A mobile terminal and controlling method thereof are disclosed, which facilitates a terminal to be used in further consideration of user's convenience. According to at least one of embodiments of the present invention, a strict authentication procedure for expense payment can be performed via a simple and convenient user interface between a mobile terminal and a terminal user. In particular, since at least one of a selection and authentication of a payment means of the mobile terminal can be performed via at least one of an aligned direction, a moving direction and a moving track of the mobile terminal, the user interface between the mobile terminal and the terminal user for the expense payment can be further simplified.

Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention are related to a mobile terminal, and more particularly, to a mobile terminal and a method of controlling a mobile terminal. Although features disclosed herein are suitable for a wide scope of applications, they are particularly suitable for configuring a terminal in view of enhancing user convenience.
Discussion of the Related Art
A mobile terminal is a device which may be configured to perform various functions. Examples of such functions include facilitating data and voice communications, capturing images and video via a camera, recording audio, playing music files and outputting music via a speaker system, and displaying images and video on a display. Some terminals include additional functionality which supports game playing, while other terminals are also configured as multimedia players. More recently, mobile terminals have been configured to receive broadcast and multicast signals which permit viewing of contents, such as videos and television programs.
Generally, terminals can be classified into mobile terminals and stationary terminals according to their degree (e.g., ease) of mobility. Further, the mobile terminals can be further classified into handheld terminals and vehicle mount terminals according to the manner of portability.
Recently, many ongoing efforts are made to research and develop a method of instantly paying various expenses (e.g., transportation fee, restaurant bill for meals, grocery shopping expense, etc.) caused by a terminal user using a payment means provided to the mobile terminal.
In particular, at least one of a bank (or credit card) payment chip of a hardware type and a bank (or credit card) payment application of a software type may be loaded as the payment means on the mobile terminal. When the mobile terminal proximately approaches an external payment terminal, a short range communication may be performed between the payment means and the external payment terminal. In doing so, the external payment terminal receives bank account information (or credit card information) of a terminal user via the short range communication from the payment means storing the corresponding information and then performs a process for the payment of the expense supposed to be paid by the terminal user.
Yet, the payment means may raise the possibility of being copied and used by an unauthorized 3rd party. To solve the problem of the unauthorized copy and use, it may be necessary to perform a procedure for authentication of a terminal user more strictly when the payment means is used.
However, according to a related art, the stricter the authentication procedure gets, the more complicated a user interface implemented for the authentication procedure in the mobile terminal becomes. And, the complicated user interface eventually causes inconvenience in using the mobile terminal. Hence, the ongoing discussion on a method of performing the authentication procedure strictly without causing the inconvenience in using the mobile terminal further needs to continue.
Moreover, when the payment is made via the mobile terminal, it may be necessary to further discuss on a method for facilitating a terminal user to select a bank account or a credit card.

Mobile terminal and controlling method thereof


A motion vector detection device includes: a matching error calculation part that calculates matching errors between a focus block and each of reference blocks; a least matching error calculation part calculating a least matching error from among the matching errors; a threshold calculation part calculating a threshold value; a correction vector calculation part calculating a correction vector from motion vectors detected in the reference blocks; and a motion vector determination part determining, as a motion vector for the focus block, a relative position vector in a block in which the relative position vector with respect to the focus block is the closest to the correction vector, the block being selected from among the reference blocks in which a difference between the plurality of matching errors and the least matching error is within the threshold value.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments described herein relate generally to a motion vector detection device, an apparatus for detecting a motion vector and a motion vector detection method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, in a motion search using block matching, a current frame is divided into grid blocks, and a search for a motion vector is conducted for each block. The block in which the motion vector is searched is hereinafter referred to as a focus block. Another block with which the focus block is compared is referred to as a reference block. A frame to which the reference block belongs is a reference frame. In the block matching method, one of the reference blocks with the least (smallest) matching error with respect to the focus block is searched from a reference frame, and a relative position vector between the reference block and the focus block is detected as a motion vector. In the block matching method, a sum of squared difference (SAD) or a sum of squired difference (SSD) is often used as the matching error. The current frame is one frame of a moving image data, and should be displayed as a screen at present time by a monitor, that is TV, Personal Computer and so on. In this case, the current frame is an input frame.
When a cyclically repetitive pattern is included in the input frame, small SAD values may be calculated in some reference blocks. In the block matching using the SAD values, an incorrect motion vector may be detected. And then, there is a technique to determine whether or not the focus block includes the repetitive pattern, based on pattern analysis using horizontal and vertical projection histograms for a SAD map, in which a candidate vector and the matching error are associated with each other. The technique also corrects the incorrect motion vector using an average vector of the motion vectors that have been detected from blocks around the focus block. However, because the horizontal and vertical projection histograms are used, the determination regarding whether or not the focus block includes the repetitive pattern cannot be performed for vectors in diagonal directions, and therefore accurate motion vectors cannot be detected.
One of the objects disclosed in the present application is to provide a motion vector detection device, program for the device, or a method thereof, which is configured to determine a motion vector with minimal errors.

Motion vector detection device, apparatus for detecting motion vector and motion vector detection method


In a bistable display device having a driver circuit, the driver circuit has multiple electrical ports for electrically connecting to external circuits. The electric potential difference between any two neighboring ports is less than 10 volts so that electrical punch-through caused by great electric potential difference and short distance between the electrical ports is substantially avoided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bistable display device, and more specifically, to a configuration of electrical ports of a bistable display device.
2. Description of Related Art
The outdoor reflective display has been widely used today. Most of such displays are used in portable devices. As a result, there has been a great demand for displays that are lightweight and small-sized and thus it is becoming more and more important to design display devices that are relatively light in weight and thin in thickness.
Traditional Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) such as TFT (Thin Film Transistor) LCDs have been maturely developed and shrinking of the thickness of LCDs has approached to a limit. In other words, now it is rather difficult to further shrink the thickness of the LCDs. To meet the demand for products such as electronic books and electronic paper, many companies are looking at the research and development of bistable displays, which have a great potential to be one of the mainstream types of displays in the future.
Currently the bistable display device usually has a driver IC (Integrated Circuit) that is electrically connected to external circuits. The driver IC includes a source IC and a gate IC. The bistable display device further includes a flexible printed circuit (FPC). According to different module processes or designs, bistable display devices can be divided into different types such as chip on glass (COG), tape automatic bonding (TAB), chip on film (COF) and so on. With all such different designs, there will be different positional displacement between the ICs, the electronic components and the display device. During plugging and unplugging of all kinds, damages may be made to the FPC and the substrate caused by the pulling tearing, and alignment stress. Such damage may be mechanical and/or electrical and may impair the optimal operation or the stability of the bistable display device. Especially in terms of electrical effects, the electric voltage used in bistable display device is normally higher than the voltage used in TFT LCDs (typically 3˜5 volts, 6˜8 volts maximum). If neighboring ports of the ICs in the bistable display device are separated by the same distance as in the case of a TFT LCD, when the electric potential difference between the ports is relatively large, for example, greater than or equal to 10 volts, the electrostatic interference between the ports may be quite significant, which may cause the driver IC of the bistable display device to function unstably and the image quality to be compromised. In a worse case, the material between the neighboring ports may be electrically punched through, which may in turn cause short circuits and the whole IC to be burned and damaged. This problem thus has become an important one in design of bistable display devices.


A multi-function portable optoelectronic apparatus to determine the profile of a brake disk and the profile of the tread of a tyre comprising an optoelectronic assembly for emitting a laminar beam of light along an optical emission axis so as to project onto the brake disk or onto the tread a luminous line and acquire an image containing the projected luminous line, a tubular case which can be gripped by hand, which contains optoelectronic assembly and is designed to be arranged resting on the brake disk during determination of the profile of the brake disk and an angular adapter member designed to be coupled in a stable but easily removable manner to the case and shaped to be arranged resting on the tread during determination of the profile of the tread; an electronic system configured to receive the image and determine the profile of the brake disk or the profile of the tread on the basis of the luminous line contained in the image.

Optoelectronic systems designed to determine the profile of a tread based on the processing of a luminous line projected onto said tread are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,918 and the Patent Application EP 2 913 653 describe optoelectronic systems designed to project a blade of light against the tread of a tyre made to rotate, repeatedly capture the images of the line projected on the tread and map the profile of the entire tread based on the images captured.
Optoelectronic tools for determining the state of deterioration of a brake disk of a vehicle based on a luminous beam projected onto said brake disk are also known. An optoelectronic instrument of this type is described, for example, in Patent Application No. WO 2015 111 031 filed by the Applicant.
However, in recent times, the need has arisen, especially among car mechanics, to have a single portable device, which is multi-functional, i.e. allows an operator to selectively determine both the profile of a brake disk and the profile of a tyre. Such tools also needs to be easily usable directly on a tyre or on a brake disk mounted on the vehicle, without the need to remove the same and/or to rotate them during the measurement.
The Applicant has therefore conducted an in-depth study aimed at identifying a solution to overcome the technical problems and meet the requirements described above.

System, method and multi-function apparatus to determine the profile of a brake disk and of a tyre of a vehicle


Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to devices, systems and methods for increasing the accuracy of delivery of a fluid/drug in a fluid/drug delivery device/system. In some embodiments, a fluid infusion device is provided for delivering a drug into the body of a user, and includes at least one housing, a reservoir, a plunger and a drive-screw, where the drive-screw includes a first end and a second end, the first end being configured to operatively connect to the plunger. The device may further include a driving mechanism comprising at least a motor and one or more gears, where the one or more gears include a rotating sleeve configured for engagement with the second end of the drive-screw, a controller for at least controlling operation of the driving mechanism, and a support casing configured to substantially support the rotating sleeve and enable substantially free rotation of the rotating sleeve therein.

Diabetes Treatment
Medical treatment of several illnesses requires continuous drug infusion into various body compartments, such as subcutaneous and intra-venous injections. Diabetes mellitus (DM) patients, for example, require the administration of varying amounts of insulin throughout the day to control their blood glucose levels. In recent years, ambulatory portable insulin infusion pumps have emerged as a superior alternative to multiple daily syringe injections of insulin, initially for Type 1 diabetes patients and consecutively for Type 2 diabetes patients. These pumps, which deliver insulin at a continuous basal rate as well as in bolus volumes, were developed to liberate patients from repeated self-administered injections, and allow them to maintain a near-normal daily routine. Both basal and bolus volumes must be delivered in precise doses, according to individual prescription, since an overdose or under-dose of insulin could be fatal.
Generations of Insulin Pumps and Continuous Glucose Sensors
The first generation of portable insulin pumps refers to a "pager like" device with a reservoir included within a housing and long tubing is required to deliver insulin from the reservoir to the infusion site. Examples of such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,248,093 and 7,390,314. These devices are usually heavy and bulky and the tubing substantially disturbs daily activity.
To avoid the limitations of first generation infusion pumps, an additional concept was proposed, which was implemented in second generation pumps. The additional concept concerns a remote controlled skin adherable device having a bottom surface adapted to be in contact with the patient's skin. The reservoir is contained within a housing and filled using an additional syringe. This paradigm was discussed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,957,895, 6,589,229, 6,740,059, 6,723,072, and 6,485,461. These second generation skin adherable devices still have several drawbacks, the most significant being that the entire device should be disposed of every 2-3 days (due to insertion site infections and reduced insulin absorption) including all the expensive components (electronics, driving mechanism, etc.).
Third generation skin-securable devices were devised to avoid the cost issues of the second generation devices and to extend patient customization. An example of such a device is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007-0106218 and in International Patent Application Publication No. WO/2007/052277. This third generation device contains a remote control unit and a skin-securable (e.g., adherable) patch unit that include two parts: (1) a reusable part containing the electronics, at least a portion of the driving mechanism and other relatively expensive components, and (2) a disposable part containing the reservoir. A skin-securable fluid (e.g., insulin) delivery device is also disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/989,681 and in International Patent Application Publication No. WO/2008/012817, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
A fourth generation infusion device was devised as a dispensing unit that can be disconnected and reconnected to a skin-adherable cradle unit, as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008-0215035 and in International Patent Application Publication No. WO/2008/078318. Such skin-securable dispensing units can be operated using a remote control and/or a user interface (e.g., a button-based interface) provided on a housing of the dispensing unit, as disclosed, for example, in International Patent Application Publication No. WO/2009/013736, filed Jul. 20, 2008, claiming priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/961,527, and entitled "Manually Operable Portable Infusion Device", and in International Patent Application Publication No. WO/2009/016636, filed Jul. 31, 2008, claiming priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. Nos. 60/963,148 and 61/004,019, and entitled "Portable Infusion Device Provided with Means for Monitoring and Controlling Fluid Delivery", the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
The third and fourth generation dispensing patches can be incorporated with an analyte (i.e. glucose) sensing apparatus enabling continuous readings of analyte levels. Fluid dispensing can be done automatically according to analyte sensing (closed loop system) or semi automatic if the user wishes to control delivery (open loop system). Such dual function sensing and dispensing devices are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007-0191702, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Pump Gears and Transmission Error
The pumping mechanism employed in most insulin pumps is a "syringe-like mechanism", known also as a positive displacement piston pump. In such a pump, a plunger (piston) moves (i.e., slides) within a cylindrical shaped barrel (reservoir), pushing the contents (i.e., drug) out, typically, through a small opening at the end of the reservoir/syringe. The plunger is pushed forward by a drive-screw (plunger rod) that can be integral, rigidly connected, or articulated with the plunger head (piston). The driving mechanism typically consists of a motor and a transmission gear system, which is used to linearly displace the drive-screw either by rotation of the drive-screw, rotation of a drive nut, or rotation of a drive pinion over a rack that serves as a drive-screw (a rack is a toothed bar or rod. Torque is converted to linear force by meshing a rack with a pinion: the pinion turns; the rack moves in a straight line). The transmission gear system is used for reduction of motor revolutions and/or for changing the rotation axis by 90 or 180 degrees, for example.
Typically, the pump's transmission gear system consists of two or more parallel shaft gears (e.g., single stage reduction), comprising two metal cogwheels, integrated with a tooth mesh and both cogwheel shafts are parallel mounted on a metal chassis (gear casing).
Transmission error (hereinafter referred to also as "TE") is defined as the difference between the actual position of the output gear and the position it would occupy if the gear drive were perfectly conjugated. The equation for TE is expressed as:
  TE  =            θ      2        -                  (                              Z            1                                Z            2                          )                          θ        1            Where Z1 is the number of teeth of the input gear, Z2 is the number of teeth of the output gear and θ1 and θ2 denote the angular position of the input and output gears in radians, respectively. Essentially, TE is the difference between the actual position of the output shaft of a gear drive and the position that the output shaft of the gear drive would have if the gear drive were perfect, without errors or deflections. The main contributors to transmission error are geometrical errors in alignment (e.g., due to assembly errors/tolerances), tooth profile (e.g., due to manufacturing imperfections/tolerances), elastic deformation of local contacts, and the deflection of the gear shafts and casing due to the transmitted load through and transverse to the gear rotation axis. Depending on its cause, the frequency of the transmission error may be high (i.e., >1 per cycle of the output shaft), or it may be substantially equal to the frequency of the output shaft's rotation (i.e., =1 per cycle of the output shaft). The magnitude of this one per cycle error may depend on load and it may thus be classified as loaded TE.
A consequence of TE existing in transmission gear systems of insulin pumps is inaccuracy in drug delivery. Insulin pumps should deliver basal doses at a very low rate along the entire day with high precision (e.g., 0.05 U/h that is 5 mm3/h in case of 100 U/ml rapid acting insulin). Typically, the existence of TE introduces a "sine like" wave to the expected drug delivery linear curve with fluctuations that can substantially affect insulin delivery accuracy and threaten the life of the diabetes patient.
It is understood that TE is may be minimized in gear systems of 1st generation pumps by making gears, gear casings, and bearings robust (e.g., relatively large components, metal components). Consequently these "pager like" pumps are undesirably heavy, bulky, and expensive.
The design goal of skin securable 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation pumps, however, is that they be small and lightweight, with minimal components and assembly costs. Consequently, the gears, gear casing, and bearings for these pumps are configured to be miniature and lightweight and therefore, they are typically made of plastic (i.e., polycarbonate, polypropylene, etc.). These plastic parts should maintain metal parts' requirements and avoid (or minimize) transmission error. However, plastic parts, especially miniature plastic parts, are typically more subject to manufacturing (e.g., injection molding) and assembly imperfections than metal parts, and are also typically more subject to deformations caused by forces/load applied during routine operation of the pump, all of which are likely to result in transmission error. Transmission error may further be aggravated in 3rd and 4th generation two-part skin securable pumps because the interface between the drive-screw (piston rod) and gear is achieved during connection of the two parts by the user, thus increasing the risk of component misalignment, for example.
Thus, it is desirable to provide a skin securable drug dispensing patch unit which is miniature, discreet, economical for the users and highly cost effective. The patch unit includes a driving mechanism comprising a motor and a gear system with minimized transmission error, for delivering fluids at a high accuracy rate.
It is also desirable to provide a skin securable drug dispensing patch unit that includes two parts, e.g., a reusable part and a disposable part. The disposable part ("DP") includes a reservoir and a slidable plunger. The reusable part ("RP") includes electronics, and at least a portion of a driving mechanism including a motor and a gear system with minimized transmission error, for delivering fluids at a high accuracy rate.


A position detecting apparatus includes a first illuminating unit that radiates light onto a substrate in a direction substantially parallel to the front and the rear surfaces of the substrate from the direction of a lateral face of the substrate; a second illuminating unit that radiates light onto the front surface of the substrate, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the front surface of the substrate; an image pickup unit that takes an image of the substrate from a rear surface side thereof; and an edge-position detecting unit that detects an edge position of the substrate, based on a first image that is taken while the light is being radiated from the first illuminating unit and a second image that is taken while the light is being radiated from the second illuminating unit, respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a position detecting apparatus and a position detecting method that are suitable for detecting an edge position of a substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, which is a projection exposure technique of a reduced-reflection type that uses a soft X-ray of 5 nanometers to 15 nanometers, is considered to be one of the most promising candidates for the next-generation lithography technique. The development of EUV lithography is pursued on a world-wide scale.
One of the issues that need attention while implementing the EUV lithography technique is how to deal with foreign substances on masks. Particles adhering to EUV masks in the manufacturing process thereof greatly influence the yield of the EUV masks, just like in the example of ordinary photomasks that are currently in the market. For the ordinary photomasks, protection covers called pellicles are used to prevent particles from adhering to the photomasks. However, it is not possible to use pellicles in an EUV ray region. Thus, preventing particles from adhering to EUV masks in the manufacturing process thereof is a major issue.
Also, adhesions of particles can cause a problem whenever EUV masks on which a pattern is formed are used in the manufacturing process of semiconductors. For example, when an EUV mask is carried into (or carried out from) a case or a pod, if the EUV mask touches the case or the pod, particles that are caused by the touching may adhere to the EUV mask. As another example, when an EUV mask is carried into (or carried out from) a vacuum apparatus such as a dry etching apparatus, during a vacuuming (pumping down) process (or an air-venting process) performed in a load-lock chamber, particles that are present in the load-lock chamber or particles that are brought into the load-lock chamber when the EUV mask is carried therein may be stirred up because of the vacuuming (pumping down) process (or the air-venting process) and may adhere to the EUV mask. The same problem can also occur in an EUV exposure apparatus, which is a type of vacuum apparatus.
To prevent particle adhesions, for example, it has been suggested that a cover-like structure designed to block such particles should be mounted over an EUV mask so that the surface of the EUV mask is protected. The cover-like structure is configured so that it can be attached to and detached from the EUV mask and is called a removable pellicle. Different types of structures such as ones in the form of a tray and a bracket have been proposed as configuration of removable pellicles. In any case, these removable pellicles are used for the purpose of preventing particles from adhering to the pattern-forming surface side of EUV masks, either by mounting a removable pellicle over an EUV mask or mounting an EUV mask over a removable pellicle. As disclosed in JP-A 2002-299225 (KOKAI), JP-A 2006-184442 (KOKAI), and JP-A 2005-268464 (KOKAI), mechanical supporting pins or pads made of a resin is used in parts of each removable pellicle that are in contact with an EUV mask. Each removable pellicle holds the upper and the lower faces or the lateral faces of an EUV mask via those parts that are in contact with the EUV mask.
Accordingly, like in the example above in which the EUV mask is carried into (or carried out from) a case or a pod, when an EUV mask is attached to or detached from a removable pellicle, particles occur when the EUV mask comes into contact with (or comes out of contact with) the removable pellicle. In addition, when an EUV mask is transported while being attached to a removable pellicle, particles occur if the EUV mask and the removable pellicle rub against each other. In such a situation, if the positional relationship between the EUV mask and the removable pellicle is not a proper one, the size of the areas of the parts of the supporting pins or the pads of the removable pellicle that are in contact with the EUV mask becomes larger. As a result, a larger amount of particles will occur. To avoid this situation, before an EUV mask is attached to a removable pellicle, it is necessary to detect the positions of the EUV mask and the removable pellicle, so that if the positional relationship between them largely differs from a proper one, the attaching process should be stopped for a while, and the positional relationship can be corrected.
JP-A 2004-214658 (KOKAI) discloses a method for detecting the position of a mask by detecting a mark formed on the mask through a transparent window provided in a container. Also, JP-A 2006-153899 (KOKAI) discloses a method for detecting the positions of a mask and a mask protecting member by detecting position measuring marks that are formed on the mask and the mask protecting member, respectively. Both of these methods are characterized in that the position of the mask (or the mask protecting member) is detected by detecting the mark that is formed, in advance, in the mask (or in the mask protecting member).
Particles can adhere not only to a mask on which a pattern (or a mark used for measuring the position) has already been formed, but also to a mask blank on which a pattern has not yet been formed. Thus, it is necessary to realize a position detecting method that can be used with mask blanks. For this purpose, it is necessary to detect the position of each mask blank with a high level of precision, without being influenced by the material of which the mask blank is made, the material of which a film is formed, and the state in which the film is formed. To achieve this goal, the inventors of the present application have proposed a method in which, while light is radiated on a mask or a mask blank from the direction of a lateral face thereof, an image of a portion that includes a substrate edge of the mask or the mask blank is taken from the front surface (or the rear surface) thereof so that the position of the substrate edge is measured based on the image of scattered light on the substrate edge that has been taken (Japanese Patent No. 3795820).
According to this method, however, the level of precision in the position detection process can be low, depending on the shape of the substrate edge of the mask or the mask blank. In some situations, it is not possible to accurately detect the position of the substrate.
In addition, in some situations, depending on the shape of the substrate edge of the mask or the mask blank, it is not possible to accurately detect the position of the substrate while the substrate is attached to a cover-like structure such as a removable pellicle.

Position detecting apparatus and position detecting method


Disclosed herein are devices, systems and methods for processing remotely at a remote server or cloud platform data relating to emergency communications (phone calls, text messages, etc.) received by Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), in particular emergency communications received and handled by emergency communication handling systems at the PSAP which support serial communication and have no network connectivity. To overcome this limitation, one or more serial-to-Internet Protocol (IP) gateways are deployed in the PSAP to: (a) receive the incident data from the emergency communication handling systems and encapsulate the incident data in its raw form in IP packets, and (b) transmit the IP packets to the remote processing system. The remote processing system then parses the incident data according to parsing rule(s) applicable for the PSAP from which the incident data is received, format the incident data and process the formatted data to optimize communication handling operation of the PSAPs.

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to processing incident data relating to incoming emergency communications (e.g. phone calls, text messages, etc.) received at one or more Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP), and, more specifically, but not exclusively, to processing, remotely at cloud based computing system(s), incident data relating to incoming emergency communications which is received by serial communication based handling equipment deployed in one or more PSAPs.
In order to simplify and expedite accesses to various emergency services, many countries have established joint emergency dispatch centers, for example, PSAPs and/or the like such as, for example, the 911 service (in the US), the 112 service (in Europe) which serve to receive incoming emergency calls relating to reports of any type of emergency event. Such joint emergency dispatch centers are typically manned by dispatchers trained to briefly interrogate the reporters and asses the emergency events to decide based on the emergency events which emergency service is best suitable to respond to each of the reported emergency events and route the incoming emergency calls to the respective emergency service accordingly.
One of the key factors in improving and optimizing the operation of the PSAPs is the ability to collect incident data relating to emergency calls and/or text messages such as, for example, Short Message Service (SMS) messages, and process the incident data to derive and/or extract insights, identify patterns and/or the like.
Moreover, processing the incident data and to generate an overall, wide and comprehensive view and presenting it to the dispatchers may significantly improve and enhance their handling and responding to the emergency events.

Cloud processing of data received by serial communication based PSAP equipment


In an integrated approach, an integrated application and operating system (IAOS) component integrates at least one computer application program with at least one operating system (OS) function. The IAOS component is an upper level system relative to a lower level system. The lower level system includes an OS operable to perform a reduced set of OS functions. The OS may be optimized for the IAOS component. For example, the OS may be optimized for Web-based and/or Browser-based applications of the IAOS component. In a flat approach, at least one component is an adjacent component in an upper level system, thereby allowing extension of the upper level system to accommodate various needs. An adjacent component can include at least one OS component and/or function not provided by the OS, serve as an interface to another layer and/or the OS, or provide Real-Time Operating System.

Conceptually, a computing system (e.g., a computing device, a personal computer, a laptop, a Smartphone, a mobile phone) can accept information (content or data) and manipulate it to obtain or determine a result based on a sequence of instructions (or a computer program) that effectively describes how to process the information. Typically, the information is stored in a computer readable medium in a binary form. More complex computing systems can store content including the computer program itself. A computer program may be invariable and/or built into, for example, a computer (or computing) device as logic circuitry provided on microprocessors or computer chips. Today, general purpose computers can have both kinds of programming. A computing system can also have a support system which, among other things, manages various resources (e.g., memory, peripheral devices) and services (e.g., basic functions such as opening files) and allows the resources to be shared among multiple programs. One such support system is generally known as an Operating System (OS), which provides programmers with an interface used to access these resources and services.
An Operating System (OS) can be an infrastructure software component of a computing system. As such, an OS can effectively manage and coordinate activities of a computing system, and facilitate sharing of the limited resources of the computer. An OS can act as a host for various computing application programs (or application programs) that are executed by the computing system. As a host, the OS, among other things, can handle the details of the lower level operations pertaining to the hardware. This effectively relieves application programs from having to manage details and makes it easier to develop application programs. Generally, computing devices, including handheld computers, desktop computers, supercomputers, video game consoles, use an operating system of some type. Functions provided by an OS can include: resource management (e.g., management and coordination of activities and the sharing of limited resources), scheduling (e.g., schedule resource accesses between hosted applications), abstraction (e.g., providing abstract device access via device drivers), and Inter-process Communication (IPC). In a traditional OS, (e.g., Windows Operating Systems, Linux Operating Systems) and OS "kernel" or (kernel) and system services can provides these functions to higher level applications programs. The application programs can access OS functions via system calls to the OS kernel and Application Programming Interfaces (API's) to system services.
Today, numerous types of computing devices are available. These computing devices widely range with respect to size, cost, amount of storage and processing power. The computing devices that are available today include: expensive and powerful servers, relatively cheaper Personal Computers (PC's) and laptops, and yet less expensive microprocessors (or computer chips) provided in storage devices, automobiles, and household electronic appliances.
In recent years, computing systems have become more portable and mobile. As a result, various mobile and handheld devices have been made available. By way of example, wireless phones, media players, Personal Digital Assistants (PDA's) are widely used today. Generally, a mobile or a handheld device (also known as handheld computer or simply handheld) can be a pocket-sized computing device, typically utilizing a small visual display screen for user output and a miniaturized keyboard for user input. In the case of a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), the input and output can be combined into a touch-screen interface.
In particular, mobile communication devices (e.g., mobile phones) have become extremely popular. Some mobile communication devices (e.g., Smartphones) offer computing environments that are similar to that provided by a Personal Computer (PC). As such, a Smartphone can effectively provide a complete operating system as a standardized interface and platform for application developers. Given the popularity of mobile communication devices, telecommunication is discussed in greater detail below.
Generally, telecommunication refers to assisted transmission of signals over a distance for the purpose of communication. Conventional telephones have been in use for many years. Public switched telephone network (PSTN) is the network of the world's public circuit-switched telephone networks, in much the same way that the Internet is the network of the world's public IP-based packet-switched networks. Originally a network of fixed-line analog telephone systems, the PSTN is now almost entirely digital, and now includes mobile as well as fixed telephones. The PSTN is largely governed by technical standards created by the ITU-T, and uses E.163/E.164 addresses (known more commonly as telephone numbers) for addressing.
More recently, wireless networks have been developed. While the term wireless network may technically be used to refer to any type of network that is wireless, the term is often commonly used to refer to a telecommunications network whose interconnections between nodes is implemented without the use of wires, such as a computer network (which is a type of communications network). Wireless telecommunication networks can, for example, be implemented with some type of remote information transmission system that uses electromagnetic waves, such as radio waves, for the carrier and this implementation usually takes place at the physical level or "layer" of the network (e.g., the Physical Layer of the OSI Model). One type of wireless network is a WLAN or Wireless Local Area Network. Similar to other wireless devices, it uses radio waves instead of wires to transmit data back and forth between computers on the same network. Wi-Fi is a commonly used wireless network in computer systems allowing connection to the internet or other machines that have Wi-Fi functionalities. Wi-Fi networks broadcast radio waves that can be picked up by Wi-Fi receivers that are attached to different computers or mobile phones. A fixed wireless network is a type of wireless data network that can be used to connect two or more buildings together in order to extend or share the network bandwidth without physically wiring the buildings together.
Today, several mobile networks are in use. One example is the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) which is divided into three major systems which are the switching system, the base station system, and the operation and support system. A cell phone can connect to the base system station which then connects to the operation and support station; it can then connect to the switching station where the call is transferred to where it needs to go (Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM)). This is used for cellular phones as a common standard for a majority of cellular providers. Personal Communications Service (PCS) is a radio band that can be used by mobile phones in North America. Sprint happened to be the first service to set up a PCS. Digital Advanced Mobile Phone Service (D-AMPS) is an upgraded version of AMPS but it may be phased out as the newer GSM networks are replacing the older system.
Yet another example is the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) which is a Mobile Data Service available to users of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and IS-136 mobile phones. GPRS data transfer is typically charged per kilobyte of transferred data, while data communication via traditional circuit switching is billed per minute of connection time, independent of whether the user has actually transferred data or has been in an idle state. GPRS can be used for services such as Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) access, Short Message Service (SMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), and for Internet communication services such as email and World Wide Web access. 2G cellular systems combined with GPRS is often described as "2.5G", that is, a technology between the second (2G) and third (3G) generations of mobile telephony. It provides moderate speed data transfer, by using unused Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) channels in, for example, the GSM system. Originally there was some thought to extend GPRS to cover other standards, but instead those networks are being converted to use the GSM standard, so that GSM is the only kind of network where GPRS is in use. GPRS is integrated into GSM Release 97 and newer releases. It was originally standardized by European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), but is now standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) is a type of 3G cellular network. W-CDMA is the higher speed transmission protocol used in the Japanese FOMA system and in the UMTS system, a third generation follow-on to the 2G GSM networks deployed worldwide. More technically, W-CDMA is a wideband spread-spectrum mobile air interface that utilizes the direct sequence Code Division Multiple Access signaling method (or CDMA) to achieve higher speeds and support more users compared to the implementation of time division multiplexing used by 2G GSM networks. It should be noted that SMS can be supported by GSM and MMS can be supported by 2.5G/3G networks.
Generally, a mobile phone or cell phone can be a long-range, portable electronic device used for mobile communication. In addition to the standard voice function of a telephone, current mobile phones can support many additional services such as SMS for text messaging, email, packet switching for access to the Internet, and MMS for sending and receiving photos and video. Most current mobile phones connect to a cellular network of base stations (cell sites), which is in turn, interconnected to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) (one exception being satellite phones).
The Short Message Service (SMS), often called text messaging, is a means of sending short messages to and from mobile phones. SMS was originally defined as part of the GSM series of standards in 1985 as a means of sending messages of up to 160 characters, to and from Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) mobile handsets. Since then, support for the service has expanded to include alternative mobile standards such as ANSI CDMA networks and Digital AMPS, satellite and landline networks. Most SMS messages are mobile-to-mobile text messages, though the standard supports other types of broadcast messaging as well. The term SMS is frequently used in a non-technical sense to refer to the text messages themselves, particularly in non-English-speaking European countries where the GSM system is well-established.
Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is a relatively more modern standard for telephony messaging systems that allows sending messages that include multimedia objects (images, audio, video, rich text) and not just text as in Short Message Service (SMS). It can be deployed in cellular networks along with other messaging systems like SMS, Mobile Instant Messaging and Mobile E-mail. Its main standardization effort is done by 3GPP, 3GPP2, and Open Mobile Alliance (OMA).
Another more recent trend is the ever increasing accessibility of the Internet and the services that can be provided via the Internet. Today, the Internet can be accessed virtually anywhere by using various computing devices. For example, mobile phones, smart phones, datacards, handheld game consoles, cellular routers, and numerous other devices can allow users to connect to the Internet from anywhere in a cellular network. Within the limitations imposed by the small screen and other limited facilities of a pocket-sized or handheld device, the services of the Internet, including email and web browsing, may be available. Typically, users manage information with web browsers, but other software can allow them to interface with computer networks that are connected to or by the Internet. These other programs include, for example, electronic mail, online chat, file transfer and file sharing. Today's Internet can be viewed as a vast global network of interconnected computers, enabling users to share information along multiple channels. Typically, a computer that connects to the Internet can access information from a vast array of available servers and other computers by moving information from them to the computer's local memory. The Internet is a very useful and important resource as readily evidenced by its ever increasing popularity and widening usage and applications.
The popularity of computing systems is evidenced by their ever increasing use in everyday life. Accordingly, techniques that can improve computing systems would be very useful.

Flat or extended architecture using an integrated application and operating system component for computing systems and environments


A touch substrate, a preparation method and a driving method thereof, and a touch display panel are provided. The touch substrate includes a planar part and at least a bending part. The bending part extends from an edge of the planar part and is bent to a side of the planar part. The planar part is provided with a main touch module having a double-layer electrode structure, and the bending part is provided with a side touch module having a single-layer electrode structure.

With the development of display technology, appearances of mobile terminals have changed unwittingly and rapidly, including changes from screens with press keys to large-size screens and further to touch screens, and also developing towards full screens. With the advent of a full-screen era, major panel manufacturers and terminal manufacturers continuously pursue a higher screen-to-body ratio. The screen-to-body ratio refers to a ratio of a projected area of a display region on the front to a projected area of a whole device.
In order to increase the screen-to-body ratio, various full-screen schemes are proposed in related technologies, including digging trenches or holes in a display panel, making a frame of the display panel transparent, bending the display panel and so on. Among them, the scheme of bending the display panel is a relatively simple and straightforward scheme, which has attracted a lot of attention.
As an important link in a process of human-computer interaction, at present a mobile terminal is usually equipped with a touch panel. Regardless of whether the touch panel has an ON-Cell structure disposed on the display panel or an IN-Cell structure disposed inside the display panel, the bending of the display panel needs to take the bending of the touch panel into consideration. In a current scheme of bending the display panel, it is mainly aimed at bending the display panel at one edge or two opposite edges of the display panel. It is difficult to achieve the bending of the display panel at two adjacent edges, three edges or even four edges of the display panel.

Touch substrate, preparation method and driving method thereof, and touch display panel

Chengdu BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.

Beijing BOE Technology Development Co., Ltd.


A power assisted flying device is powered via a vector thrust control apparatus supporting the motor where the vector thrust control apparatus includes a gyratory group that allows the motor to pivot up and down and from side to side. At least two servo motors are attached to the vector thrust control apparatus to move said motor up and down and from side to side. Alternatively, the flying device may incorporate a non-rotating outer ring and a rotating inner ring disposed around a shaft. At least two servo motors are connected to the non-rotating outer ring and the rotating inner ring in relation to the rotational axis. At least two linkage rods connect between the rotating inner ring and the propeller. Tilting of the non-rotating outer ring is transmitted to the propeller to effectuate at least one of cyclic pitch modulation or teetering hub modulation of the propeller.

Kites have been in existence for hundreds of years. They are generally made with wood, solid or tubular fiberglass, carbon rods, light weight plastic, and/or fabric. The kite is a tethered aerodyne and is in a stalled state against the wind. The disadvantage of a kite is that it needs line and wind to fly. Over the years, there have been a number of efforts directed towards the improvement of a power assisted flying device. These efforts have focused on improving the directional controls of radio controlled kite-like objects and airplane models.
In the mid 1990's Dan Kreigh of California developed a radio controlled kite-like flying object. The shape was formed by one fiberglass rod in a simple pattern of a semi-circle. Dan Kreigh's version of the radio controlled kite used rudder and elevators for control. In the late 1990's, Michael Lin of Singapore expanded on Dan Kreigh's approach by making the shapes more elaborate. However, Michael Lin's versions also depended on the use of rudder and elevators for control. All were controlled by moving control surfaces.
Moving control surfaces have been used on aircraft since the dawn of flight; however, they include many disadvantages for controlling kites. By nature, kites are often larger and slower moving than traditional remote controlled aircraft. While flying objects have great advantages for ease of remote controlled flight, slow moving flying objects need to have large lightweight wing areas and proportionally large moving surfaces to control flight. This is because when there is slow or no air rushing across a control surface, the control surface fails to move the object in the intended direction. Since kites by nature are slow moving, to steer them by moving control surfaces require very large moving surfaces, which in turn are difficult for most standard servos to move. Further, by nature, kites are much lighter per size than traditional aircraft and are able to sometimes "stop" and "float" on the wind. Moving control surfaces are completely ineffective at controlling an object that simply "stops" in the air.
In addition, moving control surfaces require hinges attached to ridged structures such as a fuselage or an airframe. Kites rarely have ridged members strong enough to attach the necessary hinges and control surfaces in the correct areas for effective control of the kite. Since moving control surfaces for kite-like flying objects have to be large, this condition results in more performance robbing weight and less room on the kite for lifting surfaces which are so important for an effective flying kite.
In 2006, Peter Loehnert of Solingen, Germany started to develop kite-like flying objects using a new vector thrust concept. Directional control was achieved by the use of a brushless electric motor, propeller and two servos. One servo provided the up-down motion control while the other servo provided the left-right motion control. The brushless electric motor and propeller were directly connected to the moving axle of the left-right servo and thus when the axle of the servo turned clockwise or counterclockwise, the motor and spinning propeller also shifted left and/or right thereby directing thrust and steering the kite left or right. The left-right servo, with the connected motor assembly, was then connected to the moving axle of the up-down servo. Thus, when the axle of the up-down servo turned clockwise or counterclockwise, the left-right servo, motor and spinning propeller moved up and down thus directing thrust to control the pitch of the kite. Pitch, yaw, roll and forward speed were achieved by the combination of up-down and left-right thrust positioning along with proportional speed control of the motor. Since the thrust on the propulsion unit can be totally directed by both magnitude and direction, the propulsion assembly is typically called a vector thrust control unit. In this system, no moving control surfaces are used or needed.
Although the Loehnert system worked well, there are several disadvantages to this system for motorizing and controlling kites. First, commercially available servos to this date are not designed to accommodate the stresses developed by direct linkage to the motor and other servos. Thus many servos were over-stressed and failed frequently, rendering the power unit useless. In addition, of the few servos available that could marginally withstand the stress, these servos were very high in price and difficult for many consumers to afford. Furthermore, all of the components—motor and servos—were glued together in one integral unit, making replacement of individual parts impossible.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,656 (Seward) discloses a freeflying miniblimp comprising a frame, a balloon containing lighter-than-air gas and a control system for said miniblimp, said control system consisting of a single drive motor, a propeller attached to said drive motor and rotated by said drive motor, a bracket to which is mounted said drive motor, an ascent/descent motor, first means for attaching said ascent/descent motor to said bracket to tilt said drive motor upward or downward, a left/right motor, second means for attaching said left/right motor to turn said drive motor left or right, a single fixed vertical stabilizer secured to said miniblimp and having an absence of moving parts, an energy source and control means for said motors functionally connected to said motors.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,109,598 (Roberts et al.) discloses one or more tethered platforms, each having three or more mill rotors, that are operated at altitudes in relatively high winds to generate electricity. These windmill kites use one or more electro-mechanical tethers on each platform. Their position, attitude and orientation are monitored by one or more GPS receivers and/or gyros and controlled through differential thrusts and torque-reactions produced by the mill rotors. The kites can be electrically powered from a ground supply during relatively calm periods, or landed if desired. During windy periods the kites may be used to generate electricity by tilting the rotors at an angle, or incidence to the on-coming wind. In this generate mode the mill rotors simultaneously develop thrust while generating electricity. See also U.S. Pat. No. 7,183,663.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,048,232 (Plottner) discloses a kite that is flown by means of two control lines and which has two counter rotating 50 inch rotors and which can be flown in winds of 9 miles per hour and greater. This rotor kite can take off, fly in the air at various heights and then be landed by the operator on its rear legs with no harm to the spinning rotors. Manipulation of the rotor kite in the air is possible at all times as the two major merits of this disclosure are its fly ability and its control ability.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,793,172 (Liotta) discloses an aircraft which is designed for remote controlled slow flight, indoor or in a small outdoor yard or field. The aerial lifting body is defined by a series of lightweight planar or thin airfoil surfaces (A1, A2, A3, A4) arranged in a radially symmetrical configuration. Suspended within the cavity (O) formed by the thin airfoil surfaces (A1, A2, A3, A4) is a thrust generating propeller system (C) that is angled upwardly and that can be regulated remotely so as to change the angle of the thrust vector within the cavity (O) for steering. Lifting, stability, turning, and general control of the direction of motion in flight is accomplished without any formal wings, rudder, tail, or control surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,257,525 (Matlin et al.) discloses a remotely controlled aircraft having a center member and a steering assembly. The steering assembly comprises a carriage, a remote control motor, a center member and a connecting arm. The carriage pivotably is attached to the center member. The remote control motor has a control arm and is disposed within the carriage. The center member arm has a first end and a second end. The first end of the center member arm is fixedly attached to the center member. The center member and the center member arm is arranged in a non-parallel manner. The connecting arm has a first end and a second end. The first end of the connecting arm is pivotably attached to the second end of the center member arm. The second end of the connecting arm is pivotably attached to the control arm of the remote control motor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,034,759 (Watson) discloses an aerial still camera including: a video camera; a device for elevating the video camera relative ground level; structure for suspending the video camera from the elevating device; first self-leveling structure for leveling the video camera in a first direction; second self-leveling structure for leveling the video camera in a second direction; first drive structure for rotating the video camera to control the image scanned by the video camera along a first axis; second drive structure for rotating the video camera to control the image scanned by the video camera along a second axis; a tether attached at one end to the elevating device for holding the elevating device and the video camera in the elevated position, the tether including electrical conductors; and an electrical control device attached at another end of the tether for controlling the first and second drive structure so as to control the image scanned by the video camera, the control structure further including a video display so to display the image scanned by the video camera.


A fuser includes an endless heat generating part including a conductive layer, an induced current generating part to heat the conductive layer by electromagnetic induction, and a magnetic shunt metal member that is located at a side opposite to the induced current generating part across the heat generating part, forms a first gap between the magnetic shunt metal member and the heat generating part in a first paper passing region of the heat generating part, and forms a second gap, which is different from the first gap in size, between the magnetic shunt metal member and the heat generating part in a second paper passing region different from the first paper passing region.

As a fuser used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, there is a fuser in which the heat capacity of a heat generating part is reduced, the energy is saved, and a quick temperature rise is achieved. The heat generating part having the small heat capacity is difficult to keep the surface temperature of the heat generating part uniformly in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of a sheet.
In the heat generating part having the small heat capacity, heat transfer from the heat generating part to the sheet does not occur in a sheet non-passing region during fixation, and there is a fear that an abnormal increased temperature occurs. Because of the increased temperature of the sheet non-passing region, there is a fear that the image forming operation of the image forming apparatus must be placed in a stand-by state.

Fuser for preventing excessive increased temperature in paper non-passing region


A method and apparatus for dividing a thin film device having a first layer which is a lower electrode layer, a second layer which is an active layer and a third layer which is an upper electrode layer, the layers each being continuous over the device, into separate cells each having a width W, which are electrically interconnected in series by interconnect structures. The dividing of the cells and the formation of the interconnect structures between adjacent cells are carried out by a process head which is arranged to operate on more than one interconnect structure at a time in a sequence of passes to and fro over the device, the process head performing the following steps: a) making a first cut through the first, second and third layers; b) making a second cut through the second and third layers, the second cut being adjacent to the first cut; c) making a third cut through the third layer the third cut being adjacent to the second cut and on the opposite side of the second cut to the first cut; d) using a first ink jet print head to deposit a non-conducting material into the first cut; and e) using a second ink jet print head to apply conducting material to bridge the non-conducting material in the first cut and either fully or partially fill the second cut such to form an electrical connection between the first layer and the third layer, wherein step (a) precedes step (d), step (d) precedes step (e) and step (b) precedes step (e), (otherwise the steps may be carried out in any order in the single pass of the process head across the device). The thin film device may be a solar panel, a lighting panel or a battery.

The usual way to form and interconnect cells in thin film solar panels involves sequential layer coating and laser scribing processes. To complete the structure three separate coating processes and three separate laser processes are usually required. It is usual to perform these processes in a six step sequence consisting of a laser step following each coating step as described below:                a) Deposit a thin layer of the lower electrode material over the whole substrate surface. The substrate is usually glass but can also be a polymer sheet. This lower layer is often a transparent conducting oxide such as tin oxide (SnO2), zinc oxide (ZnO) or indium tin oxide (ITO). Sometimes it is an opaque metal such as molybdenum (Mo).        b) Laser scribe parallel lines across the panel surface at typically 5-10 mm intervals right through the lower electrode layer to separate the continuous film into electrically isolated cell regions.        c) Deposit the active electricity generating layer over the whole substrate area. This layer might consist of a single amorphous silicon layer or a double layer of amorphous silicon and micro-crystalline silicon. Layers of other semiconducting materials such as cadmium telluride and cadmium sulphide (CdTe/CdS) and copper indium gallium di-selenide (CIGS) are also used.        d) Laser scribe lines through this active layer or layers parallel to and as close as possible to the initial scribes in the first electrode layer without damaging the lower electrode material        e) Deposit a third, top electrode layer, often a metal such as aluminium or a transparent conductor such as ZnO, over the whole panel area.        f) Laser scribe lines in this third layer as close to and parallel to the other lines to break the electrical continuity of the top electrode layer.
Generally, it is necessary to move the substrate between different environments (eg a vacuum or atmospheric environment) between each of these steps.
This procedure of deposition followed by laser isolation breaks up the panel into a multiplicity of separate long, narrow cells and causes an electrical series connection to be made between all the cells in the panel. In this way, the voltage generated by the whole panel is given by the product of the potential formed within each cell and the number of cells. Panels are divided up into typically 50-100 cells so that overall panel output voltage is typically in the 50 to 100 Volt range. Each cell is typically 5-15 mm wide and around 1000 mm long. A thorough description of the processes used in this multi-step solar panel manufacturing method is given in JP10209475.
Schemes have been devised to simplify this multi-step process of making solar panels by combining some of the separate layer coating steps. This reduces the number of times the substrate has to be moved from a vacuum to an atmospheric environment and hence is likely to lead to improved layer quality and increased solar panel efficiency. U.S. Pat. No. 6,919,530, U.S. Pat. No. 6,310,281 and US2003/0213974A1 all describe methods for making solar panels where two of the 3 required layers are coated before laser scribing is performed. The lower electrode layer and the active layer (or layers) are deposited sequentially and then both layers are laser scribed together to form a groove that is then filled with an insulating material. For U.S. Pat. No. 6,310,281 and US2003/0213974A1 it is proposed that this groove filling be performed by ink jet printing. Following the groove filling, the interconnection procedure is as described above with a laser scribe through the active layer, deposition of the top electrode layer and a final scribe of the top electrode layer to isolate the cells.
A scheme has also been proposed where all three layers are coated before any laser scribing is performed. WO 2007/044555 A2 describes a method for making a solar panel where the complete three layer stack is coated in one process sequence following which laser scribes are made into and through the stack. The laser scribe process is complex as it consists of a single scribe with two different depths. On a first side of the scribe the laser penetrates the complete three layer stack right through to the substrate in order to electrically separate the lower electrode layer to define the cells while on the second side of the scribe the laser only penetrates through the top and active layers to leave a region where a ledge of lower electrode layer material is exposed. Insulating material is applied locally to the first side of the scribe that penetrates to the substrate so that the insulating material covers the edge of the lower electrode layer and the edge of the active layer on the first side of the scribe. Following this, conducting material is deposited into the scribe so that it bridges the insulating material previously applied and connects the top electrode layer on the first side to the ledge of lower electrode material on the second side.
The process described in WO2007/044555A2 is complex and requires careful control. Debris generated during the second stage of the dual level laser scribe process is likely to deposit on the adjacent top surface of the ledge of lower electrode material leading to poor electrical connection. A high level of control is needed to ensure that the insulating material is placed in exactly the right position on the first side of the scribe and no material is deposited on top of the ledge of lower electrode material. Extreme accuracy is needed to ensure that the conducting material is placed correctly and does not contact the top electrode on the second side of the scribe. For all these reasons it is unlikely that cell connections can be made with high reliability by this method.
Hence, there remains a requirement for a new cell formation and interconnection process for solar panels and the like that starts with the full stack of three layers but proceeds to make the cell interconnections in a way that is fast, simple and reliable.
Such a process will also be applicable to the formation and series interconnection of cells for the manufacture of other thin film devices such as lighting panels or batteries. Like solar panels, such devices consist of a lower electrode layer, an active layer and a top electrode layer all deposited on a rigid or flexible substrate. Operation at voltages higher than the fundamental single cell voltage can be achieved by dividing the device into multiple cells and connecting the cells in series. The laser and ink jet cell formation and interconnection apparatus proposed here is suitable for such an operation.
For lighting panels, the upper and lower electrodes are likely to be of similar materials to those used for solar panels (eg TCOs or metals) but the active materials are very different. In this case, active layers are most likely to be organic materials but inorganic materials are also possible. Active organic layers are either based on low molecular weight materials (so called OLEDs) or high molecular weight polymers (so called P-OLEDs). Hole and electron transport layers are usually associated with the active light emitting layers. For these lighting panels, operation is at low voltage and all layers are thin and hence the interconnection process described herein is ideal for dividing the panel into cells and connecting these in series to allow operation at a substantially higher voltage
For thin film batteries the layers are often more complex. For the case of a thin film battery based on Lithium ion technology, the lower layer has two components—a metal layer for current collection and a Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LiCoO3) layer that functions as a cathode. The upper layer also has two components—a metal layer for current collection and a Tin Nitride (Sn3N4) layer that functions as an anode. In between these two layers is the active layer—a Lithium Phosphorous OxyNitride (LiPON) electrolyte. For such batteries, operation is at low voltage and all layers are thin and hence the interconnection process described herein is ideal for dividing the battery into cells and connecting these in series to allow operation at a substantially higher voltage
The applicant has in an earlier (unpublished) patent application proposed a method and apparatus for dividing a thin film solar panel into separate cells and connecting these cells electrically in series. The apparatus used a process head that combines three laser beams and two fluid nozzles. All five of these components on the process head addresses a single interconnect structure between two adjacent cells so that a single passage of the head across the solar panel creates a single interconnect structure. Other interconnect structures are then formed by stepping the process head by distances equal to the cell width, or multiples of the cell width, in the direction perpendicular to the interconnect direction and traversing the process head across the panel again. The present invention provides an improvement of the method and apparatus proposed in the earlier application.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for dividing thin film device into separate cells


The present invention provides a system and method for displaying an external user interface in a groupware application to allow a user to access another application from the groupware application. The external user interface may be accessed from an initial screen within the groupware application that may allow a user to choose from multiple external applications. The user interface may then be expanded to also display user interfaces associated with the application that was selected, as well as the user interfaces associated with the e-mail program. With the external user interface, the user may navigate through the external application from the groupware application by sending multiple queries.

Businesses often rely on computer systems to provide services to customers. For example, businesses may rely on electronic communications such as electronic mail (e-mail) to convey information. Businesses may also rely on other computer software applications to provide services for customers. For example, a sales organization may use other computer software applications to manage contacts with potential customers, as well as relations with current customers. Information used by these other business applications may be maintained by a backend database that is not accessible to the e-mail system. For example, a sales company that routinely sells items to the same customers may have contact information for these customers stored in a backend database so that it is integrated with, for example, accounts payable systems.
Employees of businesses are often required to use multiple computer software programs to provide services. For example, a sales manager may check one program that manages contacts with customers to see when a potential customer was last contacted and then transmit an e-mail using another program. This may require opening and closing multiple applications. Additionally, there may be no integration between the various computer programs that a sales manager must use. The sales manager must remember the appropriate application for the function that is selected, locate that application and then open it to perform the function. An employee would benefit from an integrated system that provides a unified access point for various applications.


A linear electric motors including a housing, a first armature movable on a first essentially linear path with respect to the housing, and a second armature movable on a second essentially linear path with respect to the housing, wherein the first armature is mounted to the housing by a first mounting spring, wherein the first armature and the second armature are coupled to each other by a coupling spring, and wherein the second armature is mounted to the housing by a second mounting spring.

It is common in the prior art to drive electric household appliances, such as for example electric toothbrushes and shavers, by a rotating electric motor. However, it turns out that under certain conditions the noise emission by the rotating electric motor exceeds what is considered a level of comfort for a user. Accordingly there are multiple efforts in the prior art for a replacement of a rotating electric motor by a linear electric motor. However, a linear motor having an armature being movable with respect to the housing and a stator being mounted to the housing can lead to a transfer of oscillations to the housing. These transferred oscillations can strongly influence the feeling the user has when using the device.
An arrangement is known wherein the stator is not rigidly mounted to the housing. In this arrangement, the stator is elastically mounted to the housing by a spring and therefore movable with respect to the housing. The stator and the armature are coupled by a further spring such that the stator and the armature oscillate with a 180 degrees phase shift. Therefore in principle a reduction in the transfer of oscillations to the housing is achieved. However, in order to obtain a sufficient momentum transfer for the armature, the spring coupling the stator to the housing may have a fairly high spring constant. Because of the fairly high spring constant, substantial transfer of vibrations to the housing can occur. In general linear motors are discussed in WO 2005/062445 A1.


A method for securing indirect function calls by using program counter encoding is provided. The method includes inserting a decoding code for an address of a library function stored in a GOT (Global Offset Table) entry into a PLT (Procedure Linkage Table) entry when an object file is built; generating an encoding key corresponding to the decoding code; and encoding the GOT entry corresponding to the library function by using the encoding key when program execution begins.

Although the Internet has had great successes in facilitating communications between computer systems and enabling electronic commerce, the computer systems connected to the Internet have been under almost constant attack by hackers seeking to disrupt their operation. Many of the attacks seek to exploit vulnerabilities of the application programs or other computer programs executing on those computer systems. One of the most destructive methods of attacking a computer system has been to send a "worm" to a computer program. A worm is a self-propagating attack that exploits vulnerability by taking control of the computer system and using that computer system to launch attacks against other computer systems with the same vulnerability.
Developers of applications and administrators of computer systems spare no effort and expense to identify and remove vulnerabilities. Because of the complexity of applications, however, it is virtually impossible to identify and remove all vulnerabilities before applications are released. After applications are released, developers may become aware of vulnerabilities in various ways. A party with no malicious intent may identify vulnerability in an application and may secretly notify the developer so that the vulnerability can be removed before hackers identify and exploit it.
Hackers can snatch control flow by writing a "desired" address into a code pointer referenced by an indirect branch instruction. If the indirect branch instruction is executed, program counter (PC) is set to point to the attackers' way. Most common code pointers in terms of frequency are return addresses stored in run time stack. Many protection schemes were proposed to guard the return address location, encrypt/hide the return address, or make a copy of the return address stack. However, little work has been done to handle other types of code pointers, particularly, the function pointers in the global offset table (GOT). GOT entries are set at run time by dynamic linker to link a program with a shared library.
Thus, there has been an increasing demand for a method and an apparatus capable of providing programs with effective protection schemes against attacks for acquiring control over computer systems by manipulating the code pointers to the functions without causing excessive overhead.

Method and apparatus for securing indirect function calls by using program counter encoding

Korea University Research and Business Foundation

Hongik University Industry—Academia Cooperation Foundation


A circuit for measuring DC bias voltage occurring in an ungrounded electrode of a plasma processing apparatus, includes: a first terminal connected between the ungrounded electrode and the RF power source; a second terminal for determining a value of the DC bias voltage; a first resistance connected between the first terminal and the second terminal; a second resistance connected between the second terminal and a ground; and a condenser disposed in parallel to the second resistance between the second terminal and the ground. The sum of the first resistance value and the second resistance value is about 50 MΩ or greater.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a semiconductor plasma CVD apparatus and more particularly to a circuit for measuring DC bias voltage of an ungrounded electrode.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, plasma CVD apparatuses for forming a thin film on a semiconductor substrate have been widely used. In these plasma CVD apparatuses, the susceptor side is used as one side of electrodes for plasma discharge by grounding it, and the showerhead side is used as the other side of the electrodes for plasma discharge by not grounding it. DC bias voltage (hereinafter referred to as "Vdc") occurs in an ungrounded electrode (e.g., a showerhead) to which radio-frequency power is applied. This Vdc value is normally measured by a Vdc measurement circuit incorporated in an RF matching circuit.
If an apparatus configuration or process conditions are identical, nearly the same Vdc value is indicated. Consequently, by confirming change in a Vdc value, a difference between apparatuses or apparatus abnormality can be known. Additionally, when a dielectric breakdown occurs in an oxide film on anode and the like coated on an electrode during plasma processing or when abnormal plasma discharge occurs, a Vdc value also fluctuates. Consequently, by monitoring a Vdc value during plasma processing and stopping the plasma processing when abnormal plasma discharge occurs, it becomes possible to prevent damage to a semiconductor substrate or a drop in throughput from occurring. Thus, Vdc value measurement plays an important role in the plasma processing. However, conventionally, the importance of a Vdc value has not been recognized in the art, and problems described below have not been recognized in the art.
Generally, a Vdc measurement circuit comprises several known resistances and a condenser and calculates a Vdc value from resistance values and voltage applied to the resistances.

DC bias voltage measurement circuit and plasma CVD apparatus comprising the same


A microscratch-test method for measuring adhesion between a first material and a second material adhered to one another at an interface and forming an article. The method involves polishing a planar surface of the article generally normal to the interface and exposing the interface and the first and second materials. A static load of predetermined mass is applied to a starting point on the first or second material in a direction generally normal to the planar surface, using a load means of a third material harder than the first and second materials. The load means is moved across the planar surface from the starting point in a straight line generally toward and across the interface at an angle relative to the interface of between 90.degree. and about 20.degree.. These steps are repeated, varying the mass. The starting point for each repetition is spaced apart from other starting points but is approximately equidistant with other starting points from the interface. The lowest value of the predetermined mass is observed at which a predetermined level of damage to one or more of the interface, first material, and second material occurs. The scratch angle may be constant or may vary with each repetition.

This invention relates to a method for characterizing the adhesion of hard materials to one another, and in particular to a method for physically stressing the materials in the region of the interface between the materials to aid in such characterization.
In recent years, considerable research has been devoted to the application of hard, thin coatings to hard materials by chemical or physical vapor deposition processes. Such coatings are applied to enhance the chemical and physical properties of the substrate materials. The goal of such research is to optimize the coating/substrate design to achieve maximum reduction of factors inducing failure of the substrate in use. Typical of such factors are abrasive wear, chemical wear, and thermal degradation. Examples of such optimized coating/substrate design are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,965,140, 4,950,588, and 4,988,564, all commonly assigned herewith and incorporated herein by reference. Further examples are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,792 (entitled "AlN Coated Silicon Nitride-Based Cutting Tools"), also commonly assigned herewith and incorporated herein by reference.
In order to facilitate optimization of the properties of a coating/substrate composite article, the characteristics of potential substrate and coating materials and their interaction must be understood, particularly their behavior in the service environment. Based on such understanding, maximally compatible materials may be selected for a given use. Many of such properties are known, or may be calculated or speculated and empirically verified. Although the interfacial strength, or adhesion (adherence), of materials in such composite articles is a critical factor in the selection of compatible materials, this factor has remained difficult to quantify and is poorly understood. Adhesion has been defined as the amount of energy required to separate a coating from its substrate.
Adhesion is a macroscopic property influenced by many factors, including interdiffusion of materials across the interface between the substrate and the coating, compound formation at the interface, coating and substrate morphologies, defect structures, and residual stresses. Such residual stresses are due to deposition procedures or to differences in material properties, e.g. thermal mismatch between the substrate and the coating. Absolute determination of these factors, their interdependence, and the resulting influence on the mechanical properties of the interfacial region is the subject of ongoing research. Without adequate quantification of these parameters, accurate theoretical prediction of coating adherence is impossible. Presently, determination of adherence must be approached empirically through mechanical testing.
Various techniques have been used in attempts to quantify the adherence between coatings and substrates, for example the well known peel test, pull test, indentation test, scratch test (using the Revetest.RTM. apparatus), and thermal shock-laser test, as well as many others. These tests are only partly successful at best, and apply to only a narrow field of materials.
The scratch test is the most widely used adherence test for hard, thin coatings. In this test, a statically loaded, generally conical, diamond tipped indenter is drawn across the surface of the coating as the load is increased, until coating failure is induced. Since the force of the load in this test is applied in a direction normal to the coating surface, the coating, substrate, and interface all are increasingly deformed as the load is increased. Thus when failure occurs, it is difficult to determine the exact point, i.e. in the coating, within the substrate, or at the interface, at which the failure was initiated. Because of the degree of deformation of the coating, substrate, and interface, this prior art scratch test has proved to be less a measure of the adherence of the coating than of the durability of the coated material.
It clearly would be desirable, in order to promote further scientific development and engineering improvements of coated material systems, to have available a technique which is more sensitive to the pure adhesive and cohesive forces between various coatings and substrates. The present invention addresses this need.

Method for characterization of adhesion between hard materials


A device for providing the edge of a starting sheet of an electrode used in the electrolytic refining or recovery of metals with a dielectric part comprises a die space, in which the edge of the starting sheet of the electrode can at least partly be fitted, and a feeding device of the dielectric material for feeding the dielectric material into the die space. The device comprises changing members of the volume of the die space for pressing the dielectric material in the die space to that edge of the starting sheet of the electrode, which is at least partly fitted in the die space.

The invention relates to a method according to the preamble of claim 1 for providing the edge of the starting sheet of an electrode used in the electrolytic refining or recovery of metals with a dielectric strip.
The invention relates to equipment according to the preamble of claim 16 for providing the edge of the starting sheet of an electrode used in the electrolytic refining or recovery of metals with a dielectric strip.
In the electrolytic refining and recovery process, which is used as a sub-process in the manufacture of metals, such as copper, nickel and zinc, a starting sheet made of, for example, stainless steel, aluminium or titanium is used as the electrode, and the metal to be refined is precipitated on the different sides of the sheet by means of an electric current. The metal that is accumulated on the surface is detached from the starting sheet at regular intervals. Generally, the electrolytic refining and recovery process is carried out in electrolytic tanks, which contain a sulphuric acid-bearing electrolyte and, alternatively immersed therein, plate-like electrodes, i.e., anodes and cathodes, which are made of an electrically conductive material. At the upper edges of the anodes and cathodes, there are lugs or rods, by which they hang at the edges of the electrolytic tank, and through which they are connected to an electric circuit and by means of which they are lifted into and out of the tank. The metal to be produced is either delivered to the electrolytic process in soluble, so-called active anodes, or in a form that has already dissolved in the electrolyte at a preceding process stage, whereby insoluble, so-called passive anodes are used.
Due to the electric current, the metal to be produced in the electrolytic refining and recovery process accumulates on all the conductive surfaces of the starting sheet, i.e., if the entire starting sheet is conductive, the metal to be produced covers, as a uniform layer, the entire part of the starting sheet that is lowered into the electrolyte. In that case, the deposits of the produced metal that are accumulated on the two sides of the starting sheet are, at three sides thereof, attached to each other over the narrow edges of the starting sheet and, therefore, the deposits of the produced metal are very difficult to separate from the starting sheet. To easily detach the deposits of the produced metal from the surfaces of the starting sheet, the deposition of the produced metal over the narrow edges of the starting sheet must be prevented, i.e., the edges of the starting sheet must be rendered non-conductive. The most common way of rendering the edges of the starting sheet non-conductive is to cover the edges of the starting sheet with parts, such as edge strips that are made of a dielectric material, such as plastic.
The publication WO/2005/057682 discloses a method of providing the edge portion of a sheet, such as the starting sheet of an electrode with a strip, such as a strip consisting of plastic material, by using equipment that comprises a die space. In this known method, the portion of the sheet edge is fitted inside the equipment that feeds the plastic material into the die space, the restrictive members and the die surfaces of the equipment preventing the escape of the heated plastic material out of the die space; the sheet and the equipment that feeds the plastic material are arranged so as to be movable with respect to each other, the portion of the sheet edge being located in the said equipment, and the die space of the equipment is heated during the process.
A problem with the solution disclosed in the specification WO/2005/057682 is the poor adhesion of the plastic strip to the edge portion of the plate-like component as a result of the shrinkage of the plastic material.
JP06071723 discloses an arrangement for providing a panel, such as the window of a vehicle, with a frame.
DE 29 37 605 discloses a device for casting or extrusion moulding the edges of a laminar part.
US 2005/0221060 discloses a process and an apparatus for providing a component with a profile edge.
DE 37 07 481 discloses a mat manufactured from fibrous material, having an edge portion.
DE 32 19 300 discloses a cathode for the galvanic separation of metals, especially zinc.

Method and equipment for providing the edge of a starting sheet with a dielectric strip