A markerless robot tracking system (10) employing a surgical RCM robot (20) including a primary revolute joint (22) rotatable about a primary rotational axis and a secondary revolute joint (22) rotatable about a secondary rotational axis. A plurality of unique landmark sets are integrated into the robot (20) with each unique landmark set including landmark(s) (30) in a fixed orientation relative to the primary rotational axis and further including additional landmark(s) (30) in a fixed orientation relative to the secondary rotational axis. The system (10) further an optical camera (41, 51) for visualizing a subset of the plurality of unique landmark sets within a camera coordinate system (43, 53), and a robot tracking controller (70) for estimating a robot pose of the surgical RCM robot (20) within the camera coordinate system (43, 53) derived from the visualization by the optical camera (41, 51) of the subset of landmark(s) within the camera coordinate system (43, 53).

In most of the image-guided procedures, after registration, tracked surgical instruments are co-displayed with the previously acquired medical images. Such display visualization of an instrument position in respect to a patient coordinate system has shown to be beneficial for various clinical procedures, particularly procedures involving intra-operative confirmation of the position of the surgical instrument in relation to critical anatomical structures.
Tracking of the surgical instruments (e.g., tissue resection devices, ultrasound transducers, needles, etc.) may be enabled by external position measurement systems (e.g., an optical position measurement system, electromagnetic position measurement system, etc.). In case of robotic surgical tools, tracking with electromagnetic sensors has proven to be impracticable in view of an accuracy of electromagnetic tracking is susceptible to ferromagnetic materials, which are not only present in the operating room but are also commonly used in surgical robotic systems (e.g., stainless steel instruments and robotic arms, electrical motors, etc.).
On the other hand, both high accuracy and ease of integration of optical tracking has made optical tracking technology very popular among the technical community. The most common method is to use external markers that are attached to the arm of the robot. For example, retro-reflective markers in conjunction with an infrared optical tracking system have been used to detect the motion of the robotic arm and reduce Cartesian position error of the robot. Optical tracking using retroreflective markers has also been investigated for minimally invasive robot-assisted pedicle screw placement as well as spinal fusion, where optical marker are mounted on both the robot end-effector and patient's vertebras and used later on for navigation. Another patient-to-robot registration method has been incorporated into a robotic system described where the method involves a coarse registration using point-based matching, and a fine alignment based on the surface matching.

Markerless robot tracking systems, controllers and methods


A dynamic secure mobile network is provided to enable the transfer and storage of private data. The dynamic secure mobile network can provide secured communication channels that segregates different types of data and allows for protected data streams to be sent via different secured channels than non-protected data. The enhanced wireless mobile network can support consistent compliancy/privacy and security policies across all networks.

In order to provide more personalized healthcare to more patients, devices can allow patients to send electronic personal health information to doctors and to monitoring databases. Electronic personal health information is federally regulated, however, and there are strict rules for how mobile applications have to enforce security measures and policies rules at the application layers on the mobile side and at the data storage on the server side. Accordingly, devices in use today are custom built and/or designed to be special purpose devices that cannot be used for other purposes.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Segregation of electronic personal health information


A method is provided to deliver energy downhole with a heat and nitrogen generating reaction, wherein the heat and nitrogen generating reaction occurs in-situ with an acid-generating reaction. The heat and nitrogen generating reaction is initiated by injecting into a reservoir a) nitrogen gas-generating reactants which react to generate heat at a pH of less than 8.0; b) an acid precursor which is capable of hydrolyzing in-situ in the reservoir to generate a sufficient amount of acid to maintain the reactants at a pH of less than 8.0, for a reaction that generates at least 20 kcal of heat per mole of reactants.

It is desirable to deliver energy downhole to locations within a formation. Ashton et al. in a paper entitled "In Situ Heat System Stimulates Paraffinic Crude Producers in Gulf of Mexico," in SPE Production Engineering, May 1989, p. 157-160, describes the thermal stimulation of wells in order to remove the paraffinic damage through the heat generation caused by an exothermic chemical reaction in aqueous phase. U.S. Pat. No. 4,178,993 teaches the use of a self generating nitrogen (SGN) system to reduce well hydrostatic and improve production from gas wells, with a buffering system such as sodium sulfate to control the reaction. U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,083 discloses the use of the SGN system for back surging and cleaning perforations downhole, wherein the reaction is controlled by adding both buffering and pH reducing agents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,262 discloses the use of SGN for the application of de-waxing crude pipelines. U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,933 discloses the use of SGN for the thermo-hydraulic control of gas hydrates.
This invention presents improved systems and methods to generate energy downhole in a controlled manner, particularly at desired locations within a formation, for the production or transmission of hydrocarbons.

System and methods to deliver energy downhole


A method of manufacturing a card including an electronic module by providing a frame or a plate having at least one aperture for receiving the electronic module. At least one part of the peripheral area of the aperture is deformed or crushed by localized application of pressure, so as to reduce locally the thickness of the frame or plate in the peripheral area. The electronic module is brought opposite the corresponding aperture so a zone of the electronic module is superposed on a part of the peripheral area, and a material connection is established between the part of the peripheral area and the corresponding zone of the electronic module for assembling the electronic module to the frame or plate before a resin is subsequently added to at least one side of the electronic module.

Electronic cards or integrated circuit cards have considerably developed over the last few years. Initially, electronic cards were formed of a card body including a resistive contact module housed in a recess in the body of the card. Then, contactless cards were made, i.e. cards including a transponder formed of an electronic circuit connected to an antenna. As electronic cards have developed, it is sought to integrate other electronic elements for other functions into the cards. By way of example, cards including a switch that can be activated by the user and an electronic display have been disclosed. Such cards generally require relatively large batteries or powering means of the photovoltaic cell type. In order to integrate these various elements in a card, they are generally grouped together in the form of at least one electronic module, including a support, on the surface of which various electronic elements are arranged. FIG. 1 shows a schematic example of this type of module. Module 2 includes an integrated circuit 4, connected to an electronic display 6, a battery 8 and an activator 10, arranged on a support or substrate 12, forming a PCB interconnecting these various elements. In order to limit the thickness of these modules, the battery and/or the display can be arranged at the periphery of support 12 or in recesses therein.
It is not easy to integrate a relatively large electronic module, made up of various elements of variable shape and size, in a card. Further, integrating a digital display, which has to be precisely positioned in the manufactured card, causes an additional problem, which the present invention proposes to overcome.
EP Patent No. 0 570 784 discloses, in one implementation, a method of manufacturing cards including an electronic unit, in particular, a transponder, which is placed in a main aperture in a positioning frame. According to the implementation disclosed, the transponder and the positioning frame are embedded in a binding agent that can be added in liquid viscous form, particularly a resin. The positioning frame in EP Patent No. 0 570 784 is used only for delimiting an inner zone for the transponder, formed of an integrated circuit and a coil, inside the card. Thus, when pressure is applied to the various elements and the binding agent to form a card, the transponder is held in an inner zone, whereas it is possible for the binding agent, in a non-solid state, to flow to form a layer that passes through the manufactured card. Those skilled in the art can find, in this Patent document, a method for integrating a relatively large and complex-shaped electronic module in a compact, flat card. However, the electronic module placed in the main aperture in a positioning frame, as described in that document, will often be moved slightly when the card is being formed. Indeed, this document does not disclose how to maintain the transponder in a precise, determined position inside the aperture in the positioning frame. Those skilled in the art might certainly think of reducing the dimensions of the main aperture to make them approximately match the dimensions of the electronic module, in particular the external profile of the module. However, manufacturing tolerances must be taken into account, so that it is difficult to envisage too tight a fit. Moreover, depending upon the way in which the modules are manufactured, the positioning of the various elements on the support may also vary slightly. Thus, for example, digital display 6 is arranged on the surface of the PCB or at the periphery thereof in a position that may vary slightly. However, to obtain a high quality card, this digital display must be positioned precisely relative to the external contour of the manufactured card. This is particular important when a transparent aperture, which fits the dimensions of the digital display, is arranged above the aperture to allow the user of the card to read the display.
There is a further problem in addition to this problem of positioning the electronic module relative to the external contour of the card. This problem concerns introduction of the electronic module at the centre of the card manufacturing installation. It will be noted here that electronic cards are generally manufactured in batches, i.e. several cards are manufactured simultaneously in the form of a plate that includes a plurality of electronic modules. Then, each card is separated from the plate during a cutting step, as is described in EP Patent No. 0 570 784. Within the scope of the latter disclosure, the transponder remains free in relation to the positioning frame until the card is formed. This requires precautions in the handling of the various elements provided to form the card, to ensure that the transponders remain in the corresponding apertures of the positioning structure until the press is activated.
The present invention thus also proposes to answer this latter problem, identified within the scope of the present invention, so as to simplify the provision of electronic modules while ensuring that the electronic modules are kept in the apertures of a positioning structure and to facilitate assembly of the various elements and materials provided for manufacturing the cards.

Method of manufacturing cards that each include an electronic module and intermediate products


An optical sensor includes a light receiving unit and a calculating unit. The light receiving unit includes a plurality of light receiving elements and a plurality of color filters. The plurality of light receiving elements include a first light receiving element and a second light receiving element through which a photocurrent flows when receiving light. The plurality of color filters include a yellow filter that covers a light receiving surface of the first light receiving element and a red filter that covers a light receiving surface of the second light receiving element. The calculating unit calculates an intensity of a yellow wavelength band based on a difference between a first output signal obtained from the photocurrent of the first light receiving element and a second output signal obtained from the photocurrent of the second light receiving element.

The present invention relates to an optical sensor and an electronic device.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2016-115746 discloses an optical sensor that receives red light, blue light, and green light with a red filter, a blue filter, and a green filter. The optical sensor also receives infrared light by overlapping the red filter and one of the blue filter and the green filter. In the optical sensor, red, blue, and green are accurately detected by removing the influence of infrared light from the red, blue, and green.
It is desirable that the optical sensor be further improved.


A device for storing and/or treating chemicals is described. The device includes a glass casing provided with a receiving cavity for storing chemicals therein, and further includes a transponder having a memory, the transponder being arranged in the device such that it cannot be affected by the chemicals.

The present invention relates to a device for storing and/or treating chemicals, comprising a casing which is made of glass and is provided with a receiving cavity for storing chemicals therein.
Devices for storing and/or treating chemicals are utilized in bulk quantities by the chemical industry, research laboratories, medical laboratories and like institutes. The known devices include, for instance, sampling tubes as described in Dutch patent application NL-A-1003492, a sample bottle or vial, a test tube or blood tube, a Petri dish, and HPLC column, or like devices comprising a glass casing provided with a receiving cavity for storing chemicals therein.
Often, it is a problem to record what is stored in a known device and under what conditions storage occurred. Thus, it happens regularly in hospitals that tubes of blood are mixed up and so the results of the blood test are linked with the wrong patient. With sampling tubes that are used specifically for taking samples from gases, such as, for instance, the atmosphere, it is necessary to record under what conditions the samples were taken. Pressure, temperature, air humidity and like data are of direct influence on the concentrations of the samples that are taken. Since these sampling activities often take place in the absence of attendant personnel, there is no opportunity of registering this kind of data, so that other solutions to resolve these problems have been realized. In sampling the atmosphere, sometimes use is made of a special pump which keeps the pressure, temperature, and humidity of the air which is passed through the sampling tube at a constant value. Such a pump is particularly costly and would not be necessary if the data of the atmospheric pressure, the air humidity, the temperature and the like were known. In other absorption processes, too, such data play an important role. In the case of, for instance, a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) column, keeping record of the measurements performed is a labor-intensive job which can easily lead to errors.
The object of the invention is to provide a device of the type defined in the opening paragraph hereof, without the above-mentioned drawbacks. To that end, according to the invention, the device is characterized in that it comprises a transponder including a memory, the transponder being arranged in the device such that it cannot be affected by the chemicals. The transponder can be designed in a variety of ways. Thus, it can be provided with a memory in which only a fixed number is stored. The data to be stored in relation to the chemicals received in a given device are stored in a central computer with reference to the identification number stored in the transponder.
Such a solution is practical in particular when the location where the chemicals are received in the receiving cavity of the casing of the device is in the proximity of the central computer in which the data of interest are stored. There are many applications, however, where measurement occurs remote from a central computer and hence no freely available memory for storing these data is present. In that case, according to a further elaboration of the invention, it is particularly favorable when the transponder is provided with programmable memory. In that case, data observed in situ can be stored in the memory of the transponder and read out by a central computer at a later time. Optionally, the transponder can contain control data on the basis of which processing apparatus can be driven.
According to a further elaboration of the invention, the transponder is melted-in in a closed glass housing which constitutes an inseparable part of the device. owing to the presence of the glass housing, such a transponder cannot be contaminated or destroyed by the chemicals received in the receiving cavity of the device.
Further elaborations of the invention are described in the subclaims and will hereinafter be further clarified with reference to the drawing, on the basis of a number of exemplary embodiments.

Device for storing and/or treating chemicals


Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for identifying query-relevant content in a resource identified by a search result in response to the query. In one aspect, a method includes identifying resource search tidbits for a resource, each resource search tidbit being eligible for a resource search operation for the resource. The resource search tidbits are provided with search results to a client device. In response to a user selecting a resource identified by a search result, the client device identifies text in the resource matching the query-relevant text of the resource search tidbit and performs a resource search operation on the resource if the identified text meets a search operation threshold condition.

This specification relates to digital information retrieval, and particularly to processing search results to facilitate search operations.
The Internet provides access to a wide variety of resources, for example, video files, image files, audio files, or Web pages including content for particular subjects, book articles, or news articles. A search system can select one or more resources in response to receiving a search query. A search query is data that a user submits to a search engine to satisfy the user's informational needs. The search system selects and scores resources based on their relevance to the search query and on their importance relative to other resources to provide search results that link to the selected resources. The search results are typically ordered according to the scores, and provided in a search results page.
The search results page displays a list of search results, and each search result includes several lines of text (a "snippet") that are intended to show how the page is relevant to the query. When a user clicks on a search result, the user's client device requests the resource—typically a web page—that the search result references. When the page is received at the client device, however, the user may have to manually search the page to find the relevant content, even if the snippet included the exact content they want. The users often must either scroll through the page to find the relevant content, or perform a manual word search operation by use of a browser word search tool.


A device is provided that attaches to a hub of a drive mechanism that utilizes a flat plate, shuttle enabled, engagement/disengagement mechanism to sequentially disengage a forward drive power and then engage a reverse drive power assembly which results in a reverse output of power to the drive mechanism. In a particular application, a device is provided that attaches to the hub of a motorcycle wheel that enables the normal forward drive mechanism to provide reverse power without changing the actual direction of the drive sprocket. An important aspect of the device of the present invention is that the reverse gear package when not in use is completely idle and has absolutely no effect on the forward drive components when not in use.

Many vehicles, such as, for example, motorcycles, lawn tractors, and quad bikes and the like, are not typically provided with a reverse gear. As such, users of such vehicles must maneuver the vehicles manually, sometimes requiring physically pushing the vehicle, which can be difficult or even hazardous, depending on the size of the vehicle, the conditions under foot and the strength and agility of the user.
There have been attempts to provide reverse mechanisms to vehicles, such as, for example, motorcycles and the like:
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,001,862 B2 discloses a reverse drive assembly for a motorcycle that includes a transmission assembly having a main shaft and a counter shaft. The reverse drive assembly includes a first drive member configured to be coupled to an opposite end of the main shaft, a second drive member configured to be coupled to a second end of the counter shaft, and an engagement member operatively positioned between the second drive member and the counter shaft. The engagement member is movable between a first position out of engagement with the second drive member and the counter shaft, and a second position in engagement between the second drive member and the counter shaft to drive the counter shaft in a reverse direction. In some constructions, the engagement member is operatively positioned between the first drive member and the main shaft.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,997,361 B1 discloses a reverse drive mechanism [that] is configured to rotate at least one wheel of a multi-wheeled device in a reverse direction so that the device moves in that reverse direction. One particular application involves a motorcycle conversion assembly in which at least one of the rear wheels of the conversion assembly is driven in the reverse direction so as to back-up the motorcycle.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,952,305 B2 discloses a vehicle comprising a rotatable wheel (e.g., three rotatable wheels), a forward drive mechanism including a forward drive motor (e.g., an internal combustion engine), and a reverse drive mechanism. The reverse drive mechanism includes a reverse drive motor (e.g., an electric motor) adapted to move the chassis in the rearward direction, and a reverse drive control programmed to inhibit operation of the reverse drive mechanism when the forward drive motor is off. In one embodiment, the vehicle includes a battery for operating the reverse drive motor, and the reverse drive control is programmed to inhibit operation of the motor when a characteristic of the battery (e.g., an output voltage) falls below a threshold. The vehicle can further include a temperature sensor for the reverse drive motor. In this embodiment, the reverse drive control is programmed to inhibit operation of the reverse drive motor when the temperature of the motor exceeds a threshold.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,311,636 B1 discloses a motorcycle wheel attachment for [a] replacement for a rear sheave or sprocket that attaches to the hub of the rear wheel. The outer perimeter of the apparatus resembles the outer perimeter of the replaced motorcycle sheave/sprocket so that the respective drive belt or chain can be affixed around the perimeter. With respect to the belt or chain, the engine and transmission, the attachment functionally replaces the sheave/sprocket. The attachment includes an enclosed inner gear system having a locked and unlocked position. In the locked position, none of the gears rotate with respect to the exterior of the attachment. In the unlocked position, the gears couple to the movement of the exterior of the attachment as well as the drive force exerted by the belt or chain. This coupled movement allows the attachment and wheel to rotate in a reverse direction using the forward drive of the engine, thereby giving the motorcycle reverse power.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,708,579 B2 discloses a reverse drive for a small vehicle [that] includes a primary driven gear through which an external motor imparts a rotary motion to a first shaft. A worm gear is mounted on and rotates with the first shaft. A worm wheel is mounted on and rotates with a second shaft. The worm wheel engages and is rotated by the worm gear with a gear reduction being effected through engagement of the worm gear and the worm wheel so that the second shaft rotates at a slower speed than the first shaft. A clutch is mounted on the second end of the second shaft, which can be moved between an engaged position and a disengaged position.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,595,894 B2 discloses a shift control device for a bicycle . . . having a planetary gear assembly for varying the relative angular position between an actuating member and a control member. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the shift control device includes a control member engageable with a ring gear to drive a plurality of planetary gears about a fixed base member. The fixed base member preferably includes a sun gear integrally attached thereto. The planetary gears are preferably carried by an actuating member configured to pull and release a bicycle shift cable. Rotation of the planetary gears results in the tension or release of the bicycle shift cable. The shift control device can include a positioning mechanism for controlling the position of the actuating member relative the base member.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,651 B1 discloses a vehicle drive assembly with a motor configured for driving the vehicle and including a rotatably driven motor shaft. A first swing arm has a first end housing the motor and a second end pivotably and supportively attachable to a vehicle body, with an elongated portion joining the ends. The vehicle also has a gearbox housing configured for transmitting torque to a road surface through a road engaging member, and a transmission directly engaged with the motor shaft and housed within the gearbox housing. The transmission is configured for transmitting torque from the motor shaft to the housing. A second swing arm is pivotably and supportively attachable to the vehicle body. An axle is fixed to the second swing arm, received within the gearbox housing, and attached to the transmission such that the second swing arm is supported by the transmission. The transmission preferably includes a planetary gear reduction unit with a gear carrier rotationally fixed to the first swing arm and a plurality of gears operatively associated with the shaft and the gearbox housing to transmit torque therebetween. Preferably at least one of the gears is mounted to the gear carrier, more preferably a plurality of planetary gears is mounted to the gear carrier.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,678 discloses a bicycle transmission [that] includes a hub axle, a drive member rotatably mounted around the hub axle, a hub body rotatably mounted around the hub axle, and a planetary gear mechanism coupled between the drive member and the hub body for communicating rotational force from the drive member to the hub body through multiple rotational force transmission paths. The planetary gear mechanism includes a planet gear supported by a planet gear rack for rotation around the hub axle, and a ring gear engaging the planet gear. The ring gear includes a transmission pawl that can be displaced between a first position for transmitting rotational motion between the ring gear and the hub body and a second position for inhibiting the transmission of rotational motion between the ring gear and the hub body. A clutch is mounted around the hub axle, wherein the clutch is movable in the direction of a longitudinal axis of the hub axle for selecting a rotational force transmission path through the planetary gear mechanism and for selectively operating the transmission pawl. The clutch includes a first clutch member and a second clutch member capable of movement relative to each other in the direction of the axis of the hub axle. The first clutch member and the second clutch member move relative to each other in the direction of the axis of the hub axle when the drive member rotates in a first rotational direction for causing the transmission pawl to be in the first position for transmitting rotational motion between the ring gear and the hub body.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,136 discloses an auxiliary magnetic motor (AMM) [that] comprises a fixed ring formed of a multi-layer flat silicon steel plate with a plurality of coils formed thereon, the fixed ring being fixedly supported within a motor case. The AMM also comprises at appropriate positions on the fixed ring at least three Hall effect IC sensors for sensing and producing a switching sequence signal for the fixed ring. The motor case center connects to one end of the axle of the bicycle wheel to be driven. The AMM further comprises a flat rotating plate having an outer ring portion having formed thereon a plurality of magnetic elements. Matching speed sensor elements are appropriately located respectively on the motor case and the cover case to sense and feedback the rotational speed of the wheel to a programmable control circuit, so as to actuate a motor control circuit which provides a three phase signal to the fixed ring to magnetically actuate the rotation of the rotating plate, thereby driving the wheel through various linkages and a gear mechanism.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,304 discloses a reverse drive apparatus for a motorcycle is disclosed. The apparatus (10) includes a drive wheel (12) for releasably engaging a wheel (15) of the motorcycle (11). The drive wheel (12) is driven by an electric motor (16) which is powered by the motorcycle's battery. Support means (20) are provided for securing the electric motor (16) to a stationary portion, preferably the frame (22), of the motorcycle (11). The support means (20) include means for selectively moving the drive wheel (12) into and out of engagement with the driven wheel (15) of the motorcycle. This reference discloses an alternate means by which a reverse drive is added to a motorcycle, wherein an additional drive wheel is mounted to the motorcycle that is used to drive the rear wheel in reverse.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,113 discloses apparatus . . . for use in a vehicle having a forward motion transmission operatively connected between an engine and the output shaft connecting the drive wheel and a reverse drive mechanism arranged to be operatively connected to the output shaft for driving the vehicle in reverse. A speed change shift device is arranged to operate the forward motion transmission and the reverse drive mechanism so as to prevent simultaneous operation of the two apparatus.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,695 discloses a reverse drive mechanism for attachment to a motorcycle having two wheels, an engine and transmission for driving same in conventional fashion. The reverse drive mechanism has an electric motor which is separately energized and will, through slip coupling friction structure, drive a friction drive wheel engaged with the tire on the rear wheel of the motorcycle. Appropriate energizing and limit switches are associated with this reverse drive mechanism for safety and ease of use thereof.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,083,421 discloses a two speed motorcycle hub transmission in which the wheel may be driven at a one to one, or at a lower speed by a sliding clutch changing the drive from having the wheel locked to the drive shaft, to a planetary system the drive shaft driving the sun gear. This reference discloses one potential mechanism by which a planetary gear mechanism may be engaged and disengaged.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,483 discloses a power transmission incorporating planetary gearing with its sun gear connected to the input, and its internal gear connected to the output. An expansible inertia clutch comprising resilient means far absorbing shocks when reversing is incorporated between input and output. A brake is connected to the planet gear carrier and reversing is obtained by the application of said brake.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,414,832 discloses a reversing gear of the planetary type wherein a synchronizer is employed for both the clutching and the braking means.
In another example, U.S. Patent Application US20120028751 A1 discloses a shift mechanism for a transmission comprising a planetary gear transmission, a shift cam engaged with a planetary gear assembly in the planetary gear transmission, the shift cam having a shift cam stop, a rotatable cable ring connected to a moveable cable, the cable ring comprising a ramped portion, a rotatable ramped ring, the ramped ring comprising a ramped portion cooperatively engaged with the cable ring ramped portion, and further the ramped ring having a stop cooperatively engagable with the shift cam stop, a rotation of the cable ring urges the ramped ring a predetermined distance in a direction normal to the plane of rotation of the cable ring, the shaft cam held against rotation by engagement with the ramped ring, and at which predetermined distance the ramped ring is allowed to rotate with the cable ring simultaneous with the axial movement of the ramped ring, and a spring connected between the cable ring and the shift cam, the shaft cam reacting to the spring force rotates upon rotation of the ramped ring by an amount of rotation that is limited by engagement of the shift cam stop with the ramped ring stop and during which rotation of the shaft cam the transmission shifts gears.
In another example, U.S. Patent Application US20100267508 A1 discloses a direct drive electric shift two speed planetary gearbox using a linear actuator to engage selectively the ring gear either to the housing or to the carrier by means of a synchronizing clutch to provide a low speed mode, a neutral mode, and a high speed mode of operation resulting in significant fuel efficiencies.
The reverse gear mechanisms provided in the foregoing examples are complicated, expensive, introduce new components and/or have a negative effect on the forward operation of the drive. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,001,862 B2 introduces a transmission modification. U.S. Pat. No. 7,952,305 B2 introduces a separate electric motor that is used to provide reverse power. Only one reference, U.S. Pat. No. 7,311,636 B1 (the '636 Patent"), discloses replacing the existing sheave or sprocket with a replacement that is connected to a planetary gear mechanism for providing reverse power. However, the '636 Patent teaches a device, in two different embodiments, that is implemented by "locking" and "unlocking" the planetary gear mechanism. With the '636 Patent, the idea is to "lock" the planetary gear mechanism such that the sun gear, planet gears and outer ring gear are all locked with respect to each other and function as one single wheel delivering rotational force in the forward direction. In the unlocked position, the planet gears are free to rotate such that the sun gear rotates opposite to the outer ring gear delivering opposite rotational force. Operationally, the sun gear is mechanically attached to the wheel and is thus always required for operation, either forward or reverse. The only difference is whether the sun gear is free to move independent of the planet gears or not. The device of the present invention does not contemplate this operation. The device of the present invention teaches a shuttle system allowing the user to choose which gear package, the forward or the reverse, is in use at any one time. When in normal forward mode, the operation does not involve the planetary gear assembly at all. In reverse mode, the planet gears merely rotate with respect to each other to allow the outer ring and sun gear to rotate opposite providing reverse force when the sun gear becomes operationally connected, but not directly connected to the hub through the shuttle mechanism. It will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, that this simple shuttle mechanism, and the ability to choose which gear package to implement, and the idle nature of the reverse gear mechanism when not in use is a significant improvement over the prior art with many distinct advantages. For example, in the present invention, there is no planet gear "locking" mechanism required to deliver normal forward rotational force that will inherently create friction and drag reducing gas mileage and power and creating parts that will wear and need replacement just to continue normal operation in the forward direction. Moreover, it will be appreciated by those with skill in the art, the potential negative effects such a locking mechanism may have on the stability of operation when sudden reduction of transmission power is effected by such maneuvers as removing all throttle when going downhill or sudden braking, and the like. Additionally, since the sun gear is never directly connected to the hub or wheel and is only in use and operationally connected during reverse operation, unnecessary wear and tear on the central power reversing component, i.e., the planetary gear package, is avoided.
Thus, all of the disclosed references provide devices that are complicated, expensive, introduce extra components, impede the normal existing operation of the drive power, and/or create instability in some typical normal operation of the power of the device to which it is attached creating potentially dangerous situations, and as such, fail to provide a suitable reverse drive mechanism that is reliable, inexpensive, simple, simple to install, and does not affect the normal existing forward power of the existing drive in any way. Therefore, there exists a need to provide a reverse mechanism that is reliable, inexpensive, simple, simple to install and does not have any effect, either in reducing gas mileage, power, wearability, safety, or any other negative effect on the existing forward power to the drive.
The present invention solves the problems encountered in the art by providing a device that attaches to a hub of a drive mechanism that teaches a shuttle mechanism that sequentially disengages a forward drive power and then, and only then, engages a planetary gear package which results in a reverse output of power to the drive mechanism. It is to be appreciated that the device of the present invention teaches a reverse gear package that is blind to the normal operation of the drive. That is, when not engaged, the planetary gear components are not moving or operationally connected in any way to the forward drive components and cannot possibly have any negative effects. The vehicle to which the device of the present invention is attached does not require any modification beyond replacing the hub attachment as specifically and described in detail herein and adding a means to engage and/or disengage the planetary gear package. Since the outer pulley interface exactly mirrors the original pulley interface which it replaces and transfers force and RPM's to the hub mounting plate in exactly the same way as it provided prior to installation of this device, operationally, the forward drive power of the original configuration is maintained.

Device to reverse direction of a unidirectional powered drive


A network switch having switch ports for communication of data packets with respective computer network nodes according to CSMA/CD protocol that resets a retry counter for counting data packet transmission attempts within any one of the respective switch ports if backpressure is asserted by that port. A retry limit value for the retry counter is selectively modified according to programmed information to ensure that the total number of retrys does not exceed a maximum total number of allowable retrys. Resetting the retry counter within a port after assertion of backpressure affords the port a greater probability of transmitting earlier under the CSMA/CD protocol, thus more quickly relieving congestion which may occur in the network switch. Selective modification of the retry limit value according to programmed information adds flexibility to vary the maximum total number of allowable retrys based upon current network switch conditions or the priority of a particular data packet.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer network interfacing and switching and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for controlling a network switch port operating in a half-duplex mode.
2. Background Art
Local area networks use a network cable or other media to link stations on a network. Each local area network architecture uses a media access control (MAC) enabling network interfaces at each station to share access to a medium. The Ethernet protocol (IEEE/ANSI Std. 802.3) defines a half-duplex media access format that permits all stations to access the network media channel with equality. Traffic is not distinguished or prioritized over the media. Each station includes an Ethernet interface that uses carrier-sense multiple-access with collision detection (CSMA/CD) to listen for traffic on the media. Any station can attempt to contend for the channel by waiting a predetermined transmission delay interval after the deassertion of the carrier on the media, known as the interpacket gap (IPG) interval. If a plurality of stations have data to send on the network, each of the stations will attempt to transmit in response to the sensed deassertion of the carrier on the media and after the IPG interval, resulting in a collision. Hence, a transmitting station will monitor the media to determine if there has been a collision due to another station sending data at the same time. If a collision is detected, both stations stop, wait a respective random amount of time, and retry transmission.
Ethernet networks mediate collisions by using a truncated binary exponential backoff (TBEB) algorithm, that provides a controlled pseudo-random mechanism to enforce a collision backoff interval before retransmission is attempted. According to the truncated binary exponential backoff algorithm, a station counts the number of transmission attempts (k) during the transmission of a current frame using a counter, referred to as a xe2x80x9cretry counterxe2x80x9d. The station computes a collision backoff interval as a randomized integer multiple of a slot time interval, and attempts retransmission after the collision backoff interval. The station will attempt to transmit under the truncated binary exponential algorithm until a retry limit value (kmax) has been reached. Under the Ethernet standard (IEEE/ANSI Std. 802.3), the limit for attempting transmission of a particular data frame is sixteen (16) times. If the station unsuccessfully attempts transmission of a data frame sixteen times, the data frame is then discarded by the station.
The collision backoff interval is calculated by selecting a random number of time slots from the range of zero to 2k. For example, if the number of attempts is k=3, then the range of randomly selected integer multiples is (0,8); if the randomly-selected integer multiple is four, then the collision backoff interval will be equal to four slot time intervals. According to Ethernet protocol, the maximum range of randomly selected time slots is from zero to 2110.
The truncated binary exponential algorithm has the disadvantage that the range of randomly selected integer multiples (0, 2k) increases exponentially each time a specific station unsuccessfully attempts a retry transmission after collision (i.e., the count k is increased), resulting in a higher probability that during the next collision mediation the station will randomly select a larger integer multiple of time slots, thereby decreasing the probability that the station will gain access to the media on the next retry transmission. Thus, a new station that has data to transmit has a higher probability of gaining access to the media than the station having a greater number of attempts. This effect is known as the xe2x80x9ccapturexe2x80x9d effect, where a new station in the collision mediation effectively has a greater probability of capturing access to the media than the station attempting capture prior to the new station.
Hence, collision mediation may reduce the network throughput and create packet access latencies. Consequently, the capture effect causes a large variance in the network access latency, and a corresponding large variance in end to end delays experienced by data packets.
Additionally, network stations generally do not have knowledge of the status of other stations on the network. If there is no collision, a transmitting station will transmit the data packet regardless of the state of the receiving station. If the receiving station is in a state of congestion, for example due to a lack of buffer space, the receiving station will discard the transmitted packet, resulting in a loss of data. If upper layer protocol requires the data to be resent, the sending station will resend the data packet at a later time, reducing the network throughput and efficiency.
Network congestion occurs if a receiving network element is unable to receive data at a rate greater than or equal to the transmission rate of the transmitting element. For example, traffic in a client-server environment is dominated by client requests followed by a burst of frames from the server to the requesting client. Although the full duplex environment enables the server to transmit packets while receiving requests from other clients, only a limited number of client requests can be output to the server from the switched hub at the assigned switching port. If the number of client requests exceeds the capacity of the server""s buffer, some of the data packets will be lost. Alternatively, a client having limited buffer space may be unable to keep up with the transmission rate of the server, resulting in lost packets.
Flow control has been proposed to reduce network congestion, where a receiving station causes a sending station to temporarily suspend transmission of data packets. A proposed flow control arrangement for a half duplex environment, referred to as xe2x80x9cbackpressurexe2x80x9d directs a receiving station to force a collision with the transmitting station by transmitting a jamming sequence of bits when the receive buffer of the receiving station reaches a xe2x80x9creceive buffer unavailablexe2x80x9d state. This state occurs when the receive buffer of the receiving station is queuing data packets at a rate exceeding the rate at which the buffer is capable of subsequently emptying to another station receiving the data packets (i.e., transmitting).
FIG. 8 illustrates the use of backpressure by a port 202 within a network switch 200 operating in half-duplex mode according to the CSMA/CD protocol. Port 202 receives and transmits data packets in communication with a network station 204 via a network media 206. If the port 202 is unsuccessful in transferring a data packet from its transmit buffer to the network station 204 over the media 206 due to collisions, the port 202 will backoff and wait a randomly selected period of time before retransmitting according to the CSMA/CD protocol. After each transmission attempt, the retry counter within the port is incremented. As discussed previously, as the number of retrys attempted by the transmitting port increases, the likelihood of that port gaining access to the media decreases.
Additionally, during the backoff interval, the receive buffers in port 202 may become active and start to receive a data packet 216 transmitted from network station 204. Should the receive buffers in the port 202 become overloaded due to congestion of the network switch bus 208 or other network ports 212, for example, the network switch engine 210 detects that the receive buffers of port 202 have become overloaded and directs the port to assert a backpressure jamming sequence 218, causing network station 204 to backoff and wait a randomly selected period of time before attempting retransmission. Under the CSMA/CD protocol, the collision forced by the jamming sequence causes the transmitting network station 204 to abort, jam and retransmit a data packet after the collision backoff interval. Thus, the asserted xe2x80x9cbackpressurexe2x80x9d controls the input port congestion of station 202 by forcing the sending network station 204 to invoke the truncated binary exponential backoff (TBEB) algorithm under the CSMA/CD protocol. Consequently, the TBEB algorithm causes the sending station 204 to stop transmission and wait to retransmit when the collision backoff interval is complete. During the backoff interval, the congested port 202 is given time to unload its internal receive buffers. If the port 202 remains congested, additional backpressure is asserted onto network station 204 to attempt to further alleviate the port congestion.
Conditions giving rise to the assertion of backpressure by a port 202, such as congestion within the switch 200 and other ports 212 can cause degradation of the switch performance. In addition, a higher retry count value in ports asserting backpressure can lead to further performance degradation since these ports are less likely to gain access to the media. Hence, data packets awaiting retransmission remain in the transmit buffers for longer periods of time due to lost collision mediation, thereby aggravating the congestion in the switch.
There is a need for an apparatus and method for controlling a network switch port that provides the port a greater probability of gaining access to a media during collision mediation following the assertion of backpressure by that port. There is also a need to selectively adjust a maximum allowable number of retry attempts (i.e., the limit value) for a given data packet as determined by a user or by predetermined programmed information.
These and other needs are attained by the present invention, where the retry counter of a network switch port is reset upon assertion of backpressure by the port. If the retry count value k is reset one or more times, however, the total number of retry attempts may exceed a desirable maximum allowable number as prescribed by a user or industry standard (e.g., the Ethernet standard of 16). This overstep of the maximum number occurs because the retry count k is normally compared against an initial set value of kmax to determine when the maximum number is reached. Thus, since k may be reset once or more, the actual total number of retry attempts may exceed the set retry limit value kmax. Thus, an adjustment of the retry limit value taking into account the actual total number of retrys becomes necessary to ensure that the desired retry limit value is not exceeded. Additionally, conditions present in the network switch, such as heavy congestion, may present situations where it is desirable to further adjust the retry limit value up or down to help further alleviate switch congestion. Hence, the present invention further selectively adjusts the value of the retry limit value (kmax) with each retry counter reset and in dependence upon certain programmed conditions.
According to one aspect of the invention, a network switch in a computer network includes a plurality of ports configured for transferring data packets over the computer network. At least some of the network switch ports have a retry counter incrementing a retry count of the number of occurrences that a respective port attempts and fails to transfer a data packet over the computer network. The retry count of the retry counter has a retry limit value corresponding to a maximum number of times the respective port is allowed to attempt transfer of an individual data packet. In keeping with the CSMA/CD protocol, control logic is included for discarding the individual data packet in response to the retry count in the retry counter reaching the retry limit value. Furthermore, these network switch ports include a retry counter reset for resetting the count of the retry counter to a start value when a backpressure data sequence is asserted by the port onto the computer network. The retry counter reset affords the port a greater probability of gaining access to the media during collision mediation when the ports are attempting to transmit a data packet after backpressure assertion. Providing greater probability of gaining access to the media serves to help relieve congestion that may be occurring in the network switch.
In addition, the ports include a programmable retry limit modification logic that selectively modifies the retry limit value based on programmed information. The programmable retry limit modification logic is called upon to modify the retry limit value after each assertion of backpressure by the port to ensure that the total number of transfer attempts for any one individual data packet does not exceed a maximum total number of transfer attempts for the individual data packet. Additionally, selective modification of the retry limit value according to programmed information allows flexibility to either increase or decrease the maximum total number of transfer attempts responsive to current network switch conditions to help alleviate congestion in the switch.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method for controlling a port of a network switch in a computer network includes incrementing a count in a retry counter within the port each time the port attempts and fails to transfer a data packet over the computer network. The count of the retry counter has a retry limit value corresponding to a total number of times the respective port is allowed to attempt transfer of an individual data packet. In addition, the method includes sensing whether the port transmits a backpressure sequence of bits over the computer network. If exertion of backpressure is sensed, the count in the retry counter is reset to a start value. Further, the retry limit value of the count is selectively modified according to preprogrammed information each time the count is reset such that the total number of transfer attempts for an individual data packet does not exceed a maximal total retry limit value determined based on the preprogrammed information. Selectively modifying the retry limit value according to preprogrammed information allows flexibility to either increase or decrease the maximum total number of transfer attempts responsive to current network switch conditions to help alleviate congestion in the switch.
Additional advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Apparatus and method for programmably modifying a limit of a retry counter in a network switch port in response to exerting backpressure


An information processing apparatus includes: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory and configured to: partition pixel values in a unit of row of an input image into a plurality of sections and allocates threads to the respective sections of the row, the threads being enabled to run in parallel by a processor; calculate, with each of the threads allocated in each row, distances each from a pixel having a certain value in the corresponding section of the row in the input image, and generates a first distance image which stores values indicating the distances; and calculate, with each of the threads allocated in each row, a first boundary value indicating a distance from a pixel having the certain value in another section of each row, by using a calculation result of the first boundary value in the another section of each row.

Mask processing is processing for causing only a specific portion to be displayed and causing a portion other than the specific portion not to be displayed. By performing such mask processing, a binary image is generated in which 1 is stored in pixels in the specific portion and 0 is stored in pixels in the portion other than the specific portion, for example. A pixel in which 0 is stored is hereinafter referred to as a zero-pixel. A technique for calculating distances from individual pixels of the binary image to the nearest zero-pixel and generating a distance image storing the calculated distances is used. The generated distance image is used for separating regions in the image, for example.
As a related art, there has been proposed a technique for converting a binary image in terms of distance to create a distance image, performing closing processing on the binary image using the distance image, and extracting voids based on differences between the images before and after the closing processing.
As a related art, there has also been proposed an image processing apparatus that integrates a plurality of pieces of shape data representing a shape of an object.
Related art is disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2015-68755 and Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2009-32122.

Information processing apparatus, computer-readable recording medium recording image conversion program, and image conversion method


A portable modular treatment system to be remotely deployed adjacent a solvent extraction bitumen well may include a portable initial separation module configured to receive a liquid emulsion from the solvent extraction bitumen well including bitumen, produced water, solvent, and at least one non-condensable gas, and liberate the at least one non-condensable gas while the solvent remains with the liquid emulsion. The system may further include a portable free water removal module configured to receive the liquid emulsion from the portable initial separation module and separate the bitumen and solvent from the produced water, a portable skimming tank module configured to receive the produced water from the portable free water removal module and remove free oil from the produced water through gravity separation, and a portable condenser module configured to receive the bitumen and solvent from the portable free water removal module and separate the bitumen and solvent.

Energy consumption worldwide is generally increasing, and conventional hydrocarbon resources are being consumed. In an attempt to meet demand, the exploitation of unconventional resources may be desired. For example, highly viscous hydrocarbon resources, such as heavy oils, may be trapped in oil sands where their viscous nature does not permit conventional oil well production. Estimates are that trillions of barrels of oil reserves may be found in such oil sand formations.
In some instances these oil sand deposits are currently extracted via open-pit mining. Another approach for in situ extraction for deeper deposits is known as Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD). The heavy oil is immobile at reservoir temperatures and therefore the oil is typically heated to reduce its viscosity and mobilize the oil flow. In SAGD, pairs of injector and producer wells are formed to be laterally extending in the ground. Each pair of injector/producer wells includes a lower producer well and an upper injector well. The injector/producer wells are typically located in the payzone of the subterranean formation between an underburden layer and an overburden layer.
The upper injector well is used to typically inject steam, and the lower producer well collects the heated crude oil or bitumen that flows out of the formation, along with any water from the condensation of injected steam. The injected steam forms a steam chamber that expands vertically and horizontally in the formation. The heat from the steam reduces the viscosity of the heavy crude oil or bitumen which allows it to flow down into the lower producer well where it is collected and recovered. The steam and gases rise due to their lower density so that steam is not produced at the lower producer well and steam trap control is used to the same effect. Gases, such as methane, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide, for example, may tend to rise in the steam chamber and fill the void space left by the oil defining an insulating layer above the steam. Oil and water flow is by gravity driven drainage, into the lower producer well.
Various approaches are used to process the emulsion from SAGD wells. One such approach is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 8,951,392 to James, which is directed to a modular portable evaporator system for use in SAGD systems having an evaporator, with a sump including an oil skimming weir, a short tube vertical falling film heat exchanger including an outer shell containing short tubes provided for lower water circulation rate. The system further has, external to the evaporator, a compressor for compressing evaporated steam from the tube side of the heat exchanger and routing to the shell side of the same exchanger, a distillate tank to collect hot distilled water, a recirculation pump to introduce liquids from the sump into the heat exchanger, and an external suction drum protecting the compressor from liquid impurities. The evaporator system receives produced water from the SAGD process into the sump and provides cleaned hot water to a boiler.
One consequence of the SAGD process is that it adds a significant amount of water to the emulsion output from the well, as several barrels of water (as steam) are typically injected into the well to recover one barrel of bitumen. As a result, a relatively expensive inlet diluent (e.g., naphtha) may be required, as emulsified bitumen and water have nearly the same gravity which necessitates the addition of diluents to lower the bitumen's gravity for free water knock out.
Furthermore, additional diluent may also be required during later stages of processing. In particular, most SAGD processing facilities export the extracted bitumen to refineries via pipelines. Yet, most bitumen supplies are required to include ˜30% diluent by volume to meet applicable pipeline requirements.
Accordingly, further enhancements may be desirable for bitumen extraction and treatment in certain applications.

Modular bitumen processing system and related methods


The invention offers a method for producing a soft magnetic material. The method effectively produces a soft magnetic material having soft magnetic metallic particles each coated with a plurality of insulating layers. A soft magnetic material to be used as the material for a dust core is produced through the following steps: a step of preparing a material powder having composite magnetic particles produced by forming an insulating film containing hydrated water on each of the surfaces of soft magnetic metallic particles, a step of preparing a resin material containing silicone that cures through a hydrolysis-polycondensation reaction, and a step of mixing the material powder and the resin material in a heated atmosphere at 80° C. to 150° C. to form a silicone film on the surface of the insulating film.

Hybrid cars and the like are provided with a booster circuit in their system for supplying electric power to the motor. The booster circuit includes a reactor as a component. The reactor has a structure in which a coil is wound around a core. When such a reactor is used in an alternating magnetic field, the core produces an energy loss known as an iron loss. Generally, the iron loss is expressed as the summation of a hysteresis loss and an eddy current loss and it becomes noticeable in the use at high frequency, in particular.
To decrease the above-described iron loss, the core of the reactor is sometimes formed by using a dust core. To form a dust core, first, a soft magnetic material is prepared that is composed of composite magnetic particles composed of soft magnetic metallic particles each coated with an insulating film. Then, the soft magnetic material is pressed to form the dust core. Because the metallic particles are insulated with one another with the insulating film, the dust core is highly effective in decreasing the eddy current loss, in particular.
Despite the above description, because the dust core is produced through the press molding, the pressure at the time of the press molding may damage the insulating films of the composite magnetic particles. When the insulating films are damaged, the soft magnetic metallic particles in the dust core are brought into contact with one another. This contact causes the eddy current loss to increase and thus may decrease the high-frequency property of the dust core.
In addition, strain and dislocation introduced into the soft magnetic metallic particles during the press molding cause an increase in the hysteresis loss. To prevent this increase, it is necessary to perform heat treatment after the press molding. The heat treatment, however, may deteriorate the insulating film, so that it is undesirable to perform the heat treatment at high temperature. When the heat treatment temperature is not sufficiently high, the strain and the like introduced into the metallic particles cannot be removed sufficiently. As a result, the hysteresis loss may increase, thereby decreasing the high-frequency property of the dust core.
To solve the problem caused by the press molding and heat treatment, a technique, for example, described in Patent Literature 1 forms on the surface of each of the soft magnetic metallic particles an insulating layer having multiple layers composed of an insulating film, a heat-resistance-imparting protective film, and a flexible protective film. According to the technique described in this literature, the insulating film may be formed of a phosphorus compound, a silicon compound, or the like, the heat-resistance-imparting protective film may be formed of an organic-silicon compound or the like, and the flexible protective film may be formed of silicone or the like.

Method for producing soft magnetic material and method for producing dust core


A driving circuit for a display with display elements in rows and/or columns has a shift register, through which tokens are shifted. The shift register's parallel outputs are latched and enable switch cells depending on the tokens. Control signals are supplied to the switch cells which control the output signal in terms of pulse width and/or signal shape. Buffers output the signals to a connected display. Individual or groups of buffers are connected to different supply voltages. The shift register may have more than one input in order to allow for shifting tokens in parallel, e.g. to every second output, using only one clock cycle. Further, inputs are provided for inverting the travelling direction of the tokens, inverting the shape of the signal that is output or switching all outputs to a predetermined state.

Display devices according to the invention are, for example, devices using organic light emitting diodes, often referred to by the acronym OLED, or LCD devices. The driving circuit is particularly suited for use in an active matrix display. Active matrix displays have switching elements or other control elements associated with the display elements. Driving circuits are used to select a row or a column of the display in order to be able to address the control elements associated with the display elements. Once a display element is addressed, a voltage or a current may be applied to the control elements for setting the display element in a desired state. However, different driving schemes are necessary for different types of display elements. Further, it may desirable to drive a split screen application. Again further certain display devices may need different voltage levels present at different control lines connected to the control elements of a single display element. It is, therefore, desirable to use a driving circuit that is suitable for driving split screen applications or for supplying different voltage levels at different control lines.

Display device driving circuit with independently adjustable power supply voltage for buffers


A device for measuring thickness and/or rate of thickness increase of a film comprises at least one piezoelectric element, and first and second electrodes in contact with the piezoelectric element. A method of measuring thickness and/or rate of thickness increase of a film comprises applying a voltage across a piezoelectric element from a first electrode to a second electrode, thereby causing the piezoelectric element to vibrate, and measuring the rate of vibration of the piezoelectric element. Heat may be applied to the piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric element may be formed of quartz crystal, e.g., IT-cut or near-IT-cut.

Since the early 1960's, quartz crystals have been used to monitor thin film coating processes used in the fabrication of optical devices such as lenses, filters, reflectors and beam splitters. Although initially employed as an aid to optical monitors to provide information on the rate at which the film is deposited, quartz crystal sensors became relied upon to indicate and control optical layer thickness in automated deposition systems.
Research in fields such as nanotechnology, biosensors, thin film displays, and high-speed optical communications have increased the complexity of thin film structures. While an antireflection coating consisting of a single layer of magnesium fluoride may have been sufficient 20 years ago, current designs may call for a 24-layer stack of alternating refractive index films. With high-speed optical communications, this stack increases ten-fold, leading to filters comprised of up to 256 layers.
The manufacturing of these geometries requires the control and accuracy provided by a quartz crystal. Unfortunately, the materials and deposition temperatures utilized in today's processing can adversely affect the operation of the crystal sensor.
Quartz crystal thickness monitors may be the most misunderstood components of optical thin film deposition systems. Quartz sensors provide process engineers with coating rate and thickness data in real time, with Angstrom resolution.
Quartz sensor instruments measure film thickness by monitoring a change in the frequency of vibration of a test crystal coated simultaneously with process substrates. Quartz is a piezoelectric material., i.e., if a bar of quartz is bent, it will develop a voltage on opposite faces. Conversely, if a voltage is applied, the bar will bend. By applying alternating voltage to such a bar, the bar will vibrate or oscillate in phase with the voltage.
At a specific frequency of oscillation, quartz will vibrate with minimal resistance, much like a tuning fork rings when struck. This natural resonance frequency is used as the basis for measuring film thickness. By adding coatings to the crystal surface, the resonance frequency decreases linearly. If the coatings are removed, the resonance frequency increases.
In a quartz crystal thickness monitor, the quartz crystal is coupled to an electrical circuit that causes the crystal to vibrate at its natural (or resonant) frequency, which for most commercial instruments is between 5 and 6 MHz. A microprocessor-based control unit monitors and displays this frequency, or derived quantities, continuously. As material coats the crystal during deposition, the resonant frequency decreases in a predictable fashion, proportional to the rate material arrives at the crystal, and the material density. The frequency change is calculated several times per second, converted in the microprocessor to Angstroms per second and displayed as deposition rate. The accumulated coating is displayed as total thickness.
The sensitivities of these sensors are remarkable. A uniform coating of as little as 10 Angstroms of aluminum will typically cause a frequency change of 20 Hz, easily measured by today's electronics. As the density of the film increases, the frequency shift per Angstrom increases.
The useful life of quartz is dependent on the thickness and type of coating monitored. If a low stress metal such as aluminum is deposited, layers as thick as 1,000,000 Angstroms have been measured. At the other extreme, highly stressful dielectric films can cause crystal malfunction at thicknesses as low as 2,000 Angstroms or less.
In the early days of crystal thickness monitors, metallic films of copper, silver and gold were the materials that were deposited the most commonly. These films produced coatings of low stress and were condensed on substrates held near room temperature. Under these conditions, very accurate determinations of film thickness and rate were achievable.
When the optics industry began to employ crystal monitors, attention shifted from opaque metals to transparent materials such magnesium fluoride, and silicon dioxide, since coatings had to transmit light. Unfortunately, these substances produced films with high intrinsic stresses and required high process or substrate temperatures. These were not welcome developments for crystal monitoring, as sensors which have employed quartz have been highly sensitive to stress and temperature changes.
This sensitivity can be traced to the piezoelectric properties of quartz. Further complicating matters is the fact that quartz crystal sensors which have been employed have exhibited frequency change when deformed by thin film stresses or mechanical forces, e.g., from a mounting holder. If process conditions heat or cool such sensors, a similar frequency shift occurs. Regardless of the origin, the frequency shift is indistinguishable from that caused by the addition of coating.
Frequency shifts can be positive or negative, and can be cumulative. They can also be random. Causes of resonant frequency changes include:
Vibrations introduced through the mounting hardware;
Variations in the voltage used to oscillate the crystal;
Changes in the film being monitored (acoustic impedance);
Adhesion failure of the monitored coating or quartz electrodes; and
Radio frequency interference in the monitoring circuit.
These effects introduce large errors in thickness and rate calculations. Temperature swings in quartz can result in thickness variations of 50 Angstroms or more (see FIG. 1, which is a plot of frequency shift vs. temperature for AT-cut quartz crystal). Adhesion failure results in 100-Angstrom rate spikes. Extraneous vibrations can produce changes in the thousand Angstrom range. For precision optical components, these errors result in major yield loss.
The harsh conditions present during optical film coating can have deleterious effects on the operating life of a crystal. High stress coatings can deform the crystal to the point that it ceases to oscillate, without warning. Splatters of material from the coating source can lead to similar failure. High-energy plasmas used for substrate cleaning can couple into the crystal electronics and cause severe electrical noise. High temperature depositions can overheat the crystal, driving it past its operating limit.
Early crystal failure can be a great inconvenience or an unmitigated disaster. In the case of 100+ layer thin film stacks, venting the chamber to replace crystals is not an option, due to the undesirable effects of atmospheric gases on film chemistry. For very thick films, used in laser power or infrared optics, short crystal life may prevent completion of the coating. For high-speed roll coating systems, abrupt crystal failure can cause great amounts of ruined substrates.
Attempts have been made to reduce crystal failure and increase accuracy, e.g., through the use of sensors made of AT-cut quartz and through the use of water-cooled holders and/or sensor heads in order to maintain the temperature of the sensor between 20 degrees C. and 45 degrees C., in which temperature range the AT-cut quartz is "substantially temperature insensitive," (see FIG. 1) in order to reduce thermally induced frequency shifts for low temperature processes.
That is, in the past, films have been deposited at elevated temperatures in order to attempt to alleviate stresses which result from the films being built up. However, because such elevated temperatures cause the sensor to move out of the "substantially temperature-insensitive region," and result in frequency shifts in the thickness measurements of such sensor systems (see FIG. 1), prior systems have used cooling systems to try to counteract the effects of such heating, and to try to maintain the temperature in the substantially "temperature-insensitive" region.
For example, conventional quartz crystal based thin film thickness sensor systems utilize a water cooled stainless steel holder which uses a thin (0.010″ thick) quartz crystal disk to measure the thickness, in situ and real time, of a thin film deposition process. This technology, available since the early 1960's, is difficult to use when optical materials, such as magnesium fluoride, or silicon dioxide, are used in the coating process. These materials cause the crystal to act erratically and fail prematurely during the coating process, preventing the measurement and control function from taking place. It is thought that the intrinsic stresses that these materials have when deposited as thin films result in the quartz becoming strained microscopically. Typically, lenses to be coated are heated during coating to alleviate this stress.
The quartz sensor, placed near the structures (e.g., lenses) being deposited to monitor the process, has historically been water cooled at the same time, to minimize fluctuations in its reading due to temperature changes resulting from process heat (i.e., heat resulting from the process being used to deposit the coating). This cooling, unfortunately, compounds the stress problem on the crystal surface. Moreover, recent studies of standard sensor heads show that even with water-cooling, the crystal temperature can rise 20 to 30 degrees within a 10-minute process. For extended runs with high chamber temperatures, temperature increases can become considerably larger.
Others have attempted to generate temperature-frequency algorithms to try to cancel out the component of frequency change caused by temperature. Examples of such work include: (1) E. C. van Ballegooijen, "Simultaneous Measurement of Mass and Temperature using Quartz Crystal Microbalances" Chapter 5, Methods and Phenomena 7, C. Lu and A. W. Czandema, Editors, Applications of Piezoelectric Quartz Crystal Microbalances, Elsevier Publishing, New York, 1984, and (2) E. P. Eemisse, "Vacuum Applications of Quartz Resonators", J. Vac. Sci. Technol., Vol. 12, No. 1, January/February 1975, pp 564-568.
A paradigm shift is underway in quartz crystal process monitoring. In many applications, crystals become the keys to success. No matter how significant a breakthrough may be in optics, be it materials, geometry, process design or application, if a thin film coating of any sophistication is required, the weak link is how accurately that film can be measured. As technology closes in on manipulating Angstrom-level properties of matter, the need for reliable thin film metrology rises to a new level of importance.
Film stress, adhesion failure, and extreme temperature effects have not been adequately dealt with. The current demands of nanotechnology, thin film displays, and high speed optical communications bring about an increased need for a quartz crystal monitor which reduces these inaccuracies and which reduces the frequency of such malfunctioning.

Method and apparatus for measuring film thickness and film thickness growth


An optimal conditional operational schedule for a set of power generators is determined by constructing states and transitions of a factored Markov decision process (fMDP) from a target electrical demand and generator variables. A cost function for the fMDP is constructed based on the electrical demand, the generator variables, and a risk coefficient. Then, the fMDP is solved to obtain the optimal conditional operational schedule.

It is desired to schedule the operation of power generators, e.g., nuclear, coal, oil, gas, hydroelectric, solar, and wind. The generators are connected to consumers via electrical grids. The grids can cover continents. An objective of the operational scheduling is to generate a projected amount of electrical power for the consumers, while minimizing production cost and risk of power shortages.
The operational schedule includes a sequence of operational periods (steps), typically of a one hour length. During each step, it is necessary to determine which generators should be on, and which should be off, and how much electricity should be produced by each generator that is on.
The planning horizon, i.e., the duration of the schedule, is typically between one day and one week. Finding the operational schedule that is optimal among all possible schedules is a difficult computational problem due to the very large number of possible generator combinations, schedules that have to be considered, the differences in the operational costs of individual generators, the reliability and variations in output, and various existing operational constraints.
A large number of these constraints are temporal in nature, which turns the operational scheduling into a sequential decision making problem. For example, some generators have minimal and maximal on and off times, as well as limits on how fast the output of the generators can increase or decrease. That is why turning a generator on or off has consequences that extend over long periods of time, and such decisions constitute a commitment to use (or not) the generator for multiple time steps.
For this reason, deciding which generators to turn on or off is commonly known as the unit commitment problem in power generation. After a set of generators have been committed to be on at a specific moment in time, the optimal output to be produced by each generator has to be determined. Additional constraints must also be taken into consideration, such as the minimal and maximal output a generator can produce. This nested optimization problem is known as an economic dispatch problem.
Given a set s of operational generators, which is a subset of all available generators, and a target electrical demand d, it is assumed that F=ƒ(s, d) returns the total expected cost of producing the electrical demand d by the generators in the set s, and G=g(s, d) returns an expected risk (probability) of not being able to meet the demand with this set of generators. If the generators in the set s cannot meet the demand d, for example because d exceeds the sum of the individual maximal outputs of the generators in the set s, then it is assumed that the cost F is equal to the cost of running the generators at full capacity, and the risk G of failure to meet demand is one.
For most practical problems, the number of all possible schedules is prohibitively large to search exhaustively. If N generators are available, then there are 2N possible subsets of on generators during any time step. If there are a total of M time steps in the planning horizon, e.g., M=24 for a planning horizon of one day and time step of one hour, then the total number of all possible schedules is 2N,M. The tremendous combinatorial complexity of the operational scheduling problem requires a more efficient computational method for an approximate solution.
One simple method is to place all generators in a priority list ordered by the relative cost of output electricity per generator when operating at maximal capacity, such that the generator with a lowest cost has a highest priority. Given the expected demand dt for the time step t, the available generators are operated according to the priority list, possibly committing new generators that were off if dt>dt−1, or possibly decommitting generators that were on if dt<dt−1.
Minimal on and off times can be accommodated by modifying the priority list to exclude those generators that must be turned on or off to satisfy these constraints. While feasible, such a method of operational scheduling is far from optimal, and more advanced techniques based on dynamic programming, Lagrange relaxation, branch-and-bound, are known.
One approach decomposes the problem into stages corresponding to the individual time steps of the schedule, and uses dynamic programming to determine recursively the optimal cumulative cost-to-go, until the end of the schedule, for every feasible combination (subset) of generators for the current stage.
Such a procedure reduces the computational complexity of the problem, because the computational complexity is linear in the number of stages (steps), and quadratic in the number of feasible combinations for every stage. However, the number of feasible combinations (2N) is still exponential in the number of available generators N. The heuristics to reduce that number of feasible combinations can possibly lead to sub-optimal solutions. Furthermore, if the state of a generator is represented by a Boolean variable (on/off), then it is not be possible to accommodate requirements for minimum on and off times, and limits on ramping rates.
When future power demand is completely known for the entire duration of the planning period, and the operator of the power generators has full control over how much electricity a generator generates after the generator has been turned on, the optimal operating schedule can be determined in advance, and executed accordingly as time advances.
In practice however, demand cannot be completely known. There are always inaccuracies in forecasting, as well as random variations due to future events, e.g., higher load for air conditioners on a day that is warmer than expected. Similarly, the output of generators cannot be completely known. For example, any generator can malfunction with some probability. In addition, the output of renewable power sources, such as photovoltaic panels and wind turbines, can vary greatly, because the output is governed by uncontrollable natural forces.
Although less severe than complete generator malfunctions, the variability of renewable power sources is an everyday reality, and affects operational scheduling even more significantly. In the past, one practical way to plan for deviations from expected demand and supply has been to include a safety margin of extra capability to produce power by means of the committed generators, also called a spinning reserve. That is, the operational scheduling plans for a slightly higher power output. Determining how much this safety margin should be, and how it should be distributed among the operational generators, is not an easy problem, and is subject to regulations.
Sometimes a rule of thumb is used to provide for a small safety margin of expected demand, e.g., 3%. In other cases, utilities have to compensate for a possible loss of the largest generator. However, that approach is largely heuristic, and is not likely to work in the future, when renewable energy sources become more widespread. An alternative approach is to recognize that the uncertainty in power demand and generator supply make the problem stochastic, i.e., probabilistic and random, see e.g., U.S. Patent Application 20090292402, "Method & apparatus for orchestrating utility power supply & demand in real time using a continuous pricing signal sent via a network to home networks & smart appliances," Nov. 26, 2009.
A stochastic operational scheduler determines a schedule that can accommodate future variations of supply and demand, and provides a safety margin implicitly, by planning for all possible contingencies. One significant difficulty associated with that approach has been how to represent all these possible contingencies, and how to plan for them. One model organizes all future possible realizations of the system (called scenarios) as a tree of scenario bundles. However, that model for representing stochasticity is limited to only a small number of scenarios, whereas in a practical system the future can be realized in an infinite number of ways.

Method for scheduling the operation of power generators using factored Markov decision process

Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.


The present application discloses a semiconductor device and a method for fabricating the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes two gate structures, a first conductor, a barrier, a second conductor and a plurality of air gaps. The two gate structures are located on a surface of a semiconductor material substrate. The first conductor is disposed between the two gates structures. The barrier is disposed between the first conductor and the gate structure. The second conductor is disposed on the first conductor. The air gaps are disposed at two sides of the second conductor. A width of the second conductor is greater than a width of the first conductor.

The semiconductor industry has experienced rapid growth due to continuous improvements in the integration density of a variety of electronic components (e.g., transistors, diodes, resistors, capacitors, etc.). For the most part, this improvement in integration density has come from repeated reductions in minimum feature size (e.g., shrinking the semiconductor process node towards the sub-20 nm node), which allows more components to be integrated into a given area. As the demand for miniaturization, higher speed and greater bandwidth, as well as lower power consumption and latency has grown recently, there has grown a need for smaller and more creative packaging techniques of semiconductor dies.
Self-aligned contact becomes inevitable for 10 nm node and beyond technologies due to highly scaled gate pitch. Self-aligned contact requires a self-aligned dielectric cap on top of a conductive material of a functional gate structure to electrically isolate the source/drain contact from the conductive material of the functional gate structure.
Due to the finite etch selectively between the self-aligned dielectric cap and an interlayer dielectric (ILD) material that laterally surrounds the functional gate structure, the erosion of the self-aligned dielectric cap corner is inevitable. As a result, the self-aligned dielectric cap has to be thick enough to prevent source/drain contact which can lead to source/drain contact structure to conductive material shorts and dielectric breakdown (i.e., reliability) issues. A thick self-aligned dielectric cap also means deep conductive material recess, which reduces the conductive material volume and thus increases gate resistance.
This Discussion of the Background section is provided for background information only. The statements in this Discussion of the Background are not an admission that the subject matter disclosed in this section constitutes prior art to the present disclosure, and no part of this Discussion of the Background section may be used as an admission that any part of this application, including this Discussion of the Background section, constitutes prior art to the present disclosure.

Transistor with reduced gate resistance and improved process margin of forming self-aligned contact


The first gate insulating film is an insulating film made of silicon oxide, and to which hafnium (Hf) is added without addition of aluminum (Al). Also, the second gate insulating film is an insulating film made of silicon oxide, and to which aluminum is added without addition of hafnium. The third gate insulating film is an insulating film made of silicon oxide, and to which aluminum is added. Further, the fourth gate insulating film is an insulating film made of silicon oxide, and to which hafnium is added. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the semiconductor device.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same, and the present invention can be suitably used for a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same using, for example, an SOI substrate.
There are disclosed techniques listed below.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-219181
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-18936
[Patent Document 3] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2019-62170
As a semiconductor device using the SOI substrate having a semiconductor substrate (semiconductor base material), a BOX film (insulating layer) formed on the semiconductor substrate, and a silicon layer (SOI layer, semiconductor layer) formed on the BOX film, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1, there is a semiconductor device of a so-called hybrid structure, comprising an n-channel type (or p-channel type) field effect transistor formed in an SOI region of an SOI substrate (that is a region having a BOX film and a silicon layer) and an n-channel type (or p-channel type) field effect transistor formed in a bulk silicon region of the SOI substrate (that is a region having no BOX film and a silicon layer).
As a semiconductor device using the SOI substrate, as shown in Patent Document 2, there is a semiconductor device including an n-channel type field effect transistor having a gate insulating film and a p-channel type field effect transistor having a gate insulating film. Also, hafnium (Hf) whose concentration per a unit area of a surface of the gate insulating film is 1×1013 cm2 or more is added to each gate insulating film. In such a case, it is possible to make the work function of a gate electrode of each of the n-channel type field effect transistor and the p-channel type field effect transistor smaller. That is, it is possible to reduce the threshold voltage of the n-channel type field effect transistor, while it is possible to increase the threshold voltage of the p-channel type field effect transistor.
Furthermore, as a measure against NBTI (Negative Bias Temperature Instability) in a p-channel type field effect transistor of BTI (Bias Temperature Instability) that the threshold voltage of the field effect transistor is varied, as shown in the first embodiment of Patent Document 3, there is a semiconductor device using the SOI substrate that a ratio of a number of hafnium atoms to a total number of aluminum atoms and hafnium atoms, in a gate insulating film of each of an n-channel type field effect transistor and the p-channel type field effect transistor, is 75% or more, and less than 100%. Also, as a semiconductor device using the SOI substrate, as shown in the second embodiment of Patent Document 3, there is a semiconductor device comprising: an n-channel field effect transistor having a gate insulating film to which aluminum (Al) is added without addition of hafnium (Hf); and a p-channel field effect transistor having a gate insulating film to which hafnium (Hf) is added without addition of aluminum (Al). In such a case, it is possible to suppress a decrease of the threshold voltage of the p-channel type field effect transistor, due to aluminum (Al).

Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same


An apparatus and method for setting a menu environment in a mobile terminal are provided. The apparatus includes a controller for switching to an environment setting mode of a menu according to a type of a gesture having occurred on the menu.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a terminal and a method for setting menu environments in the terminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to a terminal and a menu environment setting method for allowing a user to conveniently switch to environment setting modes of menus in the terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
A variety of menus for running their related functions are displayed on a screen of a terminal. If one of the menus displayed on the screen is selected or touched by a user, its associated function is carried out.
However, in order to change environments of the menus, the user needs to switch to environment setting modes of the menus through a number of steps. For example, a quick panel of Android® Operating System (OS)-based smart phones may display menus such as Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, Global Positioning System (GPS), Call Notification, and Auto-Rotation. If a touch occurs on an arbitrary menu among the menus displayed on the quick panel, a function related to the touched menu is activated or enabled, and if a touch occurs again on the arbitrary menu, the activated function is deactivated or disabled in a toggle manner.
As described above, the user may activate or deactivate functions of the menus displayed on the quick panel by touching the menus. However, the user needs to go through several steps in order to switch to environment setting modes of the menus. For example, the user must select a main menu on a home screen, select an environment setting menu in the main menu, and then select an environment setting mode for one of displayed menus. As another example, the user needs to enter an option button on the home screen, select an environment setting menu in a displayed option menu, and then select an environment setting mode for one of displayed menus.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present invention.

Terminal and method for setting menu environments in the terminal