A server and a method for real-time targeting of advertisements across multiple platforms is provided. The server receives first information that indicates a presence of a first person in a first vehicle at a first time period. The server determines content metadata associated with media content rendered via an infotainment device of the first vehicle. The server transmits first advertisement content to the infotainment device. The server receives second information that indicates an absence of the first person from the first vehicle at a second time period. The server further determines a first application used by the first person on an electronic device within a time threshold from the second time period. The server further transmits second advertisement content, to be rendered on the determined first application, to the first electronic device. The second advertisement content may be associated with the first advertisement content.

With the advancement in data collection and processing, various insights about a person's traits, interests, and/or preferences may be analyzed. Based on the analyzed traits, interests, and/or preferences of a person, various advertisements for a product, a service, or a brand may be targeted to the person. These advertisements are commonly referred as targeted advertisements and may be in various formats such as an audio advertisement, a visual advertisement (like audio, video, image etc.). However, most of the times, these targeted advertisements may be presented on a single platform and at times the person may not be interested in that particular advertisement or is not in a mood to see the product, the service, or the brand advertised in the advertisements. For example, if a person normally drinks coffee from a café in the morning, and an advertisement about a new coffee store (or a new discount offer) is presented to the person in the evening, then the advertisement may be ignored by the person. This may be irrelevant to the person because the person may not be near to the café (or near to the new coffee store) in the evening or he/she may not prefer to drink the coffee in the evening. Therefore, targeting of a relevant advertisement to interested customers on a real-time basis may be important to the success of an advertisement campaign.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of described systems with some aspects of the present disclosure, as set forth in the remainder of the present application and with reference to the drawings.

Real-time targeting of advertisements across multiple platforms


An object of the invention is to make it possible to move data that is coded and managed for copyright protection after evaluating an encryption key and permitting its movement based on a result of the evaluation, as well as to make it possible to copy data that is recorded in a server to a terminal apparatus and cause the terminal apparatus itself to reproduce the data and, where a terminal apparatus is connected to the server, render data on the server reproducible.

In recent years, small-size recording media incorporating a solid-state recording device such as a flash memory have been developed which can record computer data, still image data, moving image data, musical data, voice data, etc. by using a dedicated drive or a drive that is incorporated in an audio/video apparatus, an information apparatus, or the like.
On the other hand, conventionally, media such as the CD (compact disc) and the MD (mini disc; trademark) have spread as media for recording musical data etc. Data can be recorded on or reproduced from those media by using a CD player or an MD recorder/player.
In information apparatuses such as personal computers, various data files can be recorded on and reproduced from a hard disk drive (HDD) that is incorporated in or connected to such information apparatuses.
In the current situation in which a variety of recording media and recording/reproducing apparatuses and drives therefor have spread, there frequently occurs a case that the user side copies or moves a data file that is recorded on a certain recording medium to another recording medium.
Usually, users perform copying or movement according to necessity that is legitimate. However, as typified by copying of musical data, there may occur a case that a user infringes the copyright of a data file that is owned by another person (in particular, an author or the like) when the user copies it beyond the confines of personal duplication.
In view of the above, in conventional systems capable of copying or dubbing digital musical data such as an MD system and a DAT (digital audio tape) system, plural times of dubbing are prohibited by the SCMS (serial copy management system).
However, in view of the current circumstances, that is, the spread of personal computers, the diversification of data interfaces, and the development and diversification of data communication forms, mere prohibition of plural times of dubbing is insufficient for copyright protection.

Reproducing apparatus and information distribution system


A disposable absorbent article may include a topsheet, a backsheet, an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, and a leg gasketing system. The leg gasketing system may include an inner cuff and an outer cuff; the inner cuff may include an inner cuff folded edge and an inner cuff material edge and the outer cuff may include an outer cuff folded edge and an outer cuff material edge such that the web of material is folded laterally inward to form the outer cuff folded edge and folded laterally outward to form the inner cuff material edge.

It has long been known that absorbent articles such as conventional taped diapers offer the benefit of receiving and containing urine and/or other bodily exudates. To effectively contain exudates, the article should provide a snug fit around the waist and legs of a wearer. Absorbent articles are known to have a chassis comprising a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core.
Current diaper designs frequently include the use of an inner barrier leg cuff to prevent leakage of bodily exudates and an outer leg cuff which provides a covering over the inner leg cuff to minimize the visibility of exudates through the inner cuff and provide a secondary means to capture bodily exudates should they breach the inner barrier leg cuff. The inner barrier leg cuff may be made using a hydrophobic nonwoven and may be disposed on the body-facing surface of the absorbent article or connected to the body-facing surface of the film backsheet layer. The inner barrier leg cuff may be a substantially liquid impervious layer that prevents bodily exudates from passing out of the sides of the article and may also be highly breathable, allowing outside air to reach the skin to help maintain a healthy level of skin hydration. In many current diapers, the outer leg cuff comprises the polymeric film layer of the backsheet to provide high opacity required to cover the inner leg cuff as well as to prevent molten adhesive from passing through the cuff to the garment-facing surface of the article during manufacturing. The outer leg cuff contains the outer leg elastic strands, which create the contraction forces and gathers, and can be sandwiched between the cuff material and backsheet material. The elastic strands in the leg cuffs are typically joined with molten adhesive during manufacture, and the hot adhesive generally has the potential to pass through nonwoven materials during manufacture, causing contamination of manufacturing lines as well as the potential for stickiness on the outside surface of the article. The polymeric film generally is used to prevent these issues, however, results in a plastic-like look as well as a noisy application process.
Because of manufacturing tolerances when cutting, tracking, and combining materials, the outer leg elastic strands are generally spaced inboard from the longitudinal edge of the article in the crotch region. This prevents inadvertent cutting or exposure of the outer leg elastic strands during the manufacturing process. This design does not result in the outermost portion of the longitudinal edge of the product continuously contacting closely to the skin of the user during wear. Thus, the ability of the elastic strand(s) to control the edge of the article diminishes as the distance between the outermost elastic and the edge increases, leading to a more random distribution of larger gathers which contact the skin at larger intervals or sometimes not at all. This effect can lead to user perception that the diaper may leak where the longitudinal edge does not contact the skin of the user. In addition, many articles currently available contain only two to three outer leg elastics per side to create the gathers, increasing the difficulty of achieving the desired appearance of a wide finished leg cuff or more garment-like cuff such as the elasticized hemmed edge of the arm cuff of a sweater. If the elastics are spaced more closely, the result is a narrow section of elasticized zone, which results in a less finished, less comfortable, and less clothing-like appearance. If the elastics are spaced farther apart, the gathers can appear to separate further from the skin of the user, leading to a perception of potential leakage risk. As discussed above, this is driven by having less control of the gathers between strands of increasing separation.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a folded outer leg cuff design having finished edges with elastics that are close to the edge to maintain a close proximity to the skin to create improved fit, a more aesthetically pleasing, clothing-like design and improved leakage protection. It is also desirable that the article have a folded outer leg cuff design that does not have a polymeric film in the elasticized region and still prevents penetration of exudates and molten adhesive.

Absorbent article with leg gasketing cuff


A hand grip for canes, crutches, walkers, outrigger skis, tools, etc., includes an elongated body possessing an axially inner end provided with a recess configured for partially receiving an elongated cylindrical support member of the ambulation aid, and an axially outer end including an enlarged circular ridge for preventing axial displacement of a user's hand. A mounting post extends axially through the body, transversely securing the hand grip to the support member. An obliquely forwardly and downwardly inclined platform on an upper side of the body adjacent the inner end applies a major portion of the user's weight to the hypothenar muscles of the user's hand. A depression formed axially outwardly of the platform provides a downwardly and axially outwardly curving concave load bearing surface for engagement with thenar muscles of a hand of a user such that the thumb of the user's hand is maintained in a palmar abducted orientation. A palmar arch supporting surface formed on a front portion of the body contiguously with the platform and depression possesses a convex curvature in both circumferential and axial directions. A plurality of axially spaced discrete finger indentations formed in a lower front portion of the body are disposed at an oblique angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the support member. The platform, depression, palmar arch supporting surface and finger indentations prevent rotation of the hand of a user about a longitudinal axis of the body and maintain the wrist and arm of the user in axial alignment with the support member.

The present invention relates to hand grips, and more particularly pertains to an improved hand grip for ambulation aids such as crutches, walkers, canes, outrigger skis, etc., adapted to reduce chronic fatigue, pain and damage to nerves, tendons, cartilage, bone and muscles frequently experienced by individuals who regularly use such ambulation aids. Typically, ambulation aids such as crutches employ hand grips of a substantially cylindrical shape, some of which include finger recesses similar to those found on bicycle hand grips. Such conventional grips are typically formed from a relatively hard rubber or plastic, although foam rubber covers or padding have been provided in an effort to enhance user comfort. Individuals employing ambulation aids on a daily basis fitted with such conventional grips experience potentially debilitating tissue damage for several reasons. First, conventional hand grips concentrate pressure on areas of the hand least suited for bearing such loads, such as the volar aspect of the palm and the adductor pollicis muscle located in the web of the hand between the thumb and forefinger. This undesirable load distribution results in the compression of the median, ulnar and palmar nerves, as well as the ulnar and palmar arteries. Such compression results in the restriction of blood flow and nerve entrapment syndromes, specifically, carpal tunnel syndrome. Prolonged excessive loading in the region of the adductor pollicis muscle can result in permanent injury to the proper palmar digital nerves of the thumb and the flexor pollicis longus tendon. Second, conventional grips do not properly axially align the hand and wrist with the ulna and radius bones of the arm. Rather, conventional grips promote dorsal flexation of the wrist, resulting in increased tensional stress on the tendons, nerves and blood vessels on the palmar side of the wrist, while at the same time forcing the wedge-shaped anticular disc of cartilage separating the radius and ulna bones of the arm from the lunate and scaphoid bones of the wrist too far into the interface between the arm and wrist. This compression of the disc forces the bones apart and places compressive stress on the radial, medial and ulnar nerves, blood vessels and ligaments. Misalignment of the wrist and arm is particularly exacerbated by the typical use of ambulation aids in a manner which disposes the elongated support member at an acute angle to the vertical. Individuals paralyzed from the waist down employ a technique known as "gaiting" in order to ambulate using crutches. This technique places the entire weight of the user on the hands, while the crutch shafts are disposed at an acute angle to the vertical. Such individuals are particularly susceptible to permanent debilitating injury to the hands and wrists.
An individual, upon being fitted with conventional ambulation aids such as crutches, typically experiences an initial period of great discomfort and fatigue. Due to natural strengthening of muscles, the individual then generally experiences a short term reduction of pain and fatigue. Over the long term, however, the degeneration of nerves, tendons and cartilage in the hands and wrists of the individual results in increasing fatigue, loss of strength, and pain. Many such individuals actually become unable to continue to employ crutches, and are forced into wheelchairs.
Accordingly, it is highly desirable to distribute forces in a manner such that a major portion of the force is born by muscles, rather than nerves, blood vessels and tendons. Muscles are natural load bearing cushions in compression. Their resilience and load bearing capacity are alterable by voluntary or involuntary contraction which causes their cross-section to thicken.

Orthopedic hand grip for ambulation aids, tools and other implements


This invention proposes a new communication locality oriented high-radix (CLHR) network. In this hierarchical architecture, the lowest level includes routers or servers, called level-0; the upper level is composed by groups of routers or servers, called level-1; for the highest level, a number of level-(l−1) groups establish level-1 group. A new deadlock-free adaptive routing algorithm is proposed for the CLHR network. On the one hand, the proposed minus-first routing (MFR) algorithm or plus-first routing algorithm, that implements deadlock-free partially-adaptive routing without any virtual channel, can guarantee the number of communication hops between two nodes is no more than five. On the other hand, this invention presents the fully adaptive routing algorithm that uses MFR algorithm as the baseline routing using a new flow control scheme. The CLHR network and the new routing algorithm effectively improve the performance, save energy, improve the ability for separation, and resist disturbance.

Interconnection network implements communication and synchronization among different processors, which are critical to connect processors, memories, I/O devices. Interconnection network is important to performance and scalability of a high-performance computer system. How to provide low latency and efficient communication among processors based on existing technology is a key problem to be solved urgently.
The development of microprocessor technology improves the computational power of a single processor, so that a higher request to the performance of interconnection network has been set. In fact, there is a 30% gap between growth of interconnection network bandwidth and growth of microprocessor performance. Therefore, latency and bandwidth of an interconnection network have been the bottlenecks to improve the performance of a high-performance computer system.
Along with development of semiconductor technology and progress of circuit technology, serial communication has been an efficient signal transmission mode. The use of high-speed serial channel can significantly improve pin bandwidth, thereby reduce the number of pin. In early 1990s, router pin bandwidth is limited in 10 Gbps. Entering 21st century, pin bandwidth can reach 10˜20 Tbps. Advances in these technology and high-radix router is possible.
The high-radix router has been development trends of interconnection network. The interconnection network, which is composed of high-radix routers, can connect tens of thousands of routers by a few hops. In addition, high-radix networks can reduce network diameter, implement efficient communication between processors, reduce message latency and design cost, and improve system performance.
In 2006, Cray Blackwidow computer firstly utilizes 64-radix router chip, which interconnects 32000 processors by Clos network and can assure distance between two processors is not more than 7 hops. In 2012, Cray Cascade system utilizes 48-radix router chip. It interconnects 370216 processors by Dragonfly network, and it can assure the distance between two processors is not more than 5 hops. However, four virtual channels are required to provide deadlock-free adaptive routing.
However, how to design efficient interconnection topology and efficient routing algorithm based on existing chip technology and high-radix router technology is a key research subject to be solved urgently. Although Blackwidow Clos utilizes high-radix router, cost is high and diameter is large, which affect the system performance. Cascade Dragonfly network also utilizes high-radix router and it has high scalability, low cost, small diameter. But it needs four virtual channels to avoid deadlock which increases design complexity and route latency, limiting the system performance.
In addition, communication locality is a very good feature in an interconnection network, which can effectively improve performance and save energy. The communication locality oriented high-radix network and the new routing algorithm provide this feature.

Communication locality oriented high-radix interconnection network and adaptive routing algorithm design


A conductive carbon nanotube tip and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. The conductive carbon nanotube tip includes a carbon nanotube tip substantially vertically placed on a substrate, and a ruthenium coating layer covering a surface of the carbon nanotube tip and extending to at least a part of the substrate. The manufacturing method includes substantially vertically placing a carbon nanotube tip on a substrate, and forming a ruthenium coating layer on the carbon nanotube tip and at least a part of the substrate.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a conductive carbon nanotube tip, a probe having the conductive carbon nanotube tip, and a method of manufacturing the conductive carbon nanotube tip.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a scanning probe microscope (SPM) is a device for measuring a variety of physical values of a test piece by scanning the test piece using a probe. The SPM is referred to as a third generation microscope that is useful for a surface analysis of a thin film.
The SPM includes a probe having a tip and a scanner for scanning a surface of the test piece using the tip, a control/process unit for controlling the scanner and processing a signal from the scanner. The SPM has been developed in a variety of configurations, such as a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) using a current generated by a voltage difference between the tip and the test piece, an atomic force microscope (AFM) using a variety of atomic forces generated between the tip and the test piece, a magnetic force microscope (MFM) using a magnetic force generated between the magnetic field of the test piece and the magnetized tip, an electrostatic force microscope (EFM) using an electrostatic force generated between the test piece and the tip, and a scanning capacitance microscope (SCM) measuring an electric capacity of the surface of the test piece.
In the EFM, SCM, and other conductive measuring units, a probe having a conductive tip is used. In this instance, there is a need to minimize a diameter of the conductive tip to enhance the resolution. In the prior art, a conductive tip formed of a silicon tip on which metal is coated has been used. However, due to the limitations in the material and the manufacturing process, it commonly is difficult to reduce the diameter of the tip to less than 100 nm. Therefore, it is difficult to analyze a grain size test piece or a nano-scale element.
From the late 1990s, the AFM has employed a carbon nanotube tip having a diameter of several to tens nanometer scale to enhance the resolution thereof. However, since the carbon nanotube used in the AFM has a relatively high electric resistance value, it cannot properly be used as a conductive tip for the EFM, MFM and SCM.

Conductive carbon nanotube tip, probe having the conductive carbon nanotube tip, and method of manufacturing the conductive carbon nanotube tip


A blood coagulation test system for in vitro assessment of blood characteristics including hemostasis, thrombus formation, thrombolysis, and collagen platelet interaction includes a syringe/test cartridge for collection, testing and disposal of the sample together with a test analyser for executing the test protocol. Coagulation functions are evaluated by establishing controlled bleeding of the sample from a capillary tube within the cartridge and monitoring these blood characteristics as a function of blood pressure variations occurring in the cartridge as the test proceeds. The blood sample remains within the cartridge for testing and after disposal.

The present invention relates to blood coagulation tests and particularly to such tests performed in vitro.
It is desirable to assess and monitor blood characteristics including hemostasis (cessation of venous or arterial bleeding), clotting or thrombus formation, and thrombolysis (dissolving clots in the blood stream) for a variety of medical procedures as for example treating blood disorders such as hemophilia, performing surgery, and blood transfusions. Such blood assessments are required promptly for surgical procedures, emergency room treatments, or blood transfusions and must be performed without the benefit of laboratory test conditions. In addition, aging and handling of a blood sample have significant effect on the blood clotting mechanism. Therefore it is necessary to provide a simple, on-site technique for in vitro assessment of blood characteristics as soon as practicable after a blood sample is drawn. The technique must also provide reliable, reproducible results.
European Patent Application No 84/304055.1 dated Jun. 15, 1984, PCT International Application No PCT/GB87/00633 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,047,211 disclose techniques for in vitro assessment of blood specimens. In those techniques, a blood sample is placed in a reservoir or container and passed through a capillary tube into a waste collection container. Blood flow through the tube is established under constant pressure (60 mm Hg), temperature (37 deg. C.) and flow rate simulating venous conditions. The capillary tube is punctured to establish bleeding and to allow for hemostasis to occur, i.e., the formation of a platelet plug in the tube puncture and cessation of bleeding. Blood pressure in the tube drops when the puncture occurs and rises gradually as the platelet plug forms in the puncture opening. The time required for full pressure recovery is observed and provides an index of the hemostasis characteristic of the blood sample. By placing a fragment of collagen (catgut, for example) in the tube the platelet collagen interaction can be assessed for a native (non anti-coagulated) blood sample.
Those patent documents reveal a number of measures and precautions taken to assure reliability and repeatability of blood assessment results, and to assure that in vitro conditions conform as nearly as possible to in vivo.
Manipulation of the blood sample must be held to a minimum because agitation or turbulence of the sample between patient and test reservoir as, for example, by transferring the sample from a collection syringe to a test reservoir, can cause release of ADP (adenosine diphasphate) in the sample and initiate the clotting/hemostasis process. Pumping the blood causes severe damage to corpuscles and inconsistent results. On the other hand, as noted in EPO application '055, the blood sample must not be allowed to settle in a test reservoir because settling of blood solids effects hemostasis. Accordingly, the blood collecting container is used as the sample reservoir to minimize sample manipulation and turbulence. Additionally, the sample in the reservoir is stirred and pressurized by introducing a blood-immiscible hydrocarbon oil (paraffin) into the bottom of the reservoir. The paraffin oil is supplied under pressure for gently stirring the sample and for simulating in vivo pressure of 60 mm Hg in the reservoir and capillary tube of the test apparatus. The PCT patent document discloses an elaborate pressure regulator apparatus for assuring that constant pressure is applied to the test reservoir and capillary tube through the paraffin supply line.
In carrying out sample assessment, it is necessary to establish a steady flow rate of the sample through the capillary tube in order to determine a pressure datum for observing the hemostasis characteristic. Accordingly, the waste receptacle is filled with paraffin so that waste blood entering the receptacle via the capillary tube displaces a like volume of paraffin in order to maintain a constant back pressure and a steady flow rate through the capillary tube. A pressure transducer fitted to the waste receptacle measures pressure variations in the system and particularly in the tube. When blood flow is established and a pressure datum recorded at a value of 60 mm Hg, the tube is ready to be punctured.
In order to achieve repeatable blood assessment results, it is necessary for the test apparatus to puncture the capillary tube with a hole of constant size each time a blood test is performed. Therefore, puncture needle size and tube size must be standardized. In addition, the tube as well as needle must be precisely positioned and firmly held when puncture occurs. Any variation in hole geometry or contour will effect pressure measurements as well as the formation of a platelet plug in the capillary tube during hemostasis.
The capillary tube in the vicinity of the puncture is continually washed by a saline solution so that blood dripping and collecting outside the tube hole does not contribute to platelet plug formation. Accordingly the disclosed patent apparatus is provided with a saline wash system for cleansing waste blood from the exterior of the capillary tube in the vicinity of the puncture. The USA and PCT patent documents provide parallel test channels so that hemostasis, thrombolysis and collegen platelet interaction assessments can be performed at the same time. This parallel facility does require duplication of the assessing apparatus for each of the test channels.
Bloods specimens can communicate contagious diseases and they must be safely discarded. The disclosed patent techniques require disposal of the blood specimen together with contaminated paraffin, saline solution, punctured tubing, piercing needles, syringes and so forth. The '211 patent provides for disposal of an entire cassette embodying parallel channels for performing blood assessments. The spent blood sample, saline solution and paraffin are discarded along with the casette.
In summary, apparatus for accurate and repeatable in vitro assessment of blood characteristics must minimize manipulation, agitation, and mechanical stress of the sample; not allow the sample to settle in its collection reservoir; establish venous or arterial conditions of pressure, temperature, and flow rate; assess a blood sample as soon as possible after collection; provide a precise capillary tube aperture; and provide safe disposal of waste blood and contaminated components.


Disclosed is a composition, an organic insulating film including the same, an organic thin film transistor including the organic insulating film, an electronic device including the organic thin film transistor and methods of fabricating the same. In the composition, an organic polymer material having a carboxyl group and an organic silane material having an electron-donating group are included to thus realize a structure which may further stabilize an unreacted crosslinking material. Thereby, a hysteresis phenomenon may be decreased and transparency may be increased, thus making it possible to assure stability upon exposure to air. Accordingly, the lifetime of the organic thin film transistor may be lengthened.

1. Field
Example embodiments relate to a composition and an organic insulating film prepared using the same, an OTFT using the above insulating film, an electronic device using the OTFT and methods of fabricating the same. Other example embodiments relate to a composition, which includes an organic polymer material having a carboxyl group and an organic silane material having an electron-donating group in order to assure the stability upon exposure to air, and to an organic insulating film prepared using the same, an OTFT using the above insulating film, an electronic device using the OTFT and methods of fabricating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A thin film transistor (TFT), which is primarily used in display devices, may be composed mainly of an amorphous silicon semiconductor, a silicon oxide insulating film, and metal electrodes. Increasing the diversity of material, an organic thin film transistor (OTFT) using an organic semiconductor has been developed, and has been studied with regard to its applicability.
Such OTFTs are advantageous because a printing process, which takes place under atmospheric pressure, may be used, rather than a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition process, which is the conventional silicon process. In addition, performing a roll-to-roll process using a plastic substrate may be possible, thereby decreasing the cost of fabricating the transistor.
Generally, organic semiconductor material, which is being studied for use in the channel layer of an OTFT, may be largely classified into low-molecular-weight or oligomer material and polymer material. Examples of the low-molecular-weight or oligomer material may include merocyanine, phthalocyanine, perylene, pentacene, thiophene and/or oligothiophene. According to the conventional art, the use of a pentacene thin-film resulted in increased charge mobility of about 3.2 cm2/Vs˜about 5.0 cm2/Vs or more. Furthermore, devices using an oligothiophene derivative had relatively increased charge mobility (charge mobility=about 0.01 cm2/Vs˜about 0.1 cm2/Vs) and on/off ratio, but a thin film formation process mainly depends on a vacuum process.
As the polymer material, a thiophene-based polymer may be used for manufacturing OTFTs. The OTFTs thus obtained may have properties inferior to those of OTFTs that use low-molecular-weight material but may be advantageous in terms of processibility because a large area may be realized at a reduced price through a solution process, e.g., printing. In this regard, the related art has described the experimental fabrication of a polymer-based OTFT using a polythiophene material, called F8T2 (mobility=about 0.01 cm2/Vs˜about 0.02 cm2/Vs). Further, the related art discloses the fabrication of an OTFT using regioregular polythiophene (P3HT) (mobility=about 0.01 cm2/Vs˜about 0.04 cm2/Vs). As mentioned above, although the polymer material has TFT properties, e.g., charge mobility, inferior to those of pentacene, which is a low-molecular-weight material, the polymer material may be used because the need for an increased operating frequency may be eliminated and TFTS may be inexpensively fabricated.
Like the organic semiconductor material for the channel layer as above, in order to inexpensively manufacture a flexible OTFT, material for an insulating film, which may be subjected to a solution process, may be researched. Further, a material for an insulating film that improves the performance of OTFTs may also be researched. With the goal of decreasing the threshold voltage, examples may be dielectric materials having a high dielectric constant (high-k), for example, a ferroelectric insulating film, including BaxSr1-xTiO3 (BST: Barium Strontium Titanate), Ta2O5, Y2O3, or TiO2, and an inorganic insulating film, including PbZrxTi1-xO3 (PZT), Bi4Ti3O12, BaMgF4, SrBi2(Ta1-xNbx)2O9, Ba(Zr1-xTix)O3 (BZT), BaTiO3, SrTiO3, or Bi4Ti3O12, of which part of the materials are applied to OTFTs comprising an active layer formed with pentacene. However, the inorganic oxide material may have no advantages in terms of process compared to using conventional silicon.
When the OTFT is widely applied not only to LCDs but also to devices for driving flexible displays using organic EL, a charge mobility of about 10 cm2/V·sec or more may be required. However, the organic insulating film used therein may have k of about 3˜about 4 and requires an increased operating voltage (about 30 V˜about 50 V) and threshold voltage (about 15 V˜about 20 V).
Moreover, since a solution process enables the inexpensive fabrication of displays having a relatively large area, a polymer insulating film may be a gate insulating film material. As such, when the polymer insulating film is thickly formed due to increased leakage current, an increased operating voltage may result. Therefore, the polymer insulating film may be formed into a thin film having a reduced leakage current and an increased capacity, and should be highly resistant to chemicals, e.g., acids or bases, so as not to dissolve in a solvent used in the preparation of electrodes and/or OSC using a solution process or a printing process.
When LCDs or OLEDs are operated, the operating voltage may increase in proportion to the difference between the voltage required for Ion and the voltage required for Ioff. Accordingly, upon the actual use of displays, the device may consume a relatively great amount of power, and may deteriorate, thus becoming unstable. Where hysteresis occurs, a rapid switching speed may not be realized and a display afterimage may undesirably remain. Upon exposure to air, because such a hysteresis phenomenon occurs due to moisture present therein, the development of an organic insulating film that may mitigate such a phenomenon may be needed.

Composition and organic insulating film prepared using the same


A touch device is provided. The touch device includes a first insulating layer, a first sensing electrode layer, a second insulating layer, and a second sensing electrode layer. The first sensing electrode layer is located on the first insulating layer. The second insulating layer is located on the first sensing electrode layer. The second sensing electrode layer is located on the second insulating layer.

A touch panel, which is an information input device newly invented in recent years, has the advantages of portability and user-friendly operation. Based on the sensing principles, the touch panel can be divided into following four types: the optical type, the acoustic type, the capacitive type, and the resistive type. The electrodes of the touch structure of the capacitive touch panel are formed of patterned transparent conducting films. When the panel is touched by a finger, capacitance generated between the electrodes will change accordingly. The movement of the finger can be determined according to the change of capacitance, and whether the surface of the touch panel is touched by a finger or a conducting object can be determined by detecting the variation of capacitance.
A touch panel is formed from a touch structure and a display panel. As the touch panel is directed towards thin design, the distance between the touch structure and the display panel is getting smaller and smaller. However, if the touch structure and the display panel are too close to each other, the internal electrodes of the display panel may easily affect the touch signal and weaken the touch signal, and even make the touch sensing function fail.

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE


One embodiment provides a method, including: obtaining, from each of two more panoramic cameras, panoramic video, wherein each of the two or more panoramic cameras are located at different physical locations within an event environment; compositing the panoramic video obtained from the two or more panoramic cameras into a single video; and streaming the composited panoramic video to one or more end users, wherein each of the one or more end users provide commands to manipulate the streamed composited panoramic video resulting in viewing of a different view of the streamed composited panoramic video for the corresponding end user based on the provided commands.

Panoramic video is becoming increasingly popular, particularly on social media web sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Unlike conventional, or "flat" (planar) video, panoramic video permits the user to pan, tilt, and zoom in the immersive environment, thus creating a personalized experience. Many camera systems exist today that are able to capture and store panoramic video for publication on social media web sites. More sophisticated systems likewise exist and allow live events to be "streamed" to the social media sites for viewing in real time (a.k.a "live").

Creating multi-camera panoramic projections


A turbomachine component includes a body having a first end that extends to a second end. One of the first and second ends includes a mounting element, and a mounting component. A cover plate is arranged at the one of the first and second ends to establish an interface region. The cover plate includes a mounting member configured to align with the mounting element, and a mounting portion configured to align with the mounting element. A fastener member is configured and disposed to cooperate with the mounting element and the mounting member to constrain the cover plate to the body along at least two axes with the interface region being devoid of a metallurgical bond.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to the art of turbomachines and, more particularly, to a cover plate for a turbomachine component.
Many turbomachines include a compressor portion linked to a turbine portion through a common compressor/turbine shaft or rotor and a combustor assembly. The compressor portion guides a compressed air flow through a number of sequential stages toward the combustor assembly. In the combustor assembly, the compressed air flow mixes with a fuel to form a combustible mixture. The combustible mixture is combusted in the combustor assembly to form hot gases. The hot gases are guided to the turbine portion through a transition piece. The hot gases expand through the turbine portion creating work that is output, for example, to power a generator, a pump, or to provide power to an aircraft. In addition to providing compressed air for combustion, a portion of the compressed airflow is passed through the turbine portion for cooling purposes.
The portion of the compressed airflow for cooling purposes often times flows through components that are exposed to the hot gases. Accordingly, many turbomachine components include internal passageways that provide conduits for the cooling airflow. Generally the components are formed with the internal passages from various super alloy materials and then provided with additional structure such as cover plates, baffles, or the like that either prevents or channels cooling airflow in a particular manner. The additional structure is typically welded to the component.

Turbomachine component including a cover plate


Low-cost apparatus and method for achieving a moderately-precise resistance value into an integrated circuit without the use of resistive trimming or complex feedback loops. The invention has direct application to the production of integrated BiCMOS circuits making use of Delay Lines and/or Voltage-Controlled Ring Oscillators where a .+-.10% tolerance in delay time or frequency is acceptable. When incorporated into a PLL, it also presents advantages where tighter tolerances are required, because of its low inherent jitter. By the use of a single off-chip component, this invention overcomes variations in the operating circuit otherwise arising from chip fabrication irregularities, power supply voltage fluctuations, and ambient temperature drift. In the Preferred Embodiment of the present invention, the resistive element is used as the load resistor of a high-frequency ECL delay cell; the element is a controlled MOSFET resistor in parallel with a fixed diffusion resistor. This parallel resistor is made into a compensated calibrated resistor by coupling it into a current mirroring circuit and an external resistor of a precise value. In its Preferred Embodiment, the invention combines the mirroring of current and resistance into a delay cell with the use of an oxide capacitor (a MOSCAP) as the capacitive part of the delay cell's RC time constant and in so doing achieves a delay cell with a delay time which is predictable to within .+-.10% without the use of any complex feedback loops, such as occur in a Phase-Locked Loop.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to integrated circuits (ICs) requiring for their correct operation a resistance element with a value predictable to within a few percent regardless of variations in the manufacturing process, changes in the IC operating temperature, or fluctuations in the voltage of the power supply energizing the IC. More particularly, the invention relates to delay cell circuits dependent upon an RC time constant predictable to within .+-.10% and in which a premium is placed on minimizing feedback circuitry and off-chip components used to stabilize the delay time. More particularly yet, the invention relates to the use of such RC time constants in ECL delay cells used in delay lines and ring oscillators.
2. Prior Art
One of the tradeoffs for the benefits provided by high-density IC chip technology is that the variance from one chip to another in the behavior of nominally-identical circuit elements is huge when compared with what prevailed in the old discrete-element days. Furthermore, the forms of these elements which have been adapted to integrated production often have greater dependence on circuit operating temperature and power supply voltage levels than was the case with the discrete elements. The variance in the as-fabricated product arises from the nature of the integrated fabrication sequence and the fact that the various heat treatments needed to achieve a particular end configuration on a chip all are interrelated in their effects on the IC components contained within the chip.
Of the components displaying fabrication-related variations, resistors are perhaps the worst, with as-fabricated resistance tolerances being .+-.25% or more with respect to the nominal design resistance. Further, IC resistors will in general vary significantly in resistance during circuit operation in response to temperature changes. Fortunately, most circuits do not depend upon the absolute value of any particular resistance. They depend, rather, on ratios of resistances. Because of this, most variations in resistance values-whether due to fabrication vagaries, operating temperatures drift, or power-supply-voltage fluctuations-cancel out. One important category of exceptions to this situation is the delay cell circuit, widely used to produce propagation delays, usually in ring oscillator circuits. These propagation delays depend ultimately on RC time constants and consequently on the absolute value of a resistance. (They actually depend on the absolute value of the product of resistance and capacitance. To the extent that the capacitive element is affected by transistor junction capacitance, that element can also vary a great deal due to process, temperature, and voltage fluctuations.)
The present invention is directed toward producing an effective IC resistive element having a much lower dependence on the fabrication process and also a much lower dependence on operating temperature. Relatively speaking, it is a process-independent, temperature-independent resistance. More accurately described, it constitutes apparatus and method for producing a resistance which is compensated to first order for process and temperature fluctuations by a technique which itself is V.sub.cc -independent. Because the greatest utility for such a resistance appears to lie with delay cells, the preferred embodiment of the present invention lies with delay cells. In this preferred embodiment, the compensated resistance of the present invention is coupled with a stable, low-tolerance capacitance so as to produce an RC element compensated for process, temperature, and voltage. Since the most common application of delay cells is to ring oscillators, the prior art most relevant to the present invention is that dealing with ring oscillators.
Because of the variance in as-fabricated RC values and also the variation of RC values with temperature and V.sub.cc (the power supply voltage), ring oscillators tend to produce uncorrected output frequencies which deviate significantly from the design frequency. Since ring oscillators are normally configured so that they are voltage-"tunable" (i.e., as voltage-controlled-ring-oscillators-VCROs), provision can be made for a feedback mechanism to lock the VCRO output frequency at any value within the capture range of the underlying circuit. The feedback mechanism generates an error voltage V.sub.error proportional to the phase-deviation between the VCRO output and some reference frequency; a VCRO stabilized in such a manner is a Phase-Locked Loop (PLL). This implies a ring oscillator input coupled to an element which provides a shift in the frequency in response to the voltage signal, V.sub.error. Since the range in magnitude of the error signal is not large, the sensitivity of the frequency response to V.sub.error --.increment.f/.increment.V.sub.error --must be high, and the greater the potential frequency deviation from design, the higher .increment.f/.increment.V.sub.error must be. [Since the ring oscillator's operation depends on a series (cascade) of delay cells, the shift which is actually being effected is in delay time, T. Thus, the sensitivity can also be expressed by the size of .increment.T/.increment.V.sub.error.] The disadvantage of a VCRO highly responsive to V.sub.error is that its frequency is also highly responsive to electrical noise and to power-supply-bounce-induced voltage changes in the circuit-which are passed through as phase jitter on the VCRO output.
Until a few years ago, IC delay cells predominantly used TTL circuitry, with the T-sensitive parameter being the supply voltage V.sub.cc. For reasons which became increasingly important--including faster switching speeds, lower signal swings (and hence lower EMI problems), lower power dissipation--ECL-based delay cells offered advantages over the TTL circuitry. For many applications the ECL delay cell disclosed in U.S. Pat. No 4,876,519 (1989), issued to Davis et al. ("High Frequency ECL Voltage Controlled Ring Oscillator") has now become the standard. The ECL delay cell of Davis et al. depends for its V.sub.error -sensitive element on the actual resistors--the load resistors-- establishing the delay cell's RC time constant. More particularly, the Davis et al. device provides for the load resistors to be P-channel resistors coupled between V.sub.cc and the collectors of the emitter-coupled input transistors. The error voltage V.sub.error is then applied (though indirectly) to the gates of these load resistors in order to exercise the necessary T-control.
In spite of the advantages of the ECL delay cell of Davis et al., it shares with the TTL family of delay cells the wide as-fabricated frequency variance referred to above. Because the uncorrected frequency of the resultant ring oscillators may vary from the nominal design value by .+-.35% or more, the circuitry must have high sensitivity to V.sub.error. Compounding the annoyance of the resulting jitter, the need for closed-loop control for the oscillator leads to a more complicated circuit on the chip and hence to an increase in the chip price beyond what it would otherwise be. Furthermore, it is not possible with present technology to put all of the feedback circuitry on the chip, leading to the frequent necessity of subsequently adding off-chip circuit components to the IC chip when the latter is incorporated into an extended circuit. This requirement further drives up the ultimate cost of production.
Ironically, many delay line and ring oscillator applications do not require the high precision of a PLL or its equivalent. Although the .+-.35% (or greater) variance in all of the relevant prior art is unacceptably large, a delay cell which could provide an uncorrected T predictable to within .+-.10% would satisfy the needs of many applications with no further correction, which means that the PLL--and all of the disadvantages it presents--represents overkill in those situations. Furthermore, for those applications requiring higher precision, a cell with an as-fabricated variance of .+-.10% will, when incorporated into a PLL, satisfy those applications with much less jitter than the present circuits. (I.e., with the narrow variance to be corrected, these cells would not require the high .increment.T/.increment.V.sub.error sensitivity of traditional, broad tolerance, cells.)
Therefore, what is needed is a circuit with an RC element presenting an as-fabricated predictability to within less than .+-.10% over the circuit's operating temperature range and power supply voltage fluctuation range. What is further needed is that this predictability be attained without complicated feedback circuitry--such as is present in a PLL--without any resistor-"trimming," and with a minimum dependence on off-chip components.

Process-, temperature-, and voltage-compensation for ECL delay cells


A power driven coaxial-rotating fast-orientation system and method is disclosed herein. The system includes a shiftable plate, an X-Y-axis driving device, a coaxial-rotating device, a coordinate indicator and a fixed microscope. The driving device moves the shiftable plate in X and/or Y-axis direction. The coaxial-rotating device load the display panel and enabling a coordinate alignment process performed thereto. The coordinate indicator is used to show the coordinate of the observed cell even if the panel is moving, so the object TFT cell can be located with reference to the value on the coordinate indicator. The cross mark from the view provided by the microscope can be used as a reference coordinate when adjusting the position of the display panel, and also available when searching intersection of the gate-lines and signal-lines with the corresponding numbers relating to the defective object cell on the display panel. When performing sample analysis from a TFT LCD panel, the power driven coaxial-rotating fast-orientation system can provide an accurate and effective orientation method.

Because the TFT LCD generates very little radiation, and it is compact as well as power saving, accompanied with the progress in manufacturing TFT, the liquid crystal display (LCD) display panel is widely used in electronic products such as calculator, personal digital assistance, watch, lap top computer, digital camera, cellular phone, video product (e.g., monitor and television set) and the like. In addition, the manufacturer's investment has been placed in researching and developing equipment supporting the LCD display panel of bigger dimension, thus makes its' cost down, and stimulate its' need in market.
As to production, it takes a lot of time to find defects (defective cells) in a TFT panel, for example, when performing an analysis to a sample from a production line of TFT panel, such as an electricity test, the electricity of each of the gate-lines and signal-lines of a TFT panel must be obtained. Then judge from the reading of each of the electricity of each of the gate-lines and signal-lines, if anything abnormal is found, the number of the relative gate-line and signal-line will be marked and recorded. Thus the intersection of the marked gate-line and signal-line is marked as defective, and the number of gate-line, e.g. G100, and number of signal-line, e.g. S100, will be recorded, such as (G100, S100). Perform the process until all the defectives of the TFT are located, such as (G100, S100), (G100, S200) and (G200, S300), then use laser marker to mark around the defective TFT cell. After the defective TFTs had been located, the subsequent analysis using Scanner Electron Microscopy (SEM) or Focused Ion Beam (FIB) can be performed to inspect the marked defective TFTs.
Manually locating the defective TFTs are performed by an operator, who reads the number of gate-line and signal-line of responding defective TFTs, such as (G100, S100), (G100, S200) and (G200, S300), and then mark the defective TFTs one by one with a laser marker under the microscope. It takes a lot of time to find each of the defective TFTs, e.g., from around 30 minutes to 3 hours, it depends on whether the location of the defective TFT is at the center or at the edge of the TFT plate. Furthermore, no one can guarantee 100% accuracy in the forgoing operation, especially when it is a manual operation.
Accordingly, when performing sample analysis to a TFT LCD display panel, in order to save the time for finding and locating a defective TFT cell, and to increases its' accuracy, it is essential to develop a method and apparatus to improve locating the defective TFTs.

Power driven coaxial-rotating fast-orientation system and method


An indium oxide sintered compact containing zirconium as an additive, wherein the ratio of atomic concentration of zirconium to the sum of the atomic concentration of indium and the atomic concentration of zirconium is in the range of 0.5 to 4%, the relative density is 99.3% or higher, and the bulk resistance is 0.5 mΩ·cm or less. This invention aims to provide an indium oxide transparent conductive film of high transmittance in the visible light region and the infrared region, with low film resistivity, and in which the crystallization temperature can be controlled, as well as the manufacturing method thereof, and an oxide sintered compact for use in producing such transparent conductive film.

The present invention relates to a transparent conductive film of high transmittance in the visible light region and the infrared region, with low film resistivity, and in which the crystallization temperature can be controlled, as well as the manufacturing method thereof, and an oxide sintered compact for use in producing such transparent conductive film.
As a transparent conductive film, tin-doped indium oxide (hereinafter referred to as "ITO") is being broadly used as an electrode material of an FPD (flat panel display) and the like since it possesses superior characteristics such as low resistivity and high transmittance.
Nevertheless, since ITO has a high carrier concentration and inferior transmittance in a long wavelength region, it is not necessarily effective as a transparent electrode for solar batteries which have been making remarkable progress in recent years. This is because, since the spectral sensitivity of solar batteries is up to approximately 1200 nm for crystalline silicon models and up to approximately 1300 nm for CIGS (Cu—In—Ga—Se-based) models, high transmittance is required up to this kind of long wavelength region.
Under the foregoing circumstances, zirconia-doped indium oxide (hereinafter referred to as "IZrO") has been proposed as a candidate material with high transmittance even in a long wavelength region and with low resistivity to replace ITO. Since IZrO has high mobility and low carrier concentration, it is attracting attention since the transmittance could be maintained relatively high even in a long wavelength region.
There are the following documents that have reported findings related to IZrO.
Patent Document 1 describes zirconium-doped indium oxide. Nevertheless, the description is limited to presenting zirconium-doped indium oxide as a low resistivity material that can be substituted for ITO, and the additive to be added to indium oxide was merely switched from tin to zirconium.
Although the Examples describe that the resistivity of the obtained film is extremely low, since the carrier mobility is extremely high at 1021 cm−3, there is no choice but to say that the transmittance in the long wavelength region is extremely low and inferior as with ITO.
Only one type of result is described regarding the zirconia concentration, and there is no description regarding an appropriate zirconia concentration. With respect to the substrate temperature during the deposition, the only descriptions that are provided are that annealing is performed at 220° C. after deposition at 250° C. and room temperature deposition, and there is no description concerning the crystallinity of the film. In addition, there is no technical concept of controlling the etching rate by using the crystallinity or controlling the crystallization temperature. Although Patent Document 1 describes that the target used in the sputtering is of "high density," no description considering the specific value thereof is found. Furthermore, there is no description concerning the bulk resistance. With respect to the gas during sputtering which considerably affects the electrical properties of the film, it is only described as "mixed gas in which trace amounts of oxygen gas was added to argon gas."
Patent Documents 2 and 3 describe zirconium-doped indium oxide. Nevertheless, the resistivity of the amorphous film during the room temperature deposition is high, while there is no description concerning the resistivity of the film during the deposition at 200° C. Moreover, the concept of controlling the crystallization temperature of the film based on the type or concentration of the additive cannot be acknowledged. Although the density of the oxide sintered compact as the sputtering target is relatively high, the highest relative density that is described is 98.7%, and a target with even higher density is required in order to inhibit the nodules that are generated after prolonged sputtering.
Patent Document 4 describes that a zirconium-doped film having indium oxide as its main component yields superior electron mobility and specific resistance as an oxide transparent conductive film with high transmittance in the long wavelength region. Nevertheless, the substrate temperature in the Examples is extremely high at 650° C., or 450° C. at the lowest, but as a practical issue, there are significant restrictions in the actual use unless the substrate temperature is at least 300° C. or less. This is because there will be restrictions regarding the substrate material that can be used, and because it is necessary to appropriately maintain the electron concentration profile at the p-n interface of solar batteries.
With respect to a zirconia-doped indium oxide target, there is no description concerning the properties such as the sintered compact density, the bulk resistance and the like. With respect to this point, it is assumed that the bulk resistance of the sintered compact that was used as the target was high since RF sputtering was adopted in the Examples rather than DC sputtering.
Non Patent Documents 1 and 2 described zirconia-added indium oxide. Nevertheless, the subject matter thereof shows that the substrate temperature is extremely high as with Patent Document 4, there is no description concerning the density of the sintered compact that was used as the target, and, as with Patent Document 4, RF sputtering is performed.
As described above, with respect to a zirconia-doped indium oxide sintered compact, an oxide sintered compact with sufficiently high density and low bulk resistance of a level required industrially did not exist to date. A scheme of controlling the crystallization temperature based on the type or concentration of the additive to enhance the etching rate of the film obtained by sputtering deposition using such oxide sintered compact as the sputtering target was not adopted.    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. H6-160876    [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2002-226966    [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2002-373527    [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2007-273455    [Non-Patent Document 1] Journal of the Surface Science Society of Japan Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 18-24, 2008    [Non-Patent Document 2] Journal of Applied Physics, 101, 063705 (2007)

Indium oxide sintered compact, indium oxide transparent conductive film, and manufacturing method of indium oxide transparent conductive film


In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided an electronic smoking device comprising a flow channel and an atomizer. The flow channel can comprise an incoming airflow opening, an incoming airflow pathway, a sensor assembly, and an outgoing airflow opening. The atomizer can be fluidly coupled to the flow channel. The flow channel can be configured to direct an airflow from the incoming airflow opening, through the incoming airflow pathway, over the sensor assembly, and through the outgoing airflow opening. The electronic smoking device can further be configured to pass the airflow over the atomizer.

An electronic smoking device, such as an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette), typically has a housing accommodating an electric power source (e.g., a single use or rechargeable battery, electrical plug, or other power source), and an electrically operable atomizer. The atomizer vaporizes or atomizes liquid supplied from a reservoir and provides vaporized or atomized liquid as an aerosol. Control electronics control the activation of the atomizer. In some electronic cigarettes, an airflow sensor is provided within the electronic smoking device, which detects a user puffing on the device (e.g., by sensing an under-pressure or an airflow pattern through the device). The airflow sensor indicates or signals the puff to the control electronics to power up the device and generate vapor. In other e-cigarettes, a switch is used to power up the e-cigarette to generate a puff of vapor.
In prior art eCigs, the pressure sensor is configured to sense a user's draw on the eCig and transmit an activation signal to the heating coil to vaporize the liquid solution. However, these pressure sensors can be large and costly.

Electronic cigarette with mass air flow sensor


An inter vehicle communication system wherein information transfer between vehicles is provided by data sources, data sensors, and vehicle sensors on each vehicle connected to a central processing unit on each vehicle. The central processing unit receives information from other vehicles via the data sensors and calculates information weights for that data. Information weights may be based upon temporal or spatial displacement, or other factors. The central processing unit then combines that weighted data with data provided by onboard vehicle sensors to determine vehicle and situational status. The central processing unit will then provide control information to the vehicle or vehicle operator. The central processing unit also creates messages for transfer to other vehicles via the data sources contained in the vehicle. Preferably, the data sources are provided by adapting vehicle headlights, taillights, or other existing lights sources for optical data transfer. Data sensors would then be provided by optical data sensors.

The present invention relates to a low-cost communication system for vehicles to permit the exchange of data between vehicles as they travel along a highway.
When driving a vehicle, such as an automobile or truck on a highway, the observation of driving conditions tends to be up to each individual driver. Of course, drivers can receive safety information from public radio stations or even from other drivers through two-way radios such as citizens band radios available in the United States. However, both the safety of the situations in which drivers find themselves and the degree satisfaction or dissatisfaction which driving gives them is directly dependent upon the ability of the driver to collect and interpret necessary data, including listening to reports on the radio, and then be able to take the appropriate action within a required response time. Unfortunately, since the human driver does not always collect and interpret necessary data appropriately, many traffic accidents occur on the highways today because of human error, or near misses occur which tends to give the driver an intense sense of dissatisfaction with the driving experience.
Prior art systems have attempted to provide mechanisms for transferring data between automobiles traveling on highways. U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,086 issued to E. Panizza on Nov. 10, 1987 discloses a system for signaling between vehicles. In Panizza, sensors are used to detect various vehicle parameters. A processing unit processes the sensor data to determine the vehicle environment and to create a signal message about the environment. This message is then sent to one or more vehicles traveling in the opposite direction via infrared or directional radio frequency transmission. These vehicles, if equipped with the signaling system, will process and retransmit the message to vehicles traveling in the same direction as the first vehicle. Hence, this system relies upon the presence of vehicles traveling in the opposite direction to pass messages to trailing vehicles and also relies upon a clear transmission path between vehicles in opposite lanes of the highway. Many U.S. highways are constructed such that opposing lanes are obstructed from each other, so the signaling system disclosed by Panizza may not work on such highways.
Another signaling system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,827 issued to M. Scurati on Dec. 31, 1996. Scurati discloses a system where vehicle information such as speed, acceleration, location, etc. is passed from a lead vehicle to a following vehicle in a chain of vehicles by radio frequency transmission. The system relies upon tight synchronization of transmissions so that the transmission between the vehicles will not interfere with one another. This synchronization is optimally obtained from master stations providing synchronization data to all vehicles within a stretch of highway. Degraded synchronization results when the transmit and receive systems in each vehicle self-synchronize, with the possibility that some transmissions may interfere with each other. The system disclosed by Scurati transfers information from leading vehicles to following vehicles, and does not provide the capability to transfer information from following vehicles to leading vehicles or to vehicles traveling in the opposite direction.
Still another signaling system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,424,726 issued to B. Beymer on Jun. 13, 1995. Beymer discloses a system that generally transmits vehicle information rearward by a radio frequency transmitter mounted on the rear of a lead vehicle received by a receiver mounted on the front of a following vehicle. Beymer also allows for the transmission of information forward from a following vehicle to a lead vehicle by using a forward-mounted radio frequency transmitter and a rear-mounted receiver. However, the system disclosed by Beymer relies upon highly directional transmitters to ensure that only vehicles in a substantially linear chain will be in communication. Thus, vehicles in adjacent or opposing lanes will not receive vehicle information.
Prior art systems are characterized by the use of additional components to achieve data communication between vehicles. These additional components lead to higher cost, more maintenance, and less consumer acceptance of vehicles equipped with such systems. System that rely upon radio frequency transmission are subject to interference from other radio frequency sources and possible regulatory concerns. Thus, there exists a need in the art for a low cost, interference-resistant system for communicating between vehicles.
The present invention provides low-cost, communication links between vehicles, such as private, commercial, law enforcement automobiles and trucks or even boats and trains, preferably using existing vehicular optical components combined with low cost sensors. By encoding information onto vehicle components such as headlights and taillights at appropriate data rates (less than 1 KHz for some applications), information can be transmitted between vehicles. The modulated light is sensed and decoded on board the vehicle using detectors and the encoded data need not be directly perceived by the driver. The data stream can provide critical information to the driver, including collision avoidance warnings, information about the presence of am emergency vehicle, etc., in addition to information about neighboring vehicles.
A typical application of the system is to automatically address vehicle spacing. Position and velocity information for a vehicle is obtained from sensors or data sources such as Global Positioning Satellite receivers. The inter vehicle communication system provides this information to surrounding vehicles, which then process the information to determine vehicle spacing. If a forward vehicle determines that it is being followed too closely, the forward vehicle""s brake lights might flash rapidly (as if the brakes were pumped) to alert the offender of a possible safety hazard. At the same time, proximity alert information may be sent via the inter vehicle communication system from the forward vehicle to the trailing vehicle to result in an alarm or warning message in the offender""s vehicle. This system effectively takes the driver in the forward vehicle out of the loop, by automatically signaling the tailgating vehicle.
Automatic inter vehicle communication provides additional advantages such as reduction in driver stress, safer lane changes, reduced travel time, and improved route planning. The advantages of the present invention are further enhanced by supporting communication among multiple vehicles. Small corner-cubes or retroreflector arrays (on either or both vehicles) can be used to relay information back to other vehicles for range-Doppler or other accident avoidance information (via time-of-flight measurements). The present invention can also be used to propagate emergency vehicle warnings among multiple vehicles. The use of new gas discharge lamps for headlights, as well as LEDs and neon discharge taillights provides an opportunity for very high data rates with minimal modification to existing hardware on vehicles.
An object of the present invention is to provide an inter vehicle communication system for communicating between vehicles using data sources, data sensors, and vehicle sensors on each vehicle and a central processing unit on each vehicle for processing the data passed between vehicles. The data sensors, preferably optical, will receive data messages from other vehicles with the inter vehicle communication system. The central processing unit will weight this received data according to its time of generation, distance from its source, and other factors. The central processing unit will then process the weighted data along with onboard data sensed from the vehicle by vehicle sensors. The onboard data may include speed, rate of the acceleration/deceleration, steering wheel angle, yaw rate, intended lane change, braking, location, and other vehicle information. The central processing unit will then provide control information to the vehicle. This control information may include specific control commands for vehicle operation, or alerts to the vehicle operator. The central processing unit will also create a data message for transfer to other vehicles. The message will be sent to other vehicles using data sources, again preferably optical.
In operation, the central processing unit on the first vehicle will control the transfer of information to a second vehicle concerning the speed, rate of the acceleration/deceleration, steering wheel angle, yaw rate, intended lane change, braking, location, and other vehicle information about the first vehicle using a source or sources, preferably optical, on the first vehicle. The second vehicle will receive the information via a sensor or sensors, again preferably optical, and the central processing unit on the second vehicle will process the received information, apply weights to the information, alert the vehicle operator or control vehicle operation, and create messages to be sent to other vehicles.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a method for relaying emergency information among multiple vehicles using inter vehicle communication to transfer the information from one vehicle to the next.
A first embodiment of the present invention provides an inter vehicle communication system for communicating between a plurality of vehicles, in which each vehicle contains an apparatus comprising: a central processing unit; data sources coupled to the central processing unit; data sensors coupled to the central processing unit; and vehicle sensors coupled to the central processing unit, in which the central processing unit processes data received from the data sensors and from the vehicle sensors, calculates information weights for the data, generates a transmit message based on the data, and provides the transmit message to the data sources.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method of inter vehicle communication comprising the steps of: sensing vehicle information; creating a transmit vehicle message; transmitting the transmit vehicle message; receiving the transmit vehicle message at a receive vehicle; sensing receive vehicle information; extracting vehicle information from the transmit vehicle message; weighting the vehicle information to create weighted vehicle information; processing the the receive vehicle information and the weighted vehicle information to determine inter vehicle status; and providing control information to a receive vehicle control system based on the inter vehicle status.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method of inter vehicle communication between multiple vehicles comprising the steps of: sensing current transmit vehicle information; creating a message for each transmit vehicle; transmitting the message; receiving the message from each transmit vehicle at a receive vehicle; extracting current transmit vehicle information from the message; creating weighted transmit vehicle information from the received vehicle information; reading receive vehicle information from receive vehicle sensors; and processing the weighted transmit vehicle information and receive vehicle information to determine multiple vehicle status.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides an inter vehicle communication system comprising: one or more light sources on a first vehicle, such that the light sources radiate light in a spectrum visible to the human eye; means for modulating the light radiated from the light sources with data; one or more light sensors on a second vehicle, such that the light sensors detect the modulated light from the first vehicle; and means for demodulating the detected light signal to extract the data. The light sources may include headlights, taillights, side lights, emergency beacons, or other visible light sources. Use of such light sources allows the lights sources to have a dual use. The first and primary use is for visual illumination or warning, while the second use is the provision of a mechanism for inter vehicle communication. The means for modulating the light includes electrical modulators that change the voltage or current applied to the light source based upon the data, liquid crystal light valves that cover the light source and transmit light based upon the data, or liquid crystal light valves that cover reflective elements such that light directed onto the elements with be reflected based upon the data. Lights sensors such as photo detectors can be used, and the means for demodulating the detected signal may comprise demodulator circuits well known in the art.


A thin film capacitor comprising a lower electrode formed on a predetermined surface, a dielectric layer formed on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode formed on the dielectric layer, wherein the end portion of the lower electrode is further covered by an insulator other than the dielectric layer.

A schematic cross sectional view of a conventional thin film capacitor is shown in FIG. 1. After forming a metal film on a formed substrate 1 such as by a sputtering device, a resist is formed through a conventional photolithograph process and a lower electrode 2 is formed such as by dry etching. Thereafter, a dielectric material is formed by sputtering or CVD, then a dielectric layer 3 is formed through photolithography. Further, an upper electrode 4 is formed in the same manner as in the formation of the lower electrode. Through the above processes a conventional thin film capacitor was manufactured. Further, JP-A-9-289611 discloses a thin film capacitor in which, after forming a sidewall face inclined at a gentle angle at the edge portion of a lower electrode as shown in FIG. 2, a dielectric layer 3 and an upper electrode 4 are formed. As the method of forming the sidewall face at the lower electrode edge, a metal thin film is formed on a substrate. A resist is formed on the metal thin film, and then ion beams are irradiated onto the metal thin film at a predetermined angle θ.
In the conventional capacitor as shown in FIG. 1, the film thickness B of the dielectric layer at the step portion of the lower electrode edge portion is thinner than the film thickness A over the lower electrode. As a result, the distance between the upper and lower electrodes is shortened. For this reason, dielectric breakdown voltage is reduced and shorting between the electrodes tends to be caused due to factors such as dielectric layer defects. Further, in the case of a capacitor as shown in FIG. 2, since the inclination is formed only in a predetermined direction, when a plurality of capacitors are formed on a common substrate, the leading direction of lead wires of the upper electrode is limited to a single direction. Therefore, the circuit design is greatly restricted.
JP-A-4-336530 discloses a liquid crystal display in which a dielectric film insulating between the edge face of a lower electrode for a holding capacitor and a transparent pixel electrode is formed thicker than a dielectric film constituting the holding capacitor. However, in the capacitor used for the liquid crystal display, the thickness of the dielectric film is thin, so the above problem never happens.
An object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable thin film capacitor, which prevents shorting between the electrodes and reduction of the dielectric breakdown voltage of the thin film capacitor elements and reduces the defects rate thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a low defects rate as well as highly reliable electronic circuit incorporating such a capacitor.

Thin film capacitor and electronic circuit component