The present invention is directed to accurately set a frequency characteristic of a filter integrated in a semiconductor integrated circuit. A semiconductor integrated circuit includes a filter circuit, a cutoff frequency calibration circuit, and a Q-factor calibration circuit. The cutoff frequency calibration circuit adjusts cutoff frequency of the filter circuit to a desired value by adjusting capacitance components of the filter circuit. After adjustment of the cutoff frequency of the filter circuit by the cutoff frequency calibration circuit, the Q-factor calibration circuit adjusts the Q factor of the filter circuit to a desired value by adjusting a resistance component of the filter circuit.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit and an operation method of the same and, more particularly, relates to a technique useful to accurately set a frequency characteristic of a built-in filter.
In wireless mobile communication of a cellular phone or the like, it is expected that growth of sound service will slow down in future but, on the other hand, the mobile communication market will shift in future to multimedia service simultaneously providing images, sound, and data to support advanced bidirectional applications. Accordingly, a broadband mobile data network having a high average throughput enabling a wireless packet data access of a peak rate exceeding 384 kbps is being required.
Therefore, the wireless mobile communication shifts to the third generation which is more effective than the 2.5 generation between the second and third generation. The user peak data rate in the third generation is increased to 384 kbps in EDGE (Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution) and 2 Mbps in cdma2000 and WCDMA. In downlink coupling of HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) introduced in the WCDMA of the third generation, the high modulation level of 16 QAM is used and user peak data rate of 14.4 Mbps is theoretically possible. QAM stands for Quadrature Amplitude Modulation.
As the third-generation wireless network spreads, it is becoming more important to reduce cost and power consumption of a third-generation mobile cell terminal. The direct conversion receiver architecture is a popular system solution in an integrated platform of a third-generation mobile cell terminal properly using silicon process, circuit design technique, and architecture implementation.
A direct conversion receiver needs a channel selection filter configured by a low-pass filter in order to suppress a disturbing signal out of a channel. Non-patent document 1 describes that a direct conversion receiver does not need an image removing filter, and the channel selection filter is a low-pass filter which can be formed on a chip so that it is preferable to make a wireless transceiver at a high integration level. In the direct conversion receiver, a WCDMA reception signal is amplified by a low-noise amplifier. After that, the amplified signal is supplied to an I-signal mixer and a Q-signal mixer configuring a quadrature downconversion mixer, and an I local signal and a Q local signal having a phase difference of 90 degrees are supplied to the I-signal mixer and the Q-signal mixer. An I baseband signal generated from the I-signal mixer is supplied to a first channel selection filter and a first amplifier, and a Q baseband signal generated from the Q-signal mixer is supplied to a second channel selection filter and a second amplifier.
In the non-patent document 1, it is described that in a direct conversion WCDMA receiver, a baseband signal from an RF front end has to be filtered by a low-pass filter having a bandwidth of 2 MHz. To obtain an accurate filter characteristic such as a smallest bandpass ripple, an accurate value of apart is necessary. Since a frequency parameter of an active filter is set by an RC product, accurate values of the resistance and capacitance have to be realized. Therefore, a filter has to be electronically tunable, and an automatic tuning system is designed on a chip as a total filter system. That is, an RC active filter designed as the baseband channel selection filter of a direct conversion WCDMA receiver is controlled by an on-chip tuning circuit, and a parameter deviation is compensated so that the cutoff frequency is maintained at a design value.
The filter time constant is changed by using a binary weight 5-bit capacitance matrix, and a switch is realized by an NMOS transistor operating in a linear region. The frequency response is tuned by device layout of a resistor or a capacitor in a programmable array. The value of the array is designed by a digital code generated by an on-chip calibration circuit.
The frequency of each of integrators of a fifth-order Chebyshev low-pass filter is tuned by tuning the time constant of the integrator. A parallel-capacitance array topology including a single fixed element and N pieces of binary weight switching elements is employed.
Patent document 1 discloses a filter adjustment circuit for adjusting performance index (Q factor: Quality factor) of an active filter. An active filter includes an amplifier, an input resistor, a feedback resistor, and a feedback capacitor. The adjustment circuit includes a reference frequency generation circuit, a phase comparator, a reference voltage generation circuit, an amplitude comparator, and a control circuit. The reference frequency generation circuit generates a first signal having a filter cutoff frequency and a second signal having a phase different from that of the first signal, supplies the first signal to one of input terminals of the phase comparator, and supplies the second signal to the input terminal of the active filter. Since a third signal as a filter output signal of the active filter is supplied to the other input terminal of the phase comparator, the phase comparator compares the phase of the first signal and the phase of the third signal and determines whether the frequencies are the same or not. The third signal as a filter output signal of the active filter is supplied to one of input terminals of the amplitude comparator, and the reference voltage indicative of a predetermined amplitude value for specifying the Q factor generated from the reference voltage generation circuit is supplied to the other input terminal of the amplitude comparator. Consequently, the amplitude comparator compares the amplitude value of the third signal and the reference voltage and outputs the comparison result. The phase comparison result of the phase comparator and the amplitude comparison result of the amplitude comparator are supplied to the control circuit. The control circuit controls the feedback capacitor in the active filter, thereby adjusting the cutoff frequency of the active filter and, simultaneously, controls the feedback resistance of the active filter, thereby adjusting the Q factor of the active filter.
In the non-patent document 2 whose lead author is the single investor of the patent document 1, a filter tuning system similar to the filter adjustment circuit described in the patent document 1 is described. A fifth-order low-pass filter described in the non-patent document 2 is used as a low-pass filter having a bandwidth of 40 MHz of the direct conversion architecture for high-throughput enlargement-option for IEEE802.11n as one of wireless LAN standards devised by IEEE.
A filter tuning system illustrated in FIG. 14 of the non-patent document 2 includes a replica filter, a main filter, a reference signal/reference voltage generator, a phase comparator, an amplitude comparator, and a control circuit. The main filter is configured by a fifth-order Chebyshev active RC low-pass filter, and the replica filter is configured by a second-order low-pass filter as a replica of the main filter.
A replica input signal and a reference signal generated from the reference signal/reference voltage generator and having a phase difference of 90 degrees are supplied to the input terminal of the replica filter and one of input terminals of the phase comparator. A filter output signal from the replica filter is supplied to the other input terminal of the phase comparator and one of input terminals of the amplitude comparator, and reference voltage generated from the reference signal/reference voltage generator is supplied to the other input terminal of the amplitude comparator. A phase comparison result of the phase comparator and an amplitude comparison result of the amplitude comparator are supplied to the control circuit. By an output of the control circuit, the cutoff frequency of the replica filter and the Q factor of the replica filter are adjusted. In the adjustment, first, the cutoff frequency of the replica filter is adjusted by the resistance value of a total feedback resistor of the second-order low-pass filter as the replica filter. The total feedback resistor is coupled between the inversion input terminal of an amplifier in the first stage of the second-order low-pass filter as the replica filter and the output terminal of the signal inverter having the gain −1 of the output terminal of an amplifier in the second stage. In the adjustment, next, the Q factor of the replica filter is adjusted by the resistance value of a local feedback resistor of the second-order low-pass filter as the replica filter. The local feedback resistor is coupled to a feedback capacitor in series between the inversion input terminal and the output terminal of each of the amplifiers in the first and second stages in the second-order low-pass filter as the replica filter. In the adjustment, the parameter set in the replica filter which is tuned at last is copied into the main filter.

Semiconductor integrated circuit and operation method of the same


The invention is directed to a method and an arrangement for operating an internal combustion engine wherein the vapor pressure curve is determined with a pressure sensor in the fuel metering pipe during the shutoff phase of the engine and the fuel injection quantity in a subsequent start of the engine is corrected in correspondence to this pressure curve.

Fuels distinguish one from the other with respect to their behavior as to volatility. Low volatile fuels having a low vapor pressure require an additional quantity of metered fuel especially as long as the engine has not yet reached its operating point. In some applications, the enrichment, which is needed for a cold start with low-volatile fuel compared to more volatile fuel, is up to 40%.
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,406, it is known to correct the fuel quantity to be injected in dependence upon the fuel quality. The fuel quality is derived from the behavior of the lambda control in the start phase.
A condition precedent for the adaptation of the fuel injection quantity in the known solution is therefore an operational ready lambda control. However, this is not immediately present at the start of the engine so that the detection of the fuel quality or the fuel characteristics is at least incomplete for some applications and primarily because the adaptation of the injection quantity is of special significance during the start phase. Furthermore, the fuel quality or the fuel characteristics are only indirectly detected so that statements as to the accuracy of the adaptation can be made only with difficulty.
For example, from U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,501, it is known to use a vapor filled fuel-pressure attenuator which is elastically deformable and which is utilized in a fuel distributor pipe of an internal combustion engine.
The method of the invention is for operating an internal combustion engine having a fuel distributor. The method includes the steps of: determining the pressure in the fuel distributor after the engine is shut off; and, determining a signal quantity for fuel metering to the engine in the next operating cycle thereof in dependence upon the pressure.
With the direct detection of the thermodynamic characteristics of the fuel, a precise, reliable and rapid determination of the fuel quality or the fuel characteristics is provided. This leads also to a satisfactory accuracy of the correction of the fuel injection quantity (here, injection quantity is understood hereinafter also to be the fuel mass which is to be injected).
It is of special advantage that the air/fuel ratio can be adjusted with greater accuracy so that the emission of toxic substances is reduced and the driving performance is improved. This advantage becomes especially evident in a cold start.
It is specially advantageous to measure the vapor pressure curve of the fuel during the shutoff phase in the fuel rail or fuel distributor with a pressure sensor in the metering pipe and to correct the injection quantity during the subsequent operating cycle of the engine in correspondence to this vapor pressure information. In an especially advantageous manner, the fuel quantity is therefore corrected also during the phases wherein it is still open-loop controlled and is not closed-loop controlled by means of a lambda control. This is especially important for the cold start and the warm up of the engine. Modern exhaust-gas requirements are therefore satisfied.
It is especially advantageous when the pressure sensor in the metering pipe is a pressure sensor which is utilized in the distributor pipe in the context of the electric control of the fuel pressure.

Method and arrangement for operating an internal combustion engine


Polyamide polyalkyl(meth)acrylate block copolymers which are built from polyamide generating monomers in addition to 15-70 weight percent polyalkyl(meth)acrylates as well as products produced from same. The block copolymers are produced by producing polyamide or copolyamide blocks with an average molar mass in the range between 500 and 5,000 g/Mol with an amino end group in a first polymerization or polycondensation step and degassing in order to reduce the water content; adding, in a second step, α,ω-functionalized polyalkyl(meth)acrylate diols; and fully condensing the reaction mixture into high-molecular block copolymer (A) at a reduce pressure in a further polycondensation step; discharging it, or further processing it into molding bodies.

The invention relates to novel thermoplastic block copolymers that can be produced by condensation polymerization and that consist of poly(meth)acrylate and polyamide segments, to their production, and to the use thereof. The inventive block copolymers exhibit a unique combination of the characteristics of poly(meth)acrylates (PMMA) and polyamides, can be used as modifying agents both in polyamide and in poly(meth)acrylates, and act as compatibility promoters in blends or are tailor-made adhesion promoters in multilayer systems such as multilayer polymer pipes.
Polyamides are among the most important technical thermoplastics, with diverse applications in a wide variety of fields. This versatility results from the fact that polyamides are modifiable in manifold ways, which makes it possible to produce tailor-made products. Copolymer formation, besides its utility for introducing reinforcing and filling agents, blending with other polymers, and adding various additives, is an important means of purposefully influencing the characteristics of polyamides. The linear block polymers that are known from the literature are primarily those containing segments based on polyethers, polyesters, polysiloxanes, polyimides and polycarbonates, besides the polyamide segment (J. Stehlicek, J. Horsky, J. Roda, A. Moucha in "Lactam based Polyamides" Vol. 2, R. Puffr, V. Kubanek, Ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton 1991, 20ff). But few examples can be found of the combination of polyamides and segments based on vinyl monomers. One exception is block copolymers consisting of polyamide 6 and polystyrol, poly(butadiene co-acrylic nitrile)(Colloid Polym. Sci. (1989), 267(1), 9-15), poly(styrol co-butadiene), polybutadiene and polyisobutylene.
Hitherto, block copolymers consisting of polyamide and poly(meth)acrylate segments have been obtainable from high-molecular (i.e. oligomeric) polyamides only by means of radical polymerization of macromolecular initiators. The synthesis of these initiators from polyamide pre-condensers, usually furnished with amino end groups, is carried out either by conversion with suitably functionalized low-molecular azo or peroxo initiators (Polymer Journal 31 (10), 864-871), or by nitrosation of a commercial polyamide and subsequent photochemical rearranging in the corresponding high-molecular diazoester (J. Polym. Sci., Polym. Chem. Ed. (1980), 18(6), 2011-20; J. Polym. Sci., Polym. Chem. Ed. (1982), 20(7), 1935-9). It is thus possible to produce AB, ABA or, by nitrosation, segmented multiblock copolymers by thermally or photochemically induced radical mass polymerization or solution polymerization.
With the photochemically or thermally induced decomposition of the diazoester, biradicals usually emerge, which give rise to branchings and cross-linkings. Many of the products are thus rubbery and insoluble. The formation of graft polymers is unavoidable owing to the high transfer rate. Furthermore, the characteristics of these copolymers are determined almost completely by the vinyl components. The yield of conversion with MMA (methylmethacrylate) is insufficient. Whereas a nearly total conversion occurs for the reaction pair of polyamide 6/acrylic nitrile (or vinyl acetate), the conversion is only 25% for MMA.
In the case of polyamide oligomers with azo end groups, only AB or ABA block copolymers are obtainable. The conversions must be carried out in solution. The initiator effectiveness is very low, so that inconsistent products are formed. Owing to the required reaction procedure, limitations in the concentration, segment length, and composition of the polyamide precondensate can be expected, because these parameters directly determine the dissolving behavior of the components and determine the solution viscosity of the reaction mixture.
The polycondensation of a polymethacrylate macromonomer with polyamide generating monomers for producing graft copolymers was described for the first time by Y. Yamashita in Polymer Bulletin 5 (361-366). The PMMA macromonomer was obtained by the radical polymerization of MMA in the presence of thio amber acid as the chain transfer agent. The generating of the polyamide backbone was accomplished by catalyzed polycondensation with aromatic diamines and aliphatic dicarboxylic acids in solution.
Besides this, Y. Chujo et al. describes the use of 2-mercaptoethanol and 2-aminoethane thiol as the chain transfer agent for functionalizing PMMA oligomers in J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polymer Chemistry 27, 2007-14 (1989). The generated monofunctional PMMA oligomers are converted into the corresponding PMMA dicarboxylic acid by subsequent reaction with trimellitic acid anhydride. Macromonomers are thus available for the polycondensation. The resulting copolymers are graft copolymers with a polyamide main chain and PMMA side chains.
By preforming the PMMA macromers, it is possible to avoid the complications that arise in the radical polymerization; however, the building of the aforementioned polyamide chains must also be performed in solution. But the use of the a-bifunctional macromers only makes possible the synthesis of graft copolymers.
Thermoplastic polyamide blends consisting of polyamide 6 and anionically produced block polymers based on polyamide 6 are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,861. The oligomeric diols used there, which include poly(alkylacrylate), must be converted on both ends of the chain with an acyl lactam unit, in order to make possible incorporation during the anionic polymerization of capro lactam.
The anionic ring opening is limited to lactams and requires a high purity of the utilized components, particularly absolute anhydrousness. The diols must also be fully refunctionalized; otherwise, break-off centers for the anionic polymerization will be created, which result in a high residual lactam content and a low polymerization grade. Reproducibility is therefore a primary problem of this process as well.

Thermoplastic block copolymers consisting of polyalkyl(meth)acrylate and polyamide segments and the use thereof


An electronic circuit includes a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) circuit, a sub-harmonic reduction circuit, and a voltage feedback circuit. The PWM circuit produces a PWM signal according to a voltage control signal, a current of the electronic circuit, and a maximum duty cycle. When the electronic circuit is operating in a peak current limit mode, the sub-harmonic reduction circuit generates a feedback adjustment signal according to whether the current of the electronic circuit exceeds a peak current limit, whether a duty cycle of the PWM signal is greater than or equal to the maximum duty cycle, whether the voltage control signal is controlling the duty cycle of the PWM signal, or combinations thereof. The voltage feedback circuit generates the voltage control signal according to an output voltage produced using the PWM signal, a value of a reference voltage, and a value of the feedback adjustment signal.

A switching mode circuit, such as a switched-mode power supply (SMPS), controls a current by turning one or more power switches (for example, one or more power transistors) on and off. The switching mode circuit may be configured to switch the power switches according to a sensed current flowing in an energy-storing inductor. The switching mode circuit may further be configured to limit a peak magnitude of the current flowing in the energy-storing inductor so that it is less than or equal to a peak current limit.
The switching mode circuit may be subject to sub-harmonic oscillations that cause noise on the output of the switching mode circuit. When the current through the energy-storing inductor is less than the peak current, the sub-harmonic oscillations may be reduced by adding a compensation ramp to the sensed current in the energy-storing inductor, and switching the power switches according to the result of that addition. However, this technique does not work well when the current flowing in the energy-storing inductor is being limited by the peak current limit; that is, when the switching mode circuit is in peak current limit mode.
It would be advantageous to be able to reduce sub-harmonic oscillations in a switching mode circuit operating in peak current limit mode.

Sub-harmonic oscillation control in peak current limit mode switching system

SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC


An ignition distributor for an internal combustion engine comprises a distributing rotor which rotates about a rotational axis in synchronism with the internal combustion engine and a distributing cap adapted to enclose the distributing rotor. The distributing rotor has a rotor electrode mounted away from the rotational axis. The rotor electrode has a tip end which extends along a circular path that the rotor electrode describes when it rotates. The distributing cap is provided with side electrodes disposed concentrically with the distributing rotor and oppositely to the tip end with a predetermined gap between the side electrodes and the tip end. The tip end is covered by the dielectric member only in part in a direction transversely of the circular path. The tip end may be provided with a recess extending along the circular path for receiving the dielectric member therein.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ignition distributor for an internal combustion engine and more particularly for minimizing radiation of radio-noise from the engine.
2. Prior Art
FIG. 3 shows the essential part of a prior art ignition distributor for an internal combustion engine disclosed by Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-38351. At the center of the bottom of a distributing rotor 1, a recess 1a is formed for fitting the end portion of a shaft S which rotates in synchronism with the internal combustion engine. The top of a rotor electrode 2 is covered with a dielectric plate 4 except the portion which a center carbon 3 abuts. The underside of the rotor electrode 2 is covered by a dielectric plate 5. The rotor electrode 2 and the dielectric plates 4, 5 are integrally secured to the distributing rotor 1 by means of a rivet 6, and rotate about an axis A of the shaft S. As many side electrodes 7 as there are cylinders are disposed circumferentially with a gap of a predetermined size between the tip end 2a of the rotor electrode 2, and are held in a unitary construction together with the center carbon 3 by means of an insulating distributing cap.
With the above-described construction, when the distributing rotor 1 is driven into rotation by the rotation of the internal combustion engine, a high voltage generated by an ignition coil (not shown) is distributed to a corresponding ignition plug through the rotor electrode 2 and the side electrode 7. At this time, a spark discharge is produced due to the gap between the rotor electrode 2 and the side electrode 7, being a source of radio-noise. The dielectric plates 4, 5 serve to minimize the radio-noise.
FIG. 4 shows another prior art ignition distributor in which silicone varnish 40, for example, is applied as a dielectric material over the entire surface of the tip end 2a of the rotor electrode 2.
Although the above-described prior art ignition distributors play a role in minimizing radio-noise, the distributor shown in FIG. 3 suffers from a problem in that the increased number of parts and a time-taking consuming assembly process make the distributor more expensive. The distributor shown in FIG. 4 suffers from a drawback in that the surface to which the silicone varnish 40 is applied tends to be gradually worn out thus causing a non-uniform discharge over the entire surface of the tip 2a of the rotor electrode opposite to the side electrode 7. The non-uniform discharge causes the distributor to exhibit unstable discharge characteristics and increased radio-noise.

Ignition distributor for internal combustion engine


Provided is a throttle device to decompress a refrigerant cooled by a condenser in a refrigerating cycle and to deliver the refrigerant to an evaporator, where a minimum space between a needle valve and a valve port can be accurately set. Inside a cylindrical main body case including a primary chamber connected to the condenser and a secondary chamber connected to the evaporator, a valve seat member formed with a valve port and a cylindrical guide member integral to the valve seat member are provided. A coil spring to energize the needle valve toward the valve port side is provided inside the guide member. A needle portion of the needle valve protrudes from the valve port toward the primary chamber. A tip portion of the needle portion abuts against a stopper member and the tip portion is thereby positioned.

Conventionally, throttle devices of the above type includes those disclosed in, for example, JP 55-44149 A (Patent Literature 1), JP 55-44150 A (Patent Literature 2), JP 59-25756 U (Patent Literature 3), and JP 2002-5544 A (Patent Literature 4).
The above conventional throttle devices include a differential pressure type expansion valve, where a valve opening level varies according to a differential pressure between a pressure of a refrigerant on a condenser side (primary side) and a pressure of the refrigerant on an evaporator side (secondary side) and have a coil spring (spring) to energize a valve body in a valve closing direction against a force generated by this differential pressure. Valve opening level characteristics are specified according to this differential pressure and a spring constant of the coil spring.


A storage container for cremation ashes comprises an outer decorative container with a hollow interior of generally rectangular shape. A similar rectangular inner container is formed of a transparent plastics material with a sealable end cap so that the ashes can be inserted and contained within the hollow inner container and displayed through the transparent material of the inner container. This presents the ashes in a hygienic appearance without danger of spillage.

This invention relates to a storage container for cremation ashes.
As a technique for disposal of the dead body, cremation is becoming more popular for various reasons. Cremation generates ashes which are of course of greatly reduced volume relative to the volume of the original body. The ashes are wholly hygienic and have little bodily material but it remains a problem as to how to dispose of the ashes. In some cases ashes are spread at a particularly preferred location of the deceased. In some cases the ashes are interred in an urn so as to provide a burial plot which can act as a memorial although the burial plot is of course significantly reduced in dimension relative to the conventional burial plot for the interred body.
In other cases the ashes are stored in an urn or other container which can be displayed as a memorial or ornament in the home of a relative or which can be simply stored away. Little attention has been given to the development of containers or urns suitable for this purpose and in many cases the container is simply an open container into which the ashes are poured and from which the ashed can be spilled if the container is tipped or upset.
It is one object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an improved storage container for cremation ashes.


A method for a communication protocol that includes wideband access for low latency audio. A source device and a sink device establish a wireless communication link. The protocol for communicating via the wireless communication link includes a frame having a first deterministic portion and a second opportunistic portion. The source device transmits during the first deterministic portion of the frame, first data to the sink device. The source device determines whether a predetermined condition associated with the wireless communication link is satisfied. When the predetermined condition is satisfied, the source device transmits, during the second opportunistic portion of the frame, second data to the sink device.

An electronic device may be configured with a variety of different wireless communication capabilities. For example, a first electronic device may be capable of exchanging data with a second electronic device over a transmission medium. The exchange of data between the two electronic device over a transmission medium may be enabled by a communication protocol.

Wideband hybrid access for low latency audio


Described herein is technology for, among other things, provisioning access to shared resources. It involves various techniques for creating accounts for recipients of communications with shared resources. Further, the resources may available by an easy to find permanent location (e.g., URL). Such a provisioning process facilitates the growth of the network as recipients are given fully featured accounts. Therefore, the technology avoids the sign up process that users would otherwise have to go through in order to access the shared resource.

The widespread use and increasing development of the internet has allowed exchanges of information in ways previously not possible. Correspondingly, computer users are sharing information facilitated by technology advances such as digital cameras. For example, a user may upload pictures taken with a digital camera to a photo sharing website in order to share the photos with others.
Typically, users are required to sign up and create an account on the system hosting the shared resource. The sign up process often contains numerous forms or pages which the user must complete and quickly becomes laborious. Further, any errors in data entry can require user correction and lengthen the sign up process.
Other conventional solutions for restricting access to resources have significant disadvantages. One such solution is to provide a unique location (e.g., URL) or temporary account. A user wishing to access the resource is required to have the unique location or temporary account information. When the unique location is contained in an email, the email may be deleted or lost among a large group of emails, resulting in the user being unable to access the resource. Similarly, a temporary account may expire and leave the user with no access to the resource.
Thus, what is needed is a way to provide access to restricted resources without requiring a laborious signup process, unique location, or temporary account.

Access provisioning via communication applications


In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a method of optimizing a linear equation optimality problem subject to a change of conditions can be accomplished. The method can include determining a first set of conditions for the linear equation optimality problem; initiating processing by a computer to optimize the optimality problem in accordance with the first set of conditions; determining a second set of conditions different from the first set of conditions; continuing processing with the computer to optimize the optimality problem by using the second set of conditions without having to re-initialize the computer.

It has been estimated that roughly one half of all scientific and technical computing cycles are used to optimize linear equations (also known as "linear programming"). This is a staggering statistic given that this area of industry is not a household phrase. However, linear equations apply to many of the important industrial and economic operations that are performed in the world today. From distributing resources throughout the world, to the operating of power grids, to the trading of securities, linear equations can be used to find optimum solutions under specified constraints. Thus, the optimization of linear functions with linear constraints is extremely important to the efficient operation of the modern world.
As a more detailed example, an industrial plant has limited resources of equipment, labor, and raw materials. Each of these variables plays a role in how much of each product the plant can produce. Furthermore, each resource has an associated cost. The profit of such an industrial plant can be modeled through the use of linear equations. And, those linear equations can be optimized to determine how much of each resource (equipment, labor, and raw materials) should be used to attain the greatest profit for the plant.
Through the years, people have tried to employ computers to try to optimize linear equations. This has met with mixed success. For example, in the rather slow world of optimizing a process for an industrial plant, an optimum solution could eventually be obtained heuristically over time. Depending on the linear equation and constraints, the computer optimization process might have to be re-run several times to handle problems that might occur initially, including having the problem cycle, find a clearly incorrect answer, or changing conditions. Nevertheless, given the relatively slow nature of some industrial plant processes, such a delay would not cause any real practical difficulty since the best solution can be found quickly enough to be economically practical. However, in faster processes that operate in real time it becomes much more important to have a reliable process that is not subject to error and that is potentially fast.
Several different methods have been used in the past to approach the solving of linear programs. The more popular of these are known as the Simplex Algorithm, the Revised Simplex Algorithm, the Stored Inverse form of the Revised Simplex Algorithm (SIRSA), and the Implied Inverse form of the Revised Simplex Algorithm (IIRSA).
Algebraic methods for solving linear programs, including all previous versions of methods that are based on the Simplex Algorithm, involve constructing a sequence of equivalent representations of the original problem until a representation is obtained for which the solution is obvious. If the original linear programming problem is Ax=b these methods proceed by attempting to generate a sequence of equivalent systems A1x=b1, A2x=b2, A3x=b3, . . . , Akx=bk until the solution can be read off in an obvious way from the final system. If the calculations that are performed to generate such a sequence of equivalent systems are exact, this technique produces an exactly correct solution.
However, when implemented on digital computers, the calculations are almost never exact in problems that occur in the real world because of errors inherent in the way computers do these calculations. Therefore, while theoretically sound, these traditional algebraic methods fail to produce precisely equivalent representations of the original system Ax=b in actual computer implementations due to the computer error. As a result, all previous versions of Simplex-like methods implemented by computer produce results which are not actually solutions to the original problem. The results they achieve are (usually) fairly close to an exact solution, but they contain errors which are hard to quantify. In ill-conditioned problems, the answer may even be completely unacceptable because these methods may produce, because of the accumulation of computer errors, an answer that presents an optimal solution when there is not one, or these methods may fail to find an optimal solution when there is one. Moreover, it can be difficult to tell when the answers that these methods produce are defective in one of these ways.
The accumulation of computer errors can be envisioned from the sequence A1x=b1, A2x=b2, A3x=b3, . . . , Akx=bk. This sequence should lead to the optimization of the linear equation system to attain a proposed solution. With the error introduced in each subsequent calculation of A due to computer round-off error, one can appreciate the accumulation of computer error as the processing proceeds to the proposed solution Akx=bk. For example, the computer error in A2 would be propagated to A3 and the computer error in A3 would be propagated to A4. Thus, while an algebraic technique may work exactly when implemented by hand, the introduction of a computer to perform the calculations leads to computer errors.
The proposed solution to such computer errors in the past has been to use numerical analysis techniques to analyze the solution steps and then try to redo the solution with fewer solution steps so as to reduce the accumulated computer error. Essentially, this has been a post-hoc attempt to reduce the accumulated error after a proposed solution is achieved—and it requires re-attempting a solution.
Another type of problem is encountered when dealing with linear equations whose constraints change during the process of trying to optimize the problem or after an optimal solution has been obtained. For example, one could envision that during the trading of mortgage backed securities that the price of the security could change quickly. As a constraint, the change in price would affect the optimization of the solution to the problem. Thus, one would be required to start over from the beginning with the new value for the price. There are many such problems in industry. These problems are known as being inherently dynamic.
There have been many proposals for dealing with changed data in versions of the Simplex Algorithm after a solution has been obtained. This is called post-optimal analysis or sensitivity analysis. Techniques for doing this are invariably ad hoc with the analysis depending subjectively on the actual numbers encountered and the form of the solution. To do more than this involves, in essence, restarting the method again from the beginning after the new data have been inserted.
In addition to the Simplex-like methods, some alternative methods known as interior point methods have evolved that have gained some attention since the publication of the Simplex Algorithm by George Dantzig in 1947. For example, Leonid G. Khachiyan in 1979 proposed an ellipsoidal method. And, in 1984, Narendra Karmarkar introduced an interior point method for solving linear equations. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,028 issued to AT&T in the name of Narendra Karmarkar. Other patents related to linear programming include for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,538 to Karmarkar et al. entitled "Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient System"; U.S. Pat. No. 6,078,938 to Pan et al. entitled "Method and System for Solving Linear Systems"; U.S. Pat. No. 6,694,343 to Forrest et al. entitled "Method for Solving a Large Sparse Triangular System of Linear Equations"; U.S. Pat. No. 6,950,844 to Walster et al. entitled "Method and Apparatus for Solving Systems of Linear Inequalities"; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,065,545 to Quintero-de-la-Garza entitled "Computer Methods of Vector Operation for Reducing Computation Time."
Nevertheless, problems involved with computer implementations of methods for solving linear equations remain. For example, as outlined above, the accumulation of computer errors causes a problem. As another example, changing conditions in dynamic problems also cause difficulties.
Thus, there is a need for improvement in the current state of affairs.

Method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for solving linear optimization problems including linear programming problems and systems of linear equations


Disclosed herein is a system and method for controlling the degree of superheat of an air conditioner. The air conditioner includes a compressor controlled in a pulse width modulation manner according to duty control signals, a condenser, an electronic expansion valve and an evaporator so as to form a refrigeration cycle. An entrance temperature sensor situated at the entrance of the evaporator and an exit temperature sensor situated at the exit of the evaporator are connected to a control unit. The control unit calculates the degree of superheat of the evaporator using the difference between mean entrance and exit temperatures of the evaporator sensed by the entrance temperature sensor and the exit temperature sensor for a period of time corresponding to a duty cycle period of the compressor, and regulates the opening of the electronic expansion valve according to the calculated degree of superheat.

The present invention relates generally to air conditioners, and more particularly to a system and method for controlling the degree of superheat of an air conditioner that employs a pulse width modulated compressor.
With the enlargement of buildings, there is an increasing consumer demand for a multi-air conditioner in which a plurality of indoor units are connected to a single outdoor unit. In such a multi-air conditioner, the required cooling capacities of the indoor units vary according to change of the environmental characteristics of locations where the indoor units are installed. This requirement is fulfilled by adjusting the openings of electronic expansion valves positioned upstream of an indoor side heat exchangers or evaporators. In particular, in the case of a multi-air conditioner, since the lengths of the refrigerant conduits between its indoor units and outdoor unit are different and therefore refrigerant undergoes different flow resistances, the degrees of superheat of its evaporators (the degree of superheat of each evaporator=the exit temperature of the evaporatorxe2x88x92the entrance temperature of the evaporator) are different. In theory, the degree of superheat means the difference between the temperature of superheated vapor and the temperature of saturated vapor. Often, in practice, the difference between the entrance and exit temperatures of an evaporator is regarded as the degree of superheat, and is used to control the degree of superheat.
When the degree of superheat of refrigerant flowing out of an evaporator is high, superheat of a compressor and decrease in efficiency of the compressor are caused. When the degree of superheat is excessively high, a safety device is operated and the entire operation of an air conditioning system is stopped. On the other hand, when the degree of superheat is excessively low, the possibility that liquid refrigerant enters the compressor becomes high.
As a result, it is necessary to properly control the degrees of superheat of indoor side heat exchanges (evaporators) so that the performances of the indoor units are maximized, the difference between the performances of the indoor units are reduced and the efficiency and stability of the compressor and entire system are improved.
In the conventional multi-air conditioner, since a constant speed type or variable rotation number type compressor is employed, the flow rate of refrigerant does not vary largely over time during the operation of the compressor. Accordingly, since the entrance and exit temperatures of the evaporators smoothly vary as shown in FIG. 8, it is not difficult to control the degrees of superheat using the difference between the entrance and exit temperatures detected.
Pulse width modulated compressors are disclosed as another type of variable capacity compressors in e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,557 and Japanese Unexamined Pat. Publication No. Hei 8-334094. These compressors are utilized in refrigerating systems each having a plurality of freezing compartments or refrigerating compartments, and designed to be applied to short piping in which the length of a refrigerant conduit situated between a compressor and an evaporator is short. Consequently, these compressors cannot be applied to air conditioning systems for buildings that necessarily employ long piping and are given control environments different from those for the refrigerating systems. Further, in the prior art, there is not disclosed a control system and method for utilizing a pulse width modulated compressor in an air conditioner, particularly, in a multi-air conditioner, and in particular a method for controlling the degree of superheat.
When a pulse width modulated compressor is utilized in an air conditioner, the flow of refrigerant is periodically started and stopped because of a loading time, during which refrigerant is discharged, and an unloading time, during which refrigerant is not discharged, are periodically repeated even while the compressor is operated. Accordingly, an air conditioner employing a pulse width modulated compressor has the characteristic (a temperature fluctuation phenomenon) that the entrance and exit temperatures of the evaporator are varied up and down depending on the presence and absence of the flow of refrigerant. Hence, in an air conditioner employing a pulse width modulated compressor, the degree of superheat of an evaporator cannot be properly calculated by the entrance and exit temperatures of the evaporator detected at a given instance.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for controlling the degree of superheat of an air conditioner employing a pulse width modulated compressor, in which the degrees of superheat of evaporators corresponding to the actual degrees of superheat are calculated by compensating for the fluctuation of the entrance and exit temperatures and electronic expansion valves are controlled on the basis of the calculated degrees of superheat, thereby operating the entire air conditioning system at an optimum state.
In order to accomplish the above object, according to an aspect of the principles the present invention, a system for controlling the degree of superheat of an air conditioner comprises a compressor controlled in a pulse width modulation manner according to duty control signals; a condenser, an electronic expansion valve and an evaporator, constituting a refrigeration cycle, together with said compressor; means for sensing properties for calculating the degree of superheat of said evaporator; and a control unit for regulating opening of said electronic expansion valve according to the calculated degree of superheat.
According to another aspect of the principles of the present invention, a method for controlling the degree of superheat of an air conditioner, said air conditioner including a compressor controlled in a pulse width modulation manner according to duty control signals, an electronic expansion valve and an evaporator, comprising the steps of: detecting entrance and exit temperatures of said evaporator; calculating degree of superheat on the basis of detected entrance and exit temperatures; calculating target opening value of said electronic expansion valve on the basis of the calculated degree of superheat; and regulating said electronic expansion valve to a calculated target opening value.

Control system of degree of superheat of air conditioner and control method thereof


A method and apparatus for performing a slice and view technique with a dual beam system. The feature of interest in an image of a sample is located by machine vision, and the area to be milled and imaged in a subsequent slice and view iteration is determined through analysis of data gathered by the machine vision at least in part. A determined milling area may be represented as a bounding box around a feature, which dimensions can be changed in accordance with the analysis step. The FIB is then adjusted accordingly to slice and mill a new face in the subsequent slice and view iteration, and the SEM images the new face. Because the present invention accurately locates the feature and determines an appropriate size of area to mill and image, efficiency is increased by preventing the unnecessary milling of substrate that does not contain the feature of interest.

Electron microscopy offers the opportunity to study material architectures in 3D at high resolution. In the field of biological sciences, for example, electron microscopy allows the observation of molecular mechanisms of diseases, the conformation of flexible protein structures and the behavior of individual viruses and proteins in their natural biological context. One technique employed with electron microscopy for analyzing biological materials, for example, is called Slice-and-View™ (hereafter "slice and view"). This technique is typically performed with a dual beam system, that is, a system combining a focused ion beam (FIB) and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) such as the DualBeam® (hereafter "dual beam") instruments commercially available from FEI Company, the assignee of the present invention.
In the slice and view technique, the FIB cuts and slices a sample with high precision to reveal its 3D internal structures or features. Typically, the FIB exposes a cross section, or face, perpendicular to the top of the surface of the sample material having the hidden feature to be viewed. Because the SEM beam axis is typically at an acute angle relative to the FIB beam axis, a portion of the sample in front of the face is preferably removed so that the SEM beam can have access to image the face. After obtaining an image of the face by the SEM, another layer of substrate at the face may be removed using the FIB, revealing a new, deeper face and thus a deeper cross-section of the feature. Since only the portion of the feature at the very surface of the face is visible to the SEM, sequential repetition of cutting and imaging, or slicing and viewing, provides the data needed to reconstruct the sliced sample into a 3D representation of the feature. The 3D structure is then used to analyze the feature.
The processing of a sample through a slice and view procedure can take a long time if a large section of the sample is processed. This is also true even if the feature of interest is relatively small in relation to the sample because the location of the feature is not typically known with sufficient accuracy to direct the beams of the FIB and SEM to the immediate region of the sample containing the feature. Therefore, a large section of the sample suspected of having the feature is processed in order to locate the feature. With a typical maximum field of view for the SEM being about 150 microns, slice milling and imaging an area this size can be a significant time investment, especially with high resolution settings on the SEM. Alternatively, many smaller portions of the area may be imaged, but doing so generates a vast amount of image data, and the resulting images are typically required to be stitched together to form a larger composite image. Such processes currently can last anywhere from a few hours to several days.
In prior art methods a relatively large section has been required to be processed with every iteration of the slice and view procedure because the shape or direction of the feature through the sample has not been accurately predicted. This problem is especially exacerbated with certain features that have long, winding shapes through the sample, such as is the case with blood vessels or nerves.
In the interest of time, it would be more efficient to slice mill a relatively smaller amount of substrate material necessary to view the feature of interest. Further, it would be more efficient to image a relatively smaller portion of the substrate that contains the feature.

Automated slice milling for viewing a feature


The combination of pentraxin PTX3 with antifungal agents is described for the treatment of fungal infections and particularly for infections caused by Aspergillus fumigatus. Thanks to the synergistic effect of the two drugs, the combination allows the administration of suboptimal doses of antifungal agent.

Invasive aspergilosis (IA) is the main cause of nosocomial pneumonia and of death in allogeneic bone marrow (BM) transplants with an infection rate estimated as ranging from 8% to 15% and an associated mortality rate of approximately 90% (3, 16, 30, 36, 47). Despite progress in early diagnosis and therapy with the new anti-fungal agents (6, 31), the majority of cases of AI remain undiagnosed and untreated (16). The most important risk factor for AI historically used to be neutropaenia. However, the advances made in the preparation of patients undergoing chemotherapy and transplantation have led to a significant reduction in the neutropaenia period. Numerous studies have documented that aspergillosis manifests itself following bone marrow transplants concomitantly with the onset of graft-versus-host (GvH) disease (30). The occurrence of IA also in non-neutropaenic patients (17) confirms the importance of specific defects in both the innate and adaptive immune effector mechanisms in the pathogenesis of the disease (13, 20, 22, 32, 39, 43, 44). In particular, the role of Th lymphocytes in providing an essential secondary defence against the fungus has recently been assessed (8-10, 12, 14, 23, 26). Since IA is extremely rare in immunocompetent individuals, therapy aimed at enhancing the host's immune response offers a new and promising approach in the treatment of this infection.
The innate immune system has evolved in a complex, multi-faceted manner to protect lung tissue against infections. The protection of lung tissue is thought to comprise not only a preventive control of microbial proliferation, but also the execution of a balanced inflammatory response sufficient to contain the infection without inducing dangerous degrees of alveolar exudation and infiltration. The molecular components of the alveolar lining have recently been the focus of considerable attention as primary immunomodulators in infections (28, 29).
The pentraxins (PTX) are a superfamily of proteins conserved during the evolution from Limulus polyphemus to man, generally characterised by a pentameric structure (21). PTX3 is a prototype of the long pentraxin that consists in an N-terminal portion coupled to the pentraxin C-terminal domain, the latter being a homologue of the short PTXs (7). PTX3 is secreted by various types of cells, particularly by mononuclear phagocytes, endothelial cells and dendritic cells (DC), in response to the primary inflammatory cytokines in vitro and in vivo (11, 38, 18). Increases in circulating levels of this protein have been detected in various different infectious and inflammatory conditions (37, 19, 34, 41). PTX3 binds a number of selected microbial agents (e.g. A. fumigatus conidia and P. aeruginosa) and activates various effector pathways of the immune system to combat the infectivity of the pathogen (20). Analysis of PTX3-deficient mice has demonstrated that PTX3 is a pattern recognition receptor (PRR) that plays a non-redundant role in the resistance to selected pathogens (20). The susceptibility of PTX3-deficient mice to A. fumigatus has been associated with unsuccessful organisation of the type I adaptive immune response, but is restored by the exogenous administration of recombinant PTX3 (20).
There is a need for therapeutic advances in combating aspergillosis, despite the recent expansion of the antifungal armamentarium (45).
Researchers are beginning to explore new strategies with a singular combination of antifungals and cytokines (46). Treatment with amphotericin B, a first-choice drug, is limited by dose-related nephrotoxity which precludes full-dose therapy in patients who have been submitted to BM transplants (24). Various amphotericin B lipid-based formulations have been developed to reduce the toxicity associated with conventional D-AmB (25), as well as with L-AmB (2). The pharmacokinetic profile of L-AmB toxicity is more favourable than that of D-AmB, thus making full-dose therapy possible. Nevertheless, the failure rate is still a matter for concern (1). Published murine models of IA, in which the efficacy of antifungal agents has been assessed, have relied on neutropaenia induced by chemotherapy with or without corticosteroids to make the mice less susceptible to infection. Recently there has been an increase in the development of new antifungal agents for the treatment of IA, with drug classes characterised by new therapeutic targets (45), which are giving rise to new expectations for the treatment of IA and which increase the number of new combined therapies possible (45). On the basis of the treatment of other infectious diseases (4), combination therapy would appear to be an important therapeutic option.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Medicament for the treatment of fungal infections particularly aspergillosis

Sigma-Tau Industrie Farmaceutiche Riunite S.p.A.


The system includes a photocathode electron source, diffractive optical element, and a microlens array to focus the beamlets. A source directs a radiation beam to the diffractive optical element, which produces a beamlet array to be used in combination with a photocathode surface to generate an array of electron beams from the beamlets.

Evolution of the semiconductor manufacturing industry is placing ever greater demands on yield management and, in particular, on metrology and inspection systems. Critical dimensions continue to shrink, yet the industry needs to decrease time for achieving high-yield, high-value production. Minimizing the total time from detecting a yield problem to fixing it determines the return-on-investment for a semiconductor manufacturer.
Fabricating semiconductor devices, such as logic and memory devices, typically includes processing a semiconductor wafer using a large number of fabrication processes to form various features and multiple levels of the semiconductor devices. For example, lithography is a semiconductor fabrication process that involves transferring a pattern from a reticle to a photoresist arranged on a semiconductor wafer. Additional examples of semiconductor fabrication processes include, but are not limited to, chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP), etch, deposition, and ion implantation. Multiple semiconductor devices may be fabricated in an arrangement on a single semiconductor wafer and then separated into individual semiconductor devices.
Inspection processes are used at various steps during a semiconductor manufacturing process to detect defects on wafers to promote higher yield in the manufacturing process and, thus, higher profits. Inspection has always been an important part of fabricating semiconductor devices such as integrated circuits (ICs). However, as the dimensions of semiconductor devices decrease, inspection becomes even more important to the successful manufacture of acceptable semiconductor devices because smaller defects can cause the devices to fail. For instance, as the dimensions of semiconductor devices decrease, detection of defects of decreasing size has become necessary since even relatively small defects may cause unwanted aberrations in the semiconductor devices.
As semiconductor devices become smaller, it becomes more important to develop enhanced inspection and review tools and procedures to increase the resolution, speed, and throughput of wafer and photomask/reticle inspection processes. One inspection technology includes electron beam based inspection such as use of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). An SEM uses an electron source. Electron sources can be divided into two broad groups: thermionic sources and field emission sources. Thermionic sources are usually made of tungsten or lanthanum hexaboride (LaB6). In thermionic emission, electrons are boiled off the material surface when the electron thermal energy is high enough to overcome the surface potential barrier. Even though thermionic emitters are widely used, they typically require elevated temperatures (e.g., >1300 K) to operate, and may have several drawbacks such as inefficient power consumption, wide energy spread, short lifetime, low current density, and limited brightness. The demand for more efficient electron sources has driven the research and development of Schottky emitters and cold electron sources such as electron field emitters.
In the Schottky emitters, thermionic emission is enhanced by effective potential barrier lowering due to the image charge effect under an applied external electric field. Schottky emitters are typically made of a tungsten wire having a tip coated with a layer of zirconium oxide (ZrOx), which exhibits a low work function (e.g., approximately 2.9 eV). Schottky emitters are currently used in some electron beam systems. Despite being quite successful, thermally-assisted Schottky emitters still need to be operated at high temperature (e.g., >1000 K) and high vacuum (e.g., approximately 10−9 mbar), and have wider than desirable electron emission energy spread due to the high operating temperature.
Cold electron sources, particularly electron field emitters, have been used in field emission displays, gas ionizers, x-ray sources, electron beam lithography, and electron microscopes, among other applications. Field emission takes place when the applied electric field is high enough to reduce the potential barrier on the tip-vacuum interface so that electrons can tunnel through this barrier at a temperature close to room temperature (e.g., quantum-mechanical tunneling). A typical field-emitter comprises a conical emitter tip with a circular gate aperture. A potential difference is established across the emitter cathode, the gate and the anode under an applied external field, resulting in high electric field at the surface of the tip. Electrons tunnel through the narrow surface barrier and travel towards an anode, which is biased at a higher potential than the gate. The emission current density can be estimated by a modified version of the Fowler-Nordheim theory, which takes into account the field enhancement factor due to the field emitters.
Field emitters, because they can operate near room temperature, have lower energy spread than Schottky and thermionic emitters, and can have higher brightness and electron current than thermionic emitters. However, in practical use, the output current of a field emitter is less stable because contaminants can easily stick to the tip of the emitter and raise its work function, and hence lower the brightness and current. Periodic flashing (i.e., temporarily raising the tip temperature) is required to remove those contaminants. While the tip is being flashed, the instrument is not available for operation. Instruments in the semiconductor industry are required to operate continuously and stably without interruption, so Schottky emitters are usually used in preference to cold field emitters.
Previous field emitter arrays (FEAs) had multiple conically shaped electron emitters arranged in a two-dimensional periodic array. These field emitter arrays can be broadly categorized by the material used for fabrication into two broad categories: metallic field emitters and semiconductor field emitters.
Thermal field emitters (TFE) were previously used to generate electron beams. An individual electron source was used to form an array. Each electron source requires expensive XYZ stages. The cost of each individual electron source system was expensive and cost-prohibitive for a large array. In addition, the electron current density was low.
Photocathodes also have been used to generate electron beams. A single light beam incident on a photocathode system can generate a single electron beam with high brightness that is capable of delivering high electron current density. However, a problem with single electron beam systems is that even with high brightness systems, single electron beam systems still have relative low throughput for inspection. Low throughput is a drawback to electron beam inspection. With current available electron beam sources, thousands of beams would be required.
Splitting the single electron beam into numerous beams for a multi-beam SEM system required an array of aperture lenses and/or micro-lenses. The array of aperture lenses and/or micro-lenses are set in small, electrically-charged apertures that are substantially round in design to create lens fields. If the apertures are out-of-round, astigmatism is introduced in the lens fields, which results in a distorted image plane.
Therefore, what is needed is an improved system to generate electron beams.

Photocathode emitter system that generates multiple electron beams


A method of producing a rocket thrust chamber includes positioning sleeved cooling tubes within a structural jacket to form a tube bundle, and positioning a liner within the tube bundle thereby sandwiching the tubes between the jacket and the liner. The tubes are then subjected to high internal pressure and inflated at high temperature while the liner is simultaneously subjected to the same high pressure, thereby forcing the sleeved tubes into intimate contact with adjacent sleeved tubes, the liner and the jacket, and the temperature is maintained until bonding has occurred between the liner, sleeved tubes and jacket.

Rocket engines, such as those used on space missions, are costly to design and manufacture. In addition, there is a continuing and growing need for rockets capable of carrying payloads to space or near-Earth orbits. Consequently, manufacturers of such rocket engines are constantly seeking new ways to reduce the cost of producing the components which go into a rocket engine.
One such component is the rocket thrust chamber within which the propellants of the rocket engine are combusted and accelerated. Because of the extremely high temperatures of the propellants moving through the thrust chamber, the walls of the thrust chamber must be cooled in those applications which require sustained engine firings. Such cooling is typically accomplished by flowing a coolant through tubes or channels which form the inner wall of the thrust chamber.
A typical example of such thrust chambers is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,208,132 to Escher, which discloses a rocket chamber produced by forming coolant flow passages within two sheets by an explosive forming process. The formed sheets must be subsequently welded or brazed together to form individual flow passages, and the integrity of these welds is difficult to inspect. U.S. Pat. No. 3,190,070 to Neu discloses a rocket chamber formed from a plurality of pre-formed coolant tubes. The tubes must be manufactured to close tolerances to ensure that the resulting tube bundle adequately shields the structural jacket of the chamber from the combustion products. U.S. Pat. No. 3,595,025 to Stockel et al discloses a rocket chamber liner having grooves which, when mated with a structural jacket, form cooling channels. These grooves must be machined into the liner, and therefore require a significant amount of labor to produce.
What is needed is a method of making a rocket thrust chamber which permits less exacting tube tolerances, is less labor intensive than the prior art, and is readily inspectable.

Method of making a rocket chamber construction


An image processing method of separating an input image into a foreground image and a background image, the method including determining a pixel of the input image as a pixel of the foreground image if a foreground probability value of the pixel of the foreground image determined by using the Gaussian mixture model or the pixel determined to be included in a motion region is greater than a setting threshold.

1. Field
Methods consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to image processing, and more particularly, to receiving an image from an image capturing device such as a surveillance camera for capturing an inside of an elevator and separating the received image into a foreground image and a background image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Surveillance systems need to separate a received image into a foreground image and a background image to perform various surveillance functions. That is, host apparatuses receive an image from a surveillance camera, determine whether each pixel of the received image is a pixel of a foreground image or a pixel of a background image, and separate the received image into the foreground image and the background image.
To separate the received image into the foreground image and the background image, conventionally, a Gaussian model was used to determine a pixel of the foreground image or a pixel of the background image (see Korean Patent Registration No. 1038650).
Such an image separation method is not robust and has a low separation accuracy with respect to an environment including a reflector and a frequent change in illumination, such as an inside of an elevator.

Image processing method using foreground probability

Korea University Research and Business Foundation


A family of package substrates adapted to receive a family of integrated circuits having different sizes and provide electrical connections between the integrated circuits and a circuit board. Each package substrate in the family includes a package substrate having a die side and a circuit board side. The package substrate has a size that is consistent for all of the package substrates in the family of package substrates. The die side has integrated circuit contacts disposed in a pattern designed to make electrical connections to a given integrated circuit in the family of integrated circuits for which the package substrate is designed, as defined by locations of contacts on the given integrated circuit. The circuit board side has circuit board contacts disposed in a pattern and with functional assignments that are consistent for all of the package substrates in the family of package substrates.

Integrated circuits are often packaged prior to sale and use, by physically and electrically connecting them to a package substrate, and then covering them in some manner against the package substrate. The package substrate provides all the necessary electrical connections between the electrical contacts for the integrated circuit, on one side of the package substrate, and the electrical contacts on either the printed circuit board or socket, that will connect to the other side of the package substrate.
As the term is used herein, "integrated circuit" includes devices such as those formed on monolithic semiconducting substrates, such as those formed of group IV materials like silicon or germanium, or group III-V compounds like gallium arsenide, or mixtures of such materials. The term includes all types of devices formed, such as memory and logic, and all designs of such devices, such as MOS and bipolar. The term also comprehends applications such as flat panel displays, solar cells, and charge coupled devices.
As the design of a given integrated circuit evolves, it tends to be reduced in the size of the die on which it is formed. In addition, families of integrated circuits that provide the same basic functionality, but with different options or implementations, may also vary in size. Typically, a different package substrate is designed for use with each one of the different sized devices.
Traditionally, the locations of the electrical connections on both sides of the package substrate are determined based on general routing rules. The electrical connections on the die side of the package substrate are often placed according to the location of the contacts on the die, depending on the type of integrated circuit used. The electrical connections on the board side of the package substrate are often placed according to the easiest method of routing out the connections, allowing for proper signal isolation and other similar considerations. Also, the size of the package substrate that is used for a given die typically varies with the size of the die, with bigger substrates for bigger dice, and smaller substrates for smaller dice. All of this tends to change the pin out locations for each of the different package substrates.
The result of this design and fabrication process is that the package substrates for the dice within a given family of integrated circuits will all tend to have different sizes and different pin outs, just like the different integrated circuits that are mounted to them. Unfortunately, this requires either a different connection pattern or socket on the circuit board that is designed to use the packaged integrated circuit, for each of the different sizes or varieties of integrated circuit that might be used on the circuit board. This adds to the number of different circuit boards that must be produced and inventoried, adds to the complexity of board assembly, and thereby tends to increase costs. This also limits the ability to migrate to a different integrated circuit size during the product definition and development phase.
What is needed, therefore, is a system that overcomes problems such as those described above, at least in part.

Scaling of functional assignments in packages


The disclosed system may include (1) a light source that generates light for an image, (2) an optical subsystem that (a) receives the generated light from the light source, and (b) generates, based on the received light, converging light defining an exit pupil that includes the image, where the exit pupil is smaller than a pupil of an eye of a viewer, and (3) a control subsystem that controls at least one of the light source or the optical subsystem to reduce aberration of the image that is caused by the eye of the viewer. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

The human eye may produce optical aberrations, in which the cornea, lens, and other portions of the eye that constitute the human optical system cause light entering the eye to not be properly focused on the retina, producing a blurring of the resulting image. Generally, aberrations fall into two categories: monochromatic aberrations (e.g., defocus, astigmatism, spherical aberration, and so on), which may result in improper focusing of portions of light having different wavelengths and which may be caused by the geometry (e.g., location, shape, orientation, etc.) of various portions of the eye, and chromatic aberrations (e.g., axial aberrations and lateral aberrations), which may result in different portions of light having different wavelengths being focused at different locations within the eye.
In some cases, chromatic aberrations may be caused at least in part by portions of the eye (e.g., the lens of the eye) having different indexes of refraction with respect to different wavelengths of incident light. More specifically, axial (or longitudinal) chromatic aberration may cause light having different wavelengths to be focused at different depths or positions along the optical axis of the eye (e.g., in front of or behind the retina), while lateral (or transverse) chromatic aberration may cause light having different wavelengths to be focused at different lateral locations (e.g., along the retina).
While at least most types of significant monochromatic aberrations (e.g., defocus, astigmatism, spherical aberration, and the like) may vary greatly from one viewer to another, axial chromatic aberration may be relatively constant from one viewer to the next. Moreover, the amount of lateral chromatic aberration experienced by the viewer may depend on either or both the position of light in the pupil and the angle of incidence of the light when entering the eye.

Systems and methods for reducing eye-related aberrations


The invention discloses an identifiable flexible printed circuit board (PCB) and a method of fabricating the same. The identifiable flexible PCB includes a flexible substrate, a conductive layer, and a printing ink layer. First, the conductive layer is formed over a surface of the flexible substrate. Second, the printing ink layer is formed on the surface of the flexible substrate by coating, exposing, and developing to uncover parts of the conductive layer. Also, at least one identifiable area is formed on the printing ink layer and one can easily and correctly identify the cartridge with the flexible PCB.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a flexible printed circuit board (PCB) and the method of fabricating the same, and more particularly to an identifiable flexible PCB and a method of fabricating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
The computer printer, particularly the color inkjet printer, has become a necessity in the modern life. It can be used for printing out the desired information such as documents, color pictures, and photos. Generally, in the inkjet printer for color printing two cartridges are used. One is the black cartridge stored black ink, and the other is the color cartridge stored color ink. A flexible printed circuit board (PCB) disposed to the cartridge serves as a medium to lead the driving current to the printhead chip. After receiving the driving current, the printhead chip makes the cartridge to expel ink. Also, the flexible PCB comprises numerous holes, and the dimples of the printer circuit electrically contact with the conductive traces of the flexible PCB through the holes.
In the commercial inkjet printer market, there are some color-separate inkjet cartridges filled with black ink or color ink, such as cyan, magenta, yellow, light black, light cyan, light magenta, and light yellow inks. However, the colors of the related flexible PCBs are the same, and the other features such as the size, shape, and the pattern of conductive trace are very similar. It is difficult for the on-line operators to assemble the right flexible PCBs to the corresponding cartridges. To increase the assembly speed and accuracy, identifiable marks, such as a brand name or trademark, serial number, or tape specification, are printed on the flexible PCBs for identification. For example, the brand name or trademark provides identification for the manufactures and consumers. The serial number or tape specification provides identification for the on-line operators during assembling. Nevertheless, the extra printing procedure required in the fabrication process will increase the production cost. Also, the identifiable marks printed on the flexible PCBs could fade or peel off if exposed to a humid environment during a long period of time. Thus, printing the identifiable mark on the flexible PCB is not an economical and practical solution.
The flexible PCB is commonly fabricated by tape automated bonding (TAB) technique. Etching and punching are two typical TAB manufacturing processes. Etching process is characterized by etching the tape while the punching process is characterized by punching the tape to form the holes of the flexible PCB. The details are illustrated in the following description.
FIG. 1A˜FIG. 1J illustrate the conventional etching process for forming the holes of the flexible printed circuit board. First, a substrate 102 such as the material of polyimide (PI) is provided, as shown in FIG. 1A. A copper film 104 is then formed over the substrate 102 by sputtering, as shown in FIG. 1B. Two layers of photo-resist (PR) 106 are formed respectively on the bottom side of the substrate 102 and over the copper film 104, as shown in FIG. 1C. After exposing (FIG. 1D) and developing (FIG. 1E) the two layers of PR 106, the predetermined patterns of the holes and the conductive traces are defined. Next, a copper layer 108 is plated on the exposed copper film 104, and the copper layer 108 and the copper film 104 are integrated as a whole, as shown in FIG. 1F. Then, the substrate 102 is partially etched to form the holes 110, as shown is FIG. 1G. The remaining photo-resist 106 on the both sides are then removed, as shown in FIG. 1H. The copper layer 108 and the copper film 104 are exposed to air, and several gaps 109 are formed on the copper layer 108.
Then, the portion of the copper film 104 not covered by the copper layer 108 is removed by photolithography through the steps of coating a layer of PR, exposing, developing and etching. The conductive traces 111 are therefore formed by the combination of the remaining copper film 104 and the copper layer 108, as shown in FIG. 1I. Finally, the conductive trace 111 is enclosed by an insulation layer 112 for the purpose of protection, and the flexible PCB 114 is finished as shown in FIG. 1J. The conventional etching process has several drawbacks, including large time-consumption and low yield rate (high proportion of low-quality product). Also, it produces a sticky precipitate and discharges large amounts of wastewater during etching process. The cost of wastewater treatment is a considerable issue.
FIG. 2A˜FIG. 2I illustrate the conventional punching process for forming the holes of the flexible printed circuit board. First, a substrate 202 is provided (FIG. 2A), and an adhesive layer 204 is coated thereon, as shown in FIG. 2B. Then, the substrate 202 coated with the adhesive layer 204 is punched by the punching tool to form several holes 206, as shown in FIG. 2C. A copper layer 208 is further attached over the adhesive layer 204, as shown in FIG. 2D. Next, a photo-resist layer 210 is formed on the copper layer 208, followed by exposure and development. Numerous gaps 211 are created so as to expose parts of the copper layer 208 to the air, as shown in FIG. 2G. Then, portions of the copper layer 208 not covered by the PR layer 210 are etched, as shown in FIG. 2H.
Afterward, the remaining PR layer 210 is removed, and the discrete copper layer 208 (FIG. 2I) therefore forms the conductive traces. Finally, the conductive trace is enclosed by an insulation layer 212 for the purpose of protection, and then the flexible PCB 214 is completed as shown in FIG. 2I. Compared with the etching process mentioned above, the punching process is a short-term procedure requiring less cost and no wastewater treatment. However, the interval between adjacent holes is too wide to form a large number of holes of the flexible PCB. Consequently the contact area between the printer and the flexible PCB is decreased, and dramatically affects the precision of contact. Furthermore, the punching step could easily cause the breakage of the substrate, thus reducing the yield rate and increasing the cost of production.

Identifiable flexible printed circuit board and method of fabricating the same


A system for integrated support in an XML/XQuery database residing within a binary object XML repository (BOXR) for web-based applications includes web browser(s) for sending at least one HTTP request for hxl pages. Hxl pages are defined as web pages containing embedded XQuery expressions, with XQuery being an interactive program used to access data. Server module(s) coordinate operations within a control system including an XML/XQuery database. An hxl processor module provides web application support, and a BOXR XQuery engine processes XQuery queries. An XML repository provides stored representation of XML data.

This disclosure relates generally to a computer software system and associated method for providing additional functionality for querying and formatting XML, and more particularly to implementation of support for web-based applications within XQuery.
There have been many mechanisms devised for formatting live data within web pages. Most often, a scripting language is used, and this language can in turn invoke queries into a relational database. XQuery is one such scripting language, whose results are formatted as XML. Since XQuery results can be formatted as XHTML, which is directly renderable in many browsers, the language is suitable for implementing Web applications without additional scripting engines. However, web server-side processing requires access to information sent from the web browser, including cookie values and HTTP request parameters. XQuery has no provisions for making external information such as this available within the language.
Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a programming language operating as an extension to HTML and providing enhanced control of content. It may be used to define the content of a document (such as a Web page) rather than the presentation of it or to exchange information and documents between diverse systems. XML is text-based and formats data by using document tags to catalog information. Key elements in a document may be categorized according to meaning, enabling a search engine to scan an entire document for the XML tags that identify individual pieces of text and images rather than selecting a document by the metatags listed in its header.
There are various strategies for storing and managing XML documents. In XML repositories based on relational database technology, the XML is stored using a method known as "shredding". In this approach, the markup is broken up and stored in fields of database tables, and XML queries are translated into a relational query language (e.g. SQL, Structured Query Language) that retrieves the values from the database using relational operations, and generates the markup output. Overhead for storage is high, and performance for regeneration of the XML (or "round-tripping" of entire XML documents) is typically low. Other database managers designed specifically for XML utilize indexing schemes to process the markup representation of XML more efficiently.
Applications for querying XML databases (such as XQuery, a general-purpose XML query language) often require the ability to perform full-text search on the stored data. The search functionality must be integrated within the query language to allow for control over the structures to be searched, and to make search results available to other XQuery constructs. The XQuery specification contains a set of built-in functions that can be called from within query expressions, and also allows for user-defined functions that are written in XQuery.
An example of one approach to querying XML documents is presented in U.S. Pat. No. 6,654,734 to Mani et al. ("System and Method for Query Processing and Optimization for XML Repositories"). The query system of Mani et al. views the data in XML documents as a graph that allows queries on content, structure, inter-document links, and intra-document links. The query language is based on tree pattern match semantics using XML semantics, with features that allow the query system to compute a document type definition for the query language and use it to validate the user query formulation. Query optimization is accomplished using schema-based optimization and index-based optimization. The structure pattern is then converted to a string for storage purposes.
Another approach is described in U.S. Pat. Application Publication No. 2002/0169788 to Lee et al. ("System and Method for Automatic Loading of an XML Document Defined by a Document-Type Definition into a Relational Database Including the Generation of a Relational Schema Therefor"). Under the system of Lee et al., a relational schema is created out of a DTD, and XML data is loaded into the generated relational schema that adheres to the DTD. Starting with a DTD for an XML document containing data, all of the information in the DTD is captured into metadata tables, and then the metadata tables are queried to generate the relational schema. The data contained in the XML document can then be loaded into the generated relational schema.
While the XQuery specification provides certain functionality within built-in functions, and other functionality can be added via user-defined functions written in XQuery, there is currently no functionality within XQuery to support integration of XML data with web applications. It would be desirable to provide a mechanism to return queries in a format that can be rendered directly in web browsers without further processing.

Integrated support in an XML/XQuery database for web-based applications


A cooling system for a machine having an engine and an operator cabin includes a primary air conditioning unit, an auxiliary air conditioning unit, an electrical powering unit configured to electrically power the auxiliary air conditioning unit, a sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of a temperature within the operator cabin, and a controller in communication with the primary air conditioning unit, the auxiliary air conditioning unit, and the sensor. The controller selectively activates the primary air conditioning unit and the auxiliary air conditioning unit.

Most mobile machines include an operator cabin having a controlled environment that increases operator comfort. For example, the operator cabin can be heated or air conditioned to maintain the operator cabin at a desired temperature. When a machine is new, environmental control components within the operator cabin (e.g., an air conditioning unit or a heating unit) function at peak performance and easily maintain the desired temperature within the operator cabin. Over time, however, the performance of these components degrade, and it may become difficult or even impossible for the desired temperature to be maintained under all conditions. In these situations, the machines may need to be serviced in order to return performance of the environmental control components to previous levels. Unfortunately, this service may be disruptive and costly to the machine owner.
Mobile machines are often caused to idle for long periods of time. For example, the machines may idle overnight when the operator is resting and the machine's engine is being used to power the environmental control components. In some locations, however, idling for long periods of time may not be allowed for environmental reasons. In these situations, the machines must be turned off, resulting in ambient conditions within the operator cabin that are uncomfortable for the operator. And even if long periods of idling are allowed, doing so can be inefficient and costly.
One attempt to address one or more of the problems described above is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,678 that issued to Mellum et al. on Aug. 2, 1994 ("the '678 patent"). In particular, the '678 patent describes a machine having an auxiliary power unit that can be used to selectively power and control environmental conditions within an operator cabin of the machine when a main engine and associated main air conditioning components of the machine are turned off. The auxiliary power unit includes an auxiliary engine that is smaller than the main engine, and auxiliary air conditioning components driven by the auxiliary engine.
Although using the auxiliary power unit of the '678 patent may help to avoid long idling periods of a machine's main engine, the auxiliary power unit may still be problematic. In particular, the auxiliary power unit, because of its numerous duplicative components, may be expensive, complicated to control, and decrease a reliability of the machine. In addition, the auxiliary power unit may have no effect on a capacity of the main air conditioning components to cool the operator cabin during operation of the main engine.
The disclosed cooling system is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems of the prior art.

Method and apparatus providing auxiliary cabin cooling

Abstract: When the primary air conditioning unit is activated, a timer is started to determine the elapsed time during which the temperature within the operator's cabin exceeds the acceptable range of desired temperature, and the auxiliary unit is activated when the elapsed time exceeds a threshold time.


A dual chamber side air bag apparatus may include an inflator mounted to a side of a seat back frame in an outdoor direction, an air bag cushion fluid-connected to the inflator and including a first chamber and a second chamber mounted at a side of the seat back frame in the outdoor direction and fluid-connected to the inflator and the first chamber to protrude and develop toward a front of the seat back frame when the inflator may be activated, for protecting side surface of the upper body of the passenger, and a tether having one end thereof fixed to the scat back frame, a raid portion thereof wrapping the first chamber, and the other end thereof sewing-coupled to the air bag cushion in a boundary of the first and second chambers to provide a directivity so that the first chamber develops toward the upper body of the passengers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dual chamber side air bag apparatus for a vehicle, more particularly, to a dual chamber side air bag apparatus for a vehicle for achieving a weight reduction and a cost reduction by reducing the number of parts.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, a vehicle has various air bags apparatus for protecting a safety for a passenger. Among those, there is a side air back apparatus attached to one side surface of an outdoor direction seat back 1 directing to a door trim for protecting the passengers from a side car crash as shown FIG. 1.
The conventional side air bag apparatus having a dual chamber includes a first air bag module 2 having a first inflator 2a and a first air bag cushion 2b, and a second air bag module 3 having a second inflator 3a and a second air bag cushion 3b as shown in FIG. a, wherein the first air bag cushion 2b serves to develop toward the passenger 4 and push the upper body of the passengers 4 in the indoor direction by a pressure of gas generated from the first inflator 2a just before the car crash occurs. This enables the upper body of the passenger to farthest move from an accident spot.
In addition, the second air cushion 3b protrudes and develops toward a front direction of a seat back 1 by a pressure of gas generated from the second inflator 3a on a car crash to protect a side surface of the upper body of the passengers 4.
However, the conventional dual chamber side air bag apparatus uses two air bag modules 2, 3 to results in an increase in the number of the part and a weight, particularly, a production cost.
Contents described as a technical background is to improve an understandings for the background of the present invention and thus it should not be appreciated that they have been known to those skilled in the art as a prior technical.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

Dual chamber side air bag apparatus for vehicle


A method and system for assisting an individual in achieving a desired pattern of behavior. A robot is provided that includes a moving head and eyes and is programmed to make eye contact with the individual, such robot also having an interface for communicating with the individual. The robot includes a relationship management module that measures state of a relationship with the individual to determine a current state of the relationship. The robot also includes an interaction module that implements a behavior model for the robot's interaction with the individual. The behavior model causes a change in interaction of the robot with the individual based on what the relationship management module determines to be the current state of the relationship, so that the behavior model assists the individual in effecting the pattern of behavior.

It is known in the prior art to use a nutritionist or dietitian in order to receive advice on dietary habits in order to improve health and well being and take steps to prevent or combat disease. Medical facilities often provide such assistance through individuals who have undergone professional training and have received certification or licensing to practice in the field. It may prove difficult financially or inconvenient to consult personally with such an individual on a daily basis, particularly if one is not already receiving specific medical treatment. Additionally, many individuals seeking to improve their dietary and health behavior patterns often need reminders and an accountability system in order to maintain good habits, keep track of their progress and develop discipline related to dietary and health concerns. While simply maintaining a written record may allow an individual to monitor dietary habits, such a task may prove onerous and does not provide a level of interactivity and accountability that would motivate some to maintain consistent and proper habits. Machine-based dietary aids in the prior art include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,980,866 and 4,303,854.

Apparatus and method for assisting in achieving desired behavior patterns