An in-situ thickness monitoring/endpoint detection method and apparatus for chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) of a dielectric layer on a top surface of a semiconductor wafer is disclosed. The apparatus comprises center and guard electrodes and associated electronic circuitry, including a high frequency, low voltage signal generating means, for converting a current which is inversely proportional to the dielectric layer thickness into a corresponding analog voltage. A position detection device triggers an analog-to-digital converter to convert the analog voltage into a digital signal while the wafer is located within a detection region as the wafer is being polished. A control means gathers the digital signals corresponding to the thickness data for processing and CMP device control.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for use determining a planarization endpoint, during a chemical-mechanical polishing process, of a semiconductor wafer.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In VLSI wiring technology, connecting metal lines are formed over a substrate containing device circuitry. These metal lines serve to electrically interconnect the discrete devices. These metal connecting lines are further insulated from the next interconnection level by thin films of insulating material formed by, for example, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of oxide. In order to interconnect metal lines of different interconnection levels, holes are formed in the insulating layers to provide electrical access therebetween.
In such wiring processes, it is desirable that the insulating layers have a smooth surface topography, because rough surfaces cause fabrication problems. More specifically, it is difficult to image and pattern layers applied to rough surfaces, and this difficulty increases as the number of layers increases.
Recently chemical-mechanical (chem-mech) polishing (CMP) has been developed for providing smooth insulator topographies. CMP includes the use of polishing machines and other chemical-mechanical planarization processes. In these processes, it is important to remove a sufficient amount of material to provide a smooth surface, without removing an excessive amount of underlying materials. Thus, a precise etch endpoint detection technique is needed.
Presently, there are various types of lapping machines for reducing the thickness of semiconductor wafers. In general, these lapping machines include top and bottom lapping plates, between which the wafers are positioned. The two lapping plates are then moved relative to each other, and a slurry, consisting of an abrasive solution with or without an etching reagent, is fed between the plates to grind and flush away ground wafer particles. While lapping is typically associated with bulk removal of material from a wafer surface, chemical-mechanical polishing refers to polishing of thin films rather than bare wafers. In chemical-mechanical polishing, the slurry is fed between the lapping or polishing plates to polish and flush away the material removed. A chemical-mechanical polishing machine can include a single rotating polishing plate and a smaller diameter rotating wafer carrier to which a wafer (or wafers) is (are) mounted. The wafer carrier is held above the polishing plate, either in a stationary fixed position or oscillating back and forth in a predetermined path, while both polishing plate and wafer carrier are rotated about their respective center axes. A slurry, consisting of an abrasive suspension with or without an etching reagent, is fed onto the polishing plate during polishing of the wafer.
FIG. 1 shows an example of the formation of an interlevel contact stud 10 (FIG. 1(d)) between a first level metalization 12 and a second level metalization (not shown) in a high performance VLSI circuit 16. An interlevel dielectric 18 is deposited so as to conformally coat a lower level pattern 12 and fill gaps 20 between metallic lines 12. A rough surface 22 results which needs to be planarized prior to the next photoresist image being formed. Planarization is achieved upon polishing back a desired amount using CMP as indicated by the dotted line 24 in FIG. 1(b). The planarization is a consequence of using a polishing pad of an appropriate stiffness which transmits a higher pressure to the more elevated areas, thereby removing them more efficiently. Thin SiO.sub.2 and SiN.sub.x "cap" layers, 23a and 23b, respectively, are then deposited. Following via formation by reactive ion etching, a metalization layer 26 is blanket deposited (FIG. 1(c)). The metalization layer 26 is selectively polished back to produce planar metal studs 10 as shown in FIG. 1(d). A persistent difficulty in this process is the inability to determine when the required thickness 24 or endpoint has been reached during the first dielectric polishing step. One method of determining the required thickness or CMP endpoint is by using estimated CMP rates and time. CMP rates vary considerably with time, however, due to changes in polishing pad characteristics. Frequent stops are required in the fabrication process for ex-situ thickness measurements. This method is extremely time consuming and highly undesirable since operators must inspect each wafer after polish. Process throughput is thereby reduced and product yields are lowered. A more precise CMP endpoint detection method and apparatus is desired. In addition., while an endpoint for the second polishing step (metalization layer polish) can be achieved by inspection and observation of the blanket to patterned layer transition, automated endpoint detection would also be highly desirable.
An in-situ CMP endpoint determination method and apparatus is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,421, issued Jan. 14, 1992 and assigned to AT&T Bell Laboratories. In the '421 patent, the in-situ endpoint determination is based on a measurement of a voltage required to maintain a fixed current flow through a structure under polish. The voltage decreases linearly with the thickness of the dielectric. A disadvantage of the '421 patent endpoint CMP detector is its inability to provide endpoint measurement for polishing table speeds in excess of 20 to 25 rpm's for 5" wafers, such as 60 rpm, which are typical in many polishing applications wherein the maximum rpm is a function of wafer size. Another disadvantage of the '421 device is that it requires relatively high voltage operation (approximately 3 to 5 volts) which is incompatible for use in VLSI fabrication of low voltage (i.e., less than one-half volt) silicon junction devices.
In addition to the above-noted characteristics of CMP, removal uniformity can change during polishing of a wafer as a result of changes in pad and wafer carrier conditions. Detection of abnormal removal uniformity or spurious changes therein is therefore highly desirable, i.e., a method and apparatus for in-situ detection and monitoring of removal uniformity.
Thus, there remains a continuing need in the semiconductor fabrication art for an apparatus and method which accurately and efficiently detects and monitors polishing characteristics of a chemical-mechanical planarization process. A fast response time, low voltage device is highly desired.

In-situ endpoint detection method and apparatus for chemical-mechanical polishing using low amplitude input voltage

International Business Machines Corporation


A paper feed device for feeding continuous stationery (12), provided with lateral perforations, into the transport elements (44) of a transfer station (17) of a non-mechanical printing device, in which paper feed device the transfer station (17) has in the transport direction of the continuous stationery paper transport belts (44) which are motor-driven both on the input and on the output side and engage in the lateral perforation of the continuous stationery (12), and a paper brake (31), which can be actuated when required, is arranged upstream of the input-side transport elements (47) in the transport direction. A switch device (D, C) is provided to feed the continuous stationery accurately after the continuous stationery (12) has been deposited in the output-side paper transport elements (48), which switch device drives the output-side paper transport elements (48) at least for a predeterminable feed time when the paper brake (31) is activated.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a paper feed device for feeding continuous stationery, provided with lateral perforations, into the transport elements of a transfer station of a printing device with latent character image generation;
2. Description of the Related Art
Printing devices with latent character image generation such as are represented, for example, by laser printers, printing devices operating with LED pins or magnetic printers, are generally known and have been used successfully.
In non-mechanical printers, a latent character image is generated, generally with the aid of a laser or with the aid of magnetic recording means, on a photo carrier drum or a magneto-sensitive drum, which latent character image is developed in a developing station by the application of toner and is then transferred in the subsequent transfer station onto a web-shaped recording medium in the form of continuous stationery, or paper, provided with lateral perforations. The image consisting of toner and held loosely on the continuous stationery is fixed with the aid of a fixing device and is then placed by an automatic paper stacker on a paper delivery surface.
Rapid printing devices with latent character image generation of this type are operated together with EDP (Electronic Data Processing) systems and are operated and serviced by the same operating personnel. For this reason, the printing devices must be designed in such a way that a virtually uninterrupted printing operation is guaranteed. For this reason, when a stack of paper has been used up, a new stack of paper must be able to be deposited very rapidly without substantial interruption time. For this reason, printing devices of this type must be of ergonomically optimum design; this preferably applies to the depositing and removal of the paper and to the servicing of the entire plant.
Due to the complicated construction of printing devices of this type and the complicated paper transport path resulting therefrom, in the known non-mechanical printing devices the depositing and removal of the paper are difficult and awkward when the printer starts up and during print interruptions. For this purpose, the transfer station is customarily swiveled away from the intermediate support, e.g. a photo carrier drum, and the paper is deposited in the printing device by hand.
In this case, the paper guidance in the region of the transfer station is particularly problematic, especially in the region of the transfer point. It must thus be ensured that the paper is guided tautly during the printing operation and without clearance around the transfer station. Flapping of the paper in the region of the transfer point leads to disturbances in the transfer operation and consequently to a deterioration of the lettering image, e.g. in the form of smeared print or the like.
Furthermore, the paper transport device must be designed at the transfer station in such a way that a synchronous run of the paper with the photo carrier drum is guaranteed.
For this reason, it is customary in electrophotographic printing devices (such as disclosed in German Patent 2,717,315) to construct the entire transfer station as a uniform component which can be swiveled on and away and to provide paper tractors with paper transport pegs recording medium transport device at the transfer station, which paper transport pegs engage in the lateral perforation of the continuous stationery. In this case, one pair of tractors is arranged both at the input side and at the output side of the transfer station.
Tractors of this type generally comprise a tractor belt with tractor flaps arranged above it which press the paper against the tractor belt. Whereas the paper tractors on the output side are generally easily accessible, operation of the input-side tractor flaps is difficult due to the design.
A further problem consists in the exact depositing of the continuous stationery provided with lateral perforations in the tractor belts, in which case it must be ensured that the continuous stationery is deposited accurately and without clearance on the tractor belts, specifically on the transport pegs. For this purpose, the continuous stationery must be guided tautly around the transfer station, which naturally poses difficulties.

Paper feed device for the transfer station of a printing device with latent character image generation


A reproduction apparatus includes a reproduction unit that reproduces plural moving image data having different frame rates from a recording medium, an output unit that outputs the reproduced moving image data to a display device, a setting unit that sets one of a first and a second reproduction modes, and a control unit that controls the output unit to select some of frames of the reproduced moving image data and output moving image data of the selected frames according to an instruction for high-speed reproduction. In the first reproduction mode, the control unit selects frames at a predetermined frame interval according to reproduction speed for the high-speed reproduction. In the second reproduction mode, the control unit selects frames at a frame interval determined based on the reproduction speed for the high-speed reproduction and a frame rate of the reproduced moving image data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reproduction apparatus, and more particularly to a technology suitably used to perform a search reproduction of a plurality of moving images having different frame rates in succession.
2. Description of the Related Art
Video cameras for capturing and recording a moving image on a recording medium have been known heretofore. Apparatuses that can record moving images with different frame rates (the numbers of frames per unit time) have also been discussed in recent years (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-125210). Moving images captured at different frame rates can be reproduced at a fixed frame rate to provide a slow motion effect and/or a fast motion effect.
For example, if a moving image captured at a frame rate of 120 frames per second (fps) is reproduced at 60 fps, the display interval of frames becomes longer than when captured. Such reproduction provides a slow motion effect of half speed. A moving image captured at 30 fps can be reproduced at 60 fps to provide a double-speed fast motion effect.
A moving image recorded at a high frame rate can be reproduced in real time by displaying the moving image at the same frame rate as when recorded, or by thinning out the frames of the reproduced moving image and displaying the resultant at a low frame rate.
For example, if a moving image captured at a frame rate of 120 fps is reproduced and displayed at a frame rate of 120 fps, the timing of the displayed frames coincides with the display timing during image capturing. If a moving image captured at a frame rate of 120 fps is reproduced and every other frame is thinned out before the resultant is displayed at a frame rate of 60 fps, the timing of the displayed frames coincides with the display timing during image capturing.
As mentioned above, a moving image captured and recorded at a high frame rate can be reproduced at a normal frame rate (60 fps) to provide a slow effect. Fast-forward reproduction of a moving image having a high frame rate, however, results in lower reproduction speed (update period of the displayed screen) than with a moving image having a normal frame rate.
Consequently, there has been a problem of poor usability to a user who wishes to quickly find a desired screen by fast-forward reproduction.


Provided is a method and apparatus for displaying video data without a display delay. In the method, a code indicating an end of stream is appended so that the code is appended behind a last video stream included in a stream to be displayed when only a part of an input stream including one or more video streams is displayed. In addition, the last video stream is displayed which is appended with the code indicating an end of stream.

1. Field of the Invention
Methods and apparatuses consistent with the present invention relate to a video data display, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for displaying video data without a display delay that occurs in a video decoder that cannot detect an end of picture.
2. Description of the Related Art
Video decoders conventionally display a decoded picture by detecting a header of a next picture or by detecting a code indicating an end of stream (e.g., sequence end code (SED)/end of sequence (EOS)) rather than the end of picture. The term of SEC/EOS indicates the end of stream, where the SEC is used in the moving picture experts group (MPEG)-1/2 video data standards, and the EOS is used in the video codec (VC)-1 video data standard or the H.264 video data standard.
The reason why the video decoders operate as described above is that the end of the picture cannot be easily detected from a video elementary stream (ES). In general, video data is continuously displayed in response to a picture start code if one stream that amounts to tens of hours is continuously displayed. However, in some cases, for example, when a menu screen composed of one picture is used, or when a stream having a large video gap is used such as a slideshow application, decoded video data stored in a buffer cannot be displayed.
Accordingly, a display delay occurs when a time for displaying a picture on a screen is significantly different from a presentation time stamp (PTS) value of the picture. In general, the PTS value is allocated to respective pictures which are completed by combining one or more video streams.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional apparatus for displaying an MPEG-2 transport stream (TS).
Referring to FIG. 1, the apparatus includes a de-multiplexer 110, a decoder 120, a decoding buffer selector 130, a video buffer 140, a display buffer selector 150, and a video display 160.
The de-multiplexer 110 receives the MPEG-2 TS. The received MPEG-2 TS is sequentially transmitted to the decoder 120 according to an arrival time stamp (ATS).
The decoder 120 decodes the video data received from the de-multiplexer 110, thereby completing one picture.
The decoding buffer selector 130 selects any one of buffers 141 to 14N included in the video buffer 140 to store the decoded video data. The display buffer selector 150 selects any one of the buffers 141 to 14N storing the video data to be displayed on a screen.
The video display 160 displays on the screen the video data stored in any one of the buffers 141 to 14N selected by the display buffer selector 150.
According to the prior art, when a header of a next picture or an SEC/EOS is detected, the decoder 120 increments by 1 a pointer of the decoding buffer selector 130 and a pointer of the display buffer selector 150 so that the pointer of the display buffer selector 150 indicates a buffer that stores a picture to be displayed next.
For example, if a picture currently being displayed on the screen is in association with video data stored in the first video buffer 141, the pointer of the decoding buffer selector 130 indicates the second video buffer 142, and the pointer of the display buffer selector 150 indicates the first video buffer 141. The decoder 120 decodes the video data and then stores the decoded video data in the second buffer 142 indicated by the pointer of the decoding buffer selector 130.
In this case, when the decoder 120 detects the head of picture or the SEC/EOS, the decoding buffer selector 130 increments its pointer by 1, thereby indicating the third buffer 143. The display buffer selector 150 also increments its pointer by 1, thereby indicating the second video buffer 142. As a result, the video data stored in the second video buffer 142 is displayed. That is, the decoded video data stored in the video buffers 141 to 14N is updated at a moment when these buffers are indicated by the pointer of the display buffer selector 150.
The display buffer selector 150 is sequentially synchronized with the decoding buffer selector 130 so that only a completely decoded picture is displayed on the screen. To this end, the pointer of the display buffer selector 150 has to be different by 1 from the pointer of the decoding buffer selector 130.
Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B, when only a stream 720 included in an input stream 710 is displayed according to the prior art, the decoder 120 decodes a last video stream 722 included in the stream 720 to be displayed and then waits until a header of a next picture or an SEC/EOS is detected. Then, the decoded data, that is, the last video stream 722, is stored in the video buffer 140. Thus, the last video stream 722 is not displayed. That is, a display delay occurs in which certain video data is not displayed or is displayed with a time delay.
In order to implement a Blu-ray disc, which is one of applications of the present invention, a function is required whereby even a single picture can be timely displayed according to the PTS. However, since the conventional video decoder detects the header of the picture or the SEC/EOS rather than the end of picture, a display error occurs when the decoded picture is stored in a buffer and thus is not displayed on the screen for a certain period of time.
FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an MPEC-2 TS when a PTS difference between consecutive pictures is large.
Referring to FIG. 2, the MPEC-2 TS includes a first video stream 210, a second video stream 220, a third video stream 230, a fourth video stream 240, and an SEC/EOS 250. The PTS difference between the first video stream 210 and the second video stream 220 is significantly large. In this case, each stream may be used for a menu screen. That is, the respective streams of FIG. 2 are not continuously displayed but are used one by one as a separate menu screen.
For example, if a PTS value of the stream 210 to be used for a menu screen is 0x8000, an application reads only the stream 210 having a PTS value of 0x8000. In this case, the SEC/EOS 250 is not present behind the stream 210 having a PTS value of 0x8000. Immediately after data is read, the decoder 120 decodes the data and stores the data in the video buffer 140. The data is not displayed on a screen and rather remains in the video buffer 140 until the SEC/EOS 250 or a picture start code of a next picture is detected. Therefore, according to the prior art, a menu screen cannot be displayed when only a video decoder is used without any particular processing.
FIG. 3 illustrates an example of an MPEG-2 TS in which interactive graphic (IG) streams are present between a video stream and an SEC/EOS.
Referring to FIG. 3, the MPEG-2 TS includes a video stream 310, IG streams 320, 330, and 340, and an SEC/EOS 350.
Although the MPEG-2 TS is composed of one picture, the IG streams 320, 330, and 340 each having a significant data size are present between the SEC/EOS 350 and the video stream 310. In this case, as described above, the decoder 120 decodes video data immediately after the video data is received, and then stores the decoded video data in the video buffer 140. However, the stored video data is not displayed until a picture start code of the picture or the SEC/EOS 350 is detected.
Due to the appended IG streams 320, 330, and 340, the decoder 120 may detect the SEC/EOS 350 with a significant time delay. Such time delay may prevent the video data from being displayed according to an AV sync algorithm. Even if the video data is displayed, a display error may occur since a time for displaying the video data on the screen has a large discrepancy with respect to a PTS value of the picture.
As described above, the conventional video decoder detects a header of the picture or an SEC/EOS instead of an end of the picture. Thus, if a menu screen composed of one picture or a stream having a large video gap is displayed, or when only a part of an input stream is displayed, a display delay may occur when decoded video data stored in a buffer cannot be displayed.

Method and apparatus for displaying video data


The present invention relates to a process of bleaching pulp derived from an alkaline pulping process having a hexenuronic acid content prior to the final bleaching stage from about 1 to about 80 mmol/kg dry pulp, said process comprising three chlorine dioxide stages D0, D1, and D2, wherein the chlorine dioxide charges based on the total chlorine dioxide charge in

In the art of bleaching, the target is to provide high and stable brightness levels. However, brightness reversion or yellowing of pulp occurs to varying extent during storage and transportation to the paper mill depending on e.g. temperature, humidity, wood species, cooking conditions and bleaching sequence. It is therefore important to perform the bleaching so that the brightness reversion becomes as low as possible.
In the paper "How to Improve Brightness Stability of ECF bleached Softwood and Hardwood Kraft Pulp", Suess, H. U. et al, 2004, APPITA Conference, Canberra, a standard elemental chlorine free (ECF) bleaching sequence is disclosed. The bleached pulp obtained from this sequence may, however, suffer from considerable brightness reversion. Also The Ljungberg Textbook, Pulp Technology, 2004 generally discloses ECF bleaching in which brightness reversion may suffer from considerable brightness reversion. It would thus be of interest to provide a process further improving the brightness stability. The present invention intends to provide such process, particularly for decreasing the brightness reversion of pulps derived from an alkaline pulping process with a certain content of hexenuronic acid prior to the final bleaching stage.

Abstract: a) D0 is from about 40 to about 60%;

Abstract: b) D1 is from about 30 to about 55%;

Abstract: c) D2 is from about 4 to about 20%, and wherein the final chlorine dioxide stage D2 is performed at a pH from about 2 to about 4.5. The invention also relates to a bleached pulp obtainable by the process.


An optical system includes a lens assembly fixed to a base for projecting an image light onto a surface; a DMD assembly movably disposed at one side of the lens assembly for reflecting the light irradiated from a light source onto the lens assembly; supporting members disposed at the one side of the lens assembly for supporting the DMD assembly; and an adjuster for moving the DMD assembly to adjust a tilt. The adjuster includes a guide member having a screw hole and fixed to the base; an adjusting screw driven into the screw hole for moving the DMD assembly along a lengthwise direction of the guide member; and a push rod having an end connected to the DMD assembly and another end connected to the adjusting screw. The DMD assembly is movable by adjusting the adjusting screw so that a tilt angle can be easily and precisely adjusted.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a projection television and, more particularly, to an optical system for a projection television.
2. Background of the Related Art
A conventional projection television is a device for magnifying and projecting image light generated from an image display means onto a projection surface such as a screen. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional projection television comprises a cabinet 10 with a screen 11 exposed to the outside, a reflection mirror 20 installed inside the cabinet 10, an optical system 30 and a light source 40. The light source 40 generates a light to irradiate on the optical system 30 and the optical system 30 generates an image light to arrive on the reflection mirror 20, whereby the image light is projected to form an image on the screen 11.
Generally, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) is adapted to an image display means for generating an image light for the optical system 30. Since the LCD has disadvantages of manufacturing difficulty and low brightness, the DMD is widely used recently. The DMD is used for a DLP (Digital Light Processing) system, which is an optical switch display element for changing the angle of a micro-mirror between +10 degrees to −10 degrees to switch between two modes of the reflection angles of lights. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing an optical system having a DMD for a conventional projection television.
As shown in FIG. 2, the optical system 30 comprises a DMD panel assembly 31 with a plurality of micro-mirrors, and a projection lens assembly 32, and is disposed at a base frame 12. A light irradiated from the light source 40 (see FIG. 1) is reflected by the micro-mirrors of the DMD panel assembly 31 onto the projection lens assembly 32, and the reflected image light is projected to a projection surface such as the screen 11 (see FIG. 1) to be displayed.
With the above construction of the optical system for the conventional projection television, the DMD panel assembly 31 is adjusted by hand or an additional control device disposed at the projection lens assembly 32 is used in order to adjust the tilt angle of the image light or a position at which an image is projected.
When the DMD panel assembly 31 is fixed by using clamps such as screws after the tilt angle of the DMD panel assembly 31 is adjusted by moving the DMD panel assembly 31 by hand, the problem occurs in that a precise adjustment of the tilt angle is difficult.
On the other hand, when the additional control device is disposed at the projection lens assembly 32, the problem occurs in that the structure of the projection lens assembly 32 becomes more complex.

Optical system for projection television


A method for correcting tone-level non-uniformities in a digital printing system includes printing a test target having a set of uniform test patches. The printed test target is automatically analyzed to determine tone-level errors as a function of cross-track position for each of the test patches. A tone-level correction function is determined and represented using a set of one-dimensional feature vectors which specifies tone-level corrections as a function of cross-track position, pixel value and time. Corrected image data is determined by using the tone-level correction function to determine a tone-level correction value for each image pixel responsive to the input pixel value, cross-track position and time. The corrected image data is printed using the digital printing system to provide a printed image with reduced tone-level errors.

Electrophotography is a useful process for printing images on a receiver (or "imaging substrate"), such as a piece or sheet of paper or another planar medium (e.g., glass, fabric, metal, or other objects) as will be described below. In this process, an electrostatic latent image is formed on a photoreceptor by uniformly charging the photoreceptor and then discharging selected areas of the uniform charge to yield an electrostatic charge pattern corresponding to the desired image (i.e., a "latent image").
After the latent image is formed, charged toner particles are brought into the vicinity of the photoreceptor and are attracted to the latent image to develop the latent image into a toner image. Note that the toner image may not be visible to the naked eye depending on the composition of the toner particles (e.g., clear toner).
After the latent image is developed into a toner image on the photoreceptor, a suitable receiver is brought into juxtaposition with the toner image. A suitable electric field is applied to transfer the toner particles of the toner image to the receiver to form the desired print image on the receiver. The imaging process is typically repeated many times with reusable photoreceptors.
The receiver is then removed from its operative association with the photoreceptor and subjected to heat or pressure to permanently fix (i.e., "fuse") the print image to the receiver. Plural print images (e.g., separation images of different colors) can be overlaid on the receiver before fusing to form a multi-color print image on the receiver.
It has been observed that there can be uniformity artifacts such as image streaks in printed images formed using digital printing systems such as electrophotographic printers. In many cases, the characteristics of these uniformity artifacts have been found to vary as a function of time and image density. There remains a need for improved methods to characterize and correct for such artifacts.

Temporal correction of tone scale errors in a digital printer


The invention relates generally to rotating saw blade alignment devices, and more particularly to such devices which facilitate the proper alignment of radial arm saws by eliminating the need for a gauge or measuring instrument in the alignment procedure, through the use of perpendicular and parallel components which, when attached to the radial arm saw, require a perpendicualr relationship between the saw blade, the saw table, and the rip fence or fence slot.

One of the most popular power saws in use today is the radial arm saw. In the United States there are over 7 million radial arm saws, utilized by both professional carpenters and woodworkers, as well as by amatuer hobbyists.
Proper alignment of the radial arm saw is vital to the satisfactory use of the saw. Proper alignment includes insuring that the rip fence or fence slot is truly perpendicular to the blade travel when the saw is set in the crosscut mode, that the saw blade is perpendicular to the saw table, and that the fore and aft edges of the saw blade form a line parallel to the line of blade travel to avoid the condition known as heeling.
The maintenance of proper alignment is important for the safety of the operator, for the realization of a satisfactory work product, and for the life of the equipment. The operator may be injured if the material being cut is thrown by the saw blade toward the operator, a condition known as kickback. Kickback can be caused by improper alignment which results in the pinching of the saw blade by the material being cut. Further, the operator's hand may be drawn into the saw blade by a kickback. The saw blade is more likely to be pinched if the saw blade is heeling.
For the professional carpenter or woodworker, a precise setting of the saw blade is necessary to his or her livelihood. To the amatuer, proper alignment results in a better product and encourages a sustained interest in the use of the radial arm saw.
A properly aligned radial arm saw reduces the stresses placed upon the saw components, thus extending the life of the equipment. Proper alignment also reduces saw blade wear, lowering the expense of operating the radial arm saw.
The existing methods and devices used for the alignment of radial arm saws involve resort to measuring devices and guages which check the alignment of the saw blade but which do not actually align the saw blade. The resulting alignment procedures are ones of trial and error which are time consuming and not necessarily accurate. Furthermore, these methods are often adversely effected by the tooth set of the blade, and do not readily provide alignment throughout the blade travel.
Radial arm saws are easily knocked out of alignment necessitating frequent realignment. Even normal use of the radial arm saw can cause the saw to become misaligned. Transportation or shipping of the radial arm saw and the use of dull saw blades also can result in misalignment.
There is clearly a need for a radial arm saw alignment device which effects proper alignment of the saw blade without the need for measuring devices and gauges, and which can be efficiently used by both the professional and amatuer carpenter.


An aryloxyaniline derivative represented by the formula: ##STR1##. wherein Ar.sup.1 and Ar.sup.2 are each a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl group, pyridyl group or naphthyl group, R.sup.1 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, etc., X.sup.1 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, etc., y.sup.1 is a branched or unbranched alkylene group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms or a single bond; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof can provide medicines having a high affinity for MDR, and therefore, exhibiting a therapeutic or preventive effect on anxiety, related diseases thereto, depression, etc.

Benzodiazepine (Bz) receptors are recently classified into 2 subtypes of central benzodiazepine receptor (CBR) located on GABA.sub.A receptor/ion channel complex and mitochondrial DBI (diazepam binding inhibitor, Neuropharmacol., 30, 1425-1433 (1991)) receptor (BDR) located on the central nervous system (glial cells) or adrenal glands (Clin. Neuropharmacol., 16, 401-417 (1993)).
MDR agonists act indirectly on GABA.sub.A /ion channel complex via endogenous neurosteroids and cause an anti-anxiety action. Accordingly, they have a possibility to be usable for diseases (obsessive disorders, panic disorders) on which the previous Bzs do not have a satisfactorily therapeutic effect, and to alleviate side-effects such as excessive sedation or psychic dependence caused by the Bzs. Furthermore, MDR ligands act indirectly on GABA.sub.A receptors, and therefore, have a possibility of use as therapeutical agents of sleeping disorders, epilepsy, dyskinesia accompanied by muscle rigidity, feeding disorders, circulation disorders, recognition and learning disability or drug dependence (Progress in Neurobiology, 38, 379-395, 1992, ibid., 49, 73-97, 1996; J. Neurochem., 58, 1589-1601; Neuropharmacol., 30, 1435-1440, 1991). In addition, MDR ligands have a possibility of use as therapeutic agents of cancer (Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, 1241, 453-470, 1995), lipid metabolism abnormality (Eur. J. Pharmacol., 294, 601-607, 1995), schizophrenia (Neuropharmacology, 35, 1075-1079, 1996), cerebral infarction (J. Neurosci., 15, 5263-5274, 1995), AIDS (Abstracts of the fifth international conference on AIDS, p. 458, 1989), Alzheimer's disease (Alzheimer Dis. Assoc. Disotd., 2, 331-336, 1988) or Huntington chorea (Brain Res., 248, 396-401, 1982).
Some phenoxyaniline derivatives are reported in WO9533715, JP 61040249 and JP 57208295. However, they have a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group as the substituent on the nitrogen atom of the aniline, but there are not reported the derivatives having a carbonyl group as the substituent. Furthermore, the use of the derivatives of the above-mentioned patent is anti-inflammatory agents based on the action to arakidonic acid series, anti-arteriosclerosis drugs based on an increase of PGI.sub.2 production, or heat sensitive recording materials, but there is not described affinity for MDR and anti-anxiety based on affinity for MDR.
An object of the present invention is to provide pharmaceutical compounds which are effective on diseases on which the previous Bzs do not have a satisfactorily therapeutic effect, and have a high affinity for MDR, and therefore, have a therapeutic or preventive effect on the central diseases such as anxiety, related diseases thereto, depression, epilepsy, etc. without side-effects such as excessive sedation or psychic dependence caused by the Bzs. Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide therapeutic agents of sleeping disorders, dyskinesia accompanied by muscle rigidity, feeding disorders, circulation disorders, recognition and learning disability, drug dependence, cancer, lipid metabolism abnormality, schizophrenia, cerebral infarction, AIDS, Alzheimer's disease or Huntington chorea.


The present invention discloses an integrated circuit module and method of manufacturing the same. The integrated circuit module includes a chip and a carrier supporting the chip. The carrier defines a front side and a back side, and the chip is disposed on the front side. The carrier includes a first insulating layer defining a first opening at the back side, a second insulating layer defining a second opening and a chip accommodation opening at the front side, and a patterned conductive layer sandwiched in between the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer. The patterned conductive layer is formed with an inner contacting portion exposed through the chip accommodation opening and an outer contacting portion exposed through the first opening and the second opening. The inner contacting portion is connected to the chip through the chip accommodation opening. The outer contacting portion is provided for electronically connecting an electronic device to the patterned conductive layer selectively at the front side through the second opening and at the back side through the first opening.

Conventionally, external connection for the integrated circuit devices is established by the following steps: mounting a chip on a lead frame; electrically connecting I/O pads of the chip to contacts of the lead frame by wire-bonding; and sealing the chip to complete the package process. Because the lead wires may increase the size of chip package, the wire bonding process is gradually replaced by the leadless packaging technique which can avoid the use of wirebonds.
FIG. 1 illustrates an integrated circuit module 100 made by the known leadless packaging technique. As shown in FIG. 1, the integrated circuit module 100 includes a chip 10 and a carrier 12. At first, conductive bumps 11 are formed on the chip 10 and outer circuit contacts 13 are disposed on the carrier 12. Then, the integrated circuit module 100 can be formed by reversing the chip 10, connecting the conductive bumps 11 to the corresponding outer circuit contacts 13, and then applying anisotropic conductive adhesive layers between the chip 10 and the external circuit contacts 13.
However, the integrated circuit module 100 in FIG. 1 has a restricted variety of external connection and unsatisfactory heat dissipation performance due to the simple structure. Therefore, it is desired to have a novel intergraded circuit module and a method of the same to resolve the above-mentioned problems.

Integrated circuit package module and method of the same


A new method to sample a digital input signal is achieved. The method comprises sampling a digital input processed through a first digital buffer. The sampling is at the rising edge of a system clock. The switching threshold of a second digital buffer is updated. The digital input processed through the second digital buffer is sampled. The sampling is at the falling edge of the system clock. The switching threshold of the first digital buffer is updated. A digital sampling circuit is achieved.

(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a digital circuit, and, more particularly, to a data sampling circuit having dynamically adjustable setup/hold times.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Data sampling circuits are widely used in the art of digital circuits. In a data sampling circuit, the state (high or low) of a data signal is captured at a periodic time point coincident with a clocking signal. Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary data sampling circuit 10 is illustrated in schematic form. In the circuit 10 an input signal DATA 14 is processed through two signal paths, DATAPATH1 and DATAPATH2. DATAPATH1 includes two inverter buffers 42 and 46 that generate the internal signal data1 26. DATAPATH2 includes two inverter buffers 54 and 58 that generate the internal signal data2 30. Inverter buffers are used so that the input signal DATA 14 need only drive the capacitive load of the first inverter buffers 42 and 54 and the short line routings from the DATA 14 input to those buffers. Registers REG1 50 and REG2 62 are used to periodically sample data1 26 and data2 30 based on the system clock CLK 66. REG1 50 samples data1 26 at the rising edge of CLK 66 to generate the sampled output DATA_OUT1 34. By contrast, REG2 62 samples data2 30 at the falling edge of CLK 66 to generate the sampled output DATA_OUT2 38.
The timing performance of the sampling circuit 10 is also shown. The data1 signal 26 and the data2 signal 30 follow the DATA input 14. DATA_OUT1 34 and DATA_OUT2 38 follow data1 26 and data2 30, respectively. However, the DATA_OUT1 signal 34 changes on the rising edges of the system clock CLK 66, while the DATA_OUT2 signal 38 changes on the falling edges of the system clock CLK 66. Several key timing specifications 70, 72, 74, and 78 are noted. For the DATA signal 14 to be properly sampled by the sampling registers REG1 50 and REG2 62, the signal state 14 must be constant for a window of time around the sampling edge of the clock CLK 66. This sampling window is commonly defined as the setup and hold window for the signal. That is, the DATA 14 state must be setup a certain time before the sampling edge of CLK 66 and must be held a certain time after the sampling edge of CLK 66 to be certain that the state is sampled correctly. In this case, the data setup time at a rising edge, tsr 70, and the data hold time at a rising edge of the clock, thr 74, are critical parameters for generating DATA_OUT1 from DATA 14 via rising edge sampling. Likewise, the data setup time at a falling edge, tsf 72, and the data hold time at a falling edge of the clock, thf 78, are critical parameters for generating DATA_OUT2 from DATA 14 via falling edge sampling.
In most cases, the DATA signal 14 is not perfectly synchronized with the system clock CLK 66. As a result, the timing locations of edge transitions for DATA 14 can occur at very close to the sampling edges (rising or falling) of CLK 66. As a result, the specified setup and hold times 70, 72, 74, and 78 may be violated and may further result in data mis-sampling. It should be noted that the inverting buffers 42, 46, 54, and 58 create fixed delays between DATA and either DATA1 26 and DATA2 30. Therefore, any assistance in meeting a setup/hold timing that is derived from the inverting buffers 42, 46, 54, and 58, such as holding a signal state longer for a sampling edge, is lost if the relative position of the DATA 14 edges with respect to CLK 66 changes. A method to dynamically adjust the setup and hold timings of the digital sampling circuit is therefore a key objective of the present invention.
Several prior art inventions relate to input buffers and to data paths. U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,150 to Williams teaches an input buffer having a dynamically controlled switching threshold. A register is used to store a programmed state for the input buffer. Switches in the buffer circuit control the switching threshold. These switches are activated or de-activated based on the register state. U.S. Pat. No. 5,506,534 to Guo et al shows a delay circuit with an adjustable delay. MOS transistors, operating as large value resistors, are turned ON or OFF to adjust the delay. U.S. Pat. No. 6,650,190 to Jordon et al shows a ring oscillator circuit having adjustable delay elements. A fine boost control signal is provided to each delay cell to adjust the delay via the gate voltage on MOS load devices. U.S. Pat. No. 4,618,788 to Backes et al teaches an adjustable delay circuit for an integrated circuit device.

Dynamic input setup/hold time improvement architecture


A method determines the position and/or radius of the limbus and/or the position and/or radius of the pupil of a patient eye. In the method, an image of the patient eye is obtained and a plurality of different ring-shaped comparison objects having respective radii and respective centers are provided. The image is correlated with the plurality of comparison objects to yield a local best match between the image and the comparison objects when there is a coincidence of one of the ring-shaped comparison objects and a ring-shaped jump in brightness in the image having the same radius and the same center. The comparison objects having a local best match with the image are determined. Thereafter, the position of the center of the comparison object having a local best match with the image is selected as the position of the center of the limbus and/or the position of the center of the pupil.

In ophthalmologic surgery, it is important for a surgeon to have precise knowledge of the size and position of characteristic components of the patient eye, such as the size and position of the following: the iris, pupil or limbus.
In order to eliminate ametropia, for example, via laser ablation of the cornea (LASIK), a surgeon must know where the penetration point of the vision axis through the cornea of the patient eye lies. The surgeon should know precisely the position of this point also during a surgical procedure.
In cataract surgery, the position of the surgical incisions is important which the surgeon undertakes in the patient eye. Here, the natural lens of the human eye, in which a cataract has developed, is replaced by an artificial lens. For this purpose, the surgeon prepares an opening in the region of the limbus through the sclera or the cornea close to the iris. The patient eye can move during this procedure. Also, blood from injured blood vessels can cover the structures of characteristic components of the patient eye. For a surgeon, it is then difficult to find the correct location for surgical incisions in the patient eye.


A tension spring clamp assembly comprising: a housing (1) in which a tension spring (2) is attached by its bearing arm (3) to a power terminal (4) that protrudes through a clamping window (7) in a frontal section (6) of a spring arm (5) of the tension spring (2), and which is furnished with a conductor insertion aperture (8) below the power terminal (4) that in a clamped position faces an open area of the clamping window (7), and a test tap aperture (10) opposite an actuating aperture (9) allowing insertion of a contact pin (11 ) of a test plug (12) that contacts the power terminal (4). The test tap aperture (10) for insertion of the contact pin (11) is conformed as a hollow cylinder, wherein an extension of a cylinder axis (A) thereof extends along an inner side (13) of the bearing arm (3) that is facing away from the power terminal (4). An insertion aperture (14) for the contact pin (11) is also present in the frontal section (6) of the spring arm (5).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tension spring clamp having a housing in which a tension spring is attached by its bearing arm to a power terminal that protrudes through a clamping window in a frontal section of a spring arm of the tension spring. More particularly, the present invention relates to the housing being furnished with a conductor insertion aperture below the power terminal that in a clamped position faces an open area of the clamping window in the spring arm, above the power terminal, and level with a top centered range of the spring arm that is biased towards the bearing arm, an actuating aperture for inserting a tool for biasing the spring arm down onto the bearing arm, and a test tap aperture between the conductor insertion aperture and the actuating aperture through which a contact pin of a test plug may be inserted to contact the power terminal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In known tension spring clamps the test tap aperture of the housing is located level with a frontal extremity of the power terminal that protrudes through the clamping window in the spring arm, wherein an extremity of the contact pin of the test plug is placed on only one point of the power terminal. Such an arrangement is known as a xe2x80x9ctouch control contactxe2x80x9d, which only ensures a reliable contact if the extremity of the contact pin of the test plug is forced by pressure against the frontal extremity of the power terminal. For this reason, the test plug must be held manually throughout a test tapping operation. If the test plug is released, transition resistances at the contact point may rise, which in turn lead to incorrect measurements.
The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a tension spring clamp with which a reliable contact of the test plug""s contact pin with the power terminal is assured even if the test plug is released.
This object is solved in a tension spring clamp according to the present invention wherein the test tap aperture for insertion of the test plug""s contact pin is conformed as a hollow cylinder, wherein an extension of a cylinder axis thereof runs along an inner side of the bearing arm of the tension spring that is facing away from the power terminal, and further in that besides the clamping window, an insertion window for the test plug""s contact pin is provided in the frontal section of the spring arm of the tension spring, and still further in that the power terminal is provided with a deformation that protrudes into an insertion channel in such a manner that the contact pin that is inserted and retained in the test tap aperture is constrained adjacent thereto along its entire length.
It is important for the purposes of the present invention that when the contact pin of the test plug is inserted, and passes along the deformation of the power terminal, the contact pin is subjected to a small elastic radial excursion, so that the contact pin is brought into sprung contact with the deformation of the power terminal, which ensures reliable contact between the contact pin and the power terminal even if the test plug is released. In the contact position, the test plug""s contact pin projects inside the tension spring of the tension spring clamp, and to accommodate such an additional insertion aperture must be provided in the frontal section of the spring arm of the tension spring. At the same time, however, the test tap is obstructed neither by the electrical conductor located in the conductor insertion area of the tension spring clamp nor by any tool that may be inserted into the actuating aperture of the clamp housing. Finally, the very fact that contact between the power terminal and the contact pin takes place inside the tension spring assures a particularly reliable test tap without a need to hold the test plug by hand throughout the operation.
In order to ensure that the contact tip of the test plug may be reliably inserted as far as the deformation of the power terminal regardless of a respective excursion of the spring arm, the insertion aperture in the frontal section of the spring arm of the tension spring must allow adequate play. To this end, therefore, the insertion aperture advantageously has a form of an elongated hole stretching in a direction of sprung displacement of the frontal section of the spring arm, and the elongated hole ultimately-opens into the clamping window of the spring arm.
It must further be assured that the tension spring clamp is seated securely on the power terminal. To this end, the bearing arm of the tension spring is advantageously furnished with a through-hole, through which the deformation of the power terminal protrudes, and which is form-fit to a shape of the through-hole. In this way, the deformation of the power terminal serves a dual purpose, not only assuring contact of the test plug""s contact pin, but also acting as a mechanical restraint for the tension spring. In an advantageous configuration of the present invention, the deformation in the power terminal consists of a knuckle impressed therein, which is upset so that an area of its free extremity inside the bearing arm clasps an edge of the through-hole. Moreover, a process of upsetting the free frontal face of the knuckle-shaped deformation of the power terminal may be advantageously used to impress a groove-shaped profile therein, particularly a V-groove, in an area of which the test plug""s contact pin makes contact as the length of the contact pin is adjacent to the sides of this profile.
In the following, the invention will be explained in greater detail with reference to the drawing and an exemplary embodiment thereof.


When multiple backup database instances most recently experienced an update is determined. If a most recently updated backup database instance was updated within a defined time period of one or more other backup database instances, a source instance for cloning is selected as the backup database instance that satisfies at least one of a physical or logical proximity criteria relative to a designated database instance. If a difference in update times is greater than the defined time period, e.g., for the two most recent backup database instances, the source instance for cloning is selected to be the most recently updated backup database instance. Cloning to a target instance is performed using the selected backup database instance as a source instance as long as preparatory operations all pass. If not, the source databases are used for the cloning while still being accessible to clients.

Modern computing systems often include large systems including multiple servers or processors communicating over local-area or wide-area networks serving multiple clients. These systems can store very large amounts of data and process many transactions in a given time period. Maintaining optimal system performance and the collection and analysis of transactional and dimensional data can be difficult or suboptimal in current systems.

Distributed computing system with resource managed database cloning


The invention relates to film-like forms of administration for the transmucosal delivery of antidiabetic peptides via the oral mucosa and to processes for the production thereof. Antidiabetic peptides refers to peptides which are an active compound for the treatment of diabetes mellitus, and includes insulins, insulin analogs, incretins and incretin mimetics.

Diabetes (diabetes mellitus) is a metabolic disease characterized by chronically elevated blood sugar values. Diabetes is caused by a deficiency of the hormone insulin (type 1 diabetes) or by reduced sensitivity of the cells to the action of insulin (type 2 diabetes).
Insulin is important for controlling the sugar concentration of the blood (blood glucose level) and is the only hormone in the body that can reduce the glucose level. In diabetes patients, chronically elevated blood sugar causes severe damage to the retina (diabetic retinopathy), sensory impairment of the nerves (neuropathy), and ketoacidosis (excess acidity due to deficient glucose utilization). However, an excessively low blood glucose level (hypoglycemia) can also cause unconsciousness (diabetic shock). For the patient's health, therefore, it is extremely important to maintain a balanced blood glucose level. Insulin can be administered for this purpose.
Because orally-administered insulin is rapidly degraded by proteolytic enzymes in the digestive tract, insulin, as well as insulin analogs and other antidiabetic peptides, is/or ordinarily administered to patients with diabetes mellitus by injection. However, this administration route is perceived by many patients as causing severe impairment of their quality of life, not least because of discomfort and/or anxiety concerning the pain accompanying injection or awkwardness due to the skin exposure required for injection.
Despite the obstacles posed by problems connected with oral administration of insulin, efforts have been made to develop oral insulin dosage forms. The review article by L. Heinemann and Y. Jaques (Heinemann, L. and Jaques, Y. (2009) Oral Insulin and Buccal Insulin: A Critical Reappraisal. Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology 3, pp. 568-584) provides an overview of these efforts.
In general, film-like dosage forms, by means of which insulin can be administered via the oral mucosa, are also suitable for oral delivery of the hormone. For example, WO 2012/104834 A1 discloses film-like dosage forms adhering to the mucosa that comprise a first polymer composition containing water-soluble polymers that allow the active compound to be dissolved and released within 20 minutes or less, a second polymer composition comprising hydrophilic bioadhesive polymers that allow continuous release of the active compound over a period of approximately 1 hour to approximately 20 hours, and insulin or an insulin analog as an active compound, wherein the dosage form is not thicker than 0.5 mm. Film-like dosage forms specifically described in this document were capable, at least in in vitro studies with a buccal cell model, of releasing insulin. In vivo studies, however, have not been published.
The published patent application WO 2009/048945 A1 discloses film-like preparations for the systemic delivery of insulin that can adhere to a mucous membrane. Depending on their excipients, the films are designed to dissolve or release the insulin within a period of less than 30 seconds to half an hour. The preparations contain human insulin, a zinc chelator, and a disintegrant. In the case of film-like preparations that are multilayer films, the insulin on the one hand and the zinc chelator and/or the disintegrant on the other are in separate layers, so that the active compound is stored separately from the above-mentioned excipients in order to improve the shelf life of the active compound.
The international patent application published under no. WO 98/17251 A1 relates to film-like carriers for the delivery of pharmaceutically active compounds to the surfaces of mucous membranes. These preparations are designed to be suitable for delivery of multiple active compounds, including insulin.

Film-like form of administration for the transmucosal delivery of antidiabetic peptides


In server virtualization, the resources of an integrated circuit are partitioned into smaller portions, and each of these smaller portions is then operated independently. Software is used to represent the smaller portions as virtual environments. For the purpose of server virtualization, an integrated circuit may include several different circuit designs, each implemented in a secure partition in the integrated circuit. The operation of the circuit design implementations in the integrated circuit may require that each circuit design implementation can be verified as un-altered and from the respective user or owner and as having been approved by the integrated circuit owner and/or the circuit design implementation owner. The operation of the circuit design implementations in the integrated circuit may require that each circuit design implementation can be operated securely and independently of the other circuit design implementations in the integrated circuit.

Every transition from one technology node to the next technology node has led to smaller transistor geometries, which have allowed potentially more functionality implemented per unit of integrated circuit area. In recent years, server virtualization has emerged as a new technique to capitalize on the increased density provided by integrated circuits.
In server virtualization, the resources of an integrated circuit are partitioned into smaller portions, and each of these smaller portions is then used as part of a virtual server. The resources of the integrated circuit are hidden or masked from users, and software is used to represent the smaller portions as virtual environments. Each part of the virtual server can potentially implement a different circuit design from a different owner, and all parts of the virtual server can operate those circuit designs at the same time and independent of each other.
Nowadays, configurable integrated circuits such as programmable integrated circuits have evolved to include resources that enable the virtualization of resources.

Circuit design implementations in secure partitions of an integrated circuit


The present invention discloses a trans-seasonal cold-storage heat-storage system, comprising an ice-source heat pump, an ice-making machine set, a trans-seasonal energy-storage tank, an exergonic heat exchanger, an air conditioning pump and a cooling heat-storage pump, wherein the condenser in the ice-source heat pump communicates sequentially with the cooling heat-storage pump and the cooling tower via a circulation pipeline, the condenser in the ice-source heat pump further communicates sequentially with the cooling heat-storage pump and the trans-seasonal energy-storage tank via a circulation pipeline, the condenser in the ice-source heat pump further communicates sequentially with the air conditioning pump and the air conditioning cold and heat terminal via a circulation pipeline, to form a circulation loop for supplying heat to the air conditioning cold and heat terminal in winter.

Currently, trans-seasonal energy storage is a hot topical at home and abroad, and has a huge potential in energy conservation. However, according to the current research findings and practical applications, the fundamental principle substantially is storing heat by using the solar energy of spring, summer and autumn, to be used in winter, and there is no breakthrough in the principle. Regarding mid-latitude regions such as China, the United States and Europe, the summer is blazing hot and the winter is chill, so both of air conditioner and heat supplying are required. The conventional trans-seasonal heat storage technique can merely satisfy the requirement on heat supplying in winter, and is suitable for high-latitude and highly cold regions.
Along with the growth in the living standard of people, the areas in China that need heat supplying increasingly expand, and currently constructions in the area to the south of the Qinling Mountains and the Huai River also need heat supplying at a large scale. In the northern area, pollution and haze in winter are becoming increasingly serious, and all of the provinces or cities have proposed programs of abandoning coal and employing electricity or abandoning coal and employing natural gas. However, those reconstruction programs usually require a large amount of supporting subsidy from the government to perform.
The prior art cannot conduct trans-seasonal storage to the heat discharged during cold production in summer and the cold discharged during heat production in winter, which causes energy consumption, and has a high operating cost. Therefore, a trans-seasonal cold-storage heat-storage system is urgently needed to solve the above problems.

Trans-seasonal cold-storage heat-storage system


A magnetic coupled actuator includes a lens which is movable in an optical axis direction AX, a lens frame which is coupled with the lens, a lens barrel which seals and accommodates the movable lens and the lens frame to be airtight, a permanent magnet which is disposed at an outer side of the lens barrel, facing the lens frame, and is disposed to be movable in the optical axis AX direction, and a wire of which, one end is coupled with the permanent magnet, and which moves the permanent magnet in the optical axis AX direction. At least one of the lens frame and the permanent magnet is a magnetic field generating means.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an actuator, and particularly, to an actuator which is driven by using magnetism.
2. Description of the Related Art
An optical system having a focusing and a zooming function, has hitherto required a mechanism for moving a lens in a lens barrel in an optical axis direction. As a mechanism for moving the lens, for example, a mechanism which moves the lens by controlling passing of electricity to an actuator which has been installed in an endoscope has been proposed, As an example of such mechanism, an image pickup apparatus for an endoscope shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2004-129950 has been proposed.
FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a structure according to a conventional technology. Inside an image pickup element frame 20, shape memory alloys 27 and 28 as driving means (actuators) of which, an entire length is extended due to heating by passing electricity are provided. An interior of a shell 19, and an image pickup optical frame 18, and the image pickup element frame 20 are connected by the shape memory alloys 27 and 28.
Based on a pressing operation of an operating section 29, a contact point 30 is put ON/OFF and electricity is passed and stopped. Accordingly, it is possible to adjust a supply of an electric current for heating, to the shape memory alloys 27 and 28. As a result of this, it is possible to change relative positions of the image pickup optical frame 18 and the image pickup element frame 20.
However, an amount of displacement of the actuator is restricted according to a length of the shape memory alloy. Therefore, an amount of displacement of the actuator which is disposed at an interior of a hard portion of an endoscope becomes small. Consequently, it is not possible to make substantial an amount of lens movement. Accordingly, a degree of freedom of optical designing becomes low.
Moreover, in the endoscope, airtightness of a structure including a structure of a surrounding of an image pickup apparatus and a surrounding of the actuator has been sought from a point of view of cleaning etc. It is desirable that the airtightness is as high as possible.


A package of cutting tape for use in cutting a swiftly moving web of paper being spooled into a roll, and transferring the cut web to a new roll. The package includes a plurality of thin discs of wound cutting tape with each disc having one width of tape wrapped upon itself to form a large diameter disc of tape. The discs are separated from each other by spacers. The package is enclosed by a container having an opening to permit unrolling of the tape without imparting any twist thereto.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for cutting and spooling a travelling web of paper; and more particularly, it relates to the packaging of a cutting tape which is used to cut the web of paper when a roll has been filled and is transferring the travelling web to an empty spool.
2. Description of Related Art
It is a general practice in the paper industry to produce a continuous sheet or web of paper which is wound onto large spools. The web is cut when one spool is full and the web is then wound onto an empty spool. Because the process is continuous, the cutting process needs to be quick and reliable.
The cutting of the web is usually accomplished by the use of a cutting paperband or tape made up of several strands of repulpable paper. The strands are laid together side-by-side in a lengthwise parallel abutting relationship and adhered to each other by a water soluble adhesive to create a tape 1 strand thick and perhaps 10-20 strands wide. One method of creating a cutting tape is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,126,312. Applicant discloses one use of a tape cutting device and method in U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,029.
The cutting tape supplied to the industry is wound on a spool in a spiral approximately 6" wide.times.16" diameter. The principal problem with this method of winding is that the paperband will retain a curvature introduced by the spiral winding over the core. After winding the tape will have right and left-hand curvature. This curvature can cause twisting of the tape and the doubling over itself in the nip during turnup. The tape closest to the core will have the greatest curvature. The curvature of the tape also makes it difficult to feed the tape through the guideways often used for the cutting and turn up operation. It is therefore desirable that the curvature be eliminated and to do so in a way that further improves the cutting operation.


A compartment for powder coating workpieces conveyed through an aperture for the workpieces formed in an end wall and coated by means of automatic coating equipment inside the compartment in which there is negative pressure comprises at least one manual coating station located beyond and adjacent the aperture, as seen in conveying direction of the workpieces for manually coating workpieces outside of the compartment. In this manner, on the one hand, openings in the sidewalls of the compartment for manual coating of the workpieces from the side of the compartment can be dispensed with and, on the other hand, practically unlimited free space is offered during manual coating.

The invention relates to a compartment for powder coating workpieces.
Such compartments have been known and used for a long time. The interior of the compartments is limited by sidewalls, end walls at both ends, a compartment floor, and a compartment roof which is divided by a longitudinal gap. Usually the workpieces are moved through this longitudinal gap by means of a conveyor. To permit such conveyance, the compartment has an aperture for workpieces at least in its upstream end wall. Often a manual coating station is provided next to the compartment at the side thereof and adjacent the upstream end wall. There is an opening in the sidewall of the compartment that belongs to this manual coating station. Through the opening an operator can prime areas of the workpiece which are difficult to coat or need a prime coat by manipulating a hand spray gun inside the compartment and upstream of the automatic coating, in conveying direction of the workpieces. If desired or required, a second manual coating station is provided, likewise laterally of the compartment, downstream of the automatic coating of the workpieces, in conveying direction of the workpieces. Any insufficiently coated and/or complicated areas of the workpieces thus may be recoated manually, as needed, inside the compartment by a person acting from this other manual coating station.
The free space is limited when manipulating the hand spray guns since the manual coating must be accomplished in the interior of the compartment through openings in the compartment.
During the coating operation powder particles may escape to the outside through the rather great openings at the manual coating stations, causing harm to the environment and loss of powder. This disadvantageous effect might be compensated by reinforcing the vacuum which prevails inside the compartment. That would bring about a corresponding increase of the suction effect and alter the flow conditions inside the compartment to such a degree that the coating quality would suffer.
Moreover, lighting conditions inside the compartment are not sufficient to allow accurate manual working. For this reason lamps are provided in the known compartment at the location of the manual coating stations to illuminate the workpieces at the locations of the respective manual coating stations, more specifically in the sidewall next to the openings provided for the manual coating stations so that the workpieces are illuminated from the front. In operation these lamps become contaminated very fast by deposits of excess powder.
It is an object of the invention to design a compartment of the kind defined initially such that the escape of powder particles into the environment of the compartment is reduced while unobstructed, high-quality manual coating still can be achieved economically, i.e. especially, without increasing the suction effect.
Other than in the prior art, the workpieces are pre- and/or re-coated outside of the compartment at a manual coating station which, according to the invention, is located upstream or downstream of the compartment in conveying direction. Thus the person doing the manual coating inherently is offered practically unlimited free space for careful manual coating, as would not be available even with very large lateral openings for manual coating in the state of the art. This is possible without any extra expenditure while, at the same time, achieving superior manual coating quality.
Daylight or the workshop lighting which is installed anyway may be sufficient to illuminate the portions to be coated. In addition, lamps may be mounted at the outside of the compartment for illumination of the coating places. In this manner the unavoidable illumination in the interior of the compartment may be realized in the form of lighting fixtures in the ceiling, in other words at a location which is not sensitive to contamination.
The preferred arrangement of the respective manual coating station near the aperture which always is kept open during operation makes sure that practically none of the powder sprayed when manually coating workpieces gets lost to the environment. The negative pressure inside the compartment has the effect of any excess powder which does not reach the workpiece being sucked through the aperture into the compartment.
Further advantageous modifications of the invention are protected by the other subclaims.

Compartment for powder coating of workpieces


A tissue retractor device for retracting tissue includes a base and a plurality of blades connected to and distributed around said base. Each of the blades is outwardly movable from the base and includes a respective sloped portion on an interior region of the blades. The tissue retractor includes a pusher engaged to the base. A portion of said pusher abuts the sloped portion of each of the blades. Movement of the pusher in a longitudinal direction engages a portion of the pusher against said sloped portion of each of the blades to move the blades and angularly displace the blades between a respective closed position and an open position.

The present invention relates to a device and method for expanding an enclosure such as tissue to expose the operative field in a patient. Entering an operative field such as in connection with specialized back surgery on or in-between vertebrae of the spine and on spinal discs involves various meticulous surgical procedures which can be challenging even for experienced surgeons who specialize in this particular surgery. Minimally invasive techniques are preferred over traditional open surgical procedures which require extensive operating time and post-operative recovery time.
When employing such minimally invasive surgical techniques, one of the challenging requirements relates to safe retraction of patient tissue in the target area or operative field to provide sufficient space for implementation of these techniques. For example, nerve roots are plentiful in this operative field and extreme care must be exercised by the surgeon to avoid accidentally damaging or even severing any of these roots when retracting tissue in this operative field. An example of a tissue retractor which does not include improvements, advancements and advantages of the present invention is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 7,374,534 issued on May 20, 2008 to Dalton, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The present invention provides an improved retractor device which improves chances of avoiding undesired results and thereby greatly improves chances of achieving a successful patient outcome. Furthermore, the present invention provides greater control, precision, ease of use and may have utility in surgical procedures performed in operative fields other than those discussed herein. Other advantages and features will become apparent from the description of the invention.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The present invention relates to therapeutically active xanthine derivative compounds of Formula (I):

Dyslipidaemia is a general term used to describe individuals with aberrant lipoprotein profiles. Clinically, the main classes of compounds used for the treatment of patients with dyslipidaemia, and therefore at risk of cardiovascular disease are the statins, fibrates, bile-acid binding resins and nicotinic acid. Nicotinic acid (Niacin, a B vitamin) has been used clinically for over 40 years in patients with various forms of dyslipidaemia. The primary mode of action of nicotinic acid is via inhibition of hormone-sensitive triglyceride lipase (HSL), which results in a lowering of plasma non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) which in turn alters hepatic fat metabolism to reduce the output of LDL and VLDL (low and very low density lipoprotein). Reduced VLDL levels are thought to lower cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) activity to result in increased HDL (high density lipoprotein) levels which may be the cause of the observed cardiovascular benefits. Thus, nicotinic acid produces a very desirable alteration in lipoprotein profiles; reducing levels of VLDL and LDL whilst increasing HDL. Nicotinic acid has also been demonstrated to have disease modifying benefits, reducing the progression and increasing the regression of atherosclerotic lesions and reducing the number of cardiovascular events in several trials.
The observed inhibition of HSL by nicotinic acid treatment is mediated by a decrease in cellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) caused by the G-protein-mediated inhibition of adenylyl cyclase. Recently, the G-protein coupled receptors HM74 and HM74A have been identified as receptors for nicotinic acid (PCT patent application WO02/84298; Wise et. al. J Biol Chem., 2003, 278 (11), 9869-9874). The DNA sequence of human HM74A may be found in Genbank; accession number AY148884. Two further papers support this discovery, (Tunaru et. al. Nature Medicine, 2003, 9(3), 352-255 and Soga et. al. Biochem Biophys Res Commun., 2003, 303 (1) 364-369), however the nomenclature differs slightly. In the Tunaru paper what they term human HM74 is in fact HM74A and in the Soga paper HM74b is identical to HM74A. Cells transfected to express HM74A and/or HM74 gain the ability to elicit Gi G-protein mediated responses following exposure to nicotinic acid. In mice lacking the homologue of HM74A (m-PUMA-G) nicotinic acid fails to reduce plasma NEFA levels.
Certain xanthine derivatives have been synthesised and disclosed in the prior art. For example, EP0389282 discloses xanthine derivatives as potential mediators of cerebrovascular disorders. A range of xanthine derivatives were identified as adenosine receptor antagonists by Jacobson et. al. in J. Med. Chem., 1993, 36, 2639-2644.
We now present a group of xanthine derivatives which are selective agonists of the nicotinic acid receptor HM74A and are thus of benefit in the treatment, prophylaxis and suppression of diseases where under-activation of this receptor either contributes to the disease or where activation of the receptor will be beneficial.

HM74 receptor agonists:xanthine derivatives, corresponding pharmaceutical compositions, treatment methods and processes

Abstract: corresponding processes for manufacture of said derivatives, pharmaceutical formulations containing and uses of such compounds in therapy, particularly in treatment of diseases where under-activation of the HM74A receptor contributes to the disease or where activation of the receptor will be beneficial.


A hardware and software method, system and apparatus comprising an autonomous all weather outdoor cleaning robot designed to identify, and clean various outdoor household objects including but not limited to personal automobiles and other vehicles. The robot autonomously navigates to a designated area and scans the vehicle or object to determine the optimum cleaning routine. The robot learns its working environment by comparing scanned vehicles and outdoor objects with its existing database for future reference. The robot also compares and stores navigation data, which correlate to areas previously visited to increase efficiency for future work by reducing travel and scanning times. The Present Invention focuses on autonomous outdoor cleaning multi-purpose robots. The robots utilize microprocessors to control cleaning, navigation and perception. More specifically, the robots use multi-segmented arms to perform needful chores. Even more specifically, a robot can adapt and learn from its environment while performing useful tasks.

Robots have been performing useful chores in industry for many decades. More recently, home robots for cleaning, for children, and for entertainment have become more affordable to the average consumer. Small cleaning robots for inside the home have been around for over a decade and are more affordable now than ever before. These small robots usually perform cleaning and vacuuming for rugs and their travel is usually limited to a relatively small area in rooms, and they do not interact with their surroundings. Many military and some scientific robots exist that are semi- or fully autonomous and can learn or navigate through their environment, whether outdoors, indoors, in the air, in space or underwater. These robots are very costly and exceedingly rare. The public cannot afford to purchase them, even more so for the average homeowner. In, addition, military robots employ costly and complex user interfaces.
There is a need in our society to keep personal motor vehicles clean. Cleaning personal home vehicles requires time, effort, inconvenience, and considerable expense when using commercially available sources. Currently, a vehicle can be washed by hand or in a local car wash. Today, the only commercial cleaning systems are large mechanical types installed either outside or within large structures, or as part of freestanding or do-it-yourself car washes. Ownership of these machines is beyond the reach of the average homeowner. Utilizing commercially available car washes is inconvenient because of the time, vehicle wear, and fuel used driving to and from the washing facility. In addition, people risk exposure to hazards, such as missing personal belongings, accidents occurring on the way to the facility, and unforeseen damage to the vehicle. Other than hand-washing one's own vehicle, routinely keeping a personal home vehicle clean has been impractical for the average motorist or homeowner. Therefor a there is an unfulfilled need within the realm of cleaning personal vehicles. Due to the availability of robotics, affordable microprocessors, and computer technology, it is now feasible to design and build a robotic vehicle washing system that is simple, compact and economical enough for private residential use. There is a need for an outdoor personal vehicle-cleaning robot that makes time-consuming and tedious car washing less of an issue.

Outdoor home cleaning robot—system and method


A received RF signal is down-converted to a baseband or low-IF digitized signal in order to search for a pilot signal that indicates a presence of a DTV signal such as an ATSC DTV signal. The pilot signal characteristically resides in a fixed frequency range for all valid DTV signals and is extracted by processing the baseband or low-IF signal in multiple stages. The first stage reduces signal information to that pertaining to the frequency band covering all valid pilot frequencies, thereby reducing the sampling rate and computational complexity of subsequent operations. A second stage operates on this reduced rate signal to focus on a series of particular pilot frequencies for interrogation. For each such candidate frequency, the cyclostationarity of the signal is measured and tested for statistical significance relative to the background energy to yield an effective test that is invariant with respect to background noise level.

The premise of a cognitive radio (CR) is to increase the utilization of airwave spectra for radio frequency (RF) communications by using locally unoccupied channels or frequency bands for unlicensed wireless communications. The specific details governing operation of CR have been defined by standards bodies such as the IEEE 802.22 group and CogNeA alliance.
Central to the operation of CR communications devices is the detection of an incumbent Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) digital television (DTV) signal that may reside in the same frequency range as CR devices depending on geographic locale. Indeed, prior to using any frequency band, it is crucial that a CR device verify that the frequency band is not occupied by an ATSC DTV signal. Otherwise, the CR device's communications signal could interfere with the DTV signal and thereby prevent television reception in sets in close proximity to the CR device. Thus, it is necessary that the CR device be able to sense or detect DTV signals at power levels that could be otherwise received in the absence of a CR device as defined by standards and government regulations. This establishes the a key requirement of DTV sensing methods and systems—that they be able to sense weak DTV signals, such as signals as low as 10 dB below the thermal noise floor, i.e. −116 dBm, as defined by the IEEE 802.22-05/0007r47 functional requirements document.
In addition to requiring a CR to sense a channel or frequency band prior to communications use, a CR device must periodically sense the frequency band during use to account for a possible change in environment. Such a change is intended to account for the possibility of an erroneous "missed detection" of a DTV signal due to channel fading on the initial detection operation. The periodic sensing would also account for the movement of a CR device from a location absent of a DTV signal to a location with a DTV signal.
The periodic sensing aspect imposes another key requirement of DTV detection methods and systems—that they perform their sensing operation in as short a time as possible. Rapidity is essential because sensing cannot occur simultaneously with communications since the CR communications signal would otherwise drown out or mask the DTV signal. Consequently, the fraction of time spent performing DTV signal detection directly takes away from time that could be used for communications and therefore degrades throughput efficiency.
Yet another requirement of DTV sensing methods and systems is that they be flexible to the amount of ambient background noise radiation. In practice, the amount of background noise can be affected by many factors and in particular by nearby electronics and communications devices. Viable DTV sensing techniques need to be able to maintain a pre-specified false alarm rate (FAR) or equivalently probability of false alarm (PFA), e.g. PFA=10% according to the IEEE 802.22 group, regardless of the background noise level. Techniques that are not invariant to the background noise level can easily exceed this false alarm rate as large noise spurs trigger incorrect DTV detection classifications.
A fourth key aspect of a commercially viable DTV sensing solution is that it be of reasonable cost and hence complexity. Like all consumer electronics, cost is a key factor in success and a sensing solution which satisfies the first three technical key requirements is moot if it is not commercially viable.
A variety of methods have been proposed in the prior art for the task of DTV signal detection, but these methods are inadequate as they do not satisfy one of the key requirements mentioned above. For example, as described by Zeng and Liang in "Covariance based sensing algorithms for detection of DTV and wireless microphone signals," IEEE document 802.22-06/0187-01-0000, Nov. 10, 2006, and "Maximum-Minimum Eigenvalue Detection for Cognitive Radio," IEEE Symp. PIMRC, 2007, spectral energy-based detection methods can be effective for quickly detecting DTV signals, but these methods have to make prior assumptions on the background noise level, and when the noise level estimate is even slightly erroneous, detection performance decreases dramatically. Thus, Zeng and Liang propose covariance matrix based methods, but these methods can become quite computationally intensive as (i) the computation of a covariance matrix is an intensive task and (ii) eigenvalue based techniques involve matrix inversions which are extremely computationally intensive tasks.
Another category of signal detection techniques exploit the signal property of cyclostationarity developed by Gardner and summarized in "Exploitation of Spectral Redundancy in Cyclostationary Signals," IEEE SP Magazine, April 1991, pp. 14-36; "Spectral Correlation of Modulated Signals: Part I—Analog Modulation," IEEE Trans. On Comms., vol. 35, no. 6, June 1987, pp. 584-594; and W. Gardner, et al., "Spectral Correlation of Modulated Signals: Part II—Digital Modulation," IEEE Trans. On Comms., vol. 35, no. 6, June 1987, pp. 595-601. In those works, Gardner proposes the use of cyclic autocorrelation or spectral correlation density (SCD) as the detection test statistic to exploit higher-order signal structure. However, as noted by Enserink and Cochran in "A Cyclostationary Feature Detector," IEEE Asilomar Conf Proc., October 1994, pp. 806-810, Gardner's use of cyclic autocorrelation or SCD yields test statistics in which the false alarm rates are not invariant to the level of background noise, thus violating at least the third key aspect of DTV sensing for CR applications. To remedy this shortcoming, Enserink and Cochran propose a system that estimates the spectral auto-coherence function (SACF) evaluated at spectral frequency fc−ν and cyclic frequency α/2. In other words, it computes the cyclic-correlation between frequencies fc−ν+α/2 and fc−ν/2. A major drawback to the approach proposed by Enserink and Cochran is however that system precludes making full use of the entire sensing time interval to maximize frequency resolution, i.e. coherent averaging.
Thus, there is a need in the industry for systems, methods, and apparatuses for detecting DTV communications signals that remedy one or more of the above-described deficiencies or yet other deficiencies.

Systems, methods, and apparatuses for detecting digital television (DTV) communications signals


A manifold for a multicylinder internal combustion engine which includes a plurality of outlets (1) comprises upper, lower and central shells (15, 5, 51) that are connected with one another and define inlet channels and outlet spaces (63, 65). A baffle plate (35) is attached to different shells (5, 15) by means of a fixed/movable bearing and can expand thermally without transferring thermal stresses to the shells (5, 15).

The present invention relates to a manifold composed of a plurality of shells, for a multicylinder internal combustion engine.
In particular, the invention relates to a so-called three-shell manifold, in which a lower, an upper and a central shell are connected with one another on the edges, so that a plurality of inlet channels and a plurality of associated outlet spaces are provided. Each outlet on the engine block side opens into a separate, associated inlet channel of the manifold, which in turn continues into an outlet space. Generally, several inlet channels continue into a shared outlet space, in which the hot exhaust gases spread, expand and are cooled to some degree. The manifolds are exposed to extreme thermal stresses. These stresses are extreme in particular in the areas of the connecting weld seams between the shells and the wall sections which are impinged by the exhaust gas stream directly from the engine. Also, especially in a cold start, different sections of the manifold expand with varying degrees of rapidity and intensity, so that high tensions develop here in the areas of the weld seams.

Manifold for a multicylinder internal combustion engine

Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies USA LLC


Provided is a display device including first and second gate interconnections; a first pixel circuit disposed at one side of the first gate interconnection, the first pixel circuit including a first transistor, a gate electrode of the first transistor electrically connected to the first gate interconnection, a source electrode of the first transistor formed in a source layer, the source electrode including a first source electrode facing portion overlapping with the gate electrode; and a second pixel circuit disposed at the other side of the second gate interconnection, the second pixel circuit including a second transistor, a gate electrode of the second transistor electrically connected to the second gate interconnection, a source electrode of the second transistor formed in the source layer, the source electrode including a second source electrode facing portion overlapping with the gate electrode and stretched along the first source electrode facing portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device. Particularly, the invention relates to a display device that improves a display quality by suppressing a variation in parasitic capacitance of a transistor provided in each of plural pixel circuits.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a display device having plural pixel circuits arranged on a display panel, a gate electrode of a transistor as a switching element provided in each pixel circuit is connected to a scanning signal line, and an input side of the transistor is connected to a data signal line. A high voltage is selectively applied to the gate electrode of the transistor via the scanning signal line. A display control voltage in accordance with display data of the pixel circuit is supplied to the pixel circuit from the data signal line during a time when the high voltage is applied to the gate electrode of the transistor, so that an image display on the display panel is controlled.
In general, the plural pixel circuits are arranged in a matrix pattern on a display area of the display panel, one scanning signal line is disposed to be stretched in the transverse direction along with the plural pixel circuits arranged in one row in the transverse direction, and one data signal line is disposed to be stretched in the longitudinal direction along with the plural pixel circuits arranged in one column in the longitudinal direction. However, for example, various structures may be supposed on the ground that a space of a frame area of the display panel is restricted.
For example, when an upper or lower space in the longitudinal direction is restricted in the frame area of the display panel, two scanning signal lines are respectively disposed to be stretched in the transverse direction along with the upper and lower sides of the plural pixel circuits arranged in one row in the transverse direction, and the two scanning signal lines are respectively and alternately connected to the plural pixel circuits arranged in the one row. Then, one data signal line is disposed to be stretched in the longitudinal direction for every two pixel circuits in the plural pixel circuits arranged in the one row, and is connected to two pixel circuits located on both sides of the data signal line.
In this case, the number of the scanning signal lines is twice the number of the scanning signal lines provided in the general display device, but the number of the data signal lines is a half of the number of the data signal lines provided in the general display device. Further, JP 6027488A discloses a technology related to the display device in which the scanning signal line and the data signal line are disposed with respect to the plural pixel circuits as described above.

Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Co., Ltd.