The present disclosure relates to a system and method for controlling the output level of an enunciator on a portable electronic device. In one embodiment, this is provided a portable electronic device, comprising: a microprocessor; an enunciator connected to the microprocessor configured to provide an enunciation in response to enunciation events, the enunciator having at least a first enunciation setting and a second enunciation setting; a sensor; a monitoring circuit connected to the sensor for providing a trigger signal in response to a notable movement of the portable electronic device; and an enunciator management module to: activate the enunciator at the first enunciation setting in response to an enunciation event; adjust the output of the enunciator to the second enunciation setting in response to a first trigger signal from the monitoring circuit; and re-activate the enunciator at the second enunciation setting.

Current wireless handheld mobile communication devices perform a variety of functions to enable mobile users to stay current with information and communications, such as e-mail, corporate data and organizer information while they are away from their desks. A wireless connection to a server allows a mobile communication device to receive information and communications. Such devices invariably have enunciators therein which provide some sort of visual, audible or physical output (e.g. a light, a speaker, a vibrator or a buzzer) to enunciate (i.e. announce) a certain event. Typically, the enunciator is connected to a circuit, which is activated upon the occurrence of a specified event (e.g. receipt of an incoming telephone call, notification of a scheduled meeting, etc.). For example, a buzzer or speaker may be programmed to emit a sound when a call is received at the device.
It will be appreciated that in certain business or social situations, having the enunciators being activated is disruptive (e.g. if a ringer is activated for a call during a meeting or in a movie theatre).
Electronic devices have pre-programmed modes that allow different enunciation levels for such enunciators (e.g. quiet mode). However, use of such modes requires the user to manually enter such mode(s). This can be cumbersome.
There is a need for a system and method which addresses deficiencies in the prior art.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for controlling an enunciator on an electronic device


A direction-adjustable jig is capable of translating an artifact between two mutually perpendicular planes in a three-dimensional space. The jig includes a base, a sliding member, and a hinge member. The base has a pair of side walls each having a first guiding portion. The first guiding portion has a lower guiding portion and an upper guiding portion in communication with each other. The lower guiding portion and the upper guiding portion are formed at different height vertically. The sliding member is disposed reciprocatingly on the base and in between the side walls. The hinge member is pivotally connected to the sliding member and has a pair of second guiding portions for engaging the first guiding portions. The reciprocating motion of the sliding member allows the hinge member to rotate above the base and change its direction.

Technical Field
The instant disclosure relates to a jig, in particular for a robotic arm in which the jig is capable of translating an artifact between two mutually perpendicular planes in a three-dimensional (3-D) space.
Related Art
Automated equipment is primarily used for reducing manufacturing time and enhancing production efficiency. Typically, to reduce equipment cost, a robotic arm is employed to operate with a jig.
Most jigs are only capable of moving an artifact in a single plane or along a single axis. For rotational motion, a robotic arm is needed to achieve the operation.
For automated equipment, a robot arm is usually furnished with a gripper to pick up artifacts. However, the gripper normally is rotatable only in a single plane. If the gripper is made to operate multi-dimensionally, the cost of the automated equipment would increase with added burden to the user, although the production efficiency could be improved.
In light of this, for using with a robotic arm, how to provide a jig that is capable of manipulating between two mutually perpendicular planes, is the main objective of the instant disclosure.


A device and method for cooling the edge of a top plate which partially surrounds an evaporant pocket in an electron beam gun. The invention involves the passage of coolant through a channel in the top plate. The channel is substantially parallel to and close enough to the edge of the top plate so that re-evaporation of evaporant condensed on the edge of the top plate is substantially prevented.

The invention relates to electron beam coating systems. More particularly the invention relates to an improved system for cooling the top plate of a multi-pocket electron beam gun.
Electron beam guns have frequently been employed to evaporate material in a high vacuum environment for the purpose of ultimately depositing the material on a specific article or location. Such deposition systems typically include an electron emitting source, a crucible for holding the evaporant, and means for directing the electron beam onto the surface of the evaporant. Examples of such systems are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,710,072, 3,235,647 and 3,420,977.
One important development in the electron beam coating art has been the development of rotatable tables containing multiple pockets for holding evaporants. A multi-pocket electron beam gun may be loaded at a single time to deliver different evaporant materials. The gun is set up to deliver different evaporant materials by simply rotating the table in which the multiple pockets are contained. The multi-pocket electron beam gun design also provides increased capacity over the conventional single pocket design.
A necessary element of the multi-pocket electron beam gun is a top plate cover for the table, which allows only one pocket at a time to be exposed to the sweeping electron beam. Usually the top plate has a hole or cut-out section dimensioned to allow exposure of a single pocket. The top plate edge adjacent to the cut-out section, the "inward edge", is inherently susceptible to excessive heating because of it proximal location to the electron beam target.
A common problem with the multi-pocket electron beam gun is that evaporant collects on the inward edge and later re-evaporates contaminating the item to be coated.
In a prior device, inventors have attempted to minimize the problem by causing coolant to flow through a straight channel which runs longitudinally through the top plate of the electron beam gun. See FIG. 2. The straight cooling channel, however, inadequately cools portions of the top plate distal from the channel.
It has been discovered that a primary cause of the contamination problem is that the top plate edge adjacent to the exposed evaporant pocket inherently becomes coated with evaporant because of its close proximity to the evaporant pocket. In subsequent use the coated edge of the top plate becomes hot from secondary electron bombardment and from heat emanating from the evaporant reservoir, causing the evaporant to re-evaporate finally condensing on and contaminating the item which is intended to be coated exclusively with material from the exposed pocket.
Another problem related to excessive heating of the top plate edge is that the heat causes the condensed evaporant to fuse to the plate, making it difficult to clean.
Another problem is that excessive heating of the top plate edge causes it to warp.

Method and device for cooling electron beam gun


An antenna structure includes a ground plane, a feeding element, and a coupling radiation element. The feeding element is coupled to a signal source. The feeding element substantially has a T-shape. The coupling radiation element is separate from the feeding element and is adjacent to the feeding element. The coupling radiation element is further coupled to the ground plane and at least partially surrounds the feeding element.

1. Field of the Invention
The disclosure generally relates to an antenna structure, and more particularly, to a wideband antenna structure for use in a mobile device.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the progress of mobile communication technology, portable devices, such as notebook computers, tablet computers, mobile phones, multimedia players, and other hybrid functional portable devices, have become more common To satisfy the demand of users, portable devices usually can perform wireless communication functions. Some devices cover a large wireless communication area; for example, mobile phones use 2G, 3G, LTE (Long Term Evolution) and 4G systems and use frequency bands of 700 MHz, 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, and 2500 MHz. Some devices cover a small wireless communication area; for example, mobile phones use Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) systems and use frequency bands of 2.4 GHz, 3.5 GHz, 5.2 GHz, and 5.8 GHz.
In conventional designs, a fixed-size metal element is often used as a main antenna body in a mobile device, and the length of the metal element should be equal to a half of wavelength (λ/2) or a quarter of wavelength (λ/4) which corresponds to the desired frequency band. However, since the metal element for the generation of low-frequency bands requires a longer resonant path, it is difficult to design the metal element in the limited inner space of a mobile device.


A lock, such as a mortise lock, for a door. The lock comprises a locking cylinder that can be inserted into a door leaf and a shaft having two sections, each section of the shaft having a handle at the end, preferably a rotary knob or a standard door handle and being actively interconnected by a coupling after recognition of an authorisation code. The lock can be used for various applications as a result of its construction design, with a standard locking cylinder in various doors and that it allows, a simple, reliable, low-energy actuation of the locking mechanism. To achieve this, the coupling (11) comprises at least two, preferably four or more rolling members (17) that are guided in recesses (18) of a second part (10) of a first section (5) of the shaft (3). The rolling members can be pushed into cavities (20) that run around the periphery of the first part (9) of the first section (5) of the shaft (3), in order to actively connect a first part (9) and the second part (10) of the first section (5) of the shaft (3), using a radially or axially displaceable sliding element (22).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a lock, in particular a mortise lock for a door. Said lock comprises a locking cylinder that can in particular be inserted into a door leaf and a shaft consisting of two sections, each section of said shaft having a handle at the end, preferably a rotary knob or a standard door handle, and being actively interconnected by means of a coupling after recognition of an authorisation code.
2. Description of Related Art
Locks of this kind are known from prior art. They are built into door leafs particularly in the entrance door area, the opening and closing of the door, i.e. the movement of a catch bolt being accomplished via the shaft. To this end, said shaft includes an outside door handle, in particular a freely rotatable rotary knob that allows the catch bolt to be actuated only upon prior verification of an authorisation code through the locking cylinder. On the inside of the door there is also provided a handle, in particular a rotary knob. But this handle always serves for opening the door, even without verification of the authorisation code for actuation of the catch bolt. This makes sure that a door which is constructed in this way can always be opened from inside a building, whereas access to the building is possible only if an appropriate authorisation code has been entered before, which authorisation code produces the active interconnection between said outside door handle and said catch bolt. Said authorisation code may be entered mechanically or electronically. For example, the authorisation code can be the locking secret of a conventional key. On the other hand, it is possible to communicate the authorisation code via a keyboard or in a wireless fashion, for example through radio communication.
From DE 199 16 791 C1 a lock is known which can be designed as a mortise lock for a door. This lock includes a shaft which is subdivided in two sections, each of which having a handle, and the catch bolt of the lock being operable through a section of said shaft. To this end, a coupling is provided in the door outside area, which coupling actively interconnects the outside section of the shaft in said door with the inside section of the shaft in said door after recognition of an authorisation code. However, a considerable drawback can already be recognized here in as much as said coupling is arranged in the region of the outside section of the shaft, so that it may possibly be easily accessed and manipulated. Another drawback of this known lock is that doors of different thickness require the use of locking cylinders of a different length, which locking cylinders are normally penetrated by said shaft.
Further known from DE 198 24 713 A1 is a locking cylinder having a housing and a locking member supported for rotation within said housing. Said locking member is connected to a driving shaft that is divided in two sections that can be actively interconnected by means of a coupling. Said coupling is formed as a solenoid and is activated by a control electronic in dependence of an access authorisation.


A stapler comprises a loader device pivoted to a bottom plate and including the mechanisms for feeding the staples and operating the stapler, the loader device being, at least partially, engaged in a contoured handle body, the bottom plate being coupled to a bottom body so designed that the stapler can be used both as a gripper, by gripping the two bodies by a hand, and as a so-called table stapler, by causing the stapler to bear on a bottom plane.

The present invention relates to an improved stapler construction.
Are already known staples, of the so-called gripper type, comprising a loader pivoted to a plate thereby, by gripping by a hand the stapler as a gripper, it is possible to clamp the hand to operate the stapler and apply a staple.
Yet other prior staplers, the so-called table staplers, are conventionally use with staples having a size larger than that of the gripper stapler staples, and are designed to be operated in an ontable bearing condition, by operating the top movable portion of the stapler, comprising the stapler loader body.
The mentioned table staplers, of a less size, are preferred since they use staples having a size larger than those of the staples used in gripper staplers thereby allowing an operator to staple or stitch together larger thickness sheets.
However, the table staplers are specifically designed to be used in an on a table bearing condition and it is not possible to use them as a gripper stapler without a bearing surface.
Accordingly, the aim of the present invention is to provide a stapler construction which is improved with respect to like prior staplers.
Within the scope of the above mentioned aim, a main object of the present invention is to provide such a table stapler construction which can be easily used as a gripper stapler, without providing a bearing surface or table.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a stapler construction which is more efficient in operation than prior staplers specifically designed for each specific stapling use.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the above mentioned aim and objects, as well as yet other objects, which will become more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by an improved stapler construction comprising a loader pivoted to a bottom plate and including operating mechanisms for supplying staples and operating the stapler, and being characterized in that said loader is engaged, at least partially, in a contoured handle body, said bottom plate is coupled to a bottom body so designed that said stapler construction can be used both as a gripper stapler, by gripping the two stapler bodies by a hand, and as a table stapler, by supporting a stapler body on a supporting surface.


A vehicle includes a fuel tank and an evaporative-emissions system having a primary subsystem and an auxiliary subsystem. The primary subsystem has a fuel-vapor canister in fluid communication with the fuel tank to capture fuel vapors of the fuel tank. The auxiliary subsystem is configured to capture fuel vapors associated with an external fuel-storage device. The auxiliary subsystem has an auxiliary port located on an exterior of the vehicle and is configured to connect with the external fuel-storage device. The auxiliary port is selectively connected in fluid communication with the fuel-vapor canister by a valve.

A vehicle may include an evaporative-emissions system configured to store refueling vapors, running-loss vapors, and diurnal emissions in a fuel-vapor canister. The canister is periodically purged by routing the stored vapors to the engine intake manifold for combustion. In a typical canister purge operation, a canister purge valve coupled between the engine intake manifold and the fuel-vapor canister is opened so that intake manifold vacuum draws fuel vapor from the canister. Fresh air may be provided to the fuel-vapor canister via a vent circuit. The canister typically includes an adsorbent material.

Evaporative-emissions system with auxiliary subsystem for external fuel-storage device


A reflection plate for an optical encoder includes: a base material (1) with a reflecting surface; and a film (3) that is formed on a part of the reflecting surface and includes a non-electrolytic plating film or an electrolytic oxide film.

An optical encoder is a position sensor for measuring the rotation angles or the movement distances of a subject. Known optical encoders include transmission-type encoders in which light that has passed through the slits provided in the encoder disc is detected by a light receiving element to perform positioning, and reflection-type encoders in which reflection regions and non-reflection regions are provided on the encoder disc, and light that have been reflected from the reflection regions are detected by a light receiving element to perform positioning.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-121142 discloses a reflection-type encoder disc (a reflection plate for an optical encoder) including: an optical disc; an absorption layer formed on a surface of the optical disc; and a reflection layer patterned on a surface of the absorption layer. Typically, a conventional reflection plate for an optical encoder in which a patterned reflection layer is arranged on the surface of a non-reflection layer is manufactured by the following method. That is as shown in FIGS. 13A to 13F, a non-reflection layer 25 is first formed on a base material 21 by vacuum evaporation, sputtering, or the like (FIG. 13A). Thereon, a reflection layer 26 is formed by vacuum evaporation, sputtering, or the like (FIG. 13B). Subsequently, after funning a photoresist film 22 on the reflection layer 26 (FIG. 13C), the photoresist film 22 is subjected to exposure via a photomask. The photoresist film 22 after exposure is subjected to development to form a resist pattern 22a (FIG. 13D). With the resist pattern 22a used as a mask, the reflection layer 26 is subjected to etching or the like to expose the non-reflection layer 25 (FIG. 13E). After that, the resist pattern 22a is removed to expose the patterned reflection layer 26 (FIG. 13F). As a result, a conventional reflection plate for an optical encoder whose surface has non-reflection regions and patterned reflection regions is obtained.
In manufacturing a reflection plate, such as a conventional reflection plate for an optical encoder, having a non-reflection layer and a reflection layer arranged thereon, each layer is typically deposited by a vacuum process such as vacuum evaporation, sputtering, or the like. However, typically, vacuum evaporation apparatuses are comparatively expensive, and require a comparatively high equipment cost. Furthermore, there is a possibility that, in some types of non-reflection layers and reflection layers, exfoliation is produced due to a stain or a scratch on the surface of the layer.

Reflection plate for optical encoder and manufacturing method thereof, and optical encoder


A system for assisting regeneration of a storage/release NOx trap integrated in an exhaust line (5) of a motor vehicle diesel engine (4) is characterized in that it comprises gas admission means for admitting gas into the engine, means for injecting fuel (11) into the cylinders thereof in the form of at least pilot and main injections, and means for controlling (12) said gas admission and/or fuel injection means for periodically switching the engine (4) between a lean-mixture standard operating mode in which NOx is stored in the trap (6) and a rich-mixture regeneration operating mode, with at least two pilot injections (1, 2) and one main injection (3), in which NOx is released from the trap (6) and the trap is regenerated.

With direct injection diesel engines for motor vehicles, reducing NOx emissions by storage/release DeNOx catalysis is one technical solution envisaged for compliance with the standards relating to this type of pollution, and in particular the EURO IV standards.
To this end, it is envisaged to use a NOx trap adapted to absorb NOx during standard operation of the engine and consisting of barium sulfate, for example.
It is proposed to trigger a transient release stage when the trap is saturated by momentarily switching the engine from the standard mode of operation with a lean mixture to a regeneration mode of operation with a rich mixture in order to produce reducing agents, for example HC and CO, that reduce the NOx, which is then desorbed from the trap, as in a conventional catalytic converter.
However, that causes problems with stable control of the operation of the engine when using a rich mixture over the whole of its range of operation without impacting on driver comfort, combustion noise, etc.

System for assisting regeneration of a storage/release NOx trap for a motor vehicle diesel engine


A method for conducting a wagering game comprises receiving a wager and displaying a randomly selected outcome, the randomly selected outcome comprising a plurality of symbols arranged in an array. The array comprises a plurality of symbol positions, the plurality of symbols occupying the symbol positions. Each of the plurality of symbols is selected from a set of available symbols, the set of available symbols including a plurality of standard symbols and at least one mystery symbol. The method further comprises detecting the presence of the at least one mystery symbol in at least one of the symbol positions in the array and randomly selecting one replacement symbol from the plurality of standard symbols. The method further comprises replacing all occurrences of the at least one mystery symbol in the array with the replacement symbol to create a modified array and evaluating the modified array for winning combinations of standard symbols in accordance with a pay table of the wagering game.

Gaming machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning at each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting machines. Shrewd operators consequently strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines, features, and enhancements available because such machines attract frequent play and hence increase profitability to the operator. Therefore, there is a continuing need for gaming machine manufacturers to continuously develop new games and improved gaming enhancements that will attract frequent play through enhanced entertainment value to the player.
One concept that has been successfully employed to enhance the entertainment value of a game is the concept of a "secondary" or "bonus" game that may be played in conjunction with a "basic" game. The bonus game may comprise any type of game, either similar to or completely different from the basic game, which is entered upon the occurrence of a selected event or outcome in the basic game. Generally, bonus games provide a greater expectation of winning than the basic game and may also be accompanied with more attractive or unusual video displays and/or audio. Bonus games may additionally award players with "progressive jackpot" awards that are funded, at least in part, by a percentage of coin-in from the gaming machine or a plurality of participating gaming machines. Because the bonus game concept offers tremendous advantages in player appeal and excitement relative to other known games, and because such games are attractive to both players and operators, there is a continuing need to develop gaming systems with new types of bonus games to satisfy the demands of players and operators.
Traditionally, gaming machines display randomly selected outcomes of symbols and award players for winning combinations of symbols in accordance with a pay table. Other gaming machines have employed "clumping" of symbols, where groups or "clumps" of the same symbol appear adjacent to one another on vertical reels. The clumped symbols increase the likelihood of achieving a winning outcome and corresponding award. One problem that arises is that given the increased likelihood of a winning outcome, the clumped symbols often correspond to relatively lower awards on the pay table. Another problem exists in that if symbols corresponding to higher awards are clumped, the frequency of the occurrence of such clumped symbols is reduced to maintain a predetermined level or range of payout percentage. In other words, given the increased likelihood of greater awards, the frequency of such a result is reduced, thereby reducing enjoyment of the wagering game. Yet another problem that arises is that regardless of whether clumped symbols are used or not, as the randomly selected outcome is revealed to the player, enjoyment and anticipation are brief given the immediate perception of whether or not a winning outcome has been achieved, and if so, which symbols are involved in the winning outcome is and how it is awarded. The present invention is directed to solving these and other problems.

Gaming system having revealed mystery symbols


A more efficient solution for a detection of operating conditions in an inductive power transfer system and for improved control of the inductive power transfer system. An operating condition at a secondary side of an inductive power transfer system is detected by measuring at least one electric variable at a primary side of the inductive power transfer system which is dynamically coupled to the operating condition at the secondary side of the inductive power transfer system. Then follows an analysis of the at least one electric variable over time at the primary side of the inductive power transfer system. This allows to detect a change of the operating condition at the secondary side of the inductive power transfer system. Also provided is a control method and related controller apparatus using the detection method.

Generally, inductive power transfer systems have a number of advantages over conductive power transfer systems. E.g., for electric vehicles it means that a plugging of a cable is no longer required.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an inductive power transfer system 100 as known in the art.
As shown in FIG. 1, an inductive power transfer system 100 comprises at a transmission side a DC/AC converter 102, a transmission side controller 104, a transmission side compensation capacitor 106, and a transmitter coil 108 connected in series to the transmission side compensation capacitor 106. The series connection of the transmission side compensation capacitor 106 and the transmitter coil 108 is connected to the output side of the DC/AC converter 104.
As shown in FIG. 1, the inductive power transfer system 100 comprises at a receiving side a receiver coil 110 connected in series to a receiving side compensation capacitor 112. The series connection of the receiver coil 110 and the receiving side compensation capacitor 112 is connected to an input side of an AC/DC converter 114 which is operated under control of a receiving side controller 116. Parallel to the series connection of the receiver coil 110 and the receiving side compensation capacitor 112 there is connected a short circuit protection switch 118. At the output of the AC/DC converter 114 there is connected a load 120. For the connection of the load 120 there may be provided a DC/DC converter for control of the power level delivered to the load 120 (not shown in FIG. 1).
As shown in FIG. 1, a wireless communication link 122 may be established from the receiving side to the transmission side for exchange of control data and/or measurement data between from the receiving side to the transmission side.
Operatively, the DC/AC converter 102 is adapted to receive a DC input signal and adapted to convert it into a transmission side AC signal. The transmission side AC signal is output to the series connection of the transmission side compensation capacitor 106 and the transmitter coil 108 for generation of an oscillating magnetic field. The transmission side controller 104 is adapted to measure the characteristics of the transmission side AC signal and optionally the DC input signal for control of the DC/AC converter 102. In more detail, the transmission side controller 104 is adapted to control the DC/AC converter 102 such that the generated magnetic field oscillates at resonant frequency of the series connection of the transmission side compensation capacitor 106 and the transmitter coil 108.
Operatively, the receiver coil 110, when placed in the magnetic field produced by the transmitter coil 108, receives energy transmitted by the transmitter coil 108 through inductive coupling. The inductive coupling leads to the generation of a receiving side AC signal. Under control of the transmission side controller 116 the AC/DC converter 114 is adapted to convert the receiving side AC signal into a load side DC signal which is then forwarded to the load 120.
Operatively, the receiving side controller 116 is adapted to measure the receiving side AC signal and optionally the load side DC signal for control of a power delivered to the load 120. Further, the receiving side controller 116 is adapted to detect an error state at the receiving side for actuation of the short circuit protection switch 118. Operatively, measurement data and control data may be sent over the wireless communication link 122 to improve the control and to inform the transmitting side on fault conditions at the receiving side.
Generally, in inductive power transfer systems there is no direct hardware connection between the transmission side and the receiving side. However, in cases of errors on the receiving side it is essential that a response to the error state is achieved as soon as possible to reduce or stop power transmission from the transmission side.
Further, if an open circuit error occurs at the receiving side, the receiving side AC signal will increase to levels that may be destructive to components in the inductive power transfer system or that may be even dangerous. Currently this problem is solved by detecting the over-voltage at the receiving side and by shorting the secondary resonant circuit constituted by the receiver coil 110 and the receiving side compensation capacitor 112 using the short circuit protection switch 118. Optionally, the error has to be communicated via the wireless communication link 122 to the transmission side to stop the power transmission. This short circuit protection switch 118 can be implemented using dedicated switches or, when available, using two high-side or two low-side active switches in the AC/DC converter 114.
However, communicating the error from the receiving side to the transmission side may be too slow. There are multiple delays added due to the analogue to digital conversion, the processing of the signal and the transmission delay caused by the wireless communication link 122.
Further, while the active short-circuiting by the short circuit protection switch 118 at the receiving side adds some level of safety it is nevertheless possible that the short circuit current increases above the rating of hardware components. Also, using the short circuit protection switch 118 leads to increased costs and complexity.


A mobile communication device includes an antenna and a transceiver circuit having a first port for transmitting first RF signals and a second port for transmitting second RF signals. The second RF signals are different than the first RF signals. A single RF filter is electrically connected between the antenna and the transceiver circuit. The RF filter has an antenna port coupled to the antenna and a transceiver port coupled to the transceiver circuit. The transceiver port of the RF filter is coupled to the first port and to the second port of the transceiver circuit.

The frequency range that is reserved worldwide for mobile communication systems comprises many frequency bands. There are a multiplicity of different mobile communication standards and many duplexing methods that a modern mobile communication device needs to be able to use in order to be competitive. At the same time, there is the trend toward ever more advanced miniaturization of electrical components that are installed in mobile communication devices and that use the standards and duplexing methods.
Usual mobile communication standards in Europe are GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) and UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems). Popular duplexing methods are FDD (Frequency Division Duplexing) methods, which involve transmitted and received signals being transmitted simultaneously in principle, but on different frequencies, TDD (Time Division Duplexing) methods, which involve transmitted and received signals being transmitted alternately in successive timeslots, and the duplexing method of the GSM standard, which involves transmitted and received signals being transmitted both on different frequencies and successively in timeslots.
Although the design is meant to be as small as possible, a mobile communication device can therefore easily have ten or more RF filters, even if, e.g., German patent document DE 100 53 205 A1, also published as counterpart U.S. Pat. No. 7,142,884 B2, discloses measures for integrating circuit elements for multiband and/or multimode operation.
The consequences of these contrary trends are an ever greater risk from crosstalk, i.e., the coupling of interfering signals on one signal path into another signal path, and higher costs as a result of more complex circuitry.

Mobile transceiver with shared user filter, method for the operation of the mobile transceiver and use of a filter


The invention relates to a device and a method for biomass combustion and simultaneous CO2 capture for capturing the CO2 generated in said combustion to generate a substantially pure CO2 stream (9) which can be subsequently stored. The device comprises a combustor-carbonator reactor (a) which is fed with biomass and air; at least one solids recycling cyclone (b, c) which separates solids (5) returning to the combustor-carbonator and from which there exits a solids and gases stream (4). The device comprises a calciner B which regenerates CaO, a fluidized bed (d) and means for feeding fresh CaCO3 (12) and for purging solids (11).

Currently, the generation of electricity from fossil fuels is fundamentally carried out by means of combustion processes which generate considerable amounts of CO2, the main substance responsible for the climate change. Therefore, different methods for CO2 capture for capturing the CO2 released in these processes have been proposed in the state of the art, among which those based on the carbonation-calcination reaction can be emphasized:CaO+CO2═CaCO3
U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,894 describes a method for the absorption of CO2 with regenerable solids including, among others, MgO and/or CaO. The regeneration of the carbonate formed is carried out by means of the heat obtained from the combustion gases. This solution is viable for the case of capturing CO2 with MgO, a carbonate being formed since the MgCO3 decomposition temperatures are moderate. However, for the case of CaO as a CO2 sorbent, the proposed system for regeneration by means of CaCO3 calcination is not viable in practice, since the minimum demand of heat in the calciner is very high for CO2 capture efficiencies greater than 70%. [Rodriguez et al., Heat requirements of a CaCO3 calciner when integrated in a CO2 capture system. Chemical Engineering Journal, 138, 1-3, 148-155, 2008]. In other words, at the usual combustion temperatures the minimum temperature necessary for exchanging heat with the CaCO3 calciner is not available in the combustion gases, which calciner, due to the thermodynamic equilibrium, must necessarily be operated at temperatures greater than 900° C. to obtain pure CO2 from the regenerator.
Shimizu et al. (Shimizu et al. A twin fluid-bed reactor for removal of CO2 from combustion processes Trans IChemE, 77, A, 1999) published a method for using CaO as an absorbent of the CO2 coming from the combustion gases, with regeneration by means of continuous CaCO3 calcination, to obtain a concentrated CO2 stream. The proposed system uses two interconnected fluidized beds as a carbonator and calciner. The calciner uses oxy-coal combustion to supply the necessary heat to the endothermic step of CaCO3 calcination to give CaO and CO2. The drawback of this CO2 capture system is that it requires being applied to a high-efficiency thermal power station (generating the combustion gas stream which is fed to the carbonator) to maximally reduce the energy penalty of the expensive air separation plant for producing the highly pure O2 required in the calciner.
WO 03/080223 describes a combustion method at temperatures preferably greater than 1000° C., with integrated CO2 separation by carbonation based on using CaO as a carrier of part of the heat generated in a combustion chamber, which is used in the calciner to maintain the endothermic calcination reaction, and regenerate the CaO, without needing to use an air separation plant as proposed by Shimizu et al. To transfer the heat necessary for reaching calcination temperatures greater than 900° C., using circulating fluidized beds separated by metal walls or preferably interconnected by means of a flow of inert solids in the combustion reaction, which transfer heat from the combustion chamber to the calciner, is proposed. The first proposal has been discarded due to the lack of suitable materials.
WO 2004/097297 describes a combustion method with CO2 capture which includes a pressurized bubbling fluidized bed reactor. Three simultaneous reactions are carried out in said reactor: combustion of the carbon material fed to the reactor, "in situ" CO2 capture for capturing the CO2 generated during the combustion and "in situ" SO2 capture for capturing the SO2 generated during the combustion. The last two reactions are possible as a result of the fact that the reactor is continuously fed with a CaO stream, obtained by the combustion of coal under oxy-combustion conditions. Therefore, this method has the drawback of requiring an air separation plant for producing O2. The fuel of the invention is preferably petroleum coke or any other solid fuel with low ash content, to prevent problems with the high regeneration temperatures (>1,000° C.) in the pressurized fluidized bed. This patent describes high-pressure combustion systems due to the fact that they are the only ones in which it is possible to combine high combustion rates of solid fuels with low reactivity, such as petroleum coke, and high sulfation retention and carbonation efficiencies.
Abanades et al. (Abanades, J. C.; et al. Fluidized Bed Combustion Systems Integrating CO2 Capture with CaO. Environ. Sci. Tech. 2005, 39(8), 2861; and Abanades, J. C., et al. In-situ capture of CO2 in a fluidized bed combustor. 17th Int. Conf. on Fluidized Bed Combustion, FL-USA, ASME. May 2003. paper 10) describe a method similar to that of application WO 2004/097297, but at atmospheric pressure and only valid for fuels with a high reactivity and very low sulfur content, such as biomass. The method consists of biomass combustion and simultaneous "in situ" CO2 capture for capturing the CO2 formed by carbonation working at about 700° C. However, it has not been possible to demonstrate the viability of the method (C. Salvador, et al. Capture of CO2 with CaO in a pilot fluidized bed carbonator. Experimental results and reactor model. 7th Congress on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies-GHGT-7; Vancouver, Canada; September 2004) mainly because it is carried out in a bubbling fluidized bed, with a large segregation in the bed of the combustion reaction which prevents the necessary contact between the CO2 and the CaO absorbent particles.
Therefore, and in view of the foregoing, there is still a need in the state of the art for providing an alternative method and device for "in situ" combustion and carbonation which at least partly overcome the mentioned problems of the state of the art and are more efficient from an energy and economic point of view, and are therefore interesting for their scaling to industrial level.

Method and device for biomass combustion without carbon dioxide emission


A support device for a bundle of elongated members and a locking assembly for securing the same within the bundle are disclosed. The support device includes an elongated support adapted to be located between adjacent spaced rows of elongated members, wherein the elongated support having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side being arranged to be positioned adjacent one row of the spaced rows of elongated members and the second side being arranged to be positioned adjacent another row of the spaced rows of elongated members. The support device includes a plurality of support members spaced along the elongated support, wherein each support member have a first supporting assembly located on the first side for supporting one of the elongated members in the one row and a second supporting assembly located on the second side for supporting one of the elongated members in the other row. At least one locking assembly is provided for locking the support device between the adjacent rows of elongated members, wherein each of the at least one locking assembly being located on at least one of the first side and the second side between adjacent supporting assemblies.

Shell and tube heat exchangers and similar items of fluid handling devices utilize tubes organized in bundles to conduct the fluids through the equipment. In such tube bundles, there is typically fluid flow both through the insides of the tubes and across the outsides of the tubes. The configuration of the tubes in the bundle is set by the tubesheets into which the tubes are set. One common configuration for the tubes is a square formation with the tubes set in aligned rows with tube lanes (the straight paths between the tubes) between each pair or rows, aligned orthogonally to one another. This configuration is illustrated in FIG. 1 in connection with the tube support device and locking assembly in accordance with the present invention. In this formation, each tube is adjacent to eight other tubes except at the periphery of the tube bundle and is directly opposite a corresponding tube across the tube lane separating its row from the two adjacent rows. In the triangular tube formation, the tubes in alternate rows are aligned with one another so that each tube is adjacent six other tubes (the two adjacent tubes in the same row and four tubes in the two adjacent rows).
Fluid flow patterns around the tubes as well as the changes in the temperature and density of the fluids which arise as a result of the heat exchange between the two fluids flowing in and around the tubes may give rise to flow-induced vibrations of an oscillatory nature in the tube bundle. If these vibrations reach certain critical amplitudes, damage to the bundle may result. Tube vibration problems may be exacerbated if heat exchange equipment is retubed with tubes of a different material to the original tubes, for example, if relatively stiff materials are replaced with lighter weight tubes. Flow-induced vibration may also occur when equipment is put to more severe operating demands, for example, when other existing equipment is upgraded and a previously satisfactory heat exchanger, under new conditions, becomes subject to flow-induced vibrations. Vibration may even be encountered under certain conditions when an exchanger is still in the flow stream but without heat transfer taking place.
Besides good equipment design, other measures may be taken to reduce tube vibration. U.S. Pat. No. 7,032,655 to Wanni et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,117,935 to Wanni et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 7,128,130 to Wanni et al. disclose various tube support devices that effectively mitigate flow-induced vibration in tube bundles. These tube support devices utilize elongated members that are adapted to be received within tube lanes to engage adjacent tubes and effectively reduce vibration to improve operation.
Co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/128,884 to Wanni et al., also discloses another tube support device, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety specifically by reference. This tube support device is also effective in mitigating vibration within the tube bundle to improve operation. With reference to FIG. 1, the tube support device 10 comprises an elongated flat member made up of two strips 11, 12 that are connected together back-to-back by welds or other suitable connection means. The tube support devices 10 are configured to be inserted in the tube lanes. The support devices may be inserted within each tube lane, alternating tube lanes or at locations sufficient to mitigate vibration. The tube support device 10 includes a plurality of support members 13, 14 that engage adjacent tubes 1. The support members 13, 14 are created on the face of the two strips 11, 12. Each support member has a plurality of arcuate tube-receiving saddles 15, which are sized to receive a portion of the tubes therein. The tube support devices may be secured in place by passing a cable through the ends of the support devices 10 and around the bundle.
While the cables are effective in securing the support devices within the bundle, the use of such cables has potential drawbacks. There may be difficulties associated with installing the cable around the tube bundle. The cable may fret at the point where the cable passes through an associated aperture in the support device, which could lead to the potential failure of the cable. Additionally, the flow of fluid around the tubes of the tube bundle may cause the cable to rub on the outer surface of the outermost tubes in the tube bundle, which may cause wear.
There is a need for a locking assembly for securing a tube support device in a desired location within the tube bundle that does not cause wear to the locking assembly, the tube support device and/or the tube bundle.

Anti-vibration tube support with locking assembly

ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company


The size of a foreign substance which is present between a cathode and an anode and which contributes to a short circuit therebetween is measured. On the basis of the measured size, the wavelength of a laser beam with which the foreign substance is irradiated is set, as is the number of times of irradiation. The foreign substance is irradiated with the laser beam to eliminate at least part of the foreign substance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an array substrate and a method of manufacturing an organic electroluminescence (EL) display device having the array substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, for example, an organic EL display device and a liquid crystal display device have been used as a display device. Since the organic EL display device does not require a backlight unit that is used for liquid crystal display devices, it can be thinned, lightened, decreased in power consumption, reduced in costs and achieved as a mercuryless one. Since, moreover, it is a self-luminous display device, it has the features of wide viewing angle and high-speed response. The organic EL display device therefore receives attention as a device for displaying moving images such as a television (TV) set as well as a device for displaying still images such as a notebook personal computer (PC), a monitor and a viewer.
The organic EL display device includes an array substrate. The array substrate has a glass substrate and a plurality of organic EL elements arranged in matrix on the glass substrate. Each of the organic EL elements forms one pixel and has an anode, a cathode opposed to the anode and an EL layer interposed between the anode and cathode. The EL layer contains an organic compound having a light-emitting function and can emit any one of red light, green light and blue light.
The interval between the anode and cathode is as narrow as about 1 μm. In the process of manufacturing the organic EL display device, a short circuit is likely to occur between the anode and cathode. This short circuit occurs when a foreign substance is interposed between the anode and cathode, when the EL layer comes off due to trouble with manufacture, or the like. A pixel to which the foreign substance is attached becomes unlit and cannot emit light. If a number of pixels are unlit, a display device greatly decreases in image quality and display quality and cannot be shipped as a product. It is thus necessary to repair the unlit pixels.
For example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2004-227852 discloses a method of repairing an unlit pixel. According to this method, a short-circuited portion between an anode and a cathode is irradiated with a laser beam to form a high-resistance region between them. The method lights an unlit pixel and accordingly the pixel functions as a normal one. The method allows a foreign substance to be removed from a pixel with a laser beam to thereby light the pixel.
Foreign substances vary in shape and size. In the prior art method, the rate of success in repair varies to cause both a case where an unlit pixel can be repaired and a case where it cannot be repaired. Since an unlit pixel is difficult to repair with efficiency, a display device cannot be manufactured with stability.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above situation and its object is to provide a method of manufacturing an array substrate and a method of manufacturing an organic EL display device with stability to repair an unlit pixel with efficiency.

Method of manufacturing array substrate and method of manufacturing organic EL display device

Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co., Ltd.


A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for efficiently printing impositioned documents with using a wide spectrum of resources and document elements is disclosed. A print optimizer and an imposition engine operate cooperatively to generate and managed skeletonized document versions to efficiently effect changes to the impositioned document.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for rendering documents, and in particular to a system and method for improving the throughput in rendering impositioned documents.
2. Description of the Related Art
Impositioning refers to the process by which multiple pages are printed on a single sheet of paper in a particular order so that they come out in the correct sequence when cut and folded. The printing of an impositioned document typically involves manipulation of the document, printing, making adjustments to render the document as desired, reprinting the document, making additional adjustments. This process is repeated until the document is rendered as the user desires.
This process reduces the productivity, especially because the time to reprint can be lengthy. Further, the process of sending multiple versions of large documents such as books (which comprise a large subset of documents that are printed with impositioning techniques) creates excessive network communications traffic from the impositioning client to the print server, and from the print server to the printer. Also, it can be difficult to enforce version control to keep up with a multitude of documents with small changes. There is no automated way to assure that changes are reflected in the imposed document other than sending all the data again. This further reduces productivity during the time the user is waiting for reprints.
Further, in many cases, it is desirable to include variable data in impositioned documents. For example, it may be desirable to print a book wherein each copy of the book includes customized data in particular fields. Current impositioning systems do not support the efficient use of variable data.
What is needed is a system and method for improving throughput in printing impositioned documents. The present invention satisfies that need.

System and method for improving throughput in printing impositioned documents


At least one trickplay source file is generated from original media content. Trickplay view files for rendering particular trickplay view rates are then generated from the trickplay source file.

One limitation of conventional dynamic trick play generation is that the view files reference only a sub-set of the I-frames present in the source MPEG content. That makes disk I/O very inefficient, especially on systems based on RAID volumes when one of the data disks is off-line. For example, if I-frames occur every 0.5 second on a 4 Mbps stream, then a full stripe read of a 5+1 RAID array with a 512 kb block size will yield only about 10 I-frames. Only a fraction of those are actually useful when constructing trick play view files with greater than 1× playback rates. For example, if I-frames are on average 50 kb and the desired trick play speed uses only 5 I-frames from a RAID stripe, the effectiveness of the data read is only (5*50 kb)/(5*512 kb), which is less than 10%.
Under normal conditions (e.g. where no RAID reconstruction is required) it is not necessary to read the full stripe in order to obtain the desired I-frames. In the best case, a full disk block read is required, while in the worst case may involve reading two disk blocks when an I-frame spans blocks.
Another limitation of conventional dynamic trick play generation is that the source MPEG content usually includes several independent media streams. Trick play view streams need to be fully compliant MPEG bitstreams, but simple cut-and-past operations on I-frames could produce non-contiguous bitstreams. A solution used in the past was the insertion of transport stream discontinuity indicators between each pair of I-frames, however some set top boxes do not handle discontinuities correctly. Another approach used in the past was to perform filtering in real time so that the unwanted media streams could be excluded. That adds significant overhead to the real time processor, because the unwanted packets have to be located, and the I-frame fragments need to be reassembled.
The limitations above motivated the development of multi-asset trick play mechanisms where all allowable trick play speeds were pre-generated as part of the content ingest mechanism. Some drawbacks of multi-asset trick play mechanisms are the lack of flexibility (can only use the pre-generated trick play speeds) and the need for extra storage space for all trick play files generated. Also, in the network DVR scenario with real time playback requirements, efficient disk I/O and latency from live feed are conflicting objectives. The network DVR process must record not only the main view data, but also all the required trick play view files. Because trick play view data is generated more slowly, the network DVR process must write partial blocks/stripes in order to ensure availability of live data, which increases the disk I/O bandwidth utilization and imposes extra processing load on the system.


One aspect of the present subject matter relates to a one-device non-volatile memory cell. The memory cell includes a body region, a first diffusion region and a second diffusion region formed in the body region. A channel region is formed in the body region between the first diffusion region and the second diffusion region. The memory cell includes a gate insulator stack formed above the channel region, and a gate to connect to a word line. The gate insulator stack includes a floating plate to selectively hold a charge. The floating plate is connected to the second diffusion region. The memory cell includes a diode that connects the body region to the second diffusion region such that the floating plate is charged when the diode is reversed biased. Other aspects are provided herein.

Known dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices include a switching transistor and an integrated storage capacitor tied to the storage node of the transistor. Incorporating a stacked capacitor or a trench capacitor in parallel with the depletion capacitance of the floating storage node enhances charge storage. Due to a finite charge leakage across the depletion layer, the capacitor is frequently recharged or refreshed to ensure data integrity in the DRAM device. Thus, such a DRAM device is volatile. A power failure causes permanent data loss in a DRAM device. DRAM devices are relatively inexpensive, power efficient, and fast compared to non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) devices.
NVRAM devices, such as Flash, EPROM, EEPROM, etc., store charge using a floating gate or a floating plate. Charge trapping centers and associated potential wells are created by forming nano-particles of metals or semiconductors in a large band gap insulating matrix, or by forming nano-layers of metal, semiconductor or a small band gap insulator that interface with one or more large band gap insulating layers. The floating plate or gate can be formed as an integral part of the gate insulator stack of the switching transistor.
Floating plate non-volatile memory devices have been formed using a gate insulator stack with silicon-rich insulators. In these devices, injected charges (electrons or holes) are trapped and retained in local quantum wells provided by nano-particles of silicon embedded in a matrix of a high band gap insulator such as silicon dioxide (SiO2) or silicon nitride (Si3N4). In addition to silicon trapping centers, other trapping centers include tungsten particles embedded in SiO2, gold particles embedded in SiO2, and a tungsten oxide layer embedded in SiO2.
Field emission across the surrounding insulator causes the stored charge to leak. The stored charge leakage from the floating plate or floating gate is negligible for non-volatile memory devices because of the high band gap insulator. For example, silicon dioxide (SiO2) has a 9 ev band gap, and oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) and other insulators have a band gap in the range of 4.5 ev to 9 ev. Thus, the memory device retains stored data throughout a device's lifetime.
However, there are problems associated with NVRAM devices. The writing process, also referred to as "write-erase programming," for non-volatile memory is slow and energy inefficient, and requires complex high voltage circuitry for generating and routing high voltage. Additionally, the write-erase programming for non-volatile memory involves high-field phenomena (hot carrier or field emission) that degrades the surrounding insulator. The degradation of the insulator eventually causes significant leakage of the stored charge. Thus, the high-field phenomena negatively affects the endurance (the number of write/erase cycles) of the NVRAM devices. The number of cycles of writing and erasing is typically limited to 1 E6 cycles. Therefore, the available applications for these known NVRAM devices is limited.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide improved non-volatile memory.

One-device non-volatile random access memory cell


Systems and methods described herein are directed to estimating the sharpness of images or photos such as document pages or scenes. The systems and methods are based on calculating a difference in grayscale values between pixels at an edge of an image. The differences may be accomplished by taking a slope of grayscale values between two pixels at an edge window, and estimating the edge sharpness based on the slope, multiple slopes, or differences in the slopes.

1. Field
The exemplary embodiments described herein are generally directed to estimating sharpness, and more specifically, to estimating sharpness in document and scene images.
2. Related Art
With the proliferation of cameras on mobile devices, an ever-increasing number of photos are taken. Related art cameras capture a burst of images, in order to bracket camera settings or to capture an action shot. As the number of digital photos and the automatic processing of digital photos increases, there is a need for methods to assess the perceived blurriness of an image.
When photobooks are generated, image blurriness can be determined and the least blurry image can be selected from several similar images. Additionally, the size of the image in the photobook can be scaled so that the blurrier images are smaller. As mobile phones become more intertwined with other applications, there is a need for quickly assessing the blurriness of images, for focusing as well as for the other applications. Sharpness can be determined in computer vision tasks such as detecting shadows, which often have less sharp edges, and in identifying in-focus and out-of-focus areas of an image.
In the related art, cameras may capture document images on scenes. Taking photos of document pages as an alternative to scanning is becoming more feasible, as the resolution of mobile phones has improved. However, the estimating of sharpness/blurriness for photos of textual document pages is not adequately addressed by related art sharpness determination measures. From the user side, it may be difficult to determine whether a photo is well-focused on a mobile screen. Thus, there is an unmet need for a real-time method for estimating sharpness on a mobile phone.
When taking a photo, there may be different causes of blur. FIG. 1 illustrates blurring 101, 102 due to the motion of the camera relative to the object 100 being photographed. Here, object 100 is a document image. This blurring effect can be further accentuated when taking close-up photos, as shown in FIG. 2. The photo 200 is of a single page; the closer characters 201, 202 are less blurry than the far characters 203, 204.
Sharpness estimation is used in related art photo processing applications, such as selection, display, printing, restoration, and enhancement. Related art methods have been specifically proposed for estimating the sharpness/blurriness of a photo of a natural scene. However, photos of document pages have different characteristics than photos of natural scenes. Thus, the sharpness measures developed for natural scenes may not necessarily produce the same result for photos of document pages primarily composed of text.
Related art sharpness/blurriness measures require a "perfect" reference image for comparison. Such related art methods are used for evaluating the degradation of image quality due to various types of processing. Related art no-reference methods are for evaluating the sharpness of a photo for a single scene and across scenes without a reference image.
Related art no-reference methods are applied to all pixels in the image. No-reference methods are based on statistical characteristics of the pixel values in an image, including variance, autocorrelation, and kurtosis. Histograms of various measures may include histograms of grayscale levels, entropy of the gray levels, and Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) coefficients in 8×8 blocks. Related art methods may also be based on the image power spectrum, band-pass filtering, and wavelets. One such related art method is the Gradient Method, which is based on relative grayscale values (the difference in grayscale values between two pixels). The Gradient Method computes the average of the gradient values over the entire image as a measure of sharpness. Various fixed offsets between pixels have also been proposed where the Gradient Method was used.
Other related art methods have focused on the edge pixels identified using an edge detector, such as the Canny edge detector. These edge-based approaches do not use a reference image. In these related art methods, the width of an edge is measured by counting the number of pixels with increasing grayscale values in one direction of the edge pixel, while counting the number of pixels with decreasing grayscale values in the other direction. The width is computed as the sum of both counts, excluding the edge pixel. Thus, the estimate of edge width is quantized to pixel widths (number of pixels). This is a relatively coarse estimate, especially in images with many high contrast and rapid transitions (such as text documents), where a transition often occurs in three pixels or less.
Another related art method is directed to edge pixels, and computes the standard deviation of the gradient magnitude profile of the edge to be combined as a weighted average with the magnitude of the edge.

Sharpness estimation in document and scene images