE OUTPUT LOGIC CIRCUIT, Ser. No. 656,109, now abandoned, filing date Sep. 20, 1984 addresses an output logic circuit for controlling the configuration of an output which allows for dynamic control of the configuration and increases the flexibility of design for the user of the invention.
While these earlier programmable sequencing elements generally have been successful, there have been shortcomings with their use. For example, since PROMs usually decoded substantially every possible binary input signal combination provided to their input terminals, each respective binary input signal combination corresponded to a respective AND gate coupled to the PROM OR-array. As a result, only one test condition ordinarily could be tested per cycle of the PROM, and the state machine, therefore, could not perform multiple branching. That is, the state machine could not transition from one state to any one of two or more other states based upon multiple test conditions. Thus, such earlier state machines often required a larger number of cycles than was desirable in order to achieve a transition between states involving multiple test conditions.
Therefore, although earlier PROMs offered some advantage over typical programmable array logic devices by fully decoding all possible binary input signal combinations and over prior PLAs due to superior speed, such earlier PROMs suffered shortcomings due to their fixed input and output terminal structures and due to the fixed nature of the output signals provided by those terminals. Furthermore, prior PROMs often were inefficient in the implementation of flexible state machines.
Thus, there exists a need for an apparatus in which a PROM can implement a state machine capable of testing multiple test conditions during each PROM cycle, and which is capable of flexible multiple branching from one state to any one of at least two other states. The present invention meets this need.

Integrated circuit programmable sequencing element apparatus


Method and device for the uniformly even application of a resin coating on a substrate, wherein it comprises a rotary plate (1) receiving the substrate (3) and provided with means for rendering the substrate stationary on the plate so that rotation of the plate (1) provokes the spreading of a thin coating of the resin over the surface of the substrate. A concentric cover (3) is superimposed on the circular plate (1) and provokes the rotation of this cover along with the plate by confining the gaseous volume constituted by a suspended solvent preserving the properties of the dissolved resin during the spreading cycle constituting the internal atmosphere in which the substrate is placed, this volume being driven in rotation approximately synchronous with the plate and the cover.

More particularly, the invention is applicable to depositing an extremely thin coating of a photosensitive resin on the surface of a substrate embodied by any material, especially a semiconducting metal, such as silicon.
In particular, it is known that as regards embodying integrated circuits, assuming the embodiment stage where successive coatings each comprise a conductive network, each stage is embodied by depositing a photosensitive resin on a substrate, which is then insulated with a suitable mask being interposed
followed by fixing so as to embody the network corresponding to the stage involved.
The embodiment of ultra-miniaturized integrated circuits requires depositings of extremely thin coatings of photosensitive resin (referred hereafter as "resin") so as to make it possible to obtain an extremely fine definition as regards each stage.
The technique currently used to obtain a thin coating resin film consists of depositing the liquid resin dissolved in a solvent on the receiving substrate, the latter generally being a circular or four-sided plate.
The plate is firstly deposited and kept on a gyratory plate; the plate is immediately subjected to rotation which, via the effect of centrifugal force, provokes spreading of the extremely thin uniform coating of the liquid constituted by the resin solution and the solvent over the surface of the substrate.
The extreme volatility of the solvent requires that rotation is effected with high accelerations so that correct spreading is obtained before evaporation of the solvent significantly modifies the viscosity of the solvent/resin mixture.
The initial depositing of the dissolved resin may then be effected when the plate is stationary, but it is also possible to deposit the dissolved resin in an initial phase during which the substrate is already slowly rotating, which facilitates the initial dispersion movement over the entire surface fast rotation with subsequent high acceleration is aimed at eliminating from the surface of the substrate the excess resin which is then projected outwardly and then collected on the walls of a bowl inside which the gyratory plate is mounted.
The search for films of increasingly reduced thickness on increasingly large substrates is resulting
in the use of more elaborate techniques respectively acting on the nature of the dissolved resin, especially its concentration and certain properties, especially the volatility of the solvent, as well as acting on the operational conditions, especially the speed of rotation, acceleration intensity, etc. As a reminder, mention is made here of the essential precautions required linked to the perfect purity and stability of the environment, especially by entirely eliminating dust which, once it has settled, would generate an unacceptable source of distortion as regards the required scale of miniaturization.
However, it is clear that the more the size of the substrate is increased whilst decreasing the thickness of the deposited resin film, especially by seeking to obtain film thicknesses of less than one micron, the operational difficulties and conditions become increasingly difficult to implement and control in order to obtain, not only a resin film of reduced thickness, but also an essentially required resin film with a constant and homogeneous thickness.
In effect, the thickness of the film needs to be perfectly even over the entire surface of the substrate.
Apart from the nature (viscosity linked to concentration) of the resin solution, it may be possible to try to reduce the thickness by acting on acceleration and the speed of rotation; thus, accelerations are used able to bring the speed of rotation up to 10,000 revs per minute in one second.
However, experience shows that problems then arise linked to interference between the air and the static gaseous volume located above the substrate and the rotary substrate, as well as the liquid film being fixed and borne by the substrate.
The accelerations thus implemented do not enable a displacement speed gradient of the air (or the gaseous layer) located above the substrate to be established and firstly the interference between the liquid surface driven in rotation during stabilization and hardening and secondly the static or semi-static air causes interference expressed by surface distortions in the form of wrinkles or waves able to be detected by, in particular, optical means.
But in particular the technique thus described becomes totally unsuitable when it is desired to embody spreading of the resin on, for example, four-sided substrates so as to have them exploited as part of embodying flat screens.
In fact, when the four-sided substrate, especially a square-shaped one, is rotated, each angle constitutes a leading edge of the air and consequently generates turbulence which significantly interferes with the spreading and distribution of the liquid film over the surface of the substrate.
As a result, the embodiment of square substrates or plates bearing a photosensitive resin film is consequently accompanied in each angle by a zone revealing traces of turbulences encountered by the liquid when the latter is distributed and resulting in particular in inequalities of the thickness of the resin film expressed in particular by segments of turns marking the angles of the substrate.
Consequently, it currently seems impossible via existing techniques to embody square substrates or plates bearing a thin coating of a resin film of uniform thickness by using the previously described centrifuging and gyratory techniques.

Societe Anonyme dite: Sulzer Electro-Technique "S.E.T."


A solution for evaluating a component of a vehicle, such as a brake pad of a rail vehicle, is provided. An imaging component can acquire image data for a target area of the vehicle within which at least a portion of the component is visible. The target area can be illuminated by an illumination device that is, for example, horizontally offset from the imaging device to highlight the three-dimensional structure in the target area by creating shadows in the image data. A set of points corresponding to the component can be identified in the image data using the shadows. A measurement for at least one attribute of the component can be calculated from the set of points.

Nearly half a million locomotives and freight cars form trains that transport a significant proportion of the United States' freight every year. These trains crisscross the country and can: measure over a mile in length; have a mass well over 20,000 tons; and move at speeds of fifty miles per hour or more. To slow and stop such trains requires brakes on each railcar. These brakes, similar to brakes on any other vehicle, will wear out and can malfunction in various ways. The failure of a brake can have many consequences, ranging from a damaged wheel to a derailment or a collision, which can result in many deaths.
FIG. 1 shows an illustrative rail car shoe brake according to the prior art. A railroad wheel 2 is generally a solid steel object with a number of component features, including a tread 3 on which the wheel 2, and therefore the rail vehicle, rests on a rail. A brake assembly 4 includes a brake pad 5 and a brake shoe 7, which are held together by a wave spring (key). The spring permits removal of the brake pad 5 whenever the brake pad 5 becomes too worn. The brake assembly 4 is attached to some device or mechanism, which can move the brake pad 5 into contact with the tread 3 of the wheel 2. This contact causes a dissipation of energy from the wheel 2 and thereby causes the train to slow.
However, the contact and friction also causes the brake pad 5 to wear. Eventually, the brake pad 5 will need to be replaced. However, the railroad industry does not have a well-established solution for routinely inspecting the condition of railcar brakes. To date, brake inspections are generally performed during incoming inspections, require the rail vehicle to be at a full stop, and merely involve an inspector examining the brakes "by eye." If the inspector has any doubt as to the condition of the brake pad 5, a metal ruler can be used to determine if the thickness remaining on the brake pad 5 is sufficient for its continued use.

International Electronic Machines Corporation


A method for distributing data between mobile devices includes creating, by a processing device, a group comprising of mobile devices in an ad-hoc mode that share data. The mobile devices are located within a pre-defined range. The method also includes identifying, by the processing device, at least a portion of the data available for sharing in at least one of the mobile devices. The method also includes replicating, by the processing device, the identified data for distribution to the mobile devices. The method further includes distributing, by the processing device, the replicated data to the at least one of the mobile devices in the immediate mode when the at least one of the mobile devices is within the pre-defined range.

Currently, many applications exist that provide for distribution of data between mobile devices. The mobile devices may include a variety of different computing devices such as, for example, smart phones, mobile phones, tablet device, personal digital assistants (PDAs), personal navigation devices, portable computers, personal computers (PCs), palm-sized computing devices, etc. Many advances have been made to provide more storage space in the mobile device to store data received at the mobile device.
Most of the applications currently available to distribute data require a centerpiece available wirelessly (typically a server) between the mobile devices. However, the wireless central access point generally utilizes a large amount of mobile broadband bandwidth. Furthermore, many applications are dependent on an internet connection to distribute data between the mobile devices. As a result, such applications are often not reliable due to location and other connectivity issues of the mobile devices.

Distributing data between mobile devices


A precipitator having a through-flowing passage for the air to be purified. The precipitator is intended to be included in an air purification device, especially for purifying air from electrically charged particles. The precipitator is electrically connected to a high voltage source and has at least two electrode elements or groups of such elements arranged at different potential relative to each other. The electrode elements being designed as band-like strips that are arranged to circle at least once, and preferably several times, around an imaginary axis at a gap distance (d), seen in radial direction relative to the imaginary axis, from adjacent electrode elements. The extension of the electrode elements in the air flow direction is essentially less than their circled length around the imaginary axis. The edge section of the electrode elements, preferably at one side only of the body of the precipitator, are fixed relative to each other by the aid of fixing material.

In SE-B-469 466 a two step electro filter having an ionization section is described, said section being downstream followed by a so called precipitator. The electrode elements of the precipitator according to the mentioned patent application constitute of planar plates that comprise high resistant non-metallic material, said material also being designed as antistatic (so called dissipative material). By such a material an essential improvement of the separation ability is achieved compared to the traditional design, i.e. electrode elements of the precipitator comprising metallic material, and the voltage between the electrode elements can reach a higher level than in connection with traditional electrode elements manufactured from material having low resistivity. Further a new design for the ionization chamber is disclosed, said design being very simple and very efficient in terms of particle charging and with an exceptionally low emission of ozone.
In SE 9303894-1 is described a further development of the design of a precipitator according to the patent application mentioned above. By screening of the edge sections of the electrode elements of the precipitator possibilities are achieved, according to this patent application, to further increase the voltage between said elements and thus an increased separation ability.
In spite of an improved performance and new design of the electro filter cassette, inter alia from a cellulose based material and very simplified design of the ionization chamber, said inventions have not initiated an increased use of air purification devices and also not in other applications as for instance filters in ventilation ducts, coupe filters, filter for cooking fumes, a so called cooker hood, or in more industrial application areas, although the need of fresh air no longer might be questioned and although the electro filter technique in many aspects is much better than the traditional filter technique comprising so called barrier filters.
The reason for this very restricted use of the electro filter technique might be that systems for air purification also must fulfil other essential demands, apart from the air purification efficiency, to become accepted within wider circles of users.
These demands vary essentially depending on application area but they are also very different within the same application area for different users and different environments having different pollution load etc.
To exemplify certain demands that must be set up within at least one area of use, for instance separate air purifiers as a complement to existing ventilation, one can mention low initial cost/running charges per m.sup.3 purified air, low noise level, flexible location possibilities and adaption to different interiors, a simple way to operate the set-up, low cost for replacement cassettes, the way to handle used filter cassetes adapted both to the environment but also to the status of the user, for instance a healthy person or a person allergic to dust/an asthmatic person, long life of the devices etc.