Disclosed a chemiluminescence enhancer and a chemiluminescence immunodetection kit. The chemiluminescence enhancer is specifically a betaine and can be used for enhancing the luminance of a luminescent acridine substance. The chemiluminescence immunodetection kit comprising the chemiluminescence enhancer and a luminescent acridine substance features greatly enhanced luminescence signals and high detection sensibility, and can be widely applied to fields such as clinical diagnoses, scientific research, and sanitation analysis.

Chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) is a novel labeling immunoassay technique that combines a chemiluminescent or bioluminescent system with an immune response for the detection of trace antigens or antibodies. Chemiluminescence immunoassay is currently the most mainstream immunoassay technology in the world. It has the advantages of high sensitivity, wide detection range, short reaction time, fully automatic operation, good reproducibility, no pollution, and the like. It is an ultra-high sensitive micro-detection technology developed after radioimmunoassay, enzyme immunoassay, and fluorescence immunoassay. The principle of chemiluminescence is the light generated when the ground-state molecule absorbs the energy released in the chemical reaction to transition to the excited state, and the excited-state molecule returns to the ground state in a form of optical radiation. Chemiluminescence immunoassay is a combination of chemiluminescence and immunoassay, which combines the high sensitivity of chemiluminescence and the high selectivity of immunoassay.
In chemiluminescence immunoassays, luminescent substances commonly used include luminol, isoluminol, 3-(2-spiroadamantane)-4-methoxy-4-(3-phosphoryloxy)-phenyl-1,2-dioxetane disodium salt (abbreviated as AMPPD), terpyridine ruthenium, or acridine luminescent substance. Isoluminol, terpyridine ruthenium, and acridine luminescent substances can be used as a tracer molecule for direct labeling, and belongs to flash-type chemiluminescent substance. Luminol and AMPPD rely on peroxidase and alkaline phosphatase as tracer molecules for labeling, respectively, and belong to enzymatic luminescent chemiluminescent substances. The luminescence reaction of the acridine luminescent substance does not require a catalyst, and can be carried out in an alkaline environment, and the luminescence reaction is rapid, the background luminescence is low, and the signal-to-noise ratio is high. In addition, the luminescence reaction has few interference factors, good reagent stability, simple chemiluminescence system and low cost of the excitation liquid, and the acridine luminescent substance is an ideal chemiluminescent substance.
The conventional acridine-type fully automatic chemiluminescence system mainly uses hydrogen peroxide in combination with an acidic solution and an alkaline solution as a luminescence starting reagent, and some of that adds enhancers such as polyethylene glycol octyl phenyl ether (Triton X-100) and Tween 20 (Tween 20) to the luminescence starting reagent to enhance luminescence. However, the effect of enhancing the luminescence after the addition of the conventional enhancer is not obvious. In summary, the conventional acridine luminescent substance has a weak luminescence intensity.

Chemiluminescence enhancer and chemiluminescence immunodetection kit


A system and method comprising a reporting mechanism for outputting an HMTL and XML document from a collection of hierarchically maintained settings such as group policy object settings or resultant set of policy data. The reporting mechanism provides a substantially complete view of which settings are configured (enabled) in a given group policy object, or a view for a resultant set of policy (that is applied to a given SOM), along with the values of the settings. The markup language format enables viewing a flat representation of the settings, and printing, saving and/or transporting of the settings. XML schemas describe a valid representation of group policy settings, and a valid representation of resultant set of policy.

In contemporary computing networks, network administrators define policies for users and computer systems of that network. With a Microsoft Windows®-based operating system, administrators use Group Policy technology to define the state of users' work environment, and rely on the system to enforce the defined policies. In general, those policies are then applied to determine how the various computer systems are configured. For example, the configuration that a user sees when logged onto any computer system of the network depends on the policy settings for that machine combined with the policy settings for that user.
In such a network, Group Policy can be used to specify many of the settings for a user and computer, including registry-based policy settings used to configure and specify behavior of the operating system and optionally application programs based on settings in various computer systems' registries, and script-related policy settings that control scripts for computer startup and shutdown, and user logon and logoff. Group policy can also specify particular software programs for groups of users and/or machines, as Group Policy includes settings for centrally managing the installation, updates, and removal of application programs and components. Security options are also provided by policy settings, e.g., for local computer, domain, and network security settings. Folder redirection options, which allow administrators to redirect users' special folders to the network, also may be managed via Group Policy, as can Internet Explorer Maintenance, which is used to manage settings related to Internet Explorer and Remote Installation Services options, which are used to manage client configuration options that users see when performing Remote Installation Services-based installs. Internet Protocol Security Settings and Wireless settings can also be deployed through Group Policy, and public key policy settings, as well as software restriction policies can also be managed.
To apply and enforce the policy in a Windows®-based operating system, the Group Policy settings that administrators create are contained in group policy objects (GPOs). In general, a group policy object may be considered a collection of settings of various types, defined by extensions to group policy which are registered on the administrative and client systems and used to manage group policy configuration. The actual application of settings on the client, as well as administration of settings is managed by that extension. Group policy objects are applied to one or more scopes of management, such as a site, domain, or organizational unit (OU) in Active Directory®, and thus a site, domain, or organizational unit may also be referred to as a scope of management, or SOM. In this manner, administrators centrally apply policy to users and computers of those sites, domains, and organizational units. Policy settings from group policy objects that are linked to each of these different hierarchical levels are combined and applied to the policy recipients. Any conflicting policy among the levels is resolved via various rules, as generally described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,466,932, herein incorporated by reference. The result set is referred to as a resultant set of policy, or RSoP, which comprises the policy settings that were applied to a user or computer, as well as the group policy objects from where these settings originated (the winning GPO).
While group policy is a very powerful technology and group policy objects greatly simplify network administration, group policy objects are not simple objects, but rather virtual objects comprising complex pieces of setting definitions that are stored on the domain. In general, each group policy object comprises multiple subcomponents, typically including a collection of many files, other objects and attributes, that reference one another in various ways. For example, in one Windows®-based implementation, a group policy object comprises some settings stored within an Active Directory® container, as well as in a file system directory (sysvol) on the domain controllers within the group policy object's host domain.
Managing Group Policy in an enterprise environment requires an understanding multiple complex sets of data, simultaneously. For example, to understand which computers and users will receive and apply the settings in a given group policy object, the administrator has to access and understand multiple sets of information. In addition, multiple group policy objects can apply to a single user and/or a computer. To manage this complexity and understand the relationships of group policy objects and the directory, an MMC snap-in, the Group Policy Management Console, is provided. This snap-in allows the administrator to work with group policy objects as a unit.
However, a group policy object is a collection of multiple settings. To edit and configure those settings within a single group policy object, a second Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Snap-in, Group Policy Object Editor (GPEdit) is provided, which (for convenience) is launchable from the Group Policy Management Console. With GPEdit, the group policy object is displayed hierarchically on a left side (pane), with details for a selected item in displayed on a right side (pane).
However, in part because of the restrictive view in which this is presented and controlled through MMC snap-ins, it is very difficult to administer a group policy object's settings. More particularly, the snap-in view generally restricts the administrator to viewing a small number of settings at a time, since the settings are organized within a folder structure, and thus makes it very difficult to determine what settings are configured. For example, there are a large number of settings in a group policy object or resultant set of policy for a policy recipient, on the order of one-thousand, however typically only a few (e.g., ten to twenty) may be configured for a given user. The administrator may need to manage these settings, but does not know which of the many settings are enabled. To determine which are enabled, the administrator has to navigate through a large hierarchy of settings. Further, the displayed data is limited to the snap-in environment and requires connectivity to the domain, and, for example, cannot be exported into a form usable by other programs, nor can it be printed. One further drawback of viewing settings in an editing program is that the viewer needs to have write access to the group policy object.

System and method for reporting hierarchically arranged data in markup language formats


A process for producing Bi-2223 high T.sub.c superconductor in which fine MgO particles (<0.1 .mu.m) are homogeneously distributed to provide flux pinning centers in Bi-2223 high T.sub.c superconductor in order to give enhanced critical current density under magnetic field, as compared to the Bi-2223 high T.sub.c superconductor without MgO dispersion, when processed under similar conditions. The process comprises mixing partially converted Bi-2223 powder and MgO fine particles, drying to give mixed powder, filling in silver tube, drawing, rolling and heat-treating at a temperature and for a time sufficient to form Bi-2223 high T.sub.c superconductor in which fine MgO particles are homogeneously distributed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to high T.sub.c superconductor and more particularly to fine MgO dispersed Bi-2223 high T.sub.c superconductor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Since the discovery of high-T.sub.c oxide superconductor, many studies have been made to obtain wire with high critical current density. Microstructural control is important to keep the high critical current density under magnetic field for practical application of superconducting materials. Major problems in BSCCO superconductors are impurities in grain boundary and degradation of Jc under magnetic field due to flux creep. It is relatively easier to process BSCCO superconducting systems to high Jc as compared to YBCO due to their low melting temperature and aligning texturing by a proper mechanical or thermal processing. However, this system exhibits a serious flux creep behavior under magnetic field, requiring very effective flux pinning centers. In YBCO system, it was reported that finely dispersed non-superconducting 211 particles provided flux pinning mechanism. It seems that non-superconducting fine particle which does not react with superconducting matrix can provide flux pinning mechanism.
It is well known that significant magnetic field penetration can occur in the interior of BSCCO superconductors above a critical magnetic field (Hc 1). If the magnetic flux lines within the superconductor are not strongly pinned in place, then Lorentz forces can cause the flux lines to migrate, resulting in resistive energy dissipation. The BSCCO superconductors have been found to exhibit significant flux creep in modest magnetic fields at temperatures well below the critical temperature.
Therefore, the application of these materials in high magnetic fields is seriously limited unless the flux creep is reduced by enhanced flux pinning. The operating temperature and magnetic field will have to be reduced to less than 30K, and few tesla for the BSCCO system. Based on the observation of Yamaguchi et al. who increased the pinning of YBCO ceramics by the introduction of the second phase [see J. Mater.Res. 6, 1404 (1991)], several researchers claimed that Ca.sub.2 CuO.sub.3 increases the pinning of the 2212 and 2223 phase of the BSCCO superconductors. However, the grains of powdered metallurgically processed ceramics are too large (1-100 .mu.m) to act as effective pinning centers.

Production of MgO dispersed Bi-2223 superconductor

The Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials


An item of footwear such as a boot (10) includes a stiff lower part (12) that extends around part of a wearer's foot, a stiff upper part (16) that extends around the wearer's lower leg, and one or more limit elements (66,72,80,88) that extend between the lower part (12) and the upper part (16). The lower part (12) and upper part (16) are movable relative to each other when the ankle moves and the relative movement is inhibited selectively by the limit elements (66,72,80,88). The limit elements (66,72,80,88) are displaceable between a free condition in which the lower part (12) and the upper part (16) are movable relative to each other, and lock condition in which the relative movement between the lower part (12) and the upper part (16) is inhibited.

Various means have been devised to ameliorate ankle injuries by restricting or preventing unwanted ankle movement in some way or other and in many situations, these restrictions are acceptable, e.g. during recovery from injury, or in activities where little or no ankle movement is required. However, in many activities, there is simultaneously a need for ankle movement and a risk of ankle injury that warrants protection. One such activity is motorcycling, in which a rider needs to operate controls (the gear selector and brake) with his feet and frequently need to move his lower legs and feet as part of riding. Motorcycling is used herein as an example of an activity for which the present invention holds particular advantage, but the invention can be applied in various other activities and is by no means limited to motorcycling.
Footwear (boots) for motorcycling have been adapted in various ways to protect ankles against injury and this has predominantly been done by guiding ankle movement, by stabilising the ankle (damping or preventing ankle movement), or a combination of these.
Guiding ankle movement typically restricts ankle movement that is not generally required for riding and that pose an injury risk, e.g. a boot may include guides or hinges that restrict eversion and inversion of the foot, without inhibiting dorsi and plantar flexion of the foot significantly. Even though it may appear that ankle movements in some directions are not essential, restricting these movements inhibit general foot and ankle movement and proprioception.
Stabilising the ankle is typically done by providing a boot that is generally stiff, inhibiting movement to an extent, but still allowing sufficient movement to operate controls. While wearing stiff boots that damp ankle movement tends to create an impression of safety, it often provides less protection than expected, while severely inhibiting ankle mobility.
The present invention seeks to provide protection against ankle injury during active ankle use, without undue restriction on ankle mobility.

Footwear article with lockable ankle protection


The purpose of the present invention is providing a light emitting module capable of emitting illumination light having a nearly uniform color tone as a whole. The invention also provides a surface light source having such light emitting modules, and a liquid crystal display and an illuminating device having such a surface light source.

A liquid crystal panel used for a liquid crystal display such as a liquid crystal TV receiver, for example, does not emit light spontaneously and thus needs a backlight device separately as an illuminating device. As the backlight device, one placed on the back side of the liquid crystal panel (side opposite to its display surface) is well known, which has a number of dot light sources (e.g., light emitting elements such as light emitting diodes).
A backlight device using white light emitting diodes (white LEDs) is known. However, white LEDs often have variations in the tone of white color. Under such circumstances, a backlight device described in Patent Document 1 is known as a device capable of emitting a predetermined level of white light using white LEDs having variations in color tone. In this backlight device, when the light from the white LEDs has a tinge of yellow, light emission of blue LEDs is intensified, to obtain a predetermined level of white light. Patent Document 2 to be described later also describes a similar technique.

Light emitting module, surface light source, liquid crystal display, and illuminating device

Abstract: In a light emitting module (50), adjacent dot light sources (17, 17) satisfy the relationships ΔX1+ΔX2=ΔX×2 and ΔY1+ΔY2=ΔY×2, so that the resultant mixed color can fall within a target chromaticity rank area (M), and the center (gc) of a first chromaticity rank area g and the center (Ec) of a second chromaticity rank area (E) are axisymmetric with respect to virtual straight lines (gE1, gE2) that pass through the center (Mc) of the target chromaticity rank area (M) and parallel to one side or another side of the target chromaticity rank area (M).


A traveling-field, magnetic propulsion system and operating method is provided for achieving economical space travel. The system is based upon designing the vehicle in the form of a single-stage streamlined circular toroidal airfoil containing a thin-walled superconducting solenoid. It is initially launched vertically off the earth's surface into a vacuum environment at 125 km using conventional rocket propulsion. It is then accelerated along a high-inclination trajectory by a traveling repulsive magnetic field generated by ejecting an easily ionizable low-density gas cloud in the vehicle's magnetic field and transmitting a high-power, plane-polarized, microwave beam at the cloud tuned to the electron cyclotron resonant frequency. The transmitter is constructed horizontally on the earth's surface as an electronically-steered, phased array several hundred meters in diameter energized by a large superconducting energy storage system. The transmitter will be able to transmit a converging CW microwave beam at the vehicle with very high power to magnetically accelerate it over great distances without atmospheric breakdown. The method can be used as a general high-speed earth or space transportation system by catapulting suborbital or orbital payloads, or by catapulting multikiloton payloads to other celestial bodies with mass ratios below that of long-range aircraft.

At the present time the most economic, technically viable method used for launching and accelerating high-mass space vehicles from the earth's surface to orbital or escape velocities is based upon rocket or jet propulsion wherein propulsive thrust is achieved by burning a gas inside pressure chambers and creating pressure differentials on the walls by expelling the gas through a system of nozzles. Unfortunately, since the required velocities are relatively high, most of the chemical energy is wasted accelerating large amounts of unburned fuel, and the inert structural mass required to contain it. Thus, the useful payload is a small fraction of the vehicle's initial launch mass. This has serious technical implications in terms of payload limitations which appear to be unavoidable.
The minimum mass ratio (launch mass/burn-out mass) for achieving low earth orbit using LH.sub.2 /LO.sub.2 propellant is about 10.0. Unfortunately, since the density of LH.sub.2 is very low, the vehicle must be designed with a large structural mass to contain it. Consequently, the required initial mass will be very high, even for relatively small payloads. Thus, the cost to put payloads into orbit is very-high even if the vehicle is reusable. For example, the expected minimum cost of transporting payloads into orbit by the proposed reusable single-stage Aerospace Plane propelled by idealized scramjets operating at maximum efficiency or by the vertically launched Delta Clipper will be about $300/kg ($136/lb), and the size and weight of the payloads will be relatively small.
The problem of achieving economical space travel does not involve energy. A long-range 747 airliner burns the equivalent of twice its own orbital energy in the fuel it consumes. The problem is the high mass ratio of the launch vehicle set by the rocket equation. Therefore, if the underlying propulsion principles (i.e., the technical methods) of space travel remain unchanged, space travel will always remain very expensive and way beyond the reach of ordinary citizens. The situation can not be significantly improved by utilizing remotely generated laser or microwave beams to heat the propellant gas because of thermal and structural limitations. Although nuclear propelled vehicles could achieve high velocities in interplanetary space, they could not be operated directly from the earth's surface. The basic mass ratio problem of launching payloads from the earth's surface into orbit would still remain.
The technical problem of achieving economical space travel is one of the most challenging problems in applied physics. In actually, the problem is not actively pursued because it is viewed as having no viable solution that is attainable with current technology. The propulsion method and operating system introduced herein will provide a solution to this problem. What is most significant is that this method is well within technological feasibility, and, from an engineering point of view, will be relatively easy to develop and implement. It could also be utilized as a propulsion method for achieving low-cost high-speed intercontinental transportation at speeds far beyond that of supersonic airliners.

Magnetic propulsion system and operating method


An engine system is provided, which includes an engine, a swirl control valve, and a controller. The engine includes a cylinder, a piston, and a fuel injection valve provided incliningly with respect to an axial direction of the piston and configured to directly inject fuel into the cylinder. The swirl control valve is provided inside an intake passage and generates a swirl flow inside the cylinder at least when the valve closes. When an engine load is below a given threshold, the controller controls the swirl control valve to close, and controls the fuel injection valve to inject fuel during an intake stroke. While the engine load is below the threshold, at a fixed engine speed, the controller controls to advance a fuel injection timing when the engine load is at a first load, compared with at a second load higher than the first load.

Conventionally, technologies are known, in which a swirl control valve (hereinafter, suitably be referred to as an "SCV") is provided to one of two intake ports which supply intake air to each cylinder, and opening of the SCV is set to a close side (e.g., fully closed) to generate a swirl flow inside the cylinder. For example, JP2002-130025A discloses a technology to switch opening of such an SCV according to an operation state of an engine. In detail, the SCV is closed in a low load range of the engine, and is opened in a high load range. Particularly, in the low load range, fuel is injected during a compression stroke while a swirl flow is generated so as to achieve an operation with stratified-charge combustion, whereas in the high load range, fuel is injected during an intake stroke while a tumble flow is generated so as to achieve an operation with homogeneous combustion.
Meanwhile, in order to achieve homogeneous combustion in the low load range, it can be considered to perform control to generate the swirl flow inside the cylinder by the SCV, and carry out injection (typically, batch injection) of fuel during an intake stroke. However, when such control is performed, since a gas flow inside the cylinder is weak in the low load range, fuel is distributed unevenly inside the cylinder and combustion may become unstable.


An arrangement for generating a reference impulse for a position measuring device, wherein the position measuring device includes a scale with at least one incremental track and at least one reference mark and a scanning unit for generating position signals by scanning the at least one incremental track and for generating an analog reference impulse by scanning the at least one reference mark. The arrangement includes a reference impulse memory unit that receives the analog reference impulse and stores the received analog reference impulse as a stored reference impulse. The arrangement further includes a reference impulse generating unit in communication with the reference impulse memory unit. The reference impulse generating unit receives the stored reference impulse and at least one of the position signals, wherein the reference impulse generating unit turns on a reference impulse as a function of the stored reference impulse and an occurrence of a set condition and turns off the reference impulse if a reset condition occurs, and the set and reset conditions are derivable from the at least one of the position signals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an arrangement and to a method for generating a reference impulse. The present invention also relates to a position measuring device having a corresponding arrangement for generating a reference impulse. A reference impulse is needed in incremental position measuring devices for defining a reference point for the position measurement.
2. Description of the Related Art
Incremental position measuring devices are known from many published references. They serve above all to determine relative displacements or the absolute position of machine parts, for instance in machine tools or measuring machines.
Such position measuring devices essentially include a scale graduation, on which one or more division tracks are applied, and a scanning unit, which scans the division tracks and converts changes in distance or angle into electrical signals. In length measuring instruments, the scale graduation is embodied for instance as a scale. If a length measuring instrument is used for measuring relative machine movements, the scale can be mounted in stationary fashion on the machine, while the scanning unit is secured to a movable part of the machine, such as a tool carriage, whose relative motion is to be measured relative to the machine. When the tool carriage is moved, the scanning unit moves in a scanning plane in the measurement direction parallel to the division tracks disposed on the scale so as to scan the division tracks, wherein such division tracks are located in a scale plane, and scans the division tracks. In the process, position signals are generated, which indicate the relative change in position of the scanning unit relative to the scale.
In incremental position measuring devices, the division tracks include code elements disposed uniformly one after the other in the measuring direction. Such division tracks are also called incremental tracks. From scanning one incremental track, usually either two position signals phase-offset from one another by 90°, or four position signals having have the phase relationships 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°, are obtained. In addition, position measuring devices are also known which generate three position signals having the phase relationships 0°, 120° and 240°. Given a uniform motion of the scanning unit relative to the scale graduation, these position signals are largely sinusoidal. The position determination is effected by counting elapsed signal periods. Ascertaining an absolute position from the measurement of relative positions requires the creation of a reference point. This purpose is served by at least one so-called reference mark, which is disposed for instance on a reference track next to the incremental division track and which is likewise read off by the scanning unit. When the reference mark is scanned, an analog current or voltage pulse is created, from which in further processing a rectangular digital signal, a so-called reference impulse, is generated.
In the final analysis, the reference impulse is used in a downstream electronic unit for determining the reference position that is used as a reference point for the position measurement. The processing of the analog current or voltage pulse to make the reference impulse can be done for instance by a comparator, in which the analog input signal is compared with a defined switching threshold, and the output of which is switched accordingly.
The central demands made of the reference impulse are that the reference impulse has a defined location and width related to the position signals. If these demands are not met mistakes in ascertaining the reference point can occur in the downstream electronic unit in the logical linkage of the reference impulse with the position signals. For example, if the reference impulse is too narrow, it can happen that the reference impulse will fail to be detected; if it is too wide, the reference impulse may under some circumstances be detected at two different points. It is also especially problematic that in both cases, the location of the reference impulse relative to the position signals can be decisive as to whether the reference impulse is correctly detected, or not. Thus, in limited situations, even a slight change in the location of the reference impulse, for instance caused by temperature fluctuations, can be decisive as to the correct detection of the reference impulse. Both a missing reference impulse and a reference impulse detected twice, however, lead to an error situation that can mean failure of the machine on which the position measuring device is operated.
Until now, the location of the reference impulse has predominantly been adjusted by complicated mechanical calibration of the scanning unit once the position measuring device has been mounted on the target application, such as a machine tool or a wafer scanning unit. In some scanning principles, the analog reference impulse can be shifted relative to the incremental division track as a result of rotation of the scanning unit. The width of the reference impulse can be adjusted by varying the comparator threshold, that is, the switching threshold that the analog current or voltage pulse must exceed or undershoot in order to generate the turn-on or turn-off edge of the reference impulse. Alternatively, a positive or negative offset can also be superimposed on the analog reference impulse. The higher the resolution of the position measuring device, the greater the expense and complexity of this mechanical and electrical calibration. This method is of virtually no use with division periods in the range of a few micrometers. A further factor is that at these resolutions, thermal expansions, the effects of contamination, and so forth can generate effects that attain orders of magnitude, which affect the location and width of the digital reference impulse to a critical extent, even if exact mechanical calibration of the scanning unit is done.

Arrangement and method for generating a reference impulse for a position measuring device


A plant for the automatic weighing of dyes in powder form controlled by a computer for the preparation of mixtures for the dyeing industry comprising a plurality of hoppers containing the dyes, said hoppers being placed one beside the other, each being provided with pipe systems for the introduction of the dyes into respective loading hoppers provided with a lower conveyor chute for the withdrawal and introduction of the dye from the hoppers into a mixing and weighing container. When the conveyor chute is set into rotation, it withdraws the dye from the hopper and deposits it on the plate of the scale. The rotational speed of the chute is variable and it gradually decreases as the value weighed by the scale approaches the required weight value. The quantity of dye to be withdrawn and the withdrawing sequences are recorded and memorized in a computer which controls the operation of the plant.

The present invention relates to the planning and manufacturing of a weighing plant for dyes in powder form, operated with the help of a computer for the preparation of mixtures for dye works.
The preparation of mixtures to obtain a specific color, using basic colors is a standard procedure in the dyeing business and it represents one of the first phases of the dying process.
A known system for the preparation of the mixture consists in manually taking the basic dyes out of the containers which hold them and then weighing them.
The mixture which has thus been obtained, after having been dissolved and placed into another container, is sent to the production departments where it is put into the dyeing plants.
An inconvenience derived from said system of preparation of the mixtures is represented by the long period of time needed by the operator for the preparation of the mixtures themselves, since the operator is forced to perform several trips between the weighing station and the station where the drums containing the different dyes which need to be withdrawn are stocked.
Another inconvenience consists in the fact that it is extremely easy for the operator to make mistakes both in the dye he picks up and in reading the values of each weighing operation, which causes heavy economical damages, since it can happen that an entire stock of dyed material needs to be thrown away. It is obvious that this inconvenience leads to an inconsistency in the mixture and, as a consequence, to an inconsistency in the colors obtained with it.
Another inconvenience arising from the preparation of the mixture with the manual method is represented by the danger that, during the withdrawal and weighing procedures unwanted mixings or, at any rate, tainting of the stocked dyes may occur, due for instance to accidental transfer of dyes of one type into containers holding other types.
Not the least inconvenience is represented by the fact that the manual handling of dyes entails a dispersion of a certain quantity of dye into the air, which cause, at least in a small degree, the pollution of the working environment, with the ensuing damage to the health of the operators who are in charge of these procedures.
In order to avoid all the above listed inconveniences, plants consisting of rotating magazines with several stations have been planned and manufactured. On each station there is a drum containing a different type of basic dye. Said rotating stations are made to rotate by a mechanical control system operated by the operator, who chooses each time which container needs to be brought into the withdrawal position, according to the specific requirements of the mixture which needs to be prepared.
The withdrawal of the dye from its container and its transfer on the weighing scale are carried out by the operator himself who uses a scoop.
It is easy to understand how this system, although it does away with the need for the operator to move around to withdraw the dyes, does not eliminate the danger of tainting the dyes because of accidental transfer of the dyes from one container to the other. Above all, it does not eliminate in any way the pollution of the environment and, therefore, the hazards to the health of the operators.

Automatic weighing plant for dyes in powder form


A system is provided for boresighting a laser to a passive sensor using a fluorescent conversion material. A passive sensor, such as a FLIR, is aligned with a boresight module using a test pattern on a fluorescent conversion material. Laser energy is then emitted onto the fluorescent conversion material at a first wavelength which is beyond the passive sensor""s operating waveband. The fluorescent conversion material then radiates the laser energy at a second wavelength which is within the passive sensor""s operating waveband. The location where the laser energy is radiated on the fluorescent conversion material is used as a reference in boresighting the laser to the passive sensor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a boresighting apparatus and more particularly to a boresighting apparatus for boresighting a laser with a forward looking infrared device (FLIR) having a fluorescent conversion material.
2. Background Information
The use of both passive and active electro-optic sensors which employ lasers as an illumination source has become widespread in both the commercial and military markets. In military systems, for example, imaging infrared sensors have often been used for target acquisition, followed by a rapid and precise illumination of the target with a laser for measuring range to a target, designating the target for a laser guided bomb or for further information gathering. To achieve high precision, weapons must be accurately boresighted to (i.e., aligned with) sensors, using such a system as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,838,014, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
However, conventional boresighting methods are susceptible to damaging problems which can hamper system performance. These methods generally fall into two categories: 1) having a dedicated laser detector in the boresight module or 2) using a thermal conversion material that absorbs the laser radiation, heats up, and then thermally emits radiation that can be detected by the passive sensor.
The first method is probably the most common and involves placing a detector in the boresight module that is mechanically aligned to the passive sensor boresight test pattern during assembly. This detector can be a single element detector, a multi-element detector such as a quadrant detector, or a position sensitive detector. In each case, a bias voltage is applied to each element, and readout/signal processing electronics must be provided. This additional electronics requirement increases the cost, size, and complexity of the boresight module and is an additional source for system failures. Use of a single element laser detector also involves the use of complex test pattern targets for location and alignment of the laser spot, further increasing the cost of the boresight module.
The second method of using thermal conversion materials to align Nd:YAG lasers (1.064 xcexcm wavelength) to long-wave infrared (LWIR) sensors operating in the 7-14 xcexcm waveband has always suffered from several problems. First, the thermal conversion materials usually do not provide a uniform spot for aligning the laser to the passive sensor. The laser power level and thermal conversion material heat sinking is closely matched so that heat is not conducted away too quickly for the alignment procedure to take place, but the heat cannot be allowed to build up to the extent that the thermal spot blurs and persists making boresight impossible. Another disadvantage is that the process of laser heating the thermal conversion material invariably causes damage to the material and therefore leads to a limited useful lifetime.
The ability to accurately align the pointing vectors of the laser and a passive sensor is important for the success of such a system. Accordingly, there is a need for a simple, inexpensive method of accurately boresighting a laser to a passive sensor (e.g., FLIR).
The present invention is directed to a system of boresighting a laser to a passive sensor using a fluorescent conversion material. Used in conjunction with a laser, such a material will not be damaged or result in a laser spot that grows in size with time. Also, problems associated with the mechanical alignment of a dedicated laser detector are avoided by the use of a fluorescent conversion material.
According to a first embodiment of the present invention, a boresighting system is provided comprising a laser emitting energy at a first wavelength, a boresight module having a fluorescent material, wherein the fluorescent material receives the emitted energy at a first wavelength and radiates the emitted energy at a second wavelength, and a sensor for detecting a location on the fluorescent material where the energy of a second wavelength is radiated.
According to a second embodiment of the present invention, a boresighting system is provided comprising means for emitting energy of a first wavelength, means for receiving the emitted energy, and means for identifying a location of the emitted energy on the receiving means using a fluorescent material to convert the energy of a first wavelength to energy of a second wavelength.
According to a third embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for boresighting comprising the steps of aligning a sensor to a boresight module, emitting energy at a first wavelength from an energy source into the boresight module, absorbing energy at a first wavelength into a fluorescent conversion material located in the boresight module, radiating energy at a second wavelength from the fluorescent conversion material, detecting energy of the second wavelength at the sensor, and aligning the radiation source to the sensor based on the detected energy at the second wavelength.

Method and apparatus for boresighting a laser with a forward looking infrared device


A three-terminal Ovonic Threshold Switch (OTS) is used to provide current to a Phase Change Memory Switch (PCMS) cross point array. The current is started by sending a small current into the second terminal of the three-terminal OTS allowing a larger current to flow from the first terminal to the third terminal of the three-terminal OTS. A method of making the three-terminal OTS is also presented.

Memory for computers or other electronic devices can include blocks of memory cells integrated into a larger integrated circuit or stand-alone integrated circuits. There are many different types of memory including random-access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), flash memory and phase change memory. Phase change memory devices utilize materials that have different electrical properties in their crystalline and amorphous phases. Each phase change memory cell may be programmed by putting the material in the memory cell into either a crystalline phase or an amorphous phase providing non-volatile memory that does not require power to retain its contents. Phase change memories are often programmed using heat generated by an electrical current to control the state of the phase change material.
Phase change memory cells may be made from chalcogenide materials. Chalcogenide materials include at least one element from Group VI A of the periodic table. Chalcogenide phase change material, when heated to a temperature above its melting point and allowed to cool quickly, will remain in an amorphous glass-like state with a high electrical resistance. The chalcogenide phase change material, when heated to a temperature above its glass transition temperature Tg but below the melting point, will transform into a crystalline phase with a much lower resistance. This difference in the material properties between the amorphous and crystalline phases of chalcogenide materials may be used to create a phase change memory device.
In a phase change memory device, a high peak current is involved to program a phase change memory switch (PCMS) cross-point array. Either the driver devices should have a high current density so they can be built at the same pitch as the memory array via simple metal wire routing, or the driver devices otherwise should be large enough to provide sufficient current, in which case they are not the same pitch as the memory array and are placed off to the side which complicates metal wire routing, or the pitch of the array is relaxed to accommodate the larger driver devices.

Three-terminal ovonic threshold switch as a current driver in a phase change memory


There is disclosed a coupling device for operations on live elements to attain equipotential conditions. The device comprises two conductive jaws connected to a preferably nonconductive handle. The jaws are adapted to be switched between a closed configuration, in which they are in mutual contact and surround an area adapted to receive a live element, and an open configuration in which the contact portions of the two jaws are spaced apart from each other. The two jaws have respective entry tapering portions adjacent to the contact portions and mutually converging to cause the contact portions to move apart from each other when the live element is pressed against the entry tapering portions, thereby causing the jaws to switch from the closed configuration to the open configuration against the action of an elastic member. The two jaws have respective exit tapering portions adjacent to the contact portions and mutually converging to cause the contact portions to move apart from each other when the live element is pressed against the exit tapering portions, thereby causing the jaws to switch from the closed configuration to the open configuration against the action of an elastic member.

When an operator works in contact with a live-line, safety measures must be taken against strokes. As a rule, working should be carried out under equipotential conditions. In other words, the operator and the power line are placed in mutual electric contact to be at the same potential, whereas the operator is adequately insulated from the ground or from other objects at potentials other than that of the line. This will prevent direct passage of current through the operator's body. For example, the operator may work on a live line from an aerial insulating platform or be kept proximate to the live line by a helicopter.
In order to achieve and maintain equipotential conditions, a safety cable must be kept connected at one end to a live-live element as a bare conductive cable, and at the other end to objects in contact with the operator, such as gloves or other conductive garments, as well as with the operator-supporting structure, such as the insulating platform or the helicopter.
In order to ensure connection of the safety cable to the live element of the power line, coupling tools are commonly used, such as clamps or snap hooks, similar to those used on scaffolds for safety against the risk of fall. Such coupling tools have two jaws, which are held together in a closed configuration by a spring. In the closed configuration, the jaws surround the live-line element and hold it in a space therebetween.
In order to insert the live element into the two jaws and remove it therefrom, at least one jaw is pivoted relative to the other, against the action of a spring, to an open configuration in which a passage is created for insertion and/or removal of the live element into/from the space between the jaws.

Coupling devices for operations on live elements to attain equipotential conditions


A direct-current high voltage obtained by rippling, stepping-up and rectification of a direct-current low voltage is regulated in such a manner as to ensure that the maximum value of direct-current high voltage attains a predetermined peak value at each ripple pulse of the inverter. To this end, a following pulse of the inverter is produced as soon as the high voltage of the direct-current high-voltage signal has become lower than the predetermined peak value reduced by the measurement of a variation in said direct-current high voltage during a preceding pulse.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for regulating the voltage of a voltage signal. In a general manner, the invention is concerned with applications involving control of a direct-current voltage which is produced from a non-regulated, chopped or rippled direct-current voltage which may be of high value, and which is then rectified. The invention is more particularly applicable to the medical field in which it is necessary to regulate the high voltage of x-ray emitting tubes with a view to achieving enhanced fidelity in the nature of the x-rays produced. The invention nevertheless finds applications in other fields. In the medical field, the invention is more particularly applicable to the field of mammography in which the quality of the high voltage conditions the homogeneity of the x-rays produced.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The principles of high-voltage supply of x-ray emitters are known. In the case of the so-called HF generators, they essentially make use of a direct-current low voltage which is chopped or undulated. This undulated or rippled low voltage is then applied to a step-up transformer and converted by this latter to a rippled high voltage. This rippled high voltage is then rectified and filtered so as to produce the desired direct-current high voltage. A signal which is representative of the high voltage thus produced can be collected by means of a voltage-dividing resistor bridge. This measuring signal is then compared with a reference value and an error signal is determined. Said error signal is then applied to a regulating device so as to maintain the high voltage produced at a reference value. As a general rule, the error signal is applied to a variable-frequency voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO). The variable frequency signal of this oscillator is applied as a control signal to the inverter.
The values usually accepted for the oscillating frequency of the inverter are of the order of 15 KHz. Since these inverters are usually of the thyristor type or consisting of transistors which permit the flow of current in a resonant circuit in one direction and then in the other, two sets of controlled semiconductor components are employed. The pilot circuit which makes use of these sets of semiconductor components delivers a signal having a double frequency of the order of 30 KHz. The duration of a pulse for turning-on the x-ray tube at the moment of radiography, in particular in a mammograph, is typically of the order of 300 ms. Throughout the following description of the invention, this radiographic pulse will be designated as an exposure. During this exposure, the high voltage between the cathode and the anode of the tube must increase to its nominal value as rapidly as possible. Throughout the duration of the exposure, said high voltage must then remain equal to this nominal value as far as possible. During one exposure, the number of pulses delivered by the pilot circuit is, with the values indicated, of the order of ten thousand. The number of pulses of this pilot circuit which is necessary in order to increase the high voltage from zero to the nominal value is usually of the order of 50.
In an inverter, at least one set of semiconductor components is connected to the terminals of a direct-current low-voltage circuit and is connected in series with an oscillating circuit and with a step-up transformer. When the semiconductor components are triggered into conduction by an inverter pulse, ripple is set up in the oscillating circuit and is converted by the step-up transformer. This ripple is then rectified by a rectifier downstream of the step-up transformer and is applied to a circuit for filtering said rectified high voltage. Said filtering circuit is essentially made up of capacitors. Throughout the duration of one exposure, these capacitors are therefore subjected on the one hand to a relatively constant discharge and on the other hand to periodic re-charges related to the arrival of the re-charge ripples. The constant discharge is related to the use of the x-ray tube, namely to the type of image which it is desired to produce.
In other words, the high voltage thus produced undulates and this is the case even if it is regulated. In fact, the undulation or ripple of said high voltage is related to the characteristic frequency of the inverter and that of the control circuit, and in fact disappears only if the x-ray tube has zero output. This is of no interest, however, since it is required to maintain the high voltage of the x-ray tube at a constant value during its output. The above-mentioned ripple of the high voltage produced is a consequence which is inherent in the principle of increase in direct-current voltage with a direct-current voltage supply.
Ripple can be attended by numerous disadvantages in medical radiography equipment. The hardness of x-rays is in fact very strongly affected by the high voltage available at the terminals of the x-ray tube. In fact, from the trough of the ripple of the direct-current high voltage to the crest of said ripple, the dispersion of hardness of the x-rays produced can be such that the available x-ray images are distorted. Their interpretation is unreliable.
In the present invention, the undulatory behavior of the high voltage produced has been studied and it has been possible to determine the fact that the undulatory behavior adopted by professionals up to the present time was not the best. In fact, the tolerated ripple, designated throughout the remainder of this description as .delta.KV, is of the form: EQU .delta.KV=f(KV, mA, E)
In this formula, KV represents the nominal value of the high voltage produced. The value mA represents the output of the tube. Finally, E represents the direct-current low voltage employed for producing the direct-current high voltage. The function f indicated is a complex function which takes into account the discharge KV and mA and the quality of the high-voltage filtering circuit after rectification. The value .delta.KV is normally lower than a certain percentage of KV. This percentage is established by customary practice in the profession. It may be 30% or even more in the case of machines which operate with a tolerated standard of degradation. It can be 4% in mammographs.
If E were perfectly constant, there would be obtained a ripple having an amplitude .delta.KV and having an approximately sawtooth waveform but which is especially constant. In the final analysis, homogeneity of the x-rays produced would be as already known. In actual practice, however, E is not constant. In fact, the direct-current low voltage employed can be a direct-current low voltage obtained from an electrical network in which the voltage is rectified. The direct-current low voltage E thus rectified fluctuates all the more by reason of the fact that the rectified line-supply signal is not even a three-phase line-supply signal but is on the contrary a single-phase line-supply signal. For example, a rectified single-phase 50-cycle line-supply signal produces a low voltage which in turn has 100-Hz ripples (with full-wave rectification). In other words, taking into account the values indicated, said direct-current low voltage oscillates on the order of 30 times during one exposure. The fluctuation in the direct-current low voltage results in faulty operation of the regulating system. In fact, while the characteristic curve of power transfer of an inverter is a function of the frequency (which is used for regulating), said curve is also a function of the voltage admitted at the input of said inverter. In other words, the power transmitted by the inverter at the moment of triggering of a pulse depends on the voltage supplied to said inverter.
The result thereby achieved is that the amplitude of fluctuation of the rippled high voltage is variable at the frequency of fluctuations of the direct-current low-voltage supply. This is related to the conceptual design of the regulating circuits. These circuits involve measurement of the high voltage produced. As soon as the value of the high voltage produced passes below the value of a reference voltage, the inverter is triggered and sends a re-charge pulse. Thus, when the low-voltage supply is low (in the trough of the ripples of said rippled low voltage), the power transmitted by the inverter is of low value. In consequence, the peak of rectified high-voltage ripple is relatively low in this case. On the other hand, if the direct-current low voltage is of high value (at the moment of the crests of the ripples of said rippled low voltage), the power transmitted by the inverter at each pulse is higher and the peak of the ripple of the rippled high voltage is also higher.
In both cases, re-charging of the filtering capacitors of the high-voltage rectifying circuit is initiated as soon as said high voltage becomes equal to the value of the reference voltage. The result thereby achieved is that, although the direct-current high voltage falls back to a value which is always identical at each re-charge pulse, said high voltage attains on the other hand different peak values as a function of the ripples of the low-voltage supply. In other words, the spectrum of the x-rays produced cannot be known in advance. Moreover, .delta.KV is highly dependent on the state of the line-supply voltage and on the resistance of the supply line. This could have had little importance, however, by reason of the relatively large number (30) of periods of the line-supply signal during one exposure. But the foregoing is all the more true since in practice, during exposure, the mean value of the low-voltage supply undergoes a uniform drop, thus impairing the operation of the x-ray tube to a correspondingly greater extent. This type of regulation corresponds to pulsed regulation on minimum and is one of the less satisfactory types.
Another known type of regulation is concerned with linear regulation. In this case also, it can be demonstrated that the peak value of the high voltage produced also fluctuates in the same manner as the ripple of the low-voltage supply although in a proportion of one-half.
It has become apparent in the present invention that, while fluctuations of the low-voltage supply are inevitable, steps should preferably be taken to ensure that the ripple crests or peaks of the high voltage produced are located at a constant value, thus allowing the low-voltage ripple to produce action on the minimum values attained by the high voltage during the successive charges applied by the inverter.
In practice, it is therefore not the reduction in ripple amplitude related to the variation in low-voltage supply which is contemplated in the invention but rather the choice of a constant peak value of the high voltages produced In radiography, it is then certain that there will always be available an equal quantity of hard x-rays in the spectrum, irrespective of the operation of the tube. The output of less hard x-rays then bear the uncontrolled consequences of variations in the high voltage In the final analysis, rather than provide a known dose of less hard x-rays and an unknown dose of hard x-rays, the invention provides for a known dose of hard x-rays and for an unknown dose of less hard x-rays. This automatically results in higher precision of images since hard x-rays are the most conducive to formation of images.
In order to solve this problem which is essentially related to fluctuation of the low-voltage supply, it is necessary to take into account the fluctuations of said low voltage. It would have been feasible to compute in real time, or better still to tabulate, the variations of f(KV,mA,E) as a function of the low-frequency ripples of E. In practice, it is known that, if E varies by 10%, .delta.KV on the other hand can vary by 80%. A solution of this type is therefore possible in theory. But if it is recalled that E undulates at a frequency of 100 Hz, this makes it necessary to retain a shorter computation time than the period of said low-frequency fluctuation, e.g. 1 ms. Taking into account the number of operations to be performed, this computation time is too short to be validly employed (at low cost) in a radiography installation. In consequence, in an improvement of the invention, rather than perform a regulation which takes into account by computation both the variation in output high voltage and the variation in the low-voltage supply, it is preferred to perform the regulation by taking into account only the variations in output high voltage. In this case, however, the amplitude of this fluctuation is measured at each pulse of the inverter in order to apply, in respect of a following pulse of the inverter, a control which takes into account a preceding ripple variation.

Ripple insensitivity method for regulating the voltage of a voltage signal


System and method for omni-channel retailer operations that integrate a network of brick-and-mortar stores with their online channel. The system and method includes calibrating a demand model for both brick-and-mortar sales and on-line channels over which a product is sold, the calibrating based upon a cross-channel fulfillment-aware inventory effect. An omni-channel sales prediction and fulfillment model is then constructed based on the calibrated demand model. Using constructed linear demand and revenue models, a plan is generated to optimize one or more: allocating of the product across physical stores, partitioning of the product for sales, and pricing of the product. Customer choices are jointly modeled across channels to allow switching, and a ship-from-store (SFS) inventory effect feature only for brick choice is applied to capture asymmetry. Inventory decision variables are introduced into an omni-channel pricing formulation to manage SFS-effect induced non-convexity and specific reformulations applied to recover a linear MIP.

In line with a recent revolutionary trend in the retailing industry, retail firms often adopt omni-channel strategies. In an omni-channel retail environment, a firm aims to provide a seamless experience for customers to access multiple channels in purchasing goods. For example, a customer may visit a retail store to physically browse items, and via an on-line sales infrastructure, then order online from the same retailer. Alternatively, a customer may order online but then pick up the purchased item at a retail store. In today's increasingly mobile world, where prices across a retailer's sales channels are available to customers, customers increasingly engage in channel-switching behavior due to differences in price cadences across channels.
Many retailers are making concerted strategic decisions to break down traditional boundaries between channels in the design of their retail supply chains. For example, retailers recognize their network of physical "brick-and-mortar" stores can also serve the purpose of a network of mini-warehouses to fulfill e-commerce sales. This is accomplished through multiple cross-channel fulfillment alternatives, including the retailer-initiated ship from store (SFS) option (i.e., the retailer opts to fulfill an e-commerce sale from one of its stores, which picks, packs, and ships the product to the customer's address) and the customer-initiated buy-online-pickup-in-store (BOPS) option (i.e., the customer chooses to pick up the product from a nearby store).
A hallmark of an omni-channel retail environment is that inventory is shared across channels, both from the customer's perspective and from the retailer's perspective. In the customer's perspective, he or she can choose a channel to purchase from based on the price and convenience. In the retailer's perspective, it has the ability to choose a channel to fulfill a transaction.
Illustrative of a lifecycle demand profile for an electronic product sold by a retailer who uses SFS to fulfill online orders, FIG. 1A shows a plot 50 of actual store arrivals (market size demand) 53 vs. a prior predicted sales demand (market size) 55 for an example product over a time span of weeks 20-52 where the last 12 weeks represent a "clearance" period. As shown, towards the end of life of for short lifecycle items, sales are constrained by available inventory. Out-of-stock induces results in lost-sales opportunities as well as channel switching. This complicates predicted channel specific unconstrained demand, significantly impacting forecast accuracy which in turn results in poor downstream decisions such as markdown pricing. As shown in FIG. 1A, inventory "effects" is not the same as total unavailability (stock-outs). As shown in FIG. 1A, there is more than a predicted decline in the brick-and-mortar sales channel. FIG. 1B shows an example plot 60 of actual in-store sales 63 vs. a prior predicted sales 65 and illustrates at 66 the latent acceleration in brick sales decay of product sold by an example retailer, e.g., over a 12 week clearance period, due to SFS decisions. Moreover, during the clearance period, e.g., last 12 weeks shown in chart, customers increasingly switch to on-line channel as shown in the plot 70 of FIG. 1C depicting actual on-line sales 73 vs. predicted on-line sales 75. This SFS "inventory effect" is most prominent during the end of a selling season and by ignoring SFS cross-channel fulfillment impact, there may be systematic predicted overestimates of brick sales and underestimates online sales.
This complicates efforts to predict demands for the product, leading to mis-pricing and potential loss of revenue.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Managing cross-channel fulfillment impact within shared inventory demand systems

International Business Machines Corporation


An ultrasonic flow measurement system may include a signal generator configured to generate a first excitation signal for a first ultrasonic transducer and a second excitation signal for a second, different ultrasonic transducer. The system may further include a phase differentiator configured to generate a differential phase angle signal indicative of a difference in phase angle between first and second receive signals received from the first and second transducers which is indicative of flow rate.

Ultrasonic flow measurements in a fluid can be performed using a pair of ultrasonic transducers. Traditionally, such measurements employ so called time-of-flight measurements.
Another approach is to use phase-based measurements. However, such measurements require more than two ultrasonic transducers or necessitate complex and expensive arrangements to compensate for the effects of changes in temperature and pressure.

Ultrasonic flow measurement system including a signal generator exciting the transducers and a phase differentiator


A multi-input power combiner includes a balun with a plurality of layers. A plurality of transmission lines are associated with the plurality of layers. The balun has a largest dimension that is less than half of a ¼ wavelength in a selected material.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to power amplifier design and more specifically to radio frequency (RF) power amplifier design.
2. Description of the Related Art
Known power amplifiers, particularly those used with wireless communication devices, face a variety of challenges. For such a power amplifier, the concerns include ensuring sufficient gain, providing efficiency with respect to converting direct current (DC) power to radio frequency (RF) output power, establishing breakdown voltage conditions that are sufficiently high to enable long term use of the device, and achieving reliable on/off performance of switching circuitry in switching-class power amplifiers. Currently, there is a desire to use low cost, standard digital complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuitry for radio functions. This desire magnifies potential problems, because among other things, CMOS circuitry typically has very low breakdown voltages.
There are two modes of breakdown voltages that should be considered. The first type of breakdown is junction breakdown. Excess electrons or holes are generated by high electric fields, creating an unwanted flow of current across the device. Eventually, a point is reached where the current actually increases, even as the voltage begins to drop (due to discharge of the anode). This "negative resistance" action allows an increasing current to flow, until excessive heat is generated. Eventually, permanent damage will occur. The second type of breakdown is across an oxide. In MOS processes, the gate of a transistor is insulated by an oxide layer from its drain, source and bulk nodes. Whenever a forward voltage is placed on the gate, there is a potential for breakdown across the oxide, in which the gate can short to the source, drain or bulk regions of the MOSFET. Even if no breakdown occurs across the gate, a long-term threshold voltage shift can occur, which causes the characteristics of the MOSFET to shift, if the gate source voltage is kept too high for a long period of time.
In another challenge, known power amplifiers are usually designed with single-ended power amplifiers driving simple, off-chip, high-Q (low-loss) matching circuits. Such topologies have no isolation between the load and the power amplifier output. Under poor load match conditions, excessive energy can be reflected back to the output stage of the power amplifier. This condition will cause a shift in the output match, resulting in lower RF output power and greatly reduced efficiency. More problematic is the fact that such miss-match conditions generally result in much higher signal swings across the devices, leading to voltage breakdown. Breakdown conditions generally result in permanent damage to the power amplifier. Other power amplifier designs use in-phase input/output power combining, requiring large passive elements on-chip. Another approach uses out-of-phase (push-pull, or complementary) power splitting/combining. Reflections from the load cause similar problems for these topologies, as mentioned above.
In yet another challenge to known amplifiers, when a transistor breaks down, excessive current flows and localized, permanent damage occurs. After the breakdown event, most devices are no longer usable. In some cases, such breakdown is not catastrophic, but does degrade device performance. One known method to prevent voltage breakdown is by operating the transistor well below its breakdown limit. Unfortunately, this approach leads to reduced power output and lower efficiency. In IC processes such as low-voltage CMOS, there is little headroom to begin with, so the back-off approach carries a heavy penalty. In general, high-breakdown devices tend to be built in specialized semiconductor processes, usually at higher costs than other IC processes.
Another approach is to use clamps to prevent voltage from ever reaching damage levels. Clamps limit the voltage by shunting current from the output devices, thus limiting voltage swing to save levels. However, this shunted current is essentially wasted, resulting in lower efficiency. There is a need to prevent breakdown voltage to inexpensive, low voltage IC processes, without affecting efficiency.
In a still further challenge, the requirements for high density, high speed CMOS logic are generally at odds with the requirements for RF power amplifiers. In most cases, the logic sections of the chip operate best with deep, sub-micron MOS devices. Such devices use very thin gate oxides to get low threshold voltages, high gain and fast operation. Such thin oxide devices have very low breakdown voltages, forcing modern CMOS ICs to operate below 1.8, 1.3 or even below 1.0 V. CMOS circuit designers have become adept in designing low power analog and RF circuits with very low power supply voltages. However, operation at high signal swings, such as those needed for power amplifiers, is very difficult. For this reason, prior art designs tend to put the power amplifier in a separate chip, which is designed in a semiconductor process with much more breakdown voltage. In general, such higher voltage semiconductor processes are more expensive than standard "vanilla" CMOS. Additionally, the need to go off-chip with the RF signal results in lower efficiency.
In yet another challenge, known devices fail to provide both high gain and high efficiency. For example, known amplifiers from one manufacturer provide a design that provides an efficient design. The known amplifier uses thick lines for the primary and thinner lines for the secondary. In this known amplifier, transformers are used extensively. The amplifier design is based on a low frequency regime, using "lumped-elements" and "flux-coupled" transformers. The efficiency is about 40% (final stage) and 8 db gain. The gain, however, should preferably be about 30 db or higher to have high power-added efficiency (PAE). This low gain hinders this type of amplifier. Other known amplifier designs may have better gain, but are power limited. In one example, the device is limited to 1.2 watts when 4 watts are desired.
While the above-described configurations of power amplifiers allow for some known RF systems to operate, further advances in power amplifier design and methods of use are available. Specific limitations of the prior art include insufficient output power, low system (PAE) efficiency, even lower efficiency at lower output powers, large physical size, use of exotic (or at least, more expensive) semiconductor processes.

Method and apparatus for an improved power amplifier


A dual band antenna for a radio terminal consists of a retractable whip antenna and a helical antenna with irregular pitches, wherein the whip antenna is independent of the helical antenna. The helical antenna includes first and second helical portions having first and second pitches, respectively and the first and second helical portions are operable at different frequency bands independently. The whip antenna includes a conductive core line, a conductive substance covering a first portion of the conductive core line to serve as a choke and an isolation element extending from an upper end of the conductive core line, for filling a gap between the conductive core line and the conductive substance. Here, only the first portion of the conductive core line is operable at a first frequency band and the entire conductive core line is operable at a second frequency. A fixing element fixes the helical antenna and the whip antenna to the radio terminal. The fixing element has an upper end connected to a lower end of the helical antenna and a through hold via which the whip antenna is inserted into an interior of the radio terminal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dual band antenna for a radio terminal capable of efficient operation at two different frequency bands.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, to implement a dual band antenna using a single antenna, an additional element such as a choke is required for enabling respective parts of the antenna to independently operate at different frequencies. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,139,620 and 4,509,056 disclose an antenna employing a choke, to permit operation at multiple frequencies.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,056 (the '056 patent) discloses a multi-frequency antenna employing tuned sleeve chokes. FIG. 1 of the '056 patent illustrates a cross sectional view of a monopole antenna operating at dual frequencies. This antenna is suitable for a radio terminal in which the frequency is not isolated by harmonics and the frequency ratio is greater than 1.25. As illustrated, the antenna is composed of a common monopole antenna, a coaxial transmission line having an open end, a shorted end, and a ground plane.
In FIG. 1, a coaxial transmission line choke 12i is formed at the middle of the antenna and has an electrical length .lambda./4 at the higher frequency band of the dual frequency band. At the higher frequency band, the .lambda./4 sleeve choke 12i forms a very high impedance between the open end and an extension element 100 of the coaxial feed line, thereby preventing coupling therebetween. Accordingly, at the higher frequency band, only the portion represented by l functions as the antenna as illustrated in FIG. 1. However, at the lower frequency band, the sleeve choke 12i does not serve as an isolation element so that the entire portion represented by P functions as a monopole antenna.
A drawback associated with the conventional dual band antenna employing a choke is that it is both complicated and large, as compared with a single band antenna. Further, the large antenna may be easily damaged by a trivial impact. In addition, the conventional fixed (i.e., irretractable) antenna may inconvenience a user in carrying the radio terminal.


An X-side resistive film and a Y-side resistive film of a touch panel face each other with a predetermined gap therebetween. Resistance values of the X-side and Y-side resistive films are measured with connections to the X-side and Y-side resistive films being alternately switched. X and Y coordinates of a contact position of the X-side resistive film and the Y-side resistive film are detected based on the measured resistance values. Amounts of current applied to the X-side and Y-side resistive films during on-periods of the X-side and Y-side connections are set to be different from each another in accordance with resistance values corresponding to the X-side and Y-side resistive films, respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to touch panels adhered on surfaces of display devices, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs). More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for driving a touch panel with small electric power and an apparatus for executing the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, an input operation is performed in a following manner with transparent touch panels adhered on various display screens. The screens display, for example, various images associated with instructions to be input. Users touch one of the images with their finger. A detecting unit of the touch panels according to various technologies then detects the touched position of the screens in an X-Y plane. The detecting unit identifies an instruction input by the users by determining the instruction associated with the image displayed at the detected position. At this time, the users can specify not only a point but also a line and an area by continuously tracing the points and can display the line and the area.
Although various technologies exist for such touch panels, resistive touch panels are widely used because they can offer excellent position detection accuracy, stable operations, few troubles, and a relatively low manufacture cost. Various methods exist for the resistive touch panels. Many of the methods have a cross section illustrated in FIG. 12A. More specifically, sealing members 2 for sticking upper and lower panels together and dot spacers 3 for preventing short-circuit of upper and lower electrodes are arranged on a surface of a base glass substrate 1. A resilient sheet 4 made of glass or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is adhered on surfaces of the sealing members 2. In this way, a touch panel 5 is formed. The sealing members 2 have a thickness of approximately 5-10 μm, whereas the sheet 4 has a thickness of approximately 200 μm. A transparent fixed-side resistive film 6 of indium tin oxide (ITO) is disposed on a surface of the glass substrate 1 that faces the sheet 4. A transparent movable-side resistive film 7 of ITO is disposed on a surface of the sheet 4 that faces the glass substrate 1. The resistive films 6 and 7 have electrodes on opposing sides thereof to receive voltage applied thereto.
A four-wire configuration is a basic electrode configuration. FIG. 12B illustrates a method for detecting a position of a point touched with a finger in the four-wire configuration. In an example illustrated in FIG. 12B, to detect a touched position in a Y-axis direction of a X-Y plane, fixed-side electrodes Y1 and Y2 are disposed on opposing horizontal sides of a fixed-side resistive film. Voltage is applied to the electrodes Y1 and Y2 so that the electrodes Y1 and Y2 function as positive and negative electrodes, respectively. To detect the touched position in an X-axis direction, movable-side electrodes X1 and X2 are disposed on opposing vertical sides of a movable-side resistive film. Voltage is applied to the electrodes X1 and X2 so that the electrodes X1 and X2 function as positive and negative electrodes, respectively. The fixed-side electrodes and the movable-side electrodes face each other through spacers (not illustrated).
If a user touches a given point P of a touch panel having such an electrode configuration, the movable-side resistive film bends in the direction of the spacers to come into contact with the fixed-side resistive film. In response to the contact, resistances for dividing the applied voltage are produced in the movable-side and fixed-side resistive films. Resistance values of these resistances can be determined. More specifically, in the illustrated example, resistances Rx1 and Rx2 are produced between the electrode X1 and the point P and between the electrode X2 and the point P, respectively. Similarly, resistances Ry1 and Ry2 are produced between the electrode Y1 and the point P and between the electrode Y2 and the point P, respectively.
As illustrated in FIG. 13, the positions of the point Pin the X-axis and Y-axis directions can be detected by measuring, with a voltmeter V, with connections being switched by a resistance-measuring switch SW, voltage values affected by the resistances Rx1 and Rx2 and the resistances Ry1 and Ry2 produced in response to the contact of the X-side and Y-side resistive films at the point P, respectively. In the illustrated example, the positions of the point P in the X-axis and Y-axis directions are detected as Ex and Ey, respectively, by operating the switch SW.
As described above, a touch panel includes touch detecting surfaces functioning as resistive surfaces for detecting resistances, electrodes, a power system for the electrodes, and lead circuits to an exit portion connected to a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) having circuits for signals for use in measurement of the resistance values. FIG. 14 illustrates a glass substrate 1 having fixed-side electrodes 7 an 8 of a touch panel. For example, the electrodes 7 and 8 disposed on respective sides of a fixed-side resistive film 6 are connected to a lead-circuit exit portion 11 through lead circuits. Similarly, electrodes of a movable-side resistive film (not illustrated) are connected to the lead-circuit exit portion 11 through lead circuits 9 and 10. The arrangement of the lead circuits of the resistive films often differs for each product.
In the method illustrated in FIG. 13, the point touched by a user on the touch panel is detected with connections being switched by the switch SW. In practice, the switching operation is performed in a manner illustrated in FIG. 10, for example. More specifically, in an example illustrated in FIG. 10, an electronic circuit alternately applies voltage to the opposing electrodes of the movable-side resistive film (hereinafter, referred to as X-side electrodes) and the opposing electrodes of the fixed-side resistive film (hereinafter, referred to as Y-side electrodes) every 10 milliseconds (ms) to demonstrate the switching function. Here, the switching interval is set to 10 ms because of the following reason. Many currently used touch panels measure resistance values using a fine pulse of 2.5-3 ms as illustrated in FIG. 11D, for example. Upon successively acquiring the same data twice, the touch panels output the data as the measured resistance value.
As illustrated in FIG. 11A, the first 3 ms of a touch operation, which can also be referred to as a switching operation caused by the contact of the resistive films in response to the user touch operation on the touch panel, is in a chattering state where the contact is unstable just like various other switching operations. An accurate resistance value is not available with the pulse for detection of the resistance value generated during this period. When pulses generated every 3 ms are used to detect coordinates of the touched position, it takes 6 ms or more to successively acquire the same result from measurement of the resistance value with the following two pulses. When the measurement is performed every 2.5 ms, it takes 5 ms or more. Here, as illustrated in FIGS. 11A-11D, it is assumed that the switching operation is performed every 10 ms and a touch operation is performed during a period when measurement on the X side is enabled. In such a case, measurement executed during the first 2.5-3 ms yields an inaccurate value but measurement can be executed twice or more during the remaining period, i.e., approximately 7 ms.
In consideration of such respects, many touch panels switch power distribution every 10 ms so that voltage is alternately supplied to the X-side electrodes and the Y-side electrodes. The switching operation performed every 10 ms is effective to detect a touch operation as rapidly as possible. However, when the touch panel receives a manual input operation, such as one performed with a finger, the input speed has a limit. Even an expert of fast pushing of buttons of a game platform can perform the input operation 16 times per second. When the input operation is performed 25 times per second, an interval of 40 ms is long enough to detect the input operation. However, in many cases, the interval is set to 10 ms in consideration of various usage states of the touch panels described above.
A discussion will now be given for a total amount of current consumed by a touch panel illustrated in FIGS. 11A-11D according to the related art when the power distribution to the X side and the Y side is switched every 10 ms. FIGS. 15A and 15B illustrate results obtained by actually measuring resistance values of currently used touch panels. More specifically, FIG. 15A illustrates a result obtained from measurement on 130 touch panels of the same type for a 4.3-inch widescreen monitor having an aspect ratio of 16:9. The result indicates that minimum, maximum, and average resistance values on the X side (horizontal direction) of the touch panels were 387 Ω, 607Ω, and 470Ω, respectively. In contrast, minimum, maximum, and average resistance values on the Y side were 275 Ω, 413Ω, and 331Ω, respectively. FIG. 15B illustrates a result obtained from measurement on 42 touch panels of the same type for an 8.4-inch widescreen monitor having an aspect ratio of 4:3. In the touch panels of this type, minimum, maximum, and average resistance values on the X side were 544Ω, 648Ω, and 593Ω, respectively. In contrast, minimum, maximum, and average resistance values on the Y side were 351Ω, 375Ω, and 362Ω, respectively.
Even the touch panels of the same type have the varying resistance values because of variation of surface resistivity of ITO resistive films, variation of thickness of the ITO resistive films, variation of silver electrodes disposed on the respective sides of the resistive films, and variation of length of a silver-electrode circuit, including the electrodes and lead circuits illustrated in FIG. 14, used in measurement of the resistance values.
The resistance-value variation is discussed about, for example, the 4.3-inch touch panels having the aspect ratio of 16:9 illustrated in FIG. 15A. A touch panel may exist that have the X-side and Y-side resistance values of 607Ω and 275Ω, respectively, when a difference between the X-side and Y-side resistance values is the largest. An amount of current consumed by the touch panel having such resistance values in a standby state is discussed. As illustrated in FIG. 10, when a voltage of 3.3 V is commonly applied to the X-side and Y-side electrodes in the related art, a current Ix of the X-side resistive film is determined based on the commonly applied voltage Vc and the resistance value of 607Ω of the X-side resistive film selected in the above-described manner. More specifically, the current Ix is determined as follows: Ix=(commonly applied voltage Vc)/(X-side resistance value Rx)=3.3 V/607 Ω=0.0054366 A. That is, a current of 0.0054366 A (=5.436 mA) flows through the X-side resistive film per second. Accordingly, a current of 0.0054366 mA flows per millisecond.
Similarly, an amount of current consumed by the Y-side resistive film is determined. Since the voltage commonly applied to the X-side and the Y-side resistive films is equal to 3.3 V and the resistance value selected in the above-described manner is equal to 275Ω, a current Iy of the Y-side resistive film is determined as follows: Iy=Vc/Ry=3.3 V/275Ω=0.01200 A. Accordingly, a current of 0.01200 mA flows per millisecond. Since voltage is alternately applied to the X-side and Y-side resistive films of this touch panel every 10 ms, an amount current consumed during 100 ms is determined to cope with an actual usage state of the touch panel. A 10-ms pulse is supplied to the X-side resistive film five (=100 ms/(10+10) ms) times. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 10, an amount of current consumed by the X-side resistive film during 100 ms is calculated as follows: (Ix)×10 ms×(100/20) times=0.2718 mA/100 ms. Similarly, an amount of current consumed by the Y-side resistive film during 100 ms is equal to 0.6000 mA/100 ms. Accordingly, a sum of the amounts of current consumed by the x-side and Y-side resistive films during 100 ms is equal to 0.8718 mA/100 ms.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 9-152932 discloses a technology for decreasing power consumption of a touch panel by extending intervals at which driving current is intermittently applied to the touch panel if it is determined that an input operation on the touch panel is not continued.

Method for driving touch panel and apparatus for the same


There is provided a document processing device and a document processing method capable of aligning and loading documents being transported surely and at a high speed. The document processing device includes: a document inverter for inverting a transport direction of documents being transported; a first guide that is provided in nearly the same direction as the transport direction positions document stacked layers when stacking documents inverted by the document inverter; a second guide that is provided to further tilt at a predetermined angle than orthogonal angle to the transport direction and capable of guiding the transported documents in the first guiding means direction, positions document stacked layers when stacking documents inverted by the document inverting means in conjunction with the first guiding means; and a holder for loading and holding the documents positioned and stacked by the first guide and the second guide. The second guide is constituted by a flat transported document abutting surface capable of making ends of the documents being transported slide down in a positioned state.

Recently, a device for processing at high speed documents, slips, and forms, such as business forms, is in demand as services diversify. The conventional device of this kind generally processes by sorting fixed sized business forms in advance, and assumed that the forms transported along a transport path drop without error by merely dropping them as is into a stacker (Patent Document 1).
Therefore, it is considered that the loaded documents in the stacker are aligned by controlling the timing of descending an elevator of the high-capacity stacker and thereby making a fixed distance to the top surface of the documents stored in the stacker.
Moreover, documents need to be neatly aligned before binding even with a bookbinding machine, and therefore a dedicated sheet aligning mechanism is provided. Documents are aligned by this sheet aligning mechanism of jogging and aligning them. More specifically, a sheet aligning guide is auto-configured in conformity with the paper size of documents to be processed, and the four sides of the documents fed from a gathering machine are jogged and aligned by the sheet aligning guide a set number of times so as to position them.
Furthermore, while transporting and processing in a mixed state without pre-restricting size, thickness etc. of business forms to be processed is in demand, such a device capable of processing a wide variety of documents is limited to a document processing device already provided by the present applicant.

Document processing device and document processing method