Methods are proposed to improve axial resolution in optical coherence tomography (OCT). In one aspect, the method comprises: obtaining a k-space interferogram of an OCT spectral image; uniformly reshaping the k-space interferogram to a quasi-stationary interferogram by extracting a source envelope; fitting a spectral estimation model to the quasi-stationary interferogram; and calculating an axial depth profile using the fitted spectral estimation model.

Optical Coherence Tomography
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) [1, 2] is an established in vivo optical imaging technology that provides micrometer resolution and millimeter penetration depth in human tissue. OCT has been widely used clinically to diagnose a wide range of diseases in the retina and the anterior segment of the eye. Recently, intracoronary OCT technology has been used clinically to image coronary artery disease and endoscopic OCT technology has been used for detection of gastrointestinal neoplasm.
Since its invention in 1991, OCT technology has evolved from a time-domain OCT (TD-OCT, first generation technology) [1, 2] to a spectral-domain/Fourier-domain OCT (SD-OCT, second generation technology) [3-7]. The second generation technology provides two to three orders of magnitude higher sensitivity.
However, most of the commercially available OCT technologies are not capable of providing cellular and sub-cellular resolution imaging due to insufficient spatial resolution. For example, the highest resolution commercially available ophthalmic OCT device can provide axial resolution of 8 μm in air [8]. It has been demonstrated in the laboratory that cellular and sub-cellular structures of biological tissues can be reliably visualized using a class of imaging techniques characterized by 1-2 μm axial resolution using repetitive pulsed laser sources and visible light [9-11]. However, these technologies are not clinically and commercially viable because repetitive pulsed laser sources and visible light are subject to more strict safety regulations than the NIR continuous wave (CW) light sources prevalently used in commercial devices [12, 13].
OCT Image Formation
A typical OCT system 20 is illustrated in FIG. 1. In the longitudinal (light propagation) direction, a beamsplitter 22 splits a broadband source field from a light source 24 into a reference field 26 and a sample field 28. The sample field 28 is focused into a small volume in the sample tissue 30. After scattering back from the tissue 30, the sample field 28 modulated with the sample function Es mixes with the reference function Er on the surface of a photodetector 32. The sample field 28 and the reference field 26 will interfere in the spectral domain as shown in FIG. 2, and the spectral interference signal ID is recorded by the detector. The axial (depth) profile 34 of the sample is obtained by use of a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) on the interference signal ID as also shown in FIG. 2.
In the spectral (optical frequency) domain OCT, the frequency of interference fringes is dependent on the optical path-length difference between the reference and sample reflectors. For example, the interference signal originated from the sample reflector rS2 is carried by a higher frequency than the carrier frequency of the interference signal originated from the sample reflector rS1. This means that the sample reflector axial positions are encoded in the spectral interference signal. Therefore, by Fourier transforming the detected spectral interference signal, the axial reflectivity profile of the sample can be obtained.
Axial Resolution of OCT
The axial resolution of an OCT system is defined by the coherence length of the detected light signal which is the full-width-at-half-maximum width of the magnitude of the coherence function defined in Equation (1) below. For example, under Gaussian approximation of spectrum distribution, the measure of the free-space coherence length of the detected light signal is given by [14]:
                                          l            c                    =                                                                      2                                                                              c                                            ln                                                                                (                      2                      )                                                                      π                            ·                              1                Δυ                                      ≈                          0.44                                                              λ                  0                  2                                Δλ                                                    ,                            Eq        .                                                    (          1          )                    where lc is the full-width of the coherence function at half maximum measured in wavelength units, c is the speed of light, Δν is the frequency bandwidth, λ0 is the central wavelength of the laser light source and Δλ is the spectral bandwidth of the light source (at full width half maximum of Er).
From Equation (1) we can determine the following information:
1) Axial resolution can be improved by increasing the spectral bandwidth Δλ of the detected light signal.
2) Axial resolution of all current OCT technology is limited by the coherence length of the detected light signal.
OCT Light Source
One way to increase the bandwidth of the light source is to combine two light sources with different spectral ranges, for example, a combination of source 1 (700-900 nm) and source 2 (1000-1100 nm). However, this technique is limited by the spectrum discontinuity between source 1 and source 2, because there is a gap in the source spectrum (at 900-1000 nm) which will introduce significant side-lobe artifacts in an axial point-spread function.
Spectral Estimation Techniques
Modern spectral estimation techniques have been developed as alternatives of the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT)-based method to alleviate its limitations [15]. Generally, these methods can be categorized into two classes: parametric methods, such as autoregressive [15], autoregressive moving average (ARMA) [15], and multiple signal classification (MUSIC) [16] etc., and non-parametric methods, such as Copan [17], amplitude and phase estimation of a sinusoid (APES) [18], and the recently developed iterative adaptive approach (IAA) [19] etc. A previous study that was conducted by Takahashi el., used the maximum entropy method to enhance the depth resolution of OCT [20]. However, the potential of this class of powerful techniques has not been fully explored in OCT imaging [20].
It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide methods to improve axial resolution in OCT.

Methods to improve axial resolution in optical coherence tomography


This invention relates to an improved apparatus and method for in vivo monitoring of visually accessible surfaces of the body. The invention synthesizes methods of systems identification and computer vision to quantify and/or classify features of surface or subsurface anatomic, physiologic, or pathologic structures or processes. Such is accomplished by the stimulation of anatomic surfaces with light (visible, infrared, and/or ultraviolet, structured or uniform), followed by the quantitative analysis of digital images (multiresolution, multiview, and/or multispectral) of reflected or emitted light from the surface of interest.

This invention relates to an improved apparatus and method for in vivo monitoring of visually accessible surfaces of the body. Surfaces, such as the skin are directly accessible, while other surfaces, such as the cervix, the retina, and the vascular endothelium require an optical apparatus to be visibly accessible.
Systems identification is the engineering method whereby parameters of a system, in this case a biological surface, defined by its optical properties, are "identified"--that is quantitatively estimated--using data derived from input and/or output signals of the system. The spatial, temporal, and spectral distributions of light stimulating a biological surface may be considered the input signals to the system, and the spatial, temporal, and spectral distributions of light reflected by or emitted from the system may be considered the output signals of the system.
Computer vision refers to engineering methods whereby images are analyzed, using tools including image processing, quantitative feature extraction, and decision theory, to interpret the contents of the images. Thus, by combining systems identification with computer vision, images of a biological surface, obtained under various lighting and/or viewing conditions, may be used to provide parameters describing features of surface structures or processes.
An example of a surface commonly monitored for abnormalities is the skin. Skin cancer incidence has increased markedly in recent years. Present clinical methods of screening and monitoring cutaneous surfaces for premalignant features include, qualitative assessment, of gross visual features of dysplasia or malignancy (such as asymmetry, border irregularity, color variability, diameter and elevation of skin lesions), and sequential examination, relying on the physician's memory, written descriptions, sketches, and visual inspection of conventional analog photographs, to assist in deciding if a surface lesion is new or has features which have changed. Patients with dysplastic nevi syndrome may have hundreds of pigmented skin lesions which need to be monitored for signs of cancer. A system which systematically (1) monitors the number of lesions and their positions on the body surface, and (2) quantifies morphologic and spectral features of such lesions would provide a useful tool for improving management of this potentially deadly disease.
Another surface routinely monitored for abnormalities is the cervix. Cancer of the cervix is a common cancer in women. Digital colposcopy with simple image enhancement has been shown, anecdotally, to detect premalignant cervical abnormalities in cases where the standard screening test, the Papaniocoloaou smear, was falsely negative.
Another example of a surface where visual examination is essential in order to detect abnormalities or changes is the retina. Retinal imaging is an important method for detecting, monitoring, and guiding therapy for clinical conditions which may lead to blindness. Photogrammetric methods for obtaining three dimensional measurements of retinal structures from analog stereo photographs and simple digital methods for two-dimensional imaging of retinal features are presently in the vanguard of methods used to monitor certain retinal features.
The vascular endothelium, however is the anatomic surface responsible for the majority of deaths in this country (i.e. due to myocardial infarction). The optical apparatus necessary to view it has recently become available in the form of angioscopic catheters, yet no systematic method for analyzing and utilizing images of this surface has been developed.
For each of these visually accessible anatomic surfaces, a coherent synthesis of appropriate digital methods for systems identification and computer vision would improve the detection and monitoring of abnormalities, before, during, and after therapy.

Apparatus and method for monitoring visually accessible surfaces of the body


A touch-controlling region of a touch-controlling base plate includes a touch-controlling layer; a non-touch-controlling region includes a plurality of lead wires and at least one touch-controlling unit; the touch-controlling layer includes a plurality of first electrically conductive units and a plurality of second electrically conductive units; the touch-controlling unit is located on at least a first side of the touch-controlling layer; the lead wires are connected to the touch-controlling unit, and are located on a same one side of the touch-controlling layer; and a plurality of lines of the first electrically conductive units that are arranged in the first channel direction are grouped into two groups, and at least one of the groups is connected to the lead wires via each line of the first electrically conductive units that are located at an edge of the first side of the touch-controlling layer.

Touch-controlled screens, according to their different mechanisms of sensing the touched position of the operator, may be classified into multiple types such as resistor type, capacitor type, infrared type, ultrasonic type and optical type. Currently, portable electronic devices usually employ capacitor-type touch-controlled screens.
In the related art, a touch-controlled screen comprises a plurality of rows of electrically conductive blocks in a X channel direction and a plurality of columns of electrically conductive blocks in a Y channel direction, wherein the electrically conductive blocks in the X channel direction are arranged along the shorter sides parallel to the screen, and the electrically conductive blocks in the Y channel direction are arranged along the longer sides parallel to the screen.

Touch-controlling base plate and displaying device

CHENGDU BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.

BEIJING BOE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD.


An eyeglass frame for supporting an optical member having an electrooptical device and a pair of electrodes exposed in different peripheral positions, comprises a front part providing a rim for supporting the optical member, the front part including first and second front members which constitute different parts of the rim, are composed of conductive metal and are mutually insulated electrically, wherein the first front member is in contact with a first peripheral part including one of the paired electrodes of the optical member while the second front member is in contact with a second peripheral part including the other of the paired electrodes, and the eyeglass frame comprises an electric power source for applying a voltage between the first and second front members, for electric supply to the electrooptical device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a metal eyeglass frame for supporting lenses with electrooptical devices.
2. Related Background Art
There are recently proposed eyeglasses employing lenses equipped, on the surface or interior thereof, with an electrooptical device such as an electrochromic (EC) device, a liquid crystal device or a transparent heat-generating resistor (antidewing) and modifying the function (for example optical properties) of the lenses by supplying said electrooptical device with electric energy.
As an example, the Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 52-54455, corresponding to the British Pat. No. 1,563,929, discloses eyeglasses in which an electrochromic device is formed on the lens by laminating, in succession, a transparent electrode (cathode) layer, a tungsten trioxide (WO.sub.3) layer, an insulating layer such as of silicon dioxide, and a transparent electrode (anode) layer. The WO.sub.3 layer is colored blue by the application of a voltage to said electrochromic device, and is made colorless again by the application of an inverse voltage. The phenomenon of this coloration and discoloration is not yet clarified in detail, but is understood to be governed by a trace amount of water contained in the WO.sub.3 layer and in the insulating (ion conductive) layer.
The electric terminals of the lens equipped with such electrooptical device and provided at the external periphery of the lens in order not to disturb the viewing field of the user, and are directly connected, for example by soldering, to lead wires of which the other ends are connected to a power supply unit, for constituting an electric supply path for the electrooptical device in such eyeglasses. Also at the assembling of eyeglasses, the lenses having such lead wires are fitted into a frame.

Eyeglass frame for electrooptical lenses


There is a need to cause a delay to occur less frequently than the related art during processing of an input signal in need of relatively fast processing. In a semiconductor device, a conversion portion includes first channels and second channels and A/D converts a signal input to a selected channel. A signal input to the first channel requires faster processing than a signal input to the second channel. The conversion portion receives a scan conversion instruction from a central processing unit, sequentially selects the input channels in a specified selection order, and successively performs A/D conversion. In this case, the conversion portion notifies a peripheral circuit of completion of A/D conversion after completion of A/D conversion on signals input to the first channels and before completion of A/D conversion on input signals input to all input channels.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device having an analog-digital converter.
An A/D converter performs analog-to-digital conversion on an analog signal input from plural channels by switching the channels. In many cases, the A/D converter is supplied with a mix of a signal requiring high-speed processing and a signal requiring low-speed processing. In such a case, a processing delay might occur, that is, the A/D conversion might be uncompleted for a signal requiring high-speed processing by the specified time.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-41152 (patent document 1) discloses the technology of decreasing processing delays. According to the technology described in this document, an A/D converter is set to start for a channel and then an asynchronous A/D conversion request might occur for a channel different from the already set channel before the A/D converter starts for that channel. In such a case, the A/D converter is reset to start so that the A/D conversion will start after a lapse of specified time in consideration of the time to perform the A/D conversion on plural channels that requested the A/D conversion.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-41152


Provided is an assembly for insulating substantially vertical runs of cooled surfaces that are continuously or periodically exposed to air or another gas that has a dewpoint temperature above that of the cooled surface, thereby resulting in condensation water vapor on or adjacent the cooled surface. One embodiment of the insulating assembly provides a wicking material layer adjacent the cooled surface that, in combination with transporting and evaporating structures, removes the condensate from the vicinity of the cooled surface and allows for its evaporation into the ambient gas surrounding the exterior surface of the insulating assembly. Another embodiment provides for exposing the condensate to an internal conditioned gas stream to provide for evaporation that does not necessarily utilize an exterior surface. Both embodiments remove condensate from the insulating structure and thereby tend to avoid any substantial condensate accumulation and maintain the insulating performance.

Generally, air conditioning (HVAC) systems include such equipment as air handling units, air ducts and chilled water lines. Typically, these HVAC system components are insulated for both thermal and/or acoustic purposes. Conventional insulation used in HVAC systems typically includes a facing layer adhered to an insulation layer and is installed with the facing layer positioned away from the air duct or the cold water pipe, i.e., toward the space through which the component passes. This arrangement tends to reduce migration or diffusion of the moisture-laden air to the cool surfaces and thereby reduces the amount of condensate formed.
During periods of higher relative humidity and/or in instances in which the facing layer is damaged or incomplete, water vapor from the surrounding air may diffuse through the insulation and condense on surfaces that have temperatures below the dew point of the adjacent air. When such condensation occurs, the interface between the insulation and the cool surface will be wetted by the condensate.
The facing layer, or layers, are typically nonporous and act as a barrier between the insulation body and the external environment. However, over time, and especially if, as is often the case, the facing is damaged, water vapor will migrate to and condense on the cool surface. This condensate will accumulate and will enter the adjacent insulating material, thereby reducing its insulating efficiency. These problems can be exacerbated in vertical installations due to the tendency of the condensate to flow downwardly along or adjacent the vertical surfaces resulting in excessive accumulation in the lower portions of the vertical installations and/or in adjoining horizontal portions of the installation.
Previous attempts to address the problem of condensate formation and removal have utilized one or more wicking materials to collect the condensate at or near the cool surface and transport it through a layer of wicking material away from the cool surface to an exterior surface region. Once at or near the exterior of the insulation, the condensate within the wicking material layer can evaporate into the surrounding air. Although this approach works well for substantially horizontal applications, the condensate accumulation associated with components or installations incorporating significant vertical surfaces tends to result in accumulations of condensate in the lower portion of the vertical installation that reduce the effectiveness of such solutions.

Insulation system with condensate wicking for vertical applications


Thermoplastic molding compositions having an inherent matte or low gloss surface finish comprise a polymer blend of a polycarbonate and an emulsion grafted ABS polymer, and a low gloss enhancing amount of a poly(epoxide).

Many thermoplastics have a natural, high gloss finish when injection molded, particularly compositions containing styrenic polymers such as emulsion ABS polymers. For many applications, high gloss is a very desirable characteristic and it may be one of the most important factors in the selection of the material. On the other hand, for many other products, such as automotive and business equipment, for example computer and other electronic equipment, there is a trend toward matte or low gloss finishes, principally for aesthetic reasons.
One technique for obtaining low gloss is to use a textured mold surface. Textured molds are even used to mold low gloss materials in order to further accentuate the dull finish. Using a high gloss product in a textured mold does not provide optimum results because the parts are not uniform over a long run. The mold surface tends to pick up material in different areas resulting in varying degrees of gloss over the surface of the parts.
Some polymers, like polypropylene, naturally exhibit less gloss than other thermoplastic polymers. Other polymers can easily be made to exhibit low gloss by the introduction of one or more additional constituents. An example of such a polymer is high impact polystyrene which is made by mixing polybutadiene with polystyrene. The large domains of rubber within the polystyrene phase result in a low gloss material. Still another inherently low gloss thermoplastic is ABS graft polymer made by the bulk polymerization process. The latter process involves the dissolving of polybutadiene in styrene monomer and the subsequent graft reaction between the styrene and the polybutadiene together with acrylonitrile monomer. At the end of the reaction, relatively large particles of rubber are created which may contain some occluded styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer. The large particle size of these rubbery domains are believed to be responsible for the low gloss surface finish of such products.
Approaches to obtaining low gloss for materials which naturally exhibit high gloss include functionalizing the butadiene or butadiene/styrene backbone or substrate onto which the other monomers are grafted. U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,347, for example, describes an acid functionalized graft copolymer. Other methods copolymerize a glycidyl ester with acrylonitrile, a vinyl and a rubbery copolymer as described in Japanese Kokai No. 63-156847. U.S. Pat. No. 4,710,534 suggests the use of an olefin rubber in combination with ABS in a polycarbonate or polycarbonate/polybutylene terephalate blend. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,677,162, 4,624,986 and 4,526,926 all achieve low gloss by using mass or bulk polymerized ABS. U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,463 describes the use of vinyl compounds containing glycidyl esters of unsaturated acids for low gloss surfaces and U.S. Pat. No. 4,554,316 uses epoxy and acid (anhydride) functional olefins for the same purpose.
The use of diepoxides to stabilize ABS/PBT blends is the subject of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/318,888 filed Mar. 6, 1989, by Jalbert and Cox and assigned to the same assignee as this application. The diepoxides are used for a different purpose in a different polymer alloy and there is nothing to suggest their use as additives to achieve low gloss in ABS/polycarbonate blends.

Low gloss thermoplastic molding compositions


A novel price paid database, method, system, and computer program product in which checkout items are scanned at a plurality of stores, and a checkout computer identifies the purchased items. The checkout computer determines a price paid for each purchased item. A central computer records in a price-paid database an item identification and price-paid for each purchased items. The central computer publishes the price-paid database. The checkout computer recurrently updates the price-paid database in the central computer with the price paid for each purchased item, the customer identification (if available), the store identification, and a list price for each purchased item.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a database, method, and system whereby accurate prices paid for products in stores are captured even at a frequent shopper card level and archived for consumer access and market analysis.
2. Discussion of the Background
Consumer purchases these days are becoming increasingly more competitive. To entice consumers to buy a particular product, many retailers and discounters are using a frequent shopper card which, when presented at the time of purchase, substantially reduces the price of the item from that available to members of the public who have no frequent shopper card. These price discounts can vary as merchants use discounts to entice sales in items which will soon expire, be superceded by other items, or in which the distributors or manufacturers have themselves added promotional incentives. While such discount incentives are apparently mutually beneficial to the seller and buyer, knowledge of the actual price paid is critical in determining price margins and the price-acceptance by a customer.
Thus, data reflecting not the inventory list price nor the advertised sales price but rather the actual price paid is needed from across many sources to enable reliable statistical determinations to be valid.
Obtaining this data presents several problems. First, while there are syndicated sources which list prices of individual items, such as for example the manufacturer's suggested retail list price, data indicating the actual price of a product is only readily available at a local level such as the store or retail shop where the item is purchased. Further, consider the problem of relying on inventory price lists. Frequently, prices are negotiated between a seller and a buyer. While this is frequently associated with the purchase of expensive items, such as for example automobiles, price negotiations occur frequently during the purchase of not so expensive items. Price negotiations are also frequently made at a retailer during clearance, inventory reduction, and close out conditions. In these circumstances, the prices are quite elastic, as merchants are driven by other considerations besides prices on the individual items. For example, a merchant needing to clear old inventory to make sales space for new product will reduce prices to clear the old products. Merchants have discretion in setting prices. The economic restraint for the merchant is to pay the distributor or, in some cases, the manufacturer a contracted price. Even with the responsibility to pay the constructed price, it may be advantageous for the merchant to discount below wholesale and loose money on some products, if the discounted price enables the promotion of more profitable goods in the store.
Consider also situations where retailers do on-floor promotions to attract customers into a store. Here, again data showing price acceptance is potentially available, but only through capture of the actual prices paid for the purchased items.
Yet, capturing of data in these situations of extraordinary price elasticity in which marketing data is perhaps the most decisive in determining price acceptance by the customer is not provided for in syndicated sources. Further, the syndicated sources do not capture discounts from frequent shopping card programs.
As a consequence, data bases formed from syndicated price lists reflect average prices which have been set by historical supply and demand factors. Such databases do not necessarily reflect the reality of the sells market today, unless the market is unchanged from when the price lists were created.
Thus, the prices paid for purchased items are nowhere captured in an aggregated, pseudo-real-time database which monitors the price paid and records price history and price paid variations.


The present invention relates to a cationic electrodeposition coating composition substantially free of lead compounds, which is excellent in curability and can be finish-coated with a splendid appearance, and an article coated with the composition. The invention provides a lead-free electrodeposition coating composition excellent in curability and a coated article, the composition being capable of forming a coating film, which emits less tin compounds to have no influence on appearance of a finish coating film and film performances.

Cationic electrodeposition coating compositions have been used for undercoating bodies and parts of automobiles, and required to form coating films with high corrosion resistance. The coating films need to be sufficiently cured at a predetermined baking temperature to achieve the high corrosion resistance. Dibutyltin compounds are generally used as a curing catalyst for lead-free cationic electrodeposition coating compositions. For example, dibutyltin oxide, which is usable as a catalyst for cross-linking reaction of a cationic electrodeposition coating composition, is described in JP-A-5-65438. Further, a cationic electrodeposition coating composition containing an organotin compound is disclosed in JP-A-7-258586, and a cationic electrodeposition coating composition containing a dialkyltin aromatic carboxylic acid salt as a curing catalyst is disclosed in JP-A-2001-55538.
However, in general, the dibutyltin compounds are disadvantageously volatile. For example, surface temperature of electrodeposition coating films is raised to 150 to 180° C. in a process of baking the films, coating the film with an upper film of a chipping primer, an intermediate coating, etc., or baking the upper film. The dibutyltin compounds are volatilized from the surface of the electrodeposition coating films at such a high temperature, transferred into the adjacent upper film of the chipping primer or the intermediate coating, and thereby negatively affects the film performances or appearance of the finish coating film in some cases.

Lead-free electrodeposition coating composition and coated article


A method for forming a semiconductor device structure is provided. The method includes forming a first semiconductor layer, an insulating layer and a second semiconductor layer in a substrate. The method also includes forming a first isolation feature in the first semiconductor layer, the insulating layer and the second semiconductor layer. The method further includes forming a transistor in and over the substrate adjacent to the first isolation feature. In addition, the method includes etching the first isolation feature to form a trench extending below the insulating layer. The method also includes filling the trench with a metal material to form a second isolation feature in the first isolation feature.

Semiconductor devices are used in a variety of electronic applications, such as personal computers, cell phones, digital cameras, and other electronic equipment. Over the past several decades, the semiconductor integrated circuit industry has experienced rapid growth. Technological advances in semiconductor materials and design have produced increasingly smaller and more complex circuits. More and more functions are integrated into electronic products. For example, different functional elements may need to be integrated together to form a mobile product of wireless communication applications.
High-frequency circuits, which form Radio Frequency (RF) devices, are widely used in mobile applications. Signal loss may be induced in a substrate that is underlying the high-frequency circuits due to parasitic capacitance between the high-frequency circuits and the underlying substrate. Semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) technology is widely used to reduce signal loss and improve operation speed. Therefore, SOI technology is becoming increasingly important in the field of high-frequency circuits.
Although existing technology for manufacturing high-frequency circuits have generally been adequate for their intended purposes, as device scaling-down continues, they have not been entirely satisfactory in all respects. It is a challenge to form reliable high-frequency semiconductor devices at smaller and smaller sizes.

Method for forming semiconductor device structure with isolation feature

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.


A sheet of polymer material is secured between a pair of clamping members. The sheet is directed through a localized heated region to provide a localized heated portion of said sheet. A first one of said clamping members is pulled away from the second clamping members to stretch said sheet and create from the localized heated portion of said sheet a neck-down region. The neck-down region separates providing a pair of neck-down region portions and a reduced thickness portion or stretched portion of the sheet between said neck-down region portions. One of said neck-down regions propagates along unstretched portions of the sheet as the movable clamping member moves away from the fixed clamping member while the other neck-down region remains adjacent the fixed member. This propagating neck-down region portion of the sheet is kept within the localized heated region by moving the localized heated region at a rate related to the rate which unstretched material of the sheet is fed into the neck-down region portion. While the neck-down region portion is maintained within the localized heated region, an electric field is applied to the neck-down region portion to polarize the film.

This invention relates to the manufacture of piezoelectric material and, more particularly to the manufacture of piezoelectric material by molecularly polarizing a polymer material.
As is known in the art, certain polymer and copolymer materials may be provided with piezoelectric properties. For example, a sheet of a polymer material comprising polyvinyldene fluoride (PVDF) having long repeating chains of CH.sub.2 --CF.sub.2 molecules may have these chains "orientated" to provide a net polarization. Such a sheet of orientated material disposed between a pair of electrodes, for example, may be used to either detect or produce mechanical energy. In one mode of operation, mechanical energy incident upon the combination of electrodes and sheet of material will mechanically deform the orientated crystalline structure of the sheet. This mechanical change results in a voltage potential being produced through the sheet of material and, hence, provides a potential difference between the pair of electrodes. In a second mode of operation, a voltage applied to the pair of electrodes induces a potential difference through the sheet of material causing the orientated structure of the material and hence the combination to mechanically deform in response to the voltage difference, thereby producing mechanical energy.
Several methods are known in the art for providing very thin films of molecularly polarized polymer materials such as PVDF material having suitable piezoelectric properties. One such method described in a paper entitled "Piezoelectricity Of Corona-Poled Poly (vinylidene fluoride)" by T. Furokawa et al, The Society of Polymer Science, Japan, Vol. 36, No. 10, pps. 685--688, Oct. 1979. In the described method, the ends of a sheet of PVDF material are secured between a pair of members of a stretching apparatus. Both of these members move away from each other to stretch the material. Prior to stretching the material, however, the apparatus is placed within an oven which is heated to a predetermined temperature until the material of the sheet softens. At this juncture, the material is stretched by moving both securing members away from each other. While the material is being stretched, corona discharge is provided above and below the film to create an electric field across the film to orientate the PVDF material. While this technique produces polarized material having piezoelectric properties, still there are several problems associated with this technique. The first problem is that by heating the entire film, it is difficult to keep the ends of the sheet locked in the members of the stretching apparatus. This is because the entire sheet softens including the ends of the sheet disposed within the members. These ends may have a tendency while the sheet is being stretched to slip out of the members thereby aborting the polarizing and stretching run. Since the temperature of the sheet cannot readily be changed and the force applied to the sheet also cannot be changed during the process, the stretch ratio of the sheet is thus generally limited to the so-called "natural draw ratio" of the plastic which here for PVDF is about 4:1. Higher stretch ratios should provide material having better piezoelectric properties. Furthermore, with this technique, it would be difficult to stretch and pole a relatively large sheet since the oven would have to be made correspondingly large. Since each sheet, however large, has to be loaded within the oven and the oven then brought up to operating temperature, this technique would also be difficult to adapt for a continuous stretching and poling operation. Therefore, this technique is not well suited for stretching and poling large quantities or continuous runs of PVDF material.

Sheets of stretched and polarized polymer materials and method of manufacturer


A reactor for reactive co-conversion of heavy hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon gases and includes a dielectric barrier discharge plasma cell having a pair of electrodes separated by a dielectric material and passageway therebetween. An inlet is provided for feeding heavy hydrocarbons and other reactive materials to the passageway of the discharge plasma cell, and an outlet is provided for discharging reaction products from the reactor. A packed bed catalyst may optionally be used in the reactor to increase efficiency of conversion. The reactor can be modified to allow use of a variety of light sources for providing ultraviolet light within the discharge plasma cell. Methods for upgrading heavy hydrocarbons are also disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to techniques for reactively converting hydrocarbons. More particularly, the invention relates to systems and methods for reactive co-conversion of heavy hydrocarbon materials and hydrocarbon gases to lighter hydrocarbon materials.
2. Background Technology
Heavy hydrocarbon materials, such as heavy oil, include any petroleum/crude oil that has a low API (American Petroleum Institute) gravity of less than 20 API degrees or a high specific density of more than about 0.9 g/ml. Heavy oil is quite viscous, does not flow well and has a high carbon to hydrogen ratio along with a high amount of carbon residues due to coking process, asphaltenes, sulfur, nitrogen, and heavy metals. The importance of heavy oil is increasing as more supplies of light oil start to decrease and run out. Most of the world's remaining oil resources and reserves primarily contain heavy oil.
Generally, oil refineries are designed for handling lighter crude oils, which typically have a density of about 0.8 g/ml or less. Because heavy oils have a higher density, a high sulfur content, and are highly viscous (sometimes over 1000 times more viscous than light crude oil), they are less than ideal for conventional oil refineries. Therefore, in order to capitalize on heavy oils as a source for transportation fuel, present processes found in the art seek to upgrade heavy oils into a practical intermediate to sell and transport to refineries.
One of the goals of upgrading is to make the heavy oil capable of being transported by pipeline without adding a solvent. Currently, solvents are usually required which require an additional solvent-recovery process. The ultimate goal of upgrading is to make an economically valuable synthetic crude oil. However, this requires large, expensive plants, much like refineries. Further, current processes require multiple steps.
For example, one process of upgrading heavy oils uses a solvent to dilute the heavy oil, which is then distilled. Large molecules that will not distill out are thermally cracked at over 400° C to produce lighter hydrocarbons. Since the resulting product is rich in nitrogen and sulfur, a second thermal cracking step is required to reduce sulfur content. Thermal cracking requires hydrogen gas to stabilize the process. The hydrogen suppresses coke formation and helps remove sulfur.
The current state of the art for upgrading heavy oil can be divided into two general approaches: 1) hydrogen addition, and 2) carbon rejection. Hydrogen addition processes are often desirable because of high liquid yield. However, these types of processes are expensive, requiring high temperature and pressure equipment as well as a hydrogen source. Carbon rejection plants and processes are also desirable because they are less expensive to construct and operate. However, carbon rejection processes produce large quantities of very low-grade materials, which are not always readily marketable or disposable, and with heavy oils, have high yield losses.
Methane remains another vastly unused resource. Methane is an abundant hydrocarbon fuel and chemical feed stock, and is expected to remain so for quite some time. Yet, because of capital and technological barriers, methane has remained an under-utilized resource throughout the world.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide improved methods for upgrading heavy oils that avoid or overcome the difficulties and problems of prior techniques.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods for natural gas and heavy hydrocarbon co-conversion


A sliding hard disk drive mounting hardware includes a sliding box inserted in a recessed chamber on a computer mainframe and releasably locked in place through tenon-and-mortise joints to hold a hard disk drive for permitting the i/o port of the hard disk drive to be electrically connected to the master board of the computer mainframe through an interference elimination circuit board and an interface circuit board. A LED indicator is turned on by means of the control of a control card as the hard disk drive is installed to produce a signal of low potential, or turned off as the hard disk drive is not installed.

The present invention relates to a sliding hard disk drive mounting hardware which fastens a hard disk drive to a computer mainframe by a sliding box and which automatically turns on a LED indicator as the hard disk drive is installed.
A notebook computer generally has a hard disk drive equipped on the inside of the mainframe thereof. Because the hard disk drive is fixed inside the mainframe, it can not be detached for repair work conveniently.

Sliding hard disk drive mounting hardware

2F-1, No. 5, Lane 678, Sec. 4, PA TEH Rd.


Novel vanadium(IV) oxide bis(dialkyldithiocarbamates) of the formula ##STR1## which R and R.sup.1 denote identical or different, branched or straight-chain, saturated or unsaturated alkyl radicals having 1-18 carbon atoms or cycloalkyl radicals having 4-7 carbon atoms, with the proviso that R.sup.1 is not identical to R when R is C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl, cyclobutyl or cyclohexyl, are prepared by a process comprising reacting 2 mols of an alkali metal dialkyldithiocarbamate of the formula ##STR2## in which R and R.sup.1 are as defined above and Me represents sodium, potassium or ammonium, with 1 mol of vanadium(IV) oxide sulfate pentahydrate in methanol or water as a solvent. The novel vanadium dithiocarbamates can be used as additives for permanent gear lubricating oils or hydraulic fluids to prolong the life of such oils.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to vanadium(IV) oxide bis(dialkyldithiocarbamates) as well as to processes for the production of such compounds. The invention also relates to improved lubricating oil and hydraulic fluid compositions containing these compounds.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In accordance with conventional industrial processes, heavy metal dithiocarbamates are prepared either by double displacement reaction of alkali metal or ammonium dithiocarbamates with heavy metal halides or by reaction of metal oxides with amines and carbon disulfide.
However, vanadium dithiocarbamates have not been described hitherto, and it has not been found possible to prepare such compounds by the known industrial methods.
Accordingly, a need has continued to exist to prepare vanadium dithiocarbamates and for a method by which they may be prepared.

Vanadium(IV) oxide bis(dialkyldithiocarbamates), process for their preparation, and oil compositions containing them

by Margot Marie Charlotte Himmelreich, Petra Himmelreich, heirs


A top cover and bottom cover made of an electrically conductive material that absorbs and reflects electromagnetic interference (EMI) signals are formed to fit without solder or welding as an EMI shield apparatus over EMI susceptible electronic circuitry on a printed circuit board. The EMI shield apparatus shields the circuitry from EMI while at the same time permitting the communication of desired electromagnetic radio frequency and electrical signals to the circuitry. The EMI shield apparatus includes the use of an electrically conductive layer that is integral to the top and bottom sides of the printed circuit board and which includes conductive channels that penetrate the printed circuit board. The channels prevent EMI from passing through the printed circuit board to the electronic circuitry. Also, the channels receive tangs found both on the top cover and bottom cover. The tangs are positioned to prevent EMI from passing through the top and bottom cover junctures with the conductive layer. As EMI signals reach the shield apparatus, they are absorbed and conducted through the shield EMI apparatus to an electrical ground or reflected from the EMI shield. Openings on the top cover permit desired electromagnetic radio frequency signals to reach the electronic circuitry. Passageways through the conductive layer permit electrical leads from the electronic circuitry to connect to external circuitry.

The prior art packaging of printed circuit boards containing electronic circuitry to prevent EMI signals from leaving the package or from reaching and adversely affecting highly-susceptible electronic circuitry within the package is both labor intensive to manufacture and service and suffers from several functional limitations. Keeping EMI from leaving an electronics module that contains EMI-emitting components has required soldering certain shielding materials to the printed circuit board and fastening other shielding materials to the soldered shielding material using various screws or other fastening hardware. Keeping EMI from reaching and affecting susceptible electronic circuits in an electronics module, on the other hand, has required placing the printed circuit board fully in a sealed box made of a material that the effectively shields most of the EMI signals.
In typical packages that shield EMI emitting components, several pieces are soldered to the printed circuit board and as many as 20 or more pieces of fastening hardware affix to the soldered pieces to provide the necessary level of shielding. This labor-intensive practice of soldering and fastening prior art shielding enclosures to printed circuit boards increases the electronics module fabrication costs. Moreover, with prior art shielding enclosures it is not possible to easily replace or repair electronic circuitry components on the printed circuit board. This is due to circuitry components often being tightly positioned adjacent the soldered shield pieces that are not easily removable from the printed circuit board. This causes servicing EMI-shielded printed circuit boards also to be time-consuming and expensive.
Prior art packaging for preventing EMI signals from reaching and affecting EMI susceptible circuits in an electronics module suffers from other limitations. Using soldered and fastened shield materials is generally impractical because an unacceptable level of EMI leakage often occurs in such designs. Therefore, prior art devices for shielding susceptible electronic circuits from EMI use sealed boxes made of aluminum or some other electrically conductive material that fully enclose the printed circuit board. The EMI shield boxes of the prior art have sealed edges that keep EMI away from the sensitive electronic circuitry while often providing a way for radio frequency signals to reach the electronic circuits. These types of sealed EMI shield boxes, however, are cumbersome, expensive, labor intensive and require significant amounts of storage space in electronics cabinets designed to hold them.
An even more serious limitation that the prior art EMI shield boxes impose relates to the fact that numerous electronics cabinet designs call for easy installation and removal of the shielded electronics module. Some newer electronics cabinet designs require that the printed circuit boards be directly plugged into the electronics cabinets. This requires exposing a large portion of the printed circuit board outside the EMI shield. With the prior art EMI shield boxes, however, exposing the printed circuit board makes it possible for EMI to pass through the printed circuit board and to the susceptible electronic circuitry.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a shielding apparatus for electronic circuitry on a printed circuit board that allows solderless installation of an EMI shield to produce an electronics module that has a high degree of EMI shielding and that permits extensive communication of desired electromagnetic radio frequency and electrical signals by exposing from out of the EMI shield certain portions of the printed circuit board.


An injection system, injector, and associated method are provided for injecting and combusting combustion fluids in a combustion chamber. The system includes a faceplate that faces the combustion chamber and a plurality of injectors that extend through the faceplate. Each of the injectors has an injector body with an outlet side. A fuel bore extends from a fuel bore inlet to a fuel bore outlet located at the outlet side of the injector. Each injector also includes a swirler chamber with at least one inlet for receiving steam and an oxidizing fluid and an oxidizing fluid outlet located on the injector outlet side. A converging channel extends from the oxidizing fluid outlet to the swirler chamber, and the converging channel converges relative to the fuel bore so that steam and oxidizing fluid exiting the injector through the oxidizing fluid outlet impinge on a stream of fuel in the combustion chamber flowing from the fuel bore.

1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to apparatuses and methods for injecting fluids and more specifically to an injector and associated method for injecting combustion fluids into a combustion chamber.
2) Description of Related Art
The combustion of carbon-based compounds, or carbonaceous fuels, is widely used for generating kinetic and electrical power. In one typical electric generation system, a carbonaceous fuel such as natural gas is mixed with an oxidizer and combusted in a combustion device called a gas generator. The resulting combusted gas is discharged to, and used to rotate, a turbine, which is mechanically coupled to an electric generator. The combusted gas is often discharged to one or more additional combustion devices, called reheaters, where the combusted gas is mixed with additional fuel and/or oxidizer for subsequent combustion.
Gas generators and reheaters are generally similar combustion devices, but gas generators have traditionally been used as initial combustion devices and reheaters have traditionally been used as secondary combustion devices that recombust a gas after the gas has gone through an initial combustion device. Gas generators typically combust at least some liquid combustion components, e.g. liquid water, while reheaters typically combust only gases including, for example, steam. Therefore, the volumetric expansion of the combustion gases in a typical gas generator is higher than that of a reheater. Further, the pressure drop across the injector system of a gas generator is typically higher than that of a reheater.
The combustion in both gas generators and reheaters results in high temperatures and pressures. In some systems, pure oxygen is used as the oxidizer to eliminate the production of nitric oxides (NOx) and sulfur oxides (SOx) that typically result from combustion with air. The temperature in such an oxygen-fed system can be especially high, sometimes exceeding 5000xc2x0 F. Such extreme conditions increase the stress on components in and around the combustion chambers, increasing the likelihood of failure of such components and decreasing their useful lives accordingly.
Injectors are used to inject the combustion components of fuel, oxidizer, and/or recycled gases into the combustion chambers of the gas generator and reheaters. Because of their position proximate to the combustion chambers, the injectors are subjected to the extreme temperatures of the combustion chamber. Additionally, the injectors may be heated by the passage of preheated combustion components therethrough. Failure of the injectors due to the resulting thermal stress caused by overheating increases operating costs, increases the likelihood of machine downtime, and presents an increased danger of worker injury and equipment damage.
One proposed injector incorporates a mixer for combining a coolant with the fuel before the fuel is combusted. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,684 to Mueggenburg describes an injector assembly 10 that includes two mixers 30, 80. The first mixer 30 mixes an oxidizer with a fuel, and the second mixer 80 mixes coolant water with the prior mixed fuel and oxidizer. The mixture then flows through a face 121 to a combustion chamber 12 for combustion. The coolant water reduces the temperature of combustion of the fuel, easing the stress on the system components. One danger presented by such a design is the possibility of xe2x80x9cflashback,xe2x80x9d or the combustion flame advancing from the combustion chamber into the injector. Flashback is unlikely in an injector outlet that has a diameter smaller than the mixture""s xe2x80x9cquenching distancexe2x80x9d. Thus, flashback can be prevented by limiting the size of the injectors. Undesirably, however, a greater number of small injectors is required to maintain a specified flow rate of the combustion mixture. The increased number of injectors complicates the assembly. Small injectors are also typically less space-efficient because the small injectors require more space on the face than would a lesser number of large injectors that achieve the same flow rate. Space on the face is limited, so devoting more space to the injectors leaves less space for other uses, such as devices for injecting coolant into the combustion chamber.
Because sufficient quantities of coolant sometimes cannot be injected from the face, coolant must be injected further downstream. The injection of liquid coolant presents a danger to turbine blades located downstream from the combustion device. If the coolant is not fully vaporized before reaching the turbine, droplets of liquid coolant can damage the turbine blades. Injection of large volumes of a liquid coolant near the turbine blades can increase the likelihood of droplets progressing to the turbine blades, and decrease the useful life of the blades. Turbine blades are sometimes protected by splash plates, which provide a physical barrier to prevent the progression of liquid coolant. However, splash plates add complication to the system, requiring additional service and increasing the cost of the system. Splash plates can also interfere with the flow of gas through the combustion chamber and turbine, and are sometimes not fully effective in protecting the turbine blades.
Additionally, small injectors are subject to further complications due to their size. For example, small passages and outlets in the injectors can become blocked by particulates present in the fuel, oxidizer, or coolant. Thus, the reactants must be carefully filtered before passing through the injector. The need for filters also increases the complexity and cost of the system, as well as the likelihood of failure.
Thus, there exists a need for an apparatus and method for injecting fluid components of combustion into a combustion chamber. The injector and method should prevent liquid water from progressing to downstream turbine blades and should minimize the likelihood of flashback. Preferably, the injector should not be overly complex and should not require stringent filtering of the combustion components. The injector and method should be adaptable for use with gas generators and reheaters of various sizes. Further, the injector and method should facilitate efficient combustion, even at varying flow rates and limit the temperature of the injector to decrease thermal stress, likelihood of failure, and operating costs.
The present invention provides an injection system, an injector, and an associated method for injecting combustion fluids into a combustion chamber. Each injector injects an oxidizing fluid formed from a mixture of steam and oxygen to impinge on, and mix with, a stream of fuel in a combustion chamber. Mixing the oxidizing fluid and fuel in the combustion chamber decreases the likelihood of flashback, even with relatively large streams of fuel. Any number of injectors can be included on a faceplate of an injection system for a gas generator or reheater, and the thorough mixing provided by the injector also increases the efficiency of the combustion, even at low flow rates. Further, the flexibility in the size of the injectors also increases the potentially available space on the faceplate for coolant injectors. Locating the coolant injectors at the faceplate reduces the likelihood of coolant droplets progressing through the combustion chamber to the turbine.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the injection system includes a first faceplate and a plurality of injectors extending through the first faceplate. The faceplate has an inlet side and an outlet side that faces the combustion chamber. Each of the injectors has a fuel bore that extends from a fuel bore inlet to a fuel bore outlet located at an outlet side of the injector. The diameter of the fuel bore can converge in a direction from the fuel bore inlet to the fuel bore outlet. A swirler chamber defined by the injector has at least one inlet for receiving steam and oxygen, which are preferably mixed before entering the inlet. A converging channel extends from the swirler chamber to an oxidizing fluid outlet located on the injector outlet side. The converging channel of each injector is configured relative to the fuel bore such that oxidizing fluid that exits through the oxidizing fluid outlet impinges on a stream of fuel in the combustion chamber following exit of the stream of fuel from the fuel bore.
According to one aspect of the invention, a center of each of the injectors is located at least 1 inch from the centers of the other injectors. A source of carbonaceous fuel can be fluidly connected to each of the fuel bore inlets of the injectors, and each inlet of the swirler chambers can be fluidly connected to a source of oxidizing fluid comprising steam and oxygen substantially free of nitrogen and sulfur. In one embodiment, the oxidizing fluid comprise at least 50% steam as measured on a weight basis.
According to another aspect, each of the swirler chambers defines a slot that extends circumferentially around the fuel bore of the respective injector. The converging channel of the injector can converge at an angle of between about 10xc2x0 and 45xc2x0 relative to the fuel bore such that the oxidizing fluid exiting each injector impinges on the stream of fuel in the combustion chamber. The converging channel can also converge toward the respective fuel bore such that the oxidizing fluid exiting the injector impinges on the stream of fuel in the combustion chamber in a region located within about 2 inches of the first faceplate. The inlets of the swirler chambers can extend in a radial direction from the swirler chambers to the outside of the injector bodies such that fluid flowing into each of the swirler chambers through the swirler chamber inlets swirls in a circumferential direction around the respective fuel bore. Further, a vane can be disposed in each of the swirler chambers and configured to induce a swirling motion to fluid flowing through the respective swirler chamber.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a plurality of water injectors are configured to inject water into the combustion chamber from the first faceplate. The water injectors can be configured such that the combustion fuel travels a distance of at least about 10 inches from the first faceplate before mixing with the water, and the water injectors can be fluidly connected to at least one coolant chamber defined by the first faceplate. In one aspect, a second faceplate faces the inlet side of the first faceplate, and the two faceplates define at least one coolant chamber therebetween, the coolant chamber being configured to receive and circulate a coolant fluid for cooling the faceplate. Further, an interpropellant plate can face the second faceplate, and the interpropellant plate and the second faceplate can define at least one oxidizing fluid chamber fluidly connected to the at least one inlet of the swirler chambers of the injectors.
In another aspect, the combustion chamber defines a passage from the outlet side of the first faceplate to a turbine, and the passage is uninterrupted by splash plates. The injection system can also include at least one water injector configured to inject water into the combustion chamber at a location downstream of the faceplate.
The present invention also provides an injector for injecting fluids into a combustion chamber. The injector has an injector body with an inlet side and outlet side. A fuel bore extends from a fuel bore inlet to a fuel bore outlet located on the outlet side. The fuel bore can converge in a direction from the fuel bore inlet to the fuel bore outlet. A swirler chamber is defined by the injector body and has at least one inlet for receiving steam and oxygen. A converging channel extends from the swirler chamber to an oxidizing fluid outlet located at the outlet side of the injector body. The converging channel is configured relative to the fuel bore such that oxidizing fluid exiting the injector through the oxidizing fluid outlet impinges on a stream of fuel in the combustion chamber flowing from the fuel bore through the fuel outlet.
The swirler chamber can extend circumferentially about the fuel bore such that the steam and oxygen can flow circumferentially in the swirler chamber. The converging channel can converge at an angle of between about 10xc2x0 and 45xc2x0 relative to the fuel bore such that the oxidizing fluid exiting the injector impinges on the stream of fuel in the combustion chamber. The converging channel can also be configured such that the oxidizing fluid impinges on the stream of fuel in the combustion chamber in a region located within about 2 inches of the fuel bore outlet.
In one embodiment, each of the inlets of the swirler chamber extends in a radial direction from the swirler chamber to the outside of the injector body such that fluid flowing into the swirler chamber through the swirler chamber inlets swirls in a circumferential direction around the fuel bore. One or more vanes can also be disposed in the swirler chamber, extending in a circumferential direction around the fuel bore and configured to induce a swirling motion to fluid flowing through the swirler chamber.
The present invention also provides a method of injecting and combusting combustion fluids in a combustion chamber. The method includes injecting a combustion fuel such as a carbonaceous gas into the combustion chamber. An oxidizing fluid comprising oxygen and steam is injected into the combustion chamber such that the oxidizing fluid impinges on the combustion fuel in the combustion chamber. The oxidizing fluid can be substantially free of nitrogen and sulfur, and the oxidizing fluid can include at least 50% steam as measured on a weight basis. The method also includes combusting the combustion fuel with the oxidizing fluid. The steam can be used to limit the flame temperature to below about 4000xc2x0 F.
In one aspect of the invention, the combustion fuel and oxidizing fluid is injected through a plurality of injectors, and a center of each of the injectors is located at least 1 inch from the centers of the other injectors.
The steam and oxygen can be mixed by swirling the oxygen and steam in a circumferential direction within the injector. The combustion fuel can be injected through a fuel bore outlet and the oxidizing fluid can be injected at an angle of between about 10xc2x0 and 45xc2x0 relative to the fuel bore such that the oxidizing fluid impinges on the combustion fuel in the combustion chamber. The oxidizing fluid can also be injected to impinge on the combustion fuel in the combustion chamber in a region located within about 2 inches of the fuel bore outlet.
In another aspect of the invention, the combustion fuel and a coolant are injected into the combustion chamber through the faceplate. The coolant can be injected in a direction such that the combustion fuel travels a distance of at least about 10 inches into the combustion chamber before mixing with the coolant. Further, the coolant can be circulating through a faceplate cooling chamber defined by the faceplate.
Thus, the present invention provides a system, injector, and method for injecting fluid components of combustion into a combustion chamber. The injectors control the combustion temperature by mixing steam with oxygen and impinging the resulting oxidizing fluid on the fuel in the combustion chamber, thus limiting thermal stress of system components. Mixing the oxidizing fluid and fuel in the combustion chamber minimizes the risk of flashback and allows the use of larger streams of fuel. The system can include any number of injectors, and provides efficient combustion even at low flow rates in a gas generator or a reheater. Complexity and risk of turbine damage are decreased by locating coolant injectors at the faceplate.


To supply a strap buckle that can be formed in an inexpensive mold, that has a miniaturized and simplified structure and thus is expensive, and to which a belt, etc., formed into a loop can be attached easily, such that male part 1 is composed of push-through ring 10 for belt attachment and insertion part 7; aforementioned insertion part 7 is composed of slit 9 that bifurcates it and two catching pieces 6, 6 that are folded back and outwardly from the ends of thereof; female part 2 is shaped approximately like a rectangular cylinder; male part insertion hole 3 is provided at one end in the longitudinal direction and loop cord mounting hole 12 is provided at the other end; and catch-receiving side hole 4 is provided on its side 8 and catch-receiving projection 5 of male part catching piece 6 is provided on both sides, on the insertion hole 3 side.

The present invention relates to a strap buckle and further to a strap buckle structure such that the mold structure is simplified and a belt, cord, etc., can be attached easily to the strap buckle.
Strap buckles generally consist of a male part 1 and a female part 2. Female part 2 of a conventional strap buckle is provided with a release lever 13, as shown in FIG. 16, for example, and it is formed by using a (split-type) slide core that is bifurcated both longitudinally and transversely, to form a catch-receiving side hole 4 on the side, which is used to catch a catching piece 6 of male part 1.
Also, in conventional strap buckles, the push-through ring 10 for the belt, cord, etc., is formed into a closed ring. To attach the belt, cord, etc., the strap buckle is provided in advance and the free end of the belt or cord is inserted into an annular push-through ring 10, after which it is either sewn or tied. Or, when a belt or cord is not used, another coupling part is used when attaching an annular material with an insertion hole.
As a result, there are the following drawbacks: It is impossible to miniaturize a conventional strap buckle because of the presence of release lever 13, and the aforementioned (split-type) slide core is used during molding because of the structure, so the mold yield is limited, making it difficult to obtain many pieces, thereby preventing the inexpensive production of molds. They also have the following problems that must be solved: When a belt, cord, etc., is attached to a strap buckle, if the belt has been pre-sewn into a loop or if the cord has been pre-tied into a loop, it cannot be attached directly to the buckle, so it is attached by a means such as that aforementioned. Therefore, the workability is extremely poor, and when an annular material with an insertion hole is attached instead of a belt or cord, another coupling part is required.
Therefore, to eliminate the drawbacks and problems of the aforementioned conventional examples, the present invention has the purpose of supplying an inexpensive strap buckle by simplifying the structure of the female part to enable molding with an inexpensive mold, without using a (split-type) slide core, and it has the purpose of supplying a strap buckle such that the addition of a contrivance to the structure of the male part allows a belt, cord, etc., to be attached simply to the strap buckle, and it enables the attachment of another annular material with an insertion hole. To solve the problems aforementioned, the strap buckle of the present invention will be explained next with reference to the symbols in the drawings showing the embodiments.


Method and apparatus for predicting properties of a target object, in particular, one of an origin and a source, comprise application of a search manager for analyzing parameters of a plurality of databases for a plurality of objects, the databases comprising an electrical, electromagnetic, acoustic spectral database (ESD), a micro-body assemblage database (MAD) and a database of image data whereby the databases store data objects containing identifying features, source information and information on site properties and context including time and frequency varying data. The method comprises application of multivariate statistical analysis and principal component analysis in combination with content-based image retrieval for providing two-dimensional attributes of three dimensional objects, for example, via preferential image segmentation using a tree of shapes and to predict further properties of objects by means of k-means clustering and related methods. By way of example, a fire event and residual objects may be located and qualified such that, for example, properties of the residual objects may be qualified, for example, via black body radiation and micro-body databases including charcoal assemblages.

Database systems and search and retrieval from such databases are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,139 to Jain et al. describes a visual image database search engine which allows for different schema. A schema is a specific collection of primitives to be processed and a corresponding feature vector is used for similarity scoring. In particular, a system and method for content-based search and retrieval of visual objects computes a distance between two feature vectors in a comparison process to generate a similarity score.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,778,995 to Gallivan describes a system and method for efficiently generating cluster groupings in a multi-dimensional concept space. A plurality of terms are extracted from documents of a collection of stored, unstructured documents. A concept space is built over the collection and terms correlated between documents such that a vector may be mapped for each correlated term. Referring to FIG. 14 of the '995 patent, a cluster is populated with documents having vector differences falling within a predetermined variance such that a view may be generated of overlapping clusters.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,127,372 to Boysworth describes an improved regression-based qualitative analysis algorithm when a mixture, not in a library of spectra, and being an "unknown" is subjected to regression analysis of "peaks" in a residual error computed between an estimated spectrum and a measured spectrum. The process is repeated using information from a retro-regression.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,236,971 to Shatdal et al. describes a method and system for deriving data through interpolation in a database system. A parallel database system has plural processing units capable of performing interpolation of data in parallel.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,318,053 to Cha et al. describes an indexing system and method for nearest neighbor searches in high dimensional databases using vectors representing objects in n-dimensional space and local polar coordinates for vectors such that a query data vector is requested to find "k" nearest neighbors to the query vector of the vectors in the n-dimensional space.
Haining, "Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis in a Geographic Information System," The Statistician 47, Part 3, 457-469 (1998) describes a software system involving the exploratory spatial data analysis features of the ARC/INFO geographical information system and identifies spatial patterns of geographic locations and regions.
Other systems and database technologies are known which incorporate multivariate statistical analysis and, in particular, principal component analysis, from patent and non-patent literature and other technologies which utilize a geographic information system (GIS).

Method and apparatus for predicting object properties and events using similarity-based information retrieval and modeling

University of Tennessee Research Foundation


A knife deburring or steeling device includes a frame with an elongated knife blade-receiving slot. Deburring rods are crossed over the knife slot in an X-shaped configuration, with the ends of each rod being fixed to slide members having shanks extending respectively through four complementary elongated track slots arranged in pairs which respectively diverge in opposite directions from the opposite ends of the knife slot. Each slide member has an enlarged cylindrical head at one end having a diameter larger than the width of the associated track slot, with each of one pair of slide members having a rectangular foot at the other end with a width less than and a length greater than the width of the associated track slot so that it can be passed through the track slot in a mounting orientation but is locked against removal from the track slot in a use orientation. Each of the other pair of slide members is provided with a C-clip engageable in a cylindrical groove to lock the slide members in place in the associated track slot.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for maintaining a sharp cutting edge on a knife or other cutting tool, and particularly relates to devices for steeling or deburring the knife edge. The invention has particular application to deburring devices of the type wherein the knife edge is drawn along the intersection of two crossed deburring elements.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A number of knife edge sharpening or maintaining devices are known which utilize a pair of elongated crossed sharpening or deburring elements, wherein the knife edge is drawn through the notch formed by the intersection of the two crossed deburring elements, which elements respectively engage opposite sides of the knife edge. In some such devices a knife-receiving slot is provided for guiding the movement of the knife edge, the deburring elements being crossed so that their intersection overlies the slot. Typically the deburring elements are movably mounted so that, as the knife edge is drawn across their intersection, the pressure of the knife blade against the deburring elements simultaneously moves them so that their intersection point travels along the length of the deburring elements while remaining in alignment with the knife slot.
One such prior art deburring apparatus is disclosed in FIGS. 1 and 2, and is generally designated by the numeral 20. The deburring apparatus 20 includes a generally rectangular frame 21 having an elongated knife slot 22 formed in the upper end thereof. The frame includes of pair of downwardly converging upper edges 23 which lead into the upper end of the knife slot 22, each of the upper edges 23 being provided with a raised rib 23a running the length thereof centrally thereof. Projecting respectively from the side edges of the frame 21 at the upper ends thereof are two arms 24, each of which extends upwardly and then downwardly above a corresponding one of the upper edges 23, the inner ends of the arms 24 terminating a slight distance from each other so as to define a gap 25 therebetween. The arms 24 are respectively spaced above the upper edges 23 so as to cooperate therewith to define two inclined upper track slots 26 which converge downwardly and inwardly toward the center of the frame 21 and communicate with each other and with the knife slot 22. The arms 24 are respectively inclined with respect to the upper edges 23, so that the track slots 26 are wider at their inner ends than at their outer ends.
Also formed in the frame 21 at the lower end thereof are a pair of lower track slots 27 which converge upwardly and inwardly toward the lower end of the knife slot 22, but which are discrete therefrom and from each other. Each of the lower track slots 27 has an enlarged upper end 28. Extending the length of the lower edge of each of the lower track slots 27 centrally thereof is a raised rib 29.
A pair of deburring assemblies 30 are provided, each including an elongated cylindrical deburring rod 31 fixed at each end thereof to a. slider 32. Each slider 32 has a channel 33 formed in the lower face thereof defining a pair of depending legs 34. The rods 31 are crossed over the knife slot 22, with the sliders 32 being respectively disposed in the track slots 26 and 27. The channel legs 34 of each sliders 32 straddle the raised rib 23a or rib 29 of the corresponding track slot for guiding movement of the sliders 32 along the track slots. The ribs 23a are respectively parallel to the ribs 29 so that the deburring assemblies 30 undergo translational movement along the track slots 26 and 27.
In use, the sliders 32 are normally urged by gravity to the lower ends of the track slots 26 and 27 to the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1. As the knife blade is drawn between the deburring rods 30, the downward pressure on the rods 30 tends to move them apart, driving the intersection thereof downwardly along the knife slot 22, and forcing the rods 30 and the attached sliders 3 upwardly along the track slots 26 and 27.
The sliders 32 are arranged to facilitate assembly thereof with the frame 21. Thus, each of the sliders 32 will fit through the enlarged upper ends 28 of the lower track slots 27 for mounting on the raised ribs 29. Similarly, the lower ends of the upper track slots 26 are sufficiently wide to permit insertion of the upper sliders 32 therethrough to enable them to be mounted on the raised ribs 23a after the lower sliders 32 have been slid to the lower ends of the lower track slots 27.
However, this has caused difficulty in operation, since the upper sliders 32 tend to become disengaged from the ribs 23a and fall out of the upper track slots, particularly during cleaning with high pressure hoses. Furthermore, the upper sliders 32 sometimes tend to wedge in the narrowed upper ends of the upper track slots 26, preventing return of the deburring rods 30 to their normal rest position. Furthermore, it is possible for both of the upper sliders 32 to move up into a single one of the upper track slots 26 so that the intersection of the deburring rods 30 is moved out of alignment with the knife slot 22. Thus, when a knife edge is passed down through the gap 25, it may not pass between the two upper sliders 32 and into engagement with the deburring rods 30 at their intersection.


Methods and systems for processing, e.g., non-destructively processing, digital image data utilizing vertically-oriented Effect graphs are provided. In non-destructive processing where and when data is transformed is fairly important, both in terms of quality and performance. The further down the vertically-oriented Effect graph a transformation occurs, the better. As such, methods for pushing transformations down an Effect graph to the lowest point possible and applying them at that point rather than the location at which they may have been placed are provided. Systems for implementing the methods herein disclosed are also provided.

Video Cards or Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) differ from Central Processing Units (CPUs) in that they utilize very high speed memory and couple it with a specialized processor that is capable of handling simple calculations on pixel data very efficiently. Video cards are not general purpose processors. However, they can compute, for instance, which surfaces should be visible to a user and which should be hidden as well as what textures should be mapped onto those surfaces to make them look realistic in a three-dimensional (3D) scene much more rapidly than a CPU could accomplish the same task. This is largely due to the fact that while CPUs can adequately perform a variety of general tasks, they are not optimized for any particular operation whereas video cards utilize very specialized hardware to perform only a single function at a time.
Video Cards (GPUs) have traditionally been used for two primary purposes. First, GPUs have been utilized to accelerate simple graphics operations on a user's screen. For instance, when a user scrolls through a document displayed on a display device (e.g., a conventional computer monitor), a large number of pixels are moved around. Due to the computational demand such action places, traditional CPUs are not exceptionally rapid or efficient at accomplishing this task. As such, a GPU may be utilized in conjunction with the CPU to achieve more rapid and efficient scrolling.
Secondly, GPUs have been utilized to render simple primitives (e.g., to fill an area with a color, draw a line, or the like). As with acceleration of simple graphics operations, GPUs can more rapidly and efficiently render such simple primitives than traditional CPUs.
More recently, video games have started to become more popular causing the demand for increased realism and speed in such games to increase. As such, video game manufacturers have begun to tackle complex issues of video rendering, for example, rendering a three-dimensional scene while providing shading, reflections, texture mapping, and the like to make the scene look as realistic as possible while still rapidly responding to user input.
Outside of the particular areas mentioned above, video cards have not been utilized to accelerate CPU functions.
Use of digital images in arenas outside of video game manufacture has also enjoyed a recent increase. However, as digital images get bigger (more megapixels) and pixels get deeper (at least 16 bits per channel), they are straining the computational resources available in traditional CPUs resulting in slower, less efficient digital image processing.

Accumulating transforms through an effect graph in digital image processing


The invention proposes a disposable multi-vessel receptacle having a plurality of vertically oriented hollow vessels for the receipt of laparoscopic instruments. Planar top and bottom retainers are used to rigidly retain the hollow vessels in a fixed, laterally spaced-apart relationship. The retainers and hollow vessels comprise an internal assembly. The internal assembly is contained within an exterior enclosure. Flaps are provided on the exterior enclosure as a means for enclosing the internal assembly from the outside environment, and thus maintain internal sterility. Prior to packaging and distribution for use, the multi-vessel receptacle and its contents are thoroughly sterilized.

The use of small fiberoptic visualizing aids has greatly advanced the field of surgery. Through the use of such fiberoptic aids a surgeon is able to make a small incision into a patient and visualize regions of the anatomy that would have otherwise required significantly more invasive procedures. In combination with surgical instrument modified to fit and operate through the small incision, it is also possible to conduct delicate surgery without having to make large surgical incisions. Laparoscopic cholecystectomies is one form of fiberoptic guided surgery and involves the surgical removal of a diseased or otherwise afflicted gall bladder.
During laparoscopic cholecystectomies, a surgeon is usually assisted by several surgical assistants. One such assistant is usually assigned the role of operating a laparoscopic camera while another is assigned to provide the surgeon with various sterilized laparoscopic surgical instruments as needed during the surgery. Typically, these laparoscopic instruments are placed on a tray or table distant from the immediate operating arena, thus requiring unnecessary and potentially intrusive "walking about" by the assigned surgical assistant. This problem has long continued without significant abatement or satisfactory resolution. Apart from inconvenience, disorganization and intrusiveness, the present practice also requires the addition of another staff member to an already typically crowded surgical team, thus increasing hospital costs and the related fees to the patient.
In light of the existing problems, a multi-vessel receptacle for laparoscopic surgical instruments has been designed that may be used to retain instruments in an area within the reach of the surgeon conducting the laparoscopic procedures. Such a receptacle would conceivably end the need to have surgical assistants performing tasks that this device can accomplish simply and more cost effectively. The labor of such surgical assistants can be redirected to more productive ends.
Prior patents have been directed to assorted means for organizing or otherwise arranging medical devices. U.S. Pat. No. 2,557,420, issued to Elliot on Jun 19, 1951, was directed to device with a tubular arrangement for the storage of hypodermic needles. U.S. Pat. No. 3,446,342, issued to Michel on May 27, 1969, was directed to a mailing package having a "Styrofoam" body and sockets for holding biological samples. U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,850, issued to Chen on May 23, 1978, was directed to a tray for use in radioimmunoassays. U.S. Pat. No. 5,057,282, issued to Linder on Oct. 15, 1991, is directed to a pipette shipping package of lightweight materials. Not one of these patent disclose or suggest a device that adequately solves the problems outlined above or contains all the features of the present invention.

Multi-vessel receptacle for laparoscopic instruments


A pointer detection apparatus and a pointer detection method of the cross point electrostatic coupling type are disclosed, by which a pointer on a conductor pattern can be detected at a higher speed. The pointer detection apparatus includes a conductor pattern, a spread code supplying circuit, a reception conductor selection circuit, an amplification circuit, an analog to digital conversion circuit, and a correlation value calculation circuit. The spread code supplying circuit supplies a plurality of spread codes at the same time. The correlation value calculation circuit determines correlation values between signals output from the analog to digital conversion circuit and the correlation calculation codes respectively corresponding to the spread codes. A pointer is detected based on the determined correlation values.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a pointer detection apparatus and a pointer detection method, and more particularly to a pointer detection apparatus and a pointer detection method wherein a plurality of pointers can be detected at a high speed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, for the detection of the position of a pointer used with a touch panel or a like apparatus, various sensor systems have been proposed, such as a resistive film system, an electrostatic coupling system and an electrostatic capacitive system. In recent years, a pointer detection apparatus of the electrostatic coupling system type has been vigorously developed.
Electrostatic coupling systems are divided into two types including a surface capacitive type and a projected capacitive type. An electrostatic coupling system of the surface capacitive type is applied, for example, in an ATM (Automated Teller Machine), and that of the projected capacitive type is applied, for example, in a mobile telephone set. In both types, a variation of the electrostatic coupling state between a sensor electrode and a pointer such as a finger or an electrostatic pen is detected in order to detect the position of the pointer.
A pointer detection apparatus of the projected capacitive electrostatic coupling system includes an electrode formed in a predetermined pattern, for example, on a transparent substrate or a transparent film. The apparatus detects a variation of the electrostatic coupling state between a pointer and the electrode when the pointer approaches the electrode. For a pointer detection apparatus of this type, various techniques for optimizing the configuration have been proposed and are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2003-22158, Hei 9-222947, and Hei 10-161795 (referred to as Patent Document 1, 2 and 3, respectively, hereinafter). In particular, Patent Document 1 discloses a code division multiplexing system which uses an orthogonal spread code. Patent Document 2 discloses a coordinate inputting apparatus which uses a pseudo-random signal. Patent Document 3 discloses a pen for use with an electrostatic capacitive coordinate apparatus.
A pointer detection apparatus of the type called cross point electrostatic coupling system has been developed from the projected capacitive type electrostatic coupling system. Here, operation of a pointer detection apparatus of the cross point electrostatic coupling system is described briefly with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 75A shows a general configuration of a sensor section and associated elements of a pointer detection apparatus of the cross point electrostatic coupling system, and FIG. 75B illustrates an output signal waveform of the pointer detection apparatus.
Referring to FIGS. 75A and 75B, a sensor section 900 includes a transmission conductor array 901 formed from a plurality of transmission conductors 902, and a reception conductor array 903 formed from a plurality of reception conductors 904. An insulating film is formed between the transmission conductor array 901 and the reception conductor array 903. The transmission conductors 902 have a predetermined shape and extend in a predetermined direction, in FIG. 75A, in the direction indicated by an arrow mark X and are disposed in parallel to, and spaced apart by a predetermined distance from, each other. The reception conductors 904 have a predetermined shape and extend in a direction crossing the extension direction of the transmission conductors 902, that is, in the direction indicated by an arrow mark Y in FIG. 75A. The reception conductors 904 are disposed in parallel to, and spaced apart by a predetermined distance from, each other.
In a pointer detection apparatus which uses the sensor section 900 having the configuration described above, for example, a predetermined signal is supplied to a predetermined one of the transmission conductors 902. A variation of current flowing to a cross point between the predetermined transmission conductor 902, to which the predetermined signal is supplied, and a reception conductor 904 is detected at each of all cross points of the predetermined transmission conductor 902 and the reception conductors 904. Here, at a position of the sensor section 900 at which a pointer 910 such as a finger is placed, part of current flowing to the transmission conductor 902 is shunted through the pointer 910 and this changes the current flowing into the reception conductor 904. Therefore, the position of the pointer 910 can be detected by detecting a cross point between the transmission conductor 902, to which the signal is supplied, and the reception conductor 904, to which a varying amount of current flows into. Further, with a pointer detection apparatus of the cross point electrostatic coupling system, simultaneous detection of a plurality of pointers is possible because the current variation is detected for each of a plurality of cross points formed on the sensor section 900.
The principle of position detection of the cross point electrostatic coupling system is described more particularly. A case is considered here where a predetermined signal is supplied to the transmission conductor Y6 and a pointing position of the pointer 910 such as, for example, a finger on the transmission conductor Y6 is detected as seen in FIG. 75A. First, in the state where a signal is supplied to the transmission conductor Y6, the difference between currents flowing to the reception conductors X1 and X2 is detected by means of a differential amplifier 905. Then, after a predetermined interval of time, the reception conductors to be connected to the differential amplifier 905 are switched to the reception conductors X2 and X3, and the difference between currents flowing through the reception conductors X2 and X3 is detected. This operation is repeated up to the reception conductor XM.
Then, a level variation of an output signal of the differential amplifier 905 at the position of each of the cross points between the transmission conductor Y6 and the reception conductors is determined. FIG. 75B illustrates a characteristic of the level variation. Referring to FIG. 75B, the axis of abscissa of the illustrated characteristic represents detection signals output from the reception conductors X1 to XM when they are temporally successively selected and connected to the differential amplifier 905. It is to be noted that a characteristic indicated by a broken line curve in FIG. 75B represents a level variation of the signal actually output from the differential amplifier 905 and another characteristic indicated by a solid line curve represents a variation of the integration value of the output signal of the differential amplifier 905.
Since the pointer or finger 910 is placed in proximity to the cross points between the transmission conductor Y6 and the reception conductors X5 and XM-5, current flowing in the proximity of these cross points varies. Therefore, as seen in FIG. 75B, the output signal of the differential amplifier 905 varies at positions corresponding to positions in proximity to the cross points between the transmission conductor Y6 and the reception conductors X5 and XM-5, and the integration value of the output signal varies. The position of the pointer 910 can be detected based on the variation of the integration value. In the conventional pointer detection apparatus, such detection as described above is carried out while successively switching the transmission conductors to be used for the detection one by one.

Pointer detection apparatus and pointer detection method